Door Knockers and Strap Hangers

Teotwawki Blog brought up The Doorstep Problem and it is worth discussing. In fact it is probably on the quarterly fundamentals rehashing list. So here we go.

There are a few fundamental questions to consider:

1) Do I/ we want to help this person? If you have been wanting to yell at somebody and maybe point a gun at them for years then the decision is simple.

2) Can I/ we afford to help this person? This is a question of how much food (or whatever stuff) you have, how many people it needs to feed and the suspected length of the situation at hand. I could feed the whole neighborhood for a 3 day power outage and a bunch of folks for a month to ride out a natural disaster. On the other hand if we are talking about 6 months or a year or maybe more the division gets bad in a hurry.

3) Under what conditions am I/ we willing to help this person?

Now to some discussion.

I think it is reasonable to keep your preparations from acquaintances and casual office buddies. It's easy enough to avoid those discussions with these folks. Worst case for casual acquaintances who say "I'm coming to your house" the response of "No you are not, I have a gun and know how to use it" is probably sufficient.

However close friends and family will know to some degree that you are prepared and we tend to like them a lot more. Maybe it will be because keeping things from these folks is harder as we are closer to them or that they are around more and will eventually see a stash of canned essentials or a few boxes of freeze dried food. So we are going to focus primarily on more than casual acquaintances.

The old adage that you can get murdered alone or starve to death together bears some consideration. There is a balancing act here. On one hand any decent security setup is probably going to involve several or ideally more like a dozen plus healthy military age (broadly 16-60ish) adults which probably means at least 2 or more likely 3 times that number of people with kids, elders and the infirm. However at some point the math just doesn't work. Most folks have a hard enough time trying to make bills, save and get prepared for their immediate family, let alone a 40 person extended clan. If you do not have enough food in the short term and the space and stuff to produce food in the long term it's just not going to work.

I think conditions under which you might be willing to help a particular person are worth giving serious consideration. Are you willing to let them camp in the back 40, use whatever shelter they bring and eat their own food? Will you provide them with some food, tell them you cannot spare more later and send them home? Are they going to sleep in the den and basically be treated as family? Can they bring 4 poorly behaved pit bulls? What about granny?

[People often lack any sort of realistic shelter plan for those who are coming over to ride things out. Travel trailers are a fine idea. Slapping up a couple basic rooms with bunk beds in the basement is a fine idea. Turning an old shed into a bunk house is a fine idea. The point is to have a realistic plan of some sort.]

There are not really clean cut answers here but it is worth figuring out the answers for your situation. I think it's worth mentioning that the time to talk about this stuff is BEFORE something happens. That gives folks a legitimate opportunity to meet your conditions or find an alternative plan. Also it puts you on as solid ground as you can be when your cousin who was told he can camp in the back 40 and eat his own food shows up empty handed.

I think strap hanging family are probably the most underestimated problem for your Rawlesian type pre planned survivalist group. When the chips are down many folks realize that blood actually matters a lot. Most people simply will not turn away their parents or siblings. At least with a more natural group of some family and close friends there is a bit of overlap and you know each other. On the other hand if your 'group' is 6 random families all with their own relatives and close friends the numbers get out of control in a hurry. Depending on peoples family situation and proximity the issue may be pressing. Again the answer is thinking about these problems and coming up with a realistic plan before you need it.

I do not have all the answers. Close family and friends we would help as much as possible, more distant relatives and  casual buddies would probably get some help and other folks would get told to kick rocks. My answers might not be right for you but it's where I stand on the thing.

Thoughts?

Meeting Like Minded People

Commander Zero once compared being a survivalist to 'alternative lifestyles'. For the more prudish folks they have to get past their prejudices (just for a second) and actually thing about this. It is something you do not really want out there for most folks but to meet people with similar interests occasionally you have to put yourself out here. There is a 'survivalist radar' that is sort of like a 'gaydar' that you can sometimes peg folks who are like you. However at some point you or the other person have to go out on a limb and talk about it for things to progress. In any case moving on.

I put myself out there recently. This was a big thing for me. To say that I am paranoid and have significant trust issues is probably an understatement. However to improve my situation this has to happen. My current 'tribe' has some pluses and some minuses. One of the biggest minuses is that until I change jobs (no plan to do that anytime soon) they are very far away.

Sometimes the answer to improving your situation is that you need to get out and make some new friends with similar interests. Where it will go I am not sure. Honestly don't know what my goals from the whole thing anyway. I would like to learn useful things I do not know and help others learn what I know. Also maybe leverage numbers to make some group purchases at 'bulk' prices. Could even progress into some sort of mutual assistance type thing.

