Survival Defense When Guns Are Not Allowed

In the time before a major crisis occurs, private ownership or use of firearms, bows and arrows, and crossbows may be illegal and banned. As the situation gets worse, the government will impose martial law and confiscate weapons no matter how well you may think they are hidden.
Here are a few weapons that may be overlooked and that can be used to protect your family and loved ones.

Edged Weapons

Edged weapons are the oldest implements used by man. Then, as now, you can make knives and other edged weapons from flint, obsidian, bronze, arsenic copper-bronze, tin-bronze, iron. Today, there are three kinds of steel that you may be interested in:

• Damascus steel – originated in India about the 5th century BC. The steel was heated to red hot, hammered, folded, and then quickly cooled in water. This process was repeated at least 500 times. This produced a better weapons grade steel.
• Carbon steel – will rust if exposed to air and moisture. The rust if heavy will flake off causing the steel to weaken and break.
• Stainless steel is an alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium by mass. Stainless steel does not rust or stain by water as ordinary steel does. When heated the chromium becomes chromium oxide that acts to form an air and water tight film that seals off the metal. This steel comes in many grades and finishes.

The following edged tools and weapons can be used as a substitute for firearms for protection. All of them can be dipped in poison so that even a single glancing blow can be a lethal one.

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• Farm Tools: Any of the metal farming or gardening tools can be used as weapons to protect yourself or the family. The spade, rake, pitchfork, pick, sickle, hand hoe, and garden claw all make excellent choices for either offensive or defensive weapons.
• Bayonets: Either spike or flat knife designs can be used as is or cut back to make push knives. You can also add a set of brass or other metal knuckles by welding it to the shortened bayonet.
• Daggers and Boot Knives: These double edged knives have a blade longer than 6 inches and are used to stick or slash. Most have a skull crusher at the back of the hilt.
• Small Knives: Usually the blades are shorter than 6 inches long and can be a folding or a non-folding version. These knives are good defensive or offensive weapons because they can be “palmed” and used without them being seen.
• Swords: There are two different edge designs for swords. The first is the single edge the other is the double edge. There are several lengths of swords. The first is the short sword which is 16 to 18 inches long, regular size sword which is 20 to 24 inches long, and the two handed sword that measures over four feet long. The short and the regular size swords can be used for protection and carried inconspicuously, but the long two handed sword is too large to be practical for anything other than staving off an attack on your home.
• Spears: Have a 4 to 6 foot shaft with a metal spear point at the top. These weapons are designed to be thrown or thrusted into a human target.
• Throwing Stars: Are metal shaped stars that have sharpened points that were designed to be thrown at a target and stick into it. In the hands of a trained individual they can kill or do great bodily harm.
• Axes or hatchets: Are used for chopping. Some axes have double or single edges. As a weapon it can be thrown and deliver a bloody crushing wound or blunt trauma if the back blunt end hits first.

Blunt Force Weapons
Blunt force weapons use weight instead of sharp edges to kill or do great bodily harm. Damage to the body is caused by crushing instead of cutting.

• Canes: originally used to steady and help a person in walking. A cane can be used as a nightstick type weapon and can deliver knockout or death blows to the head, break arms or legs, or cause deep blunt trauma wounds to the central body core. Historically the cane sword was a way to carry a sword concealed and at the ready if needed. This weapon is easy to carry in plain sight.
• Clubs:  Usually made of heavy wood or metal scrap. These are crushing weapons that break bones or deliver deep trauma to inner organs.
• Bats: Wood or aluminum bats used to play baseball also make a good weapon. A bat can easily break bones or kill if they hit the right part of the body.
• Staffs or walking sticks: For thousands of years staffs were a defensive and sometimes offensive weapon for the poor or peasants. An individual who was good with a staff could disarm a person with a sword or a gun.
• Maces: Maces were a medieval blunt force weapon made of steel or other strong metals. It was designed to crush skulls and brake limbs with blunt force. Today it is still a good defensive weapon in times of major crisis.
• Chains: Chains made of steel or other heavy metals can be used as weapons in a defensive roll. They can be made to look like every day clothing accessories such as belts. They can deliver deadly crushing blows or break limbs.
• Slings (2 Cord Type): Is a very old weapon that goes back thousands of years. It is easy to hid or conceal. With a little bit of practice it is possible to hit or kill your target out to 200 feet or better with rocks or scrapes of metal. Slings can be either defensive or offensive weapons.
• Slingshots for stone, metal projectiles, or arrows: Slingshots are no longer a toy. They can be used to hunt small game by launching a ball bearing, rocks, and even arrows with deadly accuracy. This weapon can also be used defensively to protect your family in the absence of firearms.
• Hand to Hand Fighting techniques: There are many forms from boxing to martial arts. Choose the fighting technique that best meets your needs and start studying today. Do not wait until the last moment to start the training.

In a time when all private firearm ownership is banned or illegal, the above are a few alternatives for weapons that might be put into service to protect your family and loved ones. Almost anything can be used as a weapon regardless of the situation.
As with prisons and jails, you only need a creative mind and the will to have a weapon in order to get around any law or force used to try and take away your ability to defend yourself.

Original article - http://www.survivopedia.com/svp-survlgnsnotalwd/

Silent and Deadly - My Answer To The Urban Hunting Scenario

There are two pellet guns I am recommending.

First is the "Crosman 1377 American Classic Variable Pump Power Bolt Action Air Pistol"

Vital Stats...

- Caliber .177
- Velocity Up to 600 FPS

This is my first pick for a stealth urban environment hunting weapon. This is a great single shot pump hand gun and in the BB / Pellet gun world the Crosman 1377 is considered the "VW Bug" when it comes to customization.

With it being a crosman you are able to take parts off of other Crosman pellet guns and odds are you can add them to the pistol.

There are detachable stocks, folding stocks, collapsible stocks and even fixed stocks that you can add on . But one of the first things you will want to do is add a steel breech and once this is installed you are able to mount  a weaver rail to you weapon. You can order one of these directly from the Crosman website (http://www.crosman.com/airguns/accessories) Once you have the rail, then you can attach a red dot or mount a scope.

The power of this is really good too. It will easily take down small game, even taking out a cat or dog with a well placed head shot.

If you utilize steel darts or pointed pellets, then you could feasibly take out game weighing about 80 -100 lbs. I recommend the Umarex 213-7509 Hyper Velocity Pellets. This is a BAD BOY of a pellet. You can easily take down game using a well placed head shot with this. This is where the steel breech & scope come into play because you do not want the game to suffer, so shooting small game, cat or dog you want to shoot them almost right in the ear canal. This will take the prey out instantly and not cause the animal any undue suffering.   

You would be amazed at the following the 1377 has also. There are many hobbyists out there making custom parts from hand grips, back caps, even single point sling attachment points. If you can think it up, someone has probably done it.

