If one would wish to define America and Americans, the best way is to provide a category and framework in which wars play the most prominent role. Almost from the beginning of the discovery of the American continent there have been wars, in some cases “small wars” and in others great wars. However there are three major wars which are mostly referred to as boundaries by which United States evolved from a few haphazard colonies to a global power. The first, a refinery war that began to form an almost distinguished state is the War of Independence; in this war colonies got their independence from their one time British citizens.
The next war, which would be focused more upon, is the civil war. In this war the divided nation experiences the first major impact of racialization. There were disagreements between the white Anglo Saxon Protestants about the way the blacks and mostly slaves are treated. In the south, there was that image of a black slave as an inferior rouge character who is to be subdued and in some cases brutalized since it is not white, does not belong to the Anglo-Saxon origins and is in most cases heathen. That color-line created a war and in that war a complete and united American nation was given birth. They gathered around that ideal of American-ness and in that process those opponents were dealt with by guns.
The next war which is some how important as the last phase of American identity and self-conception of Americans as the people of the United States is the Second World War. Until mid-20th century the United States was preparing itself and was trying to have an understanding of itself as a nation. AS Philip Gleason (1980) said, this war “enhanced national unity and a common sense of national belonging”. Almost from the early days of the republic struggles around the ethno-racial line existed. The westward movement and the need to portrait Indians as “savage”, uncivilizable, masculine, and ignorant people so that they could unite Americans to win what Max Boot called the “savage wars of peace”, is an example of the continuing process of otherization.
Actually in the US, the demand for construction and often demonization of other ethnic and racial peoples is a permanent issue. What is interesting is the other side of this otherization which gives the opposite attributes cast upon the so-called savages to the white Anglo-Saxon generations. In its simple form evil versus good and these adjectives would go completely in different directions to construct two apparently different ethno-racial groups. Samuel Huntington very truly mentions wars as things which have a very significant impact on a nation’s return to and cementing of its primary self-conception. Worrying about the core American identity, he says (ibid):
External wars may stimulate controversies and disunity within countries…. If on the other hand, “barbarians” fundamentally threaten or are perceived to threaten the existence of the country, more positive consequences may follow…. This is certainly true for America.
He refers to American Civil War, Cold War and also the last but not the least “War on Terror” as three great times during which that sense of understanding oneself as American and as part of the United States was at its height. The last of these three, the newly introduced war on terror is the item to be studied in terms of situation of ethno-racial groups within and without the US. The wave of American nationalism and that sense of “all for one” is described by Huntington (2004):
Probably never in the past, was the flag as omnipresent as it was after September 11.it was everywhere: homes, business, automobiles, clothes, furniture, windows, and storefronts… telephone posts.
Now it seems that the United States is looking to expand that compliance that one was asked from Indians, Blacks, from another ethno-racial group in the Middle East. Simply, the compliance needs guns and guns need justifications. Justifications are again like the rest of the past cases. There is a need for construction/demonization of the Muslim/Arab groups to show them as savages in need of civilization. One example of this recurrent demonization theme is the term “Indian country” which is used in the American army to define the territory of Middle East.
By defining America in the global arena as the innocent against the evil and arrogant evil terrorists (who are highly likely to be Arab Muslims, of course) the United States Government is creating another ethno-racial line by which some are considered as American and others are anti-Americanists (and thus demons). This attempt is well accompanied by the past efforts of Orientalists who presented a picture of orient so useful to western civilization especially the European continent. Thus to bring the torches of civilization to the Middle East, the good fights with all its goodness against the other evil.
There are parallels and contrasts between US domestic and foreign policies. In terms of parallels, there are clashes among different ethno-racial groups within the US; that is, what is the construction of other identities in a broader and global level can be considered as parallel to the construction of some ethno-racial groups within the United States. As an example of this demonization, one could refer to Hispanic community as a newly defined others who have attacked the Americans’ self conception of themselves as people of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Huntington is one of those adhering and intensifying that difference and looks for dealing with the new threats to the US against the more cosmopolitan politicians like democrats of the 90s.
There is a contrast between what is going on in US domestic policy and US foreign policy. While there are attempts within the United States to remove all the barriers of the system in favor of an equal ethno-racial model and erase any signs of division among Americans, in terms of foreign policy there is something completely vice-versa. That division is now exported into the global scene and at the turn of the new millennium, it is Muslim Arabs (not to include Iranians) who are to bear the burden of otherization and demonization in the name of “War On terror”. The result for US domestics is highly likely to be unity, as argued before in this article.
However the writer believes that the division within the global arena will cause a division within the United States and there would be clashes between cosmopolitanism and American exceptionalism/ nationalism.
If one would wish to define America and Americans, the best way is to provide a category and framework in which wars play the most prominent role. Almost from the beginning of the discovery of the American continent there have been wars, in some cases “small wars” and in others great wars. However there are three major wars which are mostly referred to as boundaries by which United States evolved from a few haphazard colonies to a global power. The first, a refinery war that began to form an almost distinguished state is the War of Independence; in this war colonies got their independence from their one time British citizens.
The next war, which would be focused more upon, is the civil war. In this war the divided nation experiences the first major impact of racialization. There were disagreements between the white Anglo Saxon Protestants about the way the blacks and mostly slaves are treated. In the south, there was that image of a black slave as an inferior rouge character who is to be subdued and in some cases brutalized since it is not white, does not belong to the Anglo-Saxon origins and is in most cases heathen. That color-line created a war and in that war a complete and united American nation was given birth. They gathered around that ideal of American-ness and in that process those opponents were dealt with by guns.
The next war which is some how important as the last phase of American identity and self-conception of Americans as the people of the United States is the Second World War. Until mid-20th century the United States was preparing itself and was trying to have an understanding of itself as a nation. AS Philip Gleason (1980) said, this war “enhanced national unity and a common sense of national belonging”. Almost from the early days of the republic struggles around the ethno-racial line existed. The westward movement and the need to portrait Indians as “savage”, uncivilizable, masculine, and ignorant people so that they could unite Americans to win what Max Boot called the “savage wars of peace”, is an example of the continuing process of otherization.
Actually in the US, the demand for construction and often demonization of other ethnic and racial peoples is a permanent issue. What is interesting is the other side of this otherization which gives the opposite attributes cast upon the so-called savages to the white Anglo-Saxon generations. In its simple form evil versus good and these adjectives would go completely in different directions to construct two apparently different ethno-racial groups. Samuel Huntington very truly mentions wars as things which have a very significant impact on a nation’s return to and cementing of its primary self-conception. Worrying about the core American identity, he says (ibid):
External wars may stimulate controversies and disunity within countries…. If on the other hand, “barbarians” fundamentally threaten or are perceived to threaten the existence of the country, more positive consequences may follow…. This is certainly true for America.
He refers to American Civil War, Cold War and also the last but not the least “War on Terror” as three great times during which that sense of understanding oneself as American and as part of the United States was at its height. The last of these three, the newly introduced war on terror is the item to be studied in terms of situation of ethno-racial groups within and without the US. The wave of American nationalism and that sense of “all for one” is described by Huntington (2004):
Probably never in the past, was the flag as omnipresent as it was after September 11.it was everywhere: homes, business, automobiles, clothes, furniture, windows, and storefronts… telephone posts.
Now it seems that the United States is looking to expand that compliance that one was asked from Indians, Blacks, from another ethno-racial group in the Middle East. Simply, the compliance needs guns and guns need justifications. Justifications are again like the rest of the past cases. There is a need for construction/demonization of the Muslim/Arab groups to show them as savages in need of civilization. One example of this recurrent demonization theme is the term “Indian country” which is used in the American army to define the territory of Middle East.
By defining America in the global arena as the innocent against the evil and arrogant evil terrorists (who are highly likely to be Arab Muslims, of course) the United States Government is creating another ethno-racial line by which some are considered as American and others are anti-Americanists (and thus demons). This attempt is well accompanied by the past efforts of Orientalists who presented a picture of orient so useful to western civilization especially the European continent. Thus to bring the torches of civilization to the Middle East, the good fights with all its goodness against the other evil.
There are parallels and contrasts between US domestic and foreign policies. In terms of parallels, there are clashes among different ethno-racial groups within the US; that is, what is the construction of other identities in a broader and global level can be considered as parallel to the construction of some ethno-racial groups within the United States. As an example of this demonization, one could refer to Hispanic community as a newly defined others who have attacked the Americans’ self conception of themselves as people of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Huntington is one of those adhering and intensifying that difference and looks for dealing with the new threats to the US against the more cosmopolitan politicians like democrats of the 90s.
There is a contrast between what is going on in US domestic policy and US foreign policy. While there are attempts within the United States to remove all the barriers of the system in favor of an equal ethno-racial model and erase any signs of division among Americans, in terms of foreign policy there is something completely vice-versa. That division is now exported into the global scene and at the turn of the new millennium, it is Muslim Arabs (not to include Iranians) who are to bear the burden of otherization and demonization in the name of “War On terror”. The result for US domestics is highly likely to be unity, as argued before in this article.
However the writer believes that the division within the global arena will cause a division within the United States and there would be clashes between cosmopolitanism and American exceptionalism/ nationalism.
Under international law, personal self-defense is a well-established human right and is an important foundation of international law itself as well as the constitution of America. From 1893 to 1896, the United States Supreme Court handed down a series of decisions involving self-defense and the carrying and use of firearms for self- defense. These cases laid the foundation for a 1921 opinion, authored by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, which became the most important armed self- defense case in American legal history, upholding and extending the right to armed self-defense.
Self-defense is a legal protection for the use of force; even deadly force to protect one’s life or the life of a third party. The concept has roots back to Roman law and English Common Law, and, in the United States, has been refined over a series of historic self-defense cases in the Supreme Court. In many cases, but not all, the issue of self-defense has been connected with shooting deaths and the right to bear arms. While the Supreme Court has outlined principles governing self-defense as a legal concept, individual states are left to legislate the specific limits within their own jurisdictions.
Consider this. You have just finished buying groceries one evening and are on the way to your vehicle, when you are confronted by a stranger who demands your money. You push him away in an attempt to escape. He trips and falls, hitting his head against the ground. The police arrive and everything is sorted out. You are sent on your way and the stranger is carted off to the hospital. You find out several days later, the stranger died due to the traumatic brain injury he received when his head hit the ground. Several weeks later, you are served papers which indicate you are being sued by the stranger’s family for Wrongful Death, due to your negligence. Is this possible?
The central idea behind a Wrongful Death lawsuit is that through negligence, carelessness or recklessness, someone died. These lawsuits, usually brought forth on behalf of the surviving family members, attempt to collect damages for expenses related to the death, pain and suffering experienced by the survivors and for future earnings of the deceased.
There is also the possibility of a Personal Injury lawsuit in which the injured party attempts to collect damages for their injuries based on negligence or intentional wrongdoing.
What rights do civilians have when using force to prevent injury to themselves or others? What are the legal limitations and implications on use of force by civilians? What legal thresholds will be examined by the Courts? What specific type of force can be used in self defense?
To answer these questions, let’s look at this from another perspective.
The Odds of Death
Consider the following odds of death as they relate to personal risk. These numbers vary to some degree depending on the annual totals. These odds are calculated by the National Safety Council on the most recently released data from 2004.
Plane Crash
One-year odds are 1 in 400,000.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 5,000.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for flight attendants to skip the safety instructions given to passengers?
Accidental Drowning
One-year odds are 1 in 88,772.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 1,140.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the owner of a pool to ignore reasonable efforts towards adult supervision while inviting young neighborhood children to use the pool anytime they wish?
Falls
One year odds are 1 in 15,614.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 200.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the owner of a home to invite others over for a barbecue on the upper deck, knowing the guard rails are loose and broken?
Accidental poisoning
One-year odds are 1 in 14,107.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 180.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the owner of a business to have unidentified hazardous materials in the break room?
Motor Vehicle Accident
One-year odds are 1 in 6,535.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 84.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for automobile manufacturers to sell automobiles without safety restraints?
Using the same formula, I have crunched some numbers regarding Crime.
Assault
One-year odds are 1 in 25,263.
Lifetime odds are 1 in 217.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the intended victim to use force to escape or protect themselves?
The odds of being a victim of any type of Crime are approximately 8%.
In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the intended victim to use force to escape or protect themselves?
The odds of being a victim of Violent Crime, not necessarily involving death, are 1-2%. In this context, would the Court consider it unusual or negligent for the intended victim to use force to escape or protect themselves?
What Does The Law Allow?
Almost all states within the United States allow civilians to use reasonable force in protection of their own or someone else’s property or life. Check your own state statutes, as they vary considerably from state to state.
Most of these statutes do not define what reasonable force is. Using the example we opened with, is it reasonable to push someone down who is demanding your money, but is not displaying, brandishing or threatening you with a weapon? This is where it gets tricky. Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that the stranger, who died from the brain injury after you pushed him, was found to have a concealed knife in his pocket? Does this make any difference?
Let’s change the scenario. The same stranger produces a handgun and demands your money. You, being a legally licensed handgun permit holder, pull your handgun and shoot him. He dies. The police discover the handgun he pulled on you is really a BB gun, or a toy gun. Does this change your liability?
The bottom line is that the courts will look at several factors.
Do you have the legal (statutory) authority to use force, and under what conditions?
Were those conditions present at the time of the incident?
Were you a reluctant participant? Did you create or exacerbate the problem?
Did you consider retreating? Was it reasonable to consider retreating?
Was the force you used reasonable, given your perception of the events?
The problem most civilians confront when using force is that they do not understand what is reasonable. The legal definition of reasonable: “what is appropriate for a particular situation?” This definition is generally applied in the law of Negligence. It is the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would observe under a certain set of conditions. Someone who exercises such standards would not be negligent.
Let’s go back to our example. Is it reasonable for the intended victim to push a stranger away who is demanding their money? Of course it is. We frequently hear about death and injuries that result from these types of crimes. If the civilian’s perception is that they are about to be hurt or injured as a result of a crime, it is reasonable to use force to escape.
Was it reasonable for the civilian to shoot the stranger demanding money, when the gun the stranger was using is a toy gun? Yes, it is. The civilian has no duty or obligation to ask the stranger if the gun he is holding in his hand is a toy gun or a BB gun. The civilian’s perception at the time of the incident is that the stranger is holding a real gun, with real bullets, and he might shoot.
Civilians do not have the same mission as law enforcement officers have. Police are required by their mission and policy to respond to, and deal with, circumstances that may require use of force. Civilians are not required to get involved in any situation requiring the use of force. Civilians are not sent out to intervene in anything. Civilians can walk away from everything.
Civilians do, however, have almost the same authority as police officers when it comes to statutory authority governing the use of force. Civilians have the right to use “reasonable force”, as do the police, if their perception is that an Adversary is trying to hurt someone.
In most states, deadly force, or the taking of another’s life, is justified if a civilian’s perceptions of the activity taking place will likely result in great bodily harm or death. This is the same general rule for police officers. The difference is that civilians must consider retreating, and must be a “reluctant participant”, which means they have little choice with being caught up in the circumstances to begin with. Law enforcement personnel do not have these restrictions.
Although not the focus of this article, another commonality between police and civilians is the ability to use reasonable force to detain someone during an arrest. In many states civilians can make citizen arrests under certain conditions. Check your state statutes for details.
Law enforcement professionals are held to a higher standard of training than civilians, which is why a Use of Force Model of some type is typically part of law enforcement training. The challenge for the civilian is to determine what is reasonable should they decide to use force. Reasonableness and timeliness are the two primary considerations a judge or jury will use to decide if the civilian’s actions were acceptable in a use-of-force case.
Traditional martial arts and self-defense classes do not teach what is reasonable and timely. Most of these classes teach motor skills and techniques, but do not provide the civilian a legal framework of force to work within.
Here’s an example of the dilemma: A civilian comes upon an Adversary who is standing several feet from another person, fists clenched, swearing, and threatening that other person. The Adversary pushes that person hard, knocking them to the ground. Would it be reasonable for the civilian observing this take place, who has the right to use force, to intervene in the situation and to purposefully break the Adversary’s leg? Probably not. Unfortunately, this is a possible response for the civilian participating in traditional martial arts. Why? Many martial arts will teach you a number of techniques to deal with an Adversary, several of which will break an Adversary’s leg.
Now, take the same situation and apply what you will learn from an appropriate Use of Force Model. The description above is one of an Adversary whose actions are physically aggressive with no apparent weapons in hand. A good Use of Force Model will recommend appropriate techniques for this specific type of Adversary. Impact pressure would be one of the appropriate techniques, as would a striking technique. Impact pressure can be applied in various ways in which it is unlikely a leg will be broken, and is very likely to be effective on this type of Adversary. Strikes can also be very effective in a situation like this.
A good Use of Force Model does not teach civilians to break legs. It does, however, suggest impact pressure and striking specific areas of the body is appropriate. Let’s assume the civilian performs a head strike or stun on the Adversary, which momentarily affects the Adversary’s nervous system to the point they collapse and/or lose consciousness. See the difference? Momentary loss of consciousness is considered more reasonable than a broken leg in this particular situation.
Let’s change this scenario one more time. The civilian uses a thigh stun or knee strike, which is an appropriate technique on this type of Adversary. The civilian aims for the Adversary’s thigh with his knee, but the Adversary turns at the last moment toward the civilian, whose thigh stun ends up striking the Adversary’s knee, breaking the knee joint.
