Daily Briefing for Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Latest Diet...And The Next One On The Radar

I'm fat.  So I diet.  A lot.

Right now, I am back on the Atkins Diet, which historically has worked the best for me.  I'm down about eight pounds on it over three weeks.  I'm down about ten pounds since February 1st.

Atkins has its pros and cons.  Pros:  Bacon.  Any freakin' time I want it, and as much of it as I want.  And steak in large quantities.   Cons: Pricey (it's lots of meat).  And few carbs.  (I love carbs.)

Now before you all comment on Facebook or here in the comments section, telling me about some diet you're on and how awesome it is or how Atkins will make your pee turn blue, save it.  Not interested in hearing about it, because I already have my next diet strategery lined up.

I'm calling it the Prepper's Diet.  It's not really a diet.  It's just an incorporation of foods we're likely to eat during an extended emergency.  I'm still trying to think through what this will actually look like, but my first thought is that it will look something like this:

• Lots of beans.
• Moderate amounts of pastas and rice.
• Small amounts of other starches, such as homemade whole wheat bread.
• Any and all fresh vegetables I can grow in my garden (I haven't bought spinach in months, thanks to the Monsanto garden.)
• Small amounts of whey protein powder and powdered milk.
• Canned meats as a condiment or ingredient in larger dishes.
• Sprouts.

This is not to say I won't eat fresh veggies from the store, or that I won't eat a steak or chicken breast now and then.  I most certainly will.  But I am curious to see how my body will react to the diet I describe above.

No launch date for this new diet.  Hoping to lose at least another ten to twenty pounds so I can get off of some of the fat boy meds I am on now. 

Daily Briefing for Tuesday, March 27, 2012

This Really Bothers Me.

I'll be the first to say it.  I don't know all the facts.

Nonetheless, I'm going to weigh in on this.  I think you'll understand why shortly.

Today, a class-action lawsuit was filed by 126 former NFL players against the National Football League.  In their lawsuit, the players allege that the NFL withheld information that showed that concussions were dangerous to NFL players.  As a result of the NFL not sharing this information with the players, they allege they have been permanently damaged.

Huh?

Let me see if I understand this correctly.  In order to get to the NFL, the typical player spends much of their childhood and college years playing football.  Anyone who has played college football will certainly attest to the fact that it is a violent game.  There's a reason you where pads.  There's a reason you wear a helmet.

Dozens of college and professional football players havebeen paralyzed over the last 34 years.  Add to that the countless broken bones, herniated discs, blown out knees, torn ligaments, and other associated injuries.  Football players have to know that there are a number of risks when playing the game.  In fact, in their own lawsuit, the plaintiffs state “The NFL[‘s research on concussions] is completely devoid of logic and science. More importantly, it is contrary to their (the NFL's) Health and Safety Rules aswell as 75 years of published medical literature on concussions."

Despite the "75 years of published medical literature on concussions,” you mean to tell me these football players had no idea that concussions were dangerous?  That it was up to the NFL to disclose, and not to themselves to do their own research, the risks of the game which they were playing?

Yeah, I know.  This is a preparedness blog.  Why am I talking about this?

Think about all the stories we discussed this blog over the last year or so.  Think about all the stories you read from various websites.  Think about all the postings you see on Facebook about this issue or that issue.  Think about all the chatter you see on the various talking head shows on cable news.  I'm guessing most of you have consumed a tremendous amount of data and news over the past year.  Much of the news contradicts other new stories you've read.  The economy is getting better; the economy is getting worse.  Kony 2012 is a great idea; Kony 2012 is a bad idea.  Obamacare will save us money; Obamacare will cost us money.  The list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, friends, it is up to each and every one of us to do our own due diligence.  We have to decide for ourselves who is telling us the truth, and who is not.  We have to decide who has the agenda, and who is simply telling us the facts.  In the end, we must take responsibility for our own fate.  We must be willing to challenge the conventional wisdom.  We must be willing to do our own research.  We must be willing to ask “why” and to “prove it” when something is asserted as truth without reference.

