Take A Look At Your Home Security

I seem paranoid. I have what is called “hyper vigilance” which seems to others like paranoia. The difference is that paranoia is a fear, vigilance is being ready. We live in difficult times. I never agreed with what the character Colonel Jessup did in the movie “A Few Good Men”, but I agree with his speech. He said: “You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? …I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall -- you need me on that wall. We use words like "honor," "code," "loyalty." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post.” We do live in a “world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.” Sometimes those walls are the walls of our homes. Sometimes they may be the walls of our business or school. I obviously have no problem with defending with guns, but there are many other ways to defend and guard. Determining the threats around you may not be comfortable, but it’s necessary. Doing a “threat assessment” would be a great advantage. Actually we do this all the time. We hear about burglaries in the neighborhood and we ensure things are locked and secured. By doing an assessment we can cover every threat, perceived and real. With crime and terrorist activity, businesses, homes, schools, airports and almost every place that can be victim to violence. You can mitigate, and sometimes eliminate, these threats with preparation. A threat assessment is the practice of determining the seriousness of potential events, the likelihood of their occurrence, and how to handle them. The basics of a threat assessment are: Evaluate all threats manmade, and natural, that are likely to happen. Make a list of these threats. Look at the current security, or lack of, that is in place now See what needs to be done to change the risk Re-evaluate after changes have been made Examples of threats: Burglary, active shooter, terrorist attacks, several kinds of natural disasters, home invasions, civil unrest, etc. Some things to look for: Vegetation obscuring criminals or terrorists. Unlit areas. Things left unsecure. Doors or windows needing more fortification or strengthening. Windows needing curtains or blinds. Alarms or cameras needed. There are many small things a home owner can do. Such as a nail sticking out of the door into a drilled hole in the door jamb. This is for doors with the hinges on the outside. This way if the hinge pins are removed, the door can’t be pulled out of the jamb. Doing a risk assessment and thinking like a criminal can help you to see vulnerabilities in the security of your home or business. I did this at a school once and they did not appreciate it even though I was right. I noticed the changes I recommended slowly happened anyway and I just chuckled. Don’t be vulnerable. Do a risk assessment on your home and make whatever changes are needed to be safe and secure. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Who Was That Masked Man? Update Mask Info

This another update on my original “Masks Research” from July 15, 2020 The ambiguity continues. I guess I’ll never get a definitive scientific answer. Everyone says “Masks save lives!” They can’t tell me how many lives. They can’t tell me much of anything concrete, but they seem to know. It’s an inspired guess. These are just snipits from this article: “Face Masks: What the Data Say” By Lynn Peeples from “Nature” Research Journal 06 October, 2020 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02801-8 “Face masks are the ubiquitous symbol of a pandemic that has sickened 35 million people and killed more than 1 million. In hospitals and other health-care facilities, the use of medical-grade masks clearly cuts down transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But for the variety of masks in use by the public, the data are messy, disparate and often hastily assembled.” “You don’t have to do much math to say this is obviously a good idea,” says Jeremy Howard, a research scientist at the University of San Francisco in California, who is part of a team that reviewed the evidence for wearing face masks in a preprint article that has been widely circulated6. But such studies do rely on assumptions that mask mandates are being enforced and that people are wearing them correctly. Furthermore, mask use often coincides with other changes, such as limits on gatherings. As restrictions lift, further observational studies might begin to separate the impact of masks from those of other interventions, suggests Grabowski. “It will become easier to see what is doing what,” she says.” “The idea that exposure to more virus results in a worse infection makes “absolute sense”, says Paul Digard, a virologist at the University of Edinburgh, UK, who was not involved in the research. “It’s another argument for masks.”” “Even well-fitting N95 respirators fall slightly short of their 95% rating in real-world use, actually filtering out around 90% of incoming aerosols down to 0.3 µm. And, according to unpublished research, N95 masks that don’t have exhalation valves — which expel unfiltered exhaled air — block a similar proportion of outgoing aerosols. Much less is known about surgical and cloth masks, says Kevin Fennelly, a pulmonologist at the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.” “Benn worked with Danish engineers at her university to test their two-layered cloth mask design using the same criteria as for medical-grade ventilators. They found that their mask blocked only 11–19% of aerosols down to the 0.3 µm mark, according to Benn. But because most transmission is probably occurring through particles of at least 1 µm, according to Marr and Jimenez, the actual difference in effectiveness between N95 and other masks might not be huge.” ““There’s a lot of information out there, but it’s confusing to put all the lines of evidence together,” says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. “When it comes down to it, we still don’t know a lot.”” My guess is, they will not know how masks work for a long time. In the meantime, I’ll wear it when I have to. “Across the United States, mask use has held steady around 50% since late July. This is a substantial increase from the 20% usage seen in March and April, according to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle (see go.nature.com/30n6kxv). The institute’s models also predicted that, as of 23 September, increasing US mask use to 95% — a level observed in Singapore and some other countries — could save nearly 100,000 lives in the period up to 1 January 2021.” As usual, the “scientific” wording of “could save nearly 100,000 lives” is what is used to justify masks. Well, I could make nearly 100,000 dollars this year! Or not. “Masks work, but they are not infallible. And, therefore, keep your distance.” So, even now, 3 months later from my original article, we don’t know much more. I still maintain that this is people control. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn Update of “Masks Research” July 15, 2020 Another study on masks. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449 “At this time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any type of surgical mask specifically for protection against the coronavirus, but these masks may provide some protection when N95 masks are not available. (Bold type added) A cloth mask is intended to trap droplets that are released when the wearer talks, coughs or sneezes. Asking everyone to wear cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don't realize it. Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus when they are widely used by people in public settings. And countries that required face masks, testing, isolation and social distancing early in the pandemic have successfully slowed the spread of the virus.” What it comes down to is you’re screwed with an N95 mask worn properly. They just can’t bring themselves to get off these vague words. I guess they don’t want to be legally libel to say “masks will protect you.” Also, they know that they don’t protect you. Another thing that I’ve noticed is that just about every study talks about “proper wear” of a mask. They usually talk about not touching the mask. How often have you seen anyone anywhere do that? So they are vague about protection if the mask is worn properly, what would they say about the reality of masks not being worn properly? That masks do very little. But let’s keep pushing that narrative. Here is the final definitive word from the CDC dated 27 AUG 2020 “Masks may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others. Masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.” (Bold type added) Nothing has changed since I first posted this article on 15 JUL 2020. All the “new” studies and the CDC could not change the verbiage to be a little more definite? This should concern all Americans. Not only that, I feel too many people only wear a mask. All the other advice is glossed over. I also feel most people don’t wear their mask properly. So how much protection are the American people truly getting? Not much. 94% of those who are positive for COVID-19 live. “For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.” So other problems were the cause of death, but the patient was positive for COVID-19. That’s 6% of 182,000 actually died from COVID-19. The reporting procedure is messed up. There may be more, or even less. I don’t know if the error would be 10,000 in either direction but I would say not. This is the Influenza information, even with a vaccine. “CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.” I’m not trying to compare diseases but it does seem that this thing is not such a devastating disease as they want us to believe. It is certainly not something to warrant giving up our rights! I understand a store being paranoid and not wanting to be libel for spreading sickness, but a mask is not going to do it! Walmart has produce just sitting out where people touch it and breathe near it. What about all the handles on frozen foods? I know store try to clean, but I don’t see them following each person around and cleaning up behind them. Yet these masks are saving us. Extreme false sense of security. Security that is not needed. Original article from July 2020 Please hear me out. What I’m going to say here is wildly unpopular. Some think it’s downright dangerous. But I’ve come to the conclusion that wearing a mask is a complete, and total, waste of time! I’m not sure why the medical world is heaping this silly practice upon the world. I’m not a healthcare worker, nor do I have an education in medicine. Because of this, I had to really get in there and study this out as best I could. I’ve come to the conclusion that we are being duped. Masks do little to nothing. Not having a background in medicine and not being familiar with medical terms and phraseology made it difficult for me to understand and read these studies and analysis. So I had to really read these things. My conclusions may not be the same as yours. I originally only wanted to know how much, in percentage numbers, cloth masks helped the wearer or those around the wearer. I was thinking I would find 30% or even 20%. What I actually found was 0.02%, which to me is next to nothing. Here is my research: (I read the articles thoroughly but also looked at some, but not all, of the footnotes, resources, and supplemental material for these articles.) https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/masks-dont-work-review-science-relevant-covid-19-social-policy-0 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cloth-masks-are-useless-against-covid-19 https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-health/cloth-masks-given-ok-do-they-work https://www.nap.edu/read/25776/chapter/1 “Cloth face coverings may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others” “A cloth face covering may not protect the wearer, but it may keep the wearer from spreading the virus to others.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html This is the definitive conclusion that the CDC has come up with? You “may” be, and “most likely” will be safe with masks. How less sure can you be? “Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.” If your mechanic described your fixed brakes in this way would you drive the vehicle? I think it’s criminal to put people’s lives in danger by telling them something will protect them when it won’t. Too bad no one will account for it. I love the 90’s series “The X Files”. It just fed my appetite for conspiracy. But as I watch the mess that has unfolded in this country I feel like I’m living an X files episode. Between COVID-19 and the racial divide in this country I get the feeling there is more afoot than bad timing. I’m not saying this virus does not exist but I think there are sinister hands involved in it. The race angle is constantly used for those with an agenda. I’m also not saying bigotry and racism does not exist. As long as there are humans on this earth there will be racism. Be very careful about what you accept. If the mainstream media is pushing something then be very careful. They usually ignore facts and quote each other. Research this mask thing yourself. See what you think. I just saw another “study” that had to do with 2 cosmetology workers. I don’t think this was actually a scientific study, but it fit the “mask up” narrative just fine. Beware of where you get your information and what that info is based on. This article is not about masks but about COVID-19 deaths. https://www.technocracy.news/cdc-confirms-extremely-low-covid-19-death-rate/?fbclid=IwAR2obGmDzyss5ueBPbC1lpqPGLDng-HD0dRm5yxOhQuVeB0rqk5_1y5qsx0 A quote from a Star Trek character comes to mind. “Spock, I’ve found that evil usually triumphs… unless good is very, very careful” Dr. Leonard McCoy, Star Trek Be very careful out there my friends. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Training Differences

