Odds ‘n Sods:

Confronting Cops After They Shoot His Dog. – RBS

An undefensible action on the part of the police. A dog, that is properly contained, is shot and killed because the officer trespassed on the property in the course of an action unrelated to the property or dog owner.

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Barney Fife Meets Delta Force. – B.B.

We’ve posted on this particular action before, but I found the title of this piece and the corresponding reporting to be an accurate description of the problem.

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Recruits’ Ineligibility Tests the Military – T.P.

More Than Two-Thirds of American Youth Wouldn’t Qualify for Service, Pentagon Says. Six words describe why today’s youth is failing military entry standards: “Fat, Dumb, Tatted Up, and Gauged”

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Massachusetts SWAT teams claim they’re private corporations, immune from open records laws. – H.L.

Notes for Saturday – June 28, 2014

June 28, 1703 was the birth day of John Wesley, who died March 2nd, 1791.

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Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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 Instituteis 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. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 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.

Geocaching for Preppers, by R.H.

As preppers we are under some pressure. We are naturally concerned about water purification, food storage, defensive weapons, bug out locations, and the list of challenges is seemingly endless. We worry about a total collapse of the financial world, a global pandemic, solar flares, or other crisis. There is certainly no shortage of concerns. Have we done enough? Do we have enough? Are we knowledgeable enough? Once in a while, I think we should all take a deep breath, relax, and have some fun!

What follows is a brief explanation of Geocaching– a fun activity that can be easily adapted to actually benefit your prepping.

For those that are not familiar with the term, Geocaching is an outdoor game akin to treasure hunting that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS). Geocachers use a GPS unit to navigate to a set of coordinates that are published on a website (Geocaching.com) and then attempt to find the geocache hidden at that location.

What is a geocache? It is usually a container that can be as small as the head of a bolt (a very small cache is called a “nano”) or as large as a vehicle. (I have found caches as large as a Volkswagen bus and an industrial air conditioner unit!) Usually, a regular sized cache is hidden in an old military ammo can or some Tupperware.

Geocaching was started in 2000. On May 2, the “Big Blue Switch” was thrown and 24 satellites worldwide instantly improved and upgraded civilian GPS technology. The next day, Dave Ulmer tested the accuracy of the new technology by hiding a black bucket with a log book in the woods near Beaver Creek, Oregon. He noted the GPS coordinates and published them on a website to see if others could find what he had hidden. Mike Teague found the “stash” first, and the new sport/game/hobby was born. The term Geocaching was first coined by Matt Stum by the end of that same month. The name was taken from “geo” (meaning Earth) and “cache” (the French word to describe a hiding place to temporarily store items or provisions).

First off, to get into Geocaching you need to be just a bit technical. You will need a GPS unit (or a smart phone) and access to the Internet. Go to www.Geocaching.com and click on “learn” for more information and a tutorial. You can begin to play immediately . . . for FREE! A basic membership is no charge. Pick a username and a password and off you go! One may purchase a premium membership for a small fee, but it is not necessary.

On the website, you can search for geocaches near your location, wherever that might be. At this writing there are nearly 2,500,000 caches worldwide and more than six million geocachers. Caches are everywhere– in cities, towns, forests, cemeteries, historical locations, and even on the International Space Station! You will probably be astounded at the number of geocaches in your neighborhood.

Once you get the coordinates of a cache, use your GPS to guide you to the area of the cache. The cache will be well hidden, and you will probably have to do some searching. Once you find the cache, you sign a paper log that is contained within the cache to prove that you found it and later sign the electronic log on the website to score a find. The website keeps count of your finds and their locations. The cache may also include “swag,” a term for items that you can trade.

All right, it’s an interesting, fun, or even a strange game, but why is it of any interest to a prepper? Consider the points to follow, and you may find that Geocaching could be a perfect fit to your preparation, skill acquisition, and training.

