In my opinion…and I ask you to…

Posted on June 24, 2020 by AH Trimble

note: It took me ten days to write and edit this article to make it read close to what I have in my head and in my heart. I asked my wife to read the article last night for editing and content. She complimented me on the content and gave no suggestions on changes. She did however tell me the article was too long and not many people would read it because of that. She felt that in today’s world people don’t want to take the kind of time it would take to read the entire article. She suggested I reduce the content without watering down the message.

I thought about it for a while I shared with her I wasn’t going reduce the article’s length. I told her most people might not read it because it was too long and I was OK with that. Some folks would read it regardless of its length. I went on to say I am not trying to reach everybody, I am only trying to reach those few who who will actually care enough to invest the time, respect what I have to say, and are willing to help change what is happening now. I hope you are one of those people that I can reach…and together we can make a difference, serve each other, and make things just a little better. If not you and me…then who?

Well, it’s time for me to run my mouth about what I see happening. Some of you are not going to like what I have to say…I mean really not like it. Some of you might completely agree. Some I am sure will think about what I say and weigh it against their own opinions and thoughts to see if they might find value in what I’ve written. To all…I am saying what I believe and believe what I say. I am not saying these things to alienate or to please. I am not writing this lightly, I take it seriously. I am sharing my voice to hopefully, in some small way, help resolve the situation we find ourselves in by getting folks to think and then act accordingly. And our current situation…well, it is horrible and getting worse. As with most things worth solving, it’s going to be hard. And only level-headed, decent, understanding, moral, ethical, unbiased, and thoughtful folks are going to make the effort and invest the time to help with that change.

You might be thinking…Why is AH writing this article now? OK, fair enough. Answer = Desperation. No, I’m not desperate. The situation in the country right now is desperate. The forces of evil are winning and we are losing any hope of improving our wretched condition. I write this article trying to do something to influence folks to do better, to be better, to help make this desperate situation less evil, less desperate. If you are not willing to be open to ideas that might work, then please don’t read on. If you are open minded, honest, a decent human being who cares about the future of this country AND believes in the Constitution and our country’s founding principles…then I write this article for you…and for our future.

One of the reasons I’ve been relatively quiet for a couple of weeks is due to my research, verifying what I feel to be true, and listening to a wide variety of opinions and views. Then I have given hours and hours of pondering to what I feel and also validating everything against my two standards; 1) eternal gospel principles, and, 2) the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights). This article, an opinion piece, is the result of all that time and effort. I hope you get something out of it. Over the ten days it has taken me to write this article I’ve learned a lot about myself, our country, our situation, and the two paths that will dictate our future.

There are two aspects of the situation we collectively find ourselves in…two simple but opposing forces…good vs. evil.

Let me address the easy part first. Looting is wrong and illegal. Riotous behavior that results in the destruction of property is wrong and illegal. Physically harming another (assault), other than in self-defense, is wrong and illegal. Those people doing any of these activities should be arrested, charged, put on trial, and allow a jury to determine guilt or innocence…and then a court to apply an appropriate sentence. Yes, I am calling for justice for the wrong doers in our midst.

Next…protesting is legal and constitutionally guaranteed. Boisterous, loud, obnoxious, ignorant, animated behavior while protesting is not illegal and is actually also a guaranteed right under the Bill of Rights.

Also…I personally have absolutely no problem with protestors using streets, roads, and freeways to do their protesting. It is perfectly fine with me. And yes, even that behavior is not illegal. At least not according to the Constitution. If drivers are “inconvenienced”…too bad, so sad. I support the Constitution and the Bill of Rights…NOT a driver’s level of comfort and convenience. If you don’t like getting held up in traffic…then take a different route that avoids the protest. If you are surprised by a protest and get caught up in a traffic jam…TOO FREAKING BAD! That is your fault for having pathetic situational awareness.

I believe it a God-given right to defend yourself from bodily harm, to defend your property from destruction or theft, thus enjoying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as our Founding Fathers clearly and unequivocally stated.

OK, that pretty much should cover the easy side of expressing my opinion. But, before I leave this part, let me share one thing…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

In case you didn’t recognize the above…it is from the Declaration of Independence. That document, hallowed in nature and form, is the founding basis of the American Revolution that ultimately created the United States of America. The first Constitutional Republic governed by the people, for the people…the longest running Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. A simple declaration that states government gets it power/authority by consent of those it governs vs people getting their rights from those that govern them.

That being said, there is a fundamental issue at hand…is what is happening now in America justified under the Declaration of Independence? Or more succinctly…is it legal in regards to the spirit and letter of the law?

Before anyone can answer that question let’s look at a view of things that may make some folks uncomfortable, others will become mad as hell, some won’t believe it, others will simply dismiss it. So be it…don’t read it if you don’t want to…no one is making you read anything. I am simply expressing my right under the First Amendment…freedom of speech. And of course…you are free to disagree, free to not read it, free to voice an opposing opinion, free to choose according to the dictates of your conscious and heart. At least we are free to do so now.

Let me challenge some of you directly at this point. No, not everyone. Some of you have already done your research and learned truth, learned facts, learned to see reality and understand what it means. To everyone else…please listen.

The basis of the conflict we see in America today has three roots or pillars, that is driving it.

The first is the easiest to see and recognize it for what it is. There is an organized effort in this country to overthrow the Constitution. And by doing so usher in a totalitarian state…a police state. A state run by an elite few for their benefit, for their gain, for their comfort. They desire one thing…ultimate, uncontested, unrestricted power. Plain and simple…they want power…power over everyone and everything. There is no political pigeon-holing those behind this effort by applying labels such as Progressives, Liberals, Communists, Fascists, Republicans, Democrats, Left, Right, Conservatives, etc. Why? Because those that who have the insatiable desire for a totalitarian state are part of all of it…all of those groups have totalitarian foot soldiers and leadership in them…some more than others.

Second root/pillar are those folks who have been historically repressed, or, through individual and systematic efforts, have been inhibited from reaching their full potential. Yes, you read that mouthful correctly. But, before you get too carried away let me explain. In the USA slavery was a part of life, a way of life, cultural in nature, form, and function; and enshrined by all levels of government at the very beginning. Slavery was based in two factors/beliefs; 1) it was economically beneficial to use a person’s labor and not compensating them, 2) some races were viewed as not equal mentally or spiritually.

Official government sanctioned, legal, Constitutional slavery was finally overthrown barely 150 years ago. Unfortunately, the laws preventing equality were not overturned until less than 60 years ago…and then only at the federal level. It then took decades of legal battles in the courts to force those legally guaranteed rights upon states, counties, cities, and even businesses.

But an interesting, albeit sinister, event took place the same year that the federal civil rights legislation was passed. That event…a touted and praised program designed to control the same people that the civil rights laws were meant to free. They even labeled it The Great Society. It was anything but.

So while a federal legal precedence was being molded to provide unquestionable and legal equal rights…another government program was invoked that ensured those same people would be repressed, controlled, and worst of all…used. Used as puppets, and in some cases as foot soldiers in the totalitarian cause I mentioned earlier. The Great Society was anything but.

The third leg/pillar of our current events is sheer stupidity. Yes, maybe that is a bit too harsh…I admit that. But it is true none the less. Some of it is superficial stupidity, some of it is much deeper and rooted in bias that knows almost no bounds. And unfortunately, it is directly aiding and abetting those behind the very first pillar I mentioned above…the lust for unmitigated power.

Let me explain the two aspects of this stupidity I speak of…

Clearly the looters and destroyers hidden among the protestors are the first part of the “stupid.” And they are so easy to see.

George Floyd is murdered by four cops who know exactly what they are doing, have been trained on how to do it, and have a long history of such behavior in a police department that is infamous for violent and illegal behavior against its citizens. OK, that event is a bad thing…and evil thing…and the spark.

But then you see morons breaking into an Apple store to steal phones, tablets, and accessories. Then their moron cousins break into stores stealing all manner of clothing that probably will never fit them. Then more of their extended moron family set fire to businesses…businesses that serve their own communities…and owned by their neighbors! Stupidity at its core…the perfect examples of it.

Now…a more complicated form of stupidity. And I readily admit that the term ”stupidity” probably shouldn’t be used in this next case. It is insulting for one. But, it may be entirely inaccurate. A much more exact term is probably something along the lines of “ignorant complicity.”

Remember the first pillar? Those are the folks who I would deem “informed complicity.” They know exactly what is happening, why, and willfully engage to accomplish the end goal. I am not talking about those folks now. I am speaking of those who through lack of knowledge are complicit in accomplishing the same goal as outlined in the first pillar.

Now you ask…Who are they?

Well, judge a person by their actions. Or, in this case…identify a person, the ignorantly complicit, by their actions.

If the end goal is a totalitarian state, what is a primary roadblock to accomplishing that goal? Plainly it is rights, liberty, freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Or more plainly…the loss of power of the individual and the transference of that power from those individuals to the government. Once the government has a sufficient amount of that transferred power…they can completely dominate the population they oversee. And our Founding Fathers saw it in their day, revolted against it, defeated it, and put safeguards in-place to protect it from happening to the newly formed Constitutional Republic, then or in the future.

So why am I rambling on about all this instead of just identifying the remainder of the stupid…or more politely and accurately identified as the “ignorantly complicit”? I have to lay the groundwork for my opinion…or most would dismiss that simple identification out of hand.

To identify those individuals of whom I now speak I have to base my opinion on evidence. And there are multiple types of evidence; empirical evidence, anecdotal evidence, experiences of yourself and the experiences of others. Is that evidence valid and provided in context?

Well, for my research I used statistics provided by what I believe to be reliable sources. I also put most of the weight on actual events with real people resulting in real outcomes recorded on audio and video and presented in full context. I also used my own personally observed experiences…I was there and heard and saw it myself. I intentionally and purposefully avoided such pitfalls as bias, clichés, and straw-man arguments. To test my “bias” I would ask myself…Does their behavior meet a legal standard or my own personal preference? My personal preference doesn’t matter in the least…it is a matter of only legality. Meaning…is it compliant with the Constitution.

Now, when all this evidence gathering and pondering was done I was able to identify what I feel is the problem. I’ve heard it said before…”The problem is all of us!” No, it is not. The collective “we” are not the problem! The problem is bias and ambivalence.

Bias is a tendency, inclination, or prejudice for or against something or someone. Ambivalence is simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action.

OK, about now you are asking how in the heck did I come up with that. And man, I agree with you…how the heck did I come with that load in relation to what is happening in America today!

Let me explain a few situations or examples to help clarify my answer to the “problem” infecting America.

