The New Thought Police: “To Shoot or Not to Shoot”

19 January, 2013: We need to face it: The guns are gone. This is the beginning of a road that will not end until American citizens are no longer armed with “high-powered” weapons. Whatever your personal feelings on the cause of the recent wave of mass shootings in the United States simply paying attention to the news will tell you how serious the situation is and the “black helicopters” and FEMA camps are soon to follow.

The new thrust in Washington is to suggest that anyone with a “mental disorder” should be banned from buying guns. The problem is, who gets do decide on the definition of “mental disorder”

Is this the end of America and freedom as we know it?

Let’s not be ridiculous. The fact is American citizens lost the ability to defend themselves against government muscle more than 30 years ago. Pay no attention to those Bushmaster waving idiots who claim that they want their Rambo toys to protect themselves from the government. The Iraqi Republican Guard lasted mere weeks against the American military; do we really think that a few assault rifles are going to stop them?

That fact is that the world is changing, in some cases, very rapidly. Holding on to old ideas, old ways of survival, is the path of the Neanderthals. Unable to adapt to a changing world, they died out. We might not be seeing the end of the world, or even the end of mankind, but the next 20 years are going to test the resolve of mankind desire to survive. Anyone who wants to make it through these times is going to have to change the way that they look at the world.

How do we do that? Well, first of all, forget creating your own little private fortress. You are out manned and out gunned. Staying in place is an option but only if you can do it invisibly. This does not necessarily mean completely disappearing but it does mean setting up flight options if you need them and keeping your plans secret. This could be anything from buying a sailboat for a quick getaway to moving resources out of the country in case of economic downfall.

Plans should be in place allowing for several options and the options that allow the maximum use of resources should be at the head of the list. Emergency supplies in the home for instance. Your supplies should allow for a maximum a of 90 days. If outside support has not arrived and services restored you will need to decide whether to stay or move to a more secure location. Staying will require seeds, building materials and cultivatable land as well as a good fresh water supply. If you decide to move on you will need transportation and a plan that allows you to forage on the way.

 

Making a Book Safe for Pistol Stash

Weapons are not vital but they can come in handy, as long as you recognize that you are not in a Hollywood movie. Pistols are the perfect firearm defense for inside a home because long weapons, shotguns, rifles and assault rifles are hard to turn and aim in close quarters. A riot gun, short but legal barrel, like the Remington 870R, is perfect for clearing attacks from the area immediately around your home. The semi-automatic pistol looks great when you see them on television but in a real disaster situation, especially when the future of spare parts might be questionable, a revolver with a long barrel for extended range and reduced recoil is a much better choice. The Colt Python series and Rugers Black-hawk series give shooters both range and power. These weapons are physically large and heavy, but these weapons will devastate any target inside 75 yards.

If you have weapons, keep your long weapons field stripped and stored in a secret spot in your home. If weapons are banned, you will have back up for survival. Keep two pistol, one locked in the bedroom for home defense, and one stored with the other weapons for survival needs. Storing more than 200 rounds of ammunition for each weapon is not a good idea and no more than one box should be with your visible weapon. Remember, you are not preparing to make a stand. If you are on the move and need more than 75 rounds per weapon, you probably will not make it.

Forget following the pack and plan smart. Our next article will cover food. We will talk about eating on the run, foraging, water supplies, seed banking, immediate survival supplies.

“When All Hell Breaks Loose - Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes” Book Review

18 January, 2013, Arizona: Cody Lundin is a well known survival instructor based in Prescott, Arizona. He is the founder, director and chief instructor of the Aboriginal Living Skills School and an associate instructor in urban preparedness at Yavapai College, associate faculty at the Ecosa Institute and co-host of the survival television show Dual Survival. Lundin is not only a survival writer, but actually practices the things that he teaches in his own life by living off the grid in his own self-designed passive solar home in Arizona’s high desert. He composts his waste, collects rainwater, pays no utilities and shuns wearing shoes except when necessary.

Lundin´s new book, “When All Hell Breaks Loose - Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes” is a plain-spoken and rough languaged attempt at teaching novices disaster preparedness and is relatively long at 449 pages but generally entertaining and quite informative. The book concentrates on teaching people to defend what they have instead of going on the road. The book recognizes that there are cases in which “bugging out” is the only reasonable alternative, but stresses that in most cases sitting tight is a much better and more secure option.

This is a big book as these types of books go but there is a great deal of practical information in it and anyone interested in learning some new tricks would be advised to add it to their libraries. The summaries at the end of each chapter make it really easy to access the basics without doing a great deal of rereading, which is convenient.

There are problems however. When I read the book I did not feel that Cody covered lighting sources very well, especially flashlights and the various options like hand cranked flashlights and lanterns and seemed enamored with light-sticks, which are disastrous in these situations and very undependable because of their short shelf-life. He also did not spend much time on describing conditions that might require bug-out for safety. The inclusion of a full chapter, maybe even a section, on recognizing the warning signs of complete disintegration of any support structure and the unlikelihood of its arriving in time to make any difference to the survivors.

