This nine-page article is a well-written article by one of Live Free's most experienced members.
Author Archive for James Jones
The PDF file below contains a full eight-page list of currently recommended survival and preparedness books. Including my three new titles. Please note that "Advanced Survival" was previously published by Paladin Press as "Beyond Survival" and "Total Survival" was previously published by Paladin Press as "The Live Free Book of Total Survival". The newest book "150 Survival Secrets" is in a question and answer format as I had originally titled it as "150 Questions for a Survivalist" but the publishers changed the title.
From the President of Live Free USA
I have been the president of this organization for about 45 of its 51 years of existence. In the early years we didn’t have a set of bylaws or any official titles for officers. Although we are having our “51st Annual Meeting” this March there were many years when there were so few of us that we had no official Annual Meeting at all. Membership has ranged from as few as 12 to over 800 in the Cold War 1980's. At one point we had chapters from coast-to-coast and members in England, Australia, Canada and a few other countries. Our lowest point was in the early 1990’s when there was little public interest in emergency preparedness. After the events of 9/11 we found ourselves playing catch up in the growing number of survival/preparedness organizations. We had only a few of our hard-core members and practically no funds while for profit and well-sponsored groups outpaced our programs. We couldn’t get anyone to do a website until 2006! As a result, the organization that invented and defined true survivalism in the 1960’s is not as well known or appreciated today as it should be.
Not having sponsors, funds or professional support has resulted in many missed opportunities. Throughout most of my tenure I have had a full-time job, family obligations and many personal challenges. Being that I was doing most of the clerical work, Live Free’s growth depended on my available time. For example: in the early 1980’s Live Free was featured on television, radio and press coast-to-coast, resulting in hundreds of opportunities and letters coming in each month. In those years my wife and I were coping with a family member with cancer and another with dementia while we both worked full-time jobs and maintained a historic landmark building. There was no way to keep up and I eventually had to throw out boxes of unopened latter’s that had sat for years. That cycle has often been a problem: we get some publicity and do some events and membership shoots up, but then I get overloaded and can’t do membership support publications, and events and membership goes back down. In the last few years we have had a bit more help, but the problem is not completely resolved.
I am often asked why we named the organization “Live Free” and not something with “preparedness” or “survival” in the name. The answer is that “survivalism”, “survivalist”, and “prepper” were not even in the dictionary when we started doing survival and preparedness stuff. The precursor to Live Free was The Ticonderoga Gun Club that morphed into an outdoor sports group that evolved into outdoor survival and then general survival as Live Free USA*. Our newsletter started in the 1970s as “Directions” but has always been focused on survival related material. We changed the name of our publication and website to facilitate website searches and more accurately reflect our focus activities, but we have long been incorporated as Live Free USA. While we have adapted and modified to survive, we are the pioneer survival/preparedness organization with the longest published survival/preparedness publication in America.
So here we are in 2019. We have a solid reputation, a great history, a loyal core membership, and as much funds as we have ever had. While I am relatively healthy I cannot do more than I am doing now and probably will be a bit less able in the years to come, so I am stepping aside at the next Annual Meeting on March 30thth. The good news is that it appears that we will have a full slate of capable and dedicated new officers taking over. This new group is a healthy mix of new younger members, experienced veteran members and long-time founding members. This strong team should be able to establish new visions, goals and programs while dividing up the tasks and responsibilities previously handled by a few or just left undone. I intend to continue my service as a “Director” doing the newsletter and other tasks as requested by the Board of Directors. It will take some time to shift some of the critical tasks and information to the new officer and establish a less person-centered organization. Personally, my biggest hope is to leave a sustainable and effective, non-profit, national preparedness organization to support individual self-reliance and family preparedness for generations to come. I regard life and freedom as two inseparable values that are both in great jeopardy in this century and only a prepared, and self-reliant population can truly be safe and free.
