American Survivor

War Zone Ethics

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 20:38:14 +0000

“What a cruel thing war is …to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors.”
General Robert E. Lee (1807 – 1870)

Survival situations always involve serious ethical and moral decisions. Wartime and combat zone survival create even greater challenges to established “right-or-wrong" paradigms. The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine illustrate these difficulties. Even on American soil, we see demonstrations and seemingly unresolvable issues developing on our streets and in our communities. As wartime conditions grow closer to home, and the specter of a true World War Three looms on the horizon, what will be considered right, wrong, justified, or necessary requires considerable thought and examination by responsible citizens preparing for this “worst case” scenario.

The concept of ethics is distinguishable from morals, in that ethics are much more practical. Morals are ideas or opinions driven by a desire to do good; ethics are rules that establish allowable actions and correct behavior. An ethical code may or may not be definably “moral,” as it is simply an established set of rules. Under normal circumstances, a citizen has pre-established moral principles and ethical standards provided by society and its laws. Under wartime chaos and warzone violence, citizens will be faced with moral dilemmas and ethical conundrums, without guidance.

While the trained solder has orders to follow and a chain of command to sort out moral and ethical conflicts, the civilian caught in a life-and-death combat situation must make decisions and cope with conflicting emotional consequences alone. Survival ethics is guided by the basic survival imperative, but the ethics of survival in wartime and in a warzone is more complicated. The difference between right and wrong can be clouded by ideological, ethnic, racial, religious, and national affiliations. One’s proximal, social, or family relationships render philosophical “neutrality” unfeasible. While natural disasters or a singular foreign enemy may unite a population, more complex modern conflicts can create all manner of division, paranoia, and distrust.

Under wartime deprivations, normally honest and law-abiding citizens may resort to theft or black-market dealings. Citizens with weak moral codes and selfish tendencies are inclined to commit a full range of criminal acts once the prohibitions of effective law enforcement are removed. Soldiers and citizens exposed to the violence and trauma of actual warfare often become desensitized or even malevolent and violent as a result. It is no accident that gangs of the Wild West, and the Gangsters of the Roaring Twenties followed the Civil War and World War One. War releases the most terrible inclinations of humanity. Be aware that there are “nice people,” but there are also people who are just “being nice.” Ultimately, the citizen must establish his or her own code of ethics. A few examples of ethical and moral challenges follow.

War Zone Ethics

By James C. Jones

“What a cruel thing war is …to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors.”

General Robert E. Lee (1807 – 1870)

The concept of ethics is distinguishable from morals, in that ethics are much more practical.

Morals are ideas or opinions driven by a desire to do good; ethics are rules that establish allowable actions and correct behavior. An ethical code may or may not be definably “moral,” as it is simply an established set of rules. Under normal circumstances, a citizen has pre-established moral principles and ethical standards provided by society and its laws. Under wartime chaos and warzone violence, citizens will be faced with moral dilemmas and ethical conundrums, without guidance.

Use of force: Police are often caught in a lose-lose scenario: using force can be seen as brutality, and not using force can mean failure in their duty to the law and the community. For the citizen, the question is this: “Is the use of force—or threat of force—justifiable and reasonable under the current circumstances?” You may need to use force against family members or neighbors, to get them out of harm’s way, or to prevent their obstinance or obliviousness from endangering yourself and others. You are doing the seemingly wrong thing, but for a good reason.
Use of deadly force: Using any kind of deadly or potential deadly force is an extremely drastic action. Unfortunately, modern media and video games have trivialized killing and desensitized the public. No responsible citizen should look forward to taking a human life, but during the gravest extreme of wartime, such an act may be inescapable. Terrorists imbued with hatred and extreme views will kill innocent civilian men, women, and children without the slightest hesitation. Criminals simply have no moral code or empathy for victims.

Previously peaceful citizens enraged, shocked, or misled by wartime and warzone conditions may become predators. If deadly force is the only way to save yourself and others, be mentally prepared to do it. Failure to act may result in the death of yourself and those you care about. Regardless of the justification, using deadly force will probably result in a lifetime of guilt and regret.
Looting and foraging: During periods of civil unrest, looters are simply opportunistic criminals using excuses to justify theft and destruction, but in some cases such illegal and immoral behavior may be fully justified. Should cold and homeless refugees from a bombed city pass by an intact home along the road? Should groceries be left on the shelves of an abandoned store while children are hungry? One example of laws vs ethics is a case where elderly were being evacuated from a flood. The local Fire Department was prohibited from “opening” the convenience store across the street to access supplies for the patients even though the flood waters would soon destroy the supplies. If it makes you feel better leave an IOU.
Taking sides: During World War Two, it was simple as allies versus Nazis and “Japs”. Your side was determined by your location. In today’s fractured, globalized, and multiethnic society, factionalism, regionalism, and media-generated division can cause hostile and potentially violent conflict between friends, neighbors and even family members. At one time, Jews and Arabs lived peacefully in Palestine. South Koreans have family in North Korea. Russia and Ukraine have much in common. Once violence has been initiated by one side and responded to by the other, they become implacable enemies. This is a horrible situation. If you don’t pick a side, everyone will regard you as an enemy and your situation will be untenable. Of course, acts of hate, brutality, violence, and oppression by one side may help you make your choices.
To help, or not to help: Should you share your food, water, and medical supplies with friends, neighbors or strangers who have not prepared themselves? Should you stop rendering aid to the injured if it puts you or your family at risk? These are two classic survival ethics questions. There is no absolute right-or-wrong answer, but the “do what you can, if you can, when you can” ethical principle applies. Note that police are trained to bypass injured civilians and move on to neutralize the threat. You cannot be your brother’s keeper unless you are able to be your own keeper.

Establishing your Code of Ethics

Survival ethics come down to life and death: yours, and that of others you encounter. Do you save life, risk life, or take life? A primary question that everyone must answer is: how do you define your life? Are you what you are physically, or who you are, morally and spiritually? Are you about how you look and what you have, or are you about what you believe in and stand for? While your body is mortal, your values and ideas are immortal. So, does your survival action justify your continued physical survival, or does your survival alone justify your action? Is what’s best and safest for you also best and safest for what you stand for?

In survival, laws are not an issue. You are left with your own moral code and ethical concepts to make life and death decisions. You must ask yourself:

What is the right thing to do, based on my values?
What is the best thing to do for me?
What is the best thing to do for others?
What represents my values and ideas?
What is my duty?
Would I want others to do this to me or for me?
How will others I care about judge my actions?

Yes, the answers to each question may be conflicting! What can you do? What should you do? What do you want to do? In the heat of a survival situation there will be no time to engage in a philosophical discussion. Most true survival situations are about risking your life or risking or taking the life of others. You must have an idea of where you draw the lines. In a situation where you may need to choose to risk or even sacrifice your own life, when would you do it?

Never—even if it would protect those I care for or values I stand for?
Only if absolutely necessary to protect the lives of others that I care about?
To defend the life of others being attacked or abused?
Only if necessary to defend my values and ideas?
Only if necessary to remain free?
To defend my property?
To maintain my pride and honor?
Rather than live an unpleasant life?

If you know when you would be willing to put your own life on the line, have you established when you would take a life or put the life of others at risk?

Never—not even to defend my life and that of those I care for?
Only in the immediate defense of my life and those I care for?
To defend the life of others being attacked or abused?
To defend my personal freedoms and rights?
To defend my values and ideas?
In order to remove potential threats to my life and freedom?
To defend my property and lifestyle?

For the purposes of the above questions, taking or risking life is not just about shooting or being shot at. Risking your life could be the act of sharing your food, entering a danger zone to rescue someone, or stopping to help instead of moving along. Taking life could be as simple as failing to aid others who are in need of the food or water they need to survive.

We may look at our moral code as a compass that directs us towards the right action, but ethics is the map that guides our route. Ethical choices must be free of fear, anger, hate, pride, and other negative emotions. Flexibility and adaptability are key concepts in survival psychology. Rigid moral codes, while valuable assets during “normal” times, may conflict with survival imperatives under emergency conditions. The lines between right and wrong can become blurry in the heat of survival and conflict. What can you live with, and what would you die for?

The true survivor must know him or herself and have a firm ethical foundation upon which to base life-and-death decisions. How and why we survive is as important as that we survive. These kinds of situations have only lose-lose solutions, but they are easier for those who have considered them in advance balancing the risks and values. Many such decisions will be difficult to live with—regardless of the outcomes.

Staying Warm on the Move

Ric Hubbard — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 19:34:51 +0000

Last issue, I discussed staying warm—at home, or at your bug-out-location. This month, I want to talk about what to do if you are on the move. There are some crucial differences between staying warm in a fixed location versus on the move that should be considered.

While equipment and knowledge of fuels is the most Important consideration in a fixed location, you will be much more reliant on skills while moving. Your choice of fuels will be much more limited, due to issues such as weight, availability, and volatility. With these kinds of limitations, your skill set becomes more valuable.

The deeper your skill set, the less you will have to carry with you—however, this isn’t to suggest the right choice of equipment is unimportant. Let’s talk about heat sources, briefly, before we move on to skills. The three most common fuels that you will use are wood, propane, and isobutane. Small heaters are available that burn both propane and isobutane, and if you use either for cooking, then one of these is a good consideration.

In most of the US, you can rely on salvaged wood or similar materials found in nature. This is why my preference is for wood burning stoves—such as the Biolite stove—and the skills to build, start and manage a fire. There are also portable, wood burning, hot-tent stoves which have become popular in recent years.

Stoke the Fire Inside

We have all heard the survival rules of three, and the assertion that we can live for three weeks without food. In a perfect world, this is true; survival situations, however, are not part of a perfect world. If it is cold, your body will burn calories to stay warm; the colder it is, the more you will burn. Your first step to staying warm on the move is to eat enough food to maintain calories. Your second step is to use those calories wisely.

For most of us, most of the time, a high-fat, high-calorie diet is a bad suggestion; when surviving a bug-out, especially in the cold, it becomes vital. When you get cold, you shiver. This is your body trying to produce heat to protect your core. This burns calories at a higher rate than normal, which you must replace quickly to increase your chances of survival.

Packing three days of high-quality, high-calorie, nutrient rich meals and snacks is an important part of your plans. Freeze-dried and retort (MRE style) foods are formulated to provide these kinds of meals for backpackers, outdoorsmen and women, and the military, whose hobbies or profession demand fuel to keep them going. These attributes, combined with the generally long shelf life of these foods, make them an excellent choice.

Doing what is needed to reduce calorie use is just as important as carrying food. Clothing, shelter, and external heat reduce your body’s need to burn calories. Skills may be more important on the move, but the ability to think critically in planning and in a survival, situation is one of the most important skills.

Start The Fire

Starting a fire should be the top priority when building a camp. That is true at any time, but is even more true when you are risking hypothermia. Developing strong fire skills (and an even stronger sense of safety) is one of the most important things a survivor can do to improve their chances.

Every YouTube channel discusses fire kits, but the ones to watch are those that show you how to use them. When you put together a fire kit, you should be able to use (and, in fact, should have already used) every item you include. For example: most matches have little value in a survival situation. They do not, for the most part, hold up to storage or humidity. They do not burn long enough, and if you are using the “strike anywhere” type, you run a minute risk of self-ignition. Some, like the lifeboat style matches from UCO and other sources, are designed to stand up to this kind of abuse and will burn when wet, even submerged, once lit. How are you to know what to expect if you have not tried them?

Other forms of ignition require even more advanced knowledge and practice to use effectively. The critical point is that you practice with your tools beforehand. When the time comes, your practice will be rewarded with a warm fire. You should also develop some skill with primitive techniques for starting a fire. None of these are easy to do, but working through the bugs now will give you a head start for when the chips are down.

Contain the Heat

Once you have warmed up, it is necessary to find a way to contain the heat you generate. We have discovered many ways to do this since our ancestors walked into the first cave and wrapped the first animal skin around themselves. At some point, humans discovered fire, and shortly after that, we discovered that fire consumes fuel, and then, that containing the heat reduced the amount of fuel needed to keep warm and to cook our food.

There are some basic ways we contain the heat that we produce. On the most personal level, it is clothing that preserves the heat we produce by burning calories. Clothing keeps this heat trapped near our bodies in the insulating dead air space between the body and the clothing we wear. In the infancy of human civilization, it was the hair left on the animal skins that trapped air pockets near the skin where heat could be stored.

Over the ages we have discovered more and better ways to insulate ourselves from the cold. Choosing the right clothing for the environment is one of those critical decisions that make up proper planning. The selections available today are many and run the gamut from cheap and useless to expensive and toasty warm. In-between, you can find your sweet spot of affordability and usefulness.

You should consider an approach to clothing based on layering. Start with an inner base layer—typically some type of “long underwear.” Then, choose a shirt and pants in moderate weather conditions, followed by a good jacket or coat as the weather gets cold. In conditions of extreme cold and/or wet you will want a waterproof shell layer, top and bottom, to keep the wind, water, and cold out.

The materials the clothing is made of are just as important. Natural fibers, such as wool and silk, make good choices—especially Morino Wool. There are synthetics that are just as good, but there is something comforting about natural fiber that I enjoy. Wool will insulate even when wet, and while it smolders, it does not burn, making it safer than synthetics.

Wool, especially Morino wool, is not cheap. The further away the layer is from the skin, the more synthetics make sense because they can be found at better prices. Materials such as polyester, nylon, and Polartec insulate very well and can be found inexpensively on the surplus market. Commercial versions, such as those found at REI, are more expensive but just as useful. A polar fleece layer over the base layer, then pants and shirt, will keep you warm in much of the US during the most common weather conditions. Snow, cold rain, and high elevations such as you will find in northern mountainous regions and Alaska call for a water- and wind-resistant outer shell to protect from harsh weather.

Wearing your clothing in layers gives you choices as the weather changes. If you are going to be outdoors in cool temperatures—say, between 60 and 40 degrees—a base layer and a regular clothing layer should be enough. As temperatures drop, add a fleece layer to increase the insulating value. When it starts to get really cold or wet, an outer shell keeps the wind and rain out. When the temps start to climb again, you can remove layers until you are comfortable again. Too much insulation for the temperature will cause you to sweat—which will, in turn, cause you to lose vital heat to evaporation.

Build Your Environment

The next step is to build and control your environment. This is where all the training and skill building really pays off. There are three basic stages to building shelter that will keep you warm: One, sleep on something. Two, sleep under something. Third, sleep in something. Let’s take a look at what this means.

The first step is to put some insulation between the ground and your body. There are numerous sleeping bags and pads that provide protection from heat loss through conduction, the tendency of heat to flow from a warm object (you) to a cool object (the ground).

On the other hand, in most environments, you can use natural debris piled and layered to create the same level of protection without the need to carry excess equipment. By creating a deep bed of these natural debris, you make a warm and comfortable place to lay your head. All this dead air space will slow the transfer of heat to the ground.

I will add one of my wool blankets over a debris bed for a little extra insulation. The same can be done with a sleeping bag, That is your choice, but you should use a layering approach here, too: A bed of insulation, and then a system to sleep on. Building with natural materials will let you drop the sleeping pad, but either way, you need that layer of bedding to sleep on.

The second step is to put some insulation over you. This is your sleep system, and there are a lot of choices available. Just like the insulation below you to keep conduction from sapping your heat, you need a layer above you to keep radiation and convection from doing the same. A sleeping bag or some blankets will trap your body heat or the warmth that you have created near your body as you sleep.

What if your situation is unplanned? The same idea behind the insulated bed will apply to reducing heat loss from above. A layer of natural debris above can take the place of a sleep system in an emergency. This might not be ideal, but it could help save your life in a survival situation.

Step three is to have something to sleep in. If you planned ahead, you will have packed some form of shelter. With a tent or tarp in your kit, you will have a head start on shelter. The most important reason to carry shelter with you is the conservation of calories. All work burns calories that must be replaced, and setting up a tent uses less work than building from scratch. On the other hand, tents or tarps do not contain heat as well as a constructed shelter stacked with insulation.

If you have the skills to construct a shelter from natural materials, this will provide you with a shelter that contains heat generated by your body or an outside source. In warmer weather, a lean-to will shelter you and catch a lot of heat.

You can even bring some of the heat inside the shelter if you do so carefully. There are portable heaters fueled by propane or isobutane that will warm up the space if you choose one that is designed to be used safely inside.

There is also the choice of lightweight wood-burning stoves, designed for backpacking, that will not only heat your shelter, but they will also provide a cooking surface for food prep. They require either a tent designed for them, or specially constructed shelter. A tent with a stove jack for the chimney stack, or an opening in your shelter are required to use them safely. They can also be expensive, and even though they fold down, they still take up a good amount of space in a pack.

If you are relying on your survival skills to heat a shelter, there are some techniques that will help. Once you have built a fire, you should keep as much of the heat created from escaping into the air as possible. Place your fire as close to the entrance as possible, so that heat will enter the shelter. Heat can also escape from the other directions as well, so a reflector can be built to contain and redirect the heat into your shelter.

You can also bring heat directly into your shelter. Gather as many fist-sized rocks as you can find from any place but a water source. Pile 10 or 12 of them in your campfire to heat all day as you go about other tasks. This technique will be most useful with an enclosed shelter such as a debris hut, so while you are building it, dig a pit near the entrance. Make sure that you have dug it deep enough to remove any combustible materials that might smoke and ignite during the night.

