Category: Survival in Crisis Events

Preparing (Prepping?) the Next Generation with Love

I am not a fan of labels. Labels are not all that accurate especially when it comes to the generations, for there are always exceptions. I am thinking on the latest buzzword, Millennials, as well as the others like Boomer, Gen X, Silent Generation and the like.

Being peak Boomer (literally, the year that had the most US births in American history, 1958) I also hear that the generation I am a part of did no favors in our raising of the next generation.

I believe if you try to picture me, you might assume that have gray hair, outright own my home, will soon retire with a good pension, healthy portfolio, and have a condo or two in other more temperate states or at least own a cottage in a location where the family can gather each summer.

Well, not so fast. Gray hair, ok .. you got me there, however the path we choose (or in some cases, the paths we might have been forced down) are not as typical as you might think.

From the start we (my wife and I at ages 22 and 19 at that time) really wanted our new family to be a one-family income home where our kids would have a parent to return from school to as well as to enjoy summer vacations. This ended up being quite the financial sacrifice since the economy transitioned to two-income families in the 1970s (about the time the US totally abandoned the gold standard). We would not trade that for the world.

Another thing we did was take the risk of raising our children on a few acres that allowed them to experience a few things that are atypical for kids these days, to have responsibilities in taking care of chickens, pigs and even a pony. While the old farm house needed plenty of upgrades, and at times it was a money pit, the end result is having some very humble children that are aware of life in multiple dimensions!

The result is that we have five awesome, independent and unique millennials that are a-typical for their cohort. Each one has charted their own course in this world and we are so proud of each and every one of them.

Along these lines comes Daisy Luther from Organic Prepper who shares her recipe for raising two daughters toward being women who are prepared much more that the typical millennial for the years and decades to come.

“Millenials” have been the butt of a million jokes about incompetence. The generation born between 1981 and 1996 is considered entitled, ultra-liberal, and naive about how life works. But maybe they’ve gotten a bad rap because what no one ever points out is that maybe the issue isn’t with these young people but with how they were raised. I know that my own millennial daughter is competent, frugal, and independent.

As a parent, the most important job I will ever hold is “mom” to my two daughters. And if I’m not teaching them the important life lessons they need to survive and thrive in this crazy world, I’m not doing a very good job at all. Of course, once they get out there, there are a million variables, but how they deal with those variables has a lot to do with whether they were raised to think independently or raised to wait for rescue.

What follows are a few snippets of what schools will not teach your kids but what love of our children might drive us to provide them:

Everyday skills every young person should have

Here are the lessons that I think every parent needs to teach their child, whether you’re raising boys or girls. Before leaving the nest, they should be able to:

Let me hit the pause button right there a minute. In this world of instant gratification there is nothing so awesome than seeing first hand a younger person hold off or actually say “no” to a purchase that might make them incredibly happy, until the credit card statement or monthly payment shows up in an e-mail.

Other categories are covered by Daisy as well:

  • Use basic tools for repairs
  • Cook a healthy meal from scratch
  • Cook a “company” meal – everyone needs one delicious meal that’s a little fancier they can cook when they have a guest
  • Grocery shop within a budget and have healthy food for the week ahead

Yes, this last one is so important in the long term. The diet of food that we live on greatly impacts how our body’s health might be in the decades to come, again, it seems against the grain, and does not have immediate effects, but is important for the long-haul. As someone who has seen the butter to margarine to butter shift for “health” as well as the eggs are bad for you to eggs are good for you, it is important that our kids know how to critically think and research things online in a way that seeks truths about the foods we have available in the US.

  • How to pay off debt if they have it
  • How to keep safe: they need to have basic self-defense and weapons-handling skills.
  • How to navigate with a paper map – not Google or their car’s GPS
  • How to make extra money fast if an emergency arises

Some of these things Daisy share makes perfect sense and are things I had not thought of. Even though all my kids are adults now, it is not too late for them to learn!