It has been my honor to serve our members for these past decades. I cannot express enough gratitude to all of our founding and core group (you know who you are) members who have supported my efforts and so many ways through good-times and hard-times. I pledge my continued support and best efforts in my new role.
For life and Freedom
James C. Jones
* The words “Live and “Free” are two of the most ubiquitous and interpretable (or misinterpretable) words in the English language. While inspiring terms as in “Live Free or Die” the name became a problem when the internet and search engines developed. Issues not anticipated in the 1970's
The latest issue of American Survivor for January and February of 2019 has just been added to the Members Only / American Survivor page. If you are an on-line member you can download that PDF and over 65 back issues as well
Prepping in the UK
The following article is reprinted with permission from The Real Survivalists at https://therealsurvivalists.com A British survivalist website. Be aware that survivalism is now and always has been an international movement. After all, what can be more universal than the need to protect one’s self and one’s family from harm? Live Free USA operated as Live Free International for a while back in the late 1980’s. We had members in Britain, France, Australia, Belgium and a few other countries. Back then we were united by the universal concern of nuclear Armageddon. In the post-Cold War era there was a period of denial and confusion that decimated the survivalist movement for a decade. The concerns for survival and freedom today are different, but no less serious, and survivalism is again a world-wide movement facilitated by the internet. While Live Free “USA” focusses on those concerns that are unique to us, we need to reach out and network beyond our borders as well. Perhaps there is a place for a new Live Free International or International Survivalist Union in the future?
Prepping in the UK
Prepping in the UK is becoming more of a common occurrence. With all of the goings on in the world, it is probably not much of a surprise that more and more people are becoming involved in Prepping in the UK.
Prepping in the UK can be a controversial subject. Many people will see prepping as something only paranoid people do. This is not a fair summary. Most UK Preppers have regular full time jobs, are everyday people who just want the best for their family. They see prepping as an insurance policy against whatever may come their way.
What is Prepping in the UK?
Prepping is a term used to describe preparing to survive multiple forms of life changing events. These events could be a very personal emergency such as job loss, house fire etc. or they could be world changing events such as weather phenomena, illness epidemic and similar. The level to which you prepare is based on how likely you think the event is to happen. Prepping in the UK involves creating a supply of everything you need to sustain life should one of these events occur. This usually means storing enough food and water to keep you alive for a set period of time and enough equipment to top up your supply once your initial one runs out. It is not just about physical supplies either. Many UK Preppers have a vast knowledge of basic survival skills such as fire lighting, shelter building, hunting etc. First aid and medical skills tend to be key skills that UK Preppers are proficient at.
Why do people prep?
This is a tough question to answer as all Preppers have their own individual reasons for starting to prepare for the worst. Some will start prepping as a result of all of the negative stories in the media surrounding terrorism, nuclear weapons etc. Others will start because of personal concerns about their local area regarding safety and preparedness. And other Preppers begin as a natural progression from their interest in survival and bushcraft.
Each person who has started Prepping in the UK will have their own reasons for prepping. Whatever the reason, this is certainly an interest that is growing.
Prepping in the UK vs Prepping in America
A lot of people will see shows like Doomsday Preppers which is filmed in America and think that all Preppers are the same. American Prepping can be very different to Prepping in the UK. For example, quite a few American Preppers will have a selection of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. They believe they need this to protect themselves should the worst happen. Other American Preppers have vast supplies in underground bunkers and are almost excited at the prospect of the Apocalypse. While this isn’t the case for all American Preppers, it tends to be this persona that is shown on this type of TV show. Prepping in the UK tends to be a bit more reserved.
UK Preppers tend to have food and water supplies, first aid and medical gear and a selection of useful survival tools. Weapons are harder to own in the UK so maybe that is why Preppers here do not usually store too many. However it could be that the attitude towards weapons is very different in the UK. Guns and knives are mostly seen as tools here opposed to weapons so we have a different outlook on them when it comes to Prepping.
How do I start Prepping?