Example: The death of George Floyd. There is all kinds of video capturing his death. You can see multiple angles, all of the interaction that took place, hear the audio, and watch him die. Now, what came into your mind?

Another cop killing another black man!
A cop just doing his job!
A cop refusing to listen to a dying man!
A criminal resisting arrest!

And obviously the list could go on at some length. The problem we have is that our personal bias provides us our own narrative. Our ambivalence causes us to retreat into our personal safe zone of bias. Thus, we lock ourselves into our own reality regardless of the facts of true reality.

When looked at in actual reality, based on facts, the key facts are:

The store clerk reported a non-violent crime that actually falls under the prevue of the Secret Service – “…integrity of our currency…”.
A police officer performed an illegal/criminal act.
The suspect told the officers he was dying.
Four police officers ignored that information.
The suspect begged for his life.
Four police officers ignored those pleas.
The suspect had an adversarial relationship through prior employment with the lead police officer that actually killed him.
The lead police officer had a long history of on-the-job performance complaints against him.
The police department has a history of “use of force” issues, including killings, and they have been investigated multiple times for that problem.
A suspect, only a suspect, died while in police custody…the ultimate judge, jury, and executioner situation.
Three other police officers stood by and allowed the lead police officer to commit a criminal act and watched a man die in their custody without taking any action to prevent it.

Those are facts…period…end of story. The ultimate failure of “To serve and protect”…unfortunately.

Here is the problem…bias and ambivalence. Good people have been taught/trained since early childhood to respect and obey police. Good people have been taught/trained since early childhood to feel that criminals should get what they deserve. Good people have been taught/trained since early childhood that police are the good guys. Good people have been taught/trained since early childhood that some groups of people commit more crimes than others. Good people have been taught/trained since early childhood…fill in the blank. All of it creates “bias” in our personalities.

Then we see a police officer with his knee placed on a man’s neck, in the process of killing him, watching three other police officers assisting in that death…well, that’s where the contradictions begin.

Our brains begin to form a mental picture:

Cops (good guys) dealing with a criminal (bad guy).
Cops (good guys) struggling with a criminal (bad guy) who must be resisting arrest.
The bad guy doesn’t look or act like me.
Crowd forming (more bad guys) yelling at officer (good guys) to stop killing him (bad guy).
Cops (good guys) in more danger from the crowd (bad guys).
The people in the crowd don’t look or act like me.
Man (bad guy) dies.
Oh well…he probably deserved it anyways.

All of the above is based strictly on bias.

The problem lies with reality:

The man is not a criminal – he hasn’t been convicted or even charged with a crime. He is “suspected” of trying to use currency that a convenience store clerk thought might be counterfeit.
The man is not a “bad guy” – he hasn’t done anything in this situation to warrant that label…NOTHING!
The police perform a criminal act by knelling, with practically his full weight, on the man’s neck.
The police ignore the man’s pleas for his life…that he is dying.
A man dies as a result of the illegal act of a police officer.

And that causes a short circuit in our brains called ambivalence. When faced with conflicting information, confrontation based on conflicting principles, we will usually retreat into our comfort zone. And that comfort zone is usually composed mostly of bias vs actual fact-based reality.

So then the whole situation gets worse…much, much worse.

Since the whole thing is caught on video from multiple angles there is no room for incorrect reporting by the police. And their intentional misrepresenting what actually happened in their reports would be quite natural. They don’t want to get into any trouble for killing a man so their natural tendency would be to lie about it. Or, at the very least, grossly misrepresent the situation. But, they found they could not do so faced with a significant volume of video/audio showing facts, truth, and reality.

How does it get worse? A group of people who feel oppressed takes up the “cause” of the man…the killing by police officers. Now the question is…”Are their feelings justified?”

First off, feelings don’t have to be justified to produce a reaction. It is called “pathos”, simply meaning what a person does, or how they react, is based on what just excited their passions or emotions. But, we can still ask the question…”Is their reaction justified?” Again, their reaction doesn’t have to be justified…no, not at all. Why? Because it is an action based a feeling and feelings are seldom based on logic, facts, truth, and reality.

But, is this situation and resulting action(s) based on truth, facts, and reality?

The crux of the matter is police violence towards a black person. And in this case, four police officers killing a black man. Is there any historical context for this? The answer is an unqualified “Yes!”

Historical facts…

The United States was founded legally approving of slavery.
Most slaves were black.
The Constitution didn’t even recognize slaves as a fully complete person.
The United States, business, and individuals economically benefited from slavery for over 80 years.
Even after slavery was abolished extreme racial bias existed and was even formally approved of by the Supreme Court.
In the mid-1950’s the civil rights movement began in earnest with peaceful protests for equal civil rights and against racism.

So how did police officers conduct themselves during those original peaceful protests? It is almost unimaginable how horrific the police behaved. It was the very obvious essence of evil. They used high pressure water hoses against the peaceful protestors, beat them with clubs, used attack dogs to maim them, and shot more than just a few. Even young children were victims at the hands of police…those who touted the motto “To serve and protect”!

So there is no doubt that facts, truth, reality is there that the civil rights advocates have a very valid concern when dealing with police. Yes, that means the evidence is clear and compelling. If you try to justify that abhorrent behavior you are probably coming from a perspective based on bias.

But, do police today have a fact-based track record of using excessive force against people? And in this case…regardless of the race of the person.

Here is where I did hours and hours and hours of research. For over 10 years I’ve been writing on the excessive use of force by police, the militarization of police, and their general misconduct. Over the last 6 months I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of video based examples of police conduct. And I am telling you point blank…we have a serious problem in the law enforcement community! I have dubbed it the “comply or die!” mentality.

And before I go any further…don’t try using a false narrative or a straw-man argument against me…it doesn’t and won’t work. I’ve done my homework, I’ve done my research, I’ve spent the time finding out the fact vs fiction. And no, please don’t try the old tired line…being a police officer is dangerous work. No, it is not. It barely breaks into the top 50 most dangerous professions. Even an on the road salesman is a more dangerous profession. And yes…based on BLS statistics.

So there exists 1,000’s of videos (unedited, in context) of police misconduct…everything from sexual assault (sometimes with minors), to planting evidence, to outright murder. And hearing the police officers talk about people it is obvious that many are racist. Actually, many just about hate everyone who isn’t one of them…a badge carrier.

And about now I am sure there are more than a few folks who might be saying…Those are only a few bad apples, the majority of LEOs are good guys. Really??? Show me statistics, evidence that it is only a handful of bad apples.

But, better yet, answer this…if it is only a handful of bad apples…then why don’t the “good guys” arrest the bad apples and put them in prison. That would result in two things; 1) criminals wouldn’t be wearing a badge doing terrible things to people, 2) civilians in general would respect LEOs far more than they do.

Now, let me take a minute to state two things; 1) not all cops are bad, and Peace Officers are good guys, 2) there has been a change in the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, where District Attorneys and Prosecuting Attorneys have shown the moral courage and guts to prosecute criminal cops. To them I say…THANK YOU!

Now back to the protestors…

They have a historical context of abuse at the hands of police…a terrible and disgusting history of such. They have current and clear evidence over the last couple of decades of police being able to abuse people, kill people, falsely charge people, etc. And lastly…they’ve had enough of it! If you can’t see that…then once again you are probably blinded by bias.

So these folks are sick and tired of suffering…and being killed…at the hands of police and they want their voices to be heard. I say good on them!!!! That is what the Constitution and Bill of Rights is all about. Our country was founded on principles that they are currently employing.

Let me reprint something from earlier in my article…

The questions for most of us would sound something like this…

Do we approve of their right to protest, to attempt redress of their grievances?
Do we understand their plight, the historical evidence, the facts?
Do we support the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our country’s founding document The Declaration of Independence and the principles outlined therein?

Or, do we sit there watching the news and saying something like this…

They need to get a job!
He got what was coming to him.
The police were just trying to do their job.
They were just following orders.

Or statements that might be far more gross in tone and content.

Before you launch into some sort of tirade…I am not talking about the looting and arson. Those are criminal acts and should be dealt with appropriately. I am speaking of protestors. Do you support their cause or not…or at least their right to protest?

If not…you have a problem because you are not dealing in reality, you are dealing from bias.

As a Christian I believe there is sin. Sin is violating God’s outline of appropriate behavior for us. I also believe that sin is sin. However, commonsense tells me that some sin is worse than others. Not loving your neighbor as yourself is violating the actual words of Christ. I consider that a sin. However, murdering your neighbor is far, far worse. So for me…there is a degree of sin…a severity scale if you will.

So let me ask you a couple of things…

Is shooting peaceful protestors with rubber bullets worse than blocking traffic?
Is yelling at police worse than being hit with flash-bang grenades?
Is throwing a water bottle at a riot control police officer in full protective riot gear worse than being gassed with CS gas (commonly known as tear gas)? Oh, by the way…CS gas is outlawed by the Geneva Convention for warfare. But, police all over the United States use it against unarmed civilians.
Is protesting and blocking traffic worse than using the military against civilians?

I could go on but I believe you get my point.

Who is the biggest threat and/or who is the most dangerous right now in these circumstances?

Great question and relatively easy to answer…just apply Risk Mitigation principles to it. In other words…What risks/threats have the highest probability of occurring and if they do occur how severe is the impact?

So right now what are the top threats to you, to your community, and to our country? Based on probability and severity here is my list of the greatest threats/risks/dangers:

Military
Law enforcement
Law & Order extremists
Rioters/looters/criminals

My reasoning?

Military – This is a no brainer…they have the most weapons, the most powerful weapons, largest numbers of personnel, propensity to simply “follow orders”, and history of violence against US civilians.
Law enforcement – This is an obvious one as well, but for different as well as similar reasons. They have a wide range of weapons available to them and in significant quantities. They have large numbers of personnel, mobilize quickly, and are well organized. They also, for the most part, have a propensity to simply “follow orders”. And there is a notable number of current instances of violence against civilians. And many law enforcement personnel right now are stressed, are questioning their civilian leadership, in some areas officers are calling in sick when they are not, and some officers are at times refusing to answer radios calls to come to the aid of those they swore to serve and protect.
Law & Order extremists – These folks are a little more difficult to identify. However, they fall mostly into two groups; 1) political orientation, 2) philosophical beliefs. While the two on the surface may sound similar, they are not. Political orientation that I speak of is in terms of Republicans, conservatives, and others that believe that the protestors are somehow violating the law and should be stopped. They tend to not understand the difference between protestors advocating for a cause and looters/rioters committing crimes. They also tend to group all protestors with rioters and looters. There is also a tendency with these individuals to advocate for extreme measures when dealing with protestors, especially if there are some looters and rioters mixed in with them. For example: use of tear gas (CS), rubber bullets, stun grenades, and batons to beat civilians. They also tend to be vocal supporters of “shoot to kill” all looters. And they also support the use of the military in dealing with civil disturbances. So why do these extremists believe in such things? Fundamentally they do not understand the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the founding principles of the United States, and they almost always, through their “law & order” clichés believe in a police state and similar political ideology.

