For any that live and work in the DC Metro area, being prepared is a necessity. I remember the traffic during 9/11 and all subsequent "evacuations" due to snow.
Remember Snowmagedden in DC last February? I left around the same time everyone did....too late, but managed to use my off-the-beaten path escape route and made it back home in about an hour.
Eight hours later I was watching the news seeing all the "unprepared" people still stuck in their cars on the roads and highways. Nuff Said.
Civil unrest is always a possibility when an economy tanks, food prices soar, and *GASP* gas prices skyrocket. People do crazy things when they can't afford food. I've seen it in many parts of the world and its naive to think that it won't happen here. A lot of "prepared" folks took notice of what happened during and after "Katrina." So don't think it won't happen here...it has in the past and it probably will in the future.
DC is already a terrorist target and we already know it takes very little to cause a panic and traffic jam here. IMHO, the police is only useful for their body bags. If you want to protect yourself and your family, you gotta do it yourself and don't count on law enforcement to help...they usually have their hands full during an emergency situation. When I'm on the run with my family, my 12 gauge, 9mm and 7.62x39 rounds are my protection
Sorry about the rant...we're not all crazy....just prepared.
I'm still looking to add a front grill that's usable to push other cars out of the way since I can't afford that Marauder yet.