This pit is your overnight heater. Before you turn in for the night, fill it with the rocks from your fire. These rocks will slowly release the stored heat and keep you warm throughout the night. This can also work for you with tents that do not have a floor, in at least a section of it. Make sure you are careful to allow enough space around the pit to keep the heat from damaging the materials of the tent.

In Conclusion

As you can see, with proper planning, critical thinking, and skill building, it can be relatively easy to stay warm on the move. If you spend the time to learn these techniques and develop a plan, you will travel to your bug-out location in as much comfort and safety as possible.

I will finish by suggesting a couple of book series that will help you learn these skills. Tom Brown’s Field Guide series focuses on primitive skills using few if any equipment to survive. Dave Canterbury’s Bushcraft books teach skills for use with minimal woods crafting tools.

Super Shovel

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:09:25 +0000

Long before there were any devices specifically made for survivalists, Live Free members recognized the need for some kind of digging tool in the survival pack. A shovel would be needed to dig fire pits, drainage trenches around our tents, and dispose of waste. We might even need to dig shelters from weapons fire, nuclear blasts, and fallout. Back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, surplus “Army Shovels” were plentiful, but too heavy for carrying any distance. They were excellent digging tools but were meant to be carried and used by healthy young soldiers for short distances to the front lines. After World War Two, every child in my neighborhood had one, and we trenched and tunneled every vacant lot we could find. We early survivalists started adopting garden trowels to put into our packs as BTN (better than nothing) digging tools. In the 1980’s, The Vietnam-era military folding shovels that came out were lighter and more compact than the old army shovels, and could be carried further, but were not designed for civilian survival applications.

Recently, a wide variety of so-called “survival shovels” have come onto the market. These shovels range from basic folding shovels for about $15.00 to the complex GRAMFIRE™ ones for over $200.00. Survival shovels* are defined as relatively compact, while having multiple functions, such as ax blades, saw blades, hooks, and wrenches. Like many items designed to do more than one thing, they are never quite as good as just a shovel, just a knife, just a saw, et cetera; however, they are useful for their multi-functionality.

The 15-in-1 Multi-Function, Folding Shovel from Stealth Angel™ sells for a very reasonable $34.95. The shovel blade is very heavy-duty and includes a saw blade, sharp ax-knife blade, hook, and two hexagonal wrench cut-outs. One handle segment contains a small knife, fork, and saw blade, and another segment contains a Philips and blade screwdriver. There is also a glass breaker point and a compass in the handle. A magnesium fire starter comes attached to the carrying strap and case. The whole thing fits into a 9” x 6” x 2” cloth carrying case that weighs about two pounds. When all four segments are fully assembled, you have a strong 30-inch-long shovel tool. The heavyweight handle and sharpened spade also make for a formidable weapon and effective rescue tool. There is a bit of room left in the handle for a few extra items. I don’t advocate this for a primary survival pack item since you should already have a multi-tool, knife, fire starter and other tools with you, and there are lighter, smaller shovels available. It is ideal for carrying in a vehicle, keeping at your jobsite, or in a cache where you might need all of these functions.

Fully assembled shovel with carrying case.

Four components on carrying case. Note the compass, glass breaker and fire starter.

* I covered a variety of survival shovels in chapter five of The Ultimate Book of Survival Gear. Published by Skyhorse Publishing.

Survival Food Storage

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 15:39:35 +0000

Survival food storage has been the subject of numerous articles and books since the early Cold War days. There are plenty of videos and lists available today. There are also a lot of misconceptions and sales driven programs that can be confusing and discouraging to the citizen prepper. In this article I will try to sort out the most important concepts and priorities of food stocking and storage.

The first thing that must be done is to create a long-term plan for building up your food reserves. The plan must take into account how much space you have for storage, how much you can budget for each month and whether you will be able to shelter in place or need to evacuate in an emergency. You should probably have at least several months of food at home, and a week’s supply of food in an evacuation pack for every family member. If you anticipate a “never coming back” evacuation, you need to establish food caches with relatives,group members or at storage facilities well outside the danger zone. I recommend a mix of canned, dried,ready to eat, freeze-dried, and bulk grains rather than depending on just one type of survival food.

Canned Goods

Canned goods are relatively cheap,palatable, and easy to use. It’s easy to build up a supply, date each can and rotate your stock. I have eaten canned goods stored for many years, but canned food will lose its nutritional value over five to ten years, and of course, any dent-ed or swollen cans must be discarded.Stock up and rotate things you like to eat,but include meat such as canned corned beef, and yes Spam. Some canned foods become unpalatable if stored too long or stored in poor conditions so rotate regularly and keep them in cool dry conditions. High acid foods such as fruits will eat through the cans after four or five years so rotate these often, keep them in glass jars or depend on dried fruits.

MREs

Meals Ready to Eat military rations are ideal supplements to a survival food stockpile, but not an economical or practical choice for a primary component.They are heavier than most freeze-dried meals sold for camping, and more costly than alternative dried, canned, and bulk food stuffs. Their self-heating system has advantages for evacuation packs and survival food caches.

Bulk Grains

Bulk grains such as wheat are often pushed by survival food vendors as the only thing you need to survive in a long-term disaster, and they certainly have their place as part of a plan. If you are going to store wheat, you must store it in a sealed, dry container, preferably vacuum packed, and safe from insects. You also need to have a good quality grinder to process it into flour. Start looking at recipes and trying to make bread. Stock up on things like baking soda, sugar, and yeast so you can use the flour. Consider stocking more oats and rice that are easier to use as food. Some experts recommend storing hundreds or even thousands of pounds of grains as food and for barter.

Dried Pasta, Beans and Peas

Pasta is cheap and nutritious. If stored in sealed containers it can last several years, and if vacuum packed, it can last for decades. While it loses some nutrition over time, it still provides a highly edible meal. Stock some spaghetti sauce to go with it. Dried beans such as navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, and black-eye peas are economical and store well if kept in cool dry conditions. Vacuum packing is best. Beans and peas can get mold if allowed to become moist. Like grains, you need to have other components and seasonings to make palatable meals with them.

Freeze-Dried

I used a lot of freeze-dried meals back when I was into rock climbing and winter camping. Most of my evacuation pack foods are Mountain House™ meals, but I also have two MREs in case I can’t stop to boil water. If your space is limited,then freeze- dried may be a good option,but it’s costly, and requires fuel to boil water and a good supply of water. The portions in most of these meals is a bit skimpy and not enough to sustain you under high stress conditions. You will need supplemental nourishment.

Other Stuff

I have talked about peanut butter before. Peanut butter keeps well and has about 6000 calories per 40 oz. jar. This is why children gobble the stuff up. Don’t worry about additives and sodium, this is survival. Honey is another great concentrated source of nutrition that can be kept indefinitely. Canned nuts store well and provide a lot of nutrition per pound.I once ate canned sardines that had been in a buried cache for 25 years. The oil preserved them well and they tasted normal, but I cannot verify the nutritional value.

Conclusion

Regardless of the current state of your survival food stocks, you need to continue to build it up, as more and more potential disasters loom and the economy worsens. Don’t just focus on bulk. Your stored food should be things you and your family like to eat. Don’t depend on sheer hunger to drive you to eat unpalatable food or eat the same thing day after day. Stock up seasonings and sauces.Know how to prepare a variety of meals with what you have. You may still need to forage for some foods and use less than optimal foods. I include beef and chick-en bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in my survival pack for this reason.

Radio Activities, Part I

Martin Grady — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:13:30 +0000

Radio Activities is produced in collaboration with Music For All, which promotes liberty and self-reliance in the arts.

Before the Internet, there was a global communication network in place that was completely decentralized, largely peer-to-peer, and virtually indestructible. That network was known as shortwave radio, and it still exists in parallel to our modern telecommunications infrastructure—along with CB, GMRS and a number of other radio systems. While HAM radio operators can both transmit and receive over shortwave, this article will focus on "SWLing", or shortwave listening, and alternative radio signals in general.

I was 10 years old when my grandfather gifted me my first shortwave radio. I would sit there for hours, carefully, slowly turning the dial and listening for signal. I heard Chinese news, Slavic folk music and dispatches from remote, tropical islands. The T.V. went off by 8 pm in our household, lights out by 9. Sitting under the covers with that radio, slowly turning the dial and traversing continents, I felt like I had entered a portal to another dimension.

Radio has a presence and immediacy not found on the Web. When you listen, you know that other people, somewhere, are listening to the same message and precisely the same time as yourself, so it's a kind of live, shared experience. It's also an important way to obtain real-time information in an emergency, and alternative viewpoints. Unlike most radio, which is line-of-sight, shortwave signals bounce off the upper atmosphere and back down to Earth, enabling broadcasters to transmit from anywhere, to anywhere. In this era of media control and online censorship, shortwave presents an attractive outlet for freedom activists and political dissidents, whose shortwave broadcasts are effectively un-cancellable.

The medium as the message

SWLing is a specific type of long-distance A/V reception more generally known as "DXing". Those who seek out obscure, remote radio signals quickly realize that the character of DX transmissions lends as much to the listening experience as their actual content. The received audio is lo-fi and monophonic, and the fluctuating signal-to-noise ratio adds interesting, unpredictable coloration to the sound. In addition to music and spoken word, the radio spectrum picks up coded telegraphs, ambient interference and strange electromagnetic artifacts.

This intriguing DX aesthetic has inspired many experimental musicians—first during the Cold War malaise of the late 70s and early 80s, and again after the fall of the Soviet Union. Kraftwerk's Radio-Activity (1975) explores the dual themes of radio communication and radioactive decay, its bleak aesthetic inspiring artists like Monoton and Throbbing Gristle. The 90's "Chill Out" scene—so named for The KLF's seminal 1990 album—regularly blended electronic instrumentation with field recordings and radio ephemera. Examples include Tetsu Inoue and Richard Dorfmeister.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySrbuW8277E&t=1m

One notable release is William Basinski's 1982 album, Shortwavemusic, which is composed entirely of shortwave transmissions processed with tape loops and delay.

You can listen at home

It's a good idea to have lots of different radios for different purposes—including walkie talkies, which we'll discuss in a future installment of Radio Activities. But the Swiss Army knife of radio listening is the SDR, or software-defined radio. Today, I'm going to show you how to build a listening station at home. For this project, you will need the following items, which are pictured in the gallery below:

An SDR. I recommend an RTL-SDR USB dongle. You can buy a starter kit at that link, but I'm going to get you a lot farther with only a small investment.
A 9:1 balun (available at the RTL-SDR store link above);
A twin lead, using an FM radio antenna;
Some wire nuts and electrical tape;
Some ferric beads (available via the RTL-SDR store);
Some PVC pipe, or any plastic that can live outside in the elements;
A USB extension cable (available via RTL-SDR.com), and
A long, single-strand wire. For my long wire, I cut a dead line off a telephone pole and split it into a single strand.

