Greetings and welcome to the Patriot Express Newsletter Edition #192. Thanks for stopping by to spend your valuable time with us. We appreciate it. You could be all dressed up and ready to jump in your recliner to spend the day Christmas shopping or watching Halmark, movies, right? A question for the men out there. Have you ever been watching a Halmark Christmas movie and then the star acter wins the heart of the star actress right at Christmas, do you look around to see if anyone is watching and if not, you have a few tears run down your cheek? I'm asking for a friend.
Hey, the month is flying by and 2023 is quickly approaching. What will the new year bring to us? I'm afraid more of the same and more. So, let's look on the bright side and enjoy a few minutes together here at Hope for Survival. That is what we are doing, right?
Ms. Lucy and I enjoyed a blessed week here in East TN. We took in two Christmas programs this week with local friends, who are also HFS members, and I believe we have another one lined up for this weekend. I'm always amazed how year after year we hear the same songs and see the same story and it never gets old. Granted today's technology certainly helps the sound and creativity part of the program.
Years ago, while growing up in southern WV I was attending a small country church at some point in life, and everyone was poor but had each other so life was good. I remember during one holiday season we prepared for a Christmas program and one of the leaders wanted to do a manger scene using live animals. This was a small country church that would seat maybe 50 people. We had no animals, so he had a genius thought of making cardboard animals and taping/tying them on to different sized dogs in the area. That plan never worked out so well. I wonder if the man went on to become a politician. Hmmm.
You know I'm a sucker for meeting Patriotic Americans and it makes my day. Today I was at a local shop doing business with my truck and while paying for the product and service rendered, I got in a conversation about the current state of affairs in the world and our nation. Though the conservation was heavy with issues and direction, it was uplifting to me to meet the gentleman but also hear thoughts from a working Joe who sees, hears, and understands things aren't right. This gent like so many others just want to be left alone and to enjoy life like the old days. I look forward to a phone call in the days ahead to get together for lunch and continue our conversation. Fellow Patriots, we are surrounded by red, white, and blue loving citizens and we need to listen to their story and then share ways to help them prepare.
I have a really crazy week coming up and will be on the road Monday - Thursday/Friday in Huntsville, AL. It will be pretty hectic so I will do my best to get a newsletter posted for next Friday. If you don't see one on Friday evening, just blame it on the paperboy. Worst case I will have one posted by Saturday.
Let us move along....
I don't typically offer recommendations for gifts because in the past I made a few wives mad at me because a few husbands felt they needed to buy everything I suggested. So, to be clear, these are simply recommendations for gifts when one can't think of something. Proceed with caution.
Simple holiday gifts that serve a preparedness purpose - $50 or less
- The Freedom Documents by Dr Chuck Baldwin - $41 - THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS - Expanded Edition - Book - Compiled By Dr. Chuck Baldwin - ON SALE NOW! - LIMITED SUPPLY! (libertyfellowshipmt.com) We began offering the very popular FREEDOM DOCUMENTS over 20 years ago, in which we compiled dozens of the greatest documents of American history in one beautiful volume. The expanded edition of THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS includes 57 documents and 212 full-size (8 1/2 X 11) pages. The expanded introductions to these documents, by themselves, are a great history lesson. THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS are assembled with a ring spine for easy copying. Now more than ever, these historic documents contain the Spirit and Pride of America. This unique compilation of America's greatest documents is available nowhere else. It is an excellent resource for high school and college students, as well as homeschoolers. Pastors, teachers, attorneys, and judges--including the Tennessee State Supreme Court--have purchased THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS with extreme satisfaction. A Montana county sheriff also ordered copies for all of his deputies. We believe you will find them equally satisfying.
- Filter of Hope Water Filter Kit - $40 Filter of Hope Water Filter - Our simple, life-saving water filter provides safe, clean water in minutes. Each water filter kit contains everything you need to attach the filter to any plastic container in minutes - the Filter of Hope water filter itself, bucket adapter components, flexible hose, hand drill with bit, filter hanger, and cleaning syringe. Our water filter meets EPA drinking water standards; has 0.1 micron pore size filtration; filters out 99.99% of harmful bacteria, protozoa, and cysts; produces up to 250 gallons per day; is gravity fed (no electricity needed); and lasts up to 10 years with easy, regular maintenance.
- The American Patriot Bible - $31.00 - The NKJV, American Patriot's Bible, Hardcover: The Word of God and the Shaping of America: Thomas Nelson, Lee, Richard: 9781418541538: Amazon.com: Books - THE ONE BIBLE THAT SHOWS HOW ‘A LIGHT FROM ABOVE’ SHAPED OUR NATION. Never has a version of the Bible targeted the spiritual needs of those who love our country more than The American Patriot’s Bible. This extremely unique Bible shows how the history of the United States connects the people and events of the Bible to our lives in a modern world. The story of the United States is wonderfully woven into the teachings of the Bible and includes a beautiful full-color family record section, memorable images from our nation’s history and hundreds of enlightening articles which complement the New King James Version Bible text.
