*Beware the Lunatic Fringe*
13 November 2006

While Preparedness and Survivalism are currently "in Style", they've always had a fringe element attached to them that has long given "Preparedness Minded People" AND "Survivalists" a bad name, a bad rap, and a bad rep.

No matter how mainstream Disaster Preparedness, becomes, the lunatic fringe that gave "Survivalism/Preparedness" a bad name to start with is still out there.

As I have preached for Years: "Preparedness" and "Survivalism" seem to be the same thing; They aren't, even though most people assume that they are... and "Survivalism" seems to be an umbrella idea/label that some people call themselves because they can't define what they Really are any closer... They "need a reason" to justify having some Guns, and/or some equipment (Most just want to play Army), "so they Must be a Survivalist", and therefore also "Preparedness Minded"...
They're Not Either...
They're the lunatic fringe; Still outcast from any normal society.. trying to give their Hobbies justification; Spewing hatred, threatening violence, all to impress each other... What has any of that got to do with preparing for a Hurricane, or the aftermath of a Tornado, or protecting loved ones against whatever radical extremist Terrorists plan to do next?
"Not a thing"... They're not "Survivalists", they're not "Preparedness Minded", they're just radicals.

"They Think", "It seems logical that ____".. you almost never hear them say, "I Actually Did This and here's my results and pictures and proof, let's see how it compares to Your results". I've never seen a radical produce 15 year old eatable Rice as a proof of how well their food storage methods work... but ask them how many rounds of "ammo" they think they need, they can cite chapter and verse about that.

As one, uhh, person, on another Forum said,
"When you bugging out, If you have to painstakingly hack your way with a machete, you going the right direction" (SIC)..
They've never Actually done this or they would have looked back and thought "I'm leaving a trail for others to follow"... If you've read articles here, you've read the stories from members that Swore their retreats were "Hidden".. one found out his retreat was used as a "Position marker" on Aircraft maps to help find the local Airfield's runway... another got a tax bill when DEA people, looking for drugs via Helicopter in the "remote area", saw the retreat and turned the info over to the state for further investigation since it wasn't on their tax maps (many States combine the "Air Drug Searches" with tax searches and other State/County matters). "There is no such thing as *Remote* in the lower 48 any more".. it's a fiction for the ignorant to believe... But they are Still planning to "Head for the remote hills with a Bug out Bag" (Oh, they'll change their tune in time.. they always do once We've proven the fact, and then they'll swear it was Their idea in the first place ;)

...As I have said in other articles, A Lot of the Lunatic fringe just can't make it in society and want The Stuff To Hit The Fan because they think that by having a few supplies, and some guns, they can be "Important" or "a Leader" or "People will quit making fun of them (maybe even do some bowing and scraping)" if Society will just hurry up and collapse...
Folks, That's Lunacy!! If you have to hope for the system to be torn down to below your level before you feel good about yourself.. you need a little professional help.. And (again, As I have said for Years) "Powerful people are powerful by nature".. if you put them in a disaster, or on a desert Island with 20 people, they will Still gain power... they will gain power in Any environment... it's simply in their nature... the setting is incidental, whether we consider these people good or bad.

The Guy that can't get the respect he feels he deserves Right Now, is not going to get that respect After TSHTF either. That's a proven fact... History, and countless disasters, proves this out time after time.

Sadly, There are a lot of these people that Want to see society torn down so that They can be "better off" finally. They feel "cheated" in life, they feel like someone is holding them back (someone is.. *themselves*!)

"Three Monthers" or "90 Day-ers"
It's been said that most "fringe personalities" can put up a good act for about 3 months. Over 13+ years as a webmaster (as of this writing), I've found this to be true to the point of being scary. People you Would Not want to share a shelter with seem to suddenly snap within a few days of the "Three Month Mark".

For the first Month or two, they often seem like the Ideal team mate, your best friend, "gonna be friends for life", and then suddenly, at about that three month mark, they seem to just lose their minds. They imagine a grudge, and then do everything their small minds can come up with to "Pay you back" (Pay You back because They can't function in society?). Some Psychologists say this happens in Any setting; Romance, Friendships, etc.. not just on the internet.

When this happens in the Rubicon, we can simply remove them.. they usually scurry off to other sites and bad mouth us, and seek company with others that have been removed from our site, or other reputable sites... Three Monthers are usually removed for the same reason(s); basically, they can't keep up the "act of being normal for more than three months"...