Emergency skills every young person should have

Some of the skills above will cross over into emergencies, like First Aid. Outside of the basics of everyday life, your kids leaving home should know:

  • How to light a fire
  • How to cook safely over an open fire
  • How to keep warm when the power is out, whether that means safely operating an indoor propane heater, using the woodstove/fireplace, or bundling up in a tent and sleeping bags in the living room
  • How to keep themselves fed when the power is out – they should have enough supplies on hand that they can stay fed at home for up to two weeks: cereal, powdered milk, granola bars, canned fruit, etc.
  • How to deal with the most likely disasters in their area
  • About the dangers of off-grid heating and cooking, such as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in unventilated rooms.
  • How to purify water
  • How to keep safe both at home and when they’re out. Be sure they know the difference between cover and concealment

I found Daisy’s article thought provoking and informative. I challenge you to have discussions with your families around the campfires this week as you “get out there” to enjoy summer in nature!

I know I will ..

-SF1

29APR1992: US History – LA Riots Remembered Now in 2019 as “Roof Korean Week”!

1992 Los Angeles

History class for those that don’t remember, or that do remember but only received their information from the media.

Many thanks to @Sam-flammatory Rhetoric on Twitter for keeping the real history alive!

Roof Korean Week is here again. After the savage beating of Rodney King at the hands of police officers and their subsequent acquittal, rioters took to the streets in what is known as the “LA Riots.”

Y’all know how to use Internet search engines like DuckDuckGo and StartPage (instead of Google, am I right?). Below is the play by play and how true heroes do not wear capes!

Korean citizens and their businesses/homes were intentionally targeted by the rioters. Sure they had nothing to do with King or the police officers who beat him, but “their prices are too high, their attitude is wrong, they have no respect for the community.”

“Respect” for the community. It is tough to do business in a community that does not understand basic economics, triggering envy is what race-baiters love to do.

Koreans were savagely attacked, while their businesses and homes were looted and burned. They did what good citizens do, they called the police and they waited for help.  Unfortunately, police were stretched thin and were also being targeted for violence.

Since this point in time I must mention that the Supreme Court ruled many times about the duty of the police BOTH before and after the LA Riots:

There have BEEN OVER 10 various supreme and state court cases the individual has never won. Notably, the Supreme Court STATED about the responsibility of police for the security of your family and loved ones is “You, and only you, are responsible for your security and the security of your family and loved ones. That was the essence of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in the early 1980’s when they ruled that the police do not have a duty to protect you as an individual, but to protect society as a whole.”

Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. 1981).
“…a government and its agencies are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen…” –Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. App. 1981)

Citizens deserve the right to know, that waiting for police action may mean death for themselves and those they love. Self defense is a natural right given by our Creator.

So, what do good American citizens do when the police can’t or won’t help them and hordes of armed looters are descending upon them? They become peak American citizens by exercising their God given and constitutionally protected rights.

From Lexington and Concord in April 1775 to 2019, it usually takes extreme times to jar American citizens awake and know that they are on their own.

Unfortunately for the rioters, most of these fine Americans were legal immigrants from Korea. As such, many of them had fulfilled Korea’s mandatory service obligations prior to earning American citizenship and took to the 2nd amendment like beef to bulgogi [fire meat].

Outraged at the attack against their prosperous, law abiding community and abandoned by law enforcement (bUt ThE pOlIcE pRoTeCt YoU), they gathered their arms and ammunition. Many were carried to the rooftops by bald eagles (or so the legend goes) and Roof Koreans were born.

From the rooftops, these legends protected each other’s property, homes, and lives. But even among a group of legends, bigger-than-fiction heroes can emerge. Enter this handsome devil, David Joo. If you know of Roof Korea, you know David Joo by sight of not by name.

On the second day of the riots, April 30, 1992, David, a humble gun shop owner and his friend Richard Park, a purveyor of fine jewelry who owned a store in the same plaza, came under attack. Not being bloodthirsty savages, they called he police.

Four of LA’s finest showed between the waves of attacks. They encouraged the Koreans to flee for their lives and I SHIT YOU NOT promptly FLED as soon as the rioters attacked again and started taking pot shots. YOUR SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, DO NOT RELY ON POLICE.

This point has been made time and again in the history of the United States. The myth that police (started to be a thing starting in 1830s in Boston and New York City and was in place in all major cities by the 1880s) are in place to serve and protect is something that harms your average citizens that find themselves caught up in riots, unrest and even domestic situations.

