Enemies of Liberty are ruthless. To own your Liberty, you'd better come harder than your enemies..

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

New Weekly Post: Practical Prepping

'Prepping' is not limited to putting cans of food in a pantry.

'Prepping' is short for 'Preparing'.  That one word covers the spectrum of preparing for the Evil which this way comes.  

Whether you indeed added a few more cans of beans to the pantry, or you checked the zero on a few of your rifles in your back yard, you worked on Combatives or getting your wind up by walking uphill for a while, dug a pit privy at your primary or secondary Bug Out spot, networked with fellow Patriots - what have you done in the last week to prep for the imminent North American Liberty Games?

I rarely encourage commenting, but feel free to weigh-in on this one.

All standard blog rules apply: Email if you'd prefer to stay under the radar.  Do not give away ancient Chinese secrets or coordinates to your secret squirrel spider holes.  Blah, blah...

Very often when a widget collapses under stress there is little or no warning.  One moment it is up and functioning and the next - not.  In our case, as has been stated here often by respected commentors - we have been warned.  We know what is coming as surely as Noah knew of the coming floods.

I hope you are building your Arks.

24 comments:

  1. You made the statement above "We know what is coming as surely as Noah knew of the coming floods." Realistically, the "we" is a very small number in my opinion. Maybe 10% of the people who claim to be preppers fit into your "we" category. The majority of "preppers" in my opinion, really do not believe anything will ever occur. The buy bulk grains, but they have no way to grind and prepare them, and have given no thought as to how they will cook with them. Ask them to attend weapons training and you will get the mantra "I know how to shoot". Anyone can yank a trigger. Everybody needs training. Some young men (25 to 30) that I know do not own a pistol or a rifle, but can afford to buy a $10,000 Razor and lots of other toys, but then have the balls to complain that they have no money for food, equipment, supplies, weapons, ammo or training. Look them in the eye and ask them if they have stored up toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and toilet paper and you just get a blank stare. The preppers that I know who have pets have not stored up an extended supply of food for them, and what they spend on their pets per year would buy the extra food, weapons, ammo and training that they need. Ask them to do PT and you will get lots of excuses. Very few are seriously building an ark in my opinion.

    In another post you said "It will only take a few serious III Patriots to Take Vienna - to win Rightful Liberty a proper place on our continent. Six men per state in 3-man teams. I wonder if we really have the numbers...".
    I wonder the same thing. Do we really have the numbers? There are few serious III Patriots out there. William

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. The 'Prpper' community is as filled with hobbyists as is the 'Patriot' community. These people whittle away the hours of their lives 'doing something' that is wholly unrealistic or incomplete to the stated objective.

      This is what they do between episodes of their favorite television shows or sports events. They are merely circle-jerking in their own very special snowflake rendition of the act.

      I have met more than a thousand people who claim to be III. I have 'met' many more than that if we consider internet contacts - but we won't go down that path.

      Of the thousand+ I have met, I have trained and/or broken bread with at least 300. I have entered into working partnerships with at least 3 dozen, on some level or another.

      The number of those people I would trust at my shoulder in a ruckus? A dozen, max. The number I know - for a fact with direct knowledge - who lie, twist facts to suit their own agenda and narrative, break promises, talktalktalk yet are never around when it is time to do the work, take the King's silver for unconstitutional ends that directly violate their stated principles? 40+.

      Those I trust are spread from Oregon to Texas to Florida to the Carolinas. I have some right here in my AO, which was the point of moving here.

      I am not sanguine 300 III Patriots - real ones - will ever occupy space under the same roof at any time. I am not sanguine we'll ever reach 300 III Patriots - real ones -working together in small teams - but I am not willing to give up on it.

      I do have one slim glimmer of hope, and that is because of the dozen or so very serious III Patriots I know, I am confident that in their respective AOs they will take point for whatever neighbors show up on D-Day. They will serve as the Officer Corps, until they are victorious or dead.

      Delete
    2. "I am confident that in their respective AOs they will take point for whatever neighbors show up on D-Day. They will serve as the Officer Corps, until they are victorious or dead."

      Amen. Indeed, that is much of what true leaders focus their efforts on, once their own house and family is squared away.

      Look to the example of Job - he prayed extra prayers, mad extra sin offerings, and tithed more than required - and did it all in the name of those he loved, "who might have forgotten".

      Men like Job are leaders.
      Not those with loud mouths; full of false bravado, always posturing in plain view (and hiding their cowardice, except from themselves).