- Hope for Survival Bundle (Books 1 and 2, and the HFS Digital Memory Stick) $50 ($10 savings through Christmas)
- NAR Public Access Bleeding Control Kit - from Refuge Medical (Bear Independent) - $56.99 (This item is out of stock often because of high sale volume. If you monitor the site you can often get this kit for mid-$40s.) NAR Public Access Bleeding Control Kit - Basic – Refuge Medical - Contained in a ruggedized pouch, this life saving kit provides intuitive and easy-to-use tools that are proven to help to save lives such as the fastest, safest and most effective prehospital tourniquet in the world, the C-A-T®, quality gauze, shears, and pressure dressings/bandages. Included are step-by-step illustrated “just in time” pictorial instructions, so even untrained providers can help save a life. The NAR Individual Bleeding Control Kit - BASIC provides lifesaving bleeding control equipment such as tourniquets, pressure dressings and gauze bandages and puts them into the hands of the public to help control bleeding and save lives.
- The Survival Medicine Handbook - The Essential Guide for When Help is Not On the Way - Dr Joe Alton - $30 - Black & White Version. If a disaster took away the high technology, we take for granted, would you be prepared to keep you family healthy? Could you be an effective medic when hospitals are overcrowded, and the ambulance is heading in the other direction? Can you take over if you were the highest medical asset left? Medical preparedness advocates Joe Alton, MD and Amy Alton, NP’s award-winning “Survival Medicine Handbook: A guide for when help is NOT on the way” is now out in its greatly expanded and revised 4th edition!
- Nehemiah Strong - Life Sustaining Essentials for a Season of Trial - by John Dyslin - $48 - The Book Nehemiah Strong - John Dyslin - We live in unprecedented times, with unprecedented challenges. Christian-based societal foundations have vanished; in their place is a ‘new age’ spirit proclaiming what once was evil as good, and good evil. Authorities are using a thin veil of propriety to justify invasive actions – including lockdowns, compliance enforcement, and persecution of ‘unfavored’ groups – that threaten the liberty and well-being of you and all those you love.
Holiday gifts $100 and below -
- Grayl Geo Press Water Purifier system - $99.00 - SHOP GRAYL - WATER FILTER & PURIFIER BOTTLES, GEAR & EQUIPMENT – GRAYL® - Unrivaled Ease, Speed & Convenience. No other purifier rivals the speed, simplicity and effectiveness of GeoPress. In eight seconds, it makes 24 ounces (710 ml) of clean drinking water anywhere on earth. Tap into the world’s water sources and safely drink from sketchy spigots, hotel sinks, murky rivers, wells or lakes. Removes global waterborne pathogens (virus, bacteria, protozoan cysts) and filters pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and microplastics. Also improves taste, smell, and clarity!
- Tacklife 800 A Jump Starter - $52.00 - TACKLIFE 800A Peak 18000mAh Car Jump Starter with LCD Display (up to 7.0L Gas, 5.5L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster Quick Charger | T8 Orange - Walmart.com - TACKLIFE T8 800A Peak 18000mAh Car Jump Starter with LCD Display (up to 7.0L Gas, 5.5L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster with Smart Jumper Cable, Quick Charger
800 amps peak current, 18000mAh capacity
Hold charge for up to 12 months once fully charged.
Jump start 12V cars, SUV, trucks or vans up to 30 times on a 4.5-hour full charge.
Charge phones with 5v/9v Quick Charge and other car accessories with 12V 10A DC port.
The full metal clamps are built to last and are ergonomically designed to be easy to open.
Multifunctional life-saver with a strobe, red light, SOS signal and built-in Compass.
The digital LCD screen clearly displays the remaining power of the T8 jump starter.
The specially designed indicator notifies you incorrect use with an audible buzz and flashing lights.
HFS Thursday Zoom Rally Special Event - HFS hosted Chaplain Tracy Elder to the zoom platform to discuss preparedness, the church's role in preparedness, and system failures in our society today that will eventually require families to be self-reliant. Thanks to everyone who attended.
Communications: You can now follow HFS social media on the following outlets:
Facebook – Hope for Survival
YouTube Channel – Hope for Survival
MeWe: - //mewe.com/p/hopeforsurvival2
Odysee - Hope for Survival (odysee.com)
Parler - Preparedness101
Check out the HFS YouTube video posting tonight with Chaplain Dr. Tracy Elder, head of the International Alliance of Community Chaplains. This is part 1 of a multi-series effort discussing the most important part of preparedness, you. If you have followed HFS for long, you will recall us pointing out the importance of one's spiritual, psychological, and physical self-preparedness. In part 1, Chaplain Elder discusses the many facets of the programs she is part of. In future segments we will discuss, the broken church, the broken system, homelessness, and solutions.
Part 1 - Chaplain Dr. Tracy Elder -
Our second HFS video with Chaplain Elder will be posted later this evening titled the broken church.
If you have not, please consider subscribing to the HFS YouTube channel by hitting like and then subscribe.
Connect and give me a shout. Again, hit subscribe and share with family and friends.
