Letter Re: Thoughts on Beginning Preparedness

James,
There have recently been some really good posts on SurvivalBlog. I found B.J.H.’s Thoughts on Beginning Preparedness very interesting. Not just because of useful information, but because it highlighted the differences between each of us and our situations. My first survival/TEOTWAWKI book was When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency by Matthew Stein. It made sense to me, so I started with lots of extra house/car keys, hidden appropriately. Next was Bug Out Bags (BOBs) for the whole family, and emergency bags in the cars. Then I started stockpiling food and water for an extended bug-in situation. I’ve continued from there…

In contrast to B.J.H., being a long-time outdoorsman, I am heavy on firearms and I’ve also participated in IDPA and IPSC. So I already had guns staged around the house. Similarly, I am a long-time, avid gardener. I never thought of these things as “prepping”, they were just the right thing to do. It is fascinating how each of us has different skills and tools, recognize the need for improvement in different areas, and prioritize different resources or threats.

Concerning B.J.H.’s future plans for a water filter, and J.E.’s Low Cost Preparedness article, I would highly recommend the Katadyn Siphon Water Filter. I have smaller filters in the BOBs, and a high end filter for the retreat. But at 40-some dollars, and a 5,800 gallon capacity, this a very affordable way to produce potable water without hand-pumping or electricity. I would use a sari filter first, then the Siphon, to extend the life of the Siphon.

Thanks for all your work updating your blog, daily. It is much appreciated. I try not to waste your bandwidth, but sometime I simply must reply. Thanks again and God bless, – Stew M.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.F.G. recommended an Instructables piece on rain water collection barrels. R.F.G.’s comment: “Sometimes all you need is a few pictures to make something ‘brain dead’ simple.”

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G. &K. suggested this news article from Kentucky: Growing number people growing their own groceries.

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Nancy Tappan very kindly sent me a review copy of her fledgling magazine, The New Pioneer. It is subtitled “The Complete Guide to Self-Reliant Living.” I am very impressed with the magazine. The articles are well-written and fit the back-to-the-land/prepper audience very well. The premier issue was a hefty 128 pages, with lots of great articles and very little advertising. It’s published by Country Almanac, part of Harris Publications. Check it out at your local news stand or book store. Their editorial mailing address is: New Pioneer Magazine, P.O. Box 1050 Rogue River, Oregon 97537. Editorial e-mail: newpioneermag@hotmail.com. Subscriptions and single copy sales: (212) 462-9536. (Ask for the Single copy sales desk.)

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Johnny G. suggested this article on QRP radios: DIY: Cheap, ultra low-power radios that communicate over thousands of miles. Oh by the way, a QRP radio is featured in the storyline of my upcoming novel, “Veterans: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.” (The first sequel to my novel “Patriots”.)In the new novel, I described the use of an Elecraft KX1 QRP shortwave transceiver.  This low power rig can be used to transmit Morse code in the 20, 30, 40 and 80 Meter ham radio bands. It is about the size of a paperback book. Powered by six AA batteries, the 10-ounce radio was capable of transmitting around the world when ionospheric conditions are right.  It puts out just 1-to-2 watts of power (or up to 4 watts if using an external 12 volt DC battery).

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 30. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Thoughts on Beginning Preparedness, by B.J.H.

Preparing for the end of the world as we know it is an understandably daunting task, especially for a beginning prepper. The path to securing yourself and your family should ultimately end in a self-sufficient rural retreat, but there are many steps down that path. It is easy in the beginning stages of your preparation to feel discouraged by the shear size of the task in front of you. The amount of information to be taken in, the sudden awareness s of your vulnerable present condition, the list of tools you never knew you needed, and the anticipated financial and sweat equity costs are enough to shock some beginners into abandoning the task all together. Understanding preparation in a more easily digestible form is a key toward creating a successful preparedness plan. This article will discuss the proper mindset as well as the initial steps necessary for the beginning prepper.

The social, political, and psychological themes encountered in TEOTWAWKI strike a chord with many individuals in a society which has become so technologically dependent, so economically interconnected, and so highly specialized. For the average suburbanite who can’t fix his own car, doesn’t grow his own food, and has never experience “hunger” greater than skipping lunch during a hectic day at the office the breakdown of civil society is hard to conceptualize in anything more than an abstract way. I’ve always been interested in end of the world scenarios, whether in movies, television, books or video games. However, like so many Americans actually moving toward self sufficiency was not a chief concern. After getting married and settling in to law school I started go give more serious thought to my own preparedness for a disaster situation. Maybe it was just a symptom of “growing up” or perhaps being married focused me more intently on the need to provided for and to defend my family, but in either case I began to take stock of my readiness level and make a plan for improving it. I went to web site after web site and read as many survival books as I could get my hands on. It became quickly apparent that my level of readiness was pathetic.