      REAL Prepper and Patriot leaders are stocking up extra - on dang near everything from guns and ammo to food and medical supplies, clothes and blankets, toiletries, etc. They're even arranging their lives and their homes around the assumption that they will have 'guests' for the duration, once things go hot.

      But it is not just the physical needs of those they love which they consider - they are also leaders in prayer, and by their good counsel, and by exhorting those in their community against being a harm to each other by calumny, backbiting, petty grudges, and ceaseless complaints.

      Job was also a leader and role model because he endured. He suffered and endured with great patience, and he would not curse God, though Satan tried everything in his power to cause Job to do exactly that. Job was a leader because of his strong and worthy character.

      If you would lead, then I implore you, go back and read the book of Job again, and take it in the context of your intended role in the coming troubles.

      Therefore, friends and brothers, be firm in faith, such that if you find yourselves as Job did, you too will endure the test. I speak from experience, when I tell you that Job 1:13~19 is never further than a moment away from any of us.

      The book of Zechariah is also essential reading, not only because it is companion reading to Job (making references back to it), but also because many interesting parallels between the testing of Job and the tribulation of the Earth are drawn by Zechariah. The timing of his prophesy is inarguable, because in Zechariah 13:6 the 'prophet' of that day is questioned thus: "And they shall say to him: What are these wounds in the midst of thy hands? And he shall say: With these I was wounded in the house of them that loved me."

      The last paragraph of 13 Zechariah is pretty clear about what will come before the General Judgement - "And I will bring the third part [of the people] through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested". So it says, that the the peoples of the earth shall be tested before the day of the General Judgement, and two thirds shall perish in said testing.

      Take note of Job also, when he professes the error of presumption at the end, “I have proclaimed that which I did not understand” - Paul also warns us against such presumption, when he says, in chapter 13 of First Corinthians, "For [now] we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is Perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then [we shall see] face to face. Now I know [only] in part; but then I shall know even as I am known [by God]."

      [Note also the bit about, "When I was a child I spoke as a child..." Just in case you though I invented the concept of "Toddler Politics"]

      There is much to do, and very few who are about doing it. Never the less, "to man goes the labor, and to God goes the harvest".

      And I believe the harvesting shall begin, soon...

      WE HAVE BEEN WARNED

      Delete
  2. I'll start this off.

    I spent most of the past week roto tilling my garden plot and amending it with compost and fertilizer. I then spent Saturday getting my starts in the ground. I owe a special thanks to MissV for her knowledge and her willingness to share it.

    For tonight, an hour of PT.

    Also bought a case of 7.62x51 for training purposes for my HK91 clone.

    /ToneDeaf

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  3. The Myth of Serving Sizes in Packaged Emergency Food

    Something that absolutely annoys me is to open a four-serving package of food, whether it is “regular food” or “emergency food”, only to find that it barely serves two people. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a big eater. Still, I expect to eat a plateful of food as I get in my 2,000 calories a day (if you are doing PT, you will need that much).
    Then there is the issue of cost. If I am paying for four servings, I want four servings. To me, 1/4th cup of rice with a speck of meat and two specks of vegetables does not constitute a serving.

    The issue of serving size, calories, and cost is big one for every prepper yet many are blind to what they are really getting for their hard-earned dollars. They make purchases based on price and the quoted number of servings alone, when, in reality, the purchase should be based on a cost per serving, with the serving based upon a reasonable number of calories. While for many of you, I am preaching the choir, for others, this is new information.

    Lets discuss the mystery of serving size and how it affects your wallet. You might have noticed that serving sizes on your everyday grocery items aren’t always consistent, with one small carton of ice cream being four half-cup servings and another being two one-cup servings, or different brands of chips indicating a single serving is four or eight or even 10 chips. When listing smaller serving sizes, the manufacturer is downplaying the number of calories in the product. But who only eats four chips, or even a half a cup of ice cream?

    Kind of tricky, right? One food industry niche in particular where this phenomenon is found is food storage.

    Here’s how it works specifically in this industry: Some manufacturers will list similar prices to their competitors or claim they offer more servings per cost, but in reality, they are actually offering less food.

    How can you know this? Instead of comparing prices based on number of servings, compare prices based on total weight of the package of food. Companies boasting lower prices per serving often cost far more than competitors when compared by the weight of the food inside. More companies than you think are “shrink serving” sizes to make it appear as if you’re getting more food per package than you really are.

    For example, one food storage company offers a 720-serving package for $1,505 with the total weight of the package being 120 lbs., with total calories at 175,800, averaging 244 calories per serving.

