In Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” one of the characters muses how civilians think things are ‘at peace’ because no one they know is involved in the fighting. As a military man, the character knows that there’s never really ‘peace’..there’s always a fight going on somewhere…it’s just that you don’t know about it, so you think everything is peaceful.
Right now, in my world, there is food in the freezer, the lights come on, the water flows, there’s money in the bank, clothes on my back, and gas in the tank. All must be right in the world, yes? Of course not. There are people in hurricane-ravaged areas eating MRE’s and crapping in portapotties, there are people overseas working to keep gas prices high, there’s morons in Washington blindly groping around for ‘mandates’, and there is always some idiot somewhere who is off his meds and on his way to a WalMart. So, yeah, it’s quiet in my immediate vicinity but does that mean it’s quiet everywhere else? Heck no.
So…gotta fight that complacency. Be conscious of the fact (and it is a fact, m’friends) that it can all change Just. Like. That. <snaps fingers> Yeah, its a nice day today and the sun is out….so what? You know life isn’t always gonna be like that. Go out and do something that you’ll thank yourself for later.
I just picked up another 100 canning jars this morning cuz they finally had more in stock.
Did you find a good price? Locally they are at least a dollar a jar, regardless of size…
Sage advice to live in the present, but with eyes open to the potential future.
Stay away from crowds as Ol’Remus would say.
My cousin once made the statement that in all world history there hasn’t been more then 100 years of total peace in the world since the birth of Jesus Christ. And that was in dribs and drabs not 100 years in a row. It’s another reason I read foreign newspapers in their English language editions online. You can learn a lot. And it can give you a different slant on things.
I doubt there has even been one month of absence of organized violence…
Made my first foray into frying, rinsing and drying 2# of ground Bambi the other day. Then I ran it through my dehydrator until I had little Bambi BBs that were hard as the copper ones. Put the cooked and dehydrated ground Bambi into a clean quart Ball jar and vacuum sealed it. Time will tell.
Next big project is to get to know my neighbors better and try to determine which will be assets and which will be “the enemy” if the stuff hits the fan in my lifetime. I believe bug-in survival in a suburban setting will depend on being part of a cohesive, trained neighborhood team. But creating such a group without totally blowing up your own family’s opsec will be a challenge. If CZ has written about this or if other readers know of worthwhile reading on the topic, I’d love to have some help.
KyFisherman:
An excellent start would be “Suburban Defense” by Don Shift.
It is written by an ex-police Officer and is a mine of great information.
Give it a go!
Ceejay
I concur, KYFisherman. Shift does not try to turn his reader into a candidate for SEAL Team 6, understanding that this just isn’t going to happen. He does, however, provide readers with solid advice for “hard times,” that is, periods of heightened security concerns all the way to WROL conditions. His advice concerning use of deadly force and how to protect yourself and your family while avoiding problems with law enforcement along the way is particularly useful.
His companion book, “Rural Defense,” provides similar advice for those living in less populated areas.
If your mindset concerning current events and the likely future of this country has taken you to CZ’s fine blog, both books definitely deserve a place in your survival library.
Using that same ground venison, we just got into “ground-meat jerky”. Seasoned, we throw in some dried cranberries and blueberries. 4 pounds of ground venison will give you four 6-ounce packages of 1′ strips of jerky. We store it in pint mylar bags with oxygen-absorbers. Most gets stored in canning jars vacuum-packed. My wife, who wasn’t a big fan of venison, eats it frequently.
It takes time to build a cohesive trained team of trusted folks.
Don’t go for numbers, that reduces the quality of reliable folks. Better two you TRUST armed behind you and your family than a dozen sunshine heroes. A cord of three cords isn’t easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Three trained reliable people can shred a mob with the right tactics.
Don’t go for the easily angered man. Proverbs 22:24Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.…
Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
Proverbs 29:22
An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
Feds and Stasi (but I repeat myself) LOVE angry men, so easy to spot, easy to manipulate and entrap so they sell their weak ass to be turned as a fed payboy. Look to the Bundy ranch to see that happened.
Drug users even the functional drunks are a hazard as Stasi LOVE them for manipulations as well as their NEED for drugs-booze often overrules your security needs. Ask any spouse that has done without because He spent the rent or battered when “accused” of misconduct.
You’re building a TEAM, not a mess of superhero’s. A good man or two working together gets far more done that a pack of wannabe bosses.
How do I spot a possible member? I avoid the ones shit posting about this or that. Talkers seldom work well as a team if they physically work at all. Anger issues probable fed payboy.
I help a possible team member with raking the leaves. It’s Fall so it’s a natural action. If they come over unasked to help me rake mine it’s a GOOD sign.
Also learn about his wife. Bendict Arnold was an American HERO trusted my George Washington to be give the Honor of commanding that important fort. But Arnolds wife had his ear about how “The revolution is very noble and all that Dear, BUT the bill collectors don’t accept colonial script and we are about to lose our home”. (True history here).
When you’re taking in someone into your inner circle you’re also taking in his family. Can you trust each of them?
Your already late to the party but maybe an older trusted fellow might be worthwhile when the chips are down.
Hours of discussion could be said but these are how I start the vetting process.
Yeah, I remember the time period when that Gulf of Mexico oil rig suddenly delivered a spill that caused major disruptions along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. That came out of nowhere (apparently, no one thought this would ever happen). There are a lot of oil drilling rigs out there and there is no treaty that prevents this from occurring again. I remember some thinking that area would have to be evacuated at least 100 miles away from the coastline, affecting millions of people.
In our AO we keep to ourselves. We have found out waaaay too much about our immediate neighbours, and I am sorry to say that in the event of… well, events, they would present a huge liability to our security and well-being.
This will be addressed at the appropriate time.
IN other news, you are entirely correct sir. These are the good old days, and it behooves us to make what we can of them while that option is ours to exercise. I find myself looking around at the normality, sort of like Neo in the back of that Lincoln on his way to the Oracle. I marvel at the many ingenious ways we live, and the cool stuff we take for granted, and the systems that power and feed and clean and arrange and control and demarcate and supply and enable. that look so strong and foolproof but in fact are fragile beyond comprehension… and I am given more reasons to be afraid for my children and what they will face later on.
If we do this correctly, though, we have a chance to make things less difficult for those who come after. Surely, with all our knowledge and understanding and insight and expertise, we can muster up the necessary effort to make this happen.
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada.
God Bless America.
Let us enjoy the peace while it lasts.
“Peace” is an ideal humans infer from periods of relatively less conflict.
There has never been a period when humans have been at peace.
Humans are easily conned.
I may be in my 7th decade but, more PT!
Thanks for all the input about how to assess neighbors and maybe even try to do a little pre-work around who might make good members of a neighborhood survival team.
I certainly didn’t intend to hijack CZ’s reminder that there’s always trouble somewhere and it can pop up in your AO in an instant. It’s critical to stay aware of that, which is why I’m trying to figure out how to expand my planning NOW, so I’ll be more prepared. MY family is much safer if there are ways to make the whole neighborhood safer, or so I tell myself. The suggestions made so far have inspired me and give me some ideas about how/where to get started.
Thanks again. Keep ’em coming.
Yep, taking advantage of (and enjoying) reliable energy supplies and indoor plumbing. Spent the day canning, dehydrating, and doing laundry with said energy and plumbing while it is still easy to do. Really not looking forward to going back to the old fashioned way of doing things, but know how to.
Yes. Adopt the mindset of a cloistered monk. One must be disciplined and diligent in mindset and behaviors. As much through out one’s day and in nearly all endeavors you should always carry that burden of constant struggle and battle for survival. This is the natural order of things for those persons who acknowledge their own inner animal instincts. This is not a commercialized version of manliness, a wolverine species is small, but formidable as a necessity to survive. Shun those notions of community and fellowships of strangers, apex predator animals do not socialize and chum about, for reasons. Follow “anonymous conservative” blog to be rightly dissuaded from exposure to cabal, surveillance, intelligence, agent provocateur elements that will be present. Stay on your own chosen path and all shall be well. We will all meet again on the other side.
Stay frosty.
The title is an important reminder. If our family, friends and neighbors do not consider us to be wild and wacky preppers, then likely we are not focused enough.