Prepping is a very personal thing. A huge supply of tools is not needed before you can call yourself one. You could argue that having a life insurance policy makes you a Prepper. You are making sure your family is looked after should the worst happen to you. This is effectively prepping.
Being a Prepper is all about doing a realistic assessment of the events that could happen to you. Once you have a list of possible events and consequences, you can then start preparing for each one. You do not need to spend huge amounts of money on the latest survival kits and equipment wither. Prepping is about being adaptable and creative with the tools you have available so you can start prepping today if you feel the need to!
Go to https://therealsurvivalists.com the site has a lot of good information and a bit of a different perspective.
AMERICAN SURVIVOR NEWSLETTER DIRECTORY
Introduction
Live Free USA started publishing a survival and self-reliance newsletter in the early 1970’s. The original mimeographed issues and the later off-set printed issues remain in binders, but most of the more recent digitally produced issues are converted to PDF files and are available to on-line members on the “Members Only/American Survivor” section of our website. The newsletter was originally titled “Directions” and then “New Directions” finally to be “American Survivor” in 2007. Over the years there have been significant format changes and four different editors and creators. In the 1980’s we published a 16-page issue every month, as support dwindled in the late 1990’s we got out only few issues each year. After the events of 9/11 we settled on six issues/per year off 10-pages. We added two more pages a few years ago. While the cost postage and printing have increased we have kept the membership/subscription rate to a mere $20.00 annually*. This list only includes the digital issues, so there are a few hundred issues containing at least five hundred well written and illustrated articles that would need to be scanned or converted (any volunteers?)** in order to save them for the future. Since we have no office or archives all of this will be lost eventually. I have some issues of age that may prevent my doing more than one or two more years at this job. If we do not get a new editor and some more supporters American Survivor and Live Free USA may only survive in hyperspace. I have listed only the major articles in each issue, not the Live Free news items, product reviews or book reviews unless the review contained how-to information. While I wrote many of the articles myself there are many great contributing writers that we are and have been fortunate to have.
Much of the material in my articles was rewritten and included in my three books available from Skyhorse Publishing of New York, they are “Advanced Survival”, “The Book of Total Survival”, and “150 Secrets of Survival” from various authors the early days of Live Free. Many of these are illustrated.
Other Publications
In addition to all of the listed issues on the website, there are two books available to members in the members only/publications page. Choices for Survival is a primarily devoted to the philosophical and psychological aspects of survival and freedom. Publishers were not interested in this a few years ago because they preferred “how-to” material. The Best of American Survivor is a compilation of great articles from issues prior to 2008. There is also a collection of scanned “Survivalist Papers” dating back to the late 1970’s. There is a treasure trove of information and ideas there.
The List is ten pages long so please open the attached PDF.
*Only members who join on-line via our website can access the back issues and other publications
** Anyone interested in scanning and/or republishing these issues, please contact me at survivorjj@aol.com.
Ordinarily we would have three open offices to fill each year, but with the President’s resignation effective on January 1st 2019 and the Vice President having resigned last month we face the 2019 Annual Meeting in March with five open offices. Failure to fill these offices with active, motivated candidates will leave the organization virtually leaderless and inactive. Members old and new need to step forward in advance and get involved. If we go into that meeting without predetermined and pre-committed candidates there will probably be no Live Free USA by the end of that year. You can start networking with the existing officers and we offer a 200-word space in our newsletter and website postings for potential candidates to announce their candidacy and state their qualifications, visions and goals for the organization. The five open offices to be filled in 2019 are:
- President: To fill the remaining term of the resigning officer from 2019 until March 2020 when an election for a full three-year term will be held *
- Vice President: To fill the remaining two year term from 2019 until 2021
- Membership Secretary: Term from 2019 till 2022
- Director #1: Term from 2019 till 2022
- Director #2: Term from 2019 till 2022
*The current President has expressed interest in becoming a Director
Is America Headed for Another Revolution?