We're going to create a longwire, or 'random-wire' antenna. Basically, when the length of your antenna matches the wavelength of a specific radio frequency, it becomes "tuned" to that frequency. We don't want our random-length wire accidentally tuned to a common frequency, but we'll probably be OK if we use one of these lengths (in feet):

``` 29 35.5 41 58 71 84 107 119 148 203 347 407 423 ```

One we have our wire, we need to get it up in the air. This gallery will show you how to set up your antenna. Click the images below to see them full size, and then scroll down to see the instructions below each slide.

Well that was a pain in the ass! Now that we've set up the hardware, we need the software to control our SDR. I use GQRX and have found this to work best for Linux, though it's also available for Mac. I can't comment on Windows SDR software but there are several options available.

When you start GQRX, it will prompt you to input your settings. It should find your RTL-SDR by default, but in order to pick up shortwave, we will need to add direct_samp=2 to our device string:

Click 'OK', and then in the menu go to file → start DSP. You should now be connected! For more details on using GQRX, read their tips and tricks, or you can ask for help in their user group.

OK, so now that you're receiving shortwave, what to listen to? ShortwaveSchedule.com is pretty comprehensive, so that might be a good place to start. Or, you can just start jumping around until you find the broadcasts you like. Note that most stations broadcast intermittently, and you'll have way better reception at night than in the day.

If you want to follow a specific show, I recommend VORW Radio International, hosted by the food critic and supreme gentleman known as "Reviewbrah", a voice of dignity in an undignified world. VORW Radio International's current schedule is as follows:

Day	Time (CST)	Frequency	Location
Saturday	1 AM	4840 kHz	North America
Saturday	5 PM	6115 kHz	North America
Sunday	11 PM	4840 kHz	North America

Here are some examples of shortwave transmissions I can hear over GQRX:

[playlist ids="21723,21724,21725,21726,21727,21728,21729"]

Other frequencies

If you remove direct sampling from your device string, you'll be able to receive all kinds of messages, including:

Police scanners
Emergency first responders
Marine band broadcasts, if you're close to the water
Freight train dispatchers
Truckers on CB (citizen band) radio
Air traffic controllers
Certain types of walkie-talkies

If your internet goes down in an emergency, and you don't feel you can trust the information you're receiving from the mainstream media, the SDR provides a lot of ways to determine what is happening 'on the ground'. Here are some signals I captured with my SDR:

[playlist images="false" artists="false" ids="21740,21741,21742,21743,21744,21745"]

Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Hazard Survival

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:04:21 +0000

I have written several articles related to chemical biological and nuclear survival over the past twenty years and I covered these subjects in all five of my books. My qualifications include being an EMT, HAZMAT Technician, and certified Radiological Monitor way back with the Civil Defense Department in the 80’s. These articles were regarded as interesting but academic a few years ago, but recent chemical spill incidents, an ongoing pandemic, and serious potential for limited or unlimited nuclear war make NBC protection and decontamination skills both relevant and critical for every citizen.

Rules of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Survival

Keep the contaminant (chemical, virus, bacteria, and fallout) out of your body. Have or improvise protection.
Keep the contaminant (chemical, virus, bacteria, and fallout) off your body.
Get out of the contaminated area as fast as possible. Have a plan.
Get the contaminant (chemical, virus, bacteria, and fallout) off your body and covering as fast as possible.
Isolate yourself from people and material that are contaminated as soon as possible and for as long as possible. Have supplies.
Treat the symptoms of chemical exposure, diseases and radiation as effectively as possible. For nuclear contamination have a supply of potassium iodide tablets. Have antibiotics purchased from pet stores, or survival supply outlets. Also have plenty of electrolyte hydration powder, as dehydration is often the main killer from radiation sickness, and infections.

Respiratory Protection

Ninety percent of the immediate harm from biological agents, chemical agents and radioactive fallout is from inhalation and ingestion of the contaminant. Skin and hair exposure must be decontaminated as soon as possible, but what you have breathed and swallowed is irreversible harm. It is unlikely that you will have an M-17 or an Israeli gas mask handy when the NBC event happens. You may be at your job, at school, shopping or on the road. Even if you have full NBC masks and gear at home you may well breathe a lethal amount of contaminant before you get there. Remember: “It’s not what you have that saves you, it’s what you have with you.

Fortunately, the N95 dust/mist masks sold in most hardware stores for painting is all the protection you need from biological threats and nuclear fallout. These mask cost less than $2.00 each. They also can protect you from chemical contaminated dust and soot created by bombs, fires and storms. These masks are small and light enough to carry everywhere. You should have at least one in every jacket, purse, glove box, briefcase, and pack. Have more of them at home. It is critical that you keep them in a sealed plastic bag so that the inside of the masks is not pre-contaminated before you put it on. It is also critical that you fit it properly according to the instructions on the package.

Air and contaminants will not go through a filter if they can go around them. Be aware that all bets are off if you have a beard or heavy facial hair. You may need to consider packing a plastic razor with the mask. The mask will keep biologically contaminated air and mists out of your lungs and will keep radioactive dust partials out of your body where Alpha and Beta radiation do the most harm. The N95 is not rated for chemical protection but does provide very limited short-term reduction in exposure. There are also some N95 plus masks that have a charcoal impregnated layer for improved protection against chemicals. So, you’re most important and effective step to NBC protection is stocking-up on N95 masks and have in a least one with you and every family member wherever you go.

Instructions for Fitting N95 Dust/Mist Masks.

1. Mold the nosepiece to the shape at your fingertips, allowing the headbands to hang below your hand.

2. Press the respirator against your face with the nosepiece on the bridge of your nose.

3. Place the top band high on the back of your head. Move the bottom band over your head and position it below your ears.

4. Using both bands, mold the nosepiece to the shape of your nose.

5. Test the fit. Cup both hands over the respirator and exhale vigorously. If air flows around your nose, tighten the nosepiece. If air leaks around the edges, reposition the bands for better fit.

If you are concerned about chemical agents, consider purchasing a mask designed for pesticide spraying. Most chemical warfare agents are based on pesticides and these masks will work well enough for you to evacuate the affected area. You will also need a pair of chemical goggles to protect your eyes. Both of these are usually available at garden supply stores.

Home Made Mask for Biological Agents

Mix 1 tbsp. of bicarbonate of soda to 1 cup of water. Mix the solution well and soak a cloth or handkerchief in it. Wring out till damp and secure over nose and mouth.

Protective Clothing

In the case of biological agents, you generally will not be wearing protective clothing. However, clothing worn in public (stores, buses, etc.) where it may have been contaminated by coughing, sneezing, contact with furniture etc. should be removed wearing gloves before the mask is removed and should be laundered thoroughly.

Your best protection against biological hazards is the ability to stay completely isolated from the public until the epidemic has run its course. That means having enough food, water and other supplies to eliminate any need to leave home for from two to six weeks. During this time you will have to treat every approaching person including friends and family members as a threat to your life to be turned away or isolated. Decontamination will not save you if the “visitor” is already carrying the contagion. Remember that a person may be contagious long before showing symptoms. In fact biological warfare agents are designed to work just that way. Once the epidemic has started anyone and anything that enters your home must be decontaminated with a 10-percent bleach water solution. Even though you may still have running water it may be contaminated or even be the source of the epidemic. Boil all water for 5-minutes or ad 8-12 drops of bleach per gallon. Never run out of bleach. Have at least five extra gallons on hand at all times and rotate frequently. You will need it for water purification, decontamination and body waste disposal throughout any emergencies. All potentially contaminated food containers (cans, bottles, etc.) that were recently been exposed in public places (stores, etc.) should be wiped down with a 10% bleach solution or a strong soap before opening.

Having kept the hazardous material out of the body, we can move to how to keep them off the skin and hair. There are three situations where body protection may be necessary:

Situations where heavy biological contamination exists, such as hospitals, dead bodies, or areas where biological agents have been dispersed.
Situations where airborne chemical contaminants are present, such as downwind of a chemical spill. Or in building debris.
Any area in the downwind “footprint” of fallout from a nuclear detonation for at least two weeks.

Fortunately, there are fairly simple and easy solutions available. You do not need heavy NBC suits and masks. These products are designed for the military and industry to fight, and work for extended periods in high-risk environments. You just need immediate protection long enough to get out of the contaminated area or reach a fallout shelter.

You can improvise a protective suite from plastic bags rubber bands and a pair of surgical gloves. Latex gloves are a handy item that I keep with each mask. The suit below consists of two large bags used as a skirts and head/body cover and four small ones used to cover arms, legs and shoes. It is important to note that any form of non-porous covering is better than none. Even just the one big bag covers 50% of the body. A raincoat or poncho is far better than nothing.

A step better is the basic Tyvek ™ chemical protective suits with the hoods and feet. These are cheap (around $12.00) light and easy to carry. I keep one in all my survival packs. These two are often available in hardware stores and are used by painters. They are a bit bulky for the pockets, but fit well in the glove box, desk drawer or locker.

Decontamination

Now that we have kept the bad stuff off of our skin and out of our lungs, we need to be able to remove the contamination and contaminated coverings without transferring it back into and onto our bodies. This process is called decontamination. Of course we want to do this when we are outside of the danger zone or at the entrance to more effective shelter (underground for fallout, enclosed from biological or chemical) locations. Ideally this is a two-person job, with both wearing protective clothing. It should be done in a location that will not permit contaminated run-off, spray mists or dusts to contaminate other safe areas.

There are five steps to effective decontamination.

Gross decontamination involves simply brushing off or rinsing off any surface contaminants as well as dumping any contaminated gear that will not be needed.
Thorough decontamination is accomplished by the use of pressurized water (not high pressure) with a neutralizing or disinfecting solution. A ten-percent bleach solution is best for biological contaminants. Soap and water will clear most chemical and fallout materials. Plain water used copiously will be less effective but may be adequate. The best device for spraying is a commercial pump garden sprayer. Keep a clean one handy at home. They are also good for fighting small class “A” fires and general hygiene tasks.
Next you need to“peel of” the protective clothing minimizing any contact with the clean clothing and skin underneath. Step out of the foot coverings* onto an uncontaminated surface. Remove the face mask and then peel off the gloves.

Degloving procedure. At no time does the hand contact the outside of the glove.

If any clothing was potential contaminated before you put on the protection it must be removed and any skin, or hair must be rewashed before dressing and entering the safe zone or shelter.
Finish up by bagging all contaminated materials and containing all contaminated waters. Remember; the decontamination area is now a hot zone that cannot be entered without protection. Be sure your selected decontamination area does not block exit routs or entry routs for uncontaminated people. Be sure runoff from the decontamination area does not go into water sources or locations where others may track through it.

Conclusion

Your improvised emergency protection may not be as effective as professional and military equipment, but you are more likely to have it and use it when and where you need it. Used quickly and with care, these techniques will be effective enough to save you from the effects of exposure to radioactive fallout, biological contamination and most chemical exposures. It is recommended that you have at least one N95 mask and a pair of latex gloves in each jacket pocket and several in your survival pack. Have enough plastic bags and/or chemical suits to protect every family member handy.

NOTE: The plastic bag suit, or chemical protection suit and dust mask are all useful for cold weather survival situations and should be part of every survival pack.

The Value of Armed Populations

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:44:21 +0000

Ultimately wars and revolutions are not won by defeating the opponent’s army or overthrowing a government. These struggles are only decided when one side defeats the other’s population. Armies can only control the real-estate they stand on and rebels can only occupy a few buildings, but the mass of a nation always belongs to the people. This truth has been proven over and over again through history.

The Soviet Union collapsed when the population finally became totally disaffected with the communist regime and refused to comply. They didn’t even need to resort to armed violence to prevail.
In 1776 the British, with the most powerful army in the world, eventually had to recognize the independence of its North American colonies, simply because the masses there no longer would assent to being governed by them.
The British, the Soviets and the United States, all failed to win in Afghanistan, because the culture and population simply would not comply.
The term guerilla and guerilla warfare originated in Spain as the population rose up against Napoleon in 1808. The need to constantly fight in Spain drew strength from his other campaigns and contributed to his eventual downfall in Russia.
The United States was unable to win wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq in spite of defeating the enemy’s armies because the populations were not supportive of a foreign invader, no matter how benevolent.

Opposite examples also exist where populations were disarmed, subjugated, and culturally inclined to be obedient.

In spite of Nazi ideological indoctrination, Germany surrendered without much civilian resistance when the state declared a surrender because (1) the fascists had (as always) disarmed the population, and (2) Germans had a cultural tradition of obedience.
The Japanese only surrendered when the emperor told them it was over. America, understanding the Japanese culture of obedience, established a policy of not bombing the palace or letting the emperor come to harm just for this reason. Of course, Japan has never permitted civilians to be armed.
In the early days of World War Two there was a real possibility that Germany would invade England. The long history of English obedience to a king and being unarmed, suddenly left them helpless before an invader. The people were willing to resist, but had nothing to fight with. Americans sent over thousands of guns, and tons of ammunition for their Home Guard. Of course, these weapons were never left to the people after the war.

Examples of the deterrent effects of potential resistance and militia (by any name) organizations are easy to find.

Recently Ukrainians began training civilians to fight the Russians in anticipation of the invasion. Ukrainian militias were seen training in the snow lead by older veterans. While it was obvious that the Ukrainian Army alone could not stop the massive Russian forces on their borders, the combination of a robust defense by the Ukrainian Army combined with a massive civilian resistance even behind Russian lines, stalled the overwhelming might of Russian armor and manpower.
During the Cold War, the popularity of the slogan “Better Dead than Red” and the rise of Survivalism and doomsday preparedness was said to have frightened the USSR and convinced them that starting a conventional war could lead to a nuclear exchange that America was willing to endure.
The rise of the British Home Guard, ready to fight with pitchforks and old rifles, had a deterrent effect on Hitler’s plans to invade the island in 1940.

While anti-gun politicians and the media decry the need for “military style” weapons in the hands of the public and often point out that armed civilians cannot stand against a trained army with artillery, tanks, and aircraft, this is precisely what happened over-and-over again in past and recent times. As Japan’s Admiral Yamamoto told General Tojo before World War Two, “Never invade America, there will be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” What no one in the gun debate likes to talk about is the obvious fact that the second amendment to the US constitution was specifically intended to preserve the right to possess “military style” firearms for the purpose of resisting foreign and domestic threats to life and freedom. Nowhere in the amendment is criminal self-defense or hunting mentioned. The reference to a “well-regulated militia” in the text is often misinterpreted to imply that arms are only to be had by those in a government “regulated” organization, but the word “regulated” in 1787 meant trained and organized, not “controlled” as the word is used today. While there are many formally organized militia groups with varying levels of responsibility and capability, the historic term militia implies all of the population organized or not. In fact, modern technology makes formal organizations much more vulnerable to observation and interdiction by both foreign and domestic oppression. A generally trained and equipped public that has the potential for protracted resistance or unorganized uprisings, serves as a powerful and unpredictable force in preventing invasion, coups, or insurrections. This may explain why the United States has the world’s oldest government. The armed citizen and would-be militia member may never fire a shot, but their existence serves as a powerful deterrent. Certainly, armed civilians cannot stop a modern army with all of its technology and hardware, but they can make victory impossible. This is really what is at stake in America today and a critical part of survival reality.

The enemies of freedom and self-reliance know that they cannot defeat an armed and united population, so they actively seek to defeat the American people by dividing and confusing us. Russia and China are masters of disinformation, and have weaponized the internet and social media to spread baseless conspiracy theories, hate, and distrust. If they can divide the people, they can conquer the people. The Third World War has been going on for decades, and we are losing because both the extreme left and the extreme right fall for the enemies divisive tactics. As Ben Franklin put it, “We must all hang together or we will surely hang separately.”

* Just before the invasion, the following text was in an article from Associated Press about Ukrainians preparing to fight the Russians.

KHARKIV, Ukraine – “The table tennis coach, the dentist, and the firebrand nationalist have little in common except the desire to defend their hometown. …If Russia invades, some of Kharkiv’s 1 million people stand ready to abandon their civilian lives and wage a guerrilla campaign against one of the world’s greatest military powers.” The article goes on to explain how families plan to evacuate their children and then use whatever weapons they have to resist. They already have stocks of water, food, and medical supplies for survival. US intelligence officers were quoted as saying, “The Russians, want to destroy Ukraine’s combat forces. They don’t want to be in a position where they have to occupy ground, where they have to deal with civilians, where they have to deal with an insurgency.” Once again proof that the potential of armed civilians is the ultimate defense of liberty in any nation, just as the authors of the constitution intended.

Ten Major Threats to Survival, 2021 and Beyond

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:11:43 +0000

Live Free periodically analyzes political, technological, environmental, and economic data to establish the most probable threats to life and freedom. There are a few new ones since the last update in 2011. You have been warned.

As a Certified Hazard Control Manager and experienced student of emergency preparedness methodology, I have written dozens of articles about how to anticipate and prepare for a variety of disaster situations ranging from being lost in the wilderness to being affected by a large scale natural or man-made disaster. I usually take a broader view of disasters than most writers. A disaster is defined by how it affects you and your family. If your house burns down from a misplaced candle or a massive wildfire, it’s still a disaster for you. If you die from a personal ailment or from a pandemic pathogen, you are still dead. Thus, I include home safety, and health issues in most of my threat matrix articles, and I will continue to advocate for good home safety and personal health maintenance as the foundation of survival preparedness. In this article I will focus on the more traditional definition of “disaster”, a wide spread event that has absolute and unfavorable effects on the general population and infrastructure. In comparison to personal disasters where you have more prevention, rescue and recovery potential, these disasters are usually beyond your control to prevent, and you cannot be dependent on external help. My “top ten” probable disasters for this century, based on probability and potential harm are listed below. Note that some are large-scale, cataclysmic events, while others are trends and developments happening now. It is also important to keep in mind that all of these situations negatively affect the probability and the severity of the others.

Pandemic #2, #3...

There is no mathematical or logical reason that precludes the probability of another type of pandemic in the next few years. The chances of a pandemic in 2021 are exactly the same as they were in 2019. The same issues of population density, migration and travel that existed before 2020 will exist as we go into the future decades. Unless or until war or pandemic actually reduces the population by a very significant percentage, the threat will remain and grow. No doubt, terrorists and extremists will have noted the effectiveness of this pandemic on America and the West and may work to deliberately develop and distribute even more virulent and deadly pathogens. While we will be more vigilant and better prepared for future pandemics in the near future, apathy and the demands of other priorities will inevitably degrade preparedness over the coming years. Other pathogens may have entirely different pathologies and require different methods of control and treatment, rendering stocks of equipment from the coronavirus useless. The wise survivor will restock and double stock as if the next pandemic is just around the corner.

