May 25, 2013

Military Power Grab

Pentagon

Thanks to GrumpyT for the heads up on this. Of everything I’ll mention today, I believe this is the most important. In an article from LongIslandPress.com called “U.S. Military ‘Power Grab’ Goes Into Effect, Pentagon Unilaterally Grants Itself Authority Over ‘Civil Disturbances’” it is explained:

“…the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries.”

The article is a tad long, but important and worth the read. I’ll briefly explain it and why this is important. The article explains what was done quite nicely, stating that:

“The U.S. military is prohibited from intervening in domestic affairs except where provided under Article IV of the Constitution in cases of domestic violence that threaten the government of a state or the application of federal law. This provision was further clarified both by the Insurrection Act of 1807 and a post-Reconstruction law known as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 (PCA). The Insurrection Act specifies the circumstances under which the president may convene the armed forces to suppress an insurrection against any state or the federal government. Furthermore, where an individual state is concerned, consent of the governor must be obtained prior to the deployment of troops. The PCA—passed in response to federal troops that enforced local laws and oversaw elections during Reconstruction—made unauthorized employment of federal troops a punishable offense, thereby giving teeth to the Insurrection Act.”

There was similar legislation passed by Congress under President Bush but that was repealed the following year. While I disagree with the legislation, at least they did it the right way. The Pentagon didn’t just grant it to themselves.

The Pentagon has essentially granted themselves more power. With this new power, they have set aside 200 years of precedence and have made it much easier for the President to deploy troops domestically to quash a “civil disturbance” without being asked to do so by the state government.

Is this something congress can correct, or would they even want to?

If this stands, I can see many more instances like what occurred in Boston.

To me this is very concerning. Other than this report from the Long Island Press I have not seen anything else about this. After you read the linked article, I would like to hear your take on this.

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PreparednessClubOne

Government; the Good the Bad and the…What are They Planning

As I thought about writing this article, a couple different sayings came to mind; “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” and “where there is smoke there is fire”.  Before you read any further, I feel the need to give a couple disclaimers.  First, I do not consider myself a conspiracy theorist.  In fact, I tend to dismiss the vast majority of subjects in the realm of conspiracy, unless there is enough smoke to hint at fire.  At those times, I get as much evidence as I can and use my rational, logical brain to decipher it.

Second, I am not anti-government.  I am just very pro-citizen.  When I say “government”, I mean government as a whole, not just one administration or party, unless otherwise specified.  I actually like idea of government the way it was intended very much; to protect the citizenry and do what it can to encourage “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.  Personally, I believe our local, city, county and state government should have a larger role in our lives than federal government should.  I do not believe that the Founders had the behemoth that has become of the federal government in mind.  There are many quotes from the Founders that evidence this.  Here are just two from Thomas Jefferson:

“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”

Don’t throw the Baby out with the Bath Water

In case you’re unfamiliar with this idiom, it means: don’t throw out something good when trying to get rid of something bad.  I have noticed a pattern with people who have seen government, over the years, do things that do not align with their beliefs who then become bitter toward government.  These people tend to “throw the baby out with the bath water”, and either forget or overlook that there are some very good things that come from government.

Our taxes are used to fund the strongest military the world has ever seen.  This isn’t to say I am pro war.  I actually wish we would never see another war, ever!  But since there is no chance of that, I want to make sure the hero’s in our military receive the highest training and are as well-equipped as possible.  I also think those who are injured while serving our great nation should be taken care of once they come home.  Taxes also fund the heroes who serve us locally, in police and fire departments all across the nation.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) takes a lot of flak.  Some of it is deserved but not all of it.  Some of the biggest complaints against FEMA came after hurricane Katrina when people claimed that FEMA took too long to respond.  Many people are not aware that the federal government needs to be invited in by the local government.  That invite was slow to come after hurricane Katrina.

“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.”

I think FEMA’s mission is admirable.  However, I think there is some failure in the execution of that mission.  I have gotten a small glimpse behind the curtain to see how FEMA and local governments work together.  I have seen multiple trailers waiting for possible flooding, ready to go into action if needed.

FEMA also puts out a huge amount of information related to individual preparedness and encourages citizens to have a kit (albeit not enough) and a plan.  I am subscribed to some FEMA emails and have seen many seminars offered online that any citizen can attend for free.

I think one of the best things to come out of FEMA is the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  Trudee and I went through CERT, which I wrote about here. CERT was created because of the huge response from citizens wanting to help after 9-11.  The training in CERT equips citizens to be able to act in local emergencies and assist authorities.  In Minnesota the CERT team in the county I was trained was activated for the 35W Bridge collapse.  The team was activated again when there was a Minneapolis police officer murdered.  They were activated to form a perimeter and keep people out of it.  The team has also been activated for floods that happen in the spring as well.

I have caught flak for supporting CERT and for having a widget on the right side of the blog so that people can find training near them.  I chock this up to individuals throwing the baby out with the bath water.  The training and knowledge we gained can’t be attained by regular citizens any other way.

 

Where There is Smoke, There is Fire (or at least enough heat to pay attention to)

This may not be the best idiom for this because, while there is definitely smoke, I’m not sure there is fire.  Something is causing the smoke.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has done some things in the last few years that are concerning, especially in the last twelve months.

This portion of the article was very difficult to write about.  Covering things that are often seem as being topics of conspiracy theorists while maintaining an objective position and yet saying that there are some things that are concerning isn’t easy.  I have typed and deleted more sentences than I can count.  I debated even writing this portion, but I think these are things you should be aware of.

I get emails now and then about the government getting ready for martial law, FEMA camps, drones and other type things.  When the rumors of these things started, I blew them off, but in the last year the smoke has gotten thicker.  I’m not going to say “the President and DHS are coming for us”, but the smoke is too thick for me to outright dismiss it.  If you’re one of the people that send me this type of information, please understand that I am not making fun of you at all.  I appreciate it, as some of the articles you send are things I wouldn’t normally get to see.  Please keep them coming!

There is a lot of information that is presented as fact, when it looks like the author is drawing conclusions based on a few pieces of information.  Because of that, I’ll say now that I will only cover topics that I have verified to the best of my ability and I’ll only provide the information and give my opinion of it.  You draw your own conclusions, even if that means you dismiss it.  Like I said, I dismissed it until fairly recently.
 
FEMA Camps, Internment Camps, Labor Camps, Prison Camps

This is one of the items I have dismissed for years but it keep popping up.  There are two documents that are concerning.  The first is “R210-35 Civilian Inmate Labor Program”.  I was able to authenticate this as a real Army training manual.  I wasn’t able to authenticate FM 3-39.40 “INTERNMENT AND RESETTLEMENT OPERATIONS” as a real training manual, although the website Foreign Policy explains that the document is, in fact, real.  It isn’t quite the inflammatory document some make it out to be.  Both documents were created prior to President Obama being elected the first time.  One was written in 2005 and the other has a date of 2010.  I believe that is when it was most recently updated, though I could be wrong.

From “R210-35 Civilian Inmate Labor Program”, its purpose is:

“This regulation provides Army policy and guidance for establishing civilian inmate labor programs and civilian prison camps on Army installations. Sources of civilian inmate labor are limited to on– and off–post Federal corrections facilities, State and/or local corrections facilities operating from on–post prison camps pursuant to leases under Section 2667, Title 10, United States Code (10 USC 2667), and off–post State corrections facilities participating in the demonstration project authorized under Section 1065, Public Law (PL) 103–337. Otherwise, State and/or local inmate labor from off–post corrections facilities is currently excluded from this program.”

This document is obviously for American citizens.  It speaks about existing prisoners from federal prisons.  It doesn’t look like this document was created for prisoners during martial law.

FM 3-39.40 “INTERNMENT AND RESETTLEMENT OPERATIONS” was largely written for use overseas, but does speak a bit about use on the homeland.

“2-39. Civill support is the DOD support to U.S. civil authorities for domestic emergencies, and for designated law enforcement and other activities. (JP 3-28) Civil support includes operations that address the consequences of natural or man-made disasters, accidents, terrorist attacks and incidents in the U.S. and its territories.

2-40. The I/R tasks performed in support of civil support operations are similar to those during combat operations, but the techniques and procedures are modified based on the special OE associated with operating within U.S. territory and according to the categories of individuals (primarily DCs) to be housed in I/R facilities. During long-term I/R operations, state and federal agencies will operate within and around I/R facilities within the scope of their capabilities and identified role. Military police commanders must closely coordinate and synchronize their efforts with them especially in cases where civil authority and capabilities have broken down or been destroyed.”

The document does have information on how the prison should be set up, where to put towers and the like.  I suppose that information could be used if Posse Comitatus was enacted, which “R210-35 Civilian Inmate Labor Program” references in the “Related Publications” section.

 

National Guard Training For Riot Control, Mass Detentions

Here is an article from SHTF Plan that covers information I have read other places as well. It details how some National Guard troops are being trained to deal with Civil Unrest. Below is one picture from the article, make sure to make note of the sign that reads “Food Now”.

Vigilant Guard

 

My Take

I have read that these camps do exist but are not related to FEMA.  FEMA does not employ enough people to run the camps.  The camps are said to be on military bases.  This way there is already an element of security and prying eyes can’t see inside.  “R210-35 Civilian Inmate Labor Program” does speak about using multipurpose buildings.  This would mean an active base could be turned into a prison camp in short order.

Do they exist?  I hope not.  If there are no active prison camps waiting for civilian inmates, I do believe there are bases picked and plans in place to make prison camps on short notice.  This isn’t conspiracy theory.  The government has plans for just about everything.
 
Police Equipped Like the Military and Training With the Military

There are many cases of joint “Urban Warfare Training” with military and local police agencies.  This brings up many questions, some of which are; since the police and military have different objectives, why are the two training together?  SWAT is usually the premium tactical police unit.  Why would local police agencies need this type of training for other officers?  Since we’re spending millions of dollars a day on a foreign war, why not train there with equipment that is already there?  Why would the military need to train on American soil?

Several local police agencies have used DHS funds to acquire military style equipment.  This also brings up questions.  I can understand some border towns or towns with a high gang population needing some heavier firepower, but the article states that Fargo, North Dakota spent $8 million on equipment that at one time was reserved for military only.
 
Over a 1.5 Billion Rounds

In the last year, DHS has ordered over 1,500,000,000 rounds of ammunition to be delivered over the next five years.  It was reported on Infowars.com that:

“Congressman Timothy Huelscamp revealed this week that the Department of Homeland Security has refused to answer questions from “multiple” members of Congress regarding its recent purchase of huge amounts of weapons and ammunition.

