# What's (supposedly) going to kill 281 million Americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165 "2014-08-09T14:00:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/1 "2014-08-09T14:00:57Z")
Says an email infomercial making the rounds. I gave up after listening to five minutes of jawing and they still hadn’t identified wtf they were talking about. Cliff Notes version anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/2 "2014-08-09T14:36:01Z")
Lack of oxygen to the brain. Anything more specific than that won’t fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/3 "2014-08-09T14:40:04Z")
Time, eventually. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/4 "2014-08-09T14:43:58Z")
Apparently, something [Obama will do](http://www.backyardliberty.com/vsl/index60.php) and the food supply and crackpot, crackpot, crackpot. It’s a video, he sells some sort of emergency food that “the government can’t take away from you”. Right, the same government that just orchesrated the death of 281 million people. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/5 "2014-08-09T14:51:30Z")
Apparently, [Obama is going to nuke South Carolina](http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2014/03/05/the-garrow-grift-reveals-itself/), so nothing important. The population of South Carolina has certainly grown since the last census, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/6 "2014-08-09T14:56:46Z")
“This will make the most hard-minded patriots blood curl.” 1. The government gave banks money. Banks invest in food commodities. This creates a food shortage. 2. Rising food prices cause riots. 3. You can produce your own food with [aquaponics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics). Access to your own food supply will allow you to seize power after the government collapses. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/7 "2014-08-09T14:57:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Apparently, something [Obama will do](http://www.backyardliberty.com/vsl/index60.php) and the food supply and crackpot, crackpot, crackpot. > It’s a video, he sells some sort of emergency food that “the government can’t take away from you”. Right, the same government that just orchesrated the death of 281 million people. If you go to that page and hit the close tab or close window button on your browser, it will ask you if you really want to leave the page. If you say no, then it will give you a text presentation that you can skim more quickly. This works with a lot of the endless videos you see on the net. Apparently, this is a separate conspiracy from the one I found. Funny how all these evil plots all seem to kill Americans in multiples of 281 million. That must be some Biblical number that signifies the anti-Christ. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/8 "2014-08-09T15:05:53Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Apparently, something Obama will do… I knew that man was trouble! Unfortunately I don’t know what’s going to happen because the video warned me that it would “make my blood curl”. Since I prefer my blood straight and not curly, I didn’t watch it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/9 "2014-08-09T15:15:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I knew that man was trouble! > > Unfortunately I don’t know what’s going to happen because the video warned me that it would “make my blood curl”. Since I prefer my blood straight and not curly, I didn’t watch it. Do you think they meant “curdle”? Cos I really hate it when a glass of blood has curdled. Don’t let your blood sit out on the counter too long! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/10 "2014-08-09T15:18:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “This will make the most hard-minded patriots blood curl.” > > 1. The government gave banks money. Banks invest in food commodities. This creates a food shortage. > > 2. Rising food prices cause riots. > > 3. You can produce your own food with [aquaponics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics). Access to your own food supply will allow you to seize power after the government collapses. Which of those three are not verifiable facts? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/11 "2014-08-09T15:19:05Z")
EDIT: Nvm, can’t say that any more. @jtur: I think it’s the part where the government is intentionally going to try and starve most Americans. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/12 "2014-08-09T15:25:13Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > @jtur: I think it’s the part where the government is intentionally going to try and starve most Americans. :rolleyes: Not to mention that we have neither food shortages nor food riots in the US. Maybe the crackpot website’s theory is that Obama is playing the reeaaaallly long game on this one. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/13 "2014-08-09T17:21:27Z")
Americans hate him! Destroys the country with this “weird” trick. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/14 "2014-08-09T17:40:44Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Apparently, this is a separate conspiracy from the one I found. Funny how all these evil plots all seem to kill Americans in multiples of 281 million. That must be some Biblical number that signifies the anti-Christ. It’s 90% of the population of the USA. It’s also approximately the total number of US citizens living in the USA, so if you killed 281 million Americans in America, only those Americans residing overseas would survive. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/15 "2014-08-09T17:41:37Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Which of those three are not verifiable facts? Increased investment in food commodities will result in increased food production and food surpluses, not shortages. Econ 101. Unless you think somehow that financial institutions are going to sit on perishable commodities as an investment, which is insane. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/16 "2014-08-09T18:23:39Z")
Normally, I could give you the short answer for only $199.95, but because I don’t know when the government is going to shut this web site down (because THEY don’t want you to KNOW!), I’m willing to let you know for just $49.95. It’s THAT important! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/17 "2014-08-09T20:09:54Z")
Funny everyone; but seriously, inquiring minds want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/18 "2014-08-09T20:18:03Z")
(Missed edit window) Ok, **running coach** ’s link “explains” it, as much as it’s explainable: speculation will cause food prices to skyrocket leading to collapse of commodity system. Now, is “This weapon could kickstart WWIII” the same thing in a different package, or something different? ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/19 "2014-08-09T22:15:29Z")
I dimly remember reading somewhere that ultimately every death can be attributed to heart failure. (Yeah, I know, our definition of death these days is the cessation of brain function. But what causes that? Heart failure!) So what’s going to kill us all? Heart failure! ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165/20 "2014-08-09T23:01:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “This will make the most hard-minded patriots blood curl.” > > 1. The government gave banks money. Banks invest in food commodities. This creates a food shortage. > > 2. Rising food prices cause riots. > > 3. You can produce your own food with [aquaponics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics). Access to your own food supply will allow you to seize power after the government collapses. Kewl. Just let me make some notes here. BRB. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-supposedly-going-to-kill-281-million-americans/695165.md?page=2)