Posts Tagged ‘protection’

Fight For Your Life

Guest post: by Todd Sepulveda

Everyday starts with the potential for trouble and/or good. Whether you are out on a homestead, working a 9-5 or taking care of the kids at home, there is plenty to keep you busy and active. If you’re like me, every once in a while I get a little bit of quiet time and my vivid imagination kicks in. I sometimes think about times that are not so pleasant. One situation that I thought about recently was if there will ever come a time when my family needs to fight to save their lives. In a fight or die situation, could my family fight adequately enough…are they prepared to “pull the trigger?”

This article could go many different ways. Many people will have recommendations, thoughts, condemnation, etc… I just want to approach it from a Bible story that came to mind when I started thinking about this scenario and let you make up your own mind on the rest of the topic. While I was thinking about this scenario, the story of Esther came to mind.

Esther opens up with King Xerxes upset at his queen, Vashti. She is sent away and the King embarks on a search for a new queen. Eventually, he chooses Esther. In the meantime, an evil guy by the name of Haman became the Prime Minister. Haman hated the Jews because Esther’s uncle Mordecai wouldn’t bow to him in respect. Haman wasn’t satisfied to just take out Mordecai for being disrespectful; he wanted to exterminate all the Jews. So he approached King Xerxes,

“There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire. Their laws are different from those of any other nation, and they refuse to obey even the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. If it pleases Your Majesty, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 375 tons of silver to the government administrators so they can put it into the royal treasury.” The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite—the enemy of the Jews. “Keep the money,” the king told Haman, “but go ahead and do as you like with these people.” On April 17* Haman called in the king’s secretaries and dictated letters to the princes, the governors of the respective provinces, and the local officials of each province in their own scripts and languages. These letters were signed in the name of King Xerxes, sealed with his ring, and sent by messengers into all the provinces of the empire. The letters decreed that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen nearly a year later on March 7. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. A copy of this decree was to be issued in every province and made known to all the people, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. At the king’s command, the decree went out by the swiftest messengers, and it was proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion. Esther 3:8-15 (NLT)

When Esther, Mordecai and all the Jews heard the news, they were devastated. Talk about your TEOTWAWKI situation! But Mordecai was a man of faith and believed that Esther had become Queen for “such a time as this.”

To make a long story short, Esther reveals to the king that she is a Jew. Because the law of the Medes-Persians could not be changed, there was another law that was passed that the Jews could defend themselves on the March 7 date.

Here is where my vivid imagination kicks in. There was no guarantee that non-Jews were not going to attack the Jews. As March 7 approached, what must have gone through the minds of those fathers/husbands and parents, knowing that on a certain day they could all lose their lives?

Were fathers training their children to take up swords, knives or whatever else was available to defend themselves? Were they loving or forceful in their training? Did moms cry themselves to sleep at night? What was the dinner talk like on March 6th?

I have three sons. They all have different interests and passions. They all know my reasons for preparing and can even share some of the reasons for it. To break them in, I started jokingly talking about the zombie apocalypse. But now they know that is just a metaphor. However, even though they see the need for the preparedness mindset/lifestyle, they are still kids and want to do kid stuff. My middle son seems to take to the idea of guns and knives and such a little more than the other two. He started a “knife collection” with money that he has saved and has gone to the gun show with me before. At the gun show, he could pick out all the different battle rifles because he plays the Modern Warfare games online. He shoots the pellet gun outside (we live in a suburban neighborhood and take precautions) and practices proper gun safety with the air rifle.

I was proud that the other two were willingly to shoot the other weapons recently. Hopefully, I plan on enrolling them in the Appleseed project here real soon.

But in the back of my mind, I always think about if they could “pull the trigger” in a time of need. We value life so much here in the US. My inclination is that when the family is in danger they will. But just like soldiers in the military, this needs to be practiced and conditioned.

I wrestle with this idea. Does this cause a child to lose their innocence? I know that children of all ages have had to take up arms throughout all of time. However, the topic is a sobering one.

Please understand that I don’t dwell on this topic. The words written here are based on one moment of time when my imagination was given the time to run a little, but I believe that there will be many out there who have had thoughts along the same lines.

Note – As I was writing this, Matthew 6 came to mind. Matthew 6:34 (NLT) says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” This Scripture and the preceding verses don’t mean that we shouldn’t prepare, or that we shouldn’t think about this topic. It does mean that we shouldn’t be so worried or anxious that we sit in a corner afraid of what might happen, it shouldn’t cause you to just give up. So I’m not advocating that you allow your imagination to run so wild that it causes you to hold up in your room and not come out afraid of what might happen. That wouldn’t be healthy.

Raising a family to be compassionate, kind and live the servant life is a worthy calling. But attaching discernment and the tools to act, if necessary, are just as important. What do you think?

Todd Sepulveda is the editor/webmaster of The Prepper Website – http://www.prepperwebsite.com. He is also an assistant principal in the public school system and a bi-vocational home church pastor.