“They have no answer for that question. They refuse to answer that,” Huelscamp said.

“I’ve got a list of various questions of agencies about multiple things. Far from being the most transparent administration in the world, they are the most closed and opaque,” the Congressman added.”

DHS said that it is for their 100,000 officers for use over the next five years.  Some quick math shows that will give each officer 15,000 rounds each, to use over the next five years.  That breaks down to 3000 rounds a year or 250 rounds a month.  That settles it, I want to become a DHS officer!  I also know, from going through our local Citizen’s Academy and other sources, most law enforcement agencies don’t go through that much ammunition in a year, let alone a month!
 
Drones

I don’t remember the year drone attacks started being used on foreign soil, but it was a year or two later before Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born member of al-Qaeda was killed by a drone strike in 2011.  I remember there was a lot of debate on whether or not the President had the authority to order the assassination of an American citizen without that citizen having due process.

To be honest, I had mixed feelings at the time; it’s not like we could send police to his American address to arrest him.  If we asked Yemen to hand him over, we would have been told to hold our breath.  On the other hand, it is a slippery slope, which recently has gotten a lot slipperier.

The Telegraph recently published an article called Barack Obama ‘has authority to use drone strikes to kill Americans on US soil’

Eric Holder argued that using lethal military force against an American in his home country would be legal and justified in an “extraordinary circumstance” comparable to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“The president could conceivably have no choice but to authorize the military to use such force if necessary to protect the homeland,” Mr. Holder said.

This is a completely different ball game.  If the offending terrorist is on American soil, we should make every effort to capture them and facilitate due process.  We could send beefed up local law enforcement that has the military style gear and has been training with the military. (tongue-in-cheek)

Seriously, summarily killing an American citizen on American soil without a trial or any due process sounds a lot like Stalin’s Russia when people feared a knock on the door in the middle of the night.  We should do better!
 
Final Thoughts

There are a few other things that I didn’t include because I couldn’t find a source I trusted enough.  If those things are true, then we’re in a lot worse shape than I thought.  If I can confirm them, I will let you know.  I don’t know what all of this means, but there is just too much for it to simply be dismissed.  I’ve spoken before about cognitive dissonance, a term coined by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954, which is a psychological phenomenon that refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation.  These are often two opposing views.  The things mentioned in this article created cognitive dissonance for me.  The commonly held belief for me is the country I love and served.  The competing viewpoint is what it looks like it might be becoming.  I do not just blame President Obama.  President Bush gave us DHS, among other things.

Add it all up and it’s easy to see why people “throw the baby out with the bathwater”.  It can be hard to remember the good sometimes.

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School Safety Plans for an Active Shooter

school shooting

Image from the Washington Post

 

Anytime an issue is brought up multiple times by different people in very different situations, I take it as a sign from God that I should pay attention.  I feel I need to warn some of you; this topic is dark and very unpleasant to think about, especially if you have young children.  It is also very important.

In 2011 I wrote an article called “Terrorism: Beslan Style Attack At Our Schools”.  In it I explain:

“On September 1, 2004, Chechen Islamic terrorists stormed a school taking over 1,100 people hostage for three days. The terrorists were brutal, killing men and boys old enough to resist their attempts. Hostages were forced to stay in a sweltering hot auditorium with little to no food or water. Russian forces eventually stormed the school. In the end there were over 385 dead, including 31 dead terrorists. Wikipedia has a very detailed write up called Beslan school hostage crisis.

I have read articles that say there were documents found in Afghanistan that point to Beslan being practice for a similar attack in America.  Whether a Beslan-style attack or the types of school shootings we have experienced far too many times, the threat of school shootings is very real.  It is my opinion that the plans many schools have in place are ineffective and dangerous.

 

What is the Plan at Your Childs School?

Many times your child might know the school plan, as they might do practice drills.  If they don’t know, you can ask the school administration.  Let them know you have a child who attends their school and you want to know what their action plan is for a school shooting.  They may give some resistance.  If so, reassure them that you just want to know their plan to keep your child safe.  If they won’t tell you what the plan is, go over their head.

When schools make any policy, they tend to be very black and white, ie. “zero tolerance”.  I believe there are at least two problems with enacting these types of plans.  First; they do not leave room for teacher discretion.  For instance, they enact a zero tolerance for guns on school grounds and then suspend children for playing with an army man that was holding a gun, making a gun shape out of their pop tart, or using their finger as a gun (These are all real events).  The second problem is that a static plan does not account for a dynamic offender.  The best example I can think of is the lockdown, which I will cover in more detail below.

 

Lock Down

There are different ways of initiating a lockdown.  In general, an announcement is made or shots are heard.  The teacher then closes the door and gets the children out of sight of any doors or windows.  I have heard of some plans that state that the teacher will also slip a colored piece of paper under the door.  The paper could mean various things, depending on it’s color what’s written on it.  To an active shooter, those papers are a sign that someone is or was recently in that classroom.  Some schools have a police officer on campus.  Either they or school administration will call for backup or call 911 respectively.  The police have their own response plans that have changed greatly as school shootings have become more frequent.

A static lockdown plan puts all staff and students hiding in a classroom, waiting for the police, even if the shooter is on the other end of the school and an easy escape could be made.  I wonder if the same people who have devised lockdowns at our schools are the same people who say “we don’t need to own guns because it is the job of the police to keep us safe”.

 

A.L.I.C.E.

Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. From School Security.org

“The debate grows as a number of current and former self-defense trainers, individuals with military background, and some School Resource Officers and others in law enforcement advocate for this approach.  This is often referred to as ALICE Training, where ALICE stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate. ALICE and other similar programs offer little-to-nothing new with alerts and lockdowns, and schools are already being trained to have evacuation plans, and the idea of “inform” questionably assumes that someone in the school will be able to visually monitor all of the suspects while simultaneously “informing” or communicating their whereabouts to everyone in the building.

The controversial issues rise over the Counter component to the approach which advocates training children to try to “distract” and “confuse” armed suspects by throwing items and attacking the armed intruder.  Many educators, law enforcement officers, parents and school safety specialists do not support this proposed approach for “training” students in preK-12 school settings.”

The article goes on to say:

“Trump says that advocates of such training are quick to claim that opponents of the training are forcing children to become “sitting ducks” waiting to be slaughtered.  While this emotional appeal obviously strikes the chord of anxious, concerned parents, it fails to recognize many critical implementation considerations ranging from child learning and development factors, to implementation issues such as whether school districts could even possibly provide the quality and quantity of training necessary.  Those experienced in school safety who have worked with schools know that with today’s academic demands, the vast majority of schools are struggling to provide the comprehensive and ongoing training needed for the adult crisis team members and staff we entrust with the care of our children. “

Ken Trump is a School Safety Expert with 25 years in school safety experience.  Mr. Trump lists various reasons why this type of training for children is ineffective and a poor idea; from not having the budget or an adequate amount of training, to possibly drawing unneeded attention to themselves.

 

My Take:

Mr. Trump points out that “it is unrealistic to expect 25 students and a teacher to react simultaneously with split-second accuracy and timing when a person with a gun unexpectedly walks into a room.”  I agree with him.  I also think that lock down drills are the equivalent to car a mechanic only using a pliers as his only tool in any situation.  Sure, it might be the perfect tool for some jobs, but there are going to be many jobs where it won’t work very well and others where it’s a complete failure.

This isn’t a pleasant topic, but I think it’s one all parents should talk to their kids about.  You might be afraid you’ll instill some fear, but you may be surprised to find out that their school already does lockdown or other types of drills. Even if you do install a bit of fear, that fear can be used to keep them safe later.  According to Trudee, instead of fear, she sees children feeling empowered by the information and ability to play an active role in keeping themselves safe.

Trudee and I started talking to our kids about this when they hit middle school.  The schools they’ve attended use lockdowns and have one part time officer.  Mr. Trump also makes the point that some teachers have used great courage and stepped in harm’s way to keep their students safe.  I commend those heroes and praise God for them.  However, I am not willing to bank our children’s safety on the decisions someone may or may not make.

A one-size-fits-all plan just doesn’t work.  I believe us parents need to make educated decisions based upon our thoughts on the school plans, our beliefs and our children’s abilities.  After all, we know our children best.

We told our kids to use their brains; that if they thought the directions being given by the teacher made sense, to follow them, but if the teachers’ directions sounded foolish or made them feel like they were in more danger, they could make their own decision.  For instance, if they heard shooting and it sounded far enough away, to get out of the school and meet us at a certain cross street a few blocks away.

If you don’t like the plan your child’s school has and you think your child has the ability to make critical decisions, you may want to come up with an alternative plan.  Introduce it to them as an option they can use.  Find a place they can easily get to off of school grounds that provides cover and concealment.  Walk them through different routes through the school they can take to avoid the sounds of gunfire or other trouble.

Police training has changed drastically since Columbine.  Once they arrive, they will immediately enter the school to engage the shooter(s).  What your child does in those few minutes until the police arrive are what you need to consider.  Here is a video that shows how adults should act in an active shooter situation.  Run. Hide. Fight.  It might be a good idea to watch it before talking to your kids.  You might even want to have them watch it, using your discretion, of course.

 

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Economic Red Flags Abroad

I posted these articles on the forum and on Facebook.  For those who don’t check either, I want to share my thoughts on them with you.  I am not an economics guy but I do learn from history.

Last weekend, Cyprus delayed a vote on whether or not to confiscate 10% of the bank accounts of private citizens; Rueters states:

“In a radical departure from previous aid packages, euro zone finance ministers want Cyprus savers to forfeit a portion of their deposits in return for a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout for the island, which has been financially crippled by its exposure to neighboring Greece.”

In another report from The Age, there was run on ATM machines:

“In a move that could set off new fears of contagion across the eurozone, anxious depositors drained cash from ATMs in Cyprus on Saturday, hours after European officials in Brussels required that part of a new €10 billion ($12.6 billion) bailout must be paid for directly from the bank accounts of savers.”

There have been reports that Cyprus is under a bank holiday until Thursday, and possibly for the rest of the week.  I have also read reports that Italy or Greece may be next and that the national government of New Zealand wanting to try a  Cyprus-style solution.  I just saw a report that the Cyprus lawmakers rejected confiscating funds, good for them.  I do not think this is the last time we have seen this tried.