Guest and Newcomers
If you are a guest or newcomer to the HFS journey, please check out this link for additional
information offered through HFS. https://www.hopeforsurvival.com/post/guest-and-newcomers-information-page
Hope for Survival books and HFS Thumb Drive for Emergency Documents -: You can obtain information on the two HFS books at this link: Survival, Preparedness, Disaster Management for individuals or family (hopeforsurvival.com)
Hope for Survival - How Food, Water, Shelter, and Security Could Save Your Life (Book 1)
Hope for Survival - The Mindset (Book 2)
HFS Thumb Drive for Emergency Documents - We just restocked the HFS Thumb drive and have them available now. Follow this link and you will see the add at the top of the page. Blog | Survival (hopeforsurvival.com)
We must make this brief public announcement to protect the innocent.
Ding, Ding, Ding....Attention HFS readers..... Opinions shared in this newsletter are just that, opinions, and nothing more. Read at your own risk. The owner and author of this site is not responsible for hurt feelings or thin-skinned readers. I do my best to show restraint and respect to the best extent possible. I take as many precautions as possible and try to remain as nonpolitical as possible, however, there are times when I just can't help but point certain things out. Occasionally I use words only Patriots recognize and understand. It's not personal against any non-Patriot. It's just the truth. Sometimes we must pull up our spenders and suck it up. Just saying. Stay the course, read what you want, and avoid the rest. Avoid fear porn as much as possible and the day will be okay. When all else fails… Keep the faith and always have Hope.
Let’s move along and get to some thoughts...
Thoughts for the week -
Soap Box - I honestly don't know where to start. I could tell you my undies are so tight that I can't stop crying for Harry and Meghan and how cruel life has been for them and their royalty. Can you imagine life where you had to live with someone catering to you daily? Imagine having no worries except what to complain about daily? Heck, I thought worrying about the Georgia Senate runoff was stressful until I imagined my life in the shoes of Harry and Meghan. How did we get to a point in our nation where we get two candidates so equally paired with so much supposed dirt from their past. This is a single race amongst many in our nation and they all appear to be dirt ball fights. The party that supports murdering babies is chastising their opponent who is rumored to have paid for one or more abortions in the past. I would think the opponent would be their kind of guy. Wait, that is the goal, right? Nothing is supposed to make sense. While this garbage is filling the airwaves and seriously delaying our recliner riders from running to the kitchen for the next box of Twinkies, other stories that should be more important to us are slipping on by.
What do I dare say is more important than Harry and Meghan? Hmmm. How about the attack on two substations in eastern North Carolina. Aside from the immediate media broadcast of a right-wing religious group conducting the hit on the substations in protest of a drag queen performance that was scheduled in the community, more concerns are flashing immediate attention required. If this event doesn't concern all Americans, they aren't paying attention. Period. What about the reports of five to seven additional attempted attacks around the nation during the past few weeks. Hmmm
My first thought was it was pretty brazen to schedule a drag queen performance next door to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. This is home of the 82nd Airborne, Green Berets, and Delt Force rumored home. The men amongst men in the warfighting arena. Has our military changed so much they welcome this type of practice in their backyard? Now, to be fair, I will say that even though things of this nature was not talked about during my days in uniform, we also stood strong for freedom of speech and 1st Amendment rights. Let me move long to my main point and concern. Undies feeling tighter about now. Yikes.
You may or may not know there has been grave concerns regarding the US power grid situation for years. Military generals and numerous voices such as the deceased Dr. Peter Vincent Prey, and many other experts voiced deep concerns over the vulnerability to our power grid. Books and movies portrayed what happens when the grid fails. Imagine living in the 1800s before airplanes, ATM machines, cell phones, the internet, and other daily life luxuries provided by electricity. Heck, even the Twinkie truck wouldn't be able to deliver these wonderful treats to many.
America has roughly 50,000 to 55,000 substations total which supports our electric utility across the nation. Aside from Texas being fairly self-supportive (how about that utility meltdown a few years ago when ice caused thousands to be without power). It only takes roughly 9-15 substations going down to crash our entire grid nationally. Hear that? Only two substations went down in NC. Add another seven to ten and shazam, we all are in the cold right now. Who are you going to call when this happens? The parts to replace the internal pieces is hard to come by today. Imagine with no grid how parts would be shipped across America to replace and bring the grid back up? Imagine this being caused by an EMP, CME, or cyber-attack to our grid? We are talking about a few well-placed rounds fired to specific substation locations to permanently damage these stations. The imagination should lead you to think, the odds of two Bubbas firing at random on these substations and hitting exactly where the shots are needed to bring down the system to be highly unlikely.
Check out this short video by a good guy doing great things in this area of concern. Greg Allison from Huntsville, AL gives some good input on this as well as all his other YouTube videos educating the public in many areas.
You can do your own homework to research recent past events where individuals planned, shot, and took down other substations on the west coast. This is a very big deal. We can squabble over drag queens and right-wing groups all day. But, the point is this is a very big deal and continued neglect by our state and federal officials is going to bite us all in the behind sooner, than later. Past studies have shown the fix would cost the federal government in the ballpark of $30 billion dollars to remedy the problem. Maybe we should be asking, why is the government ignoring this huge vulnerability to our grid? Especially knowing the federal government allows China to build the software which monitors our national grid through the computer software. Oh, and the security firm responsible for monitoring our grid, well, they are from China as well.
