Prepography
The Art & Study of Self-Reliance
Situational Awareness – An Introduction (1,334)
Don’t Be ‘That Prepper Guy’ (876)
Fan of the Ammo Can – Top 10 Uses (637)
Prepping with Garage Sales (558)
Top 10 Preparedness Uses of Mineral Oil (503)
Top 10 Initial Steps to Preparation (489)
OCOKA – A Key Survival Acronym (477)
Prepper SALUTE Report – An Observation and Reporting Tool (329)- Difference Between .223 Caliber & 5.56mm (321)
- Best Prepper Caliber? (317)
Jefferson’s Top 10 Commandments for Living (312)
Physical Security and the Forms of Protection (274)
Obama on Ministry of Interior Troops – Today’s Quote
We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve gotta have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded [as the U.S. military].
Then Candidate Barack Obama
Andrew’s Notes:
- I know…this organization sounds an awful lot like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but DHS already existed in 2008 so what type of organization was the future President referring to?
- In communist and totalitarian regimes these forces are called ‘Ministry of Interior’ troops and are charged with internal security and suppression of dissent
- Forces that aren’t ‘military’ wouldn’t be limited by Posse Comitatus or the Constitution’s limitations on the use of Federal troops
- “just as powerful, just as strong…” Law Enforcement is charged with using the minimum force necessary… I don’t want a ‘civilian national security force’ using the old military doctrine of overwhelming force in a domestic setting (now the military uses appropriate force and other watered doctrines of force…can you imagine firebombing Tokyo or carpet bombing Dresden in the age if television, Twitter & Facebook?).
- “just as well funded…” how are we going to pay for that?
- What oath of office will Ministry of Interior Troops take…will it be to “support and defend the Constitution” like our military does?
Wiesenthal on Rememberance – Today’s Quote
There is no denying that Hitler and Stalin are alive today… they are waiting for us to forget, because this is what makes possible the resurrection of these two monsters.
Chamber of Big Brother
When did so many of our fellow citizens start expecting ‘Big Brother’ to make the majority of our decisions for us? I’ve written before about themes from George Orwell’s book 1984 that I see playing out in the world around me. Now… socialism isn’t anything new, and considering it’s complete and total failure whenever it’s been allowed to run its course you’d think that it would be relegated to the history books…but it continues to rear it’s head in some of the most unlikely places. One such place it reared up recently was my local Chamber of Commerce…or maybe we should begin calling it the Chamber of Big Brother.
I live and work in a small town. I didn’t always live here. I grew up in a good size metropolitan area and traveled the world before settling down here to raise my kids. One of the ways I went from being an outsider to becoming a ‘local’ was by getting involved in community groups that I shared values with. One of the first groups I joined after moving to my corner of God’s country was the local Chamber of Commerce.
If you’re not familiar with what a Chamber of Commerce does it’s basically a civic organization that supports the local business community as well as offering networking opportunities among businesspeople, local officials and members of other civic organizations. I’ve made good friends through my Chamber participation, learned which tradesmen can help me with I’m over my head on a project and worked on a number of civic projects that improve my community.
At a recent Chamber of Commerce leadership meeting we were presented with letter from a community member that both amazed and saddened me.
You Didn’t Save That!
First “You didn’t build that” and now apparently you didn’t save that (or at least it’s not all yours anymore). Are your savings safe?
There’s value in monitoring what other governments around the world are doing… seeing what other governments do (and attempt) is often the best crystal ball to see what in our own future. European governments are particularly useful as our crystal ball as we continue to model U.S. governance and tax policies on post war European socialist models.
In a radical departure from previous aid packages, euro zone finance ministers want Cyprus savers to forfeit a portion of their deposits in return for a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout for the island, which has been financially crippled by its exposure to neighboring Greece.
The decision, announced on Saturday morning, stunned Cypriots and caused a run on cash points, most of which were depleted within hours. Electronic transfers were stopped.
The originally proposed levies on deposits are 9.9 percent for those exceeding 100,000 euros and 6.7 percent on anything below that.
via Cyprus works on last-minute deal to soften bank levy | Reuters
Yes… you read that right! The European Union is asking Cyprus to seize up to 10% of private deposits in Cypriot banks in order to provide yet another European buyout. Remarkably, the news of the demand led to a bank run which will further damage the Cypriot economy.
Michael Bloomberg Knows What’s Good For You
Michael Bloomberg is a former businessman, media magnate, the Mayor of New York City and the 10th richest person in the United States. He’s so sure that he knows what’s good for you that he’s willing to use all the power that he has at his control including his wealth (estimated at $25 billion net worth), his media darling status, his influence and the mechanisms of government he controls to make many of your everyday choices illegal.
Some of the decisions he doesn’t think you’re qualified to make for yourself include…. Continue reading
Department of PreCrime
If Philip K. Dick
In the story a government agency called the Department of PreCrime is established to identify criminals before they commit their crimes and incarcerate them as a preventive measure against crimes they might commit in the future. As the book unfolds it becomes clear that the Precrime Agency which might have been developed out of the best of intentions, has become a tool of tyranny. The nice thing about fiction is that you can clearly identify the good guys and the bad guys…unfortunately in real life it’s more complicated.
Plato on the Nanny State – Today’s Quote
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
Cannibalism and Centralized Planning
As any serious student of history knows, centralized planning leads to inefficient logistic and economic systems. It seems like a smart person or group of people would make better decisions than the creative chaos of the free market…but it’s just not the case. No one is smart enough to direct an economy and as anyone who’s ever served on a committee knows…committees tend to make worse decisions than any single person could make individually. My rule of thumb is the bigger the committee the worse the decision…but it takes the world’s longest running Stalinist regime to bring us cannibalism and centralized planning. How bad can centralized planning screw up a country…
Hungry parents in North Korea have been caught eating their children to avoid starvation.
via Starving North Korean parents ‘eating their children’ | The Sun
I know hunger changes brain chemistry but how hungry do you have to be to become this insane!
The article mentions a long running drought…but what’s really at work is called famine. Famine is a frequent companion when centralized planning meets farming decisions. If one farmer makes a bad farming decision…his family goes hungry…if a centralized planner makes a bad farming decision it starves the entire country. North Korea’s on it’s third generation of bad decisions.
Michael on Revival – Today’s Quote
If America continues down the path that it is on right now, the United States will eventually be transformed into a “Big Brother society” that is far more restrictive than anything George Orwell ever dreamed of.
We need a fundamental cultural revolution in this nation. We need a revival of the principals of liberty and freedom that were so important during the founding days of this country. We need to teach people that even though liberty and freedom may be unpredictable at times, such an environment is greatly preferable to a society where all of our decisions are made for us by a tiny elite.
‘Michael’ via America Is Being Systematically Transformed Into A Totalitarian Society
