On this Thanksgiving Day, I'd like to mention a bit about the history of the Holiday and tell you all a few things I am thankful for, and give some encouragement to our readers.
Before I get started on that, I first would like to extend my gratitude to our military members who are going to spend their Thanksgiving away from home. I do recall spending Thanksgiving eating off of those paper trays that sag when you pour gravy on them. We called the meals "Hot A" meals. They were the improved fresher cooked alternative to MREs in the field.
The first Thanksgiving events took place between 1619 and 1621 in the area of Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts where the Puritans and Pilgrims had settled. It's documented that there was a feast that was preceded by a good harvest, but the holiday was marked not as one of, by feasting and for feasting, but as a Holy day of thanks given to Almighty God. In fact, it was George Washington who announced the first national Thanksgiving holiday in the United States on November 26 of 1789, stating it was to be "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God". The holiday was made "official" in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, but wasn't fully celebrated throughout the nation until the 1870's saw the end of the Reconstruction period.
As I look at what I have around me and what I've been given by God, I thank Him for my wife and children and the health of us all, for allowing me to find her and have our kids and raise them according to His will, and the health of my parents and siblings and their children, and the health of my wife's parents. I'm thankful to have a grandmother who is alive and doing well almost to the age of 90. I am thankful that my family is living under a solid roof, having clean water and healthy food, for the ability to protect my family and what's been given to us, and to live in a country where despite the faults it has, we are still currently in a position to fix them if we have the will to do it.
The Bible mentions giving thanks many times over, including in Colossians 3:17... "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
Many of you will be eating great food with family and watching football this Thanksgiving holiday, but please remember that the day is meant to be a Holy day of thanks to the Lord, and reflection on what you've been given. Take some time to pray and speak with the Lord to thank Him directly for the blessings you have. Focus on your family and the good things you have going on in your life, and try to worry a bit less about the trials you're going through.
Now, as we observe the events that are taking place in the US today, and the events that may be coming, give thanks for where we find ourselves and then steel yourself as the first Pilgrims did for the inevitable hardships that are coming. God helps those who help themselves and who use the time they're given to prepare for the storm, or for the fight. I'm asked many questions by people who know me about the events they see on TV. Is Trump going to be impeached and convicted? Are we heading into a civil war? Is the fiat-debt economy going to collapse? Those are valid questions, but none of those are the right questions to be asking.
The right question is: Are you doing enough with the time and opportunities that you have to be ready for when it happens? Being grateful for what you have also means putting it to good use.
Be thankful, keep your powder dry, and keep your hands busy.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
Basic pointers on getting healthy (that you should probably already know).
Originally posted by The Gray Man at American Partisan.
I think everyone is always looking for the easiest way to do things, and being healthier is no different. It's not necessarily a bad thing to look for an easy way to do something, as it's often effective and efficient. Here are a few pointers that you can probably figure out on your own, but if you had, you'd already be doing them, and if you are, keep it up.
-Stop smoking. That includes vaping and smoking weed. Your lungs are meant to inhale oxygen, and no matter how many ailments and diseases you think that weed is an absolute cure for, you're not ever going to convince this RN that inhaling smoke of any type is healthy.
-Stop drinking soda. Soda is loaded with sugar and is the highest sugar intake item in the regular diet of many Americans. The first thing that many physicians will tell you when you ask "how do I lose a few pounds?" is going to be "cut the soda out." That includes diet soda. If you're looking to get healthy and you mean it, diet soda isn't part of that either.
-No more fast food. This one should be as obvious as the last point. Fast food is way too high in sugar and sodium and is almost always fried. Avoid it, you don't need it.
-Take a multivitamin. A lot of people don't consider this but it really can be beneficial. Vitamins are cheap and easy to make and so you're not going to be paying much for them, and they're not being infused with unhealthy substances to get you addicted to them like fast food and soda are with sugars and caffeine.
-Avoid food and drink vices. You know those people who make jokes (but you know they're being serious) about not being able to function without their morning coffee, or those people who "never" smoke UNLESS they're having a couple of drinks? Don't become one of them. Coffee is not a terrible thing to have but don't become dependent on it. Don't become one of those people who just HAVE to have a night out of heavy drinking every Friday to blow off steam. If you have to do something unhealthy just to unwind on a regular basis, then you need to make some life changes.
-Don't drink regularly, or heavily. Studies are showing that occasional light alcohol use isn't unhealthy, and of course some even say that a little red wine now and then is beneficial. But if you're going through a case of beer per week, it's too much to be healthy. If you're polishing off a fifth of whiskey every four or five days, it's too much to be healthy. If you're getting off work and having a half a bottle of wine before bed, yeah, it's too much to be healthy.
-Drink water. I know they say eight glasses a day is what you need, but who knows how much a "glass" is supposed to be? Try drinking between 1.5 and 2 liters of water per day. Better yet, REPLACE something unhealthy that you're drinking with water instead. Your kidneys will be healthier for it.
-Eat at home. If you can replace restaurant meals outside of the home with meals planned out and shopped for at the grocery store and prepared and cooked at home, you'll likely see some weight loss and increased energy. I'm not talking about package and processed meals. I mean meals that require cooking. You know, like actual RECIPES. You don't have to be a chef and eat farm fresh every meal. Just don't eat out all the time and don't always settle for those overly-processed foods.
-Spend a little more time outside. However much time you spend outside, try to take a little more of your inside downtime and make it OUTSIDE downtime. Even if all you're doing is sitting in your backyard or on your porch or balcony. Open the windows in your house, if it's feasible.
-Start going on walks. A mile or two is really nothing as long as you're not already injured or disabled. If you already go for walks, grab a light pack and make it a ruck. If you're already rucking, then good for you. Grab a long gun to carry along if the laws and the local environment permits it, and if not, carry a 2x4 or something to simulate it.
-Start your day and/or end your evening with a set of crunches and a set of push-ups. It doesn't necessarily have to be a hundred of each, but a small set, increasing a little over time will benefit you. Squats are easy to add to that routine. Stretching in the morning wakes you up and helps to prevent injury through the day's activities.
See that? Simple stuff. Now get it done. If you do all or most of this, you're likely to see positive results in just a couple of weeks.
Side note: Please do not let your kids drink soda, sweet tea or juices that are high in sugar. The pancreas of a young child is not mature enough to be repeatedly dumping insulin for large doses of sugar. Let them drink water so that when they become adults, their pancreas gets a head start and hasn't been forced to compensate for a steady stream of added sugar when it's not yet
I think everyone is always looking for the easiest way to do things, and being healthier is no different. It's not necessarily a bad thing to look for an easy way to do something, as it's often effective and efficient. Here are a few pointers that you can probably figure out on your own, but if you had, you'd already be doing them, and if you are, keep it up.
-Stop smoking. That includes vaping and smoking weed. Your lungs are meant to inhale oxygen, and no matter how many ailments and diseases you think that weed is an absolute cure for, you're not ever going to convince this RN that inhaling smoke of any type is healthy.
-Stop drinking soda. Soda is loaded with sugar and is the highest sugar intake item in the regular diet of many Americans. The first thing that many physicians will tell you when you ask "how do I lose a few pounds?" is going to be "cut the soda out." That includes diet soda. If you're looking to get healthy and you mean it, diet soda isn't part of that either.
-No more fast food. This one should be as obvious as the last point. Fast food is way too high in sugar and sodium and is almost always fried. Avoid it, you don't need it.
-Take a multivitamin. A lot of people don't consider this but it really can be beneficial. Vitamins are cheap and easy to make and so you're not going to be paying much for them, and they're not being infused with unhealthy substances to get you addicted to them like fast food and soda are with sugars and caffeine.
-Avoid food and drink vices. You know those people who make jokes (but you know they're being serious) about not being able to function without their morning coffee, or those people who "never" smoke UNLESS they're having a couple of drinks? Don't become one of them. Coffee is not a terrible thing to have but don't become dependent on it. Don't become one of those people who just HAVE to have a night out of heavy drinking every Friday to blow off steam. If you have to do something unhealthy just to unwind on a regular basis, then you need to make some life changes.
-Don't drink regularly, or heavily. Studies are showing that occasional light alcohol use isn't unhealthy, and of course some even say that a little red wine now and then is beneficial. But if you're going through a case of beer per week, it's too much to be healthy. If you're polishing off a fifth of whiskey every four or five days, it's too much to be healthy. If you're getting off work and having a half a bottle of wine before bed, yeah, it's too much to be healthy.
-Drink water. I know they say eight glasses a day is what you need, but who knows how much a "glass" is supposed to be? Try drinking between 1.5 and 2 liters of water per day. Better yet, REPLACE something unhealthy that you're drinking with water instead. Your kidneys will be healthier for it.
-Eat at home. If you can replace restaurant meals outside of the home with meals planned out and shopped for at the grocery store and prepared and cooked at home, you'll likely see some weight loss and increased energy. I'm not talking about package and processed meals. I mean meals that require cooking. You know, like actual RECIPES. You don't have to be a chef and eat farm fresh every meal. Just don't eat out all the time and don't always settle for those overly-processed foods.
-Spend a little more time outside. However much time you spend outside, try to take a little more of your inside downtime and make it OUTSIDE downtime. Even if all you're doing is sitting in your backyard or on your porch or balcony. Open the windows in your house, if it's feasible.
-Start going on walks. A mile or two is really nothing as long as you're not already injured or disabled. If you already go for walks, grab a light pack and make it a ruck. If you're already rucking, then good for you. Grab a long gun to carry along if the laws and the local environment permits it, and if not, carry a 2x4 or something to simulate it.
-Start your day and/or end your evening with a set of crunches and a set of push-ups. It doesn't necessarily have to be a hundred of each, but a small set, increasing a little over time will benefit you. Squats are easy to add to that routine. Stretching in the morning wakes you up and helps to prevent injury through the day's activities.
See that? Simple stuff. Now get it done. If you do all or most of this, you're likely to see positive results in just a couple of weeks.
Side note: Please do not let your kids drink soda, sweet tea or juices that are high in sugar. The pancreas of a young child is not mature enough to be repeatedly dumping insulin for large doses of sugar. Let them drink water so that when they become adults, their pancreas gets a head start and hasn't been forced to compensate for a steady stream of added sugar when it's not yet
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The ultimate guide to ethical hacking.
Thanks to a reader for emailing this piece on "ethical hacking" to me, an interesting piece regarding how the good guys, or the "white hat hackers", go about helping society defend against the bad guys, or the "black hat hackers".
As you read the piece, try to imagine ways that you could adopt some of the ideas to test your own security, whether it be in cyberspace, or in meatspace (i.e., the real, physical world). Try some vulnerability testing around your own life and discover and remedy your own weaknesses.
Also, note the mention of open source intelligence (OSINT) collection. In the world of hacking and outside of it, a guerrilla must be adept at intelligence gathering, and this involves at least as much OSINT as any other type of intelligence.
As you read the piece, try to imagine ways that you could adopt some of the ideas to test your own security, whether it be in cyberspace, or in meatspace (i.e., the real, physical world). Try some vulnerability testing around your own life and discover and remedy your own weaknesses.
Also, note the mention of open source intelligence (OSINT) collection. In the world of hacking and outside of it, a guerrilla must be adept at intelligence gathering, and this involves at least as much OSINT as any other type of intelligence.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Army's two handguns: One shooter's thoughts on the Glock 19 and the Sig Sauer P320
Originally posted by The Gray Man at American Partisan.
I'll go out on a limb and assume that a great many of the readers at American Partisan are aware of the choice made by the US Army to go with the Sig Sauer P320 as the winner of the Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition. The Army started issuing the P320 full sized pistol and the P320 compact pistol, referred to by the Army as the M17 and M18 respectively, to the 101st Airborne Division in November of 2017. That said, the US special operations community has a bit more leeway in their choice of weapons and gear, and in 2015 it was reported that the US Army Rangers, Special Forces groups and 160th SOAR (followed shortly by MARSOC) had chosen to outfit their units with the Glock 19 (4th generation Glocks at that time), while the MHS competition was still ongoing. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley (who was base commander of Fort Hood while I was there in 2013) elected to allow the SOF community to go with the Glock 19 regardless of the outcome of the competition.
Putting recent history aside, as if we can just do that, I'd like to discuss these two handguns and put them beside each other for myself. I own a Sig P320 "compact" that I did send back to Sig when the trigger "recall" occurred. I had not had any problems with my pistol, but since Sig was offering to make it safer and improve the weapon for free and in a timely manner, I gladly took them up on it. I also own a 4th generation Glock 19. The only add-ons to my P320 are a set of night sights that my version came with. My Glock 19 is as stock as stock can be. My version of the P320 would be referred to as the "M18" in Army parlance.
During my time in the Army, I qualified many times with the Beretta M9. Being an intelligence collector, I had to stay qualified with the pistol because we (the intel guys, I mean) all carried them downrange in addition to our long guns. Of all the times I qualified with the M9, which was at least seven times that I recall, starting in 2012 and as recently as the Summer of 2018, I qualified as "expert" every time and I only ever missed a grand total of one target. Assuming that I ran through a pistol qualification course seven times, that's a total score of 209 out of a possible 210. Maybe I'm not the world's greatest gunslinger, but I can hit man-sized targets well enough. And yes, I do like the M9.
Now that you know what I've got, that I actually own these things and that I'm passable as a military pistol shooter, let's get to it.
The Glock 19 9mm was originally released in 1988, and currently there is a 5th generation model. The one I use is 4th generation. The Sig Sauer P320 is a new copy of the 9mm Sig Sauer P250, with the P250's hammer-fired design having been replaced with a striker mechanism. The P320 is modular, being able to convert from 9mm to .40 caliber with some simple parts changes. My model is kept in the 9mm configuartion. Both pistols feature a polymer frame with metal slide, and both have a standard ammo capacity of 15+1. The Glock is 5 inches tall, while the Sig P320 is 5.5 inches tall. The Glock is 1.2 inches wide, the Sig's width is 1.4 inches. The Sig weighs about two ounces more. Both pistols fall into a category of what I like to call "fighting pistols", i.e. larger sized handguns with adequate kinetic energy transfer and higher ammo capacity. I'm not knocking anyone who carries a .380 with seven rounds or wheelguns with five or six, but a fighting pistol is what I prefer to have with me.
Ergonomics lends itself to the personal preferences of the shooter in most situations, but I think we all know that Glock pistols are not well celebrated for their ergonomic advancement. While I prefer carrying the Glock 19 due to simply becoming accustomed to it over the years, I will say that the P320 fits the hand more comfortably. The bore axis of the Glock sits low, closer to the shooter's hands, which technically reduces felt recoil. The Sig does have a higher bore axis, as Sigs are known to have, but the weapon has a short beaver-tail that you can push your grip higher into, hopefully mitigating some of that. Both handguns lack external safety switches on the civilian version, and both have a rail to accommodate lights or lasers.
How the weapons shoot and handle ultimately comes down to the shooters themselves. I am able to shoot well enough with both models, as you'll see below. I have no doubt that I could shoot just as well with a Springfield or a Smith and Wesson, two other top quality weapons. One difference between the G19 and P320 that most Glock shooters will see coming is the trigger mechanism. I have felt and still feel that grindy, rough feeling stock Glock trigger pull. The Sig P320 however, can only be described in one word: Smooth. That's it. This Sig trigger is very smooth and easy feeling. The average Glock 19 trigger pull weight is about 5.5 pounds, while the P320 is about the same at 5.6, albeit with a noticeably shorter travel and a nicer break.
I took these pistols into my backyard range and fired several groups with each from 21 feet away. I went through a "warm-up" magazine with each weapon to make sure I had any rust knocked off (of myself), went through another magazine each to establish a trend and then fired the groups you see below, aiming at the dead center of the target every time (no Kentucky windage) to post here. I used 115-Grain Winchester FMJ. The groups in the photos are representative of the other groups I had fired earlier. In total this session, I fired about 90 rounds. I included the weapon in the images to give you a point of reference on target and group sizes.
For each pistol, I fired a three shot slow-fire group, each shot separated by about one second of time. I followed that up with a five shot quick-fire group, faster than one second each, but not what I would call "rapid-fire".
In the first two photos, you see the G19 performed well grouping the three slow-fired rounds, with a bit of muzzle rise appearing during the five round quick-fire. You can see that I had one round pulled down low, almost missing the page. That's a bad shot on me.
The next photos show the P320, which also had a nice group on the slow-fire. There was a bit more spread on the five round target, but I managed not to pull any shots.
Overall, I'm pleased with the performance of each weapon, and decently satisfied enough with my shooting. Both of these pistols are great fighting pistols and I would highly recommend either one. If I'm able to get my hands on a Springfield or S&W pistol, I'll try to give those a test as well.
I'll go out on a limb and assume that a great many of the readers at American Partisan are aware of the choice made by the US Army to go with the Sig Sauer P320 as the winner of the Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition. The Army started issuing the P320 full sized pistol and the P320 compact pistol, referred to by the Army as the M17 and M18 respectively, to the 101st Airborne Division in November of 2017. That said, the US special operations community has a bit more leeway in their choice of weapons and gear, and in 2015 it was reported that the US Army Rangers, Special Forces groups and 160th SOAR (followed shortly by MARSOC) had chosen to outfit their units with the Glock 19 (4th generation Glocks at that time), while the MHS competition was still ongoing. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley (who was base commander of Fort Hood while I was there in 2013) elected to allow the SOF community to go with the Glock 19 regardless of the outcome of the competition.
Putting recent history aside, as if we can just do that, I'd like to discuss these two handguns and put them beside each other for myself. I own a Sig P320 "compact" that I did send back to Sig when the trigger "recall" occurred. I had not had any problems with my pistol, but since Sig was offering to make it safer and improve the weapon for free and in a timely manner, I gladly took them up on it. I also own a 4th generation Glock 19. The only add-ons to my P320 are a set of night sights that my version came with. My Glock 19 is as stock as stock can be. My version of the P320 would be referred to as the "M18" in Army parlance.
During my time in the Army, I qualified many times with the Beretta M9. Being an intelligence collector, I had to stay qualified with the pistol because we (the intel guys, I mean) all carried them downrange in addition to our long guns. Of all the times I qualified with the M9, which was at least seven times that I recall, starting in 2012 and as recently as the Summer of 2018, I qualified as "expert" every time and I only ever missed a grand total of one target. Assuming that I ran through a pistol qualification course seven times, that's a total score of 209 out of a possible 210. Maybe I'm not the world's greatest gunslinger, but I can hit man-sized targets well enough. And yes, I do like the M9.
Now that you know what I've got, that I actually own these things and that I'm passable as a military pistol shooter, let's get to it.
The Glock 19 9mm was originally released in 1988, and currently there is a 5th generation model. The one I use is 4th generation. The Sig Sauer P320 is a new copy of the 9mm Sig Sauer P250, with the P250's hammer-fired design having been replaced with a striker mechanism. The P320 is modular, being able to convert from 9mm to .40 caliber with some simple parts changes. My model is kept in the 9mm configuartion. Both pistols feature a polymer frame with metal slide, and both have a standard ammo capacity of 15+1. The Glock is 5 inches tall, while the Sig P320 is 5.5 inches tall. The Glock is 1.2 inches wide, the Sig's width is 1.4 inches. The Sig weighs about two ounces more. Both pistols fall into a category of what I like to call "fighting pistols", i.e. larger sized handguns with adequate kinetic energy transfer and higher ammo capacity. I'm not knocking anyone who carries a .380 with seven rounds or wheelguns with five or six, but a fighting pistol is what I prefer to have with me.
Ergonomics lends itself to the personal preferences of the shooter in most situations, but I think we all know that Glock pistols are not well celebrated for their ergonomic advancement. While I prefer carrying the Glock 19 due to simply becoming accustomed to it over the years, I will say that the P320 fits the hand more comfortably. The bore axis of the Glock sits low, closer to the shooter's hands, which technically reduces felt recoil. The Sig does have a higher bore axis, as Sigs are known to have, but the weapon has a short beaver-tail that you can push your grip higher into, hopefully mitigating some of that. Both handguns lack external safety switches on the civilian version, and both have a rail to accommodate lights or lasers.
How the weapons shoot and handle ultimately comes down to the shooters themselves. I am able to shoot well enough with both models, as you'll see below. I have no doubt that I could shoot just as well with a Springfield or a Smith and Wesson, two other top quality weapons. One difference between the G19 and P320 that most Glock shooters will see coming is the trigger mechanism. I have felt and still feel that grindy, rough feeling stock Glock trigger pull. The Sig P320 however, can only be described in one word: Smooth. That's it. This Sig trigger is very smooth and easy feeling. The average Glock 19 trigger pull weight is about 5.5 pounds, while the P320 is about the same at 5.6, albeit with a noticeably shorter travel and a nicer break.
I took these pistols into my backyard range and fired several groups with each from 21 feet away. I went through a "warm-up" magazine with each weapon to make sure I had any rust knocked off (of myself), went through another magazine each to establish a trend and then fired the groups you see below, aiming at the dead center of the target every time (no Kentucky windage) to post here. I used 115-Grain Winchester FMJ. The groups in the photos are representative of the other groups I had fired earlier. In total this session, I fired about 90 rounds. I included the weapon in the images to give you a point of reference on target and group sizes.
For each pistol, I fired a three shot slow-fire group, each shot separated by about one second of time. I followed that up with a five shot quick-fire group, faster than one second each, but not what I would call "rapid-fire".
In the first two photos, you see the G19 performed well grouping the three slow-fired rounds, with a bit of muzzle rise appearing during the five round quick-fire. You can see that I had one round pulled down low, almost missing the page. That's a bad shot on me.
The next photos show the P320, which also had a nice group on the slow-fire. There was a bit more spread on the five round target, but I managed not to pull any shots.
Overall, I'm pleased with the performance of each weapon, and decently satisfied enough with my shooting. Both of these pistols are great fighting pistols and I would highly recommend either one. If I'm able to get my hands on a Springfield or S&W pistol, I'll try to give those a test as well.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Plans and Photos of my Simple Rainwater Catch System
Originally posted by The Gray Man at American Partisan.
When I think about preparedness and survival, I think about the primary priorities in order like this: Shelter, Water, Food and Security. The secondary priorities, once you've handled those first four, go like this: Medical, Intelligence, Communications and Transportation. I'm going to give you some plans for a simple way to start a rainwater collection system to allow you to check your water needs off the list. Try to remember as a starting rule that your survival group is going to need to plan for water usage to the tune of one gallon of water per person, per day. Sometimes this will obviously include some adjustments up and down for different cooking needs, sanitation, medical, etc., but generally speaking, that rule is a good starting point.
Before we start, also take into consideration your local water sources. I personally live in a very riverine area, though I'm not right on the water. So as long as I've done well for myself with transportation, that might be a good option for collecting water. However, I've also got a pretty reliable rainfall pattern (or so I say, as we are currently experiencing our first night of rain in eight weeks). Some of us can often count on decent rainfall, but it would behoove you to store water in the largest amount you can for those weeks (or months) when rain is scarce.
This type of simple system will allow you to funnel rainwater into your reservoir, and also collect from other sources and deposit it in the reservoir yourself. When it's time to use it, or if you want to drain it into smaller ready-to-use jugs or bottles, it'll need to be filtered/purified. My unpaid recommendation is to use a Berkey water filter for that, simply because the "black" filters that company uses are able to filter a very large amount of water before they need to be replaced. Simply take the water from your collection system, pour it through a Berkey or some similar filtration system, and it'll be ready to drink. Without filtering, the water can be used for garden irrigation, pets, possibly even hygiene.
Below you'll see the parts you'll for this simple build laid out on our table. There we have a 1/2" metal hose adaptor and a 1/2" spigot. You'll need two PVC bushings to go onto those and a pair of rubber washers, one for each bushing. Get some Teflon tape to wrap the metal threads of the hose adaptor and spigot. Get a length of garden hose to attach to the hose adaptor later as an overflow valve. I have some black plastic mesh screen and a couple of bungee cords to make a top screen. Use a power drill and a 13/16 spade bit for drilling holes in the barrel. My barrel I'm using is a food grade 55 gallon barrel that I'm told contained Mountain Dew before it came to me. Some sources will have the top cut off for you, but you can use a jig saw or a saws-all to remove if you need to. I advise using food grade plastic rather than something that could rust. Lastly, you need a short length of garden hose, at least three feet, and make sure it's still got the attachment on one end.
Use your drill bit to drill out two holes in the barrel. One hole needs to near the bottom, which is where the spigot will eventually go. Three inches from the bottom should be ok, but don't go too much higher. You don't want to lose access to several inches of water in the bottom. The next hole needs to be near the top, offset at least 90 degrees from the bottom hole. This will be your overflow outlet, hopefully overflowing into another container via the hose you'll attach later. It needs to be offset because we will assume that you will eventually pair this barrel with a second one catching your first barrel's overflow, and you don't want it blocking the spigot below.
With the only section of this project that I would call "work" behind you, you're ready to attach your pieces. Get your Teflon tape and wrap the threads on the narrower end of the hose adaptor, the threads that are going inside the barrel. Take your hose adaptor and push that side through your top drilled hole. If the hole is tight, you might have to screw it in. Reapply Teflon tape if you have to. On the inside, place a rubber washer and then screw the PVC bushing onto the metal adaptor.
You'll follow the same process for the spigot at the bottom. Wrap the metal threads with Teflon tape and push the spigot into the hole. You may need to screw the spigot in if the hole is a tight fit, and if so, make sure the Teflon tape is still in place afterward. Position a rubber washer on the inside and screw the bushing into place.
Take your overflow hose and attach it to the hose adaptor you installed at the top. This hose will drain water into a second container when this container is full.
Secure the mesh screen around the top of the barrel using your bungee cords. You'll need to purify this water coming out before drinking it anyway, but this mesh can prevent leaves, sticks and some bugs or animals from getting inside.
Here is your finished product!
Some notes:
Once you get the system built, fill the barrel all the way up to the overflow hose and let it run out for a few minutes. You're checking for leaks, especially at the bottom around the spigot. That kind of water pressure is likely to cause a leak in that bottom area, so then drain the barrel and take some silicon, caulk or other sealant and seal the leak on the inside and outside. Your overflow hose attachment isn't nearly as likely to leak, nor will it matter as much if it does. There is much less pressure at the top hole than at the bottom. Once your sealant has dried, fill the barrel again and look for leaks.
It's advisable to place your barrel in an elevated position, such as on top of a wooden platform. This allows gravity to work for you and gives space to place a large bucket or tub under the spigot. If you ask me, you need to be able to put a five gallon bucket under the spigot, at least.
Speaking of elevated platforms... If you build one, remember that a gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. When your 55 gallon barrel is full, it'll weigh over 460 pounds, container, parts, water and all. Platforms need to be very strong and stable. My kids play outside, don't yours? Don't make a mistake.
Funnel water from a roof! 500 square feet of roof can funnel 115 gallons of water from just one-half inch of rainfall. That'll fill both your barrel and your overflow barrel if you started empty.
Don't funnel water into your barrel from a shingled roof. These roofs contain contaminants that are extremely difficult to filter out. Try a metal roof or some corrugated plastic sheeting instead, it'll be easier and cheaper than trying to arrange a way to filter out the stuff that shingles will dump into the water. Build yourself a greenhouse from hard plastic and funnel from that.
If your yard has a slope, position your barrels at the higher end if possible. Again, gravity can work in your favor.
Check your local laws. Some municipalities have people in positions of authority who may not respect your right to collect water. Arrange your barrels legally.
When I think about preparedness and survival, I think about the primary priorities in order like this: Shelter, Water, Food and Security. The secondary priorities, once you've handled those first four, go like this: Medical, Intelligence, Communications and Transportation. I'm going to give you some plans for a simple way to start a rainwater collection system to allow you to check your water needs off the list. Try to remember as a starting rule that your survival group is going to need to plan for water usage to the tune of one gallon of water per person, per day. Sometimes this will obviously include some adjustments up and down for different cooking needs, sanitation, medical, etc., but generally speaking, that rule is a good starting point.
Before we start, also take into consideration your local water sources. I personally live in a very riverine area, though I'm not right on the water. So as long as I've done well for myself with transportation, that might be a good option for collecting water. However, I've also got a pretty reliable rainfall pattern (or so I say, as we are currently experiencing our first night of rain in eight weeks). Some of us can often count on decent rainfall, but it would behoove you to store water in the largest amount you can for those weeks (or months) when rain is scarce.
This type of simple system will allow you to funnel rainwater into your reservoir, and also collect from other sources and deposit it in the reservoir yourself. When it's time to use it, or if you want to drain it into smaller ready-to-use jugs or bottles, it'll need to be filtered/purified. My unpaid recommendation is to use a Berkey water filter for that, simply because the "black" filters that company uses are able to filter a very large amount of water before they need to be replaced. Simply take the water from your collection system, pour it through a Berkey or some similar filtration system, and it'll be ready to drink. Without filtering, the water can be used for garden irrigation, pets, possibly even hygiene.
Below you'll see the parts you'll for this simple build laid out on our table. There we have a 1/2" metal hose adaptor and a 1/2" spigot. You'll need two PVC bushings to go onto those and a pair of rubber washers, one for each bushing. Get some Teflon tape to wrap the metal threads of the hose adaptor and spigot. Get a length of garden hose to attach to the hose adaptor later as an overflow valve. I have some black plastic mesh screen and a couple of bungee cords to make a top screen. Use a power drill and a 13/16 spade bit for drilling holes in the barrel. My barrel I'm using is a food grade 55 gallon barrel that I'm told contained Mountain Dew before it came to me. Some sources will have the top cut off for you, but you can use a jig saw or a saws-all to remove if you need to. I advise using food grade plastic rather than something that could rust. Lastly, you need a short length of garden hose, at least three feet, and make sure it's still got the attachment on one end.
Use your drill bit to drill out two holes in the barrel. One hole needs to near the bottom, which is where the spigot will eventually go. Three inches from the bottom should be ok, but don't go too much higher. You don't want to lose access to several inches of water in the bottom. The next hole needs to be near the top, offset at least 90 degrees from the bottom hole. This will be your overflow outlet, hopefully overflowing into another container via the hose you'll attach later. It needs to be offset because we will assume that you will eventually pair this barrel with a second one catching your first barrel's overflow, and you don't want it blocking the spigot below.
With the only section of this project that I would call "work" behind you, you're ready to attach your pieces. Get your Teflon tape and wrap the threads on the narrower end of the hose adaptor, the threads that are going inside the barrel. Take your hose adaptor and push that side through your top drilled hole. If the hole is tight, you might have to screw it in. Reapply Teflon tape if you have to. On the inside, place a rubber washer and then screw the PVC bushing onto the metal adaptor.
You'll follow the same process for the spigot at the bottom. Wrap the metal threads with Teflon tape and push the spigot into the hole. You may need to screw the spigot in if the hole is a tight fit, and if so, make sure the Teflon tape is still in place afterward. Position a rubber washer on the inside and screw the bushing into place.
Take your overflow hose and attach it to the hose adaptor you installed at the top. This hose will drain water into a second container when this container is full.
Secure the mesh screen around the top of the barrel using your bungee cords. You'll need to purify this water coming out before drinking it anyway, but this mesh can prevent leaves, sticks and some bugs or animals from getting inside.
Here is your finished product!
Some notes:
Once you get the system built, fill the barrel all the way up to the overflow hose and let it run out for a few minutes. You're checking for leaks, especially at the bottom around the spigot. That kind of water pressure is likely to cause a leak in that bottom area, so then drain the barrel and take some silicon, caulk or other sealant and seal the leak on the inside and outside. Your overflow hose attachment isn't nearly as likely to leak, nor will it matter as much if it does. There is much less pressure at the top hole than at the bottom. Once your sealant has dried, fill the barrel again and look for leaks.
It's advisable to place your barrel in an elevated position, such as on top of a wooden platform. This allows gravity to work for you and gives space to place a large bucket or tub under the spigot. If you ask me, you need to be able to put a five gallon bucket under the spigot, at least.
Speaking of elevated platforms... If you build one, remember that a gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. When your 55 gallon barrel is full, it'll weigh over 460 pounds, container, parts, water and all. Platforms need to be very strong and stable. My kids play outside, don't yours? Don't make a mistake.
Funnel water from a roof! 500 square feet of roof can funnel 115 gallons of water from just one-half inch of rainfall. That'll fill both your barrel and your overflow barrel if you started empty.
Don't funnel water into your barrel from a shingled roof. These roofs contain contaminants that are extremely difficult to filter out. Try a metal roof or some corrugated plastic sheeting instead, it'll be easier and cheaper than trying to arrange a way to filter out the stuff that shingles will dump into the water. Build yourself a greenhouse from hard plastic and funnel from that.
If your yard has a slope, position your barrels at the higher end if possible. Again, gravity can work in your favor.
Check your local laws. Some municipalities have people in positions of authority who may not respect your right to collect water. Arrange your barrels legally.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Survival and Bushcraft Shelters by Aspiring Caveman
Survival and bushcraft shelters
Originally written by "Aspiring Caveman" at the Survivalist Boards Forum. The Gray Man's words below will be italicized.
1. Cold-Weather Debris Hut
This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade. This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut. *This one is very doable in my area, and unless you're caught in a downpour, it should keep you fairly dry and importantly, keep the mosquitoes away. This one is very well camouflaged with the earth if you decide to do an above-ground structure. Even if you are in the Deep South, cold weather injuries can still happen.
2. Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof
This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!
3. Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof
This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound. *There is a lot of chopping and some batoning to be done on this structure, and it would behoove you to carry a knife capable of that job. One I recommend is the Becker BK-2 knife. I've used it to chop fallen trees in making a quick survival shelter when I was on the river and noticed a storm coming in.
4. Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof
This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!
5. Insulated Scout Pit
A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there. Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through. *Building a scout pit should be valuable knowledge for AP readers based on the political environment we are looking at in the US. Do you think something like this would be useful if you are living in South Africa, Mexico or Venezuela? When building this type of structure, try to be mindful of the disturbed earth surrounding it. I can't predict who you're going to be hiding from if you find yourself inside one of these, but let me just say that the US is full of fighting men who got good at noticing disturbed earth in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to spot IEDs, especially the "command wire" variety. If you don't take care to really make this look right, it could be picked out in an instant.
Originally written by "Aspiring Caveman" at the Survivalist Boards Forum. The Gray Man's words below will be italicized.
1. Cold-Weather Debris Hut
This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade. This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut. *This one is very doable in my area, and unless you're caught in a downpour, it should keep you fairly dry and importantly, keep the mosquitoes away. This one is very well camouflaged with the earth if you decide to do an above-ground structure. Even if you are in the Deep South, cold weather injuries can still happen.
2. Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof
This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!
3. Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof
This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound. *There is a lot of chopping and some batoning to be done on this structure, and it would behoove you to carry a knife capable of that job. One I recommend is the Becker BK-2 knife. I've used it to chop fallen trees in making a quick survival shelter when I was on the river and noticed a storm coming in.
4. Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof
This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!
5. Insulated Scout Pit
A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there. Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through. *Building a scout pit should be valuable knowledge for AP readers based on the political environment we are looking at in the US. Do you think something like this would be useful if you are living in South Africa, Mexico or Venezuela? When building this type of structure, try to be mindful of the disturbed earth surrounding it. I can't predict who you're going to be hiding from if you find yourself inside one of these, but let me just say that the US is full of fighting men who got good at noticing disturbed earth in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to spot IEDs, especially the "command wire" variety. If you don't take care to really make this look right, it could be picked out in an instant.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
A Brief on Developing Commo Plans with HUMINT Sources
Originally posted by The Gray Man at American Partisan.
When you've got a witting person that you are getting a flow of intelligence from, it's becomes necessary to put a communication plan in place with them. Considering a commo plan, you have to know how and when you're going to be able to get into contact with a source in a non-permissive environment. These communications need to be reliable and secure, and the source needs to be aware of situations that dictate switching to a secondary plan.
Speaking of secondary plans, you'll have to break down your whole commo plan into three parts, those being your primary commo plan, your secondary commo plan and your contingency commo plan. You can think of that last one as an emergency plan.
I'm not going to dictate specifics on exactly how your plans need to be set up, because that will come down to your situation and environment, and because this subject can very quickly dive into classified techniques that I'm not inclined to even hint at. You'll need to be sure that your source has a reliable way to get in touch with you when they have time sensitive or urgent info. If the primary method fails, they'll need to know to contact you via a secondary method. In the event this fails, the contingency plan will go into effect. Each plan needs to be progressively more secure and reliable. Your plans can include simple phone contact, email, or even face to face meetings. Dead drops are an option, though are best used as a contingency plan, and still may require a way to signal that a drop has been made, or else a dead drop is going to need to be routinely checked.
I'll give you a rough idea of one of the plans I had with sources when I was in a non-combat environment, but one I'll say was still "made of ears", if you get the meaning.
I had a phone that was used only for communications with sources or potential sources. We had a plan where we would make a phone call every so often per week. Regardless of whether there was information sharing going on, there was always a phone call made at those times. At the very least we would schedule our next primary call or meeting plan, and briefly discuss our secondary plan if it failed. The secondary plan usually consisted of alternate phones or numbers, an alternate date and time, or rarely even a place and time for meeting face to face. Then we'd quickly rehash our contingency plan, which was more of an emergency method of contact. Depending on the source's accessibility and reliability, this could range anywhere from yet another phone call, to an email, a face to face meeting or even a dead drop or other tradecrafty means of communication.
I know I'm a little light on details and specifics, and that's for a good reason. But I think you get the idea. If you're receiving information from someone, then there needs to be a well made plan that allows both of you to get in touch with each other at set intervals, with multiple methods, that allows both delayed and instant communications, and that will be secure and keep both of you safe from message interception. The point of this plan to ensure that neither of you are left wondering where the other guy is, or if the other guy is alright, or why the other guy is late.
When you've got a witting person that you are getting a flow of intelligence from, it's becomes necessary to put a communication plan in place with them. Considering a commo plan, you have to know how and when you're going to be able to get into contact with a source in a non-permissive environment. These communications need to be reliable and secure, and the source needs to be aware of situations that dictate switching to a secondary plan.
Speaking of secondary plans, you'll have to break down your whole commo plan into three parts, those being your primary commo plan, your secondary commo plan and your contingency commo plan. You can think of that last one as an emergency plan.
I'm not going to dictate specifics on exactly how your plans need to be set up, because that will come down to your situation and environment, and because this subject can very quickly dive into classified techniques that I'm not inclined to even hint at. You'll need to be sure that your source has a reliable way to get in touch with you when they have time sensitive or urgent info. If the primary method fails, they'll need to know to contact you via a secondary method. In the event this fails, the contingency plan will go into effect. Each plan needs to be progressively more secure and reliable. Your plans can include simple phone contact, email, or even face to face meetings. Dead drops are an option, though are best used as a contingency plan, and still may require a way to signal that a drop has been made, or else a dead drop is going to need to be routinely checked.
I'll give you a rough idea of one of the plans I had with sources when I was in a non-combat environment, but one I'll say was still "made of ears", if you get the meaning.
I had a phone that was used only for communications with sources or potential sources. We had a plan where we would make a phone call every so often per week. Regardless of whether there was information sharing going on, there was always a phone call made at those times. At the very least we would schedule our next primary call or meeting plan, and briefly discuss our secondary plan if it failed. The secondary plan usually consisted of alternate phones or numbers, an alternate date and time, or rarely even a place and time for meeting face to face. Then we'd quickly rehash our contingency plan, which was more of an emergency method of contact. Depending on the source's accessibility and reliability, this could range anywhere from yet another phone call, to an email, a face to face meeting or even a dead drop or other tradecrafty means of communication.