The other group I referred to are those with specific philosophical beliefs. Mainly it is a philosophy that they are defending their community, their families, and themselves against injury or property damage. While that is an admirable goal, there is one slight problem…ignorance. For those who maintain this philosophy and are trained with their weapon, educated in the law, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and understand “use of force” there is no problem at all. Actually, those folks are to be respected, admired, and applauded because they reflect Committee of Safety and Militias that were formed in Colonial America to oppose British oppression. The problem comes in where armed groups of individuals attempt to protect their communities, families, and themselves who are not trained with their weapon, not educated in the law, do not understand the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, and do not understand “use of force”. These folks are dangerous…period. I rate the probability pretty low because the chances of someone encountering one of these folks in a conflict would be pretty low. But, if the encounter takes place it will be unstable and the severity could be as extreme as loss of life.

Rioters/Looters/Criminals – I rate these folks dead last in probability based on the chance that it could affect you. Well, I should add…if you are maintaining Situational Awareness. Simply avoid areas that are prone to protests and riots. Avoid becoming involved in public conflicts and avoid areas where curfews exist. Avoid not just high crime areas, but also, crime prone areas. I rate severity pretty low because if you use common sense encountering such a situation is low. And if you did encounter this situation you can more than likely extricate yourself with little difficulty due to a larger numbers of folks…getting lost in the crowd. Or if needed…appropriate use of force to defend yourself or your family.

Charted out it looks like this:

So now what? What is my point? Why am I using my time…maybe wasting your time…to write all of this?

For me it is simple…I am asking you to…

Drop bias
See reality
Understand context
Put everything into perspective
Support the Constitution
Support the Bill of Rights
Truly understand The Declaration of Independence and support it
Do not support big government
Do not support a police state
Do not support the use of the military against civilians
Support reforming police departments across the country
Oppose federal/national standards for local police
Support the demilitarization of police
Defend truth
Defend righteous people and causes
Understand others
Defend your life, defend your family, defend your property
Defend others who can’t defend themselves

Most of all…stand up as an American…defend the founding principles that made this the greatest country in the world…save our country before they have complete control.

I am asking a lot…I know. Many of you may not be up for it. Some of you are already fighting mad at me for challenging your bias. More are mad at me already for speaking the truth, using facts, historical context, evidence to plead my case. So be it.

I am looking for those few people who still have morals, integrity, courage, fortitude, and the desire to return our country to a stable foundation based on two things; 1) enteral gospel principles, 2) the Constitution.

Are you one of them?

I think you are!

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Something to think about…Why do I “prep” ?

Posted on May 20, 2020 by AH Trimble

note: article first appeared in October 2015

Well, first off, I am not crazy about the word “prep” because it sounds like a slang form of “prepper.” And in the last few weeks “prepper” has gotten some bad press. And besides, I don’t think it is truly accurate. However, the words are short, clear, and to the point…so I guess we will work with them.

Why am I a “prepper”?

Man, how much time do you have? But, realistically when I was thinking about the question this morning during my OMJ (old man jog) I had a bunch of interesting concepts floating around in my head. Or maybe it was just some great endorphin rush. Either way, it was a good time. First morning since summer that the weather was in the mid-60s. Love it!

So, back to the “why” about me being into “prepping” so much.

After creating the most obvious of lists of why I a prepper, I came up with this startling question, “Why not be a prepper?” Yes, seriously, that was the question that popped into my head. I had no answer.

But let me take the conventional, and considerably more professional, approach to answering the question.

We know for sure, 100% sure, that each person will have some kind of emergency in their life. It may be unemployment, a house fire, death in the family, a shortfall in paycheck, layoff, unexpected bill, flue outbreak, etc. We also know that many people may, at some point in their life, also face a disaster such as a hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, disabling accident/illness, etc. We know these things will occur…there is no doubt.

So how will people respond?

I think the response falls into two basic categories; 1) people who will depend on themselves to respond/recover, 2) people who will depend on the government to take care of them. I honestly don’t see any other realistic response option.

Let me start off by saying that I am not condemning people in the “#2” group. Everyone under the age of 40 have been raised to believe that the proper role of government is to take care of people. A lot of people over the age of 40 also believe that to be the case, although there are a substantial number of folks who still feel responsible for themselves. But that later category of people is shrinking with the end of every new school year.

So I believe “preppers” fall most into category #1, self-reliance. They see not just an obligation to be in the position to respond and recover from life’s emergencies and disasters, but huge benefits to it as well.

I truly feel that they (we) view part of being prepared as also having an obligation to help others in this regard as well.

“Others” fall into category #2 by-in-large. And over my 30+ years in emergency services I can tell you that this is a huge demographic of people. It cuts across political, religious, age, financial status, and many more demographic groups. It is a true “cross-section” of Americans. But it wasn’t always like that, actually for most of American history it was the exact opposite…the vast majority of people were prepared to survive and recover most anything. And helping out their neighbors doing so.

But let me back up before I start getting into the “why” aspect of this. From my experience preppers don’t want to be beholden to, or wait for, the government to come wipe their noses or butts. Preppers want to be able to stand on their own two feet and take care of themselves, to be independent of being obligated to some government bureaucrat for their next meal, bottle of water, or bag of ice.

Let me put this into perspective…Remember the last time you went to the DMV for anything? How would you like to be dependent on those folks for your next meal? Or, how would you like to be obligated to the IRS folks for disaster recovery?

Well, I hate to break it to you, if you are not a prepper, you are in exactly that situation! Go talk to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Andrew, Loma Prieta Earthquake, or any other number of disasters that have occurred in the last 20 years or so. What do you think their answer would be to how well the government took care of them?

I want to take a little break for just a minute and tell you about some friends that visited with my wife and I recently. We hadn’t seen them in almost 1-1/2 years because they had moved to another state. We were enjoying their company and catching up on mutual friends and family. We had made a great dinner together and we were just sitting around the table, the conversation turned to current events. After about 15 minutes or so the concept of food storage came up. Both couples got quiet for a minute. Then I asked the question, “When you think of your food storage, what single word comes to mind?”

I asked that question because a word had come to my mind while we were talking. Their answer, almost simultaneously, was “security.” Yup, matched mine exactly. That was the first thing that came to my mind, and theirs, when thinking about food storage.

Why?

This is kind of like trying to tell you what salt tastes like. Salt tastes like salt. But just try to describe that flavor to someone who has never tasted salt. Telling someone about the “security feeling” that comes from food storage it similar; they won’t understand it if they never tasted it.

Security in knowing that no matters what happens, your family will not go hungry. And with that knowledge comes a certain feeling of comfort.

I saw it firsthand in Florida during hurricane season after hurricane season. The weather forecasters would start tracking a potential storm approaching Florida. No one would get worked up over it while it stayed out in the Atlantic, in the Caribbean, or in the Gulf. But once it turned into hurricane status and all the models showed it making landfall in Florida, then people would take note. About 1 – 2 days out, sometimes less, people would decide it was “real” and they would head to the grocery stores, Walmart, and gas stations.

I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I saw news footage of empty grocery store shelves and long lines at gas stations a day or two before a hurricane was going to hit. The sad part was the people…most were desperate trying to get something bought to be ready for when the storm would hit. Most had failed miserably to prepare. Desperation sometimes boiled over into violence. Sad to see…an understatement.

Those who had food and water storage, a full tank of gas, a generator, and other preparedness items felt secure in that they had done all that they could do to take care of their families.

OK, I am really dancing around here, let me get back on point.

I am a prepper because it doesn’t make sense not to be one. Seriously! Think about it for a minute, give me one good reason not to be a prepper.

There is only one response that is relatively common when that question is asked, “money.” A large number of folks respond that money is the biggest impediment to being prepared for emergencies and disasters. And I bet that most of those same people have a large flat-screen TV, a relatively new car, decent clothes, and the latest iPhone.

So it boils down to two things; 1) priorities, and, 2) willingness to place your family in the hands of the government.

I work for the government, and let me tell you…you don’t want to depend on us for your family’s well-being, safety, and future…you really don’t. Trust me on that one. Remember back to the whole “DMV” & “IRS” thing, and then you can understand what I am getting at.

Now let me make it a little more personal:

I am a prepper because it makes financial sense. My food storage has gone up in value since I bought it. Actually, if I was to put it on a spreadsheet, it is probably keeping up with, if not beating, the return on my 401k. And when it comes time to retire, if we need it to, all that food storage turns into daily meals for my wife and I. The rest of our gear and equipment will be sold at a garage sale if we need the cash money, or the grand-kids will get it when we are gone.
I am a prepper because I am charitable. The scriptures tell us to be charitable, preppers (true preppers) are just that. In times of emergencies and disasters preppers can be the first ones to feed their own family, their extended family, neighbors, fellow congregation members, etc. And that can take place immediately, not the days and weeks it takes for government relief efforts to kick in.
I am a prepper because it makes me feel secure. Whatever life throws at me I know I can at least feed, clothe, put a roof (albeit canvas) over my family’s head, and provide them with clean/safe drinking water.
I am prepper because I love to learn new things, especially useful skills. I can operate a Ham radio, I can build a solar generator, and I can reload my own ammunition, to name just a few.
I am a prepper because I get to use all my cool gear and equipment when I go camping and hiking. It is a whole lot of fun that I share with family and friends.
I am a prepper because I don’t trust the government to do a good job of taking care of me, my family, or anyone else. I mean, seriously, tell me something, anything that the government does well. I don’t want to be depending on some government bureaucrat to be in control of my family’s safety, comfort, and future.
I am a prepper because I don’t want to depend on the media or the government for my information. I want to be able to know what is going on myself, directly. I don’t need their bias and “slant” on what I learn.
I am a prepper because I want to be a contributor not a taker. I want to be an asset to my family, my friends, my congregation, my neighbors, and my community. I don’t want them to go hungry waiting on MREs to be pushed off the back of some National Guard truck.

Mostly though, I can’t tell you the most powerful and underlying reason I am a prepper. It’s not because I don’t want to tell you, but it is simply because I can’t explain it to you. I actually can’t relate it to you because it “tastes like salt.” And unless you know what being prepared feels like, I can’t get that across to you. I wish I could, I really wish I could.

