This piece summarizes one of the episodes of “The Twilight Zone” entitled “The Shelter” that bears mention for all who have neighbors, especially those they are “unsure” of.  In this (two minutes to midnight) preparatory lifestyle, it’s always important to know about those who live around you.

Today’s neighbors can morph into tomorrow’s marauders in the blink of an eye.

The fragile nature of our society is best described as the thinnest of veneers of civilization overlaying an underlying barbarism that can manifest itself at any given moment.

“The Shelter” is an excellent case-study of such a precept that I recommend to everyone to watch at least once.  This is of the original series, and the episode was written in 1961 by Rod Serling.

The story commences in the home of a neighborhood doctor where he and his neighbors are celebrating his birthday.  Everyone is festive, and the mood is one of good spirits, laughter, and indulgence in food and drink.  After a birthday toast, several birthday guests comment (abrasively) on the noise the doctor has had over the months from the construction of a bomb shelter in his basement.  The doctor kind of ignores it, and the party continues.

Guns have been referred to as “the great equalizer,” and there’s no weapon which can come close to them in that regard.

A lot of the popularity of firearms is due to the fact that anyone can use them effectively, not only the strong and agile. The young, the old, men, women and child can take up firearms in defense of home and family and do so effectively.

But what do you do if you can’t use a gun – or if you don’t have a gun — to protect yourself?

Soon the doctor’s son comes into the dining room (only adults are present) and announces that the TV has gone dead, and just prior it announced to go to the Conelrad station on the radio.  The following report came forth on the radio as everyone listened:

“…Four minutes ago the President of the United States made the following announcement.  I quote: at 11:04 pm Eastern Standard Time both our Distant Early Warning Line and Ballistics Early Warning Line reported radar evidence of unidentified flying objects flying due southeast.  As of this moment we have been unable to determine the nature of these objects, but for the time being and in the interests of national safety we are declaring a state of yellow alert.  The Civil Defense Authorities request that if you have a shelter already prepared, go there at once.  If you do not have a shelter, use your time to move supplies of food, water, medicine, and other supplies to a central place.  Keep all windows and doors closed.  We repeat: if you’re in your home, go to your prepared shelters or to your basement.”

Needless to say, all of the guests frantically depart.  The doctor and his family scramble around, filling up jars with extra water and moving some extra stuff down into the bomb shelter.  In the shelter were beds for the family and shelves with canned goods and medicines, as well as other gear and some chairs and a table.  The doctor returns upstairs, and then one of the neighbors, Jerry, begins rapping on the window.  The doctor opens the door, and Jerry worms his way in, slyly informing the doctor that he and his family are unprepared for what’s coming.

The neighbor wants to shelter himself, his wife, and two children in a shelter designed for three people.  The doctor leaves him and enters the shelter, locking the door and sealing it off.  Presently, more neighbors arrive.  One of them pounds the door, insisting that the doctor allow him to enter.  Soon even more neighbors arrive, and one of them is very belligerent.  Men and women are irate, and they’re demanding the doctor let them in.  It escalates very shortly, as the aggressive man belligerently makes the following demand with several other men beside him to the doctor after yelling his name:

 “You’ve got a bunch of your neighbors outside who want to stay alive.  Now you can open that door and talk to us, and figure out with us how many can come in there…or you can just keep on doing what you’re doing and we’ll [hitting the door] bust our way in there.”

The doctor refuses, and the men outside move away from the door, and then begin to argue among themselves.  There is already infighting about who (of the outsiders) will enter the shelter, as the men move out of the house.

“Bill, who are those people?” the mother asks.

“Those people…those people are our neighbors…our friends…the people we’ve lived with and alongside for twenty years.  C’mon, Paulie.  We better get up some of this furniture and this bunk so we’ll have some protection in case that door goes through,” the doctor said.

The half-dozen men return to the house, smashing up furniture in the dining room and trashing the house.  They enter the basement with a heavy pipe, and as their wives cheer them on, they begin battering the shelter door.  Presently they break through.  Just as they are stepping into the shelter, the radio in the shelter with the family announces that the previously-spotted objects were satellites, and the alert was lifted.

As the dust settles, the neighbors try to blow it off half-heartedly, but the doctor doesn’t really want any of it.  The neighbors had managed to smash in the door and force their way in.  The doctor summarized it quite eloquently with his description of what had happened:

“The kind of people we are just underneath the skin.  I mean all of us…a lot of naked, wild animals who put such a price on staying alive that they’ll claw their neighbors to death just for the privilege.”

The episode is excellent, and in under 25-minutes presents exactly what human nature boils down to…in a non-profane, “Hallmark” version with no blood or gore to offend the tender sensibilities.  The doctor made the following critical mistakes.

 All of his neighbors knew he had built a bomb shelter in his basement

1. The shelter (although made to resist radiation) was not built sturdily enough to be able to resist the marauders
2. The doctor did not have one weapon to protect himself and his family and drive off the angry mob
3. He allowed “Jerry” to come inside the house, instead of locking and barring every part of it to keep the neighbors away

The old adage, “Know thy neighbor” holds true…and not just from a superficially-friendly, good time perspective.

What is important to know is that when the needs of the neighbors are not able to be met, those needs will be attempted to be filled at your expense if you are the one with the supplies and safe haven.  “The Shelter” is an oldie but a goodie, and a perfect tool to keep in mind that all of us can pass beyond the limits of the “better angels of our nature,” and the situation turn from “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” to “The Road Warrior” in the blink of an eye.  Happy watching, and hope you take something from it.

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

Dealing with this subject has been quite difficult for me. Both the concept of the state stripping you of everything and the SHTF concept have as many backgrounds as diverse interpretations, so trying to approach this from a single point of view is a complicated task.

In my country, Venezuela, after 20 years of “revolution,” we have bottomed out and learned to live in situations we never imagined (so much so that I was able to write an article on survival techniques I never imagined myself using on daily basis).

It’s not that the governments before Hugo Chavez were much better. But there was a much more stable political and economic situation with access to the international market.In 1999, when Chávez’s government was instated, oil prices were the highest in Venezuela’s history. The newly born Communist policy in the country was hardly felt and had very few repercussions on the professional citizens who lived on a monthly salary.

That’s probably why those first few years didn’t really feel like something was taken away from us. In addition, the newly elected president had a 60% popular approval rating and promised endless opportunities for the neediest people.

One of the first economic policies was the implementation of exchange control, currently in effect. Any operation with foreign currency was managed by the state. Later came the control of the prices of basic products, which caused the disappearance of those items and initiated a black market that is also very much in force to this day.The real problem began in 2004 with the accelerated decrease in oil prices that translated into a lower income for the government. Remember that we are talking about an oil-reliant country.

The decay was soon seen in many aspects. There was no longer maintenance on public roads, and public services failed often until reaching the point of constant failures of electric service, even for days.

The public health situation is also getting worse and worse. As a health professional, I have seen this deterioration for the last 10 years.

I am an oncologic breast surgeon. In Venezuela, breast cancer is the main cause of death from cancer in women. However, in the hospital where I work, the most important hospital in Caracas, there are no basic services for this issue. No chemotherapy, the radiotherapy equipment has been inoperative since 2015, and surgical procedures are suspended every week.

For me, as a doctor, it is frustrating not to be able to help my patients in any way. Just last week two breast cancer patients who were going to the operating room were suspended for the fourth time in a row. This time the anesthesia machine was failing.

The purchasing power of the Venezuelan citizen also decreased. It seemed to have happened from one day to the next, but if you look at the political situation since 1988, the decline took a long time; all that was left was to hit rock bottom.

Finding ourselves in extreme situations makes our defense system act in a primitive way. This means activating the fight or flight response at any time within any context—and yes, the state takes advantage of that.

The state will rip you off, but it doesn’t happen all of a sudden. There are a lot of logistics; it takes a long time to develop the kind of policy that makes citizens totally dependent on the state.

You start by losing something unimportant, like some kind of monetary bonus now given to you as government-run grocery store credits, and you end up losing your freedom and all kinds of rights, including freedom of speech and protest, but these issues are so extensive that they require an article of their own to explain them properly.

The state has taken charge, with great success I must say, and you are now living in fear of the so-called public authorities, meaning police and military police, since they serve as pro-government forces of repression.

Many of us have lost the incentive to go out and protest. We did it for more than 10 years. However, I have seen the evolution of the manifestations before and now.

