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

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“As long as enough people can be frightened, then all people can be ruled. That is how it works in a democratic system and mass fear becomes the ticket to destroy rights across the board.” – James Bovard

Notes for Tuesday – June 09, 2015

On June 9, 1954, Army counsel Joseph N. Welch confronted Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during the Senate-Army Hearings over McCarthy’s attack on a member of Welch’s law firm, Frederick G. Fisher. Welch said, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

o o o

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,
  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.

Conditions for Combining Survival Groups Under Extraordinary Circumstances – Part 2, by G.R.

  • How much of the land floods? i.e. During past tropical storms, how much of the land was under water?

    Again, this is ***(a southern state)***. Yes, the land gets wet when heavy rains come. All campsites and camper parking areas must be able to be elevated by the owners. The harder the rains, the worse the situation would be. In fact, a very good chore would be scouting and foraging for lumber and then constructing suitable platforms for tents. There is nothing different here than at any scouting campground or other public campsite. The land is protected by a wide marsh on the west with a single narrow track through it to the main gate, which has a natural defensive barrier. There is deep ditching on the north to handle the runoff, some lesser ditching on the south, and the same on the east. There are several ponds, and a belt of woods that pretty much surrounds the entire western half of the site. All of these land features extract water in one way or the other from the central area, but this part of the country is wet. I highly recommend a higher wheel base on any vehicle taken onto the site. I’ve driven out there through two or three feet deep mud holes. My truck is not 4-wheel drive, but I know the roads and where to expect the problem points. A low wheel base would not make it during wet times. Again, what you may cry dismay at, is a plus for the community in regards to security; it’s the harshness of access.

  • Can we pre-place our supplies?

    I’d suggest doing so at your local center/group meeting site where you’d depart from. Label individual goods with the family name (plus the family leader’s first initial in case of multiple families sharing the same sir name) and box items for easy loading, stacking, and transporting. At the very least, do so in your home in a dedicated area and in an organized manner. All full members are offered the ability of pre-positioning assets at the site. That’s not available to associates or exigents. A good plan would be for a predetermined, large group of trucks to be dedicated for hauling those labeled goods that have been gathered by your groups in a convoy to the community site. That would serve multiple purposes. A larger amount of goods could be transported at once. The emptied trucks would be useful for work purposes or living purposes; it could be used for recharging 12VDC batteries, scouting and provision runs, and for defensive and offensive purposes. A truck is good for all of these purposes, and the majority of the current membership have trucks or large SUVs for those very reasons. Cars would be unable to navigate the roads leading to the community site during times of extreme wet weather. So, consider joining families with those who have reliable and utilitarian vehicles.

  • What are you expecting of us?

    Nothing exceptional is expected. In the extraordinary circumstances that would cause us to gather at the site, we’ve made a proposal to you, people who would need assistance, by providing a place to run to that is safer and more secure than waiting in your city home to be raided and robbed, where the people left in the city are likely to be murdered, raped, assaulted, or taken prisoner and enslaved. I expect those who agree to come here to be willing to work to survive and to offer to “do” more than “want” and “take”. I expect them to be self-sufficient as much as possible and self-responsible, law-abiding, and rule-abiding. They should not expect more than is possible. They should be firmly grounded in reality and willing to go without all of the things that are frivolous and transitory in nature, such are entertainment, luxury, non-essential items, and time-wasters; these things include games, media, communications, and the “desserts” of life.

    Basically, I expect adults to be adults and forget, for the duration of your stay, the ways of this so-called civilized, leisurely society and enter into the new way of life for a time, as long as it is required for our survival.

  • Are you able to generate power if the grid goes down?

    Yes. In addition, all current members have some form of solar electrical generation capability as a requirement for membership. I do, and it is enough to recharge a laptop, my truck battery, or other vehicle batteries. However, your source of electricity will be what you provide yourself. All power requires fuel input to cause the process to take place, even if that “fuel” is merely the food it takes you to stay healthy enough to maintain your system, or it could be the wind or the sun. In addition, strict noise regulations may be in effect at times. Both of those concepts need to be thought through. All people need to understand that, like water and food, fuel is something that must be replenished. Not only does the fuel have to be acquired, but it must be stored as well. Storing power is quite costly; storing fuel is a challenge because it expires and must be rotated. I know your question is really whether there is electricity for you as a family group or exigent group, and the answer is that there is electricity only at or during communal activities, events and gatherings. Otherwise, there is none. The power production capabilities of the community are primarily for pumps, centralized communications, security, work, and food production.

