Workplace Violence - AmMerc



Posted from Randomthoughtsandguns as it relates to survival and self-defense:

http://randomthoughtsandguns.blogspot.com/2013/09/workplace-violence.html

"Workplace violence

What do Killeen, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Newton have to do with the Washington Navy Yard?

The response of the first responders.  In each case the shooter was able to kill multiple people long before any coherent response could be mounted by security personnel or first responders.

Why is that?  Simply put, each shooter (or in Columbines case, the shooters) obeyed some simple principles.

Operational Security.  By maintaining OPSEC they were able to plan ahead, get their weapons into position, and start their killing spree without tipping off the security forces.

Audacity.  Each target, in every single case, was a known "gun free zone" patrolled and protected by security guards and/or the local police.

Violence of action.  Once they started, they didn't stop until they were stopped by someone else with a gun.

I didn't include Laughner, Hassan, and Holmes in here because they lived, and in each case there were plenty of warning signs that were ignored by the security forces.  You could make the case that Virginia Tech should fall into "lots of warning signs" category but Cho didn't leave a huge trail of breadcrumbs.

In every case politicians fall into the wishful thinking trap that "if we would have just known ahead of time" they could have done something.  Politicians love the idea of "pre-crime prevention" except that it doesn't happen that way.

Look at a chessboard.  At the beginning of the game there are no unknowns.  But at the beginning of the game you don't know if black or white will win, or the game will draw as a stalemate.  Even with perfect knowledge of the pieces, the board, there is no way to know who will win.

How much more complicated do you think a nation of 300 Million individuals is than a chessboard with 64 squares and 16 pieces?

The lesson learned from these shootings is that prevention is impossible, and that the only logical strategy is one of empowered response.  If someone shoots at you, and you can't shoot back, you are screwed.  Denying people the ability to respond is criminal, and I do hope that someone can make the case for criminal negligence in court.

Now, what is truly scary, is that our mass shootings are done by crazy people or individuals who have been pushed too far and just snap.  If an operation was conducted by a fully rational individual (or team, lets not forget Columbine) that worked through the operational planning framework from infil to exfil, the body counts could be much higher, and none of us would know until communications had been restored.  With the known state sponsors of terrorism out there, this is a frightening possibility.

I can't help but think that Israel has the right idea in arming teachers, grandparents, reservists, etc.  If the enemy is plotting an operation in your midst, then giving everyone the ability to respond is the only logical solution. "

The Will to Prepare to Win



You may have heard this before:  “"The key is not the will to win... everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important." – Bobby Knight (remember that hot-headed NCAA basketball coach?  Yep that’s the him.)

I’d venture to say the will to prepare to win is an often overlooked skill set in today’s microwaveable ready world.  Can anyone blame us?  We’ve been programmed to take care of things at the last minute.  Everything we want, we get because of “just in time” logistics at the super-market or convenience stores.  With lay-away and credit cards do we really even have to plan and save for what we want?  And believe me, we’re not pointing any fingers.  The “just-in-time” thing effects all of us.

However, there are some things I think we can all agree that deserve a little farther look down the road when it comes to planning a favorable outcome for the protection of our family.  Taking time and spending a few dollars to learn or send ourselves for retraining when it comes to survival, self-defense and first aid can mean the difference in life and death.  Trying not to be melodramatic, the reality is that training equals proficiency and proficiency equals the speed in which we can help save lives, defend threats and find safety.

And unfortunately we can type away on blogs, write books, and theorize about what’s what, but it doesn’t replace getting “out there” with qualified instructors and learning new skills, or for some of us, knocking the rust off and retraining.  It’d be nice if it weren’t so, but survival skill sets are a perishable good if not used regularly. 

And that’s where the tag line comes in:  Having the will to win in a bad situation is common, but having the will to prepare to win is stacking the deck in your favor and is the key.  Having the will to get out there and prepare to win (by training) against life threatening situations is a great start.  Our families deserve the best protection we can offer.

