Hello,
This is intended for Jonathan Rawles. Thank you for that article. I’ve been a reader since 2007. I’ve lost my income and am loosing my home here in Montana. It is a “mix bag” in Montana with liberals everywhere. Also, this area of Montana– Lincoln County– will be a target. I am also well known to be a survivalist around here, and it might be best if I was not so well known. Because of your fine article, I will be looking at those areas mentioned. Thank you.
Healthcare for Illegals Pushes CA Budget Billions Over Inflation. – RBS
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Reality Is Now Setting In For America… It Was All Based On Lies & Ignorance. – RBS
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Nordic countries lead shift into cashless society. – H.L.
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Gas as economic weapon. How OPEC weaponized against American drillers… G.P.
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France Considers Deploying Army to Protect Jewish Sites While European Jews Seek Gun Permits. – JBG
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KY Police officer accidentally shoots himself – Security Video. T.P.
Hugh adds: It may have been a cop in this video, but the circumstances are not unique. The amount of carelessness displayed with a loaded weapon is just appalling. This video should be used as a training video.
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SWAT Team Demolishes Home To Arrest Man For DUI, Family Left Homeless. – RBS
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States That Get The Most Federal Money: 24/7 Wall St.. – H.L.
“We’re all put to the test… but it never comes in the form or at the point we would prefer, does it?” ? David Mamet
January 11th is the birthday of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.) It is also the natal day if the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sonsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. He died May 10, 2012.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 56 ends on January 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.
The above title to this article was drafted tongue in cheek, but it seems correct for the points that I hope to make. The article will contain a lot of “I”s and “me”s, but I promise that I am not a raging narcissist. I am only relating events as they have happened to me and how they helped me to navigate the uncertainties of the future. I would like to take credit for planning each positive event, but a lot of it was due to dumb luck and good fortune. Hopefully, however, there may be something in this narrative that is of value to you.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. My early years were somewhat difficult, as my parents divorced when I was young and money was always in short supply. I became somewhat of an introvert, as my mother struggled to find a way in life for the two of us. I learned to become somewhat of a scrounger, always looking for whatever I could find wherever I could find it. I also learned to do without. With the selfishness of youth, I learned that I would have to look out for #1. Although I did not fit in very well with others, school became the bright spot of my day, along with regular attendance at a local, Christian church that taught me a healthy respect for the Lord, who has been a blessing throughout the years.
I was fortunate to have been able to take a 1200 hour vocational course in electricity, electronics, and audio in high school. Unfortunately, the public school system rarely offers this type of education now, choosing instead to prepare students to earn the college degrees necessary to apply for non-existent jobs. Private schools offer classes in the trades, and some online classes are available as well. When the SHTF, a degree in Ethnic Sciences will have little value compared to the training and experience of, say, a qualified mechanic or welder.
The vocational schooling provided me with a set of skills that served me well for 21 years in the electronic parts and equipment distribution industry, as my employers found that I knew more about the technical aspects and operation of what they were selling than they did. Shortly after getting my first job, right after graduation, I got married and started a family. Along came the Watts riots, and my family and I lived just inside the curfew area, near where the National Guard was staged. Shortly after, I bought my first firearm, practicing with it weekly.
With my background in electronics, I began servicing some of the radio equipment for a local, suburban police department and helped equip a “situation command room” for that city. I was encouraged by city management to join the police department as a reserve police officer and did so. This was a volunteer position that could be compared to an internship in other fields. The “salary” was training in firearms, CPR, first aid, the law, crisis intervention, self defense techniques, and other valuable skills plus many opportunities to interact with people under stressful, and often hazardous, conditions.
The riots and an environment that was not conducive to raising a family made me realize that it was necessary for me to move from the city for our safety. That was a SHTF event for us, if you will, back in the early 1960s. At this point, my “prepping” journey began, even though the phrase had yet been coined. I began to realize the value of my personal reputation, in both the electronics field and as a public servant. (Please understand that a police officer, even a reserve officer, was generally viewed in a different light back then.) My experience and skills in the electronics business allowed me to find a job and relocate to northern California (not the Bay area but further north) and to subsequently locate in a rural, foothill community.