First, you will become very familiar and even adept at using a GPS unit. If you currently have a GPS, do you really know how to use it? Have you calibrated it? What about TEOTWAWKI? It is expected that the GPS system will stay operational for at least a little while after a catastrophic event, but your experience learned while engaged in Geocaching will also include learning about maps, topographical features, and latitude and longitude coordinates. This game has very similar characteristics with orienteering and your skill with a compass will benefit you as well. I always have a compass with me when Geocaching, and both the GPS and the compass will become your new best friends.

You will soon find that your attention to detail will improve, drastically. You will be looking for anything that appears to be out of the ordinary– a rock that is not like others in the area or fallen tree branches that seemed to be piled up against the base of a tree. Remember that a cache could be any number of things. I once found a cache inside of what looked like a discarded ink pen on a busy urban outdoor mall. Many rural caches are found by observing a “geo-trail” of vegetation that is tramped down, thereby indicating that a number of people walked through an area. As a result, your “tracking” skills will also improve. This situational awareness can serve you well in times of strife and stress.

The caches themselves will teach you about camouflage. You will be amazed at some of the detail and time spent to hide caches, sometimes in plain sight. It becomes obvious as to what patterns and colors to use to match the particular surroundings. This knowledge can extend into the camouflaging of your equipment and bug-out gear. This goes for urban as well as rural environments. Some of the best camouflaged geocaches that I have found have been in urban settings.

Also, geocaching can prepare you for caching! If you have a prepper interest in caching certain items for safekeeping, Geocaching will teach you what types of containers stay dry, how and where to successfully hide containers, and how to erase signs of you being at the cache site. Naturally, Geocaching never involves the actual caching of weapons, ammunition, food items, and so forth, but lessons learned by one activity can benefit the other.

Geocaching will get you outside and in nature. You will learn about local flora and fauna while engaged in the game. I have seen some great natural sights and memorable glimpses of wildlife while Geocaching. If Geocaching in rural areas, you will eventually learn about poison ivy, ticks, snakes, chiggers, bears, sabre-toothed cats, and Bigfoot, and how to avoid them all (or whatever you confront)!

This sport will get you out in parks, back roads, trails, and other public lands in your area. You will become more familiar with these locations that may become very important in the event of TEOTWAWKI. Of course, there is the added benefit of visiting places that you have not been before. All of my vacations now include a bit of Geocaching. Geocaching may take you near to a spot that could be considered for a bug out location or you may discover an alternate route home from work. At any rate, you will be hiking, which is great exercise and preparation for any situation that may occur. If you add a couple of water bottles, lunch fixings, and a backpacker’s stove to a day bag, you have a built-in TEOTWAWKI and bug-out training session that is actually fun to do and provides healthy exercise. You could even break in those new hiking boots that you scored on sale.

Speaking of fun, Geocaching is a family game. Most of the regular-sized caches contain trading items that keep children interested in the game. Even teens can get caught up in an adventure involving an extreme Geocaching goal. Remember that a few caches are challenging in both the surrounding terrain and the difficulty of the cache itself. There are mountaintop caches, underwater caches, caches in caves, puzzle caches, and the list goes on. Geocaching is an activity that can include the entire family and can have “teachable moments”, like learning how far is too far to walk with a day pack or which rain gear works without making you sweat out precious water.

While Geocaching, you will meet others who enjoy the outdoors, maybe presenting some networking possibilities. Geocachers are nice folk. Please, always keep OPSEC in your mind though. You may or may not find like-minded individuals, although Geocaching is popular with scouting and church groups and has been used for team building exercises for youth groups and leadership forums. You will also meet business owners, managers, custodians, park staff, and others who would like to know just what the heck you are doing!

Geocaching events are held regularly and enable geocachers to meet and network with each other. These events count as caches and enable you to put a face with the name that you have been seeing on those cache logs in the neighborhood.