There is a difference between training once a year, and training daily or weekly. I had someone tell me that they didn’t need to practice. Every time they went shooting, they were very accurate. I balked at the idea. They swore up and down that they were good even though they have not picked up a gun in several months. I had them meet me at the range to “prove” it. We met on an outdoor range in the middle of the day. The weather was nice and there was even a little breeze. Beautiful day to shoot. I watched as my friend shot, and hit pretty well, with plenty of time from a modified weaver stance. I told him “Good shooting! Now what if someone was shooting back at you? What if an attacker was running at you with a bat? Or a knife? Or a gun? What if it were overcast, or raining, or night? What if you just got wounded in your shooting hand and had to shoot one handed? What if there was rain in your eyes? Or blood? What if you are being chased and have run 2 blocks? What if your gun malfunctioned? Or your ammo? What if you had to shoot and move? What if you had to shoot from behind a car? Or a building? What if your wife was with you? What if your children were with you?” He just stared at me. I then said “Defensive shooting is rarely like shooting at a range. You must put yourself in many positions to cover many situations. When I was in combat we were being shot at constantly. We always shot from cover. But even being in a fighting position I found that I shot in many ways from many angles. Then in a patrol situation, that all changes.” Learning to shoot from many positions and 6 to 10 feet is realistic training. I shoot generally from 15 feet to 5. Most of my training is focused on about 5 feet. Richard Mann put together a great collection of drills for this purpose. This is from Gun Digest April 10, 2019 https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/firearm-training/6-defensive-handgun-drills-to-master I went out and put these drills to the test and found that they are very much like my own training regime that I’ve been shooting for years. The drills are: Single Head Shots drill The Double-tap Drill The failure Drill The reload Drill The Forty-five Drill Adrenalin Dump The Shadowland Drill Single Head Shots Drill- This is pretty simple. The target is about 2.5 inch circle. One shot from the holster. Distance is about 5 yards (15 feet). Par for it is 2 seconds. Double-tap Drill-This drill is also 5 yards. Target is a 5 inch circle 2 shots from the holster. A quick 2 shots in center-of-mass. Whether its called double-tap, controlled pairs, or hammers, this is quick force downrange. Par for this is 2 seconds. Failure Drill-2 targets 2.5 and 5 inch. 3 Shots from the holster at 5 yards. The idea is to deliver 2 shots center of mass, and then 1 head shot for insurance. Par for this drill is 3 seconds Reload Drill-This is often overlooked in training. I’m here to tell you, in the thick of the battle, you will not know how many rounds you’ve used. There is a horrible sinking feeling when you get a “click” rather than a “boom”. Place two 5 inch targets next to each other 10 feet apart. 4 Shots from the holster. Draw and do a double tap on the first target, then do a mag change. Double tap the second target. Par for this drill is 6 seconds. Forty-five Drill Adrenalin Dump-5 yards, 5 inch circle, 5 shots. The drill is called 45 because it is 4 elements of 5. Place a target 5 yards away and fire 5 shots in a 5 inch circle is less than 5 seconds. You’ll be surprised how hard this is. Par is 5 seconds or less. Shadowland Drill-This drill ties them all together. 3 targets 5 feet apart 5 yards away. 15 total shots at 2.5 and 5 inch circles. The single head-shot on the right target, the double tap on the left target, and the Failure drill on the center target. That’s 6 shots. Now go back to the right target and do 2 shots at center-of-mass, reload, then 2 shots on the left target. Then do the 45 drill on the center target. Do this with no misses in 10 seconds or less and you’re a champion. A former police officer and serviceman with the U.S. Army, Richard A. Mann is one of the most well-respected firearms authorities writing on the subject today. He serves as contributing editor for several magazines, including NRA’s American Rifleman and Shooting Illustrated, Varmint Hunter, and Combat Handgunner, and is the editor for Gun Digest’s Cartridges of the World 13th Edition. Thank you Richard for this very practical and simple program. Richard says this is not training, training is when you learn new skills. This is practice. It was refreshing to me and I would recommend it. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Tourniquets Can Save Lives

Many years ago in a far off land I was caught in a battle. My friend next to me got hit by a bullet. I did all I could do to stop the bleeding in his neck when the medic took over. He too worked on him but was unsuccessful. I’ve lost my Mom to old age and my Dad to a blood clot, but watching my friend die and not being able to do anything gave me more loss and grief than my own family passing away. Don’t put yourself in a position where you will have that kind of grief. Learn first aid skills one of them being how to use a tourniquet. When I was learning first aid as a Boy Scout, tourniquets were discouraged. As we learned from the war in Iraq, tourniquets save lives. Here are the basics of how to use a tourniquet. I am not a health professional. Take medical training to give you the proper skills. Step 1: Make sure your surroundings are safe, and keep yourself safe by wearing gloves. Depending on the situation, you need to make sure you have the freedom to treat someone without becoming a victim yourself. Nitrile gloves are pretty common, especially with this COVID 19 virus outbreak. Keep a few pair in your vehicle and in your kits. Step 2: Expose the open wound. My son, an EMT, says there is a saying in emergency medicine: “A happy trauma patient is a naked trauma patient.” You just don’t know what’s wrong with them if you can’t see it. Remove the clothing over the injury. Nothing fancy to it: tear the pant leg or shirtsleeve out of your way. If their clothes are too tough to rip by hand, carefully start the cut with scissors or a knife. Step 3: Apply firm, direct pressure to the wound site. Use gauze, or whatever may be available, directly on the wound. If there is no gauze, use a towel or washcloth or a rag torn from a shirt. Try to avoid having to use this homemade dressing unless it’s an emergency situation. Non-sterile bandages can cause further unnecessary infection. Keep in mind that if you’re a long distance from a hospital or facility, it is better to contain the wound with only a few germs than leave it exposed to all germs. If the pressure does not stop the bleeding, and the dressing becomes soaked with blood, you will need to apply a tourniquet. Much of what you think you know about bleeding control may be based on outdated knowledge. For decades, standard emergency medical services (EMS) controlled bleeding using a series of six steps. The tourniquet was used only in a last ditch effort to stop bleeding. The aversion to the tourniquet was based on the belief that by completely stopping blood flow to a limb, tissue around the limb would start to die, which would result in the patient having to undergo amputation. Unfortunately, by following traditional bleeding control steps and leaving tourniquets as a procedure of last resort, people lost more blood, and even their lives, than was necessary. Unlike civilian EMS, military medicine practices have long called for tourniquet application much earlier in the treatment for blood loss. Recent research in military hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that, contrary to popular belief, using a tourniquet doesn’t guarantee limb amputation or even nerve loss. Many civilian EMS teachers and practitioners are starting to encourage tourniquet use much sooner. Necrosis of muscle tissue doesn’t onset until after 2 hours without blood flow, and can even last 5-8 hours without consequences resulting in amputation; so you can keep the tourniquet on for a while. You want to get the victim help as soon as possible. Now with that FYI under your belt, let’s move on to choosing and applying that tourniquet. Step 4: Choose a tourniquet. In today’s military, all soldiers are issued tourniquets to accompany their armor and weapons, and every soldier is trained and proficient at applying his tourniquet, even one-handed, on their own arm. The common tourniquet used by the army, the combat action tourniquet (CAT tourniquet), is made for single-handed application; they run around $30 and aren’t practical for a civilian to carry around in his pocket every day. Luckily you don’t need a dedicated tourniquet to save a life. Look around you, there are tourniquets everywhere. Are you wearing a belt? Tourniquet! Have laces on your shoes? Tourniquet! Long sleeve shirt, bicycle inner tube, backpack strap, or a female observer’s brassiere? All tourniquets! You can fashion this lifesaving device out of anything your mind can conceive as a tourniquet. (You might consider rope or a survival bracelet first if you have them handy.) In order to tighten your tourniquet, you’ll also need a torsion device. This can be anything long and stick-like. If you’re in the woods I recommend using, well, a stick. If there are absolutely no sticks or stick-like objects around you, then close your knife’s blade, or put the sheath on it, and give it up for a good cause. It’s now your torsion device. For me I carry a hank of paracord and a tactical pen. Those two items will work. Step 5: Apply the tourniquet. First, so we’re all on the same page: Tourniquets are ONLY applied on limbs! , here are the steps of applying a tourniquet: Step 6: Assess for shock. So you’ve saved this person from bleeding out with a handy-dandy tourniquet. They’re not home free yet. Make sure they’re still breathing. Seems obvious, but if you fail to do so you’ve wasted a tourniquet. You’ve probably heard the adage: Look, listen, and feel! Put your ear near their mouth and listen and feel for breathing while looking at their chest to make sure it rises and falls. If it doesn’t, make it. Here is where you apply CPR. After you’ve made sure your patient is indeed still breathing, check for signs of shock. If you’ve placed a tourniquet on the patient, it’s very likely they’ll suffer hypovolemic shock. Don’t freak out, it’s a big sounding word, but it basically means: “too little volume.” They’ve just given up a lot of blood volume, so it’s kind of a given, though not a guarantee. Signs of hypovolemic shock include: • Cool, clammy skin (moist, cool, and pale skin) • Cyanosis (big word, but it means blue skin) • Weakness • Confusion • Rapid breathing • Unconsciousness To treat shock, first lay the patient down flat on his back. You may have once learned to elevate their feet, dismiss this practice! Research has shown this can cause pooling of blood in the organs and brain and other damage. Next cover the person to keep them warm: employ blankets, coats, and clothes, whatever you can offer, just keep them warm! (That old hypothermia technique of huddling for heat can come in handy here too.) Step 7: If 911 has not been called yet, make sure it has happened or tell someone specifically to do so now. If rescue workers cannot get to you where you are, or there is no phone service, never leave the victim alone to look for help, grab them and go. Be prepared to do the fireman’s carry. There are also many ways to improvise a litter that you can drag if you have the time and the means. I’ve seen a tourniquet save a leg and two other guys arms, along with saving their lives. I’ve had the distinct opportunity of applying this technique in an emergency situation and can tell you it does work. It is a simple thing but like CPR, should be practiced. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Conspiracy

