Letter: The Lack of Police and Fire Training or Preparation For the Aftermath of An EMP

I have been visiting west coast fire departments and law enforcement agencies, and none of them, including LAPD, LA Sheriffs, Seattle PD , Oakland PD, or Portland PD, have or plan on scheduling any EMP training drills, and they are not even thinking about how their police or fire agency is going to deal with the aftermath of an EMP.

Everyone talks about how devastating an EMP could be and how the aftermath will affect everyone, but no one from Police and Fire is talking about what and how are they going to react to a catastrophic EMP event.

Has there been any articles on your blog as to whether or not there are any plans from the first responders on just how are they going to deal with an EMP. – D.P.

HJL Responds: While there are many articles on SurvivalBlog about the specifics of EMP, the damage it can cause, how to protect equipment, and other information, first responders have to look to their local organizations for response plans. Since 911, all first responders participate in Incident Response Plans formulated by their local governing agencies. The federal government spends an extraordinary amount of money on developing training materials and classes and makes this information available at little to no cost to all of these first responder agencies. During the 911 crises, first responders learned that on large scale emergencies, differing agencies did not play well with each other, so the focus has been on creating an infrastructure that can grow or shrink with the emergency and allow the interaction and inter-operation of whatever aid organization, both private and public, that was necessary. EMP is just one of many scenarios for which training has been considered, yet emphasis is always placed on the most likely issues to face the local community. For instance, if your community has a major railway that crosses through it, dealing with hazardous material spills will take a higher precedence in training than will EMP issues. While an EMP may be devastating on a national level, the likelihood of that event actually occurring is much smaller than a hazardous materials spill on the railroad or highway system.

It would be nice if they could train for every conceivable issue, but the reality is that there are so many issues that can happen, they must spend their resources, time, and energy on those that they know will happen. Sadly, for EMP to make it higher on the list of priorities, there will probably have to be some form of EMP strike somewhere in the world first.

Economics and Investing:

As currency dies, Zimbabweans will get $5 for 175 quadrillion local dollars. – M.W.

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Interview on current events with Bix Weir

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Students Will Have $3.5 Billion of Student Loan Debt Wiped Out & They Are Not Happy About It– This is just craziness– more debt. We are all on the hook for select people’s mistakes.

Bird Flu Leads to Egg Shortage, Higher Prices

Fund Managers Dump Government Bonds, Rout Continues

Odds ‘n Sods:

This Map Details Whether Asset Forfeiture Laws in Your State Are Good or Awful. – H.L.

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Simple, healthy, and affordable food. – Free your body. – G.P.
Seriously, does anyone even bother with a basic Google search for product marketing before naming these things anymore? And the “green” color on a black/white web page is just inexcusable! Charlton Heston in the 1973 sci-fi classic: Soylent Green Is People!!! – HJL

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Homemade Pickle Bill Among Dozens Signed Into Law in Denver. – JBG

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Rebel attack in Colombia leaves 300,000 in the dark. – G.P.

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Because crime should be for everyone: Obama making bid to diversify wealthy neighborhoods. – T.P.

Notes for Thursday – June 11, 2015

Don’t forget, Camping Survival is moving to Sanford, North Carolina (near Raleigh) soon and has a few open positions. If you are interested in any of the positions, please send a resume per the instructions. You may also want to check out their moving clearance section. Also, June 7th-13th they are having a Mountain House sale with 25% off of #10 cans and 15% off of pouches and buckets.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 59 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Don’t Forget To Prep Your Spice Chest, by T.H.

Spices may be the number one overlooked item when prepping a kitchen to survive the apocalypse. The following article, which I wrote based upon my 15 years of chef experience and a lifetime quest for a self-sustaining lifestyle, includes reasons why you should stock up on spices, information about prepackaged spices, my technique for building a stockpile, the addition of seed-stock to your stockpile of heirloom seeds, how to store home-grown herbs/spices aswell as some techniques for using them.