Mass Civil Disorder

A certain level of civil disorder were experienced as the pandemic of 2020 progressed. It was difficult to manage and slow the spread of the disease while hold together the economy. Fear and frustration was often exploited by political agitators, criminals and even foreign influences to create division and encourage destructive acts. The internet and social-media facilitated hate and conspiracy theories when reason and analysis were most needed. While the police and fire departments were still able to function, many of their members were debilitated and even killed by the virus. The stress of putting their own families at risk to protect the general public did cause some disruptions and reduction in their capability, but it could be much worse in the future. The anti-police rhetoric and misguided political actions immediately resulted in dramatic increases in violent crime in New York, Chicago and other cities, and the massive economic cost of the pandemic is bound to negatively affect the budgets for police and fire protection in every town and city. Most locations will be hard-pressed to maintain public safety services and equipment after the pandemic, much less improve them to meet future challenges. Trained employees at municipal water, power and sanitary facilities were also affected and in some cases threatened to walk-off the jobs if not given extra pay and protection. The food supply chain sputtered and showed signs of failure as transportation, packing and retail employees became ill due to increased exposure. The failure of one or more survival critical services to high-density urban and suburban regions for more than a few days would lead to panic, looting and general lawlessness. Civil disorder in one or two major cities could be controlled by the reallocation of resources and the National Guard, but the spread of civil disorder throughout the country would leave citizen lives and property totally unprotected. The damage could leave most regions devastated to the level of the third world. Such a scenario is more likely now than it was just a year ago, so the survivor must not only be able to survive without help, they must also be able to protect their own lives, freedom, and property against malevolent and violent elements.

Economic Collapse

The health of an economy is determined by its productivity. When the people are able to produce what is needed and purchase what they need we have a stable economy. Even before the pandemic the world economy was a house of cards, only sustained by automation and economic manipulation. The stability of national economies can be measured by the national debt vs the nations productivity (GDP). Here are some examples China has a 1.6 trillion dollar debt with a 297 percent debt vs GDP gap. The US has a whopping 25 trillion dollar debt* with a 106.2 percent GDP gap. Japan has a 12.2 trillion dollar debt against a 237 percent gap. Simply put the world owes more than it can pay and does not have the natural resources to support seven-billion people in anything like health and comfort. Automation has made simple labor less and less valuable and shifted wealth and power to a smaller and smaller number of nations and individuals. While the pandemic practically stopped the production of real produced wealth, trillions dollars in paper wealth were printed and distributed. Less than nine-percent of the worlds wealth exists in any solid (gold, paper) form the remaining ninety-one percent is just ones and zero in computers that has value only as long as people believe it has value. Ultimately the gap (canyon) between our economic illusion and economic reality must lead to a very traumatic adjustment. Sustained depression, massive losses, draconian taxation, high inflation rates, wealth confiscation, and totalitarian government may arise. Gold, diamonds and currency will be worthless, while hard goods and necessities will be the only true currency. Unfortunately: those who have made themselves self-reliant and in possession of needed supplies will be targets of hatred by the public and persecution by the state. Ultimately: only strong networks and alliances among self-reliance practitioners and responsible citizens will suffice to preserve life, freedom and property against annihilation.

*The US debt to China is 4.3 Trillion dollars alone

Climate Change

Regardless of the cause, climate change is a reality that must be faced and survived throughout the coming decades. All ten of the worst weather related catastrophes in US history have occurred since 1992 with a steadily increasing frequency and severity. In addition to creating droughts, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and violent storms, it will exacerbate international conflicts, famines, mass migrations and economic problems throughout the world. The already weakened economies’ of most nations will render it impossible to cope with these disasters. As a result the world’s capacity to support the current and future populations will continue to decline. We can anticipate living in a more meteorologically violent and unpredictable world while we cope with other threats. The survivor must shift life styles and priorities to meet this evolving situation over decades, while also being better prepared to survive more frequent storms, floods, and other local and regional disasters. The ability to evacuate is particularly important for these kinds of threats.

Nuclear War

While there was a briefed relaxation of the potential for a nuclear exchange after the fall of the Soviet Union, that potential has returned, and is even greater today than it was in the 1980’s. Today’s nuclear delivery systems include hypersonic cruise missiles, stealth drones, hypersonic reentry warheads, and multiple warhead ballistic missiles. The new Chinese Dong-feng 41 missile has a range of 9,400 miles and speed of 25 times the speed of sound. The new weapons are unstoppable and can reach any point in the US within thirty-minutes of launch. Current estimates are that China has 280 warheads, Russia has 6,850, and the US has 6,450, and it only takes one to start Armageddon. In addition, we have India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, France and Great Brittan in possession of nuclear weapons that could be accidentally or deliberately detonated or stolen by terrorists. Famines, pandemics, disputes over dwindling resources, and general political instability could easily result in an escalating nuclear exchange. While blast sheltering may be impractical, the ability to evacuate and to detect and survive fallout are still important survival skills. Any significant nuclear exchange would trigger all of the other listed disasters.

Famine

California, one of the world richest food producing areas, has lost over 30 percent of its cropland due to the ongoing drought. The major aquafers that supply the water for crops in Africa, India and the American Midwest are drying up. Food shortages brought riots to Africa in 2010-2011 and food shortages had a part in the disastrous “Arab Spring” movement that eventually generated ISIS. At this point the earth hosts over 7.3 billion people and this number will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 with the global demand for food rising by 50 percent above current levels. America loses one-percent or more of farmland to development annually. By the end of the twenty-first century (if we get there) the population will top 15 billion. To imagine that food production will ever be able to keep up with this demand is preposterous. We cannot even feed the current population in many countries. China’s experiment with food production in Africa has been a total failure. Back in the 1990’s when the Soviet Union collapsed and stopped subsidizing North Korean agriculture over one-million Koreans died within a few years and they continue to die now. The whole world agricultural capacity is fragile and dependent on cheap water, cheap fertilizers (mostly based on petroleum) and cheap fuel to run massive machinery. All of these elements are at or near the breaking point. The pandemic clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of the food distribution system throughout the world. There can be no doubt that the issue of food supplies will become the major political, economic, military, and survival issue in the coming decades. Despotic states and criminal black-market cartels may use food as a weapon to subjugate populations and facilitate oppression. The ability to feed one’s self and one’s family is the foundation of survival and freedom.

Artificial Intelligence Domination

This threat was not seriously on my radar until recently, but must be considered as a threat to human life and freedom as we know it. While computers were first thought to be the means to save us time and improve our lives and social opportunities, the technology has been used to waste our time and prevent intelligent, and productive social interaction. Technology is (intentionally or unintentionally) destroying human society and replacing it with a virtual society controlled by programs and logarithms. China leads the world in thought control and total surveillance of society through facial recognition, intelligent drones, and cameras everywhere, but they are exporting this technology to western nations on a massive scale. I like to call people who have a Pavlovian need to respond to their phone or a text and go about with their smart phone on 24/7 “oblivions” who live in a virtual would rather than the real one around them. It is interesting, and perhaps frightening to note that according to scientific studies human intelligence has been in decline for several decades, while computer power has recently surpassed that of the human brain. Moore’s law states that computer power doubles every 18 to 24 months. Artificial intelligence now engages in so-called “deep learnings” and acts on its own initiatives without human direction. Computers learn and improve exponentially while the human brain improves only linearly. The human brain calculates a bit slower than the speed of light, while quantum computers calculate at thousands of times the speed of light*. Do the math. See the future.

* Due to something called “quantum-entanglement” it is actually possible to calculate and communicate faster than the speed of light.

Cyber Attack, EMP, Grid Failure

Cyber warfare has been in progress between the nations of the world for several decades. Since America is the richest and most cyber dependent nation in the world, it is the major target for all types of cyber-attacks. Targets for cyber-attacks include the electrical power grid, power generation systems, water distribution facilities, sewer systems, medical facilities, police and fire protection agencies, the military, and the financial infrastructure. Artificially intelligent viruses can be programed to travel through the internet, lie in wait and then destroy a system or systems at a given time. Yes, they can be there right now hidden in programs. As with real viruses, computer viruses can be accidentally created and unleashed as well. Such viruses can bypass safety systems to destroy generators, oil refineries, nuclear facilities, water pumps and hospital equipment. An attack on railroad, or air traffic control systems could result in significant death and destruction. Most of the world’s wealth exists as data in computers that could just disappear. Backup systems and air-gapped systems provide some protection, but recent events have demonstrated how these safeguards can be bypassed. Experts estimate that if the electrical grid in the United States was down for ten to twelve months ninety-percent of the population would die from the various affects.

Electromagnetic pulses (EMP) can destroy computers and other electronic devices, if unprotected. A large scale EMP could even disable vehicles, aircraft and municipal service systems. Nuclear weapons generate powerful EMP’s. Solar events can generate EMP’s powerful enough to damage power grids, communication systems and unprotected electronic devices. The military has developed drones and portable devices that can target specific areas with powerful EMPs. Terrorists can probably create EMT weapons as well. The United States, Russia and China are in a race to create the first true quantum computer. Such a computer would make all military and financial computers instantly obsolete and unlock every security system. While an ordinary “super computer” could take many years to try every possible combination of words, letters and numbers in any potential password combination, a quantum computer could try hundreds of billions of combinations in a few minutes.

Cyberwarfare, along with economic warfare, disinformation through social media, drug importation, and political agitation are all part of the asymmetric warfare campaigns being waged against free societies throughout the world. The individual must avoid dependency on personal digital systems and on the infrastructure that depends on them. Backup data to isolated storage, keep hard copies, and keep electronic devices in faraday cages when possible.

Revolution and Civil War

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 Americans attribute this to our values and the genius of our Constitution there are other factors that have historically contributed to our stability.

America maintained strong values of community, responsibility, self-reliance and patriotism regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. We were all 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. Armed demonstrations against the pandemic lockdowns and anti-gun legislation is a harbinger of future revolts. The growing sanctuary movement where counties*, and whole states are prepared to defy higher authorities is an indicator of massive discontent and defiance. 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”

* In Virginia 91 out of the 95 counties passed resolution defying the states gun laws.

Terrorist attacks

While the number of terrorist attacks has temporarily declined, the effects of potential terrorist attacks continues. The cost of “the war on terror” and the massive security measures throughout society has drained hundreds of billions from the national economies that could have been used to rebuild our infrastructure, and reduce our national dept. The terrorists won and continue to win as they affect our lives and our national economy. We can be certain that the recent pandemic has provided terrorist with another weapon to disseminate fear and confusion. Economic challenges will impact the poor and minority communities making them susceptible to radicalization and extremist activities. Economic decline can necessitate cuts in military spending, and the budgets for police and fire protection that may provide opportunities for extremist groups to better organize and plan activities. Criminal gangs and cartels should be included as terrorists, and can be expected to grow in power and audacity as law-and-order weakens. In third world nations the gangs and cartels are the true government, controlling the black-market, and offering safety for a price. Only a vigilant, prepared and armed population can prevent the rise of terror and crime in the future

Conclusion

The possibility of a world-wide disaster can no-longer be in doubt, as one of the above disasters has already occurred and several others are developing as we speak. Each threat scenario affects the probability and potential severity of the others. Some of the above threats occur suddenly, while others develop insidiously over the years. At this point only the most foolish would ignore these threats and fail to make a concerted effort to avoid, mitigate and survive their effects. While it is difficult to predict which one will happen next or in what order such events could occur, but we must all recognize the fragility of our civilization and necessity of constant vigilance and dedicated preparedness.

Resistance Article Published in American Survivor

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 20:09:07 +0000

The Alien Sedition Act of 1789 forbade publication of malicious and scandalous writings against the United States Government. In response to this unconstitutional violation of rights, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison initiated what was called the Virginia and Kentucky Resolution they calling for the "Nullification" of Federal laws, by the States when such laws were deemed to be unjust. Some interpreted them as a threat of insurrection and civil war. Fortunately they were never tested and the Alien and Sedition Laws were allowed to expire. One wonders if the concept of state "nullification" may rise again if Federal overreach occurs. The article below was published in the Jan/Feb issue of American Survivor. Live Free members get a new issue semimonthly. We have constantly for told of the current challenges to life and freedom and how to cope with them. JOIN NOW!

Resistance, 8-20 (pdf)Download

The Last Word on Respirators

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 17:44:54 +0000

There should be no confusion about N95 respirators providing protection against Covid-19 infection. If worn properly and consistently, they prevent inspiration and expiration of the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes Covid-19, end of story, full stop. This is not my opinion, it is my “expert” opinion. Unlike most of the internet gurus and purveyors of conspiracy theories, I actually have qualifications and training related to respiratory protection. I have certificated training from both OSHA and the American Society of Safety Engineers. I specified, fit tested and trained people for respiratory protection from N95 respirators, through full-face filter respirators and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus as a Safety Manager for a major chemical company. I also trained in appropriate biological respiratory protection as an EMT.

The N95 Respirator

These are true respirators not just masks. When worn according to the instruction on the box they provide very effective protection against airborne pathogens, toxic dust particles, soot, and toxic mist droplets. They also provide effective protection against inhalation of radioactive dust particles. They do not provide protection against poison gasses such as chlorine, ammonia or carbon monoxide. Unless you anticipate a poison gas attack or a chemical spill scenario, an N95 is all you need. They are cheap and easy to have with you. While they are classified as “disposable” they can be decontaminated with exposure too UV light including sunlight. They should be stored in plastic bags when not on use.

The reason that the CDC and other agencies did not emphasize N95 respirators at the start of the pandemic is because (1) they wanted to hoard enough for medical professional and (2) there was already a shortage because China had bought up huge quantities before letting the world know about Covid-19. You saw everyone in China wearing N95 masks back in March. China’s draconian mandating of wearing mask brought the pandemic under control much faster than in other countries. While I would not advocate such a mandate in a free country, that should have been a strong recommendation for Americans from the start*. I had about twenty-five N95’s at home in January and managed to buy one more box of twenty in late March. N95 respirators are the gold standard for use by medical professionals who are exposed to airborne pathogen all day that should tell you all you need to know.

Some people claim that they can’t breathe while wearing these respirators. Unless you have a very serious respiratory illness, this is mainly psychological. I trained employees who wore these masks continuously for hours of hard work in hot conditions. At 79-years of age I wear N95’s throughout full workouts at the fitness center.

Face Masks

Since the professionals and smart survivors had already grabbed up the available N95’s a number of alternative masks came into use. Common blue surgical mask are designed to prevent pathogens from the mouth and nose of surgeons and other ER and OR personnel from infecting patients who are in an otherwise sterile environment. They are not intended as “respiratory protection’ but provide limited protection against inspiration of pathogens. Some versions have a double-layer that provides better protection. Soft cloth mask in various designs seem to be the most popular choice. If worn tightly against the face, these should be good enough for protection against coughs, and breaths carrying at virus. Those with a double layer of cloth are best

Bandannas and Neck Gators

In my books I recommend carrying a bandanna as an “everyday carry” items for use as a bandage, tourniquet, and last resort respirator, but it is no substitute for an N95 or even a good cloth face mask. Neck gators are also inadequate. The best I can say for them is that they are BTN (better than nothing) in an emergency. They may meet the letter of the “face mask required” regulation, but you are fooling yourself if you think they are as effective as cloth masks or true respiratory.

Gas Masks and Half-Face Filter Respirators

While these devices are effective, they are bulky, uncomfortable and difficult to fit properly, while offering no more effective protection than the light weight N95 respirators. Gas masks are for gas! Unless you live down wind of a hazardous chemical facility they are a waste of money.

Conclusion

Respiratory protection is a very effective way to avoid contracting Coved-19, and any other airborne pathogen. N95 respirators are the best choice for respiratory protection, but cloth masks and surgical masks are certainly better than no protection when N95’s are unavailable. As the pandemic subsides, I will be restocking my survival supplies with N95 respirators. So should you.

*If the government had prohibited the wearing of masks or respirators, I would have defied that order, because it’s just smart survival practice to wear them.

Three New Free Publication PDFs

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:40:28 +0000

We recently updated our well known Preparedness Overview flyer that we distribute at our meetings and presentations. anyone is welcome to reprint this as a public service.

The Special Edition of American Survivor is distributed free at preparedness expos and events as a sample of our membership newsletter. American Survivor is the oldest and most respected survival/preparedness publication in the USA, and has been especially accurate in predicting the pandemic, civil unrest, severe weather and economic decline in recent times. More importantly it has provided information on how to prepare for and survive these and other challenges now and in the future. Online members have access to over seventy back issues of American Survivor as well as each new issue as it is published. Members can also opt for hard-copy mailing.

Recent articles in American Survivor included: Revolution and Civil War (July 2020), Is America Headed for Another Revolution? (Jan/Feb. 219), and Decent Into Chaos (Jan/Feb 2015). Unfortunately these articles were far more accurate than we would have guessed. As a result, it may be timely to publish a modified version of the chapter in my recent book devoted to "Military Skills for the Survivalist". Note: the book is 150 Survival Secrets, by James C. Jones from Skyhorse publishing of NY and covers many controversial and challenging survival subjects.

The Long Road Ahead

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 09:27:24 +0000

