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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> > I personally think that too  
> much emphasis is placed on barter goods such as ammunition, alcoholic  
> beverages, gold and silver.
> 

Exactly!  Way too much.

A family I know pretty well told my yesterday that in preparing for the very 
had times they see coming, the son of the family (19) is studying with 
someone 
on how to make automatic weapons.  More properly probably is how to convert 
semi-auto to auto.  

The notion is that in some sort of apocolyptic Mad Max world, the ability to 
do so would be this barter skill.

In the mean time they are neglecting gardening skill, butchering skill, 
cheese making skill, etc.

I am not making this up.  When I was by to visit them a week or so ago, they 
asked what type of corn made the best hominy.  It so happened that in the 
space behind the seat there was a great heap of unhusked ears of Hickory King 
corn, so I told them I could do one better than tell them, I'd give them 
enough 
for a big batch of hominy.

The woman admired the big, full ear of corn for a minute, cautiously peeled 
back the end of the husk to see the pearly white kernals, then put the husk 
back in place.  She asked, "Well, when you boil it in the lime water as 
you've 
described, do you boil the whole ear husk and all?"

But instead they are concentrating on that all important automatic weapons 
skill.

Gene has a paramount point here.  If things should get close to the bone, you 
would be much gladder of that toilet paper and soap than gold.


James