Author: Jack Metir

Jack Metir - served four tours during the Iraq War, As a member of the 4th Infantry Division.

No One Is Coming To Save You: You’re on Your Own When it Comes to Civil Defense-Government Will Not Do Anything to Protect You as That is Counterproductive to Their ‘Strategy’

Sometime between the First World War and the start of the Second World War the concept of civil defense or civil protection was born. The original purpose was to protect civilians from aerial bombing. After World War Two, the United States dismantled its civil defense corps. With the US the sole possessor of atomic weapons, there was no perceived need to spend money on civil defense. That perception did not last long due to the Soviet Union testing their first nuclear weapon in 1949. President Truman re-established civil defense with the goal of protecting the civilian population against a nuclear attack.

Over the next 29 years there would be several renditions of civil defense until the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was formed. President Carter empowered FEMA to prepare for disasters and to continue civil defense efforts. In 1994, with the repeal of the Civil Defense Act of 1950, FEMA suspended preparations for nuclear attack. Without the federal mandates and grant requirements many states started to follow suit. Following the terror attacks of 2001 and the advent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA started to plan for a nuclear terrorist attack. The problem with the current DHS/FEMA nuclear terrorist attack planning is that DHS/FEMA assumes that only one city will be attacked. Other assumptions include a relatively low-yield weapon and that the unaffected surrounding areas can assist with the response. The current DHS/FEMA guidance is totally insufficient to address the needs from multiple nuclear weapons detonating across the nation.

With the current situation in Eastern Europe it is extremely important to understand both the past civil defense capabilities and the current non-existent civil defense capabilities of the United States but we also need to understand the civil defense capabilities of the former Soviet Union and those of Russia today.

It is important to understand past civil defense capabilities so that as the war in Eastern Europe widens, we can understand why our elected officials will do nothing to protect our nation. We also need to understand that the Russians will take steps to protect their population.

To start with, we a;; probably have heard of the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). The basic premise of MAD was that if two adversaries started to launch nuclear weapons at each other, both sides would suffer massive damage to both its population and its economy, thus fighting the war doesn’t gain either nation anything. The United States adopted this theory, however the Soviet Union did not. There were great debates about whether or not the United States should pursue an extensive civil defense program. This brings up the concept that a nation’s Civil Defense capabilities can play into the nation’s strategic capabilities just like nuclear weapons. To be clear, when a nation chooses to have, or not to have, a robust national civil defense program it isn’t necessarily about protecting people but rather “the system”. The United States believed that if it took prudent civil defense steps then that would somehow diminish our nation’s vulnerability, hence we would not be subscribing to MAD because we, in fact, have not assured our destruction. More on this later.

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The Soviets on the other hand had a much more robust civil defense program. The Soviets spent about ten times as much money on their civil defense than the US. Why? Simply because the Soviets never subscribed or followed the concept of vulnerability, in other words, the Soviets never believed in the MAD theory. While the US decided to be weak, so as to say look if we exchange nuclear weapons we looe so we really don’t want to play that game, the Soviet Union actively planned not only to fight a nuclear war but took steps to “win” it. This is extremely important to understand. Those in the upper echelons of the current Russian government are products of the Cold War and Cold War strategies and tactics run through their sins and brains.

At this point in time, the US still holds dear its strategy of being vulnerable. We have heard Biden state that Putin isn’t bluffing about using nuclear weapons and that we are facing Armageddon, so why is thee no big push to dust off old civil defense plans and not just by the executive branch or the democrats but the GOP is silent on the issue of civil defense? So the US government is still subscribing to the “let’s be vulnerable” theory within MAD while the Russians are planning to win. Basically, the two nations are planning for and practicing two different “games”, and when they meet for “game day” it won’t be good for us.

Since people are creatures of habit we can assume that both Russian and US leaders will fall back to the concepts of the Cold War as tensions escalate to the nuclear level. Back in the Cold War era the anti-civil defense crowd actually argued that no American president would contemplate America’s civil defense capabilities when making a decision to launch nuclear weapons. This is not only wrong, nut we can actually prove that it is wrong! During the Cuban Missile Crisis President Kennedy specifically asked about our civil defense status and how those capabilities would have us fair if Soviet missiles hit the US. Going back to the concept of Civil Defense, as a strategic capability, we can see that when the closest thing we have had to a nuclear war played out, civil defense was in the equation. And just so you know, the answer President Kennedy received wasn’t a good one. While the Soviet Union prepared blast shelters for their nation the US focused on “fallout” shelters. The fallout shelter system was specifically designed to protect people from radiation not the other blast effects from a nuclear weapon such as the fireball and shockwave.

With the Soviets not following the vulnerability concept of MAD, the US government believed that about 90% of the Soviet Union’s population would survive an attack by the US with nuclear weapons, compared to about 20% for the US. At least that was the US number up until the US government started what is known as “Crisis Relocation” in the 1980s. With crisis relocation, that is, evacuating urban areas to rural areas, the US government believed it could increase the survival of the population to around 80%. The only problem with the concept of crisis relocation for nuclear attack is that the plans assumed we would have one-week advance warning before the missiles started to fly, from what I understand, at the time, Soviet nuclear missiles were liquid-fueled and the missiles were not kept fueled due to corrosions issues with the fuel and it would take about a week to fuel them for an attack.

So how does this all relate to the current situation?

Understand that Russia’s new 5th-generation warfare strategy has an “escalate to de-escalate” component. That is Russia plans to “escalate” tensions with the threat of nuclear attack in order to have the other side come running to the negotiating table. This escalation could be achieved by mere threat however the US/NATO are not buying into the threat which means that the risk for Russia to have to resort to some type of actual use of nuclear weapons increases. The thing about nuclear arsenals is sort of like in the movies when one person shoots, everyone lets loose.

Russia still believes it can win a nuclear war. The old communist lead anti-nuclear weapons crowd liked to say that nuclear war was “unthinkable”, but we should think about nuclear war critically, considering the destructive power and the number of nuclear weapons on the planet and we also better be prepared for when they are launched. Since the US has no real civil defense capability, it is conceivable that the US could be placed in a very bad geopolitical bargaining situation since our population is so vulnerable and the Russian population is not.

Both Russia and the US will revert back to the Cold War strategies when they face the next “Cuban Missile Crisis” arising out of the Ukraine war. Russia will perceive that it can win a nuclear war while the US will perceive that Russia will not launch since they too will loss a lot of people and economic capability. Keep this in mind, the Soviets were expected to lose 20 million people in a US retaliatory nuclear strike, that is 10 million fewer people than they lost in all of World War Two. Sounds like a win to me.

If the situation gets bad enough you will see an evacuation out of the cities. Polls conducted in the late 1970s indicated that there would be two distinct evacuation waves. First would be the spontaneous evacuees who leave the cities without there being an official evacuation order. The second wave will be those leaving when the official order is given. According to the polling data, many of the spontaneous evacuees in the first wave would be going to “friends and relatives” in the country. What isn’t identified in the polling data is whether or not those relatives and friends in the county know those people are coming their way. Crisis relocation when implemented will have profound effects on those living in rural areas. One other thing to keep in mind about crisis relocation is that there was a debate that as soon as one nation saw the other nation evacuating their cities an attack would be launched. There was no indication that either the Soviets (Russians) or the US targeted the evacuation “reception” area with nuclear weapons, however Russian nukes are somewhat larger in there megatons of TNT power. I suspect that this was done due to the Soviet missiles not being as accurate as the US missiles.

This presentation PROOVES WITHOUT DOUBT that America is in for a major fight that will put you and your family in the firing line, literally… So make sure you watch this presentation while it’s still online…

The reason why you should pay attention now is that is because these techniques don’t come from books, they’re taken from actual 21st century warzones, from lawless states where social chaos is the name of the game… … and where not having enough time or money to prepare doesn’t stop real-world preppers from creating virtually impenetrable defenses for their families.

With today’s hypersonic missiles the concept of crisis relocation may or may not be moot. I suspect there may be a few people who still self-evacuate out of the cities before a warning. I would, however, suspect that if one side did order an official evacuation of cities that then that would trigger an immediate attack. If you even hear discussion of crisis relocation or evacuation you should take this as warning that the crisis is spiraling closer to missile launch.

Stop believing that survival isn’t possible, that is if you don’t live in a large city or military target. Location is one of the best factors helping to ensure your survival in a nuclear exchange.

There is a belief, or hope, that nuclear weapons will not be used. Just remember that “hope” is not a plan. Government will not do anything to protect you as that is counterproductive to their “strategy”. That means You’re on Your Own (YOYO) when it comes to civil defense.

Take steps to plan for and implement a fallout shelter in your home now. There are still a number of good sources of information on this on the internet today. Start looking for in now and reading it. Second, locate and acquire any needed equipment and supplies you may need. I have a gun range on the property with a large backstop that is filled with sand. We will use the loader on the tractor to scoop out the sand and bring it closer to the house where we will then fill feed sacks up with the sand and place them inside the house on the floor above where we will be sheltering. We have on hand, wood and jack post to beef up the support of the floor joist due to the added weight of the sand. We will also put dirt up against the foundation for added protection. In the basement we will construct an area where we can sit and lay that will have additional dense materials (things like ammo cans) on top for additional shielding. Planning and preparing for the protection against fallout now will give you and your family an immense leg up when the time comes to act.