Surviving Doesn’t Mean You Have To Suffer

One of the pillars of prepping for survival is to stockpile food. This is done in many ways including the purchase of bulk items, freeze-dried meals, MRE’s, and other foods with high caloric values and long shelf lives. This usually results in huge stockpiles of rice, beans, grains, and other foods with marginal flavor profiles. Seldom have I seen mention of the need to prep your spice chest. At best, most sites and books will tell you to lay up a healthy supply of salt, which is useful for many things besides enhancing the flavor of food, but rarely will you see instructions to lay up a healthy supply of pepper, chili powder, curry, or other “non-nutritional” food stores. Well folks, I am here today to tell you that supplying yourself with a stock of herbs and spices will not only make your survival more comfortable, it will help you survive longer, healthier, and provide you with another monetize-able trade good for your TEOTWAWKI savings account.

Let’s get the definitions out of the way:

Herbs – The flavorful leaves or stems of plants.

Spices – The flavorful seeds, roots, or bark of plants.

I want to point out first that keeping a stockpile of spices can help in your survival beyond making your food taste better. Most, if not all, common herbs and spices contain medicinal qualities that help stave off common ailments. Studies suggest that incorporating them into your diet can help protect against conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and even cancer. Morale is another reason why keeping some spices on hand is a good idea. It will be hard enough to keep up morale after the collapse of society without the addition of subsisting on the same bland food day after day.

Spices Are Packaged To Survive

Before we move on let’s talk a little bit about the packaging of herbs and spices. Spices and herbs are both susceptible to flavor loss among other types of spoilage. Protecting flavor loss is the number one goal of modern spice packaging and is accomplished in a number of ways. The biggest threat is moisture, after that is light, which means that most are packaged in air-tight resealable containers. The spice companies usually leave it up to the consumer to protect against light by keeping them in a dark cupboard.

You can expect an un-ground whole spice, such as black pepper, cumin, coriander, or cinnamon sticks, to maintain peak flavor for up to five years. Ground spices will hold peak flavor for an average of three years, and herbs generally hold for one or two years. Now, this is peak flavor that I’m talking about, so you can expect to retain some amount of flavor for well over the averages that I have listed. Open or damaged containers will, of course, not last as long, but based on my experience you can still find flavor in spices that have been sitting in an opened container for many, many years. I acquired a shelf of spices from my grandmothers house when she passed, many of them over a decade old, and all retained usable flavor.

When planning a system of spice purchases I find it useful to use the slow-and-steady method. Each and every week when I go to the store I buy an extra jar of spices. I try to rotate my purchases each week so that I keep a diverse stockpile. I usually look for the cheaper bulk items, like a 1# self-contained pepper mill– whole black pepper packaged in a disposable grinder, which is a potential trade item in and of itself, or other high quantity products. Since spices usually cost about $4-5 per small jar, it is pretty easy for most people to add an extra bottle each week or every other week. Once you get a stockpile built up, you can start rotating your oldest product into your kitchen and then replace whatever it is you took on the next trip to the market. Remember, with food, it is always FIFO (First In First Out). You must use the oldest first to keep from having to throw any food out.

I tend to stick with the whole spices but will also toss in a few ground spices to be sure I will always have some usable product without the need for an electric or manual spice grinder or mortar-and-pestle, which are both very important tools in homestead cuisine. I also like to stockpile spice blends, such as blackening, steak seasoning, lemon pepper, and Old Bay. My favorites are Old Bay and Chef Paul’s Blackened Redfish Magic. I’m an eastern NC boy, so I use a lot of Old Bay. It goes well with everything from crab boils to whole hog BBQ and even in the breading for fried chicken. Chef Paul’s can be used the same way.

Irradiation

Irradiation is another topic important to this discussion. Irradiation is the process of exposing food products to a source of ionizing radiation in order to increase shelf life and to prevent food-borne illness. The debate over irradiation’s effect on human health still rages, despite many studies showing that it is not harmful, if you believe what “they” tell you. The practice is not widespread in the U.S., due to public perception although it is still used in some cases. Other countries, in particular the European Union, use it more frequently. In the EU, irradiation is primarily used for extending the shelf life of herbs and spices, so ordering from overseas is the way to go if you want this extra level of protection.

Take It To The Next Level

In addition to buying jars of packaged herbs and spices, I also buy seeds, so don’t forget to add this to your list when purchasing your heirloom vegetable seeds. This is of course alongside my current garden where I grow fresh herbs and spices as I can. I prefer to buy perennials, such as thyme, sage, oregano, and lovage, because they come back year after year. Other herbs, such as basil, have to be restarted each year.