  • Will the various leaders of the provisional groups be allowed to see the property sometime soon so they can at least report back to the group that all looks good? It seems important if we’re to “sell” the concept that we should at least know where and to what we’re taking our recruits.

    No details of location will be given to the exigent group membership at large. At this time, only certain prospects for full, regular membership have been invited to come out to the site by the community of members for security considerations. Absolutely no one goes out there without such an offer in the works. It is a matter of discretion and good sense to impart to you the reality of what is there only when such an invitation, if ever, is offered to you.

    As for “selling” anything, please understand that this is merely an altruistic offer. My goal is to try and give some time to people who I do not know, have not investigated, vetted, or background checked. As is, the community, while a limited number of people, can do fine without anyone else joining us. I’ve worked hard to just get this small exception for all of you and for your groups, but we, the community/group, are not trying to sell anything to anyone. We do see the practicality of having more people for defensive, offensive, supply and procurement purposes, work, or areas of need for personnel. Their issue is a matter of trust. I’ll tell you this; it’s a good spot. That is truth. It is up to you to accept my word or not. Once a prospective member is taken out there, he or she falls under the same instructions to not allow anyone to know about it and its location without prior board invitation. All of this is for security purposes, now and once we are all out there.

    You can think of this proposal as a gift, and no one has the right to demand a gift. In that case, it would no longer be a gift, and like any gift you open it when you get it and can choose to either make use of the item or merely be polite and offer your thanks for being thought of.

  • You mentioned a rally point where provisionals would meet regulars, who would lead them out in a convoy at the time of an event. Will the meet-up and convoy movement and security be rehearsed ahead of time so that it doesn’t turn into cat herding?

    That’s a good question. I’ll turn it around on you. Where is a place you, as a group, could gather and be ready to travel? Have you the vehicles for persons and things you all think you’ll need for the initial period of time? You, the leaders of your organizations, should take this chore for your people; it’s not my chore. As I’ve said before, convoy is one of the safest ways to travel in uncertain times, but like any military convoy it must be self-equipped and supported along the route from start to end. Once there, multiple trips or solitary trips will be subject to community decisions. It’d be a good exercise wouldn’t it to even fake a bug out by loading trucks with full or empty boxes or containers to see how much and how many people can fit in the vehicles and then practice it. Again, do it like a military exercise, because in the event of it becoming truly necessary that is not a good time to learn what mistakes you are making. As for it being cat-herding, we’ve the time now to learn just what to expect out of all who decide to commit to such a venture. We also have time to think it all through and as leaders to decide who not to include, if need be. Be pragmatic and practical. Again and again, I must say it– stay focused on reality. Be responsible as individuals and as a group. You will be escorted and led to the site, either by me or others who are assigned the task.

  • Is there anyone else I know from (***a specific area***) who has been approached with this proposal? This knowledge could be important so that we don’t cross-recruit or be oblivious to another group traveling to the rally point right alongside us or worry about security. There is security in numbers and benefits of inter-group training and communication.

    No, there is no one you know; there are only individual friends, some neighbors, and some people I know via business who have been approached. However, it is not your business who is being considered or to whom this concept is being proposed. I will state that I am considering some other small groups though. This idea is new. Previously, our group did not wish to take any such risk. All who joined us in the past were invited to do so and each knew the rules and declared their intent to live according to them without questioning. Great care was given in speaking with those who were asked if they’d be interested in joining our group. We all are men, women, and families who realize that if such a crisis does come about that requires such a place and cooperative community to become reality, the world has changed. We know that we will be required to adapt and follow new guidelines and methods of daily life and conduct.