But I can tell you this, I can feed my family, I can provide fresh clean water for them, I can house them, I can communicate with them, I can keep them warm, and I have the means to protect them if needed.

Can you imagine if more families could do that? How about if the vast majority of families in America could do that? What would that mean for our communities, our states and our whole country to be independent of the government? Pretty sweet in my opinion.

Now, I will touch on the dark side for just a minute. I have related numerous times my concept of “money & power.” And this principle is especially applicable to emergencies and disasters. If you are not prepared for emergencies and disasters, you have pretty much signed away your money and power. Because letting someone else take care of your family post-emergency or post-disaster will cost you plenty of both money and power.

Yes, that means it will be expensive in terms of money, and costly in terms of power. You will be giving up plenty of both. You will do whatever you are ordered to do because you will not have the means of taking care of your family. You will be at the mercy of anyone and everyone who has a little food, water, shelter, and can provide security…especially the government. If you find that appealing, then you are quite comfortable not being a prepper. Good luck to you and your family.

And finally, “grid-down”, I bet you were wondering when I would get to that. You’ve been waiting for it. Well, here it is.

You either believe that there will be a grid-down event or not. Many Americans, actually most, absolutely do not believe that there will ever be a grid-down event in America. The vast majority of people believe we are immune to such things. They believe that the government can solve all problems and prevent any truly cataclysmic event from occurring.

They are wrong! Dead wrong!

It is coming, the “grid-down” will occur. No, I don’t know exactly when. No, I don’t know what will start it. No, I don’t know where it will start. No, I don’t know who will start it. But it will happen, that is a 100% guarantee.

And a “grid-down” will make any emergency or disaster look like a bump in the road compared to what will hit society and your family. And I don’t want you to take my word for it. And I don’t want you to believe it. I want you to think I am absolutely out of my mind about this.

But I will ask you to do one thing…think about it. And then ask yourself in a quiet contemplative moment; what do you believe will happen, what do you think is coming?

Once you ask and answer that question for yourself, then you will have a pretty good idea what to do next. And that “next” is yet another question for you to answer for yourself.

Remember way back at the beginning of this article when I talked about there being two kinds of people? 1) People who want their family to be dependent on the government, and 2) those that don’t.

Which kind of person do you want to be?

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The last few hours before the grid goes down…

Posted on May 6, 2020 by AH Trimble

article first appeared in March 2016

Awhile ago I was thinking about different scenarios of emergencies, disasters, and grid-down events and how they might develop and play out. I just let my mind really go off in a number of interesting directions. Then I caught myself saying “Wow!”

As I tend to do when thinking through a problem, I go to the “worst case” aspect of the problem. Now remember, I have 20+ hurricane seasons that I have gone through while I lived in Florida, so I have some real experience in this kind of thinking. So I decided to play it out a little more in my mind.

Here was the set-up…

A major grid-down event was going to occur.
I had 3 hours advanced warning that it would occur.
What would I do?
What would my wife do?

I then talked to my wife about this, as well as my best friend who lives in the same city that I do. Then I thought it through some more. Yeah, I do a lot of thinking.

What I came up with was an “action plan.” The list of things I would do in the three hours before the grid-down event and for the 6 – 12 hours immediately after the event occurred. As I built my “to-do” list some interesting points started to surface as well as what were the most important steps that I should take. So this article is the result of all of that thinking, talking, and planning.

Some of this may not apply to you, some of it may be a little overwhelming, and some of it may sound outright stupid. So be it. I am putting this out there for you to consider and if some or all it applies…use it, modify it, apply it, and make it your own.

But here are some of the take-a-ways from this mental exercise and its planning cousin.

You have to avoid Normalcy Bias at all costs! When you have the warning that the event will occur, you must take action, no delays.
You must have buy-in of the plan from your spouse. If not complete buy-in, at least not active objection.
When the time comes to pull the trigger on the plan you must do so immediately.
You are going to need help.
When going to the stores the optimum team will be three people. One person to guard the vehicle, one person doing the “shopping” and one person providing security for the shopper.
You must have a cash stash already put aside. Banks and ATMs may not be available.
As soon as you pull the trigger, your #1 priority is the safety of your family and group. After that is accomplished the next priority is getting whatever cash out of the bank and ATMs that you can…if it is even available.
Do not stop or slow down completing the items on your “to-do” list while you still have the time and means. That means do not stop to explain what you are doing, to warn someone else, to stop and think it through again. You must stay on task and complete the list. Focus!
Try to keep a low profile when you are working on your tasks. Example: when you bring home a load of food, pull into the garage and close the garage door before unloading the food. Your neighbors don’t need to see what you are doing. Poor OpSec can bring disaster upon you and your family.
Don’t flash cash. If you are going to use cash (or gold or silver) to “influence” store personnel, do so off to the side where it is just you and them. Do let others watch what you are doing. Have your security “overwatch” standing far enough away to observe the area, people, and keep you safe by intervening as needed.
Everyone involved must understand that safety is the priority #1 and anything that jeopardizes safety must be weighed against preventing harm being done. And when I talk about “safety” I mean the safety of your family and your group. While you don’t want to be cold or cruel, and you surely don’t want to take a life if you don’t have too…your family’s safety and your group safety is #1. You’ve committed to them, keep your promise, and keep them safe.

Remember, keep this in perspective…I am saying this is the “worst case scenario” that you would face. This is NOT what you would do for a hurricane or wildfire…just a major grid-down event where things won’t come back to normal anytime soon. Maybe a “martial law” kind of event might be a good way to think of it to put it all into perspective.

Then, once you have prepared for the “worst” you can dial it back to whatever is appropriate for the actual event that you are dealing with. This plan is flexible, adaptable, and scalable. But like any “plan”…it is worthless unless action is taken. And once you take action, be relentless, be a pitbull, and stay that way after it until your action items are all completed.

Once that is done…then you can move on to the next phase of surviving and thriving.

Let’s review the priorities:

Safety¹ of our family and the group.
Safety¹ of others.
Everyone has to know what is going on and keep lines of communications open.
Everyone involved must take action on the “to-do” list and be involved.
Everyone must keep working through the “to-do” list until unable to physically continue (i.e. store runs out of toilette paper or travel is 100% restricted).
OpSec is a must. No discussion outside of the family or group should take place about what your family and group are doing. This is extremely important! The safety of the family and/or group could be very easily jeopardized if what you are doing gets out to the wrong person or group.
Pre-planning is vital. A cash stash (a must) and a precious metals stash (if possible) is critical to the success of this operation.
Be mentally prepared. The only way to prepare mentally for something such as this is to talk it through…multiple times. Something that might help is a “dry-run.” No, not actually buying the times and doing the tasks on the list, but drive to each location, walk around the location, ask to see the manager and ask a question…just familiarize yourself with those places you will be going to should the need arise.

Let’s talk about security for a minute. I mentioned that 3-person teams are optimal. However, don’t delay action if you can’t reach that optimal team level. A person by themselves is an easy target, especially once word gets out about what is happening, and people realize and recognize what you are doing. So it is safer earlier on in an incident timeline than as the event develops. So yes, I would go to the bank by myself within the first hour of the operation without too much concern. But going to Sam’s Club by myself six hours after the event occurred could well be suicidal.

How you implement security will have to be “threat specific.” Openly carrying your AR while wearing your tactical vest with complete kit could really deter a whole lot of minor threats. But law enforcement might take exception to your tactical display and try to intervene. The outcome to that situation would be a “no-win” regardless of who is left standing.

On the other hand, carrying concealed might give you a lower profile and draw less attention while pumping your tank full of gas. But it also might make you look like easy prey. Setting a single security standard it is a tough call to make but you are going to have to make a decision on your security stance and public profile.

Just remember, there is safety is numbers. If you have someone acting as security overwatch as their only task you will be light-years ahead of 99.9% of everyone else.

But also remember this, you must protect yourself, your family and your group. But getting into a full-on firefight with someone, or some group, is not the answer…it is a mistake.

Now, it may come down to that as an only option, a last option, but be very careful. It should be only your last resort, not a top three option. When the bullets fly, who knows who gets lucky, or unlucky? I would normally rather give up a shopping cart full of food then take a life over it.

Well, that might not be entirely true…one less “thug” might not be a bad thing 😉

Choose wisely.

¹ – Means the physical safety of a person. Sufficient action to protect that safety may be required. Those involved must be mentally and physically ready to take that action if required.

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Interesting Events in US History – Part #7 (1990-2000)

Posted on April 13, 2020 by AH Trimble

YEAR	EVENT DESCRIPTION
1990	Democrat controlled Congress enacts National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 forcing states and communities to provide more housing in line with the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. No asset, income or creditworthiness is required.
1990	Para-military SWAT teams are now conducting approximately 40,000 raids per year. Forty times what they originally conducted since their beginning. Police departments are now using SWAT teams, the vast majority of their activity, for serving common warrants, a purpose that SWAT teams were never intended for. Shootings and killing by SWAT teams begin to skyrocket. Many of those shot and killed are unarmed.
1991	A large group of LAPD police officers savagely beat an unarmed Rodney King nearly to death. The violent attack was caught on tape and showed that King was not resisting but was brutally beaten by the police with night sticks and metal batons as well as repeatedly kicked. The police attack was caught on tape and viewed around the world sparking outrage at the police brutality. Riots ensued and over 50 people were killed and another 2000+ injured during those civil disturbances. The Rodney King attack was the first video evidence of the “comply or die” tactics of police in the United States.
1991	Republican President George H.W. Bush, Progressive and globalist, orders the invasion of Kuwait.
1992	Members of the Randy Weaver family are killed by a government agency sniper team for not submitting to ATF/DOJ/FBI blackmail demands.
1992	Agenda 21 is developed by the UN Conference on Environment and Development. Agenda 21 is a radical environmental program designed to virtually eliminate private property rights.
1993	Muslims attack the World Trade Center with a large vehicle bomb while Democrat Bill Clinton, Progressive and globalist, was President
1993	Members of a religious organization (Branch Davidians) are attacked by a BATF assault team attempting to execute a search warrant. Four BATF agents are killed and six Davidians are killed in the ensuing gun battle. A 51-day siege of the group trapped in their homes by the FBI resulted in 78 men, women and children being burned alive when federal agents under the direction of the FBI set the compound on fire with an armored vehicle. The original charges that initiated the warrant proved to be without any legal merit whatsoever. The local county Sheriff revealed he had tried to stop the FBI and BATF by bringing the Davidian leader into his office for questioning. But the FBI and BATF refused his offer preferring to attack the compound. This is the same ATF & FBI whose sniper team and agents killed a man’s wife and child for not submitting to ATF/DOJ/FBI blackmail attempts just years earlier.
1993	Democrat controlled Congress passes the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act further eroding 2^nd Amendment gun rights of citizens. Shipping, transporting processing and commerce regarding guns are all further restricted. The most damning part of the new law is the FBI tracking of gun purchase applications and maintaining those records through the NICS by the FBI.
1994	Democrat controlled Congress passes the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which outlawed many types of rifles and magazines.
1995	National Security Agency is granted “backdoor access” to Windows 95. Microsoft claims that the NSA threatened them inordered to gain that access. The NSA now completely circumvents the Constitution even further as a secret domestic spy organization.
1995	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Muslims explode a car bomb at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.
1997	A Palestinian Muslim leaves an anti-Jewish suicide note behind and travels to the top of the Empire State building where he shoots seven people in a Fedayeen attack, 1 dies, 5 are seriously wounded.
1998	The ultra-liberal anti-2^nd Amendment group, Center to Prevent Youth Violence, is formed and advocates strong anti-gun legislation through the messaging of children.
1998	Under the direction of Democrat President Clinton, well-known Progressive and globalist, Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO) begins operations; TAO is a group within the United States’ National Security Agency. They “hack” into official government computer systems of all foreign government around the world. The TAO is seen as yet another example of the NSA operating completely outside of the law and the Constitution. No branch of government objects to this new group.
1999	FBI report is released on Project Megiddo. In the report the FBI identified individuals that posed a threat to law enforcement via “extremist criminal activity”. This is the first public exposure of the FBI’s focusing on criminalizing many conservative aspects of normal US citizens. The identifiers listed in the FBI report were those US citizens who were: Y2K believers, Apocalypse believers, New World Order believers, Anyone storing food, Anyone acquiring weapons, Biblical driven, or conservative religious groups. The same FBI who a decade later labeled the same folks referenced above as potential “domestic terrorists.”
2000	Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat piloted by Muslims, loaded with explosives, blew up alongside it. 17 United States sailors killed. They are linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Interesting Events in US History – Part #6 (1973-1989)