So, while Harry and Meghan cry over their lack of royalty and our politicians spend millions to research and destroy their opponent, we the people are trusting a very vulnerable critical resource that we must have or else live like cavemen. It is that simple.
This is not fear mongering or fear porn. This is a fact and reality of our situation. Now I ask, what are you going to do about it? How much of your preparedness planning uses a freezer to store frozen resources? Have you considered canning your valuable investment? Dehydrating? Freeze drying? It is up to you fellow Patriots. It could be a substation crash, a tornado, ice storm, or a car veering off the road and taking out your electricity for days. Are you willing to lose your resources and investment by rolling the dice?
Having spent nearly 25 years working in the field of terrorism and anti-terrorism and 40 years in physical security, I clearly understand risk management, critical infrastructure, and the impacts of acts on the human populace and I'm telling you, losing our national or local grid medium or long term is an absolute game changer and one we do not want to neglect. Many citizens will go crazy losing it for a week. This becomes all our problem in some way.
You may have backup generators and solar and the works, which is awesome. If the grid is down or electricity is out and you light up your home like a Christmas tree, guess who is coming to dinner? You got it, everyone without power. Do you have black out curtains and ways to enjoy your highly desired comforts without letting the world know you took responsible steps to prepare? I bet someone took care of this for poor Harry and Meghan, huh?
On another point outside the grid issue, I want to remind everyone to be cautious and very careful daily. The story of the young child kidnapped from her front yard by the contracted Fed Ex driver and then murdered, is simply heart breaking. Another innocent child unprotected and surrounded by adults assuming it never happens to them. We are not living in business-as-usual times. Crime is off the charts and criminals are being protected by the system. Sadly. We all must be more in tune with our surroundings, to include our daily functions around our home. Keep your doors locked. Do daily checks of your windows and garage area. Don't lend a helping hand to criminals to make their jobs easier. Have a plan in place when you go shopping. Don't turn your back when loading your car. Park near lights and close to the store. If you see a van or SUV parked near your car approach with caution or wait a few minutes. Look for exhaust possibly coming from exhaust which would indicate a car running if near your car. Be observant to individuals following you in stores and then monitoring you at check out while talking on a cell phone. You must do your part to keep yourself safe. Keep a close eye on children. Yours and others. Be a hard target.
We are quickly approaching a time where most of us are going to be on our own and require our own skills, knowledge, and resources to survive. Are you ready? I don't say this to scare you or freak you out. I'm simply being honest with what I believe and see happening in the world and nation. If you are paying attention outside the box to comments coming out of the World Economic Forum (WEF) then you know what I am talking about. Regardless, all the needed building blocks HFS laid out for you over the past three years. If you have read both of my HFS books, then you have a better foundation to work from. If you have participated in the HFS Zoom group the past 100 sessions, you are better off equally.
If nothing ever happens, which I would say is highly unlikely, then you have plenty of stock to offset the high prices on much needed foods to survive. Heck, we may even see some post-holiday sales offering Twinkies by the box two for one. By the way, have you ever had deep fried Twinkies before?
On another note, I'm hearing rumors the federal government has been working on bringing in 20,000 non-citizens from south of the border, per day, starting soon or else it has been in progress for a few months. It is estimated that under the current administration roughly 6 million non-citizens already crossed the border in the past 20 or so months and they are living off your tax dollars. Make sure to send your elected official a nice Christmas card and thank them for their kindness. I bet they blame it on someone else.
BTW, before I forget it, did you know that the federal government has now categorized M.A.G.A members as a category of domestic terrorism?
One last thing before jumping off my soap box. I don't care which side of the merry-go-round you prefer to ride to get a softer view of the Ukraine War. If your heart bleeds for sustained Democracy in Ukraine, you may wish to ask Santa for a new history book. Maybe ask the ethnic Russians about democracy in Ukraine. Have you ever had a family member or friend visit your home and stand over your shoulder telling you how to do everything? They go to the store and buy their selection of food for YOU to cook for dinner. That is basically the Ukraine War. The West is providing the goodies being used in the war to strike deep into Russian territory to include military bases and nuclear sites. How long do you think Putin is going to let this continue? Anyone who doesn't see this and the west desire to stay in war's has been watching the decorating channels full time. I digress.
Oh, I don't know if you follow anything related to the Jan 6, 2021citizens being held in solitary confinement the past 23 months, but do you realize the mayor of Washington D.C. is refusing their basic civil rights and refusing them visitation in person or via virtual technology to see their family members? Democrat or Republican, where's our elected officials voicing the violations to their civil rights?
Mental Preparedness
When I think of planning, building plans, developing mental preparedness and a degree of toughness, I have a little chuckle. Not because this is not an important topic. But, when on the topic of preparedness, I sometimes tease my wife that she would not have made a good “troop” standing guard on the North/South Korea border. Preparedness and planning take patience and time. And you are planning for something that may never happen. I have often wondered how many people who do not prepare, also do not fish. The key is to be patient. She is a great worker and very smart, but the patience part is short on certain task at hand.