David, Richard, and their fellow citizens had to do some on-the-spot soul searching. Yeah they could run for their lives. But what’s life worth if you abandon everything you’ve spent your life toiling for, the existence you’ve sweated and labored for, in the face of danger? … There’s an ancient Korean saying. “F*ck around, find out.” And brotha, let me tell you, rioters found out real quick. David and Richard drew a line in the streets of Los Angeles, got their Leonidas on, and made their stand.

“I didn’t hesitate to shoot them”

Car loads of armed rioters and gang members made several assaults on the Roof Koreans in an effort to kill them or drive them out of the city but were unable to intimidate or defeat these law abiding civil right exercising champions of the American Dream.

Over 5 days, more than 1000 buildings in the LA area were destroyed, and over a billion dollars worth of damage done. But guess which communities endured the storm with minimal damage and injury? That’s right. The store David and Richard fought from still stands today.

Brave Americans refused to surrender their lives and livelihoods to an outraged and murderous horde. They defended themselves exercising the very right a new outrage mob is trying to intimidate, lie, and bully you into surrendering for some illusion of safety. They lie to you claiming there’s no need for high capacity magazines or semiautomatic rifles. They want you to rely on the same people who fled, abandoning American citizens to their own defenses as soon as the shit hit the fan. They stand on the graves of murder victims like a pulpit and they try to blame you and me for the actions of others and use that to try and guilt you into surrendering your constitutionally protected rights. Don’t give them an inch, and don’t let them fool you. When a mob comes for me and the police run away to save themselves or don’t even show up at all, and I’m looking out at a sea of murderous intent, I have a God given right to protect my life, my family’s lives, and our home with whatever weapon I believe best serves that purpose.

This is the bottom line, there is no way to protect yourself once you have decided to disarm for “everyone’s” safety because guess what, there are still guns around AFTER all the disarming has been completed by the collective (communist, socialist, fascist are all the same).

We aren’t responsible for mass shootings, murder, or suicides. Neither are our weapons. You are your own best defense. Don’t let weak cowards scare you into giving up the best tools for that responsibility.

Man up (used in the traditional, this means men AND women). Especially if you are a single parent with children, you need to get trained and get armed because at the end of the day, when seconds count, police are minutes/hours/days away.

“You, and only you, are responsible for your security and the security of your family and loved ones.“

-SF1

 

Intrigued: A Ten Year Old Book Predicts a Political Tsunami – Morality Wars

The past few weeks and especially the past few days has been particularly revealing. I have said “only in 2018” so many times this year that it does seem to be the swell one sees before a tsunami. *

(* – actually, not a perfect analogy as the water rushes OUT to sea just before a tsunami hits)

It started this morning when I read this from Lew Rockwell’s fantastic site, an article from Michael S. Rozeff that has a line stating:

America used to greet bringing the boys home from foreign wars with applause. Now there is immense criticism from all components of the pro-empire contingent, who act as if the empire and Washington will crumble because 2,000 American soldiers are leaving Syria.

We are talking 2000 soldiers (if we can trust Pentagon numbers, since they failed their first ever audit and also misplaced trillions, as in, “we can’t account for that money” over the course of the past 20 years) but more importantly is the continued US and coalition efforts in Syrian airspace without Syrian permission!

But I digress, what this article then led me to, which is so intriguing to me, is the relationship between empire, religion and political correctness. I love it when society, and the human psyche can link so many things like this into the “real life” experience here in 2018. Below was my segue:

For an explanation of the relation between the empire and immoral moralism, see here.

It does look to me like I will be spending $20 for this Kindle version of Morality Wars: How Empires, the Born-Again, and the Politically Correct Do Evil in the Name of Good in order to blog about this from time to time going forward. As usual, I have a dozen or so books that I am in the middle of and they all are vying for a blog post or two to highlight my own research and my own learnings.