Posted on April 12, 2020 by AH Trimble

YEAR	EVENT DESCRIPTION
1973	The War Powers Act of 1973 was passed by Democrat Congress. While initially it appeared to restrict the President’s authority to wage war without Congressional approval it actually granted the right to a President to “initiate” war thus bypassing restrictions cited in the Constitution.
1973	Muslims rob a sporting goods store for weapons, killing a police officer and wounding another officer who responds to the alarm.
1973	Republican President Nixon, radical Progressive, implements communist price controls of oil and gas products. Extreme shortages quickly resulted and long lines at gas stations with people waiting for hours and hours for gas. Many gas stations simply ran out of gas and closed their doors.
1973	The Progressive/liberal majority Supreme Court legalized infanticide in the United States through their decision, Roe vs. Wade, granting women unlimited abortion rights under the guise of privacy rights. This decision deeply divided the country down the middle and contributed to over 50million deaths of unborn babies as of 2017. Many experts, medical and religious, call abortion what it is…infanticide.
1973	Unconstitutional “no-knock” police raids begin. The raids are mostly conducted by police department para-military SWAT units. The raids immediately begin to take the lives of many civilians, many of them innocent by-standers. By 2013 “no-knock” raids increase by 2000%. “No-knock” raids are a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment by a growing police state.
1973	At the direction of Republican President Nixon, Progressive and globalist, the CIA assists in the overthrow of the Chilean government.
1973	17 people are killed in 9 separate attacks by Muslims belonging to the Nation of Islam.
1974	A journalist releases proof of the CIA’s long list of assassinations, domestic spying on almost 10000 American citizens, and LSD testing on unknowing US citizens. The CIA was established by radical Progressive Democrat President Truman who also established the domestic spy agency NSA.
1974	The radical anti-2^nd Amendment group called the National Council to Control Handguns began a campaign to outlaw gun ownership in the US. The group was started by an ultra-leftist Dr. Mark Borinsky and a CIA operative by the name of Edward O. Welles.
1974	6 people killed in 3 separate attacks by Muslims belonging to the Nation of Islam.
1977	Democrat controlled Congress passes The Community Reinvestment Act which forces banks to make home loans to low-income people regardless of their credit worthiness or income. It is advocated and promoted by National People’s Action, a radical left-wing extremist group that is based on socialist principles.
1977	Hanifi Muslims storm three buildings including a B’nai B’rith to hold 134 people hostage. At least two innocents were shot and one died.
1978	Under the direction of Democrat President Jimmy Carter, Progressive, the Democrat controlled Congress established the FISA courts (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) a secret court and judicial system was designed to operate outside of the Constitutional. Its powers have expanded exponentially by 2017 to the point where Constitutional and legal experts state it’s “almost a parallel Supreme Court.” The secret court is used by the US’s secret police units inside of the NSA, and the domestic spy agency known as the FBI. No Constitutional provision allows for the FISA court system. Actually, the Constitutional specifically prohibits a secret court system but the federal government implements it anyways..
1979	The United States Department of Education was established by Democrat President Carter. President Carter was well-known as a Progressive, Muslim advocate and rapid anti-Semite. The establishment of this department solidified the control of education at the federal level. This move brings the US further into compliance with the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto, “Free education for all children in public schools.”
1979	Iranian Muslims seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days, on the day of President Reagan’s inauguration.
1980	An Iranian political dissident is shot and killed in front of his Maryland home by an Islamic Iranian government agent.
1982	The Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 97th Congress, revealed the BATF is rampant with abuses of the 2nd Amendment against American citizens and firearms dealers. Over 75% of all prosecutions by the BATF were found to be “constitutionally improper” in clear violation of the 2^nd Amendment. No BATF agents are charge, none are tried, none convicted and none sent to prison for their horrendous violations of the Constitution. The same ATF whose sniper team murdered Randy Weaver’s wife and child after the ATF agents began a stalking the family. The same ATF who raided a religious group in Texas and killed several church members. The same ATF who later assisted the FBI in the coordination of an attack on the same church group that resulted in almost 80 men, women, and children being burned alive.
1982	Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Muslims, Hezbollah members. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. American Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.
1983	U.S. embassy in Lebanon destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
1984	A Democrat controlled Congress passed the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 which allowed police departments to seize a person’s assets without due process required by the Constitution. Called Civil Asset Forfeiture (CAF), this law allows police departments to completely circumvent the Constitution and all Constitutional rights. A person didn’t even have to be convicted, tried, charged or even accused of a crime. Police departments would simply seize cars, homes, money, and anything else of value from whomever they wished under the pretense of criminal behavior on the citizen’s part. This practice became known as “policing for profit.” Immediately police were illegally confiscating 100’s of millions of dollars of private property per year. Since 2010 law enforcement agencies are seizing 10’s of billions of dollars of US citizen property with no Constitutional protection for those citizens. CAF actions are hugely profitable for law enforcement agencies.
1984	Truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy annex in Lebanon, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military members.
1984	Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed.
1986	It was revealed that the CIA was selling arms to Iran in payment for release of 7 American hostages. The CIA was then using the proceeds of those arms sales to fund the overthrow of the Nicaraguan government. While President Reagan took full responsibility for the actions of the CIA, there was never any evidence that he knew of, or ordered, the CIA operation. Of the 11 people convicted for crimes related to the CIA operation all 11 were pardoned by Republican President George H. W. Bush. Bush, well known as a Progressive and globalist, was also the Director of the CIA in 1976 – 1977 under President Ford. President Ford was described by his own fellow House members as a Progressive and globalist. President Ford also pardoned President Nixon, a fellow progressive and globalist.
1986	While the passage of The Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 was meant to protect gun owners and correct the Constitutional abuses of the BATF revealed in a 1982 Senate report, the act actually banned and restricted some types of guns from US citizen ownership.
1986	Muslims exploded a bomb aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9 other Americans.
1986	Muslims bombed a disco in West Germany frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.
1988	Muslims exploded a bomb on a Boeing 747 while in flight and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel.
1989	Republican President George H.W. Bush, Progressive, globalist and former Director of the CIA orders the invasion of Panama and the overthrow of the Panamanian government.

Interesting Events in US History – Part #5 (1964-1972)

