Planning Who Shares Your Parachute – Part 2, by L.M.

Plan Charity

During TEOTWAWKI, there will be millions without the basic necessities of food, shelter, water, and medicine. While you certainly can’t be expected to care for everyone, you should plan into your parachute a bit of charity. Our personal number is 10%. We store 10% more than we think we will need so that we will have some to give away as charity.

Your charity portion will have to be carefully disbursed so that you don’t compromise your OpSec, but none the less you will fare better for having it. Unlike most things about TEOTWAWKI and preps, charity can be neatly divided into two major classes: charity for those you know but cannot take in, and charity for those you don’t know.

Let’s be quite frank at this juncture. Despite your best plans and your best conversations, there will be people you know but did not invite who show up at your door looking for a handout. Having something in the charity bag to hand them while you politely shoo them on their way can both help them and ease your mind. Having something to give them allows you to keep your promise (“You can’t come here!”) while fulfilling the implied promise of helping a friend in need. If you have already planned this charity into your parachute, it is really no extra burden.

There is a subcategory of those you do know but can’t take in. That is those that you can take temporarily. Perhaps you can take them just overnight while they get a meal, shower, and wash their clothes before they move on. Or, perhaps you can take them for a week, while they labor in your garden, cut firewood, or provide security. Whatever you decide, once again, communication and setting proper expectations are paramount. Talk to them, and make absolutely sure they know your plans.

Then there are those strangers you don’t know who may come knocking for a handout. Zombies! I strongly discourage you from giving charity from your front door to those you don’t know. That is a huge violation of your OpSec. It could lead them to believe that you have supplies that they desperately need and provoke them into staging a violent midnight raid on your sanctuary. I would suggest a more clandestine method of helping, such as very quietly giving to the local food bank, church, or free medical clinic. If this giving is previously planned, then it too is really no extra burden.

Even when dealing with the Zombies, planning is critical. Having prepared the right words, which are delivered with the right tone of voice, can go a long way toward keeping your peace. How will you handle the Zombies who won’t take “no” for an answer? How will you treat the Zombies that keep coming back? Plan now how you will respond to the Zombies, and it will go much easier on that stressful day.

Planning a few extra cans of beans for charity into your preps is a small price to pay for the goodwill it may bring you. Certainly, giving away some edible supplies is quite prudent if it keeps you from having to deplete your lead supplies.

How To Plan

Now that we agree that good planning is a critical skill and we have talked a bit about what to plan, let’s discuss how to plan. Plans must be cataloged, firm but flexible, and constantly reviewed and updated.

Step one for planning is to put your plans to paper (or computer). Writing your plan down is the best way to ensure that you won’t forget things, and it also makes it much easier for your partners to know what you have in mind. WARNING: This step takes the most time but reaps the most rewards! A quick search of the Internet will yield you dozens of spreadsheets to use. Or, if you are old school (or EMP probable), use a pencil and a notebook to keep your data.

So, what do you need to put in this spreadsheet or notebook? Here is a list of the things for which you probably need to plan, as you increase your readiness for TEOTWAWKI. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you a good start.

  • Skills

    • Skills you have or plan to get.
    • Skills others in your team have.
    • Skills you are missing.

    In this section, you should note the skills you have, the ones you plan to get, and the ones that others may bring with them. (See now why you have to have some idea who is coming?) List the skills in order of importance. You may discover that you are missing vital skills that you cannot live without. (You are trained in first aid, aren’t you?) These are your first priority for obtaining skill training. Note that as your group composition changes or ages, so will the skill sets.

  • Shelter

    • Security for your shelter
    • Heat
    • Power
    • Repairs

    Shelter is quite important, and I am sure that you have given it some thought. This is a huge category, and you may want to break security out into its own section. I included it here, because the main purpose of security is to secure your housing, along with the people and things in it.

    In this section you will also record your plan for how you will provide heat (wood, coal, solar, et cetera). Do you plan on having alternate sources of power during TEOTWAWKI (solar, generator, gassifier, or something else)? Here is also where you list the items you will need to repair your shelter (plexi-glass, wood, nails, tarps, pipe, and so forth).