By James C. Jones
Introduction
It has been 242-years since the original American Revolution. The Civil War was a geopolitical split rather than a systemic revolution. There was certainly a lot of “revolutionary” activity during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but these movements were limited to a small segment of the population. During these decades the vast majority of the population still shared a set of common values in a stable economy. The “Greatest Generation” that had recently made America great and defeated brutal and dictatorial aggressors was the dominant and stable force in American society at that time. The radical communist and anarchist forces that seemed to define those decades literally and figuratively, burned themselves out. However, many of these extremists and their divisive ideologies infiltrated our institutions and society. A recent issue of Smithsonian magazine headlined 1968 “The Year That Shattered America” and contained a series of articles about the events and movements of those times. While those times may not have actually “shattered” America, they left a collection of cracks that have grown and expanded to this day.
The United States Government is the oldest and most stable government in the world today. All of the governments of Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle-East have fallen and risen several times while the USA has stood and prospered. While many American attribute this to our values and the genius of our Constitution there are other factors that have historically contributed to our stability.
- America has maintained a relatively homogeneous population. While absorbing significant numbers of legal immigrants from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, America was still expanding in available land, jobs and resources. There were certainly conflicts, paranoia and prejudices, but it did not truly divide the nation.
- America was generally isolated from foreign influences, religious extremists and political influences and threats. Ethnic and religious hatreds did not migrate into American society as dramatically as they do now.
- America maintained strong values of community, responsibility, self-reliance and patriotism regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. We were Americans first.
- While there were natural inequities in wealth distribution they were not nearly as extreme as they are today. A large, contented and socially responsible middle class still existed.
- America and Americans were not subject to the constant divisive and toxic effects of the internet and social media.
None of these stabilizing factors are true today. Multi-ethnic societies are inherently unstable. There is no longer an unlimited amount of real-estate, resources or jobs to absorbed even internal population growth. We are involved with and influenced by divisive and confusing foreign involvements and intrigues. Today’s American is more self-centered, dependency-oriented and less involved in community than any previous generation. The decades of centralized, big government have replaced responsibility with demanding, demonstrating and blame finding. The gap between the poor and the ultra-wealthy is disgraceful and growing. The internet now facilitates division rather than unity, conflict rather than discussion and even violence in place of the political process. Respect for the law and for American values has all but disappeared in many regions. These are harbingers of future revolutionary developments.
There is a growing number of religious, racial and political elements that are quietly preparing for such a catastrophe. There is a line in an old movie* about South American revolutions. The General storms into the presidential palace proclaiming “El Presidente, the rebels are in the suburbs!” to which the dictator says “the rebels are always in the suburbs”. We are becoming more like one of these “Banana Republics”
Effects of Revolutions
With the notable exception of the American Revolution, very few revolutions have ever turned out the way the revolutionaries expected or hoped for. Ask the Cuban’s or the Russians, or anyone from South America or the Middle East. While they may start out with high ideals, they usually are co-opted by the most ambitious and brutal participants to create a more corrupt and oppressive state than the one it replaced. There is an old joke that says that the first thing a successful revolutionary leader must do is kill all of the revolutionaries. If a revolution fails it justifies greater oppression and brutality by the state.
- Revolutions can also degenerate into civil wars that divide the state into warring regions. When this happens, the chances for restoring peace and unity are almost non-existent.
- Wide-spread demonstration can lead to the development of terrorism and even guerilla warfare that plagues the nation and destroys safety and security for generations. The Balkans and the Middle East are prime examples of permanently broken societies and civilizations
- Those who instigate a revolution usually anticipate a quick and clean overthrow. Usually the revolutions are long, divisive and brutal, ruining the nation’s economy and destroying homes, towns and cities.
- Foreign enemies and opportunists insert themselves into revolutions to provide weapons and even “volunteers” to various sides, increasing the level of death and destruction and prolonging the conflict. The longer and more devastating the fighting is, the more power and money they get.