Posted on April 11, 2020 by AH Trimble

YEAR	EVENT DESCRIPTION
1964	The Great Society social welfare programs began under Democrat President Johnson, radical Progressive, significantly enlarging the permanent welfare class in the US.
1964	Rochester, NY police viciously attack and beat peaceful civil rights protestors. Later National Guard troops attack demonstrators with fixed bayonets as the demonstrators prayed.
1964	New York City police violently attacked and beat with nightsticks peaceful civil rights protestors.
1964	While police officers looked on, pool manager at a local hotel poured acid in a swimming pool containing black and white civil rights protestors.
1964	Teenager James Powell, black, was shot and killed by New York Police Lieutenant Thomas Gilligan, white, while peacefully demonstrating.
1964	St. Augustine Beach police officers viciously attack a group of black and whites with nightsticks and billy clubs while the group was attempting to swim at a “whites only” beach.
1964	Philadelphia police officers, all white, beat numerous blacks while they were standing on the street peacefully. The blacks had “moved along” fast enough so they were beaten by police officers.
1964	Cleveland police use a bulldozer against peaceful civil rights demonstrators killing a local minister Bruce Klunder. In the demonstrations that follow police are seen severely and viciously beating beating numerous black women as well as men and children.
1965	“Bloody Sunday” occurred. Hundreds of State police brutally and savagely beat 550 peaceful Civil Rights demonstrators in Dallas County, Alabama. It was a violent coordinated attack by police beginning with tear gas. Seconds later state police officers attacked the demonstrators with night sticks beating them to the ground. After that, mounted state police officers charged the crowd on horseback knocking anyone to the ground who had remained standing or tried to flee.
1965	Major large-scale Army combat units deployed to Vietnam by Democrat President Johnson, radical Progressive and war monger.
1965	In Selma, AL police officers violently attack non-violent peaceful civil rights protestors. The police viciously beat protestors with nightsticks after having firing tears gas at them.
1965	Under the Democrat President Johnson the federal government began exercising control over public education, and moving power and control from the local school districts to a central planning directorate of the federal government. This moves brings the US further into compliance with the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto, “Free education for all children in public schools.”
1965	Under the Democrat President Johnson the federal government began seizing control of the nation’s health care system through the establishment of the Medicare program.
1965	Under the Democrat President Johnson the federal government began subsidizing college student loans through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. This moves brings the US further into compliance with the 10th plank of the Communist Manifesto, “Free education for all children in public schools.”
1966	Under the Democrat President Johnson the federal government continued expanding its control of the national health care system through the establishment of the Medicaid program.
1966	The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) was established to control all forms of transportation within the US borders. This brought the US into full compliance with the Communist Manifesto’s 6th plank; “Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.” The communication piece of the 6th Plank was accomplished in 1934 with the establishment of the FCC.
1967	While Democrat President Johnson, Progressive, served, the Los Angles began the first police department para-military Special Weapons and Tactics unit. SWAT teams were used approximately 1000 times per year in the 1960’s.
1968	American combat troop strength reaches its peak under Democrat President Johnson, Progressive and war-monger. President Johnson was well known as a radical Progressive, globalist and war monger.
1968	More 2^nd Amendment rights are lost via The Gun Control Act of 1968. The act was passed by a very liberal activist Democrat run Congress and signed into law by Democrat President Johnson, a Progressive. This act established a “Gestapo” mentality and enforcement within the Bureau of Alcohol Tabaco and Firearms (BATF). Gun ownership and purchase tracking is started by the BATF.
1969	Under the Democrat President Johnson the federal government began its first government control of media outlets with the establishment of the Public Broadcasting System.
1969	The militarization of local law enforcement agencies began. Non-federal agencies began moving away from “peace officers” to “law enforcement officers.”
1970	The Environmental Protection Agency was established by President Nixon, globalist, via an Executive Order. Nixon, well-known as a Progressive did not seek to establish the EPA via Congressional legislation but rather by Executive Order. The EPA now has virtual iron-clad unconstitutional control over private and public lands as well as all private and commercial activities on those lands. That control is decided almost exclusively by agency regulation vs. the passing of laws through Congress.
1970	Ohio National Guardsman open fire at unarmed peaceful college students killing 4 and wounding 9 more. A demonstration was taking place with about 2000 students, the guardsman ordered them to disperse, fired tear gas and then advanced on the students. The students react by throwing the tear gas back at the guardsman along with rocks. The guardsman fixed bayonets on their rifles and charged the students and opening fire shortly thereafter. The suppression of right of assembly and the tactic of violence against unarmed citizens begins in earnest.
1971	Republican President Nixon, well-known Progressive and globalist, discontinued trading gold for dollars thus removing any last tangible value to the US dollar.
1972	The Supreme Court (stacked with Progressives) ruled that radical environmental groups had “standing” and could sue anyone to advance their extremist environmental agenda.
1972	Ten Muslims of a local mosque phone in a false alarm and then ambush responding officers, killing one.

Initiative ’17 – Part #5: Flipping the Switch

Posted on April 11, 2020 by AH Trimble

note: This article was originally published in May 2017, then lost in the site crash. I thought it appropriate and timely to reconstruct it for re-publication now. I took the liberty of some limited editing to improve grammar, readability, spelling, and content.

What the heck does “flipping the switch” mean?

Some of you probably already know, some may not. But let me give you my take on what it means. I will do it somewhat long-winded but for a reason. Hang in there with me.

Most people don’t grow up and live their life having to flip the switch. If you played athletics you got a small taste of it when you trotted onto the field. I on the other hand, had to learn switch flipping when I was a young teenager. Why? Because I spent my early teenage years in a military school. But, it didn’t end there, I spent the next four+ years in the military…flipping the switch.

Can you image at the age of 13 hearing a bugle sounding “reveille”…and you better be jumping out of bed, dressed, and standing by your bed for your company commander to come walking by. You learn to wake up very quickly, alert, and to move quickly.

Then comes my time in the US Navy. The same style of waking-up, etc., so not much changed. Then came along “general quarters”…life changed again. General quarters is a call for everyone on the ship to go to their battle stations. You have to drop whatever you are doing and get to a specific place in the ship and prepare to go into battle. And you have precious little time to do it. Should you be only a couple of seconds late hatches are slammed shut and you are caught where you are…not at your battle station and not ready to do your job.

When in-port I was also part of the damage control team. When a fire broke out onboard ship we had to react quickly to fight the fire. And as you guessed it by now…another flip the switch moment. And then when I became a structure firefighter it was all about flipping the switch. Sometimes it was a house fire, sometimes a bad wreck on the Interstate, maybe a baby choking, sometimes a big brush fire, but the “alarms” going off during our shift made us get into high-gear quickly. And that meant our minds had to be entirely focused on the job at hand once the alarm bell sounded.

So, is there a difference in emergency preparedness when it comes to emergencies, disasters, or especially in the case of a grid-down event?

Look, I’ve come up on an accident scene and observed people just standing there looking at what is happening…instead of helping. It just never entered their mind to actually roll up their sleeves and help people that were injured or put out a small car fire with a fire extinguisher. They simply froze, unable to take action.

I remember one time a hurricane was expected to hit near our area and the flooding was expected to be intense. And we drove by a house where the homeowner was mowing his yard. What!?! Yup, he was in denial that the flooding would be bad from the impending hurricane…and engaged in Normalcy Bias.

What does any of that have to do with switch flipping?

Simple, you have to be ready to be in a state of mind to deal with the myriad problems that will come along in emergencies, disasters, and grid-down events. You have to forget mowing your grass and start filling sandbags.

It would be a legitimate question right about now if you asked, “How do I learn to do that?”

Well, go to military school, join the Navy, become a firefighter, etc. But, for most folks all that isn’t possible or practical. So, how does the average person learn that skill? Drill.

Yeah, pretty simple really…you drill. “Drill” means practice for those of you that might not clearly understand what I mean.

Here is how I would go about it if I was just learning this concept:

Hold a day time fire drill with your family.
Hold a night time fire drill with your family. Yeah, that means when your family is asleep.
Set your alarm to go off 1am. When it goes off you must accomplish –
1. You must get fully dressed.
2. You must be in your car with the car running and out of the garage.
3. Do that in less than 2 minutes.
Have your spouse set your alarm for you at whatever time they choose. Accomplish everything in #3.
During the day have your alarm set for a random time. When it goes off –
1. You must change into your tactical gear, including vest.
2. You must have your pistol and long gun on you in battle configuration.
3. You must have all of your other battle rattle on you as if you are going to war.
4. Yeah, don’t go running outside and stand in the driveway for this one.
Go to your favorite shooting location with a couple of your buddies. Explain to them what you are trying to accomplish. Here’s how I would like it to go –
1. You set up a series of targets that you have to move to and in between. A couple are long gun targets, a couple are pistol targets. Each one takes a different position (i.e. prone, lying down, hide behind a barrier, etc.). And one movement between targets must involve a transition from long gun to pistol.
2. You are in full battle rattle, ready for war.
3. You sit around, or stand around, with your buddies just enjoying the friendship time.
4. Any one of your buddies at any time can sound the alarm. That is your cue to flip your switch.
5. You proceed to each target in an expeditious manner. While you are engaging your targets your buddies are yelling at you, they have an air horn that they are sounding…anything for distraction.

By now you get the idea. You are learning to go from 0 to 60mph as fast as possible. You change your state of mind from the everyday life mode to the “I’m fully engaged” mode as quickly and completely as possible.

Here’s what you accomplish by learning to flip the switch:

You learn to become instantly engaged in situations that are potentially dangerous.
You learn to hyper-mode your Situational Awareness very quickly.
You learn to overcome cognitive dissonance.
You gain confidence in your ability to handle potentially bad situations.
You greatly increase your ability to survive and protect your family.

Over the years I’ve seen so many people simply freeze when facing a bad situation. Their brains simply become overloaded with their circumstances and they become mentally and physically immobilized. That may well kill you when facing emergency preparedness situations.

On the other side of the coin I’ve seen folks do some amazing things because they’ve learn to act quickly. They don’t wait for events to overwhelm them, they control the situation, and they take action. You can be one of those people.

A couple of years ago during a class I was taking to be mentally prepared to survive deadly situations they had people stand about three feet apart. Then when the instructor said “go!” they had to raise their paintball guns and start shooting. Why? True, it was only paintball but they still hurt. And it was amazing to see that it was only a small fraction of a second between the first person getting off their shot…and the other person getting off their first shot. So, who would win in a real life gun battle? Almost always it is the person who lands the first shot…like 98% of the time.

It was who flipped their switch the quickest.

Don’t be the dolt that freezes up. Don’t be that person who doesn’t take action quickly enough…and their family falls in the victim category. Your family deserves more.

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without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Interesting Events in US History – Part #4 (1942-1963)

Posted on April 10, 2020 by AH Trimble

YEAR	EVENT DESCRIPTION
1942	Thousands of German and Japanese American citizens were interned into prison camps on the order of Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a socialist, Progressive extremist and war monger. Internees were denied Constitutionally required due process on order of President Roosevelt. Hundreds of thousands of others were forcibly relocated on FDR’s orders. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the infamous FBI, played a major role in identifying people to be interned. Hoover was the lead on the same interment under Progressive President Wilson during WWI.
1944	President Roosevelt, socialist and Progressive extremist, advocates for the “Second Bill of Rights” which is directly related to, and based on, the Communist Manifesto.
1945	The United Nations was founded. The UN advocates for a global government, radical environmentalism, socialism, and the UN is used as a tool against capitalism and the US. The UN was widely endorsed by United States Progressives, Democrats, socialists, and communists.
1947	The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was established by order of President Truman, a Progressive and globalist. The CIA’s mandate was international spying, overthrowing foreign governments, and assassination.
1947	In the Supreme Court decision (Everson v. Board of Education) the phrase and judicial precedent of “separation of church and state” was established by radically Progressive Supreme Court Justices. Persecution of religion by atheists and government was begun via this Supreme Court decision. The concept of “separation of church and state” was never, and still isn’t, a Constitutional provision. Actually, the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights 1st Amendment, protects against this kind of government intrusion and guarantees freedom of religion not freedom from religion.
1950	Democrat President Truman, globalist and Progressive, enters the United States into the Korean War.
1950	Democrat President Truman, globalist and Progressive, sends military into the Vietnam War.
1951	The National Security Agency (NSA) was established by order of Democrat President Truman, a Democrat, Progressive, and globalist. Truman was also a staunch advocate of the United Nations.
1953	The CIA overthrew the Iranian government at the direction of Republican President Eisenhower, Progressive and Neo-Con.
1954	The CIA overthrew the Guatemalan government at the direction of Republican President Eisenhower, Progressive and Neo-Con.
1954	The CIA begins US involvement in the Vietnam War at the direction of Republican President Eisenhower, Progressive and Neo-Con.
1954	South Dakota was the last state to require that drivers have a license.
1960	Democrat President Kennedy, Progressive/globalist and war monger, deployed massive numbers of American soldiers to join the on-going Vietnam War.
1961	Democrat President Kennedy, Progressive/globalist and war monger, triples the number of American troops in Vietnam.
1961	At the encouragement of the CIA, Democrat President Kennedy orders the invasion of Cuba to overthrow the Cuban government; the overthrow fails miserably. The United States quickly abandons the Cuban freedom fighters to be slaughtered by Cuba’s President Castro.
1961	Democrat President Kennedy states he was stupid to listen to the CIA and he will “break the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter them to the wind.”
1961	Barack Hussein Obama II is born. His mother was Stanley Ann Dunham raised by Communist parents. His father, Barack Hussein Obama I, was a Communist revolutionary born in Kenya. Barack is raised by his Communist grandparents. His grandparents were members of the CPUSA communist party.
1962	Democrat President Kennedy, Progressive/globalist and war monger, again triples the number of American troops in Vietnam.
1962	Further eroding freedom of religion, the Supreme Court decision (Engel v. Vitale) eliminates prayer in school. The Supreme Court was headed by and stacked with extremist Progressive justices.
1963	Democrat President Kennedy, Progressive/globalist and war monger, is assassinated. The CIA is implicated for a number of reasons, including Kennedy’s goal to break up the CIA. The CIA is cleared of all wrongdoing by Congressional investigators.
1963	Peaceful Civil Rights demonstrators, high school students in Birmingham, are savagely attacked by police using high-pressure water hoses and attack dogs.

