by John Galt

October 20, 2009

Marta was settling down into her worn out sofa in the family’s modest one bedroom trailer home enjoying her afternoon of Oprah and Dr. Phil while periodically yelling at her two young daughters to “do their homework and quit playing on the Internet.” At exactly 4:38 p.m. this day there was a loud violent clacking on her door. The entire trailer shuddered as the door burst open and six men dressed in black with guns pulled screamed at the family to “GET ON THE FLOOR!” As she started shaking hysterically one of the men grabbed her wrist and slammed her to the floor then cuffed her while she started to bawl loudly and incoherently. As she laid there and the men ran into the bedroom and bathroom of the trailer two female officers grabbed the children and carried them over their panic stricken mother, as they kicked and cried out the door and were last seen being thrown into a van with more uniformed women of some sort.

Two weeks after this trauma, Marta, now heavily medicated with anti-depression drugs and assigned a state nurse because she was on suicide watch was allowed to return to her modest home in the not so great part of town. The crime scene tape was just removed a day ago and the neighbors all whispered and stared as she was escorted back into her home.  As she opened the door she gasped “My God, what have you people done to my family and my home!”  Everything they owned was scattered on the floor, the sofa sliced open, drawers dumped out and the walls cut open with gaping holes from the search. The nurse, being thoroughly briefed on the case said “now, now honey, take one of these and relax, I’ll clean up some of this mess while you rest” and handed her a prescription Valium to calm her nerves.  Marta willingly swallowed the pill, sipping on a cup of water and looked up at the nurse with her sad, heavy reddened eyes and asked “Why did Mike do it? And when oh when will my children come home?”  The nurse patted her hand and replied calmly “you might get to see the kids in two weeks if you behave and are healed some.  When the case is closed and your children have completed two years of special education at the new facility for them, they might be allowed to return home.  The home schooling they received has corrupted their ability to function in society and we have to let the professionals help them, just like I’m here to help you.”

Special Agent Nicholson thought he had seen it all since 2001 as a member of the Domestic Anti-Terrorism division of the F.B.I.  As he settled into his office with his partner, Agent Joseph, the discussion focused on the case involving Marta’s late husband Mike. “This case is totally illogical and flawed” Joseph said, “as the pieces just do not seem to fit together.” Nicholson piped up “You’re right. The fact that a married man with a family somehow obtains ten pounds of C4 and detonators then walks into a bank lobby to commit a suicide bombing just does not make any sense. He had no military experience, had factory and journeyman jobs, and never handled explosives every in his life until now. This just does not fit.”  Joseph spoke up though and handed Nicholson the latest scans from Mike’s Internet and telephone activity pointing and saying “Look at the radical right-wing websites and survivalist friends he called.  Two of the men he called were in Virginia, three in North Carolina, and the other numbers are paygo phones purchased in Maryland.” Nicholson stared at the papers for a minute and said “Even though he has been unemployed since 2009, there is no logical reason for him to hit a bank like this. And this is the third case of its sort in the last two weeks. I wonder if….” Just as he was going to finish his sentence there was a knock on their office door and a uniformed man entered the room.

“Good afternoon Gentlemen. I am Major Samuel Lewis of the Domestic Security Agency Special Protective Services Unit.  I presume that you are Agent Nicholson and you are Agent Joseph?” Major Lewis said as he presented his credentials to them. “Yes, that’s who we are, may I ask as to your business with us today” a suddenly uptight Nicholson replied.  “The DSA has sent me here to take over this case. The President will appear on National Television to address this new terrorist threat and the two attacks in Maryland and one in New Jersey the last two weeks. Martial Law will be declared in Maryland at 6 p.m. Eastern Time tonight and all cases pending in this state are being assigned to my unit.”

Agent Joseph, ever the skeptic said “May I see your orders Major? The information we have in our possession is classified and we must have a release from your superiors and ours.” The Major in a very professional and soldier like manner opened his portfolio and handed the orders to the Special Agent. Sure enough there was a series of signatures from the head of the F.B.I.,  the Commandant of the DSA, and the Secretary of Defense all with today’s date, October 27, 2011. “Wow” was the only thing Nicholson could say after reviewing the orders. “Let me get on the phone and have all of the evidence and inventories brought up here immediately. We knew this problem was expanding but we had no idea that the President was ready to take such drastic action this early into the campaign against these thugs” and with that statement Nicholson punched some numbers into his phone and ordered all of the information and evidence to brought to his office.  The Major then handed the standard DSA classified information release forms and reminded the men that this was now a ‘Top Secret’ matter not to be discussed with anyone outside of the F.B.I. director or his agency.

As Major Lewis passed the evidence over to a clerk at the DSA headquarters in Quantico, he told the clerk to stamp it “DESTROY” and to place the primary files into the records division with the catch phrase “CASE OPEN.”  As he settled into his office and logged into the network he noticed the emails were flowing into his “other” identity’s mailbox.  As he logged in and started reading the evidence that Maryland’s recent spat of activity had spawned sympathy calls for more direct action  from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and a few other states.  Once the logging software was enabled, it was time to enter into a conversation on the message boards and with that, began an odyssey to track more future terrorists.

LADYLIBERTY99: “The bankers had it coming”

MOD1: “LL WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! These are the kind of inflammatory posts that will force us to remove you from the board. The economic depression is severe and I realize you are frustrated but we do not want this kind of trouble.”