Luckily for us there are a number of private companies in several different regions of the US that are willing to train law abiding citizens in wilderness survival, self-defense and first aid:  John Mosby (West & Northwest), SFMedic(East / Southeast), Max Velocity (East), DTG (Great Lakes) .  These are just to name a few.  It seems that most students are satisfied when finding training instructors who’s expertise is vouched for by those in their respective community of contact.  Equally important is feedback from fulfilled students.

Life gets in the way sometimes, but it’s important to take the time to prepare to beat the odds of a SHTF situation.  We hope that as summer is waning this post finds you and your family healthy and full of energy.  Perhaps we’ll see you in the field when it’s time to retrain some of those survival skills.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care – August 23, 2013

 

 



Get the training while the training is available . . . acquire the skills to save a life.

http://defensivetraininggroup.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/tactical-combat-casualty-care-august-23-2013/

Cost: $150 per person

Objective: Participants will learn to use the latest in first aid doctrine gained from the military and applied to situations that the family defender or community defense team might find themselves faced with during a SHTF scenario.

One of the major issues facing those in the preparedness community is lack of experience in “real world” violent situations. DTG will train you in the latest techniques of Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Participants will learn to prioritize actions to take during a crisis so that you and yours have the best chance of surviving the incident you can, given your level of expertise and other factors. When the class is over, you’ll have the basic knowledge and information with which to build an even more in-depth trianing program for your own group.

Class Duration: 8 Hours
Topics Covered:
– Care Under Fire
– Tactical Field Care
– Casualty Evacuation Care
– Blow Out Kit Contents / Placement
– Use of Blow Out Kit Contents
– Treatment of the 3 most preventable causes of battlefield death

Registration: Send a note of interest to defensivetrainggroup@live.com, subject line: TC3 Class
Class size is limited, so confirm your registration today!

Re take Your Privacy and Communication Security

 

Digital Survival . . . . 

 

From the Combat Studies Group:

 



http://combatstudiesgroup.weebly.com/1/post/2013/06/re-take-your-privacy-and-communication-security.html


"With the recent revelations pertaining to government spying on it's own citizens (does this really surprise anyone?), I wanted to offer a quick primer on regaining some of your electronic security. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a number of things you can start doing right now. (I also offer a course on this subject that covers it in great detail.)

One caveat I need to point out before we go further is this - While any and all of the following tips will offer a high level of privacy, most of them are rendered potentially useless if they are employed on the Windows or Mac operating systems. Why? Because Microsoft and Apple have entered into complicit agreements with government bodies in the form of secret backdoor access to your system and no anti-virus or malware  program will save you from it as it is a "legitimate" part of the operating system's code.
Where does that leave you? Either install a Linux based OS, or at the very least get a bootable  USB linux system.
Now, there are those (including MS and Apple) that will argue that there is no such thing and this is just wild tinfoil hat talk. Ultimately it boils down to this for me......do I trust organizations that have a track record of disregard for client privacy and offer software that is closed source and hidden from public audit - or do I trust a product that is designed with privacy in mind and is open source and regularly audited by the public?

Backdoor Info 1         

Moving on.......

1. Stop using Yahoo, Google and Hotmail for your email. In the last week alone I have received at least 4 emails from "friends" who had their accounts hijacked/hacked (all Yahoo).  Consider smaller email providers that will respect your privacy......GMX, Lavabit, Hushmail just to name a few. That doesn't mean that you can completely trust these providers, it simply means they will not read your email for marketing purposes and will only surrender information to governments within the appropriate judicial process. (You still would need a VPN or Tor to mask your IP address and PGP keys to encrypt your content - but that is another article all by itself)

2. Stop using Yahoo, Bing, Google for your searches. Instead use DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Ixquick or Privatelee.

3. Stop using Skype and Google voice. Instead try out options that offer encrypted calls like iCall and Jitsi. You can setup a free phone account with Ostel - they have instructions on their site to setup the phone software.

4. Setup a chat/instant message account using Pidgin (Adium on Mac) or Jitsi, which will allow encrypted communication via OTR. I recommend setting up an xmpp account for free with DuckDuckGo HERE

5. Encrypt any personal data in a separate drive with Truecrypt or LUKS (use the Encfs Manager in Linux)

6. Start using a VPN service (one that utilizes openvpn protocols)

If you are considering a move to a Linux based system, here are a few places to start....