If you have never heard of lovage, I suggest you go and find some because it is very useful. Lovage is similar to celery and celeriac but with a deeper, more earthy flavor. It is very popular in eastern European cuisine where the leaves are chopped and used on soups and broths in the same manner as parsley. On top of that it grows a large root, which can be eaten as a vegetable; the stems and stalks can be chopped or diced and used just as you would celery and the seeds are useable too. Along with all that lovage also has medicinal value although I am not an expert on that.

Other great plants to grow in the garden are dill and cilantro because they are both spices and herbs. Dill produces only one flavor, dill, which can be recovered from the leaves, stems, and seeds of the plant. Cilantro, also know as Chinese parsley and coriander, provides two flavors. The leaves of the plant are commonly called cilantro and used prominently in Asian and Latin American/Caribbean cuisine. It’s great in salsa and tacos. The seeds are called coriander and are one of my most favorite spices to use, right after cumin. Coriander has an earthy, almost lemony, aroma that goes very well in stews, such as venison and bear. As a side note, I have in recent years discovered that bear is my favorite game meat by far. It has a rich flavor reminiscent of lamb and foi gras, and it makes great stew and awesome burgers.

Growing herbs in the garden is very easy, since most of them are just weeds. All you have to do is plant and forget. Then as the plants grow, you can harvest as needed. I usually get two or three harvests off of my oregano plant, which is more than enough to last a year, even with a houseful of mouths to feed. Depending on the plant, I would suggest at least two of each for every four people in your plans, so that you are ensured of having enough to use and store without killing the plant.

Garlic is also very easy to grow. One bulb can yield up to 30 or more cloves, each turning into a whole new bulb. The best part is that they grow just about year round, depending on where you live. I started out planting two batches each year, one just after Christmas and one as the summer begins to wind down. It takes three or four months for the bulbs to form, so by using this rotation I always have home-grown garlic, and my plants never have to suffer through the heat of summer. Now that I have been growing garlic for a couple of years, I have developed a garlic patch. I started by planting the cloves from one bulb widely spaced. Then, a month or two later, I planted more in the spaces between the first. This way there is always garlic growing and I can always go out and pull one if I want really fresh product. Plus, the best way to store a plant is to keep it alive, if you can. When I harvest the bulbs that are ready, I replant new cloves in the spaces left behind.

Storing Home-grown Herbs and Spices

Storing your home-grown herbs and spices is also very easy. For herbs, I usually tie them into a bundle and hang them upside down in a cool, dark, well-ventilated space until completely dry. Then you can store them in air tight containers or plastic bags. These will not last as long as your store-bought supplies, but they will last for quite a while, up to a year or more. I have some dried oregano in my kitchen now that is nearly two years old and is still making great tomato sauce.

Spices are a little bit trickier but only a little. I have found that it is very, I repeat very, important to be sure they are completely dry before you package them. If you do not let them dry thoroughly and completely, you will come back to find mold growing within only a few days, ruining them. One way to help avoid this problem is to use your food dehydrator; another is to dry them out in a very low temperature oven. When I say low temperature, I mean under 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and a temperature under 150 degrees is actually best. You do not want to cook them; you just want to dry them out.

Get The Most Out Of Your Prepped Spices

In a life-or-death survival situation, it is unlikely you will have the time to worry about maximizing the flavor of your food. However, when you are safe within your compound, campsite, retreat, bivouac, et cetera, there are two tips I can give to help you get the most out of your spices. The first is to toast them. Heating them up will help to activate the oils and other volatile compounds within the spice. This will “open up” the flavor and help make a smaller amount go a long way. Another bonus is that toasted spices taste really really good. The next time, youare at the stove, try dry roasting, in a cast iron skillet, some black pepper corns or cumin seeds to see how much flavor is unlocked. I bet, that after you do, you will be roasting spices the rest of your life.

