Another Check and Balance Gone

House Passes Bill Eliminating Senate Approval of Presidential Appointments         

Written by Joe Wolverton, II

By a vote of 261-116, the House of Representatives passed a bill rewriting Article II of the Constitution and divesting the Senate of the power to accept or reject the appointment of many presidential nominees.

Last year, the Senate passed the measure by a vote of 79-20, so it now goes to the desk of President Obama for his signature.

"Important positions will be filled faster, government agencies will be more capable of offering valuable services to their constituents, and the overall confirmation process will be more efficient,” said Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Dozens of key management positions in the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Commerce, and Homeland Security (including the treasurer of the United States, the deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness, and the assistant administrator of FEMA) will now be filled by presidential edict, without the need of the “advice and consent” of the Senate, a phrase specifically removed from the process in the text of the bill.

Although the House vote occurred on Tuesday, the Senate voted to surrender its constitutional check on the executive over a year ago on June 29, 2011.

Despite a last-minute attempt by some House leaders to put the measure to a voice vote, thus allowing members to vote in favor of the legislation without being listed on the record, a roll call vote was taken, and the name of every congressman who voted to unconstitutionally neuter the legislative branch is listed.

The process began last March when Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 15 cosponsors, including Republicans Lamar Alexander (Tenn.); Scott Brown (Mass.); and Mitch McConnell (Ky.), introduced S. 679, the “Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act.” The measure struck from many current laws the “advice and consent” requirement for many executive branch appointments, giving the president unchecked power to fill key administration positions.

In a memo sent to Capitol Hill in advance of Tuesday’s vote in the House, Thomas McClusky of the Family Research Council reminded lawmakers, “The United States Constitution does not bestow kingly powers on the President to appoint the senior officers of the government with no process.”

Although McClusky’s reading of the Constitution is accurate, as of Tuesday it is no longer the law of the land. According to proponents of the measure, the bill benefitted from such strong bipartisan support (95 Republicans joined 166 Democrats voting in favor of passage) because its sole purpose is to relieve the backlog of unconfirmed appointees by eliminating the confirmation requirement for about 200 offices.

The process by which heads of executive branch departments are appointed and confirmed is set forth by Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The “Appointments Clause” provides that the president:

shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

Now, as soon as President Obama adds his signature to the bill, the checks and balances established by our Founding Fathers as a protection against tyranny will be eliminated, as well as the concept of enumerated powers.

This history of the delicate system created by our Founders was synopsized in an article published by the Heritage Foundation:

When the delegates of the states gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and wrote the Constitution, they distributed the powers of the federal government among two Houses of Congress, a President, and a judiciary, and required in many cases that two of them work together to exercise a particular constitutional power. That separation of powers protects the liberties of the American people by preventing any one officer of the government from aggregating too much power.

The Framers of the Constitution did not give the President the kingly power to appoint the senior officers of the government by himself. Instead, they allowed the President to name an individual for a senior office, but then required the President to obtain the Senate’s consent before appointing the individual to office. Thus, they required the cooperation of the President and the Senate to put someone in high office.

Many of the Framers had practical experience with government and recognized that not every office would be of sufficient authority and consequence as to merit the attention of both the President and the Senate to an appointment to the office. Therefore, they provided a means by which the Congress by law could decide which of the lesser offices of government could be filled by the President alone, a court, or a department head.

The Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act removes these barriers between the branches and shifts the powers of appointment in such a way that the very foundation of our Republic is weakened under the crushing weight of a powerful executive branch.
In light of this impending imbalance, it must be inquired as to what could compel Congress to legislate away its own power? Why would so many representatives in the Senate and the House willingly abolish their role as bulwark against executive despotism?
Arguably, the answer is a desire to reduce its workload and improve the efficiency of government.
To the minds of many, however, the trade of rightful power for a more streamlined appointment process is a ripoff. As the Heritage Foundation says:

The Congress should not reduce the number of Senate-confirmed appointments as a means of dealing with its cumbersome and inefficient internal process for considering nominations. Doing so gives away Senate influence over a number of significant appointments, does nothing to improve the Senate process, and still leaves nominees whose offices require nominations mired in the Senate process. The proper solution to the problem of a slow Senate is to speed up the Senate rather than to diminish the role of the Senate. The Senate should look inward and streamline its internal procedures for considering all nominations. The proper solution also is the faster one, as the Senate can accomplish the solution by acting on its own in the exercise of its power to make Senate rules, while S. 679 requires approval by both Houses of Congress.