Anyway the point I am trying to get to is that many of us (myself included) would benefit from developing relationships and training with like minded individuals. Obviously we need to pay some attention to OPSEC and limit the amount of info we let folks know about us but otherwise the benefits outweigh the negatives. However if the only reason you aren't willing to meet new people is that it means leaving your comfort zone then put on your big boy(or girl) pants and do the smart thing.

We will probably talk more about this.

Family Fire Team Complete

Kiddo #2 was born this morning. 7 pounds 13 ounces, 19.5 inches long all the right numbers of fingers and toes. It looks like this kid has some will to live because she is taking to nursing just fine which is great. Walker seems to like her which is good. She also seems to be a solid sleeper which is good. Time will tell on both of those things of course.

Anyway figured I would let you all know so please forgive me if correspondences are delayed or whatnot. Posts are scheduled for awhile which should help things. There are a few more entries to our EDC contest that helped a lot here.

Tonights Conversation

Wifey- I'm mad at you. I only have the energy to be nice to one person today, all things considered it should be Walker. Beside he didn't do anything to me.

Me-What did I do to you?

Wifey- Impregnated me!

Happy Christmas Eve

It was a pretty good day here. Did some running around and taking care of stuff early. The afternoon was spent cooking. Wifey was working on tomorrows feast. Today was my job. The menu was prime rib, potatoes au gratin, macaroni and veggies. My first time with the meat and taters but the consensus was that it all turned out well. Dog sure liked the ribs and trimmings too.

Tried to get a $25 blu ray player from Goodwill bought to replace our KIA DVD player up and running without luck. It will probably work eventually but didn't tonight. On the plus side that trip included a great deal on a $25 brand new (still had tags on it) DCU Gore Tex parka that I'm really psyched about. In any case after putting kiddo to bed we did a little Elf work and got everything ready for tomorrow.

Looking forward to tomorrow with Walker. Except he hates Santa. Had a bad experience with a mall impostor and now every time the S man is mentioned he freaks out. In any case it should be an eventful and fun day. No big plans. The usual presents in the morning, some snacking through out the day, dinner and then call it a rap. We aren't near family so it is just us and good ole Dog. Sure there will be plenty of catching up with folks via phone though.

In any case I hope you all had a great day today and are ready for tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

Official Announcement V2 Second Kid On The Way

Hey All, Saw in the comments section that my previous announcement of the newest member of the family fire team was missed by one which probably means a few other folks missed it too. Anyway not only is kiddo #2 on the way the timeline is getting very short.

Dog Update

Dog is fitting into the family well. He got checked out by the vet, shot, exam, etc. Dog is totally healthy and should have at least a couple years left (he is 8) which is good. Turns out that he has gained 7 pounds in the last month or so. That puts his weight at 79 pounds. He may be getting a few leftovers and all sorts of stuff from the kid. We wondered about his hearing but it turns out to be fine. There was just some wax buildup.

So that means he really doesn't care about much of anything. That is a good thing for our family dynamic and lifestyle. Still he is a large dog that barks so we are up a few points on the all important 'leave us alone and rob the neighbors instead' index.

We are still working on getting Walker to treat the dog well. That is not actually true because working on implies some sort of plan or progress. Not exactly sure what to do with that one.

In any case the dog is pretty awesome. He does not ride in the back of the SUV when we go someplace but prefers to sit in the back seat next to the kid. He likes it because kiddo is restrained. Dog would probably sleep about 18 hours a day if he had his own way. Also Dog prefers his hamburgers without sauce or veggies.

So that is what's going on with Dog.

Happy Halloween

We did some trick or treating which was big fun. Kiddo doesn't quite get that he is supposed to say anything but going on a walk with the dog where everybody gives him candy worked for him. I hope you all are spending time with friends and family plus maybe getting to know the neighbors a bit better. Seriously spend some time in meatspace with actual people today.

Also since the kid's didn't seem to make it out here we will have some candy to put away in the stash which is good.

Project AR Upgrade, Class IV Body Armor, Washers N' Dryers and Dogs

Today was pretty busy. We had to do all manner of running around errand type stuff. It isn't a done deal yet but looks like we are getting a dog in the next few days. More to follow on this. Also we were able to pick up a washer and dryer. Bought them used at a pretty good price. Finding the place was an adventure. I spent an hour or so puttering around dirt roads out in the desert trying to find some little lane. Got them here and hooked up so we can wash clothes which will be really nice. Also it means we can get back to cloth diapering which will be good.

I ordered a set of ceramic level IV rifle plates to fill out my TAG Banshee plate carrier. Some thoughts on body armor are floating in my head but that can wait for another day.

