Patriot Express Newsletter Edition #57
- Butch Erskine
- May 15, 2020
- 19 min read
Fellow Patriots,
Good morning!
Welcome to the Patriot Express Newsletter (PENL) Edition #57. Thanks for your time and for being here. Ms. Lucy and I certainly appreciate you stopping by to check out news and views for the week. Are you keeping up with all the changes happening around us day to day? The question is, what changes are happening while we sleep?
Since we last visited for PENL Edition #56 I journeyed out to spend a few days with a fellow Patriot family at their residence and experienced a great visit where we discussed plans, preparedness, route surveys, back packs and bug out bags, family, faith, and the world around us. A large portion of the visit was to conduct a threat assessment then apply a risk analysis process to existing and future plans. I am always energized to see so much preparedness work taking place day to day from family to family in our Patriot communities. In addition to my visit with the host family, we also had the pleasure of visiting with another Patriot family who drove to our location to break bread and share preparedness thoughts plans and what is taking place in the world around us. As we concluded our last day of the visit, we met up with another Patriot sister who met us for lunch. One of the great outcomes of these trips and meetings is allowing Patriot sisters and brothers to meet and begin bonding together as they build future shared support.
Through time and opportunities to share time together one of my hopes is we can team build, learn, train, and plan, leading to a triangulation of teams for future mutual support offering communications, medical, farming (animals and food) water, and security, support to one another in their plans. Through all of the above, friendships and family bonding occurs. Personally, I left the location on Saturday feeling I was leaving some of my family behind. I offer a big Patriot social distance hug and a bigger thanks for the hospitality and warmth extended to me during my visits. We must do this again soon.
I want to thank everyone for your email over the past week. I’m sorry I had a couple days delay in responding back to you but I was unable to respond based on circumstances and the fact when I’m on the road and visiting with our Patriot sisters and brothers, I try to avoid electronic communications unless it is Ms. Lucy communicating with me.
HEALTH ALERT: I hope you are still staying alert to the Covid 19 and all the truths and possible untruths flying around us by the hour. I still believe there is no need to panic but folks should stay ALERT to their news and surroundings as well as guidance from the national leadership. You may have noticed the daily numbers are bouncing up and down and have yet to find a settling point. At first glance it appears the numbers in Georgia are going down even with the state opening up for business. On the other hand, next door in Alabama, which has partially opened for business is seeing an increase in cases. I believe the Governor of WV, Big Jim Justice, offered the best thoughts on the current state of affairs when he said something along the lines of “people needs to follow guidance and social distancing as needed. If people are to xxxxx stupid to do that, then what good is a quarantine or no quarantine?” Current numbers are Global: Infected – 4,467,755 Dead – 299,553. National: Infected – 1,434,424 Dead – 85,388.
TRAINING: I continue posting the training entry because now is a great time to include some level of training in your routine while you may be teleworking or off from work. This is a great time to dust off your plans or consider building your plans if you still do not have them created. Hope for Survival has been offering several options to you. YouTube is a great place to visit for additional information on topics of interest. Now is a great time to take advantage of any training available.
We currently have 18 short training type Podcast on the Hope for Survival YouTube Channel covering numerous topics of interest to help in your preparedness planning. You can find Podcast on Canning Chicken, Risk Management, Gun safety, home and personal defense, preparedness training, driving security, interviews with like-minded individuals and other topics. I am hoping to also post a new Podcast on Family Communication Planning soon. My schedule is pretty heavy at the moment so finding a time slot to grab an hour or two to do podcast seems rare more so than not. It’s nice to have all the items available to offer to you. I just ask you to keep in mind every item takes time. Sometimes I’m on schedule and other times I’m delayed so please keep this in mind. Bring a friend or family member and check out the HFS YouTube page. If you like, hit like and consider subscribing so you are notified when I post something new. You can visit the Hope for Survival YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxzpwOcydroW96rFBd2Vvw?view_as=subscriber
Another step we have taken at Hope for Survival is we started a weekly virtual rally through Zoom where we discuss world events and topics of interest with the Patriots attending the rally. We completed week six on Thursday and I’m sure this event will continue in the weeks ahead. I continue getting very positive feedback from the attendees on this event. Bottom line, folks are sharing different methods of doing preparedness tasks, building friendships and sharing skills with one another. The only prerequisite is you must have a sense of humor while attending and give respect to the others attending
If you have interest in attending a Hope for Survival virtual training event please email me at preparedness101@protonmail.com to get on the distribution list for attendance information. The virtual conference room information will not be posted in open on the website for OPSEC reasons.