Some might say this kind of thing won’t be passed through the House and Senate of our government.  To this I would point out that our leaders in the House and Senate used some pretty sleazy tactics to pass “Obama care” and other legislation.  I would also point out that we have a president who likes to use executive power, and there is precedent for the president to use executive power to confiscate money.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt used Executive Order 6102 to confiscate gold.

Am I saying it will happen here?  I don’t know, but it truly wouldn’t surprise me.  There are many in our government who would like to see us move more toward a European model of government and society.  The precedent has now been set that private bank accounts might be up for grabs.

I’m not saying to take all your money out of the bank and stuff it in the mattress, but these things should be an alarm for us.  Before things would get that bad here, I assume we will see more warning signs.  Since people far smarter than I have been warning for years that there is a very good chance our economic future might look like that of multiple European countries, I would not be surprised to see one of our more leftist leaders to suggest this.  It will be railed against, but the Overton Window will move a little.

If I were asked what we should do, I would say we should make sure we have some cash on hand.  If something like this does occur, ATM’s will run dry quickly.  Above all, make sure you have a minimum of two weeks food and medications on hand.  I don’t think in this, or multiple other scenarios that the dollar will immediately lose its purchasing power.  So don’t be afraid of holding some.  If you have some money to invest in precious metals, I personally would stay away from gold and would buy silver instead.

Pray we never see this or worse but prepare like we will!

**Update**

I was thinking about the possibility of this ever happening here and wanted to share another thought.  I think someone in the USA will bring the idea up, and it will be shot down, at least initially. If the economy gets worse and worse it might be brought up again. How many companies have asked their employes to take a pay cut so they can keep the doors open? Eventually enough people might drink the kool aid and think this sounds like a good idea.

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Nuclear Preparedness: Shelter

fallout shelter

In two recent articles, “Current Threats to America with AlertsUSA” and “What Would You Do; North Korea Attacks” ,I mentioned the possibility of North Korea launching nukes at America.  I also mentioned that my response would involve heading to the basement.  A few people shared that they don’t have a basement and wondered what their options are.

I decided not only to give some possible options, but also to add some information about different types of nuclear attacks as well as sheltering to protect against radiation and fallout.  We’ve been led to believe that if there is a nuke attack, its game over but that’s just not the truth.  The truth is that for many who’re outside of the blast zone, with a little forethought and a quick response, many might come through the attack haggard but alive.

While I do believe that there is a small chance of North Korea (or anyone else) dropping nukes on the United States, it is still a possibility.  If I had a crazy neighbor who hated me, who had a shotgun and said he was going to use it to kill me, I would be foolish to just dismiss his threat.  That doesn’t mean we should live in fear.  We should just be aware of the threat and have a plan for how to respond when or if the small chance becomes a reality.

It’s not just us crazy Prepper’s that are concerned about this.  An article from December 2010 called “U.S. Rethinks Strategy for the Unthinkable”, explains that the government is actively taking a look at the subject and trying to educate the citizenry as well.  This article doesn’t cover things like radiation sickness, potassium iodide or decontamination.  You can find information on these and other related topics linked below.

 

Types of Attacks

There are three types of nuclear attacks.  They are: conventional, Radiological Dispersion Device (RDD) and Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP).

 

Conventional Nuclear Explosion

A conventional nuclear explosion can be delivered by an intercontinental ballistic missile or in a small carried device such as the “suitcase nuke”.  The area of initial damage is called the blast zone.  This is where the greatest damage and loss of life will be.  There will be a shock wave that travels near the speed of sound.  This will be the second greatest damage and loss of life.  If you are in the blast zone or area of the shock wave, you would need to be in a blast rated shelter.  The size of these two areas will depend on the yield of the bomb.  Those outside of the blast zone and shockwave, depending on distance, may face nuclear fallout and radiation.

 

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)

I wrote an article called “EMP’s, Solar Flares and CME’s”, which explains what each one is and how they are different.   Congress established a commission to look at the threat of an EMP.  They released the following:  From The Critical National Infrastructures Report (page 9)

“The electromagnetic pulse generated by a high altitude nuclear explosion is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences. The increasingly pervasive use of electronics of all forms represents the greatest source of vulnerability to attack by EMP. Electronics are used to control, communicate, compute, store, manage, and implement nearly every aspect of United States (U.S.) civilian systems. When a nuclear explosion occurs at high altitude, the EMP signal it produces will cover the wide geographic region within the line of sight of the detonation.”

The commonly held belief is that an EMP will set the United States and possibly parts of Canada and Mexico back to the stone ages.  The truth, however, is that we don’t fully know what will happen because nothing of this scale has ever been done.  I know that the EMP effect is real.  We use a version of it on our planes to shut down surface to air missile stations.  What is arguable is how much of the country will be affected.  One recent report I have seen says that those within 1,000-1,500 miles of the area over which the detonation took place will have all electronics disabled.  I have also read reports that say one EMP would affect half of the country.

The other debatable idea is what items will be affected by an EMP.  Many people argue that all devices with an electronic circuit board would be rendered inoperable.  This would be any vehicle after say the early 1980’s.  This would include any vehicle with a computer chip in it.  Matthew Stein, author of When Technology Fails and When Disaster Strikes, which I reviewed here, has said (paraphrasing) that most vehicles that were off should run.  They may run rough, but they should run.  I have also heard reports that diesels will run after an EMP.

One other comment I have is that we wouldn’t be back to the stone ages.  They didn’t know what electricity was.  We have the knowledge and would just need to repair and replace; granted this could take many years.

Here is a very recent article explaining why the threat of an EMP is real, called Chaos from the Sky: Why the EMP Threat Is Real. Thanks to JP for forwarding it to me.

 

Radiological Dispersion Device (RDD)

Better known as a dirty Bomb,  I covered this subject in a previous article called “Terrorism: Dirty Bomb”;  The following is taken from that article.

“A dirty bomb is not a conventional nuclear explosion. It uses conventional explosives (such as dynamite) to spread radioactive material. The damage and casualty rate would be much lower then a conventional nuclear attack. The goal with this type of attack is fear. Any death or injury caused by it is an added “bonus” to the terrorist. Remember how long things were shut down after 9-11 and how badly the economy suffered? If they can scare people and get them to pause long enough, it will do much more to hurt our way of life than any damage they may have caused.”

 

Different But With Some Similarities

The flash that accompanies a nuclear detonation is also very hot.  People five to seven miles away can receive first-degree to third-degree burns on exposed skin.

 

Thermal Radiation

If you’re seven miles away from a one megaton explosion, the heat emanating from the fireball will cause a first-degree burn (equivalent to a bad sunburn), to any exposed skin facing the light. If you’re six miles away, it will cause second-degree burns, and if you’re five miles away, the thermal radiation will cause third-degree burns — a much more serious injury that would require prompt medical attention.

 

Fallout

Paraphrased from the National Terror Alert.com.

Fallout is caused by radioactive particles (Alpha radiation) that get sucked up during a nuclear explosion and come back to earth attached to dust and debris.   Fallout from a nuclear explosion may be carried by wind currents for hundreds of miles.  Radiation cannot be seen or smelled.  It can only be detected by radiation detection devices such as a Nuke Alert or a Geiger counter, among others.  Those in the fallout area will need to be in a fallout shelter with enough shielding to block the radiation; this is covered more below.

There are three factors that can lessen the impact of radiation and fallout; distance, time and shielding

 

Distance

As I mentioned above, there have been many misconceptions about the lethality of a nuclear explosion.  The information below shows the amount of damage at different distances.  This information comes from the National Terror Alert.com.

 

“1 Megaton Surface Blast: Pressure Damage
The fission bomb detonated over Hiroshima had an explosive blast equivalent to 12,500 tons of TNT. A 1 megaton hydrogen bomb, hypothetically detonated on the earth’s surface, has about 80 times the blast power of that 1945 explosion.

 

Radius of destructive circle: 1.7 miles
12 pounds per square inch

At the center lies a crater 200 feet deep and 1000 feet in diameter. The rim of this crater is 1,000 feet wide and is composed of highly radioactive soil and debris. Nothing recognizable remains within about 3,200 feet (0.6 miles) from the center, except, perhaps, the remains of some buildings’ foundations. At 1.7 miles, only some of the strongest buildings — those made of reinforced, poured concrete — are still standing. Ninety-eight percent of the population in this area are dead.

 

Radius: 2.7 miles
5 psi

Virtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5 psi rings. The walls of typical multi-story buildings, including apartment buildings, have been completely blown out. The bare, structural skeletons of more and more buildings rise above the debris as you approach the 5 psi ring. Single-family residences within this this area have been completely blown away — only their foundations remain. Fifty percent of the population between the 12 and 5 psi rings are dead. Forty percent are injured.

 

Radius: 4.7 miles
2 psi

Any single-family residences that have not been completely destroyed are heavily damaged. The windows of office buildings have been blown away, as have some of their walls. The contents of these buildings’ upper floors, including the people who were working there, are scattered on the street. A substantial amount of debris clutters the entire area. Five percent of the population between the 5 and 2 psi rings are dead. Forty-five percent are injured.

 

Radius: 7.4 miles
1 psi

Residences are moderately damaged. Commercial buildings have sustained minimal damage. Twenty-five percent of the population between the 2 and 1 psi rings have been injured, mainly by flying glass and debris. Many others have been injured from thermal radiation — the heat generated by the blast. The remaining seventy-five percent are unhurt.”

 

“1 Megaton Surface Blast: Fallout
One of the effects of nuclear weapons detonated on or near the earth’s surface is the resulting radioactive fallout. Immediately after the detonation, a great deal of earth and debris, made radioactive by the blast, is carried high into the atmosphere, forming a mushroom cloud. The material drifts downwind and gradually falls back to earth, contaminating thousands of square miles. This page describes the fallout pattern over a seven-day period.

Assumptions
Wind speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: due east
Time frame: 7 days

3,000 Rem*
Distance: 30 miles
Much more than a lethal dose of radiation. Death can occur within hours of exposure. About 10 years will need to pass before levels of radioactivity in this area drop low enough to be considered safe, by U.S. peacetime standards.

900 Rem
Distance: 90 miles
A lethal dose of radiation. Death occurs from two to fourteen days.

300 Rem
Distance: 160 miles
Causes extensive internal damage, including harm to nerve cells and the cells that line the digestive tract, and results in a loss of white blood cells. Temporary hair loss is another result.