Pulled the trigger on Project Upgrade AR. BCM 14.5" Mid Length with a pinned Battle Comp 1.5. Not 100% it was worth paying the extra for the comp but I haven't heard anything bad about them so it seemed like a good idea. Also got a BCM bolt carrier group, Gunfighter charging handle (the medium one) and Flat Earth Magpul hand guard with a BUIS to match. The Magpul hand guard and potentially the BUIS are relatively temporary until Phase II which will be a Rail and DBAL.

Today was a pretty good day in terms of life and preparedness. These days do not happen often. It is worth noting that it would not have been possible without a lot of saving and selling off a couple of guns. Selling things I do not use or need to fund the purchase of more useful stuff is something I am getting to like.

Speaking of which the M1 Garand seems to have a buyer. Nothing is 100% until it's over but this looks promising. I am pretty psyched about it. Think those funds will start filling in some holes like night sights and a surefire weapons light.

Anyway I am going to relax for a bit and enjoy Sons of Anarchy which is cool. Maybe it is just a nuance of programing here but the CBS show Vegas seems to have prudently moved to 9 o'clock.

Unpacking Fun and More Work To Do

Got the new place and started unpacking. Ammo is HEAVY! It really got annoying to unload it all. Not a terrible problem to have I guess. Need to start some more caches just to avoid hauling around so much stuff.

Aside from getting the internet up I don't have a lot going on until our household goods get delivered midway through next week.

One of the projects I plan to do in this gap of time is to inventory and organize stuff, specifically ammo. I was basically ordering blind in Germany so am less than sure exactly what we have. Also cans will be packed away logically instead of as a total mess. Everything was in a can with dessicant packs but other there was no organization present. I will generally put together like items with a couple 'go cans' put together. The 'go cans' will have some ammo for the guns we would really depend on in a disaster. A couple spare mags might get tossed in too just in case something is forgotten in a stressful moment.

Aside from the go cans the rest will be packed in like groups. Everything will be labeled. Desiccant packs will be replaced. In addition to organization this will also let me really know where any deficiencies are at. I know we are real short on .357 magnum ammo but am unsure exactly where we sit on everything else. Some stuff might be waiting to suprise me.

Should be big fun and I would be smart to get that mess out of the living room before Wifey comes which means it will get done sooner instead of later. Wifey and kiddo will be flying down here shortly after that. Having kiddo in the car for the cross country trip sounded terrible and them coming later just made sense. I miss them a lot.

Recent Conversations

I have had a couple conversations with close family members lately. One about precious metals and another about rifles. We will talk about them as part of the need for a quarterly rehashing of all basic topics.

A relative asked what I thought about silver and gold as an investment:

For the sake of avoiding repetition check out this post on getting into precious metals. I told him that I do not like PM's AS AN INVESTMENT. Making money buying and selling commodities requires buying low and selling high. If you have those skills that is great. Personally if I knew how to do that reliably I would be doing it for a living. That makes it basically gambling which probably is not smart.

I do like PM's as a conservative piece of my overall financial situation. Sort of like insurance or an alternative savings plan. I like them for protection against high inflation, currency debasement and even an outright economic collapse. They generally move opposite to more modern instruments like stocks and such which is nice. For most people assuming they are halfway financially squared away (no huge credit card balances, etc) putting some money into PM's makes sense.

We talked the qualities of both silver and gold. To recap silver is affordable and valued appropriately for day to day type transactions but it gets heavy fast while gold is very compact for it's value which would be useful if you have to move it. For his situation I said it would not be a bad idea to buy a big bag of silver then put the balance into gold, mostly 1 ounce bars/ rounds.

As to total amounts I recommended not to go crazy but maybe to put a certain % of your liquid assets into PM's. Depending on your situation and where you think the doom thermometer is this could be lower like 5% or more like 25%. Like most things somewhere in the middle is probably the way to go.

Another relative asked if I would recommend that he purchase an AR-15 or an AK-47. I told him to go with an AR. This is for a variety of reasons. First the price gap between the two weapons, which was part of the AK's advantage has closed drastically in recent years. Second given his military experience muscle memory lies with the AR. Third the logistics of potential resupply are probably better for the AR. John Mosby makes a case that the AR is a better weapon which is hard to argue with. That being said (and this is how I closed the talk) both are good guns that should serve you well.

There was also a separate thread of the conversation about specific builds for AR's and barrel twist rates. The answer was that considering that his intended uses of casual plinking and potential SHTF I suggested not to bother. If so inclined he could do a lot of research and spend a bunch of money. However my recommendation was that a good basic carbine like a S&W MP would do everything he wants for a lot less money.

Maybe these questions give a bit of insight into what normal non whacko survivalist folks are thinking about these days.

