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Could America Break Apart?

November 30, 2012 by

(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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Filed Under: Signs of the Times Tagged With:

Dreams, Prophecy and Promptings

November 28, 2012 by

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

This verse comes from Joel 2:28 and again from Acts 2:17.  It is a promise from God that He will pour out His spirit, which will give visions, dreams and cause some to prophecy.  Since starting Prepared Christian I have been blessed to receive emails from several of you who have shared dreams you have had or prophecies that have been given at your church or from ministries you interact with on the Internet.  I want to take some time to discuss this with you.

I think this is important because I know that some of you have been led to preparedness by a dream you have had or a loved one has had, or by prophecies given by someone you trust.  Sometimes we feel prompted by God to take an action to be more prepared.

 

Dreams

The word dream is mentioned in scripture 65 times; all but seven of those are in the Old Testament.  Dreams are clearly one way that God chooses to speak to us; I think this is for various reasons.  Dreams bypass the logical part of our brain that can quash the still small voice.  Dreams can also be used to introduce things that we are not yet familiar with.  They can be used to push us to take action on something we may or may not fully understand.

Scripture lists dreams given to people that were a concrete example of what would occur, examples of this appear in Mathew 1:20, when an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that the child Mary caries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Again in Mathew 2:12 the three wise men receive a dream that warns them not to go back to Herod.  An angel comes to Joseph again in Mathew 2:13 to tell him to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt.  Joseph was visited in a dream again in Mathew 2:19, telling him of Herod’s death.

More often, dreams from the Lord are far more abstract and need interpretation to understand.  For instance; the dream God gave to Pharaoh that is explained to Joseph in Genesis 41:15 of the seven fat cows, then seven scrawny and lean cows that Joseph interpreted for him to mean seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine.  Another example is found in Judges 7:13.  Gideon overhears a man telling of a dream that a round loaf of barley bread tumbled into the Midianite camp with such force it collapsed a tent.  The man listening to this dream interpreted it to mean that the loaf of bread was the sword of Gideon son of Joash.  Gideon used this knowledge to invade and conquer the Midianite camp.  Again, in Daniel 2:30, King Nebuchadnezzar has Daniel interpret the dream of a giant statue, King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:11 has Daniel interpret the dream of the giant tree.

Sometimes the meaning of a dream may be abstract, even if the dream itself is not.  An example of this could be the dreams given to Joseph in the book of Genesis.  In these dreams, Joseph interpreted his brothers and parents bowing down to him.  While Joseph became second in command, only lower than Pharaoh, God, at one point, had Joseph thrown into a cistern, sold into slavery and put in prison before interpreting Pharaohs dream and being given much power.  He used this power to save his family.

The point I am trying to make is that sometimes the dreams we have are from God.  Some of those dreams will actually happen exactly like they did in the dream, as it was many times with Joseph.  Some dreams might show us symbolic events, with the end result being similar to the dream, as it was with Joseph and his dreams of his family bowing down to him.  The dream could just be used to spark you into taking action, like Gideon did when hearing of the interpreted dream.

I have received e-mails from people who say they have had dreams of the economy crashing and violence everywhere.  I have received emails foretelling of the electric grid going out and society falling apart.  I have also gotten an email where the person dreamed that a large volcano (I assume it was the caldera in Yellowstone) erupted, destroying much of America and covering much of the US is ash.  I have also read prophecies from my church and other ministries that speak to some very difficult times ahead.  If all of these are true and come to pass, not only America but much of the world will suffer greatly.  In fact, if the caldera in Yellowstone erupted, it very well could be an ELE (Extinction Level Event).  I suppose it is possible that all of these things could happen, but even one happening is a very low possibility, let alone all three.

 

Prophecy

Prophecy is something I find interesting and have studied.  I have read Biblical prophecies and some by modern day prophets.  The modern prophecies that I have read are often a little vague.  Maybe the prophet is only allowed, as John the Revelator was, to show certain things, keeping some things hidden.  Maybe the entire sequence of events was not revealed to the prophet, or maybe the prophet is afraid of being too specific, fearing the events will not unfolding as they said.

I have visited forums where current events were forced into prophecy.  I have also seen very godly men led to believe a false prophet.  I learned a lesson when I started studying prophecy; if a prophet is wrong even once, they are not a prophet sent by God.  God is never wrong.

If I met a prophet who was always right, who lived a godly life and loved the Lord, I would listen and heed his words.  Until then, I will listen and put their words to the tests of scripture and time to see if they’re right.

 

Promptings

Most of the time, I have a very difficult time knowing if a prompting is from the Lord.  There are other times when I have no doubt.  I’m going to share something personal with all of you and I hesitate to do so, partly because I am very private, and partly because I think it could invite some conflict.  I think it is a good example of how sometimes God prompts us and uses things we understand at the time, only to have events unfold differently than originally thought.

Years ago I had read all of the Left Behind books and really studied the book of Revelation and other prophecies in the Bible.  This is also around the same time I started prepping.  I remember feeling like God was asking me to stay behind after the Rapture to help new believers learn about salvation, and to help them survive the coming judgments to the earth.

Years later I began to feel the Lord stirring again.  This time it was to help believers to learn that preparedness is Biblical and how to get better prepared now.  I wasn’t sure how to do this and sat on it for another couple years.  I finally started writing some pretty awful articles and emailing them to friends.  Then, God used Jack Spirko from the Survival Podcast to spark me into starting the Prepared Christian blog.