90 Rem
Distance: 250 miles
Causes a temporary decrease in white blood cells, although there are no immediate harmful effects. Two to three years will need to pass before radioactivity levels in this area drop low enough to be considered safe, by U.S. peacetime standards.

*Rem: Stands for “roentgen equivalent man.” This is a measurement used to quantify the amount of radiation that will produce certain biological effects.”

 

Time

The more time that passes, the more radiation will decay.  There are multiple formulas and charts that can be used to determine the level of radiation.  One is the 7-10 rule; for every multiple of 7, the radiation has decayed to 1/10th of its strength.  This means that 90% of gamma radiation is gone after the first 7 hours; 90% of that remaining 10% is gone after 7×7=49 or two days.  (–LINK Radiation Safety In Shelters–) is a good resource.

 

Shielding

This image and following text come from the FM 3-05.70 Army Survival Manual:

 

Shielding examples FM 3-05.70

“Shielding Materials

23-31. The thickness required to weaken gamma radiation from fallout is far less than that needed to shield against initial gamma radiation. Fallout radiation has less energy than a nuclear detonation’s initial radiation. For fallout radiation, a relatively small amount of shielding material can provide adequate protection. Figure 23-1 shows the thickness of various materials needed to reduce residual gamma radiation transmission by 50 percent.”

“23-32. The principle of half-value layer thickness is useful in understanding the absorption of gamma radiation by various materials. According to this principle, if 5 centimeters (2 inches) of brick reduce the gamma radiation level by one-half, adding another 5 centimeters (2 inches) of brick (another half-value layer) will reduce the intensity by another half, namely, to one fourth the original amount. Fifteen centimeters (6 inches) will reduce gamma radiation fallout levels to one-eighth its original amount, 20 centimeters (8 inches) to one-sixteenth, and so on. Thus, a shelter protected by 1 meter (3 feet) of dirt would reduce a radiation intensity of 1,000 cGy per hour on the outside to about 0.5 cGy per hour inside the shelter.”

 

Expedient Shelters

Most of us can’t afford a ready-made fallout or blast shelter.  Even if we could, it’s not very practical.  Don’t get me wrong, I would love one and would turn it into Chris’ man cave. (That’s what HE thinks. <wink> -Trudee)  Since we don’t have a shelter to go to, knowing how to build an expedient shelter is a good skill to have and pray you never have to use.

A basement is ideal, but as was expressed last week, many American’s don’t have a basement.  Don’t fret!  I have a solution!  The reason a basement is ideal is that there is earth on four walls.  If you don’t have a basement, you need to add mass either inside or outside the walls.  The interior of the walls, to me, seems preferable.  This way you don’t have to worry about the elements or anything else destroying it.

In my example last week, I said I would take those 13 gallon bins and fill them with earth, placing them on the floor of the area above the basement, piled three feet high.

If I didn’t have a basement, one option would be to fill those same bins six or so feet high, by three feet thick, on interior walls.

If you lined the four interior walls of a room in your house, you now have a much smaller room than what you started with.  As you can see in my diagram below, you can place your bins on the outside walls of shared rooms, this will let you keep your shelter a comfortable size.

house design

If you have brick walls or a brick fireplace these would add additional shielding.  It doesn’t have to be just earth.  Here are some pictures from some old Civil Defense manuals.  Anything that adds mass can be used for shielding.  Just remember; the denser it is, the better shielding it will make.

Protect and Survive image 3

Protect and Survive image 2

Protect and Survive image 1

 

In the same army manual listed above it says in section 23-36:

It is not mandatory that you build a roof on your shelter.  Build one only if the materials are readily available with only a brief exposure to outside contamination. If building a roof would require extended exposure to penetrating radiation, it would be wiser to leave the shelter roofless. A roof’s sole function is to reduce radiation from the fallout source to your body. Unless you use a thick roof, a roof provides very little shielding.”

In many of the Civil Defense documents from the 1950’s and 1960’s, people are shown adding ceilings to their basement shelters with bricks.  If you’re building your expedient shelter in an interior room you will already have a roof to keep fallout off you.  If you have the ability to add more shielding, it can only help.

In the image I diagramed for placement of your earth filled bins, you’ll notice how the entrance overlaps.  This can also be seen in the image below.  Since radiation travels in a straight line and won’t draft in like smoke might, the overlapping shielding is enough to stop it from entering the room.

 

Shelter entrence

 

What If You’re Not at Home?

This gets much more complicated but is not impossible.  I used to work just minutes away from Minneapolis in one direction, and the Mall of America in another.  Both are considered terrorist targets.  I worked in a decent sized office building and game planned this scenario.  Not only are you faced with finding adequate shelter, but food, water and other supplies.

 

Building as shielding

 

In this image from the Department of Homeland Security, you can see by the higher numbers where the best shelter can be found in various buildings.

If you’re caught away from home and don’t see a building that would provide adequate shelter, another possible solution is to shelter under your car.

 

expedient Fallout Shelter car

 

I’m not crazy about this idea and would only use it if there were no other options.  In order to be able to do this, you would need adequate supplies to make the shelter as well as to live in it for a time.

 

What if Your Home Won’t Provide Enough Shelter?

If you live in an area where you wouldn’t be able to dig enough earth to fill bins to make a shelter, it might be a good idea to be on the lookout for places near your home that might offer adequate shelter.

 

How Long Should I Stay Sheltered?

Depending on how close you are to the blast zone, it may take several weeks for the radiation to decay to a point that it is safe to leave the shelter.  If the government is able, they will advertise that the levels are safe enough to leave the shelter.  A rule of thumb used is that after two weeks of sheltering you can leave the shelter for a limited time and continue to sleep in it.  You will need to take precautions to protect against coming into contact with fallout and you’ll need to decontaminate before going back into the shelter.  You can find information on that listed below.

 

Nuclear Power Plants

Someone made a comment last week about nuclear power plants being another danger.  From the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

“There are currently 65 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 104 nuclear reactors in 31 states around the country. Thirty-six of the plants have two or more reactors.”

This is absolutely true!  These plants require constant cooling of the reactors.  If something happened to shut the grid down, they have backup generators and enough diesel to run for two weeks.  If power has not been restored after that and the diesel hasn’t been resupplied, we would be faced with 65 chernobyls or Fukushimas.  If you live near a nuclear power plant, this is something to take into consideration.  Have a bug out plan!  In this scenario, sheltering in place is not a good idea.  The radiation is not going to decay anywhere close to the speed that it will from fallout.  The best thing to do would be to get a good distance away.

 

Resources

Here are some of the resources I have used over the years.  The first group is PDF’s of several documents on the subject.  Feel free to download them.  Even if you don’t have a basement, look at the PDF’s for basement shelters.  You can still get ideas from them.  The second group is websites I have visited.

 

Downloadable PDF’s

Radiation Safety In Shelters
Above Ground Home Shelter
Protection in the Nuclear Age
MP-15 the family fallout shelter
FM 3-05.70 Army Survival Manual
Plans for Expedient Fallout Shelters
Fallout Protection Homes with Basements
Nuclear War Survival Guide British Government
Fallout Protection What to Know and Do About Nuclear Attack

 

Links to other sites
Ready.gov; Nuclear Blast
Wikipedia: Fallout Shelter
Wikipedia: Nuclear fallout
Huge number of Civil Defense links
Wikipedia: Radiation protection WIKI
You Will Survive Doomsday By Bruce Beach
Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions
Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearny  (THIS IS A MUST READ PDF)
WHAT TO DO IF A NUCLEAR DISASTER IS IMMINENT!  (THIS IS A MUST READ)

 

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Current Threats to America with AlertsUSA

I have mentioned AlertsUSA and Threat Journal in the post I wrote called “Way’s to Stay Informed and be Alerted in an Emergency”.  I recently had the opportunity to ask them a few questions about AlertsUSA and Threat Journal, about some recent world events and what the largest threat to America and American interest abroad.

AlertsUSA has also been incredibly generous and has agreed to give away 5 radiation safety packages for Prepared Christians who sign up for the free Threat Journal newsletter. Each radiation safety package will contain:

(1) NukAlert Radiation Monitor and Alarm
(5) RadSticker Peel and Stick Dosimeters
(2) Boxes of ThyroSafe Potassium Iodide Tablets

So make sure you see the bottom for details on the contest.

I have been receiving Threat Journal for two years and follow it on facebook as well.  I try to stay on top of current events, but Threat Journal always seems to find a story or two that I hadn’t seen before.

With that, on to the Q/A

Chris:

To start off, can you explain what Alert USA and Threat Journal are and how they can assist in one’s preparedness?

 

AlertsUSA:

“What AlertsUSA IS:

AlertsUSA is a 12 year old emergency alert system for mobile devices. We monitor news and intelligence information from around the world on a real-time basis (24/7/365) and inform subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile device, when developments occur which pose a direct threat to the U.S., as well as its citizens and interests at home and abroad.

The service is in use by federal, state, county and municipal government agencies, first responders, corporate security professionals dealing with large, multi-site organizations, as well as the general public.

The service is of value to individuals and families along three primary fronts: Speed, Truth and Reach

 

Speed:

In most instances AlertsUSA beats the mainstream media by hours and days reporting breaking, threatening developments, if it is reported by them at all. As we do not have an editorial process, scripting, advertisers, or other stake holders to worry about or placate in our reporting, we are able to bring factual, validated information to the subscribers quickly. This advance notice can be critical, such as a distant earthquake generating a tsunami, an emergency being declared at a nuclear power station, bank runs, etc…

 

Truth:

Every story reported by the mainstream media passes through editorial filters seeking to determine if it will impact ad sales, a business partner or a subsidiary. Often stories are stifled as a result. None of these are factors with AlertsUSA’s reporting.

 

Reach:

It is impossible for individuals to stay parked in front of their computers and TVs monitoring world developments around the clock. This is AlertsUSA’s sole function. And as we deliver breaking information via one’s mobile device, we can reach subscribers, anywhere, anytime, 24/7/365.

 

What AlertsUSA Is NOT:

We are NOT an automated service. We do NOT send out alert messages just to generate traffic. We do NOT inform subscribers each time a fire engine is called or a SWAT team investigates a suspicious package. We often will go for days without reporting anything as there is simply nothing happening warranting an alert.

Quoting one of our long time subscribers; “We only report the bad stuff.”