If you are used to using Windows try - Zorin OS

If you are used to using Mac try - Pear OS

or give these a try - Ubuntu or Mint



These are just the tip of the iceberg, but will get you started on the road to recovery......"

"Sugardine" Antiseptic



In the event that you cannot get antibiotics . . . you might consider having the items to make "Sugardine" on hand.  Read below, this excellent knowledge to have.

Reposted from Survivalblog.com :  http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/06/letter-re-sugardyne-for-wound-treatment.html

"I'm sure you've heard of this--but on the off chance you haven't, you definitely need to: The miraculous wound-healing benefits of a goop made from sugar and betadine (povidone iodine--available cheaply everywhere). You mix together and make a paste, which can be packed into deep wounds and gouges. Some people refer to it as "sugardine."
Not everyone knows that sugar alone has been used for hundreds of years as an effective gunshot wound treatment. The high osmotic gradient it promotes attracts and traps bacteria--and animal cells are better able to withstand high osmotic conditions than bacterial cells. The addition of the povidone iodine makes it even more effective.
There are countless stories of near miraculous saves of horses with bad wounds that wouldn't heal, using this paste. I've used it to great effect on myself and on my dogs--sometimes with deep canine puncture wounds.
Ideally, it should be packed in and covered, and rinsed out and replaced everyday. But any application, under any circumstances, is a lot better than nothing. Granulated (or powdered) sugar and lots of povidone iodine are very valuable additions to prepper medical stores, in my opinion.
Here are a few medical journal articles on the topic:  

• Use of sugar and povidone-iodine to enhance wound healing: five year's experience.
• Mixture of sugar and povidone-iodine stimulates healing of MRSA-infected skin ulcers on db/db mice.
• Mixture of sugar and povidone--iodine stimulates wound healing by activating keratinocytes and fibroblast functions

And here's a very practical video on using sugardine, from a veterinarian.
Stay Prepared! - Steve N."

Field Dressing Small Game

After you snare your game,  you have to dress it and prepare it for cooking.

It's really simple.

*On a side note, be careful to cook your game thoroughly.  Parasites are nasty little things that will transfer from game to the carnivore in uncooked meat.  Generally small game taken between the first frost and the last frost of the season is safer to eat than if taken in the middle of August.

All things being equal, if cooking game in the wild, make sure it's very well done, and eliminate the possibility of parasite transfer all together.

A good indication of disease or parasites in small game is a spotted liver.

Below is a great little video on cleaning that rabbit you just trapped.

*Second side note when it comes to rabbits:  They don't have enough fat in their meat.  If your diet consisted only of rabbit and nothing else you would eventually die of protein poisoning.  Some people say you can help combat that by eating the rabbit brain and eyeballs.

The human body needs a balanced diet of protein, fats and carbs.  Like a three legged stool, without any of those, the machine will break down.

*Animals that provide fatty meats:  Beavers, turtles, porcupines, fish, bear and edible insects.  Edible insects are almost 100% fat.  So if you have rabbit on the menu, make sure you supplement it with a fatty side dish.

  

Thanks for reading

Snare your way to a full belly

Here's a great little video from youtube.com on setting up a snare along a game trail. 

When teaching wilderness survival we suggest approaching food procurement with this thought in mind:  You should have a survival firearm for hunting game (and personal protection), but don't rely solely on your hunting skills, or you will starve.  One must be able to trap / snare game.

Think about it:  You can set 12 traps up, that are quiet and ready to catch game for you, 24/7.  They won't get tired and fall asleep and they won't get discouraged and quit.  While you are sheltered up or purifying water, your traps are still working hard to catch any game that might happen by. 

So while you're trying to line up a good shot with your survival .22 on that squirrel, you might do it with less pressure if you know that you have the support of your own little work force of traps waiting to catch your next meal.

In the wild, it's about minimizing your effort while maximizing your gain.

Commercial snares are affordable enough to buy and are 10 times more fool proof than improvised versions.  You can find 24 small game snares shipped to your location for about $25.   

Thanks for reading.