What Can We Learn From the Gay Marriage Debate?
Relax. I'm not going to weigh in on gay marriage. But I am going to discuss what I think we in the preparedness community can learn from it.
My bar association buddy from our young lawyer days, Parke "The Hammer" Morris, inspired me to comment on this. Parke's suggestion for those who wanted to mimic the legal rights of a marriage without actually being married would be to "write a will and draw up a durable power of attorney." The will would allow you to route your property to your significant other when you die, and the durable power of attorney would allow your significant other to make decisions for you in the event of your incapacitation.
As I posted earlier this week, we should spend more time preparing for the more likely emergencies than the more exotic ones. So what can we glean from the gay marriage debate?
Make sure your life planning is complete. One of the arguments for gay marriage is so that some one's significant other can make life decisions and enjoy protections provided by law for property held by spouses. Parke alludes to this point; a good estate planning attorney can create the necessary documents that enable us to be ready for the Inevitable Big Ride to Heaven, to protect assets from creditors, and to empower people to make life altering decisions for us. Kendel and I have completed a comprehensive estate plan, empowering each other to make critical decisions and dispose of assets as necessary to provide care for the other. As the odds are greater that one of us will have a critical illness or injury than a nuclear war, preparing for that contingency before we prepare for radiation contamination would be a better bet.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Daily Briefing for Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Preparedness and Statistics
My high school classmate, John the Banker, suggested I read "The Drunkard's Walk - How Randomness Rules Our Lives." I'm through a couple of chapters already, and while I struggle through some of the more complex statistical nuances, one of the early premises of the book is abundantly clear: we make major life decisions with precious little regard for the statistical data which supports or refutes those decisions.
This reading, coupled with the article I referenced last weekend, has me really thinking about one of the crucial failures in the preparedness movement - the need to execute the basics well.
Let me expand on that. From the aforementioned article:
.....Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Imagine that! You are statistically much more likely to be affected by the choices you make regarding diet and exercise than you are to be attacked and killed by an armed intruder. I often run into “gun guys” who excuse their poor physical condition by telling me that is why they carry a gun … because they are just going to shoot someone rather than fight them. First of all, it is not always that simple, and second, those guys are often the ones who die at a much younger age due to complications caused by an unfit lifestyle.
Using statistics gleaned from the Center for Disease Control, we see there's some merit to this proposition:
If you're overweight with an arsenal, are you really better off than someone who is in good physical shape with only one gun? If you have a year's worth of food and smoke/drink a pack a day, are you really better off than the regular jogger who has less food and fewer chemical addictions?
Start thinking about the statistics. What are the most likely threats to your well being? Prepare for those first.
My high school classmate, John the Banker, suggested I read "The Drunkard's Walk - How Randomness Rules Our Lives." I'm through a couple of chapters already, and while I struggle through some of the more complex statistical nuances, one of the early premises of the book is abundantly clear: we make major life decisions with precious little regard for the statistical data which supports or refutes those decisions.
This reading, coupled with the article I referenced last weekend, has me really thinking about one of the crucial failures in the preparedness movement - the need to execute the basics well.
Let me expand on that. From the aforementioned article:
.....Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Imagine that! You are statistically much more likely to be affected by the choices you make regarding diet and exercise than you are to be attacked and killed by an armed intruder. I often run into “gun guys” who excuse their poor physical condition by telling me that is why they carry a gun … because they are just going to shoot someone rather than fight them. First of all, it is not always that simple, and second, those guys are often the ones who die at a much younger age due to complications caused by an unfit lifestyle.
Using statistics gleaned from the Center for Disease Control, we see there's some merit to this proposition:
Number of deaths for leading causes of death
- Heart disease: 599,413
- Cancer: 567,628
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353
- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,842
- Accidents (unintentional injuries): 118,021
- Alzheimer's disease: 79,003
- Diabetes: 68,705
- Influenza and Pneumonia: 53,692
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,935
- Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,909
If you're overweight with an arsenal, are you really better off than someone who is in good physical shape with only one gun? If you have a year's worth of food and smoke/drink a pack a day, are you really better off than the regular jogger who has less food and fewer chemical addictions?
