Wisdom from the Founders.

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

James Madison

Photos of my current bug out bag setup.

These are photos of my 85% completed bug out bag. It's been another long pause in my posting. For anyone who does read this new work-in-progress of mine, my family and I have been continuing our major life transitions that will eventually lead to self-sufficiency and more of a survival-oriented mindset. I will try to make more regular postings. There certainly isn't any lack of material! Please continue to bear with me while we make our transitions. Thank you to those who are reading!

Top: Sandpiper of California "Bug Out Bag" model. Benchmade seat belt cutter with case. Leatherman multi-tool with case. One small carabiner and on larger carabiner with screw lock.

Second from Top: Ziplock bags inside a ziplock bag. Coast TX10 4-color LED flashlight. Protractor. Buck folding knife. Bug spray. Wire saw (plastic "D" ring holding ends together). Kashi trail mix bars. Toothbrushes. Coleman water purification and neutralization tablets. Weatherproof notepad. Pencil.

Third from Top: Chem-lights in varying colors. Weatherproof document folder. Ink pen. Small plastic case containing fishing lures, firesteel, P-38 can openers, weather-resistant matches, nail clippers and an eyeglass repair kit. 10 pound test fishing line. Duct tape. Walther P22 pistol with two 10 round magazines filled with .22LR HP ammo. Whistle. 550 paracord. Compass. Combat tourniquet. Becker BK-2 survival knife and sheath made by Ka-Bar.

Bottom: Nalgene one liter water bottle with one liter of water. Toilet paper in ziplock bag. Socks and underwear in ziplock bag. Leather gloves. Soft inserts for leather gloves. Survival blanket. First-Aid kit. SAM splint. NOAA AM/FM weather radio with power cord. Towel. Two MREs.

On the continued events in Ukraine.

They say that weakness invites aggression. If you'd like a recent example, please observe the recent situation taking place in Ukraine. I posted about this once before, shortly after the start of the invasion. I firmly believe that the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine is a result of the weakness that has been shown by the Obama Administration since 2008.

The Obama Administration stated years ago that their goal was to "reset" relations with Russia. As a sign of goodwill, the US shutdown the strategic missile defense sites positioned throughout Eastern Europe. The purpose of those sites was to deter the use of strategic missiles by Russia. The act of goodwill by the Americans went completely unreturned.

Vladimir Putin had been fighting against the deployment of the missile defense sites for years. I believe he saw this first act as a sign of things to come. Since then, there have been repeated signs of weakness out of the White House.

Obama first went head to head with the Russians over Syria. Obama made his now infamous "red line" statement against the Syrian regime that was supported by the Russians. Obama stated that Assad must turn over his chemical weapons, end the civil war and step down. After he failed to follow through on that statement, the door was left open for Putin to step in and "save the day". He "convinced" Syrian president Assad to turn over his chemical weapons stockpile. To anyone who knows anything about Russia, this basically guaranteed that Assad would keep most of his stockpile, the war in Syria would continue and Assad would remain firmly in power.

The Olympic Games in Sochi were a major victory for Russia and Vladimir Putin on the world's stage. Despite discrimination against gays, mass signal intelligence collection against anyone near the Olympic's location, footage of whip wielding Cossacks beating "troublemakers" and myriad problems with the hotels and other accommodations, the games went off without any majorly visible problems to the rest of the world. Putin's image was greatly enhance by this.

All of this now brings us to where we are. Putin has effectively used intelligence agents in Ukraine to sow instability, giving him the opportunity to swoop in and protect Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens. After using paramilitary units in unmarked uniforms (a violation of the Geneva Conventions) to invade Crimea, Putin's security services continued to operate in the area, leading to a 97% vote in Crimea to secede and join the Russian Federation. While many, if not most, Crimeans wished to join Russia, the armed Russian soldiers and more whip wielding Cossacks standing at every street corner and polling station likely had an effect on those numbers.

The only reaction from the Obama Administraition has been lukewarm rhetoric citing the violation of "international norms" and displays of "19th century" behavior on the part of Russia. Sanctions against certain Russian officials have been put in place, but it's believed that as few as a dozen individuals are actually being affected.

Russia has since expanded the operations of intelligence officers and paramilitary units in Eastern Ukraine. Over 40,000 Russian troops are stationed along the Russia-Ukraine border and stand prepared to invade in order to "protect" more Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens. Intelligence agents have continued to encourage a rising insurgency and Russian paramilitary units have steadily been seizing, by force, Ukrainian government buildings. The events are playing out the same as they did in Crimea.

NATO and the US have done little besides make statements condemning Russian actions, but Vladimir Putin has been unaffected by them. Europe must tread lightly or risk losing their source of the natural gas they are now so dependent on Russia for.

Weak actions and words from the Obama Administration have Putin the green light he has been waiting years for. The events we see unfolding are what happens when a Chicago community organizer goes head-to-head with a former Cold War KGB agent. The only thing that Putin respects is the threat of brute force. One of the first things Obama did in regards to the Russian actions in Ukraine was to take US military action off the table. That is all Putin needed to hear.