I continued my employment in the electronic parts distribution industry, where my background gave me a big advantage, particularly in selling to large industrial accounts. Aided by my experience as a reserve police officer, I later joined the county sheriff’s department as a reserve deputy in 1976. At the age of 38, my family and I sustained another SHTF event. The multi-million dollar company for whom I had worked for eight years was being liquidated, and I was given virtually no notice to leave my management position, unless I wanted to move us back into the big city! Consumer electronics suddenly became disposable, and the industrial business alone was not large enough to sustain the company. An entire industry had disappeared almost overnight, and there were no other jobs of that type available. Money became tight, and I supplemented the income needed to support my wife, five boys, and me by reloading large quantities of ammunition and selling it at gun shows. The profits from this skill often paid our monthly mortgage.
As luck would have it, the sheriff’s department was critically short-handed, and I was invited to continue working as a reserve deputy but for forty hours a week and with pay! With no benefits but no payroll deductions for insurance, dues, and so forth, I was taking home more money than some of the regular deputies! With a good record on the job and personal contacts that I had developed within the department, I was invited to apply for one of the first full-time positions when they became available a short time later. I was hired and sent, at the county’s expense, to the police academy, where I was the oldest recruit in the class. Again, I was fortunate to receive training in all of the areas mentioned above plus others too numerous to list. My greatest learning experiences were, however, gained from dealing with people on the street; this taught me human nature, both at its worst and its best.
California’s Proposition 13 in the early 1980s strained local public safety budgets. Again, I found myself unemployed, along with 16 other deputies. We had another personal SHTF! The hydrogen-filled, 5-gallon buckets of rice and beans in addition to other stored foods I had prepped with the aid of the local LDS food warehouse, helped sustain us at this time. I had also developed a barter relationship with a wholesale food distributor, who would often let me know when he was about to periodically clean out his one square city block-sized freezer, containing overstock, partial cases, freight damaged boxes, samples, and various types of fast food. Among the items bartared for were french fries, hamburgers, tacos, pizza, corn dogs, and other frozen eatables. Our microwave worked overtime, as we ate every type of junk food imaginable during those times. It all tasted like steak and lobster to us!
I accepted two temporary law enforcement jobs, which required me to commute long distances on my weekends until, in 1985, my good work record and experience placed me #1 on the list to be hired by the local police department in the area in which I lived. Over time, I became a training officer, a crime scene investigator, and a firearms instructor. I received valuable training in each of those areas. After several years, I was asked to participate in the local narcotics task force, where I stayed for three years, receiving even more training and specializing in the seizure of methamphetamine labs. As the drug lab cases wound their way through the court system, I developed personal contacts with both district attorneys and defense attorneys, and I achieved a reputation for honesty on the witness stand and in my investigations. These personal contacts and my good reputation would serve me well when I was hired by the District Attorney’s office for the position of District Attorney Investigator at the age of 56, an age many considered too old for a Law Enforcement Officer. Although a college degree is normally required for this position, offsetting experience and training allowed me to qualify with only a high school diploma.
I retired at the age of 66 but continued working part time for another three years as an evidence technician for the drug task force. I was compelled to leave the workplace at the age of 69 when, close to death, I was faced with fighting the first of what would become two cases of cancer; SHTF again! I am completely cancer free at this time, and the prognosis is very good, thanks to a fantastic doctor and the help of God, not necessarily in that order. I could go back to work with just a phone call or two. However, if I am ever going to have any time to enjoy myself, it is now.
Today, I live in a small foothill community about 100 miles from a city of any size. I have married a second time, and our house is fully paid for. We have an SUV and a small economy car, both of which are paid for, and no outstanding bills or credit card debt. Our RV/bugout vehicle is fully self-contained and is largely paid for. Short of a garden, I feel that we are prepared for virtually any crisis as far as water, food, shelter, personal security, medical supplies, ready cash, PMs, EMP, emergency communications, and personal contact with like-minded and trusted friends is concerned.
If you have managed to stay awake thus far, please believe me when I tell you that this article is not meant to be self serving or to impress the reader with “how I did it” or “look at me”. I realize that law enforcement is not for everyone, and please recognize that the profession was significantly different until just a few years ago. The same was true for society in general for that matter, but that is another subject altogether. The purpose of this article is to point out some of the things that have been of value to me in sustaining regular employment, maintaining a comfortable standard of living, and having the resources to prepare for an uncertain future, despite several setbacks.