  • Food

    • How much of what?

      • Fruits
      • Vegetables
      • Grains
      • Breads
      • Meats
    • Cooking

      • Utensils
      • Means of cooking

    Here is where knowing who is coming is so important. Who is going to be there informs this part of your plans. I can’t tell you specifically how to plan, but I will tell you our plan. Feel free to adjust it to your specific needs.

    We plan for 20 people for six months. Further, my plan calls for servings of three fruits, four veggies, five starches, and six breads, for a total of about 1130 calories each day. We will supplement this with our own meat from our homestead. Having these numbers allowed us to calculate how much we needed in each category. From here you can further break this down, such as within the breads category how much wheat, or barley, or rye, et cetera. Perhaps you have less people, want more calories, or plan on a longer timeframe. This organization gives you the format to accurately plan for those things by changing the math to fit your plan.

  • Water

    • Resupply
    • Filtration

    This is a big deal. During TEOTWAWKI you may not have government-sourced, running water or any electricity to power your well. Knowing how much water you will need will help you with this part of the plan. For instance, in our plan, if we want to supply 20 people for six months with two gallons a day, we need to source 7200 gallons of potable water (one very large swimming pool). If you are planning for a drought, knowing how much water you need may provoke you to deepen your well, so that when your neighbors are all out of water your well still provides. (Of course, now you will have to change your security plan to defend it.)

  • Hygiene

    • Male specific needs
    • Female specific needs
    • Infant specific needs
    • Common needs

    Now you have your food, water, and shelter planned out, but it does you no good, because you all stink so bad you cannot stay in the same house. Please plan for good hygiene. If you do not, then you have to plan for much more medical supplies to treat the resultant illnesses.

  • Medical

    • Supplies
    • Medicines

    During TEOTWAWKI medical help may be a long way off or completely nonexistent. Plan to care for the potential needs of your group. Try to anticipate the needs that are not present now but may arise later. Don’t forget to add medical care to your skills list.

  • Transportation

    • Items that use power
    • Items that do not use power
    • Fuels
    • Repair

    We already discussed having a transportation plan. Here is where you list the items you need to make that plan happen.

  • Tools

    • Hand tools
    • Power tools

    TEOTWAWKI may present you with no power, so hand tools may be required. In this section you list all the tools, both powered and manual, that you may need.

This list could have gone on and on to include such vital things as education, entertainment, and communication. You can, and should, add to this list as your situation dictates. Planning for an economic collapse will create a very different list than planning for an EMP.

Conclusion

Creating a great plan takes lots of hard work. I suggest that you create it the same way you eat an elephant– one bite at a time. Create the skills list and mull it over for a week or so. Take it out every day and just look at it. Things that belong on the list will seem to just pop into your mind.

The second week move on to the shelter list and mull it over for a week in the same fashion. I am quite sure that as you work the shelter list, you will discover some things you forgot for the skills list, too. Then, next week, move on to the next topic and so forth. Take it one bite at a time, and it will not overwhelm you.

In armies, Generals are not the best shooters; they are the best planners. The CEO of General Motors is not the company’s best car builder; he is the company’s best planner. For preppers, the most important skill is planning. If you do not have a plan, you have a high probability of failing, which may mean death! What good is it to have all the food you could possibly need if you have not planned a means to prepare it? What good are all the bullets, if you forgot to buy the rifle? What good is it to have a parachute if it won’t bear the weight on it?

Plan. Plan. Plan. Planning you parachute may save your life!

Letter: The Internet

HJL/JWR:

I am a former G6 (army comms) and closet geek, and a stability operations (Civil Affairs) practitioner. Suffice to say the issue of open Internet access and destabilizing influences on the ground have been the center of my world and work for over a decade. You’re not going to like this, but here it is:

The only way to preserve the Internet AND reduce the spread of radical ideology is to register users’ to each IP address. Here’s why.

The Internet IS like a big, wonderful library (paraphrasing yesterday’s poster). However, there’s a problem. Imagine your children in that library, along with your grandma and all your financial records, too, when a stranger comes in the door, masked, in a fedora and trenchcoat. He flashes your kids, kicks your grandma in the teeth, and swipes your financial data. How did this happen?