Assuming for the sake of argument that there is a bottleneck in the nomination and confirmation pipeline, one solution is for the executive and legislative branches to work within the framework of the Constitution’s separation of powers to remove the blockage.
Alternatively, however, the Congress could eliminate the problem altogether by reducing the size of the bureaucracy by absolutely refusing to sign off on the creation or continuation of any department, program, or agency that isn’t specifically authorized by the powers granted by the states to the federal government in the Constitution. Such a commitment to be bound by the Constitution would significantly reduce the number of executive branch offices for which appointments would be necessary, thereby dissolving the confirmation clog.

Survival Training - Where to Start?



This is a “take-off” on the earlier post in June, “getting out there”.

In our case, we have our Level 1, 2 and 3 kits, ready to go.  The kits are configured the way we’d best use them, we’ve balanced load properly, we carry our Level 1 gear everywhere we go, and our Level 2 and 3 gear usually isn’t too far away . . . Now what?

Instruction:

Proper instruction is definitely a pre-requisite to getting out and training.  Printed instruction is good, and a live instructor who demonstrates, trains you, and then grades you, is better.

Basic survival instruction should cover the following:  Body Temperature Regulation (Shelter and Fire), Hydration (Water Purification), First Aid, Sanitation and Food collection / preparation.

A good printed source for that kind of information:

Free: FM 21-76 US Military Survival Manual: http://www.equipped.org/fm21-76.htm

$15 shipped:  The USRSOG Manual:  http://www.usrsog.org/manu.htm (probably the best information for the money around today).

Again, instruction given in person with demonstration is probably the best return on investment.  If you know a former military instructor who knows his or her way around the survival world, who’s willing to help you learn, that’s always a plus.

Another thing to do is search out companies in your local area that offer survival training.  For example, in Michigan, Great Lake Survival teams up with Ravenswood Enterprises to offer disaster preparedness, wilderness survival and team building training.

If you’re not in the Michigan area, there are several survival training companies that we recommend across the country.  Drop us a line and we might be able to point you in the right direction depending on where you live.

Training:

Assuming we’ve had proper instruction, we now have our Level 1, 2 and 3 kits squared away.  We’re ready to go do some Training.  The backyard is a good place to start.  Here’s how we would recommend getting one’s “feet wet” with survival training.

1.       Basic Survival Training:  Stay a night out in your local camp ground or back yard with your level 1 and 2 kit.  (obviously if you have a medical condition, this trumps whatever training you are attempting, use common sense).  Construct a shelter with your knife and paracord.  Make survival fire.  Make an insulated place to sleep in your shelter.  If available try and catch some fish with the line, hooks and insects for bait.  Filter and purify some water with in your utility pot.  If the going gets too tough, go inside and figure out what went wrong or what you could do better.  The next time, do it on a rainy day and night in the same area.  Each time you have a successful experience, record it, what went well, what you could do better.  Each time you do a new training day, make the conditions just a little more difficult.  Basic Survival Training should be just over night.  Surviving outside for a night is a skill that just about anybody with the right tools, instruction and attitude can obtain.

2.       Intermediate Survival Training:  This is where we like to turn survival training into a “weekend thing”.  One night here or there is great, but now we’re ready for a couple days in the bush.  Still it would be good to go close to home in the woods not too far away in case something goes wrong.  We have our Level’s 1, 2 and 3.  We’ve set up shelter, made a fire, have purified water (hot or tepid depending on the weather).  Maybe (if it’s legal with the proper hunting permits), want to set up a few animal snares and do some hunting with our “survival pistol”.  Maybe some wild game over the camp fire that night would be tasty.  Each time we go out we test out selves a little more, making sure not to get in over our heads.