The highlighted items above are things that, in my experience, will be of immense value to anyone during their lifetime, regardless of their chosen field or occupation. Yeah, I know, some things, such as training, have been highlighted several times, but training relative to your job makes you more valuable to your current or potential employer(s), and it positions you for promotion or raises. An employer rarely invests training time and dollars in an employee without expecting a return on that investment. This training can also almost always be of value in your personal life. When you leave a job, the training and experience goes with you. Being trained to operate heavy machinery as a construction worker, for example, can make you invaluable when the SHTF. Suck up all the OJT (on the job training) you can get. More than one person, for example, has learned the ins and outs of the food distribution industry while being paid as a stock clerk and has gone on to open their own store.
Keep detailed, written records of your employment and duties and any training you may have received while working or on your own time. List associations, supervisors, or contacts that you have made, so as to be able to use them for references later. If you are commended for doing a job well, tactfully suggest that it be put in writing. When the time comes to discuss your training and experience in order to qualify for a job or promotion, don’t be shy about talking about it and displaying it.
Your personal good reputation is a commodity that is hard to earn and takes time to establish but is immensely valuable. It is tested every time you apply for a job. It isn’t good for your new employer to call your last employer only to learn that you are disliked by all your co-workers and never show up to work on time. Occasionally step back and try to look at yourself through the eyes of a co-worker or employer. Would you enjoy working with yourself or giving yourself a job, promotion, or raise? If not, fix the problem!
Your credit report reflects, in a way of thinking, your personal reputation, and of course it affects your ability to obtain cash and credit and even some jobs. Having a reputation for dishonesty or evading responsibility is devastating and is very difficult to repair. Accepting responsibility and demonstrating honesty are rare traits in these times, and they will always be considered valuable assets. Having a good reputation will get you good jobs that exist by word of mouth only and are often not even advertised. Consider yourself to be a marketable commodity, and work to make yourself more valuable, both to others and for your own benefit. This is not a matter of “giving in to the system” or “losing your identity” but is actually an act of selfishness and self-preservation, as you are the one who will ultimately benefit from it. Although there are those who may disagree with me, a little selfishness is a good thing, as long as it is not at the expense of others. Aside from our Savior, no one will take care of you but you.
A knowledge of human nature is an intangible item that cannot be demonstrated by a certificate or resume. It is, however, a very valuable asset that will serve you well on a daily basis. In a SHTF situation, that knowledge may give you the edge in bartering, assessing threat, establishing trust, and more. Don’t miss opportunities to engage others and observe their actions, even if you have to invest some of your time to do it. Even temporary jobs, such as waitressing or delivering, allow you to gain experience observing human nature, which may later serve you well in a crisis situation.
Luck has certainly been on my side on several occasions; however, like prepping for the future, luck can be slanted in your favor by setting goals (a fancy term for pushing in the direction you want to move) and working hard to achieve them as well as seizing opportunities. Although I did not realize it at the time, an example of luck plus proof of JWR’s oft repeated saying of “two is one and one is none” is when I donated my time to a second occupation as a reserve officer only to have that develop into a full-time profession that would support my family and me for 28 years after my original chosen career and source of income disappeared.
For those of you who have already reached a ripe old age and have already realized these things, I apologize for taking up your time. For those of you just starting out or who are further down the age ladder than me, I hope some of this may be of value to you.
Be safe, and prep as if your life depended on it.
Hugh,
Concerning the Sears Catalog serving as toilet paper, I can personally vouch for the effectiveness, reliability, and expedience of this method of providing for that part of the daily routine. Before being married, I would make regular (once, maybe twice yearly if I had a lot of company) requests for what would become my favorite supplier of this resource– an electronics supply company called Digikey. Their catalog is both free and voluminous with the added benefit of being printed on thin, matte paper. This method served myself and the occasional fellow young, single buck just fine for years. However, I hasten to add that my wife has never submitted to such a dreary and abrasive idea, however resourceful, but that’s not to say that there isn’t a thick electronics catalog sitting in a filing cabinet near my desk to this day, just in case. – JM
Hugh adds: JWR has also recommended old telephone books as a handy substitute. However, the best alternative is to just do what 2/3 of the entire world does. If you accidentally got “night soil” on your hand, would you consider it clean by simply wiping your hand with toilet paper? Of course not! Most of the world simply uses a cup of water and one hand to clean themselves. It’s a main reason that you don’t shake hands with your left hand throughout the world. However, in first world countries, we also have easy access to soap. Cleaning the bum with a hand and a cup of water and then washing your hands with soap and water is by far the most hygienic way to take care of the matter, as long as you have water.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
This Isn’t Investing … It’s Russian Roulette
Old vs Young: The Story Of America’s Two Labor Markets
December Employment Gain Caps Best Year for U.S. Since 1999; Wage Gains Lag – Here’s your Bloomberg spin on those same numbers.