LADYLIBERTY99: “I”m sorry you’re right. But these thieves deserve worse!”

MOD1: “Consider that a final warning LL. We can’t take any more heat. The owner has already had two visits from the F.B.I.”

PATRIOT SAM:  “Mod, you do realize she’s right? This insanity has to end. The bankers are dragging our economy down further and after stealing my mother’s retirement, I’m furious. Do you realize they have rationed her to $50 per week in withdrawals? Do you understand that with Social Security and her meager access to her retirement account she can not even buy groceries? This isn’t fair and it’s not right! The President had best arrest these dirtbags or else.”

MOD1: “Look, I know we’re tired, working two or three jobs and have to deal with the rationing program. But let’s direct our efforts at voting these bums out in 2012, and none of the radical stuff. This board could be shut down with very short notice.”

LADYLIBERTY99: “You’re right. I’m sorry but I just needed to vent. My rations got cut as did my pay because my employer had his withdrawal limits lowered with the new price controls. I’ve heard that on January 1, 2012 they will be cut further. What’s the point in living like this anymore?”

PATRIOT SAM: “I’m sorry Mod. I know you’re just doing your job. LL pm me, let’s chat some time further, I know exactly how you feel.”

LADYLIBERTY99: “OK. -:)”

With that not ten minutes later Major Lewis had a message from Lady Liberty asking him to call her tonight at 9 p.m.

At exactly 9:01 Sam called her after activating his pay as you go phone and a distraught sounding lady in her mid-fifties answered the phone “Patriot Sam is that you.”  The pause from Sam caused her to sigh but he then replied “Yes, it’s me Ms. Liberty. Are you okay?” She stuttered for a second and then said “Call me Ann, that’s my real name. I’m so upset. The latest declaration of Martial Law, the Internet being shut down in Maryland and now those stormtroopers from the DSA setting up shop in one of my message board friend’s home because she was declared a mortgage squatter even though that’s not true has me totally frayed. Plus my home is about to be foreclosed on, my husband who is sixty-four has been out of work since 2008 and we are out of money, out of hope and losing faith. I just needed a friend to chat with.”  Sam did not even hesitate and prodded her on “Ann, my real name is Sam, and I understand what you mean. I lost my job in 2008 and have been doing odd jobs for years now. I lost my home in 2009 and now I am just living in boarding homes to have a warm place during the winter then I’ll move back into my car this spring like so many others do. Those damned banks stole my entire savings and now only give me two hundred bucks a month to survive of my own damned money! They deserve all the crap they are getting now and then some!”

Ann paused and started to whisper “Sam, are you serious? You’re scaring me.”  Sam was suddenly horrified and wondered if she was doing the same thing from a different group so he asked the standard test question “Ann, have you been to any of the recent Freedom Rallies wearing black?” Ann replied “No! I haven’t heard of them, that sounds wonderful, is there one near my home in Owensboro, Kentucky soon?”  With that bit of information, Sam sighed in relief and told her “Not that I know of but I’ll keep you informed. I was wondering if you heard about that Episcopal church near you near Evansville?”  Ann stuttered suddenly “No, is it one of those Patriot Churches you’ve told me about Sam?”  Major Lewis had her where he wanted her now and he knew it. He told her all about the fictional homosexual activities, where the church was, the sins of the preachers and worse, how they encouraged people to bring their children to learn the hedonistic ways of their radical church. Ann was stunned. She was horrified. She told Sam “I am speechless. You mean a church disguised as an Episcopal Church is actually engaging in recruiting children for this Marxist government and their homosexual elitists?”  Sam paused and said calmly and in an icy manner “Yes my dear. Our nation is beyond redemption. But WE can make a difference.”

Ann listened to Sam and asked him point blank if he would come to see her and the good Major said that he would meet her in two weeks. Another terrorist recruited, another terror act to expand the government’s power, another flag now falsely planted.  “I’ll make Lt. Colonel over this one” he thought to himself. As his plan would insure the RPSA (Religious Protection Security Act) would pass the Congress and insure DSA guards outside of every church. The banks, the schools, the churches and the internet were now “safely” under his agency’s control and America would be safe from the radicals that opposed the new way. “Hell, I’m a hero, I hope they make a postage stamp with my profile on it” he thought to himself.  With that smug self-assessment and afterthought about the last “Patriot” Mike and his wife Marta, Major Lewis took the recordings and Internet files to his commander, know full well he would approve the undercover action.

“Leave no fingerprints” would be the last thing his commanding General would utter, as usual,  as he received approval.

Good old Patriot Sam has done his job thoroughly, once again.

Yes, once again for all of you new to my Prepetorial series, the italic sections above are fiction.

Is it a path for our future though?

Perhaps. The danger we are in now as a nation is no longer a secret for those in some areas of talk radio as they found out that their reputation and power is not limitless and their ability to “Ram” a deal home is not as much of a given as they thought.  Even the almighty Rush Limbaugh apparently is afraid to initiate legal action against those responsible for slandering him, a direct hint that the Marxist revolutionary movement is succeeding beyond their own wildest dreams. While individuals like Savage, Hannity and Beck continue to utter the truth about the members of the current administration, the question none dare ask is still hanging over their heads and ours like a guillotine in the French Revolution:

Who can we trust?