We can anticipate that at some point Russia will give the West an ultimatum. Russia has already told the West to stop interfering or else. The ultimatum that we should be looking for is one with a specific date and time. Of course the West will not comply with the ultimatum and this will probably mean the end of Putin’s power or Putin will push the button.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people. There are people on both sides who train regularly to launch or drop nuclear weapons at a moment’s notice. They go through quick reaction drills so that the motions become second nature, so that when the order is given these people resort to just going through the motions like they have hundreds of times before, verses thinking about the ramification of what they are about to do.

The old Cold War analysis predicted that most Americans would need to shelter from radiation for a two-week period. That means literally staying in a very confined area for sleeping, food prep, going to the bathroom and everything else. I’m sure with our current generation’s addiction to electronic devices the mere withdrawal from these games due to the combination of the effects of EMP, no power and no Internet connectivity will be just as challenging as trying to live in cramped quarters for two weeks. Statistically speaking, I have lived over half my life. What this means is I can afford to absorb a little more radiation than my kids who are in their teens still. This won’t mean anything the first week since radiation level will be so high that it could cause radiation sickness even with only a few minutes of exposure. The second week, depending upon actual radiation reading, I could probably do a quick task like taking out garbage or human waste. Perhaps I would even go out to the barn and throw a few bales of hay out for any surviving animals. The most likely farm animal to survive will be chickens, since they can withstand an impressive amount of radiation.

Fortunately, we have metering for measuring radiation. I have sat my daughter down and taught her how to use them. I have taken background radiation readings in areas where we are going to shelter. It is good to know what your normal level of radiation is. The background levels of radiation were written down for several areas. One where we are going to actually shelter, then a reading at the door to the room that has the door to the outside and the third reading was at the door itself. The readings were annotated and then laminated and attached to the handles of various meters.

Nuclear war is survivable but you need to take action to be prepared. If you live in a location that isn’t a target but will probably be affected by radioactive fallout it would be a shame to die slowly from radiation poisoning that could have been avoided with some very simple preparedness.

Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen with the current war in Europe, the notion that we will not be confronted with another geopolitical crisis where the chances of a nuclear war increase is very naive. At some point we will be in the same situation with China. Perhaps that will be sooner than anyone realizes. Prepare now.

In this short VIDEO, I will unearth A lost super-food will bulletproof you against any food shortage or famine. It’s a food that vanished with the Incas over 6 centuries ago

In the next crisis these lost skills will be more valuable than gold, food supplies and survival equipment combined. These skills have been tested and proven to work for centuries.

Here’s just a small glimpse of what you’ll find in The Lost SuperFoods:

Learn More…

New Documents Show Government-Funded AI Intended for Online Censorship: They Can Then Use the Same Tool to Suppress, Silence, and Shut Down Whatever Speech They Don’t Like

I feel scared. Very scared.

Internet-wide surveillance and censorship, enabled by the unimaginably vast computational power of artificial intelligence (AI), is here.

This is not a futuristic dystopia. It’s happening now.

Government agencies are working with universities and nonprofits to use AI tools to surveil and censor content on the Internet.

This is not political or partisan. This is not about any particular opinion or idea. 

What’s happening is that a tool powerful enough to surveil everything that’s said and done on the Internet (or large portions of it) is becoming available to the government to monitor all of us, all the time. And, based on that monitoring, the government – and any organization or company the government partners with – can then use the same tool to suppress, silence, and shut down whatever speech it doesn’t like. 

But that’s not all. Using the same tool, the government and its public-private, “non-governmental” partners (think, for example: the World Health Organization, or Monsanto) can also shut down any activity that is linked to the Internet. Banking, buying, selling, teaching, learning, entertaining, connecting to each other – if the government-controlled AI does not like what you (or your kids!) say in a tweet or an email, it can shut down all of that for you. 

Yes, we’ve seen this on a very local and politicized scale with, for example, the Canadian truckers. 

But if we thought this type of activity could not, or would not, happen on a national (or even scarier – global) scale, we need to wake up right now and realize it’s happening, and it might not be stoppable.

MUST WATCH! THE HUNGER GAME HAS BEGUN: THE ELITE HAVE BEGUN THEIR FULL SCALE EXECUTION AND DECIMATION OF THE MIDDLE CLASS! FAMINE OF GODS WORD IN AMERICAS PULPITS ,WILL LEAD TO LITERAL FAMINE AND STARVATION IN THE U.S.A

New Documents Show Government-Funded AI Intended for Online Censorship

The US House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government was formed in January 2023 “to investigate matters related to the collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information on US citizens by executive branch agencies, including whether such efforts are illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unethical.”

Unfortunately, the work of the committee is viewed, even by its own members, as largely political: Conservative lawmakers are investigating what they perceive to be the silencing of conservative voices by liberal-leaning government agencies. 

Nevertheless, in its investigations, this committee has uncovered some astonishing documents related to government attempts to censor the speech of American citizens. 

These documents have crucial and terrifying all-of-society implications.

In the Subcommittee’s interim report, dated February 5, 2024, documents show that academic and nonprofit groups are pitching a government agency on a plan to use AI “misinformation services” to censor content on internet platforms.

Specifically, the University of Michigan is explaining to the National Science Foundation (NSF) that the AI-powered tools funded by the NSF can be used to help social media platforms perform censorship activities without having to actually make the decisions on what should be censored.

Here’s how the relationship is visualized in the Subcommittee’s report:

Here’s a specific quote presented in the Subcommittee’s report. It comes from “Speaker’s notes from the University of Michigan’s first pitch to the National Science Foundation (NSF) about its NSF-funded, AI-powered WiseDex tool.” The notes are on file with the committee.

Our misinformation service helps policy makers at platforms who want to…push responsibility for difficult judgments to someone outside the company…by externalizing the difficult responsibility of censorship.

This is an extraordinary statement on so many levels:

  1. It explicitly equates “misinformation service” with censorship. 

This is a crucial equation, because governments worldwide are pretending to combat harmful misinformation when in fact they are passing massive censorship bills. The WEF declared “misinformation and disinformation” the “most severe global risks” in the next two years, which presumably means their biggest efforts will go toward censorship.

When a government contractor explicitly states that it is selling a “misinformation service” that helps online platforms “externalize censorship” – the two terms are acknowledged as being interchangeable.

  1. It refers to censorship as a “responsibility.” 

In other words, it assumes that part of what the platforms should be doing is censorship. Not protecting children from sex predators or innocent citizens from misinformation – just plain and simple, unadulterated censorship.

  1. It states that the role of AI is to “externalize” the responsibility for censorship.

The Tech platforms do not want to make censorship decisions. The government wants to make those decisions but does not want to be seen as censoring. The AI tools allow the platforms to “externalize” the censorship decisions and the government to hide its censorship activities.

All of this should end the illusion that what governments around the world are calling “countering misinformation and hate speech” is not straight-up censorship.

What Happens When AI Censorship is Fully Implemented?

Knowing that the government is already paying for AI censorship tools, we have to wrap our minds around what this entails.

No manpower limits: As the Subcommittee report points out, the limits to government online censorship have, up to now, involved the large numbers of humans required to go through endless files and make censorship decisions. With AI, barely any humans need to be involved, and the amount of data that can be surveilled can be as vast as everything anyone says on a particular platform. That amount of data is incomprehensible to an individual human brain.

No one is responsible: One of the most frightening aspects of AI censorship is that when AI does it, there is no human being or organization – be it the government, the platforms, or the university/nonprofits – who is actually responsible for the censorship. Initially, humans feed the AI tool instructions for what categories or types of language to censor, but then the machine goes ahead and makes the case-by-case decisions all by itself. 

No recourse for grievances: Once AI is unleashed with a set of censorship instructions, it will sweep up gazillions of online data points and apply censorship actions. If you want to contest an AI censorship action, you will have to talk to the machine. Maybe the platforms will employ humans to respond to appeals. But why would they do that, when they have AI that can automate those responses?

No protection for young people: One of the claims made by government censors is that we need to protect our children from harmful online information, like content that makes them anorexic, encourages them to commit suicide, turns them into ISIS terrorists, and so on. Also from sexual exploitation. These are all serious issues that deserve attention. But they are not nearly as dangerous to vast numbers of young people as AI censorship is.

The danger posed by AI censorship applies to all young people who spend a lot of time online, because it means their online activities and language can be monitored and used against them – maybe not now, but whenever the government decides to go after a particular type of language or behavior. This is a much greater danger to a much greater number of children than the danger posed by any specific content, because it encompasses all the activity they conduct online, touching on nearly every aspect of their lives. 

Here’s an example to illustrate this danger: Let’s say your teenager plays lots of interactive video games online. Let’s say he happens to favor games designed by Chinese companies. Maybe he also watches others play those games, and participates in chats and discussion groups about those games, in which a lot of Chinese nationals also participate.

The government may decide next month, or next year, that anyone heavily engaged in Chinese-designed video games is a danger to democracy. This might result in shutting down your son’s social media accounts or denying him access to financial tools, like college loans. It might also involve flagging him on employment or dating websites as dangerous or undesirable. It might mean he is denied a passport or put on a watchlist.