It’s because we let a guy come in the library with a mask on.

That’s the Internet. The anonymity we all have grown to see as a “right” is really just a function of the way the Internet and our lives evolved together. Your town would NEVER let a stranger come into the library with a mask on, so why in the world would we allow the same thing to occur in cyberspace?

IP address registration and biometrics can be linked operationally, strategically, and yes biblically, but please understand that they are not automatically concurrent. As a libertarian, I loathe to say this but the registration and tracking of IP addresses and users is a textbook government function.

We cannot allow anonymous users access to the Internet; if any three of us had sit around the kitchen table and planned the ubiquity, rate of growth, and saturation of the Internet into our lives, we would NEVER allow a SINGLE unregistered user access.

I am certain there will be people in the survival-blogosphere who will denounce me, and that’s okay. I’ll leave you with one thing to think about, as a stability practitioner: think about the increased event density with regard to terrorism and radicalism. Think about the geographic, religious, cultural, financial, social, and other spheres involved. Now tell me: what is the ONE single unifying factor among all of the things you’ve considered? It’s communication.

Marshal McLuhan was right: the medium IS the message.

The (open) Internet IS the problem. In Christ – T.K.

HJL Responds: Anonymity on the Internet does not exist today, and I’m not sure it ever existed. Having spent considerable time in the industry, I can tell you that every bit of “metadata” is saved for several months, and the only thing keeping it from being saved for years is the ISP’s unwillingness to use the disk space. To my knowledge, every ISP operates more-or-less to the same standard with the only difference being in how long such records are maintained. The logging of the data is inherent to the design of the Internet and is how system administrators troubleshoot networking problems. Each ISP also maintains those records for their own protection. They keep those records so that if illegal activity is traced to any particular ISP, they can point the finger at someone else. The natural check/balance that keeps this information from being pooled in a massive database is that a court order is required to pull the data from every single ISP involved in the network path of the data.

If you are using the Internet, you must assume that the metadata is always saved. If any particular entity along the path of the data is under active investigation or current search warrant, the content of the data may also be saved. In addition, it has been revealed that the intelligence community has the capability of duplicating and saving every packet of data that passes through a major routing point within the United States. Even though the saving of data is only supposed to apply to data passing to and from foreign destinations or people of interest, it has been shown that the intelligence community keeps data with up to three or four degrees of separation from the actual entity of interest. Can you guarantee that the person/entity you are communicating with does not know someone else who knows someone else of interest to the NSA? Always assume that your Internet communications are tracked, because they are, if not by the NSA (or other alphabet agency), then by the local ISP, and the data is only a court order away from being public.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Despite Ever-Expanding Police State Measures, Cops Worse Than Ever at Solving Crimes. Here’s Why.. – H.L.

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Ukrainian Authorities Raid Dormitories to Catch Students Evading Draft

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DHS Launches “Family Reunification,” Refugee Program for Central Americans. – B.B.

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Banks Turning Accounts over to Police for Seizure. – D.S.

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SurvivalBlog recently ran across a U.S.-made wind turbine for those who live in a suitable location. You might want to check Pika Energy out, if you are interested.

Notes for Thursday – April 02, 2015

JRH Enterprises is having a sale on PVS14 P+ 3rd Generation Night Vision devices. These are all ITT/Exelis, brand new with 10 year factory warranty and all standard accessories. They are currently $600 off retail and JRH will throw in a LIF and NV compass. You also might want to check the NightFighter 2 combo package which is also on sale

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Today, we present another entry for Round 58 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 58 ends on May 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.

Planning Who Shares Your Parachute – Part 1, by L.M.

Imagine that you are a passenger on a large commercial airplane headed to paradise. The people on board are excited, because they are embarking on the vacation of a lifetime. The skies are beautiful and things are going along just fine; then, suddenly, the plane develops engine trouble. There is a horrible metallic bang. The nose of the plane dips. The plane banks down and to the left, and smoke starts coming from the left engine. It is obvious to you that the plane is going to crash in just a few moments.