Here are a few excerpts:

From Amazon reviewer John Williamson, Provincetown, MA shares that the authors of this book point out:

… the US Government has long been involved in immoral actions that have often been justified using arguments suggesting that the action was being taken for moral reasons .. We learn that, “In 1783 George Washington characterized the colonies as `a rising empire,’ and nearly all the Founders saw America as destined to become one of the world’s great empires. A great deal of attention is given to examples drawn from prior empires such as the Roman empire, the Spanish empire and the British empire to name only a few ... They review also describe how the neoconservatives used moralistic rhetoric to justify US involvement in Iraq .. The argument is that PC puts limits on “the range of acceptable thoughts, seeking to outlaw or marginalize those ways of thinking that might challenge the powers that be .. Right PC uses the concept of patriotism to intimidate and silence those on the left who are critical of the war in Iraq. They are vulnerable to the criticism of being unpatriotic .. the PC of the New Left during the 1960s as well as the current identity politics of feminist, gay, and race movements. Their focus is on the ways in which these movements use PC pressures to keep certain issues off the table. For example, in connection with feminist PC such questions as: (a) Do fetuses have any rights? ( b) Or are fathers discriminated against in marriage laws and divorce courts?..

… The authors tell a story of the evolution of the American empire or more precisely what they refer to as the five American Empires: (1) The Fledging Constitutional Empire, 1776-1828, (2) Manifest Destiny Continental Empire, 1828-1898, (3) Allied Global Empire, 1898-1945, (4) The Good Empire versus the Evil Empire, 1945-1991, and (5) World Hegemon: 1991-Present. This section of the book basically reviews the many ways in which the US behaved badly – in the name of high moral ideals – like other prior empires during each of these periods.

So a clip from the book’s introduction states (remember, this is a ten-year old book):

I do not know about you, but I do see, especially since Trump’s surprise victory in 2016, quite the storm, perfect in only that there are so many triangulations involved that the average person can’t keep up and they depend on MSM or the government to explain what is going on.

I still say, there is a LOT to learn from history that helps the discerning thinker and reader to consider things that they previously had made up their mind on. Critical thinking is extremely in scarce these days, however, it is these kind of people that will be invaluable in charting the course in this storm and into the world beyond it.

This thinking will be scary to most, however, as I have said before here, a crumbling empire is a perfect environment for a grassroots, black market, underground networking of Love to give hope during and after the storm, as was demonstrated in the 1st century in the Roman Empire. It will be in that environment I do hope many can entertain a thought without accepting it as they try to adjust to a very different world.

Just thinking of my kids and grand-kids yet again, seems to be a theme .. (yes, I am not your typical “boomer”)

Stay tuned

SF1

Topics for Faith Communities: The State, Politics or Not?

Movie: “The Patriot” (2000) 21 second clip

In context, the first faith communities that followed Jesus more or less did it His style. Where ever He was in life’s journey, there He shared life with those around Him. Accused of being the “friend of sinners” by the religious elite of the day, the Pharisees, He never stayed out of the “den of thieves” which were the taverns and pubs of the day. He mingled with tax collectors and prostitutes and so his public reputation would suffer, but He touched people’s hearts, for life and created stories that would last through the generations. His life stories would be the glue that helped this grassroots movement impact the Roman Empire for its good, and they never saw it coming.

In those days there were not special buildings, a special class of teachers or gurus, or anything physical that held the faith community together except their hearts. These people would be so touched indirectly with these stories and yet at the same time touched directly in a spiritual way so that their lives would change, and their neighbors would notice. These people would be the first to a neighbors door in their time of griving a death of a loved one, which happened a lot since the average age of life in that empire was under 40 years old. What was the topic of the discussions that were held in people’s homes during the week or in the marketplace? My guess was anything and everything. These people were seeing their hope and faith in God change the way they looked at life, they were not alone as they faced the day-to-day struggles in small cities, rural communities and even in very large pagan-centric metropolitan areas. Those that tended to lead in anyway in these communities led by example and were asked to share their wisdom without a title. Some would call them elders, but the ones with His character would just asked to be called by their own name. Their times together usually centered around a meal if they were not in direct persecution, otherwise they met in the early hours of the morning, or late at night in secret.

This gathering was as informal as any pool party or picnic one might have today. Again the point of these gatherings was sharing, in every aspect of life, what God was impressing on their hearts.

Today, while there are those that meet this way, any time and any place, there are many others who do gather in a special building and listen to mainly one teacher or leader. There is nothing at all inherently wrong with this as long as it all is about helping others to know God and His desire to see with different eyes the circumstances we are in.

The tough part, as many communities of faith have faced over time, is when the state demands compliance and obedience to their agenda. Most communities of faith in the United States have to register and incorporate with the government (501C3) in order to claim the tax free/deductible status that many benefit from. But like anything else with the state, there are unintended consequences of these good intentions.

As someone who had led such churches over the years, Chuck Baldwin has seen over time how the state has muted churches, especially in areas of embarrassment for the United States government that should be obvious for Jesus-followers to spot. His church fellowship chose NOT to file 501C3 status due to the limitations it would have forced on their group.

At what point does a faith community talk openly about these things and as necessary, speak to the state about their immoral decisions and actions. Below you will find excerpts from his latest article about the time for people in the church to talk about the wolves and determine the appropriate non-violent actions to consider:

I have said for years that it’s not what you hear in most churches that is the problem; it is what you don’t hear. The same goes for most conservative politicos. On the issues that are the most parlous to our liberties, the vast majority of Christians and conservatives are silent. I mean totally silent.
Here is about all most Christians and conservatives have to say about things:
*Donald Trump is very good.
*Democrats are very bad.
*Israel is very good.
*Muslims are very bad (except the Muslims in Saudi Arabia are good).
I don’t think I left anything out.

So in the years I have been in and around faith communities, there was this unwritten rules about not talking about “politics”. It was similar to the common saying to steer clear of BOTH politics and religion in marketplace discussions. I think I know why: 

In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.

Mark Twain

This then begs the question. Why could the first century communities talk about these things but we can’t today? I would dare say that the first century communities, like those of the Revolutionary War, were in a time when there was much more at stake. Living in the shadow of an Empire that is evil abroad, is bound to be despotic at home. With the atrocities our government has been responsible for in the Middle East, but also in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, you name it and add to that the more recent erosion of our liberties, the spying on the people, the squandered tax revenue, well I will just let Chuck share his laundry list of offenses this State, this Empire is guilty of:

.. what about America’s War Empire killing innocent people all over the world? Silence. What about America’s War Empire building military bases on Russia’s borders and pushing China’s territorial waters almost to dry land? Silence. What about America’s War Empire selling billions of dollars of weapons and munitions to the terrorists in Saudi Arabia and Israel who can then slaughter tens of thousands of Yemenis and Palestinians with impunity? Silence. What about America’s War Empire dropping thousands of bombs on innocent men, women and children all over the Middle East and Northern Africa? Silence.

I would say that the US Empire’s support of ISIS and the atrocities accomplished in Syria since 2011 is the icing on the cake, yet CRICKETS!

What about 45 years of electing “pro-life” Republicans to Congress and the White House, and the federal government is still fully funding America’s largest abortion provider: Planned Parenthood? Silence. What about 45 years of appointing Republican “pro-life” justices to a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Roe v Wade is still the law of the land? Silence. What about the fact that “pro-life” Republicans have controlled the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 of the last 24 years, and no Sanctity of Life bill that provides personhood to the unborn baby has ever been brought to the floor for a vote? Silence. What about the fact that even though a “pro-life” Republican Party has controlled both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government (House, Senate, White House) for no less than 6.6 years during the Bush II and Trump administrations, nothing has been done to overturn Roe v Wade via Article. III. Section. 2. of the U.S. Constitution? Silence.

Yes, the Republican party has a horrible track record when it comes to sanctity of life, the War Against Southern Independence and Sherman’s March is their trademark.

What about the militarization of America’s local and State police agencies? Silence. What about the growing number of unarmed American citizens (especially black citizens) being shot and killed by trigger-happy policemen? Silence. What about Donald Trump calling for the confiscation of firearms without due process? Silence. What about the numerous “red flag” laws being passed by both Republicans and Democrats that authorize police agencies to confiscate the firearms of innocent American citizens who have not harmed a single person, have not committed a single crime nor have even been accused of a crime? Silence.