Your teenager’s life just got a lot more difficult. Much more difficult than if he was exposed to an ISIS recruitment video or suicide-glorifying TikTok post. And this would happen on a much larger scale than the sexual exploitation the censors are using as a Trojan Horse for normalizing the idea of online government censorship.

Monetize-able censorship services: An AI tool owned by the government can theoretically be used by a non-governmental entity with the government’s permission, and with the blessing of the platforms that want to “externalize” the “responsibility” for censorship. So while the government might be using AI to monitor and suppress, let’s say as an example, anti-war sentiment – a company could use it to monitor and suppress, let’s say as an example, anti-fast food sentiment. The government could make a lot of money selling the services of the AI tools to 3rd parties. The platforms could also conceivably ask for a cut. Thus, AI censorship tools can potentially benefit the government, tech platforms, and private corporations. The incentives are so powerful, it’s almost impossible to imagine that they will not be exploited.

In this short VIDEO, I will unearth A lost super-food will bulletproof you against any food shortage or famine. It’s a food that vanished with the Incas over 6 centuries ago

In the next crisis these lost skills will be more valuable than gold, food supplies and survival equipment combined. These skills have been tested and proven to work for centuries.

Here’s just a small glimpse of what you’ll find in The Lost SuperFoods:

Can We Reverse Course?

I do not know how many government agencies and how many platforms are using AI censorship tools. I do not know how quickly they can scale up.

I do not know what tools we have at our disposal – other than raising awareness and trying to lobby politicians and file lawsuits to prevent government censorship and regulate the use of AI tools on the internet.

If anyone has any other ideas, now would be the time to implement them.

BY Debbie Lerman for Brownstone Institute

Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
For reprints, please set the canonical link back to the original Brownstone Institute Article and Author.

THECHNO-SERFDOM: The People of This Country Have Voluntarily Given Up Their Freedom, and in the Process Have Become Obedient Serfs

Is this country facing the end of times? Are the people in this country oblivious to any reality or truth, or are they simply consumed by ignorance, passivity, cowardice, and mediocrity? Will this onslaught of tyranny by the controlling class and the politicians continue unabated, or will enough wake up in time to stand against the total decimation of their lives, their property, their freedom, and their land? What could possibly motivate the masses to voluntarily accept their own servitude, a servitude that can only lead to their imminent demise?  Even the most simplistic life forms on this planet possess the basic instinct of self defense, so why is it that the supposed most intelligent of all living beings can be controlled and brutalized to the point of extinction, without lifting a finger to protect their own interests? Today in America, the people are drowning in a pool of their own blood, while their chosen masters are feasting on the remains.

There is very little time left to change this course we are on today, as this plot toward the great reset of the world is close at hand. In the past when liberty has been threatened, some fought back and won, but most sat back and waited, hoping others would come to their rescue, and save them from themselves. Every time threats have come and gone, there was less freedom and much more control. Each and every tyrannical event brought an assault against liberty that remained long after any so-called ‘return to normal’ was expected. ‘Normal’ has been forever changing, meaning every new normal resulted in less freedom and more authoritarian measures. That is until today, as now we face an end to any freedom, and a life of submission and enslavement. Unless and until the current ruling oligarchy is eliminated or weakened to the point of impotence, and by whatever means necessary, the tyranny will run its course until it has total control or the entire system collapses under its own weight.

Throughout history, kingdoms, states, and nations have come and gone. Empires reign, but always eventually fall.  After societal failure, a better system may be in place temporarily, as happened here in this country after the ousting of British rule, but due to power, greed, and weak and complacent populations, the collapse of societies has always been inevitable. This one is no different. The real question is how long will it last? Considering the ‘assumed’ founding, this nation has only existed for a little over 240 years. Historically speaking, this is a very short time indeed, but the march toward a totalitarian end is near. We are now on the brink of that precipice, with one foot already dangling over the cliff. There will be no return to ‘normal’ or any notion of freedom, unless a complete dismantling of this very flawed governing system is forthcoming. That can only happen if a majority of the people not only desire it, but also are willing to take any and all risk to regain their own independence.

At this stage, our probable downfall will not be due to the few evil oligarchs that are perpetrating this fraud called a ‘virus pandemic,’ it will be due to a complete abandonment of self-responsibility by the people themselves. This truth has to be acknowledged before any relief is possible. So long as blame is spread wide in order to appease the feeble psyche of the pitiful masses, and no accountability for one’s own life and existence is accepted, then no resolution will be attainable. We now live in a society that has lost its ability to function without rule. The herd is forever looking to find a master instead of looking to self. So long as this attitude is present in the majority, individual sovereignty will not prevail, and a population of order-takers and rule-followers will be the result. That cannot lead to freedom, but only to complete subjugation of the American people. Five hundred years ago, Étienne de La Boétie wrote “The Politics of Obedience and The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude.” The people of this country have voluntarily given up their freedom, and in the process have become obedient serfs. In this passage below, he summed up the essence of voluntary slavery through obedient behavior.

“It amazes us to hear accounts of the valor that liberty arouses in the hearts of those who defend it; but who could believe reports of what goes on every day among the inhabitants of some countries, who could really believe that one man alone may mistreat a hundred thousand and deprive them of their liberty? Who would credit such a report if he merely heard it, without being present to witness the event? And if this condition occurred only in distant lands and were reported to us, which one among us would not assume the tale to be imagined or invented, and not really true? Obviously there is no need of fighting to overcome this single tyrant, for he is automatically defeated if the country refuses consent to its own enslavement: it is not necessary to deprive him of anything, but simply to give him nothing; there is no need that the country make an effort to do anything for itself provided it does nothing against itself. It is therefore the inhabitants themselves who permit, or, rather, bring about, their own subjection, since by ceasing to submit they would put an end to their servitude.”

How many times have Americans criticized those in other lands for allowing tyrants to rule over them without rising up to protect their own liberty? How many times have those in this country condemned totalitarian monsters across the world, and called for them to be removed or killed? How many times have Americans cheered for aggressive war against other nations because they lived under brutal regimes? How many times have Americans bragged about being exceptional, and falsely declared that they are the freest people on earth? How many times has this American population allowed that same tyranny and brutality here at home and done nothing?

I can tell you, most all in this country are voluntarily allowing this takeover today, and are doing absolutely nothing to stop it. Civil disobedience and mass dissent would be enough to quell this onslaught of government lies, carnage, murder, and liberty destruction, but while you condemn others, you sit idle and watch your own freedom taken away without ever lifting a finger to stop it. Shame on all of you who refuse to disobey, and refuse to defend your own freedom!

America 2024: Sleepwalking into World War III: China, Russia and Iran will gang up on America which will be even more devastated financially than most nations

One thing is certain: War is coming to America on many levels and it cannot be stopped. The best anyone can do is to prepare and try to stay out of the way of the most serious fighting and bide their time until they can get the upper hand in their locality. The world is about to change in a very radical way and many are not prepared for it either physically or mentally. The forecast has been given and the storm flags are up.

The Nations of Russia, China, and Iran, which will lead the Muslim nations in the Mid East, will gang up on America which will be even more devastated financially than most nations. The American forces will succumb to a massive attack that takes down most of our electronic equipment and destroys our high tech advantage.

The war that follows will become a mostly conventional affair fought on American soil. A massive invasion by millions of enemy troops will follow who will commit every war crime imaginable on the American people. The invasion will come after internal conflict, caused by financial devastation, has taken a high death toll among Americans fighting among themselves over diminishing resources.

The invading nations will see this as their best opportunity to destroy America permanently and gain valuable natural resources at the same time. This is why it will be mostly conventional after a possible limited nuclear strike to disable our military resources and infrastructure. To make matters worse, these invaders will be aided by elements within the U.S. government who will cooperate with these ground forces.

The battles that follow will be fought mostly by local and state militias reinforced by the few remaining active duty soldiers that escaped annihilation in the opening days of the conflict. It will become a guerrilla war fought in every corner of every state in CONUS. Alaska and Hawaii will be cut off and allowed to wither until they surrender.

The war will last for years and most large cities and towns will be destroyed to eliminate any resources that partisan fighters can use. The only civilians that will escape detention and death by enemy forces will be those that are hidden in rural areas and dug in deep to prevent detection. Any food will have to be grown in small isolated plots hidden from enemy forces. Every day will be a fight for survival as the number of American forces dwindles.

American forces will survive by becoming very mobile and remaining on the move. Small attacks that chip away at enemy forces will be the primary tactic. Only when an unstoppable outside force arrives to reinforce Americans will the tide of war turn. The enemy will ultimately be driven back and America’s borders secured but the cost of victory will be very high and the population will be greatly reduced.

Is this scenario a possibility? It becomes more likely every day that we proceed on our current path and if history is any indicator it could become a reality. Americans are oblivious to the possibility of any such turn of events but it could very well happen within a decade. The inability of Americans to accept reality and the need to continue living in the comfortable cocoon of illusion they desire will end in tragedy very soon. No amount of hopeful thinking will change events that require positive action. The lack of critical thinking ability will doom the U.S. to new depths of despair before a new nation will arise that appreciates our heritage and the sacrifices of those that came before us. Hopefully, this is a lesson we will not have to learn a second time.

For those willing to sacrifice and do the hard work it may still be possible to salvage the nation from this destruction. For those with the indomitable spirit to go on and rebuild it is possible for this phoenix to rise again from the ashes. But for that to happen, some things will have to be preserved from the destruction to allow a new start.

– raw materials such as scrap metal and chemicals
– knowledge in the form of professionals and books
– equipment for building in the form of machining equipment
– basic medical equipment
– equipment for casting and refining
– equipment to make copper wire
– farm equipment and implements that can be duplicated
– livestock that can be bred and expanded
– seed stocks that can be grown and processed
– equipment to process fibers for cloth and rope
– electrical equipment such as generators and communications gear

No one person could store all of these things so it must fall on multiple groups with various knowledge and abilities to preserve this core of technological abilities. These items would have to be literally buried to escape detection and destruction for the duration of the event. That is possible if done in time and right now time grows short.

For many it would be easy to hide some resources for later use to rebuild and enjoy a rustic lifestyle without all of the technology. The only problem with that is eventually you may be faced with the spectre of the destroyers returning and any lone homesteads with little technological means would be easy prey for another assault. The only way to rebuild and expand with the ability to defend is to establish communities that are connected and technologically capable.

The scenario laid out here is not a happy one but it is survivable if actions are taken in time. Only the hardiest of individuals would likely live through something like this but they are the ones that history calls nation builders. To dismiss this scenario as impossible is to do so at your own peril should events come to pass. Something is impossible until it’s not.

How To Escape Your Tail And Avoid Being Followed: In the Days Leading Up to a Crisis, There May Well Be People That Have Access to Information That You Do Not Have. They Will Use That Information to Stop People Like You That Choose Independent Survival Means

The best time to leave for your bug out location is just before a major crisis occurs. But all of your carefully made plans and preparations will easily go to waste if you do not know how protect them from spying eyes.

Do you know how to avoid being followed and how to escape any tails that try to follow you?

Never forget that in the days leading up to a crisis, there may well be people that have access to information that you do not have. They will use that information to stop people like you that choose independent survival means.

Sharpen your senses and read this article, because this tricks will be really useful to plan your escape.

Do You Know the Signs of Other Groups Traveling Your Selected Route?

  • That very strong nagging feeling that you are being followed, but you do not see, hear, or observe anything or anybody around.
  • New or increased numbers of vehicle or human tracks on dirt roads or pathways.
  • Increase of trash or garbage along your chosen route.
  • Actually seeing other groups in the distance or way behind your group.

When to Switch to Alternate Routes?

  • Once you feel reasonably certain that your group is being followed.
  • When other groups are trying to close the gap between their group and yours.
  • Search aircraft or vehicles are observed in your area.
  • Adverse weather like heavy rain, snow, or heavy wind make it harder for tails to follow your changes. Keep in mind that advanced technologies may still give your location away. Always try to stay on paths where the ground features break up radar and heat signatures.
  • After dark when no one can see the groups change in direction. Once again, be wary of technologies that may detect your position. If necessary, have everyone scatter and meet at a safe location.

Video first seen on Graves Investigations’s Channel

How to Secure Your Direction

Use point scouts and rear guards to secure your road because these individuals are the group’s eyes and ears as to what is going on around the group. If there are any problems, these individuals will be the early warning system to any kind of offensive actions. Also, these individuals can act as decoys when the group is being followed.

In order to cover or mislead your group’s true direction of traveling, take into account a few tricks, as follows:

  • Back tracking or set up a new trail that doubles back through the old trail to confuse followers or trained trackers.
  • Set up false trails to confuse trackers or are used to split up the tracking parties.
  • Erase the true path and send the followers in the wrong direction.
  • Travel over hard ground or rocky ground. Under these conditions it is very hard to track people because there would be very few readable tracks to be followed, and the trail will easily end without the trackers knowing which direction the trail goes.
  • Never travel in a straight line to the bug out site. A good tracking party would be able to figure out where the group is going and send out an advance party to cut you off and wait for the group to arrive.
  • When in doubt, take to the trees or other high locations where you can travel from point to point.

Survival decision point: It is my belief that all point scouts and rear guard individuals should have small tools concealed on them to be used to aid in escaping if captured, or to use while leading others away from the main bug out group.

Escape and Evasion (E&E) Tools and Where to Hide Them

Just about anything can be used as an E&E tool. The tools you choose should be small, concealable, light weight, and serve multiple purposes. Most tools are not specialized escape tools, but are fashioned out of everyday items that are modified for this particular escape.

{adinserter aliveafteramerika}Your E&E kit must have some type of cutting tool such as a dog tag knife or a modified religious medallion. These items can be worn around the neck on a cord. Mini knife blades or knifes, wire saws, and other flexible cutting devices can be hidden either in your belt or behind your jean brand tag.

Handcuff keys, lock picks, button compasses, and other escape tools can be kept in a hollowed out portion of the heel of your shoes. Shoe seams can also be cut to hide small items like hair pins, needles, or piano wire.

If your bug out group could be traveling in hostile areas, E&E planning should be a regular part of your day to day routine. Take the time to hide E&E items on your body and clothes.

Finally, practice and keep practicing with the tools till it is muscle memory. Never forget to keep a survivor’s mind set- never give up and be prepared to fight to your last breath.

Escape and Evasion Techniques

It is human nature to run away from a threat as fast as possible. If you do this without a plan you are asking to get caught. It is always best to prepare for the worst and carefully execute the plan with discipline instead of fear. You, as an evader, must know how to react to such things as tracking dogs, possible air surveillance, night vision, thermal imaging, and satellite tracking of any electronic devices you are carrying or even within your vehicle.

It is important to remember that the people who catch you will most likely be the least qualified people in the chain of command looking for you. In most cases they are only to hold you until they can arrange to turn you over to the higher ups. It is important to get away now before you are moved to a location of tighter security.

If you are unlucky enough to get captured by another group your attitude, condition, and preparation will largely determine the successfulness of your attempt to escape. Even a high tech team can be evaded if you know what to look for and how to escape.

Attitude

  • Have a good mindset that you will win at all costs, even if you must fight and kill those who are holding you.

Conditioning

  • Keep yourself in good to excellent physical fitness.
  • Eat healthy foods and do not drink alcohol.
  • Learn to constantly exercise your memory.
  • Mindset, do not take anything for granted. Memorize all exits in a new building and which one to use in an emergency.
  •  Always be on alert. What seems wrong is usually wrong. Listen to that little voice in the back of your head.

Preparation

  • Always keep minimal tools on your person knife, flashlight, cash, or a multi-tool.
  • Know your surroundings, be aware of where you are, and which way is to safety.

Evade

When trying to evade it is extremely important to get outside of your captor’s perimeter. The odds are they will not find you and give you a head start to develop a better plan of action. Staying inside of the perimeter will get you nothing other than recaptured. Perimeters are fluid they change with each group. They can be as small as 100 yards to miles in diameter. Once on the run, put as much distance as possible between the captor’s and yourself.

Camouflaging Yourself

If you manage to escape, camouflage yourself so you do not stand out in the surroundings. This can be done by using natural materials like grass, twigs, leaves, or other vegetation that grows in your location. Remember to replace all natural vegetation before it fades or wilts.

The individual must blend with the surroundings, otherwise you will be very easy to spot and capture. Do not over camouflage or use incorrect garments for specific settings, as this can also draw attention.

Never have shiny objects exposed to bright sunlight like eye glasses, watches, or anything else that could flash. Keep them well covered. Always use the prone position to observe an area from good concealment.

Survival decision point: Is it safe to build a small shelter while on the run to rest or hide? If there is bad weather are you safer in a shelter than exposed to the elements? You will need to take into account the technologies used by potential captors as well as how much of a lead you have on them. Never forget that exhaustion can be just as dangerous as being within the captive’s perimeter.

In addition, lack of proper scouting can also cause you to fall straight into the hands of someone else looking to capture you.

How to Build a Shelter

If you decide that you need to build a shelter, it must blend into the surrounding area. It must be a small irregular shaped structure in a secluded area that is less likely to be searched. There must be an escape route that you can leave without being observed.

Entrances to the shelter should be located along ridges, ditches, and rocky terrain to keep from making paths to your shelter location. With proper camouflage and concealment, this could buy yourself some time during the first disorganized hours after your escape.

How to Find a Shelter

If you find an old abandoned building that would be safe to stay in, choose the second floor. Make a mental map of the building showing all possible escape routes. Try these escape routes both at night and in the daylight. Block all doors and windows that will not be used as an emergency escape route.

Totally memorize locations of stairs, ladders, or ceiling accesses that might help in an escape. Always sleep fully dressed and wear your shoes. Any other personal gear should be kept packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Another good place to hide in cities or towns is in the underground drainage system. Here a person can travel around without being detected. If the drainage system is extensive, it will take a large group of searchers to go into the system and flush you out. With good training and a bit of luck, it is possible to change you appearance to match that of your searchers and escape the man hunt.

Silence Is Golden

There can be no noise allowed as you are running to freedom. This means there will only be total silence.

  • You must secure all loose items on your person. To check after securing all loose items, jump up and down. If anything still makes noise pad it or wrap it to quiet the sound.
  • Remove all Velcro and tape it up. Velcro makes a very distinct sound when ripped open.
  • If possible, move during bad weather so that natural sounds cover your noise.
  • Use car or train traffic noise to mask your presence.
  • Shut off all electronic devices and remove all batteries.

Be Wary of Light at Night

  • Do not use any light sources unless absolutely necessary. That means no smoking because that little red glow can be seen at a great distance on a pitch dark night.
  • Do not wear black or white clothing because they project a strong infra-red signature at a distance. Try to wear earth tone clothing because it blends nicely with surrounding terrain.
  • Remember that moonlight can be reflected off vehicle glass and clear water bottles and be seen at a long distance.
  • Only build a small fire when absolutely necessary for your survival. Build it under a tree canopy to help dissipate the smoke as much as possible.
  • When observing at night always scan with your eyes. Do not try to focus in only one direction. Scanning and the use of your peripheral vision will help you pick up faint light quicker than direct vision.
  • Keep in mind that search parties usually have poor light discipline when moving through woods or open terrain. Use this to your advantage. Remember bright lights make hard shadows and cause the user to lose their peripheral night vision.

Safe Methods of Movement

When moving always be aware of being outlined by any light source that could silhouette you or make you stand out in the terrain you are crossing.

Carefully move from areas of concealment to an area of concealment. While in these areas check out the location by stopping, looking, listening, and smelling the wind to check for any human activity or other signs that the area is occupied.

  • When walking, move slowly and carefully so that you do not move rocks, leaves, grass, sticks, or other ground cover.
  • Pad your feet in clothing to muffle the sound of breaking sticks or twigs.
  • If you must cross soft ground, try walking in the vegetation and not in the plain dirt. Always try to use hard or rocky ground whenever possible for it leaves less evidence of your traveling.
  • Try to stay in vegetation that is less than your knee height.
  • In heavy vegetation use a walking stick to move leaves carefully aside, and then move them back to their original position.
  • Finally under no circumstances do you liter. Any trash or lost equipment can be easily spotted by trackers.

Survival decision point: To steal or not to steal? If you must steal, do it very low key and do not draw attention to yourself. If you must steal a car, take an older model which is easier to hotwire. Remember to disable the dome, internal, and dash lights. When driving away, do not draw attention to yourself by a burning rubber acceleration or high speeds. Just drive slow and easy to fit in with other traffic.

How to Disrupt the Tracking Party

If being pursued by dogs try to defeat the dog handler. Use zig-zag patterns of movement through rough heavy bushy terrain. This makes it very difficult for the handler to work his dog on a long lead. This action can cause doubt on the abilities of the dog handler. Walking a box maneuver can also help loose the trackers.

Survival decision point: Is it to your advantage to set out simple booby traps? Setting out simple booby traps like trip wires will slow down the tracking team because now they must slowdown in order to search for these traps. Be careful when using distraction techniques. They can tire you out, leave more of your scent in the area, and reduce the time-distance factor that is important to your escape.

No matter what you do, never travel in a straight line. If this is done the trackers can send an advance team to cut you off and intercept you. Never head directly to an obvious location. Keep the trackers guessing.

Survival decision point: Is it in your best interests to enter possibly hostile urban areas? It is usually best to avoid hostel urban areas. If you must go into these areas, then try to look like you belong there and use the crowds to your advantage.

  • Do not run or appear frantic.
  • Stay away from groups of children because they are quicker to spot strangers than the average adult.
  • Dress down and remove all signs of who you are. Wash as soon as it is safe to do so.
  • Beware of any curfews or other habits of the area.
  • Do not over eat or appear to hungry.
  • Keep your escape tools well hidden.
  • Stay out of market places during normal operating hours. This will be one of the first places the trackers will look for you and it will be staked out by observers.
  • Market places are good places to hide and pick up thrown away food or tools after they have closed for the night. Just be wary of surveillance cameras and technologies like Google Glass that can be used to determine your location.

In the time before a crisis it is important to learn how to travel without being spotted and how to loose anyone that might try to follow the group. If one of the members of the group gets captured during the process of misleading the followers it is important that all members of the group be well trained in escape and evasion techniques that could save their lives.

The key to surviving an escape and evasion is to remain calm, think before you act, and stay low key.

2024 Will Be the Year of the ‘Modern Holocaust’:The Deep State’s Intent to Use Food as a Weapon! Food Shortage Ahead! This Would Throw Society Into Mass Hysteria and Lead to Rioting and Societal Unrest

Over the last couple of years, many more people have come to recognize the value in preparing and getting ready for when times get tough. Prepping is no longer a fringe activity but is becoming increasingly mainstream.

That’s because many people are recognizing that the world is actually not as stable as they originally thought, and that all it takes is one or two things to go wrong for life to completely change for the worse.

For example, all it takes is for a collapse or a major interruption to occur in the supply chains and people will no longer be able to get the food and supplies like they are used to. This alone would throw society into mass hysteria and lead to rioting and societal unrest.

Here are likely to be the biggest threats to preppers in 2024:

Supply Chain Issues

The Biggest Threats to Preppers in 2024

This applies to everything from food to beverages to medicine to personal hygiene items to other common household products.

Unfortunately, today people are so used to being able to buy what they need and when they need it from grocery stores and supermarkets.

But every store you shop at is dependent on getting products on its shelves from the trucks and planes shipping in everything from distributors.

Once this flow of goods is disrupted in any way, it’s going to have incalculable effects on the rest of society. People will panic, and societal unrest will get out of hand quickly. Stores would be forced to ration goods, and many restaurants would be forced to close down.

Cyberthreats

Cyberthreats have become significantly more frequent as society is almost entirely dependent on the internet and electronic devices.

Cybersecurity threats are the most severe to major power companies and banks. If major companies in either of these industries are forced to close down in response to a cybersecurity attack, it’s going to affect millions of people overnight.

Societal Unrest

The Biggest Threats to Preppers in 2024

Societal unrest has been growing in concurrence with tightened economic situations and heightened political tensions.

In 2020, we saw mass rioting throughout major cities across America largely in response to perceived political injustices. Those riots only serve as a glimpse of what could come in the future.

In the event of the supply chains collapsing, for instance, mass rioting and looting of stores is almost guaranteed to take place for any city or region that’s been affected.

Mass rioting and societal unrest in this manner will cause chaos and violence in the streets, forcing businesses to board up and families to barricade themselves inside of their homes.

Economic Collapse

The threat of a complete economic collapse has become significantly more real due to the tightening economic conditions that we have been experiencing over the last few years.

Inflation has devalued the dollar considerably, the prices of food and water and other household supplies have been skyrocketing, rising interest rates have made it more expensive to afford homes and cars.

The monthly cost of a new truck or SUV, for instance, can approach the vicinity of a thousand dollars a month, while interest rates on used cars have gone up so much that they aren’t much more affordable either.

The Biggest Threats to Preppers in 2024

Even if an all-out economic collapse does not occur, people are feeling the negative effects of the tightened economic situation every day of their lives. Not only does it cause a significant amount of stress, it also makes prepping much more difficult as well.

It’s simply less easy for people to afford buying stockpiles of food and other needed supplies when so much of their cash flow is going to rising housing payments, car payments, and other unexpected expenses that pop up.

Many people simply cannot afford to make the necessary preparations that would be sustainable for their families. For example, a typical family of four would need at least five thousand gallons of water stored to have enough water set aside for drinking and hygienic purposes for a six month period.

But storing that water will require families to invest in massive water tanks that are designed to store several thousand gallons of water, and those tanks can cause several thousand dollars individually.

Families already throwing several thousand dollars each month at basic living expenses won’t be able to afford buying those kinds of water tanks… which then begs the question, how can they feasibly store all the water they need to be prepared?

Natural Disasters

The Biggest Threats to Preppers in 2024

Some of the greatest threats to our way of life can come from mother nature.

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have been on the rise over the last few years, and depending on where you live in the world, blizzards, famines, droughts, flooding, and hurricanes present very severe risks as well.

Terrorist/EMP Attacks

The eruption of wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East, among other places, has made many people remember the days of 9/11 when the threat of a terrorist attack was very real.

A terrorist attack on the United States could target the power grid, such as an EMP attack, which in the worst case scenario would completely knock out electricity, the internet and cell services, banking services, and even most cars and planes.

This would bring a screeching halt to the supply chains like we discussed above, and it would also result in a total economic collapse and mass rioting as well. An EMP device detonated high enough in the atmosphere would be one of the most devastating and long lasting attacks that could possibly occur.

Unexpected Illnesses or Injuries

Rising medical and insurance costs has also become a chief concern for preppers, and with good reason.

All it takes is one unexpected severe illness or injury to land someone in the hospital and knock them out of commission from focusing on their preparations.

And if insurance is unable to cover those expenses, it would inflict even stronger financial hardship on families as well, thus making it even more difficult to make adequate preparations like we just discussed above.

It’s an unfortunate reality that we don’t live in a very stable world. It’s also an unfortunate reality that prepping adequately has become very difficult due to the economic burdens that many people are feeling today.

The above threats that we’ve covered are likely to be the biggest ones that we’ll face collectively in 2024.

What Would Happen if We Lost Electricity for a Lengthy Period of Time? I Reached a Strange but Compelling Conclusion: The Food Distribution System Would Collapse

It does not take much imagination to realize that our society will come crashing down without the cheap, steady flow of electricity. The world’s electric grids are the lifeblood of our modern lifestyle. Many predictions believe that if the electrical grid was shut down, by something like an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or a very strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), then civilization would be thrown back into the 1800s. Some predictions even think the 1700s or even further back. Regardless of what time period we are all transported back to, we are going to have to find ways to replace all the modern conveniences, instantly made useless, that we currently depend upon for our daily life and survival.

As a society, we do not realize how good we have it. Americans and others enjoy several hours of “free time” compared to those living in the 1700s and 1800s. All that “free time” will evaporate along with the electricity. Many of us stock months or years of food and other supplies to hopefully survive long enough for society to get back on its feet, that is for the power to be restored.  Society getting back on its feet will take people with the knowledge, skills, and the tenacity that spurred the Industrial Revolution. However, unlike our ancestors, our generation will have some disadvantages. These disadvantages are nothing that cannot be overcome with a little foresight and preparation.

When the great industrialists and inventors of the late 19th and early 20th century invented, developed, and manufactured their products, they were built with the technology of their day. It was the blacksmiths and their forges that helped build the machines and tools used to usher in the Industrial Revolution. It was computer-programming languages like Pascal and COBOL that laid the foundation for our current digital technological wonders, like artificial intelligence. But as technology progresses, the old technology disappears the building blocks to help rebuild from a catastrophic collapse are lost. So, in order for the people in today’s world to start re-building the low technology machines of the early 1900s the technology of the late 1800s will have to be recreated.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE APOCALYPSE

I like reading post-apocalyptic fiction, but it never ceases to amaze me how many authors make a day in the life of an apocalypse survivor seem like a cakewalk. Can this be what the authors really think life will be like? We moved to our bug-out-location full-time in the summer of 2019. Our “spare” time is spent building infrastructure for us to use to survive TEOTWAWKI. We have cows, pigs and chickens. Feeding and watering our animals, who will feed us, takes about a half hour to hour each day thanks to electric.  In the summer watering is an easy task, but when the temperatures fall, the days become shorter and snow is on the ground, it is not so easy. Then I think about how my ancestors had to manage these same chores and how good I really do have it.

Last year we did not have any electricity in our barn. This year we do and we feel spoiled. I recently sold two piglets to an Amish neighbor. I realized how much we take for granted something as simple as lights in a barn. When we got to the Amish neighbor’s barn with his piglets, his wife and a few kids were busy milking the family cow as we got the piglets into their new home by the light of headlamps. Thinking about this, most tasks we do in the night will be done with light from some other source than a lightbulb powered by the grid.  I see and hear many preppers talk about having generators and fuel stored but at some point, those will be used up.  Then, our survival will be by the sweat of our brow, instead of the internal combustion engine or the electric motor powering the world.

So, how do we prepare to live a life that resembles that of the 1700s or 1800s? Very simply, we find the tools, devices and methods used in those time periods and learn how to use them. Let us look at some long-forgotten things and some items that are still around but their utility has been marginalized compared to what it was back in the pre-industrial revolution days.

CALLUSES WILL MAKE THE WORLD GO AROUND, NOT OIL

About 42% of Americans are deemed to be “overweight” compared to about 10% in the 1950’s. Instead of burning hundreds of calories collecting and cutting wood to stay warm, we instead turn up the thermostat via our smartphone without expending 100 calories. Our great technological advances have, unfortunately, made us lazy. Our lives do not require us to burn calories doing simple everyday tasks that need to be done for our survival. I think it was in the movie Cool Hand Luke, where one of the characters says, “Laziness breeds inefficiency.” It isn’t that we want to be lazy, it is that societal norms have driven many of us to a life style that does not necessitate much, if any, manual labor.  However, when technology fails, we become an inefficient society. As Preppers, we should not fall into this trap.

I like to use non-powered hand tools when I can. Why? Simply so my body becomes accustomed to using those tools. I can also gauge how long a task may take in a post the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) world.  It also keeps me from falling into a pattern of always choosing the easiest way to do something (That is not to say I do not own and use cordless tools). It is good to sometimes do things “the hard way” that way when we are not given a choice, we don’t view it as “the hard way” but just another way. Of all the years reading about survival, I have never read anything about the need for calluses for survival. Our forefathers had callused hands, we need to consider this and try to get our hands prepared for hard use in a post-electrified world. The good news is developing calluses on our hand does NOT require money but rather time. The best way to do this is to look for tasks that you will have to do post-TEOTWAWKI. For example, I split our wood with a hand maul. Other examples could be using a shovel instead of a snow blower or using a rake instead of a lawn tractor to bag the Fall leaves for composting. Get your hands prepared now, they will thank you later.

WHEN THE #10 CANS AND 5 GALLON BUCKETS RUN OUT

I consider myself Blessed to have a decent supply of food stored away, but I do not have illusions that the world will be “back to normal”, should we suffer an EMP or massive CME, before our food runs out. That means we must be ready to scale up our food production right after a TEOTWAWKI event. To do this, we have had to study the past to prepare for our future. As agriculture has changed, it has gotten to the point where it is highly dependent upon electricity, like everything else in our world. As a Prepper, I am trying to be prepared to farm without all the new farming technology. Some of our adaptions follow.

CULTIVATION

With a little education and preparedness, we do not have to live like a peasant in medieval times post-TEOTWAWKI. Instead of your family and others spending most of the day tilling the land with shovels, we can incorporate some more modern technology to help grow our crops. There are two basic choices, hand tools or implements that are pulled or pushed.  At one point in history, humans pulled plows but animals, being more efficient, quickly replaced humans. Some of the first plows in the American colonies were made of wood then metal ones became all the rage around the 1880s. A post-TEOTWAWKI world will require us, at some point, to till the land. We have several raised beds and three patches of land that we currently rototill. Since these plots are already tilled regularly, they will be somewhat easier to till in the future without modern means. So, perhaps I do not need a single bottom plow and a team of oxen, perhaps I can get by with an old-style push powered wheeled cultivator to break up our soil. The nice capability of some of the push-powered wheeled cultivators is that you could change the “implements” depending upon the task needing to be done.  Another possibility is the use of pigs.  Pigs are very good at breaking up the ground by rooting with their snout.

PLANTING

A good old-fashioned seed broadcaster maybe a good device to put back as well. The good news is they still manufacture these. I use mine in the mid-Spring to seed my hay field. I use a technique an old timer passed down to me. The method requires no tilling of the dirt. Just broadcast the seed right before it rains. When it rains, the seed will be transported into the “duff” or layer of decaying materials, where it should spout. I did this and had decent results. Another variation of this method was to broadcast the seed on a very dewy morning. Many of us may garden now but when commercial food production is non-existent, our gardening will need to expand to ensure we have food to last until the next harvest. A wheeled seeder will make quick work of planting many seeds and the saved time can be used for other important tasks. I normally plant my direct sow seeds individually by hand but post-TEOTWAWKI I will definitely be using the wheeled planter.

GROUND-DRIVEN

I originally was not going to get into haying, but I saw an opportunity to buy some used haying equipment cheaply.  My tractor is on the smaller side so it will not run many of the newer power-take-off (PTO) driven implements.  Instead, I bought a ground drive rake and Tedder that is powered by the wheels turning that in turn moves a chain to turn the rake and Tedder.   Some would buy these pieces of equipment, manufactured long before I was born, as antiques but they will be operable in the post-TEOTWAWKI world.  The Amish still use ground drive technology and have even offered to buy mine since these implements are getting harder to find.  If the tractor can no longer operate, the ground drive equipment can be powered by oxen or horses.

HARVESTING

We have a couple old scythes that we can cut hay with or if we can use to cut grains like wheat or oats with.  We even have extra handles put aside.  Once a year we take them out and use them for a half hour or so.  I have been studying the old art of making a haystack since we will not be putting our hay into hay bales post-TEOTWAWKI. Using a scythe takes some coordination and of course muscle.  We also have some hand-held corn cutters for taking down stalks of corn, as well as, hand cranked corn-shellers that quickly and efficiently take the corn kernels off the cob.  For out fruit trees we have a hand-held harvester that is a basket, made of wire, mounted on a long wood pole, that helps get the fruit high up in the trees.

HOURGLASSES

Many people no longer require hourglasses.  Their usefulness has been relegated to a timer for board games.  I recently picked up a vintage brass hourglass that wasn’t made in China.  I timed the amount of time it took the grains of sand to empty several times.  It took 3 minutes 15 seconds for it to empty so I assumed this was an old egg timer since it takes roughly 3 minutes to soft boil a chicken egg.  The survival value in being able to measure the cook time of an egg is to help ensure the food is properly cooked thus limiting the possibility of contracting salmonella. An hourglass can also be used to time other processes as well.

THE ICE HOUSE

Where we live there are a few different sects of Amish.  Some are allowed to use propane fired refrigeration, others rely upon the use of ice.  Unlike the ice houses of 100 plus years ago, the Amish have capitalized on the use of Styrofoam.  I have not been inside an Amish ice house yet, but have seen several from the outside and talked to a few Amish about them. I have also studied their making via the internet.  So, where do the Amish get their ice for their ice houses?  One day, the wife and I stopped at one of the local Amish bulk food stores.  Outside were four pallets of red, 5-gallon plastic buckets with more scattered around their lawn.  I asked if they were selling the buckets and they said “no” they were for making ice for ice houses.  I talk to them about how they did it and they giggled and said they just put the buckets outside and let them fill up with rain water and then let them freeze, then get them out and stack them in the ice house.  From talking with them their stored ice will last until the next winter.  So, now we have another use for all those empty 5-gallon food buckets after TEOTWAWKI.

KITCHEN UTENSILS AND THE LIKE

There is no doubt that modern conveniences have drastically lessened the time for meal preparation.  While today meal preparation ranges from 20 minutes to about an hour our foremothers were not so lucky.  Eating is one of the basic survival tasks that we all must accomplish, but today most people don’t even consider it a “survival” task. Many of the kitchen utensils that our grandmothers used have been pretty much replaced with gadgets with electric motors. Blenders, food processors, electric coffee pots, toasters, have helped save time in the kitchen. I have been to homes that don’t even have a simple potato masher, since the people use instant potatoes. Many of the mixing spoons and spatulas are now made of cheap plastic and are from China. Good quality kitchen knives, that keep a good sharp edge, are no longer needed since food bought at the Piggly Wiggly is often already cut and cooked and just needs heated up in the microwave. We need to realize that, in the post-TEOTWAWKI world, we are all going to revert back to being our own butcher, baker and candle stick maker. Good quality knives will make our work both safer and quicker. Hand cranked meat grinders and food choppers will also save on time.

One of the assumptions, that I have made about post-TEOTWAWKI life, is that we will be needing larger pots and pans. Why? First, the preservation of the harvest will be much easier. This past Fall I spent a lot of energy and effort in preserving sweet corn. If I had had larger stock pots, I could have processed the corn much faster and saved on propane as well. I have picked up several large commercial grade pots and pans from the Salvation Army for next harvest season and for our post end of the world kitchen that will probably be feeding more than four people. When I go to auctions and second-hand stores, I am always looking for usable crocks. These will be used for brining, fermenting and storing things like meat, kraut and vinegar. Besides utensils I have been stocking up on packages of cheese cloth and 100% cotton muslin cloth for various task such as pressing apples. Since paper towels will be quickly used up, I have also stocked up on 100% cotton flour sack kitchen towels that can be washed and reused.

TUBS AND BASINS

Another item I do not recall being discussed in the Prepper world in having tubs and basins stored away. The good news is that most people do not see the utility in the old galvanized tubs anymore. In many instances their usefulness has been relegated to being a decorative plant holder so they are normally cheap on the second-hand market. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the old galvanized tub was the world’s washing machine and in many cases their bathtub too. Keeping things clean will help in cutting down on disease and in the case of clothes may prolong their life. I have a few ceramic wash basins and pitchers to use for personal hygiene in the post-electric world much like people used in the past.

COGS, SPROCKETS, BEARINGS, PULLEYS AND BELTS . . . OH MY.

We all use mechanical advantage in our everyday lives, but for the most part, we never give it much thought. We purchase our tools and devices with the calculations and parts already figured out and put together. At some point, in the post-electric world, people will need to hobble together machinery to help perform simple tasks. I will go out on a limb and say that most people, probably do not have an on-hand supply of cogs, sprockets, bearings, pulleys, and various belts. When I look at and study the tools and devices of yester years, I conclude that the simple cog and a handle to move a cog is the most under valued inventions that are still used today. When I look at my ground drive hay equipment, I see sprockets and cog and roller chain. When I look at my corn shellers, I see a series of cogs moved by a simple hand crank. Even the simple old hand-cranked mixer uses cog and a hand crank. It would be very advantageous to learn about the various aspects of mechanical advantage and the various configurations that turn regular human strength into industrial strength.

THE HUMBLE TREADLE

Most of use do not pay much attention to the value of the treadle. Watching a movie, we see a woman spinning wool using a spinning wheel, we may watch another movie and see a man sharpening an axe with an old sandstone fashioned to a bench and powered by the simple push of a foot. And let us not forget the treadle showing machine which was all the rage in a bygone era. The humble treadle provided power to many simple machines throughout the ages, and will enjoy a massive resurgence when the lights go out for good.

There are many, long forgotten, pieces of technology whose usefulness have been marginalized to relics in a museum or antique shop. As Preppers, we need to recognize that these old devices play a vital role in our TEOTWAWKI future. There usefulness is not just the task that they help do, but rather sharing the long-lost art of simple old technology. Google will not be around to ask what type of gear ratio or “V” belt you need in your post-electric world so learn as much as you can now.

HOW WELL YOU CAN SURVIVE, AMIDST LOOTING, VIOLENCE AND THE DESPERATION OF THE UNDER- OR COMPLETELY UNPREPARED, WILL DEPEND ON YOUR OWN GOOD SENSE AND YOUR ABILITY TO PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME.

Whether you’re unsure of how to plan for a bug out situation because you don’t know where you would bug out to, or you simply prefer the idea of battening down the hatches in your current dwelling to weather whatever catastrophe may strike, urban survival and bugging in are two important topics that are quite worthy of consideration.

Most people now live in developed suburban and urban areas rather than out in the countryside, so in the event of an emergency, many people are going to find themselves trying to survive in the concrete jungle.

How well you can survive, amidst looting, violence and the desperation of the under- or completely unprepared, will depend on your own good sense and your ability to prepare ahead of time. Aside from stocking up on basic supplies like food and water, you don’t have to spend a fortune to prepare yourself for urban survival or bugging in, either.

First and foremost, one of the most important things to consider is self-defense for yourself and your loved ones. If an emergency crops up or a disaster strikes, law enforcement will likely be overwhelmed or possibly disbanded entirely, leaving civilians vulnerable to criminals. Those who are clearly well prepared become immediate targets of the unprepared.

To mitigate your risk of being targeted there are some very good things you can do (please note that these are basic guidelines, which can and should be adapted to the specifics of your circumstances and the emergency or disaster that has occurred):

  • Identify local resources ahead of time, including water alternative water sources for if / when the taps run dry. A reliable water source and method of purification is critical not only to basic survival but also to maintaining any semblance of cleanliness and proper hygiene, which is in turn necessary to avoid the spread of infectious diseases.
  • Avoid detection by boarding over the windows, keeping lights off at night (don’t underestimate the pitch black of a night without urban light pollution; your lights will stand out and draw attention to you, so keep them off) and entering or exiting your home from a discreet location or when no one is around.
  • Secure your home or dwelling as well as you can, without being too obvious and drawing attention from the exterior. Additional reinforcement at doors (if not to stop then at least to slow intruders) such as door jammers or barricades, chain locks and additional bolts can all make entries and exits more secure. If it is within your means to do so, you can also use the Russian method of a double door; the front door of an entry point is a heavy, solid metal door with multiple bolts and chain locks, followed by a secondary door of heavy, solid wood with a peep hole or viewing hole, additional chain locks, bolts, etc. If you’ve ever seen a traditional Russian tenement, you know what this looks like.
  • Whenever possible, try to cultivate a closer and more unified community amongst your neighbors ahead of time. If SHTF and you’re prepared but no one else on your street is, you may find yourself having to hide from or deceive the people you live alongside. Alternatively, your needy neighbors may end up targeting you in their desperation. A closer and better-developed community is especially necessary in the event of any long-term survival situation that may arise following a serious collapse or disaster.
  • Maintain an unattractive appearance to your house; while many people may be inclined to erect a veritable fortress around their house, this is more apt to draw attention to your location; a house that looks guarded and well stocked is an attractive target to roaming gangs who will probably outnumber and/or outgun you eventually. By comparison, a house that doesn’t look like much, is overgrown in the yard, and has every appearance of having already been ransacked a time or two, is far less likely to attract attention.

Now, in terms of your food and water, when you’re planning on bugging in you are at something of an advantage. Bugging in has its disadvantages, too, but if you have the room for food storage, you can eat like a proverbial king while bugging in.

Compared to bugging out, when every ounce of weight in your pack matters and canned food is a heavy luxury item, if you’ve got an empty pantry to fill, canned foods offer a great, economical investment in tasty, quality food that will generally last 3 – 5 years or longer. Compare that to an MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) or some astronaut food.

Also, avoid burning your dwelling down; keep a few fire extinguishers stored for use in case of an emergency and practice safe cooking rules when using fire at any time. Lighting fires inside your home or using a grill is not recommended; if you don’t have a fireplace, don’t light fires inside, period. Likewise, don’t leave anything cooking unattended and if you ever try to dispose of trash or yard debris by burning it be extremely careful.

Finally, a well-packed urban survival bag (also sometimes called a get home bag) can be invaluable in case of an emergency that strikes while you’re away from home. Packed with slightly different supplies than a standard bug out bag, an urban survival bag is designed to help you survive an emergency long enough to travel from your current location to your home or to another suitable location you intend to bug out from.

Items commonly packed in an urban survival bag include:

  • A basic emergency first aid kit
  • Fine particle masks (or possibly a gas mask)
  • A window punch (for use escaping from a vehicle or building when glass obstructs you)
  • A crowbar
  • Potentially a small quantity of cash
  • A pair of sturdy shoes (and possibly socks) esp. for women who wear heels regularly
  • Sunglasses, a handkerchief or bandana, and;
  • Some water and/or snacks for the trip home, it might be a long walk

You’ll probably also want a flashlight with spare batteries, a small, portable radio and a thermal blanket and/or warm jacket, depending on the climate you live in. You might want coins for operating a payphone, and if you rely on your cell phone for important numbers then write down those numbers in an address book and toss it in your emergency bag just in case.

For long-term urban survival following a bug in, there are several additional points to take into consideration, but to get into everything here would go beyond the scope of this article.

Suffice to say, for long-term urban survival following a crisis, emergency or other collapse, there would be concerns with trash, vermin and rodents, as well as sanitation, human waste removal, medical care, new food production, guard duties and additional security, and keeping yourself healthy.

Full Scale Cyberwar: One of the Greatest Threats to Critical Infrastructure That We Currently Face – Scariest Thing Will Be Not Knowing What’s Going on

Cyberattack. Not a localized focused incident, but a highly coordinated wide reaching major cyberattack. An event or series of events that attack modern infrastructure.

With what goal? To cause internal social chaos to the extent that we fight ourselves to a state of collapse. Cyberwar.

We are vulnerable beyond belief. Electronically interconnected. Networks jam packed with devices. The ‘internet of things’. The integrated electronic systems keeping infrastructure operational..

The scariest thing about a cyberattack, at least at first, will be – not knowing what’s going on.

The ensuing confusion. Broken communication systems. The resulting isolation. People desperately wondering what happened. Who did it. What to do..

Coincidently I watched the Netflix movie, “Leave The World Behind”. I happened to view it during the first day of release. A unique view (and well done, IMO) of this article’s topic. It didn’t take long afterwards for the preparedness world to start talking about it.

Cyberattack to the extent of devastating consequences – is a very real threat. It’s not science fiction. It’s cold-hard-fact.

Cyberwar concerns me more than EMP. Why? Because I believe it’s more likely. There are a handful of nation states that could pull off an EMP. However a major cyberattack is different. More potential ‘actors’. And ‘the enemy’ might not be effectively identified.

Cyberattack – Not Knowing What’s Going On

The focus of this article. Food-for-thought. The fact that the public (except for a few who have been ‘awake’ and prepared) will not know what’s going on after telecommunications goes down.

Every subsequent minute without their screens.. Social media Apps.. No Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, Snapchat, X (Twitter), Pinterest, etc… Not knowing what’s going on.. Not knowing how to find out.. Increasing anxiety.. And the ensuing panic.

Internet pipelines used for effective avenues of cyberattack into all sorts of infrastructure, including communications. An enemy objective –> cutting off flow of information. Leading to confusion and not knowing what’s going on.

Social media datacenters are attacked and platforms are taken down. Mainstream alphabet-channel networks are broken due to reliance upon affected datacenters, digital chokepoints, and the internet infrastructure itself. Cell phone provider networks. Any communications system reliant upon a smooth running internet. Hampered or broken.

Even worse, the likelihood of power grids being targeted and going down. When the lights go out, so do most communications systems.

There will be massive confusion resulting from not knowing. It will quickly lead to major stresses, indecision, bad decisions, internal conflict, and ultimately…social chaos.

Preppers Will Know..

Those educated within the realm of common sense preparedness will know. At least to the extent of knowing that a devastating cyberattack will require having prepared for it. Having known the probable consequences thereof. And, when it happens, making quick and smart decisions to stay ahead of the social chaos that’s sure to come soon afterwards.

It will be time to get to one’s ‘home base’ and pull up the drawbridge, so to speak.

Everything will become quite local. Communications will require face-to-face, in-person. Or, devices like 2-way radio communication, Amateur radio (ham radio), which are battery powered and don’t require the internet or the power grid.

Information and Intelligence gathering. Methods that don’t require the grid or the internet. Monitoring your radios. That’s how you will find out what’s going on.

Security can be greatly enhanced within a local area with 2-way radios (as long as you have a way to charge them, exemplified in an article linked below).

If you’re into practical preparedness and prepping, you already know this. And you likely already are well equipped in this area of communications. If you’re beginning, you might consider learning more about communications without the internet or without the electrical power grid.

An important point to all this is knowing how most people will react when there’s no reliable or functional communications during, and following, a major cyberattack.

Their coming to grips with it. It will be troublesome, and eventually dangerous.

Renewed Concerns

I have renewed concerns about the probability or likelihood of a major cyberattack, or series of devastating cyberattacks. It’s in the news and media, more and more. Even the WEF (World Economic Forum) is warning about this. Is it predictive programming?

We are exceedingly vulnerable. And there are many entities around the world who consider us an enemy. Seems like an opportune period of time for those who wish our demise, especially given the present climate of divisiveness and division. All that’s seemingly needed is a way to trigger descent into social chaos, lessening the need for a ‘traditional’ attack. We can do it for them. We can do it ourselves..

Are you new to preparedness? It might be a good time to get started.

Are you a veteran at this? It might be a good time to re-evaluate and have a look around. Maybe grease the hinges on the draw bridge..

Have a plan of action.

2024 is coming.

In Order to Understand How to Prepare for a Protracted Power Outage, You Should Understand Timeline of Events Following a Long Term Grid Down Catastrophe – Based on Population Density, 90% Are Dead

People may have basic emergency plans for a short term power outage. Usually these things are fixed fairly quickly, thanks to electric utility company lineman working the affected region. However, “what if” the entire power grid went down here in America? A catastrophic long term grid down. Surely that would never happen, right? “Come on man!” No way…

What if one of several potentially possible events actually brought the grid down all across the country? Without debating the aspects of causation, I wonder what might be the cascading timeline of resulting events following a long term grid down disaster? I would like to present an opinion about what might happen versus hours, days, weeks, etc.. afterwards.

Most of those who are preparedness-minded know and realize that they cannot count on government to ‘save them’ in the thick of a major and overwhelming disaster such as the aforementioned hypothetical long term grid down situation. Unfortunately the vast majority of people presume that there is a plan. And that regardless of the disaster, their government will step in and ‘provide’ for them. It will save them, so to speak. It will all ‘get fixed’. In the terrifying event of a long term grid down, this assumption will prove to be deadly.

Lets look at a potential timeline of events when the lights go out in America…

IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH

The cities would be the hardest hit.

  • Thousands trapped in elevators
  • ALL electrical appliances shut down… refrigerators, heating, A/C
  • ATM machines are inoperative
  • Banks and other businesses shut down
  • Gas stations without generators cannot pump fuel
  • For most, profound darkness

DAY 1

Some people are beginning to realize that this is very widespread, and could become a long term grid down situation.

  • Water faucets begin to run dry in some areas without utility generators
  • Toilets will no longer flush without water pressure
  • Law enforcement and responders overwhelmed by emergencies
  • Outbreaks of looting in the ‘usual places’
  • Batteries on laptops, cell phones, and flashlights are dying
  • Those with generators are using up their fuel
  • Massive ‘grid lock’ in the city regions, Some vehicles run out of gas and are abandoned
  • Conflicting descriptions of power outage, unknown expected duration, but looking more like long term
  • Officials disagree regarding recommended actions

DAY 3

  • Gas stations running out of fuel (those that could pump)
  • Water is at a premium
  • Some emergency generators assist in pumping water and sewage (limited)
  • Many ‘unprepared’ are running out of food already
  • Majority are beginning to panic, as reality sets in of this being a widespread long term grid down event
  • Drug stores and grocery stores being stripped in some regions
  • The “Oh $hit” moment of terrifying realization…

END OF WEEK 1 – LONG TERM GRID DOWN

  • Any .gov emergency rations are depleted
  • Hospital generator systems are running out of fuel, Renewed fuel delivery isn’t looking good
  • Some of the elderly and infirm are dying
  • Hospitals overwhelmed and struggling to perform emergency services
  • Martial Law is declared by the government, though most don’t get the message
  • Military attempts to maintain a veneer of order, but not enough personnel
  • Looting has become rampant, Desperate people join in
  • Millions upon millions are ‘on their own’

END OF WEEK 2 – LONG TERM GRID DOWN

  • People have become deeply frightened and fear for their lives, now knowing that this is going to be a long term grid down catastrophe
  • Most are now entirely running out of food to eat
  • Many are dying in regions without access to water and the inability to get somewhere else
  • Many are dying in regions /climates where there is no heat (if during winter)
  • Disease sets in (e.g. typhoid fever, cholera) from eating tainted food, water, poor sanitation

THE END OF THE FIRST MONTH

  • Many drug dependent patients are dying or are dead
  • The millions with severe psychotic disorders (no more meds) create bedlam
  • People and communities fighting over resources
  • Home invasions and violence related die-offs
  • Escaped prisoners, organized gangs, more violence related die-off
  • Communities are slowly starving

THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF LONG TERM GRID DOWN

90% are dead

The timeline of events following a long term grid down will vary based on population density, cities, suburbia, rural, season, and geographical circumstances. However it’s an interesting mental exercise to come up with a ‘best guess’. The process may help motivate more preparedness :=)

What’s your input? Would you add to the above or shift things around a bit?