Speaking of meeting others, for the most part you want to be as stealthy as possible, while actually seeking a cache. Non-geocachers (termed “Muggles”) find it difficult to understand what you are doing. They may be suspicious of you or your activity even though it is harmless. You will want to try to blend in (another prepper skill) to avoid their scrutiny. The point is to keep the cache location secret so as not to have the cache stolen or destroyed. It is best to try to become a Gray Man and not arouse anyone’s interest. I find that walking my dog provides the best “cover” while looking for a cache and we both get some exercise too. I know of geocachers who wear an orange safety vest and carry a clipboard for “hiding in plain sight!”

For me, the most enjoyable part of Geocaching is going somewhere that I would not have ordinarily gone. Geocaching has taken me to historic places, scenic places, out-of-the-way natural wonders, great little restaurants and even foreign countries. Give it a try with a slant toward preparing for the worst and . . . have some fun!

Letter Re: Becoming The Bank In TEOTWAWKI

Hugh,

What JM is describing is a Pawn Shop. I owned and operated one for five years. A pawn shop is the “Bank” for the 20 percent (maybe more now) people in the lowest economic strata.

The description of the building and accoutrements to do business as JM sees it will not be cheap to acquire, so if your plan is “You won’t be able to act as our current-day, money-grubbing, greedy banksters do.” You might not be able to stay in the business of helping people.

Pawn shops in Idaho, Texas, Florida, and some other states allow interest of 240 percent. In California pawn loans above $2500.00 rates are negotiable. I operated in California and charging the max rate at the time, which amounted to 100 percent per year average and with $150,000 in loans it was difficult to make a profit.

I do not think the current banks loaning money at current rates are the “banksters” in my opinion. It is the traders that are causing the image. I currently have business bank loans at five percent, and I don’t think my banker is a “bankster”.

I encourage you to work up a business Proforma and see what expenses you will be up against and then determine how much you should charge for your service. Of course, you might want to be 100 percent charitable during the TEOTWAWKI situation that you envision and then it will not matter what you earn from your efforts.

I just wanted to point out my experience with being the bank. It might take a little re-engineering to get to the goal of being the bank during very difficult times. – B.F.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pastor Chuck Baldwin: Shepherds, Sheep, Goats, Wolves, And Guard Dogs

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Federal judge upholds Colorado gun laws, dismisses lawsuit – H.L.

This was the expected outcome of the court hearing. The law is stupid, but no one can show that they have been hurt by the law. It’s a shame that someone will have to be seriously injured or possibly die, needing more than 15 rounds, before the court will strike the law down.

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Survival Entertainment, Friend or Foe? An exclusive interview with Cody Lundin. – C.N.

As you will read in the (long) interview, it is meant to be a catalyst for change in where people get their information, i.e. not from a TV producer who knows squat and doesn’t care but from a reputable source with experience. This is something I know Survival Blog readers will identify with.

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Tomgram: Peter Van Buren, What We’ve Lost Since 9/11 (Part 2). – K.T.

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For Sale: Weaponized Drones For Corporate Use. – G.G.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.” – Isaiah 1:7 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – June 27, 2014

By way of our friend Tam at the View From the Porch blog, we heard the sad news of the passing of veteran firearms trainer Louis Awerbuck. He served with the 1st Special Services Battalion in the South African Defence Force (SADF) and later went on to be a world-class combat shooting instructor, eventually becoming the lead instructor with Yavapai Firearms Academy. Lou became a Shooting Master under the tutelage of Colonel Jeff Cooper and other Old School instructors at Gunsite Ranch. He was Gunsite’s Chief Rangemaster until 1987. He in turn passed his knowledge and skills on to thousands of his own students. (Yavapai Firearms Academy conducted mobile training from Texas to Alaska, and even behind enemy lines in California. Lou was the author of the book Plowshares Into Swords: Musings of a Different Drummer, which is a compilation of his SWAT magazine articles. He will be greatly missed. – J.W.R.

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Also, Eli Wallach, who was made famous by the role of the bandito Calvera in The Magnificent Seven has died.

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June 27th is the birthday of economist Dr. Ravi Batra, born in 1943.

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Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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 Instituteis 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. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 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.