Being the prepper that you are, you and your spouse have packed parachutes. You and your beloved open your carry-on luggage and don your trusty parachutes while heading for the door. You have prepared for this day. You have held several dry runs. You took skydiving classes to hone your parachuting skills. You are ready. It’s time to put your good plan into operation.

Several other passengers watch you make your way toward the exit and ask if they can hold on to you when you jump out of the failing aircraft. They just want to survive, too. You know that the extra weight of full grown adults will collapse your parachute and you all will die, so you refuse. Then, just before you jump, a young lady comes and delicately asks if you would only take her infant son. He is light enough, but you will have to care for him (perhaps forever) and he certainly will make your plight much worse when you land. How will you feed him? How will you clothe him? He wasn’t part of your parachute plan. Do you refuse to take the baby? How about taking that small, cute, three year old girl with the pigtails that reminds you of your favorite niece? How about the two infants in the next row? Where do you draw the line?

Being preppers, we are a peculiar people who believe in packing our parachutes for the very likely case of uncertain times. Yet, we are surrounded by those who, despite our best warnings, refuse to prepare their own parachutes. Sometimes, they even giggle and say, “When the SHTF, I am coming to your house!”

Plans need to be made that can be implemented quickly. Foreknowledge, which comes from thinking about a situation in advance, can be invaluable. Your plan should start with the biggest, by far, variable– who. Once you have planned for “who”, you can move on to other things, such as “how” and “how much”. This article will help you forge plans without which your parachute will most certainly collapse.

You have to decide now who you will include in your plans for TEOTWAWKI. It is pretty evident that you cannot care for everyone, but you will have to decide which ones. This article poses more questions than answers, but I am hoping that the questions spur you to think about this. Deciding who may potentially live or die is not a very pleasant thing, but the reality is that you, being a prepared person, will have to make some of those decisions. When you have food, shelter, and security and others do not, you must decide, or they will decide for you. When you have the parachute, you must plan for who can ride, or everyone will grab on, in which case you are sure to meet the ground in a most severe manner.

Think About It Now

Now is the time to think about, and plan for, who you will include. I am not writing about your fellow preppers who are in your Preparedness Group. I am writing about those loved ones or neighbors who will not (or cannot) prepare and who will look to you for help in TEOTWAWKI. I am talking about those who want to share your parachute because they don’t have one!

During TEOTWAWKI your emotions will run high. Your stress level may be through the roof. That is not the time to make serious life-affecting decisions. Think it through now, while your emotions are cool and you can take your time to ponder it. Plan it now, while you can turn it over and over in your mind.

Will you take all of your children? What about any grandchildren? How about your kids’ spouses? Are your parents and in-laws welcome? Are extended family members going to be welcome, such as cousins, aunts, uncles, or the in-laws of your kids? Will your grandchildren be safe if your daughter-in-law decides to go to her parents because her parents are not welcome at your sanctuary? Will you take ex-spouses so your kids have both of their biological parents? What will you do for the elderly widow down the street?

Thinking these things through now, while you can take your time with it, and making a plan is best. Discuss it with your beloved and get in agreement now. Many of us have solid plans for how we might greet green-toothed, wild eyed, half-human zombies during TEOTWAWKI; I doubt we would want to use that same welcome for someone we love but forgot to plan for.

Forming Plans And Storage Targets

Coming to some even tentative conclusions about who might be welcomed at your door can be quite informative. Knowing how many you will need to feed can help you plan food storage targets. Discerning who has valuable skills can inform your resupply and security plans. Identifying the medical needs of potential TEOTWAWKI induced “guests” can assist you in making decisions on what medicines you might need. Knowing who might be welcomed at your door can help you form your plans for the bullets, beans, and Band-Aids we all need.

There is also the other side of the coin. Knowing who might show up at your door will help you plan for the liabilities they may bring, too. Do they have a need for refrigeration for medicines? Do they have any mental or emotional disorders for which they take medication that may not be available during TEOTWAWKI? Are they likely to bring weapons, or do you have to provide them? Are they capable of properly using those weapons? Are they likely to bring unwelcomed friends, pets, or diseases? Can they be trusted? Can you bear to live with them for the duration of TEOTWAWKI? Can you bear to live without them?