Start thinking about the statistics. What are the most likely threats to your well being? Prepare for those first.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Daily Briefing for Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Experiments in Rainwater Collection
On Monday evening, we had a large storm system pass through the area around 7:30PM. I went outside to investigate why I was seeing so much run off in my back yard (answer: clogged gutters. Again. Despite repeated efforts to clean and guard them.). Since I was already soaked, I decided to go ahead and try a rainwater collection experiment I've wanted to do for about a year now.
I'm new to posting cell phone video to the internet. Be sure to post a comment below if you like watching short videos on prepping, as it may inspire me to do more in the future. Thanks to my awesome stepdaughter (whom I call Tox) for shooting this video for me as I narrated.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Be sure to watch both parts of the video.
On Monday evening, we had a large storm system pass through the area around 7:30PM. I went outside to investigate why I was seeing so much run off in my back yard (answer: clogged gutters. Again. Despite repeated efforts to clean and guard them.). Since I was already soaked, I decided to go ahead and try a rainwater collection experiment I've wanted to do for about a year now.
I'm new to posting cell phone video to the internet. Be sure to post a comment below if you like watching short videos on prepping, as it may inspire me to do more in the future. Thanks to my awesome stepdaughter (whom I call Tox) for shooting this video for me as I narrated.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Be sure to watch both parts of the video.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Daily Briefing for Monday, May 7, 2012.
The Suburban Dad Speaks In Chapel on Disaster Preparedness
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Daily Update for Saturday, May 5, 2012
Update on Freeze Dried Ground Beef
I'm blogging as I eat lunch, a concoction I mixed up on my own. My self-inflicted recipe came with no adult supervision (Kendel and Tox are at the beach this weekend, leaving me free to get ready for the State Representative Paul Workman meet and greet at our house on Tuesday evening), so I knew it would be interesting to see if I would actually like what I made.
Cheesy Beef and Rice
Result? Pretty good, actually. The rice, cheese and Tabasco take the ever so mild edge off of the freeze dried ground beef. Would I eat this in normal circumstances? Sure would - it's rather tasty. Lots of protein, and the parboiled rice is low on the glycemic index. I could have/should have added some dehydrated broccoli as well. Next time I will know to do so.
The lesson here: don't be afraid to experiment with your food supplies and cooking methods. Even if you make something and it's awful, you've learned something. That experience can be invaluable when you are using stored foods and alternative energy cooking methods to prepare meals.
Overheard at The Gun Store Today
Before I forget - those of you who are Glockheads (that's GLOCKheads....get your minds out of the gutter) like me, if you haven't joined the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation, do it today. Get at least a two year membership, because if you do, Glock will send you a coupon to allow you to buy a Glock at essentially law enforcement prices. It literally pays for the membership three times over. Do it!
So I take my newly acquired Got-Me-A-Rick-James-Kind-Of-Deal-On-A-Glock card to GT Distributors, which is the Bed, Bath and Beyond of the gun community. I'm looking to add a Glock 26 Gen4 to my collection, as I really need a back up gun. While I am waiting to be served, I overhear a conversation between a woman from Houston, her adult son, and a local sheriff's deputy talking about preparedness.
Their discussion catches my ear because they are talking about a) preparedness in general, b) the possibility and likelihood of some sort of emergency requiring preparedness skills and supplies, c) what might cause such of an emergency, and d) water collection, solar energy and building techniques that would allow someone to live grid down for a period of time.
While I didn't hear the whole conversation (and I didn't want to eavesdrop. At least not too much, anyway), it was clear these folks were tuned in, to say the least. They had a good understanding of the utility of solar power, the usefulness of concrete and geothermal heating/cooling, and the uncertainties in society and the economy which might create rather unpleasant times. And the fact that the deputy was clearly on the same page with them confirms what I've thought for some time now - our local law enforcement folks know far, far more about the risks we face and the need to prepare for them than their leadership will admit publicly.