I had the food in my kitchen cabinets, a .22 rifle and a .22 pistol (each with only a box or so of ammunition), a hatchet that I used for yard work, an extra five gallon can of gasoline which was of course only half full, some flashlights, and some old boots. This was all the stood between my family’s safety and disaster if a TEOTWAWKI scenario unfolded. Comparing my own pathetic state to the level of preparedness described in many of the books I read, I was even more discouraged. I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to go from average guy to hardcore survivalist over night. I felt like I needed to do so many things to get ready, things that seemed impossible: move my family to a wilderness retreat, learn a lifetime of survival skills, buy thousands of dollars of new equipment. After the initial panic I marshaled myself and began to analyze the situation more clearly. Like any major effort, becoming prepared would be a process with both long term and short term goals. Rather than buying piece meal the items I needed to survive a long term disaster, it made more sense to me to start with a hierarchy of disaster scenarios and prepare for each in order.

First on my list was a break in or home invasion scenario. This seemed the most probable both because of the area in which I live, a few miles from a large city, the current economic climate, and the possibility of this scenario even outside any systemic breakdown. I began by inspecting and performing routine maintenance on the locks of both my doors and windows. My home has an alarm system, so I called the provided and ran a series of tests t o insure it was functioning properly. I also check into how the system actually functioned. Like most alarm systems it simply sends a signal along the phone line, making it easy enough for a burglar to either cut the phone line or knock out power and enter more easily. I decided to create a second level of low tech security. I purchased several sets of large sleigh bells at an after Christmas sale, these not hang from interior doorknobs to provide extra noise when doors are opened and close. I also purchase small wedge alarms that activate a battery operated siren when the door makes contact with them. These are also placed behind each door, acting not only as a door stop but an added alarm. I finished off my low tech system with some standard door bars; they rest underneath the door knob and prevent the door from being pushed open. I also added security lights on both sides and the back of my home. The lights are controlled from a panel in my bedroom for easy activation when something goes bump in the night. While the system isn’t foolproof it is much more secure than it was before I started and all with relatively minimal effort.

In addition to preparing my house for the break-in or home invasion scenario I recognized the need to prepare myself. I purchased a new 9mm handgun and a shotgun. While I had been advised by many to get a .45 for stopping power, the Walther P99 I purchased fit well into my hand and for me was both easy and comfortable to shoot. The gun was placed in my dresser drawer and the shotgun in a closet opposite the bed. Given the layout of my bedroom it made sense to retreat into the closet if necessary and this made the shotgun placement seem sensible. I also purchased 500 rounds of ammunition for each of my guns, a sufficient stockpile which allowed me to go to the shooting range when I had free time while still keeping good quantity on hand in between replenishments.

I also recognized that having guns didn’t mean I knew how to use them, and so I enrolled myself in an urban environment shooting class. I had basic guns skill, but the class taught me about moving and shooting, shooting indoors including tactical movement, and shooting from common positions like the driver’s position in a vehicle. The cost of the course was a few hundred dollars, but provided me with a wealth of confidence in my ability to react to the break-in or home invasion scenario. With one scenario off the list I could already sleep better at night, and despite the distance still to go on my road to preparedness, the first step was done.

Next on my list was a natural disaster scenario with short term (one to two weeks) power loss. Having grown up in southern West Virginia, I recognize that in rural areas even a bad storm could knock out power for a couple weeks, suburban areas of large cities might get a faster response, but if the disaster were of sufficient size the delay in repairs could well drag into weeks just like it would in the hollers back home. My first step was to secure a one month supply of food and water for myself, my wife, and our puppy. These items constituted the beginning of our larder and were simple items purchase in bulk from Sam’s Club. I dedicated a closet in the spare bedroom to the storage of these items. I felt the basement was too prone to dampness and the attic to prone to high temperatures. I started with flour, rice, pinto beans, canned tuna, sugar, salt, cooking oil, and powdered milk. Our water supply consisted of a large stockpile of liter water bottles. We also purchased extra food for our puppy and stored it in the same area. My wife and I made a decision to augment this one month supply with new items at each trip to the grocery store. Some of our first acquisitions included a stockpile of feminine products, toilet paper, and paper plates an d napkins. These items all promised to make sanitation easier in a disaster crunch. The purchase of a couple boxes of extra large contractor trash bags rounded out this effort.