    A straight-forward answer is that I proposed all that I have to you and to my group, as I think you personally– you as group leaders– are worth saving. You must decide for your own people who is worth the risk. Who will bring with them skills and the strength we will all need? Do not allow weakness and some sense of “saving everyone” to develop in your hearts. It is impossible to save everyone in such a time. The harsh truth is that we all will be lucky to just make it the first 60 days.

  • Are we each expected to show up at the rally point with 60-90 days worth of supplies? That would likely be an impossibly heavy haul, if we aren’t able to pre-position on-site or at secure points along the way.

    Impossible is what you decide it is. It is possible, when you think, plan, revise plans, and discard unworkable or impossible ideas. Sixty to ninety days of food, ammo, water filtration, meds, and supply for each person is not impossible, unless you wish it to be so. Start off with what I’ve written above. There is no cold storage. That alone eliminates an awful lot of wasted space and effort. Look at dry goods like rice and beans, which don’t require a lot of space really for a 60-day supply. It may be boring, I grant you, but it will get any and all of you through. All things brought out should be of an absolutely necessary nature. Again, no frivolous items should be brought. Leave the make-up, TV guide, and Playstation at home. Food, ammo, medical supplies, water filtering equipment, containers for various items, soaps, toilet paper, minimal cooking gear,and dry change of clothes and shoes. That’s about it to make it. Your “home” will most likely be the vehicle you travel in or what you intend to pitch and pitch in it.

  • Is the main group planning to engage in food production on the land? If not, what will happen after 60-90 days if the main group sees value in the provisional members and wishes to keep them around, if supplies are exhausted?

    Crops can be grown there and are being grown there now, but supplies are limited. If you don’t work, you have no food or resources. There are many unknowns. Provisional members will either prove their worth or not. Sixty days is long enough for a lot of dying to happen in the city and surrounding areas. That is a lot of time to seek resupply, scavenge, and forage. It is also a time to plan, think, and decide. However, initially, nothing is carved in stone as to anyone being any kind of permanent resident. I’ve offered a breathing space, a time of recouping one’s breath so to speak. It gives you the opportunity to count blessings and get further prepared mentally, emotionally, and yep physically for what would be some very rough times ahead. My hope is that all who want to do so could re-enter the city and its surroundings to try to take up some normal life again. As is, the answer is simply that all of us together will look at our situation when the time comes.

  • What do you expect us to do right now and when? If recruiting, what is the deadline for you to receive completed applications?

    I expect you to get busy doing what you should’ve been doing all along– quit talking, start gathering, figure out how to move 60+ days of supplies into one vehicle with yourself and whomever you travel with as a family group. Also, stop wasting ammo and money. If the fighting comes to us, it will be close up and personal in most cases; mark my words on that. You’ll need every round. You need to think and really accept the difference between what is needed for life versus what is junk, excess, and non-essential. What do I want you to do? Nothing, other than be self-supporting, self-reliant, hard-working, honest, practical, and perhaps brave. I will answer the “recruiting” question simply: We are not recruiting for full memberships. This is an emergency, exigent proposal only. Thus, other than the form for individuals– the roster form– there is no application.

    As for a deadline, there is none. If it happened right now, I’d call you or email you and say, “Are you ready to go?” The event is or will be the deadline. How many, who, what you bring, and what you offer the group is up to you. However, the community needs to know what to expect more than you do. What is your job? What do you expect of yourselves? That answer is the first one you need to find out.

The Summation

I, too, have more questions than answers. So much depends on just what takes place to cause a reaction as we’ve been speaking of. The “grid-down”’ scenario is a common one. Take that one, where there are no cellphone services, no land-line phones, and no Ham or short-distance radio. It’s cute and fun to play in that scenario, but most people either don’t have the equipment nor the know-how. Add in that there are no real standardization or plans in place by any groups in this area. Mostly it’s just those who are Hams or radio aficionados playing at being important. Seriously, that is my view on the whole thing. Like I said, it’s not jumping on the air waves and running mouths; rather, it’s shutting up and listening that is crucial.

That really is a good segue into the real issue– talk versus doing. I’m not a man who really likes to keep banging away talking about anything. I tend to lose patience and just say, “Do it, this way, or get out of my way.” My view about all of this is that I’ve given all I can; it’s an idea– a valid proposal– and I’ve expected some kind of response back.