My point here is that even though all of the promptings were from God, in the beginning I did not have enough knowledge to teach others about preparedness.  Knowing I would need that knowledge, I began my research and better preparing my family.  Through writing those awful letters to my friends, I hopefully have gotten to be a better writer.  I still didn’t know how to “get the word out” until I heard Jack Spirko that day.  That began my research into blogging and using the Internet.  I now believe God used my understanding of things in the beginning to get me to take the action needed to do what I am doing now.  It was my understanding of things that changed, not Gods plan.

 

Final Thoughts:

Though God does use dreams, prophecy and promptings, they may not always mean what we think they mean.  Don’t cling so tightly to your understanding that God can’t unfold His plan.  Yes He is more powerful than you, but He loves you enough to yield to your free will.

 

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Filed Under: Christian World View, Mind Set

Review of After Armageddon

November 26, 2012 by

Earlier this year, I wrote an article called “How a True Pandemic May Look”.  In it, I explained, at a macro level, what a pandemic might look like.  JP recently sent me an email containing a link to a site hosting a YouTube video of a History Channel special called “After Armageddon”.  First, let me say that I am not posting the link to the video.  I don’t know how the copyright works with it being on YouTube.  If you want to see it, search YouTube for “After Armageddon”.  There are some videos that are broken up in 8-9 minute sections, but I did see one full length one.  I will be going into detail on some of the information covered, so if you want to watch it without me spoiling it, consider this fair warning.

All that being said, the reason I am bringing up this video is that it takes a very micro level look at how a worldwide pandemic will affect the individual.  Their disclaimer is “This Program is a theoretical account of the worst case scenario for global disaster.  This is not a real emergency.”  The premise of the show is that a pandemic with high morbidity and mortality is sweeping across Europe, South America, Russia and Southern Africa.  At first the US government doesn’t acknowledge there are any confirmed cases, but just a couple weeks after the first cases are discovered abroad, there are many affected in the US.

They have a panel of experts talking about the different aspects of how a pandemic will affect everyday life.  The fictional story follows a family from Los Angeles from before there are any acknowledged cases on US soil, to years after the pandemic.  The acting was pretty bad, but I didn’t watch it for the acting.  As the shows disclaimer mentions, this is a theoretical account of a worst case scenario.  I have mentioned before that a pandemic is one of the “big ones” that concerns me the most.   We have had them multiple times in human history, and it could take weeks to months to produce a vaccine.  World travel is easier than ever before, so spreading of a pandemic would be faster than at any other time.  That being said, a large-scale, true pandemic, such as the one in 1918, is a very rare thing.

I used this show to play the “what would I do” game.  While some of the decisions the family in the show makes are not decisions I would have made, putting yourself in different scenarios and deciding the best course of action is a great way to practice “survival thinking”.

The show covered a wide range of topics throughout the entire show, touching on such things as security throughout.  I am going to cover some of the general topics instead of going along the timeline the show used.

 

Healthcare

As I mentioned, the show has a pandemic spreading worldwide after only three weeks.  Because a trip that used to take weeks can now be made in less than a day, it is completely possible for someone who is newly infected to travel to another country before they begin to show signs of sickness.  As the pandemic is really taking hold in America they say that many healthcare professionals will not show up for work.  After some time, hospitals may close their doors and not take any new patients in.  This is in part because they are full and have no more room, because they don’t have any way of treating patients and partly due to lack of staffing.  When I went through CERT, the county emergency manager said that it is expected that as many as 30% of first responders and healthcare professionals won’t go in to work.  This could be due to fear of catching the illness or because either a loved one or they, themselves, have gotten sick.

The show said that the number of dead bodies would be overwhelming, with no one to come and remove them.  I think this could be true.  Also, what would you do with them all?  The only thing I can think of is mass graves.  If you live in a town of 10,000 and the pandemic had a morbidity rate of 30% and a mortality rate of 10% that would mean that your town alone would see 300 people die from the pandemic.   It is easy to see how healthcare and those who deal with the deceased could be quickly overwhelmed.

As I mentioned, the show covered a large time frame.  One of the things they said would take place months to years after the pandemic had run its course was that there would be limited healthcare, maybe going back to what it was in the early twentieth century.  People would get sick and die from things they haven’t in ten to twenty years.  A cut that becomes infected could be deadly.

 

Preparedness

In the show, the father is a paramedic and goes to work one day to be told that the hospital has shut down.  He sneaks in and when he sees all the sick people his eyes are opened to how bad the situation is.  He goes to the store and buys whatever supplies he can find.  One of the commentators makes the statement that I am sure many of you have heard, “the average family has roughly around three days of food in their home”.  He then says, “To really go to ground you need three months or more”.  Since most of us are aware of the need to have much more than three days stored, I am going to leave this alone.

The family decides to self-quarantine until the crime rate and loss of electricity pushes them to flee for the wife’s sister in Idaho.  They soon find the major highways out of the city gridlocked and must find an alternate route.  I bring this up because, while I think that in most situations battening down is the better choice, you should know multiple routes to bug out.  These routes, as one of the commentators puts it, “should be the road less traveled.”