NRA Walking Thin Red Line

The NRA Has a New Advertisement

16 January, 2013: In a not so surprising move this week, the National Rifle Association this week doubled down on its message of more guns equals less killing with a direct attack ad against President Obama. In 2012 eighty five people were killed in mass shootings in the United States, hundreds more injured and thousands psychologically in shock. Each of these people have used assault style weapons with high capacity magazines and, in many of the cases, there were armed security officers present during the shooting and in most cases the weapons and ammunition were legally purchased.

None of these facts have stopped spokesmen and the leadership of the NRA from making complete asses of themselves. They are again blaming violent movies and video games for these senseless acts, but now they have doubled down with the claim that if more guns had been present the body count would have been much lower. The fact is that anyone who could make a statement like that should not be allowed to carry a fi rearm.

The only word for an ad like this is shameful. Barrack Obama is President of the United States and expects to be attacked. But to attack his children is disgraceful. But the National Rifle Association has shown time and time again that it really has no respect for children. The NRA has been heavy contributes to state politicians, such as Texas, who support legislation allowing guns in colleges and universities. Like nothing could ever go wrong with that idea.

This is about selling more and more guns and conservatives love the idea because they thrive on chaos. The more social upheaval the more they can point to the President and the more they can clamor for more civil rights restrictions. You can protect yourself by understanding what is going on in the world and becoming involved. During the last two years the efforts to dismantle the United States and sell it off piece by piece has become too apparent. Organizations that pretend to represent one group, actually represent another group.

Take the time, educate yourself. We will soon have a library of books, manuals and treat assessments available for anyone ready to face the future on two feet.

America’s Gun Fantasy

The news has been filled nearly weekly about one mass shooting after another for more than a year. The United States went through a similar rash of shootings during the 1980s and again in the 1990`s. In almost all these cases the shooter is young, usually a loner or with few friends and the shootings are at public target rich places. The National Rifle Association suggests that if more people were armed, or if there were armed guards in schools, these attacks would be less tragic. But the fact is that the Virginia Tech shooting happened on a University campus with its own police force. Columbine H.S. had two armed guards on premises and the school in Newtown made visitors buzz in before entry. The sad fact is that the possibility exists that anyone can find themselves in a situation like this. Unless you plan to barricade your home, and probably have a SWAT team and hostage negotiator on the phone, you have to react to the public and that means going to public places. There are ways to protect yourself however, and if you do find yourself under fire, to stay alive that day.

• Be aware of your surroundings. Shopping at the mall or sitting in a movie theater watching the newest blockbuster can be distracting. But that does not mean that you cannot take a second to look around every few minutes. Be aware of the people around you and you will find that in most cases you can spot someone in this frame of mind relatively quickly. These shooters usually dress in baggy clothing with notifiable bulges around their waists and many times carry bags. This does not mean that every kid in a hoodie is a potential killer. This type of person is noticeable if you take the time to look at them. In some cases they might seem lost, or confused, or nervous. In other cases there is little or no emotion on their face. But in all cases their demeanor will not suit the circumstances. 
•  If you note suspicious activities or persons, do not approach them. As calmly as possible move toward a safe area and notify security, if present. If not, call the police. But most importantly, move slowly out of the line of sight of the shooter. Do not yell a warning unless you see a gun in the open because you might be mistaken and if you are correct you could spook the shooter into opening fire before help arises. If firing starts, whether you are in direct line of fire or not, get flat on the ground. If there is an alcove nearby, with about 20 feet, slide on your belly into it. Standing up and running makes you a target. Anything that you can put between yourself and firing weapon will help a great deal. Theater seats, desks, tables, benches, anything that can stop, or at least slow down, a bullet, will help. 

 Unless you are armed and a trained police officer or in shape combat veteran, do not attempt to stop the attacker. In many cases these killers are using assault rifles and semi automatic pistols and, in a few cases, were wearing body armor. Attacking someone like this can be dangerous for armed and highly trained professionals.

The New Dawn

The only sure way to be safe in the world, whether we are talking about out modern world or 10,000 years ago on a frozen Siberian steppe, is to understand the world around you. This of course requires information. The hunter on that frozen steppe was more successful the more that he knew about his prey. Today`s world, with its comforts and safeguards is no different than that ancient scene except that in today's world, information is even more important. The times before us are some of the most turbulent in mankind short history on this planet. For the first time in our history we hold in our hands the ability to either wander the planets and travel the stars or destroy the only home we have. Our exploding population, serious climate change, political unrest and crashing financial systems promises to get worse before it gets better. The civilization that we have known for millennium is crumbling from its own sheer mass. While we need to try to save what we have, we should also be as prepared as possible for disaster, in whatever form it may come in. This means that understanding the various likely disaster scenarios, from martial law and civil unrest to financial collapse and natural disasters, we should always have contingency plans. This blog will offer situation analysis concerning different disaster situations. We will analyze current political events from around the globe and determine possible effects on every day lives. We will also offer concrete suggestions about how to survive these situations regardless of advance planning. The object is to teach as many people as possible to survive possibly fatal situations and protect themselves and their families.