 

Threat Journal:

Threat Journal is a weekly email newsletter used to follow up and expand on any alerts issued during the previous 7 days, as well as to cover other stories we feel the readers should have on their radar, but did not warrant an alert to their mobile device (thus preventing “alert fatigue”).”

 

Chris:

How do you gather Intel and how do you validate it as credible?

 

AlertsUSA:

“Our information sources span mainstream media outlets worldwide, premium targeted information services, private intelligence groups and information provided directly to us by government agencies and departments both foreign and domestic. This combination, developed and continually refined over the past decade, gives us an excellent handle on events worldwide.

Validation of information tends to be the easier part of the overall effort. As we also serve a broad number of government agencies and departments, validating information is often as simple as making two or three calls to trusted sources.”

 

Chris:

In recent history there has been a Russian TU-95 bear bomber flown over the US territory of Guam.  North Korea has also made several hostile comments towards America and Iran has made several inflammatory statements as well.  Do you foresee any circumstances in which these countries intentions amount to more than saber rattling?

 

AlertsUSA:

“Russia/China

The U.S., Russia and China regularly test each other’s responses to encroachment on their territory and that of their regional strategic partners. There are a variety of reasons for doing so, including measuring response methods and timing, signals and electronic intelligence gathering and more. Probing each other’s defenses is routine in an effort to understand the weapons systems and defense methods used by the other side. The same occurs with land and naval forces.

As an example, in 2009 Russia conducted simulated bombing runs on Alaska and California. It is also not uncommon for Russian missile and attack subs to be regularly tracked off the East Coast of the U.S. and as recent as December and January, inside the Gulf of Mexico. China is only now beginning to field systems to enable them to carry out such missions outside of their immediate region where they are very active.

Given current events we believe that major conflict between the U.S. and Russia can break out as a result of events in the Middle East. Russia has deep economic, military and cultural ties with Syria stretching back to the 1950’s. Tens of thousands of Russians live in Syria. Russia’s use of the deep-water port at Tartus is critical for their naval presence in the Mediterranean and supports not only the Russian Black Sea and Northern Fleets operating in the Mediterranean, but is also being upgraded to support nuclear-powered warships and submarines. It is also their only base in the region once outside of Black Sea.

Russia has publicly stated that foreign meddling in Syria could end up as a nuclear conflict.

Closer to home, Russia maintains strong economic, industrial and defense ties with Venezuela. Russia and Venezuela regularly hold joint military maneuvers. Venezuela is also one of Russia top buyers of defense hardware, itself a significant source of revenue for the Russian government.

 

N. Korea

N. Korea poses one of the most profound threats the U.S. is currently facing, particularly in light of their recent nuclear and 3-stage missile tests. The current U.S. missile defense shield, started under President George W. Bush, was rooted in part due to concerns over N. Korea.

With stiff new economic sanctions in place and rather large defense exercises slated to begin in mid-March with S. Korea, the U.S. and several other nations, N. Korea has been making threats of preemptive nuclear strikes on both S. Korea and the U.S..

Here is an article from the Israeli National News N. Korea Threatens Nuke Attack on Mainland USA

Here is a Video from Good Morning America covering North Korea Threatens a Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike on U.S.

This article from the U.K.’s Daily Mail Online: ‘Prepare for all-out war’ Kim Jong Un vows to attack South Korea as he cancels peace pact in revenge for tough UN sanctions

The MSM may refer to these threats as hollow, but the U.S. DoD is taking them quite serious. As recent as January, the New York Times reported theformer Defense Secretary told U.S. troops the following:

“North Korea just fired a missile. It’s an intercontinental ballistic missile, for God sakes. That means they have the capability to strike the United States.”

The best estimates put the current range of N. Korea’s ICBMs as being able to strike Alaska, Hawaii and the Western U.S… Miniaturization of nuclear warheads is merely a function of time, as are increased range of their missiles and the hardening of the warhead package to survive reentry. This does not preclude quiet assistance from other Nation’s such as China, which has already supplied significant portions of their existing medium and long range capability. N. Korea’s nuclear capability itself was enabled by Pakistan.

It is our opinion that the most immediate and easily achievable threat posed by N. Korea to the U.S. comes in the form of an EMP style attack. While their missiles may not be able to survive full reentry, detonation of a nuclear device at a much higher altitude could potentially devastate parts of the U.S. power grid, transportation and communications networks.

The second, and perhaps more concerning threat comes from N. Korea’s willingness to sell the same capability to other nations, such as Iran or other Middle East players. Iranian personnel are widely known to be present in N. Korea during missile and nuclear tests. N. Korean personnel are also a constant feature at Iran’s nuclear facilities.

As for a particular incident or event that could trigger such an attack, we believe that move would not come out of aggression, but fear. Fear of attack and fear of the further choking of resources needed for the survival of the state.

It is important for readers to keep in mind that in desperate times, desperate people (and Nations) do desperate things.”

 

Chris:

While many countries such as North Korea or Iran, don’t have the missile capability to launch a nuke from their country to land on the continental USA, (I know North Korea either has gotten the technology or is close to having it). Would it be possible for them to hide a missile on a ship carrying shipping containers, and launch an EMP style attack from a hundred miles from our shores?

 

AlertsUSA:

“In addition to that written above, this is most certainly a possibility. The USGOV certainly appears to be bolstering East Coast surveillance and defenses against some type of threat.

Consider the following:

In January, it was announced that the U.S. defense department would be closing down a balloon surveillance program being run on the U.S. / Mexico border known as TARS, or the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which was an aerostat-borne surveillance program used to support counter-narcotic operations, mostly in southern border regions. Four TARS are deployed in Texas, two in Arizona and one in New Mexico, Florida, Louisiana and Puerto Rico.

In news released this February, a system similar to TARS known as JLENS, or the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System will soon be deployed around Washington DC. This begs the question: Why would such a surveillance system need to be “tested” around our the National Capital Region, already one of the most heavily monitored and defended areas in the country?”

On Feb 1, 2013 Yahoo News reported in an article titled Blimps to bolster Washington’s air shield in test:

“We’re trying to determine how the surveillance radar information from the JLENS platforms can be integrated with existing systems in the National Capital Region,” said Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.”

 

 


In addition, it was just announced that a large drone base is being developed at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California for broad area ocean surveillance. The systems to be deployed are high altitude, long duration platforms.

The LA Daily News reports: Drone base planned for Point Mugu near Malibu

“MALIBU – The U.S. Navy proposes to station a drone operations base at an airfield 15 miles west of Malibu, it was reported Saturday.”

The Sacramento Bee reports: Hueneme council supports drone base at Point Mugu

“POINT MUGU, Calif. — The Port Hueneme City Council has agreed to back a military proposal to make Naval Base Ventura County the West Coast home for a new type of unmanned aircraft.”

 

Chris:

I receive the occasional email and have seen posts on other blogs and forums about the government getting ready for civil uprising, which includes FEMA camps.  Do you think these reports belong in the realm of conspiracy theorists and tinfoil hatters or is there credence to it?

 

AlertsUSA:

“We know from direct knowledge that many of these claims are spot on accurate. While the specifics may be embellished from story to story or site to site, it is solid fact that our nations leaders know that the U.S. is now in a slow motion train wreck and they are most certainly preparing for a breakdown of social order.

The root cause will be, for sure, a collapse of the U.S. dollar and economy. This collapse will come as a result of astronomical debt and spending levels. We are already well past the point of being able to correct the problem. In fact, the U.S. military has, since ~2006, has been actively conducting war gaming exercises and preparing contingencies for just such an eventuality.

One such preparation effort was known as Unified Quest 2011.”

See the following videos:

 

 


 

While carried out under a different exercise, the following images should also drive the point home:

See this link for images: Vigilant Guard 2010 Riot Control, Detention Drills

Most Americans under the age of 60 – 70 have never known extreme national hardship, though it is a non-stop occurrence elsewhere in the world. We just never hear about in the MSM.

Most Americans have never been out of the country and so their world view is severely limited to what they are taught in our increasingly worthless classrooms or see on our increasingly worthless television and cable channels.

Most Americans have no clue that the largest holder of U.S. debt, even before the Japanese (#1) and the Chinese (#2) is our own government. That’s right. Our government must purchase its own bonds just to keep the system afloat. While intentionally called strange names like “quantitative easing”, it is essentially just “printing money”.

The following chart, from the Fed itself, demonstrates the scale of that money printing:

graph1

The following chart, from the fed itself, shows the devaluation (purchasing power) of the dollar over time. This is the result of money printing.

 

graph2

The following chart shows the average life span of world reserve currencies since the 1400’s.

 

graph3

America is no different, except perhaps for the sheer size of our debt load and the penetration into other countries.

When one has an understanding of these problems, and how many people are completely dependant on Uncle Sugar for their daily bread and entertainment, they will begin to understand why detainment camps, massive purchases of ammo and hardened vehicles are necessary.

None of this is tin foil hat subject matter, except in the minds of those who do not understand what is before us.

Here are more indicators:

Vigilant Guard 2010 Riot Control, Detention Drills

Wal-Mart Says February Sales “Total Disaster”, Worst Monthly Start Since 2006; Stock Drops

Wal-Mart Situation “Getting Worse” New Leaks Reveal

JCPenney Reports Horrific Results, Stock Plunges

Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short

 

Chris:

What would you say is the largest threat to the average Americans’ way of life that is based outside of America?  For example Iran mining the Strait of Hormuz, and gas prices skyrocketing.

 

AlertsUSA:

“In addition to that written above, we would add the following:

As with all modern nations, oil and gas are our lifeblood. Without them, society grinds to a halt. It is our view that dependency on foreign sources of energy is one of the greatest threats to our national security. This threat is not only due to the security in the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal (the site of recent clashes with the Egyptian military and factions of the general Egyptian populace) and other choke points, but also clashes over those resources or delivery means with other superpowers such as China and Russia.”

 

Chris:

What would you say is the biggest threat to American national security inside our border?

 

AlertsUSA:

While there are MANY threats, we view the biggest threat as the pending economic collapse. It will happen. This is a given and is only a matter of time. While the blame for the event will be intentionally shrouded with some other event (bank takedown by some ‘evil foreign cyber attack’,  or outbreak of serious conflict elsewhere in the world), the impact will be the same.

 

Chris:

What other current events should we be paying attention to that haven’t been mentioned in the above questions?