In this instance, using either the traditional martial arts training or a Use of Force Model, the injury to the Adversary is the same; a broken leg. But the context and framework is entirely different, and that will affect the considerations of timeliness and reasonableness from a legal perspective.
Primary Consideration
Do your homework when choosing self defense training and defense weapons. Make sure that the techniques you learn are in the context of a Use of Force Model that has been tested by the courts and is appropriate for civilians. These programs are very difficult to find.
It’s not just the people who watch “Doomsday Preppers” who are concerned that the time is coming when we will have civil unrest in our country. More and more people see the handwriting on the wall with our unmanageable national debt and entitlement society and want to be prepared for anything that may come. The term “SHTF” (Sewage Hits The Fan) has become a much more popular term in this country for good reason.
Since our home is our castle, it is natural to want to feel safe in it. Unlike in most other countries, where every home has a wall around it and is more secure from burglars, our homes in the United States are not very secure. When the police are either overwhelmed or outgunned during a time of civil unrest, having an alarm system will be little consolation.
Let’s look at 3 ways you can make your home more “hardened” as a potential target for rioters or looters or burglars who lose all worry that the police are coming to help you.
1) Make It Look Uninviting
The best way to defend against the “zombie hordes” attacking your home is to encourage them to move on and never even get up close. This is done with some easy steps that provide a great deterrent, without having a moat stocked with alligators around the house.
Having a decorative wrought iron storm door is a great way to make the bad guys choose another house, because it is clearly tougher to break down. You can also plant rose bushes under every one of your windows to make burglars decide that crawling through thorns is not the best way to enter your house.
2) Make It Stronger
In addition to making your house look like a “hard target” you also want to make it much stronger. In the majority of home invasions, the burglar comes right through the front door. If your wrought iron storm door has a lock that is pickable, then you have a problem.
On the other hand, if you can’t afford a new storm door, you can make your front door almost impenetrable when you are home by purchasing and installing a “Door Club” for under $50.
If you want to secure your windows, you can obtain a film to have all of your windows coated that makes them shatterproof. Depending upon how much you are willing to spend, the film could make your windows so hard to break that a man with a baseball bat would practically wear himself out before the film-coated window gave out.
3) Don’t Advertise For Burglars
The worst thing you can do is have NRA bumper stickers on your car and stickers on your front door advertising how readily you will shoot a home invader. While that may be a comfort to you, telling the world that you aren’t afraid, all it really does is tell the bad guys where the guns are.
If the bad guys know that you have guns, it may well deter them from coming when you are home. However, it can also encourage them to stake out your house and pay a visit when you’re not home.
Have a 5 ton gun safe that they bad guys could never open? No problem. All they have to do is let themselves into your house and wait for you or a loved one to come home and surprise them. The most rugged gun safe in the world can be opened very easily if they put a knife or gun to your wife’s throat and ask YOU to open it for them.
The key to staying safe in your home when the SHTF is a multi-faceted approach. Keep your mouth shut and don’t advertise to become a victim, make your house less of an easy target, and harden your doors and windows.
Most Americans who have been around for a while know life is nothing like it used to be. When someone wanted a job one was found with a little bit of searching. Today jobs are difficult to find, especially in small communities.
When I was growing up in the 70’s, there were several car dealers in my community. There were three tractor dealers and too many mom and pop stores to count. Today there are two used car dealers and the nearest tractor dealer is twenty miles away. So how is it that we now have more people, but fewer businesses to employ them?
A nations wealth is derived from having a product to sell. That wealth needs to circulate in towns and cities to compound the wealth effect and create jobs and businesses. When wealth is not created or it is siphoned off to other places, the wealth effect can not happen, and in many cases goes into reverse. A community needs a certain amount of service related jobs to function but it also needs some type of production jobs to bring in money from the outside. This can be mining , agriculture or manufacturing type jobs, but they must exist to insure a healthy economy.
America has two major problems today. A large amount of our production is done outside the country eliminating production jobs in local communities and many of the small local businesses that kept wealth within communities have been supplanted by large corporations that siphon wealth out of communities and send it to wall street.
In the past when a small business made profit, that profit was kept in the local community because that is where the owner lived. Now, that profit leaves the community never to be seen again. With less money to circulate within the community the businesses that depend on people spending their extra dollars, have fewer customers and eventually go out of business. With fewer jobs there is that much less money circulating and the economic situation spirals down until nothing is left.
These days corporate businesses and government jobs make up the major part of many local communities. In many cases if it were not for the government jobs, many communities would no longer exist. So what do you think would happen if the government suddenly no longer had money to pay those workers? What would happen if corporate profits dropped to the point where corporate stores decided to close and cut their losses?
To some extent we are seeing this happen now in many places. Corporate stores moved in and drove small local businesses out. Then when the profits dried up the corporate stores closed leaving the community with no jobs or products to buy. With no capital in the local communities to rebuild small businesses, the people simply drive to other areas to do their shopping.
The corporate cronies and government laggards control most of the money flowing through communities now and they want to keep it that way. Any attempt to rebuild local businesses is met with luke warm results. Any business that might make a difference is either killed outright or regulated into oblivion before it can get off the ground. The county where I live has all but abandoned local businesses. The bulk of their income comes from property taxes generated by vacation homes and retirement homes of retired government employees. As long as the government pensions and paychecks continue, they see no reason to change the status quo. The result is that the younger people leave as soon as they can and the average age of the population continues to get older. As with many places today, this area has no future.
Where I live is a microcosm of the nation. Corporate and government entities continue to siphon what little money there is out of communities and just as small communities are dying, the nation will soon follow if current trends do not change. A return to small local economics is the only way to reverse some of the damage and keep our communities livable. But, do not be deceived. There is no way to undo all of the damage that has been done and even if we survive, we will only be a shadow of what we once were as a nation.
Whether it is an isolated incident like Hurricane Katrina wreaking havoc on New Orleans, or a natural disaster or terror attack creating widespread panic, or an economic collapse resulting in rioting and looting, many respected experts believe that civil unrest could be in our future. Without even considering what precipitates it, it is a good idea to have an understanding of what could happen and how to keep yourself and your family safe.