In short: revolution is not a good idea if it can be avoided.
Precursors of Revolution
While conditions appear to be relatively stable as of this date, historically revolutions tend to erupt without much warning when a combination of long simmering disagreements and discontent are ignited. A few precursors that could set the stage for revolution-like developments include:
- Continued unchecked expansion of violent and non-violent crime leading to a loss in public confidence and trust in the police and further trends towards vigilantes and private security networks.
- Any pervasive economic down-turn generating large-scale unemployment.
- Significant reductions in welfare, social-security, and other benefits.
- Political assassination and violence between political organizations.
- Raids and thefts from armories and gun stores.
- Any extreme shift in government policies either left or right resulting in deprivations, confiscations, or oppressive measures.
- Contested and contentious elections marked by threats, demonstrations and violence.
It is difficult to predict what kind of events will transpire between now and the 2020 elections, but chaos and conflict seem inevitable. It seems doubtful that ether side will accept the results of an election without active resistance. It is highly possible that there will be more than two parties and that we could have a president and legislature elected without a majority mandate. Instead of complacent inaction, survivalists should be taking this opportunity to focus on preparing for the hazards of 2019 and 2020.
Surviving a Revolution
Surviving during a revolution can be a tricky business. You have to cope with the effects of the violence on your basic safety and security while trying to stay on the right side or neutral in the conflict. Sustained revolutionary activities may result in a breakdown in law-and-order, sabotage or cessation of services such as running water, food deliveries, fire protection and medical care. The fundamental preparedness procedures that permit you to shelter in place or evacuate remain paramount, but defensive and even paramilitary equipment and preparations take on increased importance. The choices of survival tactics will depend on your political, economic and geographic environment at the time of any uprising. A few possibilities include:
- You may be able to adopt a neutral position of defensive non-involvement. You do not aggressively take sides but will defend your home and family against any attempted pillaging or violence.
- If your community is predominantly sympathetic to one side or is simply forced to resist threats from a particular element, then you may have no choice but to actively participate in revolutionary or resistance activities.
- If local, state or federal agencies are overthrown or find it expedient to suspend liberties, confiscate property or initiate mass arrests citizens may have no choice except to resist or escape.
- History tells us that revolutions can generate high levels of violence and neighbor-against-neighbor animosity that must be avoided and survived by each person and family pragmatically.
Keeping your mouth shut, your eyes open and your powder dry is always a good maxim for surviving such turbulent times.
Conclusion
While I still regard revolution or revolution-like development as unlikely and undesirable, I can no longer exclude them from the list of “potential” survival threats. My study of history and observation of recent past and current events suggests that our nation is much less stable than in past decades. If the current trends of divisiveness, violence and discontentment continue the specter of revolutionary activities and even the fall of our way of life must be recognized. Responsible citizens must resist the temptation to be guided and motivated by media and internet divisive rhetoric and exhortations. We must do all we can to support responsible law enforcement, and community based volunteer organizations. But we must also plan and prepare to survive the effects of any kind of civil disorder, sabotage, crime and even revolution that may lie ahead.
LIVING FREE and GUN RIGHTS
By James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM and president of Live Free USA
Ultimately, gun rights are about the right to life and freedom. There is no point in talking about emergency preparedness, survival and self-reliance for an unarmed population.
Live Free USA began as a shooting club in the late 1960s. By the 1970s guns and gun ownership was under such assault that being a “gun club” in Chicago was impossible. It is probably impossible for any of our readers now to comprehend the level of harassment, persecutions, prosecution and prohibitions imposed on us in those times. It seemed inevitable that we would be forced to use muzzle loaders and cross-bows in defense of our lives and our freedoms. The NRA at that time was not a political force and liberals ran rough-shod over the constitution and anyone who sought to exercise the second amendment rights. Live Free broadened our activities to include survival education and civil-defense while keeping our gun related activity’s underground. The acceptability of shooting sports, concealed-carry and military-style rifles today has been achieved through decades of struggle. Since there are many great gun-rights advocacy groups today, Live Free focuses on our core survival and self-reliance mission, but remembering that the capacity for armed defense and resistance is an essential part of survival and self-reliance, I will enumerate some of our positions related to the issue of so-called military-style rifles that have been so maligned in recent weeks.