 

AlertsUSA: (two answers)

1. It is important that the readers keep a close eye on our aging nuclear power infrastructure. Many of these facilities have been operating well past their intended design life and are precariously balanced with regular breakdowns. There is far too much money in play for these systems to be taken offline willingly or for the good of the general public. With the current administration’s attacks on coal-fired power plants, there are also few alternatives.

At some point there will be a catastrophic failure at one or more of these facilities. If you reside near, or downwind, from one of these facilities you need to maintain peak awareness.

2. More than any other threat currently facing this country; the one that has me most concerned is related to President Obama’s trip to Israel later this month. Much of the visit is intended to discuss a new peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, halting the construction of new settlements and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

This trip should have all Christians cringing as God has firmly warned that any nation that even attempts to divide up Israel would enter into his judgment.

Joel Ch. 3 is a great place to start. Also, a simple Google search using the phrase “dividing the land of Israel” will provide dozens of sites detailing the troubles that have befallen those nations through history who have already tried.

Draw close to the Lord. There are very difficult times ahead.

 

Contest Details

AlertsUSA has generously offered the Prepared Christian.net community a chance to win five radiation safety packages.  All you have to do to enter is click the picture below that shows the contents of the radiation safety kit, or follow this link to Threat Journal and sign up for the free weekly newsletter from Threat Journal.  The contest will run for four weeks and the winners will be chosen on April 8th, 2013.  I will make a reminder post once a week until the winners are chosen.

giveaway-ad

 

I want to thank the folks at AlertsUSA again for their generosity in taking the time to answer these questions and in giving away five great prizes.  I think this is an important article.  Please consider sharing it with everyone you feel may be blessed with information concerning current threats to America.

AlertsUSA has been kind enough to offer special pricing.  Normally the service is $99 a year, they are now offering the service for $75 a year for Prepared Christian readers.
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The War on Guns; Part Two

The President is to announce his plan to tackle gun violence later today, there are rumors it will entail some new legislation and some executive orders.   I’ll probably add my thoughts on it in the comments section later today.

 

The War on Guns; Part Two

 

Gun Grabbers

As I mentioned in part one, there have been people who don’t think civilians should own firearms since they were affordable enough for the average civilian to own one.  Some of these people have evil intent, but the vast majority is simply naive and afraid.  They seem to believe that more regulation will stop gun violence. Making drunk driving illegal hasn’t stopped it.  There are still many thousands of people arrested for DWI and even more who got away with it.  They also fail to realize that those committing gun violence often have procured the firearms illegally.  That same element who commits gun violence now, will still find a way to get guns.

Those in favor of much stricter gun control come from many avenues, some of which you might not be familiar with.

 

Law Makers

Recently Senator Feinstein had a press release of a bill she will propose to the Senate, aimed at Stopping the spread of deadly assault weapons.  The proposed bill would ban the sale of any militaristic style firearm that had a large capacity magazine.  This bill would stop the personal sale of any firearm, the “gun show loophole”, which allows a private citizen to purchase a table at a gun show and sell their own private collection to other civilians where a personal sale is legal.  These sales, to the best of my knowledge, do not require the seller to perform a background check.  This bill would grandfather in any guns owned at the date of signing, but would require they all be registered under the National Firearms Act and registration would require a picture and a finger print.

This bill is obviously troublesome to any legal gun owner, but something about it doesn’t sit right.  I think this is possibly one of two things.  The first is an attempt at Overton Window., which is a political maneuver where a law maker knows certain legislation would not be accepted in the current political climate; they propose something outrageous, knowing it will not be accepted and then they propose something a little more palatable.  The second proposition may still be bad, but people are more willing to accept it as it’s not nearly as bad as the first proposal.

The second possibility is that this bill is just the start.  If it is passed and we still see gun violence there could be harsher and harsher crackdowns.  As I mentioned above, the element of society who commits gun crime now, in large part, illegally possesses firearms now.  If more regulation is added those, the same people will still commit crimes with guns, which will lead to more regulation and restriction.  Layer upon layer of restriction will only cause legal, upstanding citizens to be unable to own firearms.

The most despicable incident was when Vice President Biden said Obama Considering ‘Executive Orders’ to Deal With Guns.  More on this below.

 

The Media

From news agencies to newspapers and untold blogs, the left has gotten behind stricter gun laws than at any time I can remember.  There have also been many celebrities who have filmed commercials asking:

“How many more?  Enough. Demand a plan. Right now. As a mom. As a dad. As a friend. As a husband. As a wife. As an American. As a human being. For the children of Sandy Hook…We can do better than this. It’s time for our leaders to act.”

How many of those hypocrites have done TV or movies where they used a gun and glorified violence? The trouble here is that this is effective and they know it.  We live in a society that pays more attention to what their favorite celeb is tweeting, dating and wearing than any relevant thing going on in the world around them.

 

School and Doctors

I have read multiple reports in the last couple of years about doctors asking children and adults about what firearms were kept in the home, where they were kept etc.  I, myself, was asked a few years ago during a routine doctor appointment.

I have also read of children being probed at school about what firearms their parents had.  I have a relative whose eleven year old child was talking about a zombie apocalypse.  A teacher overheard this and brought her inside, where she was questioned by multiple adults.  They asked her how she would deal with zombies, if her parents owned guns and other related questions.

I don’t know why schools and doctors are asking these questions or what they’re doing with the information, but you should be aware that some are asking it.  We told our kids what to say if ever asked these types of questions.

 

The Truth About Gun Violence

The truth about any “war” on any inanimate object is that they do not work.  In prohibition it was illegal to make, serve or drink booze, yet there was an entire sub culture that sprang to make, sell and drink booze.  The war on drugs has seen millions of people in and out of jail, but has done little to slow or stop trafficking, sale or use of drugs.  In fact some states are now legalizing marijuana.

Instead of waging war on guns, we should be taking a look at why and who commits gun violence.  We could also make soft targets harder.

 

Mental Illness and Depravity (the true problem)

If we take a look at those who commit mass shooting, I believe we would see most, if not all, were afflicted with some serious form of mental illness.  There are a couple of problems that don’t catch this before acts of violence occur.  First is that many people in the mentally ill persons life don’t want to bring the issue to light.  Some may even be in denial themselves.  Parents say “not my child” or “boys will be boys”.  No one wants to believe that their child is capable of harming them or anyone else, so they don’t get the police involved.  They don’t bring their child to get therapy and overlook certain behaviors.

Often times there can’t be intervention until the mentally ill person commits a crime.  As I mentioned above, loved ones often overlook small crimes, such as underage domestic violence.

I posted this on facebook the day of the Sandy Hook shooting:

“I do not understand the depth of human depravity, there will be some that come out after the tragedy in Connecticut railing against guns, when in truth they should be railing at depravity. We should all be praying for those who lost loved ones, God is the only one capable of healing pain so deep.”

I think that in many cases, when it comes to youth committing gun violence, we can look to the home.  I’m not necessarily saying it is the parents fault, at least not directly.  I have read about some of the kids who have taken part in school shootings and in many cases, the parents were not aware there was a problem.  Maybe they just weren’t involved enough in their kid’s life.  Maybe, because of the digital age we live in, it’s just easier for kids to hide things.

Some say its video games or violent movies.  I disagree, in part.  Yes there are some games and movies that are too violent, but waging war on the games or movies is not going to be any more effective than the war on alcohol, drugs or guns.  Endless hours of video games, violent or not, isn’t healthy.  Parents need to tell their kids they can’t play that game or can only play games for so long.  Parents need to be parents.  They need to stop trying to be their child’s friend.  They can be friends once they’re adults.

The truth is that if we paid more attention to mental illness and acts of depravity, the lives of those people would probably be enriched, and we may slow down the rate of violence, involving guns or not.

 

Guns Involved In Crime

My beautiful wife, Trudee, recently had a conversation with someone on Facebook who was fully behind banning all evil assault rifles but had no problem with people owning handguns, or so she said.  Trudee tried to use logic, which didn’t make a dent in this woman’s thinking.  This makes sense as this woman and many who think like her generate their opinion from irrational fear.  Here is some truth that you can use to inform yourself and others.

I posted this on Facebook recently: “FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year Than Rifles”.  This report shows that from 2005 to 2011, each year there were more people killed with hammers and clubs than with rifles.

“For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.”

While this does not take handguns into consideration, that isn’t the point.  Anti-gun advocates largely refer to “assault rifles”, which, according to the FBI, are less used in crimes than hammers.  This also leads me to believe that it is not just “assault rifles” that they want to take away.  I think they can just make an easier case to restrict “assault rifles” because there has already been a ban once.

Fox News has a story where reformed crooks say::

“the New York newspaper that published a map of names and addresses of gun owners did a great service – to their old cronies in the burglary trade.”

One of the reformed burglars went on to say:

“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever seen,” said Walter T. Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI blames for more than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s and 1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold – why rob that house when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns?”

 

Guns Used to Stop Crime

Very rarely will you see the main stream media show a story about someone who used a gun to stop a crime. During research for this article I found two sites that publish every news story like this. One is the NRA and the other is The Armed Citizen.  There is most likely some overlap, but both are good resources to get examples of where a gun actually saved an innocent life.

 

What Can We Expect

I wish I could say I knew what to expect.  I may not know what will happen, but I do believe something will.  People have believed President Obama would go after guns since he made the comment, “they cling to their God and their guns”.  Now we have the Vice President talking about executive orders to deal with guns.  We also have the President saying he is putting his full weight behind dealing with guns.  I suppose they could just re-implement the old “assault weapon” ban, but I don’t think they will.  I think they believe the Overton Window has moved far enough that they can make a bigger grab.

An executive order used to bypass congress and make ownership or purchase of certain guns illegal, or requiring every firearm be registered would be unconstitutional and, thus, illegal.  This President has sidestepped congress and the constitution already.

If there is an executive order, there are at least three possibilities.  First, congress could override it with a vote of 2/3.  I honestly don’t see that happening. This is the same congress that passed ObamaCare after all.  The second option is something that Ted Nugent recently commented on as well.  Local law enforcement could refuse to enforce this as an illegal law.  This is also the goal of The Oath Keepers, who reach out to those active duty military and prior service military as well as law enforcement and ask them not to enforce ten (unlawful) orders if they are given.  The number one being disarming the American people.

If you are unaware, when you join the military you take the following oath:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Many veterans, myself included, believe that since we have been discharged from active duty, we are no longer beholden to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or obligated to obey orders given from Officers or the President.  We do, however, feel we are still obligated to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.

If Executive Orders are used, depending on the enforcement of them by local law enforcement, we could see another executive order used to install martial law and suspend Habeas Corpus.