I'm not insensitive to the plight of football players who have suffered traumatic injuries as a result of their sport.  I simply find the claim that "the NFL didn't tell us concussions were dangerous” reflects poorly on those who are playing the game.  At what point was it the players’ duty to research and understand the risk, which, according to their lawsuit, was known for over 75 years?

When it comes to preparedness, we are responsible for own fate.  We must do our own due diligence.  We cannot simply sit back and claim that it's the government’s responsibility to take care of us.  Note that is not a political statement; even if we wanted the government to do that (which I don't), it would be a logistical impossibility.

Do your own due diligence.  Take control of your life and future.  Just because I, or anyone else, tell you to be concerned about something, do not accept it at face value.  Do your own research.  Reach your own conclusions.  If you disagree with my assessment or conclusions, say so.  You may very well educate me in the process.

Standing My Ground On Stand Your Ground

Looks like the guys as Reason magazine have been reading my blog (I know, wishful thinking on my part), but I must say their conclusion that the Stand Your Ground law likely won't apply in the Martin/Zimmerman fight sounds a lot like what I said over the weekend on that particular issue of the case.



Is Gold Money?

First, let me say that if you told me five years ago we'd be debating whether gold is a good investment and whether it's money or not, I would have told you to get your tin foil hat adjusted. 

That being said, I'm much more hesitant to jump to conclusions these days about matters of finance, politics and news.  Time doth make monks of us all.

Jerid picked up on this story from ZeroHedge (again, are you reading ZeroHedge from time to time?  It's part of that due diligence I mentioned earlier).  Regardness of what your position is on whether gold is money, it's clear that the world is turning to it as a safe haven asset.  Plan accordingly.

Daily Briefing for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Shortages Affecting Your Efforts?

Supply and Demand isn't just a good idea; it's the law.

And by that, I mean the law of supply and demand.  For those of you who weren't economics majors in college, in a nutshell supply and demand works a lot like this: the greater the demand for a product is, the pricier the product.  If demand overwhelms supply, shortages of the product are the result.  The shortages are eliminated when other suppliers step up and offer more of the product.

We seem to be getting a first hand lesson in supply and demand, courtesy of Sturm, Ruger (NYSE: RGR).  Ruger recently announced it would no longer accept orders for guns until May of this year, most likely.  Ruger's purported reason for refusing to take additional orders?  Demand for Ruger products had outstripped manufacturing capacity.

I've read a lot of chatter on gun and prepper boards lately about an anticipated increase in the prices of guns, ammo and parts.  Generally, the theory goes something like this:

• Obama will be re-elected.
• If that happens, he will try to impose serious restrictions on guns and ammo, similar to the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban (AWB). 
• To prepare for that contingency, we should buy guns, ammo and parts now.

As you can already surmise, the price hikes and shortages can become self fulfilling prophecies.  Add to that the increase in core inflation in commodity prices (copper, a key component in bullets, is trading towards the upper end of its five year price range).

Look, I don't know what Obama's plans are if he gets re-elected (the odds of which I am still placing above 50%) as they pertain to guns.  I don't see him winning any NRA awards, for certain.  Gun, ammo and parts prices will likely not go down in the coming months and years, even if Obama loses in 2012.

So should you stock up?  Well, yes, especially if you are doing it in bulk to take advantage of volume pricing.  Should you do it in anticipation of Obama winning re-election and implementing more restrictive gun laws?  In my mind, probably not, since a GOP-dominated Congress would likely prevent such laws from coming to fruition.

Yes, I am well aware that the President could use regulatory authority to do what can't be done legislatively.  I would submit there's always a threat of that, regardless of who is in the White House.

Paul's advice: always take advantage of good pricing opportunities, regardless of what you're buying.  And expect similar shortages in other prepper-centric supplies (we've already seen that happen in the storable foods market in the last couple of years) in the next several months.

Briefing for Friday, March 23, 2012

Things Are Not What They Seem

Sadly, human nature provides those of us in the CHL instructor ranks with new material to share with our students in an effort to help them appreciate the responsibilities of carrying a weapon for self defense.  Once again, Florida's most recent addition to the CHL syllabus comes to us at the tremendous expense of the life a young Miami teenager.

