(Note from the author: This part of my article has been re-edited and is hopefully more concise in certain areas.)

When will the crisis begin? Technically speaking, it already has begun. What is unknown is when it will all come to a head. My personal prediction is within ten years. Where it will happen will probably be right here in California, along with Florida, Texas and just about every inner-city area that is overpopulated, undereducated, welfare ridden, high crime rate and so on. The reason I choose California, Florida and Texas is the high concentration of resident and illegal aliens, many of them criminals who escaped or were dumped on the U.S by their home countries. As systems and people become overtaxed and overstressed to the breaking point, citizens will begin to fight over food, fuel and other things. The currently increasing resentment towards immigrants and so-called illegals will cause many natural born Americans to polarize and turn against those immigrants. Tolerance for most will completely stop. Police will intervene in these small skirmishes thus setting off riotous behavior, most likely from browbeaten minorities as has already been demonstrated in Florida. Areas with large gaps between rich and poor will be prime grounds for crisis.

The escalating riotous behavior in many areas will cause State and local to attempt severe firearms restrictions and maybe even attempt confiscation of ALL firearms. Many people will comply, foolishly believing that their Government will protect them. Others however, will under no circumstances, give up their guns to anyone. Local Police agencies may find themselves in numerous 'shoot outs' with angry and frightened citizens. In some areas of heavy activity, valid and self-imposed Militia groups may activate even before the area National guard deploys and end up in fights with local law enforcement who might feel that the Militias are interfering with their duties. Some of these scenarios were also demonstrated during the 1992 Los Angeles/Rodney King riots. (Ammo and Firearms sales halted, citizens harassed by Police for defending themselves against looters)

Essentially, you will see situations like L.A. occur all over. Nothing cataclysmic, but continual. Personally, I feel that those of us who live in or near large cities or in suburbs near large cities will be severely affected. People who live in smaller and more remote towns may not be affected much or maybe not at all. Hate and other fringe extremist groups may use the crisis and unrest to launch their own agendas. Criminal gangs and looting packs will certainly seize the opportunity for self gain.

As law enforcement and the military are called into play, things will get critical. As I stated in part one, soldiers will most likely be called upon to fire on anyone they deem to be a threat. Even if that person or persons are simply defending themselves, their home or neighborhoods. Some may comply and some may refuse. The problem is...you may only have a second or two to decide if he is going to help you or kill you. I also feel that you even have less of a chance with the police. Police will be so paranoid by then, they are likely to fire at anyone. (After the initial posting of this article, I was e-mailed by a fellow who was in the military in Washington D.C during the '92 riots. He stated to me that after they went on alert and were in-place around the city, if the order came down, they were to "shoot anything that moves". However, that did not occur. He also stated to me that racial tension did exist within his squad between some of the black and white soldiers)

O.K., so you have your bug out pack, some weapons, your car, scanner and shortwave and a will to survive. Good. You're also scared to death. GOOD! You should be. You know where you want to go. The question is, can you get there in one piece? Most likely, everyone and his brother will have the same idea as you except, you are part of a small percentage that is at least somewhat if not completely prepared. Most of the sheep, when surprised and stampeding will have no idea of what they are doing. You are faced with a profound question; How ruthless do I have to be to survive? The answer is very. A reality of the situation may be that you might just have to kill someone or even many if they get in your way. Remember, your 'Prime Directive' at this point is protect yourself, your family or if you are in a survival group, your compatriots and get to where you need to go. The Police will NOT be your allies. They will be overtaxed dealing with the out of control criminal element and the sheep stampede. If you get caught in the middle, the Police will probably think you're a threat and cut you down all the same. Would I shoot a cop or an authority figure? Probably. Especially if he were trying to keep me from defending myself or keep me from getting to where I need to go. If he crosses that line, he has become no ally of mine. Just look at the civil unrest in some of the third-world countries to get preview of what might be.

If you don't have a safe haven anywhere out of the hot zone, you need to familiarize yourself with any heavily wooded areas away from the hot zone. National Parks and Bureau of Land Management areas are good. In other words, someplace you feel may be reasonably safe that you can "crash" at and give yourself some time to assess the situation. You may want to stay there if it is a really safe place or you may want to move on later to find a safer place. This area may also be handy as an interim hideout until you can get to your safe place. That may also depend on how bad things were when you left. If you research this before things get messy, it may make the difference. Make sure your safe haven has good cover, a water source of some kind and a good escape route, just in case. Rocky and hilly terrain is even better in my opinion, because it's easier to defend and blend into.

In summation, the coming "Dark Ages" as some phrase it, will occur in the most vulnerable areas and not the whole country at once. The crisis will be a result of many factors, economic, criminal, natural and government induced. In many areas of dense population, people are nearing the breaking point. We see daily evidence of this. Extremist fringe groups are surfacing and are being egged-on by a Godless and irresponsible media for ratings and the almighty advertising dollar. Inflation and interest rates are on the rise. Food and fuel costs are rising dramatically. Certain large companies are reporting large profits while lay-offs are rampant and the average American's income has dropped. Personal debt is at an all-time high. At current rates the interest on the National debt will exceed one-trillion dollars by the year 2000. More families are living at the poverty level since the thirties. Almost one-third of the populace is functionally illiterate and on social programs. Teen pregnancies are on the rise and even occurring in pre-teen girls. Government agencies run rough-shot over citizens. FBI and ATF agents execute innocent women and children and are slapped on the wrist. Law enforcement continually fails to control low-life street gangs but always finds time to harass law abiding citizens about what kind of gun they should own. Wealthy liberal-socialist zealots shape our Government policies. Komrade Klinton will continue to paint a rosy picture of how everything is better now. As Peter Alan Kassler of "American Survival Guide" has stated, "The truth is not Politically Correct".