Do the Unexpected!

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Argent

note: article first appeared in October 2016

It’s been a while since I wrote a “head” article, today this is a “head” article. What is a “head” article? An article wherein I talk about the psychology of preparedness. And yes, that means all things tactical as well.

Let me set the background…there are lots of aspects when we talk about the “enemy” in regards to preparedness. The enemy can be starvation, a broken bone, a violence-prone bad guy, or your own mental health. We must be able to defeat all of the enemies that we face in regards to preparedness. Failure to do so may well result in a fatality…yours or a family member. I don’t like that result for you or for me.

Let’s do some examples to set the stage…

Example #1 –

During Hurricane Katrina one enemy was flooding. What unexpected thing could you have done to beat the enemy, flooding?

Sandbags for one, maybe a gas powered water pump, and don’t live below sea level would all be good choices. For the most part in retrospect “doing the unexpected” would be the prevention steps viewed by those that suffered at the hand of the enemy, flooding.

Example #2 –

A man in your neighborhood falls while cutting his grass, he is severely hurt and bleeding badly. You see it, you grab your medical kit, run to his side, and find him unconscious. You pull out your Combat Action Tourniquet, apply it with skill, check his airway, do a head-to-toe examination for other injuries, all while directing someone to call 911.

The unexpected? Did you just potentially defeat the enemy, death? What would the average person be expected to do in this situation?

Example #3 –

Ever wonder what soldiers generally do to counter an ambush? Would you say that this is an enemy situation? What is the enemy’s expectation?

The enemy expects you to die immediately or get pinned down long enough for you to eventually get shot and then die. So what is the counter-action to an ambush…in other words…how do you defeat it?

You do the unexpected.

Put scouts out in front to spot ambushes before they start.
If an ambush starts, don’t stay in the “kill zone”! It’s called “getting off the X”. The enemy wants you pinned down, don’t be…MOVE!.
Fight back with overwhelming firepower. You throw more lead at them (or at least more effective weapon’s fire) than they are sending your way.
Charge! If you are left no other alternative charge directly at them like you are demon processed and overwhelm them. Look at it this way…if you stay put you are doing exactly what they want you to do…stay put till you die. Don’t die…MOVE!

Yes, there are other ways to defeat an ambush including flanking them, etc. But, by now you are getting a little bit of a flavor of what do to against an enemy…do the unexpected. And doing so greatly increases your chances of surviving.

Emergencies –

So let’s take a look at emergencies and how do you do the unexpected. But first, what are some emergencies –

Injury
Flu
Vehicle Accident
Heart Attack
Job Loss/Retirement
Utility Outage
Death
House Fire

What are some of the things that you can do that would be viewed as “unexpected” by today’s society when facing emergencies?

Have an emergency fund of 3 – 6 months of expenses to pay for bills in the event of unemployment or other event.
Have food storage to feed your family in the event of that same event or even retirement.
Have multiple several 10 – 15 pound commercial fire extinguishers placed strategically around your house.
Have solar power capability for power outages.

Disasters –

So let’s take a look at emergencies and how do you do the unexpected. But first, what are some disasters –

Earthquake
Wildfire
Tornado
Hurricane
HazMat
Flood
Epidemic

What are some of the things that you can do that would be viewed as “unexpected” by today’s society when facing disasters?

Have a proper 96-hour kit ready to go at all times.
Have a good water supply and sprinklers, wildland fire hose, and a small Honda water pump available at your home or cabin in wildfire prone areas.
Have antibiotics stored for use when regular supplies would not be available.
Have a Bug out Location and travel plan identified before the disaster hits.

Grid-Down –

So let’s take a look at emergencies and how do you do the unexpected. But first, what are some grid-down events –

Transportation Stoppage
Pandemic
Financial or Stock Market Collapse
War or EMP Attack
Martial Law

What are some of the things that you can do that would be viewed as “unexpected” by today’s society when facing grid-down events?

Have multiple ways to defend your family if/when violence strikes.
Have water stored for your family to stay inside and safe.
Have and ample supply of prescription medications on hand for medical conditions; have a adequate supply of over-the-counter medications on hand for normal sicknesses, etc.
Have food storage to feed your family if food becomes scarce.
Have your investments diversified; 1) mutual funds, 2) precious metals, 3) local credit union, 4) cash.
Organize with your neighbors or community for protection.
Understand your rights and have a copy of the Constitution readily available…in your pocket.

Summary –

When it comes to your enemy…don’t play into his expectations…just don’t do it. If you do play into your enemy’s expectations you are probably going to lose. You are far better off doing the unexpected. However, don’t be foolish…but do the unexpected. You do so to get outside of his comfort zone, to get inside his OODA Loop, and make them operate on your turf, not theirs. The element of surprise can be valuable in a conflict whether dealing with a human enemy or something else such as a wildfire. Competent and skilled execution of the unexpected can be devastating against your enemy…greatly increasing your odds of survival.

But you have to at least have a clue what you are doing. The higher your skill level at performing the unexpected, the chances rise exponentially of your success. And, success is the end-game here…the alternative is not so good.

Related Articles –

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Initiative ’17 – Part #4: Leader’s Intent

Posted on April 10, 2020 by AH Trimble

In the previous article in this series I finally defined the “mission” and was really pleased…I think it is very appropriate and applicable to you…my loyal website supporters.

First off…yes, I know I didn’t define “Prepared to Lead” until the third article and I apologize for that. It just wasn’t clear to me till that point. When it hit me I realized that a lot of people have water and food storage, some folks have plenty of guns and ammo, some people even have seeds and other more rare preparedness items and gear. But, I honestly believe that the biggest shortage after any grid-down will be leadership.

I have seen it a hundred times right after emergencies and disasters…disorganization, lack of direction, low initiative, and disbelief. All of that stems from absence of leadership. Let’s change that!

In addition to all of the other great emergency preparedness steps you are taking we are going to add one more…albeit vital…trait to the mix. And that trait will be the ability to step up and lead. That will be you!

Background –

In high-stress, high-risk environments someone has to lead. However, in today’s new-age world, the definition of “someone” can vary widely. Over 15 years ago I held a computer job on days that I was not at the fire station. I was hired to run all aspect of operations. The corporate management prided themselves on being progressive thinkers. The president of the company even had a personal “life coach.”

When I started there their productivity was very low and their profitability was dwindling. During my orientation I was briefed on their organizational structure. They shared with me that they were using what was called a “flat organizational structure.” On the white board it looked something like this…

As you can assume, I asked them about my position and role in the organization…my duties, responsibilities, and who I supervised. I was reassured that I was responsible for operations but the company ran a “flat organizational structure” and we operated as a team through mass meetings to resolve issues. Yeah…OK…right… We had a discussion for several hours regarding the structure and my role…and the changes I proposed. They finally acquiesced that it would change slightly to this…

This environment was decidedly different than my leadership role and organizational structure in the firefighting world. I lasted about a year as the COO with the company before I resigned out of frustration. The company folded about a year later for the very reasons I warned them about in my resignation letter. They failed to act on even a single point a raised. Why? They got caught up in a “new” way to manage…untested, unproven, and entirely not applicable.

The point of this example was not to gloat about my being right and the company going out of business. The point is about organization, vision, and most importantly…leadership. Without the right organization any entity is doomed to failure. And, any entity without good leadership is assured of it.

In the structure firefighting world organizational structures vary slightly from department to department. But the one thing they have in common is a clear organizational chart. Everyone knows who their boss is and who they supervise. A clear organizational structure can be seen in the military world as well.

When I started firefighting life was clear – you showed up for your shift, you were given orders, and you carried out orders. Failure to do any of the above and the best you could hope for was getting a royal chewing out. The downside was being shown the door if the infraction was severe enough. Obviously there were clear boundaries, and that actually allowed the department to operate effectively and efficiently. However, it also killed initiative and innovation. But, there was a new wind blowing.

New Way to Lead Organizations –

This “new wind” started showing up in mid-1990’s with the folks getting hired possessing more education, and those individuals thought more highly of themselves, and offered their input on everything…even when not asked for it. About that same time the fire department merged with EMS (emergency medical services). The new people wanted more say-so in what they were told to do. It was a major cultural transition challenge to say the least.

Then came another life-changing shift…in 1998 I began taking a lot of wildland fire training that was developed by the federal government. That exposed me to a new style of operations and leadership. Basically, operational responsibility was more centered on a person’s knowledge, skills, and ability vs. position title. The leadership model was also more open with far more communication up and down the chain of command. It was refreshing, albeit a bit daunting to absorb after so many years of a very rigid chain of command in the fire department and my military time.

About 2007 I had the opportunity to take upper-level leadership training with some Special Forces folks. It was an eye opener to say the least. They presented a true “team concept” with very little rigidity in the command structure when it came to operations. The group of people responsible for the mission worked together, without barriers, to formulate the plan. It was common that subject matter experts (SMEs) were used in a specific area where their expertise was most appropriate, regardless of rank. However, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a leader.

The role of the leader in this new environment was vastly different than my previous training and experience. In this new model the leader was responsible for delivering the mission parameters and making higher level decisions in the field. Other than that, the team worked together to create and execute the plan. At first I was fairly resistant to this new model. However, that soon changed once I began to see the true value in this new “team concept.”

