The Fort Hood Massacre: Is it Really True that All Mainstream Religions are Peaceful?

Hello 92251 List Members,

Selwyn Duke puts it very well in this article.  I particularly found his questioning why was this dirt bag (my label), a major in our military to be right on target. 

And what PC nonsense caused our own people to not take action in advance of these cold blooded murders when this excuse for a military officer had apparently said a number of anti-American, pro Muslim jihadist things in public? 

Oh, and you have got to love the BHO remark about how the rest of us should not jump to conclusions or apparently take things out of context.  So, was this before or after he started yelling “allahu akbar” and killing the young pregnant woman, among the others he shot and murdered?  And “allahu akbar” means Allah (the pagan deity) is great, not God is great! 

And the press and a whole lot of the people still don’t get it!

Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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The Fort Hood Massacre: Is it Really True that All Mainstream Religions are Peaceful?

Written by Selwyn Duke  

Friday, 06 November 2009

http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5605-the-fort-hood-massacre-does-a-religion-have-to-be-peaceful-simply-because-its-mainstream

An apparent Muslim jihadist strikes again — this time at Texas’ Fort Hood.

We’ve all heard about yesterday’s tragedy at Fort Hood military base in Texas. At 1:30 p.m., army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a rampage, targeting fellow soldiers and others for destruction at the base’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center and adjacent Howze Theater. Using two semi-automatic handguns, Hasan claimed 13 lives and wounded 31 people before being shot multiple times by local police (it appears the other soldiers weren’t armed). The gunman was then taken into custody and brought to a local hospital. It’s said his life is not in danger.

While there’s no “official” word on Hasan’s motives, it’s not hard to connect the dots. A man of Jordanian descent and a pious Muslim, the major’s loyalties didn’t seem to lie with the nation he’d sworn to protect. Instead, he had often expressed support for Islamic jihadists, once saying that Muslims needed to “rise up” against the aggressors (presumably the U.S. and the West in general). Expanding on this, Philip Sherwell at the Telegraph reports on the testimonials of retired officer and former colleague of Hasan’s Col. Terry Lee, writing:

[Lee stated that Hasan] “said Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor and that we should not be in the war in the first place.” He [Lee] said that Maj Hasan said he was “happy” when a US soldier was killed in an attack on a military recruitment centre in Arkansas in June. An American convert to Islam was accused of the shootings.

Col Lee alleged that other officers had told him that Maj Hasan had said “maybe people should strap bombs on themselves and go to Time Square” in New York.

Chron.com provides more pieces of the dark puzzle, writing, “Federal law enforcement officials told the AP that Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats. . . . One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.”

But the spark that seemed to ignite this powder keg of Islamist sentiment was Hasan’s impending deployment to Iraq, something his cousin Nader Hasan said was “probably his worst nightmare.” Given this, did Hasan decide that he’d prefer to fight Americans on our soil than jihadists on Iraq’s?

If this question smacks of just a bit too much conjecture, note that it’s at least a logical conclusion. This lies in stark contrast with the musings of some in mainstream media, who wasted no time painting Hasan as a victim. For instance, Kenyon Wallace writing at NationalPost.com theorized about “post traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD) and mentioned how Hasan had supposedly been harassed by other officers because of his “Middle Eastern ethnicity.” Yet if PTSD was a factor in this case, it must have been pre traumatic stress disorder because the major had never seen battle. As for harassment, a better definition of it is expressing anti-American, Islamist views in the military and having the attitude that invariably attends them. Thus, a more logical conclusion here is that any negativity experienced by Hasan was not harassment but a response. Because if you insult people, they tend to respond in kind.

Is this conjecture? It’s more like proper profiling. But whatever the case, there’s a larger issue here to discuss than Major Hasan.

Driven by political correctness and, in certain cases, a sincere although misguided effort to calm the waters, we’ll no doubt hear the obligatory pronouncements about how “Islam is a peaceful religion.” Now, I’ll make no attempt to prove here that Islam isn’t peaceful. But I will demonstrate that its secular defenders really don’t have the foggiest idea whether it’s peaceful or not.

Let’s start by understanding that religion is not by definition peaceful any more than political ideologies are. In fact, for most of man’s history, the norm was not “Love thy neighbor,” but something closer to the Aztec’s feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, in whose name worshippers would sacrifice thousands of victims a year, tearing their hearts out while they were still alive and hanging their body parts in the marketplace. Of course, the widespread practice of such barbarity is now just a memory. Yet, if yesterday’s mainstream religion was not by definition peaceful, does today’s have to be?

Moderns in the West certainly want to believe this is the case. In fact, having lost their faith and wanting people of different ones in their multi-religious societies to get along, they go even further and embrace that unwritten contract stating that all faiths are morally equal. Yet this is an incorrect and destructive idea.