I know little about your survival plans and capabilities. All who I’ve met are quite sociable people, but being “social” is not the issue. Do not treat this whole idea/issue/possibility as some sort of excuse to have potluck dinners. Instead, start gathering your supplies, and don’t waste time fretting about things we don’t have answers for. Quit wasting ammo for anything other than what’s necessary to stay competent. Quit wasting money on luxuries that have no long-term merit. The fighting, if it comes, will be close up and personal, in most cases, and you’ll need every round. I couldn’t care less about social mores or the dictates of polite company. I see a huge series of jobs that need doing with no one or few really doing them. If it comes time to actually shoot another human being, I will bet the farm that it happens almost pointblank face-to-face. Those who think they are going to sit a 1/2 mile away and be some sort of sniper or sit in a comm-shack in an easy chair and CQ their way to safety had better think again.

It is not going to be a world that folks can expect barter and trade to suddenly appear in a peaceful manner. It is not going to be a place we can hoe the rows and put in our beans and sit back waiting for harvest time. We will not have the luxury of time to melt bees wax into candles, turn wild edibles into tasty gourmet meals, or anything of the sort. It will be a time of loss, a time of great struggles, doubts, and mistrust in our hearts and minds and times when we will possibly at one time or another think of giving up. Some will, and some will do worse. There will be betrayals, defections, losses of control, losses just adding up to where it may seem impossible to go on, but we will need to go on.

No, it will not be some cute time of “where have all the flowers gone” coupled with guns. It won’t be men and women acting like what we today think of as normal. Not one bit. We will be hard-pressed to do our best to preserve our most sacred humanity inside each of us. It will be a time of dealing with all the pain, including what we have inside ourselves.

It’s time we all faced reality and what we are actually coming up to. Your group’s leadership needs to look at this proposal and begin taking action on organization, lists, supplies, and do so with honesty as to capabilities and who can pull their weight and at what jobs. If “it” happens such that some crisis occurs and this all becomes real and not just an exercise in “togetherness”, most all of the people I’ve met are not going to make it, unless they make some changes now.

The first 30 days would be the turning point for so much. At 60 days, the rate of attrition would be awful. Just doing without meds, air conditioning, or any other luxury of life we now expect will be rough. Poor food, sanitation, living in dirt, hard work, lack of sleep, experiencing constant worry will equate to an unkind world. The practical part of me knows that unkindness is the default human condition, like it or not.

Where do we go from here? I have suggestions. I suggest you locate rendezvous point with some real means to meet up. Plan for the worst, and seize any opportunity for the better. Procure and store food and water purification systems for all. Keep the food simple, seriously; buy things like rice and beans or beans and rice. Keep items lightweight. Procure arms and ammunition, as much as is possible for each to accumulate. If anyone does not own or possess the means to defend themself or their own family, or worse, they feel that they cannot ever take such a step to do what it may take, they are out. Store first aid supplies, including bandages, sutures, and disinfectants.

Prepare the methods to transport it all– wagons, travois’, carts, or whatever. Buy bicycles for people close by, if cars can’t run, to assemble in rendezvous points. Cache spots in your homes or other hidden locations– places that won’t be found by intruders or thieves.

I don’t know all the answers, no one does. I don’t know even if I’ve begun to address of all the possible most important questions, but something needs to be done. Change is necessary for all of us, me included. I’m thinking of multiple staging points. Small groups gathering, then gathering again and again with each step bringing more together at different locations with shorter distances for all at each step.

At least we’re still able to think, plan, and take steps while not in a panic.