Most of you have heard the story (or some of the story, more accurately) about Trayvon Martin's tragic death in Sanford, Florida.  What's making this tragedy more so is the use of it by certain interest groups to promote a political agenda.

I will steer away from the political aspect of this all, but lest you be content in thinking the media is showing restraint, the commentators at MSNBC squarely laid the blame of this tragedy upon the collective consciousnesses of the Koch Brothers, the NRA, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Jeb Bush, and those promoting Voter ID laws.  Such inflammatory comments clearly show a lack of restraint and civility in our political discourse allegedly desired by many at that particular news network. 

I blog about preparedness and self defense.  And so I am going to take a look at the evidence, as we know it, and try to see what lessons we can learn from this.

And let me say this before I go any further - I am not doing this to defend or condemn anyone.  It's my hope that we can gain some insights from this horrible story into how we might handle a potential self defense situation.  There are plenty of blogs where people are defending one guy and hating on the other.  That's not what this is about.  I'll be spending time with my CHL students talking about this incident, in an effort to teach them one thing:  the aftermath of an alleged self defense shooting is rarely as clean and neat as it is in the movies.

Here's what we know:

• Trayvon Martin, a black teenager from Miami, was walking down the street in Sanford wearing a hoodie sweatshirt.
• George Zimmerman was driving in the same area and called 911 to report a suspicious person.  You can hear his entire 911 phone call below:

• From this call, we know:
• Zimmerman was told to stop following Martin on foot.
• Zimmerman described the subject as a black teenage male.
• Zimmerman may - and I emphasize may - have made a racial slur about Martin during the call.  (I listened to the call about five times and couldn't hear it, so I checked out the CNN website for an audio enhanced version, which you can hear for yourself.)
•  The Sanford Police Department gave information to the Orlando Sentinel, stating:
• The prosecution, not the police department, made the decision not to charge Zimmerman.
• Witnesses corroborated Zimmerman's story that Martin was on top of Zimmerman, punching Zimmerman in the head repeatedly, all while Zimmerman yelled out for help.
• Zimmerman did get out of his car to follow Martin, but, according to Zimmerman, Martin was the aggressor in the attack leading up to the shooting.
• Martin's father listened to the 911 call from the neighbor and told officers the voice crying out for help did not sound like his son (the inference being that it was Zimmerman's voice instead). Note a full 41 seconds elapses from the beginning of that 911 call until a shot is fired, during which someone - presumably Zimmerman - is yelling for help.

I'm sure there are many details which I am leaving out, some of which may paint a better or worse picture of each individual involved in this matter.  It's not my intent to convince you of any one's guilt or innocence.  It is my intent to help us all learn from this in the event we are put into a similar situation.

The Neighborhood Watch Discussion

First, let's address the issue of Zimmerman acting as a neighborhood watch participant.  I have participated in neighborhood watches.  And since I have a CHL, I did so while lawfully carrying a gun.  Note I don't carry my gun in order to effectuate an arrest or to stop crime.  I carry it to defend myself and family from any imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death.

Talk to the Department of Public Safety trainers in the CHL program.  They make it very clear: DPS views CHL holders in Texas as the sheepdogs of society.  We are expected to be, first and foremost, good citizens.  We are expected to follow all laws, be attentive witnesses, take good mental notes of what we see in the community, report suspicious people to 911, and yes, use deadly force in those instances where our lives are being jeopardized.

I've sat in multiple community meetings with the Austin Police Department during which APD made it very clear to us: if you see someone in your neighborhood you don't think belongs there, call 911.  They are that blunt about it.

And so when I read comments critical of Zimmerman's participation in neighborhood watches, I have to think it reflects a lack of understanding by those critics as to what neighborhood watch participants and CHL holders are asked to do while out and about in their communities by various law enforcement agencies.

"If Zimmerman Had Stayed in His Car, Martin Would Still Be Alive."

Let's not stop there.  "If Martin hadn't punched Zimmerman repeatedly for at least 41 seconds while Zimmerman yelled for help, Martin would still be alive." 