An extreme case of a "Three-Monther" is one such "gentleman" that has now been kicked out of more than Five of the larger preparedness forums/organizations, and is Still out there spreading his craziness years later.. He changes his name and ISP, His new names are almost always women (He pretends to be a woman even when signing his own name to his crazy threatening E-Mails or Message Forum posts)... He claims to have multiple personalities, all of whom "talk to each other" on various forums. Several times Webmasters of other forums have 'outted him' in front of everyone else for pretending that he and his "Great Good Friends" went Camping, or to the Shooting Range, etc, each "Friend" proclaiming that the others were "The best of people"; It's turned out that his "Great Good Friends" were "himself"... and himself... and.. himself(??) posting to each other from the same IP.. he was posting (and replying) to "himself" on his home desktop and two laptops! He spends a large amount of his meager salary trying to sneak back into sites he's been banned from for years... He was at worst a sad joke until he was found posting pictures (under another of his Aliases, on forums not related to Preparedness) of purposefully running over small animals (Cats in particular) with a car. "Sexual Issues", "cruelty to small Animals", "fits of rage", etc, are all warning signs of severe emotional issues. Even while he's calmly saying "I don't know why they took a dislike to me, they have issues", the little demon is gibbering in the back of his mind while he tries to think of a way to get to you next. Each time he realizes his mutiple personas are known and have been shared by various webmasters, he runs in fear, saying (and this is a quote) "I can't help it, I get confused sometimes and stray", OR he says his children and their friends did it; Blaming your craziest actions on your Children... how sick is that???

Anyway, again, he's a well known extreme case... But most Three-Monthers promptly go to other sites proclaiming how wrong they were done, but within three months, Amazingly, They are then at each other's throats (I know, surprising, huh? ;)! It's an amazing thing to watch... and of course, it's Never their fault, there's a vast conspiracy against them... However, many suddenly start spouting how "Christian they are", and how "Non Violent", and how they "wish everyone well", all the while they are gibbering in their closets and trying to think of ways to "pay back" imaginary sleights... They Always pop at every site they go to.. always, without exception.

Is this what you want your spouse, or children, exposed to??

...and let's not forget the occasional scammer...

Many "Newer Webmasters" welcome these people in, hoping to "grow their sites", until the malcontents pop and do something stupid.. like the guy that arm robbed a convenience store, or the member of another site that Killed his wife and Girl Friend.. the Web sites that "Took them in" are no longer in existence, Even though Many webmasters had tried (in vain) to warn them about these unstable people... Point being, no matter what site you join, Always make sure it is an older, reputable site that doesn't put up with BS. Older sites have the experience needed to weed out the wack-jobs. This is not to say there aren't some good "younger" sites, there are, but they are the exception, not the rule (Most Quality sites simply Will Not put up with BS, so it's easy to identify the better sites, young or old).

The scary part is, these people will be out there during a disaster, helping out, being your "friend".. until that infamous three month mark hits and you see "The real" them. By Then it's too late for You.

It's why We screen our members so heavily, and why None of the reputable sites allow BS on their sites. It's why it's good to get to know the people you may need to trust over a Longer period of time than just a few months (Most Rubicon members have known each other Many years... many members have been with us well over a decade!)... In a long term Disaster, You Do Not want to have to trust your life to "People you've just met", and that no one seems to really know in real life.. because in a random group of people, several of them will statistically turn out to be "three monthers".. Then You're in trouble... It's why Reputable organizations are the safest way to meet people.. most people are already known, have been met by Many other people, etc.

When the occasional deviant does pop, we make a note of their names and usually webmasters share this information, to protect You, Our Quality Members. If they've "popped" at one place, they almost always Pop at the next place they try to call "home on the net" (I can see you webmasters nodding your heads now, yes, we know them well).

You Need to get to know the people you can trust Now so that you have as much time and experience with them as possible before you may have to depend on them. It's one reason why the reputable preparedness sites (the ones that have been around for years and that won't put up with crap and craziness) are an Ideal way to Really get to know other people over Long periods of time... They've usually weeded out "The Crazies".

Keep in mind that the person that's constantly being booted from site after site, or "paying people back" for imagined slights (Or things They have done to themselves) will be a problem for You if you get involved with them. Getting to know people Long Term, in a controlled setting, is about the surest way Not to get involved with the lunatic fringes. And when you see these people constantly Moaning about being booted from various sites, or bad mouthing other people constantly, Or bragging about "paying people back" or "Getting even", it's a safe bet, they're a "Three monther". BEWARE.

"The person that is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is Not a nice person"

How's that Country song go? "After 5 strikes, it just Might be You" ;)

".. A word to the wise...."
Trip Williams