Talk With Those You Choose

Whatever you decide, you must communicate that decision to those you are inviting (or uninviting). They need to know that they are welcomed. That fact alone may help them see the depth of your prepper commitment, and as a result they may offer some help, whether it is with finances, planning, or skills enhancement. Talk with those you choose so they are not left wondering if they are welcome when TEOTWAWKI hits. Hammer out some plans. During TEOTWAWKI are you going to pick them up? Will they have to provide their own transportation? Can they bring friends without your prior permission? How long will you hold their spot until you give their portion to another? How long can they stay? Will they be expected to work? What pets can they bring?

This communication works quite nicely toward your peace of mind, too. You can know, because you talked about it and planned for it, that when the proverbial balloon goes up, your loved one is not just floundering but is on their way to your mutually planned security. You will both be on the same page because you discussed it and formed a plan.

The other side of this conversation is true, too. Those that may have jokingly said they were coming to your house when the situation gets dire need to understand that just showing up uninvited will not be acceptable. Things they said in a joking manner while society was intact, may take a whole new tone of seriousness when hunger and fear are on the horizon. Talk with them and let them know that you are giving your help now in the way of information and encouragement for them to become preppers too. Everyone needs a parachute, and they must be encouraged to pack their own or made to understand that they will take the ride down without you and yours.

During these conversations, one thing you must always concern yourself with is OpSec (Operational Security). Operational Security is very important. In your conversations, perhaps it is best to not disclose all of your preps. You should keep quiet about the total amount of your food and not discuss, in specific terms, your weapons and other defenses. This is not because you don’t trust those you chose to talk with (although you may not) but because, even if they know the rules about your OpSec, they may unwittingly reveal something that should not be made public.

Once, my daughter, in a very innocent conversation with her friend found that both the friend’s father and I were preppers, although we didn’t know each other. My daughter’s friend went on to write an article for the local television station using my name and quoting me on several “prepper” topics, even though I never met her nor talked to her. That was a serious breach of OpSec! This is just one example of why we must always guard our preps and plans. Have good conversations, but be wise when you do so.

Be Flexible

Flexibility and adaptability are key and important to any plan. Revisit your plans frequently and on a regular schedule, such as once a year. Note any changes in the constitution of the families that you may have invited. Have there been any deaths? How about divorces or marriages? Were there any new children born? Did someone move far away, join the military, or begin to attend college out of state?

If you are planning for your child and his or her spouse to come to your retreat during TEOTWAWKI, the birth of a child to them may radically change your preps. Now, you may need baby formula, diapers, ointments, bottles, nipples, shampoos, breast pumps, and a place for another to sleep. The list could go on to include baby strength medicines, wipes, food grinders, vitamins, teething rings, and a whole host of very expensive items. You have to be flexible with your plans and diligently revisit them periodically. You may have to store things that you did not originally plan for but if you have created a plan, and revisited it occasionally, you will be prepared.

On the other hand, changes in family dynamics may have you include people that you previously rejected. Perhaps your sister’s no-good husband left and now she is alone. You previously excluded them because you just could not see your way to support that lazy guy. Well, now he is gone. The family dynamic is different, and you now have new information with which to re-decide whether or not to adjust your plan.

Again, flexibility and adaptability are key and important. Periodically revising your plans is just as important as having the plans in the first place. Having an out of date plan is dangerous. If you were planning to accommodate six people during TEOTWAWKI and now you have a seventh; you are suddenly fourteen percent (14%) short on provisions. To put that in perspective, if you have provisions and plans for six people for one year and a seventh person shows up, you are now six weeks short of your year’s supplies. Six weeks is a long time for everybody to go without food because you didn’t reconsider your plans.