Family Fun and Project Upgrade AR Research, Input Welcome

Went like crazy today chasing the kids and having big family fun. Finished it off with a big family dinner which was cool too.

I have been doing some research on Project Upgrade AR. I am thinking Bravo Company for the manufacturer. Leaning towards one of their middy uppers with a 14.5 or 16 inch barrel (still need to do some research here). Torn on a normal profile with the front sight/ gas block or the recce thing. If just for simplicity I like the normal front sight. For the sake of expediency I will stick it on a complete lower that I have. Eventually I will pick up another lower, ideally a BCM but anything decent is fine.

Anyway soliciting input:

What I want is to get a nice mil spec M4agery with a flat top that will serve me well for a long time.  I DO NOT want to come back and re do this in 4 or 5 years. The currently rifle I have now is perfectly functional though probably not as rugged as it could be. Instead of going cheap here I would just keep it.

The budget is not super important though I would like to be out the door for around a grand for a stripped rifle so not counting BUIS, optic, sling and such. I am however not willing to pay a ton just to get a name like Noveski, La Rue or Daniels Defense. I am inclined to stick with 1 manufacturer unless I can get a deal (on comparable quality stuff) or there is some compelling reason company A makes a better whatever than companies B, C and D. Those are the broad parameters.

Your input BASED ON PERSONAL FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE would be greatly appreciated.

Random Thoughts: Money, Life and Stuff

This weekend I got to catch up with some long time friends. One guy I grew up with just happened to be in town for the weekend to go to a wedding and we were able to catch up. That was great.

In particular it was great to see one friend with whom I have a lot in common. At the surface we are very different but a lot of core beliefs and attitudes are the same. Stuff like meeting a girl, getting to know her, getting hitched and then having a kid and how we deal with finances and such.

We talked a lot about all manner of things. He has done real well for himself. It was a reminder to me that I need to put some energy into developing additional streams of income or at least the skills and stuff to do so if needed. Also I need to get better at mechanical stuff. We talked about a few things and I was pleased he was on the right track and gave him some ideas to think about.

I was disappointed to hear that a couple we know was going through bankruptcy. I do believe that bankruptcy is a necessary legal mechanism. Things can happen that make it so people cannot meet their debts. Somebody could do all the right things and get hurt or disabled or whatever. This is not one of those cases. They seem to have just bought a bunch of toys on credit and generally lived a lifestyle they could not afford. My friend also mentioned that the guy thought his wife did not need to work as a contributing factor. He sort of implied this was an antiquated or impractical way of living.

I sort of dissented at this point. I said it is perfectly possible and relatively simple. Figure out what Dad (or really mom if you want to go that way) makes, chop out some to save and then live on it. Simple, though not necessarily easy. He makes enough money that it could work but they would have a pretty modest life. No big fancy trucks or boats or expensive hobbies. Apparently they wanted to have their cake and eat it too.

Anyway I have a hard time with this. I suppose they had good intentions to honor the debts they took on. However at some point before deciding to file for bankruptcy I wonder if they knew the jig was up. Maybe they decided to have some fun going down. I don't know. The idea that they are deciding it is too unpleasant to honor their debts and it is easier to default is difficult for me. It isn't that Chevy or Visa or Cabellas or whatever are going to be unduly hurt or are worth anything in particular. More that I have, maybe theoretically to my own detriment, a sense of honor about these things. [ Wifey once said there are two things to know about me. I don't do things I don't want to do  and I do what I say I will do.] Doesn't matter if the other party is worthy, like a friend or relative, or not. If I say I will do something then I do it, or at least give it my best. 

Went for a little run today. It is amazing how a half dozen long (150m ish) sprints totally change the character of a 2 mile run. Between that and the 3 miler I did late last week puts me at 20.5. Getting to 50 might be rough this month. However in the big picture considering I have never done any sort of exercise program on leave getting halfway would be something solid.

Today we had a family dinner. That was pretty good. A couple relatives drove a long way to make it which was totally surprising and great. One of them who is pretty like minded and I got to talking about life and our economy. The benefits of diversification came up. Having some silver and an extra gun or three you could sell or swap without shorting yourself is a good thing.

I saw the new show Revolution which was interesting. Will watch next week. Between it and Sons of Anarchy my TV lineup is getting going again. Big fun.

Sorry for a rather random post. I had planned on something else but the evening kind of got away from me. Anyway I hope all is well for everybody.

Get Home Bag, Walking and Life Update

I am not sure if it has been mentioned explicitly yet but our time in Europe is almost done. We are very happy to be headed back to the US. Travel and some experiences here have been great but a lot of everyday stuff is a hassle. Also the level of regulations, rules and such here does not mesh with my nature at all. We saw a lot of places and missed some good ones. Particularly we are bummed about not getting to Ireland but that is how things worked out. There is more travel here than we could have done even if time and money were not concerns. In any case it is about time to move on to the next chapter in our lives. We will be spending about a month catching up with folks in the PNW. After that we are headed to the Southwest. More on that later.