Since different religions espouse different values, not all religions can be morally equal unless all values are so (this idea is moral relativism). Yet, if all values are equal, how could peacefulness be better than barbarity? This is why any agenda based on relativism will always collapse upon itself.

Also remember that relativism is a package deal, and one of its corollaries is that even the darkest ideologies — oh, let’s say, such as Nazism — are no worse than liberalism. After all, like different religions, different ideologies espouse different values. And if all values are morally equal....

Another thing we often hear is, “I’ve known many Muslims who are wonderful people; the radicals have simply hijacked their religion.” Yet, at best, this is a defense of those particular individuals, not what ostensibly is their faith.

I would ask you, who has hijacked what? What if the “radicals” are the true believers? In other words, before we can make the determination that they’re the hijackers, we must know what definitive Muslim teaching is so we can know what Islam actually is. Otherwise, we’re simply using circular logic, saying that since Islam truly must be peaceful, those who are peaceful must represent true Islam. In reality, the most the faith’s secular defenders can really say is “not enough data.”

This is an important point. Remember that most in the West practice religion in only a lukewarm, Christmas-and-Easter fashion. And whatever you think about any faith, it’s silly to draw conclusions — good or bad — based on those who are only nominally part of it. For example, the majority of American Catholics may believe in using artificial contraception, but this doesn’t mean the practice represents Church teaching.

In point of fact, it is silly to assume that “radicals” cannot define a faith. After all, a true believer in any religion will hold beliefs the secular world considers radical. And radicalism isn’t necessarily bad, as you can be radically right as well as radically wrong. The first abolitionist was thought a radical.

At the end of the day, religious-equivalency doctrine is fantasy. It’s much as when you have two little boys in the schoolyard who, in an effort to avoid conflict, each agree to not say that his daddy can beat up the other’s daddy. Except, there’s one difference: Their suspension of reality isn’t dangerous.

It’s time for us to grow up and seek facts, not fantasies. After all, the latter are why Nidal Malik Hasan was promoted to major in a military whose country he held in utter contempt. 

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Selwyn Duke is a columnist and public speaker whose work has been published widely online and in print, on both the local and national levels. He has been featured on the Rush Limbaugh Show, at WorldNetDaily.com, in American Conservative magazine, is a contributor to AmericanThinker.com and appears regularly as a guest on the award-winning, nationally-syndicated Michael Savage Show. Visit his Website.

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Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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Dismantling America – Parts 1 & 2

Dismantling America – Part 1

by Thomas Sowell

October 27, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/10/27/dismantling_america?page=full

Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate but simply one of the many “czars” appointed by the President, could arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 percent or 90 percent?

Did you think that another “czar” would be talking about restricting talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers—that is, to create a situation where some newspapers’ survival would depend on the government liking what they publish?

Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel of so-called “experts” deciding who could and could not get life-saving medical treatments?

Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to make life and death decisions about your loved ones?

Does any of this sound like America?

For all of part 1 go to:

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/10/27/dismantling_america?page=full

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Dismantling America – Part 2

by Thomas Sowell

October 29, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/10/29/dismantling_america_part_ii?page=full

Many years ago, at a certain academic institution, there was an experimental program that the faculty had to vote on as to whether or not it should be made permanent.

I rose at the faculty meeting to say that I knew practically nothing about whether the program was good or bad, and that the information that had been supplied to us was too vague for us to have any basis for voting, one way or the other. My suggestion was that we get more concrete information before having a vote.

The director of that program rose immediately and responded indignantly and sarcastically to what I had just said—and the faculty gave him a standing ovation.

After the faculty meeting was over, I told a colleague that I was stunned and baffled by the faculty’s fierce response to my simply saying that we needed more information before voting.

“Tom, you don’t understand,” he said. “Those people need to believe in that man. They have invested so much hope and trust in him that they cannot let you stir up any doubts.”

Years later, and hundreds of miles away, I learned that my worst misgivings about that program did not begin to approach the reality, which included organized criminal activity.

The memory of that long-ago episode has come back more than once while observing both the actions of the Obama administration and the fierce reactions of its supporters to any questioning or criticism.

For all of part 2 go to:

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/10/29/dismantling_america_part_ii?page=full

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Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of The Housing Boom and Bust.

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 Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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Range Wars Over the Lands of the American West

Range Wars Over the Lands of the American West

Written by James Heiser

Friday, 30 October 2009

http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5571-range-wars-over-the-lands-of-the-american-west

To state an obvious fact that will probably soon be illegal to acknowledge, there has long been a strong link between culture and region. Despite the best efforts of the cultural homogenizers — who want everyone to be reliable consumers who will eat, watch, wear and think the same thing, in the same way — even in these latter days of these United States, bland shopping malls and blander television-induced ‘popular culture’ haven’t managed to utterly destroy the glorious differences which have shaped this nation.