Next I started on items which would be needed in the natural disaster scenario, I purchased a good radio. I wanted the most power options possible including a hand crank, solar, batteries, and DC power. I also wanted the radio to cover the greatest spectrum of bands including the weather alert band. After the radio I procured some extra flashlights and batteries. Following the advice of a one book I got some brightly colored duct tape and wrapped the handle of each flashlight for easy location. I also set aside an emergency stock of candles in a small bin with some lighters, matches, and empty coffee cans (to be used as candle holders). My next concern was for heat and fuel. I stocked up on gasoline in safety containers and stored this in the area of my basement at the farthest end from the bedrooms and away from any possible ignition sources. I also bought extra propane for my grill and extra oil for my Tiki Torch type lamps. We have a fire pit, and so I ordered two extra loads of wood and created tarp covered storage bins in my back yard to hold the stockpile. When acquiring new items I tired to focus on things that my family would use regardless of a disaster scenario. Stocking up just meant having extra on hand for when we needed it.

In finishing off my natural disaster efforts, I turned back to making my home secure. While my alarm system had carbon monoxide and smoke detectors built in, this wouldn’ t do me any good with the power down. I obtained stand alone units. I also purchased several more fire extinguishers and place them at strategic locations. My intention was to be able to manage a fire on my own should emergency services be tied up with a large scale disaster situation. While there is certainly a lot more that could be done, with food, water, lighting, and heating secured I felt okay about my chances in a short to natural disaster scenario.

I was feeling a lot better about the security and sustainability of my home in a short term disaster scenario, but now I needed to make sure my wife and I could get back to the house in an emergency. I was ready to take on the task of creating bug out bags to keep in our cars and at work. The bags were surplus swat responder bags with plenty of extra pockets and heavy duty zippers. The initial contents included changes of clothes and boots as my wife and I both have to wear dress clothe s to work. I also got heavy duty leather gloves and a set of protective goggles for each back. Next came water and food, 4 liters of water and 8-10 protein bars. I then added items for fire creation, including standard matches and lighters and a magnesium strip sparker. I purchased a gas mask for each bag. While the gas masks might violate the normal rule for things my family will use anyway, it seemed like a better to be safe than sorry type item. Flashlight and extra batteries, a multi-tool, and a first aid kits were also included. Each kit also contained a tarp for shelter as well as parachute cord and tarp clips.

The final items considered the possibility of a shelter in place scenario with biological components to the threat. I got several layers of plastic sheeting, duct tape, and bright orange spray paint. The tape and plastic to block air flow in a shelter area and the spray paint to make the position on an office or car window to get emergency personnel’s attention. These were the first version bug out bags we created, and they have since been augmented with items like extra ammo (we both got our concealed carry permits) and a small hatchet. We also make a concerted effort to keep the gas tanks for the car full, and this combined with the bag contents increases our changes of making it home if things go bad.

I am currently working on the next phase of preparedness, getting the home ready for a longer term survival situation. My wife and I have stocked up on seeds and have planted gardens for the la st two summers. We are increasing our food and water supplies to deepen our larder as it were. I purchased items necessary to seal off the house including plastic sheeting, plywood, nails and the like. Our next big purchase will hopefully be a water filter .

Many readers will probably look at our current level of preparedness and feel it is inadequate, I agree. Other might questions the preparedness decisions I have made or the order in which I put my priorities above, that’s probably fair as well. The main point I hope to get across is not necessarily the specific plan for preparing, but the more general attitude necessary for a new prepper. With each new phase of preparation I am increasing my odds of survival and making my family safer. It’s obviously a long road, and even seasoned veterans still have to maintain their training a preparation. My hope is that readers who are just getting into prepping or who have considered the scenarios but haven’t taken action can appreciate this approach and implement it with success to overcome their initial anxiety. Good luck to you all and God bless in your efforts!

Letter Re: A Police Officer’s Comments on High Stress Reactions

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I have enjoyed your books and SurvivalBlog for several years now. They have helped me prepare myself and my family for dark times we hope are not coming but look more and more certain each day. I wanted to attempt to share some of my knowledge with this community in hopes it can help prepare others.

After 9-11 I made a career change and became a police officer in Northern California. I have been blessed to receive a lot of specialized training since become an officer. Some of this training has included: firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, chemical agent instructor, less-lethal munitions instructor, simunitions instructor, swat operator and sniper operator.

The focus of this writing will be on the body’s reaction to critical incidents, specifically, in firefights or gun fights. This information will apply to other critical incidents as well, such as major auto accidents, natural disasters, or other high stress calamities.

I have been present in critical incidents three times when shots have been fired. I hope my personal experience and education can be a help to other readers in preparing them for similar incidents, should they find themselves in one. As you know, a little preparation goes a long way.

In high stress situations where the body and mind perceive a grave threat is at hand the body produces an adrenal dump or chemical dump (lots of chemicals are put into the blood stream at this time, not just adrenalin). This is referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. A third reaction, or lack thereof, makes ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ a better name.

This chemical dump occurs automatically when someone faces a situation where the mind recognizes the body is in severe danger. The chemicals cause several automatic reactions in the body. Some of these are: blood is pulled away from the outer extremities and into the core (chest) of the body, higher respiratory rates, increased pulse, and an increase in blood sugar.

These simple changes allow vital organs enough blood to perform their essential functions, especially the heart and lungs. This also prevents a wound to the arms or legs from causing a major loss of blood and hampering the body’s ability to fight or flight. Increased breathing helps provide the muscles with enough oxygen while the quickened pulse helps deliver fuel throughout the body, again readying fight or flight.

Other reactions occur in the body as well as a result of the chemical dump. These include: distorted audio and visual perception, time distortion, intruding thoughts, increased heart rate, deterioration of fine motor skills, and increase in strength and pain tolerance.

In a brief summary of these, audio distortion is commonly reported as the loss of audio input. Incredibly loud sounds, such as gun shots, are heard as mere popping noises, like a cap gun. This makes communications between police officers in critical events difficult. It will also make it very difficult for you and yours to communicate if the SHTF and you are defending yourselves.

Time distortion is frequently reported as the perceived slow down of events – as if things were occurring in slow motion, even the involved reactions to the threat. Infrequently this was reported as things happening more quickly, i.e., in fast forward. Visual distortion is commonly called “tunnel vision” in high stress events. The mind realizes the life or death threat in front of it and it attempts to block out all other stimuli but this life or death threat. Imagine your natural field of vision being reduces from approximately 200 degrees down to 40 degrees.

One of the more interesting effects is intruding thoughts. Some individuals report strange details being at the fore front of their mind while a life or death situation unfolds. For example, even though a person may be seeking cover from a subject shooting at them, their mind is questioning whether or not they remembered to feed the dog before going to work.

The chemical dump also causes the loss of fine motor skills. The hands will shake and be unable to perform intricate detail with accuracy, if at all. A last area that should be mentioned is that many people lose control of their bowels and bladders as a result of a critical incident. These ‘code brown’ or ‘code yellow’ incidents can be embarrassing at a later time. They do not reflect a person is a coward or scared. The body is simply trying to get rid of things it does not need.

If you are not mentally and physically (physically conditioning and prior exposure to chemical dumps) prepared for the effects of the chemical dump it can make a difficult situation worse. I have seen individuals overloaded by the dire nature of a situation and they lose their ability to think or react with reason. This is obviously not a state of mind which increases ones chances for survival.

So, now that we know what happens to the body we can begin to prepare mentally for what may be coming. Understanding these effects also helps us heal mentally more quickly once we have survived. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur in any critical incident. PTSD is defined as a complex disorder where a person’s memory, emotional responses, intellectual processes, and nervous system have all been disrupted by one or more traumatic experiences. Intruding and reoccurring thoughts of the event are still present approximately eight weeks after the traumatic event. Understanding that these reactions are normal and common ahead of time can be a great comfort to the individual who experiences them. These issues are not a sign of weakness or failure. Anyone who survives any gunfight is not a failure.

I would recommend anyone who is serious about surviving any type of armed encounter begin to rehearse mentally in their head as much detail as is possible of as many different scenarios as they can. For example, imagine three people coming to your home demanding food and threatening you with guns if you don’t provide it. Imagine being out after a successful hunt which will feed your family and two subjects order you to leave your game behind and go. Imagine every step of action you could take, from engaging in a firefight, moving to cover, having bad guys shoot at you, etc.

Practice four count breathing as a way to counter some of the less desirable effects of a chemical dump. This four count breathing is performed by breathing in for four seconds, holding the breath in for four seconds, breathing out for four seconds, holding the breath for four seconds and repeating.

When you practice shooting at the range practice as if you are in a gun fight. Whether you know it or not, you are developing habits your mind is going to follow if you go into an autopilot mode following a chemical dump. It would be much better to practice engaging your target and scanning around you and breaking your tunnel vision prior to mentally concluding your training exercise. Bad guys are like potato chips, they seldom are found one at a time. Be alert for the next bad guy(s) and be prepared to engage him before they get to you.

Without opening the topic up to much, and again, just scratching the surface, I want to digress onto firefights a bit. We have expressions that are valuable and should help the average reader. Two shots is a good start in a firefight. A slow hit is better than a fast miss. Put your shots on target (see below) and make them count. When you can’t get to the range as often as you would like, use mental imaging to help prepare you for the real thing. Practice dry fire (after ensuring your weapon is unloaded [, all ammunition has been removed from the room, and you have a safe backstop]), as often as you can. Live fire is just a demonstration of how well you dry fire.

Much has already been discussed here and elsewhere about the caliber of weapon one should use. I do not mean to beat a dead horse and cause days of reader responses for you sir, but I will stir the pot with the following: An FBI Firearms Training Unit Study cites previous studies that have calculated bullet velocities and impact power, concluding that the “stopping power” of a 9mm bullet at muzzle velocity is equal to a one-pound weight (e.g., baseball) being dropped from the height of six feet. A .45 ACP bullet impact would equal that same object dropped from 11.4 feet. That is a far cry from what Hollywood would have us believe, and actually flies in the face of what even many in law enforcement have come to mistakenly believe. I would suggest the best round for you to use is the round you can most accurately deliver on a consistent basis.

The FBI report also emphasizes that unless the bullet destroys or damages the central nervous system (i.e., brain or upper spinal cord), incapacitation of the subject can take a long time, particularly if one is engaged in a firefight and has experienced a chemical dump or if the subject is under the influence of drugs. There is sufficient oxygen within the brain to support full, voluntary action for 10-15 seconds after the heart has been destroyed. How many shots could you get off in 10-15 seconds?

Back to preparing to survive the gun fight. Develop now the will to live, survive, and win the fight. If you are shot, and you can get medical attention, you have a good chance of surviving. Don’t Panic! Visualize yourself getting hit and continuing to fight. Expect the body’s reaction to a chemical dump – dry mouth, sweaty palms, pounding heart. Know that if you are hit with gunfire that tissue wounds may not hurt, bone hits will hurt. Not all bullet wounds bleed extensively. I have witnessed wounds that left thumb sized holes in individuals with the smallest trickle of blood exiting the body. The body has a lot of blood in it – about 1.5 gallons of blood in body. You can lose 40% of this blood before you will lose consciousness (Imagine the mess on your hands if you spilled a half gallon of milk on the floor in the kitchen!).

My department has spent a great deal of money providing the officers here with Simunition firearms and safety equipment for training. I personally believe this is invaluable in preparing individuals for surviving and winning gun fights.

I recommend anyone serious about preparing for a gun fight include paintball training (due to its lower cost) or similar. This training must be taken seriously with proper safety equipment for all involved. The benefits are many.

For this training to work it must be done in the most serious manner possible. Participants will have to buy in mentally and will make the scenarios good or bad by their involved effort. Scenarios acted out will be the best way for the training to have a positive effect.

When taken seriously this training will induce a (small) chemical dump in participants. I have witnessed and experienced this training and know it will help inoculate participants into the effects of a chemical dump. Any familiarity one can obtain in a critical incident makes the likelihood of surviving the incident that much greater. The threat of pain from the paint ball will induce the chemical dump, the memory of pain will help prevent you from making any mistakes again. I would strongly suggest that each person who is receiving the training in the scenario be allowed to win each scenario. We do our best learning through positive interaction. We are also trying to show that even if we are hit we can still fight through and win. Anyone wanting more information of this training I would suggest the book “Training at the Speed of Life” by Kenneth Murray.

This is as good a place as any to touch on the perception/reaction delay as well. Studies have suggested it takes ¾ of a second for the average human to perceive an incident is occurring and another ¾ of a second for the body to react. If you are facing a situation where you believe a gun fight is imminent then you need to find a place of cover (something which will absorb bullets) or distance away from your enemy to help you overcome this delay. Try a paint ball scenario (with full safety equipment) where one subject is holding another at gun point with their gun extended and ready to shoot. The second subject can have their gun at their side. The first subject can’t shoot at the second subject until the second subject moves to shoot the first subject. You might be surprised at how difficult this is.

In closing, please consider this a scratch on the surface of the issue of surviving gun fights. Hopefully this has given the reader some food for thought which stimulates their appetite to learn more on their own. Remember, dirt bags survive being shot, so can you.

Good luck and stay safe. – H.J., A prepper brother in the thin blue line.

Economics and Investing:

KAF sent this: Bernanke Says Extending Bush Tax Cuts Would Maintain Stimulus to Economy.

Frequent content contributor B.B. sent this: Chinese Central Bank Outlines Plan To Ditch The Dollar As The Yuan’s Peg

SurvivalBlog’s Poet Laureate G.G. spotted this: White House predicts record $1.47 trillion deficit

Items from The Economatrix:

Sales of Previously Occupied Homes Falls 5.1%

These 72 Analysts Believe Gold Will Go Parabolic to Between $2,500 and $15,000 Per Ounce

Infowars.com Poll: Majority Believe Road Warrior Depression Coming

Nothing Was Sacred: The Theft of the American Dream

Economic Meltdown: The Final Phase

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader S.A. came across a Tropical Plant Database. he described it as: “a well-laid out professional-looking web site that lists medicinal uses of herbs, shrubs, flowers, trees, etc. Easy to use and read including common plants such as mimosa, stevia, epazote, ageratum, artichoke, mango, nettles, passion flower, and so on.”

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Alpha Innovations has introduced several new products: the Single Finger Nuck (an inconspicuous looking keychain decoration that doubles as an impact weapon ), the Alpha Scraper, and the Saf-T-Wrench another impact tool that doubles as a wrench ). Also, until August 15ht, they are selling our entire line of Kubotans at $6. That is $1 off their already low price. That includes both sizes of tapered Kubotans, pink Kubotan, dome ended, flat ended, rubber training baton, and stylus sized Kubotan. And the His & Hers Kubotan set is on sale for $11.50 (regularly $13.00 ).

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F.G. recommended this photo essay: Captured: A Look Back at the Vietnam War on the 35th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard [it]. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” – Rom 14:5-9 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry for Round 30. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Situational Awareness, Instincts and “Wargaming”, by H. Hunter

The recent SurvivalBlog article on a home invasion robbery reminded me of a situation I experienced a couple of months back. I attribute my successful evasion of a possibly harmful or even deadly situation to my preparations, long before the fact.

Part of my work involves the inspection of in-service bridges to ensure they are structurally sound. This is by far the most dangerous work that I do because many of these bridges are in bad neighborhoods and I am sometimes by myself. I have been in dangerous neighborhoods before and observed literal word of mouth travel up the block that an “outsider” is in the area. Within minutes foot traffic in the area increases dramatically and a general unease settles in on me.

A couple of months back I had to run out and take a quick measurement on a bridge that my partner and I had forgotten to measure when we were there the day before. I would be out of my truck for no more than two minutes. The bridge was in an area that would be considered relatively safe, so I will admit that my awareness was not what it should have been. However, I did have my [.32 ACP] Kel-Tec P32 pocket pistol that I carry religiously. I hopped out of my truck, climbed under the bridge, performed my task and was climbing back up when I noticed a shady-looking character on the bridge sidewalk above me. I remember a feeling inside me that simply said “… be careful ”. When he saw me, he made contact:

Stranger: “I’m in distress. Call 911.”

A quick assessment led me to believe that this guy was not in any “distress”. He was moving normal and showed no signs of pain.

Me: “I’m sorry man, I don’t have my phone,” I lied. (As I said this, I was backing up towards my truck (Approx. 50 feet off) “What is wrong with you?”

Stranger: “I said I’m in distress, call 911.” (He rounded the bridge guardrail, left the sidewalk, and was briskly approaching me.)