Another is to make flavored oils. This can be done simply by putting some of your spices and herbs into a measure of cooking oil and then gently heating it. When doing this I suggest you get the heat of the oil up above 140F for at least 10 minutes to be sure you kill any bacteria and other pathogens that may be present. This step is less important when using store-bought spices but will aid in capturing the flavor. So, if you have the time, do it right. A kitchen thermometer is another valuable tool in the homestead kitchen. You can buy the simple pocket thermometers used daily by professional chefs for about $10-$15. These come in two varieties– the standard model goes up to just over 212F (boiling point of water) and are used for general cooking. The other type of thermometer goes much higher and are used for frying and candy making.

Yet another method is to make flavored vinegars. You do this exactly as you would a flavored oil but without the addition of heat. Heating a vinegar will cause the acid to evaporate and along with it some of the flavor. To use the vinegar or oil, add it to your recipes just as you would normally. The difference is that now the vinegar or oil will carry flavor with it. Chili and garlic oils are great for stir-fry; flavored vinegars are great for making salad dressing or sprinkling on raw vegetables.

Letter Re: Pat Cascio’s Recent Post On Carjackings

Good morning, Hugh,

Pat Cascio’s recent post on preventing carjackings included this sentence: “Fifth, drive in the center lane (if possible) when on highways; this reduces your chances of becoming a ‘bump and run’ theft victim”.

I’ll agree with driving in the center lane, but stopping in the center lane is a different thing. Unless you are first in line, you’re trapped. Stopping in the curb or median lanes offers an escape route; one can drive over the curb and down the sidewalk if necessary from the curb lane, or one can cross the median or even drive in the median to get away from a threat. Whatever damage your car may suffer from climbing the curb is much less expensive than losing the car or a hospital stay. If there are cars parked along the curb, pick the median lane.

Needless to say, while stopped in traffic is not the time to be engrossed in a cell phone call or texting. Keep your head up, glance in all three mirrors frequently, and stay alert to people in other cars and especially any on foot. Car doors opening around you, especially on cars behind you, is a red flag. Nearly everyone has noticed a police car parked by itself in a parking lot, away from other cars; the officer is probably doing paperwork on the steering wheel (allowing him to keep his head up and glance around and in the mirrors frequently) and has created a safety buffer space around the car. It’s a good practice to follow.

Almost stopping a little more than a car length behind the car in front of you then easing forward a couple of feet reduces the opportunity for a “bump-and-rob” and makes it very obvious that’s what’s happening if it occurs.

We were taught in police driving school to leave space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you when stopping; the general rule was make sure you can see pavement between your hood line and the bottom of the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you. This allows room to get around that vehicle and escape. I consider that a minimum distance and I prefer to leave a couple more feet of maneuvering room.

When driving, crowd the left edge of the lane periodically so you can see down the line of cars in front of you. Too many people focus on the back of the car in front. Brake lights coming on 10-12 cars ahead give you warning, as does seeing traffic lights changing a hundred yards ahead.

In restaurants with two drive-thru lanes, never take the inside lane; again, you’re trapped. There’s a greater threat in the outside lane but also an escape route. Leave escape space between your vehicle and the one in front; if that means a car-length gap between you and the speaker or the pay or pickup window, so be it. Everyone in line will still get their food; just don’t compromise your escape path. Never put the vehicle in park. Just keep your foot on the brake. For manual transmissions, leave it in first and keep the clutch depressed. That way if the SHTF, you can escape forward immediately. Pay particular attention when between the pay and pickup windows; your car window will be down, and it’s easy to walk between your car and the building and reach in the driver’s side window. Glance around, especially to your right and behind when approaching the windows; that’s when you’ll be most distracted with handling money or your order. If something doesn’t seem right, drive away. You can always do a lap around the restaurant parking lot and get back in line. Needless to say, keep the doors locked.

There are the usual cautions: Always keep your gas tank at least half full so you control when and where you stop. Keep your head on a swivel, looking for anything out of place whenever you’re stopped. If you have to go inside to pay, lock your car and don’t leave your wallet or purse in the car. If you always use cash, consider a prepaid credit or gas card so you can swipe and pay at the pump. Don’t pin yourself in the “alley” between your car, the pump, and the hose. It’s simple for a threat to close the alley at the front of the car, which will also block you from getting to the driver’s door. It’s usually better to work the hose from the rear and stay behind the car.