Coming very soon: As soon as I can get my calendar squared away, I will be announcing upcoming dates where a person can sign up and take regular training classes, via Zoom virtual classroom. The classes will most likely be $20 per class to attend a 90-minute class and $30 for a three-hour class. The courses will be the exact classes I would have been presenting at Heritage Life Skills last weekend. The courses will be: Family Communication Planning, Risk Analysis Planning, Preparedness 101 and 102, Bugging In and Bugging Out, and Security In Depth planning. I have several other classes I may offer but I’m undecided at this point. One class is on Martial Law and the other is on Bartering. If I go forward with this opportunity the classes will be offered on scheduled Saturday mornings. I may be able to do two classes on a single Saturday if they are 90-minute sessions or a single 3-hour session. I caveat the Preparedness 101 and 102 class information by saying I may do them in sequence since they go together. The Prep 101 is about you, the individual and the Prep 102 class is about the team.
If you have any desire to possibly take any of these classes please drop me an email to give me a heads up so I can determine about how much time I will need to set aside, which classes to offer first based on demand, and address any other questions asked. I can’t teach them if I don’t know you have a desire to attend them. I may try to get Festus to sing during the virtual class intermissions.
We must make this brief public announcement to protect the innocent.
NOTE: Opinions shared in this newsletter are just that, opinions and nothing more. Read at your own risk. The owner and authors of this site are not responsible for hurt feelings or thin-skinned readers. We do our best to show restraint and respect to the best extent possible. We 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. 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…I blame it on Festus. He’s a good guy by the way. Remember the famous words of General Joseph Stillwell, ”illegitimis non carborundum!!” (Don’t let the bas-turds grind you down)
Thoughts for the week – (Some may consider this the tin foil hat area. So, you may want to put on your knee-high boots and anti-foil hat to protect yourself from contamination.) Smile! Just kidding with ya.
Next...
One of my favorite things to do is think. I love nature and the natural beauty of the world around us. Last week during my road trip I was blessed to spend a lot of hours journeying through the mountains in the rain checking out routes and alternate routes for part of a families route planning. I was with a Patriot brother as we went up and down, left and right, in the rain. We transited known and unknown routes through paved, gravel, across creeks and through mud between points of destinations. We had great conversations, shared and learned, and both appreciated the beauty of the land and mountains around us. A few points we stopped and could hear the creeks and streams running freely while the rain filled the moving water. For this period in time, the world around us stopped. No visible virus. No visible hate. No apparent hunger or homelessness. Just amazing beauty of God's creation around us. How could we be so blessed to be in this spot at this time in life to see and hear these natural creations around us. I knew before long we would exit back to reality but for the few moments we had to enjoy the peace of our surroundings it was like a priceless painting.
Next…
I often share how running the website, articles and all things associated with Hope for Survival are all hours beyond my day job and family. On average I spend about 40 to 50 hours working HFS stuff. No complaints and I love my time here and the people I have met that I now consider friends and family. Priceless. Lord willing I will focus on the people who wish to be part of this effort and provide support to those requesting my time to share and be friends.
In order to add new items I have to subtract items. And, in order to add and subtract I have to determine where my time is used wisely to achieve objectives I give the effort towards. The Saturday Patriot Express Newsletter is the most popular feature on the website and it is what started this effort in motion aside from my book. The additional articles I contribute are roughly 4 to 5 hours each for research, writing, posting and editing. In watching and keeping stats on my time consumers the past weeks I have determined the Thursday articles I contribute get minimal reads. This includes the adjusted numbers from Thursday until Monday to give weekend readers a chance to read them. The numbers go up minimally. By me not posting articles on Thursday it gives roughly 10 to 12 hours back to my available time bank.
You probably noticed I didn’t post any articles at all this entire week. That happened for multiple reasons. The biggest being my available time has been limited this week. The ten to twelve hours I will gain back will be redistributed to the Thursday HFS Virtual Zoom Rally where the feedback has been outstanding and folks are learning, sharing, asking questions, developing friendships and bonding. I met last weekend with five of the Zoom attendees and all stated how they are learning a great deal from the Thursday event. So, this is a worthwhile investment of time. If something happens in time and I can gain additional hours then I will go back to writing and posting Thursday articles again. I will continue posting guest writer’s articles as they submit them to me to share with readers.