Along the way the family is forced to abandon the SUV and carry very little of their supplies.  The commentators talk about only carrying what is needed and that you may be forced to loot the things to keep you alive.   I wrote an article called “Is it ever okay to loot or salvage”.  If you have never considered this subject, I recommend reading that article.

It is also mentioned that you will have to think of non-traditional places to get water.  Hotel pools and water heaters are mentioned and the father gets some water from a car radiator, which is not an option for most of the year in northern states.

I’ll explain this more in the next section, but in the show, the power goes out for good and oil shipments are no more.  Due to this, it is mentioned that we will need to learn the skills our grandparents knew.  This is in relation to growing and harvesting food.  I have no way to prove this, but I imagine that just two generation ago most people either canned or knew someone who did.  I bet today there is maybe one in twenty who does.

 

Infrastructure

As I mentioned above the family decided to self-quarantine and would have stayed home had the rising crime and lack of power not driven them out.  It was said that there are 102 nuclear power plants in the US, and only 5000 people know how to run them.  Due to staff and fuel shortages there are multiple power station failures.  The show didn’t get into this but it is important to be aware of.  Nuclear power plants have large generators on site to keep the pumps running that keep the rods cool.  I have heard that these generators have a two week supply of diesel on site.  If the power doesn’t come back on line before the fuel runs out and if there is no more diesel brought in, we could be looking at a very serious situation at the end of those two weeks.

Related to the power stopping is the Internet going down.  This would impact just about every aspect of life.  I’m not talking just about email and surfing.  So many companies have integrated the internet into their business, from scheduling to inventory management, air traffic control to power management of remote systems.

Because there is no power, the water stops pumping.  This means that the toilets stop working.  The family in the show is forced to bury their waste outside.  One of the commentators says something to the affect “that due to the lack of a working sewage system this adds to the spreading of disease not associated with the pandemic.”

There is also a mention of the lack of oil and power to push water to irrigation systems.  In terms of growing food, we would be back to the 1850’s.  It is said that “without irrigation farms become wastelands.”  Because of the lack of running water for irrigation, famine pushes the death toll even higher after the pandemic has run its course.

 

Society

One commentator remarks on lessons learned from hurricane Katrina (this might have been two different commentators, but the gesture is the same). “Katrina showed us how thin the polite veneer is.  It took four days to descend into anarchy.”  Another comment is made that “we’re only nine meals away from anarchy.”  I think three to four days sounds about right.  Watching your loved ones go hungry for three days or going hungry yourself for that long could drive people to use violence to try and get what they don’t have to survive.

They said that towns might take up arms, shut their borders and not allow anyone to enter or exit.  This will be done to prevent any sick from entering and also to keep Joe Dirtbag out.  In smaller towns, community food would be rationed and a triage would be set up to determine who will get to eat and how much they may get to eat.  Authority is local and can be guaranteed as long as there is a local Sheriff who is effective.  In one scene, bandits break in to steal from a small town.  They are caught and the sheriff executes them in the middle of the street.

One of the commentators, whom I believe was a professor said, “Both in destruction phase and in rebuilding phase, religion will be very popular.”  There will be a lot of apocalyptic sermons and the pandemic blamed on the sins of the past.  I think this is probably true.  I remember hearing how full churches were after 9-11.

 

Security

It is said that violence will become the norm and security becomes the most important aspect.  When the family begins to run out of food, the husband goes in search of some.   He sees just how much things have deteriorated and begins to throw clothes out in the yard,  explaining to his wife how bad it is and that they have to make the house look like its already been looted and vandalized.

One night the son sees people going through their neighbor’s house and they decide to leave the next day for the wife’s sister’s home in Idaho.   As I mentioned above, they find the main route clogged and attempt another route, which ends up having a “road block” with armed men who start firing shots as the SUV turns around to avoid them.  It is said that “the road less traveled is preferred”, and that “not being seen is preferable to trying to fight.”

The commentators talk of “people forming gangs to obtain the resources they need.” And another said “They’ll be looking for food, they’ll be looking for drugs, they’ll be looking for gold or silver or something thing will have value after.”  The husband tried to barter with someone to get some food and finds that cash is worthless.  The people (thugs) with the food were still interested in his watch.

One of the commentators said something I didn’t know, or at least hadn’t thought of this way; “In a famine situation, children are often the most dangerous.  They are the most prone to violence.”

 

Final Thoughts

While I didn’t learn anything new, I think this show is worth watching and I am glad I did.  A pandemic happening in the manner they depict is something I pray we never see.  Those who read this article or visit other preparedness sites might be better prepared for it, but all of humanity will feel the impact.

 

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Filed Under: Medical and First Aid, Reviews, Signs of the Times Tagged With: ,

Some of the things I am thankful for

November 22, 2012 by

Today is Thanksgiving, the day set aside to give thanks for the bounty that God has given us.  I thought I would share some of the things I am thankful for.

I’m thankful for a loving and supportive wife, someone who understands me better than anyone else.  I’m thankful for family and friends who love me.

I’m grateful that God prompted me to create this website, and for all of you for visiting, you are the reason for writing each week.  Thank you!

I’m thankful for the calm before the storm, for a chance to better prepare and to have more time to reach others.

I’m grateful for the thorns in my side, so I can be more appreciative of the days without them.