    Another company offers the same number of servings for $1,430, with the total weight of the package being 184 lbs., total calories being 267,360 and average calories per serving of 377.

    A third company charges $1,646.99 for its 632-serving package. While that’s obviously fewer servings than the others, it averages out at even less calories per serving than the first choice: 224 That’s a huge difference, especially for the cost.

    The last place and time you would want to discover that you don’t have as much food as you thought to feed your family is during an emergency situation. When spending your hard-earned money on emergency supplies, you need to be sure you are getting what you think you’re paying for.

    So remember that the most important things to consider when comparing food storage packages is the total weight of the package and the resulting calories per serving, not the cost per serving. Knowing the total weight of the package will allow you to determine the real serving size for the price you’re paying—the calories per serving—so you can ensure that each member of your family gets enough each day to keep them healthy for as long as you need to live off of the emergency foods. William

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  4. Here is a basic Food & Water list that was put out by Selco on his website. A good starting point.

    Food
    I currently have a 6 months food supply in my bug out location. I try to save money every month to extend this to more months (to get to at least a year) but most months this does not work out. I recommend you stock up for at least six months and longer if possible.
    I do not live off my storage but I visit my bug out location on a regular basis to bring new supplies and take older ones to use at home.
    I believe if you are serious about survival you can survive with basic food and for me it makes more sense to store basic food and eat fresh vegetables and meat along with that on a regular basis, instead of storing freeze dried or more complete or fancy survival food and having to eat that all the time.
    Of course getting all those freeze dried products is more expensive as well but even if I could afford it, I would spend my money on other areas instead. I simply like fresh food and products too much but that is just me.
    Cans
    • 100 tuna fish cans (oil in those cans can be used for other purposes)
    • 200 meat stew cans
    • 200 meat (chicken) paste cans
    • 200 chicken meat cans
    • 200 bean cans
    • 100 mixed fruit cans
    • 50 tomato sauce cans (many uses, we even used it as jam by adding sugar)
    Jars
    • 100 jars of pickled cucumbers, peppers, chili…
    • 15 big jars of chocolate nuts cream (around 9kg)
    Basics
    Pack everything in 2 or 5 kg small bags so you do not lose all your supplies if some bags get wet or contaminated or in any other way damaged. They are also easier to carry, trade with and store at different locations throughout the house. I stock items in bold also for trading.
    • 200 kg flour
    • 100 kg rice (same like flour, look for a late expiration date)
    • 30 kg salt (to also pickle things, to dry meat, for preservation)
    • 10 sets spices ( 1 set is around 20 different small bottles of spices, spices can make a huge difference for your morale!)
    • 200 kg sugar (smaller packages, was very valuable during the war)
    • 200 kg coffee (raw coffee, can last longer, roasted coffee loses aroma easier) great for trading, coffee addicts, important for many people as a small bit of normalcy
    • 70 bags of 500g pasta, different kinds
    • 300 bags quick soups (easy to carry, gets ready very fast, can just drink it from glass, if hot good when you feel cold)
    • 30 kg of tobacco (not important if you are a smoker or not, good to store it with leafs of cabbage, keeps tobacco fresh, packaged in 1kg boxes with cabbage leafs, best case is to be non-smoker and use it just for trade)
    • 50 boxes (10,000 cigarettes)
    • 200 liters of rakia (vodka) (stronger alcohol makes sense because of it’s multiple uses)
    • 50 liter olive oil
    • 100 liters of sunflower oil (will use olive oil mostly for cooking and sunflower for all other purposes)
    • 10 liters of vinegar (to pickle stuff, making salads)
    • 15 kg of honey (to treat colds, pneumonia, natural medicine treatments)
    • 5 kg cocoa powder (packaged in 250g)
    • 10 kg of powdered fruit drink mix (multivitamin) 1kg baking powder

    Water
    I do not store big amounts of water because we have a spring and small creeks very close to my bug out location. I have about 100 liter bottled water though.
    Other Food related stuff
    • 5,000 paper plates (to cut down on dish washing)
    • 1,000 plastic cups
    • General kitchen items (pots, pans, cutlery…)
    • empty barrels, canisters, containers, bottles for water (there was a shortage of storage boxes, whenever you trade something you might need a place to store it properly)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the idea of this weekly post.
    This past week:

    I've worked on our shop and apt. at our BOL, which will shortly be our permanent residence.

    Packed and moved three loads to the new homestead.