We have been walking a lot lately. The weather is good now and it is a solid way to get out of the house and doing something. I do not recommend walking as a form of exercise unless you are A) elderly, B) recovering from a serious injury/ illness, C) crippled or D) seriously overweight and or out of shape and working towards running a la couch to 5k or a similar program. However that does not mean walking is not without benefits. Most of the benefits are not really physical. Getting outside and spending time with your family in the area you live in is a good thing. If somebody told me they walk as a form of exercise who did not fit the above categories I would try to coach them towards a better path, potentially with some mocking involved. If somebody told me they walk regularly to get outside and for active recovery from more strenuous workouts like running or rucking or for some additional low impact/ intensity cardio I would say that was a great plan.

My get home bag setup needs some work. The primary issue is that I really like my Tactical Tailor bag and use it regularly. I like that bag for the task but it can't be in two places at once. This makes having it in the car with a variety of stuff loaded into it problematic. I have a couple of ideas. First a couple side pouches to hold 1 quart water bottles will help free up space in the main compartment for normal life stuff. (Regardless of what I do the bag needs this MOD anyway.) Second sooner or later I need to swap out that bag or get a replacement for normal everyday carry use. Something I have considered is putting most of the stuff that is in my GHB into something else like a wet weather bag or trash bag and then putting it into my TT pack if needed. Mostly this stuff is a full set of clothes with boots, socks, gloves and a hat. I keep this stuff in there because regularly I go on short trips in less than fully ideal clothing and the option to change into suitable clothes for walking is a good thing. I mulled this a lot but despite being an easy and ideal solution it came up short because while I carry the TT bag around a lot while using it as a normal bag it doesn't ALWAYS MAKE IT INTO THE CAR. Inevitably the day I needed it is the day it would be in the hall closet. So the question is what to do. The short term answer is pretty much covered. I ordered a used medium ALICE pack awhile back for $10. It will be a very inexpensive solution and such will likely fit for awhile. Not as nice or comfortable but for $10 instead of $150 that is to be expected. Still a rugged bomb proof pack. Down the road a nice high end bag like the TT or something from Hill People Gear would be great in this role but I will not be able to justify the expense for awhile. Likely I  would use the TT for a GHB and something a bit smaller for typical every day type use. Since I don't see any traction on this for at least 6 months or more likely 12 there is some time to think about it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Groups: An Open Discussion

-People have been living in groups for as long as there have been people. Groups are much stronger than individuals. Also they allow for support when you get sick or injured or whatever.

-In the context of survivalism you could arguably break groups down into naturally occuring and intentional. The naturally occuring groups come from families, churches, groups of friends, etc that for whatever reason are spurred to become survivalists. The intentional groups are survivalists who in whatever way find eachother and seek to form groups with like minded individuals.

-It seems like both type of groups have advantages and disadvantages.

-Naturally occuring groups have the benefit of being made up of people you know and trust. This is huge to me. Maybe I have trust issues. However some folks seem to have shared information and trusted their lives based on relationships that to me are not sufficient for somebody to borrow my car, let alone watch Walker.

-On the downside in naturally occuring groups you have to deal with varied levels of motivation, skills and logistical stockpiles (or lack theiron) of folks you know. Getting somebody to take the leap from planning to come together in a bad scenario to implimenting a vigerous PT program, regularly conducting intentional training, building skills and stockpiling beans, bullets and bandaids is hard.

-Intentional groups of folks without a long background have the advantage that you can pick and choose. Find a mechanic if you need one or whatever. Also motivation and getting folks acting should be less of an issue than with naturally occuring groups.

-On the downside there is the trust issue. I talked about this a long time ago, beware there are dirty words that may offend some peoples fragile feelings. Also I seriously wonder about folks who plan to abandon their family and friends to throw in with a bunch of strangers. This sort of plan vastly underestimates the bonds and obligations that people have to family and good friends. Unless everybody involved is an orphan or their family lives thousands of miles away I suspect strap hanging family will be a serious issue for this sort of group. [ Any sort of group will need to have brutally harsh conversations about how to deal with this issue. Figuring out if you can/ how to feed and shelter people we love that can't or more realistically won't prepare for theirselves is a complicated topic. They would also be an issue for naturally occuring groups but since they tend to be family and friends anyway at least you are dealing with fewer families.]

-As to leadership and such I think naturally occuring groups have an advantage. Maybe there is already a Patriarch and things are simple or in other cases previously existing relationships have largely sorted theirselves out. Intentional groups seem inherantly full of chiefs and short of indians.