The problem in the past was that bounties and rewards were placed on one’s neighbor ratting out another. In Revolutionary America, the Civil War and even World War I the premium was placed on having neighbor turn on neighbor, be the accusations false or not. Now the modern era has arrived and the concepts of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union along with the East German Stasi models are being incorporated into the fabric of our national law enforcement apparatus. That is of course, the apparatus we are aware of in public record, with little or any paper trail much less legal creation of the new domestic security forces that our beloved leader has hinted about. The Marxist way is to create the foundation, hide it and then use it as necessary. The minute “something” happens and Patriot Act II is created with the endorsement of both parties, then and only then will you know what is coming.

So back to the trust issue. Who can you trust? Me? Hardly, I’m an Internet blogger with a limited audience who has witnessed various activities like many have attacked, many have enjoyed and several have probably reported me to the authorities. To that I say “Hi Feds, Blank You!” and you can fill in the blank. I have friends at the U.S. Department of Justice who have been fighting the GOOD fight for years but now when we attempt to chat about college football or the old days the conversation turns dark and sad as if we can no longer be friends or talk on “those” phone numbers. Believe me people, there are good people in law enforcement but now, especially now, there are some very evil souls propagating into the system. And that is the gist of this piece along with the Internet phenomenon created by the Tea Parties, Patriot websites, and various survivalist boards.

I’m asking everyone to prepare. First and foremost moral preparation, making and knowing you are at peace with the Good Lord and seek his guidance might help save you a ton of pain. Next, please, think about the two unfortunate characters in the fictional story above. Mike and Ann are desperate people who have lost hope and practically everything they own.  Hope was fleeting and gone but instead of keeping things in perspective, when someone acted they jumped into the fray, not realizing the modern day consequences of publishing one’s thoughts on the internet or having a telephone conversation where NSA snoops record your every word, especially you are “flagged” by their political minions.

Know your friends and your enemies. You can not now, please, assume anything about the people you know. A co-worker of yours might be a great friend and beer buddy after work every Friday but if someone approaches them and says “hey, if you get anything juicy there’s a reward in it for  you” and suddenly you find yourself in detention until you clarify your beer buzz conversation. Think it can not happen here? Think again boys and girls, the new elites both Democrat and Republican are now playing for keeps.

Lastly, and most importantly, have the one thing besides a viable moral compass in your possession: The ability to sustain yourself and your family for a prolonged period of time. The movements of this nation towards an internationalist fiatocracy proceeding on to a global autocracy that will eliminate the ideals of a republican form of government and then lead to a fake democracy which is nothing more than a merit based system of regal dictatorship. The elitists and corporatists have determined quite logically that the current system is unsustainable and a new “third way” system of government managed capatilism with electoral limitations must be imposed for the good of the world.

Needless to say this will not end well. Common sense and logic will be dismissed by the powers and the desires of a return to the “good old days” used to whore victims into surrendering their freedoms and lives to unwittingly help the dictatorship of the masses expand their powers. This is where you and only you must think, act and believe in a logical and judicious manner. The time to act will be obvious but not something that will be advertised. Working within the system as long as possible is the only course of action for the moment.  Please, I beg all of you to choose your friends and course of actions wisely. These are the times my friends and I  have been warning about for a while now. Few will listen, many will pay a huge price and one day soon this keyboard will silenced. Pray for our nation now, more than ever.

Godspeed,

John

by John Galt

September 22, 2009

“So honey, how did  your radio show and day go today?” the lovely Mrs. Willis asked as she always does as the family sits down for dinner. To the surprise of her husband though, the deeply concerned look on her face gave away the motives behind the question. “Ah sweetheart, are you really that worried about all of the public reaction to what I have been saying? I mean heck, I’m down to 450 stations or so and we still have the right to free speech” Tom replied with his usual comforting tone, despite his eyes giving away his deep concerns also. “Yes Tom, I am worried. Today my cell phone rang more than four times with an unknown caller in the display and every time I answered it, someone hung up on me. I know this number is private so I am getting very worried” Ann replied, her eyes slightly red from crying earlier. “Don’t worry baby, I will have Frank pick up a new phone for you tomorrow morning with a new number and you will be fine.  It’s just that the talk radio format is going through some changes and the nutcases are everywhere now.

Let’s just relax and enjoy another Monday evening together. After dinner, there’s a great Monday Night Football game between Chicago and A…..” and just as Tom Willis, famous talk show host under another name was finishing that sentence, the lights went out in his house and the emergency lights clicked on. Suddenly while Tom was getting up, windows shattered in the dining room and tear gas filled the room. “Ann, grab Toby, I’ll get Cindy, back door, NOW!” he screamed as the choking fumes filled the room. Without hesitation they reached the back door and Tom put his daughter down to grab his pistol in the drawer at the vanity by the door. As he stepped outside  he stumbled over his dead bodyguards and dropped his pistol. Before he could finish the word “Why” two rounds  hit him square in the forehead killing him. The last thing he ever saw being his dead bodyguards, wife and children in his own back yard.

THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES THE NEXT MORNING:

NATIONALLY SYNDICATED TALK SHOW HOST AND WIFE ARRESTED FOR RUNNING CHILD PROSTITUTION RING; NO BAIL

As the National Anthem finished playing and both teams started jumping up and down ready to start the game, the fans in Chicago were ready for this key game early in the season when suddenly the Public Address Announcer blared out:

“The National Police have determined that it is unsafe for anyone to assemble at any public events. All sporting events, motion picture showings, plays or assemblies are canceled until the terror threat has subsided. We apologize for this inconvenience and hope to resume the NFL season at a later date and time when it is safer for the public.”