    Had a pump installed on our well, had a pressure tank installed, and am now waiting for the call for the pump man to say he's coming to finish up. I'm really tired of a dry camp, but it has been good practice.

    Started tearing down t posts and hog and cattle panels to move.

    Obtained a trailer of pallets to store barrels, fencing, metal, etc. at the homestead "general store." You rural people know what I'm talking about, the place out of sight where you store all sorts of things that you might be able to use or pull a part off of to repair something. :)

    Talk to you next week.

    Miss Violet
    P.S. ToneDeaf, happy to help. :)



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, I thought I was the only one hoarding barrels, fencing, metal, etc.. My wife keeps nagging me to clean up my mess. When the SHTF and I need something from my pile o junk I'll be able to say 'Aren't you glad I didn't get rid of this stuff'. ;) Even then I'll be wrong!

      /ToneDeaf

      Delete
  6. That is why you have the General Store out of sight. :)

    I'm all about use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do with out, but I don't want to look at that mess either!

    BTW, it's not hording Grasshopper, it's being prepared so you don't have to spend hard earned silver.
    Miss Violet

    ReplyDelete
  7. I consider this a minimal list of tactical equipment. By no means is it a complete list. It is a good starting point.

    1) RIFLE (SEMIAUTO, CAL 223 OR LARGER)
    2) PISTOL (SEMI AUTO, CAL 9mm OR 45 ACP)
    3) At LEAST 10 HANDGUN and 15 RIFLE MAGAZINES
    4) LEVEL IV RIFLE PLATES with PLATE CARRIER
    5) CHEST RIG FOR YOU MAGS AND GEAR
    6) WEAPONS MOUNTED FLASHLIGHT
    7) BINOCULARS
    8) PATROL RADIO
    9) A MINIMUM of 1,000 ROUNDS FOR YOUR HANDGUN
    10) A MINIMUM of 2,000 ROUNDS FOR YOUR RIFLE
    11) A FIGHTING KNIFE (MINIMUM BLADE LENGTH OF 7")
    12) MEDICAL BLOW OUT KIT
    13) FOOD (MRE'S, FREEZE DRIED, JERKY, ETC) FOR PATROL
    14) LIGHTERS and WATERPROOF MATCHES
    15) WATER PURIFICATION DEVICE
    16) CAMEL BACK WATER CONTAINER
    17) PLENTY OF BATTERIES FOR ALL OF YOUR DEVICES

    William

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent list William.

      Just a few questions, the number of handgun magazines you list, is that many needed?

      Also do you feel that level IV plates are required over a level III? This is one area I don't know enough and would like your opinion as you have good knowledge.

      Thanks,

      /ToneDeaf

      Delete
    2. Some steel level III plates are not certified to stop green tipped steel core 5.56 rounds. Level 4 ceramic is rated to stop green tip, 30.06 AP and 308 Win AP. For the weight and cost difference between steel Level III and ceramic Level 4 plates, Level 4 is prefered. Lots of steel AR500 plates say they can stop green tip 5.56, but most are not certified to that fact.
      A good website to check out for rifle plates and body armor is bulletproofme.com

      National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Police Ratings:
      Level III
      Tested to stop 6 rounds of .308 Winchester Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) = NATO 7.62 X 51 mm, and, of course it can easily handle lesser threats, such as AK-47 / Kalashnikov 7.62 X 39 mm Full Metal Jacket (FMJ).
      Level IV
      Tested to stop ONE round of .3006 Armor-Piercing (AP) at 868 mps and lesser threats. Though just tested for one hit of .3006 AP, will also stop multiple hits of lesser threats such as: .308 FMJ, AK-47, M-16 - M855 or SS-109, etc.

      Your life is important, don't skimp on rifle plates.

      Delete
    3. As far as mags are concerned, I have four designated pistol mags I use every day and I keep them fully loaded and I also train with (which includes dropping for malfunction drills). So I keep six mags as new and the other four are kept loaded and are well used. That's just my preference.

      Delete
    4. Some steel level III plates are not certified to stop green tipped steel core 5.56 rounds. Level 4 ceramic is rated to stop green tip, 30.06 AP and 308 Win AP. For the weight and cost difference between steel Level III and ceramic Level 4 plates, Level 4 is prefered. Lots of steel AR500 plates say they can stop green tip 5.56, but most are not certified to that fact.
      A good website to check out for rifle plates and body armor is bulletproofme.com

      National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Police Ratings:
      Level III
      Tested to stop 6 rounds of .308 Winchester Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) = NATO 7.62 X 51 mm, and, of course it can easily handle lesser threats, such as AK-47 / Kalashnikov 7.62 X 39 mm Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) and regular 223 FMJ's and lead core 223's.
      Level IV
      Tested to stop ONE round of .3006 Armor-Piercing (AP) at 868 mps and lesser threats. Though just tested for one hit of .3006 AP, will also stop multiple hits of lesser threats such as: .308 FMJ, AK-47, M-16 - M855 or SS-109, etc.

      Your life is important, don't skimp on rifle plates. Check out the bulletproofme.com website.

      Delete
  8. Here are seven simple categories everybody needs to consider and not in any particular order:
    1: Fire
    2: Shelter
    3: Water
    4: Food
    5: Communication
    6: Medical
    7: Defense

    William

    ReplyDelete
  9. This Past Week: I continued to count coup
    while accessing various areas of 'private property' designated as 'off limits.' This activity resulted in a loss for those who support vandalizing and erasing Confederate history, but meanwhile support flying the flag of LGBT/gay pride in its place. It also resulted in the "black-eye' loss for a location that is likely being prepared to shelter illegal immigrants.
    During the past week, I continued to gain more real world experience, in the use of a disguise and infiltration techniques, in order to get within spitting distance of a location I wanted to observe and gather information about.
    During the past week, each time I left my home and was out driving, a weapon and ammunition went along for the ride.
    Yes, I had my permit with me.
    That goes without saying, as it has always been with me since the day I was born.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "...there's a room where the lies won't find you, holding hands while the walls come tumbling down..."
      Perhaps defining "counting coup" is different now? I will trust LT will enlighten you, regarding counting coup... for those of us who have done so, it is more severe than 'trespassing' -
      Bill Collector

      Delete
  10. Yeah, whomever the fuck you are, I don't need you or anyone else to enlighten me.
    Make sure you understand that "anonymous."
    Moreover, your comments submitted under the handle of "Bill Collector" are a mystery wrapped in a riddle, as I've never read a comment posted here under that designator before, in all the times I've viewed this blog (and its previous incarnation) over the past five yesrs.
    Furthermore, even if I had read a countless number of your belched queefs during that time,
    I still would not stupidly trade a full accounting of my activities in the clear.
    As there was no malice, or directed hostility, in my previous comment, coupled with your poorly coordinated knit-picking of catshit with a thumbtack of barely one point in my comments, its obvious that you are a fly-by-night shitbag stirring up trouble.
    Your inadequacies, impotence, cowardice and scapegoating are yours alone.
    Without question, if I posted a dogshit comment of circle-jerk, know nothing, do nothing, fanboy bravado (as you did), it would have been dealt with appropriately by the moderator of this blog.
    Honestly, I am stunned that your unprovoked
    attack got through.
    No, I'm sure of it, you are a Grade-A shit stirrer,
    and that which you don't stir you eat.
    I've had my fill of you and your shitbag buddies, the Not One More Inch, No More Free Wacos, this ain't the hill to die on, cherry picking, back door skulking, going where the wind blows whores.
    I'm in a fighting mood.
    What about you?
    I'll be in Cleveland and make myself easy to find
    if necessary.
    K has my name and mailing address, and I won'l mind if you ask him to email it to you.
    It has not changed since he last mailed me
    some III patches.
    All I ask is that it not be posted openly online.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've let 'Bill Collector' through to demonstrate to a friend the true nature of his disposition. He has attacked you and Alan now, and generally been a shit.

      A very un-Christian shit.

      He still hasn't mustered the courage to use the name by which we all know him - and it isn't the first time he's behaved this way.

      Some people simply lose their way...

      Delete
  11. Perhaps you could restore the
    coup-counter to the page, along
    with your reasoning that was posted
    with it.
    If memory serves, I believe that was in 2011
    or 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Some people simply lose their way..."

    Some people simply are duplicitous, back stabbing, lower than snake spit cowards.

    Miss Violet

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Bill Collector" is apparently still wearing diapers... That he has a great deal of company as such, is not the same as being in good company.

    I would not acknowledge his comment at all, save for the fact that he called me out personally by it. I am disappointed that he did so - it was neither necessary, nor charitable.

    And while he has accused others of doing things neither necessary nor charitable, I would not have expected him to lower himself to such a standard, nor to involve me in such.

    Dignity requires that I not say more in a public setting.

    /LT

    ReplyDelete

Please post anonymously. III Society members, please use your Call Sign.