Anyway I am interested in what has worked well or poorly for you. Please let me know in the comments section.

Groups, Beginning Survivalism and My Generation

Lizard Farmer wrote a post called The Wave: Bugging Out? Some Things To Think About that I definitely recommend reading. Sometimes when I see something particularly interesting on another blog and or my thoughts would be a lengthy or complicated post I do a post on it. This is one of those times. To me the post breaks into two distinct areas, groups and beginning survivalism both in general and for young people.

On the topic of groups my thoughts that apply here are prety simple. There are two broad ways you can expect to get invited into a group: if you have something to offer or have a close connection with the group. Close connections like family or long term friends are typically something you have or don't.


An intentional survivalist group is not going to be interested just in your sparkling personality. They will want folks who bring something to the table. Typically if they are a group worth joining, they will want people with at least some basic skills, equipment and stuff.  What is desirable to a given group will vary widely based on the group. A group that is formed around a bunch of ex Army buddies probably doesn't need shooters but might need a medic or somebody with legit food production skills. A group with 2 doctors and 4 nurses doesn't need an EMT but may really need somebody who could organize their security and lead individual as well as team/ squad training. A group that is really squared away logistically might be more able to sacrifice on your individual 'stuff' to get a healthy able bodied person with some decent but not amazing individual skills. I was in a situation like this for awhile. A friend was very logistically squared away but getting older and aweful short on 'group'. For any chance at security they needed more shooters and for any chance at primative living they needed healthy younger folks. We would have obviously brought everything we could but showing up with just the clothes on our backs would have increased their chances for survival.

As to beginning survivalism. My observation is that age (assuming you are over 21 and thus able to buy guns, etc) is not the biggest factor or even on the list. Time one has been seriously preparing (we could make this a matter of degree but lets keep it simple) and discretionary income available are what matters. A 26 year old who has been seriously into survivalism for 5 years with X discretionary income will be better prepared than a 50 year old who has been into it for 2 years with a disposable income of 1/2X.

However as to my generation they have had less adult time to prepare than older folks due to age and typically their incomes, and correspondingly discretionary income, are lower than older folks. The answer on how to get going is simple though.

Figure out what you can afford and buy something you need at regular intervals. TEOTWAWKI Blog is running a $40 a week series that would fit this situation well. Almost all 20 somethings have some flexibility. Most can cut their lifestyle a little bit or figure out how to earn a little more money without doing anything extreme.

While getting your gear together work on skills. Make a list of skills you might need and look at the ones you have then work to close the gap between the two. Find a group or take a class or give somebody you know a call. Start Geocaching or going on day hikes. Join a backpacking group or attend an Appleseed. Learn to build and fix things.

As you do these things look at your area's vulnerabilities as well as what is worrying you. Start to come up with plans for probable events like a Hurricane on the gulf coast or an earth quake in California. As you get further along pay some attention to the Black Swan's like an EMP or whatever.

Anyway those are my thoughts on that. Yours are of course welcome.

No Post: On Vacation

The title pretty much says it. I am out enjoying meatspace and suggest that you do the same.

Big Life Update: Fireteam TOR Almost Complete

Wifey and I are expecting another kid. #2 is coming to come see us this winter.

It is bitterly ironic to me that people who have their stuff together and want to have kids so often have huge problems but folks who really don't want to have them do it on accident. I know a couple who had a heck of a time with their first kid and have been trying to have another for about 2 years. On the other hand folks in a dysfunctional situation with the wrong person can have unprotected sex one time and get knocked up. Thankfully we are very awesome lucky in this area so it isn't an issue. (Clearly this is a testimant to my strength and machismo;)

Anyway that is what is going on with us.

Why Women Still Can't Have It All?

I heard about this article from the Atlantic on tv and wanted to read it. I certainly don't agree with the political leanings of this woman or a lot of her ideas. I do however think it is a topic worth discussing.

I have touched on this before but the thing is that you have to make choices about how to spend your time and energy. Women expect, and are expected, to do more with their kids than men. Our culture tends to expect or at least accept that men will give some in this area to provide for the family. While our pressures are different the larger issue is still present for men. If I spend 2 more hours at work a day and a third (above what I do now) exercising I would do better at my job which would in time be a factor in my career. The thing is that means I would be around Wifey and kiddo for 2-3 hours less a day which is not acceptable to me. That is a choice I have knowingly made.