3.       Advanced Survival Training:   The only thing different in advanced training is that we’re extending our stay in the wild, and the weather might be a bit more extreme or the location a bit more remote.  There is inherent risk in this type of training.  The individual bears the sole responsibility for his or her outcome.  If your skills aren’t up to snuff or you haven’t been properly trained, it could cost a life.

Having been trained properly, we think the inherent risk in survival training is worth the return on investment to us.  Each time we “push” ourselves to be a little better or a little less comfortable in our training, we develop the attribute of being tough.

People will ultimately have to make the decision inside their mind, whether critiquing a few episodes of “Man vs. Wild” has the same merit as getting out on a regular basis to train and re-train survival skills.  We try not to fool ourselves into thinking that it does.

There is a sense of satisfaction in retraining old skills and testing new skills, knowing that our loved ones can count on us to give them a fighting chance in bad situations. 

As always, Thanks for reading,

-          The Great Lake Survival Team     

Republicans and Democrats

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin709.htm

Chuck Baldwin has written another great article.  Who's to blame for current infringements on American Liberty?  Republicans or Democrats?  You decide.

A LOOK AT HOW DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS DIFFER

By Chuck Baldwin
July 12, 2012NewsWithViews.com

It is an absolute fact that no matter which of the two major parties in Washington, D.C., is in power, the freedoms and liberties of the American people continue to be eroded. However, this does NOT mean that there are not basic differences between the two parties. The two parties differ greatly on HOW government will take our liberties. Where they are similar is in the fact that neither of them has any interest in preserving liberty. Until the American people awaken to this reality, whatever freedoms we have left in this country are doomed.

Let me ask you a question: does it really matter whether a free man is enslaved by a socialist state or a fascist state? Are the prisons any more accommodating? Are the lashes from the whip any less painful? Is the agony of losing a loved one any less grievous? Is the persecution any less revolting? What difference does it make to a free man if his liberties are stolen by an Adolf Hitler or by a Joseph Stalin?

Do you want a quick reference to the difference between how the Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C., are stealing our liberties? When the Democrats control things, America gets more socialism; when the Republicans control things, America gets more corporatism, which is a polite word for fascism. Socialism requires government to own everything, while fascism requires government to control everything. And remember, too, fascists and socialists have always hated each other. Big deal! Fascists and socialists alike hate freedomists, which is why inside-the-beltway Repubs and Dems can’t stand people like Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and yours truly. (Remember the MIAC report identifying the three of us, and our supporters, as being potential “dangerous militia” members?) So who cares which of these two parties happens to be in power? Our freedoms continue to be under siege. That’s why the battle in Washington politics has nothing to do with preserving freedom, but everything to do with HOW government will take freedom. Will they take it by ownership or by control? And, unfortunately, what we have right now is the worst of both worlds: government is using a combination of both ownership and control to steal our liberties. Why? Because except for a very precious few elected civil magistrates (like Congressman Ron Paul), there is no one on Capitol Hill or the White House who remotely understands--or fights for--the principles of liberty.

Even worse is that when the Donkeys and the Elephants do agree, it almost always is in an effort to point the bayonets at the American citizenry. What does it matter whether government owns it or controls it? What does it matter whether it more resembles socialism of corporatism? What it doesn’t look anything like, is FREEDOM!

Take the Democrat/Republican debate over Obamacare. Even if Mitt Romney and the GOP prevail in the November elections, Obamacare will be replaced with Romneycare. And Romneycare will be 85% Obamacare, with a slight shift toward government control and a slight shift away from government ownership. Again, I say, BIG DEAL! What neither party is talking about is that the federal government has no business being in health care. Period! Just like the federal government has no business being in over 90% of everything it is involved in today. But who do you hear saying that in Washington, D.C., except Ron Paul?