While we are on the topic of YOU and how you will handle a disaster or traumatic event, let’s talk quickly about “Fight-or-Flight” and what it is. This topic in itself is another book. “Fight or Flight” is important because it’s how a personality can change and be impacted by a split-second action or change of environment that threatens the welfare of a person and his/her family. In my personal experience, past and present, I have witnessed both trained and untrained individuals freeze and also react as trained and avoid the freeze stage when responding to an event.
Currently, working in my daily job, I am blessed to work with a team of professionals that are skilled and understand the importance of preparedness both at work and home. I build emergency plans for nine facilities. The largest is 860,000 square feet and 3500 employees. The teams I build and then train on the plans are called Occupant Emergency Organizations. I have 425 volunteers and ‘vol-un-tolds” who I train to the plan who support our workforce during an emergency. The largest facility has 182 primary volunteers to cover seven floors. One thing I have learned during real-world events is that the people who endured some degree of trauma, loss or disaster in their past, grandmothers, war vets, tornado victims, and car wreck survivors are the people who step up and move the people forward according to the emergency plans. They make up less than five percent of the occupants. Oh, I also have employees who hide in the bathrooms standing on toilets with the stall door locked, however, this book is about surviving, not surrendering to defeat.
The “fight-or-flight” response, also known as the acute stress response, refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence of something that is terrifying, either mentally or physically. Either way, the physiological response to stress prepares the body to react to danger. So, what happens?
During the “Fight-or-Flight” response the body’s sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones. The sympathetic nervous systems stimulate the adrenal glands triggering the release of catecholamines, which includes adrenaline and noradrenaline. The trigger will provide the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to the perceived dangers.
”Fight-or-flight” symptoms can last upwards of an hour and possibly longer. Some of the symptoms include cool pale skin, elevated heart rate, dizziness, shakiness, headache, muscle tension, and anxiety. Normally a person can return to normal in about twenty minutes.
Ask yourself if you handle danger and stress well. What do I mean? Imagine, you are watching TV with your family, and you hear tornado sirens going off outdoors. The TV channel breaks away and you see the tornado coming right for your neighborhood. You have known for some time that you live in a tornado-prone region. Still, you have procrastinated on preparing an emergency kit and developing a safe room for your family. What now? Will you panic or take charge? Maybe you don’t know because you’ve never been faced with any type of event to trigger your “fight or flight” response.
Imagine the same scenario, except this time your smoke detectors sound and you must evacuate your home immediately. What is your plan? Maybe you should consider taking a look at the “5-5-5” plan which I discuss in HFS book one in the Risk Analysis and Management chapter. I would encourage you to pick up a copy and read a book titled, “The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes-And Why” by Amanda Ripley. This is an excellent investigation into the minds of survivors of 911, Hurricane Katrina, and other disaster type events.
In each type of scenario or event, the leader will either take charge, freeze, flee, or break the freeze within milliseconds and take charge of the event. Staying in the freeze mode too long could cost you your life and the life of your loved ones. Would you rather plan and prepare now, or roll the dice and find out if you would freeze and not lead your family to safety?
If your solution includes firearms, I strongly encourage you to research your state laws on self-defense and use of a firearm to defend your home. You may be surprised by what you can and cannot do in defending your home or your family. Get informed.
Historically, there was a period where “Fight-or-Flight” reactions were witnessed more in combat veterans and emergency responders. Post 911 studies now are showing “Fight-or-Flight” in a larger and broader range of professionals. It appears combat veterans and emergency responders are now suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and will react in the fight mode where individuals from the same category suffering from PTSD may not respond in the flight mode.
In recent years testing conducted on “gamers” or those playing video type games (with violence) displayed the “fight” mode for roughly 24 to 48 hours post gaming. Individuals not serving in the military, or military and non-combat veterans, along with citizens experiencing trauma from disasters are being diagnosed with PTSD. Time will only tell how recent disasters and events such as “active shooter” will impact individuals and their ability to react in “fight or flight” scenarios.
I am hardly scratching the surface on this topic, but I simply want to make you sure you are aware of “Fight-or-Flight” so it does not surprise you when it happens. Preparing can help possibly avoid it. Let’s continue talking about “Preparing YOU.”
When approaching the reality that being prepared is necessary, we can identify many traits and skills one may consider as being essential in the percentages of those who survive. A vital trait in leading and getting others to follow is a positive attitude and a calm level-headed frame of mind. It can and may save your life and the lives of your family.
How a person deals with life-threatening situations is a question to consider. How you prepare and understand the situation can impact your attitude and eventual outcome. If you are the leader or head of your family or group, eyes are upon you and a failure to lead and motivate could cause the followers to lose confidence in you. Remember, your actions and choices could cost others their lives. Having the ability to identify what is important by identifying risk and threats to the family are key items. How you make basic assumptions and analysis and knowing how to mitigate the threats is critical in preparedness.
One of your first objectives should be to understand yourself. How well do you know YOU? Many circumstances one must face when impacted by a disaster can’t be fixed by your money, knowledge, or power. How well do you know how you would react and respond? Have you ever really given thought to it?