Nothing says “The Redcoats are coming” like the militarization of those who will be charged with protecting the political class in the near-term with ever more paranoia now with the Yellow-Vest movement in France.

Here are more things you won’t hear most Christians and conservatives talk about:
*The Rights of the Colonists, a List of Violations of Rights, and a Letter of Correspondence, by Samuel Adams
*Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
*Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms
*The American Crisis (No. 1), by Thomas Paine
*George Washington’s Farewell Address
*Ron Paul’s Farewell Address to Congress
*The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights

It is true that in a majority of faith communities, they have been neutered by our government, and this is by design. However, the time has come when we could address this threat, because there is a lot more at stake.

Personally I see the majority of these entities effectively marginalized in being anything that could help the people of this land once yet again deal with an Empire in their face.

Maybe we will see a continuation of an underground faith movement in the United States that can help the people survive and thrive in the middle of a very broken world in the months and years to come. The first century church did this, as well as the underground church in Communist China! I know that this remains my own prayer.

We need to talk about this at the same time the PC/Marxist movement wants NOTHING talked about. It is time to be radical, in love 🙂

-SF1

FEMA? Forget About It, Get a Plan B!

Those of us familiar with the efficiencies of the USPS, DMVs/BMVs, TSA, etc., should know that what plagues these agencies also impacts FEMA efforts. To really know for sure if you and your loved ones should give in to  the appeal that government is here to help should consider that maybe in the long run it might not be a good idea .. but then it will most likely be too late. Consider this from Ready Nutrition – The Prepper’s Blueprint:

The horrors of a FEMA disaster relief camp became all too real for those who lost everything in the East Coast’s Hurricane Sandy back in 2012. Americans were literally freezing while wrapped in blankets and trash bags as they struggled to survive in FEMA tent cities such as New Jersey’s “Camp Freedom,” (the irony of that name isn’t lost on many) which reportedly “resembled a prison camp.”

“Sitting there last night you could see your breath,” displaced resident Brian Sotelo told the Asbury Park Press. “At (Pine Belt) the Red Cross made an announcement that they were sending us to permanent structures up here that had just been redone, that had washing machines and hot showers and steady electric, and they sent us to tent city. We got (expletive).” The officials “in charge” also banned residents from taking pictures and cut off WiFi. “They treat us like we’re prisoners,” Ashley Sabol told Reuters. “It’s bad to say, but we honestly feel like we’re in a concentration camp.”

You have to be honest with yourself, whenever you see new government buildings and schools, they ALL look like concentration camp worthy. That is the government mindset as the paranoia runs deep. Deep inside every agency are the tentacles that reach the federal government and the deep state. Yes, your front line FEMA personnel are people just wanting to do their jobs, at the end of the day they will obey even unlawful orders if given them. Their job, finances and even family may depend on that. Most who work for government are well aware of the politics (and sociopaths) that are hidden in every corner ..

Sotelo also said Blackhawk helicopters patrol the skies “all day and night” and a black car with tinted windows surveys the camp while the government moves heavy equipment past the tents at night. Reporters were not allowed in the fenced complex or “FEMA camp” to report on conditions either, where lines of displaced residents formed outside portable toilets. Security guards were posted at every door, and residents could not even use the toilet or shower without first presenting an I.D. to a government official.

Yes, this is standard protocol .. and many will have no options should this day come. It might not hurt your future, your kid’s future or your grandkid’s future to think about a plan B sometime in the near term. At worst case you never use it .. best case it may save your family from government abuse or worse.

One of the worst places to be when you have nowhere to go is a FEMA camp.  Don’t subject your family, especially if you have little kids, to the angry and hungry masses clumped together like cattle in those fenced in hells.  Sure, many FEMA workers mean well, but they are not well funded and incompetent.  At the end of the day, they are doing a job and getting paid for it, so their own survival trumps yours. Prepare for the worst and make sure you can survive on your own because, in the end, it may come down to having only yourself that you and your family can depend on.

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” – President Ronald Reagan

Personal goal by the end of 2018: Own a Plan B

Are you going to match this .. or raise me one?

SF1