The ownership of so-called, military-style rifles with high-capacity magazines has nothing to do with hunting or sports shooting. It’s about citizens maintaining the potential to resist foreign or domestic subjugation and oppression. This does not imply that owners of such weapons are revolutionary, extremists or members of formal militias. They consciously or subconsciously accept the reality that the freedom and security of their families and future generations depends on maintaining the balance of force between the state and the people. Owners of these weapons have the upmost respect for the laws and the government, but they do so by choice and responsibility, not by fear and submission.
The major difference between the way American citizens think and the way subjects of other countries think originates from the fact that most other peoples were granted their liberties by the state and still believe that power flows from the state, while Americans fought for their freedoms and know that they are the ultimate source of freedoms and authority. This difference in origins creates an instinctual propensity to be armed or have access to arms that is not shared by citizens of other nations. It is no coincident that America has the oldest government on the planet and the most individual freedoms.
Ultimately: the right to keep and bear arms” is an extension of the human right to self-protection that exists regardless of written laws. It follows that one must have the means to exercise that right. One cannot be expected to defend oneself against an armed assailant or an oppressive despot with anything less than what that assailant or oppressor may have. We could not exercise the right to free speech if we were limited to old printing presses while the government controlled the mass media and the internet. We could not exercise freedom of religion if it was limited to only ancient texts and methods. So we cannot effectively exercise the right to keep and bear arms if we are limited to anything less than the best and most modern equipment.
The constitution does not say “hunting being a necessity”, it does not say “the ability to resist crime being important” it says “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”. There is no ambiguity in this sentence. The second amendment is about military-style arms. We are guaranteed the right to own, keep and bear military-style arms by the constitution. The term “regulated” in the eighteens century was defined as well managed or well-maintained, but not regulated by law as the word is used today. The final four words “shall not be infringed” specifically prohibits any form of taxation or governmental action that interferes with this essential right. The founders did use the generic term ”arms” even though the contemporary “arms” were muzzle-loading muskets and swords. In fact they were referring to the “military-style” weapons of that time, but these were intelligent, forward thinking man who anticipated advancements and certainly wanted future citizens to “keep and bear” arms that would be equal to those of criminals, invaders and would-be tyrants of the future.
The missus of a right by a few does not justify the prohibition of that right to others. Trading freedom and responsibility for safety is the poorest bargain a people can make. Ask the Russians, or the Chines, or the North Koreans or the Mexicans or anyone from a hundred oppressed, depressed and crime-ridden nations that we do not want to live in. The loss of lives caused by a few evil and mentally-ill individuals is truly tragic, but cannot justify turning our back on the freedoms that were bought with the lives and sacrifices of generations of veterans. Yes, they died for the second amendment as well as our other freedoms and surrendering any of those freedoms is a betrayal of their sacrifices.
In a world spiraling towards increasing political strife, civil disorder, street crime, economic instability, potential epidemics, increasingly severe disasters and terrorist activities, only the most irresponsible and pacified citizen can fail to see their duty to be prepared to meet violent situations in the future. While the anti-gun movement may be lead (or mislead) by the youth, it is those between the ages of 15 and 25 that may most regret no having access to military-style weapon and ammunition just a few decades in the furfure. In fact one may want to consider purchasing additional such arms and ammunition to be stored and distributed in the future to the next generations that may desperately need them.
In Short: Any action that limits the access to modern, effective military-style firearms to law abiding citizens of the United States is specifically unconstitutional, philosophically un-American, and functional dangerous to the future of life and freedom for us all.