The remaining hours available from the gained hours will go towards teaching virtual classes as requested by those wishing to attend.
Next…
There is no place like home. There is no place like home. There is no place like home. Famous words from Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I silently spoke the same words this week while visiting one of my family members. At first, I thought I was in a reeducation camp of sorts except there was not a fence around the outside of the home. I learned so many new things. Project Veritas was/is fake news. Our President took the place of Bush Jr. as the dumbest President to ever live. People who follow our current president are equally as dumb and uneducated. Shall I continue? My brain felt like what a pair of sneakers must feel like tumbling around a dryer. Overheated and physically drained. Thank goodness Ms. Lucy had both barrels loaded for bear because she had to take over when I could no longer respond out of fear of causing long term damage to the relationship. Like I have said before, I have grown to a point a few years ago where I simply no longer wish to address these battles or even try to change the minds of some folks. I guess we depart from the point of battle with a simple understanding the other one is just politically ignorant. Did I say that kindly enough?
Next ….
Most of you know I’m a big podcast person. I rarely watch television. As a matter of fact, when Ms. Lucy is covertly watching CNN and MSNBC, or the other fake television stations, I avoid going on the same floor where she is located. Plus, I don’t want to blow her cover.
I find that podcasts offer me a better opportunity to learn like minded topics and many offer the listener the ability to email or text to communicate with the host of the podcast on points made. I get most global and national topics being discussed from alternative news and websites. I leave it to Ms. Lucy to gather the nuts and decipher the types and then pass back to me in general conversation if she so desires. Not always, but in many cases the topics Ms. Lucy shares will already have been discussed on the alternative sites in previous weeks. Now, here is a laugh I have to share. Really. Someone told me the alternative news links are fake news so I should listen to mainstream news. How about that. Had I listened further maybe they would have suggested which shows I should check out.
Festus and I started learning about 5G, AI and virtual realities impact on the nation and us as humans a little over 4 years ago. As I stated in my book, articles, classes and in person, everything you hear in the mainstream and alternative news is not perfect or true. One must do some homework and research on topics. I personally try to find at least three sources supporting the articles claim. If I can’t find it I file the article to another folder until a future date. If you haven’t noticed, sometimes I post articles or links to topics with the intent it will be so bizarre that YOU will go do some of your own research. As I have stated before, I normally have hidden motives or underlying reasons to points I make. Just like host offer information and opinions, I encourage listeners to weigh opinions and take what they believe or want and throw away the rest. I always suggest folks keep a foot on the ground and stay grounded to the information and world around them.
I often communicate with the podcast host on topics they cover and share common points or additional points on preparedness topics. Here is a good example. I really enjoy the Christopher Scott Podcast. I emailed Sir Chris on Tuesday on some Preparedness points I shared to him after his podcast. The following day on his podcast Chris mentioned my email and points made. I hear his comments and I find them important because I am sharing an out of the box approach to preparedness with someone who is not a preparer totally but does think outside the box. How he takes my points is important to me because it would be the same as me walking in a classroom and delivering my sales pitch. I suppose it is a form of validation.
You can hear comments made by Chris at this link. His points on my email can be found at the 25:50 minute mark to 29:20.
Next ….
While I’m on the topic of Podcast, I find different host bring different resources to the listener. We can pick and choose what we want to hear and take from it what we want to take, right? Use these tools as resources to educate and inform yourself. I often hear and read folks walking with daggers and spears. Instead of picking and choosing information to be used for or against, folks jump from podcast to podcast to just degrade and berate host and information. These are folks who also believe alternative news is fake news. LOL Its simple. What gives you the edge up on your adversary?
Here is another podcast I visit when possible. This specific cast talks about animals, farming, land, development, acreage purchasing and so forth. My point being, identify your topics desired in preparedness and then find the podcast show that fits your desires. This is free information. FREE!!!!
Next ….
Government dependency - Welfare dependency is the state in which a person or household is reliant on government welfare benefits for their income for a prolonged period of time, and without which they would not be able to meet the expenses of daily living.