Frank, sitting up in the nose bleed section with the hard core fans was in a state of shock. The players were escorted off of the field by almost two hundred officers and the fans started to get restless, booing and throwing popcorn and beer at stadium officials and workers. What disturbed Frank more was the sudden appearance of hundreds if not thousands of heavily armed State and National Police in the stands. “Bill, let’s head on out of here, I don’t like the looks of this” Frank yelled in his ear and Bill chugging his beer shook his head as they started the long trek to the exits. As they approached the gate to get out, the line for some reason was absurdly long.  “Now what?” Frank yelled at Bill and he replied “Maybe they think the ragheads like the Bears!” he screamed back in the din of shouting and upset fans.  As he got closer to the line, he saw a guy running suddenly to get past the guards and as whoever the nut was he found out how Tasers work and they hit him at least seven times. “I wonder why that moron ran?” Bill asked and Frank just shrugged his shoulders.

When they got to the front of the line there were six NP’s (National Police) standing around a table with two unarmed State Policemen. They took both of us at the same time and started the survey:

Name, age, eye color, home address, name of spouse, names of children, etc.

Then they asked each of them for the driver’s license to validate what they could. After that the State Police said please put your right thumb and right index finger on the ink pad and press them here.  At that point Fred paused and asked “Why do you need my fingerprints? I do have rights here still don’t I?” The apparent lead NP, hand on the pistol on his hip replied “Yes, you do have rights but tonight they are suspended until all of the suspects are rounded up.”  Fred complied as did Bill, both angrier by the minute when the final question was asked by the State Policeman “How many firearms do you own?” Fred look puzzled and replied “Uh, three sir. Why?” At that point one of the NP’s moved towards him and said please come with me sir.” Fred was now terrified as he walked away and Bill was being wrestled  to the ground and beaten after taking a swing at one of the guards. “What the hell did I answer wrong?” he wondered to himself as the plastic seal handcuffs numbed his fingers.

THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES THE NEXT MORNING:

3,896 ARRESTED FOR FIGHTING POLICE, DRUNK AND DISORDERLY CONDUCT AT CANCELED BEARS GAME

One state away at a Cabela’s Sporting Goods store in Indiana, the alarm was blaring away as the National Police began the process of securing and hauling all of the ammunition and firearms out of the store into several National Guard vehicles. The manager for the store arrived in a horrified state of shock, watching this, then keying the code in to silence all of the various alarms. “Sir, what is happening here?” he asked a Captain with the Guard who replied “Ask the Regional Major over there sir, we are here to secure only.” The RM’s were the regional officers assigned to several counties in each state with oversight of the activities of the National Police for that region and they tended to behave with a heavy hand. The RM looked over at the store manager and before one word was uttered shoved a piece of paper titled “Declaration of Emergency Conditions and Nationalization Act of November 2010″ then said to him in an authoritative tone “Read it, prepare to sign it and I will swear you in after we inventory the weapons and ammunition.”

The store manager lost it at that point, sat down on the curb with the single sheet of paper and started bawling like a baby.

THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINE THE NEXT MORNING:

TERRORIST WEAPON STOCKPILES SEIZED NATIONWIDE

For those that follow my “Prepetorial” series, you would recognize that obviously the above sections are total fictional. The scary thing is that we may soon be approaching a time where once again, truth is stranger than fiction. If one were to propose such a scenario in 1999, I might have called that insane and crazy by any stretch of the imagination. The horrifying prospect though is that once the reigns of power are seized completely, there is nothing to stop a strong centralized government that wishes to impose a single, swift stroke that usurps the Constitution and engages in some of the outrageous examples exhibited above.

So why the title of “Silence is Golden” for a Prepetorial like this?

Think about your neighbors, your friends, your cohorts and coworkers. Do you ever remember hearing them discuss the news events of regulatory agencies in Washington, DC or your own state capitol? Do you ever notice that the mainstream media deliberately obscures news from around the world and nationally for events that are important but too violent or against their goals and objectives? Do you ever notice that everything you read, see or hear now is being filtered IF you only depend on the mainstream media and newspapers for information?

The video “The Story of Stuff” being circulated around our schools and churches (over 7000 according to Glenn Beck) is a shocking display of the audacity of the new Marxist movement ruling our nation now. The subject matter is of no shock to anyone who stays aware. Who seeks out what is left of the alternative media. Who thinks for themselves. The scary part is that now, more than ever, your children, our neighbors, our friends are being indoctrinated into a subculture of “we must do what is good for everyone or the nation will perish” instead of the ideas of our Founding Fathers, of a strong family, personal initiative and enforcing and protecting our God given freedoms. The path we are on now all ties together and the shift in America’s path is no longer guaranteed to be one of the ideals most of us grew up with.

Thus why silence is golden to the powerful. They wish to dictate the news, the flow of opinion and the rights to protect yourself from their ideas, their minions, their foot soldiers. The day and time will come where they seize power in a Krystalnacht type of exercise based on a trumped up event or allowing a real “man made disaster” as they call it to occur. I no longer think that it is a time to say if but when. The new structure of our government at every level is no longer there to protect and serve the people, but to protect and serve an idealism, a religion of man not God, and to resurrect a failed system with a new name and goal to preserve centralized control from now on.