LIVE FREE USA 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Looking back and Looking Ahead, by James C. Jones, Founder and President
Most significant organizations are formally created with the involvement and support of financially stable, business and professional founders. Live Free USA evolved from a group of poor city kids who liked to go camping. We have established the year nineteen-sixty-eight as the formal start of Live Free USA because that’s about when we started practicing, advocating and educating for survival and self-reliance. The organization started as an NRA affiliated shooting sports club and expanded into other outdoor sports including rock climbing, caving, river rafting, primitive camping and archery. The potential for injuries and the need for first aid and safety training brought us to focus on survival related issues. Membership was primarily limited to the South-side of Chicago in the 1960's and the draconian gun laws and vehement anti-gun sentiments (much greater than today) made operations as a “gun club’ unsustainable so we evolved into a “sports club” but continued to do shooting activities out of town. The political turbulence of the late 1960's combined with the growing threats of the Cold War drew the organization into the broader aspects of emergency preparedness and self-reliance while we continued to conduct outdoor survival training as well. We also began to attract membership beyond the Chicago area. At this time we started publishing our survival newsletter. Originally titled “Directions” and mimeographed it became todays “American Survivor” a respected source of survival information for over 40-years.
In the late 1960's we started doing annual training programs at Tippecanoe River State Park in norther Indiana. The park offered cabins and a huge training area for a reasonable price. This event evolved it what became the annual “Camp Independence” survival education event. We first rented just one cabin, but by the late 1970's we were renting the entire, 50 building facility including dining halls, shelters, an infirmary, showers and housing for hundreds of participants. We were able to conduct combination indoor and outdoor training programs, drills and scenarios that were beyond anything being done today by any survival organization. Camp Independence continued until 2015 when the Indiana Department of Resources elected to close the facilities. This was a major blow to our training programs, since no equivalent facilities existed. It is sad to note that the reason for closure was primarily that very few groups used it. The organizations that had previously held events and gatherings there have either disbanded or become less willing to cope without heat, AC and lights. To many folks Tippecanoe and Live Free were synonyms.
We really hoped to develop our own version of the facilities at Tippecanoe River State Park in the 1970's. We started selling shares of our “land fund” and doing car washes to raise money to buy some land. Against all odds, we managed to get sufficient funds to purchase 20-acres of beautiful wooded property in Wisconsin. We set up a camp area, rifle range, and other facilities and eventually acquired an adjoining 20- acres. We called it “The American Survival Center” (I still have the sign), but a combination of events forced us to sell it off in the mid 80's. One of the reasons that we do the paperwork to maintain our current not-for-profit, tax deductible status is the hope that we might receive a contribution, bequest or grant that would revive the dream of a true “American Survival Center.” Certainly there is a greater need than ever for such a facility with so many camp facilities closing.
The 1980's brought Live Free USA into the national and even international spotlight. We noted that the media was suddenly interested in “survivalists” but had been attracted to extreme political and religious groups who may have been practicing survival skills, but were not (in our view) real survivalists. Having been at it for two decades, we were far ahead of others in actual practices. For several years we worked to promote the true philosophies and practices of survivalism. Media helicopters landed at Tippecanoe and at the American Survival Center. We did dozens of interviews for radio, TV and major publications. We even talked on the BBC and Dutch TV. I was privileged to speak at the American Society for Civil Defense on two occasions. Through this publicity we built up a national membership and even some international members. We still had to manage with our very limited number of overworked volunteers and no significant financial support, and this severely limited our ability to build on our success or expand our programs. The cover of the 1986 issue of American Survival Guide was dedicated to Live Free USA's years of service. Live Free’s reputation, core group and missions were all established in the 1980's, but the preparedness movement almost collapsed in the early 1990's.