Situational Awareness and Your Personal Protection

Guest post: by ‘TripodXL’

In having a personal protection plan (and you do have one, whether you’ve thought it out or NOT), before you make a personal protection plan you have to ask the following question… “What is a survivalist?”.

Now this will sound obvious after the question, but if you get up and manage to get bathed, fed and make it to work without dying and get home the same way; if you can get up, find breakfast, make it to school and back without dying, are you a survivalist? Of course, you are. You survived! That is the definition of survivalist in its simplest form. So, in essence, everyone is a survivalist to some degree or other and is differentiated only in the degree of survivalism that we embrace.

This would come as a great surprise and shock to those who would claim to not be “one of THOSE survivalist people”. Survival is one of the strongest elements in our human nature and perception of life around us. Some think it barbaric to address such an issue and others will embrace it. I embrace it. The freedom to survive, the RIGHT to survive is, as far as I’m concerned, a God given right, or if you are so inclined, a natural right.

Anyone that stands between you and your survival implies that they don’t care if you live or die, they don’t care what your quality of life is, and you are of no consequence or meaning to them. It becomes a key philosophical mountain that you must climb and conquer conceptually, to have a basic survival MINDSET, with which to use for you and your family’s survival. If you do not come to a point where you think that you have a right AND an obligation to your family and self to survive, then you will probably not survive, except by luck, and if that’s how you manage to survive, you may not be happy with the outcome.

So, what does a personal protection plan encompass? First, have a plan. A proper plan encompasses situational awareness, physical and mental preparation, and proper equipment and execution (tactics). The equipment is easy. All you have to do is buy it after researching what is best for YOUR situation.

Situational awareness is a mindset of just being aware of what is around you and the dynamic circumstances related to you.

Expertise is also something that you can buy, sort of, but will require practice, whether it is a classic martial art or some other training by either getting DVDs, or books and/or professional instruction. You have to have the discipline to accomplish it.

Mental preparation is also something you can get training on, or read books and listen to CDs/DVDs. It is something that takes place inside your head. Your psyche MUST change to the point that you understand (in advance of needing it) and will do whatever it takes to survive and protect you and yours. It will require getting past the lame, egalitarian, sheeple crap that you are taught in school, from liberal academia and society in general, about not hitting, not fighting back and just being a cooperative little sheeple in general.

Execution, both mental and physical requires practice, practice and more practice. Practice your plan mentally and brainstorm scenarios as well as hone the physical skills needed to have reasonable physical prowess and execute the appropriate skill sets successfully.

The number one part of a Personal Protection Plan and probably the most difficult to achieve is situational awareness (SA)? Simply put it’s your situation and your awareness of it. The best way to deal with trouble is to avoid it in the first place, which is the purpose of SA. No trouble, no problem!

Next time you go to Wally World, perform this exercise. Sit way out in the parking lot for a while and watch how insipidly and inanely people do things. They will walk down the middle of the driving lane, talking on their phone, completely oblivious to the 8 cars they are holding up, right behind them, motors running. Or they will just walk out in front of oncoming cars, pedestrians have the right of way don’t they, and just walk on in complete bliss and oblivion. No one will look around and they won’t look behind themselves to get some idea of what their situation is, day or night! They will mosey on and never look back. How dumb.

Here are two real-life examples of SA or the lack of it.

A young Wally World employee was walking out to her car after work, in the dark, and you can see on the parking lot video as she walks along, oblivious to all around her. In the dark a guy runs up behind her as she nears her car and abducts her in her car and as you can probably imagine she was found dead some days later. I’m not blaming this on her, it is solely the killer’s fault for killing her, but she does bear responsibility for her own well being, or lack thereof.

This next one is personal. My wife calls me one morning from work and asks me to go home at lunch and see if her purse is there. I do and it isn’t, the purse is gone. After hindsight and thought, we came to the conclusion that when she dropped off the baby (you park, run in, throw the baby through the window and sign the paper and leave), someone in an adjacent parking lot watched her at daycare and noted she did not have her purse with her, ran over and took it out of the running car. Wow, how much worse could that have been? Less than two minutes.

Some people are nothing but trash and you accommodate them (by being easy prey) at your own peril. Others are very opportunistic and will stab you in the back, literally. You will have to learn to be steely hard and be aware of subterfuge and cunning when dealing with everyone, even a “defenseless” mother and child. Beware, who’s watching you? That’s scary isn’t it?

Don’t just daydream and walk along…quit it! We all do it but when you make an active personal protection plan, your ways of looking at the world change and your mind changes the way it functions. You develop a cognizance of the world around you.

Some of the things you need to think about or be aware just don’t occur to you because you’re not a criminal by trade. I remember someone said something about having their rural house broken into and they performed some serious security upgrades to the house. The next time the crooks just chopped a hole in the roof! I remember thinking to myself, “why would they mess up the roof that way”? Oh, they’re criminals and don’t care about the mess they leave. To deal with the criminal world around you, you have to think like a criminal.