I felt that it would be more hazardous to myself to show weakness by apologizing or making any concessions to him. I decided to continue to escalate what was becoming a very tense situation by being very firm.

Me: “Look, I just told you I don’t have a (censored) phone. I will call as soon as I’m back at my office but there’s nothing I can do for you here.”

Stranger: (He pointed to Leatherman case on my hip and became extremely angry. His pace picks up and he begins swearing profusely at me.)

“I see your phone on your hip, call 911 now or I will take it and call myself.”

Me: (I’d finally reached my truck, but there is no way I will feel safe turning my back to open the door. He was by then only about 20 feet in front of me, visibly angry and moving closer. I decides I had no other options, so I drew my gun from my pocket with one hand and steadied it towards his chest. My other hand opened the door and I slid in, strong arm still outstretched between the open door and the truck frame. My free hand goes for the center console and [the more capable] 9mm pistol that is in it. I exchanged pistols, always keeping a barrel on him. I started the truck’s engine, hit the auto window down, and finally I was able to shut the door, with the strong arm still outstretched. I dropped the truck into reverse and backed up about 100 feet. “Tell me what is wrong with you and I will call 911 right now.”

Stranger: (He made no response. I left and call the police to inform them that someone may need medical assistance, but was also acting extremely suspiciously. I do not mention anything else. I will never be convinced otherwise that this man had anything other than nefarious intentions, but I still felt the need to end the situation with a clear conscience.)

From the time that I drew my pistol until just before I left, there were no words exchanged. We were finally communicating on the same primal level. I responded to his threat of violence in kind and no words were needed. What did amaze me is that my mind was as clear as it had ever been; I heard no other sounds but his words and footsteps, I felt no other presence but him and my truck behind me. I am surely not the “high speed, low drag” type, but I believe I was able to perform under pressure because of mental preparation.

Situational Awareness (SA)

One area that I failed in was Situational Awareness (SA). Proper SA would have likely dictated that I circle the site and assess any threats. I did not do this; like I said before, I was in a “decent” part of town, traffic was not far from me, I’ll only be a minute, etc. I did take a moment before I got out of my truck to scan the area for perceived threats; I did not see anyone in the area.

I’ve heard LEO joke before about being able to pick a comrade out of a crowd simply by looking for “cop eyes”. “Cop eyes” are wide open and aware. They dart from car to car to check for occupants and take a quick glance to the rear as they walk in the parking lot. They scan the room as they enter, assessing the situation as a whole and then individuals that seem out of place. They look for primary and secondary points of egress. I’ve practiced this to a point where it usually comes naturally now, especially if I’m in strange surroundings. SA is only one tool in your chest, and often leads to:

Trust Your Gut

When I popped up from under the bridge and saw this guy mere feet from me (Almost side by side, but I was about 10’ below him so I was able to gain some standoff room before he rounded the bridge rail.), my instincts actually said: “You just scanned the area and no one was near, how did this guy get to you so quick – be careful .” My subconscious knew something did not equate in the situation. By listening to my gut, my alert was heightened and I was able to react accordingly. I’ve been in situations before where a general feeling of unease overtakes me. This may result in me hanging a left where I should have a right and taking the long route around, or stepping back in the store with my wife because I “forgot” something and wanted to browse a minute more. I don’t know if this has saved me from trouble or not. That’s the thing about your gut: when it works, you usually don’t know. Read the book “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker, and learn to trust your intuition. God gives us gifts so that we may use them.

Wargaming

Many of us cannot go off to some self defense boot camp for a weekend and expend several thousand rounds practicing the high art of the tactical pistol. Wargaming does not by any means replace proper training. It does however, help prepare your mind for situations beyond your control that seem to happen within the blink of an eye.

I’ve always done this, but didn’t always refer to it as “wargaming”. It was just something I did when I was about to face a stressful situation. In college, if I had a presentation the next day, I would take turns with buddies practicing the speech. If a Q&A was to follow (usually it would), we would try to throw the speaker with questions they may have not prepared for. By the end of our wargaming, each of us had thoroughly thought through our topic and could defend our position very well. I often do this for work as well, running possible scenarios through my head of what may happen in a meeting later in the day. I try to map out how I should react to varying positions and how to properly articulate my opinion so that I come across well prepared and knowledgeable.