The history of our regional cultures is a complicated interplay of immigration history, religion, economics, and many other ‘human factors,’ but it is also fundamentally shaped by the land itself. For all of the pretensions about man ‘conquering’ nature, more often than not what really happens is that men learn the parameters of life in a particular region and either assent to that reality, or move, or die.

The bland life of the consumer is lived in rebellion against this fundamental aspect of life: shuttling between climate-controlled homes and offices, locked in cars listening to the same slush of premasticated pseudo-news and pseudo-music pumped into their vehicles as they drive by ‘big box’ stores and chain restaurants, the consumers may pretend that a region’s landscape and history is kind of like choosing a decorating theme for your house. But push them out of their artificial micro-environments and turn off the ‘grid’ for a few days and there could be a hope they might actually wake up to the reality which surrounds them.

For those of us who had the privilege of growing up and living most of our formative years west of the hundredth meridian, a realization forms pretty early in life that a lot of folks out East fundamentally will never understand the West — and we’re fine with that. Oh, on occasion the West will win a ‘convert’ from the East (Paleoconservative author Chilton Williamson comes to mind, for example), but such individuals really are the exception that proves the rule. Ignoring, for the moment, the further divisions within the broader region (differences with the West are also very real, and rooted in the same realities as the larger divisions), you understand that Easterners will view your land as something in between a theme park and game preserve, which has somehow become infested by undesirables. The federal obsession with locking up so much land out West arises from this sort of mentality; they view the West as essentially a really big Central Park — a nice place to visit, perhaps, but someplace that needs to be protected from the folks who would have the audacity to live there.

An experience I’ve enjoyed on several occasions is showing an Easterner the ‘pristine’ forests of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington — you can really get them going with pictures of ‘virgin forests’: “Surely this land must never be despoiled by man!” And then you show them the picture of the sign which identifies when that land was last clearcut. It is a case in point of the theme: “Yes, we know it’s beautiful; we live here. We’re even more interested in taking care of it than you are.”

In a recent column, Patrick Dorinson, the “Cowboy Libertarian” offers another example of this phenomena of outside interference in the life of the West. In “Why the Range War in the West Matters,” Dorinson explains that there is an effort underway to litigate significant elements of the Western way of life right out of existence.

Last July I wrote a piece here on the FOX Forum called “Range War in the West” in which I described how one outlaw environmental group, the Western Watersheds Project was trying to run ranchers and sheepherders off the public lands that belong to all of us and that the ranchers have used under permit and strict federal guidelines for 75 years.

And their weapon of choice? The lawsuit. They are using the Federal courts and a law meant to protect small businesses, farmers and ranchers from an overbearing and overreaching Federal government to put some of your fellow citizens out of business. Let me explain. Almost 30 years ago, with the best of intentions Congress passed the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). Simply stated EAJA said that if the government had done wrong against small businesses, including farms and ranches, and they challenged the government in federal court, they would not have to go bankrupt awash in legal fees from protecting their rights. Call it a leveling of the playing field. If they were victorious in court, the government would have to pay their legal fees. Sounds fair right?

But as with all good intentions, there are some radical environmentalists who have figured out a way to use EAJA against those same small businesses in order to further their radical environmental goals. And even though they aren’t being sued directly the ranchers must hire lawyers to give them a seat at the table. Kind of like paying to watch your own hangin’.

In the last 10 years in one Federal District Court in Boise, Idaho, Western Watersheds Project has received $1,150,528.00 of your tax dollars for their jihad against the ranchers and sheep men. They have a found judge in that particular court that has been particularly accommodating to them and who seems to have his thumb on the scales of justice in their favor.

And that is just one organization. It is estimated that in that same time frame billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent settling these ridiculous legal claims. Here’s how it works. WWP sues the government challenging the rancher’s public land use permits on trumped up charges over water use or endangered species that aren’t really endangered, in the hope of having the permit rescinded. They tie up the ranchers in court and financially bleed them. They don’t have to win the case to be given your taxpayer money. The government which is a font of useless legal mumbo jumbo says they only have to “prevail” in the case. And guess who makes the decision whether they “prevail” or not? The Federal government!

With fundamental conflicts on so many fronts going on right now, it is easy for a struggle such as this “Range War” to be neglected. But we need to understand that it is simply one more front in the larger cultural struggle. In a wide range of areas of attack — from environmental extremism, to efforts to collectivize health care and various other industries, to the culturally destructive politics of the open-borders fanatics, and a wide variety of assaults on our civil liberties, the list goes on and on. Simply put, no small number of our own people have been taught to fear — even hate — the American way of life, with all of its richness and variation. They are far more content to live in cages fashioned according to the schemes of their leaders than they are to live as free men. For the rest of us, we may respect your choice for yourself, but don’t try to impose it on the rest of us.