 

How Can We Respond?

I say “can” because I won’t presume to tell you what you should do.  Here are my thoughts on how I believe a follower of Christ can act and not walk in sin.

First, let me recommend two articles written by Pastor Chuck Baldwin.  These are well worth reading.  The first, entitled My Line In The Sand Is Drawn Here!, covers his thoughts on the proposed bill from Senator Feinstein.  He also gives you some ways to fight this and to help you draw your own line in the sand.

The second article is called Revolution?.  In it, he explains how the Revolutionary war was actually sparked by gun control and how Christian leaders of the time took a very active role, defying a ruler imposing immoral laws on them.

Now is the time to pray for our enemies, to pray they act out of wisdom and logic and not out of irrational fear.  This is also the time to take action.  This is the time to let our Congressmen and Senators know that we want them to stand firm and protect the Second Amendment of the Constitution they swore an oath to protect.  You can find the phone number and other contact information for your Congressmen and Senators at USA.gov.

In case you’re wondering here is the oath they take.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

If and Executive Order to go after guns is used, or if Congress and Senate overreach in regulating firearms, they will go against the Constitution and against what our Founding Fathers saw as God-given rights to all people.

In God’s Law vs. Man’s Law I explain that when Man’s law contradicts God’s Law, we can be morally correct and violate man’s laws.  I also give examples of this from scripture.

There have been several people saying there will be blood in the street if they come after guns.  I pray not, but  I have to say, I do see it as a possibility and I would not have said that even three months ago.  Each one of us will have to pray for guidance and draw our own line in the sand.  I caution you from posting anything inflammatory on this or any other site on the Internet.

May God bless us each with His guidance.  Lord please give us wisdom so we may see how You would have us act.  Let us stand firm in Your Word.  Bless those elected to lead us with wisdom and courage to uphold the oath they took to defend the Constitution.  Father, I ask that this fight end peacefully and that the outcome not infringe on the rights You have given to all people.

 

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The War on Guns; Part One
The War on Guns; Part Two

The War on Guns; Part One

Unless you have been under a rock the last month or so, you have heard multiple things about the federal government “going after guns”.  This issue is very important and multifaceted.  I want to talk about why this issue is so important, the Second Amendment, the attacks on it and the people who are attacking it, what we might see and how we as Christian gun owners can respond.

This will be a lot of reading, so I am going to break this up into two articles.  The first will explain why this issue is so important.  I’ll also touch on the Founding fathers and the Second Amendment. I am going to link to other articles that I think you should read as well.  I know this is a lot of reading, but it’s important to know why this fight is so important and to understand the argument for our right to keep and bear arms.

 

The War on Guns; Part One

The war on guns is not new but in the last few weeks it has reached a fevered pitch.  The Obama administration is taking the advice of its former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, who suggested “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”  Please do not misunderstand.  Let me make this clear now; the shootings that have happened in recent history are horrific acts committed by depraved and often mentally ill people.   Despite this, the Obama administration is using this as an Overton Window to take advantage of the situation and do something they could not have done sooner.

 

Why Is This So Important?

There are two reasons this issue is so important.  The first is because of what we may face and what the past has shown when firearms have been restricted.  The second reason knowing this information is important is to have a rebuttal to those who would argue to take our guns.

 

Having a Ready Response

Security is one of the five basic human needs.  I believe it is the most important one, because without it you cannot protect the other four.  I believe the Founding Fathers also thought it was vitally important.  I do not think it is by mistake that right to “keep and bear arms” is the Second Amendment, following only the right to speak out in protest.

The Apostle Paul told us we should have an answer ready to explain and defend our faith.  I think that is good advice for anything you have convictions about.  You should be able to logically answer and explain your stance to anyone who challenges you.  I say logically because I think people that base their opinion in emotion often don’t sound serious.  That is not to say that one cannot be emotional about their beliefs, I just think one should have them rooted in logic and facts and speak passionately.

I was recently asked what a Christian should do if the government comes after guns.  I answered that we should follow God’s law any time it and man’s law contradict.  If you understand what the Founders intent was when they wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, you’ll have an easier time answering that question on many subjects dealing with our laws, including gun rights.

 

Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Let me first say that I am not comparing President Obama to Hitler or any other despot.  There have been those who believe no civilian should own a firearm since firearms were affordable enough for the average citizen to own one.  I will discuss gun grabbers in further detail later in this article series.  For now, I want to discuss some of the world leaders who have forced strict gun control on their nation and the outcome it led to.

There is some controversy about Hitler and gun control.  From my study of history, I am led to believe that the Weimar Republic had strict gun control in place long before Hitler came to power.  Hitler did take advantage of it and Jews were not allowed to own firearms.  He is also quoted as saying at a dinner talk on April 11, 1942:

““The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms.  History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing.  Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty.   So let’s not have any native militia or native police. German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire occupied country.”

Joseph Stalin is quoted as saying:

“If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves.”

Mao Tze Tung, Nov 6 1938

“All political power comes from the barrel of a gun.  The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.”

Most recently Robert Mugabe, the dictator of Zimbabwe, has instituted a ban on guns.  Here is a link I found interesting; a liberal who had their mind changed on the possession of firearms.

Something these and so many other evil men understood is that there are two sure ways to control people, take their guns and take their food.  There is a quote that say’s “God created man, Samuel Colt made them equal”.  It is a firearm that levels the playing field and gives a people the ability to stand up and resist tyranny.

Some people will say “This could never happen here”.  I wonder if the Jews in Germany thought the same thing, or the people of Zimbabwe, Rwanda and so many others.

I saw a post recently on facebook that said “I saw a movie once where only the police and military were allowed to own guns.  The name of that movie was “Schindler’s list”.  Never Again!

 

The Founding Fathers

I wrote a series of three articles last year that dealt with the Founding Fathers the Constitution, and the future of America.  I also wrote God’s law vs. Man’s law.  In them, I explain that it took great courage to write the Declaration of Independence. Aside from the Bible, it is one of the most important documents in existence, largely due to the following sentence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The reason that one sentence is so important is because it states that the rights mentioned above in the Bill of Rights and the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and yes, the right to keep and bear arms are granted by God, and what God grants, man cannot take away.

The Founders knew that a large government could not be trusted.  That is why there are so many checks and balances.

 

The Second Amendment

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Something important to keep in mind when studying the Bible, the Constitution or any historical document is that context its king.  Something taken out of context can completely change what the document means; this is the case with the Second Amendment.  I have done a lot of reading the last couple of weeks, shoring up what I didn’t fully understand, keeping track of what the anti-gunners were doing and how pro-gunners were responding.  I came across a fantastic document from the Lectric Law Library called The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions.  The author does a fantastic job of explaining the wording of the Second Amendment and how the particular words meant something different at the writing of the Second Amendment than they do today.  I highly suggest you read it, as I will only touch on some key points of the Amendment.  Any of the italicized text in the Second Amendment section comes from The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions.

The first question to answer is; “why would this need to be specified and added as an Amendment?”  As Noah Webster, whose name you might recognize from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is quoted:

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe.”

You see, the founders knew that tyrants preferred an unarmed populace.  They knew that an over reaching government with a standing army behind it was a threat to the liberty of the citizenry.

Once we understand that these words were very carefully chosen and that the Founders thought they were important enough to make them the Second Amendment, let’s take a look at the words themselves.  I’m going to break this into smaller pieces and dissect each one.

 

A Well Regulated Militia

Context is king.  When many people hear the word militia today, they might think of extremists who stock guns and are just waiting for a chance to use them.  But, when the Second Amendment was written, the word meant something else.

“When the Constitution was ratified, the Framers unanimously believed that the “militia” included all of the people capable of bearing arms.”

“ALL of the people capable of bearing arms”; this means that according to the founders we are all in the militia.  Alright, so anyone who is capable of bearing arms is in the militia, but what exactly does “well regulated militia” mean?

In modern times the word “regulate” often makes one think of the government regulation and restrictions.   A much better (and much longer) explanation can be found at The Second Amendment: The Framers’ Intentions.  A condensed version is that the founders knew the militia might one day have to fight a standing army raised and supported by the federal government.  They would not have made the militia subject to be regulated by the government.  Who then would be the regulatory body of the militia?  Again, context is king:

“This interpretation is in keeping with English usage of the time, which included within the meaning of the verb “regulate” the concept of self- regulation or self-control (as it does still to this day). The concept that the people retained the right to self-regulate their local militia groups (or regulate themselves as individual militia members) is entirely consistent with the Framers’ use of the indefinite article “a” in the phrase “A well regulated Militia.”

That’s right, “We the people” are to self-regulate our own militia groups made up of anyone capable of bearing arms.

 

“Being necessary to the security of a free State”

Some of us may say we live under tyranny now, but it pales in comparison to the tyranny the Founders lived under.  The Founders knew there were three potential enemies; the first, an invading country, the second, a single terrorist or small groups of terrorists, the last, the standing Army sponsored by the federal government.

It is the job of the standing army to fight against invading forces.  It is the job of police agencies to deal with terrorists.  It is the job of the militia to be a check against the standing army.

“Thus, “well regulation” referred to something else. Since the fundamental purpose of the militia was to serve as a check upon a standing army, it would seem the words “well regulated” referred to the necessity that the armed citizens making up the militia(s) have the level of equipment and training necessary to be an effective and formidable check upon the national government’s standing army.”

“This view is confirmed by Alexander Hamilton’s observation, in The Federalist, No. 29, regarding the people’s militias ability to be a match for a standing army: ” . . . but if circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in discipline and use of arms, who stand ready to defend their rights . . . .”

Of course we don’t have a structured citizen militia as well trained or as well-equipped as the standing army, but this does provide the basis for citizens to own weapons on the same level as the average soldier.  This would not apply to planes, tanks, mine or grenades, but it would permit semi-auto rifles and semi-auto handguns with high capacity magazines.

 

The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The first two parts of the Second Amendment set the stage for why the people have the (God given) right to keep and bear arms.  This last part flatly states the right shall not be infringed.

“Furthermore, returning to the text of the Second Amendment itself, the right to keep and bear arms is expressly retained by “the people,” not the states. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed this view, finding that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right held by the “people,” — a “term of art employed in select parts of the Constitution,” specifically the Preamble and the First, Second, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Thus, the term “well regulated” ought to be considered in the context of the noun it modifies, the people themselves, the militia(s).”