Take heart. Stay focused. People are beginning to get it.
Hsoi Shares A Link Which Could Literally Change the Way You Think About Preparedness
My fellow KR Instructor John Daub, aka the Mighty Hsoi, found this brilliant piece at the Personal Defense Network. As Hsoi notes on his blog, the advice is unconventional yet sound. The guidance on first aid and physical fitness is spot on. Don't be an armchair survivalist. Train and get your butt in shape.
I'm blogging as I eat lunch, a concoction I mixed up on my own. My self-inflicted recipe came with no adult supervision (Kendel and Tox are at the beach this weekend, leaving me free to get ready for the State Representative Paul Workman meet and greet at our house on Tuesday evening), so I knew it would be interesting to see if I would actually like what I made.
Cheesy Beef and Rice
- Heat 2.5 cups of water in the solar oven.
- Pour one cup of freeze dried beef and one half cup of uncooked parboiled rice into the hot water.
- Cook for 25 minutes, stirring only once.
- Drain off the excess water with a colander.
- Sprinkle cheese powder (I use the formulation from Ready Reserve foods - good stuff) and Tabasco to taste.
Result? Pretty good, actually. The rice, cheese and Tabasco take the ever so mild edge off of the freeze dried ground beef. Would I eat this in normal circumstances? Sure would - it's rather tasty. Lots of protein, and the parboiled rice is low on the glycemic index. I could have/should have added some dehydrated broccoli as well. Next time I will know to do so.
The lesson here: don't be afraid to experiment with your food supplies and cooking methods. Even if you make something and it's awful, you've learned something. That experience can be invaluable when you are using stored foods and alternative energy cooking methods to prepare meals.
Overheard at The Gun Store Today
Before I forget - those of you who are Glockheads (that's GLOCKheads....get your minds out of the gutter) like me, if you haven't joined the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation, do it today. Get at least a two year membership, because if you do, Glock will send you a coupon to allow you to buy a Glock at essentially law enforcement prices. It literally pays for the membership three times over. Do it!
So I take my newly acquired Got-Me-A-Rick-James-Kind-Of-Deal-On-A-Glock card to GT Distributors, which is the Bed, Bath and Beyond of the gun community. I'm looking to add a Glock 26 Gen4 to my collection, as I really need a back up gun. While I am waiting to be served, I overhear a conversation between a woman from Houston, her adult son, and a local sheriff's deputy talking about preparedness.
Their discussion catches my ear because they are talking about a) preparedness in general, b) the possibility and likelihood of some sort of emergency requiring preparedness skills and supplies, c) what might cause such of an emergency, and d) water collection, solar energy and building techniques that would allow someone to live grid down for a period of time.
While I didn't hear the whole conversation (and I didn't want to eavesdrop. At least not too much, anyway), it was clear these folks were tuned in, to say the least. They had a good understanding of the utility of solar power, the usefulness of concrete and geothermal heating/cooling, and the uncertainties in society and the economy which might create rather unpleasant times. And the fact that the deputy was clearly on the same page with them confirms what I've thought for some time now - our local law enforcement folks know far, far more about the risks we face and the need to prepare for them than their leadership will admit publicly.
Take heart. Stay focused. People are beginning to get it.
Hsoi Shares A Link Which Could Literally Change the Way You Think About Preparedness
My fellow KR Instructor John Daub, aka the Mighty Hsoi, found this brilliant piece at the Personal Defense Network. As Hsoi notes on his blog, the advice is unconventional yet sound. The guidance on first aid and physical fitness is spot on. Don't be an armchair survivalist. Train and get your butt in shape.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Daily Briefing for Thursday, May 3, 2012
Thank The Lord - Olympic Hockey Will Soon Be Interesting Again
The end of the Cold War destroyed the Olympics for me. I remember eating ice cream one winter night in 1980 and watching the U.S. Olympic Hockey team beat the CCCP (which, in Russian, stands for Commie Comrade Coco-Puffs or something like that) team 4-3. The Cold War made the Olympics interesting, because we could take out our nationalism on opponents worthy of an American ass whooping. And everybody knows the Soviets were certainly worthy of our boot.