I have witnessed people who live organized successful lives. It seems they never have a problem. But, when they do, they fall to pieces. This isn’t about criticism. This is an observation. How do people react when faced with stress and difficult situations out of the normal scope of life? This could be a person in your family, on your team, or someone you encounter and have to deal with. Worse case, it could be YOU.
I have been told that much of preparedness is common sense. Really? If preparing is common sense, then we must live in a nation with a lot of ignorance because roughly 90% (more below) of our populace is unprepared. WHAT!! I simply say, prove me wrong. This is so true that in January 2019, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released findings from a study that can be summed up quickly. The Governments Ready.GOV program and annual Preparedness Month failed to achieve their intent of getting citizens to prepare.
Let me be clear, Ready.Gov was a good program when used. When used is the key here. Now the new campaign will focus on culture in the community and achieving one community at a time. Let us hope we do not experience any disasters in the next twenty years. Stop following the lead of the unprepared and start taking control of your ability to prepare and survive. It’s your life!
In case you haven’t noticed, the world is a changing place and it’s changing faster and faster. Why? I will let you decide that on your own. Is it important to know why it’s changing? Or more importantly, simply prepare yourself and your family to survive circumstances that are a result of the many changes around us. You cannot control the reason for the change, but you can control your personal circumstance. I like to think back to a quote from former Indiana University and Hall of Fame basketball coach Bobby Knight when he said “The key is not the will to win….everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Preparing to stay alive would be winning compared to the alternative of not preparing and dying. You decide.
So, let’s talk more preparedness and YOU. This can be on a small scale or large scale. Being prepared is not only a personal responsibility but also the smart thing to do. Your life and the life of your family may depend on it. So why do I care? First, it’s the right thing to do. Help your neighbor and others. Under certain areas of preparedness, the more you help will hopefully mean those you help then help others. Spread the wealth of knowledge per se.
On a closer local level, for every person you help and teach to prepare, hopefully, it’s one less person beating on your door for food and water when they have none. Sounds selfish, does it not? If you have one peanut butter cracker and the doorbell rings, are you going to give it to your neighbor or your child? This is not a contest of individuals or separation of political ideology, socio-economic class warfare, or a religious battle. This is about the survival of the determined. When push comes to shove and it is about the survival of your family, it is not your responsibility to feed anyone who is too lazy or irresponsible to take the steps to get prepared for any type breakdown in the system.
When the 90% group is rushing for the grocery store, the ten percent group is rushing home to initiate their plan, top off the gas, grab some additional cash, and then conduct a quick last-minute review of their plan with your family members. This may be the case, especially if you have multiple individuals spread out at multiple locations.
Okay, back to YOU. Do you realize that you already prepare for many things in your life and simply take it for granted? It’s an assumption and a simple process we go through to complete each day. We sleep to rest for the next day. We eat to feed our body and give it strength. We set an alarm to wake up on time to start our day. We put gas in our automobile to ensure we get from point A to point B. Why do we lock our doors at night? These are all decisions you make based on your needs. You know if you don’t get enough sleep, you will be tired the next day. If you don’t eat, you will be hungry and weak. You do these things to take care of you. You have been taught or personally identified at some point the need to do these things. No one else made the decision for you. You are reactionary to your own needs and knowledgeable of the result if you don’t do it. Right? Stay with me on this.
Why does a governor evacuate a region or state when storms approach? It is the Governor’s responsibility to do so based on gathered information. The Governor makes a decision as a responsible authority and then provides guidance to the people of the state. That is why they elected him/her to the governor position, right? Why do southern U.S. States take snow forecasts more to the extreme and close businesses compared to northeastern states?
A completed risk analysis determines the fact most southern states do not have snow clearing equipment. There is a higher probability of injury to citizens driving on snowy and ice-covered highways. A pretty simple assumption, right? Risk vs. threat. Mitigation is to close down the state and stay home.
If the speed limit is 70 miles per hour, do you drive 75 because everyone else does? It’s okay, right? Do you slow down to 70 miles per hour like everyone else when you see a police car? Why? If it was okay to drive 75 without the police in your view, then why slow down? Because you may get a ticket, right? If you know the speed limit is 70 then why be like everyone else and speed? Remember the 90 percent club I mentioned above? Well, in their mind, laws often do not apply to them. Have you ever viewed or witnessed the results of a 70 mile per hour car crash? Risk vs. threat again. Your odds of surviving is questionable. But you still do it and often times with your most valuable possessions in the vehicle…your family.
So, you knew you had to be up at 6 a.m. and set the clock for 6 a.m. If you follow the basics of preparing your life for each day within your home, then why are you being like others outside your home? You control your steps inside your home, yet you think and act like the majority outside your home. Ever notice that? Your assumption is you will not wreck. Your tire will not blow. Everyone around you will be safe and not get in your path. Of course, you do it every day and nothing has happened, right? You are weighing percentages and taking a risk based on past results.
Your risk analysis of the situation determines you have a low probability of being involved in a car accident, so you continue doing it? You probably already know that roughly 70% of fatal car crashes on roadways with speed limits of 55 miles per hour or higher occur in rural areas. But did you know approximately 67 % of fatal rural crashes occur on straight roads whereas 81 % of fatal urban crashes are on straight roads?