I’m also grateful for being born in this great nation and having so many opportunities.    I’m grateful that even though our leaders in Washington are out of touch with the wishes of the people, we serve a sovereign God who is in control.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, what are you thankful for?

 

Filed Under: About

Guest Post: Neighboring Matters: Preparing For Unknown Unknowns

November 21, 2012 by

Today we are blessed by an excellent article written by Todd Walker, the Survival Sherpa, he has allowed me to post it here to help fill in some gaps while I go through the process of moving. Todd is the Owner/Editor of Survival Sherpa, please bless him by heading to his site and soaking up some of the great information he has on it, you can read the original article here.

 

Neighboring Matters: Preparing For Unknown Unknowns

Can we prepare for all the unknown unknowns?

 

No matter how meticulous you might be at creating your list of lists, how much stuff you’ve squirreled away, or how sharply you’ve honed your survival skills, you can’t prepare for the unknown unknowns. That’s why neighboring matters.

If you get 10 survivalists in a room, you’ll get eleven different opinions on how to build community. In this installment of my Individual Preparedness Plan series, we’ll discuss what should be on top of every person’s preparedness priority list: Neighboring.

In the wake of Sandy’s unwelcome and devastating visit, I’ve noticed a pungent theme of superiority in tweets and posts from some (thankfully not all) “preppers”: “When will sheeple learn” and “We don’t look so crazy now, do we.” Way to go. Pat yourself on the back. This kind of attitude only reinforces the many negative stereotype of preppers being lunatics with a gun and superiority complex.

Please don’t take this as a bash session on fellow preppers. I’m just wondering what our motives are for prepping. We’re all in it for ourselves to some degree. Individualism. Self-reliance. Independence. Preparedness. Back-to-basics. Sustainability. These are all noble pursuits. What about those closest to us – geographically, not on social media sites? That nameless neighbor I wave to when checking my mail. He’s only two doors down. The older couple that I politely say hello to as they walk past while I’m running the neighborhood streets. I don’t know their names or situations.

I often wonder how these nameless folks would respond to a natural disaster or extended SHTF scenario. What makes my middle class neighborhood different from those affected by Hurricane Sandy? Not a thing. Human nature is the same in New Jersey as it is here or in Timbuktu. We all need food, water, shelter, and neighbors… unless you live in an isolate cabin or cave in the hinter-boonies with wild animals as companionship. Then disregard this. For everyone else, your friends in the neighborhood could be your most valuable prep.

Got milk? No. Borrow it from your neighbor across the street. Uh, folks just don’t do that anymore. How about when a tornado rips through your town? Or an ice storm cripples the grid power? In these events, you’re forced to meet your neighbors. Most times, previously unknown faces show up from down the street with a chainsaw to plow through your fallen tree-lined driveway. It’s what humans do. We’re social animals. Too often we assume the worst about human nature while stocking the wood heater in our bunkers or sitting in our machine gun nests. Discounting and overlooking real relationships with tangible people living close to us will hamstring even those most prepared.

Many hands make light work. I don’t know who gets credit for that wise saying, but it’s true. Friends that you can trust, and can trust you, is more valuable than all the stuff we’re told to pack in our bug out bags, pantries, and gun vaults. Trusted friends are anchors of preparedness. Neighbors can be our wildcard.

Isolation is intentional. So is neighboring. It takes effort. Which means more than pressing the “Like”, “Follow”, or “Friend” button for virtual friends thousands of miles from our computer. It’s not likely that they’ll be available to pull your broken body from the rubble that use to be you home. They know you as an avatar on their screen. Face to face friends are outside your house. They live next door and down the street.

Our best hope of surviving catastrophe on a personal, local level is friends and neighbors. Daniel Aldrich, a political scientist living in New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina hit, tells his story and study of response to natural disasters.

He had just moved to New Orleans. Late one August night, there was a knock on the door.

“It was a neighbor who knew that we had no idea of the realities of the Gulf Coast life,” said Aldrich, who is now a political scientist at Purdue University in Indiana. He “knocked on our door very late at night, around midnight on Saturday night, and said, ‘Look, you’ve got small kids — you should really leave.’ “

The knock on the door was to prove prophetic. It changed the course of Aldrich’s research and, in turn, is changing the way many experts now think about disaster preparedness.

Officials in New Orleans that Saturday night had not yet ordered an evacuation, but Aldrich trusted the neighbor who knocked on his door. He bundled his family into a car and drove to Houston.

“Without that information we never would’ve left,” Aldrich said. I think we would’ve been trapped.”

“Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you,” he added, “they’re usually neighbors.”

 

Force multiplier

Family, friends, and neighbors help rebuild and restore order better than large organizations, government or otherwise. The more value-adding neighbors you have, (and not all will be “preppers”) the more hands, legs, minds, and overall resources become available. I sold my pickup truck this year to cover shortages in our family income when Dirt Road Girl could no longer work due to cancer. One of my neighbors gave a standing offer for me to use his spare truck for any hauling duty that might come up. He and his wife have been so supportive to our family in our personal SHTF scenario. From meals, prayers, dog sitting, and just plain old neighborly stuff, they’re not just neighbors, they’re friends now.

 

How many friends are enough?