Have you ever tried to feed a kid and the kid won’t eat? So you try to trick them in to eating a bite, or two, or three, and then its gone? Make a promise for the kid eating the food? Trickery. I remember back to childhood and around the age of 10 or so when I would walk through the carnival on midway. The man with the magic ball. How did he know my birthdate? How does the federal government really know what is best for us without asking us? Ever wonder that? There is a difference between asking the opinion to what is best vs trying to convince a person or group to where you plan to take them because it is best for them. Thinkers vs followers.
In preparedness discussions with folks who are or maybe not like minded, the debate can be “why or why not” be prepared. We talk about laying crumbs for our non-preparedness minded family members to hopefully follow. We hope they will eventually follow to be part of the family plan. In our current situation a parent must wonder how an unprepared family member could miss the picture being laid out before us so clearly.
So much so that one must wonder how someone else could miss how the federal and state governments are blindly leading the populace through a virus while we blindly ignore the government dependency being deployed even more than before. Both state and federal leadership seem to be taking turns barking what is best and then printing the paper and stacking the bills. They are escalating the debt while paying workers more money to stay home than to go to a job. This is removing the motivation to work. Box stores are supported and kept alive while small business owners are sinking like weighted fishing lines to the bottom. Why work when the work force is being paid more to stay at home. Fewer workers paying in to the system to fund payments on the debt, pensions and so forth. Now I hear discussions of another payment and another payment. Talks of keeping things shut down till summers end and some things until 2021.
I watch and wonder how so many folks are glued to their televisions and computers waiting till the next shoes falls. Will the President and Department of Justice go after all those responsible for Russian Gate and the other brain draining criminal acts? I don’t know. But what I do know is the calendar is quickly approaching June… July…August…. And September. Then October. We have national elections in November. What will happen between now and November? How many Americans will remain glued in front of their television watching Washington while the states, one by one, stand to defend and protect their individual rights and freedoms or simply fall to the over-reaching aggression of the political left or possibly foreign forces. How many Americans will remain glued to their television awaiting the thousands of arrest while states mandate a mandatory vaccination. I do believe much of what we hear daily about conspiracies and attempts to bring down the current administration. I just don't believe we will see arrest and convictions of the guilty parties bottom to top. This President, like him or not, and his family, should want justice for all the lies and slander against them. But, I believe their anger will be weighed against what is best for the nation. Then I do believe we all will have to decide individually what is most important to us.
I try hard to be positive and optimistic but my gut tells me this is not going to end well.
Next ….
One of our Patriot sisters offered the information below as a single reference for pain. Having hard copy resources is important, especially when dealing with medical issues.
Here’s some other work by Robin McKenzie that may help you with your aches and pains with the back, hip, knee and neck. You can obtain them from Amazon if you wish. Robin McKenzie wrote 4 books available on Amazon, for treating your own back, hip, knee and neck:
Next …
How many citizens honestly believe the sitting President will press charges and bring a former President and former First Lady-Senator-Sec. of State- Presidential Candidate up on charges and hold a trial? I’m amazed through conversations how many honestly believe this will happen. I’m not against it, but I don’t see it happening.
Next….
Contact Tracing. Have you heard this term recently? You should have. It has been all over the news. States hiring thousands of new people to do contact tracing of infect virus carriers and then tracing who they may have contacted. Then they will obtain personal information on the infected and those contacted. I came across this excellent article by Constitutional scholar John Whitehead at:
You may wish to check this out. If you blink, it will be all around you. It is here now. My initial thought when I read this was a flash back to our previous President and the old Brown Shirt Civilian Army he always talked about. Remember them? Greater power than the U.S. military? They would deal solely with the citizens? Are they sneaking one in on us maybe? Just a thought.
Next …
Okay, my Patriot friends, the show must move on and I have another gazillion things I must take care of ASAP.
Preparedness News –
From Daisy Luther – Organic Prepper - https://www.theorganicprepper.com/lockdown-masks-money-civil-unrest/ - Another example of why self-reliance is so critical for everyone. Imagine being one of the millions who didn’t ask for this nightmare and they didn’t plan for it either. Seventy plus days with no income is crushing. Paying bills is an afterthought. Feeding the family is a priority except when you are dependent on the system.
2. From Tom Palansek – Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-meatpacking-an/as-u-s-meat-workers-fall-sick-and-supplies-dwindle-exports-to-china-soar-idUSKBN22N0IN - So, wonder how this makes the average American feel? No pay check in recent weeks, stories of job losses, meat and poultry shortages growing, vegetables being thrown away and now our vital resources being shipped to China. Wow.