Also, listen to the “inner you”. The INSTANT a thought goes through your mind that, “that doesn’t look right”, it probably isn’t. You should do a 360, both mentally and physically right then, just stop, spin around and reassess your situation (I don’t mean bust a dance move or behave in a manner that would cause stress to people, just stop, look at your watch, dig in your pockets like you’re looking for something ALL the while looking around you and taking it in).

You should look around and watch people. I never park by the door at the big box stores. I need the exercise and it lets me overlook the parking lot and see who’s watching whom. What looks odd, out of place and not right? Be observant, it is a learned habit. It should become second nature to look for oddities in people’s behavior.

Not to be sexist, but women are taught to be nice and tolerant. They will climb into a locked, soundproof, isolated, metal box (elevator) with someone that gives them second thoughts, but they don’t want to be impolite or rude, even though they get bad vibes they do it anyway. Ladies AND gentlemen, quit it! In the military it’s called “watching your six” (your six o’clock position, directly behind you).

Be aware of what and whom is/are around you, with out fail. If it doesn’t look right, feel right or you’re just not sure, then BREAK OFF THE ENGAGEMENT (be impolite) with the situation so you can back up, observe, consider the facts and reassess the situation.

The key to SA is to stop, look, assess and then act on that information. The better you get at this, the more likely you are to ACT in advance of some event, instead of REACT to it as it occurs. Which do you think is to your advantage?

Remember, the best way to use your Personal Protection Plan is to avoid using it with situational awareness.

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Pepper Spray a Self Defense Weapon

Why Pepper Spray?

Pepper Spray is a great means of self defense that everyone should consider carrying. It is non-lethal and legal in all U.S. states (check exceptions and regulations). It inflames, causes coughing, choking, nausea, and dilates the eyes causing temporary blindness while not causing permanent damage. The typical range is about ten feet. Pepper spray used properly during an assault could save your life. Spray into the eyes of the attacker and get the heck out of there.

Pepper Spray protection against 2 and 4 legged creatures

Not only is pepper spray effective for protection against 2 legged creatures, but it is also good insurance against the 4 legged variety. This morning I happened upon an article about a Montana bear attack at a popular campground that unfortunately killed one person and injured two others. The story goes on to site instances where pepper spray had been used to ward off bear attacks. The story reminded me of the times when we’ve camped in northern California where we’ve seen our share of black bears (which pale in comparison  to the danger of Grizzly or Brown bears). I had always been prepared while out in the wilderness areas by carrying a can of pepper spray for bears. Fortunately I’ve never had to use it.

Mace Brand Bear Pepper Spray

Pepper Spray protection for women

It is even more important for women to carry pepper spray since they are targets for rape and can be more easily overpowered by a male attacker. My wife carries pepper spray in a recommended manner while walking to or from her vehicle. She has a  perfect size fairly small canister attached to her key chain and while walking to the vehicle, lets say from a store that she just left, she holds the keys by the canister itself. It makes for a natural way to hold the key set. Many women will wait to take their keys out of their purse until they get to the vehicle. Wrong. The keys should be out before exiting the store (or wherever). One should walk confidently while simply being consciously aware of what is around them as they walk. Far too many people appear narrowly focused and oblivious to their surroundings as they walk and could easily be surprised by a predator.

Pepper Spray configurations

Pepper spray comes in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and formulas and is available from a wide range of manufacturers. One could begin over analyzing what is the best mixture, size, release method, etc., but in my opinion simply taking the first step and buying some, is the best thing that you can do. It is easy to order online, just search for it.

Pepper spray canisters are designed with different spray patterns which include stream, foam, fog, and gel. The most common pepper spray discharge is probably the stream pattern as it can be aimed directly. The fog pattern can be effective when trying to incapacitate more than one target at a time, however you may experience some blow-back yourself since it is a fog. Just move away or backward as you spray. Foam or gel discharge seem to me to be a very good choice since the wind or blow-back will not be an issue.

An important thing to remember is that pepper spray does have an expiration date. It will not suddenly lose its effectiveness but it apparently will not be as potent over time. So, be aware to check and re-order if necessary, else be caught in a bad situation without protection.

Pepper Spray use-case scenarios

Think a bit about how you will intend to carry it or keep it. Then choose the right style for the purpose in mind. For example, as I mentioned, the key chain variety is one style that suits its purpose. Another use-case is hiking in the woods or bear country. For me, a canister with a belt clip is perfect for that scenario. Another use-case for us is in our vehicles. Typically there is a small canister within reach while inside the vehicle. In this case, instead of a darker color canister (so as not to be obvious), we chose bright yellow so it could be quickly and easily found during the heat of the moment. Another use-case may be to carry concealed in a pocket, so something small or shaped in a way that is more comfortable will be desirable. There are plenty to pick from, so just give it a moments thought and then go ahead and order yourself some protection.

Pepper Spray laws

In today’s world of increasing regulation and laws that thwart personal self protection, I believe that pepper spray is still legal in all 50 U.S. states, although there are some regulations pertaining to its purchase, possession, and use. Remember to check the laws in your country, state, or city before carrying. Based on a bit of online research, I believe that pepper spray is prohibited in all of Asia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom, and Canada.

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