My childhood experiences make me predisposed to detect and expect survival challenges, and my career as a Hazard Control Manager provide me with the training, tools and experience to anticipate threats to safety and survival. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, I can foresee further challenges in the months and years ahead, and while I hope that the optimistic predictions of politicians come true, I am obligated to share the following observations.

There is no logical or statistical reason to expect that another epidemic or other disaster is less likely to occur next year or in a few years. In fact a weakened infrastructure and economy makes further disasters more probable.
While the effects of the lockdown and distancing combined with the warmer weather may reduce the spread of the virus through the summer months, the virus isn’t going away. Cooler weather combined with public apathy is bound to result in a resurgence of the epidemic later in the year. Better testing and better preparedness will help, but the number of infected persons who can spread the virus will be much greater in September than it was at the beginning of the outbreak, so a fast jump in cases could result. The CDC has warned that the potential second wave could be “far more deadly” that the first. The effects of a second lockdown in winter could be truly catastrophic.
As of May the US had about 900,000 known cases of Covid-19 and 52,000 resulting deaths. Extending those rates through the summer could give us 2,000,000. Cases and 100,000. Deaths. Adding the expected winter bump could bring us to 4,000,000 cases and over 150,000 deaths, a truly horrific possibility.
The promise of a vaccine in twelve to eighteen months may be overly optimistic. There still is no vaccine for SARS, MERS, Avian Flue, or Ebola and they have been around for many years. Early results indicate that those who have recovered from Covid-19 may not be immune to future infection. This virus could be around for several more years or indefinitely
I totally agree that the economy cannot sustain a full lockdown for an indefinite period of time, but as a trained industrial hygienist and EMT I totally agree that expanded human contact will cost thousands of American lives. We absolutely have the right to gather, assemble, and work, but we absolutely have the patriotic duty to voluntarily observe distancing and other precautions to protect ourselves, our families and our fellow Americans. Don’t do it because of orders, do it because you care about others.
As expected the Russians and the Chinese are actively using social media to promote confusing and divisive narratives and conspiracy theories to weaken and divided America and deflect blame. The Chinese laugh while we point fingers at each other and argue about social distancing and whose fault the pandemic is. It’s the fault of China and the Chinese Communist Party, end of story. We can expect the Democratic Party to focus attacks on Republicans for the spread of the virus and imply that they could do better. Of course it’s always easy to play political games with 20/20 hindsight and no actual involvement in the crisis. Again: no one will be blaming the Chinese.
At this point our whole infrastructure, economy and society is unstable and weakened to the point where another major event such as a terrorist attack, cyber-attack, or political upheaval could result in the collapse of western civilization. Our enemies know this.
In late April the Chicago Police had to break up over one thousand incidents of mass assemblages of youths on the streets. While there were only a few arrests and minor resistance, this was in cool weather after only a few weeks of the lockdown. What will happen when the weather gets hot and the lockdown has continued for several months? We can anticipate that gangs, agitators and opportunists will try to incite violence and looting on a massive scale. This was as we predicted, but the police misconduct incident served as a detonator. The massive street demonstrations were as much about pent-up lock-down fatigue as it was about the police issue. We can now expect a continuation of street protests and violence around the conventions and elections. All of this will perpetuate and spread the virus.

When and if it’s Over

The German psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961) stated that “The most intense conflicts if overcome, leave behind a sense of security and calm that is not easily disturbed”. He was describing the dangerous false sense of security and tendency towards apathy and denial that is a part of human nature. In the aftermath of this pandemic we will be in uncharted territory with a devastated economy, a chaotic political and social infrastructure and all of the remaining threats such as terrorism, war, revolution, natural disasters, and famine still in place. While the tendency may be to rejoice and relax, the necessity must be to be vigilant and rededicated to preparedness, survival education and self-reliance. American life and freedom cannot survive another massive calamity if the public is unaware, unorganized and unprepared

We Saw This Coming and More

The following paragraph is from my article titled “Human Extinction” published in American Survivor newsletter in September of 2018*. The point of the article was that we have over seven billion people on a planet that scientists calculate can only support about five billion people, and that nature and human nature would inevitably start to correct this imbalance through a number of catastrophic trends and event, one of which would be pandemics. I also demonstrated how each disaster would cause a cascade effect that would create additional and worsening disasters. Many readers felt that I was going too far with such grime analyses, but I am cursed with the necessity of logic over wishful thinking.

Impending Epidemics

The horrible reality is that epidemics, wars and famine are the most likely way that the population will be reduced. The population density, migration and travel have set the stage for a world-wide epidemic that could kill millions or even billions. The source could be a deliberate act, a laboratory accident or simply a natural mutation of an existing pathogen. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization) agree that it is not a matter of if, but when this happens. When this occurs it will crash the already fragile economy, cause the infrastructure (police, fire, medical, sanitation, food delivery, electrical power and water pumping) in many cities to shut down for lack of personnel. Civil disorder and outright revolution may follow. The reduced population might or might not be able to recover civilization.

And here we are!

Members Only Publications Posted

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 12:55:39 +0000

The new May/June PANDEMIC SPECIAL ISSUE of American Survivor has been posted as a PDF to the Members Only/American Survivor page for paid members.

Also: the new Live Free USA Members Handbook PDF has been posted to the Members Only/Special Publications page. This is a 62 page document that includes information about Live Free's mission, operations, history and organization as well as practical survival and preparedness articles from over fifty years of experience as America's first and best survival preparedness education organization. The contents is listed below.

Section One Membership

History of Live Free USA
Members Pledge
Ten Foundations of Membership
Bylaws Abridged and Explained
The Live Free Shield (logo)
The Live Free Motto
The Brotherhood of the Survival Pack
The Order of the Firewatch
We Are Survivalists
Personal Declaration of Independence
Organizing a Survival Team
Live Free Chapters and Affiliated Groups

Section Two Survival and Preparedness

Preparedness Overview
The Ten Principles of Survival
Personal Preparedness Scoresheet
Home Safety Checklist
Eight Medical Skills
Everyday Carry Items List
Bedside Drawer List
Surviving the First Seventy-two Hours
Home Survival Gear List
Vehicle Emergency Gear List
Outdoor Survival Pack List
Get Home Bag List
Evacuation Pack List
Bugout/Survival Pack List

A printed version will be available later this year.

The Coming Age Of Civil Disorder

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:32:29 +0000

As we enter the year 2020 we can anticipate further political chaos and agitation on the streets of America. It is difficult to predict how violent or widespread civil disorder will be, but it is something most should be prepared for. Even those living in rural areas can be affected by the economic and social impact of any breakdown in law and order in their region. The article below was published in Live Free's newsletter last year. For more detailed survival information on a wide range of topics, we hope you will join.

We live in an unstable and increasingly unsafe society. While a sense of normalcy and safety still prevails the indications of societal disintegration and impending social chaos abound. The sheer multiplicity of negative trends and events constantly weakens our capacity to maintain order and safety.

Increasingly frequent natural and manmade disasters drain our economy and overstretch our emergency response resources. The following list of challenges and trends should convince any responsible citizen that a dark-age of civil chaos and general lawlessness lies ahead.

The ongoing condemnation and persecution of police and emergency responders will continue to limit their ability to protect the public. Law enforcement officers must be more cautious and hesitant to pursue, detain and subdue suspects. In turn, criminals are more likely to flee, resist or employ weapons against the police.
Disparagement of the police and disrespect for the law has emboldened criminals of all types. Carjacking’s, street robberies, bank robberies, theft from parked vehicles, burglaries, shoplifting, and other crimes are becoming more rampant each year. The courts often release such criminals on the suspects own recognizant or home monitoring while awaiting trial and then hands down probation or reduced sentences.
Even so-called “gun crimes” by repeat felons are often given a proverbial “slap on the wrist” punishments or early releases from short prison sentences.
Smash and grab crimes where multiple criminals use sledgehammers or stolen vehicles to smash through windows or even walls to access valuables and escape before police arrive are more and more frequent in every urban and suburban region.
Violent crimes against the elderly and even the disabled are popular activities for the criminal class today.
Drive-by shootings and vehicle-to-vehicle shootouts on our expressways is an increasing trend.
The ongoing opioid epidemic added to the long-existing drug crisis in America and the world drives more people into the criminal world of gangs, violence and desperation.
Extremists and mentally deranged are increasingly turning to various forms of violence acts.
The internet and social-media facilitates flash-mob crimes where dozens of people suddenly overwhelm a store, grab merchandise and then flee before anyone can react. The internet has also made fencing stolen goods much easier and more profitable than before.
Virtually every social and political issue now generates a demonstration that ties up police resources, disrupts business, blocks traffic and often results in violence or even outright riots and looting. There are whole organizations devoted to supporting any kind of civil disorder and several secretive, national groups that are focused on initiating violence at any type of demonstration.
The budgets for law enforcement, fire departments, court systems and detention centers are inadequate in most urban areas and will continue to decline in the coming decades. Raising taxes causes law abiding tax payer to flee as does increased crime rates. This leaves only the poorer residents and welfare recipients who pay little or no taxes at all. Most urban areas are caught in a death spiral of rising taxes, crime, and declining revenues. This can only lead to instability and potential massive violence.
The recent 2016 election cycle provided a glimpse of the social/political instability and division. The internet and the mass-media continues to amplify division and support extreme viewpoints as we approach the 2018 and the 2020 elections. The various sides are already gearing up for a contentious and possibly violent confrontations on many issues. No-matter what the results of these elections may be, we can anticipate violent demonstrations, active resistance and even revolutionary activities that exceed those of the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.

While some of these trends have marked previous times in American history and one or two of them alone could not be expected to generate a general collapse of law-and-order in our society, if continued, the combined effects of these trends may well lead to an unprecedented level of chaos and violence within the next few years. The period of violence and civil disorder generated by the combination of issues and agitation in the late 1960s and early 1970s offers some valuable lessons and examples. I living in Chicago during these times, I witnessed the causations and effects of the violent events of those times. The civil-rights movement, the anti-Viet Nam War movement and several other social/political movement were coopted by communists, and special interest groups with dark agendas. Certainly the Soviet Union financed the more violent groups in order to weaken the United States. Big financial interests benefited from massive real-estate displacements and public housing developments. Government agencies grew stronger and more intrusive. So-called revolutionary groups abounded with shooting, looting and bombing culminating in the great riots that destroyed whole communities and initiated a trend towards disrespect, division and crime that continues to this day. At that time America still had a solid middle class and a foundation of shared conservative values that was sufficient to check the slide toward outright revolution and disaster. The “greatest generation” of citizens who had built America and defeated tyrants and aggressors in World War Two were the dominant population then. Regrettably, today’s population lacks these unifying values and shared sense of responsibility.

The riots and demonstrations of the 1960s and 1970s were contained within the inner-cities and to downtown and government facilities. While I lived in Chicago during these times and I certainly knew enough to avoid going downtown or through certain areas, life went on as normal for the great majority. Crime and looting did not spill-over into adjoining communities or suburbs. Although there was real concern that these disruptions could generate a true revolution America was far too strong and unified and these movements eventually (literally and figuratively) burned themselves out. They did however implant ideas, trends and cultures that have continued to weaken, destabilize and divide American society as we face a new age of internal conflict.

Previously, the dominant social force in America has been conservative, self-reliant, America values that were resistant to any “isum” or extremist views. This central, law-abiding mass tended to dampen any tendency towards violence. Unfortunately the dominant tendencies today are dependency oriented, self-centered and disrespectful of society and other individuals. The media and the internet can easily foment nation-wide discontent leading to violence that would affect every community.

Today’s more homogenous communities make it far more probable that any general uprisings will spill into adjoining communities than was true in the 60s and 70s. Shopping centers in more affluent and “safe” communities will not likely be spared. Gangs and bands of criminals will not be hesitant to roam widely as police are over-occupied or driven away. This is already evident in the kinds of crime-waves being experienced in most suburban areas now.

Today criminals use google earth to locate affluent homes and shopping centers now and will be able to use this tool along with social-media to organize raids and looting. No area will be immune to attack during any future outbreak.

Having made my case that law-and-order is already breaking down and could easily degenerate into wide-spread and long-term chaos, let’s consider what steps the responsible citizen can take to survive, avoid or escape from violence ravaged areas.

The survival challenges will differ depending on your location, but there will be no “safe zones”. Violence and war tends to flow in various ways, so that one part of a town may be ravaged to ruination while another is relatively untouched. Even in places like Berlin during World War Two or modern day Bagdad there were/are areas relatively untouched and nearly normal, but no-one can assume that their home or community will be spared. We can predict that some kinds of areas will be more dangerous than others and have different challenges that will require differing preparations and responses. Let’s call them “red zones”, “orange zones” and “yellow zones”.

Red Zones would be inner city, high population density and high value commercial centers where crime rates are already high, gangs have established a solid footing and any disruption to police protection, utilities or support can quickly flash into uncontrollable violence, looting, fires and crime. The police barley maintain control of such regions today and would be virtually helpless against a general collapse.

Avoidance and prevention: obviously moving to a safer area will improve survivability, but many citizens have economic, family and social responsibilities that effect our choice of locations. If moving is not an option, then getting involved and working to build a stronger, safer and more stable community is the only way to avoid being caught-up in a societal disaster? Take action now if you can.
Preparation and planning: Preparation and planning: Being able to stay off the streets is critical. Having enough food, water, medications and other necessities to ride-out a crisis is your first step to survival in most situations. Red zone residents must give more attention to active defense and the possibility that escape and evacuation will be an unavoidable necessity in their preparation and planning. Bug-out bags and weapons are a necessity. Consider discussing mutual defense and aid plans with your neighbors and relatives in advance.
Active and passive defense: Once civil disorder erupts in your area, you will be forced to take up an armed defensive posture. Blocking doors and windows, establishing a 24/7 watch schedule and having loaded firearms and extra ammunition is justified in such situations. You should also move all flammables and combustibles away from windows and have plenty of large fire extinguisher on hand as arson and Molotov -cocktails are a favorite tool of insurgents. Do not fire on anyone unless they have initiated action against your home. Don’t do anything to attract attention.
Evacuation and escape: In many cases escape from a riot-torn area may be your best and only option. While it may be difficult to abandon your home before you are forced to do so, waiting until you are surrounded and under assault may be too late. Early evacuation may permit you to take more with you and use your vehicle, whereas fleeing at the last-minute may mean doing so on-foot while leaving most of your valuables behind. You may also want to consider how to hide, secure or even burry items that you cannot take with you to minimized losses if your home is looted or burned.

Orange Zones would usually be communities adjoining the Red Zones, suburbs of major cities, and medium sized towns. Such areas will have gang presents and local criminals that will seize on opportunities. They have active contacts with the larger Red Zone political extremists and criminal gangs and could facilitate their entry into these communities. The police forces in such areas are often undermanned, but are dedicated to defending their home towns.

Avoidance and prevention: You need to analyze the level of risk you face in such areas. Are your neighbor’s responsible citizens or potential threats? Are you in or near a major commercial center or roadway that will attract looters and criminals? Are there signs of gang presents, drug use and high crime already appearing in your community? Even a relatively peaceful community may turn into a Red Zone if civil disorder last for more than a few days. Plan accordingly. Many smaller town and suburban communities have volunteer police auxiliaries and emergency organizations. It would be beneficial to join and support these groups to strengthen the community and enhance your level of training and awareness.
Active and passive defense: Assaults and looting is more likely to be hit-and-miss and off-and-on in these areas. Roaming gangs and opportunistic criminals rather than massive mobs will be the main threat. A well prepared and well-armed citizen may be able to avoid, discourage or drive-off these aggressors. Fences and hedges can help delay or channel assaults away from your home. Keeping your garage clear enough to actually contain your vehicle out of site is a major advantage. You must still have a 24/7 watch plan and a well thought out plan for stopping an assault and home invasion by multiple criminals. How close are the adjoining buildings? Could there occupation by hostile people or their catching fire threaten your safety? Be prepared to deal with these possibilities.
Evacuation and escape: While sheltering-in-place is more desirable than evacuation into or through hostile regions, it may still be a forced necessity. The same principles and tactics for Red Zone evacuations apply, but more routs and options may be available. Think “what if”.

Yellow Zones can be defined as remote small towns and semi-rural areas, away from main highways and commercial centers. While it is unlikely that such locations would initially be the sites of riots or looting they might not be immune to locally generated crimes and acts of violence by individuals and small groups. Drug gangs and extremist groups of all kinds have infiltrated even seemingly peaceful communities. Radicals and criminals are far more mobile than they were decades ago, and isolated and complacent communities could be tempting targets. Such areas often have just a few law enforcement officers who are ill-equipped to handle such threats.

Avoidance and prevention: Any extended period of civil disorder could result increased, opportunistic criminal activities and roaming gangs endangering residents of outlying communities. Organized community and town defense is a realistic option for such locations. Consider the most likely routs and directions from which threats could appear and de prepared to discourage and reroute potentially dangerous individuals and groups. Organized 24/7 community patrols and response plans will go a long-way in preventing problems.
Preparation and planning: Generally, being self-reliant and prepared to get by without outside supplies and services for weeks or months will be the main requirement. Community supplies and neighbors helping neighbors is important
Active and passive defense: Even in the most peaceful communities there are some individuals who will make trouble or commit crimes of opportunity when they think they can get away with it. Identify them in advance if possible. Be vigilant and prepared to deal with attempted robberies, home invasions and other crimes. A 24/7 watch is advisable when possible.
Evacuation and escape: If the chaos has reached the point where even small towns and rural areas are unable to maintain public safety things are truly disastrous. It’s good to have a preplanned place to go and safe route to get there, just in case. At that level of emergency the survival camp and militia-like resistance may be necessary to recover order.

Conclusions