Anyone who believes this situation is none of our business possesses a dangerous lack of understanding and foresight. Vladimir Putin's behavior is similar to Adolf Hitler's and Obama's weakness is similar to that of Neville Chamberlain. Pray that these events do not continue to mimic the past.

Wisdom from the Founders.

"Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another. It is impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man; it consequently follows that rights appertain to man in right of his existence, and must therefore be equal to every man."

Thomas Paine

Busy life.

It has been way too long since I've made a post, and I do regret that. Life for me, as it happens to us all sometimes, has gotten busy as of late. Preparing to make a positive major life transition geared toward increasing the independence of me and my family is the cause. The eventual goal is near total self-sufficiency and we are preparing to take a significant step toward that goal. Once we move close enough to that goal that it will be of interest to readers, I'll post a lot about it on here.

Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to getting back on it!

Russian invasion of Ukraine after unrest.

Victor Yanukovich, the former president of the Ukraine, is in exile in Moscow after being ousted by the Ukrainian citizenry. In one of the bloodier revolts we have seen in recent years, the Ukrainian people rose up in rage after Yanukovich turned down an economic deal with the European Union in favor of a large financial bailout by Russia. The Ukrainian people never supported siding with Moscow, instead favoring closer ties with the European Union. The people revolted when faced with the possibility of coming under the sphere of Russian influence.

Thus far, President Obama has done nothing and said little, reluctant to use tough rhetoric against an opponent that has already made him look like an incompetent fool in the last couple of years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking this opportunity to flex his muscle in the Ukrainian unrest while he knows the US government is too weak and timid to stand up to him. He is using this as an example to the world that the American super-power status is no more. He is attempting to rebuild a semblance of the Soviet Union in the absence of strong American leadership.

Obama's statements on this development remind me of his "red line" he drew against the Syrian government's attacks on the Syrian people. We all saw as Putin took control of the Syrian conflict away from Obama and managed it to his own satisfaction while the US President was unable to achieve a single objective of his own. The conflict in Syria rages on, Assad is still firmly in power and he still possesses most of his chemical weapons stockpile despite the passing of early disposal deadlines.

We now see an obvious military provocation by Putin. Russian military transport aircraft have begun bringing troops and equipment into the Ukrainian region of Crimea. Russian Mi-24 "Hind" attack helicopters have been conducting flights over Crimea. The troops have seized several airports in the region and have waved off customs officials, stating they have no need of their services. A day prior to this larger invasion, a dozen or so armed men seized control of local government offices in Crimea and raised the Russian flag over them. The men wore no uniforms, but it is my professional opinion that these men are either Spetznaz or GRU operatives. There are also approximately 150,000 Russian soldiers that have been quickly mobilized near the Ukrainian border for what Russia has referred to as "military exercises". These so called "exercises" also involved hundreds of tanks and aircraft and at least 80 naval vessels.

As Russia invades sovereign, industrialized nations the US leadership has announced that we are cutting the size of our military to it's smallest numbers since WWII. Recently, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that "climate change" is one of the largest threats to global stability. President Obama has shifted his focus this year to climate change, minimum wage changes and "equality".

This invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces may very well lead to a major rearmament by major European Union powers who believe that they can no longer depend on the ability of the US to stand up to aggression from Russia. We have already observed a major military buildup in the most influential of the EU nations, Germany.

Great website for learning bushcraft skills.

There is a great site that I will be frequenting myself in order to learn more about the arts of bushcraft. The discussion forums are full of members who are willing to share their knowledge with anyone who will listen.

There is a part of the forum titled "BushClass". The authors have created instructional threads and practice threads. Once you've watched the videos and read through the instructional threads, you'll go out and practice the skill yourself. Take photos of your results post them into the "practice" thread and that's where the instructors will let you know if you did it well enough to receive "credit". Use the instructional threads to ask questions before, during and after your practice. They have beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert classes.

It's a great way to start learning bushcraft skills that could one day save your life.

www.BushcraftUSA.com

To support gun control.

To be a supporter of gun control requires one to ignore history. It requires supporters to purposely forget the history of disarmed citizens being turned on by their own governments and slaughtered in massive numbers (262 million people in the 20th century, alone).

Additionally, to be a gun control supporter, you must have an “it can’t happen here” mentality. You must believe that somehow the nature of our own government and the nature of humans that led to such a massive destruction of life in the past century have both changed very recently and very tremendously, without evidence.

You must ignore these things, even as our government seeks more power and more control over the citizenry across ever facet of society.

List of Lists - Fuels

The ability to light and heat a living area and cook is imperative in a survival scenario. The key to doing this is fuel. Gasoline will go bad if stored for too long, so this is why you should create a rotation system that has you using your oldest useable gasoline when you acquire more new gasoline. If you treat your stored gasoline with Stabil, it will stay useful for up to two years.


- Gasoline stabilized with Stabil in gas cans or non-corrosive metal drums
- Propane
- Kerosene
- Charcoal
- Lighter fluid

As mentioned above, it's advisable to rotate your gasoline storage. If you have many gas cans filled in your shed or garage, put it in your car's gas tank occasionally. Then fill that can again and put it at the back of the rotation line. Try to ensure that moisture doesn't infiltrate the fuel you have stored.

Wisdom from the Founders.

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

Patrick Henry