In the past I’ve railed against mainstream media (MSM). I have a huge bias opposing mainstream media because of the irresponsible, and often dishonest, hacking disguised as reporting. But there are some good reporters and people working in journalism. Like anything else, the bad ones ruin it for everyone. But I also feel that those in charge, producers, editors, etc. should take care of this problem. I fear there is power and politics involved and it won’t change. This is why President Trump doesn’t trust the media. I tend to agree that the media has an angle in almost all that they do. I’m frankly fed up and I stay away from MSM. Having said that, where do you go for “real” news? Most people go to the internet. Going to the internet is dangerous. I’m not saying don’t do it, I’m saying be very careful. Make sure of your sources. There are numerous conspiracy theories out there concerning everything. Con trails, HAARP project, aliens, JFK, 9-11, flat earth, Bilderberg, skull and bones, CFR, and many others are out there to temp you into belief. The problem with all this is even to an unbeliever there is so much theory out there that there is bound to be some truth in some of it. Knowing what is true and what is baloney is often difficult to discern. I was in the military for several years and have worked for the government in many capacities my entire adult life. The government is truly capable of anything. So when I hear a conspiracy theory, I always have a nagging suspicion, especially if it involves the government. So when I hear of a disease that is killing “thousands”, spreads like wild fire, and often has no symptoms I’m very dubious. I know that COVID-19 is real and that it kills, but I doubt the reaction of the medical field and politicians. We have had many COVID viruses and we deal with influenza every year so you’re telling me that this is so different? I think there is some shenanigans going on here. Many would call that paranoia. There is evil in this world. There are some people that may do evil things occasionally but there are some people who are just evil. They live only for gain and power. They get others involved with their evil plans. President Ezra Taft Benson said this about evil in the Book of Mormon: “Now undoubtedly Moroni could have pointed out many factors that led to the destruction of the people, but notice how he singled out the secret combinations, just as the Church today could point out many threats to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work, but it has singled out the greatest threat as the godless conspiracy. There is no conspiracy theory in the Book of Mormon —it is a conspiracy fact.” As we have seen in the latest and current civil unrest, the police cannot protect you. I’m not knocking law enforcement, they are the best. I want to double fund them! So we must protect ourselves. Gun sales are “tracked” by applications for background checks. This does not mean there was a gun purchase attached to the check, but probably. So in June 2020 those applications were up 136% from June 2019. 3.9 million applications is a record for any month. Before that, May 2020 had 3.7 million. Even if only half those applicants bought a gun then that is one and a half million for May and June each. For me. The current “conspiracy” theory is connected to other events. The theory is that COVID-19 is not what the media is saying it is. It’s not what the government (CDC) is saying it is. This article talks about Sweden, who did not lock-down or even mask up, and how the Swedes handled this virus. Sweden has comparable numbers, deaths and positives, to the UK who locked down similar to the U.S. Like I said before, it’s about controlling people. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/sweden-shows-lockdowns-were-unnecessary-no-wonder-public-health-officials-hate-it/ar-BB1904YN?fbclid=IwAR0_b2cX4q7Q_ct-MgfRzK_BoEkh_3jMUSD0hngLbv1prpPOQtssFY2XgMM This is an article about how China “fooled” the world into their panic. https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/coronavirus-theory-that-chinese-propaganda-encouraged-western-nations-to-lock-down/news-story/19c3e85f1f3088e5b06f2fb97ee50629 Now I’m sure I’ll be shamed and ridiculed for even suggesting these things. How could the government get fooled? How could we as a people be manipulated like that? As an aside. I was in the military at an obscure airfield in Panama in 1988. The Iran-Contra affair had already occurred. The U.S. government was ordered by the people and Congress to stop supporting the Contras and the Tower Commission finished their investigation. The affair was over but the support continued in earnest. It wasn’t until December 1989, when the U.S. invaded Panama, that the support stopped. What I learned was that a determined group in our government can and will do anything it has a mind, and the funds, to do. I’m not saying that any of this is true. I’m just saying that it is possible. I have a problem with those who want people control. We live in a country of liberty and I don’t want that to change. I believe there are evil people in this world that only want to consume power and wealth. Controlling the masses has always been an important part of doing that. It may not be a big, all inclusive, full blown, conspiracy, but it is at the lease people manipulating people and resources. We are affected by this and need to our best to fight against it. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Making Home Ground Wheat Bread by FLAG

I love homemade bread, rolls, buns, bread sticks and muffins. The smell of homemade breads bring back many memories of my childhood and of my grandmother. My grandma Pearl is the one who took the time to teach me how to make whole wheat bread. I remember being in her kitchen and kneading the dough until the gluten was worked properly. She taught me what it felt like to have the right texture to have a good bread. We used to use large juice cans to make the bread. The loaves came out round. I always thought it was fun to have the bread as the same shape as bologna. Since those days that she has taught me, I have purchased my own wheat grinder and bread machine. I use my Bosch mixer to kneed my bread now since I have a large family and have much to do. I love the idea of being able to have my memories of my grandma, give future memories to my children and have my family eating healthy. Plus meals taste good with some type of bread and they are so inexpensive to make. If you are a busy person, which most people are now a days, there are recipes that can be made and frozen for future meals. I try to do all my baking on one day and freeze the bread for those busy nights I have to get dinner on the table fast and out the door again. There are many types of bread, rolls and tortilla recipes that our family really enjoy. If you don’t have experience making bread or rolls from scratch like many people, I would suggest using store bought white flour. When using white flour it is easier to work the gluten. I suggest that you make your first few loaves with just white flour. When you gain confidence with making white bread, add half fresh ground whole red or white ground flour. When making bread from all whole grain flours it is a little heavier bread and the gluten needs to be worked longer. Once I got confidence in myself, I have had great success with making whole wheat breads. I have been making homemade bread for many years and from time to time I have a batch that has a mind of its own and doesn’t quite come out the way I would like it to. Fresh ground whole wheat flours are not the same as wheat flour from the store. Store bought wheat flour is missing many nutrients. They take out the bran. Some flour companies do fortify their flours to give them nutrition. Wheat flour should be used as soon as it is ground up. If not used with a few days a lot of the vitamins are gone. That is why it is important to grind only the amount of grain needed for a recipe. Besides, when making bread it is great to have warm flour to help your bread rise quickly. Grinding your own flour will come out warm from the friction. You can make a successful bread if it is not warm too. Some recipes are also designed to make bread by hand. I started out making bread by kneading it by hand. It does take longer than a bread machine. Most people who start off getting food storage and preparedness items, don’t spend the money on a Bosch or other type of bread machine. My first investment was a wheat/bean grinder. I eventually purchased my Bosch. They are expensive but are worth it in the long run. I use it daily and have had mine for about 15 years now. Having a Bosch has made my life easier in the kitchen. I have a large family and it takes little time to make bread or other dinner rolls. Be patient with yourself in getting to know the feel of the bread and what the proper elasticity the dough texture should be. You can over work the gluten. Don’t give up if your first few tries are a flop. Find someone who has made bread and ask them to show you how to make it. I have had a couple people show me how they make bread. By watching a couple people and reading how to make bread in a book, I learned many techniques and insights. There are many You tube videos that can help you. It is interesting how people will make their bread a little different and still be successful. In time you will come up with your own technique and style. I do my own thing with making bread. You will come up with your own. The steps are the same but I roll my loaves of bread different than my friend does. Our bread still comes out the same. There is an art to making bread. It is easy to gain this skill with store bought white flour. The gluten can easily be worked to the proper elasticity with white flour. Store bought white flour should not be stored in large qualities in your food storage program. The oils in the flour will go rancid. Plus the nutrition in store bought bleached white flour is not very good. All the important parts of the wheat have been taken out. That’s why they have to “enrich” it with vitamins and other things that go with the bran that they want to make other things with. Take your time and learn what works well for you. There is nothing like the smell of fresh bread out of the oven. I usually make a batch that will give me one more loaf than I need. Inevitably I will take the bread loaves out to cool and everyone will want a piece of warm bread. We almost go through a whole loaf before any of the bread has even cooled! FLAG PS by Burn I can tell you that FLAGs bread is extremely good! I’m one of the first to get a piece of a loaf out of the oven! I wish I could bottle that small. It would be wonderful! Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Finding Ammo