While there are far too many factors in-play to predict when a period of general civil; disorder will develop or how severe and long-lasting such an event will be it seems more likely than not that significant upheavals lie within the next five to ten years or less. It is also apparent that such developments will impact most communities and that existing law enforcement and emergency response agencies may be inadequate to maintain order, protect the public and prevent looting and property damage. The responsible citizen should be prepared to cope with the challenges of home defense, self-defense, property protection, and if necessary evacuation through hostile surroundings. Since such situations could also interrupt food supplies, water and electrical services, and access to medical care, the citizen must stock up and build basic survival capabilities as well. The possibility of massive and enduring periods of civil disorder must be added to the already long list of potential survival challenges that the responsible American citizen of this century must prepare to face unaided if necessary.

2020 Foresight: The potential chaos in the coming year

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:03:55 +0000

The article below appeared in an earlier edition of our American Survivor newsletter. Social/political conflict can be considered as much of a survival threat as other disaster conditions. While we cannot predict how events will unfold in the new year, we can be sure that some forms of chaos will develop, that could result in a variety of survival challenges. Watch our site for further articles, or —better yet, join and and get access to all of our information. Stay safe.

While the election of Donald Trump seems to have put support for the self-reliance and survivalist movement into a state of extreme apathy, we are approaching a period of social and political conflict and chaos that could endanger every American’s survival, freedom and right to be self-reliant. While attendance at preparedness expos is down, every survival periodical (except this one) publication has ceased, and membership in preparedness organizations is declining, none of the serious dangers to survival and freedom have actually diminished. The economy has improved, but the national debt and other economic issues remain as a time-bomb. The rest of the world is in an economic and political death-spiral, sending hordes of desperate people fleeing into the remaining few free and safe nations. The frequency and severity of natural disasters continue to increase. Crime and various forms of terrorism are no less prevalent. While a conservative, pro-freedom administration is certainly to the advantage of self-reliant citizens, most survival threats are beyond the control of government agencies. Furthermore: we must anticipate a powerful and possibly violent counter-attack against freedom and self-reliance as the elections of 2020 approach. Special interests and extremists are gearing up for a life-or-death struggle to take back control and impose their agendas on the American public. We can also be assured that whichever side wins the elections in 2020, the other side will not accept the results. We can expect massive demonstrations, sabotage, domestic terrorism, economic disruption, and even massive civil disorder and possibly armed combat situations. The wise survivalist or prepper should be taking advantage of this short period of calm to maximize preparations and organization instead of apathetic procrastination.

We are already seeing terms like “resistance” and even “revolution” on demonstration signs and in social-media posts. We are also aware of growing militant groups at both ends of the political spectrum, some with definable objectives and values and others simply seeking chaos and power. The following is an examination of the options for a world-be survivor depending on how events develop before, during and after the 2020 elections.

Resistance: The political left currently uses the term “resistance” to stir-up support for demonstrations against a variety of political actions or for various legislation. As in the 60s, racism and economic inequality are often used as excuses for violence and destruction in the streets. Of course true resistance movements such as those used against the Nazis in World War Two or the Soviet Occupations throughout the Cold War involved sabotage, assassinations and raids. Resistance is by definition a counteraction to the existing regime. So, whoever feels that they are the losers in 2020 are likely to take resistance to a new level in a sustained campaign.
Counter Resistance: While we see counter demonstrations on some issue, the major counter resistance groups have focused on financial support for candidates and conservative causes. If a robust and violent resistance develops after the election we could see the rise of “Home Guard” and “Militia” groups as a counter to crime and civil disorder.
Revolutionary Action: Both the extreme left and the extreme right contain armed and trained elements. Gangs might align themselves with left leaning revolutionaries while elements of the military and police might be inclined to support rightwing insurgencies. Such a development is highly unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibility. Actual armed conflict and a breakdown of law-and-order could develop and spread. Urban areas could turn into battle grounds. States could even secede.
Counter Revolution: If one side is actively trying to overthrow the elected or established regime then actions to resist such an insurgency are counterrevolutionaries. If a revolutionary force has already succeeded in some kind of coup or overthrow by whatever means, then the immediate efforts to prevent the establishment of that regime is counterrevolutionary.

Whether a group or movement is a “resistance”, “counter resistance” “revolution” or “counter revolution” can depend on ones point of view and the propaganda value of the term. Depending on how events in the next few years develop, many of us could intentionally or unintentionally find ourselves in one of these categories. Maintaining neutrality may be difficult to maintain.

Active Neutrality: Even in the most popular revolutions and resistance movements only a fraction of the population is actively involved. Most just want to survive the conflict while others may wait until they can see how things develop before committing to even minimal support of either side. Active neutrality may be best summed up in the slogan “Don’t Tread On Me”, but The very act of defending your home and family may force you into a resistance or revolutionary position. When your community or your associates are swept into the conflict, they may take a “with us or against us” attitude. Neutrality will be particularly hard to maintain. Active neutrality means taking your own side, alone against both sides.
Passive Neutrality: It may be possible to simply keep a low profile and avoid contact and commitment throughout a conflict. If you reside in a low density or rural population and have no vested interest in the situation, this may be your first option. Of course this requires being able to survive the economic disruptions, grid dysfunction, and other challenges until order is restored.

Any involvement in these options should be positive on morally justifiable. Destruction of property, looting, vandalism, disruption of public services (e.g. food, power, transportation, etc.) must be avoided. It is wrong and will only alienate the public that you need for support. Violence of any kind must be defensive and justifiable. Responsible resistance or revolution could include:

Active crime prevention when law and order systems are ineffective
Property protection against illegal seizures, looting, and vandalism.
Protection of schools, churches, business and political events.
Border protection if the border defenses have broken down
Support of the military and police as needed
Providing medical aid and support for victims of political violence
Active publicity for your side, including radio, internet and print.

Conclusion

Given to polarization and rhetoric in today’s society, it is difficult to imagine a peaceful election and post-election scenario for two thousand twenty. The current apathy and inactivity within the survivalist and prepper movement is unjustified and a prelude to socioeconomic disruptions in a few years. The wise citizen should be stocking-up, organizing, training and preparing for social and political conflict in addition to the existing threats of natural disasters, economic instability, terrorism and war that continue unabated. Even if one is able to avoid direct participation in any conflict, the effect on one’s safety, property and liberty will be survival challenges for many citizens.

Survival in the UK

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:08:52 +0000

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 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.

Surprise Disasters and the Death Spiral

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:02:36 +0000

More Surprises and the Spiral.

The Subject of our July/August issue was “Surprise Disaster”. Does four major hurricanes and two major earthquakes in the same region in the same month qualify? Other recent American Survivor headline topics included “Severe Weather”, and “Descent into Chaos”. We seem to be right on target with our materials. I was looking at a 1970s copy of our newsletter and the headline was “The Coming Age of Terrorism”. Prophetic. Too bad that so few people read our publications.

The recent multiple disasters verifies our predictions about a disaster to catastrophe spiral. There is no such thing as recovery once the magnitude and quantity of disaster outpaces the resources and economies of the civilization. The emergency management agencies were exhausted. The Red Cross was forced to recruit literately off the street to get help. The public’s ability to provide contributions dwindled as each new demand occurred. State and national governments were forced further into debt. Housing prices are predicted to rise as material and labor goes towards replacing home instead of building new ones. Puerto Rico’s utility companies had already field for bankruptcy before the hurricanes struck. All of the funds from “recovery” and response must come from infrastructure improvements, security and safety agencies and from maintenance of the very systems that protect us from the next disaster. This spiral of more disasters, less capability and a weakening economy is unlikely to take us to a safe and prosperous future.

New Recommended Survival Book List

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:01:42 +0000

It has been a few years since we updated our book list. This is simply because we have too many projects going on simultaneously, but we will try to update it more often. We invite our readers to send in their recommendations in short form for the list or in longer form for publication as book reviews in our American Survivor newsletter. Send these to me at survivorjj@aol.com RecommendedBookList,7-16

Picking Locks As A Survival Skill

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:03:25 +0000

Certainly we all regard lock picking as a rather nefarious activity used by criminals and spies, but under true, live-or-die survival situations including this skill and the necessary devices in your survival kit may be worth consideration. In a large-scale disaster there will be plenty of abandoned commercial, industrial and residential structures. Even sheds and barns can provide emergency shelter that is far superior to tarps and tents.

While breaking into someone’s home or business is not something we want to do, it may be absolutely necessary to get out of the cold, wind, rain and other hazards. Entry should be achieved with the minimum of noise and damage. A broken window or door will attract unwanted attention. Carrying a lock pick gun and/or small pry bar in your survival pack may be worth the weight. If you enter someone’s home be respectful of their property. If you must “borrow” food or other items to survive leave them a note and an IOU for future reimbursement. Just because civilization has broken down does not justify your becoming a looter. Most importantly: be sure it is truly an unoccupied structure before approaching or attempting entry. Carefully observe, call out and even knock first. Going from a desperate survivor to an intruder could result in disaster for you and the occupants. The lock pick gun below with its instruction should get you past most locks, but you should practice ahead of time. Lock picks alone are much smaller and lighter than this gun, but take longer to learn. There are also special master keys and jiggle keys made for padlocks and automobiles. You can get these devices on line and through many survival supply catalogues. The one below is made by Scorpion Defense Products and is sold by BUDK.com for $22.99. Plain picks are just $9.95 while jiggle keys go for $19.00.

Surviving An Active Shooter Event

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:01:33 +0000

Resent events have made surviving an "active shooter" situation a real possibility. While writing my next book I am including it in the Ten Street Survival Techniques section. This is a combination of several official recommendations with my own survivalist additions.

Active shooter situations are becoming more frequent. An active shooter is one that not only initiates a shooting, but continues to remain at the scene or in motion shooting multiple rounds at multiple victims. Active shooters target crowded locations such as stores, theaters, and public building where every round fired may hit one or more victims. If caught in this situation you can be sure that the killing will continue until the police engage the shooter or he/she/they have killed everyone in sight. Even the police have now admitted that civilians caught in such situations should take certain actions rather than “stay calm” or try to reason with the terrorists. Unfortunately, the days when you could relax and enjoy public places and public venues are gone. Violent crime, gang shootings, drive-by shootings and terrorist guns and bombs have converted our communities into potential war zones. Below are steps and actions that you can take to survive such an event.

Being Prepared for an Active Shooter

Be observant and alert! In any crowed you must observe for suspicious behavior. Are people wearing unnecessarily baggy or long clothing? Do some people have suspicious bulges in their clothing or are they carrying odd long packages. Are some people wearing backpacks or leaving backpacks behind? Are some people moving around suspiciously and looking about as if ready to take some action? If your “sixth sense” is telling you to get out or get down do it!

Make an escape plan. In a restaurant, mall, theater or other potential terrorist target make sure to constantly be aware of the exits. Exits can be fire doors, windows, over railings, anything that works. Consider routs to exits that offer the most bulletproof cover. If true escape is not safe then seek any room with a solid door that can be locked and barricaded with heavy furniture.

Identify potential bullet proof cover. While you may hide behind furniture, car bodies, and plaster or wood walls it will generally not stop bullets. They provide only concealment. Cover is offered by brick walls, cement walls, heavy appliances, engine blocks and other very solid objects. Constantly identify these as places to go if escape is not immediately available.

What to Do When the First Shots are Fired

Act Immediately! If you have accepted the possibility of an active shooter situation and taken the steps above you can skip from denial to action while other freeze and get shot.

Take Cover. If you are already in the shooters vision or there is no covered escape route that will not expose you to the shooter, this may be your only option. Get behind the strongest, thickest object possible immediately. Stay low or lie flat. If wounded or among wounded lie down and play dead. Shooters will instinctively shoot anything that they see that moves.

Escape: If the shooter(s) has his back to you, you have a chance to escape or at least reach good cover before they turn around. Remember that there may be more than one shooter. If you go through a door get to the right or left of the door and keep moving towards cover since the shooter may shoot through it or follow you out.

Engage: The Washington D.C. chief of police and many others have now recognized that civilians may need to take action on their own before law enforcement arrives to save themselves and others. If you cannot escape or find cover and the shooter continues to shoot your best chance is to distract, delay or disable the shooter. Discharging a fire extinguisher, throwing a heavy object; tackling, clubbing, or stabbing are all justified in this situation. If you have a firearm use it! Yes, shoot them in the back if you can. Shoot for the head as they often have bullet-proof vests. If possible shoot from a low position so your bullets go upward and avoid hitting bystanders. Don’t hesitate and don’t try to get them to surrender. They will just shoot you. CAUTION: remember, the police will consider anyone they find holding a gun as the enemy! Once the shooter(s) are down (1) do not pick up their weapons and (2) put your weapon down and your hands up and wait for the police.

Communicate: If not in immediate danger use your cell phone to call for help. Provide the police with any information that you can, such as the description number of shooters, location of shooters, type of weapons used, direction shooters are or did move. If you are barricaded or behind cover provide your location and your own description. If nothing else, pull the fire alarm to warn others and distract the shooter. .

Recovery: If you are lucky enough to have survived such as violent event you are not safe yet. The police are going to be very jumpy on entry! Stay down and keep your hands up. Follow police instructions carefully. They will consider everyone there as a threat until searched, interviewed and cleared. There may still be other active shooters at large or there may be bombs or booby traps left behind. If you are carrying a firearm (open or concealed) be sure to immediately tell the police while keeping your hands up. If you have any medical training try to help the wounded until the medics arrive. Stopping severe bleeding and treating for shock may be an important lifesaving action.

10 Weeds that Heal

Lisa Pappas — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:14:43 +0000

I discovered a great article on healing "weeds" right in our own backyard. Thanks to Patsy Clark I have been motivated to learn more about what we can use, other than "traditional medicines". I hope you are able to learn something new from this article!

Source

This might come as a surprise, but many of you just might have a medicine cabinet right in your own backyard and you aren’t even aware of it. Yes, that is correct. As a Certified Master Herbalist I wanted to share with you some basic “weeds” that are known to have a profound impact on you or someone that you love health. Okay here we go!

Purslane– Is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Purslane is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids for vegans, vegetarians, and other people who do not or cannot eat fish. In fact, purslane is said to be the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids among cultivated green leafy vegetables. However, some wild-growing greens, such as molokhia and stamnagathi, have been reported to contain omega-3 fatty acids in amounts comparable to those found in purslane.

How to reap the health benefits of summer purslane

Purslane starts to lose its nutritional qualities immediately after harvest. Therefore, the best way to maximize the health benefits of purslane is to grow your purslane and harvest it as needed. If you don’t have a big garden or if you fear that planting purslane will take over your entire vegetable garden (after all, purslane is a weed), consider growing purslane indoors as a microgreen. All you need is an empty container, some potting soil, organic purslane seed, and a sunny window sill. Simply sow the seeds, keep the soil moist (but avoid over-watering), and watch your micro-purslane grow!

Dandelions– Are rich in potassium which is often lost through excess urination. Dandelions are exceptionally high in vitamin A, vitamin, C and iron with more iron and calcium than spinach.

Almost all the parts of dandelion herb are in various traditional as well in modern medicine. The principle compounds in the herb have laxative and diuretic functions. The plant parts have been used as herbal remedy for liver and gall bladder complaints. The herb is also a good tonic, appetite stimulant and is a good remedy for dyspeptic complaints. The inside surface of the flower stems used as a smoothing agent for burns and stings (for example in stinging nettle allergy).

Here are some serving tips:

Young tender shoots, raw or blanched, used in salads and sandwiches either alone or in combination with other greens like lettuce, kale, cabbage, chives, etc.
Fresh greens may also used in soups, stews, juices, and as cooked vegetable.
Dried leaves as well as flower parts used to make tonic drinks and herbal dandelion teas.
Dandelion flowers used in the preparation of wines, schnapps, pancakes; and are favored in Arab baking.
Lightly roasted and grounded roots used to make wonderfully flavorful dandelion coffee.

Chickweed Is rich in nutrients that nourish the lymph and glandular systems. Chickweed is best known for it’s ability to cool inflammation and speed healing for internal or external flare-ups. Chickweed tea is an old remedy for obesity. Herbalists like myself drink teas of fresh chickweed as one of the classic spring tonics to cleanse the blood. Chickweed poultices are useful for cooling and soothing minor burns, skin irritations, and rashes particularly when associated with dryness and itching. Chickweed is taken by mouth to treat stomach problems, intestinal complaints such as constipation, disorders of the blood, arthritis, lung diseases including asthma, kidney disorders, inflammatory conditions of the urinary tract, rabies, and scurvy or vitamin C deficiency. It is also used to relieve extreme exhaustion. Chickweed is applied on the skin relieve various skin conditions such as skin wounds, ulcers, burns, arthritis pain and symptoms of eczema.

How to Enjoy Chickweed

Chickweed leaves can be steamed or added raw to salads. You can also make a tea from the leaves by steeping them in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes.

Rosemary—Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease due to it carnosic acid.

Health Benefits of Rosemary:

The wonderful smell of rosemary is often associated with good food and great times, but it could just as easily be associated with good health. Rosemary contains substances that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks.

Rosemary is used for digestion problems, including heartburn, intestinal gas (flatulence), liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite. It is also used for gout, cough, headache, high blood pressure, and reducing age-related memory loss. In addition, rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration. So, the next time you enhance the flavor of some special dish with rosemary, congratulate yourself for a wise as well as delicious choice. Some women use rosemary for increasing menstrual flow. If you’re pregnant please take care with consuming or eating Rosemary because it is also know to cause miscarriages.

Rosemary is used topically (applied to the skin) for preventing and treating baldness; and treating circulation problems, toothache, a skin condition called eczema, and joint or muscle pain such as myalgia, sciatica, and intercostal neuralgia. It is also used for wound healing, in bath therapy (balneotherapy), and as an insect repellent.

