I remember listening to the kooks on the USA Patriot radio network a while back. Part of that was just to be amazed at just how kooky they were. Every commercial break was all about gettin' your Catadyne water purification filter and K-rations to keep in your bug-out pack. Some of the conspiracy theories were really out there. When Clinton was in office and the so-called Patriot/Freemen movements were in full-swing was when I realized just how out-of-touch with reality conservatives really are. A number of them seem to live in a perpetual state of panic for some reason or another. It's telling that the first thing they start talking about when they lose political influence is running for their guns to overthrow a repressive, liberal gubmint so they can shoot all those "jack-booted government thugs" (to quote Wayne LaPierre of the NRA). Ahhh, memories.

I'm with you here. To me, emergency preparedness kits are emergency preparedness kits, bug-out packs and go-bags are militant survivalist terms for militant survivalist gear. If those terms didn't start that way, they've certainly been co-opted.