The other pellet gun that I highly recommend is the Crosman 2100 air rifle. This is a multitasker in that it holds up to 100 BBs or you can also use it as a single shot pellet gun. This also is a pump action weapon and will also take down small game without any problems.

Vital stats ...

- Caliber .177

- Pellet Velocity Up to 725 FPS

- BB Velocity Up to 755 FPS

This was my first BB gun that I owned and I loved it. It performs really well. It has built in weaver rails so that you can attach a scope or red dot also. This is a really fun weapon, but for an urban use, I like the pistol better just because of concealment purposes the pistol offers, but due to the length of the 2100 it is harder to stick under a jacket if you are out hunting.

Both of these weapons sell for around $65 - $75 dollars and just about anyone can afford one.

Learn more about Crosman airguns at http://www.crosman.com/





By Ray Gano

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The Coming Storm - How Did We Get Here

How many of you listen to talk radio? I was in the car listening to the local DJ and something, peaked my interest. What caught my attention was the topic; they were talking about dealing with finance, oil, the future, ect.
There really was not much else on and I had a good hour drive. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
It was an hour of the typical corporate financial spiel. The sad thing is that someone who was listening and did NOT know how the corporate financial world worked, they would have been really impressed.  The guest on the show had all the titles, letters behind their name and “years of experience.”
Needless to say I wasn’t impressed. In fact I was kind of upset. The guest was selling the audience down the proverbial river.
So what was the guest selling? The typical mantra of get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify, diversify, diversify.”
Warren Buffett, one of the world's greatest investors, said, "Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they are doing."
The corporate financial mantra is for those who don’t know what they are doing. People have allowed the fox to guard the hen house and did not even realize it. Look at today and what is taking place. Feds tell us there isn’t any inflation and yet gas costs $3.50, milk is $4.25, in fact there are probably a lot of things that you notice that have gone way up in price, especially food.
But they tell us that there is no inflation.
We were “forced” as tax payers to accept a 700 Billion bailout, then QE1 with trillions and QE2 with yet more trillions. Who is going to carry that burden? Nope, not us, but our kids and grand kids. The taxpayers of the future.
But worse, look at the corporate pirates walking away from it all with golden parachutes.
According to recent press reports, a number of Wall Street senior executives were highly compensated before their companies began failing including Bear Stearns CEO, ($35 million), Lehman Brothers CEO ($40 million) and AIG's CEO ($47 million).
Sure Congress and Senate talked about stopping these corporate barons, but it was a little too late. They have already taken their pounds of flesh and are waiting for more from QE3 that is coming soon.
Think about this for a moment. All these companies have also gone bankrupt or were bailed out behind closed doors. All these financial companies should have died and been buried. But they weren't.
Question - All these smart guys who run all these finance places, well their companies are bankrupt. They "ran their ships aground." If they bankrupt their companies and much of the financial downfall we are already experiencing today is due to them….
Why are we still taking our money to them so that they have stewardship over it?
How many people lost everything because of these "smart financial guys"?
Why do we have 401Ks, IRAs, even savings accounts when all these "smart financial guys" who could not manage their own companies?
These financial guys are out and out crooks and we still take our money to them like moths drawn to the fire.
WHY?
Is this a surprise?
No it isn’t. Man left to his sin nature and without Christ in his life is doing what comes natural.
We are drawn to the ways of Mammon. It is natural, it is who we are. It is also due to not understanding what God's Word says and being trained to be followers of Mammon.
But Ray - How am I trained to follow Mammon?
It is hammered into your heads almost from the day we are born.
Go to school, graduate from college, get a good job, work all your life and save..save..save.
Let me prove it to you and have you take a test.
We have been trained and not even know it.
Just for fun finish the sentence…. "A Winston Tastes Good Like a _________________."
Now, if you were born after 1970, odds are you can't answer that.
If that is the case, go to You Tube and type in Fred Flintstone and Winston. You will be amazed.
With that example let's take a little test.
Fill in the blanks…

1 - Go to school, get good grades, and get a _ _ _.

2 - Work _ _ _ _.

3 - Save _ _ _ _ _.

4 - Buy a house because your house is an _ _ _ _ _ .

5 - Invest for the _ _ _ _ term in a well-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ portfolio of _ _ _ _ _, bonds, and _ _ _ _ _ _ funds.

Odds are you made a 100% or came close right?
We have been trained to serve Mammon by getting a job, working hard, saving money, our house is an asset and investing in the long term in a well diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
Many people consider the above a solid financial education. It isn't, it is financial training, training in the ways of Mammon.
The coming financial storm that I have been preaching about for the past 5-6 years is not one of chance. It has been created… on purpose.
See, being  a student of bible prophecy I have the privilege in knowing what God’s word says.  Knowing that the Bible is the sovereign Word of God, the Bible tells me where the future is going, and it is not going where all the so called financial experts say it is going.
A History Lesson and The Road Ahead
As some of you may know I do not have much faith in the US economy maintaining strong stability. Watch the news today for 5 minutes and you can see we are in a heap of trouble.
In fact being a student of Bible Prophecy I do not have any faith in any economy maintaining stability in these last days at all because God’s Word says that it won’t.
For some of you, you may remember the 1970’s. A lot of very interesting things took place in the 1970’s that are now effecting the US and the world.
In the 1970s OPEC and the US created the Petrol Dollar. What this did was provide the US a virtual monopoly. Having oil being traded in dollars allowed the US to run huge account deficits. Countries needed oil, thus they had to have US dollars on hand so that they could purchase oil. What happened is that the US dollar became the standard and global currency reserve. In having the US dollar as the global standard currency reserve the US could spend without the fear of crippling interest rate hikes. And spent we have, to the point of self destruction and the creation of a fiat currency.
Fiat Currency
In economics, fiat currency or fiat money is money whose purchasing power derives from a declaratory fiat of the government issuing it. It is often associated with paper money unbacked by fixed assets, issued without the promise of redemption in some other form, and accepted by tradition or social convention. Fiat money is called fiduciary money in many languages.
The widespread acceptance of a fiat currency is enhanced by a central authority mandating its acceptance under penalty of law and demanding it in payment of taxes or tribute. Fiat money can be contrasted with alternative forms of currency such as commodity money and private currency.
Most currencies in the world have been fiat money since the end of the international gold standard of the Bretton Woods system in 1971. However, some of the major currencies today, despite being based essentially on arbitrary decree, have become so trusted that they are termed hard currency. (2)
Thomas Jefferson is attributed for stating the following:

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

We know that in history Jefferson fought and warned us about the creation of The Federal Reserve or any private bank which would control the United States’ money.  Jefferson was well aware of this because in his day the international bankers were trying to establish a central bank or Federal Reserve.
Here is how Blakes Dictionary of Law defines “Fiat”

“A command or order to act.  Arbitrary or authoritative order or decision.”  “Fiat money” is likewise defined as, “inconvertible paper money made legal tender by a government decree.”  Inconvertible to, for example, gold or silver.  Made legal only by government decree.  “Colored money”, i.e. money with the “deceptive appearance, assumed exterior, concealing a lack of reality.”   (3)

The money that we use today is called Federal Reserve Notes and they are colored money. If you do not believe me, whip out a $20.00 and look for your self. In fact look at the really new money that is now out there, it is a lot less green than days gone by. They also have no value, except by virtue of a government decree.
Here is another interesting point. All fiat currencies eventually go belly up and with them the countries that produce them.
But quickly back to OPEC and the Petrol Dollar.
Bill O’Grady of A.G.Edwards stated the following:

"If OPEC decided they didn’t want dollars anymore, it would be the end of American hegemony by signaling the end to the dollar as the sole reserve currency." (4)

So why do we need to know all this history?
In 1971 President Richard Nixon changed the rules of money. That year, the U.S. dollar ceased being money and became a currency. This was one of the most important changes in modern history, but few people understand why.
Before 1971, the U.S. dollar was backed by gold and silver, which is why the U.S. dollar was also known as a silver certificate. After 1971, the U.S. dollar became a Federal Reserve Note, basically an IOU from the U.S. government. Needless to say, the US has a so many IOU’s out there, the reality of paying them back are next to impossible. The U.S. is the largest debtor nation now in history.
We need to understand this because history repeats itself.
After World War I, Germany's monetary system collapsed. While there were many reasons for this, one major reason was that the German government was allowed to print money at will, like we are doing currently. The flood of money that resulted caused uncontrolled inflation, which is starting taking place right now. If you don’t believe me, when was the last time you bought gas? There were more marks like there are dollars right now, but they bought less and less. In 1913, a pair of shoes cost 13 marks. By 1923, that same pair of shoes was 32 trillion marks!
As inflation increased, the savings of the middle class was wiped out. With their savings gone, the middle class demanded new leadership. Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and, as we know, World War II and the murder of millions of Jews followed.
Do you see where it is we are going here? Adolf Hitler was the precursor of whom?.
That was the first part of our history lesson, continuing to our second part of our history lesson.
In the 1970’s there was a law created that when it came out, it was touted as a great law, a law for the people. The law was called “ERISA” or known as the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This is the law that gave birth to the 401(k). One of the reasons ERISA is significant is because it forced millions of employees to become investors, investors without any financial training or education. This is why the financial expert’s advice is “Work hard, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify, diversify, diversify.”
Warren Buffet made a great statement that kind of sums this up..

“Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those that take the subway”

Many people know that the Baby Boomer generation is the largest generation in history. Many of our companies made millions from the baby boomer wave. When the baby boomers had kids, Gerber made millions. When the baby boomer kids got older Matel, Hasbro, etc made millions. The baby boomer’s lived life at a fast pace, thus was born McDonalds, Burger King, etc. I point these things out because the baby boomers are a generation to be considered.
When the baby boomers bought, companies made millions.
Baby Boomers have money they have saved for retirement via their 401(k), IRAs, ect.
Between 1995 and 2005 the millions of people who followed the “Work hard, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term, and diversify, diversify, diversify.” advice lost an estimated $7-9 trillion. And much worse than losing $7-9 trillion, the people who followed that advice missed out on what the Economist and other magazines called the biggest financial boom in history. So not only did those investors lose money from the 2000-2003 stock market crash, they failed to make a lot of money in the financial boom in real estate and commodities. That is the price of bad advice and even worse not having the knowledge to know better and the education.
But back to ERISA…
ERISA has a major flaw that many people do not look at or even know of. ERISA has a mandatory withdrawal mechanism at age seventy and a half. At that age you MUST start withdrawing your money from the 401(k)s, IRAs, etc. That means millions of baby boomers will be forced to systematically withdraw from their 401(k), IRAs, ect.
Where is all this money invested? It is in the stock market.
As I stated before, when the baby boomers BOUGHT, companies made millions.
In 2006 the first baby boomers turned 60.
What will happen when the baby boomers start to sell?
In 2016 it is estimated that there will be 2,282,887 baby boomers that are turning seventy. They all must start selling and pulling their money out of the stock market.
In 2017 it jumps to 2,928,818 more people. That is about 700,000 more people than the year before that will start selling and pulling their money out of the stock market too. (1)
That is 5,211,705 people together. That many people will affect the economy and more are added each year for approximately 20 years. We did not count the immigrants either in the mix. (1
All in all, that is a lot of stock being sold, or at least trying to be sold.
What happens when millions of people start selling millions of shares of stock?
The prices start to drop and fast.
The laws of supply and demand will come into effect, and the odds of major panic just increased enormously.
So why is there a mandatory withdrawal? Why not just change the laws?  All that money that was put in was put there tax free. Uncle Sam now wants his due…the taxes. This is another reason why the huge spending, the fiat currency, etc. This is also why we will probably never see the death tax go away any time soon either.
So once the 700 Billion dollar bailout passes, are our troubles over? QE1 came and went, trouble over? QE2 came also?
No… far from it, we still have the ERISA issue to come to full term and no one is even talking about that can of worms.
We think things are bad now
Credit Crisis, Mortgage Crisis, Energy Crisis, and hey while we are talking doom and gloom lets throw in terrorism, avian flu, dirty bombs ect.
But something  is going to start effecting us in the weeks ahead. It is the weapon that has been used over and over again by the king pins of Mammon in days gone by.
Scripture even tells us but it seems we have not been listening.

Rev 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

Rev 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The US as well as the world is not sitting in a nice place.
The world is looking for an answer.  But man in his ways never learns.
Scripture says…

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Man continues to repeat himself and his history.
The next decade will be a decade of chaos. This will be the fourth time this nation has gone through something like this.
I know that there are those of you right now saying " Well God is not going to allow us to suffer, He will rapture us out."
Folks I expect to be caught up in the clouds when the Rapture when it occurs.
But what many people forget is that none of us knows just how bad things will get before the Rapture occurs, do we?
I do not think it wise to test the Lord, by throwing caution to the wind and simply saying, “The Lord will provide.”
Yes, He will provide, but He expects us to learn from the ant and do what we can to provide for ourselves.

Prov 6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Scripture also tells us..

1Tim 5:8  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

To not take steps to keep your family safe when we still have the chance if fool hearty and at worse, makes us the infidel.
Christ commanded us to "occupy till He returns." Not bury our heads in the sand.
We still have a short amount of time.
This is why I am writing a series over the coming months.
We are living on the razor's edge and scripture is literally unfolding right before our eyes.


By Ray Gano


Endnotes

1- Adapted from Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad’s Prophecy”
2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_currency
3 - Black’s Law Dictionary [Sixth Edition, 1991]
4 - http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/05/06/news/nation/11_13_325_5_06.txt

The Rubber is Meeting The Road

By Ray Gano

The demand is growing. Bad weather has taken its effect. NOAA has stated that due to the massive amounts of winter snow that has fallen this year, there is a very high probability of record floods in the central heartland of the US.

Last Thursday the UDSA came out and stated that even if the US has  great bumper crops, it still will not be enough to " refill razor-thin stocks" and in fact it could take several years to restore inventories to comfortable levels.

Even former U.S. President Bill Clinton struck a more cautionary tone on ethanol, which is created by using corn. He stated "We have to become energy independent but we don't want to do it at the expense of food riots,"

We as a nation are literally burning our food supplies up so that we can get from one point to another.

Pete Nessler, president of the brokerage FCStone LLC said "There are speculators involved... but we've had the perfect storm over the last two years, and if we don't have a great crop this year in the United States, we are going to have an even bigger storm."

The global food supply chain is stretched to the limit. Two weeks ago Mexico suffered one of the worst freezes in many years. The result was the destruction of 80% - 90% of the food crops. Many of these crops were destined to come to the US. sending prices soaring and sparking concerns about a repeat of food riots last seen three years ago.

In fact, Sysco, one of the major food distribution companies stated the following…

ALL OF OUR GROWERS HAVE INVOKED THE ACT OF GOD CLAUSE ON OUR CONTRACTS DUE TO THE FOLLOWING RELEASE. WE WILL BE CONTACTING YOU PERSONALLY TO REVIEW HOW THIS WILL AFFECT OUR CONTRACTED ITEMS WITH YOU GOING FORWARD.

THE DEVASTATING FREEZE IN MEXICO IS WORST FREEZE IN OVER 50 YEARS…

THE EXTREME FREEZING TEMPERATURES HIT A VERY BROAD SECTION OF MAJOR GROWING REGIONS IN MEXICO, FROM HERMOSILLO IN THE  NORTH ALL THE WAY SOUTH TO LOS MOCHIS AND EVEN SOUTH OF CULIACAN. THE EARLY REPORTS ARE STILL COMING IN BUT MOST ARE SHOWING LOSSES OF CROPS IN THE RANGE OF 80 TO 100%.

EVEN SHADE HOUSE PRODUCT WAS HIT BY THE EXTREMELY COLD TEMPS. IT WILL TAKE 7-10 DAYS TO HAVE A CLEARER PICTURE FROM GROWERS AND FIELD SUPERVISORS, BUT THESE GROWING REGIONS HAVEN’T HAD COLD LIKE THIS IN OVER A HALF CENTURY. THIS TIME OF YEAR, MEXICO SUPPLIES A SIGNIFICANT PERCENT OF NORTH AMERICA’S ROW CROP VEGETABLES SUCH AS: GREEN BEANS, EGGPLANT, CUCUMBERS, SQUASH, PEPPERS, ASPARAGUS, AND ROUND AND ROMA TOMATOES.

FLORIDA NORMALLY IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER FOR THESE ITEMS AS WELL BUT THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN STRUCK WITH SEVERE FREEZE DAMAGE IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY AND UP UNTIL NOW HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE PRODUCT OUT OF MEXICO TO FILL THEIR COMMITMENTS, THAT IS NO LONGER AND OPTION.

WITH THE SERIES OF WEATHER DISASTERS THAT HAS OCCURRED IN BOTH OF THESE MAJOR GROWING AREAS WE WILL EXPERIENCE IMMEDIATE VOLATILE PRICES, EXPECTED LIMITED AVAILABILITY, AND MEDIOCRE QUALITY AT BEST. THIS WILL NOT ONLY HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON SUPPLIES, BUT BECAUSE OF VERY STRONG BLOSSOM DROPS, THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT SUPPLIES 30 – 60 DAYS FROM NOW.

SOME GROWERS ARE MEETING WITH THEIR BOARDS RIGHT NOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RE-PLANT, HOPING FOR A HARVEST BY LATE-MARCH-TOEARLY-APRIL, OR WHETHER THEY SHOULD DISC THE FIELDS UNDER AND WAIT FOR ANOTHER SEASON.

Source: Sysco Release/Memo: Mexico Freeze [PDF]

For almost two years I have been trying to sound the alarm. Well, we are now coming to the point where the rubber is meeting the road. In the near future, the effects of all of these "perfect storms" will begin to play out. Now the good news is that the effects will not be as bad as in some other countries, but I do believe that we will suffer our own hard times. Thing is, this isn't a US problem, signs of the strain can be found from Australia to Argentina, Canada to Russia.

Scripture says…

Revelation 6:5-6  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Are we living in the last days? Yes we are. Are we in the times spoken about by the John? No, but I do believe that we are close.

Needless to say, we are facing times and events that this generation has not seen before. History is repeating itself like it did 75 years ago.

What people do not realize is that historically our nation goes into what I call a  time of chaos approximately every 75 years or so. So this is not the first time, nor is it out of the ordinary. But because our generation has not studied our past, we may relive the cycle of approximately 25 years of chaos.

We had the revolutionary war, which had its own issues and saw trials and tribulations. We often believe that when July 4th 1776 rolled around life was good and we were a great nation. Well we were and we did win our independence from England, but at a great cost. We suffered hyperinflation as well as food shortages due to the revolutionary war, French and Indian war, etc. The FIAT currency called a  "continental" was introduced and hyper inflated.

Fast forward 75 years and this nation goes down one of our histories darkest path, that of the civil war where brother turned against brother. One of the primary issues in this war was not slavery, the issue was the 10th amendment where government was dictating and regulating the states and her people into poverty. I am not talking plantation owners either even though the main focus from history is on this group. I am talking average middle class hard working people of that day, people like you and me.

Once again due to the war, food production was greatly reduced so shortages came about. Lincoln introduced the "green back" and hyperinflation ensued causing goods, services and food to be outside the reach of many people.

Forms of debtor prison,  were enacted due to so many people who were in debt and borrowed above their means.

Fast forward another 75 years and we see FDR enacting the "New Deal." It was prior president Hoover who destroyed the nation with the big banks and FDR took it even further. We did not see hyperinflation in this cycle, but we saw depression. The results though were the same.  Millions suffered, and many more even died due to the hardship. Unemployment numbers were through the roof.  Instead of too much money in the system, there wasn't enough. American families monthly average pay was reduced by 40%, from  the average approximate being $2,300 to $1,500.

Instead of advancement, survival became the keyword. Every family maintained a "Victory Garden" and living a frugal life became the norm.

Scripture says…

Ecclesiastes 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

I am saying all of this because I believe around 2005 - 2006 we as a nation entered into the age of chaos that this nation has seen in the past.

I do believe we are living in the last days of the last days. But I do not believe that just because our nation is going through our standard cycles of historical hardship, brought about by our own bad decisions, that God is going to come down and rescue all the Christians and rapture them out.

So many people like to point to Noah and the ark as a rapture model. Noah never left the earth nor was he taken out of the storm. He  lived through the storm. He and his family were spared because he prepared, built his ark and was obedient to God.

Many point to Lot escaping the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah as a rapture model. Again, it was Lot's faithfulness to God that allowed him and his family to be spared from judgment. The judgment still effected him through the loss of his wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back. But, he and his daughters were spared. Lot continued to serve God as a righteous man and is named 1 Peter 2:7-8.

God was there and delivered these men, but Noah still had to build an ark and Lot still had to use his own two feet to get out of town.

Now please know, I stand on the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. I fully believe that we will soon see the return of our King in the clouds. I just don't know when, and to put a timeframe on that event is extremely foolish.

So those many Christians today who believe that God is going to come rescue them via the rapture, well I hate to say it, but that frame of thought is not biblical and in fact creates a dangerous attitude of complacency . Christ told us to occupy till He returns and to always be ready to share the gospel.

Folks, we are coming to a time in history where we as a nation will go through hard times. I say this not because I think I am some prophet or son of a prophet. I say this because three times before this nation has gone through hardship. History proves this as a fact. I do believe that much of what is going on can be pointed to as prophetic for the mere fact that Israel is now in existence and so much is going on in the middle east today. Where in the past that was not the case.

But I cannot say that we are where we are today is solely prophetic. We are operating with in the normal cyclical parameters this nation takes every 75 years or so.

Let me remind you what King Solomon said.. "there is nothing new under the sun."  Man will continue to repeat history till the end of time. It is the sin nature that drives man and man will always seek out lust, greed, and self pleasure. It is these three things that always brings us to where we are today. With sin one always pays the consequences. It is the same with nations as well.

Spring is on the doorstep, I encourage all of you to plant a garden. I will be posting articles in the PZ Preparedness area on this. Prepare your cupboards now, food prices will continue to rise.

If you do not have my Preparedness DVD, TEOTWAWKI, TEOTWAWKI -City Version and How to buy Silver, get them now. I have many files that will help you with food storage, gardening, raising small livestock, plus much more. It does not matter where you live, city or country, house or apartment, you can do something to better your situation. Our DVD package is $60.00 for all  three. Right now is the time to get them before spring sets in.

To order use the following URL - http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Prepper-Package

Finally Tracye and I have taken the steps to help in providing a food solution. We have become independent reps of a company that we have been a customer of for over three years, that being Shelf Reliance. This past Saturday they opened up the opportunity for people to not only secure their own home food store, but they have allowed those same people to then become independent reps of the company and try to help others prepare their food pantry.

If we can help you at all, do not hesitate to ask. The program they have is very affordable and the food is delivered right to your doorstep.

If you are interested in the ability to have a home based business, please contact me as well and I can fill you in on the details.

You can check out our Shelf Reliance Store at http://gano.shelfreliance.com

Are You Ready?

Have You Built Your Ark?

How Would You Handle The "Brass Horde"

During the age of the Mongol Empire, the Mongol armies spread across Eastern Europe and Russia raping, pillaging and basically leaving whatever was left as a waste land. These invaders were come to be known as "The Golden Horde."

Fast forward today and we remember the LA Riots, New Orleans looting, I even experienced it myself during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. During all the confusion and the aftermath instantly after the quake, masses started stealing from the shops who's windows were broken and all within an arm's reach.  It got so bad that in some areas a "shoot to kill" order was issued. The earthquake struck at approximately 5:00PM, that night turned into hell on earth in some parts of the San Francisco bay area.

The horde was released.

In the prepper community we see " the Golden Horde" as a loosely organized mass of urban refugees streaming out of the cities in search of food and shelter after a natural disaster or social / financial collapse. Like locus, this mindless mass could possibly overwhelm local defenses,  "raping and pillaging" the country suburban area and stripping it of many of its resources while destroying everything in its path.

Now this sounds bad and is a situation that would most likely take place in the movies, but in real life a situation like this does not happen… in most cases.

But to be honest I am not worried about a mindless mass of people. These people are hungry  and pretty much are acting on instinct. They are not going to be very well organized, and lack really any true leadership. Some may be armed, but not willing to really "take a bullet" when it comes down to the rubber meeting the road. 

It is the group's "mass" that gives the "horde" its power. 

Aggressively confront then divide the mass and it will quickly give up and move on to another "easier" target.

But who I am worried about are the bugged out  Rambo wanna-be's traveling in their RVs who's idea of preparedness is cases of ammo, Spam & Budweiser. 

Let me introduce to you...The Brass Horde. 

The Brass Hordes are small groups of people, probably all deer hunting buddies who go out and play paint ball on the weekends and call it survival training. Now, nothing against deer hunting and paintball, I am a hunter as well; can't say I have played paintball though. Now airsoft wars are fun, but I am digressing here.

What these folks have neglected for maintaining good health and welfare, they have made up by being obnoxiously well armed. Thing is when the Spam and Budweiser runs out,  they will turn to what they love most their guns and ammo.

These are the groups I worry about.

Here is a very interesting story, one that is real world. The author who goes by the handle "BigBear" painted a very realistic picture. 

After reading this, I want to ask you, how would you REALLY handle this situation?  

I would like for you to hear your "end to the story" comments, so please post them below. 

The Brass Horde 

The Brass Horde at least tried to prepare.  They had a plan to leave the city, some supplies and a large stockpile of weapons. Their intent was to relocate to a remote site as a group and hunt for food. The small group is made up of family and close friends occupying the trailers used to escape the city. Unfortunately their resources are limited and unwisely thought out.

At first they have good luck taking a deer and several rabbits for a stew, all looks good. But after a week or so their water rations are getting low and their expensive filter systems are useless on the frozen lake. They are able to melt some water over the fire pit and on propane stoves but this consumes critical resources. Most of their daily man hours are spent collecting and transporting ice blocks to melt for water. The meat is running low, they are exhausted.

The Horde elders decide that a couple of the women should visit a nearby cabin and ask to fill their water jugs. The established local, not wanting to seem rude, invites the ladies into the warm cabin...the aroma of fresh baked bread fills the air. Warm cinnamon rolls and hot coffee are served over light conversation next to the wood stove. The ladies fill their water jugs from the solar powered well, thanked the local and reluctantly venture back out into the cold, it was the first time they had truly been warm since leaving the city.

That evening the women huddled around the fire telling the others of their days experience. A strong north wind brought frigid temperatures and a heavy snow started around sundown...the Horde retired to their campers to weather the night.

Then the propane runs out!

The temperatures quickly plunge after the heater went out in the far north trailer of the circled compound. The father whose survival skills were honed by many hours watching the discovery channel, decided to start a small wood fire in the oven to keep him and his wife warm. The ensuing inferno consumed two of their trailers and damaged the other six as over 10,000 rounds of ammo cooked off in the conflagration.

In the blinding snow the elders huddled for warmth around the smoldering ruins of their grand scheme...they knew what had to be done. After arming themselves and securing the women folk in the remaining heated camper, the horde took off for the neighbors cabin. The howling winds of the blizzard masked their plunder as they made off with six twenty pound bottles of propane, a chainsaw and five gallons of gas. The blowing snow filled their tracks as they retreated back to the compound confident in their escape.

Unbeknown to the Brass Horde the local had witnessed the entire thing from the warmth of the bedroom after being alerted by his growling dogs. Shouldering his gun he realized that confrontation was dangerous against eight heavily armed men and there was a good change he would die if shooting started. The local also realized that this was the first of many visits by the armed bandits who, made confident by their guns, would steal what they failed to store through proper preparation.

So he….. started baking cookies.

"Good morning, I have fresh cookies and hot coffee" shouted the local from his truck as he pulled into the Horde's compound. "You all look like you could use a treat on this cold morning" he continued. The men leerily looked at each other assuming that the local man had not yet discovered the robbery and was just being a good neighbor. The local waved and yelled "God Bless You" as he drove away. Over their snacks and wicked strong coffee the Horde laughed at how easy a target this cookie baking fairy would be...

Looking through the rifle scope from his vantage point in on the hill he saw no movement...the last one fell several hours ago.

Later that evening the local man returned to the compound, collected the bodies and placed them neatly in the largest trailer. Gathering the stolen items plus the Hordes guns and abundant ammunition for barter he proceeded to pour gas in each of the remaining campers then burned everything to the ground. Cyanide in the coffee and cookies.

A heavy snow that night covered over the remains and the evident "mass suicide" was not discovered until later that springs. It was chalked up to collapse related hysteria...no further investigation.

My Own Thoughts

How would you have handled the group and the situation?

Remember there are no police that are going to come to the rescue.

What would you have done differently?

Now this one struck me hard. Why? Because I am a God fearing Christian who has submitted his life to the Lord.

Several verses in the Bible that come to my mind is...

1 Timothy 5:8(KJV)  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Exodus 22:2 (KJV)  If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

What Do I Believe?

In the simplest terms, a believer is absolutely justified in the use of deadly force if faced with a grave threat to him or his own family or members of his own church (his extended family). Not to do so is a violation of both Jewish and Christian's reverence for life.

Deadly force does not mean that the results necessarily ends in death. It may be simply the presentation of the weapon that provides the necessary deterrent against violence on the part of the offender.

Christianity is not pacifism. There are pacifists who are Christians, but a clear reading of Scripture doesn't imply pacifism at all. We seek peace and pursue it; we earnestly prefer to avoid violence, but we don't stick our heads in the sand. We live in a world where violence is commonplace; it's been that way since the fall.

Violent people have absolutely no restraint on their behavior; a believer needs to be at least as aggressive in defending himself and others. Whatever it takes. If you have to shoot someone and drop them to the ground, that's most unfortunate, but you didn't ask to be attacked. 

Please go to the "COMMENTS" section and tell me what you thought and how you would handle it.

Finally, do you have a pit in your stomach like I did after I read that?

Home Dehydrated Food Shelf Life

Many people know that I am a huge fan of dehydrating. There are so many benefits and the shelf life is amazing. In fact, lets take a look at the four major factors that will affect the shelf life of your home dehydrated foods.

   1. Temperature
   2. Moisture
   3. Oxygen
   4. Light


Temperature

Temperature affects storage time the most. The cooler the better. Most official guideline statistics for shelf life are based on ‘room temperature’, or 70 degrees F (21 C).

Each drop of 10 degrees F (5.5 C) will double the shelf life! That is pretty significant.

60 F instead of 70 F will double a 1 yr storage to 2 yrs, which may simply be the difference between storing your food upstairs in the pantry or downstairs in the basement (assuming you have a basement).

Likewise, when foods are stored in warmer temperatures, you will lose shelf life at the same proportion. 80 F instead of 70 F will halve the storage life. This fact may be more of a concern for those that don’t have a basement to conveniently store food in a cool environment.

One thing that I miss, having moved from the Northeast US to California more than a decade ago, is having a basement. Many homes here are built on slabs, where outdoor temperatures don’t freeze to extremes like other parts of the country (where deep foundations are required, and thus a basement). Without a basement, use your common sense and simply beware of storing food in places where temperatures will be higher than normal.
 

Moisture

The process of dehydrating removes most of the moisture from foods while retaining much of the nutritional value and flavor. It is a great method to preserve your harvested fruits and vegetables for later consumption off-season.

Fruits will typically contain about 75 percent moisture when fresh, and should be dehydrated to a 20 percent moisture level, the point at which they become leathery and pliable. Apparently, it is OK for fruits to be dried to this ‘pliable’ level rather than a lower ‘brittle’ moisture level because the natural sugars and acids in fruit act as an added preservative.

Vegetables must be dehydrated to a moisture level around 5 percent, the point at which they become crisp and brittle, and will break if bent.
 

Oxygen

Oxygen will interact with, and break down fats and proteins resulting in poor flavor and eventual spoilage. Fruits and vegetables only have small amounts of fat and protein but will still oxidize over a period of time when stored in an environment containing oxygen. Oxygen absorbers are commonly used inside long term food storage containers.
 

Light

Photons from light will also eventually break down fats and proteins as well as vitamins in the food, resulting in poor flavor and possibly eventual spoilage.

Dehydrated Fruit and Vegetable Shelf Life

‘Shelf Life’, when referring to survival food storage, is typically defined as the maximum amount of food storage time whereby the food will not spoil and still contribute to keeping you alive. Shelf Life, when referring to grocery store and typical food packaging labels, is defined as the length of time that the food will still taste its best and retain most all of its nutritional value, usually far before actual spoilage. Having said that, shelf life is a subjective thing, and may fall somewhere in between the two extremes.

Generally speaking, home dried fruits will have a shelf life of about 6 months to 1 year, if stored in glass mason jars and in a dark, dry, and cool environment (the cooler, the better).

The shelf life of home dried vegetables vary depending on the vegetable itself, but some say it is about half that of home dehydrated fruit. I believe it’s safe to say that it will generally be between 6 months to 1 year. Some claim storage life success of several years, but again, storage conditions will change storage life by either increasing, or even decreasing if stored poorly.

Store-bought dehydrated fruits and vegetables processed specifically for long term storage will be prepared, dried, and packaged in processes that bring moisture content down to as low as 3 percent, and will store much, much longer (I’ve seen claims of 25 years in #10 cans if stored properly).

My opinion and experience with home-dehydrated storage and shelf life is that 6 months to 1 year has been fine for me because the following growing season I am growing all new foods. So as long as they last during the off-season, which is quite simple to achieve, then I’m personally okay with that (some of my long term food storage supplies are not home dried, but professionally manufactured). As long as I am able to grow my own food each year, our home dehydration method works just fine.

Vacuum Sealing, Mason Jar, or Zip Lock Bag

In my opinion it is debatable whether vacuum sealing home-dehydrated food will add significant shelf life in most practical situations. Common sense tells me that it will definitely add some storage time, but I’m not so sure how significant that will be assuming we’re talking about foods that are already dehydrated, and are being stored in normal conditions (cool, dark, dry – mason jar), and will be replenished during the following growing season.

Granted that opening and closing a mason jar lid to remove some of the product when needed, will reintroduce fresh air and oxygen into the jar. However, so long as the air in the room isn’t laden with moisture, it would seem not to be such a big concern. If you live in a very humid environment, I can see an advantage though. Some vacuum sealers also have an attachment for mason jars to remove the air. Vacuum sealing in vacuum seal bags will definitely save space too.

Having said all that, I just don’t think it is a huge difference to vacuum seal versus using a mason jar when we’re talking about foods that will only last a year or so anyway… (although some claim to get several years from home dehydrated fruits and vegetables when stored well).

I believe that Zip Lock Bags are a fine alternative too. They take up less space than jars. I am a little leery about the effectiveness of the seal when compared to a mason jar with the nice lid. Quite often I have experienced these bags not holding a nice seal, even after ‘burping’ the bags quite efficiently.

I personally like the mason jars because I can easily see the foods inside while on the shelf, and they are convenient and easy to handle and use. Again, since I’m only dealing with shelf life requirements of 1 year maximum for my home grown foods, I don’t feel a need to use vacuum sealed bags. Don’t get me wrong, we love to use vacuum sealed bags on other items around the homestead, like on some of our other storage items such as 5 pound bags of flour – for convenience – although storing in 5 gallon buckets with Mylar is even better for longer term storage. We’ll save all that for another post some other time

Prepping 101 - Where Do I Start?

For those of you wishing to be a little more prepared the biggest question is "Where do I start?".
The answer is quite simple. Don't buy anything until you've inventoried what you do have. It makes no sense to have an abundance of one item and a complete lack of something else. A good inventory of what you currently have on hand will show you the direction in which your preparedness efforts should be going.

If you're an avid hunter,with a fairly good arsenal already, buying more guns may not help you if you run out of food or water before the ammo plays out. Perhaps you're into gardening and canning and have a lot of canned items sitting on the shelves in your pantry or storeroom but don't own a gun. Either way you could have problems. So take an inventory! See what you have and write down what you need.You will also need to have a balance in your preparations.

Once you know where you stand on the basics of food, water,health, shelter and clothing, gear, education and protection, the next step is to develop a budget and a plan to get there. Next allocate a portion of your budget to each phase of your preparations. Then proceed toward being better prepared. It's easier than you think.

Prepping 101:

1.) Take an inventory of FOOD items you have in stock and compare it with your daily use to
determine the quantity needed to meet your short or long term goals. (dry goods, canned goods, etc.).

2.) Determine the items you have that will cover your WATER needs (storage containers, filters, purification methods, etc.).

3.) Figure out the items you need to address any HEALTH issues (glasses, prescription meds, first aid kits, etc.).

4.) Check your SHELTER status (temporary and permanent) and CLOTHING inventory (for both summer and winter) to determine any deficiencies in either category.

5.) Sort through your GEAR and equipment (camping, household items, and tools) and decide where you can improve things. Special Note: GEAR should always include the ability to make a fire for cooking and heat.

6.) Provide for EDUCATION materials (books, seminars, traing classes, etc.) so that you can increase your skills and knowledge base.

7.) Finally make sure you cover any needed items for your PROTECTION (guns, ammo, etc.).

8.) And above all other things, practice SAFETY at all times in your food storage, your medical preps, using your tools or your guns.

So determine what your budget will be and work towards your short or long term goals.

Hopefully, this will get you started towards being better prepared.

PZ Radio - "Surviving The Economic Collapse" with author Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre

I am really excited about this interview. I have been emailing Fernando on and off for about a 8 months now and I am glad to finally be able to get him on PZ Radio.

Fernando lived through Argentina's 2001 financial collapse. He is also still living in Argentina, where after ten years of the peso hyperinflating, life is still going on. But it is not what was, it is the  "New Normal."

If you want to get a glimpse of what I belive the US will look like if we go down the path of financial hardship, then Argentina is the place to look.

This is a part one of a two part interview that lasted over two hours. We covered everything and some things were down right troubling to know that what Fernando described. They quiet possibly will take place here in our own nation.

So sit up and listen to this show, and just to warn you, this show is not for the weak of heart.

Remember, You're Listening To PZ Radio.

Listen Now To PZ Radio

Become The Gray Man

By Ray Gano

A man who can blend in to any scene or situation without standing out , hiding his skills and qualities. Source - urbandictionary.com

Becoming the gray man, it will be an important skill; a skill you will need in the future days to come. You will need to learn how to blend into your environment, look like everyone else, and become the "average looking Joe."

But what makes you different is that you are alert to your surroundings, you suspect everyone that comes within your 20 foot perimeter and you are ready to react if need be. The real mission is to just be left alone while putting off that "sheepdog" disposition instead of being one of the sheep.

You are not some weekend warrior or paramilitary nut, you are just like everyone else except your every day carry gear probably includes keys, cell phone, wallet, wrist watch.... a folding lock blade knife, multi-tool, pepper spray, maybe even a flashlight and if you are C&C licensed, a handgun with an extra loaded magazine.

This is today and you have adapted to the "new normal" that we now call America.

Crime, looting, blocked roads due to riots, muggings, theft, rape and murder. These are more common place today than the days of yesteryear.

Luke 22:36 (KJV) Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

We live in a time where going to the mega-mart or the grocery store is an act of bravery, determination, logistics and security. No longer is it just running to get a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs.

Not that way in your area yet? Just wait.

How To Be The Gray Man

Look around, what are all the guys wearing? Now I am focusing on the guys because I am a guy. Ladies, this is for you also, take my examples and adapt them to what you would wear and so forth.

Here in the Texas Hill Country, the majority of men wear some sort of "cargo" shorts. They go to just above the knee and tend to be a little baggy. Beige, brownish red, or blue jeans tend to be the color of choice.

For a shirt, one will wear a common "T" shirt that is lose fitting sometimes with a pocket on the left breast. Or if they want to dress it up a little, a button up short sleeve. Usually some sort of cotton print.

When it gets close to hunting season, around the beginning of August, the "Real Tree" cammo "T" shirts become the norm. See here in Texas, hunting is a big deal and everyone gets in the mode. It also helps that the local Walmart sells these cammo "Beefy T's" for only $6.00 each.

On his feet, are ankle socks or rolled over tube socks under sneakers or some form of work boots.

Finally the common baseball cap on top of the head and sporting sunglasses.

This is what an "average Joe" looks like when he is in his casual dress out on the street.

This is how I dress, except I try not to wear loud logo based shirts, no jewelry except my wedding ring, nothing that makes me stand out.

If someone asked about you, could they describe you or would they be describing just about everyone else, the average Joe?

How you DON’T want to dress

Like I said You don’t want to attract attention towards yourself. Don't wear bright colors or "haute de couture" fashion, nothing that makes you stand out.

Example: Here in Texas everyone thinks of the cowboy. We have a lot of cowboys walking around, but they are not dressed in the "A" typical cowboy dress.

The cowboys here are not wearing the long sleeved shirt with fringes dangling, no 10 gallon cowboy hat, nor fancy rhinestone pants. Everyone imagines the average cowboy looks like Roy Rogers or Hop-along Cassidy but they don't.

The average cowboy looks just like the person that I described above except that he probably wears some sort of work jeans. Come fall and winter here in Texas, we all look like the average "cowboy."

Once in a while you will see someone wearing a cowboy hat. Straw cowboy hats are acceptable for guys over fifty during the summer time. During the winter everyone switches from straw to a black felt hat.

Believe me, if you step out of this mold, you will get noticed and that is not what you want to do.

If you are a prepper, you do not want to be dressing in some sort of combat BDU pants, army boots, and definitely no shirts with paramilitary sayings like "death from above" or pictures that you see at all the gun shows. This is a dead give-away and shouts "HEY... Look at me, I am a weekend warrior."

Become The Gray Man

Become the average Joe, blend into your surroundings. But walk with a purpose and be alert to what is going on around you.

While you want to look like the average person, you want to project a demeanor about you that tells the wolves "to leave you alone, you are not one of the sheep, don't mess with me."

See, the sheep will not notice you, just like real sheep, they do not really notice the sheepdog. But the wolves will see you. Wolves are cowards and seek out the weak, frail and innocent. They do not want to have to work too hard, they want to be in and out and be done with the job.

So while you don’t what to be wearing some neon sign blinking " GUN... GUN.... GUN … KNIFE … KNIFE … KNIFE … with an arrow pointing at you; you want to be acknowledged as someone who is alert, aware and not some soft target.

How you achieve this is by training yourself. Look like you are someone alive, not some drained zombie who stairs at the ground, shoulders slumped as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Make eye contact and smile at people, greet them and wish them a good day or just a simple nod of the head will do.

You don't want to seem like some bodyguard type either. You know the guys with the little curly tube sticking out of their ear, dark Ray-Ban glasses, constantly scanning, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. That is going overboard.

I bring up the Mega-stores because that is where America shops, it is also where the wolves hang out for some quick prey.

When walking in the parking lot, have a determination to your step, enter Mega-Store and look the greeter in the eye, nod your head say hello and smile. Then take a basket, eye the cashier and the customers checking out, assess if anyone is out of place then move on for that gallon of milk, dozen eggs and a few extra boxes of ammo.

BUT for example… if you enter the store, scan the area and notice someone wearing a trench coat and it is 90 degrees outside. This should raise your red flags. If this happens, step up the pace and move into the store, get out of the general area and do your shopping.

Every Day Carry - What I wear

I do not want to go into much detail in this article as to Every Day Carry (EDC), that is for another article, but for your E.D.C. kit carry what you want. The items above are what I carry and I don't look like I am wearing Batman's utility belt either. My clothes do not scream "Hey.. It's Mr. Tactical Guy here" either.

I wear Wrangler brand cargo shorts. These have cargo pockets on each side as well as a cell phone pocket that opens above the cargo flap. They have side pockets which the right pocket has a coin pocket inside the deep right. Finally there are left and right rear pockets.

As for a shirt, I wear a common black, blue, beige, Fruit of the Loom pocket "T" shirt or a short sleeve button up with a left breast pocket. If it is hunting season, which at the time of this writing it is. I also wear cammo "Real Tree Beefy T" shirts because just about every other guy is wearing them also.

An important item that I want to touch on is your belt. I wear a double thick "Justin Boots" black leather belt with a common cowboy belt buckle. Your belt needs to be sturdy enough to carry all your gear if you do not put the items in your pockets as well as hold up your pants. So you do not want some inexpensive belt from the big mega stores. Invest some money in this and you will not be sorry. You would be surprised how much a cell phone, buck knife, and a Multi-tool weighs when you are carrying it on your hip. With a heavy duty belt it will also help distribute the weight of these items more evenly and honestly once you get used to them, you forget they are even there. Another thing, my belt is also a last ditch defensive weapon. The buckle weighs a good 10-12 ounces and makes for a mean bludgeon and can help keep someone at arms distance if need be.

How I developed my EDC was that I slowly carried one item, then added another and another. It took time in getting used to carrying gear, finding the spot where it is easy to access and have it not be banging around on my leg or chest. You will find that some things work and some things don't. Carry what tools and gear you need but don’t make it obvious that you are a prepper or you will look like some paramilitary tactical guy.

If you can get away with it, use a back pack or messenger bag. Look at what others are carrying in your area and adapt to the look. If everyone carries a back pack, carry a back pack. If they carry a messenger bag, well then messenger bag. With this you can also carry a water bottle, small first aid kit and any other gear that is important to you.

Just remember to keep it light, you do not want to turn yourself into some pack mule.

When I dress up, I usually wear black jeans, black cowboy boots, a black long sleeve shirt and a tie. If need be and I need to dress up more, I wear a beige twill sport coat and in all of this, I can still carry most of my gear. This is what the average guy wears here when they dress up, so I am still blending in and looking good too.

If someone would describe me, they would say he had on black shirt, pants and cowboy boots. In other words I look like every other Joe that walks into a nice restaurant or business meeting.

Becoming the gray man will be an important skill for you to develop, specially as crime starts to rise, which it will. You will need to be equipped to protect yourself and possibly others if needed. You will also want to blend in the background.

Above all, your goal is to get home safely that day. You are not some super hero nor are you there to protect the world. You are ready to defend yourself if you have to, but your goal is not having to resort to that.

Finally...

Tactical retreats, AKA running away is totally acceptable. The only one who didn't walk away was John Wayne and that was in the movies. You are not bullet proof nor knife proof, so run don't walk if you think you need to get out of the area fast. Your spouse will be glad you did and so will you.

And as a last resort, always remember it is better to face 12 than to be carried out by 6. So if you have to protect yourself, fight to win because you will be fighting for your life.