Milk Weed—Milkweed is useful for kidney problems, dropsy, scrofula, conditions of the bladder, water retention, asthma, stomach ailments, and gallstones, female disorders, arthritis, and bronchitis. It causes increase in perspiration, thus reducing fever. Some Native Americans rubbed the (latex) juice on warts, moles, ringworms; others drank an infusion of the rootstock to produce temporary sterility or as a laxative. A folk cancer remedy. Some milkweed species are highly poisonous.

White Clover has useful compounds to treat bronchitis & respiratory disorders. Herbalists revere red clover for several purported health benefits, including detoxification, decongestion and reducing inflammation. Red clover is also considered a rich source of isoflavones, an antioxidant associated in some studies with combating certain types of cancer, including breast cancer and prostate cancer. The isoflavones in red clover have also been found beneficial in reducing bone loss and menopausal symptoms in healthy women. White clover has not been found to possess the same constituents or health benefits. Remember that no herbs have been FDA-approved for medical use and you should always consult with your doctor before taking red clover tea for any health-related purpose. All clovers, including white, possess some amount of vitamins A, E, C, B-2, and B-3, calcium, chromium, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and silicium. Among other things, clover is a blood purifier, is antispasmodic, and an expectorant. The tea is good for asthma and bronchitis.

For medicinal wash or internal use of Clover:

Steep tea (This can be any part of the clover plant.) in water for 30 minutes, then take 1-2 oz. frequently or 4-6 cups daily.

Nettles Are useful in arthritis, gout, asthma, hay fever, and Alzheimer’s disease and soft tissue conditions such as fibromyalgia and tendonitis. Patients with Lupus and other auto-immune disorders suffering from joint pain experience relief from drinking a cup of nettle tea or eating stewed nettle leaves daily. Nettle is high in iron making it excellent for combating anemia and fatigue. It supports the liver. Urinary tract support. A great herb for treating bladder and urinary tract function. Nettle aids in digestive issues as well. Nettle leaf is effective at reducing symptoms of the digestive tract ranging from acid reflux, excess gas, nausea, colitis and Celiac disease.

Lavender has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Both the flowers and the leaves of the lavender plant are used in herbal medicine, usually in the form of an oil or as a tea. The compound linalool, found in lavender oil, is known to have an anti-anxiety, calming effect. Lavender oil is often used as a relaxant during massages, added to lotions for babies, children and adults, and used in soap. Lavender has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain killing) attributes.

Lavender health benefits are many: Lavender Reduces anxiety and emotional stress, heals burns and wounds, improves sleep, restores skin complexion and reduces acne, slows aging with powerful antioxidants, improves eczema and psoriasis, and alleviates headaches.

Preparation Methods & Dosage: Lavender tea can be made from the fresh or dried flowers. Lavender essential oil should only be used externally, and can be used in massage oils, baths and aroma lamps.

Lavender Side Effects: The volatile oils in lavender can be very hard on the liver and kidneys of cats and dogs so no internal use of the herb is suggested for our animal friends.

Burdock may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Besides its culinary uses, burdock root has long been praised for its healing properties. The rest of this article is dedicated to shedding light on the numerous nutritional and health benefits of burdock root (or gobo, as the Japanese call it). Burdock root contains insulin, a type of beneficial fiber with numerous positive health effects. Most of these health benefits are linked to the ability of insulin fiber to promote the growth of bifidobacteria in the large intestine. Bifidobacteria are health promoting microbes that are naturally present in the gut. These bacteria have been found to destroy harmful bacteria in the intestines, promote easy bowel movement, and improve the immune system. Some studies also suggest that bifidobacteria may be able to reduce the levels of certain colonic enzymes that convert pro-carcinogenic molecules into carcinogens (cancer-causing molecules).

Preparation Methods:

You can add it to soups and saute it in a stir fry with carrots and sesame seeds, yum! You can also throw it in some coleslaw, or even just add it to your normal everyday salads. Burdock can also be juiced for a delicious and refreshing healing beverage. I have also discovered that traditional Chinese medicine also has used burdock synergistic-ally with other herbs to treat cold symptoms and sore throats.

Sow Thistle is useful for treating inflammation and digestive upsets. Nutritional info about sow thistles. Sow thistle leaves are said to be a good source of vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Young sow thistle leaves are wonderful in salad, adding substance and depth to the flavor of other greens. They have a slight bitter edge (just like some lettuces do), but they’re less bitter than dandelion leaves. The flowers are also delicious in salads.

I hope you really enjoyed reading up “backyard weeds” and their health potentials.

Disclaimer: Information contained on this website is for general information purposes only and must not be used to treat or diagnose dental/medical conditions. The products and statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended as dental advice. Should you have any health concerns please check with your medical doctor before self-administering any natural remedy.

Thoughts on Survival Organization

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:10:34 +0000

There is no such thing as failure, only people who fail.

I have learned these lessons through years of work building Live Free USA at my career as a safety professional, and at life. The study of leadership in business’s and military strategies confirms these lessons. Those of you who would be chapter leaders, event organizers and leaders must know this in advance to assure success in all you do.

50 to 75 percent of all events, meetings and program will be a failure or a waste of time but:

You have no way of knowing which ones will fail and which ones will be the key to success
Failures often turn out to provide the elements of success weeks, months or even years later
Often a failure can be the fulcrum for a later success
In fact: the more frequently you try and fail the more inevitable your success becomes.
So success is the product of constant activity and even frequent failures and frustrations
Only inactivity and capitulation can stop you from succeeding
Most importantly: a success that is not followed promptly by efforts towards greater things is still a failure.

Constant and unwavering focus on the mission while ignoring failures and building on successes (no matter how small) is a guarantee of success.

Ebola Part Two

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Fri, 07 May 2021 12:05:57 +0000

Ebola Part Two If you think the recent Ebola epidemic is over then you probably think that “denial” is a river in Egypt. If we are lucky enough to have survived the circus of incompetents, lies and errors that resulted from the introduction of this deadly disease into our Country we have only seen the first phase of this threat. The idea that the federal government would put the American public at risk for the sake of political correctness is appalling. The CDC and the politicians will continue to reassure the public and reinforce denial while avoiding the real possibilities that this minor epidemic portends. Even these few cases sent shudders through the stock market and created confusion and discontent in all medical facilities. While it is true that Ebola is not an airborne virus there are plenty of ways to spread it intentionally. Surely the terrorists of all kinds have noted the effects of Ebola and are planning to use it as soon as possible. Scenario #1 The people of Liberia and other Ebola infested areas are desperately poor and many are radicalized Muslims. They have access to plenty of blood and other contaminated fluids from Ebola victims. Such fluids can be easily gathered, preserved and transported to the US. Once here it can be dispersed in many ways where the infected people will never know they are infected until they have spread the virus further. Let’s say they just vaporized blood over a crowd on New Year’s Eve or maybe spread less visible fluids around shopping malls or airports. Weeks later hundreds of cases pop up. By the time we realize that it’s not just a flu epidemic there are thousands of exposed secondary contacts. Massive isolation is necessary. People stop going to school, stores, public events and even their jobs. The stock exchange drops dramatically. Serious shortages and even civil disorder could result. There would probably be 3 to 4 deaths from the secondary effects for every death from the actual disease. Whether-or-not the outbreak could be controlled short of a major population reduction is debatable. Scenario #2 Suppose terrorist deliberately infect a group of suicide bombers and have them detonate in crowded areas. That would certainly spread bodily fluids all over hundreds of unsuspecting and unprotected people. Then the police, fire, EMS and other emergency responders would also be infected. Even if the presents of Ebola is detected early it would be difficult to prevent secondary and tertiary contamination. If the Ebola contamination was not identified very quickly the same results as scenario #1 would result. The terrorists we face are intelligent, imaginative and fanatical. To hope that they will ignore this opportunity to kill “infidels” and do serious damage to America is wishful thinking indeed. For protection we are dependent on the folks who (1) can’t stop thousands from crossing our borders illegally, (2) never imagined the enemy using passenger planes as weapons and (3) failed to notice the rise of ISIS in the Middle East. Now is the time to redouble preparedness programs and education at all levels. The prepared family must be prepared to sustain water, food, fire suppression, defense and medical care isolated from and possible defending against outside intrusion and interference for extended periods. Additionally: it will be necessary to protect against respiratory, and contact contamination if and when it is necessary to interact with others. Knowing how to decontaminate effectively will be critical. Obviously going to the clinic or hospital for other ailments or injuries will be out of the question once Ebola is spreading. Stocking up on medications and learning more advanced medical techniques will be more important than ever.

Baby Totin’ Busy Hand Drills

Lisa Pappas — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:10:10 +0000

I just read this article and knew I had to share this. I no longer have small children, therefore, have not considered this. It is still pertinent because we are always doing so much, toting everything we own around, it seems. LOTS to think about...

August 26, 2014 / defensivedaddy

While the probability of us encountering a situation where we need to get our gun out WHILE we’re carrying our children is extremely low, it is worth thinking about how our gun handling would need to change and what we should practice. Since my son is too young to follow directions to run and hide and can’t understand how to use code words to enact a plan, I have to have repetitions of gun manipulations while handling him. This post isn’t about tactics, but just the mechanics of getting a gun into play while toting a small child. I’ll lay out several practice methods and some props that will help you get more proficient.

As with all things, in order to have clarity in our practice we need to define our mission. When out with my son (no wife) I have defined mine as “protect my child at all costs, and escape with my own life if possible”. In my mission statement, I have placed his safety above mine. This will drive my tactics and strategy. The focus of this blog is how to complete that mission assuming I have no option for positioning, hiding him in a place of cover, passing the child to my wife, moving away from him to draw the action to myself, retreat, escape, compliance, etc.

A situation where this might be the case is in a parking deck. Imagine you’re walking with your child in your arm (you carry them in your non-shooting arm, right?), you don’t periodically break your focus on them to look away and scan around the deck, and you are confronted with an unknown contact (term from Craig Douglas, Shivworks). A situation unfolds that requires the immediate deployment of your gun.

One Hand Shooting: This can be worked dry or live. Practice clearing your cover garment, establishing a strong full firing grip, and executing a perfect draw stroke to full extension with your dominant hand only. Consider your muzzle awareness. Is your current one hand draw stroke oriented towards the target during the full presentation? Are you muzzling inboard at any point and possibly covering where you’d be carrying your baby? Your mechanics need to be clean and efficient. One handed shooting has applications outside of this scenario, and therefor should be a staple of your training.

Busy Hands Drills: This can be worked either dry or live. Find a bag of potatoes or kitty litter and keep it in your off hand while you work your one handed draw stroke and trigger press. You will be surprised how having weight in your offhand will throw you off of your game. Your draw stroke will feel awkward and might get fouled by the mass on your chest. I’ll get some photos from the range of some drills using a cat litter prop. I find it best to do a ‘rip’ and get your shirt high and out of the way, and then pin it in place with your shooting arm elbow. Practice blading your torso fully away, using yourself as a meat-wall between you and the bad guy. Make yourself the FBI ballistic gelatin maximum depth of penetration. You can do this by taking a drop step with off side leg, or by stepping aggressively forward with your shooting side leg. Practice movement in your dry practice. Practice crouching, lying, and otherwise conforming to cover with an emphasis on protecting your ‘prop’. If you’re doing dry work (a blue gun or a dummy barrel is preferred here, as it keeps the wife from having a stroke), pick up your kid and move around with them and practice. A squirming tot is the best prop for this.

One Hand Malfunction Clearance and reloads: If the chances of having to get your gun out with your baby in your arms are low, the chances of your gun having a malfunction at the same time are simply astronomical. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a useful skill to get some meaningful reps of. It has saved the ones who practice it. Practice clearing type 1, 2, and 3 malfunctions one handed. Your carry gun has a ledge on the rear sight to facilitate one handed manipulations, right? Can you rip out the magazine one handed? Ever thought about it? Practice your one handed reloads. You just never know.

About 40% of my shooting and dry-fire these days is one handed. As I see it, there’s a chance I might have to do it with my boy in my arms. There’s also a chance that I’ll be all alone, but in my haste to start shooting, I’ll just use one hand. I’ve seen it many times in force on force, as well as in CCTV camera footage. Like this guy: Shooting in Internet Cafe. Though I hope my technique will look better on the closed circuit cameras and I’ll get a better hit ratio…

Get some practice, and then give your family a hug. It’s for them, after all.

Source

Survival Shovels

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:00:27 +0000

Very small folding shovel for survival packs.

A shovel is one of the items that is often left out of the bug-out-bag, but should be included if at all possible.

When I was a kid just after World War Two every kid in the neighborhood had an “Army Shovel”. These were childproof and child sized digging tools. The result was that every vacant lot was a warren of trenches and underground tunnels. Unfortunately a few kids did get killed in cave-ins.

The shovel of the static trench warfare of World War One was the M-1910. This was just a small “T” handled spade. World War Two was a more mobile operation requiring the soldier to dig quickly in any kind of soil and then move and dig again. The M1943 folding shovel was strong enough to dig in frozen and rocky soil and included a pick to chop and pry. It was a bit heavy, but troops were generally trucked for long distances. This was the shovel that somehow came home after the war and fell into the hands of the baby-boomer children. The very similar M-1951 served through the Korean War and Vietnam. There were and still are a wide variety of commercially made imitations of this well designed tool. The tri-folding shovel with its triangular grip handle came into use late in the Vietnam conflict. It is a much more compact and lightweight tool than the M-1951, but a bit less capable.

Shovels have somewhat limited use in urban areas where an axe or pry bar may be of more help, but they are a must once the brick and concrete are left behind. Uses include: digging shelters, digging fire pits, burying waste, drainage trenching, building defensive positions, and making animal traps. There may be the need to clear ground and shovel snow for cold weather camps as well.

There are a variety of small “camp shovels” on the market. Your choice depends on how much weight you can add to your survival pack. The two main designs are miniaturized version of the old M-1951 and the current tri-fold designs. If you are really pressed for space and weight, a good quality garden trowel gives you at least some digging capacity. Of course you may want a bigger shovel in your vehicle or survival cache.

Diabetes Disaster Preparedness

Lisa Pappas — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:59:40 +0000

Personally, I would have liked to have just added the link to this article, as it is fairly lengthy. It is, however, very important for each person to read. We never know when this information can or will be pertinent.

I personally encountered a woman in a Diabetic crisis in a gas station last year. Knowing what to do, prevented her from going into s severe reaction and needing an ambulance. Sadly, everyone else just stood around. I was thankful I recognized the signs and was able to help her immediately. My Mother-In-Law is and Best Friend, are both Diabetic, so this information becomes especially important within our family. When this situation occurs, we have minutes to respond, not hours. It must be attended to immediately.

Posted by Prepper Ideas | Posted on 03-31-2014

Patient Information

Modern media have made our world seem small. News about events around the world reaches us in minutes. We learn of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, industrial accidents and terrorist attacks immediately. TV teaches us that any disaster brings chaos to people and their environments.

As a person with diabetes, your daily routine involves schedules and planning. An emergency can seriously affect your health. It may be difficult to cope with a disaster when it occurs. You and your family should plan and prepare beforehand even if the event is loss of electricity for a few hours. The first 72 hours following a disaster are the most critical for families. This is the time when you are most likely to be alone. For this reason, it is essential for you and your family to have a disaster plan and kit which should provide for all your family’s basic needs during these first hours.

Be Prepared List

You should safely store the following medical supplies or have them readily available:

Copy of your emergency information and medical list
Extra copies of prescriptions
Insulin or pills (include all medications that you take daily including over the counter medications)
Syringes
Alcohol swabs
Cotton balls & tissues
A meter to measure blood sugar
Blood sugar diary
Insulin pump supplies (if on insulin pump)
Strips for your meter
Urine ketone testing strips
Lancing device and lancets
Quick acting carbohydrate (for example, glucose tablets, orange juice, etc.)
Longer lasting carbohydrate sources (for example, cheese and crackers)
Glucagon Emergency Kit (if on insulin)
Empty hard plastic detergent bottle with cap to dispose used lancets and syringes

Other supplies:

Flashlight with extra batteries
Pad/pencil
Whistle/noisemaker
Matches / candles
Extra pair of glasses
First-aid kit
Female sanitary supplies
Copy of health insurance cards
Heavy work gloves
Important family documents
Tools
Water
Food
Clothing and bedding
Radio with extra batteries
Cell phone

Make sure you have enough supplies for 2 weeks. These supplies should be checked at least every 2 – 3 months. Watch for expiration dates.

Helpful hints about insulin, pens, syringes

Insulin may be stored at room temperature (59° – 86°F) for 28 days.
Insulin pens in use can be stored at room temperature according to manufacturer’s directions.
Insulin should not be exposed to excessive light, heat or cold.
Regular and Lantus insulins should be clear.
NPH, Lente, Ultralente, 75/25, 50/50, and 70/30 insulins should be uniformly cloudy before rotating.
Insulin that clumps or sticks to the sides of the bottle should not be used.
Although reuse of your insulin syringes is not generally recommended, in life and death situations, you have to alter this policy. Do not share your insulin syringes with other people.

Things to remember

Stress can cause a rise in your blood sugar.
Erratic mealtimes can cause changes in your blood sugar.
Excessive work to repair damage caused by the disaster (without stopping for snacks) can lower your blood sugar.
Excessive exercise when your blood sugar is over 250mg can cause your blood sugar to go higher.
Wear protective clothing and sturdy shoes.
Check your feet daily for an irritation, infection, open sores or blisters. Disaster debris can increase your risk for injury. Heat, cold, excessive dampness and inability to change footwear can lead to infection, especially if your blood sugar is high. Never go without shoes.

Hot weather tips

Stay indoors in air-conditioned or fan cooled comfort.
Avoid exercising outside.
Wear light colored cotton clothing.
Remain well hydrated (water, diet drinks).
Avoid salt tablets unless prescribed by your physician.
Seek emergency treatment if you feel: Fatigue, weakness, abdominal cramps Decreased urination, fever, confusion.

You should wear diabetes identification at all times.

Food items to be stored

1 large box unopened crackers (saltines)
1 jar peanut butter
1 small box powdered milk (use within 6 months)
1 gallon or more of water per day per person for at least one week
2 6-pack packages cheese and crackers or 1 jar soft cheese
1 pkg. dry, unsweetened cereal
6 cans regular soda
6 cans diet soda
6-pack canned orange or apple juice
6 pack parmalat milk
6 cans “lite” or water packed fruit
1 spoon, fork and knife per person
Disposable cups
4 packages of glucose tablets or small hard candies for low blood sugar
1 can tuna, salmon, chicken, nuts per person

These supplies should be checked and replaced yearly.

Food considerations during a disaster

Food and water supply may be limited and/or contaminated. Do not eat food you think may be contaminated. It may be necessary to boil water for 10 minutes before use.
Drink plenty of water.
Maintain your meal plan to the best of your ability. Your plan should include a variety of meat/meat substitutes (i.e., peanut butter, dried beans, eggs), milk/milk products, fruits, vegetables, cereal, grains.
Limit sugar/sugar-containing foods. These foods include:
- Jellies, jams, molasses
- Honey
- Syrups (fruits canned in sugar syrup, pancake syrup)
- Tonic (dietetic tonics with less than one calorie per ounce are allowed)
- Frosted cake
- Presweetened or sugar-coated cereals
- Pie, pastry, Danish pastry, doughnuts
- Chocolate