I was reminded of this today when I read the former Soviets threatened to blow up some NATO missile sites. Seems nationalism in the old USSR continues to run high. And understandably, their national ego mandates they be taken seriously as a world power.
This serves as a great reminder - global politics continue to merit our attention. Whether it's the upcoming election in France, the Russians getting all uppity over a missile site, the Iranians playing in their nuke lab, the Chinese electing to create a gold-backed yuan, these things can certainly affect us here in the United States.
The end of the Cold War destroyed the Olympics for me. I remember eating ice cream one winter night in 1980 and watching the U.S. Olympic Hockey team beat the CCCP (which, in Russian, stands for Commie Comrade Coco-Puffs or something like that) team 4-3. The Cold War made the Olympics interesting, because we could take out our nationalism on opponents worthy of an American ass whooping. And everybody knows the Soviets were certainly worthy of our boot.
I was reminded of this today when I read the former Soviets threatened to blow up some NATO missile sites. Seems nationalism in the old USSR continues to run high. And understandably, their national ego mandates they be taken seriously as a world power.
This serves as a great reminder - global politics continue to merit our attention. Whether it's the upcoming election in France, the Russians getting all uppity over a missile site, the Iranians playing in their nuke lab, the Chinese electing to create a gold-backed yuan, these things can certainly affect us here in the United States.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Daily Briefing for Tuesday, May 2, 2012
Reading Too Much Into This? Or Am I Just That Freaking Brilliant?
So this evening I'm out watering the Bermuda grass seeds I recently spread across bald spots of my backyard in what only can be described as an exercise in futility (given the ongoing mother-of-all-Texas-droughts), and I'm listening to the usual talk show host whose show I reserve for such chores - Alex Jones.
Yes, that Alex Jones. The birther, truther, anti-NWO (that would be the "New World Order" for those of you who are, as Jones would say, "still in a trance"), anti-UN, pro-gun, pro-liberty, pro-preparedness beacon of all things conspiratorial. Based in Austin, Jones is something of a local celebrity around town. Texas Monthly ran this story about him a couple of years ago, which may be the first objective and in-depth backgrounder done on the self-made talk radio juggernaut.
Think "juggernaut" is a stretch? Think again. Rolling Stone's Alexander Zaitchik wrote last year that "Jones draws a bigger audience online than Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck combined." The size of his audience is staggering. More and more stations are adding Jones' mid-day three hour radio show, which competes head to head with Limbaugh, at a rate which no one would have imagined five years ago.
I personally started listening to his show as a form of entertainment back in 2006. Back then, he'd recently begun a two hour Sunday afternoon show on a local AM radio station. His energy and rapid fire allegations of how the global elite were stockpiling heirloom seeds in advance of their planned collapse of the banking system, which would necessitate the creation of city-sized FEMA camps in which to incarcerate liberty-loving troublemakers was, to me, sheer hilarity. I'd laugh out loud listening to him while driving around town running errands.
And then something changed. The financial collapse of 2008 came with little warning to most of us. Civil liberties seemed to decay or evaporate at a geometric rate. The Federal Reserve, a frequent target of Jones' wrath, began constructing elaborate bail out plans for investment banks at the heart of the crisis.
I'll be damned, I thought. Jones is on to something.
Since a broken clock can be correct twice a day, it's imperative to determine whether Jones was just really lucky at making his predictions about what would happen, or whether he did in fact understand there were forces at work which led to these events. I still think he's completely wrong about 9/11 and several other issues. But that's not why I am writing this tonight.
Instead, I heard something on his show I never thought I'd hear. It wasn't something he said. It was a company which just began advertising during his show: ProFlowers.
I almost dropped the garden hose.