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Rt. Rev. James Heiser has served as Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas, while maintaining his responsibilities as publisher of Repristination Press, which he established in 1993 to publish academic and popular theological books to serve the Lutheran Church.  Heiser has also served since 2005 as the Dean of Missions for The Augustana Ministerium and in 2006 was called to serve as Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDoNA). An advocate of manned space exploration, Heiser serves on the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. His publications include two books; The Office of the Ministry in N. Hunnius’ Epitome Credendorum (1996) and A Shining City on a Higher Hill: Christianity and the Next New World (2006), as well as dozens of journal articles and book reviews.

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 Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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Preparing for Uncertain Times — A Simple Guide to Getting Ready

Hello All,

This is one of those articles I knew right away that if I elected to repost it, (and your getting it means I did), I would have to add a few notes of my own to it. 

The first thing is that I don’t know the name of the actual writer of the article or his background.  The name James Wesley Rawles pops up some places where this was posted onto other sites, but I am not certain.  I am passing it along simply because it is interesting to me and perhaps will be to you as well. 

Secondly, there are many theories on what would be needed for survival gear if needed.  Some focus more on certain items than others.  Some believe they need a great deal of weaponry and ammo, and others little to none.  Personally, at least some is always good.  I have a few things, but most folks would not mistake me for a “gun nut”.  Of course some out there think possession of a color picture of a Red Rider BB gun qualifies as such.  It does not. 

Third is that a lot of the folks I know are not in any kind of shape to be “bugging out” at anytime if they can help it, and they don’t have the heart for it either.  And that is OK for a lot of folks, so long as you are not in a big city area if everything goes sour.  The “bunker down” option may suit a lot of people already in the country and even in some of the smaller suburbs.  And a lot of these won’t be doing roving patrols I don’t figure either, but it does not mean you won’t be ready, but realistically you will be very close to home.  Sometimes it will be the medical conditions you or those close to you have that make the determination for you.

Lastly, I have no inside info on anything major or life threatening that is going to happen anytime in the near or distant future.  It is just good to have an idea what you might do if something does happen.  It might even be something local or very personal that takes place.  But I can see things are not well, and the idea of being prepared is always a right one. 

Oh, and in any case, a good quality hand crank and/or solar am/fm radio could come in real handy.  My last one was some discount China made piece of junk, and it did not last too long.  And I also liked the idea the author had about having a Bible handy.  I have mine.   

Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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Preparing for Uncertain Times — A Simple Guide to Getting Ready

by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Patriot

http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/09/preparing_for_uncertain_timesa.html

Introduction

Imagine this situation: All of the media outlets have gone to commercial-free coverage. They are reporting that the Dow has dropped 2,000 points and trading has been suspended on Wall Street. The Chinese, along with other countries have transferred their reserves from the US Dollar. Oil futures climb $50 a barrel in hours. A national bank holiday shuts down the financial system on Main Street. Within 24 hours the grocery stores are cleared out of all food stocks. The gas pumps dry up in 12 hours. Trucks delivering goods are stuck at truck stops waiting on fuel that may not be available in days; 18-wheelers that have enough fuel to get back home are doing so, with the trailer left on the side of the road. Inner city areas are turning into war zones with looting and random acts of violence occurring between rival gangs. The Interstate System becomes a parking lot with the suburbanites trying to “get out of Dodge” (G.O.O.D.). With no more fuel supplies people become stranded and forced to flee on foot, with panicked people who are usually rational and moral, now acting immorally and irrationally; doing what it takes to get their family to perceived safety.

Moral of the story is simple – given an emergency where you will be cut off from the comfort of the complex supply chain, utility grid, and police protection, could you take care of you and your family? Could you do it for a week, for a month, or even a year?

I know this has more than likely unnerved you. Do not panic! Simple planning can help you get where you can take care of yourself and your family. We are going to try to guide you step-by-step in your path to peace of mind. Look at this plan as purchasing an insurance plan. You pay hundreds per month to insure yourself and your belongings, and investing in preparations may be the best policy you ever purchase. This will be covered in several areas:

Ø      Money

Ø      Food Storage

Ø      Security

Ø      Self-Sustaining Lifestyle

It may be advised to keep your preparations confidential. Use discretion as much as possible when you make your acquisitions. Also note that there will be some sacrifice in making your targets. The items we are suggesting to buy in this document are costly, but remember what we said earlier about this being an insurance policy for the safety and security of your household. Try to think of others that may join you if they are displaced by a disaster. We will cover this in detail throughout this work.