I know I'm a little light on details and specifics, and that's for a good reason. But I think you get the idea. If you're receiving information from someone, then there needs to be a well made plan that allows both of you to get in touch with each other at set intervals, with multiple methods, that allows both delayed and instant communications, and that will be secure and keep both of you safe from message interception. The point of this plan to ensure that neither of you are left wondering where the other guy is, or if the other guy is alright, or why the other guy is late.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
There is a problem in Hungary, and a problem in greater Europe.
Originally posted by The Gray Man at American Partisan.
The Gates of Vienna blog has a piece detailing what went wrong in the local elections in Hungary. It appears that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz Party have lost a lot of ground in the recent round of local elections. This is significant because the opposition there is largely built from Communist and Socialist entities who've been pushing hard to fling the doors open on the Hungarian borders to allow massive hordes of North African and Middle Eastern refugees inside.
Hungary, along with Poland and a few Eastern European countries have been feeling the pressure from the globalists. Those few states have been holding back the tide of third world migrants, attempting to hold true to their more stable and generally homogenous societies, feeling no absolute moral obligation to cripple their own economies and destroy their own cultures just in the name of helping people who are not coming for the purpose of being helped.
The majority of refugees coming into European countries (or across the US Southern border) should not be allowed to have any sort of refugee status. According to international law (Yeah...) in order to claim asylum, a refugee must apply for the status in the first "safe country" they arrive in. They can not simply continue traveling (through the Middle East or South America) looking for their ideal
targetdestination. A very large percentage of the refugees coming into Europe, nearly half, are military aged males according to Pew Research. Also, the majority of "unaccompanied minors" are teenage boys, most of them from Afghanistan. There are a lot of reports of males over the age of 20 claiming to be teenage children, and most do not have identification. As a former intelligence collector I have some professional experience in dealing with Afghan "identification", and I recall that the Afghan government would hand out identification documents based on whoever you told them you were. That's it. So 23 year old "Saib" is suddenly 16 year old "Ali" now, and "Ali" is permitted refugee status and welcomed into a home in Sweden, Belgium or Germany as a 16 year old.
Much of Europe is already at the breaking point. Britain's prisons are already majority Muslim. Sweden is experiencing near daily grenade attacks. Molenbeek, Belgium is virtually one large no-go zone for white people and police. These are the kinds of situations Hungary, Poland and others are trying to avoid by closing their doors to the masses of foreign asylum-seekers, but the forces of Communism are slowly making progress in these places, the last bastions of Christian Western civilization standing in Europe.
With the African birth rate skyrocketing and the European birthrate flat lining, it doesn't take much thought to imagine what the future holds. While governments in Europe might not be able to "officially" scoop up new refugees by the thousands and bring them into their borders, there will always be some mysterious NGOs to pop up out of nowhere with just the right equipment and transportation means to bring them over themselves. One wonders how there is always a conveniently situated NGO right where they need to be with exactly the resources they need to get done what the governments want done, but can't do themselves. One example from a few years ago is when there were fleets of large black rubber boats appearing on the shores of North Africa without much attention on how they got there or who paid for them. I recall our own Matt Bracken doing some research on the event and finding Soros money behind it, predictably.
What's the difference between state governments and NGOs when the NGOs are just doing the dirty work of the state governments, and both are profiting?
I read a while back that Viktor Orbán might be the guy that American conservatives hoped Donald Trump would be. In my opinion, Trump is a pragmatist (or attempts to be) while Orbán appears to be the cultural idealist that Americans sought in voting for Trump.
Keep one eye on world events, the other on your family, one hand in the dirt and the other on your gun. And as always, stay out of Sarajevo.
The Gates of Vienna blog has a piece detailing what went wrong in the local elections in Hungary. It appears that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz Party have lost a lot of ground in the recent round of local elections. This is significant because the opposition there is largely built from Communist and Socialist entities who've been pushing hard to fling the doors open on the Hungarian borders to allow massive hordes of North African and Middle Eastern refugees inside.
Hungary, along with Poland and a few Eastern European countries have been feeling the pressure from the globalists. Those few states have been holding back the tide of third world migrants, attempting to hold true to their more stable and generally homogenous societies, feeling no absolute moral obligation to cripple their own economies and destroy their own cultures just in the name of helping people who are not coming for the purpose of being helped.
The majority of refugees coming into European countries (or across the US Southern border) should not be allowed to have any sort of refugee status. According to international law (Yeah...) in order to claim asylum, a refugee must apply for the status in the first "safe country" they arrive in. They can not simply continue traveling (through the Middle East or South America) looking for their ideal
Much of Europe is already at the breaking point. Britain's prisons are already majority Muslim. Sweden is experiencing near daily grenade attacks. Molenbeek, Belgium is virtually one large no-go zone for white people and police. These are the kinds of situations Hungary, Poland and others are trying to avoid by closing their doors to the masses of foreign asylum-seekers, but the forces of Communism are slowly making progress in these places, the last bastions of Christian Western civilization standing in Europe.
With the African birth rate skyrocketing and the European birthrate flat lining, it doesn't take much thought to imagine what the future holds. While governments in Europe might not be able to "officially" scoop up new refugees by the thousands and bring them into their borders, there will always be some mysterious NGOs to pop up out of nowhere with just the right equipment and transportation means to bring them over themselves. One wonders how there is always a conveniently situated NGO right where they need to be with exactly the resources they need to get done what the governments want done, but can't do themselves. One example from a few years ago is when there were fleets of large black rubber boats appearing on the shores of North Africa without much attention on how they got there or who paid for them. I recall our own Matt Bracken doing some research on the event and finding Soros money behind it, predictably.
What's the difference between state governments and NGOs when the NGOs are just doing the dirty work of the state governments, and both are profiting?
I read a while back that Viktor Orbán might be the guy that American conservatives hoped Donald Trump would be. In my opinion, Trump is a pragmatist (or attempts to be) while Orbán appears to be the cultural idealist that Americans sought in voting for Trump.
Keep one eye on world events, the other on your family, one hand in the dirt and the other on your gun. And as always, stay out of Sarajevo.
The Novelty of Placing our Active Duty Military on our Actual Border.
A novel idea of border security is to place our active duty military on our actual border. Last I checked, the purpose of a national military force is for defense of the homeland, which specifically includes the defense of those borders. I've been told by a great many people on both the "left" and "right" sides of the aisle that somehow this is just not doable. Either the border is too long or it's an unnecessary move or it's too costly, or some other such excuses. My rebuttals:
-There are a great many highly secure borders in the world. Israel's borders are highly secure even though they're attacked fairly regularly. They have placed their military on their border and erected barriers, and are actively guarding them with both manpower and the best tech they can get their hands on. South Korea has a border that millions would love to cross, but few have dared to try and fewer still have made it. They guard it with their military and with OUR military as well. Don't tell me we have no men who know how to guard a border. We have plenty. Hungary and Poland have borders that thousands of North African and Middle Eastern migrants are attempting (and failing) to cross daily, and if they ever make it at some point, it will have more to do with communist infiltration in their respective political systems than it will with military incapability. They are currently holding those lines well as long as they maintain the support of the people who make the rules. India and Pakistan have a fairly secure border, guarded with barriers and enthusiastic soldiers.