At some point in time, which all of the readers here will realize, the time will come to go dark. We are not there yet. But to prepare for that eventuality will be the most difficult decision of your life. You must get right with God, understand the dangers involved and be prepared to suspend friendships and trust within your inner circle if they are willing to work with the new authorities “for your own good” as the saying goes. You will be alone at first. You will be hunted. You will be viewed as the walking dead. You will be given no quarter.

Accept those facts, prepare and you may live. But if you fail or are one of the unfortunate in the coming years, remember this old adage:

It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.

By John Galt

August 31, 2009

I don’t like Mondays.

Not only is that a fact of life, it is a great song by the Boomtown Rats which just happened to be blaring from my clock radio this morning as everything seemed as normal as can be, at least for 5:01 a.m. on a hot, sweaty Monday morning in my little apartment just outside of Orlando. The morning show had the usual cast of characters I enjoyed but the news guy started the show right after the intro speaking about some sort of “Breaking News” on the economy and at that point in time, I hit the snooze button because I was broke despite working two jobs  and couldn’t give a crap.  Seven minutes later the alarm went off again and the music was cranking out and with that, I dragged myself out of bed and hit the power button on my computer and stumbled into the kitchen. I figured that by the time Vista crashed twice I would get my morning constitutional in and have the coffee started before proceeding to my job at one of the few banks that did not participate in the insanity we had witnessed for the last four years.

As the coffee finished the cycle and my bleary eyes stumbled back into the kitchen with my mega jug of Five O’Clock still steaming, I noticed that the alarm clock  went off again, as dopey me I hit the snooze instead of the off button. Here it was 5:15 a.m. on a Monday morning and I was no closer to getting motivated to “Produce, Provide, Protect” as the  administration’s new motto blared every ten minutes it seemed on any radio station you tuned to. The “3 for America” ads had been running for a week and to be honest, I did no give a crap if they were from the Democrats or Republicans, the ads were just plain out annoying. I knew it as I head into work and had to deal with the aggravation of government regulations and the banking system as I tried to help little old ladies refinance their mortgages and keep unemployed people from losing it all that this job just did not pay enough, even though it was better than the alternative.

I clicked on my IE icon on my desktop and the default home page should have appeared but instead, this weird screen appeared:

To say that I was stunned was one thing, shocked was another. Why in the world would TheTreeofLiberty.com get a “FORBIDDEN” error message? I thought to myself “this is going to be one of those Mondays, I can tell already” and with a sip of coffee clicked on my bookmarks for FrugalSquirrels. Boom, same screen, same error message, and now a very weird feeling coming over me.  With that sudden shock,  I decided to try the old mainstay of the Internet, The Drudge Report to see what the news was if any that might be impacting the Internet in the U.S. Instead of using IE, I figured maybe it was a new problem with Microsoft so I opened up Mozilla’s Firefox browser, clicked on the Drudge bookmark and got a message with a weirder screen:

Now, I was spooked. Why was I getting a weird line from hsa.gov and who in the world is attacking the Internet. With that disturbing start to my morning, I elected to turn on my long ignored cable television and get the news of the world. I flipped the channel over to one of our local stations, WESH, and there was a government official from the state reading a series of instructions about shopping, buying gas and other mundane everyday things. I know that I had not enjoyed much coffee yet and was still half asleep, but when I went to bed last night there was not a hurricane within two thousand miles of Orlando, so that could not be it. I turned the volume up and just as the reporter was getting ready to cover the Internet story, my phone rang. I muted the television and much to my surprise it was the bank manager asking if I could be at the bank within the hour. “Sure, barring traffic problems, no big deal”  I stammered and now hurried to get ready for work.

I had my favorite music station on in the background but the flow of very heavy traffic for Orlando at 6:30 a.m. caught me off guard and I did not pay attention to much of anything on the radio. Usually it wasn’t this bad until I went into the office around 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.  When I pulled into the parking lot, there were two Florida State Patrol cars, a Brinks security car and my boss, the non-smoking bank manager shaking and smoking a Camel in the parking lot. “What is going on Mr. Bevins?” I asked with that innocence of being a twenty something who had no clue as to what was going on in the big world, even though I knew better. He stammered out “We are open for two hours daily until further notice, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and that’s it. We are only allowed to give out $20 per day per customer and worse, any safety deposit box access requires the Brinks agent and a State Patrol officer to be present and the Brinks guard to conduct an inventory with the customer in the back office. This is going to be bad, I’m telling, you, the President is making a speech at 8 a.m. Eastern time and people will be very upset.”

I had to ask at that point in time after hearing this, “Is that why the Internet is down?” Mr. Bevins looked at me with a shocked look and said only “It is?” Then the Brinks plainclothes guy interrupted and said “Sirs, the Internet was taken down to prevent any unauthorized information or financial transactions from occurring. This plan was established in 2008 to prevent problems should the banking crisis worsen. Homeland Security is in charge now and any access attempts to unauthorized websites will probably result in a phone call or a visit from a Domestic Electronic Security Division officer.”

At that point in time I felt a little pale but figured they would be too busy with other problems.  I thanked the Brinks guard, looked at my boss and asked for a smoke.  “I didn’t know you smoked?”,  Mr. Bevins said as his shaky hand handed me the filter-less Camel. “I don’t”, I replied, “but it appears to be a good time to start.”

As with all of my prior Prepetorials, the above is obviously purely fiction. Recent events dictate that fiction seems to be turning into reality on an almost daily basis. The headline that blared on Drudge last week sent a chill down my spine and has been updated today:

Proposed bill would give president emergency control of private

Internet connections

As I struggled all weekend to try to save my old blog from the hack attack this story really bothered me and gave me pause to start asking questions and to start doing a little basic math.