Here is another fantastic piece from Roanoke.com called In Webster’s English.  It explains that the English language has changed since the writing of the Second Amendment and uses the first Webster’s dictionary to explain it.

 

The Second Amendment in Modern Times

There have been some recent developments with the Second Amendment.  First, on August 24, 2004, the Justice Department released a brief on Whether the Second Amendment Secures an Individual Right.. They state:

we conclude that the Second Amendment secures a personal right of individuals, not a collective right that may only be invoked by a State or a quasi-collective right restricted to those persons who serve in organized militia units.”

In the wake of illegal confiscation of firearms after Hurricane Katrina, there was H.R. 5013 (109th): Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006, which, among other things, states:

“The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that a `well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’, and Congress has repeatedly recognized this language as protecting an individual right.”

Most recently, on 6-28-2010, the Supreme Court upheld, 5-4, that The Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws.

 

In Summary

The Founding Fathers clearly laid out that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right.  There have been many evil men who have tried to control their people by outlawing the ownership of firearms.  I believe the Founders knew this was a possibility in the future of our nation, which is why they spelled it out.  Even though they spelled it out, some have tried to muddy its meaning.  With the paper from the Justice Department and the decision from the Supreme Court it is clear:

 

The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

 

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The War on Guns; Part One
The War on Guns; Part Two

The Threats From Within

I meant to write this article last year but time got away from me and then I misplaced my notes.  My wife recently found my notes so I decided to write the article now.  I had the opportunity to attend  MSTEP, Minnesota Symposium on Terrorism and Emergency Preparedness, in November of 2011.  This article will be about some of the things I learned about through MSTEP, but will not just be about Minnesota.  I will discuss several of the threats that I believe we face from within our borders.

At the symposium there were four keynote speakers and twenty four classes to choose from.  Each person attended eight classes they chose.  Much of the information given was facts, and some of it overlapped between the various classes.  Because of this, the article might be a list of facts and not flow all that well.  I apologize.

There is not a nation on earth that could successfully invade America.  Our armed forces are unparalleled, even if the majority of them are overseas.  Also, as the Japanese General said, “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.”  For these reasons, I believe we will see small groups of people and even lone wolves that strike us.  I wrote an article a couple years ago called Lone Wolves and Swarm Attacks that goes into more detail on them.

 

Gangs

There are an estimated 1,400,000 gang members in the Unites States.  In this article from the military newspaper “Stars and Stripes”, the FBI says U.S. criminal gangs are using military to spread their reach.  I have also read reports of gang members joining the military to learn tactics.

 

Unrestricted Warfare, China’s Plan to Destroy the USA

One of the keynote speakers mentioned that a Chinese Military manual touts different ways to attack America, which our Military could not deal with.  Some of the attacks are terroristic in nature, while others are economic attacks.

 

Hackers Infiltrating our Infrastructure

I have linked various articles detailing hackers from unfriendly nations, such as Russia, China, and others in the Middle East, infiltrating our electric and water infrastructure.   The thinking is that they are learning the systems and could shut them down at a later time.

 

Terrorist Attacks

From 9-11 until the fall of 2011, there have been 58 terrorist attacks stopped.   Every two weeks there is another terrorist attack plotted.  One of the keynote speakers said that a deputy director of the FBI said he believed a dirty bomb would go off in the USA.  I have read other reports from people “in the know” who have predicted the same thing.

 

Somalis in Minnesota

You may have seen reports over the last few years of Somali men that immigrated to Minnesota, who were found dead in Somalia and other places in Africa.  It was said that in 1991, charity organizations moved Somali refugees to Minnesota.  On a side note, did these charities look at the weather differences between these two places?  I digress, many of these families moved into the Twin Cities, which consists of Minneapolis and St. Paul.  Most of the families continue their ethnic heritage and traditional dress and have not assimilated into American culture.

It is believed that these men were approached by Al Shibab, a Somali terrorist organization, in a Mosque in the Twin Cities.  If they can recruit them to go back to Somalia and commit a suicide bombing, they can probably get them to do one in the states.

 

Pandemic

Trudee also attended a talk on the risk of pandemic and the response of healthcare in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.  Whether the pandemic is natural or “weaponized” this is an area of great enough concern that there are caches of antibiotics and others medications that might be needed.  There are also several facilities that can be converted into mass dispensing facilities, and other facilities that will be used when local hospitals are filled.

 

Outside of Minnesota

I have seen multiple articles, such as this one from the Arizona Capital Times entitled Hezbollah terror threat on U.S.-Mexico border is real .  The article is worth reading.  It gives several examples of people tied to terrorist groups sneaking through our border with Mexico.  One example is:

“According to Mr. Taylor, a Muslim cleric, Abdullah al-Nafsi, said that “there is no need for airplanes and planning; one man with the courage to carry a suitcase of anthrax through the tunnels from Mexico to the United States could kill 330,000 Americans in one hour.”

There are also issues at many of our ports.  I read a report that said maybe only 10% of the cargo containers are checked.  It would be quite easy for someone to sneak in along with some type of payload.

 

Please Don’t Dumb it Down

Terrorists have a thing for big elaborate attacks.  9-11 is well known, but there have been many other, mostly failed, attacks all over the world.  Don’t get me wrong, they have some luck with collaborated attacks, sometimes bombing multiple US embassies in multiple countries.

When they have done the greatest damage is usually when one man acts alone, using easily attainable weapons.  It is when they include multiple people or elaborate plots that they are arrested or fail.

 

Final Thoughts

There are so many potential threats already inside our borders, they only need to get lucky once for terror to set in, and liberty to slip away.  Let’s pray for continued excellent law enforcement, as well as continued elaborate and failed plans for those who seek to do us harm.

 

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Could America Break Apart?

(Photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

Earlier this year, I wrote an article called “The Future of America”.  In it, I mention that Christians in America are aware that the US is not mentioned in the End Times but that this doesn’t necessarily mean America no longer exists, but that it is just a nation of less prominence.  Is it possible that America could break apart?  If you’re someone who only comes here for preparedness related information, you may want to skip this article.  However, it will deal with preparedness and how you plan your future.

In 2008, I read an article from the Wall Street Journal called “As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.”.  In it, a Russian professor named Igor Panarin predicted that the U.S. would break apart in 2010.  He says “…mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar…”  Obviously he is wrong, or is his timing just off?

After I read the article in 2008, I filed it in the mind bank and forgot about it.  That is until recently.  The day after Election Day, I woke up to the headline on the Drudge Report that said “America the Divided” and it had a map separated by red and blue.  A week or so later my wife mentioned an article she had seen that said some Texas citizens had filed a petition for secession and it was quickly gaining signatures.  Within a few days I saw reports of more private citizens from other states following the Texan’s example.  It was then that this article popped back into mind.  I just made a mental note of it and moved on.

A few days later, a reader sent me a link to a prophecy from Rick Joyner where he made mention to Russians holding the belief that the U.S. would break into four or more parts.  It was then that I really started to ponder this, wondering if it is possible and, if so, how it might happen.

 

Russian Professor Igor Panarin

I read a few different articles on this professor and the one by the Wall Street Journal called “As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.” is, by far, the best.  In it, Mr. Panarin is described as “not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations.”  I only know what I have read in these few articles about this man.  He seems to have a solid resume.  We might see similar credentials for commentators on any one of the alphabet stations.  As to how Mr. Panarin came to this conclusion;

“He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.”

The article goes on to explain just how he thinks the U.S. will be broken up.

“California will form the nucleus of what he calls “The Californian Republic,” and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of “The Texas Republic,” a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an “Atlantic America” that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls “The Central North American Republic.” Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia.”

How Could It Happen?

I don’t know if this could happen to America, but since our great nation isn’t mentioned in the end times, it is a possibility, as are so many other reasons it’s not mentioned.  Since it is a possibility, what would need to happen to change the U.S.A. into a fractured continent of territories?  Below are some things I think would need to happen for this to take place.  Some of the things listed might already be taking place, but they would need to become more commonplace.

The military might of the U.S.A. is unmatched.  If the U.S is brought down, it would have to come from within.  Pitting the right against the left, the rich against the poor, one race against another and dividing the UNITED people of America, would be a must.

Capitalism would need to be broken and turned into a form of socialism.  There would need to be so many people receiving government handouts that it would imbalance the economic system…Cloward and Piven strategy anyone?

There would need to be decaying morals; things that were once seen as obscene by the mainstream would need to become commonplace.  Those who hold to the morals of the past would need to be demonized and called “haters”.

I think Mr. Panarin is right, that eventually civil war would need to break out.  Where would the lines be drawn this time?  He claims that it would be along racial lines, but I’m not so sure. I have written before that I think there is more racial tension now than there was a few years ago, but I don’t see it as bad enough to go to war over.

If the Cloward and Piven strategy overloaded the economy and the tax rate became crippling to the point where a state or two said “enough is enough”, there might be enough angst between the givers and the takers, between states that were bankrupt and states that were able to keep to their budget, to cause riots and violence to break out.  Depending on how the federal government responded to these situations, a civil war could possibly break out.

 

Pop Culture

I have noticed that in some TV shows and movies, the U.S. was broken into parts.  In the television show “Jericho”, there were nukes and an EMP that shut the grid down.  Towns fought against each other and militias formed to take control.  I forget the lines that were drawn, but I believe there were at least four main pieces.  There is also the current television show Revolution.  In it, there was something that brought the electric grid down.  The show takes place 15 years after that and the United States is no more.  It is broken up into territories controlled by militias.  I just watched the remake of Red Dawn.  In it, there are a few countries who have taken pieces of America captive as the small armies wage war to reunite her.

Does this mean anything?  Probably not, but I do find it interesting that some of the most creative minds writing screenplays for movies and television see America being segmented after a major terrorist attack, the electric grid going down and not coming up or after invasion.

 

Giants Do Fall

Other large nations have fallen and been broken up.  The Roman Empire is probably the most notable in ancient history, but there were many others.  The USSR is the most notable in modern times, falling in 1991 and breaking up into fifteen countries.  They were the only other super power, but they proved you can’t be too big to fail.

 

Final Thoughts

Is this possible?  I don’t know, I pray not.  I say “God forbid it” with one breath and with the next, “Your will be done.”  I was praying for America and thinking about what may lay ahead.  I believe God told me, “Do not let your love of country come between you and I.”  I don’t know what God has planned for America.  Lord, please bring revival before any judgment.

 

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