Take the issue of the burgeoning surveillance society. What does it matter which major party is in power in Washington, D.C.? The TSA gets more and more obnoxiously tyrannical; abuses of civil liberties under the guise of fighting a “war on drugs” continues unabated; abuses of the Bill of Rights under the guise of fighting a “war on terror” continues unabated; the federal police state continues to grow exponentially; unconstitutional foreign entanglements continue to proliferate; ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

In a book that I have recommended numerous times, “Hitler’s Cross,” Erwin Lutzer writes on page 72, “Through surveillance, wiretaps, spying, and rewarding those who betrayed their friends, Hitler tried to control the citizens of Germany.” On page 73, Lutzer continues the thought saying, “But Hitler did not have the technology to bring every subject of his realm into line.” So, given the technology that is available today, what would Hitler do differently if he were running things in Washington, D.C.? I ask readers to think seriously about that question. What would Hitler do differently?

Today, the federal government monitors virtually every piece of electronic communication. The federal government monitors virtually every major banking transaction. It has spies infiltrated in even harmless organizations all over the country. It threatens people with the loss of their jobs or freedom (or both) to betray their friends. It spies on us with satellites; it spies on us with drones. On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed an Executive Order authorizing the federal government to take control of America’s entire communications industry. In 2006, under President George W. Bush, the US military began planning armed confrontation against the American citizenry. (I have the document in my possession.) And, of course, we must not overlook the Patriot Act which has been authorized and reauthorized under both Republicans and Democrats; the Military Commission Act which was signed by G.W. Bush; NDAA 2012 and 2013 which was signed by President Barack Obama, and which was passed by both Republicans and Democrats. And let’s not forget the federal attack against the Branch Davidians under Democrats Bill Clinton and Janet Reno, and the assault against the Randy Weaver household under Republican President George Herbert Walker Bush.

So, again, pick your poison. Both the socialist-leaning Democrats and the corporatist-leaning Republicans in Washington, D.C., meet together in pointing the bayonet against the American citizenry. And you really wonder why nothing significant changes in this country?

And in this regard, the platforms of the two major parties are completely meaningless! I dare say that Barack Obama has never read the Democrat platform and doesn’t care one iota what it says. I also guarantee you that Mitt Romney hasn’t read the Republican platform and doesn’t care one iota what it says either. Can anyone remember when Republican Presidential candidate, Bob Dole, in a rare moment of candor, publicly admitted that he had not read his party’s platform and didn’t care what it said? Party platforms are for the benefit of rank and file party members to make them feel like their ideas count for something to the party leadership. They don’t!

So, do the Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C., differ? Yes! They differ on how our freedoms will be taken from us. They differ on the degree of government ownership and control. They differ on the nuances of political tyranny. Where they are twins is in their lust and ambition for power, in their approval of stripping more and more freedoms from the American people, and in their absolute and total disregard for constitutional government.

Without some sort of “Great Awakening” both politically and spiritually, whatever is left of our liberties is doomed--and both major parties in Washington, D.C., are equally culpable.

GLSC LEVEL 3 SURVIVAL KIT

Level III Survival Ruck Purpose:  Remote wilderness excursions, SAR, hiking and hunting trips. 

USMC ILBE Ruck Sack w/ Small Pack

USMC ILBE Large Ruck Sack

USMC ILBE Large Ruck Sack

USMC ILBE Large Ruck Sack

If we’re out in “the bush” and any significant distance from home . . . the level III kit is a great thing to have.  As you can see, the level III kit has the original level II kit attached to its back.

With the items listed below, the large ruck shouldn’t be too heavy, but should be able to sustain an individual for several weeks in the wild (assuming proficiency in bush craft).  Whether you are hunting, hiking, or just plain surviving, the level III kit should give a trained individual the tools to “keep on” for quite a while.

As listed in the previous blog entries on survival level kits, this is an outline.  It can be changed to meet the needs of the individual or team.  Obviously in an arctic environment, you’ll need a few different items in that you may or may not need in the desert.