Q: Why would the President or any government official seek these powers?

A: Because future events dictate that these powers WILL be needed to maintain control of the population.

Q: What events would dictate such a drastic course of action?

A: Who knows; we can speculate however, a bank holiday would require it; a domestic terror attack would require it; a foreign war shouldn’t cause it but might create an excuse to do it. Or worse, an economic calamity which triggers a drastic restriction on freedoms as yet unforeseen.

Q: Who will have the ultimate control of the Internet inside our borders?

A: The same people who have attacked Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck for their radio and television programs; the same people who have worked to silence the LPFM programs in communities nationwide; the same people that view non-compliant citizens with “their” programs or opponents of “their” ideals as a threat to their perceived perverted version of America.

Thus in our world of logic, 1+1+1 still equals 3 but in their world they determine the answers and the threat to the flow of information and interaction between citizens will be shut down. That is why you have to be prepared for this morning. Do not just type information in chat rooms and giggle like a school girl with “LOL’s” in their conversations about idle subjects; YOU MUST BEGIN DOWNLOADING ANY AND ALL INFORMATION CRUCIAL TO YOUR FAMILY’S SURVIVAL NOW. I have made a series of notebooks with waterproof plastic covers on subjects as diverse as creating a crystal radio from an oatmeal can, to tuning a 80mb low power transmitter and matching it to an antenna, or even nuclear war survival strategies (Thank you Shane at www.ki4u.com ) that might seem mundane but you never know when you will need it!

Use the resources at the various blogs and message boards and get what you need NOW. If you honestly believe that this administration (or Bush’s for that matter) want you dependent on anyone but their omnipotent government agencies, you are sadly mistaken. If you think that for one minute they are not more than happy to have total control of a population by lining them up behind a FEMA trailer for food and water,  money and gasoline, or medicine and Doctor’s care, you are grossly in error. In the long run they would love to have the power over every one’s freedoms not because of the power itself, but because there is a lot of money to be made in this. If you don’t believe me, look at the other dictators in history and how well they lived off of the labor of their people.

I must stress that time is very, very short now. The open and bold declarations of intent from Washington, D.C. indicate that there are very few limits that will be placed on their powers and little the American people can do other than protest and set up meetings, soon to be under direct control of the whims of local diversity administrators which will eliminate opposition ideals as needed using whatever methods they deem necessary. You do not want to turn your computer on to check on your bank account or seek treatment for a poisonous snake or spider bite only to see the 403 Forbidden message on your screen. Take the time, download what you need and prepare the books now.

Tomorrow is one less day to prepare and one more day too late.

Filed under: Prepetorials — John Galt @ 2:52 am Prepetorial #19: “Preppyers”

July 25, 2008

by John Galt

Tonya and Tony were exhausted. They had hiked for an over an hour to the outskirts of Ellisville, MS after abandoning their X5 SUV just outside of Richton, out of gas and too dangerous to keep driving as it attracted too much attention. They had followed all of the advice of their best instincts reading books on the “new survivalism” but when the time came to bug out of their comfortable north Atlanta suburb, they never dreamed how much work it was to hump a seventy pound Jansport pack into the woods of Mississippi in the heat of August. Tonya said her designer Columbia hiking boots were hurting her feet. Tony snapped back “I told you to wear those more often and break them in. We have at least another fifty miles to go and only a day or two to get to Yazoo City.” Tony was depending on the data from his Garmin GPS as he was assured by the salesman at the Bass Pro Shops it would show him the way in any conditions no matter where he was in North America. Tony hoped that this fact held true as the mushroom cloud which lit up what used to be the city of Atlanta left him shaking some two days later.

Tonya asked Tony if he could get any information and he broke out his I-Phone. “Sorry honey,” he said, “still no signal.” She then asked him about the windup Grundig Red Cross radio and he broke that out of his Jansport pack and wound it up. He turned it on the FM band first but nothing other than EAS broadcasts could be tuned in and only three of those at that. He switched it over to the AM band where the static was horrible between the crashes of lightening in the distance and the buzzing heard ever since the war started. He found a local station which his organizer said was in Jackson, MS but it was broadcasting EAS information only. The SW band gave him some hope as some ham operators were operating in the open and clear in the A.M. mode advising folks that there was safety to be found in Yazoo City but the other hams were in what was called Single Sideband and he could not understand what they were saying.

Tonya started to sniffle then, like she was going to cry again when Tony said “Honey, please, not now. We have to get moving again. Put another pair of socks on and let’s get moving.”

Tonya opened her bag up and broke out a pair of her favorite white Victoria Secret’s exercise socks and slipped them on over the first pair. As she sat down on a downed tree, she casually tossed her boots on the ground landing on what she thought was just a branch when suddenly it hissed and struck digging its fangs into her left calf. She screamed out “Tony, HELP!” He wheeled around and saw the rattlesnake in her leg and as the snake withdrew from her leg he hit it with a large heavy branch, either stunning it or killing it as it did not move afterward. Neither of them believed in guns so they trained themselves by reading a lot about what to use for self defense with their bare hands in the wilderness. Tonya grabbed her calf bawling and screaming in agony as the blood started to ooze from the fresh bite wounds.