From the National Geographic Channel: The Ultimate Black Market Weapon. – G.P.
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Venezuela: Military Supervises Food Distribution. – H.L.
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Owner dies after shootings at suburban Kansas City gun shop. – T.J.
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Waste to water. – G.P.
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PA Man Arrested for Refusing to Hand Over Camera to Police Officer. – T.P.
“Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” John 8:28(KJV)
Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 56 ends on January 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.
I’m a Ham operator and recently got scammed. I want to share my story and to give some pointers to those less educated, concerning what to look for when buying Ham equipment from ads posted online on any of the various Ham forums. I’m not talking about buying in person; I’m talking about buying sight unseen, like non-Ebay or non-Amazon purchases.
I was looking for an ICOM radio amp and found one. The price was reasonable for a used amp, so I contacted the person. He said, in broken English, that it was still for sale and he was selling it because he had just hurt himself working on his roof antenna, so he needed to sell the rig to pay his bills. I asked about payment options, and he instructed I send a bank wire. He kept asking me if the money had been sent. It was mildly annoying me, but given his situation it made sense to me. I provided my information for shipping. We agreed on DHL because this was going from the U.S. to Germany. At the top of all of his emails, I then started to see some DHL banner, which even took me to the DHL web page. I then wired the money to his wife’s bank account. The money did not go through. I found out the account had been closed. I asked about using PayPal, and he said he could not use Paypal because his account had been hacked. I get the new bank account information from him and wire the money. It goes through. He acknowledges receipt. He asks me if I knew anyone else who might be interested in his remaining gear. I said yes and sent out the information to those people, who I later told to disregard as I got frustrated with him. At this point it begins to get interesting.
He used some shipping company other than DHL. I had never heard of them, but this company said it was affiliated through DHL on its website. I noted that its name was very similar to another company. Its website was non-user friendly and not that professionally done, as far as I was concerned. However, I had a tracking number, so I was content. Then I got an email from the seller saying that the package was held up in customs. He said that the shipping company needed money for insurance, customs fees, and some tariff. This was a $5,000 amp, so I thought maybe this was legit. However, the additional amount was $1,540! My internal alarm FINALLY went off. I’ve ordered items to be delivered overseas, and this was new to me. I knew that these fees were paid upon delivery, not shipping. I told the seller I was not paying those fees. He sounded all sorry about it, and said he would help. I contacted the shipping company and was told that I had to pay the fees or else customs would not release the item. This sounded fishy. This went back and forth for about a week. I asked the seller and the shipping company to ship it to a stateside address. The company said it could not because the fees had to be paid first and that customs would not release it until I paid those fees. So, I demanded to know where the item was being held. They told me El Campo, Texas. So I called DHL (since the web page said they worked with DHL) for help, and the gentleman there was very helpful. He could not verify the other shipping company, but he added that it may be possible DHL works with them. In the end I asked him if there was a customs facility in El Campo, Texas. He replied that he did not of one there.
I searched the customs web page for such a facility and could not find one located there. I then called the El Campo Police Department and asked if such a facility existed; the Desk Sergeant said, “No.” I then contacted the seller, who said he had contributed over $420 toward one of the fees and that he was trying to help me. He also said that if I would just pay the remainder, to include the refundable insurance fee, then everything would be okay. I thought that was rather nice of him, possibly too nice of him. (I thought that perhaps he was trying to salvage his reputation.) I then contacted the shipping company and told them that I knew there was no customs facility in El Campo, Texas. They then asked me to call them. I refused to do so because that little voice inside told me not to. I believe they were privy to me knowing that they were full of hot air and I feared they might try something funny, if I called them. I then shot the seller one final email calling him to task and never heard back from him.
Realizing that I had probably been had, I didn’t want anyone else to be a victim, so I began to look for other postings by this person and notified the web owners what had happened to me. I provided them screen shots of my emails and gave my handle, which would allow them to somewhat verify my name against my email address. The ads were in about five to seven places, including England. Why were they still up even after he had “sold” it? Meanwhile, I also began to fervently report what had happened to me to the USPS, DHS-CBP, BBB in Indiana and Pennsylvania, AOL (since it was an AOL email account), the shipping company’s ISP, and some FBI Internet fraud unit. (This contact with the FBI was to go after the shipping company because that company was probably a front used by scammers, after all even the CBP said the fees were fraudulent.)