Money/Finances

Most of the families in this country are trying to figure out how to make ends meet in these troubled times. The first thing you need to do is do a household budget with your family. You should put a total of what is coming in and the fixed bills that have to be paid out monthly. Write out your variable expenses for six months and see what you can cut to contribute to your monthly “insurance” expenses. There are many plans out there to help you with this. There are many ways to cut corners; you just have to be creative. 25-50% of the “insurance” fund should be used to pay down debt, with the remainder directed at your preparations. Use one month’s “insurance” allotment to purchase 90% pre-65 silver coins, which have intrinsic value with the silver content in them, or 1 oz. silver rounds from a recognized mint.

Water

Water is crucial for healthy living and survival. 80+% of the human body is water and must be replenished regularly. A human being can go on weeks without food, but without water, a person will perish in days. Each person will need three gallons of water per day to stay cleaned, fed, and hydrated. Invest in a high-quality gravity water filter. The British Berkefeld or Berkey Light (starting around $200) is recommended for its timeless design and filtration level. Rain collection and other sources of water must also be considered. 

Food

In today’s just-in-time society, our logistics system is so finely tuned that the slightest hiccup in the system could cause massive trauma to the supply system. 3 days of delivery delays could interrupt the system for a month. How much food should be stored in reserve? Well, as much as space in your house and your pocket book will allow. 60 days will be your starting point. Remember to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Allocate an extra $30 per week to your grocery budget. Sit down with your family and make a list of what foods they enjoy to eat. Make a menu and look at the ingredients needed to make the dishes. Create a special storage area in a closet or basement for food storage. When you go to the grocery store by double the ingredients and put the excess in your storage closet. Keep an inventory and check off items when you meet your goal level for that particular ingredient. A starter list is included in this work.

If you have the funds, try to stock your shelf with freeze-dried foods designed for long-term storage. These are items are pricey, but worth it on that rainy day. If you have a Mormon contact, you can go to the Provident Living centers to can food at a reduced cost compared to other commercial sources.

Two Month Supply for Two People of Shelf Stable Grocery Store-Purchased Foods:

Starches (daily: 6 servings, 2 people/60 days: 720 servings)

12 boxes (10 packets ea.) instant oatmeal (120 servings)

6 lbs. rice (120 servings)

8 lbs. pasta (120 servings)

3 boxes instant potatoes (60 servings)

60 cans starchy vegetables (beets, carrots, corn, lima beans, sweet peas) (180 servings)

15 lbs flour (for baking bread) (120 servings)

Vegetables (daily: 4 servings, 2 people/60 days: 480 servings)

160 cans non-starchy vegetables (or 120 cans veggies & 20 jars spaghetti sauce)

(artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans, yellow beans, wax beans, mushrooms, okra, spinach, tomatoes)

Fruit (daily: 3 servings, 2 people/60 days: 360 servings)

120 cans fruit (no sugar added)

Meats/Legumes (daily: 4 servings, 2 people/60 days: 480 servings)

30 (6 oz) cans tuna (90 servings)

12 (15 oz) cans salmon (90 servings)

15 (12 oz) cans chicken (90 servings)

15 (12 oz) cans turkey (90 servings)

15 (5 oz) cans ham (30 servings)

30 cans (or 7 lbs. dry) beans (90 servings) (kidney, navy, great northern)

Dairy (daily: 3 servings, 2 people/60 days: 360 servings)

6 (25 oz) boxes non-fat dry milk (enough to make 12 gallons)

or 16 (12.6 oz) cans NIDO brand dry whole milk (can be found in ethnic foods section)

6 lbs. Velveeta cheese

12 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk

Other:

10 lbs. sugar

20 packages active dry yeast

4 (26 oz) containers salt

2 lbs. popcorn

4 jars peanut butter (40oz)

4 (32 oz) bottles vegetable oil

shortening

syrup/molasses/honey

jam/jelly

nuts

dried onions, garlic & other spices

large bottle of Multi-vitamins

Security

This is where people tend to get a little uneasy. Except for the sociopath and serial killer, humans instinctively do not want to harm their fellow man. However, in times where there are challenges, people will be likely divided into two categories:

Ø      Good guys that work with their neighbors and others survive

Ø      Bad guys that will do anything it takes to survive.

You must be prepared to handle the second group, either though evasion, repulsion, or attack. The only way to do this effectively meet this task is to arm yourself with knowledge and of course – the hardware needed for the job.

Firearms

First and foremost, firearms need to be looked at as tools. They can hurt you if you are not safe! Just as a chainsaw, ladder, or tractor, like all dangerous tools, firearms must be handled with respect, with all the safety guidelines followed. Firearm selection can be complicated, so here are some easy guidelines in selecting a firearm.