I remember 2003 when repression was minimal, almost non-existent. Today many friends who still have the strength to continue have gotten gas masks in order to defend themselves from the hundreds of tear gas grenades used by the authorities that should be defending people.

In any public protest, savage repression is a constant. That violence is what we Venezuelans have become used to.When there is no public or social security, when the devaluation of the currency is occurring on a daily basis, and when you don’t know if the bakery on the corner is going to be broken into tomorrow, at that moment, the debacle has already occurred.

Defending oneself from these kinds of problems is as difficult as trying to explain them. Many have chosen to leave and seek a future in other countries. That way the state even strips you of your own country by causing you to become self-exiled.

I don’t blame them. We all have more than one family member or close friend who has been kidnapped or stolen from violently, and sadly, all we can say is “You should be thankful you weren’t killed”.

Personal security becomes a problem of epic proportions, to the extent that going out on the street is considered a risky activity—a risk to which, unfortunately, you have to get used to in order to live a normal life.Living in that state of continuous stress in which your rights are violated, in cities where, despite paying high taxes, everything seems to be in ruins, is part of that hopelessness that the state achieves in the individual.

Living in a place where a good monthly salary fora top executive, for example, does not reach $100 a month, is not easy, especially taking into consideration that a basic shopping list for a family of four can cost up to $140 monthly.

So the mismanagement of incompetent and corrupt civil servants results in the deep separation of three social classes: extreme poverty, which represents more than 80% of the population and is totally dependent on the government; the working middle class, which manages to subsist through one or two basic incomes plus the economic help of family members abroad; and those who do business with the government and can live in a very comfortable, ideal world that has nothing to do with reality.

Of course, there are exceptions to this, and some people have high incomes without being involved in dubious businesses.

It is sad to see how fourth-level professionals, trained in the country, must leave in order to provide for their families.

I know it is not a unique situation in the world—it has happened and will continue to happen—but it is very different to read about it than to see it sitting in the front row or even being the leading character.

Nowadays it is the common denominator, and more and more qualified professionals and technicians step into the international airport in search of a better quality of life.That’s why there is a whole generation that has no kind of roots in their country and only waits for the opportunity to leave.

I think the worst part of all this is the desolation sown in all of us. It seems to be an endless story, with the political disqualification of opposition leaders, political prisoners, and many more vexations.

Writing all this is not easy, but it makes me reflect. It is an exercise in introspection. Without a doubt, the state strips you of everything in its eagerness to stay in charge. That’s the way they do it.

There comes a point at which the only thing in your mind is to know if you will return home alive. Everything else is secondary. At that point, the state has already massacred you internally. You can never be the same again. I’m sure I am not.

Even if you are a person who is not involved in politics, an “apolitical” citizen, in this state of anarchy, you have to fix your position.

As Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Alright, we have done a couple of articles on “Knowing Yourself,” and “Knowing Your Enemy.”  Now that everyone knows one another, let’s take it to another level.  As a single individual, as a family member, or operating in a group, after it hits the fan, you will have to fight eventually.  You will not be able to avoid it and hunker down until the cavalry comes, because it will be in your neighborhood and the cavalry isn’t coming to your rescue.

We’ve discussed “Fabian Tactics” in previous articles.  These were based on the exploits of Quintus Fabius Maximus in the First Punic War between Carthage and Rome. “Hit and Run” tactics exemplify their description: strike a numerically superior larger force at a time and place of your choosing, and then break contact.  Fade back into the forest, hide, and avoid further combat until the next engagement of your choice.

Lessons from the Roman Army for Post-SHTF Combat Operations

Let’s “fix” ‘em: set the enemy up and zap ‘em!  Let’s do a few things that the Romans were famous for…using these techniques here and now.

1. Choose the Ground: Yes, you choose the place you will engage them.  Along with this, you pick the time of day, the formation of the attack, the objective, and the criteria for withdrawal.  You choose it.  As an individual, you would be sniping.  As a group (depending on your numbers and composition), you can engage in operations limited by your size.  Choosing the ground means also to actively recon the enemy and not allow him to choose it and catch you unawares.
2. Prep the Ground: The Roman Army were masters of this task. They scouted the area and with thorough intel, they knew where their enemies were, actions these people planned on taking, and avenues of approach.  They cut timber and created obstacles of logs interlaced with natural “barbed wire” in the form of thorns and thistles…along with spikes and stakes, to limit enemy cavalry.  Long before William Wallace of “Braveheart” was ever a thought, the Roman legions spread out hay soaked with pitch and oil in areas where enemy foot soldiers would move, and applied flaming arrows when the time was right.  They always took the high ground when possible, and used the natural terrain features (cliffs, rivers, etc.) to form boundaries to help them channel the enemy.
3. Always Fight with the Sun at your Back: The Romans positioned themselves and attacked to place the sun in the eyes of their enemies. I know, I know: the enemy has “Ray-Bans,” right?  No, it worked for the Viet Cong as well.  When they’re looking into the sun, they’re at a severe disadvantage.  Use the sun.  Use the terrain.  Live with the land and live.
4. “SPECVLATORES”- the Speculatores…the deep-cover operatives…the Special Forces and Reconnaissance warriors of the Roman Empire. You need operatives in your “unit” with the ability to do “deep penetration” of an enemy’s defenses…whether in their midst unsuspectingly or observing them from a nearby locale…operating on their own ground unbeknownst to them.  You need one or two people who can get the job done…and provide you with the deep-cover intel you’ll need to make decisions.
5. Alliances – “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Not always so, but you can use such rifts to your advantage…with other groups who your enemy is at odds with.  Here is where diplomacy, teamwork, and political acumen/savvy comes into play.  These “non-combat” skills are just as important to “fixing” your enemy as any of the actual missions you will undertake to defeat him.  Be skilled at making alliances, and do not make them just for the sake of socializing.  It is an art that we will cover more in-depth in future pieces.
6. Feed Them Disinformation: Yes, the Romans were very adept at sending messages or planting information that was false. This regarded their strengths, their movements, supplies, and reinforcements.  Sun Tzu was not the only one with a knowledge of how to monopolize disinformation, and he wasn’t the first to employ it.
7. Lure Them and “Stake” ‘Em – the Roman Army would plant different things out in front of an approaching enemy force in order to delay and distract them…making them ripe for an attack or ambush. You can do the same, and make it fall “in line” with the enemy you’ll be facing.  Quick question: How many of you have Russian or Chinese canned delicacies, such as Borscht or caviar for the former, or imported Chinese canned foods and fineries for the latter?  Because you may be able to use it to lure such if they ever come to this country…and set a trap on or in it, or place shooters in an overwatch position overlooking it.  Because you may need prisoners, and what better way to lure them in than with a carton of their own cigarettes, their own liquor that they would think to be safe?      Be advised: SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS FROM THE STORE YOU BOUGHT IT!  This is because in the times to come if anyone ever suspects you of collaborating with them…you can show the receipts that you bought it all long before the conflict began, and give them an explanation of why you bought it all.  This may keep you from being shot by your own countrymen.
8. The Violence of Action in a Controlled Manner – the Romans did not win their mastery over all of Europe and most of the Middle East by conducting drill and ceremony. They were trained, skilled killers and understood that the thing that made the Empire possible was the discipline and aggression of the individual legionnaire.
9. A Perfect Chain of Command – Modern militaries all have a chain of command and an order of succession for someone to fill the “vacancy” at all levels when a commander “buys the farm,” so to speak. You need to enable each member of your team to be able to step into the shoes and position of the leader and take charge to continue with the mission.
10. Discipline: this encompasses all areas. A “guerrilla fighter,” whether fighting off marauders from a neighboring town post SHTF, or a tyrannical, oppressive government, or a foreign invader…the guerrilla needs to be disciplined.  Physical toughness, adherence to standard operating procedures (SOP’s), a cool head and iron nerves, and endurance…the ability to keep this up for years…to go the distance.  These are the things that the Romans kept focused upon and central to their legions for many centuries.

In conclusion, small unit tactics are more than just a matter of either superior arms or numerical advantages.  They are based on common sense and knowing how to plan out your objectives, as well as a plan of attack.  You will have to be the “David” going against the Goliath, and although not shirking from battle, picking the time and place of your engagement, and the conditions and standards you will set to achieve those objectives.  It is no guarantee of success, but you are guaranteed to perform better with the proper planning, training, and clarity of purpose prior to a battle.  It can mean the difference between success and failure, life or death.  In this vein, I highly encourage you to study more about the Roman Army and the warfare in ancient times.  Take the time to clean the tarnished pitcher and you may just find a silver piece made by Revere.  The knowledge is there: seek after it and make your future rather than just allowing it to happen to you.

America – the greatest nation on earth – is currently facing unprecedented times of social unrest, and dare I say, this is just the beginning.

Regardless of who presides over the nation, we should always be aware of the so-called “shadow government” and their agenda. And mark my words: Our nation is in for times of massive unrest that were being plotted as early as 2015 and will continue until the “global agenda” pursued by George Soros and his allies is implemented.  The coming out-of-control riots may lead to a call for Martial Law, as I will explain.

America has been preparing for massive social uprisings for a very long time (a quick research on the topic will reveal this truth). What I am about to tell you next might come as a surprise for some of you, but most of the things that we experience are being manufactured.

Never in my lifetime have I seen America so divided.

Our politicians and the mainstream media have been endlessly pitting various groups against one another for years, and everywhere you look, hearts are growing very cold.

Trump’s victory has come as a surprise for many, but if we consider the new state of play of the world, where the economic crisis has led to global divisions driving, thus, a return to national interests over the global ones, voting for Trump has been the obvious choice. During difficult times, we must safeguard the values and interests of the American people. But manufacturing nation-wide protests during confusing times may be just what some might wish for in order to divide and destabilize the country in exchange for the ability to control us at all times. In case we don’t comply with their “desires” we will face dire consequences, as the infamous Zbigniew Brzezinski, the imperialist/globalist/war-monger and former policy advisor to Obama, said:

“Today, it is infinitely easier to kill a million people than to control a million people”.

After some extensive research on the matter, I am inclined to affirm that what we’re currently experiencing is just the beginning, and the protests are rapidly turning into violent riots. Although many commentators are claiming that martial law will not be declared, we can never be sure of what is being planned for us.

Did you know that if martial law is declared, Trump will be prevented from taking office?

Returning to the fact that Soros is behind most of the protesters’ actions, we must acknowledge that the fundamental reason for inciting violence is to create favorable circumstances for the President to legitimately institute martial law if the riots continue on the same path. This is how it will work:

• The current protests are spreading rapidly, and when there is an increase in both violence and numbers, this movement will inevitably grow into a national riot.
• If needed, due to extensive clashes, martial law will be declared. Therefore, when this happens, Trump will not be able to take office because Obama will stay in power for however long is necessary until the “National State of Emergency” has passed (Bernstein), (AMBELLAS). There is a good chance that this has been the back-up plan for some liberals all along (as mentioned earlier, there’s proof the protests are being staged) in order to further advance the globalist agenda that has been denied by our President-elect Trump.

So, here’s a glimpse of how life will be when martial law comes into effect:

• Everything we own can become federal property (especially guns and food stockpiles, which will be the first to be confiscated).
• 
• Curfews will be the new normal, while groups of armed men and women will patrol the streets at all times.
• Access to food, water and other resources will be rationed. If your life depends on a daily dose of medication, you should start storing it in advance.
• There will be sky-high inflation, and with a national debt of almost $20 trillion, the stage is set to sky-rocket a new financial crisis that will make the 1930s Depression look like a walk in the park.
• Everyone will be considered suspicious. A short chit-chat with your neighbor about the “wrong” things can put your life on the line.
• There will be no access to free Internet, while free press and the freedom of speech will be things of the past

The 6 Golden Rules of Surviving Martial Law

Prepper or no prepper, these are the 6 Golden Rules to follow if martial law comes to your town:

     1. First and foremost, talk with no one and trust no one.

Although the clear majority of preppers are already set to outlast any scenario that cuts them off from all the common supply lines, we must remember that under martial Law, everything that we own is able to become government property. Therefore, do not tell people about your supplies or secret hide-outs. I know it’s hard not to brag about your preps, but be careful to whom you’re talking

     2. Always renew your supplies and make sure you have a “basic martial law survival kit.”

A basic martial law survival kit would imply the following: electricity generator, water filters or even water generators (H2O Dynamo), weapons, food supplies for six months, first aid supplies, clothing for any type of weather, a flashlight, batteries, radio gear, and navigation equipment. Of course, you’ll need these if you want to stay put. If you want to go outside and face the music…that’s a different story.

     3. Avoid getting in the way of law enforcement or the military.

Even though some would advise that we be resilient to any violations of your constitutional rights, which, by the way, will be justified under martial law, the best survival tactics are to keep your cool and think before you react. You can always choose to fight back. These two options – bugging in or bugging out – will cause you to probably face the hardest decision of your life.

     4. Tune in and be up to date with the news.

It is crucial to stay informed and keep in touch with whomever you consider important. Every media outlet, as well as the Internet, will be controlled by the federal government, and you will not have access to any other information except what is being communicated by the state. Although this might be upsetting, you still need to know what is going to happen so you can be prepared for any situation.

     5. Cautiously develop a survival network.

Establishing a survival network would be an excellent idea considering the fact that we can never know for how long martial law will be imposed. Consequently, setting up a diverse group of preppers will ensure your long-term survival. But make sure you keep a low profile so that you and your group will not be targeted as perpetrators.

     6. Inspect and know your surroundings by heart.

You should be able to visualize your home turf even in your sleep. Ideally, you would also have a safe room. Make sure you have a blueprint of your area where you mark the closest escape routes, develop the quickest itinerary to a safe haven, and formulate the best and safest evacuation strategy.

Ammoland recently ran an article by a fake prepper group that claims you don’t need to stockpile ammo, since you can’t fight a national military invasion anyway. The group — which is obviously a front run by the anti-American intelligence community — claims to cite scientific evidence that “proves” you don’t need to stockpile ammo. Among this sketchy evidence is the claim that police officers in New York City “fire an average of only two point nine shots per [shooting] incident.”

So there. You don’t need any ammunition. Cops only fire fewer than 3 rounds per shooting incident, see?

Anyone who thinks they can survive an assault on their country home by firing merely three rounds of 9mm ammunition is not merely delusional; they’re dead.

By the same argument, maybe these preppers think you should only have a 3-round magazine, too. I’m sure Eric Swalwell, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden would agree. Who needs more than three rounds, anyway?

Ammoland also ran a rebuttal article to this, which explains why you can never have too much ammo. The rebuttal article is a good start, but I didn’t see it covering the far more powerful arguments for why stockpiling ammo makes so much sense to any thinking person. (Dare I say “rational” person?)

So I decided to share these very compelling reasons here. What qualifies me to talk about any of this? In addition to being a published food scientist and patent holder, I’m an accomplished tactical shooter with thousands of hours of training and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition expended on the range and during training scenarios. I’ve trained with former special forces, former Navy SEALs and former law enforcement. I’ve trained in executive protection, clearing structures, “tubular assaults” (in airplanes and buses, for example), long-range target shooting, NV-equipped night shooting and much more. And even though I’m more accurate in my shooting than perhaps 99% of gun owners, I also know that even the best shooters are useless if they run out of ammo.

If you don’t stockpile ammo, you’re a fool.

Reason #1: In a world where everything is virtual bullshit, ammunition needs no software updates to function

Everything in the world, it seems, needs a software upgrade to function. This includes your car, your DVD player and of course your silly mobile phone. Nothing works without constant software upgrades, and if you’ve seen the recent news about Boeing aircraft, in many cases nothing works even with the software upgrades.

Software will probably be the downfall of modern society, as nearly every modern system is so dependent on a long supply line of sketchy code that the complexity itself is a recipe for disaster. I’ve seen the United States Postal Service real-time postage calculation systems go offline twice in the last month, and the FBI background check system seems to crater with disturbing regularity. NASA crashed an orbiter into Mars a few years back after writing bad software code, and one of their Mars landers couldn’t transmit photos without a remote software upgrade transmitted from Earth (because the geniuses at NASA forgot to test the code here on Earth… oops).

Rest assured the U.S. military’s equipment is also heavily dependent on software updates and techno-crap that fails more often than it works. The average U.S. soldier has been turned into a walking battery transport burro, now carrying so much electronics gear that the original purpose of being a soldier in the first place seems to get lost in all the tech.

But there’s one thing that almost never fails a soldier: Their rifle. Ever wonder why? Because rifles don’t need software to function. That’s because ammunition works based on the laws of physics, not based on some hare-brained programmer who showed up to work stoned and suffering from a sleep deficit.

I don’t trust software to work. But I do trust ammo. It works almost without fail, and even the few “click” failures in pistols, for example, are usually slide cycling problems rather than primer failures. With modern ammo, primers have a failure rate of less than 1 in 100,000 if properly struck with a firing pin.

In a collapsing world, stuff that reliably works has tremendous value. What’s the value of an iPhone in a grid-down scenario? Zero. What’s the value of a GPS unit after a devastating solar flare? Zero. What’s the value of insulin that gets too hot because the pharmacy refrigerators went offline? Zero.

What’s the value of ammunition that goes bang every time? PRICELESS.

Reason #2: Ammunition is EMP-proof

For reasons explained above, ammunition (and firearms) work even after an EMP attack or solar flare / Carrington event. Sure, your super high-tech red dot sight might stop functioning, but you did zero in your iron sights, right?

Unlike almost everything else in society that fails at the slightest disturbance, guns and ammo keep working during floods, volcanoes, superstorms, civil unrest, power outages, financial collapse events, nuclear war and even invasions of space aliens.

If you don’t think that’s priceless, you haven’t really thought much about survival and prepping.

Just wait until all those people who said prepping is a “waste of time” try to dial 911 on their dead Android phones to report that a gang of looters has entered their home. Dialing 911 doesn’t work when the power grid is down, you numbskull. But a handy dandy AR-15 doesn’t need public infrastructure to function.

Just try to remember which end goes bang.

Reason #3: Every human being has a body, and every person wants to defend their body, giving ammunition near-“universal demand”

If I were in a barter situation, I would want to have something to barter that virtually everyone wanted. That’s called “universal demand,” and ammunition is about as close as you can get to the perfect barter item.

That’s because ammunition has a multitude of uses, including gathering food (hunting) and defending yourself (or your family) against violent attackers.

Since law enforcement is likely to collapse in almost any SHTF scenario, self-defense becomes a personal affair. And that means ammunition has near-universal value to any person who wants to live.

Ammunition is even more valuable than gold in one sense because it is immediately practical. Gold is only a means of exchange in a SHTF scenario, since there’s not much real-world practical use for gold in a collapsed society other than a store of value. But ammunition that’s acquired can be immediately loaded into a magazine and used to bolster personal defend, mere seconds after the barter transaction. Ammo is practical and real.

If you don’t follow my reasoning here, ask yourself this question: If you’re sitting in a house during an EMP collapse, and three armed bad guys break down your front door, which would you rather have in your hand? 1) A gold bar. 2) A loaded AR-15. 3) A cell phone.

If you didn’t answer #2, then you may need to have your head examined.

Reason #4: Basing your ammo strategy on the tactical behavior of cops is sheer lunacy

I don’t know anyone in the realms of tactical shooting or hard core survival prepping who bases their strategies on the behavior of cops. With apologies to all the courageous men and women in blue, cops are almost universally considered the least proficient firearms operators around. It’s no fault of their own, as cops are given almost no training, no ammunition, no body armor, no range time and are usually handed crappy pistols with heavy triggers that are almost impossible to operate with finesse. This is especially true among East Coast cops where the guns are deliberately designed with super heavy triggers precisely to discourage cops from ever using them. And when those cops do deploy their pistols in crowded cities, they more often than not end up shooting civilians or each other.

It’s also worth noting that U.S. courts have repeatedly ruled that police officers have no legal duty whatsoever to protect citizens from violence committed by others. This truth was recently reiterated by yet another federal judge in this recent court case.

Cops, in other words, have no duty to protect you. That’s an irrefutable fact.

Even worse, most cops (with a few exceptions, noted below) are barely capable of protecting themselves from violence, as they have very poor gun skills. When I’m at a gun range and cops are nearby, they almost always come to me asking for advice. “How do you learn to shoot with your left hand alone?” they’ll ask me. One time a highway patrolman asked me to take a look at his AR-15 and tell him how to improve it. I opened the action and the thing was bone dry, having never been lubed… ever. (I told him to buy some axle grease, for starters. And put a red dot sight on it. My current recommendation is the Sig Romeo series.)

I rarely meet cops who demonstrate much in the way of shooting proficiency. The exception to this is former Marines, Navy SEALs, etc., who become cops. These individuals are very proficient. I’ve never met a U.S. Marine who wasn’t highly competent with a rifle and a pistol. The Marines will not “graduate” a soldier who can’t shoot straight, and that’s to their credit. If you are in a collapse scenario, hurry up and make friends with a U.S. Marine veteran…

One of the things the authors of the original “you don’t need ammo” story failed to point out is that nearly all ammunition fired by cops MISSES the intended targets. I don’t know what the actual number is, but it’s almost certainly greater than 80%. One reason cops fire so many shots in actual firefights is because they almost never hit what they are trying to hit.

If you study the numbers, you’ll see shooting incidents where cops fired 100+ rounds (in aggregate) and maybe hit their intended target with only 10 rounds. And a lot of those hits aren’t even center body mass or anything that stops bad guys. Shooting some doped-up lunatic in the arm with a 9mm round doesn’t stop them, by the way. To really bring them down, you have to aim for the pelvis and structurally halt their ability to ambulate. Good cops know this already, but poorly trained cops can’t even hit the pelvis anyway, so they just spray and pray.

Don’t believe me? Watch this video of a Las Vegas cop shooting through the windshield of his own cop car, flinging rounds down a busy street where any civilian could be walking around or sitting in their own car, all while driving with one hand. The shooting begins at around the 1:58 mark:

This cop is firing rounds all over the place, into buildings, other people’s cars, into the air, etc.  At one point he’s driving with no hands on the steering wheel while firing his gun through his windshield. If you have an IQ above 50, you’ll notice that almost every shot misses the intended target, which is the driver of the vehicle.

At the 2:28 mark, this genius police officer tried to load a magazine into his pistol backwards. As this is happening, the suspect is still driving away and appears to be fully functional.

Eventually, after at least two full magazines emptied by this police officer, he apparently manages to nail the bad guy and shut him down. This is after dozens of other rounds were drilled into who knows how many other vehicles, buildings, pedestrians and tree squirrels along the way.

And this isn’t even the most telling video. This next video shows L.A. cops chasing a suspect who flees into a convenience store on a crowded street. To the surprise of no one, a whole group of cops opens fire at the convenience store, completely oblivious to the fact that there might be innocent civilians working there or shopping at the store.

See the 1:57 mark of this video:

Just as you might suppose would happen, one of the rounds kills the store manager. The manager’s name was Melyda Marciela Corado and the store was none other than Trader Joe’s.

What you’re seeing here is the genius L.A. cops opening fire on a retail store, completely oblivious to the other people inside. Why do cops engage in this behavior? Because they aren’t properly trained, that’s why.

But these are the same cops that are going to respond when you dial 911 and beg for help. And even if they do respond — which is unlikely during a SHTF collapse event — they will probably shoot your dog while approaching your house.

If you design a self-defense strategy around the shooting skills of cops, you’re just begging to fail

My point is that anyone trying to reach an informed conclusion about the usefulness of ammunition by examining the horribly bad shooting habits of most cops is just wasting time chasing irrelevant statistics. SHTF survival scenarios and modern-day cop scenarios are wildly different, too. Trying to equate them in some way is worse than comparing apples to oranges. Cops have tough jobs, by the way, and I honor their courage and duty. I’m just being honest: Most cops are not very proficient shooters. And they end up killing a lot of innocent people because they don’t practice fire discipline or shooting skills.

Interestingly, cops are held to a much higher legal standard than civilians when it comes to where their rounds go. You wouldn’t know it from the videos above, but cops are taught they they are legally responsible for every round that leaves their gun. (And technically, you are too.)

But civilians who are being assaulted by criminals, armed gangs or apocalypse zombies need not practice the same sort of fire discipline that would be reasonably expected in a peacetime cop scenario. When being assaulted in a SHTF scenario, you’re basically in a “fire at will” scenario, and it’s a bad day to be named “Will,” by the way.

In such a scenario, you will wish that you had more ammo, by the way. The good cops that I know carry four spare mags for their pistols. Some cities limit the ammo capacity of cops to just two mags, which is intended to encourage cops to shoot less. I think it’s a suicide rule, since cops should be allowed to carry all the ammunition they want, in my view. And you should have multiple mags and ammo cans available for your home defense, too.

Soldiers very often carry 10 mags, each with 30 rounds. That’s 300 rounds of ammo, or slightly less if they’re loading their mags to only 29 rounds each. Ever wonder why soldiers don’t carry just 3 rounds of ammo? Because that would be suicide.

Throwing rounds downrange with accuracy is the name of the game here. Even if you’re not hitting your target with precision, you’re probably causing a barrage of flying chunks of bricks, concrete, glass or whatever you’re hitting that’s near the intended target. Most likely, he’s not wearing eye pro, so he’s already half-blinded by the time you get to your second mag. And since most bad guys are morons who think car doors block bullets (since they saw that in a movie once), your second mag goes right into (and through) both sides of the car, taking out your target.

Better yet, carry a .308 ultralight rifle that fires 7.62 NATO rounds. You’ll only get 20 rounds per mag, but all 20 of those rounds do a whole lot more damage than the 5.56 most guys carry. 2A Arms sells the XLR-18 ultralight .308 rifle, which I recently acquired (but haven’t put through the paces yet).

The bottom line: If you want to live, stockpile some ammo… the RIGHT ammo

In summary, I suppose you could conform to the anti-prepping advice circulating online and decide you don’t need guns or ammunition to survive. Or you can choose to be effective and alive. If you want to be effective, you’ll need a lot of ammo, a lot of training and some reliable gear. Your pistol is a joke compared to your rifle, remember, since force equals one-half mass times velocity squared. In other words, your puny 9mm that’s pushing 1050 fps is a spitwad compared to a 62 grain 5.56 round moving at 2700 fps. It’s the velocity squared that translates into kinetic energy. (Personally, I prefer the 168-grain 7.62 rounds traveling at closer to 3000 fps.) But of course that only counts if the bullet transfers the energy into your target, which is why you shouldn’t load your survival rifles with FMJ ammo.

Try the “Controlled Chaos” or “Maximum Expansion” bullets machined by Lehigh Defense. Underwood Ammo sells loads suitable for AR rifles. This is what I load into my ranch defense AR rifles for the simple reason that if you’re going to shoot someone in self-defense, don’t be polite about it. If you’re not using ammunition that deliberately causes maximum trauma, then why do you own a rifle for self-defense in the first place?

If you run suppressors on your rifles or pistols, a company called Discreet Ballistics makes subsonic, expanding rounds that are said to offer excellent expansion even at subsonic velocities. I’ve tried this ammo and found it to have a lot of trouble cycling in AR-style rifles due to the non-rounded shape of the bullet nose. Even after using a Dremel tool on the feed ramps of the barrel, I still couldn’t get the rounds to work very effectively, but you might have better luck. I’ve found a lot more success using rounds that have a polymer tip, such as the Barnes VOR-TX line, which is excellent. Their 300 blackout bullets are my current choice for subsonic 300 blackout rifles.

See, it’s not just about stockpiling ammo… it’s about stockpiling the correct ammo. Tactical ammo. Ammunition that expands. If you don’t have that ammo — and if you haven’t made sure it cycles in your firearms — then you’re really just carrying around “practice ammo” that isn’t really very effective in a survival scenario. FMJ rounds go right through people all the time and do minimal damage.

The shocking thing that a U.S. Army combat medic who treated over 20,000 gunshot victims learned about ammunition

FMJ ammo in the 5.56 caliber merely “punches straight holes” through people’s limbs, accomplishing nothing. Remember, 5.56 ammo is only the diameter of a pencil eraser. Poking pencil eraser-sized holes in people who are trying to kill you is a tragic mistake. If they’re trying to harm you, and you’re invoking your right to self-defense, you need to be punching massive holes that rip their bones apart and cause them to completely stop their attack on you due to the laws of skeletal physics. If you merely punch tiny holes in people, you’re only encouraging them to rethink why they decided to be there at that moment, but you haven’t forced them to stop. Yes, you might motivate them to change their mind and go away, but you haven’t really solved the problem until they’re involuntarily forced to stop attacking you.

As the former combat medic explains in the above article — which you will find astonishing and perhaps unbelievable — shooting people with pistols almost never kills them. Here’s why:

On the civilian side, I saw only one single-shot kill from a pistol ever, and that was from a .357 magnum, within a living room, probably not more than five yards. The round entered the sternum and exited the spine. In fact, within the US, the vast majority of people that I saw shot lived after receiving medical treatment. That includes attempted suicides. I even had a patient live after a self inflicted shotgun wound to the face. He died of the cancer he was attempting to flee from, months later.

Beyond that, I do have recorded kills with a 9X19, but they all required multiple shots or they all took time to die.  Time enough to return fire or flee far enough to have to search for them. I don’t mean seconds of life, either — I mean minutes or hours. I have seen people shot that had to traverse long distances that still got away.

I’ve seen a lot of pistol shootings, much more than US police would ever see, and much more than experienced by most medics deploying solely with US personnel. And yet, I have zero, not one single experience, where a single gunshot wound from a 9X19 NATO round killed someone prior to them being able to return fire or flee. This includes people shot in the chest, back, back of the head (one hit behind the left ear) the neck and the face.  None.

He even explains that standard AR-15 rounds (5.56 NATO) aren’t very effective, either:

Unfortunately, the same goes for the 5.56 NATO round. I have yet to witness a single shot quick kill with this round. I even recorded a patient shot from less than three feet away, square in the back of the head, who lived. The round did not exit his body. Yes, he was immediately rendered unconscious and required (might I say exceptional) medical treatment. He was comatose for at least six months after that, but he lived.

But more importantly, in every experience, at ranges from zero (negligent discharges) to 35 yards (my closest, and worst-placed, shot on a person) to 400 yards (our average initial engagement distance in Afghanistan) individuals shot with a single 5.56 NATO round had time to fire, maneuver, or both. Did I see single shots that killed eventually? Yes. Does that matter in combat? Not one damn bit if you are the one they are still shooting at.

In my experience, the standard NATO combat round pokes 5.56mm holes in both bones and flesh, shattering nothing. It creates minimal bleeding. I know people say it tumbles and yaws, but that isn’t my experience at all. I saw it poke tiny holes in humans and rarely induced hemorrhaging sufficient to cause unconsciousness or uncompensated shock, which is the only result that matters.

On the flip side, having a patient who was shot by a 7.62X51 NATO or larger round was a rarity. Dead people aren’t patients, they are a supply issue.

… Take from that what you will. For me, what I learned is, when it comes to combat, shoot the heaviest rifle round I can, shoot at what I can hit, and then shoot it again if I can. I also learned that, in general, multiple organ damage shortens the time a patient is able to compensate for hemorrhagic shock far greater than the effect of a larger wound track in a single organ.

The bottom line? Yes, you need to stockpile ammo. But more importantly, you need to stockpile expanding ammo that will get the job done. This is especially for those of you who own AR-15s and you have nothing but standard 5.56 FMJ / NATO ammo, which flat-out doesn’t get the job done.

Whether you’re rolling a 9mm pistol or an AR with 5.56 ammo (or something bigger), it’s the ammo itself that determined the effectiveness of shots placed on target. Yes, you can practice with FMJ ammo, but you should carry something that’s far more effective.

Current firearms recommendations for people who wish to survive the chaos that’s coming

Stay informed. I also publish Gear.news for up-to-date news on self-defense and tactical firearms. Ammoland.com is also a good website, and TheGunFeed.com is sort of like a Drudge Report for gun-related news.

Here are my current recommendations for those of you who wish to survive the coming chaos:

Best pistol: Sig P320 RX (compact) with ROMEO red dot sight and night sights. After running the Glock 19 for years, I switched to Sig P320 for a whole host of reasons. The link for the actual model I recommend (and carry myself) is.

Best rifle for first-time rifle buyers: Sig M400 Tread. Don’t even think about it. Just buy it. There is no debate about a starter rifle.

Best rifle for experienced gun owners: Bravo Company USA. I like the 14.5″ RECCE. The Sig MCX Virtus series is also outstanding for different reasons.

For long-range shooting, I may do a review later about the best rifles, ballistics systems, rangefinders, etc., for defending your country home or ranch against long-range threats (500 – 1500 yards).

Bottom line: Keep it legal. Follow all local gun laws. I personally do not own anything that is “fully automatic” (there’s no need), and don’t own any SBRs. Everything I buy is 100% legal, and I encourage you to keep it legal, too. If you live in a city that does not allow you to legally purchase and own rifles, pistols, standard-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition, then you are living in the wrong city.

Maybe you should think about leaving before the zombie apocalypse arrives at your doorstep.

Throughout the West, controlled explanations have replaced evidence.

You can tell that the US presidential election was stolen the same way that you can tell that Covid is being hyped to serve an agenda. The way you know is that no explanation is permitted other than the official explanation.

Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the presstitute print, TV, and NPR media censor all information that indicates a stolen election. Not even neutral election experts heavily armed with facts, and witnesses who have signed sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury, are interviewed by the presstitute media or permitted to post documentation of electoral fraud on social media. It is simply out of the question to give any hearing to evidence. Some Democrats and presstitutes have even called for the arrest of anyone who says Biden did not win or might not have won if the evidence could be weighed. They want to make challenging the official explanation a crime subject to imprisonment, just as in some Western countries any stated opinion or evidence contrary to the official Holocaust story results in a prison sentence.

The same for Covid. As far as I can tell there are more virologists, immunologists, and epidemiologists who question the seriousness of Covid than there are who see Covid as a threat that justifies lockdowns, mask mandates, and punishment for noncompliance. Yet, the dissenting experts are not permitted to present their evidence to the public. Keep in mind that Fauci and Redfield are not great scientists; they are merely administrators of public health organizations. They are not on the same level as their critics.

Think about it for a minute. In neither of the two most important issues currently affecting the United States—indeed, one could say the Western world—the validity of the US presidential election and the reality of the Covid threat—is there any public debate.

Doesn’t it strike you as odd that only one opinion—the official opinion—is permitted. The two most important issues of our time only have official explanations. The public is not permitted the expert dissenting opinion. This doesn’t bother you?

You would think that there would be a variety of views about such important subjects and that evidence would be presented and carefully evaluated. Instead, all debate is foreclosed. Only the official explanation is permitted.

This suggests that the evidence for Biden’s win and for a Covid threat that justifies an economic holocaust is suspect and cannot stand the light of day. Therefore, no debate is permitted in order to protect the lie.

An uninformed reader might say that the courts have examined the evidence and have rejected the evidence of electoral fraud as insubstantial. And, indeed, the reader would have to be uninformed or misled by the lies of the presstitute media.

The fact is this: No court has examined the evidence. No state court and not the US Supreme Court. The reason that the courts have not accepted the cases is that they do not want to have to examine the evidence, because the evidence clearly establishes that the election was stolen and that the theft was carefully planned in advance. The state courts in the swing states where the election was stolen are protecting the Democrats. The US Supreme Court refused to accept the case on the grounds that Texas did not have standing to bring a case. Clearly, there has been no judicial ruling on the evidence that the election was legitimate. The US Supreme Court will protect the Establishment and the Establishment’s reputation before it will protect electoral integrity.

The evidence has been refused examintion by the state and federal judiciary.

So much for “American democracy.” So much for the “American Rule of Law.” No such rule exists. Law exists only for the purposes of the ruling Establishment. Power, not law, rules in America.

The US Supreme Court is an Establishment institution. It makes controversial rulings only when it has the media on its side.

Note that Hunter Biden’s laptop, which we know for a fact indicates both his and his father’s corruption in the sale of protection, is in the hands of the FBI and nothing is done about the Bidens’ criminal activity. The presstitutes claim that no such criminal activity exists. Apparently, the FBI agrees.

The protection of Hunter Biden is necessary to protect the “president elect.” Hunter will get away with his ill-gained millions of dollars, and his father will get way with his share.

Justice in America no longer exists. “Justice” is the retribution reserved for truth-tellers like Manning and Julian Assange, and “justice” means persecution and frame-up of those inconvenient for the Establishment even if the framed-up person is the President of the United States. Coverup for the Establishment and you will be rich. Criticize their growing power over American citizens and you will be made an example of what happens to those who are non-compliant.

This is America today.

But it is also the Western World today.

It is the same in Germany, for example. Germany has closed down the German economy based on allegations of a Covid threat —https://www.rt.com/news/509535-germany-new-lockdown-christmas/ . There is little scientific basis for this drastic policy, and a great deal of evidence against it. The German people themselves have strongly protested against it to no avail.

Our world is one of controlled explanations. Consider the large number. For examples there are President Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King’s assassination, Robert Kennedy’s assassination, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, 9/11, Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Assad’s use of Chemical weapons, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Iranian nukes, Russiagate and the other orchestrated charges against President Trump.

The Western World emerged from the fall of the Roman World and the uncertainties of the Middle Age to become eventually a civilization based in science and evidence. But today evidence no longer counts. What counts in the Western World today is emotion. If you have the correct emotions, you are “woke” and know that Western Civilization is racist and misogynist and imperialist and that its white inhabitants are “systemic racists” who oppress black people for racist reasons. You know that the evil of the white race necessitates their overthrowing. If you are a white person, you are put in a position where “social justice” requires you to be put into a lower legal class with less rights. It is not considered hate speech to declare that whiteness must be erased.

The problem for the Western World is that many white people agree with their indictment. Deracinated white people lack the confidence to defend themselves, their history, monuments, and achievements.

In a diverse, multicultural society, deracinated races have little prospect. The defense of whiteness is defined as racist and this is used to prevent the rise of leaders who would restore white confidence. Jean Raspail’s novel, The Camp of the Saints, foretold the future of white peoples.

The number of dangers we could face in a post-disaster world is innumerable. Part of the problem is that we don’t really know what that world will look like. While there are certain things we can surmise, based upon past disasters, we may very well be wrong. Did anyone actually foresee a global pandemic play out the way that COVID-19 has?

While the disaster itself will obviously be dangerous, perhaps the biggest dangers any of us face aren’t from nature or whatever force might create the disaster, but from other people. Specifically, the most dangerous groups will be those who gather together in gangs in order to seek out supplies, even if they have to steal them and the government. While the government may not take care of us, they will always take care of themselves.

Considering the direction our nation has been going, a nationwide disaster could be just the situation some politicians and bureaucrats have been waiting for, so that they could increase the power of the police state over our lives. The first step in that process is knowing everything there is to know about everyone, keeping track of where they are and what they’re doing.

During a SHTF situation, pain could become an annoyance for some, but unbearable for others.

If doctors are scarce and medicine becomes even scarcer, this one little weed, found all over North America and similar to morphine, could be a saving grace.

As we heard from Edward Snowden, the government, specifically the NSA, is already working hard to track down every bit of electronic data about all of us, creating dossiers that might be used in any future investigation. While there are those who say “if you’re not doing anything wrong, there’s nothing to worry about,” the government’s definition of “wrong” is subject to change.

Today there are those who are calling expressing a conservative viewpoint a “hate crime” and trying to prosecute those who dare to publicly express those opinions.

Our only safety is to do the best we can to ensure that the government can’t track us. That may actually be impossible, but even so, there’s no reason to give them information about us on a silver platter. The less we let them have, the less they can use against us.

Here are a few key ways that we are being tracked today and what we can do about it.

Social Media

If someone in the government wanted to come up with a way to get all of us to give them all our personal information, all they would have had to do is create social media.

When you sign up for any social media platform, the first thing they do is have you create a profile. With many people, you can learn just about anything you want to about them, just from reading what they’ve posted there.

If that wasn’t bad enough, social media is all about letting others know what’s going on in your life. People post everything from family photos to vacation plans.

They openly let others know what’s going on in their lives, forgetting that there are many more eyes seeing that, than they expect.

It’s safe to say that the government has agreements with all the social media platforms, allowing them to tap in and learn anything they can. That’s not too surprising, considering employers can do that as part of the hiring process.

The best way to prevent the government from learning about you on social media is to not use it at all. They can even glean information about you from the things you follow and read. That’s not all that hard, as Facebook regularly data mines for that kind of information, so that they can use it for selling advertising space on their platform.

Electronic Communications

As I already mentioned, the NSA is recording every bit of electronic communications, of every type, in the world.

While they may not have any interest in you today, that could change at any time. All it would take is for someone in DHS to decide that preppers were dangerous and had to be controlled, and every record of your communications would be examined by some nameless bureaucrat, looking to find something you’ve done wrong.

We can’t do anything about the information which has already been gathered about us, but we can do something about what we do in the future. Basically, all we have to do is stop using electronic communications to keep in touch with others. Instead of using text messages, e-mail and phones, we could actually talk to others face to face and send snail mail.

Our Phones are Tracking Us

Our smartphones are smarter than we are, especially when it comes to tracking us.

Having a built-in GPS is handy; especially when you’re trying to find that restaurant you want to go to. But in order to give us that capability, the phone is constantly tracking our comings and goings. If you don’t believe me, just check your timeline on Google Maps or the Apple equivalent for an iPhone.

Supposedly we can turn off that feature, but I wonder how true that is. Perhaps we can turn off our ability to see where we’ve been, but that doesn’t mean that the phone isn’t still tracking us and reporting that information to Google or whoever else might have an interest. The only way we can be sure that our phone isn’t tracking us is to take out the battery (not possible with most modern phones) or buy one that doesn’t have GPS.

Shopping

Another source of information that’s being used to track us is our shopping.

Have you ever searched for something online, then a few minutes later seen an ad for that very thing show up in your Facebook feed or in an online article you’re reading? That’s not by accident.

It’s a given that Facebook and Google are tracking our every keystroke, hoping to capitalize on those advertising dollars. But the question is; who else is doing the same? That’s something that we just don’t know, as nobody is being forthright and transparent about such things. All we know for sure is that it’s happening.

Then there are our purchases. Have you noticed how society is moving away from cash and more into using credit and debit cards? COVID-19 has really pushed that; especially with the supposed coin shortage.

That could all be a sham, as they can’t track our cash purchases, but they can track any purchase made with a credit or debit card.

The fact that the law-enforcement officers use this information in criminal investigations is such common knowledge that it’s been featured in many cop shows. You don’t think the writers just came up with that, do you?

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance cameras are both becoming more commonplace and more sophisticated as time goes on.

A decade or so ago, the images were tiny and unclear. Now they’re as good as watching a movie, in color and with the ability to identify people over a block away.

Between security cameras and traffic cameras there are few places you can go in the city, where they can’t see you.

Again, this is one of those cases, like the NSA reading your communications, where people say “if you’re not doing anything wrong, it’s not a problem.” But none of us know who is using that information and how they are using it. Could there be some shadowy government agency, like the NSA, which is gathering information about us, to use in the event they decide we are dangerous? We just don’t know.

Fortunately, there are ways to beat surveillance cameras, either through the use of disguises or by blinding the camera. Modifying a hat, so that there are infrared LEDs around the brim, can keep those cameras from seeing your face. This doesn’t mean they can’t identify you at all; but it makes the job a whole lot harder.

There are also websites where people post the positions of security cameras and traffic cameras, giving us all the ability to know where they are and allowing us to plan routes which avoid that surveillance. If criminals do that, there’s no reason we can’t too.

Become the Grey Man

One of the best things we can do, besides protecting our online identity and information, is to make ourselves so unremarkable that nobody notices. There are people in this world, that you just don’t notice. We all do it. They are just so unremarkable that it’s like we don’t even see them.

One big category of people like this are people in uniform, regardless of what sort of uniform it is. We see the uniform, but not the person inside. People have literally hidden themselves from others that they know, by nothing more than wearing a uniform. Others, like the homeless, are people that we just turn away from, as if we don’t see them.

Even without going to the point of a disguise, such as a uniform or looking like you’re homeless, there are things we can all do, which make us blend into the woodwork. Wearing dull clothing, moving with the crowd and making ourselves look unattractive are all things that will help keep people from noticing us.

Drop Out of Society

Finally, we could just drop out of society. Every once in a while you see a story about someone who has done that. They’ve totally dropped off the grid and are camping out somewhere in the wilderness. If you want to find them you’ve got to do a lot of looking and if you want to talk to them, you’ve got to go where they are.

Granted, this is a rather extreme solution to the problem and one that’s hard to do; but some people do it anyway. Alaska is a favorite destination for those that do. Their lives are different than our own, but at least their biggest threats come from nature and not from any two-legged predators, whether in government service or not.

Guns have been referred to as “the great equalizer,” and there’s no weapon which can come close to them in that regard.

A lot of the popularity of firearms is due to the fact that anyone can use them effectively, not only the strong and agile. The young, the old, men, women and child can take up firearms in defense of home and family and do so effectively.

But what do you do if you can’t use a gun – or if you don’t have a gun — to protect yourself?

The movie in most people’s mind goes something like this:

The dollar is dead and civilization has collapsed, and even if you dare venture out to the supermarket or the local Walmart there’s not going to be anything on the shelves for you to buy.

But your wife and kids are complaining that supplies are getting low.

So what do you do?

One way to get the supplies you need is through survival bartering – and for a lot of us, trading for what we need became very, very real when the panic buying over COVID-19 emptied out the store shelves.

(I STILL can’t find toilet paper anywhere.)

Not long ago I spoke with survival expert Pat Henry about this survival bartering, and he told me there are three major misconceptions that people have about it.

Here’s a run-down of those three items.

The 3 Biggest Myths About Survival Bartering In A Collapse

Especially in disasters, things will get bad fast (as we’ve all seen now during the pandemic).

Those supply lines, where trucks bring in food to grocery stores and things like that?

Well, even FEMA sometimes can’t get the materials they need to be able to get.

That’s when people really start to get nervous and jittery about what they’re going to do for long-term supply.

But it’s that long-term disaster – one that goes 60 days and beyond –  when you really start looking at a new way of living.

At that point, especially if money isn’t really good anymore, that’s where bartering really becomes even more important.

You might do things to help your neighbors for free early on, because you’re a neighborly person.

But once it looks like this is the way life could possibly be for an extended period of time, that’s where you really start getting into what goods do you have, what services can you trade… things like that.

There are a lot of misconceptions, because I think there’s a lot of this fantasy stuff out there on the Internet.

Let’s summarize, then, the three biggest myths about survival bartering:

Myth #1: The Stores Will (Still) Be Open

People think they’re going to be able to go into their local store with a different form of currency like their bartering supplies.

Or they think there’ll be some kind of Mad Max Bartertown market set up.

That could happen, I guess, but it’s not going to happen for a very long time.

When there is no economy whatsoever, people do talk.

Therefore, that’s what you’ve got to take advantage of.

Maybe you hang up some fliers, and everybody knows that on a certain date at a certain location, everybody brings what they have to trade.

I can certainly see barter markets opening up eventually, but that takes time to establish.

Just understand that at first, there will be no rules and no one will know how to do it, because we’ll all be in uncharted territory.

That brings me to…

Myth #2: Trades Will Be Fair

Another myth about survival bartering is that people think trading will always be fair.

They think you can just walk into a trade and you’ll have an idea of the real value of the trade items.

“I’ll give you six .22 cartridges for four eggs,” you’ll say to the guy, or something like that.

But you won’t always know, necessarily, what the fair value for a trade is.

You might end up giving away too much to get too little, because nobody knows how to trade early on, and everyone’s going to be worried about giving too much to get too little.

It will take a lot of time to set up a trade system and a list of values that everyone is comfortable with.

Along the way, you may end up on the losing end of several trades, or you may end up inadvertently taking advantage of other people… people who will remember getting ripped off.

Myth #3: You’ll Have ANYTHING That People Want

A lot of people store stuff thinking it will be useful for barter later.

That’s all well and good, but your barter items are only as good as the value someone else places on them.

It’s like our currency.

If there’s no value on the dollar, nobody’s going to give you anything for a dollar.

If you go to Bartertown with ten thousand Beanie Baby toys, nobody’s going to give you a single .22 cartridge for something like that.

If all you have are trade items nobody needs, and for which there is no shortage, they’re not going to trade for it.

Remember: Survival bartering is all about supply and demand.

It comes down to what you have.

The worst time to prepare is AFTER a disaster happens.

Start looking right now at what you would have to trade with if it comes to that during these troubled times.

Do You Store Trade Items? What Do You Recommend As Barter Goods?

Share Your Thoughts With Us Now…

Whether you’re an experienced home defense guru or a complete amateur, the best way to prepare against a burglary or home invasion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. But no matter how watchful you are, sometimes you have to sleep, and some thieves know how to get around the standard home security measures.

In case that happens, there are many unusual methods to protect your family and valuables–methods that don’t involve moving out of your 3-bedroom house and into a fortified castle.

Here are 7 unusual home security tips you probably didn’t know.

1. Use Dowell Rods in Sliding Glass Door Tracks

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a home that doesn’t feature an aesthetically pleasing sliding glass door. They provide a great view and allow natural light to flood the house.

However, they’re not very secure. A well-prepared and knowledgeable burglar has ways of getting around the average sliding glass door. And if the door is improperly installed, they can easily lift it off the tracks, so be sure to check your sliding glass doors for baseline security.

The best way to secure a sliding glass door is to put a dowel rod or something similar on the tracks and lodge it between the door and the wall. If a burglar manages to unlock the sliding door, they still won’t be able to slide it open if a dowel rod is in the way.

2. Move Your Alarm Keypad

Installing a home security system is a fantastic way to deter potential burglars, but it’s not fool-proof. Most alarm pads are placed by common entrances, such as the front door or back door. This is done because it’s convenient and because you’re only allowed a brief amount of time before the alarm goes off and the authorities question you for living in your own home.

Because the front and back doors are such common places for a keypad, burglars know exactly where to look. An observant thief will scope out the place and watch the numbers you enter into the keypad. A would-be burglar can also glance through the window to see if you engaged the alarm system before leaving the house.

Be mindful of who might be able to view your keypad when you arm or disarm it, and move it somewhere out of sight. Or at least block the keypad when using it. Another option is to have multiple keypads, one by an entrance and one in the master bedroom in case of a suspected break-in when you need to act fast.

3. Use a Key Lock Box

Everybody knows someone who keeps their spare key in an extremely commonplace—under the mat, in the mailbox, under a potted plant, or in a fake rock, just to name a few. Don’t be that person. If you want to leave yourself a set of spare keys somewhere, install a key lockbox somewhere on your property–the kind realtors use.

Backup keys will be just a simple combination away, and only you will have access to them. Just like with your security system keypad, make sure nobody can see you enter the combination.

4. Use Mother Nature’s Help

Mother Nature has had eons of time to develop the perfect home defense system: thorns. Consider planting bushes, vines, or trees in areas you don’t want strangers access. For example, you could plant a thorny shrub underneath the windows of your bedrooms so no one can climb through them without getting torn up.

Some great examples of thorny bushes, vines, and trees are:

• Many mesquite varieties
• Honey Locust
• Pyracantha (firethorn bush)
• Climbing roses
• Cats claw acacia
• Oregon grape holly

5. Don’t Hide Valuables in the Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is one of the first places burglars look after entering a house. Master bedrooms are typically easy to access, which is part of the charm for burglars.

Take a quick inventory of what you keep in your master bedroom. Is there jewelry, electronics, cash, or credit cards? Anything of value that can easily be moved should be relocated to somewhere unexpected.

And what’s more unexpected than jewelry in the laundry room? Or an emergency fund stashed in your toddler’s bedroom? Few criminals would think to check for valuables in these places. Doing the unexpected can save you in the long run.

Avoid the more common hiding spots such as in CD or DVD cases, under mattresses, behind pictures, or in lightweight safes that can be easily be carried away. Some burglars might not give up until they find something valuable. In case of that, you could keep fake jewelry in a jewelry case by your bed. This would serve as a great decoy for any burglars.

Speaking of decoys…

6. Get a Decoy Safe

To start with, never store your valuables in a safe that is not high quality and hasn’t been bolted down. But if you really want to foil criminals, from clumsy robbers to Ocean’s-11-caliber operators, buy a small decoy safe to throw burglars off the scent as to where the real goods are.

Because burglars want to get in and out as fast as possible, they’ll be much more likely to run off with a decoy safe full of fake valuables and discontinue their search. Be sure to put the decoy safe somewhere easy to find and the real safe somewhere very difficult to find.

7. Keep Your Car Keys With You

Keep your keys on you during the day and by your bed while you sleep. Most car key fobs have a panic button nowadays. If you hear or see a burglar trying to get into your house, press the panic button. The last thing a burglar wants is to rob a noisy house that draws unwanted attention.

Better yet, also keep a garage door opener nearby. If you open the garage, it will make it easier for the neighbors to hear your car alarm. Just make sure the door leading into the house is locked.

Whether you’re an experienced home defense guru or a complete amateur, the best way to prepare against a burglary or home invasion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. But no matter how watchful you are, sometimes you have to sleep, and some thieves know how to get around the standard home security measures.

In case that happens, there are many unusual methods to protect your family and valuables–methods that don’t involve moving out of your 3-bedroom house and into a fortified castle.

Here are 7 unusual home security tips you probably didn’t know.

1. Use Dowell Rods in Sliding Glass Door Tracks

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a home that doesn’t feature an aesthetically pleasing sliding glass door. They provide a great view and allow natural light to flood the house.

However, they’re not very secure. A well-prepared and knowledgeable burglar has ways of getting around the average sliding glass door. And if the door is improperly installed, they can easily lift it off the tracks, so be sure to check your sliding glass doors for baseline security.

The best way to secure a sliding glass door is to put a dowel rod or something similar on the tracks and lodge it between the door and the wall. If a burglar manages to unlock the sliding door, they still won’t be able to slide it open if a dowel rod is in the way.

2. Move Your Alarm Keypad

Installing a home security system is a fantastic way to deter potential burglars, but it’s not fool-proof. Most alarm pads are placed by common entrances, such as the front door or back door. This is done because it’s convenient and because you’re only allowed a brief amount of time before the alarm goes off and the authorities question you for living in your own home.

Because the front and back doors are such common places for a keypad, burglars know exactly where to look. An observant thief will scope out the place and watch the numbers you enter into the keypad. A would-be burglar can also glance through the window to see if you engaged the alarm system before leaving the house.

Be mindful of who might be able to view your keypad when you arm or disarm it, and move it somewhere out of sight. Or at least block the keypad when using it. Another option is to have multiple keypads, one by an entrance and one in the master bedroom in case of a suspected break-in when you need to act fast.

3. Use a Key Lock Box

Everybody knows someone who keeps their spare key in an extremely commonplace—under the mat, in the mailbox, under a potted plant, or in a fake rock, just to name a few. Don’t be that person. If you want to leave yourself a set of spare keys somewhere, install a key lockbox somewhere on your property–the kind realtors use.

Backup keys will be just a simple combination away, and only you will have access to them. Just like with your security system keypad, make sure nobody can see you enter the combination.

4. Use Mother Nature’s Help

Mother Nature has had eons of time to develop the perfect home defense system: thorns. Consider planting bushes, vines, or trees in areas you don’t want strangers access. For example, you could plant a thorny shrub underneath the windows of your bedrooms so no one can climb through them without getting torn up.

Some great examples of thorny bushes, vines, and trees are:

• Many mesquite varieties
• Honey Locust
• Pyracantha (firethorn bush)
• Climbing roses
• Cats claw acacia
• Oregon grape holly

5. Don’t Hide Valuables in the Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is one of the first places burglars look after entering a house. Master bedrooms are typically easy to access, which is part of the charm for burglars.

Take a quick inventory of what you keep in your master bedroom. Is there jewelry, electronics, cash, or credit cards? Anything of value that can easily be moved should be relocated to somewhere unexpected.

And what’s more unexpected than jewelry in the laundry room? Or an emergency fund stashed in your toddler’s bedroom? Few criminals would think to check for valuables in these places. Doing the unexpected can save you in the long run.

Avoid the more common hiding spots such as in CD or DVD cases, under mattresses, behind pictures, or in lightweight safes that can be easily be carried away. Some burglars might not give up until they find something valuable. In case of that, you could keep fake jewelry in a jewelry case by your bed. This would serve as a great decoy for any burglars.

Speaking of decoys…

6. Get a Decoy Safe

To start with, never store your valuables in a safe that is not high quality and hasn’t been bolted down. But if you really want to foil criminals, from clumsy robbers to Ocean’s-11-caliber operators, buy a small decoy safe to throw burglars off the scent as to where the real goods are.

Because burglars want to get in and out as fast as possible, they’ll be much more likely to run off with a decoy safe full of fake valuables and discontinue their search. Be sure to put the decoy safe somewhere easy to find and the real safe somewhere very difficult to find.

7. Keep Your Car Keys With You

Keep your keys on you during the day and by your bed while you sleep. Most car key fobs have a panic button nowadays. If you hear or see a burglar trying to get into your house, press the panic button. The last thing a burglar wants is to rob a noisy house that draws unwanted attention.

Better yet, also keep a garage door opener nearby. If you open the garage, it will make it easier for the neighbors to hear your car alarm. Just make sure the door leading into the house is locked.