Jones' usual rotation of advertisers, consisting almost exclusively of purveyors of disaster foods, colloidal silver machines, gold and silver coin sales, books on the Bilderbergers, and water purification systems has now been infiltrated by an advertiser more at home hawking florist services on shows like Hannity and Levin. This can mean but one thing: Jones audience has grown to the point that mainstream, non-disaster/non-survivalist/non-conspiracy theorist businesses have begun to recognize just how many people Jones' show actually reaches.
Which brings me to my food for thought for you. What do you make of this? Does this mean more people are buying into Jones' world view? And what does that mean for the preparedness movement?
My thoughts:
Am I reading too much into this? Or am I on to something?
So this evening I'm out watering the Bermuda grass seeds I recently spread across bald spots of my backyard in what only can be described as an exercise in futility (given the ongoing mother-of-all-Texas-droughts), and I'm listening to the usual talk show host whose show I reserve for such chores - Alex Jones.
Yes, that Alex Jones. The birther, truther, anti-NWO (that would be the "New World Order" for those of you who are, as Jones would say, "still in a trance"), anti-UN, pro-gun, pro-liberty, pro-preparedness beacon of all things conspiratorial. Based in Austin, Jones is something of a local celebrity around town. Texas Monthly ran this story about him a couple of years ago, which may be the first objective and in-depth backgrounder done on the self-made talk radio juggernaut.
Think "juggernaut" is a stretch? Think again. Rolling Stone's Alexander Zaitchik wrote last year that "Jones draws a bigger audience online than Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck combined." The size of his audience is staggering. More and more stations are adding Jones' mid-day three hour radio show, which competes head to head with Limbaugh, at a rate which no one would have imagined five years ago.
I personally started listening to his show as a form of entertainment back in 2006. Back then, he'd recently begun a two hour Sunday afternoon show on a local AM radio station. His energy and rapid fire allegations of how the global elite were stockpiling heirloom seeds in advance of their planned collapse of the banking system, which would necessitate the creation of city-sized FEMA camps in which to incarcerate liberty-loving troublemakers was, to me, sheer hilarity. I'd laugh out loud listening to him while driving around town running errands.
And then something changed. The financial collapse of 2008 came with little warning to most of us. Civil liberties seemed to decay or evaporate at a geometric rate. The Federal Reserve, a frequent target of Jones' wrath, began constructing elaborate bail out plans for investment banks at the heart of the crisis.
I'll be damned, I thought. Jones is on to something.
Since a broken clock can be correct twice a day, it's imperative to determine whether Jones was just really lucky at making his predictions about what would happen, or whether he did in fact understand there were forces at work which led to these events. I still think he's completely wrong about 9/11 and several other issues. But that's not why I am writing this tonight.
Instead, I heard something on his show I never thought I'd hear. It wasn't something he said. It was a company which just began advertising during his show: ProFlowers.
I almost dropped the garden hose.
Jones' usual rotation of advertisers, consisting almost exclusively of purveyors of disaster foods, colloidal silver machines, gold and silver coin sales, books on the Bilderbergers, and water purification systems has now been infiltrated by an advertiser more at home hawking florist services on shows like Hannity and Levin. This can mean but one thing: Jones audience has grown to the point that mainstream, non-disaster/non-survivalist/non-conspiracy theorist businesses have begun to recognize just how many people Jones' show actually reaches.
Which brings me to my food for thought for you. What do you make of this? Does this mean more people are buying into Jones' world view? And what does that mean for the preparedness movement?
My thoughts:
- Jones' demographic is evolving. I know people in their middle age who tell me they now listen to the show because their college age kids listen to it. I know people who have advanced college degrees who are regular listeners.
- Jones' steadfast support for people like the Pauls (Ron and Rand) help solidify his stature among young people, active duty military, and Libertarians/Constitutionalists/Tea Party types.
- His devotion to organic, non-GMO agricultural practices have gotten the attention of many on the left. People who would never have voted for anyone other than a Democrat in years past are beginning to gravitate towards Libertarian ideals, thanks in part to Jones' alliance with many in the sustainable agriculture/energy communities.
Am I reading too much into this? Or am I on to something?
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