Letter Re: Well Pumps

Hugh,

Regarding the recent information about well hand pumps on the blog (Simple Pump, Bison Pump), I would like to add that there is another robust and reliable pump that has not gotten the attention of many people outside of the farm & ranch community. It is the Model 11HD (for deeper wells) pump made by Baker Monitor. This pump is heavy duty (cast iron) with a design that has been around for almost a hundred years. This is the same type of pump that has been reliably attached to windmills on farms since its creation and has also been used by the Forest Service at some of their campgrounds (the shallow well model). I researched the Bison and Simple pumps before I learned about the Baker Monitor pump from a local well pump installer, who has installed many of them in our area. The installer was able to add this pump onto my existing well (200 ft) without interfering with the electric pump. The cost of materials plus installation (including optional garden hose adapter) was less than the cost of materials for the Simple pump or the Bison pump. We placed the bottom of the Baker Monitor pump at 84ft (static water lever was 45ft), and we have no problem pumping considerable water in our tests. I like that this pump can be attached to a windmill at some future date, if I desire. The one drawback to the pump is that it is heavy. – K.K.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Citizens’ Growing Protests against Border Patrol Checkpoints Inside the U.S.. – H.L.

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NYPD investigating disturbing video of Uber traffic stop . – M.F.

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New study shows mutated ‘Polio-like’ virus may be responsible for paralyzing more than 100 children in the past year. – P.M.

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Pastor Cruz: ‘We Are on The Brink of The Destruction of This Country’. – B.B.

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Chicago Robbers Appear to Copy Mexican Cartel Roadblock Tactics. – D.S.

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From Wranglerstar: The Axe Is Back! Keep It Sharp

Notes for Wednesday – April 01, 2015

April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died 15 July 1952 and was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Soverignty of God, that first convinced JWR of the truth of the doctrine of Election.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 58 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 58 ends on May 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.

Round 57 Non-Fiction Writing Contest Winners Announced!

First prize goes to M.R. for “Your Brain On Paper—How to Write Useful Operating Instructions – Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which were posted on February 27th and 28th and March 1st. He will receive the following prizes:

  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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 goes to D.M. for “The World of Bug Out Bags – Part 1” and “Part 2”, which were posted on February 15th and 17th. He will receive the following prizes:

  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 goes to F.C. for “Caring for Babies in a Post-Collapse World”, which was posted on February 12th. He will receive the following prizes:

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).

Honorable Mention prizes ($30 Amazon.com gift certificates via e-mail) have been awarded to the writers of these fine articles:

Note to all Prize winners: Let us know your current e-mail address. We will also need the UPS and USPS addresses for each of the top three prize winners.

Round 57 ended on March 31st, but Round 58 has started, 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. Those articles that we received for Round 57 but that did not get published in time will be automatically entered in Round 58.

Our Founding Fathers Were Right, by a Florida Mom

Our Founding Fathers were right, about education, too. Have you ever wondered how a generation with one-roomed schoolhouses produced so many great thinkers? Have you wondered what types of books were available when Abraham Lincoln studied on his own? Unlike many instructional books today, the educational books our founding fathers used were designed for simplified teaching, and self-teaching. They used McGuffey’s Readers, Harvey’s Grammar, and Ray’s Arithmetic. These were not grade level books; they were progressive level books, and they produced great thinkers who became great men.

Pioneers could only pack a few books with their belongings, so they picked the best. You’ve included many resources in your prepping library, but have you included these? Are you ready to teach another generation “Reading, Writing, and ‘Rithmetic”?