I am always behind the curve. If there is one drawback to being prepared it’s that you don’t notice shortages until it’s too late! I hadn’t bought ammo in a while because one: I buy in bulk when I do buy, and two, I don’t buy very often because I have ammo storage. Just like food storage with ammo you can shop sales and good deals when you have enough. But that’s how I missed the run on guns and ammo. I also live outside a small town and am limited to where I can buy ammo locally. So I didn’t see it coming. The reason of course is many fold. It’s an election year and some are afraid the Dems will take over and start banning things. Then there is the COVID-19 so more people are home and are thinking about home security. Then to top it off there has been civil unrest and that drives up the insecurity even more. Guns sales are way up and it’s estimated that 40% of guns sales are new gun owners. That means there’s probably no existing ammo in these new gun owner’s homes, so they need to buy some. Then also with empty shelves comes some panic, or just “I’ll pick up a box because I may not be able to later” which of course is self-fulfilling prophecy. Another factor driving increased demand, and higher prices as well are the huge numbers of new gun owners entering the market. With sales at over 8 million guns and going strong, that's a lot of new owners buying guns. They're also buying ammo, but unlike people who have been doing this for a while, they have no idea what ammo is “supposed” to cost. To someone who moved to Texas from LA and now they want a gun, paying $25.99 for a box of 9mm seems reasonable, because that's just what it costs at the moment. There are ways to find ammo though. My local gun store has a waiting list. As soon as they get a shipment in, they call, reserve 100 rounds, and then I pick it up. It’s more than what I paid at Walmart, but Walmart doesn’t carry handgun ammo anymore. I don’t mind a slight rise in prices. I realize that is supply and demand. But I’ve noticed some places on line that are significantly higher. I’m not sure that will change even if supply goes up. I read an article from a guy in the Houston, Texas area who drove 30 something miles to 4 or 5 locations and he was able to pick up ammo of different calibers that he was looking for. He said it took some time, and the prices were a little higher, but it was livable. I would suggest doing this by phone and asking the store to put aside their limit of what they will sell you. Then I would suggest going right to that store. Some stores may not reserve it for you so you must be prompt. Here are many ammunition search engines to help you in your online search. I’ve always used gunbot.net. I’ve noticed sometimes the search engine will say it is in stock, but you go to the businesses website and it is out of stock. Some websites will notify you if they get that particular item back in stock. Again, don’t hesitate when notified. Order it as fast as possible. Be ready for higher prices. The prices I have seen lately are about double the regular prices. I hope that can change as the supply returns to normal. I would also fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a long, bumpy ride back to normal. https://ammoseek.com/ammo/ https://www.ammobuy.com/ https://www.bulkcheapammo.com/public/ http://www.gunbot.net/ http://ammoexpress.com/ I hope these will be able to help you in your search. Good luck! Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Who Said It? September

June Quote "A free man must not be told how to think, either by the government or by social activists. He may certainly be shown the right way, but he must not accept being forced into it." Jeff Cooper The late Jeff Cooper is considered the dean of modern handgunning, and popularized the idea that, “Hey, maybe we should hold onto the gun with two hands.” He started Gunsite (the American Pistol Institute), which for many years was the preeminent private firearms training facility in the country, if not the world. I think it still is, but I don’t want to get involved in that argument. I’m biased because I had the privilege of taking part of my military instructor training from Col. Cooper himself. Sorry about no quote for July and August. i don't know whwere the time went! September Quote "In England, if you commit a crime, the police don't have a gun and you don't have a gun. If you commit a crime, the police will say 'Stop, or I'll say stop again.'’

A Mask, A Mask, My Kingdom For A Mask! (Update)

Update of “Masks Research” July 15, 2020 Another study on masks. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449 “At this time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any type of surgical mask specifically for protection against the coronavirus, but these masks may provide some protection when N95 masks are not available. (Bold type added) A cloth mask is intended to trap droplets that are released when the wearer talks, coughs or sneezes. Asking everyone to wear cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don't realize it. Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus when they are widely used by people in public settings. And countries that required face masks, testing, isolation and social distancing early in the pandemic have successfully slowed the spread of the virus.” What it comes down to is you’re screwed with an N95 mask worn properly. They just can’t bring themselves to get off these vague words. I guess they don’t want to be legally libel to say “masks will protect you.” Also, they know that they don’t protect you. Another thing that I’ve noticed is that just about every study talks about “proper wear” of a mask. They usually talk about not touching the mask. How often have you seen anyone anywhere do that? So they are vague about protection if the mask is worn properly, what would they say about the reality of masks not being worn properly? That masks do very little. But let’s keep pushing that narrative. Here is the final definitive word from the CDC dated 27 AUG 2020 “Masks may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others. Masks are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.” (Bold type added) Nothing has changed since I first posted this article on 15 JUL 2020. All the “new” studies and the CDC could not change the verbiage to be a little more definite? This should concern all Americans. Not only that, I feel too many people only wear a mask. All the other advice is glossed over. I also feel most people don’t wear their mask properly. So how much protection are the American people truly getting? Not much. 94% of those who are positive for COVID-19 live. “For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.” So other problems were the cause of death, but the patient was positive for COVID-19. That’s 6% of 182,000 actually died from COVID-19. The reporting procedure is messed up. There may be more, or even less. I don’t know if the error would be 10,000 in either direction but I would say not. This is the Influenza information, even with a vaccine. “CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.” I’m not trying to compare diseases but it does seem that this thing is not such a devastating disease as they want us to believe. It is certainly not something to warrant giving up our rights! I understand a store being paranoid and not wanting to be libel for spreading sickness, but a mask is not going to do it! Walmart has produce just sitting out where people touch it and breathe near it. What about all the handles on frozen foods? I know store try to clean, but I don’t see them following each person around and cleaning up behind them. Yet these masks are saving us. Extreme false sense of security. Security that is not needed. Original article from July 2020 Please hear me out. What I’m going to say here is wildly unpopular. Some think it’s downright dangerous. But I’ve come to the conclusion that wearing a mask is a complete, and total, waste of time! I’m not sure why the medical world is heaping this silly practice upon the world. I’m not a healthcare worker, nor do I have an education in medicine. Because of this, I had to really get in there and study this out as best I could. I’ve come to the conclusion that we are being duped. Masks do little to nothing. Not having a background in medicine and not being familiar with medical terms and phraseology made it difficult for me to understand and read these studies and analysis. So I had to really read these things. My conclusions may not be the same as yours. I originally only wanted to know how much, in percentage numbers, cloth masks helped the wearer or those around the wearer. I was thinking I would find 30% or even 20%. What I actually found was 0.02%, which to me is next to nothing. Here is my research: (I read the articles thoroughly but also looked at some, but not all, of the footnotes, resources, and supplemental material for these articles.) https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/masks-dont-work-review-science-relevant-covid-19-social-policy-0 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cloth-masks-are-useless-against-covid-19 https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-health/cloth-masks-given-ok-do-they-work https://www.nap.edu/read/25776/chapter/1 “Cloth face coverings may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others” “A cloth face covering may not protect the wearer, but it may keep the wearer from spreading the virus to others.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html This is the definitive conclusion that the CDC has come up with? You “may” be, and “most likely” will be safe with masks. How less sure can you be? “Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings.” If your mechanic described your fixed brakes in this way would you drive the vehicle? I think it’s criminal to put people’s lives in danger by telling them something will protect them when it won’t. Too bad no one will account for it. I love the 90’s series “The X Files”. It just fed my appetite for conspiracy. But as I watch the mess that has unfolded in this country I feel like I’m living an X files episode. Between COVID-19 and the racial divide in this country I get the feeling there is more afoot than bad timing. I’m not saying this virus does not exist but I think there are sinister hands involved in it. The race angle is constantly used for those with an agenda. I’m also not saying bigotry and racism does not exist. As long as there are humans on this earth there will be racism. Be very careful about what you accept. If the mainstream media is pushing something then be very careful. They usually ignore facts and quote each other. Research this mask thing yourself. See what you think. I just saw another “study” that had to do with 2 cosmetology workers. I don’t think this was actually a scientific study, but it fit the “mask up” narrative just fine. Beware of where you get your information and what that info is based on. This article is not about masks but about COVID-19 deaths. https://www.technocracy.news/cdc-confirms-extremely-low-covid-19-death-rate/?fbclid=IwAR2obGmDzyss5ueBPbC1lpqPGLDng-HD0dRm5yxOhQuVeB0rqk5_1y5qsx0 A quote from a Star Trek character comes to mind. “Spock, I’ve found that evil usually triumphs… unless good is very, very careful” Dr. Leonard McCoy, Star Trek Be very careful out there my friends. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Starting A Coal Fire