Level III Survival Ruck items:

Level III gear laid out

Level II Kit: The level II kit should be in or on or attached to the large ruck.  The level III Large ruck is not complete without it.

Waterproof Containers:  One of the best things that any of us here have been taught and taught to others about organizing your gear is to use waterproof bags.  When you do that, you can organize your gear in to “cells”.  Food goes in one, clothing goes in another, etc., etc.  MAC Sacks pictured below were developed for the USMC.  There are a number of different styles and manufacturers, use the ones that seem most durable.

Waterproof Jacket / Pants:  There are so many out there.  One of our favorites is the condor “Summit, Softshell” purchased from www.ravenswoodenterprises.com .  Actually there are a couple of these floating around here at Great Lake Survival.  A good quality for a waterproof jacket to have would be a hood and opening under the arms for proper ventilation.  With the advent of Gortex, finding something that suits your needs shouldn’t be too hard at a reasonable price.  Gortex pants are good thing to have as well.  Pictured below are a set of ECWCS Multicam Gortex coated jacket and pants.

ECWCS Cold / Rain gear

Light Weight Poly-Propylene Long Johns / Extra set of Pants / Shirt:  You can get a pair of poly-pros for $15 online and they are guaranteed to keep your skin drier and warmer.  A cheap set of cargo pants and flannel shirt run about $18 at the local Walmart.  In a waterproof sack, dry clothes to change into after a river crossing sure is a nice thing to have.

Poly Pros and Extra Clothes in Waterproof Bag

Tinder / Fuel for Stove:  If everything is wet, it’s nice to have some dry oak splinters and some good tinder.  This is a weight vs. return on investment depending on where you are and how much your level III kit weighs.

Candles: They can bring up the ambient temperature in a shelter even in arctic conditions.  They are a must.

Hydration Bladder:  Most small packs have an area built into them for a water bladder.  With the survival straw or whatever water purifier you use, you can keep up to 100 oz clean drinking water on you.  In arctic weather, you can keep your hydration bladder from freezing by wearing it under your coat.  The hydration bladder can be thrown in the Level II or Level III kits pretty easily.

Hydration Bladder

Frog Gig:  A small recurring pond is a great place to gig frogs for dinner.  Such a lightweight tool . . . all you have to find a straight-ish pole to attach it too and you’re set.

Survival Pistol:  .22 caliber pistols make collecting wild game a much easier task.  A match grade barrel with premium ammo is the way to go.  Below you can see a Browning Buckmark.  Some prefer Smith & Wesson models, some like the Ruger models.  If it works for you, and you can hit a golf ball at 25 yards with one try . . . you’re doing pretty good.

Browning Buckmark - Survival .22 Pistol

GMRS Radio:  Get the best you can afford.  We like the midland waterproof series.  Extra batteries.  Extended range models.  Most claim 25 to 35 mile ranges, but that’s usually only over open water or from mountain top to mountain top.  We’ve personally seen brush so thick with a distance of less than a half mile, reception between two parties was lost.

Waterproof HF GMRS Radio

Survival Tomahawk:  Obviously at GLSC, we’re partial to our product improved ‘hawks.  They have paracord handles, a hammer on one end, and a blade on the other.  You can build, destroy, defend against wild animals, and break free a trapped person with a ‘hawk.  The personal favorite is the GLSC Pipehawk shown below.

GLSC Pipe Hawk

Food Ration:  Something lightweight and highly nutritious is the best option.  Met-RX type “colossal” bars are what’s used here.  3 bars can sustain a person for 3 days.  With 12 bars and a few “freeze” dried meals, you can be set for 8 to 10 days without resupply.  And the best thing are those rations in a waterproof  bag weigh only a couple pounds.