Calibers

Caliber refers to what round the firearm is chambered to shoot. It is recommended that you purchase firearms listed in the primary category:

Rifle – .223; .308

Handgun – 9mm; 45ACP

Shotgun/Survival – 12 gauge;.22L

Secondary Calibers:

Rifle – .30-06; 7.62x39mm

Handgun – .40S&W; .357 Magnum (also shoots .38 Special)

Shotgun/Survival – 20 gauge;.17 HMR

A lot of people who are new to firearms, or who have never thought of needing defensive firearms can get confused with all of the choices out there in the gun market. We will use the primary caliber list above as a starting point. If you own firearms, make a list of the caliber and type you have. Then inventory the ammo you have on hand for each firearm. Sell excess firearms that are not in the primary caliber list to create some extra funds to get what you really need in your defensive toolbox. Keep firearms chambered in Secondary Calibers as barter items or handouts to extra “help.”

For those on a budget and new to firearms, purchase a used 12 gauge pump shotgun and a used .357 Magnum revolver from an individual if possible. Guns have service lives measured in tens of thousands of rounds, so it makes sense to buy used guns, to save money. Also, by buying used guns from private parties, in most states you can avoid creating a “paper trail”.) Find a friend or coworker that is knowledgeable in firearms, do your homework, and get these guns first. The 12 gauge has quite a recoil (“kicks”) with heavy loads, but can be used on any critter with wings or legs (2 or 4); make sure to get a model of shotgun that can have an extended magazine tube installed on it. As for handguns, the .357 revolver is a formidable self-defense pistol and can also shoot the [less powerful and slightly less expensive] .38 Special cartridge. Make sure you also have a holster and some speed loaders. Along with 100 rounds each of Buckshot and .357 hollow points, purchase low-cost clay load 12 gauge shells for the shotgun and bulk packs of .38 and to inexpensively learn how to use your firearms. Practice safe use and handling of all firearms, and make sure all chambers are clear or cylinders empty while stored in a secured safe or metal gun cabinet. Always make sure a firearm is clear before handling, and not in the physical grasp of untrained/young children.

After you have your “starter” guns, make sure you have plenty of food for a couple months and water filtration, then start adding to your defensive tool box. Acquire firearms that are more suited for defending your perimeter and neighborhood. This can be pricey, but remember, you do not want to skimp on an item that might save your hide!

Rifle – a rifle should be a magazine fed, self-loading weapon that can be easily handled and maintained by the individual.

AR-15 Lightweight Carbine with M4 or Magpul stock

10-to-20 magazines per weapon

Minimum 1,500 rounds of M193 ball per weapon

Springfield M1A

Magazines per weapon

Minimum 1,000 rounds of ball

Handgun – Remember that a handgun is just to get you back to your rifle and to defend yourself in situations where a rifle is not appropriate.

“Safe-acton” style in 9mm or .45ACP

Glock

Springfield XD

Smith and Wesson M&P

1911 Variant in .45ACP

Kimber

Springfield Armory

50 magazine loads worth of ammo and 6-8 extra magazines per weapon

Specialty – If you have the skills and the funds, it is wise to have a Varmint rifle handy for long range targets. There are many excellent choices out there, and is this is a custom weapon to the person; however, the author recommends .308 (7.62mm NATO) or .300 Winchester Magnum for the caliber

Equipment

You must have adequate gear to carry your extra magazines and survival gear. A plastic grocery bag just won’t fit the bill. This is called load-bearing equipment (LBE). Purchase gear that fits you and your environment. Some manufacturers of high-quality gear include: Tactical Tailor, Spec-Ops Brand, and Maxpedition

24 Hour Kit – this is the equipment that is your base equipment you will wear while doing security patrols. It should sustain you for up to 24 hours in the field.

Load Bearing Vest with appropriate pouches for your gear

Rifle and 6-12 magazines

Sidearms and 2-3 magazines

Camelback hydration carrier – 2 liter

FRS/GMRS Radio

Survival Gear Pouch

Gloves – Cold Weather and Heavy-Duty Leather

Small Bible

24-hour food supply

Water purification tablets/Water filter

Mosquito net

Poncho

Gun cleaning kit (Otis Universal Recommended)

2 pairs of socks

Camouflage bandanna

Signal mirror

Emergency blanket

Small fishing kit

Sewing kit

Batteries

Fire Starting Kit

Matches in waterproof case

Magnesium starter

Starting Tender (dryer lint or cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly)

Camouflage face paint kit

Knife Sharpener

Quality surplus USGI pistol belt (usually attached to vest)

Tactical Pistol Holster (optional)

USGI Canteen (empty), with cover and cup

Quality Fighting/Utility knife

Quality LED flashlight with colored filters

First Aid Kit

72 Hour Kit (Also known as the Bug Out Bag) – This is in addition to your 24 hour kit. As with the vest, it should be ready to go at all times. Rotate times that need to be rotated and do a gear check on a monthly basis.