I have wargamed many encounters in my head: being approached by someone in parking lots, while in my vehicle, while out on an inspection, coming home to a breached door, with or without my wife, phone, gun, and so forth. Wargaming works best when you have someone to offer counterpoints, so I’ll discuss this with someone that I trust. We’ll go through scenarios until we think we have planned for as many unknowns as we can. I believe this simple exercise helped me remain calm and collected during the above encounter. I feel I did not react too quickly, yet I did not allow my personal security zone to be compromised.

Muscle Memory and Training

Practice! Practice until the act is a natural extension of yourself. Whether it is typing blazing speeds or operating your handgun as if it is a big clunky metal/polymer extension of your hand, practice what you think you need to know, so that when you need it, you execute without even knowing it. I carry my gun in the same position as much as possible. I practice drawing my gun when I’m doing target shooting as well as drills. How do you know you’ve practiced enough? You don’t until you need those skills in a real time situation, so do not become complacent in your training.

My brother and I developed a [dry practice] drill [with an unloaded pistol] where he would approach me from the side (perpendicular to firing stance). I react as if someone is approaching head-on. This way he is never in the line of fire. He will run through different scenarios (visibly angry from the beginning, sudden hostile change in behavior once he is within close distance, etc.). My weapon stays holstered until I perceive a threat. We try to run through scenarios that include talking out of a situation, drawing and retreating and of course use of force. The purpose of the drill is not to “win” but to mimic your actions in real life. This drill requires both parties to operate on the honor system and stay “in-character”. It is an eye opener when you, as the “victim”, read the “hostile” improperly and “lose” several times in a row. Several lessons learned include:

* The instant you perceive a threat is usually much later than the time in which the threat actually began.
* Distances can be cleared very quickly by a determined individual. Keep your weapon easily accessible. [JWR Adds: Any practice with the Tueller Drill will show you that seven yards is a scant minimum safe distance!]
* There is a time for racket and a time for silence. When your gun is out, you are wasting “brain RAM” by focusing on conveying a message. At this point it is only fight or flight. Shut off all other programs in your head, so that all of your “brain RAM” is being focused on those two options.

In writing this article, it forced me to think through my actions on that day. I don’t remember making decisions on how to react in my head, I just remember reacting. If I didn’t listen to my intuition, I may not have entered the situation on high alert. If I had not previously thought through what I would do, I may have frozen up. If I didn’t carry in the same position every day and practicing drawing and firing, I may have reached for the wrong carry position, only to find nothing. A failure in any one of these areas might have cost me dearly.

Thank you for this site and what you do. God Bless you.

Letter Re: Criminal Gangs Gaining Military Expertise

James:
Thank you for your great blog. I have learned a lot from it and it has been a motivator in getting friends to begin to prep. I just wanted to share this article with you: ‘Scary’ growth of gangs in war zones. It talks about Gangs in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. It specifically mentioned gang members being arrested recently that had military service and had brought back their manuals. If the stuff hits the fan we may not be faced with untrained, sideways shooting gangsters but with gang members who at least have some training and understanding of military tactics. – Matt U.

Economics and Investing:

Bobbi-Sue and G.G. both suggested this piece over at Seeking Alpha: The One Economic Chart That Really Matters

Thanks to readers Brett G. and “Tanker” for this link: Bernanke: Further Easing Hinges on Jobs

KAF flagged this: Central bank official suggests move away from dollar as benchmark

Another news item from G.G.: Bank failure tally passes 100 for the year

Items from The Economatrix:

Leading Indicators Drop in June as Recovery Slows

Mortgage Rates Hit New Record Low

Elevated Jobless Claims Point to Weak Labor Market

UPS Raises Outlook for Year Despite Mixed Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers mentioned this: Report Blasts Military For Not Being Nuke-Proof.

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Tam over at the View From The Porch blog provided a link to an interesting news segment on Navy SEAL riverine training on the Pearl River in Mississippi. Tamara wryly notes: “We now know where NAVSPECWAR conducts the crucial ‘Sunglasses Selection Phase’ of training.”

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Seed For Security is offering a promotion that will run through the end of August, 2010. They will be enclosing one free pint of Rye grain and a free packet of Bloomsdale spinach seeds with every order over $25. Both just in time for late Summer planting.

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M.O.B. sent this: Who in the world isn’t on Facebook? 500 Million subscribers! Again, I must warn SurvivalBlog readers: Don ‘t get a Facebook account. Or, if you already have one, then don’t use it to discuss anything controversial, and never mention you disaster preparations!