Tony instantly remembered some of what the books he read said. He told her over and over again to calm down and to sit down on the log. He grabbed her pack and started tossing things out of it on the ground, digging through it in a panic. She cried out “Tony, it’s burning, please do something.” Tony snapped back “Damnit, I’m looking for the first aid kit and the field manual. Hang in there baby!” About two minutes later after dumping her pack on the ground, Tony took out the first aid kit he bought at the Sports Authority but could not find anything in the little book that came with it about snakebites. He remembered seeing a story on television once and said to her “I remember we have to cut the circulation off so it does not seep up to your heart. Sit down over here and stay calm. Let me cut this stick up to make a tourniquet.” Tony hurridly put a tourniquet on her leg just below the left knee and dug through the pile to find the Army Survival Manual he knew he had packed. Tonya, started to hypervenilate and said “are you sure you didn’t leave it in the Beamer?” Tony said “NO! I know I packed it. Let me find it! Stay put and don’t move!” He then dumped his pack on to the ground, frantically looking for the book among the contents of his B.O.B. “Found it!” he screamed out. he flashed hurriedly through the book to the index and found the page on Snakebites on 3-22. He flipped to the page to read what to do and to his shock it said “DO NOT USE A TOURNIQUET”. Instead of following the instructions of the manual, he rapidly removed the restriction and that of course caused a rush of blood into the wound area and an instant scream of pain from his wife.

“Sit tight honey, let me put it back on. I know it said not to use one, but if you were not hurting, let me keep it on while I go get some help. I saw a town about a mile away and could run there quickly.” With that Tony tied the tourniquet back on and gave her two Tylenol tablets then ran towards town without even thinking. Tonya, in great pain, laid down, hoping to grab some sleep while he sought help.

As Tony approached the small town of Ellisville,  he noticed it looked like a ghost town. He saw a small church not far from the cemetary and ran screaming towards it “Help, Help, is anyone here?” A tall sheriff’s deputy stepped out from behind the church in full tactical gear and yelled back at him “Halt or I’ll shoot!” and with that Tony held his hands up. He pleaded at the deputy “Sir my wife and I are refugees from Atlanta. She is in the woods about a mile southeast of here and she has been bitten by a rattlesnake. I’m not armed, please don’t shoot me, I came here for help!” The deputy lowered his AR-15 and got on the radio calling for the town’s doctor, “Doc we have another snakebite, I need your help.I’m out here by the graveyard.” The Doctor had a small pack and looked at Tony with a distrustful look and said “I’ve got the anti-venom, where is she son?” Tony, still excited from having a rifle pointed at him and his run into town said “about a mile southeast of here, I can take her to you.”

With that exchange the Doc, the deputy and Tony headed out of town. He was freaking out as the Doctor kept asking him questions like “what kind of snake?” Tony replied a rattlesnake I guess, it was about five feet long and had a rattle on it it’s tail. The deputy muttered “city folk” and kept the pace with Tony while watching the woods with the rifle ready to go in case this was an ambush. As they entered into the forest about two hundred yards deep Tony realized he did not recognize the surroundings. He called out “Tonya, Tonya, where are you honey?” The deputy said “this is not a wild goose chase is it son?” Tony cried back “no, it’s not, my wife is out here dying.”

After about forty-five minutes, Tony spotted some of the material he had dumped out of his pack and yelled to the doctor and deputy “over here” and waved frantically for them to come on over. As he approached the log where he had left her, the mess they had made looking for the manual and the first aid kit was everywhere but she was gone. “Oh God, where could she have gone! Tonya! Tonya!” he started screaming. “Calm down son, that’s not going to help” the deputy said. “Were you two mugged or attacked or something? These packs are scattered everywhere and it doesn’t look right” the deputy asked. Tony, crying now, huffed back “no sir, we were looking for the first aid kit and survival manual. I have no idea where she could be. I put a tourniquet on her leg to keep the venom from her heart and I know she couldn’t walk.” The doctor and deputy both snapped around “you did what?!?” The doctor said “we don’t have much time. Let’s look for blood or tracks, she’s probably dragging the leg and went looking for him” pointing at Tony with disdain. Tony grabbed the I-Phone out of his pocket desperately calling her cell phone but the “NO SERVICE” was still being displayed full color on the little LCD screen. “Where could she be, oh God, I’m so sorry” Tony cried out. Suddenly the deputy yelled out  from a steep drop off into a ditch about five hundred yards west of where they were, “Over here Doc, there’s no hurry.”

Sad? Certainly. True? Not yet, obviously, Atlanta is still there, still hot and still full of yuppies and preppies who think camping consists of a RV with the Dish Network and a generator with a keg cooler, etc. There is a sad reality that there are people who think that having the latest, greatest, most expensive and chic gear makes them the best preppers. The ultimate “new” survivalists because they have toys that others only dream about.

In reality there is nothing further from the truth. This prepetorial is not a criticism of those who can afford the newest, best or ultimate in equipment but more of a focus on knowing how to use it. Most people have enough common sense to operate a firearm with proper training and practice. But how many people would know the difference between the back of a deer’s head and another hunter in the same forest flashing in front of their scope? How many people in a TSHTF scenario have ever treated (yes, I have on my own leg) a real poisonous snakebite or even practiced? Does anyone honestly think the chic yuppies who have all the “coolest” and most expensive gear have ever had to sterilize and purify water in the field or recognize what plants are edible in the wild and which are not?