Thoughts on Planning Your Bug Out, by R.G.

1

Making a decision to bug out is always an individual choice, based on your own situation and local conditions. My wife and I live in the Virginia Beach area. While Virginia Beach may not come to mind when one makes a list of major metropolitan areas, the Hampton Roads area (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Newport News) has a population of more than 1.7 million people. The Elizabeth River, Nansemond River, James River, and several smaller rivers all empty into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads, necessitating highway bridges and tunnels with resulting traffic delays throughout the area. The population density and the numerous river crossing choke points makes it imperative for us to make our bug out decision early and act quickly to “head for the hills.”

We’ve made the assessment that our home will be virtually indefensible in a SHTF situation. Our single family, 2-story home is located in a large suburban community of upper middle class homes with lower income communities and apartment buildings only a couple of miles in any direction. Additionally, we are located at the front of the community with easy access to our property from three sides. Our home is a basic frame building with no basement and very little in the way of protection from rioters, looters, or marauders. As such, we belong to a well-planned, well-equipped survival community (retreat) in the North Carolina hills about 200 miles from home. We feel that things will work out for us when it hits the fan, if we can get to our bug out location; however, transiting from Hampton Roads to our retreat is our biggest concern. This article will touch on a few of our considerations for bugging out.

Have a good plan

A well-considered, thorough, flexible and detailed plan is the basis for any successful operation; be it a business start-up, a military strategy or a Boy Scout trip. The same is true for bugging out. Making decisions on the fly can result in forgotten items, missed opportunities, or unsafe situations that could have been easily avoided with a little advanced planning. We have a detailed written plan that we spent hours thinking through, more hours drafting, and even more hours rethinking and modifying. We review and modify our bug out plan regularly, as our personal requirements change, our preps change, or we learn more about various travel routes. The most obvious part of our plan is our route from home to the retreat. We decided that we need at least five routes out of the metropolitan area and three different routes that would get us safely the rest of the way to the retreat. We first checked maps, looked at Google Earth, and drove each route. Then, we took Google Maps screen shots of each route and combined them with Street View photos and satellite pictures of relevant turn points and rendezvous locations to give a combined map, satellite and photo description of each route. We also designated several rendezvous points along each route in case we get separated and have photos of each location included with the route info. A copy of our plan and all of our route info, along with state and local “paper” maps, is stored in each of our vehicles.

We decided early on to take both of our vehicles if the situation permits. We will weigh the pros and cons of using one or two vehicles as our local and national situation develops. If we get out early, as planned, using both vehicles with full gas tanks, should be no problem. Next, we made detailed lists of what we would keep in our bug-out-bags and what preps, equipment, tools, weapons, provisions, water, and other items we would pack into each vehicle. Bug-out-bags have been discussed many times in this blog, so I will not address that issue here. We feel that having a detailed list of what to pack into each vehicle will minimize our confusion and the time required to pack up, while reducing the chance of us omitting a critical item in our haste. It also reminds us to cover everything with a blanket or tarp, so that it isn’t quite as obvious what we are carrying. Here is a portion of our bug out vehicle packing list (with many personal items intentionally omitted):

Vehicle #1: Pick-up truck

Bug-out-bag #1

  • Glock 17 Glock 30
  • 12 gauge shot gun
  • Water and snacks for the drive
  • Cell phone and charger
  • Maps and bug-out plan
  • Truck first aid and emergency bin
  • half of stored ammo
  • C/B Radio
  • Two bins of camping gear
  • Mountain bikes and pump
  • ½ of stored provisions
  • Chainsaw
  • Portable generator
  • Two 5-gallon water containers
  • Two gallon cans of gas with Two cycle oil added
  • Three 5-gallon cans of gas
  • Garden tools
  • Coleman stove and fuel bottles
  • Tool pouch and tool box
  • Winter clothes
  • Extra clothes (one duffle bag each)
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Walkie Talkie

