Daily Briefing for Wednesday, Februrary 26, 2014

Kiev Coming to America?


I know, I know –  there are more important things to think about right now. Like the Oscar nominations that came out today.





Yet for those of us who are not consumed with gossip and entertainment news (or whatever new rule the NFL is coming up with this week to try to soften its image), there are other things occupying our intellectual bandwidth.  Take, for example,  this clip of Democrat pollster Pat Caddell:













I don't know if this would ever come to fruition.  But for those of us who are open to looking at the big picture –  eroding civil liberties, ever-increasing national debt, escalating government surveillance into our lives, increasing dependency on government social insurance programs - we see a bleak picture of the future awaiting us.



It doesn't need to be bleak, of course, and I still believe there is time to turn things around - provided we have the intestinal fortitude to do so.  But make no mistake: we are not immune from the problems that face those countries "over there" (wherever "over there" might be).  History is full of examples of how great empires have cratered.  Simply claiming "we're different from those examples because we have a Constitution and stuff" doesn't make it so. 




Given that, what can we do on an individual level to soften the blow?  First, let's start with a quick educational video of just how bad things would get if Kiev came to America:










I get nauseous watching that.  Those people are the brothers, sisters, children and parents of others.  It's easy to dismiss it as happening "in one of those places that's always messed up" except for the fact that a) Ukraine isn't "always messed up" and b) the increased militarization of our police forces makes one wonder if they are preparing for something like this.  (And if they aren't preparing for this, what are they planning to do with the hardware they're acquiring?)


I know, I know.  It sounds crazy.  Talking about the Oscars or professional sports is much easier on our brains. 


Be prepared to shelter in place for several days....because of a storm, a power outage, a pandemic, or more frightening emergency.  Be prepared to conduct business transactions without the use of credit cards, checks or the Internet.  Be prepared to feed your family without utilities for a few days.  Be prepared to protect your family when police, fire department or EMS personnel aren't able to get to you right away.  Be prepared to help your neighbors do these things to the extent you can.  Be prepared to be a good citizen. 


And be prepared to help rebuild and be a part of the solution.

Daily Briefing For Friday, February 21, 2014

It's Been A While.

My busy season at work began in earnest about a month ago. I've been on the road a fair amount as a result. It's been busy, but good.

I know I have not blogged in a while. I will tell you that I am working on some writing projects involving preparedness, rather than trying to blog on a regular basis. I have no idea what will become of my latest project, if anything. But I'm enjoying it, which makes it all the more worthwhile.

There's certainly a lot to keep in mind these days. Recent civil unrest in Kyiv and Caracas serves as a reminder that we need to pay attention to world events.

I do not have a crystal ball (or even a magic eight ball for that matter), and so I don't have a sense for what he might expect to happen in the next 90 days. Let me encourage you to keep up with your preparedness efforts, whatever those might be. This is not time to slack off.

If you need some motivation or incentive, note that National Severe Weather Preparedness Week runs March 2 –8. 

I'll drop by the blog from time to time to send a shout out. I also want to post some more videos to the YouTube channel in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for those.