Jesus had an intimate social circle of twelve friends and 3 closer than the rest. This number of face-to-face, close friends is about all mere humans can really manage. Any higher and we begin to spread ourselves thin. Keep in mind that this group is your real, trusted friends. See Dunbar’s Number for more thoughts on manageable social group sizing. Dunbar theorizes that 150 is the mean group size for people. Of course, physical proximity to each other would either raise or lower that number. A lot of social grooming is required for this size group to stay intact. I can only count on one hand the number of intimate friendships I have. I think that’s healthy. From there my circle expands to close friends, friends, and acquaintances.

 

OpSec. What about it?

We live in a global age. I’m shocked, and very thankful, to see people read this blog from countries around the world. Information is at the touch of a finger. Friends, however, are local. What about OpSec (operational security)? I don’t divulge the full scope of my preparedness plans with every person on the street. That’s stupid. I do have a small group of trusted friends that would run to my aid in the event of an emergency. They know I’d do the same for them. We’ve been there, done that. This type of friend is one that knows you, likes you, loves you warts and all. Their not just fans cheering you on safely from the stadium seats. They’re on the playing field with us. They know our plans and are a part of our plans.

Building relationships with neighbors is mutually beneficial. The quality of life quotient increases. The neighborhood value rises. Not in monetary value necessarily, but in mutual survivability. Again, many hands make light work. No one person can prepare for the unknown unknowns.

Neighboring has opened doors by just waving. Last week DRG was fetching our trash can from the side of the road. One of our neighbors walked by and struck up a conversation. He brought up concerns about what might bring chaos to our quite little community. He and DRG talked about topics like personal defense, basic preparedness items, and safety in our neighborhood. Practical stuff, not political or conspiracy theory related.

 

Practical preparation through neighboring

Here are a few not-so-pushy ways to do this stuff. I guess you could canvas door to door. But you don’t want to come across as annoying.

  • Give. You’ve got carpentry, plumbing, electrical, or computer skills. Offer to help a neighbor. This opens a door for mutual and reciprocal giving.
  • Attend community meetings. Local farmers markets, festivals, concerts, school meetings are all attended by neighbors and friends.
  • Yard sales. If you’re into bargains, this old hat for you. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with people. Plus you’ll likely find useful stuff for your preparations. Two weeks ago I scored a box of candles and mason jars from an older lady two streets down in our neighborhood. I let her know that I where I live when I introduced myself. The transaction went very smoothly and I made a new friend.
  • Baking/Smoking/Brewing. DRG makes killer sausage balls. She prepares a few plates every Christmas and delivers the trays to neighbors. I share smoked Boston butts with a few as well. My back door neighbor samples my home-brewed beer.
  • Ask for help – without being needy. That’s the only ice breaker needed to move from acquaintance to friend sometimes.
  • Be a connector. Refer people needing stuff to people with stuff or skills.
  • Trade garden produce. One year I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, while my next door neighbor produced more peppers than he could eat or cared to store. We traded through out the summer.
  • Barter network. If there’s a local barter network already established in your town, get involved and add value.
  • Clubs of interest. Hunting, fishing, golf, knitting, or canning. Ask a neighbor to go learn a new skill together.

Hopefully these tips will motivate us to get out of the house, network, and meet folks. Have you met your neighbor? Maybe your he/she knows that unknown unknown.

Doing the stuff,

Todd

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Mind Set Tagged With:

Protecting Yourself and Your Property After a Disaster

November 19, 2012 by

Scenario:  Jerusalem has been devastated by war and is in ruins.  It’s walls have been broken down and it’s gates burned by fire.  Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes’ cup bearer, has received permission from the king to go to Jerusalem and rebuild it.  Their enemies have plotted to catch them unaware, kill them and stop their work.  Nehemiah has discovered this and decides:

Neh 4:16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 4:17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 4:18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 4:19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” 4:21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 4:22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.” 4:23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

In every medium to large scale natural disaster there are people who come to the area to loot.  There is a second group of people; “disaster tourists”.  These are people who want to go to the disaster area to see, in person, what they have seen on TV.  One of these is obviously a criminal but the other isn’t as nefarious, at least not on purpose.

 

Looters

These dirtbags pray on the misfortune of others during what might be the worst time in their life.  I have heard of people both sneaking around and stealing items that have been relocated by the event, as well as people dressing up, pretending to be representatives from utility companies.  I have also heard reports of items gone missing once a restoration company is hired, the home owner believing their contractor’s employees stole from them.

I think the default tactic most people go to is “I’ll guard my house, gun in hand”.  This may be an option in some circumstances, but it might not always be.  Imagine if there is massive destruction and, God forbid, your home is destroyed.   Your family is okay and has relocated to a nearby shelter on the night of the destruction.  You have nothing but the clothes on your backs.  When you attempt to go back to your home the next day, there is a police officer parked on the road leading into your neighborhood.  He will not let anyone enter without proof of residence.  Remember, I said you only have the clothes on your back?  This scenario is a very good reason to have a copy of the important documents stored away from your home.

Now let’s say there is a smaller amount of damage but still too much for you to feel comfortable letting your family stay there.  Would you put them up in a hotel room and guard the house alone?  Remember, after Hurricane Sandy, there were many people who didn’t have power for over a week.  While that might not be a stressor for some of you, do you want to put your family in a position not only be without power, but possibly face looters and other dirtbags?  Not to mention, whatever destruction is in the area, such as flooding, debris from destroyed homes and businesses, etc.

If the damage in your area is minimal and the biggest problem is lack of power, you might choose to stick it out and guard your home.  If so, the following are some things to keep in mind.  There is safety in numbers.  You might choose to form a group with other neighbors who have stayed behind, forming a neighborhood watch.  Have a 2-4 hour shift from sundown to sunup every night, rotating people so everyone gets enough rest.  If possible, I would want two; one stationery and one roving watch.  If there is trouble, the stationery watch would alert the others.  Having two-way communication would be a huge plus.  Another option for the roving watch is to carry an air horn, giving three blasts if they find trouble, everyone heading for the source of the noise.  I realize this gives away the element of surprise, but if it’s all you have, it is better than nothing.

I’m not a big fan of the “Looters will be shot” signs.  Why tip your hand?  It might also invite Joe Dirtbag to use overwhelming force.  Whereas, before, he might have just snuck around to see what he could steal, now he expects trouble.  He might just shoot you and take what he wants.  On a side note, this is also the reason I don’t open carry.

Nehemiah expected trouble from his enemies.  He also knew that with the limited resources he would need a citizen army, which meant each person would pull double duty as guard and laborer.  He told those who lived outside the gate to stay inside to help stand guard.  They slept in their clothes so they could act immediately.

If we had a modern day example, I think it could look something like this; each family is armed and prepared to defend their home and their neighborhood.  There is a neighborhood watch that had a stationery watch and, depending on the size of the neighborhood, either one or multiple roving watches.  You might think this is overkill, but Nehemiah’s enemies didn’t defeat him.  They could see they were ready for battle by the ever-present sword or spear, with plenty of people on the lookout.  This isn’t to say that everyone has to be armed.  The presence of people will often deter Mr. Dirtbag and company.

 

Disaster Tourists

As I said, these people aren’t nefarious on purpose, but they can be harmful unintentionally.   If you read the Fox News story on “disaster tourists”, you’ll see that the home owners said the gawker traffic was much higher earlier in the week.  If the roads are in bad shape, there might only be a few routes to use and they are congesting them.

One of the people interviewed for the Fox News article said she felt violated.  I can understand that, I wouldn’t like it very much if people wanted to come and “tour” one of the worst events in my life.

The disaster tourists also can be a means for Joe Dirtbag and friends to blend in to case the neighborhood for later looting.  This would be the reason that police are often posted near entrances and refuse entry to anyone who cannot prove residency.  If law enforcement is stretched too thin, you could always do this yourself.  Most folks will understand if you tell them only residents who can prove residency are allowed in.  Keep in mind that you have no legal ground to stop anyone who demands entry, even if they cannot prove where they live.  You could ask if they know someone in the neighborhood and find that person to vouch for them.  You could also have someone follow them to their “home”, to see if they do, in fact, live where they say they live.

Going back to Nehemiah, having people who take turns working on cleanup and standing guard/watch is a great idea here as well.  While the tourists might not mean you harm, keeping tabs on those not helping to “rebuild the wall” is still a good idea.

Do you have any other ways to protect oneself and property after an event, from looters and disaster tourists?

 

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Filed Under: General Preparedness, Security Tagged With: , ,

Personal Update

November 16, 2012 by

Instead of a preparedness related article, I thought I would give a personal update.  I shared a while ago that my wife and I were thinking of moving to a more rural property.  I want a place where my neighbors aren’t right on top of us, a place with no less than five acres (though more would be nice) so that I can grow more of our own food; a place that we can possibly raise chickens in the future.

My wife has been looking for quite some time on the MLS website.  We saw our first four places last night.  None of them were “the one”.  We don’t want to move again after this, so we’re being very picky.  We don’t want to settle.

The reason I am telling you this is because between projects to get our existing house ready to show, packing and looking for a new house, I might not be able to post as much.  This presents an opportunity for any of you who would like to submit an article.  My only stipulations are that it has to be family friendly and it has to have a solution.  By this I mean that I don’t want something that just says “this is bad, that is worse and the sky is falling”.  Add some steps we can take to mitigate the sky falling, or steps we can take to prepare our families.

With that I am going to wish you all a great weekend.

God Bless!

Chris

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Sign of Distress; Signaling For Help

November 14, 2012 by

Have you ever thought about what you might do if you were lost or stranded and needed help?  Here are some different ways you can let others know you are in distress and need help.  There are different ways and some will work better in certain situations.  Knowing multiple ways to signal for help is a good idea.

 

Upside down American Flag

This isn’t necessarily a sign of disrespect.  According to Section 8a of the United States Flag Code, which states;

“The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”

 

Three Shots Fired

Three shots fired in quick succession should draw immediate attention.  This is one well known to hunters, but one everyone should know.  You might be tempted to fire three shots, wait a few seconds and fire three more, but conserve your ammo.  You may need to fire three more later to help searchers get a fix on your position, or you might need it for protection.  Remember to fire into the ground, not into the air.  What goes up must come down.

 

Three Stones

Finding three stones placed one atop the other is unnatural and should be heeded as a call for help.  This would be one to use for marking your path, so rescuers can follow your track more easily.