There is more to surviving than just having a big wallet or credit card. Practice is one thing. Knowledge and experience is another. All of us have let our skills get rusty to some degree or another, as the creature comforts of life and the comforts of living without the actual end as we know it makes us put it off for another day. Honestly, how many of us have put our BOB’s on and tried to hike with it for a mile? Two miles? Five miles?

For further consideration, what equipment you select and train with is more important than any thing else you will learn. Having a shortwave radio is one thing. Having a shortwave radio that you can use and know how to is much more important. Just like the first aid kit in the story above; having is one thing, knowing what to do is another. In the situation above, the yuppies did not plan for a snakebite and in reality if you know the terrain and surroundings you are entering it is very rare to deal with such a problem. A poisonous snakebite need not be fatal and if you have the proper equipment and take the time to read almost any field manual, be it the Boy Scout manual or an Army field manual then practice or simulate treating a wound. Selecting what goes into your BOB and your bug in kits are crucial to your ability to survive. If you live in a desert region with no lakes or streams, buying fishing gear is somewhat of a waste. By the same token, buying desert cammo because it “looks good” when you live in the swamps is not the brightest move in the world either.

Planning to have a Plan

First and foremost, you had best have a plan put together and then a plan to put that plan into action. Sounds complicated does it not? Well it is never too late nor too hard to do this. Your first object lesson should be to study your environment then plan whether or not you can bug out or should. If you elect to leave the comforts of home the next step is to determine where to go. Then you can start to plan the materials you will need, the duration, the people you can or will agree to let you tag along with and most importantly the skills needed to survive in different environs. It does not help to panic when a problem causes a deviation from the plan to practicing for as many different random events is of the utmost importance. For instance, assuming the system does collapse and you are stuck in the middle of the woods in south central Florida, there will be no NOAA or National Hurricane Center to warn you of a hurricane heading your way. That requires having the skill and foresight to determine as survival plan in the wild to endure such an event. The Indians did it for centuries, although with varying degrees of success so you had best learn that also.

In the story above the yuppies had a GPS for a post-nuclear world. If this war was the result of an exchange, what good would such a device do? The military would certainly scramble the signals or turn off civilian access leaving someone with one of those devices blind as a bat. Learning how to read the stars, maps and orienteering will take you a lot further than a GPS in any event where there is a breakdown of the social order. Not to mention a compass and a laminated set of maps is considerably lighter.

So please, make a plan, several of them if need be. Then make a plan to implement each of them as needed. Crazy as that sounds, it is a starting place to survive an uncertain future.

The Latest and Greatest Isn’t Always Just That

Sometimes buying Army surplus for half the price is better than the newest Dick’s Sporting Goods special. A lot of us are on tight budgets trying to make sure you have enough to cover all potential outcomes but at the same time not wanting to break the bank. I fear that those folks who depend on modern technology to get by in a bleak future will be given a slap upside the head in very short order when their MREs run out and to actually have to shoot, skin and cook something becomes the order of the day. The idea of making a salad out of plants found in the wild makes many squeamish, but if you know what to do it can be quite tasty. Try convincing one of your business partners on the golf course one day that possum with Tabasco sauce is not bad, especially over an open fire and see how much interest he (or she) shows. Just sleep comfortable in having that knowledge or experience and do not settle for less. Having the tools and implements to do the job, not necessarily the most expensive tools and implements is what matters.

I can buy a first class First Aid kit at LL Bean for $99. But I can make a better one designed for the environs of Florida, Georgia or Tennessee, my selected bug out locations, for half that price. Please folks, study what you need and acquire that and do not get boxed into the one super kit or tool fits all solutions. I doubt seriously that I will have to plan for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in my region but to say I had best have the ability and tools to deal with snake bites, spider bites or scorpions is an understatement. You have to plan for where you are, where you will be and where you plan to be. Not buying “things” for the sake of saying “see what I got” which means squat when the fan begins to spew that collateral splatter.

Old School v. New School

This should touch off the big debate and of course, I welcome it on the various message boards I reside on. There has always been an “old school” versus “new school” debate about survivalism which I have tended to stay out of. I prefer to just do it, learn from it and make sure that I don’t put myself or my family at risk in the future. The old school point is to just practice, learn a set of skills, master them and teach those willing to learn. The new school, from my point of view, is that having the best money can buy and the books or videos to watch is just enough. Folks, as the fictional story above illustrates, it is my opinion that the new school ideal just does not cut it. If I have to look for a manual, find the pages needed and then react to a poisonous snakebite then what good am I? I would have allowed my wife to suffer needless pain for minutes when the treatment is quick, easy and can easily prevent illness or a fatality. Believe me, I got somewhat ill after treating my own bite but after getting most of the venom out, it passes through your system if you follow the instructions you learned in the past instead of getting excited and freaking out. I could have added an “I-book” to the story above as the location for the manual to give you the idea that some people think that is all they need to get by. In reality experience, knowledge and training will get you further. Knowing what to pack, where you’re going and the critters you could encounter helps more than all the Garmins, I-Phones and LL Bean specials ever will.

Call me “old school” but if you don’t have the ability to react off instinct, then your time in the wild or hiding from a TEOTWAWKI societal collapse will be short and sweet.

And no, please, do not get out and try to get a real snakebite for your practice. Mine was an accident due to my own stupidity and it was a lesson learned the hard way. Treat the time you have now to prepare like gold, as it can compress and get short in very short order. Make your plan now. And remember surviving ugly looks better than looking good and pretty on a slab in your designer BDUs.

Comments (12)