Food Rations

Sleeping Bag or Poncho Liner:  Depending on your climate you may only need a poncho and liner for your sleeping bag.  In the northern great lakes region we experience lows at night that dip to -20.  One night during a winter survival course, a reading was taken with an outside temp of -30 F .  Pictured below is a Wiggy’s “ultra-lite”.  The bag itself is good down to a real 0 degrees.  If you add the over bag it covers you down to -40 F.  Snugpak makes some good bags as well.  There has not been a bag made yet that seems to do better than Wiggy’s lamilite filled bags.  Worth their weight in gold:  www.wiggys.com

Wiggy's Super Lite Sleeping Bag

Climbing Rope & Snap Links:  A good length of rope and a couple snap links can help a team across a river.  There are countless uses for rope and snap links for search and rescue, or survival training.  One member in the team should carry a large rope.  The rest of the members can carry 12 ft. lengths for tying a “Swiss seat”, and a smaller length for attaching your pack to the crossing rope.   

Climbers Rope & Snap Links

Survival Trowel or E-Tool:  A full blown e-tool might be a little too heavy for what you need.  We recommend that you carry at least a high impact resin “survival trowel”.  If you frequent remote areas that are generally subject to wild fires . . . you may bite the bullet and pack the extra weight of a full blown entrenching tool.

Survival Trowel

With bush craft skills and the right tools, and individual can survive for quite a while in the wilderness.  The best way that we’ve found to get used to our gear is to get out in the woods and go camping.  We’ve tested these kits in all four seasons and they work great.

Here are the kits, Level II and III next to the Level I gear.

Level 1 Gear next to Level 2 and Level 3 Ruck

So there you have it, Level I, Level II and Level III kits.  "Wired tight".

As always thanks for reading,

- The GLSC Team

GLSC LEVEL 2 SURVIVAL KIT

Level II Survival Kit Purpose:  Supplement to EDC / Local Search And Rescue, hiking,  hunting

This Level II survival kit is based on what has been most useful to have in a second line of gear outside of “pocket gear”.   With experience, no one knows what’s best for your kit than you.  This outline is a good general place to start though if you’re looking for suggestions.

Level II gear all laid out

The idea of the level II kit is to have a few more items that are highly useful, but in a small pack, so that you will be more likely to have it on you when you're in the wild or far from home.  Some people like to use fanny packs, some like satchels or other things.  This particular pack, attaches to a larger ruck (the level III Survival Kit).  This small pack is part of the U.S.M.C. ILBE load carrying equipment.

 We’ve found most useful, that a small pack with a canteen pouch and first aid pouch attached to the outside, fills the role of a level II kit very nicely.  It can be carried all day and hardly realize you have a pack on your back.

Level II Components:

Level II container:  Small ILBE detachable pack, with military canteen pouch and first aid kit pouch.

ILBE day pack - great for Level II small pack

Poncho:  If I have a survival vest on, my poncho is in my kidney pouch.  If I didn’t have anything but cargo pants . . . my poncho would be in the cargo pocket.  Poncho’s are great for shelter, collecting water, and keeping dry.  There are literally bunches of things to use a poncho for.  You’d be hard pressed to find anyone from GLSC without their poncho in the wild.  Old stock rubberized ponchos are tough and don’t leak.  German surplus models are just about as good as the USGI models that are getting scarce.

Canteen Cup:  This is my drinking cup, my frying pan and my cereal bowl.  It’s light weight and can hold a lot of items when not in use.  There are more light weight options out there, but these old USGI models give you the best bang for your buck.

Canteen Cup & Canteen Stove (fits right over bottom of cup)

Canteen Cup Stove:  This stove fits right over the bottom of my canteen cup, and both tuck neatly in my level II canteen pouch.  It was purchased from the www.canteenshop.com .

Insect Repellent / Insect head net:  A little bottle fits right on the side pouch of the canteen cup pouch.  (best to keep 100% deet away from the inside container that you drink and cook from).

Bug Juice

Tube of Peanut Butter:  Unless you’re allergic, peanut butter offers a great source of protein, fat and salt.  In a pinch, it’s easy to get yourself some calories for energy.  Most importantly it never seems to go bad, and it’s compact.

Peanut Butter Tubes

Bullion Cubes:  If you need to harvest wild game, you’ll be happy you had something to season it with.

