Anyone thinking of "going dark"?

[brokedownbiker]

I just got off the phone with an old Army buddy who shares my concern over the state of our nation and society. He called to let me know that he is "going dark"; dropping off grid as completely as he can. He has established mail drops and bought a prepaid cell (one reason for his call, to give me ways to find the information).

Anyone else considering fading to gray? I'm starting to think it might not be a bad idea; not feasible for many these days, I know, but those that can might start thinking about it.

[Rmplstlskn]

Nah, still too early... The middle-east fireworks are just getting started. Hang out for the show...

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Why again would i need to?
Seriously i would like a realistic answer, not big O is the antiChrist, not tinfoilism, not hateraide but a real answer.
I still have to work so no cant drop off the grid. Still have health care issues in my family so no cant drop off the grid. Just got back from a planning commitee meeting for a new set of bays at the range, pretty sure we will get it completed and be using it so no I wont drop off the grid. Went and toured a college for my Daughter, pretty sure she will go so no I wont drop off the grid. Made some plans with my son, betting we get to that too so no I wont drop off the grid. Oh and I filled out my vacation request for next year too, really hoping to see that thru so no I wont drop off the grid.
Being mad about the way things are going doesnt mean TEOTWAWKI. Heck some nut even off'd hiself over the election, really?!? idiot. Things will still change just like the bad ole clinton years.
BTW operational "Dark" isnt what is listed, that is grey. Dark is dark and just like in life dark never stays dark, light will eventually shine in, its our nature and those that hunt these have time on their side. OBL is a prime example

[WiseOwl]

Nope. I am living life. If "it" happens, we deal. Just keep living til last release of carbon dioxide.

[EX121]

Don't plan to, and I don't think it's really possible for most folks. Most folks have too many ties, family, work, health care concerns etc. If somethinng tragic happens then that's what all the preps are for. If then needs demand I & family my depart for a time, but I don't see us doing the 'lone wolf' existence for long if at all.
I'm with Matt< Idon't know of or see a need.

[protus]

reason i moved to BFE ...that and if im dark how will i watch reddawn next week ;p

[Gus14]

We "go dark" quite a bit. Unfortunately we have NYSEG (New York State electric & gas) which means we pay some of the highest energy rates in the US and have an antiquated system delivering it to us. Wind, ice, heavy rain, snow, and sunshine all are cause for wires to fall and it usually happens at 11 at night or on a weekend where it will be 12-14 hours before power is restored. So we go dark quite a bit. For this reason, we are very prepared for it because we live it. Oil lamps, woodstove, and books are the lighting and entertainment. Cookstove, hand pump water, and gravity is how we eat drink and get rid of waste.
When it is available I like to live on the grid. I prefer kindle to books, I like chattin on here, and I like my tv on gameday. When the system fails, we will be ready. Until then, keep on keepin on.

[Benn Gleck]

While I wish we were able to go "off grid" we're not able to. Life happens.

[miked2345]

I'm not sure how one would "go dark".... If you're working age, and have a job, I think that "they" could find you. If you're retired, there would still be a paper trail via your soc. sec. checks, IRA checks, doctor, etc... Now the guy I saw today on the corner, holding a cardboard sign.... I think maybe he's "gone dark".....

[recon_prepper]

lol awesome you let me know how that goes. :)
Sorry I just dont see it happening in this day and time "going dark"

[WILL]

I'd love to, but I have bills to pay and can't quit my job. I've thought of cashing out and trying to retire early in order to live the simple life, but it just isn't a practical idea at this time. I have to stick with society for at least another 7 years.

[birdseye.2]

I will enter a more serious response to this issue. "Going Dark" is always on the back of our minds. My family currently has two children and a 94 year old great grandmother living with us, but where the world is headed, we fear that something so many people consider to be unrealistic, may become a must. With the passing of the surrender of parental control over there children in Ireland, handing control over to there government... with the arrests and custody violations of parents who refuse to vaccinate, or have home births, it is obvious that we will shortly lose the rights we "TAKE ADVANTAGE OF" and don't even realize we have, don't even realize that they are fragile. There will come a time, and shortly it will be here, that we will have to make a decision. Conform to this world and relinquish every free independent thought and personal power over to the government, or take ourselves entirely out of this world, giving up those things which so many call, "Conveniences."