 

Three Sticks in the Ground

Like three stones, finding three sticks near each other, all stuck in the ground and pointing straight up is unnatural and should be heeded as a call for help.  This would also be a good way to mark your trail.

 

Three Fires

At night when it’s too dark to see other signals, three fires close to each other will stand out and be viewed as a call for help.  To make them stand out more, place them in a triangle or other pattern.  This will stand out more than three in a straight line.

 

Three Debris Piles

If you don’t have a fire, you can make three piles of debris that are a contrast in color to your surroundings.  For example, if your boat capsizes and you make it to the sandy shore, you could write SOS in 3-5’ letters and 2” deep, filling the letters with leaves, rock or ash from a fire.

 

Signal Mirror

The reflection of a signal mirror can be seen much further than any of the other signals of distress.  To use it, make a V with two fingers, and hold your hand in front of you, placing the object of your signal between your fingertips.  Now flash the reflection at the object.  Doing so repeatedly in 3 quick signals will standout more than one constant.

 

Do you have any other ways to signal for help when you’re in distress?

 

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Filed Under: General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips Tagged With:

Interacting With Police While CCW

November 12, 2012 by

Thanks to Jim Moore for the idea on this article and for the transcription below.  First let me state the disclaimer; the laws on CCW vary from state to state, so this is not to be viewed as legal advice.  Use it as part of the information you gather to guide how you will respond if you are ever approached by a police officer while you are legally carrying a firearm.

Many of us have our CCW (Carry Concealed Weapon) permit (or whatever your state calls them) and many more might choose to in the future.  This topic is important because there have been citizens who were legally carrying who had encounters with police end very badly.  One example happened at a Costo in July 2010 that left the CCW carrying citizen dead.  I have read a few different takes on the encounter and I will just say that it could have and should have ended differently.

In the CCW class you were probably told what to do if you are ever approached by law enforcement while carrying your firearm.  Some of the instructors are better than others or, for some of us, it has been a few years since we have reviewed this information.  Think of this article as a refresher.  There are really only two times you’ll have to deal with law enforcement while carrying a firearm; when things are normal and your firearm has not been drawn from its holster, and after you have had to use it to defend yourself.

 

Normal Times

When you’re approached by law enforcement while carrying a firearm, there are two components that will determine how it will go; your demeanor and the officers’ demeanor.  You can determine your demeanor and how you respond to the officers.  Remember the reason you carry a handgun is for self-defense, not to make political statements.  Once police approach you, you should not get into a confrontation about your Second Amendment rights.  They know the law and it is their job to make sure you are legally carrying that firearm.  If you are following their directions, chances are you’ll be on your way soon.  Not following their instructions could land you in a jail cell or, worse, in a box.

Here are a couple great videos that offer some different approaches to interacting with law enforcement while you’re carrying.

This first video is of Massad Ayoob, one of the great firearms and self-defense instructors.  In it, he is explaining the correct way of telling law enforcement that you are licensed and carrying a firearm when you have been pulled over.  Much of this would transfer out of the vehicle to any time you encounter law enforcement while carrying.

 

 

Here is a video from The Best Defense, which airs on the Outdoor Channel.  In it there are three scenarios where someone with a CCW has their weapon spotted and how they deal with the civilians and with law enforcement.

Here is another video from The Best Defense on open carrying and interacting with law enforcement.

Again, remember the reason you are carrying in the first place is for self-defense, not to make political statements.  Remember the goal of law enforcement is to go home every night.  As long as you’re compliant and not putting your hand near your firearm, you will, most likely, be on your way in no time.

I have heard a few stories where a police officer who was not in favor of citizens having a CCW went too far, but those are far and few between.  If you run into one of them, you should still be compliant during the encounter and file a formal complaint afterward, just make sure to get his name discreetly.  Going home safely should be your goal as well and escalating into an argument, as I mentioned earlier, could end up with you in a jail cell or in a box.

 

Post Shooting Interaction with Law Enforcement

Praise God I have never had to use my firearm for self-defense.  I know enough about shooting aftermath to know it is a good idea to know what you will say now.  What you say and do after a shooting could land you in jail, even if you were fully justified in your actions.

Here is another video from open carrying, showing a bad, mediocre and good example of how to respond to law enforcement after a shooting.

Their final approach is pretty solid; being compliant and giving enough information to show you were the victim.

Here is another example given by Massad Ayoob.

Jim Moore (Thanks again Jim!) also transcribed the following, which aired on an episode of Personal Defense TV from the Sportsman’s Channel.  This text is the transcription from Massad Ayoob on that show.

“You’ll hear a lot of people tell you don’t tell anything to the police after you have used force in self defense” I can’t recommend going that far. Certainly in the immediate aftermath of the near death experience that led you to draw your weapon, you’re going to be under the influence of physio-psychological phenomena such as tunnel vision which will alter your ability to perceive distances and sizes, tachypsychia, the sense that things are going in a slow motion, that will make it almost impossible for you realistically estimate how long the encounter took. And for reasons like that you never want to go into detail at the scene. Professionals recommend 22 to 48 hours before that’s done.