Small or Medium Daypack or Rucksack

3 MREs or similar trail-type food

Spare ammo

1 – Set of clothes (camouflage for your area)

2 – Black, Drab Green, or Brown T-shirts

6 – Pairs of Socks

Toiletries

Mess Kit

Sleeping bag – Winter

Poncho liner – Summer

Entrenching Tool

Plastic Bags

Scenario Specific Equipment

Advanced Medical Supplies

Bolt Cutters

Long Distance Two-way Radios

Entry Tools

Heavy Wire Ties

Large Wire Cutters

Rappelling Line and accessories

Barter/Charity Goods

Hatchet/Machete of some type

Make sure first off the pack you select fits you well, is durable (no Chi-com knockoffs), Drab in color (florescent colors and reflective stripes are a no-no). Make sure the straps are of modern ergonomic design and you have a chest and belly band the fits you will over clothing. The better the fit of the bag, the less fatigue you will endure.

Put your gear on and make sure it fits well. Go to a private location and test your gear out. Try to simulate being in the field. 99% of your activity in a disaster is gathering food and keeping yourself going, however you will need to periodically do a scouting patrol around your property to see what is happening, check on distant neighbors, etc. You need to make sure you can haul on your person every item you need to operate in the field for 72 hours.

Wearing this kind of gear around is very fatiguing. If you are not in shape now, you will get in shape when the time comes. Make sure you can eliminate weight at every opportunity. Examples include carrying hotel size soap bars or slices of soap instead of a whole bar; a lightweight one-man tent instead of a three-man tent; sawing a toothbrush in half; etc. Anything to lighten the load, do it.

Self-Sustaining Lifestyle

If you made it through this work so far without throwing it in the trash or deleting it from your computers, thank you. I bet the wheels are turning in your head. Do not panic or get overwhelmed. The point of this work from the first letter is to give a broad overview of what steps you need to take to become a more self-sufficient American. I know that the cost of items freak you out. Think about it as spending your money while it is worth something. A simple breakdown in the monetary system could invalidate years of savings. Make it where you are comfortable in the future and do not become a casualty. The biggest issue faced in a disaster situation is comfort. However, if you have a comfortable place to sleep, food to eat, and water to drink you will thrive in hard times.

Shelter

A survivalist thinks they will hit the woods and live off the land. A good majority of these people will not make it due to exposure and lack of clean food and water. A thrivalist makes plan A to go to the well-stocked retreat (which may be home) and ride out the storm. The thrivalist can also live in the woods, but it is strictly plan B. The best place to remain is in what you know intimately – your home and surrounding area.

Bug Out or Stay In?

This will be a difficult choice for you to make. This is strictly the opinion of the author, but you should plan to avoid major cities during this time of crisis. In other words, if you live in an urban/suburban area become good friends with someone like mind and a tank of gas away or if you live in the country, plan to stay in and make room to have extra permanent guests if a catastrophic event happens to our nation. Whatever choice you make, you will need more people than just yourself. You will need a team of folks to sustain your Area of Operation (AO). This is where the purpose of this document ends. You have to use the gifts God gave us – intuition, critical thinking, gut feeling, etc. – to plan out exactly what you are going to do.

Some suggested helpful links:

Survivalblog.com

Alpharubicon.com

Frugalsquirrels.com

efoodsdirect.com

Readymaderesources.com

Freezedryguy.com

AWRM.org 

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Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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How the FCC and Liberal Churches Are Scheming To Shut You Up

How the FCC and Liberal Churches Are Scheming To Shut You Up

by Michelle Malkin

October 28, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2009/10/28/how_the_fcc_and_liberal_churches_are_scheming_to_shut_you_up?page=full

The war on conservative speech has moved from the White House to your neighborhood pews. Left-wing church leaders want the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on “hate speech” over cable TV and right-leaning talk-radio airwaves. President Obama’s speech-stifling bureaucrats seem all too happy to oblige.

Over the last week, an outfit called “So We Might See” has conducted a nationwide fast to protest “media violence”—specifically, “anti-immigrant hate speech, which employs flawed arguments to appeal to fears rather than facts.” Their ire is currently aimed at Fox News and conservative talk-show giants. But how long before they target ordinary citizens who call in to complain about the government’s systemic refusal to enforce federal sanctions against illegal alien employers or the bloody consequences of lax deportation policies?

The “interfaith coalition for media justice” is led by the United Church of Christ. Yes, that’s the same church of Obama’s race-baiting, Jew-bashing ex-pastor Jeremiah Wright. Other members include the Presbyterian News Service, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the National Council of Churches. These religious liberals have partnered with the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which filed a petition in January demanding that the FCC collect data, seek public comment and “explore options” for combating “hate speech” from staunch critics of illegal immigration. 