Although Live Free USA never considered nuclear war as the only or even primary survival and preparedness motivation, the public jumped to the conclusion that the fall of the Soviet Union was the beginning of the age of peace and security. All of the survival magazines soon ceased publication and all of the other survival organizations evaporated. Without magazines to advertise in we dwindled down to a small number of loyal national members and a hardcore group locally. We still held Camp Independence at Tippecanoe and got out our newsletter sporadically. In short, Live Free went into a survival mode of conserving resources and maintaining our local core membership. By the late 1990's support for preparedness and survivalist began to revive as terrorism, economic instability, natural disaster, epidemics and other obvious challenges began to be recognized by the public. Variations of survivalist such as the “prepper” movement and the “homesteading” movement began to emerge. At the same time the internet provided a new avenue for Live Free to outreach, network, promote and organize. The dawn of the Twenty-First Century brought with it multiple natural and man-made disasters combined with a matrix of potential survival challenges that established preparedness and survival education as a major requirement for the public. Some new preparedness magazines were in publication, and preparedness expositions were being held throughout the country.
The early part of this century has seen Live Free reestablish itself as the leading organization for survival and preparedness. While members can join on-line through our website at AmericanSurvivor.org, we still provide hard-copy mailings to all those who prefer that method. Our American Survivor newsletter remains the only continuously published survival publication from the 1970's and Live Free USA has been advertised in most national survival magazines in recent years. We have several active chapters and conduct multiple training events annually. Live Free USA and Live Free chapter groups have exhibited and presented at dozens of preparedness expositions. Unlike the 1980's when Live Free was the major focus of media attention and the public actually joined and participated in organized groups, today the internet fragments and dilutes the public’s attention on any one group and the public tends to prefer virtual rather than real involvement. Hard-copy publications are often replaced by a video or blog. There are literally thousands of survival websites and hundreds of survival and preparedness (for profit) suppliers and trainers. This has made it difficult for Live Free to grow as it did in the 80's, but we are an important part of the growing movement.
This organization started with a number of handicaps that most organizations don’t have.
- We started without any support or sponsorships at all and the members themselves could not afford much in the way of contributions until much later.
- We had no lawyers, accountant’s businessmen, or other professionals to help us build the organization. Most groups have a lot of pro-bono help. Most groups have members taking care of the website, tax documents and other issues, we do not.
- We have no sponsors or significant donations and have never received any kinds of grants.
- Telling folks that they need to prepare for some bad times is not necessarily popular. Unless there has been a recent disaster or serious scare event interest and support drops.
- Although we are classified as a “public charity” by the IRS we don’t get any of the support that a group like the Red Cross or Boy Scouts will receive. In fact we get less than $100.00 per year in contributions even though we conduct our education programs for free.
- Other than memberships and a few book sales we have no solid financial support system.
- When membership increases and/or activities multiply, the same few volunteers get overloaded and we are forced to reduce operations when we should be increasing them.
- We have no actual headquarters, office or training facility from which to efficiently expand operations and house a staff. Only a major grant or contribution will address this issue.
- We have a lot of training equipment and supplies and there are some bequests that may come to Live Free in the years to come, but the equipment may need to be disposed of if they are not going to be used, and the organization must still exist for the bequests to be made in the future.
When I retired from my day job a few years ago I determined to give a final push to get Live Free to a point of sustainable growth and solid operation. I traveled to many preparedness expositions, wrote for many magazines and put aside some personal priorities in favor of building Live Free. We have had some notable successes, but I am disappointed that we have not attracted more young leadership and outside financial support. Illnesses and age among our core members has begun to seriously degrade our operations. Developments in the next 12 to 24 months will determine the future of the organization. Live Free USA is the only tax-deductible, not-for-profit organization in the United States (maybe the world) dedicated to healing people prepare for survival situations and become more self-reliant. Certainly, there has never been a greater need for what we do, yet our existence is in jeopardy.
I welcome everyone's suggestions and participation as we go forward. Please consider attending our 50th Annual Meeting on March 24th at 1:00 PM in Cabela's Conference Center in Hammond IN.
Photo Gallery – Photos taken at some of our events