As for the feasability of "Going Dark" and not going, "Off-grid" there are many different ways to make it happen. Firstly, off-grid doesn't mean, "Going Dark". Off grid is simply that, off the government and municipally controlled sources of power/water. I am 100% off-grid. We take our water from two high production wells. Both produce upwards of 420 GPM. We have a large pump that performs at 120 GPM, and a smaller pump that performs at about 45 GPM, both used for irrigating of our pasture, gardens, orchards, and vinyard, as well as two back-up solar powered pumps providing 2.1 GPM of water pumped directly into our cisterns. We have a propane fridge/water heater/stove which we will soon be converting to methane produced by our Chickens/goats/cows/turkeys. We are 35 minutes from a town of approximately 2,000 people, an hour and a half away from a city with 28,000 people, three hours away from a city with 48,000, and six hours away from a town with more than 100,000 people. Just today, because of Draco, six cities nearest us lost power. Everyone was stripped of their so called conveniences. They couldn't buy food, they couldn't get fuel, the couldn't get water or flush their toilets, they couldn't watch tv, or go on the internet, and in this cold storm, they didn't have power to run the blowers on their central air heaters. I still work in the small town, so I got to hear these complaints all day. While I left this little town behind without power, I went home to a warm(Heated by a wood stove) house, with the tv going for my son, and my wife sitting at here computer checking e-mails and looking at her blog. Being "OFF-GRID" Doesn't mean sacrificing conveniences, it means producing those conveniences for yourself instead of depending on someone else to do it for you. NOW... so many say that it's too expensive for me to do that, I could never afford it... well... I make 8 dollars an hour. We produce all of our own NEEDS. That eight dollars provides for our "CONVENIENCES". I made my own solar panels, and purchased batteries that have a life expectancy of five to ten years, installed solar water pumps etc. for a grand total of five thousand dollars. Remote properties are much cheaper than city properties, and honestly, jobs are about as easy to find as they are being in a large city. Sure there are fewer jobs, but there are also fewer people applying for these jobs, and even fewer people who are qualified for them or present much of a comparison to many people who would be moving to these small areas. OFF-GRID, easy.

"Going Dark" Totally different subject all together, but starting off grid is one way to get there. I'm "Off-grid", so I have no electrical bill, no water bill, no gas bill. Your Name, SSN, ETC. are on these things. The property we live on is not ours, but belongs to a gentleman and family who has had it in the family since the late 1800's, has no interest in getting rid of it, neither do his children, but on the other hand, have no interest in living at this property... "giving up too many conveniences". So, I have no place of residence, the property we live on has no address but is simply refered to as "### miles" on "So and so" rd., no tax file of property ownership. However, we do have the interenet (Billed to a P.O. Box) which in record has the installation location as well as satellite TV. We have a cell phone plan(More records). We have driver's licenses, registered vehicles, bank accounts. So... how do I go Dark... pretty self explanitory. #1 MOVE: Close all bank accounts, liquify my assets(Livestock, solar, pumps, etc.) payoff(ditch plans, i.e. cell phones/satelite depending on your ethics) sell vehicles with GPS/LoJack and similar systems. Purchase for cash an older but dependable vehicle... (Don't register it) [point for discussion- if you consider that un-ethical, research our constitutional right to free travel. If you think it may be illegal, consider case-law in supreme courts throughout the nation... State laws requiring the registration of vehicles is un-ethical and illegal under our constitution... but do you KNOW YOUR RIGHTS?] Move to a very small and remote location. Use a different name(God knows who you are) Are you Saul, or Paul(BIBLE)? Residents.... there are so many different approaches to residences for going dark... live on BLM, Nat. Forrest two weeks post ranger contact moving locations constantly... squating(Not an option for me, but I'm not you)... Or the one I like the most, such as where I am, make your word be your bond and that bond be with someone who owns property they don't mind renting/"lending"/or having a permanent caretaker. Find a job... why does it need to be a high paying job... it's needs we must fill, not conveniences...

So... that's just a little sneak peak into "GOING DARK" and the differences between that and "OFF-GRID"

As for... should we do it now. My actual take on that is this. If you are personally in a place where you feel it necessary, and feel you are able to pull it off relatively successfully, and feel that this is your eventual approach, do so. We are "PREPPERS" we aren't waiting till the last minute to get our ducks in a row, as so many of us forget. Things don't just happen exactly how we want it when we first try, it takes practice, and now is the time to make your mistakes, because when it really matters, there are no re-dos.

The state of the world in my eyes, especially in respect to the powers of the government. Before our government will ever acheive the power for it to be necessary for many of us to "GO DARK", we will have to have already gone through TEOTWAWKI. Our government is now moving to control ammunition, why? Because they can never(As our country is now) control guns. What does gun control, CONTROl? Not violence, because a violent person is violent, it controls the People's ability to control the government. Haven't we all heard, "STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES BUT WORDS WILL NEVER HURT ME!" that's where they want us, to have not but the power of words. So... ammunition control is a great way to control our ability to sustain "resistance". However, once the outflow of ammunition into the population is ceased, they aren't going to want to go house to house having conflict after conflict with gun owners, because I personally know six individuals who they would have to kill, which are well armed enough and skilled enough to take more than one with them if that occurs. This approach to suppressing gun violence would only escalate it, as we all know, and gain little control over a very long period of time, at great financial and other expense, which what's the power behind POWER? MONEY, and FEAR. If the expendatures are high, and we FEAR the government rather than the CRIMINAL GUN, they're losing on both ends. So... let us take the financial fall, (hightened prices of ammunition and weapon accessories/gear. The inflation of the dollar. Continue to televise gun violence... notice the pattern....(Increased gun violence, increasingly vile crimes, with mentally ill people possessing guns, such as the Arora shooting with a financially strugling, mentally challenged student, who volunteers for a program at the university where he is studying, for a research study in the mind control techniques used by foreign and domestic government agencies, who just so happens to come across $25,000 dollars to purchase guns and ammunition[I don't know about you, but I forgot that much in a sock just the other day]. )

FEAR OF THE GUN, FINANCIAL FALL.

Financial fall- "But the government is in debt, they're hurting to." Sure, the U.S.A. Democracywhich was founded under our constitution is done for financialy, but the U.N. is as strong as every.

So... how does the Government avoid conflict in obtaining our guns and controling us? Eliminate ammo distrbution, no more ammo, no point in buying any more guns, what you have is what you get. Because of increased violence commited by the evil GUN, The government talks of gun seizures. The population rejoices,(Because we know we on the right are now a minority people, who's in office?). The government calls for a voluntary surrender of all firearms for all non-law enforcement/military/or otherwise government affiliated citizen. Now... instead of addressing the contries hopeless financial fall, we are dealing with guns. So inflation is out of control until four months into the voluntary surrender of weapons, which many of us feel is "ETHICAL", the Trucks stop running, maybe the large trucking unions strike. Stores begin to run out of stock. Food shortages rage throughout. People murder for food with their bare hands. One guy wished he had't surrendered his gun, it would have been easier when he wanted to feed his three children. Oh... sure... the occasional gun runs into a store and at least ends up with everything it can carry. Sooo... action follows action... event follows even... natural disaster follows natural disaster... our country is in ruins. Violence of every kind abounds. You... me... the other three who kept their guns... well, we've spent most of our little(On the big sceem of things) stock pile of ammunition on the criminals of today who will have their guns tomorrow, and the few misquided desperate people trying to feed/clothe/shelter themselves and their families/friends in a misquided and inappropriate manner, when "ALL HAIL THE U.N. The savior of the world" Come to give us food/shelter/clothing... surrender your arms and come unto me, I shall give you all that you need, if only you will follow me. Idolatry comes in many forms. Live not in fear, for the birds in the field are clothed by Him, so to won't He clothe you, are you not more important.



I DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR, NOW THAT I AM PREPARED FOR WHAT I KNOW IS COMING!!!!


What a rant, I apologize for the length. I hope there was something in there worth reading to someone.

[cabingal3]

me and the mister are preparing our cabin and land and we are off the grid out there.
i really like the computer and i think he will rig up a way for him to write his books offline.i dont really care about
electronics alot.i think they mesmerize us all too much.the tv,games,cell phones.i see people walking and texting
and not even knowing where they are walkng to.i see my hubby when i talk to him.goo goo eye balls cause he is so
into the computer he can drag himself out of it .It takes him a while.i rather look forward to real living out in the boonies.
to go get our water from our hand pump.to gather fire wood for our stove.u can do alot with a generator,oil lamps,wood stove.
its just not as easy as flicking a button for heat in town.we are off the grid at the cabin but not here in the city.

[ssonb]

I am going "Black" powder that is! All I am going to have in my home is a cap and ball revolver and a muzzle loading rifle. Its for the children ya know....