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Michelle Malkin does her usual good job of showing what is going on.  Follow the link for the full article:

http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2009/10/28/how_the_fcc_and_liberal_churches_are_scheming_to_shut_you_up?page=full.  

 

Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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Climate Change Treaty A Precursor To Global Government?

Climate Change Treaty A Precursor To Global Government?

By Chuck Baldwin

October 30, 2009

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2009/cbarchive_20091030.html

Writing for World Net Daily, Dr. Jerome Corsi states, “A former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says the real purpose of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 is to use global warming hype as a pretext to lay the foundation for a one-world government.”

Corsi quotes Lord Christopher Monckton as telling a Minnesota Free Market Institute audience at Bethel University in St. Paul, “Your president will sign it. Most of the Third World countries will sign it, because they think they’re going to get money out of it. Most of the left-wing regimes from the European Union will rubber stamp it. Virtually nobody won’t sign it.”

Corsi quotes Monckton as also saying, “I read that treaty and what it says is this: that a world government is going to be created. The word ‘government’ actually appears as the first of three purposes of the new entity.”

See Corsi’s column at:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=113219

To see a YouTube video segment of Lord Monckton’s address go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40

Plus, here is a later Fox Business interview with Lord Monckton, in which he further expands his thoughts:

http://tinyurl.com/foxbusiness-monckton

Did Lord Monckton exaggerate?

My research of the Climate Change document that Monckton references found the following: it is a 181-page working document that does not mention the words “ballot,” “elected official,” or “vote” anywhere in it. In my opinion, Lord Monckton did not exaggerate; if anything, he may have understated the situation. The document does indeed appear to be the institutional framework for an unelected supreme communist-style world government.

By signing this document, the United States (and other industrial nations) will forever take responsibility for the ills of backwards and third world countries. And, according to Lord Monckton, this would include China and India, along with the countries of Africa. Notice:

Page 6, “PP.15 Further acknowledging that developed countries have a historical responsibility for their disproportionate contribution to the causes and consequences of climate change, reflecting their disproportionate historical use of a shared global carbon space since 1850 as well as their proposed continuing disproportional use of the remaining global carbon space . . . Warming of the climate system, as a consequence of human activity, is unequivocal.”

Page 38, “28. The adverse effects of climate change and response measures, due to the historical cumulative GHG emissions of developed countries, constitute an additional burden on all developing country Parties (particularly low-lying and other small island countries, countries with low-lying coastal, arid and semi-arid areas or areas liable to floods, drought and desertification, and developing countries with fragile mountainous ecosystems) in reducing poverty, developing strategies to address social vulnerabilities and attaining sustainable development and a threat to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.”

Page 122, “17. (a) Compensate for damage to the LDC’s economy and also compensate for lost opportunities, resources, lives, land and dignity . . .”

“(b) Africa, in the context of environmental justice, should be equitably compensated for environmental, social and economic losses . . .”

By signing and being party to this document, we are accepting legal financial responsibility to support non-developed countries FOREVER.

Page 27, “(b) Particularly vulnerable populations, groups and communities, [or] All vulnerable groups whose adaptive capacity is low, [or] Groups requiring special protection . . .”

Page 43, “41. (a) Assessed contributions of at least 0.7% of annual GDP of developed country Parties.” These funds will go directly to governments and “community organizations.”

Page 39, “33. [The financial burden] must be at least USD 67 billion (in the range of USD 70-140 billion) per year.”

The commitments of the developed countries are “economy wide.” Page 58, “7. (a) Mitigation commitments by all developed countries are legally binding economy wide and absolute quantified emission reduction commitments.”

“(b) Mitigation actions by developing countries are VOLUNTARY . . .” (Emphasis added.)

The system appears to be loaded to ensure that the world body overseeing this document is granted total control for the enforcement of the requirements of this document throughout all developed countries. Penalties for non-compliance by developed countries are scattered throughout the document.

It appears that what a U.S. President and Congress (Republican or Democratic) could not do through the constitutional legislative process, they are attempting to do through international treaty. Therefore, it is my studied opinion that Lord Monckton’s assessment that this upcoming Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen is a “pretext” for the establishment of one world government is “spot-on.”

It does seem to be getting clearer and clearer that if the elected civil magistrates in Washington, D.C., do not quickly grow some backbone and develop some sagacity as to the direction these globalists are taking our country, resistance will be forced (in one way or another) upon the States and the People, because it is not possible for the policies and financial burden that are—and will be—levied upon the backs of the American people to be sustained without the surrender of independence, the abridgment of constitutional government, and the loss of liberty. Stay tuned.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

© Chuck Baldwin 

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 Gill Rapoza

Veritas Vos Liberabit

http://grapoza.blogspot.com/

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