Basic Library

  • The Bible is the bedrock of our faith, but the King James Version is also great literature. Familiarity with its phrasing and concepts allows you to see its reflection in the documents of our nation’s founding fathers.
  • McGuffey’s Readers(primer through the 4th reader) begin with a primer to teach reading and spelling. However, the sources they used were good literature and taught a sound moral code. By the time you’re in the Third Reader, the depth of the lessons becomes apparent: Effects of Rashness; The Consequence of Idleness, Advantages of Industry; On Speaking the Truth; and so forth. It also encourages critical thinking, if you answer the questions after each reading, and it provokes much laughter and discussion with other topic choices and antique word usage!
  • Ray’s Arithmetic(primer through higher math) starts with drills and memory work with practical applications. Practical Arithmetic teaches the rules to memorize and follow for basic operations, establishing a logical thinking model for mathematics. If you can’t get the entire set, start with Practical Arithmetic and the answer key.
  • Harvey’s Elementary Grammar and Compositionteaches sentence structure as well as composition with a structural plan to accomplish the assignment. The 8th grade graduation test that’s been floating around the Internet asks you to parse a sentence. If you make it through this book, you can do it. This also has an answer key (for busy parents).
  • Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, which Noah Webster saw as the “profitable use” of his talents. It unified spelling and language usage in the United States, reflecting usage from the great literature of the time, especially the King James Bible. A prolific writer, he also authored the Blue-Backed Speller, grammars, readers, and Elements of Useful Knowledge (the history and geography of the United States).
  • For me, this list is not complete without a newer phonics manual. The best I found was The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda Spalding. This program was developed to train children with language disabilities; then someone realized that teaching sound phonics with a multi-sensory approach actually prevented many learning problems. The method is teacher dependent: you have to study the book, listen to the “recording”, and learn how to do it. I purchased the book and set of flash cards for $30, and it gave me enough training and information to teach my children to read at an advanced level as soon as their brains were ready. It didn’t limit them to simple words, but it gave them the tools to advance at their own pace. (This methodology also makes it the best book I’ve seen for teaching older readers.) The book is still $20, and now the sound recording is available on CD or DVD. Another plus for the book is that the method requires teaching, writing, and spelling as a logical thought process, not just memorization, and not a guessing game.
  • I skipped history in the list above because the focus was reading, writing and arithmetic. We found one history book– Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Grandfather’s Chair– that relates the history of New England in light of the ornate chair sitting in their home. Hawthorne, as grandfather, didn’t hesitate to introduce the history of our nation into story time with the grandchildren, so much so that they begged him for more stories. For the history of the United States, I’d also recommend The Light and The Glory series by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.
  • When we began homeschooling, I used several “scope & sequence” charts from curriculum publishers as an outline to plan our study schedule. With a list of topics to cover each year, we started collecting a resource library instead of textbooks. The books listed above are the ones I used with my children. Those books and your preparedness library of gardening information, animal husbandry, medicine, repair manuals, country living, and a world atlas will give you plenty of information for elementary level studies.

Critical Thinking

More importantly, teach them how to think! Did you catch the hints in the list of books? Can your children think logically and critically? Do they know how to find foundational principles? Have they learned to reason from truth to its application in daily life and thought? [Disclaimer: The definition of critical thinking in education has been re-defined to be a focus on politically “correct thinking”. That is not the focus discussed here. Be aware when you read “critical thinking” in educational standards.]

“Mom, why do we have to learn this?” As a parent and teacher, I wanted to be able to answer that question. In a teaching workshop, I learned how to research with my children to find the answers to questions they had. Also, as we looked up answers together, I realized I was laying a foundation for critical thinking. With a Bible, a concordance, and Webster’s 1828 dictionary, we could find a Biblical answer: We learn to read so we can read the Bible and learn from what others wrote. History is studied to remember what God has done for us and can be seen in the greater picture of what God is doing in the world. Math and algebra are practical, but they also teach logical thinking. Grammar, composition, and spelling are essential to effective communication. Science is important in recognizing God’s hand in an awesome creation, in everyday life to avoid disasters and scams, and to teach principles of life. (“Consider the lilies” implies a lot more than looking at pretty flowers!)

One way we learned to apply logical thought was during the disciplinary process. We didn’t ask “Why did you do that?”; instead, we asked, “Why was that wrong?” We asked them to make a connection between one or more of the commandments and the choice they had made. For example, “You shall not kill,” includes deliberately causing hurt to your brother or sister! (Questions 99-153 in the Westminster Larger Catechism deal with the applications of the 10 commandments. The questions clarify very specifically “where a duty is commanded, the contrary sin is forbidden….” In the example above, “You shall not kill” then also encourages actively looking out for the safety and welfare of others.) Another interesting (non-disciplinary) activity is reading Leviticus case law to see if you can figure out which commandment is being clarified. (Hint: Building a parapet around the roof is based on preventing injury and thus comes under “You shall not kill.”) Eventually, they will realize they can’t “keep all the rules” without God’s help and you have the joy of explaining to them that Jesus did it for them and offers it as a gift.

