The end of the world as we know it.

If you check the history of most of the world, 50 years w/o SHTF is very rare. America has been one of the luckiest country for a century, I just wonder when our luck will run out.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom brought forth in this thread I think there is a good chance of widespread SHTF in the post-Sept 11 world.  We saw a small example of the symptoms during the anthrax scare.  While the airliner attacks were chilling they were mainly a spectator event for most people.  People in my locale were upset but weren't all that afraid for their own safety.  But when anthrax started popping up...man, I have coworkers who wouldn't come into the office, couldn't sleep and exhibited all other kinds of anxiety behaviors.

Any astute terrorist will of noticed the hysteria that just a small scale use of bioterrorism caused.  It has tremendous bang for your buck and has been shown to be nearly impossible to trace.  I feel that much worse examples of bioterrorism are coming.  When it does there is the potential for mass shutdown in our various economic and civil infrastructures.

Those of us who became informed about anthrax knew that it posed little danger beyond the contaminated area.  But smallpox or a lethal strain of influenza outbreak will be far more paralyzing than the isolated anthrax cases.  People will refuse to leave their homes, commerce will be halted by quarentine, police and fire service will be limited due to fear of disease.  S will very definately HTF.

This is the SHTF scenario I'm prepping for.  I don't see having to relocate but rather I would be maintaining a quarantined 'clean house'.  This requires a couple of months of food, a guarenteed clean water supply, medical, sanitation and sterilization supplies, etc.  While my BOB is still on hand I feel that in the next SHTF event it will be more important to stay put than to bug out.

Would one of the many of you who referenced the events of 9/11 please tell me of what use guns, ammunition, stockpiled food, and so forth were to the people caught up in those attacks?
Keep in mind that I have those things and have been a "survivalist" (I dislike the term) since the early 80's, so I am on the side of preparedness.  But let's use some sense here, TSHTF for the people in the towers and neighboring area, but for the vast majority of people in NYC life went on in a nearly normal fashion.  They watched the events on TV!  For the rest of the US (except at the Pentagon) it was a shocking and horrible thing to hear about, but their lives were not affected in any significant way.  Virtually nobody had any need of guns, freeze dried food, BOB's, or any of the other stuff we love to discuss here.
Let's try to stay on task, ladies and gentlemen.

The handwriting for America's next great SHTF scenario is on the wall.  Look closely.  It reads, "Social Security."

There is no way the "Government" can keep the promise of Social Security for baby boomers without taxing the asses off wage earners.  Demographics tell us that predominately white, relatively wealthy retirees are going to be receiving a transfer of wealth from the largest share of non-white workers ever seen in this country.

Unless those workers start voting in large blocs, they are going to experience taxation that will spark a new revolution.  Jose is not going to bust his ass so Joe can play a few extra rounds of golf a month.

My vision says Congress will continue to ignore the dead elephant lying in the middle of the kitchen floor until it's too late.  Then they will go for means testing for Social Security benefits.  White senior citizens will rise up at the polls and defeat the reformers.  We will see more elderly people on Capitol Hill.  Congress will retreat in the face of such pressure.  Payroll taxes will rise significantly in order to maintain the "promises made, promises kept" firewall.

Jose and Shaniqua and Abdul figure voting is a waste of time.  They will make their voices heard in the streets.  A new, evil MLK will come to power and lead these people in protest all across the land.  They will demand an end to subsidizing the retirements of wealthy white Americans.  Violence will ensue, just like a thunderstorm occurs after an extremely hot and windy day.

This time the riots will be as much economic as they are racial.  Figure on the Rainbow trying to strangle the Snowman.  There's going to be lots of blood on the snow.  Make sure it's not yours or that of your children.  Arm yourself and practice, practice, practice.  Teach your kids now so it's like second nature for them when the SHTF.  It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when".