- Custards, pudding, sherbet, ice cream
- Gelatin
- Soda
- Cookies, brownies

5. Monitor your blood sugars frequently and record in diary.

Limit sweets.

6. When reading labels, limit products with these sugar-containing ingredients:

Sugar
Corn syrup
Dextrose
Sucrose
Corn sweeteners
Honey
Molasses
Brown sugar
Fruit syrup

7. Avoid greasy, fried foods.
8. Try to eat meals and snacks at the same time every day. Avoid periods of hunger and overindulgence. The quantity and frequency of your food intake should remain similar day-to-day depending upon your activity level.
9. Increase food and water intake during periods of increased exertion or physical activity by either eating between-meal snacks before activity or by eating additional food with meals.
10. Carry a fast source of sugar with you at all times:

3 glucose tablets
1 small box of raisins
6-7 small hard sugar candies

Sick day rules during a disaster

Always take your insulin or pills on time or close to it. Never omit your insulin unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Insulin is still good if there is no refrigeration. A used or unused bottle of insulin may be kept at room temperature (59° - 86°F) for 28 days. Discard unrefrigerated insulin after 28 days.
Keep an extra bottle of each type of insulin you use on hand at all times.
Eat within 15 min. or no later than ½ hour after taking your insulin
(depending on insulin type) or diabetes medicine. Try to eat on time.
Never skip a meal. If you cannot eat solid food because of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, sip regular coke, eat hard candies, fruit or regular soft drinks instead of following your usual meal plan.

Most Important:

Do not let yourself get dehydrated.
Drink plenty of liquids.
In between meal times, sip diet soda.

(This will not replace food, but can help you be hydrated.)

6. Rest.

7. Check your blood sugar. Notify your doctor if your blood sugar average is over 240mg or if you are ill for 2 days.

8. Test your urine for ketones when:

Your blood sugar average is over 240mg.
You are vomiting
You have symptoms of high blood sugar (increased thirst or hunger than usual, quick weight loss, increased urination, very tired, stomach pain, breathing fast or fruity breath smell).

9. Call your doctor if your ketone test is moderate or high and/or if you have symptoms of high blood sugar (as listed in number 8). You may need more than your usual amount of insulin on a sick day. Your doctor can guide you in this. If you need medical assistance / or are out of all medications, food, and cannot reach your doctor, immediately:

Go to the nearest hospital; or
Contact the police; or
Contact the American Red Cross; or
Go to an Emergency Medical Center

30 Uses For Wood Ashes

Lisa Pappas — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:09:52 +0000

(Ashes from hard wood trees works best, and don't use ashes from treated wood)

Make lye water out of ash. You can boil 2-3 spoons of ash (clean white/grey fluffy ash) with water and then filter it with a coffee filter. Lye water is a great cleaning agent and sanitizer for clothes, floors, windows, silverware, plates, and even rust in marble.You can also make lye by adding the fluffy white ash in a cheesecloth. In a bucket with holes on its base, you add the cheesecloth and ash, and hang it somewhere high. Add the water. Underneath, place another clean bucket to collect the lye. The lye has a brownish color, so you remove the bucket when clean water starts to sip through. Test the lye by adding a fresh egg in the liquid. If the egg floats, the lye is good to go, if not, repeat the process.-For use in soap making.
A paste made out of ash and water, can remove stains from furniture.
If we want to remove a stain from clothes the moment they happen, we add a bit of ash and after about five minutes, we rub it with the crumb of a bread (not the crust, the soft white bit).
Ash is a great odor repellent, just add a bit over the area that smells. eg, kitty litter.
You can remove odors from a fridge, by adding a plate of charcoal ash inside. Change the charcoal over, until the smell is gone.
You can use it to brush your teeth.
You can wash your hair with lye soap and rinse with vinegar. This is especially good for oily hair.
Lye is used in many foods and sweets. Like grape must pudding (moustalevria), honey cookies (melomakarona), and in bread. It makes bread fluffy and prevents it from crumbling. Lye is also good for the cleansing of the intestines.
Ash was used for many years in farming. It recycles the natural nutrients back into the earth. It can be used as compost but does not include Nitrogen. It aids in the increase of the earths PH level which in return, aids in the growth of the plants. (But because of the ongoing increase of the PH level, not all veg and fruit thrive from it. eg potatoes).
It strengthens plants that love calcium, such as tomatoes, vineyards, beans, spinach, peas, avocados, garlic etc. Even rose bushes. You can add 1/4 cup ash before planting.
One spoon ash per 1000L of water, strengthens underwater plants.
It prevents plants from frost in winter, if you add a layer of ash over them.
Animals hate ash. You can rid your garden of insects and various parasites, such as slugs and snails.
You can rid yourself of ants. If you throw some ash in their colony, they will be forced to relocate, as they can’t move the ash.
Spread some ash in the corners of the house, or dark spots of your cellar etc. For as long as there is ash, no mice/rats, cockroaches or insects approach.
It repels lice, ticks and fleas off animals. You make a thick paste of ash and vinegar and spread over the fur. It’s messy, but it works.
It repels clothes moths. You can add some ash on your stored clothes, and simply shake it off when you need to use them. You can leave them for years this way, and nothing will happen to them.
Lye is used to make soap (potassium hydroxide). It’s a bit of a lengthy process, but its worth it.
Ash is used for “immortal eggs”. In a recipe used in the Middle East, they preserve eggs in a mix of clay, ash, salt, lime and rice rind for many months.
Sodium Carbonate, can be made out of ash. It is known to be an excellent product, used as household cleaner. Boil water and ash, until it evaporates. The remaining substance is your Sodium Carbonate (Soda).
Ash contains salt, and can therefore melt ice.
The charcoal collected within the ash, can be used as a filter.
You can use charcoal to filter blurry wine.
You can use charcoal to filter water before drinking.
Charcoal in metal containers can be used to remove humidity in cellars, cupboards and under sinks.
You can put a fire out quickly by throwing ash over it.
In the older days, they used to preserve seeds in large clay containers, by adding a thick layer of ash over them. This prevented insects from destroying their produce.
It can be used in wounds, to kill bacteria and aid in faster healing. Melting hand made soap in lye water and rinsing a wound with it without rinsing over it with clean water.
No fridge? No worries! You can preserve your fruits and vegetables for many days, even years, by digging a hole in the ground and filling it with ash. Add your veg and fruit, ensuring enough space between them, so that they do not touch each other, or the muddy ground. Seal the hole with a piece of wood, and you let it be.
In the olden days, to preserve the fresh rennet, they added it in a bone animal horn, filled it with ash, sealed it with mud and hanged it from a tree. This ensured the rennet lasted for many many years.

Thanks go to Hank (From APN) who is the Author of this article.

7 Plants That Repel Insects

Lisa Pappas — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:50:03 +0000

Springtime is just around the corner and many of us are beginning to put our garden/yard plans together.

A friend shared an article with me that I just had to pass on. I personally don’t like using chemical repellants in/on/or near the food I plan to eat. So why not use beneficial plants to do some of the hard work for us?

The warmer months are on their way, and what does that mean? Bugs! If you are not into using chemicals to repel bugs, read on for some great plants that are natural insect repellents!

Think about it: repelling insects naturally, and sprucing up your space with beautiful plants- what could be better?

You will find MANY more beneficial articles, such as this at the following website. Original article published from this website, with minor additions and corrections by myself. You will find the useful link at the bottom of this article

Mint

Not only is it fragrant and beautiful, but mint has an added benefit: ants and mice absolutely hate it! Plant a few sprigs of mint around your house, near your entryways, to keep those pests out of the way. Added bonus: you will have fresh, home grown mint to add to those summer recipes and drinks! ( http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-real-mojito/ )

Basil

Basil is fragrant and is used in many different recipes, but also for medicinal purposes as well! Place some potted basil plants in areas where flies are common to help deter them. Basil is great to place near your outdoor grill or picnic tables, where flies like to gather. Don’t forget that basil needs to be watered at the roots and not the leaves.

Bay Leaves

The bitter plant is often used for its fragrance in cooking, but, bugs hate the scent. You can use bay leaves to repel flies, moths, mice, earwigs and roaches. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t have fresh bay leaf plants, you can use dried bay leaves to get the same results! (Also very handy when used completely dried for your long-term storage grains and flours!)

Catnip

Yes, that catnip, the same greenery that makes your kitten go crazy, can repel bugs as well! Talk about a multi-tasker! Some studies even show that catnip might be more effective at repelling insects than DEET (the powerful ingredient commonly found in insect repellents). You can take a few leaves of catnip, roll them around and press them onto the skin, and viola! Bugs won’t want to be anywhere near!

Citronella

One of the “oldest tricks in the book” when it comes to insect repelling plants, citronella is famous for making bugs hate it! Citronella is used in all sort of candles, torches, and insect repellents, but using the “real deal” a/k/a the live plant is much more effective. Citronella is a large clumping grass that looks great in flower beds and patio planters. Try to place your citronella plants near places where people gather for the best effect.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a plant that is in the mint family, and produces a strong lemony odor that many pests hate. You can use lemon balm for a plethora of medical reasons, from cold sores to digestive issues. Plant lemon balm near your entrance ways or patios, and you can also crush it up and rub it onto your skin for an immediate effect. (I personally recommend keeping this in a container. It is very prolific and it will not take much time to take over any ground space it is given!)

Lavender

Everyone loves lavender for its beautiful purple flowers and calm, relaxing scent. However, bugs don’t like it so much! Keep lavender growing in your patio planters or garden to keep the bugs away. You can also hang dried lavender in your closet, and you will never have to worry about moths eating your clothes!

As you can see, there are many different plants that repel insects. Whether you are looking to repel insects in your garden, on your patio, or even inside your home, there are plenty of choices out there. It is easy to repel pests naturally without using any chemicals! I have found that many of these plants are quite useful in flower boxes and are being used this year around my home entry!

http://www.selfsufficiencymagazine.com/7-plants-that-repel-insects/

Extra Stuff In Your Pack

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:01:53 +0000

Extra Stuff In Your Pack

I do not remember when I had my first “survival pack”. I do remember that after World War Two ever boy had access to a variety of discarded military items brought home by relatives. Every kid had knapsacks, army shovels, “clamshell” mess kits, army blankets, canteens, as well as pup tents and a variety of web gear. Having a rather unsecure childhood, I soon tended to pack various “survival” items and supplies into an old army pack. Through some very rough times the existence of the pack provide a level of comfort when nothing else did. I still have a few of the original items and even the original army blanket. By this time in life I probably have built, rebuilt and updated my pack 25-30 times. I seldom do “survival pack” classes or articles anymore since so many others are doing them. Beyond the basics of water, food, shelter, hygiene and first-aid there are a few items that the would-be survivor might (or might not) have overlooked. I have written more detailed articles about each item in Live Free’s American Survivor newsletter. Binoculars or a Monocular: Even a cheap small pair of binoculars in the 4 to 6 power range gives you a great advantage. You can see what’s coming before it gets to you and you can see where you are going before you get there. You can scout out safe routs and safe locations. You can locate campsites and hazards. You have a big advantage when you need it most. A small AM/FM/WB Radio: Don’t depend on cell phone APS. I used to carry a little “transistor radio” in the 70s. Today you can get very small AM/FM/WB radios that are crank, battery and solar powered and even can recharge your cell phone. You need to know what’s going on out there and what’s coming your way. A folding shovel: Way back I had a big army shovel that was way too heavy to carry around. I substituted a garden trowel for many years. Now you can get a variety of small lightweight shovels. These are great for sanitation, fire management and shelter building. Some come with axe and saw blades Tyvek ™ suit: These are the white hooded coveralls you see used by medical technicians, painters, etc. I always carry one in my pack. This is a chemical, fallout, biological protection worn over my clothing or an emergency body covering if my clothing needs to be decontaminated or dried. It also is good winter camouflage. They are cheap, weigh very little and take up very little pack space. N-95, dust/mist mask: These are available in painting supply stores. I recommend carrying one in your jacket pockets and at least 2-4 in your pack. Combined with the Tyvek ™ suit or just a rain poncho you have some NBC protection. In survival conditions a lot of nasty things (e.g. dust, smoke, toxics) will be in the air. They also should help conserve body heat loss from respiration in cold weather. Pain Killer including aspirin: Survival situations will result in a variety of injuries, illnesses, strains and stress. For those over 50-years of age, aspirin is a must as it may be the only option you have for preventing or reducing the effects of a heart attack. Pain will reduce your overall survival effectiveness. A doctor told me that combination of 2 Tylenol and 3 Alive tablets taken together is safe and will give pain relief comparable to codeine. Seasoning and bullion: You may need to hunt, forage and eat foods you are not accustomed to. Consider having beef and chicken bullion cubs and maybe a few of your favorite seasonings. Spare glasses: Put that old prescription pair or reading glasses or at least a good magnifying glass in the pack. You are going to need to do some reading and fine work in survival situations. Don’t forget sever pair of extra socks and foot powered. I always keep my pack in a tote bin for extra protection. I keep a pair of good boots and a weapon and ammo in there with it. This makes it a one grab and go if necessary.

How will you know when the “Balloon Goes Up”?

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 18:19:20 +0000

My family and I have recently been talking about when the time comes that we may have to leave our home and "Bug-Out".

6 months ago we purchased a mobile home, which during significant storms may not be the best place to be. We did however, decide on safe places to go during the event of severe weather and a way to contact members of our group, should we have to leave our home.

About 10 days ago, during the recent storms that passed through our area, we chose to bug out to a safer location. Through that 'drill' of sorts, we learned many valuable lessons and the amount of time it takes us to load all we would want if we had time to load everything "Pack light, Freeze at night"). However, the storm was predicted and we had a visible timeline to work within. It was quite clear and obvious when we needed to be gone.

While looking at other scenarios today, we are not always going to be so lucky in being able to forecast the coming 'storm'. So the discussion must be had, I believe by all of us preparing for the future. I had become so focused on food storage, what to pack in our bug-out-bag, building our cache of supplies, etc., that I had not thought about the most important thing... When?

This very timely article came to my email this morning (thanks, John!) and I feel compelled to share this with the people in our group and community at large. I feel it is my responsibility to encourage everyone to establish the parameters they are comfortable working within, and plan accordingly.

Please read, share, think, talk with your friends, family and community... and then act! This is such a wonderful article with all the information you need to start this process if you have not begun. It is also a great read for those who have begun and would like to see where they may might want to 'compare notes'.

Enjoy, Lisa!

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2013/06/08/how-will-you-know-when-the-balloon-goes-up-advice-from-survival-experts/

Outdoor Safety

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 19:12:29 +0000

Once you are out in the “out-back” safety becomes an essential part of every act. You are exposed to fire, poisonous plants, venomous insects and snakes, sharp tool, treacherous surfaces and often, loaded firearms all without warning signs, or timely medical services. Safety becomes even more critical than at home.

Stay hydrated. In hot conditions, don’t wait to be thirsty. Drink as much as you can as often as you can.
Watch where you are walking. A trip or fall that results in a sprain or fracture miles from help can spell disaster.
Be alert of poisonous snakes. Watch where you put your feet and hands. Carry a long stick to probing grass and brush ahead. Snakes like cooling shade and hiding under rocks and logs.
Use extra caution when using knives and axes. Never cut towards you.
Keep tents, loss clothing and fuel well away from campfires.
Only build campfires in permitted areas clear of trees, brush and grass. Clear a good area of bare earth around the fire.
Keep firearms on “safe” and pointed in a safe direction.
Be aware of eye hazards when traveling through thick trees and bush, especially at night or at dusk. Keep hands in front of you
Avoid crossing fast running streams or ice if possible. If necessary try to use a secured rope to provide a safety hold.
Wear appropriate safety equipment for the activity such as gloves, safety glasses, helmets, or floatation devices.

Survival Kits for Outdoor Emergencies

James C. Jones, EMT, CHCM — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:18:32 +0000

We have published lots of kit lists over the years. There are 72-hour survival kits, auto survival kits, home survival kits, and dozens of evacuation packs. This list is just for surviving short-term (a few days) outdoor emergencies. First of all are the “absolute minimum” items that any self-respecting “survivor” should have at all times. Real survival/self-reliance people would not go out to empty the trash without this stuff! These are basically “pocket items” that you would have even if you are going to be out for only out a few hours and a few yards from the road.

A pocketknife (at least!) a knife gives you a huge advantage in every survival situation. Think about all the survival techniques you see on TV, in the movies and in books. How many can be done without a knife. Not many.
Waterproof matches and/or a small magnesium fire starter. Flint and steel or a fire-bow will be no substitute for having these.
Water and/or a way to purify it. Purification tablets or a filter straw may work but you still need a container.
A miniature flashlight. Uses are obvious
A loud whistle for signaling for help
Some form of shelter from rain and wind. This can be a Space Blanket ™, Rescue Blanket ™ or rain poncho, or even some plastic bags depending on pocket or pack space.
A cell phone. I don’t like to depend on technology, but not having one when it could save your life or someone else’s would be foolish.

A more extensive kit would be packed in a small backpack or fanny pack and would include:

A full size hunting/survival knife
A full size Space Blanket ™
Survival cards or a miniature survival manual
A metal cup for purifying water, boiling water and cooking food
Energy bars and jerky
A compass (a GPS too if you must)
A multi-tool or Swiss Army ™ knife
Extra socks
A wool cap
A dust-mask
Snare wire
Metal signal mirror
Paper and pencil
Smoke and/or flairs
A candle
Safety pins
20’ – 50’ of HD nylon cord
A small first aid kit
A small role of electrical tape

Two items that cost very little take up almost no room—And weigh very little—are plastic bags and heavy-duty aluminum foil. You can add these items to pockets or kits and they can substitute for several other critical items. Heavy aluminum foil can be used to reflect fire heat. Signal for help (as a mirror) , be formed into a water container to gather and boil water and even cover a wound. Large plastic bags can be fashioned into a rain and wind protective suit, made into a small shelter, used to gather water and even make a floatation device. In other-words they can save your life.

American Survivor

War Zone Ethics

Establishing your Code of Ethics

Staying Warm on the Move

Stoke the Fire Inside

Start The Fire

Contain the Heat

Build Your Environment

In Conclusion

Super Shovel

Survival Food Storage

Canned Goods

MREs

Bulk Grains

Dried Pasta, Beans and Peas

Freeze-Dried

Other Stuff

Conclusion

Recommended Reading

Radio Activities, Part I

The medium as the message

You can listen at home

Other frequencies

Further reading and listening

Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Hazard Survival

Rules of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Survival

Respiratory Protection

Instructions for Fitting N95 Dust/Mist Masks.

Home Made Mask for Biological Agents

Protective Clothing

Decontamination

Conclusion

The Value of Armed Populations

Ten Major Threats to Survival, 2021 and Beyond

Pandemic #2, #3...

Mass Civil Disorder

Economic Collapse

Climate Change

Nuclear War

Famine

Artificial Intelligence Domination

Cyber Attack, EMP, Grid Failure

Revolution and Civil War

Terrorist attacks

Conclusion

Resistance Article Published in American Survivor

The Last Word on Respirators

The N95 Respirator

Face Masks

Bandannas and Neck Gators

Gas Masks and Half-Face Filter Respirators

Conclusion

Three New Free Publication PDFs

The Long Road Ahead

When and if it’s Over

We Saw This Coming and More

Impending Epidemics

And here we are!

Members Only Publications Posted

Section One Membership

Section Two Survival and Preparedness

The Coming Age Of Civil Disorder

Conclusions

2020 Foresight: The potential chaos in the coming year

Survival in the UK

What is Prepping in the UK?

Why do people prep?

Prepping in the UK vs Prepping in America

How do I start Prepping?

Surprise Disasters and the Death Spiral

New Recommended Survival Book List

Picking Locks As A Survival Skill

Surviving An Active Shooter Event

Being Prepared for an Active Shooter

What to Do When the First Shots are Fired

10 Weeds that Heal

How to reap the health benefits of summer purslane

Here are some serving tips:

How to Enjoy Chickweed

Health Benefits of Rosemary: