Prepping, if done right, is Politically Incorrect

While it can be shown, logically, that being a prepper is a responsible and mature response to the realities of this world, "sadly, it appears that being a 'prepper' is now enough to get special attention from the authorities."  That quote and the following excerpt are from an article on World View Weekend.
(about halfway through the article)
Why are preppers hated so much

On Thursday last week, no less than 150 armed and militarized police and FBI agents in he guise of tactical assault teams descended on Porter's house as if they were confronting a terrorist cell. The raid also included helicopters, SWAT crews, armored vehicles and even excavation equipment.

Porter was absent at the time of the raid but turned himself in the next morning at Hagerstown Barrack.

After the raid, the claim that Porter was stockpiling "10-15 machine gun-style firearms" was demolished when police uncovered "four shotguns, a .30-30-caliber rifle and two .22-caliber rifles," hardly a deadly mass arsenal.

Would 150 officers have shown up at his home if he had not been identified as a "prepper"?

Of course not.

So why are preppers hated so much?

It is because they are a direct challenge to the status quo. Just by prepping, preppers are proclaiming that they do not have faith in the system. But most people have complete and total faith in the system, and many of them do not like to have that faith questioned.

All of this, I would say leads to the conclusion that OPSEC is the order of the day. Be careful who you talk to about preparations and under no circumstances allow yourself, personally, to be exposed on TV or radio.

Possible Scenarios - or - What Could Possibly Go Wrong...

There are, basically, three primary things that could go wrong in the US.  These are the things we prepare for. Loss of transportation, loss of electric power, and civil unrest. (If you can think of anything else, let me know)

Generally, these things are not root causes.  An Epidemic or Midwest Earthquake could shut down transportation.   A Solar storm, major hurricane or nuclear detonation could shut down the electric power grid.  Some portions of the government are currently trying to precipitate civil unrest, to be used as a pretext to their tyrannical desires. They could succeed, or ethnic insanity could simply get out of hand, or some disaster could cause civil unrest.

The end result is pretty much the same.  Those who are prepared will have it much better than those who are not.

God told the Church that He would spare them from the last hour of tribulation (and in truth, the idea that someone can prepare for that is laughable). But history shows that God will not spare His people from the little tribulations that occur along the way. In the past, there have been economic disasters, weather disasters, volcanoes, earthquakes, wars, famines, pandemics, and pestilences. In many cases, Christians (and Jews) did better than others, and in a few cases they fared worse. In Proverbs 6, the Bible tells us to "consider the ant" and in Luke 25:32-38 Jesus told His disciples that after He departed from them, to keep a sword and a purse (a weapon and money).
 
Food for thought (or "more ramblings") about
Considerations that we may have previously overlooked

Much of what we are stockpiling has an expiration date, and much of what is written about prepping has to do with getting started, or the end game.  What if we don't see the end game for several years?

We (especially those of us, like me, past the halfway point in life) need to be thinking beyond ourselves.  What if our preps outlive us?  What if the SHTF and our friends, neighbors, relatives, or kids need our help?  Charity cannot be forgotten.  Sometimes, in a crisis, you might have to help a stranger, even if it is passing food or water across a fence or other defensive fortification, so that they have a chance to live too. (You might want to remember this expression, Ask and you shall receive, but you loot, and we shoot.)

I highly recommend anyone stockpiling to do their storage planning and inventories early, and to include expiration planning on everything they store.  The main difference between a prepper and a hoarder, is their inventory control.  The prepper knows what he has, why, and how long it is good for.

Some guy named Selco writes for a SHTF School.  One of the things he says about Americans is we place too much emphasis on beans, not enough on band-aids.  Of course, his being a medic by trade may have something to do with it, or the fact that he saw people die from run of the mill infections, during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992).

Unless you can cover yourself for extended periods of unemployment, in conjunction with unemployment of friends or family, you need to keep a reverse strategy in mind for any preps you put money into.  This means knowing where you can sell silver or ammo, and knowing which food you can eat first, to save on groceries while unemployed.

If someone is talking about the "end of fiat currency" and that after the meltdown we will "go back to using gold and silver" to trade with, forget listening to them.  Any and all currency is only worth something if someone is willing to take it in exchange for food, shelter or clothing. That includes gold or silver.  Selco (see above) said that during the Siege, the only thing gold would get you is killed.  What did they use for currency?  Canned food, especially corned beef, and small bottles of liquor were common. Cigarettes, and various niceties that you take for granted every day.

In the years after a collapse, if things ever return to "normal," there will again be currency.  If you make it to then.  But in the years of the collapse, materials and skills needed to live day to day will be the currency.