Beyond the work vs family debate the issue can be seen all over. Factor out some time to sleep, eat, do hygiene, etc and you are probably looking at about 16 available hours. Figure that half or a bit more goes to whatever you do to make money 5-6 days a week and you probably have 6-7 hours left.
A woman or man who chooses to spend another hour at work is by default not choosing to spend that hour in any number of other ways. That means they are a bit less of a spouse, parent or friend or aren't as good at their hobby or well read or well rested. One only has enough time, energy and money to do so much. You don't see tournament Jui Jitsu fighters who also are competitive marathon runners and 3 gun shooters that play a wicked game of bridge and are in bowling, softball and pool leagues. These folks who already don't exist certainly are not high powered professionals or business owners who have great active relationships with their spouses and children.

What is right or wrong for an individual, their family and their life is a complicated matter without clear cut answers. That being said I would say family will be there in 40 years when you are old and grey while a job, sport or a hobby will not. Also as cliche as it is you can't take money or stuff with you when you go.

So You Wanna Be a G?

The topic of armed paramilitary groups has always been a subset (or maybe they are separate with some overlap but let's not overthink it) of the survivalist movement. In the 70's and 80's folks talked about fighting off Soviet invaders Red Dawn style. After the fall of the Soviet Union the concern shifted to some sort of UN invasion. The latest concern seems to be more domestic in nature. Since I do what I do for a living there are a lot of things I do not talk about. To paraphrase Glen Beck "I believe everything that I say, but I don't say everything that I believe." This topic partly falls into that arena. It directly leads to some areas I choose not to talk about. Also it doesn't especially interest me. Maybe somewhat because of what I do for a living the kinds of skills and attributes needed to conduct small unit unconventional operations are largely already present.

For no particular reason I can think of this topic interests me today. Maybe it is the fact that a capable survivalist and a potential guerilla are both grounded in the same basic skills, I don't know. In any case I got to thinking about the sort of skills and capabilities and logistics one needs to develop in order to be a reasonably viable potential guerilla.

#1 Physical Fitness. I should not have to explain why this is really important. There is no way you are going to be able to fight anybody unless you are in some resemblance of decent physical shape. One of the funniest moments I can recall on this part of the web was when a man who could only be described as morbidly obese talked about how he plans to overwhelm (whoever it was) with "hit and run tactics". His fat ass couldn't hit and run the 2 blocks from his usual super sized ultra McFatty lunch at McDonalds to Baskin and Robbins for a post lunch milkshake; let alone outrun a bunch of 18-25 year old's who run multiple times a week, if not daily. Physical fitness or a lack theirof goes a long way towards establishing legitimacy as a potential or actual guerilla/ partisan or lack theirof. There is a sort of running joke that a militia is a bunch of fat guys sitting around calling each other Colonel. If I was a slightly different person with a very different life looking to join some sort of group and I got there to see they made group buys of extra extra fat multicam uniforms/ body armor/ chest rigs I would do a quick 180 and move on.

Aside from being a foundation for everything a tactical athlete such as soldier or guerilla does the reason I put physical fitness as number #1 is that it takes a long time to develop. There are no shortcuts. Physical fitness is truly a slow cooker concept requiring consistent, if not perfect, effort over months and even years. If you spend a week and a half or so at a premier tactical school you can become pretty good with a pistol and a rifle and probably learn some basic tactics. In a day you could buy a good pistol and rifle, as well as a .22, a shotgun, a "precision rifle", body armor, night vision, a chest rig, a ruck and camping gear, cases of ammo and boxes of mags as well as a years worth of food for your family. It would be a heck of a bill that very few people can afford but it could strictly speaking be done. Physical fitness does not work that way. There is no rush turkey fried/ pressure cooker way to significantly speed it up. When you realize that you need physical fitness there is unfortunately no way you can develop it in a manner timely enough to be useful.

That means you have to start yesterday. If you are too heavy then stop eating junk and have some discipline with portions. Start walking until you can work in some short jogs. Jog a telephone pole/ 100 steps/ a block then walk one. After a bit jog 2 and walk 1. Eventually cut out the walking from all but the longest runs. Take that backpack you bought and fill it with stuff then walk around. Do body weight exercises and lift stuff. In a slow and progressive manner add reps and sets to the body weight stuff and a few pounds at a time to the lifts.

#2 Build basic skills. Learn to shoot. Learn first aid and CPR. Learn some basic camping skills like starting fires, cooking over fires or backpacking stoves, building a shelter, land navigation etc all.

#3 Acquire basic weapons and equipment. We could talk about this one for a dozen blog posts but let's not get bogged down. Buy a fighting rifle and pistol. Get a setup to carry mags and ancillary stuff. At least one .22 is very useful and if you can afford it a shotgun and some sort of scoped precision type rifle are nice to have. Obviously you need plenty of ammo, mags and some prone to fail spare parts. Get sufficient wet and cold weather clothing, gloves, boots and headgear to operate in your region during the worst it has to offer. Get basic camping gear like a backpack/ rucksack, a sleeping bag, some sort of shelter like a bivy or tent, a water filter and all the little stuff in between.

