Well I tried posting this days ago and Tapatalk crapped on me, so here goes again...
Been here since day 1 of LnL's website, and never regretted it. Got pissed when I discovered that Shawn torpedoed his forum. Was ecstatic when TG revealed SP, and despite his modesty, I think TG did a damned fine job leading the forum. There were important transitions made in SP, especially with getting key veteran members, preppers, and setting up the backbone of the forum via moderators and rules like LnL should have done, but didnt. I appreciate everything you did, TG. You kept our community alive, and even if nothing else positive happened that would have been enough.
I'm very proud of our community here, how long we have lasted and the gains we've made. I don't mind the fact that we are small...in fact, if MV's forum is what a large prepper community looks like, I hope we never get that big.
Why did I come, and why do I stay? I have a mindset that most people didnt have years ago. Preppers were crazy conspiracy theorists...not as accepted as they are now. This community provided one of the first mainstream Internet places where we could come together to learn, laugh, and feel camaraderie with one another. We've had our bad and good, and our loud and soft spoken members. People come and go, some permanently. However, this community has always been here for them to return to, and to me that means the most. It's like an online family, in many ways.
Thanks to Shawn for starting it, more thanks to TG for carrying the torch and leading the way, and thanks again to JMac for spearheading and revitalizing the community as UP.