By “Teach your children to think critically”, I mean teach them logical thought processes. Start with the foundation of absolute truth. Explain why you do things the way you do. (“I wear gloves/use safety glasses for this activity because…”) Talk through your decision-making process with them. Evaluate what went wrong with a project and why. Learn to ask leading questions that guide their thoughts to logical conclusions and accurate analogies. (“What would happen if I did it this way?” “What do you already know that could help you figure this out?”)

Tell them the goal of an activity or lesson and give them several options for achieving it. Eventually, they will come up with creative options on their own that meet the goal. Also, be prepared! Pray! Teachable opportunities will present themselves, sometimes when you don’t expect them. You’ll have to be ready to give an answer, so think ahead. There will be times you aren’t ready with an answer for a decision you have to make, so please come up with something better than “Because I said so!” (“Will you trust me on this one and just obey?”)

[Another Disclaimer: When you teach your children to think, they will sometimes come to different conclusions than you have. Listen to them; evaluate their thinking process; correct any logic errors; and let them have their own opinions! Aren’t we teaching them to be independent thinkers? Lay the foundation in God’s word and His principles; trust Him with the outcome.]

Another application for high school involved essays and papers. For my children, no paper was complete unless there was also research and application of principles from Scripture. They started with research on their topic, defining terms; then they used those terms with a concordance to find the principles in Scripture. The conclusions included summarizing main points and bringing in applications. Your children will amaze you, when you give them the tools they need to succeed.

Find a good logic book. We used Better Thinking and Reasoning by Ron Tagliapietra. Have your children evaluate advertisements or commercials based on the reasoning being used to sell the item. What are they appealing to? Editorials can be interesting to analyze. Start with the definitions of the key phrases. Is the writer using the words accurately or twisting the meaning? Are the facts accurate? Do the reasons given support the conclusion?

I mentioned Webster’s 1828 Dictionary compiled by Noah Webster. The information contained in the definitions is challenging. For example: Education “The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.” A government school cannot address all of these issues. We, parents and grandparents, have a great responsibility to train up the next generation.

Letter: Storm Pump

I have first hand experience with the Storm Pump, made in Sagle, Idaho in the American Redoubt. This is a hand pump that attaches to your well head and sits next to your submersible pump. It costs about the same as the Simple Pump. I actually took a second job to save up for it, but the peace of mind was well worth the effort. They are manufactured by Terry Deal in Sagle, and he will also install them for a reasonable price. I have had the pump for about a year and a half now, and I am very happy with its quality. My well has a static level of 150′, and the pump retains its prime so well that it never takes more than 20 pumps to bring water to the surface, even after being left alone for several months. Terry has torture tested one of his pumps by hooking it to an engine and cycling it 250,000 times with no loss of pressure. I seriously doubt that my storm pump will be cycled more than a quarter million times, during my lifetime and my children’s lifetimes.

I will say that when you are pumping your own water from 150′, you become VERY aware of your water usage. It should be a regular event for your family to shut off the breaker and practice living without grid electricity.

Aside from personal preparedness, I would like to discuss the mindset behind owning a manual well pump. If in the future we are reduced to a society without electricity, access to water is going to be of significant importance. I have heard other preppers talk about locking up their well pumps to prevent people from stealing water from them. I ask you, if Jesus owned a piece of property and installed a hand pump onto his well, would he deny his neighbors and their children access to the near limitless supply of clean drinking water God has provided beneath his feet? Instead of allowing your neighbors to die of thirst in a grid-down situation, causing them to resort to desperate (or deadly?) measures to obtain water for survival, would it not be preferable to allow them access to your well, thus strengthening your community as a whole? – D.R.

HJL Responds: Locking a water pump is always a good idea. You can still share your water; however, allowing unfettered access is a sure fire way to get your well sabotaged by the fellow down the road who wants to sell his water at a premium price. It happens all the time in water scarce areas now. Many wars and battles have been fought over scarce water resources. When water is the currency of the day, you still have your “evil bankers” to contend with.