George Zimmerman clearly demonstrated terrible tactics by getting out of his car and not returning to it when told to stop following Martin by the 911 operator.  Following on foot someone you just described as "suspicious" to the 911 operator, whom you previously advised that there had been a number of crimes in the area, defies logic and common sense, especially if your life or the lives of your family are not at risk. 

Yet from what we know so far, Martin's actions - using deadly force on Zimmerman - is what caused Zimmerman to shoot Martin.

The 911 Tape Proves Zimmerman Is A Racist And Had It Out For Black People.

As I mentioned earlier, I strained to hear any racial slurs in the raw 911 call.  The washed version by CNN makes it clearer, but as the CNN correspondent said in the video, "I wouldn't swear to it in court." 

Let's stipulate for purposes of this discussion that Zimmerman is a racist and hates black people.  Does that negate the fact Martin was using deadly force on Zimmerman by punching Zimmerman in the head while Martin was on top of him?  Does that give Martin the license to do so?  Of course it doesn't. 

We may find out that Zimmerman is a member of the KKK before it's over with.  But at the end of the day, the evidence available to us thus far indicates Martin applied deadly force to Zimmerman, which in turn authorized Zimmerman to use deadly force in return.

What's missing here is evidence that Zimmerman used or threaten to use deadly force on Martin before Martin began hitting Zimmerman.  We may never find that evidence.  It may not exist.  If it does, it would validate the arguments of those claiming Zimmerman should be charged with manslaughter, if not murder.

The Stand Your Ground Law is at fault for this.

This law, more formally referred to as the Castle Doctrine, is generally misunderstood, even by many well meaning CHL instructors.  To wit: I had a CHL instructor once tell all of us in class the Castle Doctrine was named by is creator, a certain Mr. Castle.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

You get an earful on the Castle Doctrine in your Torts class during your first year of law school.  The Castle Doctrine is quite simple: Your home is your castle.  And in your castle, you have no duty to retreat.  A few years back, Florida expanded the Castle Doctrine to state that as long as you had a legal right to be where you are, you do not have to retreat before using deadly force to defend yourself.

Texas has a similar law.  It works to the benefit of the CHL holder.  And yet I stress to my students, that despite the law, if you can retreat  and protect yourself without having to threaten or use deadly force, by all means do it.  Retreating is a tactically sound option.  Was it an option here?  Unfortunately, we don't know.  We may never know.  But there's nothing I've read thus far to make me think Zimmerman broke the law by following Martin. 

Let me be clear on this:  I am not saying Zimmerman didn't break the law by following Martin.  I'm saying I have yet to hear of any evidence that what Zimmerman did in following Martin violated Florida law.  As more evidence comes out, this could be a game changer in his case.

Regardless of what evidence that comes out, I am hard pressed to understand how the Stand Your Ground law applies in this case.  If the law wasn't on the books, and Martin was pounding Zimmerman's head in, Zimmerman would not have had the ability to retreat before using deadly force.  Lacking that ability, Zimmerman would have been within his rights to use deadly force on Martin.

Conclusions and Learnings

I started this discussion by telling you I am not here to score the fight. I am sharing this with you so that those of you who are interested in self defense can learn from it.  Here are my takeaways:

1. Tactics matter.  Don't leave the relative safety of your vehicle, with all the steel and thick glass surrounding you, if your life or that of your family's doesn't depend on it.
2. Be a student of gunfights.  I don't mean to sound callous, but we can learn so much from a self defense standpoint when we study tragic events like these.  The best instructors I know study lots of gunfights.
3. I spend 30 to 45 minutes in my CHL class discussing the effective use of 911.  Assume all 911 calls are recorded.  Assume they will end up on YouTube or enhanced by a audio engineer at CNN and broadcast to millions.  Assume prosecutors will look for every way to use your 911 recording to put you in jail.  Think about what you would say to 911 now, rather than in the heat of the fight. 
4. Zimmerman's been lucky so far, relatively speaking.  He's not in jail.  No witnesses have come forward to say Zimmerman was the aggressor.   Assume everything you do in a self defense situation is being recorded on a security camera or on some one's iPhone.  Assume it will be on YouTube or the local news.  Let those concerns guide your words and actions.
5. Be prepared for the aftermath of a shooting.  Be prepared to have the media and community leaders crucify you publicly.  Be prepared for the media to get the story wrong or omit key details.
    