Left handers should practice shooting right-handed, because they’re at a substantial disadvantage against threats at the driver side window. If you spend a lot of time in a vehicle, consider a good shoulder holster. It’s a faster, easier draw than a hip holster inside a car.

There are more, but I don’t want to steal all Pat’s thunder. – N.K.

Odds ‘n Sods:

The War on Free Speech Accelerates: DoJ Subpoenas Reason.com Over Comment Section. – H.L.

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Cheap, synthetic ‘flakka’ dethroning cocaine on Florida drug scene. – G.P.

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The Australian nanny state strikes again… Sighting of boy with realistic fake gun prompts call to amend sale laws. – A.S.

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Hospital drug pump can be hacked to overdose you. – D.S.

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The Water Terrorcrats Have Crossed My Line – Here’s What I Am Doing About It. – H.L.

Notes for Wednesday – June 10, 2015

On June 10, 1967, the Six-Day War ended as Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United Nations-mediated cease-fire.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 59 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Does the Number of the Beast Have an Area Code?, by CTS

[Editor’s Comment: SurvivalBlog does not endorse the concept of the “number of the beast” being associated with any form of technology; however, the information presented in this article is of import to anyone who is concerned about the collection of private information and government oversight.]

Listen carefully. I’m about to tell you something that they don’t want you to hear. I’m also about to tell you something that you most likely don’t want to hear, so you may want to sit down for this.

You don’t need your cell phone.

There I said it.

You may say, “but they are so convenient, and what if there’s an emergency?” It may be that convenience is the most important thing to you. You can check the weather and traffic on your smart phone, and you can use it as an airline ticket to scan in for a flight. It has a camera, and you can take cool selfies with it. It may be that you are, for whatever reason, unable to handle emergencies by yourself. Maybe you don’t want to take the time to take a basic first aid class. Maybe you don’t want to deal with the stress of stopping to help at the scene of an accident because there may be blood and it may be icky. It’s easier to just call 911 and let someone else handle the problem. If either of those are the case, read no further, and may your chains rest lightly.

You do know how they can use your cell phone, right? This article by Jose Pagliery was widely read.

The article discusses secrecy surrounding the employment of technology that collects data and tracks cell phones. This article and others make it clear that broad amounts of data are scooped up in the process of looking for criminal and terror suspects. Allegedly the byproduct is scrapped and the constitutionally-aware law enforcement agencies using this technology are careful to protect the privacy of the individual, but there’s no evidence of what procedures are in place for protection of constitutional rights. It’s not even clear how or if warrants are obtained to conduct these huge sweeps of information.

For many there is little new in the article. Many understand the vulnerabilities of the cell phone to outside interception and tracking, as numerous articles have been written in the past. A simple Internet search yields plenty of interesting material on the subject. It’s a subject that is worth self education. It should become clear to anyone that any information, data, or voice put out into the ether is subject to interception, tracking, and exploitation. The next big question is who is doing that exploiting, how are they doing it, and for what purposes are they doing it?

Here is an articlethat touches on the scope of law enforcement use of techniques in cell phone surveillance.

This article discusses the conflicting policies and legal concerns of those implementing these techniques. In an ideal world, if you didn’t do anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about. However, we all know this isn’t an ideal world, and the founding fathers knew that also. The Fourth Amendment is designed to protect people from an over-reaching government that may be run by corrupt officials.

For the record, I want to say up front, I’m glad cell phone technology exists. I am glad we have cell phone technology in the world today, and I’m glad we have the means to track phones and use them to monitor all kinds of illegal activity and hopefully catch bad guys before they do bad things. I hope also beyond hope that law enforcement officials apply for warrants and abide by constitutional constraints, but I won’t hold my breath. Use of this technology is vital to our national defense. Its implications in thwarting terror attacks and criminal acts is clear. It doesn’t really take much to do it properly and have the oversight necessary to preserve liberty. I hope that those who are involved in chasing terrorists and criminals never lose sight of the fact that the whole point is to protect the American way of life and freedom. If, in the process of hunting terrorists, we throw away our liberties, then the terrorists have won and we’ve just exchanged one enemy for another.