-The US military is currently deploying hundreds of thousands of our young men and women to secure hundreds (if not thousands) of embassies, compounds, bases, forts, FOBs, outposts and camps throughout the world. What would be the square mileage of those areas we currently secure around the globe? I believe that by bringing some of those troops back here and placing them along our 2,000 mile border with Mexico, and putting them there on a combat footing rather than a paper pushing "advise and assist" role, our border crossing could be cut drastically. We are currently rotating the US Army brigades and divisions through combat deployments to Afghanistan (18 years later still). What if we rotated them through combat deployments on our border instead? Same guys, same weapons, same equipment, slightly different mission. We have to keep the cartels off of our border.
-Deploying Army divisions to the border would be much cheaper than deploying them across the globe. Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California aren't going to cost nearly as much as Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Germany, Japan or any of the other dozens of spots our troops are securing right now. And they'll never have to ask "what are we doing here again?"
-The cartels and smugglers on the southern border have become a major threat to US national security (or have been for years). They are at least as sophisticated as any terrorist group overseas, just as motivated and are probably more aggressive and creative with their methods. Additionally, they're already here. Already starting conflicts inside our borders. Already killing US citizens. Infiltrating our neighborhoods. They have supply and sale contacts in your town, right now, if not actual armed soldiers. Some of our law enforcement know exactly who they are and where they are. Some of them openly wear their colors and tattoos. They're unafraid for a reason. If we aren't defending our border, then we aren't defending the interior.
I suspect that the lack of border security has more to do with a lack of willpower on the part of our national leadership than it does lack of ability on the part of our military. Unfortunately I believe that even our high level military leadership may lack the will to make these proposals. Fighting Afghan insurgents must be preferable to fighting drug cartels south of the border.
I tell people to "stay out of Sarajevo" as a way of telling them to avoid the trouble spots. But what happens when the trouble spots come to you? Ammo, buy it cheap and stack it deep. You'll need it. Try Ammo.com. Look to Brownell's for replacement gun parts. If our leadership isn't going to use our military to defend our actual national border, then it will come down to you to protect your border, wherever that may be. Be prepared to do so.
-There are a great many highly secure borders in the world. Israel's borders are highly secure even though they're attacked fairly regularly. They have placed their military on their border and erected barriers, and are actively guarding them with both manpower and the best tech they can get their hands on. South Korea has a border that millions would love to cross, but few have dared to try and fewer still have made it. They guard it with their military and with OUR military as well. Don't tell me we have no men who know how to guard a border. We have plenty. Hungary and Poland have borders that thousands of North African and Middle Eastern migrants are attempting (and failing) to cross daily, and if they ever make it at some point, it will have more to do with communist infiltration in their respective political systems than it will with military incapability. They are currently holding those lines well as long as they maintain the support of the people who make the rules. India and Pakistan have a fairly secure border, guarded with barriers and enthusiastic soldiers.
-The US military is currently deploying hundreds of thousands of our young men and women to secure hundreds (if not thousands) of embassies, compounds, bases, forts, FOBs, outposts and camps throughout the world. What would be the square mileage of those areas we currently secure around the globe? I believe that by bringing some of those troops back here and placing them along our 2,000 mile border with Mexico, and putting them there on a combat footing rather than a paper pushing "advise and assist" role, our border crossing could be cut drastically. We are currently rotating the US Army brigades and divisions through combat deployments to Afghanistan (18 years later still). What if we rotated them through combat deployments on our border instead? Same guys, same weapons, same equipment, slightly different mission. We have to keep the cartels off of our border.
-Deploying Army divisions to the border would be much cheaper than deploying them across the globe. Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California aren't going to cost nearly as much as Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Germany, Japan or any of the other dozens of spots our troops are securing right now. And they'll never have to ask "what are we doing here again?"
-The cartels and smugglers on the southern border have become a major threat to US national security (or have been for years). They are at least as sophisticated as any terrorist group overseas, just as motivated and are probably more aggressive and creative with their methods. Additionally, they're already here. Already starting conflicts inside our borders. Already killing US citizens. Infiltrating our neighborhoods. They have supply and sale contacts in your town, right now, if not actual armed soldiers. Some of our law enforcement know exactly who they are and where they are. Some of them openly wear their colors and tattoos. They're unafraid for a reason. If we aren't defending our border, then we aren't defending the interior.
I suspect that the lack of border security has more to do with a lack of willpower on the part of our national leadership than it does lack of ability on the part of our military. Unfortunately I believe that even our high level military leadership may lack the will to make these proposals. Fighting Afghan insurgents must be preferable to fighting drug cartels south of the border.
I tell people to "stay out of Sarajevo" as a way of telling them to avoid the trouble spots. But what happens when the trouble spots come to you? Ammo, buy it cheap and stack it deep. You'll need it. Try Ammo.com. Look to Brownell's for replacement gun parts. If our leadership isn't going to use our military to defend our actual national border, then it will come down to you to protect your border, wherever that may be. Be prepared to do so.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Happy Veteran’s Day
Happy Veteran’s Day to those who’ve served. Enjoy your discounted food and handshakes, and remember to keep preparing for the next war, the one where enlistment status doesn’t matter.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Heading back to South Africa this month
I am sorry I have not had the time to write or share with all of you over the past 6 months or so.
I am overwhelmed with my work in South Africa.
I am currently holding a fundraiser to help my next trip this month where I will be working to aid the individuals and organizations focusing on hindering the sponsored violence against unarmed civilians/ women and children.
link to my fundraiser for who ever is interested.
link to fundraiser - https://www.facebook.com/donate/438093430179695/10156595522236301/
link to trailer for my new documentary South Africa: Stop The Bleeding - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r3tRofsOOI
I am overwhelmed with my work in South Africa.
I am currently holding a fundraiser to help my next trip this month where I will be working to aid the individuals and organizations focusing on hindering the sponsored violence against unarmed civilians/ women and children.
link to my fundraiser for who ever is interested.
link to fundraiser - https://www.facebook.com/donate/438093430179695/10156595522236301/
link to trailer for my new documentary South Africa: Stop The Bleeding - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r3tRofsOOI
Friday, November 1, 2019
Sorry for the delay again.
Been working on some stuff for American Partisan and I’ll have some of that stuff posted here soon and over the next couple of weeks. I’ll put up some of the good things our other people are doing.
Also, I am (once again) officially a college student. My wife and I, both. Lord help us.
Also, I am (once again) officially a college student. My wife and I, both. Lord help us.
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