The Safest Place To Be During Civil Unrest
The majority of deaths and injuries happen to people who are out on the streets – whether they are there to fight, loot or just stand in line for food or water. Rule Number One therefore, is stay off the streets and prepare yourself and your family so there is no need to venture outside the safety of your home.
Typically the only reason that a law-abiding citizen would have for going out during a time of civil unrest is if they needed food or water, in case the utilities were interrupted. Therefore, if you have food and water supplies in your home, you can stay where it is safest – inside.
If the power grid is shut off, most municipalities have only enough backup generator power to keep the water pressure up for 3 days. After that, or perhaps much sooner, you will be out of water. However, there is still plenty of drinkable water left in your home even after your faucet stops working. Your water heater alone holds 40 or more gallons of water that can be drained, and by opening the faucet in the highest part of the house you can drain the water remaining in the pipes out of the lowest faucet in the house long after water pressure is lost. If you’ve had the foresight to store drinking water in thick plastic bottles (like juice bottles or soda bottles), you can last even longer. A gallon per day per person will suffice for drinking and cooking.
With respect to food, everyone should store up at least a few weeks of extra non-perishables in their pantry. If you store what you normally eat and rotate it on the shelves, you will never lose money throwing food away, but you will have the peace of mind knowing that you will not have to risk injury or death by going out onto dangerous streets.
The Most Dangerous Place to Be During Civil Unrest
Making the decision to “bug-out” or leave your home is a very big decision. As soon as you leave your home, you become a refugee, and bad things happen to many refugees. If you leave a moment too late, you could run out of gas on a highway that is bumper to bumper and backed up for many miles.
If you do absolutely have to leave, the best time to have worked out what to take with you is well ahead of time – when you are not panicked. Generally you’ll want to take a box with your important papers, blankets, extra clothes, toiletries and food and water. Don’t forget a can opener. If you have time, it is a good idea to turn off the water.
The Moral of the Story
None of the preparations discussed here will cost you extra money. However, if you look at how the refugees fared in Hurricane Katrina, hoping and waiting for government help, you will see that preparations can save your family a whole lot during an emergency. Be wise and be prepared, and you will not regret it.
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If you like watching the zombies on “The Walking Dead” or the survivalists on “Doomsday Preppers” you have probably engaged in some sort of discussion on what is the most likely “SHTF” (Sewage Hits The Fan) scenario to really happen in the near future.
Since you probably didn’t choose “zombie apocalypse” as very likely, it’s a good bet that you thought that a failure of the national power grid was high on the list.
The fact is that our aging electrical power grid infrastructure, combined with the vulnerability of its internet-dependent control centers, makes crippling our country by taking out our electricity a very attractive choice for terrorists.
It seems that every week we read about hackers trying to attack the command and control centers of the nation’s power grid from other countries.
The fact that success would throw the United States back into the 19th century is a very sobering thought. It would be far worse for us than it was for people in the 19th century, however, because at least they knew how to live without electricity. We don’t.
The interdependency of the power grid’s main components is what makes this situation so real and so dangerous. On August 14, 2003 about 55 million people in the Northeast were suddenly without power when a major blackout affected people throughout the Northeast United States and part of Canada.
The culprit was a computer issue, which underscores the fact that a problem “there” can affect people “here.” How possible would it be for terrorist hackers to get into the power grid’s command and control system?
Consider this. In 2010 a computer worm called “Stuxnet” started infecting computers all over the world, but the target was very specific. The purpose of this worm was to infect enough computers that when it eventually got onto the laptop of a scientist who worked in the country’s nuclear program it could eventually hitch a ride on a portable USB drive into the nuclear facility, where it would damage the uranium centrifuges. It was successful and created a lot of damage.
This shows us that hackers don’t even need to get into a power plant or even on the same continent in order to damage their target. If the goal of any terror group or country is the destruction of the United States, the difficulty of obtaining and detonating enough nuclear warheads to obliterate the country versus attacking the power grid makes the choice very clear.
The wise person preparing for the “worst case scenario” would be wise to think in terms of living without electricity.
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According to Wikipedia: In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a general decline in economic activity.[1][2] Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis, an external trade shock, an adverse supply shock, the bursting of an economic bubble, or a large-scale anthropogenic or natural disaster (e.g. a pandemic).
Survive During the Time of a Recession
It has not been long since the economy of countries around the world had pushed their way out of the recession, though not without sustaining any damage. A lot of industries were affected, many companies suffered huge losses, and a number of them were forced to shut their operations down. What is most depressing is that a large number of people around the world lost their jobs due to layoffs because of the global economic downturn. At that time, the governments of many countries helped to bail the economy out of this mess. However, now it seems that the relief is going to be short-lived. According to experts, the world economy is all set to face another recession. And this is expected to be more severe than the previous one. So, how can you save yourself from the effects of the upcoming economic downturn? How can you survive the recession without much damage? This article gives you a few tips on how to survive recession.
Make Your Business Recession Proof
It is always wise to take prevention before the difficult times actually arrive. If you own a business, you need to take a few steps to ensure it grows the power to endure the hardships of the recession. You should ensure cash flow, while cutting down on the excess costs. Consolidate your debts and pay your loans as early as possible and deal only in cash before and during the economic downturn. It is necessary even to dismiss the under-performers during this time to ensure more savings.
Ensure You Earn Enough Even during the Recession
Losing your job is the last thing you would want. But even that is not impossible during the recession. You can do nothing if your company decides to lay off employees to cut down costs. However, you should have enough avenues open to earn money that is needed for you to survive the recession. The best way to do this is to spend a little time on creating some alternative source of income, even before the recession hits. By doing this, you will remain confident even if a job loss occurs during the tough times. This will also help you reduce your stress when the recession hits the market.
Cut Costs
Cutting down on excess expenditure is one of the most important things you need to do to survive a recession. Create a draft of all your expenses and cancel those you can do away with. Take up outsourcing if you feel it can help you get the results at a reduced cost.
Market Your Product in an Efficient Manner
Marketing is the most important step necessary to sell your products. During the recession, it is necessary to develop your marketing skills as much as possible to make something out of nothing. You need to convince the customers and make them buy your product at a time when most of the companies are planning to cut down costs.
Following these few tips can help you survive the recession and take your business to greater heights after that.
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The prophet Isaiah warns us that in the last days God is going to “turn the world upside down.” He declares, “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down” (Isaiah 24:1).
According to this prophecy, sudden judgment is coming upon the earth, and it will change everything in a single hour. Within that short span, the whole world will witness fast-falling destruction upon a city and a nation, and the world will never be the same.
If you are attached to material things — if you love this world and the things of it — you won’t want to hear what Isaiah has prophesied. In fact, even to the most righteous of God’s people, what Isaiah says might seem unthinkable. Many would surely ask, “How can an entire world be stricken in one hour?”
If we didn’t believe the Bible is God’s pure Word, few of us would take Isaiah’s prophecy seriously. But Scripture makes it clear: in a single hour, the world is going to change. The church is going to change. And every individual on earth is going to change.
The apostle John gives a similar warning in Revelation. He speaks of destructive judgment coming upon a city and nation: “In one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her…. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought” (Revelation 18:8, 17).
In Isaiah’s prophecy, the city under judgment is cast into confusion. Every house is shut up, with no one coming or going. “The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in” (Isaiah 24:10). The entire city is left desolate: “In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction” (24:12). All entrances and exits to the city are gone. The passage indicates that a fire has come, a blast that has shaken the very foundations of the earth (see 24:6).
We who live in New York City know something about this kind of scene. When the Twin Towers were attacked, the ominous fires and smoke could be seen ascending to heaven for miles. Recently, New Yorkers panicked as a mass of steam erupted from below a city street. People ran in all directions screaming, “Is this it? Is this the end-all attack?”
Today, multitudes of secular prophets are saying a nuclear attack is inevitable. The target they mention most often is New York, but it could happen in any major city: London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Washington. Neither Isaiah nor John names the city upon which destructive judgment falls.I don’t intend this message to frighten anyone.
Let me make clear at this point: I don’t intend this message to frighten anyone. Paul tells us that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have already passed from death into life. We who call on Jesus as Lord should be confident that no matter what happens in this world, his shed blood saves and redeems us.
Therefore, we are not to fear any newscast, but rather to be attentive to what the Lord is doing in the world. Like many people, I hear grievous reports that make me want to tune everything out. But the truth is, God moves in the midst of such times, and through them he speaks warnings to all who would hear his voice.Isaiah’s prophecy points clearly to our generation.
I believe, along with many eminent Bible scholars, that Isaiah’s prophecy points to the last days. By that, I mean our present time. In short, sudden judgment is coming, and Scripture strongly indicates it is now at the door.
At this point you may be wondering: “How can we be sure we’re the generation this prophecy points to?” We can know by two reasons that such judgments are imminent:
1.A growing number of prophets warn of an apocalyptic disaster at the door. When I use the word “prophets,” I speak not just of those in the church. I’m talking also about “secular prophets.”
There are several precedents for secular prophets in Scripture. God used Assyria as his rod of correction with Israel. And he appointed King Cyrus as his servant to assist Israel: “(The Lord) saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure” (Isaiah 44:28).
Likewise today, God uses secular prophets to send warnings. These become “his prophets” for a season. And their prophecies can be harder than those delivered by believers. The message I’m writing here is mild compared to the prophecies being delivered by all manner of secular voices. Just check your newspaper or radio reports.
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
2.Sudden destruction comes when the cup of violence overflows. Sensuality, perversion and greed are running rampant throughout our society. Yet, when God sent the Flood upon the earth, it was because of a worldwide eruption of violence: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11).
Right now, there are numerous wars and bloody uprisings taking place around the globe. Yet foremost in my mind is the violence being waged against children worldwide:
I think of the sexual violence of pedophiles. Children all over the world are being raped, kidnapped and forced into enslavement in the global sex trade. Recently, a pedophile in the U.S. was discovered running a web site that advises other pedophiles on the easiest places to pick up children. There is no law in place to stop this man. The world’s largest church denomination has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to settle the claims of those who were molested in childhood by clergy. Tell me, how long will God endure the pitiful cries of children who are molested by those who would represent Christ?
Thousands of children in Africa are being slaughtered in tribal wars, hacked to death by machetes. Young boys — even those under ten years of age — are enlisted into tribal militias and forced to murder men in initiation rites.
Here in the U.S., the blood of millions of aborted babies cries out from the ground.
Reports of school murders no longer shock many of us but continue to terrorize our children. We may grow hardened to such reports, but God’s heart is grieved by them.
I tell you, there is no worse violence than the brutalizing of children. Heaven is crying out, “Woe, woe! Your judgments have no cure.”1. In one hour, God is going to change the whole world.
A sudden cataclysmic event will strike, the first of the final judgments of God. This great event will cause the earth to reel. And Isaiah says that when it hits, there will be no place to escape: “The lofty [proud] city, he layeth it low…even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust” (Isaiah 26:5). “The inhabitants of the earth are burned” (24:6).
Once this happens, utter chaos will erupt. All civic activities will stop, and society will descend into massive disorder. Government agencies will be helpless to restore any kind of sanity. No state troopers, no national guard, no army will be able to bring order to the upheaval.
You well remember that when the Twin Towers were destroyed, help poured into New York from all over the world. An army of people came to assist in whatever way they could. But the scene in Isaiah’s prophecy is different: this calamity is clearly beyond humankind’s capacity to respond.
Once this judgment strikes, it will devastate the economy. Rich merchants will stand by watching in torment, weeping and mourning, as they face bankruptcy. In an instant, all the wealth they amassed will be reduced to nothing. John describes the scene: “The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city… For in one hour so great riches is come to nought” (Revelation 18:15–17).
Overnight, all buying and selling will cease. Every restaurant and bar will be shut down, and all drinking and music making will end. Indeed, every trace of mirth and delight, joy and gladness, will vanish: “All the merryhearted do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song…. The mirth of the land is gone” (Isaiah 24:7–9, 11).
Yes, this is a picture of gloom and doom. But it is not my prophecy. This word was given by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God, to be delivered by his righteous prophet Isaiah. Even the secular world is preparing for it to happen. Billions are being spent on homeland security in the U.S., England, Europe and Israel. Why? Military experts warn that a world-impacting terrorist attack is sure to come.
You may ask: “Why would the whole world change, if a nuclear attack occurs in just one city?” It will happen because of the fear of retaliation. If a rogue nation sends such an attack, you can be sure that within hours that nation will be wiped out. Consider the plan Israel has in place, known as the Samson Option. The moment a nuclear warhead is launched against them, within moments Israel will unleash nuclear missiles to devastate the capital cities of all enemy states.
The world has become a ticking bomb, and time is quickly running out.2. In one hour, God is going to change the church.
This hour of devastation will suddenly change churches, whether they are alive or dead. Isaiah writes, “There shall be the shaking as of an olive tree” (Isaiah 24:13). The image is of God shaking an olive tree after it has been picked of fruit. In short, he’s going to shake everything that can be shaken, sparing nothing. It will be a time of cataclysmic destruction and overwhelming darkness.
So, you ask, “What about God’s people in the midst of all this? What will happen to the church?” Isaiah gives us an incredible word about what will happen with believers.
In the midst of the terrible shaking, a song will be heard, and its sound will grow steadily stronger. Suddenly, in that darkest of hours, a worldwide chorus of voices will sing praises to the majesty of God: “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea” (24:14).
Do you get the picture? There will be panic everywhere. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear, as fires belch smoke seen for hundreds of miles. Disorder and chaos will reign on all sides. Yet amid the devastating fires and calamity, the world will hear a glorious song being sung: “Glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel… From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous [One]” (Isaiah 24:15–16).
A holy remnant is going to awaken, and a song will be born in the fire. Instead of panicking, the people of God will be praising his awesome majesty. Imagine it: in the darkest hour of all time, a collective voice will rise by the millions out of every nation, not in fear or agony, but in joyful praise to the Lord.
How will this happen, you ask? In one hour, God is going to regenerate and restore his church. Dry bones will shake and rattle, and the righteous will be awakened, as the Holy Spirit calls multitudes of lukewarm believers back to their first love. In his mercy, he’s going to rouse those who have neglected him, ignoring his Word, avoiding prayer, perhaps even contemplating divorce. Suddenly, their souls will be flooded with pangs of remorse and godly sorrow. And many will fall on their knees, crying out in repentance.
There will be a revival of glorifying God’s majesty. And the song of this revival will be heard from the uttermost parts of the earth. East, west, north and south — from Arab lands to China, Indonesia, Africa and all parts of the earth — a glorious song will rise up from the midst of the fires. In one day’s time, those who survived the fires are going to be singing a new song throughout the world.Isaiah 25 tells us wonderful miracles will come in this time, as “God makes all things new.”
All around the world, the Lord’s people are going to “feast” on his Word: “In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined” (Isaiah 25:6).
“And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations” (25:7). Right now, in this time of prosperity, the world’s masses seem to be covered with a veil, unable to see the truth of Jesus Christ. But when God rises up to shake the world through judgment, the shrouds covering the minds of billions will be cast aside. The veil of darkness will be removed, and many will see the Lord in his glory. The Holy Spirit won’t force Christ upon these opened eyes and hearts; rather, a remnant is going to rise up from among them.
I believe the darkest shroud-coverings today are over the eyes and hearts of youth worldwide. This is especially true of college-age students, whose faith has been bombarded for up to four years. Over that time their minds have been indoctrinated by godless professors in classrooms where belief is attacked, mocked and scorned. Now these young men’s and women’s faith has been shipwrecked. They leave college convinced God is dead.
But in one hour of devastation — nuclear, economic and social — all such hypocritical veils are going to fall away. Those same professors who mocked them will realize, as they face the possibility of death, a choice must be made: “What about eternity? Is there life after death?” They’re going to look for someone to explain to them all that’s happening.
When the song is sung, it’s going to be heard by young people from every walk of life, from every nation under the sun. Many will harden their hearts and curse God at the sound of this song, but multitudes of others will join in singing of his majesty.3. In one hour, God is going to change us as individuals.
In a single hour, the focus of our lives will be changed. We’ll no longer obsess about our own adversities and troubles. Suddenly, so many things that we held dear will no longer be of any value to us. Why? In that hour, everyone will be in the same boat:
“It shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him” (Isaiah 24:2).
The sudden judgment that comes will not be a respecter of anyone. Rather, it is going to touch all who are within the realm of its fury. Presidents, kings, the world’s richest and most famous — all will tremble just like the poorest of the earth. And this cataclysmic event will bring to naught every idol, purging iniquity and tearing down all false altars:
“By this [the calamity] therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up [be left standing]” (Isaiah 27:9).
The world’s most prominent idol is money, and right now America is facing a monstrous financial disaster. Investors are scrambling to move their money out of high-risk funds, and mortgage companies are going bankrupt. One recent financial headline read, “Abandon Ship!” Everyone is selling and nobody is buying. Many households are in a panic, as overnight their lives are changing. I think of the president of a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund, who recently put up for sale his 142-foot yacht and his sixteen-bedroom mansion in Aspen, Colorado. His fund had dried up virtually overnight.
The day is coming when sports will be the last thing on people’s minds. I have nothing against sports, but soon there will be no more 250-million-dollar deals for athletes, when so much of the world is starving. All idols will come crashing down, crushed to dust, and the playing field will be leveled. The richest and the poorest alike will face the same conditions.