We live in a fairly hot place. We get little snow and have cool winters. Occasionally it gets real cold. We heat with a wood stove and have for over 30 years. I've always wanted to try coal but could never find it. That makes sense, very few people would have use for coal where we live. We were at a country type feed store where I saw 50 pound bags of coal. I bought 4 and when I got home and showed my wife she wanted more. We went back to the store and they showed us what they had. These bags were in sad shape and were starting to deteriorate. They wern't going to sell this stuff and were going to have to dispose of it. We asked what kind of deal we could get if we bought it all. They gave us a really good deal and we took it all off their hands. We've been using it for the past two years and love the extra heat it gives us and how it lasts! Plus, if you think about it, you can store this stuff in a pile outside and it will never go bad or deteriorate. It comes from the ground! We store ours in 55 gallon drums and it is part of our fuels storage. I thought someone out there might be interested in how to use it. Coal fires are not as easy to start as wood fires and the ease of burning will vary with different types and makes of stoves. The burning of coal requires patience and a specific and regular procedure of loading, shaking, adjusting, etc. If you do not follow the right procedure the coal fire will go out. This can happen in a short period of time and once the extinction process has begun, it is almost impossible to reverse. 1. In this article: Starting a Coal Fire Additional Tips on Starting Raking and Shaking your Stove Maintenance Safety First STARTING A COAL FIRE 1. Use paper and dry kindling to start the fire. 2. Add small pieces of hardwood when fire is burning hot. Keep the draft control fully open till a hot fire is established. 3. When a decent bed of red wood embers is built up, start adding coal—small amounts at a time. Keep the draft control open!! 4. Continue adding small amounts of coal until there is a 1” to 2” bed of burning coal. Don’t add too much coal at one time and allow sufficient time between each small loading for the coal in the stove to thoroughly ignite. 5. It is important at this point to fill the stove to the highest level possible. A deep bed of coal is critical for the proper function of all coal stoves. Since coal can be regulated better than wood, a deep bed does not mean that you can only run the stove hot - rather you can control the stove by setting the air control on your stove. 6. After all the coal has been ignited and is burning with a blue flame, then the draft control can be turned down. Serious damage can result if the stove is run wide open for extended periods of time. Make sure that the ash pan door is closed at all times. CAUTION—DON’T ATTEMPT TO START COAL FIRES UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE FALLS BELOW 55 DEGREES ON A 24 HOUR A DAY BASIS-YOUR CHIMNEY WILL NOT DEVELOP ENOUGH DRAFT UNLESS OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW THIS. ADDITIONAL HINTS ON STARTING 1. Some users have tried MATCHLIGHT CHARCOAL to light their coal stoves—also some brands of SOLID charcoal starter (royal oak, minute light) will do the job. This eliminates the mess of wood. Just spread the charcoal out until it barely covers the grate and put a small amount of coal on top don’t cover the charcoal completely!! Light the charcoal - OPEN AIR CONTROLS 100% and when the coal is burning with a blue flame add more coal as before. Never use liquid starters on a coal or woodstove….starters with large quantities of wax or softwood in them may not burn hot enough. 2. Always make sure that your chimney is drafting upward before you start your stove. Some chimneys have a tendency to reverse while not in use. In most cases the following procedure will start the chimney : Place a small piece of newspaper as far up in your stove or chimney as possible and light it. When it burns and gets pulled up the chimney-then light the coal fire. 3. Never poke or stir the coal fire when starting or at any other time. Coal fires like to be left alone and many former wood burners tend to fool around with their coal fires, thereby putting them out!!! RAKING AND SHAKING YOUR STOVE Shaking should be done at least twice a day and as many as sixtimes if the stove is being run at high outputs. Shake only with a hot stove. If the fire is very low and you must de-ash the grates follow the following procedure: 1. Open draft control and damper fully. 2. Shake or rake fire slightly to encourage air flow thru the fire. 3. Add more coal if needed. When fire is burning well then shake thoroughly. Best results will occur if short choppy strokes are used rather than long even strokes.The amount of shaking or raking is critical. Too little or too much can extinguish a fire. The proper job has been done when red coals first start to drop through the grate. Always allow some ash to remain on the grate as this will extend their service life. MAINTENANCE Ashes should never be allowed to accumulate in the ash pit. This can impede the flow of combustion air into the fire. Excess ash in the pan can cause the fire to go out and also cause severe damage to your grates. Inspect the replaceable parts of your stove (glass, gasketing, grates, etc.) often to determine if they need to be replaced. Glass can be cleaned (when cool). If the glass is extra dirty, MR. MUSCLE brand oven cleaner will do the job. Coal does not produce creosote, so chimney fires are not a concern. It does, however, produce a fly ash which can clog elbows or heat exchangers. Inspect any area of your stove where you suspect this may have happened and vacuum if needed. Since coal residue contains sulfur, the stovepipe and chimney systems tend to deteriorate much faster than when burning wood. Be sure to check the pipe at least once every six months to determine if it has corroded. Replace if it shows signs of rusting through or if it can be penetrated with the point of a pocket knife. SAFETY FIRST Use caution when loading your stove. Always open the door or hatch slowly so as to allow oxygen to enter and burn any combustible gases that are present. Failure to do this could result in"mini explosions” (sudden ignition of unburned gases). With the exception of the start-up period, an ash door should never be left open. Serious damage from overheating can result. Coal stoves should only be used with chimneys that provide a strong and constant draft. If you have followed the advice given in this article, then you probably have it licked. If any problems persist, follow these steps: 1. Make sure you are using low ash high-quality coal. Low heat output, large ash accumulation and difficulty of overnight burning are signs of bum coal. Try buying a bag or two at a different place. 2. Chimney problem—if you suspect that your draft is too strong then a barometric or manual damper should be installed. If your draft is too weak, try the following: Chimney may not be warm enough. Try a hotter fire. Seal all pipe joints and leaks in the chimney system. Check outside clean-out doors and fireplace sealing plates.—-increase height of chimney—-line chimney with stainless steel pipe—-install a draft increasing cap—-make sure all heat exchangers and manifolds on your stove are clean—Fly ash accumulation in these areas can restrict your chimney. There you have it. Being prepared means being ready for all things. Fuel storage and how to use that fuel is an important part of being prepared. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

By FLAG, Food Storage: Salt

In the coming weeks I'm going to post these food storage articles written by FLAG. She has been buying, storing, using food storage everyday for almost 40 years! Her knowledge is immense. Salt is an important part of your food storage program. It is recommended that we store 5 pounds per person for a year. I have discovered that if you preserve food, more than 5 pounds should be stored. Salt is very cheap and an easy item to obtain as part of your food storage program. Make sure to store salt in an airtight container. Also make sure to not store your salt around items with strong odors, it will absorb it. Salt is the symbol of life in many countries. In the Orient if someone says, “He was not salted when he as born”, it means he is none too bright– going back to the native custom of washing and salting newborns. The word salary comes from the Latin word for salt. If a person didn’t do their job right, he was said to be “not worth his salt.” Salt is something all animals (including man) MUST have. Without it they will die. We usually crave the amount of salt we need. Salt was and still is used for curing. Soak meats in brine for 10-14 days, then rub it with salt and smoke it in a smoke house for several weeks. Not only meat and butter, but any food with a high water content can be preserved with salt. Fruit, however, wouldn’t taste very good. In bread, salt performs more than just adding flavor; it helps control fermentation, gives dough a better texture, and produces a brown crust.** Salt helps eliminate heat exhaustion. **Salt is used to glaze pottery. **Salt is used to tan animal hides. **Salt is used to melt ice and snow. **Salt is a purifier. Salt water is an effective gargle, cleaner of wounds, a mouth wash, and a dentifrice. **Salt rubs relieve nervous body tension. **Rubbing damp salt on burns, insect stings, itching places, rashes or hives, smarts like the very devil for a little while, but draws of the soreness. **Salt added to the water in your bath tub gives you the same effect as a dip in the ocean: It relieves fatigue, invigorates, and soothes. **Mixing a little salt water with flour keeps lumps from forming in gravies. **Frequent application of salt water acts as a deodorant. ** A dish of butter may be kept firm without ice by wrapping around it a cloth wrung out in salt water. **Soaking nuts over night in salt water, makes it easy to remove the nut meat whole. **To prevent a frying pan from splashing grease, sprinkle a little salt in it. **Fresh milk keeps sweet longer when a pinch of salt is added. **To remove that “muddy” taste from fish caught in small streams, wash them in a strong, cold brine. **Salting the water in which eggs are poached make the white “set”. **Mix on heaping pint of salt, a scant pint of lime, six quarts of water to make an excellent medium which to store fresh eggs in. **Salt mixed with lemon juice cleans brass. **Salt alone rubbed on silver brightens it. **Soot and or oil stains on a carpet may be taken off by rubbing salt with it–several applications may be necessary. **Rubbing hands with salt will remove the odor of gasoline and onions. ** A good dry cleaner may be made by mixing equal parts of salt and cornmeal moistened with turpentine. ** Do you have ants? Sprinkle fine salt on the floors and shelves and them disappear. **Pouring salt brine once a week down the kitchen sink drain prevents grease from collecting and eliminates order. **Adding a pinch of salt to water in a flower vase makes the blooms and leaves remain fresh for a longer time. **Sprinkle salt on the crevices of brick and cement to kill off weeds and grass. Salt is a essential part of food storage FLAG

Burning Your Preps

This is what can happen when your preparedness trailer has a faulty trickle charger on it. Be very careful about how and where you store your preparation gear. Even if it is in your house, you might want to take pictures of your gear and even your food storage if you want it replaced in the event of a house fire. This happened in the guys drive way and thankfully did not spread to anywhere else. Be aware of how you store combustables and what the electrical situation is with your home or where ever you store your preparedness gear! Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Overwatch: Random Drill For September

Random Drill for Sep 2020 The Shooting Square A square should be delineated with traffic cones or barricade tape. The shooter starts with three rifle magazines loaded with seven rounds each and a loaded pistol. The shooter needs 28 rounds to complete the drill. The shooter must use all 21 rifle rounds. This can be a square or rectangle and can be of whatever dimension you want. Distance will vary according to the shooter's abilities. The shooter moves forward from the 1-2 corner; there are two targets in that lane. On the instructor's command of "gun," the shooter puts two rounds on each target. There will be two commands of "gun" while moving forward. At the 2-3 corner, the shooter moves right, firing two rounds at each of the three targets, which should be 10 yards to the front of the square. At the 3-4 corner, the shooter moves backward, firing two rounds at each of the two targets in that lane. The shooter will do this twice on command. At the 4-1 corner, the shooter moves across, firing two rounds at each of the three targets at the front of the box. The shooter makes the decision when to reload and when to transition. If the shooter's rifle malfunctions during the run, he must transition to the pistol for the remainder of the drill. Along with the weapon manipulation and shooting on the move, the shooter is on the clock (for stress inoculation). You can cut the round count down to 14 rounds by changing the rounds fired at each target to one. For more advanced shooters, this drill can be done in pairs to foster teamwork. Lt. Robert Parker served with the Omaha (Neb.) PD for 30 years and commanded the Emergency Response Unit. He is responsible for training thousands of law enforcement instructors in NTOA's Patrol Response to Active Shooters courses. From SWAT magazine • March 8, 2012 • by Bob Parker See “Overwatch: Random Drill” page for more drills Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