Letter: Food Shortage

Dear HL and Readers of SurvivalBlog,

We all know that in a TEOTWAWKI situation, people will panic. After what I saw this week, I believe it will happen sooner and to a worse degree than I previously thought. I live outside a small town in the Midwest. We have one mom-and-pop grocery store, a “milk store”, two convenience stores, Walmart, and Kroger as our choices for local grocery shopping. I noticed the shelves at Kroger were somewhat bare the last two times I shopped. I was wondering why this was the case but just thought the employees were not doing a good job with restocking. This week I discovered the reason for the scarce supplies. When I entered Kroger for my shopping, I actually stopped dead in my tracks. The store was undergoing a major remodel/reorganization project. Nothing was where it used to be. Customers were actually in a panic over the chips on the bread aisle and the pet supplies with the prepackaged cookies. The management claims the new product placement is for the convenience of the customers, but I am keenly aware that the new organizational system makes no sense and is set up for impulse buying. (Go in for dog food. See the cookies. Grab a package of Oreos.) Sorry. Back to the subject. I was unable to walk down many aisles. I was going to get a couple of cans of baking powder, but a forklift blocked the baking aisle. Other aisles were also blocked, making shopping virtually impossible. I heard “What am I going to do?” being said by panic-stricken people. If not being able to get a can of chocolate frosting sets someone in a panic, what will a real emergency do? We need to be even more vigilant with our preparations. When TEOTWAWKI occurs, it will be worse than I thought. The overwhelming majority of the population will be, as my grandma would say, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Thank you for your blog and helping me to be prepared. – Prepared Grammy

News From The American Redoubt:

News Video: Flash Floods Devastate Lusk, Wyoming

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Feds release final plan for recovering Snake River sockeye

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Over at Radio Free Redoubt, host John Jacob Schmidt recently posted links to a two-part podcast that related to the need for underground churches in the United States, in the near future:

The Coming Underground Part 1.
The Coming Underground Part 2.

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In The East Oregonian: One man tasked with keeping small town of Ione operating

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Magic Valley Legislators Respond to Refugee Center Concerns – RBS

Economics and Investing:

Gold At $64,000 – Bloomberg’s ‘China Gold Price’. – B.B.

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103 Years Later, Wall Street Turned Out Just As One Man Predicted. – H.L.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

U.S. Authorities Say “Uncomfortable” with Strong Currency; Dollar Drops

Experts Worry that ‘Phony Numbers’ Are Misleading Investors – This is far from the only smoke and mirrors in the room…

Stay Out Of Harm’s Way—-The Casino Is Fixing To Blow

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Maine and Texas governors are poised to sign open carry bills. The Maine law will be Vermont-style Constitutional Carry (unrestrictive–with no permit whatsoever), while the Texas law will require training and a permit. Despite a couple of recent setbacks in Montana and West Virginia (where their Democrat Party governors both recently vetoed Constitutional Carry laws) freedom is on the march, folks!

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Michigan: ‘Urban’ military training exercise damages downtown building. – JBG

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SWAT team destroys man’s home to capture shoplifter. – M.R.

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$30 Geiger Counter for Android/IPhone – Works! (on Android) – Smart Geiger. – T.J.

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Judge Napolitano: Why the NSA Loves the USA FREEDOM Act. – P.S.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.” – Frederic Bastiat

Notes for Monday – June 08, 2015

On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities of the Patriots, and Arnold wrote “let us quit and secure our own country before it is too late.”

That Pesky Little First Amendment

Over the weekend, by way of the NRA some troubling news spread across the Internet: “Commonly used and unregulated Internet discussions and videos about guns and ammo could be closed down under rules proposed by the State Department, amounting to a ‘gag order on firearm-related speech,'” This stems from an Obama Regime reinterpretation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The State Department is updating the ITAR, which implements the Federal Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The net effect of this new ITAR amplification would be to reclassify gun blogs, forums, chat rooms, and firearms “how-to” web pages as “export restricted” firearms technical data. And get this: Per the proposed new rules, “Mother May I” permission must be granted before posting any such data, and failure to do so could result in fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences up to 20 years.

Well, I have a news flash for BHO‘s minions in the State Department: In this nation we have a pesky little scrap of paper that trumps all other pieces of paper, called The Constitution, and it includes the First Amendment, which guarantees our freedom of press.

I must illustrate an important point: With the exception of common law libel restrictions, there are no limits to the freedom of press in these United States. For the purpose of educating the public on that point, I’m posting this little gem of a files link. There, I did it. I’ll see you in court, Mrs. Lynch.

Please contact your congressional representatives and voice any concerns about this proposed ITAR rules change. – JWR