At the same time I honestly think there are things that need to be established immediately at the scene. The criminal justice system was predicated on the assumption that whoever got hurt was the victim and whoever hurt them was the perpetrator. Well, you have just caused this guy to have a sudden and acute failure in the victim selection process and the perpetrator is laying on the ground in a puddle of blood doing a very convincing imitation of a victim, you’re standing there with a bloody knife or the smoking gun, you look a whole lot like the perpetrator and if don’t say anything you’re going to find yourself typecast. It’s critical that from the begging it be established who was the victim and who was the perpetrator.

And for many years now we’ve had good success with the five point check list.

First point; explain the active dynamic (what actually led to the shooting). The active dynamic is not ‘I shot him,’ the active dynamic is whatever caused you to shoot him, ‘this man attacked my spouse,’ ‘this man was dragging my child out the back of a blacked out van,’ explain the active dynamic.

Second; confirm the situation that you are the victim complainant and that thing laying on the ground looking like a victim is actually the perpetrator.

Third; offer to sign the complaint and I would offer simply those words ‘officer I offer to sign the complaint.’ It’s critical that you point any evidence you are aware of, evidence tends to disappear from crime scenes, it gets overlooked, it gets moved in the hub-bub of the emergency personnel who are responding, a spent shell casing that may have fallen here now actually accidentally gets lodged in someone’s boot and winds up dislodged over here and it changes the dimensions of the scene.

Fourth; point out the witnesses before they decide they don’t want to get involved and disappears and now with them disappears the testimony that would have proven your innocence.

Fifth and final point; I would personally answer any further questions at the scene with “officer, you’ll have my full cooperation after I’ve spoken with an attorney.

 

Final thoughts:

I hope and pray that none of us ever has to be in this situation, but please take some time to think about how you will respond to law enforcement in both of these situations.  During a training session with a retired SWAT instructor, he said that it is standard for an officer to be sequestered for 48 hours after a shooting.  They do not speak to anyone without their representative present.  If a law enforcement officer is involved in a shooting they have many things in their favor, things the average citizen does not.  Having a plan for what to say and possibly the name and number of a seasoned attorney who understands your states’ CCW laws might be a good idea.

There is also insurance coverage available from a few different providers.  I have only looked in to one, which was provided by USCCA.  I decided not to get it, as money is an issue but I might get it at some point.  They had a free trial membership that I signed up for.  They deliver a high quality magazine and have some other nice benefits.  I’m not making an endorsement, but thought some of you would be interested in getting more information.

 

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Review of the Glock 19

November 9, 2012 by

Before I purchased my first firearm, I did a lot of research.  I went to a few gun stores and held them to make sure I liked the feel.  Doing these two things helped me narrow down the list of guns I was interested in.  I then found a range that rented guns and rented my top three choices.  I chose the Glock 19.  I thought I would share some of the reasons I bought a Glock.

 

Specifications

Caliber:                9mm
Barrel:                  4.02 inches
Overall length:    6.85 inches
Weight:                 20.99 ounces empty
Grip:                      polymer
Action:                  Glock Safe Action
Capacity:              15+1
Price:                     $599-$699

Trustworthiness and Reliability

As I mentioned, I did plenty of research before I decided on a Glock 19.  What I found was that Glock is the most commonly issued pistol in law enforcement (most law enforcement carry a .40 rather than the 9mm Glock 19).  I also found that the Glock 19 is used by Israeli special forces.  Glock, in general, and the Glock 19 specifically, is used by countless police and security organizations around the world.  These agencies have strict standards and put potential firearms through stress tests. Knowing this and knowing that they use Glock speaks volumes to me.  In the complete Book of Autopistols, August 2010 edition, the author called the Glock 19 the “Quintessential combat handgun”.  James Yeager, the CEO of Tactical Response, a firearm training company that provides tactical training worldwide, has a saying that goes something like; “All handguns should be Glocks, all Glocks should be 9mm and all 9mm should be Glock 19’s.”  I do understand that some of the above is due to personal preference, but that preference is developed from shooting hundreds of thousands of rounds.

 

Concealment

I carry concealed for a reason; I don’t want anyone to know I am carrying, especially Joe Dirtbag.  For this reason, I chose the compact Glock 19.   With the polymer GLOCK Sport Combat Holster you cannot easily tell I’m carrying.  Depending on what I am wearing you might be able to tell from behind me, but you would have to be looking for it.

 

Stopping Power

Some might say a 9mm doesn’t have enough stopping power.  If you are trained and can hit what your aiming at, and are using self-defense loads that dump their kinetic energy into the target so the round does maximum damage and stays in the target, then a 9mm has plenty of stopping power.

 

Maintenance

The Glock is, by far, the easiest handgun I have disassembled, cleaned and reassembled.  We own a Walther .22 handgun and, while it’s a decent gun to shoot, it requires a special tool to disassemble.  Once you learn how to take the Glock apart, you can do so in seconds.  Once apart cleaning and greasing it are also very easy.

 

My Take:

I really like this firearm.  I have put thousands of rounds down range and have not had a single failure.  My wife also has a Glock 19 and has only had one failure.  Liking them is one thing, but we and so many others trust them with our lives.  That might sound a little dramatic, but I mean it.  If I am ever in a situation where I need to use a firearm to defend myself, I will be glad that I have my Glock 19.

If you don’t like the feel of the polymer grip, you can fix that with a bicycle inner-tube placed over it.  I was shown this by a firearms instructor and have since done it to all my handguns as it really helps.

 

I happily give the Glock 19 four stars.

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