Vehicle #2: Small SUV

Bug-out-bag #2

  • .38 Special Ruger LCP
  • AR-15
  • Water and snacks for the drive
  • Cell phone and charger
  • Maps and bug-out plan
  • SUV first aid and emergency bin
  • ½ of stored ammo
  • ½ of stored provisions
  • One 5-gallon water container
  • Small tool box
  • Winter clothes
  • Extra clothes (one duffle bag each)
  • Pots and pans
  • Walkie Talkie
  • First aid kits from bathrooms
  • Current Rx Meds
  • Hygiene items from bathrooms and linen closet

Other items that are covered in our bug-out-plan include: important papers and documents prepackaged in a convenient carry case; a list of valuables to be gathered up and procedures for securing our residence prior to departing; communications using cellphones, walkie talkies, or light signals; food and water for the trip, if we are delayed; emergency actions enroute; rendezvous procedures if we get separated; weapons procedures, and contact information for our retreat community members.

Bug out goals and considerations: After much consideration, we settled on four goals for bugging out. 1. Arrive at our bug out location safely and together. 2. Attract as little attention from strangers as possible (OPSEC). 3. Arrive with as much provisions and ammunition as possible. 4. Arrive with as much fuel in our vehicle fuel tanks and gas cans as possible.

Goal #1: Arrive at bug out location safely and together. This is by far the most important consideration for us. Staying together, avoiding problems, and getting to our destination with as little trouble as possible are imperatives. All of our planning for after SHTF is for naught if we cannot get to our retreat community and our pre-positioned preps in North Carolina. We have a few weeks of provisions and preps at home, but the indefensibility of our home and its metropolitan location makes bugging out imperative in many situations.

Perhaps the most important decision will be to get out of town early. We want to be well ahead of the crowds and traffic jams that will surely clog the tunnel and bridge choke points in Hampton Roads at the start of all our routes. We will keep a close watch on the situation using all available means of gathering information and be alert for any changes that may affect or delay us. Local government web sites will be checked for road closures and construction that may force us to alter our route. If we get nervous, we will take the day off from work or call in sick to remain at home and be ready to hit the road. As things develop, we will prepare our home by boarding up the windows and securing the water, among other things. Additionally, we will gather all the items on our lists and pre-stage them all at a central location in the house so that packing will be easier and faster. (If you haven’t practiced packing up for a bug out, know that it will take much longer than you expect!) As the situation develops, we may even load up the vehicles and keep them securely out of sight to enable a hasty departure. If the situation doesn’t require an immediate departure, we will try to time our leaving home for the quietest time on our local roads (usually between 2 AM and 3 AM.)

Leaving our home unoccupied will be a tough decision; however, once we make the decision to bug out, we will not delay or procrastinate. We’ll change into bug out clothes (hiking boots & socks, hiking pants, tee shirt, hiking shirt, and jacket/coat as dictated by weather), arm up, pack up, secure our home as best we can, and get on the move. For added security, we’ll carry weapons in accordance with our concealed carry permits. If we haven’t already done so, we’ll fill our gas tanks at our local 24 hour gas station and not stop again until we get well past the Hampton Roads metro area.

Goal #2: Attract as little attention from strangers as possible (OPSEC). Nothing good can result from drawing unwanted attention to oneself during a bug out. Thieves, looters, gangs, and everyday thugs will attempt to acquire our survival items and vehicles, if given the chance. Also, we certainly don’t want anyone following us to our retreat. The best way to avoid problems will be by getting out early and packing things out of sight or covering them with tarps so that it isn’t obvious that we have a truck full of food and fuel. My truck has a cap with dark windows, but I still plan to cover everything. Next is getting out of the metropolitan area and into the rural areas along our route as soon as possible. Our routes avoid the local tunnels and other populated areas. However, we cannot avoid crossing two interstate highways, so all our routes attempt to cross them at very rural crossings with little in the way of amenities. We will minimize our stops along the way and attempt to drive straight through to the retreat. Another important consideration is to drive the speed limit and not give the local police any reason to stop us. I do not want to start the apocalypse in jail or try to bribe the local County Mounty with a box of ammo or a gold coin.