We all know that cell phone data that is retrieved can be misused by a government, which has not been immune to exercising abuse of power. We know that prosecutorial abuse and investigative misconduct are an unfortunate part of our government. This country is great, and our government is (when run properly) one of the best in the world. However, we have to maintain vigilance and be constantly on guard against failings of the system, and more importantly, failings of the individuals of which it is made. The cell phone is a great convenience, but it’s also a great impedance to self reliance and is a potentially grave threat to personal freedom.

So why are we using them? Why do we just roll over and accept this?

The answer is because we want to. It’s because we’ve embraced the technology as a necessary evil, and many of us love them, even denying the evil side and believing that we are all sophisticated enough to see any evil.

It is easy to say we need them for “emergencies”, and that is a valid and life-saving application. “If it saves just one life” is a common cry, and clearly cell phones have saved lives.

Most of us who were born before the advent of cell phones remember a time when we saved our own lives or worked together as neighbors and community to save each other. Who is it that we call on a cell phone to save us? Generally, help comes in the form of a government entity. This is not entirely a bad thing. Valiant fire/rescue personnel and police departments save lives daily as a result of cell phone calls, but are we becoming too reliant on government to rescue us? Has it become too easy to push three or four simple buttons and wait for the cavalry to come over the hill? Are people willing to push a little harder, to climb a little farther and take more risks because they know rescue is only the push of a few buttons away?

I would suggest that we are being, as Kruschev said we would, ruled by invitation.

Try spending a day without your cell phone. You can do it; I know you can. The question is about willingness. Are you willing to set aside the convenience and the safety net and delve into the world of self-reliance? If you can make it a day, then try a week. Try spending a week without being leashed to that thing. Maybe you wind up not getting a call from your significant other about the fact that the kids ran through the milk faster than expected. You get home and he/she is standing there arms crossed, toe tapping, and a stern look. You might hear, “I tried to call you. We were out of milk. You should have picked some up on the way home.”

Well, you should have some shelf stable milk on hand just in case any way, but that’s probably another article. I’m trying to point out that this will ultimately be a family project. Right now, nearly every family of every socio-economic class in this country (and many other countries) are totally dependent on the ability to instantly communicate.

If you can do it, if you can lay that thing down and walk away for just one day, you may find yourself, sadly, in a new world. Once you put your cell phone away and look up at what is going on around you, one of the first things you will notice is how everyone seems to have their heads down. You’ll notice that they all look like a bunch of antelope around the water hole. They look like prey.

Everyone is eager for the latest app, the latest bells and whistles of the latest product, and all the pretty lights so shiny. It is truly amazing what smart phones can do. All that technology is in the palm of your hand. What used to fill rooms is now right there, so small and so available to everyone. No question goes unanswered by accessing the Internet in the palm of your hand. The smart phone is a source of knowledge, and knowledge is power. Is it really empowering? Is it really making us more knowledgeable? Are we really this easily led and manipulated? Who is it that is turning us into such easy prey? Is it big government? Is it evil corporations? Or are we all just collectively dumb enough to be doing it to ourselves? I’m not a particularly religious man. I don’t know much about things like the number of the beast or the ways of the devil, but if I had to guess, such things wouldn’t come to us in the form of bar code tattoos or numbers on our foreheads. Even implanted chips seem obviously obtrusive. Personally (and I admit this is my own uneducated opinion, tainted as it is by my own well-founded paranoia), I think that the devil would be sneaky about it, just like Kruschev said about ruling the world by invitation. I think the number of the beast would come to us by invitation of the masses. The number of the beast could well start with an area code.

Letter Re: Economics and Investing Article Reference, by TC

HJL,

That was fascinating reading. It is important to read the article AND the comments. I regard myself as middle class and have read the WSJ since 1978, when my Economics professor required it. Those people commenting regard themselves as middle class, and they sound like me. I look at the people that the media and democrats call middle class, and I don’t see myself.

My own spending habits revolve around expenditures that lower my cost of living, ensure I can provide for my family (preps), and the acquisition of new assets that pay me or improved assets that will pay me better. It is important to work for assets and not just a paycheck. They put you in a position to offer services for money when you want to do it. It is about freedom. – RV