After a couple of days I could clearly see it was obvious that this new model provided many advantages to mission success, especially at the smaller group level. As I absorbed the material I realized the success was based on two basic principles; 1) everyone in the group had “buy-in” to the plan because everyone had “input” into the plan, 2) dependence on expertise of the individual group members to resolve issues. However, I also soon realized the glue that held it all together was trust…which began with and emanated from the leader. Group/team members had to trust each other’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. But, they had to trust their leader implicitly.

Those principles of group/team dynamics is no different than what we find ourselves in here in the prepper world…especially when it comes to leadership. Without a good leader, any group/team is almost assured of failure.

So what is the key to being a good leader?

Being a Good Leader & Leader’s Intent –

There are many attributes that make up a good leader, but that subject isn’t the purpose of this article. You can read about that in my last article. < Click here to read the last article > what I want to share with you is how a good leader handles planning with his team. There are two principles of success for a good leader when it comes to planning; 1) ability to communicate clearly within the group, 2) the ability of the group to envision the “leader’s intent.”

“Leaders intent” is an in-depth subject in its own right. Many articles and research papers have been written about it and many courses for corporate and military leaders exist to train in it. It is not my intention to pontificate in great scholarly detail, it would bore you to death. However, it is absolutely necessary to understand the basic concept of leader’s intent in order to successfully plan in an effective group/team setting. It is even more critical in the execution of a mission in the prepper world.

It is pretty widely accepted across the scholarly spectrum that leader’s intent consists of –

Task: What it is to be accomplished.
Purpose: Why it is to be done.
End State: What it should look like when done.

However, I find that to be far too much content when conveying leader’s intent. I believe is should simply be defined as, “What success looks like when we are done…and why.”

My definition looks more like the last item on the list. But, I have been in far too many briefings where the “task” over shadows everything else. And, when that over-briefing rears its ugly head, then the group bogs down in tactics and loses track of the big picture.

I have given hundreds, probably thousands of briefings in my career and I think I have learned what works and what doesn’t work. I base my judgements on the success or failure of the mission itself. I found that the more I got into the details in the planning phase as the leader the higher the likelihood of failure. When I was clear on what I wanted success to look like, touched on strategy, and then stayed out of the tactics, the probability of success increased significantly.

Now, in my defense, it is not that I suck at tactics in the field, quite the contrary (IMHO). It’s when I moved into upper management and leadership positions that I had a hard time letting go of operations. The key to letting go was knowing my subordinates knowledge, skills, and ability…and letting them do their jobs. All they needed from me was a clear statement of my intent, an overview of strategy, and then turn them loose. However, I always made it clear what success would look like when we were done.

Going through this transition of “old school” leadership and planning to the more “team-oriented” model I also realized the while leader’s intent applied at every level of operational leadership. However, it applied even more so at an organization’s higher leadership levels. What I mean by that is fairly straight forward…with the increase of knowledge, skills, and abilities of personnel, there was less direct hands-on leadership required.

It is not that much different in a family setting. A parent has to give a lot of direction to a 5-year old, including what clothes to wear. To a 17-year old a parent might only have to deliver the “intent” of being home by 10pm…“or else.”

My version of “what does success look like when we’re done” doesn’t exclude “purpose.” I just find it secondary to the end-state vision. But, purpose is also critical to the team’s planning to ensure “buy in.” If your team doesn’t understand what the purpose of what they are doing, then don’t count on much team enthusiasm.

Examples of Leaders Intent –

Going back to the family analogy you say to your teenage daughter, “Be home by 10pm Kim.” That gives her your intent as the parent (i.e. leader). Your daughter Kim now clearly understands what you expect (i.e. what success looks like). But now the follow-up with the purpose, “I want you to be safe.” Now your daughter understands that you care about her safety, you love her, and want to ensure her safety. This is best accomplished by her being home by 10pm. If she trusts you, and you her, there should be little, if any, conflict over the successful outcome.

OK, maybe with one exception…she is 17 years old…teenagers know everything! But, you get my point about intent and purpose.

Maybe a more realistic example would be this…you are standing in front of a pile of sand, there are 100 sand bags and 6 shovels up against the tree, it is raining, and you have 15 people standing around. You are the leader and it goes like this:

“Thank you guys for coming out, I really appreciate it. We have to fill these 100 sandbags and get them in place by noon. If we can do that we can keep the church building from flooding.”

Did the statement clearly answer the following?

What is to be accomplished?
Why it is to be done?
What does success look like?

If it was easy to answer those question, then the leader delivered “leader’s intent” successfully. Which then makes it easier to accomplish the task

In my role on Incident Management Teams over the years I have been responsible for saving homes from burning down in the path of large wildfires. I have been very fortunate and I haven’t lost a single house that I have been responsible for. Let’s use that as a study in proper leader’s intent.

If my responsibility is to prevent houses from burning down, and;
I am about to provide direction to the firefighting resources assigned to me…

…would this be appropriate leader’s intent to a group of fire engines, “Go to Happy Hills subdivision and don’t let any houses burn down.”

What would be in the firefighters’ minds? Yup, probably…I better do everything I can to not let a house burn down or my butt is in big trouble!

Do you agree with that?

What would be better wording to deliver my leader’s intent? Maybe something like this…

“At the end of the day I want you guys to be safe and I need you to do everything reasonable to save as many homes from burning down as possible.”

At this point do you think the firefighters have a slightly clearer picture of what their responsibility is? How about how they interpret my vision of safety? Is the vision of their task clear enough for all of the firefighters? How about their engine captains?

So here is what goes on in my mind –

Their Captains are in charge of each of the fire engines, they have already proven to be competent or they wouldn’t hold that position. Therefore, I trust those leaders to do their job.
I value their safety over the value of saving houses.
When I said “…do everything reasonable…” gave them the authorization to do what he needed to as long as it was within industry norms (i.e. reasonable).

So here is what should be going on in their minds –

They have a specific responsibility, keep houses from burning down.
They have authorization to do so within reason.
They also know not to take unnecessary risks because people are valued more than the homes.

That is in a perfect world. And we all know that we seldom work in a perfect world. However, there are options for dealing with that. It is called “Q&A”…for both sides’ benefit. Both the firefighters and I have the ability, and responsibility, to ask questions to ensure that the assignment is clear and understood.

After stating my leader’s intent I can ask a simple question such as, “Do you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, issues, or suggestions about the assignment I have given you?”

Or, a firefighter can ask, “Can you define reasonable a little better for me?”

By the time we are done with the complete back-and-forth exchange they know what is expected, what the authorization parameters are, and that I will support them in their decisions if they stays within those parameters.

That paints a pretty good picture of success if you ask me. So what are the two key elements in this successful delivery of leader’s intent?

For me I would say; 1) good communications, 2) trust.

So far we now understand that leader’s intent is a leader conveying to their subordinates what he wants done. He also does it with a clearly defined picture of what success looks like. Because the leader trusts his subordinates, those folks can now plan their individual actions to accomplish the picture of success.

Why vs. What = Motivation –

There is one more integral part to completing the delivery of leader’s intent, “why” it needs to be successful. Without the “why” the subordinates are only being told what to do, not why it is so important. So you could say, the motivation is lacking. Anyone who has suffered in an organization where motivation is absent can attest to the likelihood of success in some new project.

But, motivation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Motivation will only exist where values are shared.

Trust –

Without trust, motivation is usually very superficial and mostly ineffective. Conversely when there is significant or complete trust between leadership and subordinates, motivation is a given.

Tying “trust” back to leader’s intent is rather simple, but absolutely imperative. For a leader to develop and deliver an appropriate and clear leader’s intent statement, he must know and trust his subordinates. He must be realistic and trust them that they can carry out what he is asking them to do. From the subordinate’s perspective, they must trust their leader that what he is asking them to do is realistic. Yes, it may contain risk, but risk is something that can be mitigated.

Hands-Off Leadership (No Micro-Managing!) –

Once the leader’s intent has been delivered, understood, and agreed upon, it is best for the leader to back away from the team. Let the team develop the plan of action. He must trust their knowledge skills and abilities to do the planning to make it all happen.

Be SMART –

Remember the SMART system for setting objectives? The same outline can be used with leader’s intent. After all, isn’t leader simply a top-level objective? < Click here to read more about SMART >

Leader’s intent follows suit, it must be; specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic, and time-sensitive. Using that format let’s look at a bad example of leader’s intent –

“Go plant a garden so we can eat.”

Now let’s analyze why it is bad. Is it –?

Specific?
Measurable?
Action oriented?
Realistic?
Time-sensitive?

Let’s try again this time using another example of leader’s intent but reformulated to meet the SMART criteria.

“We don’t have enough food for a full year. We need to grow 50% of the food we eat. We need to be eating 1/4 our food out of a garden within the next three months, 50% within 6 months. If we can do that we will not starve.”

Now let’s analyze it. Is it –?

Specific?
Measurable?
Action oriented?
Realistic?
Time-sensitive?

Can you clearly notice the difference between the two leader’s intent statements?

Summary –

Wow, when talking about leader’s intent I could go on forever…but you are probably already bored. Another word or two won’t hurt you…so read on!

You are already a good prepper or you wouldn’t be visiting this website. You already understand the need for leadership during emergencies, disasters, or grid-down events or you wouldn’t be reading this article. What I am asking of you now…prepare to be a leader…a good leader.

I have noticed over the years that when there is a vacuum of leadership nature takes over, someone will become the leader. What worries me is who will step up. A couple of years ago I did some serious research on post-disaster personalities. As a result I wrote a 4-part series of personalities that will attempt to be leaders. As you might guess, there will be some very sketchy folks who will attempt to become leaders…or dictators…or wolves. Don’t let that happen!! (click here to read that series of articles)

You have the ability to become a great leader. You have already taken steps to do so. You have it inside of you the ability to be the leader people need. You already have vision! You know what is coming, you are preparing for it. That makes you a step or two ahead of 99% of the population wherever you might live.

To be that leader you must take vision and turn it into a mission statement…leader’s intent. Make it easy for others to see what you see…success. Give them a reason to move forward, to be successful, and to work together.

Let your folks know:

Task: What it is to be accomplished.
Purpose: Why it is to be done.
End State: What it should look like when done.

I have every confidence in you.

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Serious emergency, disaster and grid-down preparedness and prepper information.

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Example #3 –

Emergencies –

Disasters –

Grid-Down –

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Background –

New Way to Lead Organizations –

Being a Good Leader & Leader’s Intent –

Examples of Leaders Intent –

Why vs. What = Motivation –

Trust –

Hands-Off Leadership (No Micro-Managing!) –

Be SMART –

Summary –

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