It will all happen within a day. “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).Why such apocalyptic warnings?
You may wonder: what good can come of these prophetic messages? Why should anyone have to live under such anxiety?
I remind you, Jesus warned Jerusalem of sudden devastation to come upon that city. It was going to be burned to the ground, with over a million people murdered. Christ explained his warning: “I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John 14:29). He was saying, in essence, “When it happens, you’ll know there is a God who loves you and forewarned you.”
Paul calls such warnings “light,” insights that expel darkness. He says, in short: “You are children of light, because you know what’s coming in the future. So, when destruction comes, and there’s panic all around, you will have the calm of the Holy Spirit. Something will quicken inside you, and you’ll remember, ‘God warned me.’ This prophecy isn’t a message of wrath to God’s people, but a wakeup call to begin preparing.”
“God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10). Paul is speaking here of a time of possible destruction. Therefore, he says, “Comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (5:11).
In this day of prosperity, nobody wants to hear a message like Isaiah’s. I certainly don’t want to hear it. But we cannot ignore it, because it is here at our door. In such times, Paul says, when we have knowledge that sudden destruction is coming, we are not to tremble or sorrow as the world does. Instead, we are to comfort one another in faith, knowing that God rules over every aspect of our lives.
“Be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” (5:8). Paul instructs, “Arm yourself with faith. Build up your belief now, before the day comes. Learn your song, and you’ll be able to sing it in your fire.” “Glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel” (Isaiah 24:15).
This is the hope of our most holy faith: our Lord causes a song to come out of the darkest of times. Start now to build up your holy faith in him, and learn to praise his majesty quietly in your heart. When you sing your song, it will strengthen and encourage your brothers and sisters. And it will testify to the world: “Our Lord reigns over the Flood!” ■
This guide below can help you in a survival situation
If society collapses, you can bet that the foods the pioneers ate will become dietary staples
Have you heard of the reset which the International Monetary Fund has planned for the world’s financial system? Likely you haven’t, but that’s OK, most people haven’t. If this weren’t the head of the most powerful financial institution in the world, it would be easy to write off as irrelevant, but the IMF has the power to pull this off.
But how? Quick answer, the SDR. The SDR is short for “Special Drawing Rights,” which is IMF money, so to speak. Without getting into the complexities of it, think of it as currency for nation states only.
Businesses and individuals cannot access SDR’s. SDR’s are what the IMF uses to bail out nations and “rebalance economies.” They are digital, not hard currency. You cannot hold an SDR in your hand, nor can you write a cheque for one. What backs them? International currencies. Larger economies like the EU, USA, Britain, China, and others contribute their currencies to the IMF as donations to be used to maintain the global financial system.
When a nation like Greece gets in trouble, the IMF may choose to issue SDR’s, which can be converted into any currency required, so in the case of Greece, they would convert their SDR’s into Euros. Remember, SDR’s are digital only, and you could say they were created to be converted into another currency.
SDR’s were created in 1969 and are used by many nations. There were times when political forces attempted to make SDR’s the world currency, but none succeeded. But today more than ever, there is a growing consensus among nations to bring the SDR’s onto the world stage as the one world currency. Exactly what this would look like and how it would come to be are details only a handful of people know, but there is a meeting every 5 years to discuss the SDR and the next meeting happens to be in October of 2025.
Why this matters.
The past 5 years have seen calls from nations like Russia and China for a one world system, a one world currency, namely the SDR. Previously, these two nations were hold out’s to this system, but now both are vocal advocates of this monumental shift. That leaves no substantial resistance to SDR’s among nations, save countries like Iran, Syria, and smaller nations which have no say in these matters.
Back to the reset. The term “creative destruction” is popular among economists, it refers to the process of destroying something in order to birth something better. In this scenario, they would deem destruction to be “creative.” This is exactly what the heads of large financial institutions, nations, and various global players have in mind. They have said so with their own words, and when people with this kind of power say they want to do something, it would be wise to remember it. It’s true they don’t always succeed, but usually they do.
The Global Reset will be a currency reset. Select currencies will be chosen to form a “basket” of currencies, which will be the privileged few to which SDR’s can convert to. Will other currencies still exist? This I don’t know, but even if they do, their value will be greatly diminished. As I write this, we already have a currency crisis developing in the world, as the US dollar has become so much more valuable than other currencies, in particular emerging nations.
Why this is a problem. The US dollar is the world’s reserve currency, so to trade with other nations, it’s usually necessary to convert your nation’s currency into USD. This becomes a problem when your currency is worth very few US dollars, it makes everything more expensive, too expensive. It can be a benefit for exports though, as other nations view your products as cheaper due to your currency being devalued, but unless the country is a major exporter, this isn’t enough to offset the devaluation disadvantage.
This trend shows no signs of changing, and will ultimately result in emerging nations being unable to pay back debt denominated in USD, or import goods required for their society. This is why we need a reset, among other reasons the IMF would state. If you listen to the IMF discuss the reset, it sounds like a necessary change and beneficial for global trade and commerce. But behind the few benefits are some very nasty hooks.
SDR’s will put control of the world’s money in the hands of a few. The money will have no intrinsic value, even worse than now where we merely trade pieces of paper with no intrinsic value, we’ll be moving to digital currency. With the click of a mouse, billions, trillions, or quadrillions can be given or taken away. That’s a lot of power. Many people understand the danger of a system like this and will therefore resist, the IMF and its allies already know this, which is why they believe they will have to orchestrate a crisis big enough to make the whole world beg for a new system. This is easy to do when you have the cooperation of the largest banks, governments, and institutions in the world.
The Global Reset will happen fast, you won’t be warned. You’ll either be ready in advance or you’ll be subject to whatever crisis unfolds. Whether it be a collapse of the banks, an economic collapse, a war, or all three is anybody’s guess, but it will be the world’s largest economic event in history.
There’s no way to know exactly what will occur, but there are ways to prepare for it.
Preppgroup 