Goal #3: Arrive with as much provisions and ammunition as possible. We don’t have unlimited funds available and will never have everything we need or want stored up for TEOTWAWKI. As world or national events start to indicate that a bad situation is developing, we plan to make a final run to the local Costco or Sam’s Club to stock up on anything that we think is still needed. It would be silly to buy more than we can fit into our vehicles, so we won’t overdo it. Our local gun shop has a good return policy and we are known customers. If time permits, we will purchase any guns and ammo that are still required for our safety and the safety of our community group. We have emergency cash readily available (not in a bank) to pay for these last minute items if credit cards and bank ATMs go down. We will keep our receipts and will not open the boxes, so that we can return many of the last minute purchases, if the schumer doesn’t actually hit the fan. Finally, if we have actually gotten out of town early, security conditions permit, and we have space available in our vehicles, we may stop at a rural Walmart along our route to stock up as necessary on perishables, having an insulated chest available to store cold foods.

Goal #4: Arrive with as much fuel in our tanks as possible. Fuel will be critical in any SHTF situation. As world or national conditions start to indicate that everything is “going south,” we will fill our fuel tanks and attempt to keep them as full as practical. We can get from our home to the retreat with less than half a tank in our truck and about ¾ of a tank in our SUV. We also have about 20 gallons stored in gas cans in our garage. We will use these cans to top off our tanks and carry the extra fuel in the pickup for use as required. If the security situation allows, we will stop and fill up at a gas station within 30 miles of our destination to arrive with the maximum amount of fuel in our tanks and gas cans.

These are our goals, but yours will be different. This will hopefully generate some thoughts and ideas about your own personal bug out plan. Think your situation through, define the goals of your group, know your destination, evaluate possible bug out routes, plan your pack up, and plan for contingencies. Once you have a basic plan, write it all down, and review and modify it often with everyone in your family/team. When the SHTF, nothing is going to go as you think it will. Your personal situation, the local area situation and the national situation will be very fluid and constantly changing. Having a written plan that everyone understands will allow you to more easily deal with what is expected and give you more time and flexibility to adjust to the unexpected.

I don’t claim to be an expert in anything, so all comments and suggestions are very welcome! Good luck out there!

Letter Re: My Journey To The “Summits On The Air”

HI,

I just read the article on SOTA by Banjo Ninja. I see a lot of parallels with my own journey, and have had my FCC general license for a little over two years now. BN mentioned Field Day being a once-a-year event. It is coming up THIS WEEKEND (June 28/29)! I would encourage anyone who is even a little curious to find a local club who will be participating. The club I belong to, Huber Heights Amateur Radio Club, will be operating a “Get On The Air” (GOTA) station where visitors can try to make radio contacts with the help of a licensed operator. I expect many clubs will be doing the same. More information can be found at the Amateur Radio Relay League website, http://www.arrl.org/field-day. Find a nearby participating station by using the ARRL locator at http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator.

Economics and Investing:

This podcastwith accompanying chart slides is excellent and highly recommended. It explains how QE never really ended (and who might be behind the “mysterious buying” of Treasurys.) It also explains why stock prices keep rising. ~Jim~

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15min Video: ‘America Has Ceased to Exist’: Investment Guru Doug Casey on the Coming Economic Meltdown – B.B.

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The Obamacare Failure No One’s Talking About

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The United States of … Europe?

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Argentina’s debt fight: What it is, why it matters

Odds ‘n Sods:

Quite frankly, I find this a bizarre but fitting description of just how out of touch some people are with reality from all sides. Chaos as New York beggars’ banquet turns ugly. – RBS

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Air Force tries to take God out of the equation.. – MPR

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The Age of Mafia Government. – B.B.

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10 Facts About The SWATification Of America That Everyone Should Know

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The U.S. Supreme Court Is Marching in Lockstep with the Police State. – B.R.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that.” – Lord Acton