Professional Game Snares:  Professional game snares are worth their weight in gold.  The locking kind sure beat using paracord to make your game traps with.

Small Game Snares

IFAK:  (Individual First Aid Kit.)  Band-Aids, Pain Relief, Burn Gel, Anti-Bacterial Ointment, Electrolyte Tabs, Alcohol wipes, etc in a smaller kit.  Great Lake Survival makes a handy little packet to throw in your level II kit.  Again, it’s easy enough to make yourself if you want a more simple kit.  Probably the most important items are the Israeli Battle Dressing and Tourniquet  for major bleeding.  The “IBD” and TK4 tourniquet put compression on the wound and can be applied by the person wounded if necessary.

*** Also, we recommend some sun screen.  Being sun burnt anytime is bad, but being sun burnt when you're far from home just plain stinks.

GLSC Level 1 - Individual First Aid Kit

Water Filter: We like the Sawyer .10 Absolute Micron water filter.  Where most water filters only do .20 absolute microns, the Sawyer line of handheld filters double the filtration effort.  Not only that, they come with a 1,000,000 gallon guarantee.  If you have something you like though . . . use it!  You know what you like, and if you’re experienced, you know what works.  The best thing is to have a filter that fits in this kit.  You can go a long time without food, but not so long without clean water.

Sawyer .10 Squeeze Water Filter

Gloves & Socks:  There should be a pair of socks in the level II kit, but another couple pairs don’t take up space and dry socks are a life saver.  A good pair of gloves does wonders for keeping the hands from getting cuts and infections.  Anything is better than nothing in this category.  There are better wicking socks out there, it’s all in what you want.

Boonie Hat and Balaclava:  If it gets chilly, you have to cover your neck and your head.  With a brimmed hat and a balaclava to keep your face and neck warm, you might just be a little bit more comfortable in bad weather.  The boonie hat is a must though, it keeps the rain and sun out of one’s eyes.

Boonie Hat & Balaclava

Distress Strobe:  If you plan on, or could be ever assisting in the rescue of a person, or be rescued yourself, you might have one of these little guys with you.  It too can fit inside your level II pouch if it’s compact enough.

Coffee or Tea Bags:  You have a stove, you have canteen cup . . . a couple of coffee or tea bags are next to nothing as far as weight and size.  Imagine being part of  a search for a missing child in the wilderness, driving rain and sleet for the last 12 hours . . .  The ability to make a warm cup of coffee and continue on the search might not be a bad thing.

Life without Coffee isn't worth living . . .

Paracord: 20 – 50 ft of paracord.  There’s not much bush craft that doesn’t have a use for paracord.

Paracord

Hygiene Kit: Kept in a Nalgene collapsible bladder there is Camp suds, mineral salt deodorant, dental floss, tooth brush, a shaving razor, tooth paste and whatever other small items you need to keep clean, of high morale and free from infection.

Hygiene Kit

Each level kit, builds on the lower level.  For instance, I have items in my level II kit that should be in my level III kit.  If I can easily attach the level II kit to the outside of my large ruck, I’m less likely to have redundant items in my next higher kit, which will lighten the load.  Lighter loads tend to have more of a chance of being taken with you, than left back at camp because “I’m just going up and over this hill for a few minutes . . .”

The purpose of the level I kit obviously is to have an everyday carry.  Yes you might not have all the “pocket items” or a BIG KNIFE while you’re at work.  But we can all carry a credit card sized survival kit.

Any place from short hiking trips in the local wilderness to more remote areas.  You might be able to get away with leaving your large ruck in the vehicle if only a mile away, while taking your smaller pack.  With the items above, a person can survive in the wild for quite a while. 

The important thing is that each level kit has its place and its practicality.

Level I and Level II kits side by side

Again, it seems that the smaller and lighter the kit, the more likely that you will have it on you.

Thanks for reading,

-          GLSC Team

The Art of the Rifle Blog

We'd like to recommend you stop by and check out this blog:  www.artoftherifle.blogspot.com .