#4 Acquire food, fuel, batteries and other logistical necessities. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to play Guerilla all day long then run out for a pepperoni pizza and a 6 pack of tall boys. If you are worried about running to the hills to play Red Dawn then it would be prudent to have a bunch of food, medical supplies, batteries and some fuel set aside to meet those needs. Also the kind of times when fairly normal folks are shooting at some sort of organized group are chaotic enough that even if you are not a G normal commerce will likely be disrupted.


Once you have this stuff it is prudent to put some consideration into where and how it will be stored. Unlike somebody with a more survivalist outlook your plan is probably not to stay at home (or your alternate location). If things are bad enough that you are playing G a basement full of food, while a great thing to have, may not cut it. Particularly if you have to leave in a hurry be it in a car or on foot having all your stuff in one place is problematic. Having some stuff at your home, more at some sort of bug out location/ basecamp and the rest in a couple caches around the area you plan to operate in is a much better answer.

#5 Build better skills. This was almost part of #2. The reason it is not is that while it is absolutely true that people are more important than stuff without some basic stuff it is pretty hard to do much of anything. I am pretty confident about the outcome of a gunfight between my boringly average self and just about anybody if I have a gun and they do not. If a guerilla war went on long enough there would be some extra stuff floating around but for awhile (and much more so without a convenient outside benefactor) things would be aweful tight. I would not say that a man without a rifle (and all the support stuff he needs) is exactly useless but he is a lot less useful than another shooter. In Afghanistan early on the Muj had to turn away volunteers who did not have weapons because they couldn't arm them. Now is the time to look at filling holes in your skillset's. Anyway.....

Getting some sort of professional firearms training from a fighting oriented school is an aweful good idea if you can possibly afford it. Medical skills are pretty darn important too. The new TC3 training and it's associated spinoffs are very worthwhile quality training.

#6 Find some friends. The whole lone wolf/ Rambo/ Chuck Norris/ Arnold one man army of death and destruction thing makes for a great action movie but that doesn't translate to real life. You need friends who are like minded and can work with you toward some sort of common goals. A sniper needs or at least can really use a spotter and local security. It is pretty hard to ambush a group by yourself, at most you can probably harrass them. Everybody needs somebody to pull security while they sleep and watch their 6 o'clock or help them should they get injured.


#7 Train with your new friends. People without an understanding of basic individual and team movement tactics as well as squad and platoon sized operations likely greatly outnumber those with an understanding of these things in most groups. If you somehow happen to have folks with meaningful experiences in these areas you all need to get onto the same page. Some of the most tragic accidents in military history come from ad hoc groups of otherwise trained individuals working together. If Bob zigs when Jim think he is going to zag or Tom is halfway down the wall when Rob thinks he should be at the corner people get shot. Training together will get everybody onto the same page, work out the kinks and build group cohesion.


#8 Develop plans. Based on your area, the local players and whatever sort of worst case scenario you guys see happening you can start to plan. Like any fight eventually it takes on a life of it's own but right away having a plan is priceless. Also the process of developing a plan leads you to see all sorts of interesting stuff like specific training or equipment or other preparations that should be made. Obviously doing things like making explosives or breaking federal firearms laws would be pretty foolish. However you can do all sorts of other stuff. Walk the terrain in your area to confirm or deny what map recon tells you. If you wonder how long it takes to move from Anderson butte to the ridgeline above Highway 25 then pack a lunch and go find out. If you wonder whether Deer Creek can be crossed on foot during the spring runoff go find out.

#9 Take advantage of your group's purchasing power. Make group buys to save money. I suspect if you call a school and ask them what kind of discount you get for filling the whole class they will work with you. Depending on your group dynamics consider the purchase of expensive or specialized equipment that is not practical for an individual but make sense for a group. Take advantage of the economics of scale which can be achieved. Renting a piece of specialized equipment you will only need for a short time is much more affordable if several folks can use it during the minimum time.

#10 Develop those around you. Some discretion is essential here but the more prepared that your extended family, friends and buddies are the better. Also a few may go whole hog into it and become assets. Also this is a great place to find and develop useful folks who could fill a more auxillary type role.

Note: One and two should be done successively as in one after another. You need to get started in physical fitness today (though you can pursue other things while developing your fitness) and work on basic skills until that requirement has been satisfied. They are really the basis for everything else. Three and four should probably be worked together. Six could really be done whenever but obviously has to be done before seven. The rest are somewhat more flexible, just use common sense.