Back to the possible blown tire. How do you know if your spare tire has air? When was the last time you checked it? Oh, come on, no one checks their spare tire. What’s the point? It’s 10 p.m. and your wife or child is returning home from an evening event. Her tire goes flat forcing her off the side of the road. She may or may not have a cell phone signal. My guess is she probably doesn’t have a “Ready Bag” in her vehicle either. So now it’s cold, the vehicle has a flat tire, the spare is flat or there’s no spare at all, her cell phone is either dead or no signal, and she must begin walking for help. Sounds drastic and unlikely, huh? Probably so. But it is possible. Do you want to be in this situation or even worse have your loved one in this position? I would bet that roughly 80 to 90 percent of our population does not check their spare tire. That same 90 percent club, again. Remember, you are not placed in one of the groups. You choose to be there.
Using this logic, then why do some people stay behind in a targeted area when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state emergency management professionals advise you to evacuate? If you are fortunate enough to survive the storm or event, many of these individuals then require rescue officials to come to their aid. “Come rescue me.” “Bring me food.” “We are on our roof and the water elevation is rising.” Local media then hands the microphone to the complaining person who wants answers to why no one floated a boat to their house to bring them and their pets' food. Remember my statement above about who will you share your last peanut butter cracker with the stranger at the door or your child? Why does the unprepared expect the prepared to come to their aid when they choose to ignore the writing on the wall? Let that sink in. Thank goodness for good Samaritans and first responders. Anyway, with today’s technology, a person may be in luck to get a drone to deliver a pizza. I regress.
Over the years when teaching preparedness, I hear “I can’t afford to prepare.” Or, “I’m on limited income and get government support to survive, how can I prepare.” I am as sympathetic to the cause as anyone, but I just do not buy it. For those unable to fund their personal preparedness, consider internal options to adjust expenditures to increase available monthly funds. Cancel your newspaper subscription, turn off the cable for a month, six months, or longer, consolidate cell phones used in a home, terminate the hardline phone, eat out one less time per week, when possible, walk more and use less gas, deliver pizzas, cut grass, or babysit your neighbor’s dog. Break out the water hose and offer baths to the neighborhood dogs. Clean out gutters, pick up limbs, or dumpster dive. We are talking about adjusting a lifestyle for a brief period to obtain funding to prepare for what may save your life. Food and water.
Few rarely consider they are nine meals away from the beginning of starvation. There is a national mindset that the Government will come to the rescue and save the day. Then when that doesn’t happen, it’s because the president in office is a racist or hates a particular race or socioeconomic class. How about a greater insult to the ego? You are not a high priority to the government.
I would encourage you to read about what the state Governor's responsibilities are during a disaster and what role FEMA will play and not play. As a certified professional in the FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS) and having completed over 50 FEMA training classes and courses in Emergency Management, I can attest that most citizens lack understanding on how the system works and who is responsible for what. Turn off the cable news and start reading and researching. A decision between convenience vs. life safety is a no brainer. It’s your life. Understand the system.
When the local news broadcasts a pending storm approaching the area, what do you do? Are you one of the many who rushes out to buy milk, bread, and ice cream to get through the storm? Why? You are simply doing what everyone else does…..reacting to the situation along with the 90% club of the unprepared. Get out of the store. Do you not value your life more than to get hurt over the last loaf of bread? You do NOT want to be part of this group.
So, are you convinced yet to prepare? Ask yourself this, why do you have car insurance? Because it’s the law and also because you want to have the means available to replace and/or fix your automobile. Why do you have homeowner’s insurance? For the same reason, right? Why do you have life insurance? It is to take care of your family if you die. It is to help support your family and maintain a normal lifestyle without your income, right? Health insurance? It helps provide medical care and cover cost for a family.
I believe it would be safe to assume having the above insurances also gives us a sense of security because we have all these insurances to protect our family and property. Did you notice, the above insurances are based on “if” and “when” the event occurs? You have them all because you are preparing for the “what if” event. Right?
I ask you, what are the most important items that are a must to keep you functioning and alive? We must have food and water. On average a human can survive three days with no water and roughly a week or so with no food. We must have or be able to obtain food and water to survive. Do you have food and water insurance? What do you mean there is no requirement for it? That would be your personal responsibility, right?
Over 50% of our population cannot meet the FEMA recommendation on food and water. The original suggestion of a three-day food and water supply has been adjusted to a ten-day supply in most locations, but fourteen days in some regions such as geographically separated areas. In my 40 years of working within the Federal Government, when the government is recommending it, you need to take note because the government is normally slow to make these recommendations.
More Preparedness -
Often, I come across good deals and share on the HFS Facebook and Signal platforms. If time permits, I share in the weekly newsletter. Here is a good example of good food deals. Often a local vendor, store, or provider will advertise a bulk purchase of chicken, pork, or beef. We have been blessed in several of these deals. In the past we got offered a deal on Applewood thick cut bacon packed in 3 lb packs and the deal offered 18 lbs of bacon. At the time, grocery stores sold this exact bacon in 1.5 lb packages at $12 per pack. The deal offered the bacon for around $3.85 per lb. We saved roughly 60% on the deal. In the past we also came across a deal on 40lb of chicken breast for roughly $40. Great resource to pressure can and put away.
This week Ms. Lucy come across another deal being offered in East TN on 40lb boxes of chicken breast. The price had gone up a bit but was still a good deal at $55.00 per 40 lb box. This is a great personal opportunity and a great opportunity to also offer in your community. Why? It helps you know that the household has put away food. It also opens the door to community members for you to further communicate the need for additional preparedness steps. This may be the key opportunity to open a dialogue with your neighbors to work together as a community to start helping one another prepare. In the long run this effort pays major dividends to you and those around you. You may be able to offer classes on pressure canning the chicken or other food.
Here are a couple pictures of the most recent purchase of chicken. We took the 40 lbs. and broke it down to single bagged and family bagged chicken. The single bagged chicken breast will serve our household one big meal or two meals of chicken. The twin breast bagged chicken offers a larger serving for times you have company or family having dinner with you. Check this out.
Preparedness News –
1. From Prepper website - 10 Ways To Bring Up The Touchy Subject Of Prepping - Prepper Website - Good information to keep on hand and remember as you pass through the ongoing world of needed preparedness. I often hear this question asked. What should I say or what should I do or how can I connect with others to get them onboard.
2. From Michael Snyder - The Economic Collapse - Gloomy December: Manufacturing Orders From China Are Down 40 Percent As Companies Brace For A Brutal Holiday Season (theeconomiccollapseblog.com) - The race is on to see who collapses first; China or the US.
3. From Prep School Daily - Prep School Daily: Making Mayo from Freeze-Dried Eggs—Does It Work? - Have you ever tried to choke down a turkey sandwich with no mayo? It's like drinking sand or powder. Ugh. Good information here.
4. From Tim Makay - The Modern Survivalist - The Megalist of Bushcraft Tools and Weapons (modernsurvivalonline.com)- Great suggestions for things to have on hand in your garage, shed, or barn.
5. From John Burmeister - Mind 4 Survival - How to Build Your Preparedness Community (mind4survival.com) - Here's some excellent suggestions to consider. BTW, if you don't have this site marked for random reading you should. Brian Duff runs this site and offers great experience and information in preparedness.
Other News -
1. From Paul Bedard - Washington Examiner - ‘Spectacularly ugly’ 2.6M border crossings predicted for 2023 | Washington Examiner - I have a great suggestion, start working a part time job or pulling extra money from your retirement to help pay for these unlawful humans crossing the border. I know, they are wet, cold, hungry, and homeless. I get it. But so are thousands of Americans. Every year we read these numbers. Our government goes south of the border and invites them to our border with promises. Our jobs, our homes, our insurance, our retirement funds, our school systems, diseases and more. Take your pick. Suck it up and quit complaining or replace all of Washington. They are all guilty.
2. From Frank Bergman - SLAY - Elon Musk: FTX CEO Funneled 'Over $1B' to Democrats - Slay News - Yep, just another example of our outstanding elected officials setting true examples of integrity and citizen representation. Keep on electing who you think will represent ya and smile when you continue getting the same.
3. From Daniel Horowitz - Conservative Review -Horowitz: Will Republicans investigate ‘Died Suddenly’? - Conservative Review - First, if you don't follow Daniel Horowitz I would encourage you to do so. He is one of the new young bright minds writing and investigating today. He could possibly be at the very tip of the Covid-stan scam. Great mind and communicator. If you have not watched the documentary Died Suddenly I would encourage you to do so. This is not something to watch for fun or enjoyment. This is a serious documentary bringing much of the past 30 months regarding Covid-19. Here is the link to the documentary. https://www.stewpeters.com/video/2022/11/live-world-premiere-died-suddenly/
4. From Chris Monohan - Summit News - FBI Held ‘Weekly Meetings’ With Big Tech Ahead of 2020 Election, ‘Sent Lists of URLs and Accounts’ to be Censored – Summit News - Nothing to see here, you are surrounded by a corrupt world, and they control your GPS.
5. From Paul Craig Roberts - Paul Craig Roberts Institute for Political Economy - The Loss of Human Control: Dystopia Is Upon Us | (paulcraigroberts.org) - Excellent read. The more I read the more depressing it gets each day. Faith through hope and a positive outlook has been my surviving guide this week.
Drum roll...........
That's all my Patriot brothers and sisters.
Prayers - Please keep our great nation, our elected leaders, military and first responders in your thoughts and prayers. We pray for good health and wisdom. Please pray for our leadership to find answers and guidance to the problems facing our great nation. May your faith remain strong and answers to the unknown provided. God is good and may our prayers blanket and protect you and your circumstances. I pray for each, and every one of our Patriots.
May we pray for all the blessings and things in life to be thankful about and continued hope for revival around the world. We must continually pray for the unsaved, our family and friends who live each day without the protection for eternal life and salvation.
As Patriots we must stay strong and never give up. Our home, community, and nation need us now more than ever. Stay focused on your local community and things that will impact you around the nation. Don't allow the events around you to create fear in your life. Build your own self-reliance and focus on faith and hope. Remember we are a blessed nation, and we must continue to be great people today and make a better tomorrow. Keep charging.
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out,