As the ads came down, I noticed that someone else had been scammed. It was a guy in Argentina. He said beware of this one female, because she had just scammed him. I recognized the name as the seller’s wife (from the bank account information) and noted the date of his post was barely 1.5 weeks old and concerned the same item. I wondered how it was possible that he only had the name of the seller’s wife? He also posted the bank account details she used. A few seconds later, it hit me full circle. I was at first unsure of a scam, but now I was 100% sure that it was a scam, as what was posted was the second set of bank details that I had– the new account– that I had inadvertently alerted the “seller” to establish. Also, something else had still not clicked yet. Was this a couple operating together or a solo operation? And what about that shipping company?
I thought I was making good progress until I kept seeing a common theme in many a web page about Hams getting scammed involving stolen call signs. I learned that many people had gone full throttle to report someone, only to find out that someone else was using that person’s call sign! After all, you can easily go to the FCC and look up a call sign and get enough information about a person to pretend to be them, set up an email address, and head out to bring in the first victim. Learning this bit of information, I had to backtrack to the various agencies and state that someone could be acting as “Mr. X” and using his credentials, but that the facts of the case were still the same.
Next, I contacted my bank and the host bank and told them what had happened. Did I get my money back? No. My last attempt was to call my bank to contact the receiving bank and see if they could contact the account holder to see if she would return my money. I was given no guarantees. I knew it was hopeless, but I had to give it a try. I considered it extending God’s grace to this person before the hammer falls…spiritually. About a week later, I received a call from the bank telling me that Mrs. X declined to return the money. Okay. She should read Psalm 73– no one gets away with anything. Mr. X, I determined, probably never existed. Anyway, that’s my story. However, I did not feel I had closure concerning this whole episode. I needed to get the word out in some fashion so that others in the Ham community would not make my mistake. So let me share what I learned from this ordeal and from visiting other Ham sites dealing with this issue.
In closing, Ham forums are generally safe. I bought both of my radios using the forums and even used money orders. Those days are not over, but be vigilant in your purchases. There are some crafty folks out there. I look back and slap my forehead and wonder how did I miss all of those warnings? Well, it was my past positive experiences with these forums that led me to believe that I had nothing to fear. Be sure that you don’t want an item so much that you ignore that little voice inside screaming at you to beware. Again, if you do get scammed, get those ads pulled down!
The article by Z.M. was a good start for a car kit. I would recommend a few additional items.
U.S. to Shutter 15 European Bases Under Cost Cutting Plan. – G.P.
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The Part-Time Economy Consuming America. – H.L.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
Credit Card Debt Tumbles Most In 1 Year As US Households Resume Deleveraging – Understand the author’s point about how it shows people are not optimistic, but deleveraging is actually what is needed and what happens in a depression. However, also understand in our debt based monetary system, deleveraging will collapse the system, and that is why central banks around the global are trying to print their way out of deflation from the global depression.
Consumer Credit in U.S. Increased by $14.1 Billion in November – Here you can see the spin placed by major media, just reporting the headline number of increased consumer spending. Nowhere here do they attempt to explain like ZeroHedge what the numbers actually means and that it missed expectation.
‘Catastrophic’ earthquake and tsunami brewing off B.C. coast. – CDV
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I just read this online about a former Miami Dolphins NFL football player who accidentally fell off his boat while it was on autopilot and he was alone. He ended up swimming nine miles back to shore, which took him somewhere around 15 hours of swimming. That’s quite a tremendous feat, but it’s more of a great reason to always make sure you stay in shape because you never know what can happen. It’s amazing how quickly you can get into a life-threatening situation. – EJS
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Police in the US Kill Citizens at over 70 Times the Rate of Other First-World Nations. It is becoming quite clear that police in the U.S. can and will kill people, even unarmed people and even on video, and do so with impunity. – H.L.
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Judge Orders NYPD to Release Records on their X-ray Vans. – T.P.
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Charges: Smiling for camera, Princeton man records torture, killing of pet dog There is a very close link between a person’s willingness to harm and torture animals and their willingness to harm and torture people. – T.P.