Great Lake Survival isn't shy about advocating the use of firearms for outdoor survival, hunting, self defense or family recreation.  Proper marksmanship skills are about as American as baseball and hotdogs.  With proper safety, supervision, and basics; practicing marksmanship can be fun for the family.

The Art of the Rifle is great place to start is learning how to be a marksman, "by the numbers" . . . . or learn to become a better marksman than you were before.

Having been hunting from a young age, I thought I was a pretty good shot, until I was taken aside and shown a thing or two by credentialed mentor.  It was the first time I had ever heard about "Natural Point of Aim" . . . What's that? :)  

Anyway, with a lot of practice, being taught how to shoot "by the numbers" turned me into a better marksman.  One thing I really took away from that instruction was that being a marksman required me to practice those skills, otherwise I'd lose them.   

I find personally, that life, work and responsibilities get in the way of proper marksmanship practice sometimes.  If you're like us though, you think that having our marksmanship skills "polished" is a responsibility as well.  It's a responsibility to the family protector, to the ethical hunter and to anyone concerned about firearm safety.  What better way to be safe when shooting than to make sure your bullet only goes where you want it to? 

Like anything in life, practice helps one stay sharp. 

Art of the Rifle is great place to sharpen up your skills before heading out to the range.

Thanks for reading,

- GLSC Team

Getting "Out There"

It sure is great to hit the out doors, especially when the weather is great.  When the sun shines and a nice summer breeze is blowing, it makes for great times.  When it’s nice out, we gravitate to the outdoors, and as we should.

On the other hand, it sure is valuable to get into the outdoors and stay a night or two in the cold and blowing rain.  We’re talking about training your survival skills.  They get rusty if they’re not taken out and worked once in a while.  Training doesn’t have to be miles from civilization.  In fact spending a night or two in your backyard in bad weather cements your survival studies.  There’s nothing wrong with reading about survival skills, but there comes a time when we have to practice what we’ve read about.

Survival training is something of importance if we want to take care of those we love in a less than desirable situation.  We cannot get around it.  There are literally a bunch of “how to” and opinions on what works in the wilderness, scattered all over the net.  A lot of it is good stuff.  I tend to wonder if there are as many people “getting out there” and testing their knowledge in bad weather, as there are opinions on survival skills.  Rhetorical question . . .

It’s easy to type up articles about wilderness survival.  Everyone has an opinion, and that’s not a bad thing.  That’s where new ideas and innovation come from.   But getting into the nasty weather or testing out setting up a camp in 50 mph winds, or being wet for 72 hours in continuous rain or camping in temperatures just about 0 degrees will teach invaluable lessons.  That’s quite another thing.  Ideas, innovation and opinions are very necessary, but so is the component of experience.  Training our skills gives us the ability to learn from uncomfortable situations that we can control, instead of learning by the seat of our pants in situations that are BAD and FOR REAL.  Unfortunately we cannot always benefit from other’s experiences.  No one could ever explain what it means to be hungry to someone who’s never felt a hunger pang.  Some things we just have to experience for ourselves.

If you’re the person who “gets out there” more than just a few times, in the nasty weather, in the less than ideal conditions to train what you’ve learned, hats off to you.  If you are the person that “gets out there”, life probably has a flavor that it doesn’t for others.  Having been through high winds, torrential down pours and frigid weather camping; perhaps a calm evening next to a camp fire has warmth in your mind that others really don’t know.

We’re not suggesting people put their lives in unnecessary peril.  But once in a while it’s okay to get wet, get cold and get uncomfortable.  That’s where the people at GLSC have learned the most important lessons, and it’s where we continue to learn lessons.  Behind a computer screen isn’t where true learning takes place, (it can be a great resource though!).  “Out there” is where the learning takes place.  It’s where we learn lessons that we can pass down to our children and our children’s children.

The Great Lake Survival motto is “Tough Products for Tough People”.  The reality is that our most important product are our experiences.  We’re the ones who take our experiences, and ultimately turn them into what we want to be: Tough People.

Thanks for reading,

- GLSC Team