3. Recently I had a good discussion with a fellow Patriot which ended up moving on to the Thursday evening HFS Zoom Rally Group. Here’s some additional information on potatoes. Folks should realize potatoes do not have to be the back breaking project eating up a lot of your garden space to grow. Work smarter, not harder.
4. From Ty Bollinger – This was sent to me by Festus who seems a tad fired up in his message to me. He said “Here is some good info by Ty Bollinger, yea the same guy who did the cancer and vaccine documentaries. Everyone should be aware of this stuff. Folks have to wake up AND get up AND push back NOW. It is rare my brother on the mountain uses capital letters so either he is excited or else trying to make a point. I think it is the latter. Thank YOU Festus for the information you submitted.
5. From David Andrew Brown – Preppers Will - https://prepperswill.com/wild-hog-hunter-tips/ - This may be the cheapest and only available method of obtaining pork in the near future. I did not say as easy as past methods.
6. From Ken Jorgstun – Modern Survival Blog - https://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-garden/peppers-during-winter/ - This is a couple months old but great information on winter peppers.
Other News –
1. From Charles Smith – Of Two Minds - http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2020/05/surviving-2020-3-plans-b-and-c.html - Take note; Plan A, B, and C. Have you heard this before? One is none, two is one, and three is better? Cha-Ching. Houston we have a winner. This is a good article on a slow downfall of the nation vs a drastic drive off a cliff. However, reading this from the Woodpile Report, Ol’ Remus politely disagrees. So, here is how you have a nice disagreement without throwing rocks or ham biscuits at one another.
2. From Matthew Walther – The Dark Decade Ahead - https://theweek.com/articles/913411/dark-decade-ahead - This is a very interesting article. Personally, I like to read and think the intent of points made by others. How on earth can we plan if we don’t think? What we think about is the key here. The author here hits on some key points but the outcome is simple. What will we be left with when the end of this debacle we are living through? Have you thought about it?
3. From William Murray – World News Daily - https://www.wnd.com/2020/05/coming-epidemic-shortages/ - Think of this my Patriot brothers and sisters. Roughly 47% of the working age Americans are now being paid to stay home. Many are actually being paid higher wages to stay home then the wages being paid to our military serving around the world. Imagine. You are serving in some remote part of the world and away from your newborn, wife and two other children. Your wife tries to feed the family, pay rent, and keep the family going on the wages you are being afforded in uniform while your neighbor hasn’t worked in two months, eats well, stays home and plays video games. How would that make you feel?
4. From Z Man – Z Man.com - http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=20405 – There is so much truth to this article and the information within. Many fail to recognize that our current President is a true outsider and true non-political head of the past 50 years of our nation. The people who own Washington DC (You and I) voted to bring in the outsider to clean house and restore order. The battle we are witnessing is just that. The question I have wondered and not often spoken about is how much influence foreign powers and foreign influence AND foreign intelligence services representing foreign leadership could be in play. But not for our president. Just a thought.
5. From Mike Adams – Natural News - https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-05-14-trump-vaccine-czar-big-pharma-drug-felony-crimes-doj.html - I really do not like where this is headed. This is not good news on any account. You decide. I already have.
Drum roll........... That's all my Patriot brothers and sisters.
Thank you for your time to read the PENL. I hope you found something to help you in some way. Keep your feet and minds grounded as the world continues towards an unknown destination. Keep the faith and continue doing great things for yourself and others. Keep the emails flowing. Bring new friends and help spread the word on Preparedness. I appreciate your sharing the great things you are doing with your plans and progress forward. Keep chugging ahead.
Remember to find someone who is down and out and do something to give them HOPE.
Hope – “ Hope is passion for what is possible.” Always have hope.
Prayers - Please keep our great nation, our elected leaders, military and first responders in your thoughts and prayers. We should also pray for the citizens and world leaders infected and making decisions to deal with the Covid 19 - Coronavirus. Please pray for the citizens around the world who are sick and not recovering as easily as others. Please pray for individuals losing their jobs and who didn't prepare in advance. I pray for each and every one of our Patriots. May we all be protected from the growing evils surrounding and attacking our families daily. May we pray for all the blessings and things in life to be thankful about. Amen. Thank you.
Keep charging and have a safe week. Always remember, we are blessed people.
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out,
Comments