6. If you shoot a young person, especially one whose race is different than yours, be prepared to face allegations of racism. 

I begin my CHL class with the the comment that the course is all about problem avoidance.  Take steps to avoid having to use your gun.  Do everything you can to not have to use your firearm to defend yourself.  And if you elect to do so, make certain you can explain your actions so that even the most ardent critic cannot reasonably question your decision.

Briefing for Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Taste Testing Survival Bars

You've seen them before - those cookie/bars loaded with calories touted as survival food bars.  I'm a sucker for sweet things, and so in the interest in promoting preparedness, I taste tested three common brands.

Datrex: My favorite for two reasons.  One, I like the taste (like a sugar cookie, albeit a bit dry).  Two, the servings are individually wrapped.  High in calorie content, a 3600 calorie package sell for $6.95 right now at Emergency Essentials.

Mainstay: The only thing I don't like about these bars is the lack of individual wrapping.  Once you open up the package, you've exposed all of the bars to air.  This is okay in an emergency, since you'd be eating it up relatively quickly.  But even in those situations, individual wrapping is nice, especially if you're out in the elements.  I like the lemon flavor.  Also sold at Emergency Essentials for $6.95.

S.O.S. 1200 Calorie Food Bar: These bars are good.  But they are very dry and crumble easily (like I very dry sugar cookie).  They are also expensive on a per calorie basis ($2.95 for 1200 calories) than Datrex or Mainstay. 

Bottom line: Great shelf life for all three products.  Tasty.  Individual wrapping is key to me.  

Briefing for Monday, March 19, 2012

Awaiting The Storm

I should be in bed.  But the radar indicates a long line of strong to severe storms will be here in an hour or so, which means Foxy the Dog will be running through the house like Ozzy Osbourne on meth.  I figured I will get some things done while I await the storm's arrival.

In preparation for the storm, I elected to see if the weather radio I've used all these years is programmed correctly.  The old Radio Shack model I am using - probably 10+ years old now - was never easy to program.  I hope I've done it correctly. 

Report from Bastrop

The disaster preparedness class I mentioned  last week went well.  I was interviewed by one of the local TV stations, but it appears the story didn't run (too many murders in Austin/March Madness upsets/South By Southwest music festival updates/severe weather stories got in the way, it seems.)


Is This The Calm Before The Storm?

I read a lot of financial and preparedness blogs and publications.  It seems many think 2012 will be relatively smooth for much of the year, followed by more uncertainty and unrest in 2013 and beyond.

The financial markets seem to think so.  Notwithstanding the price of gasoline, we may very well see an increase in equity indices in the coming months. 

Briefing for Wednesday, March 14, 2012

I Could Spend Hours Dissecting and Analyzing This.

Except, of course, that I don't have hours to spend doing so.

The NatGeo Doomsday Prepper survey, conducted by Kelton Research, provides all of us with some very eye opening information about Americans' attitudes towards disaster preparedness.  Spend ten minutes perusing the data for yourself.  Some of my initial conclusions include:

• Severe weather and natural phenomena top the charts as the most anticipated disasters, followed closely by terrorism and financial collapse. 
• Some 44% of respondents expect a major global catastrophe in the next 10 years.
• 41% of respondents felt investing in preparations was a better investment than a 401(k).  Looking at a ten year chart of the S&P, it's easy to understand why many would feel that way. 
• The most common preps?  Storing up on food, water and batteries.  Some 23% of respondents have purchased at least one firearm to prepare for hard times.
• The three main reasons those who are partially prepared aren't fully prepared?  In order of likelihood: they can't afford it; they don't know how; they don't think we'll have a disaster.

My initial analysis: Prepping is clearly becoming more in vogue.  However, there's a disconnect between people knowing they need to do it versus actually taking the time, effort and resources to make it happen.  If you are preparing for possible emergencies, encourage others by showing them it can be done in a cost effective manner without a significant time commitment.