9-11 Remembrances and A Call To Be Prepared

Tom Burnett was one of those who died in United flight 93 in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. He was one of the many victims who died in the cowardly attack on this country. I remember all those who died, and their families and friends their deaths effected. Transcript of Tom’s Last Calls to his wife Deena 6:27 a.m.( pacific time) First cell phone call from Tom to Deena Deena: Hello Tom: Deena Deena: Tom, are you O.K.? Tom: No, I’m not. I’m on an airplane that has been hijacked. Deena: Hijacked? Tom: Yes, They just knifed a guy. Deena: A passenger? Tom: Yes. Deena: Where are you? Are you in the air? Tom: Yes, yes, just listen. Our airplane has been hijacked. It’s United Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. We are in the air. The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one of them has a gun, they are telling us there is a bomb on board, please call the authorities. He hung up. 6:31 Deena calls 911 6:34 The phone rang in on call waiting, Tom’s second cell phone call. Deena: Hello Tom: They’re in the cockpit. The guy they knifed is dead. Deena: He’s dead? Tom: Yes. I tried to help him, but I couldn’t get a pulse. Deena: Tom, they are hijacking planes all up and down the east coast. They are taking them and hitting designated targets. They’ve already hit both towers of the World Trade Center. Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane. (a pause) Oh my God. It’s a suicide mission…(he then tells people sitting around him) Deena: Who are you talking to? Tom: My seatmate. Do you know which airline is involved? Deena: No, they don’t know if they’re commercial airlines or not. The news reporters are speculating cargo planes, private planes and commercial. No one knows. Tom: How many planes are there? Deena: They’re not sure, at least three. Maybe more. Tom: O.K….O.K….Do you know who is involved? Deena: No. Tom: We’re turning back toward New York. We’re going back to the World Trade Center. No, wait, we’re turning back the other way. We’re going south. Deena: What do you see? Tom: Just a minute, I’m looking. I don’t see anything, we’re over a rural area. It’s just fields. I’ve gotta go. 6:45 a.m. Third cell phone call from Tom to Deena Tom: Deena Deena: Tom, you’re O.K. (I thought at this point he had just survived the Pentagon plane crash). Tom: No, I’m not. Deena: They just hit the Pentagon. Tom: (tells people sitting around him “They just hit the Pentagon.”) Tom: O.K….O.K. What else can you tell me? Deena: They think five airplanes have been hijacked. One is still on the ground. They believe all of them are commercial planes. I haven’t heard them say which airline, but all of them have originated on the east coast. Tom: Do you know who is involved? Deena: No Tom: What is the probability of their having a bomb on board? I don’t think they have one. I think they’re just telling us that for crowd control. Deena: A plane can survive a bomb if it’s in the right place. Tom: Did you call the authorities? Deena: Yes, they didn’t know anything about your plane. Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane into the ground. We have to do something. I’m putting a plan together. Deena: Who’s helping you? Tom: Different people. Several people. There’s a group of us. Don’t worry. I’ll call you back. 6:54 a.m. Fourth cell phone call to Tom to Deena Deena: Tom? Tom: Hi. Anything new? Deena: No Tom: Where are the kids? Deena: They’re fine. They’re sitting at the table having breakfast. They’re asking to talk to you. Tom: Tell them I’ll talk to them later. Deena: I called your parents. They know your plane has been hijacked. Tom: Oh…you shouldn’t have worried them. How are they doing? Deena: They’re O.K.. Mary and Martha are with them. Tom: Good. (a long quiet pause) Tom: We’re waiting until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane. Deena: No! Sit down, be still, be quiet, and don’t draw attention to yourself! (The exact words taught to me by Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Training). Tom: Deena! If they’re going to crash this plane into the ground, we’re going to have do something! Deena: What about the authorities? Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t know what they could do anyway. It’s up to us. I think we can do it. Deena: What do you want me to do? Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray. (after a long pause) Deena: I love you. Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something… And “do something” they did. Quite possibly giving their lives to save that plane from hitting The White House or The Capitol. This country is going through a lot as we live the Last Days before the Second Coming of Christ. We will likely see more of the same and we need to be ready and prepared. We too should "do something". In the words of another who was on that plane, Todd Beamer, “Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll.” Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Police and Kyle Rittenhouse Shooting (Updated)

The following is two opinions from my friend and brother Don Verde. He was (and is) a federal agent with over 20 years under his belt besides being a Marine. He understands what it's like to be on the front lines putting yourself out there in defense of this country and Americans. His unique experience and frankly mature spirituality means a lot in his opinion. I agree with him and want to share his views with you. The man who was shot in the back by police in Wisconsin was a sadistic rapist with a knife. Floyd was a violent felon with a body full of drugs. Criminals in Wisconsin who attacked the armed 17 year old and ended up being shot were felons, one, a child sex offender. Criminals prey on the innocent and many meet their destiny in this life. Police are not there to serve and protect the criminal, they are there to serve and protect the INNOCENT!! I will not double guess police actions based on videos anymore, after seeing how deceitful the Main Stream Media has become. I will pray for the police tonight, for the soldier, for freedom, for the unborn, for the children victimized by sexual predators and for the innocent law abiding citizen of any color... God bless America!! Don Verde What is an example of a vigilante? The definition of a vigilante is a person who takes the law into his or her own hands. An example of a vigilante is a person who makes it his mission to kill murderers. Because some have accused Kyle Rittenhouse of being a Vigilante, it is important to clarify what that really means. If I go to an area of town with a high crime rate and I carry a weapon for my protection, I am “not” a vigilante. If I decide to help a friend protect his business from violent rioters who outnumber police, I am “not” a vigilante. If the business is burnt to the ground and I go the next day and kill the person who did it, then yes, I am a vigilante. So, my armed presence in front of a store to prevent a crime and my defense of life if attacked “is” protected by the constitution. My actions to get even after the fact, are not. Carrying a weapon should never be viewed as a lack of commitment to Christ. I will always praise those who are willing to lay down their life for their friends, weather it is a sworn officer, soldier or a simple citizen. “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Don Verde Addition: In November 2021 Kyle Rittenhouse was found "Not guilty" of all charges against him. I see my wise friend Don Verde was correct, he is not a "vigilante".

Get Food Storage Now

Get food! Get it now! Get lots of it! Hoard! Hoard! Sorry, I lost my mind for a moment. I was thinking out loud. That line above was what I’ve been thinking about lately. We just got back from a visit to our daughter and son. It was so good to get away and to see them and their families. Especially the Grandkids. Yes, I have Grandkids. I don’t usually go into detail about my life but I’ll fess up to Grandkids. Anyway, as I watch the news, hear from friends with connections from Greece to Dubai, I had certain feelings. My wife on the other hand had access to bulk stores that she doesn’t normally have access to. She did not go crazy but she is really the one who knows what our food storage needs are. She uses it daily. So this is what we have done in the last month. We’ve beefed up (no pun intended) a few areas in our food storage where we were getting low. My wife usually does a bulk grain order each year but through circumstances she didn’t do it this year. We didn’t just focus on food storage. We decided there were some things we wanted to have on hand like a full oil and filter change for our vehicles. I like to have a new container of Sta-Bil for fuel on hand at all times. We like to maintain a bucket full of pest control products such as wasp spray and rat poison. We topped off that bucket. I looked in my shop for any products that I like to keep on hand: carburetor cleaner, WD40, Oil mixture for the chainsaw, spare chainsaw blades, vehicle radiator fluid, motor oil, etc. I put together a list and we brought that up to snuff. My wife looked at her canning materials and sewing items and she brought that up to what she would like to keep in store. We also looked at our seed box and made sure we had seeds that are needed. But what I want to talk about is food storage. Like I’ve said before this is something that I have literally grown up with. I had the yellow Walton Feed bags of wheat under my bed while a child. We always had a “food storage” room with lots of shelves. My Mother always had a wheat grinder and a Bosch mixer. So this is not bizarre behavior to me. But to many others, they have a hard time seeing a problem in this land of plenty. Then came 2020. Natural disasters abound and the topper is a pandemic and civil unrest. Now us crazy “preppers” don’t sound so crazy do we? Actually, it’s not really a “prepper” thing, but a way of life. You think differently. It starts by slowly getting a 3 month supply of what you normally eat. Instead of buying 1 can of soup you buy 2. You date that extra can and put it where you are going to store your food storage. It will add up quickly. As you are doing this you learn about working with long term food like grain and beans. You buy some of this and work with it. You find recipes made with long term ingredients and find out what you like and what your family doesn’t. You start to buy some of these items in bulk, learning how to store food safely and securely. Next you supplement your storage with freeze dried and dehydrated food. Next you can start a garden. Even if you live in an apartment you can have a garden in pots. When you receive a harvest you may want to learn to can your abundance. This also supplements your food storage. None of this needs to be learned over night. There are many aspects of food storage and you can find what works best for you and your family. This is some good information: One Adult Portion Grains—400 pounds (181 kg); includes wheat, flour, rice, corn, oatmeal, and pasta Legumes—60 pounds (27 kg); includes dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc. Powdered Milk—16 pounds (7 kg) Cooking Oil—10 quarts (9 l) Sugar or Honey—60 pounds (27 kg) Salt—8 pounds (3.6 kg) Water (2 weeks)—14 gallons (53 l) This information is bare minimum. I would recommend 2 gallons of water per person, per day. The grains are similar to what the Germans fed prisoners in concentration camps so make sure you go deeper than the basics. As you start cooking and baking, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much of each ingredient you need. It’s more than you think. With the rare and powerful derecho storm in Iowa that ruined a large amount of corn. Iowa is the leading producer of corn in the U.S. The damage will effect a lot of things. Corn is used in many ways. Beef is impacted by corn. Prices will rise more than they have been. It’s time to work in earnest on your food storage. As member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe and teach that we are in the last days before the coming of Christ. It’s interesting to me that members believe this and teach it, but then are surprised when these “signs of the times” present themselves. This is supposed to happen. I believe it will get worse. Can things get worse than 2020? They can. But you’ll be prepared. If you feel inspired, and you have little to no food storage, buy a few cases of items and a few bags of others. One of the things I’ve noticed is something that concerns me. You may want to put on your tin foil hat for this one. I wonder if there is a conspiracy, real or happenstance, that the world, and this country’s, food is being controlled. Under the guise of COVID-19 meat packing plants, farms, and other canneries, are being shut down. Before 2013 anyone could go to an LDS cannery and for a small fee could dry pak food yourself. This was a great savings and a great resource for those working on their food storage. That has since changed. The Church’s statement said partially: “Much of the discussion regarding this issue has suggested that this change is due to food safety regulation. While it has been a factor, the concern expressed regarding that issue has been overstated." But 12 canneries are still open to anyone who wants to can. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; Mesa, AZ; Carrollton, TX; Lindon, UT; Logan, UT; Ogden, UT; Salt Lake City, UT (Welfare Square); Sandy, UT; Springville, UT; St. George, UT; Idaho Falls, ID; and Boise, ID. There are 89 other canneries that sell pre-canned goods. So by way of regulation, and for “everyone’s good”, manufacturing a food shortage, or at the very least skyrocketing prices, is for people control. I’ve even seen what looks like a small seed shortage out there. But there are considerably less people who grow their own food. So maybe that’s not a real control. By contrast, there is a ammo shortage and a gun shortage. Manufacturing can’t seem to keep up. But that doesn’t really have anything to do with food. Controlling guns and ammo may be a key thing in the future. But if you want to control people without disarming them, control their food. Conspiracy theories aside, now is a good time to get your food storage. It’s not ideal. January or February was ideal before shortages and higher prices. But I would advise you to do what you can now. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

Reason For Dark Humor

I have a joke for you. Shouldn’t we be waiting until after the virus runs its course to do the 2020 census? Now before you boo me and write a nasty comment, the above is an example of dark, graveyard or gallows humor. I want to tell a story. But it’s a sad story and has the potential to be a graphic one. I don’t want to go into too much detail or it might be something you may not want to read. And I want you to come back and read this blog. So I’ll be a little vague. I was in a large fighting position in Central America. I was in the middle of a firefight along with 14 other guys. The fight was getting intense. Beside the bullets coming in, the enemy was using RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades) and mortar. These guys were idiots or they had idiot commanders. Their tactics were not very good at the least. They also did not understand how mortar works and how to use it effectively, thank goodness. But it was random so that was pretty scary. One of my good friends was in the position next to me about 3 yards away. He was hit by enemy fire in the neck. I tried to stop the bleeding and the medic tried to stop the bleeding but the wound was too much. He died right there at my feet. It was a horrible experience and it adds to the other trauma I went through those few days. When we finally got out of that situation and back to a safe place I was making some jokes that someone who had not experienced something like that would not have found humorous. This is a defense mechanism that is used by military members who have seen combat and others. Law Enforcement often deal with this too. Firefighters and EMS do this also. Joking about death and destruction is dealing with having seen things that are difficult to process. Dead baby jokes and sometimes vulgar jokes are common. I won’t tell vulgar jokes so all I have left is dark, tacky humor. Talking about death in a flippant way minimizes the pain and loss that death has given you. Even Joseph Stalin famous Marxist understood (he killed enough people…). He said: “Dark humor is like food; not everybody gets it.” It’s even in pop culture. When the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” came out I remember a particular line. After looking in “The well of the souls” and seeing it filled with snakes, Indiana Jones’ friend Sallah says: “Asps! Very dangerous! You go first.” This is defined as a comic style that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss. If we can joke about something, it makes it less threatening in our minds. This type of humor is all over the place, but for those who don’t deal in life or death situations, they don’t quite get it or appreciate it. After talking with a buddy of mine and discussing some past firefight my friend’s wife said to him: “You guys are sure morbid. You sound like members of the mafia!” He just laughed. When he told me what his wife said I told him we should start a business: Make Me Laugh funeral services. We put the fun in funeral! Stay sane out there. Stay healthy. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn

The Temperment To Carry

I think a lot about mental health. Many years ago I was diagnosed with combat related PTSD. Many people with this problem turn to substance abuse, experience depression, and sometimes violence either to others or self-inflicted. I am very blessed that either my experience didn’t affect me that severely, or I was able to handle it. I think it’s a little bit of both. I still have moments of anxiety in crowds. I still have hyper-vigilance in security and defense, but I think these have been mitigated. I’ve had some great friends and brothers, and a great family. I only saw a mental professional because I was ordered to. Others have not been so blessed. I only bring this up to emphasize the importance of mental health, and the proper mindset when carrying a gun.
We must be honest with ourselves. We all know if we’re a jerk or not. We all know if we’re a hot head or not. Hopefully, we are trying to improve ourselves with each day. If that is so, then we can tell if we’re making progress or not. If you’ve had anger issues don’t carry a gun. Learn to control your emotions and then you can consider it. If you’re not sure of your attitude then ask your spouse or your children. They will probably be brutally honest. Once you realize you have the right temperament or control then you need to find the right mindset.
What the heck am I talking about? Mindset is everything. Your mindset sets you apart from the average. It doesn’t mean you’re special or anything, it only means that you have thought long and hard about the implications of carrying a gun. The things you must contemplate is what you are really preparing to do. You are preparing to defend yourself or your loved ones with lethal force. By using a firearm in this way you may kill someone or leave them maimed for the rest of their lives. It’s easy to think about in the abstract, but in reality, it is much different. Talk to someone who has taken another human beings life. Usually that would be in a combat situation unless you know someone who has defended themselves. It’s not an easy thing to live with and you must be prepared well in advance.
Another thing that is not talked about a lot is our personalities. We should be the best version of ourselves. With the responsibility of carrying a gun comes acknowledging our personal short comings and working to improve with each day. There’s not room for pride or arrogance. There’s no room for anger and impatience. If you end up with a drawn gun you need to understand the implications of shooting as well as not shooting. This where training and discipline come in. If everything annoys you or you have anger issues, don’t carry. We have to be worthy of the gun. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Regardless of the upheaval of COVID and protesters, we’re not in the wild west. Having strong moral values will help us with carrying a gun and in many other aspects of our lives.
Being able to physically fit is just as important as being mentally fit. I understand that we all have lives and that time is at a premium, but like going to the range we should set aside time for fitness. I’m speaking to you as one who needs to take my own advice. I’m not talking about going to the gym every day and becoming a body builder, but just taking the stairs instead of the escalator. Taking a walk after dinner in the cool of the evening. Eating a little more healthy and keeping away from the junkfood. Being able to leave an area quickly to avoid or de-escalate a situation may be more difficult if you are 380 pounds and can hardly climb a flight of stairs.
Every time you strap that gun onto your side, your mindset should change to be the very best version of yourself. I’ve heard people comparing it to being a peace officer or taking the role of a good guy just looking to help people. Having a set of standards when conceal carrying is a great way to automatically get into a certain mindset to respect your rights and responsibilities. Being physically, as well as mentally healthy, when deciding to conceal carry will take you a long way. Not only will it make for a safer community but it will also give you personal satisfaction knowing you did the right thing.
Whether it’s passing up going to the bar or going for a walk after dinner to get a little more exercise, every little thing helps to make you more prepared for what life throws at you. It doesn’t take a guy looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger to conceal carry a firearm daily. It just takes someone who values their safety and wants to protect themselves.
Make sure you have the temperament and mindset of carrying a gun.

Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn

A Reluctance To Train

What is the deal with everyone thinking law enforcement (LE) and military are the only people we can depend on to handle and carry guns? This thinking is idiotic. I have trained law enforcement and military members that have no interest in guns. The requirements for them to qualify with a weapon are annoying to them and some don’t take it seriously. Just because these professions involve arms does not automatically make those with those jobs experts! Some of them only have knowledge of their service weapon. Give them something else and they are lost. At a point in my military experience we only qualified annually. And that was only with an M-16, not a pistol! I had to seek out more training and then was offered a small arms instructor SEI (Special Experience Identifier) because of my gun disease, I mean interest. Anyway, those that know nothing about guns think that the military teaches you so much about guns. There is a familiarity with certain guns, but general gun knowledge comes from somewhere else. Without trying to be arrogant or full of myself, real gun knowledge is something that has to be sought out. I would probably be safe to say that an instructor is pretty knowledgeable. But even an instructor can be wrong. At the very least, instructors don’t always agree about how things should be done. Generally speaking though, most instructors agree about safety.
Civilians (non-military or LE) can and do have extensive knowledge of firearms. There are more experts that are civilians than military or LE. So can the media and politicians stop bringing up that lame excuse for gun possession? It is like so many things non-gun people do no research on. I guess this is turning into a rant about how irresponsible the media and politicians are. Talking to one person about guns is like talking to one economist about the economy, you only get one view! And that view may, or may not, be reality!
Seek out competent instruction. Be prepared to pay a premium because this knowledge does not come easy or cheap. I feel in many ways I was lucky because of my affiliation with the military I was given opportunities to receive training not given to the general population. I also had the opportunity to receive training at a discounted rate because of my instructor status. I’m grateful for the kindness that other instructors have given me. But as I look at some of the instruction I’ve received that I’ve paid full price for, I see that over 30 years it has been in the thousands! Sometimes it’s not worth it, other times, even though it was expensive, it was a bargain!
There is a reluctance for training in the concealed carry world with those who are not really into guns but want to defend themselves and their families. I wish we could change our “gun culture”. I’m not sure it exists but I do know there are many different cultures in one. There are competitors. There are hunters. We have self-defenders. There are tactical gurus. Most of us are a mixture of several of these. At one time I competed. At one time I hunted. I have not either of those things in over a decade! But what I do know is the quest for more knowledge continues. There are some instructors that are very desirable to me to seek out. Masaad Ayoob, Clint Smith, and others I’d love to receive training from. Perhaps one day I’ll make the opportunity. But if you just got your carry license you should be more than casually thinking about addition training. Put together a plan for your training. Find the courses you want to take and start budgeting for them and planning time to take them. It’s not that important that you go to several courses in a year, but it’s important that you are saving and planning for training. By doing this you will get see progress and be kept up to date on the latest training, laws, and techniques. There are other ways to learn than just physical courses. There are some good online or recorded courses and there is even some merit to youtube. Be careful and picky about your training. Seek out competent instruction. If you have a training plan in place and you’re working that plan you will see progress. If you have an interest in competing or hunting these can help you learn more. But be realistic and have a plan. You may not turn into a gun nut like me and many others, but you should have an up to date, well rounded knowledge that will serve you for a life time. Don’t be reluctant to train.

Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn

My Problem With Anti-Mormon Attacks

Exmos finally got on my nerves yesterday. I know I shouldn’t read or watch their crap. But as I said before, me and Church detractors go waaaay back! I saw my first anti literature on my mission in Eastern Canada in the early 80’s. I’d grown up in a largely LDS community and was somewhat sheltered from that kind of thing. I never really had a challenge to my beliefs except from a few other churches. But out in the real world of the mission field I saw plenty of it. About halfway through my mission I attended a lecture of a guy who claimed to be a “Mormon scholar”. He had “studied” the Church for 8 years. I looked at my companion who had grown up in the Church in Utah and asked him how long he had studied the doctrine of the Church. He said, “Well, I’m a seminary graduate” (at that time to be a missionary in Canada you had to be “clergy”. The Church complied with this requirement by sending only Seminary graduates to Canadian missions). We probably had been studying Church doctrine since we were 14 but really all our twenty years. So between the two of us we probably had at least 20 years. I was amused by the twisted understanding of basic gospel principles that this “scholar” displayed. It wasn’t until he started to talk about missionaries and the MTC that I took any issue with this guy. So at the end when he asked for questions (this was a standing-room-only college auditorium) I stood and told this charlatan he was wrong with his information about the MTC. He balked at me a young kid questioning his scholarly report. I told him I didn’t want to argue with him but I had just been in that MTC 11 months ago and I could assure him he was giving out wrong information. He tried to change the subject by asking me a completely off the subject doctrinal question. I told him that had nothing to do with what I had called him out on. He fumbled around and I finally said to the crowd, “If he’s wrong about the MTC and what missionaries do, what else is he wrong about? Thank you Sir” and sat down. The next day while tracting we taught many lessons. It is true that no unhallowed hand will stop the work of the Lord. Anyway, as time went on I had amassed a shoebox full of anti pamphlets and books. I bequeathed it to my last apartment. Here several years later the internet turns into the biggest purveyor of anti-mormon literature since the Ex-Mormons for Jesus pushed the movie “The Godmakers” in the 80’s. Most of what I see out there is nothing new. Most of it is a skewered view of LDS doctrine sprinkled with opinion and downright lies. The latest kick is called The CES Letter. Sounds ominous doesn’t it? It’s a collection of questions by a guy named Jeremy Runnells. From what I’ve seen, Jeremy is a typical exmo. His lifes work seems to be to pull people away from the Church. He’s been a little successful to the weak-minded. I know that I’ve offended some with that statement. It seems pretty weak-minded when someone is so hung up on history that they give away what they know. Almost every exmo that talks about the CES letter starts off their tirade telling us their “credentials”. They grew up in the church, or held important callings, or served a mission. These things are supposed to lend credence to what follows. I guess this is the place I should tout my credentials. I was born and raised in the Church with ancestors going back to 1831 when they joined the Church. I’ve always been active, have served in just about every calling you can think of including the “big” ones. I’ve never been in a Stake Presidency though. I served on the High council for 6 years, was a Bishop, YM Pres, Stake YM Pres, SS Pres, Every Scouting position, EQ Presidency, I was just released from the Bishopric and called as the EQ President. So, according to exmos, I’m well seasoned. I served a mission and even was a Nursery Leader twice! I was not “shocked” by the info in the CES letter because, unlike a lot of exmos, I actually studied Church history. None of what the CES letter said surprised me. What surprised me is the interpretation of some of this history. I’m surprised Jeremy had never run across this information. Apparently he had not really studied. It’s not buried anywhere. It’s not hidden. It doesn’t take much to find this information but it does take a certain kind of person to come to the conclusions these clowns come to. I’m sorry, seekers not clowns. But Jeremy said he was not a scholar. And I agree, he’s not. But he got a bunch of scholars together and asked them. I’m not really sure that’s what he did. But anyway, he’s devoted a little bit of bandwidth to tearing down the Church. I’m not sure what he gets out of it. I guess the satisfaction of knowing he’s “saved” someone from the cult that we are. (sarcasm is not pretty) I also believe that the latest antagonists of the church are sneaky and deceptive, sometimes the very things they accuse leaders of being. Many of them have recorded things and shared things I feel should be confidential. In my opinion I think they share and record their councils to only try and “shame” the Church. They are really not interested in anything but that. I think it’s interesting that the Church never shares confidential information but the exmos think it’s their duty. To me that’s just being a jerk. It makes me feel like I should do to them what they do to the Church. But as I’m trying to do what is right in my life, I won’t. It grieves my heart that they can’t leave the Church alone. But it fits right in with my theory that the worst enemies of the Church have always been ex members. I call them Zarahemnas because they are not content to leave what they believe is not true, alone. They must “stir up the Lamanites to war”. Coming to know that a religion is not for you is fine, but when you try to actively destroy a religion and tear down a church, that is different.
I know that my PTSD can put me into a fight mode. I don’t look for a fight, but when someone makes it their lifes work to discredit my beliefs that’s when I close and engage. These people need to shut the heck up! If you don’t believe it great. But don’t try to convince the rest of the world that they need to see things your way! Debate is one thing. I don’t mind someone honestly wanting to talk about doctrine and to ask honest questions, but most of this crap is just that, crap. I’ve listened to them and their podcasts and Youtube videos. I see right through the same tactics that have been used since I was on my mission. The CES letter in particular uses a million questions to attack with. Some of them are easy. Others require some research. To answer all these questions would require a lot of time and 3 times the pages of the actual letter! What I can’t understand about these people is that at one time they had a testimony. Were they wrong about what they “knew”? Are they easily persuaded? Some of them grew up in the Church as I did. Are they stupid or lazy? My opinion is that they are weak. I’ve never been stumped by an anti’s question. I’ve never had my world fall apart. I do not doubt what I know. Some of them actually want me to believe that after years in the church, professing spiritual experiences, telling people they know with their testimonies, and then they hear some “earth shattering” information that makes all that they experienced and professed null and void? What kind of commitment and “testimony” is that? That’s why I believe there is either sin involved, or weak minds. Or maybe they just wanted a beer… Look, I’m not trying to insult anyone, but do you see what I mean? I know it was not just one moment they were active and the next they thought “I think I’ll leave the church today.” Often I see a leader involved. Some leaders don’t necessarily drive people away, but I’ve met a few that need a little help dealing with people. There is always some slight, some mean treatment, some one-sided, unfair thing. The CES letter guy kept getting his meeting changed. He never could get his questions answered. Why the heck could he not find answers himself? None of his questions are that difficult. But he couldn’t find it within himself to find these answers. You know something Jeremy, I don’t wish you any ill-will, but I’m grateful people like you are not in this church. It’s not that the church isn’t for everyone but people like you only are a burden on progress. Not because you have questions but because you can’t handle regular life. You have this idea that if a few people can’t or won’t answer you that there are no answers. Often the pursuit of truth takes a life time and sarcastically speaking, “I see you’re in it for the long haul.” No matter how much you tout your mis-information, lies, and opinionated crap it will not stop the progress of the church. No unhallowed hand will. You’ve “saved” other weak people. You will continue to reap the whirlwind. But when anti’s start to get nasty and attack because they don’t like the church, it’s members, or leaders, don’t expect no one to defend those things. If you threaten physical harm on the church or its leaders then you better expect a visit from an unofficial Danite. That is not a threat, but if you promise physical harm we can promise defense. I guess I’m just fed up with attacks on my church, my beliefs, and sometimes threats. I’m sure you can find someone else to harass. Or you could just say no. Otherwise, I survived shots fired in anger, you want a piece of me? Bring it on!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn