In the midst of a global pandemic, riots that have caused over two billion dollars worth of damage and a year that seems like the disaster of the month club, it’s perhaps not surprising that many have forgotten about the potential disasters that we’ve concerned ourselves with over the last decade. Even so, it’s hard to believe that I haven’t heard anyone talking about EMP for months.

The Risk Has Grown

The threat of an EMP hasn’t gone away. In fact, I’d say it’s higher than ever. As our enemies around the world look at the growing interest in EMP preparedness that has risen over recent years (before the pandemic), it seems to me that they would have to see that their time is running short. If they ever intend to use an EMP against us, it will have to be soon, before we’re ready for it.

As it stands right now, the government has done very little to protect the electrical grid against the very real danger of an attack by EMP. Those precautions they have taken are more to protect the government itself, rather than to protect the grid or We the People. Even so, each step the government takes makes the risk of retaliation greater for those enemies who may try to cripple our country in this way. Attacking sooner, rather than later, is merely a matter of self-preservation, for those who have already declared their willingness to destroy our country.

Those enemies do exist. North Korea and Iran have both clearly expressed their intent to destroy the United States and have both openly talked about using an EMP to do so. We know for a fact that North Korea has the missiles and the nukes to stage such an attack and Iran is hard on their heels to develop the technology. If rumors I’ve heard are true, North Korea has even given them some technical advice, helping them to further their program.

Then there are the big boys; Russian and China; both countries with imperialistic ambitions, which have been largely thwarted by the United States and our commitment to maintaining the integrity of existing borders between countries. Our relations with both countries have been slowly declining, lessening any perceived reason not to attack us in this way.

Should either of those countries decide that it is in their national interest to take the United States out of the way, they would most likely work through some surrogate, like the abovementioned rogue nations or even a terrorist organization. They’ll do that to give themselves credible deniability on the world stage, with the idea of eliminating any retaliation from our allies.

With so much government focus on the things that are going on in our nation today; COVID-19, riots and the elections, strategic surprise would be easy to achieve. That’s essential in pulling off such an attack, and even more critical to help avoid the United States retaliating against whomever fomented the attack. As much as our enemies might hate us, they don’t want to die in the process of trying to destroy us and our way of life.

At the same time, there have been more and more cybertattacks on our electric grid. While these have caused minimal damage, each of them is teaching our enemies more and more about our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. That knowledge could help lead them to the ability to combine cyberattacks with an EMP, especially if they are unable to take out the entire country’s grid with one explosion.

The Damage Could be Even Greater

From the viewpoint of the average American, an EMP attack could have even graver consequences than it would have had in 2019. Our nation is still reeling from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as is the rest of the world. Millions of people are still laid-off from their work, and millions of small business have either declared bankruptcy or are on the verge of doing so. Even major retail chains have suffered, with dozens closing stores and claiming bankruptcy.

What that means is that a large portion of our population is suffering financially. They don’t have the reserves they normally would, no matter how meager those might be. Should an EMP hit, there is less those people can do to take care of themselves, because they don’t have the resources.

Of course, our society is trending more and more that way anyway, because of a greater dependence on the government to help us out in any emergency. While that help is nice for those who receive it, it’s a bit like feeding the bears in Yellowstone Park. Eventually the bears forget how to forage for food, just like a lot of people are forgetting how to earn a living for themselves and meet their own needs.

But the government is less prepared to help We the People than they have been in years. All the disasters over the last decade have bankrupt FEMA, the government’s disaster relief arm. They are far from ready to provide the aid that people will need in the wake of that EMP.

There’s also an aspect to this year which affects the prepper community. While we pride ourselves on being ready for any emergency, 2020 may have drawn down on our reserves, especially those of us who have been laid off due to the pandemic. Unless we have had the finances necessary to restock, now that the grocery stores are full again, many of us have holes in our stockpiles. Those holes could play a significant role in our ability to survive in the wake of an EMP.

We need things to settle down a little, so that we can get our perspective back and prepare for the next disaster. But 2020 doesn’t seem to want to let us do that. So we’re just going to have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get ready. After all, we still don’t know what disasters the rest of the year has in store for us and there’s no guarantee that 2021 will be better.

Make Use of that Time

COVID-19 has put a lot of people out of work in the last few months, while many more of us are working from home. We’re not going out as much either, due to businesses being closed and the need for social distancing. With all that, most of us have time to get those prepping projects we’ve been wanting to do out of the way.

Granted, if you’re out of work, you’re probably out of money as well. But chances are, there are projects you’ve been putting off, which you already have the materials to do or which don’t require any expense at all

. After all, it really doesn’t take any money to inventory your stockpile; all it takes is a lot of time.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got material sitting around for projects that you’ve never been able to find time to do, as well as projects that you started, which aren’t finished. As preppers, we are busy people, not only doing what all our friends are doing, but also taking time out of our schedules for our various prepping activities.

This is also a good time to learn new skills, making use of some of that extra time to practice those skills. Many skills require a considerable amount of practice, especially skills where you’re making things by hand. With the free time available from not going to all the activities we’re used to going to, there should be plenty of time to practice that new skill. I’ve been using my time that way.

Multiple Disasters are Becoming Commonplace

If there’s one thing that the year 2020 has shown us, it’s that multiple disasters can happen at the same time. We’ve not only had a global pandemic to deal with, but rioting in the streets, food shortages in the stores and hurricanes galore. Who would be surprised if we had an EMP before the end of the year?

What this all means is that

no matter what our level of preparedness was before, we need to up our game. COVID-19 isn’t going to go away anytime soon, so if an EMP comes, we’ll be dealing with multiple disasters at once. That means the challenges will be greater and the supplies will go faster.

I don’t know about you, but I found that my expected use of supplies during the pandemic fell far short of what I have actually ended up using. There have been many things I’ve ended up searching for, because they ran out. In some cases I ended up making my own to replace what I couldn’t buy and in others I’ve had to do without or improvise.

In any case, I learned that I needed a bigger stockpile than I had expected. The big question is then, where else is my stockpile falling short?

We need to keep in mind that an EMP is like multiple disasters at one time, all by itself. Not only do we have to deal with the power being out, causing our entire infrastructure to fail, but there will be shortages of everything from food on up, as stores run out and resupply becomes impossible.

Prepping for an EMP is a Good Framework

I’ve used an EMP as my main disaster for preparedness planning for several years now. Of all the disasters we can face, it’s probably the biggest; and while it doesn’t contain all the elements of a pandemic, it does include all the elements of just about any other disaster you can think of.

What that means, is that by prepping for an EMP, we are successfully prepping for pretty much any other disaster we’re that’s going to come. Does it guarantee that our preps are perfect? By no means; we can always miss things. But as time goes on and we continue reevaluating our level of preparedness, we’ll find more and more of the holes in our plans, giving us time to improve.

If we aren’t taking the time we have available to us right now, to review our level of preparedness, especially looking at an EMP, then we’re missing the opportunity to make our families more secure. Someday that will make a difference, whether it’s for an EMP or some other disaster.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the violence and rioting that is going on in cities across the country isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Considering the amount of potential problems with this year’s elections, there’s a good chance that any election results will go to court, regardless of who wins. So in other words, there’s almost no chance that things will be peaceful after the elections.

With that in mind, we need to be ready for whatever comes. While we don’t want to be instigators of any violence, we certainly don’t want to be victims of it either.

Today I’d like to share with you a “3-second survival hack” you can use to skyrocket your chances of protecting your loved ones during ANY crisis.

This technique is so powerful it can give you almost superhuman powers during the ugliest nightmares imaginable….

From natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes…

To explosive situations like mass shootings or even nationwide martial law.

And It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape…

Or have no equipment…

Or even if you’re disabled living in a wheelchair.

This technique has been tested and proven by elite soldiers and real world “miracle” survivors from around the world.

Reality says that we all have to go out sometime, even in the midst of pandemics and rioting. So there’s a distinct possibility that you’ll end up confronted by rioters when you least expect it. That’s enough to make some means of defense part of your everyday carry (EDC).

Pistol

Your main weapon is always your concealed carry pistol. This is one time you want to be carrying it for sure. Even so, you want to do everything you can to avoid drawing it or even letting anyone know it’s there.

Don’t try using your pistol to put an end to the rioting, as that could end up backfiring and sparking an increase in the violence.

The reason to carry a pistol is for your own defense. If things get out of hand and you’re in danger of life and limb, then you’ll need to draw your pistol. But be sure that it’s absolutely necessary, before even reaching for it, so that you don’t telegraph its existence and location to the rioters.

Make sure you have at least two extra magazines too. You don’t know what will happen if you start shooting. You may very well have to shoot your way out of the situation.

AR-15

The AR-15 is the closest thing I can think of to a civilian firearm designed for this situation. The ease of use and speed of reloading, changing out its 30 round magazines, means that you can keep shooting as long as they keep coming after you.

Just make sure you stop shooting as soon as the danger to yourself is lifted. You don’t want to be found guilty of your own murder spree.

I’d recommend a red dot sight for a situation like this, as it is the fastest and easiest optic for getting a sight on a target, even if the rifle isn’t quite lined up right. Back that up with iron sights, even if you have to install them at an angle, so that you have something to use if your red dot goes out.

While this article is about the best items to carry, I’d use extreme caution about even carrying an AR-15 into one of these situations. If there are others who are carrying, then it’s okay. But you don’t want to be the only one carrying one and end up attracting attention to yourself. Better to keep it in the trunk of the car, and stay close to your car so that you can get to it if you need to.

A Stout Walking Stick

A good walking stick is a great weapon, if you know what to do with it. I’m talking about one that is five to six feet long here, not a gentleman’s walking stick that’s no bigger than a cane.

A longer walking stick like this can be used as a quarterstaff or bo staff, depending on which you are more familiar with. It gives you reach over any attackers, without having to resort to firearms.

If you’re going to carry any sort of staff or walking stick, then you want to take some time to practice using it. This isn’t the sort of weapon you can use effectively, without practice. Look online for videos which explain how to use them, then spend some time in the backyard getting the swing of it.

The biggest thing you want to be sure of, when using any weapon of this sort, is to make sure that nobody can get their hands on it. If an attacker grabs it, they might succeed in wrestling it out of your hands and attacking you with it. Then you’d be forced to resort to another weapon, like your concealed carry pistol.

Experts predict that an EMP strike that wipes out electricity across the nation would ultimately lead to the demise of up to 90% of the population. However, this figure begs an important question: if we were able to live thousands of years without even the concept of electricity, why would we suddenly all die without it?

Martial Arts Weapons

If you have training in the use of martial arts weapons, this might be the time to make use of that training. Such weapons would give you a distinct advantage in any fight you might end up in.

The trick is carrying them in some way that nobody knows you’ve got them. A heavy coat, like a ski parka, will help in this regard.

Like the staff, don’t try using martial arts weapons if you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t want to be in a position where the weapons you are carrying can be turned against you and used to inflict harm on you.

That’s likely to happen with any weapon that gets taken away from you.

Wasp Spray

I’ve always had an issue with pepper spray in that it is such a limited weapon. You’ve got to be extremely close to the other person, almost putting it in their face. Then, you’ve only got enough spray for a few quick shots, before the can runs out.

Many people have recommended wasp spray as a replacement for pepper spray. Not only does it come in a larger can, but it’s designed to shoot about 20 feet. This allows you to use it as a weapon to clear the area around you, spraying one person after another in the face.

I will warn you though, wasp spray is not considered a legal weapon in all states. So you’ve got to be sure that you meet the criteria for the use of deadly force, even though it isn’t a deadly weapon.

Body Armor

Regardless of what weapons you’re carrying, if you’re going to be anywhere near the rioting, I’d highly recommend wearing ballistic body armor. Even if the rioters aren’t shooting, that armor could be useful.

Part of the way it works is to dissipate the kinetic energy from a round hitting it, spreading the impact out to minimize blunt-force trauma, while it also stops the bullet to prevent penetrating trauma. So, if someone knocks you over and tries to kick you in the chest, the armor would spread the force out, lessening the pain that it causes.

That body armor won’t help your head though and wearing a military helmet might be a bit too obvious. But if you happen to have a motorcycle helmet around, you might want to keep it in your car. Motorcycle helmets aren’t bullet-proof, but they are designed to withstand blunt-force trauma. So if you find yourself in a difficult situation, putting that helmet on could protect your head.

Your best course of action, with any sort of riots, is to make yourself scarce. There’s really no way for you and me to win in that situation. While we may be tempted to go out and defend all we hold dear, even trying to do that could land us behind bars. And that’s about the best we can expect. Dealing with those riots is really the business of the police and the National Guard.

This means staying away from the areas where rioting is likely to occur, especially the downtown area or a neighborhood where an event has happened that might spark violence.

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

There is no version of eminent domain that coincides with liberty. On the contrary, the two ideas are antithetical to each other. As a champion of liberty, John Locke stated in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, “For I have truly no Property in that, which another can by right take from me, when he pleases against my Consent.”

In other words, if the government can take your property from you without your consent — even if they are paying you for it — then you don’t really have a right to own private property at all.

The deeper debate about whether the idea of private property still exists at all in a country where property taxes, construction regulations, and other limitations are demanded is one best saved for its own discussion. For now, we’ll stick with the commonly held assumption that private property does exist.

Today I’d like to share with you a “3-second survival hack” you can use to skyrocket your chances of protecting your loved ones during ANY crisis.

This technique is so powerful it can give you almost superhuman powers during the ugliest nightmares imaginable….

From natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes…

To explosive situations like mass shootings or even nationwide martial law.

And It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape…

Or have no equipment…

Or even if you’re disabled living in a wheelchair.

This technique has been tested and proven by elite soldiers and real world “miracle” survivors from around the world.

Under that assumption, we can move a few years forward from Locke’s writings and quote the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a part of what we know as the Bill of Rights, which states that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable … seizures, shall not be violated”.

However, the very next amendment goes on to say that “private property” shall not be taken for “public use” without “just compensation.” Therefore, the idea of eminent domain is Constitutional, even if it still seems antithetical to liberty.

Leaving any argument about personal liberty or the foundations of our country aside, a much older idea from a much higher Authority lays plain the wrongfulness of eminent domain: Thou shalt not steal.

Despite any philosophical reasoning, eminent domain remains the law of the land. The essence of the outrageous but accepted practice is that a government — federal, state or local body — may confiscate land from individuals who legally own it, usually compensating them with at least the current market value of the property, for public needs.

In some cases, it is even more outrageous: The land is given over to private developers for various reasons. The justifications are always that the confiscation is for the greater good of the public. The original landowner has no legal recourse against the actions. That doesn’t sound like the land of the free, does it?

Recent examples from Memphis, St. Louis and North Carolina clearly show that the threat of eminent domain is alive and well in America.

Memphis

A privately owned mall in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, called Raleigh has had issues with crime and gangs over recent years. The city began plans to demolish part of the mall and make it a “town center” last year, including moving a police precinct and a library branch onto the land.

The owners of the mall said that they hadn’t been contacted by the city about the plans, and they refuse to sell part of the property to the city. Now the city has begun eminent domain proceedings to take the property from them. The reason is supposedly because of the crime issues. The question is: If the police can’t keep an area safe without seizing property, should residents of Memphis expect new police precincts to start popping up in every neighborhood area with a crime problem – and land in those areas seized, too?

St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri, is considering using eminent domain to oust both a private developer and individual homeowners from a swath of property in order to retain the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s facility within city borders. The agency, which provides mapping and satellite support for the military, employs 3,000 people and brings in an estimated $2.4 million in annual earnings taxes, although it is exempt from property taxes because it is operated by the federal government.

The agency is moving because it needs a bigger facility, but the area the city wants used is partly occupied. Although there is a lot of abandoned and demolished space in the area, there are still several long-time homeowners who refuse to give up their land and move. The remaining property is owned by a private developer, who has pledged not to use eminent domain against the remaining residents.

In response, the city is proposing using eminent domain against both the homeowners and the developer. Their tax revenue losses apparently outweigh the property rights of the land owners.

North Carolina

The North Carolina House passed a bill on Feb. 10 that would prevent government from using eminent domain to seize property and then sell it to a private developer. Only “public use” cases would be allowed. The problem: The same measure has passed the house on at least four other occasions in the past, only to be shut down in the state Senate each time.

At least this measure attempts to rein in the expansion of eminent domain’s scope, returning it to the description given in the Fifth Amendment’s language. Someone with a high level of cynicism might even argue that the measure is anti-private sector by cutting all private parties out of the picture and keeping all of the benefits in government hands.

The eminent domain playground is one we would do best to only play in when absolutely necessary, because the path forward is well-known. The destruction and abolition of private property is one of Marx’s 10 planks of Communism espoused in the Communist Manifesto. Turning over seized private property to a business friendly with the government is a staple of fascism. Either way, individual liberty and rights are sacrificed in the name of the “public good.”

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

With all the talk about the risk for civil war in America — and the new Nancy Pelosi push for impeachment that will drive America into more conflict — it’s crucial to realize how your proximity to left-wing population density hubs will largely determine your fate.

Over the last several months, I’ve been asking many of my best contacts what they think about the risk of civil war and what such a conflict would actually look like. These contacts include former military intelligence, special forces and law enforcement. They all agree that several upcoming events could trigger a rampage by the increasingly hysterical Leftists, including if Trump wins re-election in 2020, or if Ruth Bader Ginsberg passes away, giving Trump the opportunity to nominate another U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

There’s also the increasing risk of systemic financial collapse, which the central banks are desperately trying to stave off through “repo” actions that are just another form of quantitative easing. The writing is on the wall, however: Even the central banks know this is the final blowout chapter in the history of global debt. It’s only a matter of time before the ability to create new money can no longer fund the runaway debt spending of the governments of the world, include the U.S. government.

Practical actions that can help keep you alive

One of my goals in all this is to translate intelligence into practical action that can help keep you safe. When I learn things that might help you survive, or relocate, or defend yourself against what’s coming, I make it a point to share those conclusions publicly. That’s why I routinely talk to so many well-connected individuals who are either former or active military and law enforcement. These people know far more about what’s really going on than you might suspect, and they are almost universally supportive of defending America (and our president) from domestic enemies.

What they’ve recently told me has reshaped some of my own thinking on this subject, and the new analysis they’ve offered seems so important that it just begged for this article to share everything.

Here’s what I learned, in the aggregate, from multiple sources, many of whom have operated inside collapsing, war-torn cities and countries:

• There won’t be a nationwide kinetic civil war fought like America’s first Civil War. Instead, outbreaks of kinetic violence will be very limited to the areas in and around high-density population centers dominated by Leftists (i.e. Antifa and similar left-wing lunatics).
• This means your proximity to left-wing cities largely determines your risk of being caught up in any kind of kinetic engagement. The closer you are to the “zombies,” the worse off you’ll be when it hits the fan.
• At the same time, if you live in rural America, far from left-wing strongholds, your risk of being involved in kinetic engagement is virtually zero, according to my sources. They do not expect any mass exodus from liberal cities, since it is well understood that liberal zombies are incapable of doing anything that requires effort (such as walking a distance, or reading a topo map, etc.).
• Evacuating those cities will be largely impossible. Law enforcement isn’t even planning to try to run such evacuations for the largest cities like Los Angeles. The strategy is to keep people in place and attempt to support them with deliveries of food, water and medical supplies, should circumstances require. In effect, the response strategy will be to quarantine cities that are collapsing, and not risk National Guard troops trying to enter those cities once they’ve passed a certain point of lawlessness. (I was specifically told that the first responders already realize that trying to stop crime is just playing a game of “whack-a-mole” once the crime rate passes a certain point.)
• Ironically, the closer you live to left-wing stronghold cities, the more likely the government has restricted your ability to own firearms and normal-capacity magazines. Thus, the very people who will need firearms the most are being stripped of their Second Amendment rights in advance of the coming chaos. (Hint: Move to somewhere else.)
• When it comes to safety buffer zones from liberal cities, there are three distances that matter. First is the walking distance from your nearest liberal city. In other words, how long would it take the zombies to reach you if they are on foot? 25-50 miles away is generally considered to be sufficiently far away from the majority of walkers, although such distances are considered quite small for military veterans. The second distance to consider is the driving distance, which means how far someone might get on one tank of gas. This is roughly considered to be about 400 miles, although in a collapse scenario, even the zombies won’t have much success driving anywhere since the roads will likely be either jammed up or rigged as ambush points. The distance of 400 miles means there is practically no place along the East Coast that is a safe distance away from a liberal city. You have to head West — into Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, etc. — to get away from the cities. Along the Left Coast, you of course have to head inland, getting yourself situation in Eastern California, Eastern Oregon or Eastern Washington rather than risking proximity to collapsing cities like Los Angeles, Portland or Seattle.

• By the way, as a relevant side note, when it comes to cross-country fleeing via vehicles, stupid zombie liberals will drive their cars at night with their headlights on and tail lights functioning. Experienced veterans will pull the fuses for all their lights and drive using night vision, which is very dangerous but not as dangerous as running with your headlights at night, right into an ambush.
• If you live far from the liberal “zombie” cities, your biggest issue will be collapsing infrastructure such as grocery deliveries, fuel deliveries, communications infrastructure, medical supplies and possibly regional power grid failures. Thus, the strategy for those who are not in close proximity to liberal cities is to stockpile supplies and prepare to ride out a period of chaos and disruptions. During this chaos, there will of course be local looting and crimes of desperation, but there will not be organized left-wing waves of communist lunatics trying to sweep across the geography.
• This means the survival strategies are very different depending on your proximity to left-wing cities. To summarize, if you’re close to a city, you may be swept up in kinetic engagement initiated by the lunatic Leftists. If you’re in rural areas, your most likely challenge will be surviving disruptions of logistics, deliveries and essential services.
• The biggest gap in the preparedness efforts of most people today is a lack of communications capabilities. Even many preppers don’t have radio skills to monitor frequencies, use repeaters or coordinate community defense or rescue operations when needed. Most people have no idea what frequencies are used by local police and emergency services, and they don’t even have practical radios to communicate with neighbors or family members who may be on patrol around their own property. Even the simple MURS or GMRS radios can be incredibly useful, but acquiring and learning to use radios that can listen to a far large spectrum of frequencies is strongly recommended.
• One website that’s been recommended to me is ForwardObserver.com, which will soon be indexed by Censored.news as well. Forward Observer is written by individuals with impressive real-world skills in intelligence gathering and action responses to incoming intel. The mission statement of this website is, “Deliver high impact intelligence to shape a real-world, ground level understanding of America’s likely tumultuous future.” The site is largely written by U.S. Special Operations and Intelligence personnel, which explains how I came to know about this work (I know the people who know those people, in other words). As you’ll learn on this site, it’s also highly recommended that you acquire detailed topo maps for your local area so that you can navigate streams, roads, railroad tracks, etc., when needed.
• All the standard preps such as food, emergency medicine, water filters, ammo, etc., are obviously needed no matter what happens. But beyond the bullets and band-aids, you need intelligence, communications and ground-level familiarity with your geographic reality if you hope to shore up your community defenses and resilience. We’ve got a decent selection of some preparedness gear at HealthRangerStore.com, including our ever-popular Ranger Buckets which are certified organic, lab-tested storable food pails that come with bonus survival gear items. We can barely keep these in stock, but we’ve recently added more personnel to our operations, so we hope to have more inventory over the next few months. If those are out of stock, we offer an alternative, which is sealed #10 cans packed with a variety of lab-verified freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, miso soup powders, spirulina and more. See the full selection here.

• The goal of rural communities that don’t have to deal with left-wing zombie waves will be to maintain the rule of law, re-establish barter and trade in a safe environment, and keep the roadways safe and usable so that citizens can engage in trade. From this, communities can survive and even thrive.
• As recent attacks in Saudi Arabia revealed, key infrastructure in America are now highly vulnerable to drone attacks. In the United States, this includes power grid substations, oil refineries, communications towers and water delivery facilities. Drones enable an ease of attack that has previously never existed. For example, how hard would it be for domestic terrorists to fly a drone filled with some sort of high potency poison right into the water canals that feed a city like Phoenix or Los Angeles? There are essentially zero defenses against such acts, and similar vulnerabilities exist for power grid substations and power generation stations that feed the power consumption of large cities. Without power, large cities very quickly collapse into chaos.
• If you do not yet own some sort of night vision device such as a PVS-14 (or something better), you are already behind the curve and are hopelessly out-geared from an equipment point of view. Such devices allow you to see the IR designation beams or IR illuminators of organized attackers. They also allow you to see and maneuver in low-light or nearly no-light conditions, especially if you have your own IR illumination device. ReadyMadeResources.com sells numerous night vision devices and is run by very knowledgeable people.

Listen to my full podcast from Brighteon.com for more discussion on these points. Also read Survival.news for daily news focused on survival and preparedness:

Finally, I also strongly recommend you keep up with the articles at TheCommonsenseShow.com and AllNewsPipeline.com, both of which are providing some of the best coverage of the coming collapse. SHTFplan.com is also a solid publisher with excellent coverage. All of these are indexed with real-time headlines at Censored.news.

Our underlying goal in a SHTF scenario is ultimately to stay alive and live without exposure to risks.  As much preparation as many of us have made, in the altered world of a SHTF crisis, there will be many dangers that lurk; and some of them will be inadvertently from our own doing.

Here are the six laws of survival. Read this. Memorize this. Apply this. One day, you will need it.]

In a survival scenario all bets are off and the following laws will keep you alive. These laws are rigid, but necessary. Harsh, but true. Keep your cards close and always have a plan.

Today I’d like to share with you a “3-second survival hack” you can use to skyrocket your chances of protecting your loved ones during ANY crisis.

This technique is so powerful it can give you almost superhuman powers during the ugliest nightmares imaginable….

From natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes…

To explosive situations like mass shootings or even nationwide martial law.

And It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape…

Or have no equipment…

Or even if you’re disabled living in a wheelchair.

This technique has been tested and proven by elite soldiers and real world “miracle” survivors from around the world.

Law 1: Wherever that crowd is running, do not join them.

This is not to say that they aren’t (initially) running in the right direction.  But what of it?  They are bound to be either captured en masse or worse (bombed, strafed, or shot).  For the horror of the IHM (the Incredible Human Mob), look no further than “War of the Worlds” with Tom Cruise where he and his family are driving the passenger van…right up and into the mob.  Look what happened there.  You can’t defeat their numbers, and you will be captive to them…another steer in the herd.

Strike out on your own, you and your family, avoiding the main thoroughfares at all cost, and avoiding the IHM.

Law 2: You have to have a place (and places) to go.

This is where thinking outside of the general herd will pay off.  We’re going to instruct by running through a checklist…. this will be a “handy-dandy” checklist that you can print out or run over in your mind to be able to follow rule #2.

• Did you preposition assets (food, weapons, money, etc.) at an initial safe location?
• Is that location within walking distance for you and your family?
• Once there, are you and your family secure for at least a 24 – 48-hour period?
• Safe from enemy troops/government “peacekeepers” on the hunt?
• Safe from fallout and/or NBC agents?
• Does it have a food and water supply to sustain all of you for 7 days?
•  If your initial safe location has been compromised, is a duplicate location nearby?
• Do you have a farther (more remote) location that you can reach on foot in 3 days?
• A secure, sustainable location with supplies for at least a month?
• Do you and your family have a handheld method of communication for each member?
• Have you formulated short-term (initial contact, 48 hours, 7 days) plans?
• Have you made long-term (1 month and month-by-month; 6 months and 6-month continuous analysis; 1 year) plans?

Guys and gals, these are just basics.  You must have these things in place in order to give you and your family a fighting chance.  Whether or not it is a foreign invasion or a domestic communist takeover of the United States, you must leave your home in suburbia or you will be rounded up, bringing us forward:

Law 3: You will be leaving your home, permanently or for a long time.

This is survival.  The majority of readers are not living in the mountains or in a remote location.  If you follow these steps and practice them on a dry-run on a regular basis…it will give you the advantage that most people will not have.  You must innovate: come up with ideas that others will not think of.  Do you know of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town?  Chances are that 90% of others will think the same thing in a grid-down/Red Dawn survival scenario.  You need to find the places that are off the beaten path.  And if there are none?  It may mean that you have to create a place.

How?  By caching your supplies within the walking distances described for each part of the “safe” area.  By finding tunnels, caves, or other sub-structures that can protect you from the elements and at least afford partial protection from radiation.  By being who it is you imagine yourself to be: a prepper…a survivalist…or a survivor.  When you enter any contest, do you enter it to lose?  Do you strive for just “second place” or “second best” in this arena?  Chances are the answer is “no,” but you have to arrive on that conclusion on your own.  All of this is a challenge, and this underlines everything for you if it needs clarification:

Law 4: In survival, there is no silver medal: “second place” means death.

Forget that phrase in “The Hunger Games,” because if you are taken…the odds are not ever in your favor.  We went through a 4-article series on how to escape from the Gulag where I reiterated how important it is for you to stay out of it.  I stand by this concept.  If you are taken captive, the odds aren’t in your favor of getting out…for the duration of it.

And then guess what?  The Germans during WWII as the allies approached began to hide their transgressions by liquidating the camps…basically killing everyone that could bear any type of witness to the atrocities.  Do not think for an instant that it will not happen again.  Look at Holodomor in Ukraine and the starvation tactics the USSR used to follow after the Malthusian model.  Our enemies have very little regard for human life, and the lives they value are of their own people.  If the Chinese communists would run over their own people with tanks and sell their internal organs while they’re still alive, what will they do with us?

Which brings us to the “Malcolm X” rule:

Law 5: You must stay out and survive by any and all means necessary.

Some of you may think “JJ is a little harsh.”  I would rather be hard and harsh now, and enable you, my countrymen, to have some tools at your disposal and a “sharp tack” under the figurative buttocks of your mind to give you the impetus to do something about the situation prior to its occurrence.  The country is “long in the tooth,” and you have to grasp these concepts and act upon them now…not burn off the pages and save them in the survival archives…but use them to inculcate your own, individual plan of action now.

Rule #5 means resolving yourself to do what you must in order to protect yourself from the ravages (and not just possible, but probable death) inside of one of these camps.  These are all basic, “generic” things to begin as a base for your preparations.  This is a form of guerilla warfare!  Avoid the occupiers/oppressors at all cost!  These things will work for you…if you resolve yourself (ves) to do them.  I’ll close with a note on OPSEC (operational security): you better build off of these basics and keep all of them to yourself.

JJ is giving you the basics that you need, without revealing everything of his own plans.  Why?  Because I earned them by paying for them with years of experience and suffering, and it means my family’s survival.  Such measures would run you a lot of money and imagination; such measures come from years of practical experience and the willingness to take chances.  This thought brings us to our final rule, the failure of which means compromise leading to death:

Law 6:  Do not tip your hand or reveal your plans to anyone.

Next installment we will talk about life under occupation, be that by foreign invaders or by totalitarian state that has morphed out of a democracy.  In the meantime, prepare and plan, and when you are reasonably sure, execute a dry run.  The practice does make perfect and affords you a time and trials to iron out all of the glitches in your operations.  Until next time be good to one another and keep up the fight!

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

I’m confident that most of you have plenty of food stocked away. Many of you have at least a small vegetable garden, and some of you even have livestock of some sort.

That’s great, but what happens during an extended disaster or a total collapse of society? Eventually, your freeze-dried food and canned goods will run out. You’ll have a tough time getting all the essential amino acids your body needs from plant-based protein sources alone. It’s not impossible, but the volume of plant-based protein you’ll need to consume will quickly whittle away your food supply.)

Fortunately, a little knowledge goes a long way because there are plenty of places to find food—especially protein, during a collapse of society. Here are nine places most people wouldn’t even think to look:

Kennels

We may view dogs and cats as our cuddly little pals here in America, but they are a food source throughout the world. If society collapses and your survival is on the line, you better be ready to get over your emotions and make a meal of Fido. Since most people would be busy fighting over the last pack of Oreos at Walmart, kennels would become a great place to find plenty of fresh meat with little or no competition. The dogs and cats are even tucked into convenient cages, making you job of harvesting them simple.

Pet stores

The same principles apply here, but with a larger selection of choices. (Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, fish, reptiles, etc.) You’ll find the added benefit of a stockpile of food for the animals and antibiotics used in aquariums and ponds.

I would also recommend taking a few pairs of animals you can breed for a sustainable food source. Rabbits are an ideal choice.

Zoos

I appreciate the beauty of the animals you find at a zoo as much as anyone, but I will happily slaughter a giraffe to feed my family. There are a couple of things to consider here:

1. Nearly every animal in the zoo is larger, stronger, faster, and much more dangerous than you.
2. Nearly every animal in the zoo provides more meat than you can carry or consume before it spoils.

Based on those facts, it’s important that you have a plan, support, and weapons. A semiautomatic rifle capable of efficiently killing the target is essential, along with enough people to quickly butcher that animal. (I recommend nothing smaller than a 5.56, but preferably .308 or larger.)

In the case of predatory animals like lions or tigers, it would be wise to drag it from the cage or pen before butchering so his buddies don’t attack you during the process. Sure, you could shoot them too, but a pride of dead lions would spoil before you could eat the meat, and during a collapse you don’t want to waste anything.

Also be sure to enter with caution and stay alert at all times because you don’t know if any animals have escaped their enclosures.

Aquariums

You’ll probably have to harvest food from aquariums relatively quickly due to potential water contamination. They usually have robust backup generators to keep their filters running, but that is designed for natural disasters like hurricanes that may only last for several days. Once you start stretching into weeks or months, algae, bacteria, and other pathogens can quickly overtake even the largest aquariums, killing of the marine life.

You may be able to harvest some marine life relatively easily, but the larger tanks, like the one we have here at the Tampa Aquarium will require fishing gear—in some cases, heavy-duty fishing gear, to pull the fish out.

Amusement Parks

Speaking of restaurants, there are dozens of them scattered throughout most amusement parks, making them a plentiful and reliable source of food that never crosses most people’s minds.

School cafeterias

You can find a lot of food in school cafeterias and since most of it will be either canned or dehydrated, or frozen in walk-in freezers powered by backup generators, it should be fresh for a long time to come. Keep in mind that this will only be accessible during a total collapse of society. Schools are often used to temporarily house and feed people during short-term disasters.

Grocery Stores

You’ll have to hit your local Publix pretty damn early if you hope to find anything, but even then your chances are pretty slim. People will usually mob the store leading up to the event, whether it’s a hurricane, financial collapse, or something else, and following the event, it’s one of the first targets for the unprepared. So don’t get your hopes up. It’s probably best to avoid this entirely due to the risk of violent encounters.

Restaurants

Like grocery stores, expect restaurants to be picked over pretty quickly, but you might find something.

Distribution Centers

Most people don’t give any thought to how the food gets to their grocery store so they aren’t even aware this exists, making it a step up from your local grocery store. When you take into account the fact that distribution centers are usually located outside of heavily populated areas, they become even more appealing during a collapse.

Situational Awareness is one the most important skills you can learn to master that will contribute significantly to reducing the likelihood you will be become a victim and give you the advantage when something bad happens.  Situational Awareness is the process of making conscious observations of your surroundings and making tentative plans of action if something bad were to happen.  Some might deem you paranoid, others may say you are overly concerned, however, if something bad should happen you will have a tremendous survival advantage over those that think that way.

Plan & Practice

Planning and practice are the two keys to survival.  Each compliments the other.  You can plan, but if you do not practice, you will not have the skills to meet your objective. On the other hand, if you practice, but do not plan, you will not have a coordinated smooth response. Thus each of the above mentioned, planning and practice must go hand in hand to properly implement situational awareness.

Let’s start by understanding situational awareness, how to implement it and use it to your advantage. In general, the first step in determining your future action plans is based on the immediate situation you are in.  For example, are you solo or with a group of people? Being solo has lots of advantages and enable you to make decisions without having to consult or inform anyone else.  So in this case, checking your surroundings and making tentative action plans are simple.  However, on the other hand, if you are in a group this process can become far more complicated.  One of the means to reduce the complication and confusion is to have a predetermined “code” that enables you to gain the attention of all members of your group.  To best protect your family and ensure everyone is aware and ready to properly respond in the event of something bad happening, every family should have a “code word” that when announced every one directs their attention to the family leader.  Once the attention of the group is acquired, the group team leader can give commands and instructions on how to proceed. 

State of Mind

Situational awareness is a state of mind. Thus, it must be practiced constantly to become fluent in its use and implementation.  I cannot emphasize how important it is to practice and use situational awareness all the time. It will most likely be that time when you have failed to use it that you become a victim or caught off guard.  Jeff Cooper adapted a color-coded definition of the human awareness and response to critical situations. Understanding these states of mind and applying them to your everyday life, is vital to survival.

White: Completely unaware of your environment and surroundings. This is clearly the most dangerous condition to be in; you are the most vulnerable in this state. This condition can occur while you are driving, day dreaming, talking on your cell phone, texting, and managing your kids. Naturally, there are many more instances that could be mentioned, that reflect condition White. Again, this is the most dangerous condition to be in, the condition that bad guys like to find you in so they have the advantage. Bad guys in general know how to look for people in this state of mind. While you are distracted they are planning their attack strategy.

Yellow: Is relaxed but alert and in touch with your surroundings.  You are looking around, noting where exits are, watching who is entering the door, determining the lay of the land and considering basic action plans. This can be conducted in a casual manner without anyone knowing what you are doing and not interfering with your current activity. This level of awareness will allow you to notice normal and aberrant events quickly. This is the phase when you will begin to see things you have never noticed before. This is a good thing.

Orange: Your alertness has increased significantly, something is not right, action maybe required, and more formal action planning is required. Examples include people arguing, someone acting inappropriately, someone moving into your personal space, or an actual bad event happening.  This is an action level of awareness; you need to make decisions at this level. It could be leave the area and be non- confrontational.  It could be gather your children or group.  Seriously, consider your personal protection action.  If you have practiced level Yellow well then this phase can be managed without considerable problem. However, if you have not implemented condition Yellow, you and everyone in your group will be caught off guard, confused and disoriented when an untoward event occurs.  And you have significantly increased your likelihood of becoming a victim.

Red: Immediate Action is Required.  This does not necessarily mean intervention is required.  It could mean leaving the location, finding the fastest exit, seeking cover, activating your personal protection plan. It is also a time when, intervention may be needed such as, actively protecting yourself and family members, the use of some form of personal protection device.  Delay in implementing your personal protection plan that involves protecting you, your family, or innocent individuals will result in bad outcome. This is the time when fear, reservation, confusion and lack of planning can place you in greater danger. It is imperative you be assertive at this level. If you have managed level Orange well, then this phase can be somewhat seamless. Since you know what you are going to do. I cannot state enough how practice, practice and practice will be your best friend if you should find yourself in this situation. As mentioned earlier in this paragraph, hesitation, reservation and confusion are not your friends when this type of action is required.

The final condition is controversial. It is Black. In this condition, you may be in a state of shock or confusion. What just happened? This is the level where you must regain your conscious state of mind, organize your thoughts and settle yourself down. Because you may be completely confused after an event occurs in which you had to intervene. It is important that you take the time to regain your thoughts and what happened.  That is why you should not talk to the police after a major intervention event.  Naturally, you should be polite and professional and understand that you are going to be detained and maybe even arrested. But you must clearly state that you wish to speak with your attorney before talking to the police.  They will understand in most cases.  You must have time to get your thoughts together and clearly regain a good picture of how the events transpired.

Professionals in the firearms, personal protection and safety business cannot stress enough about how important training is when it comes to operational success. Thus, to perfect your skills you must train constantly. That means practice making methodical decisions based on good information. Practice situational awareness all the time no matter what environment you are in. Finally, learn how to use your Every Day Carry (EDC) tools effectively and quickly. Practicing these skills are key to success and a positive outcome. It is vital you do this.

Examples

Here are some examples. Train yourself to not make any decision while you angry or emotional. Learn to slow yourself down look at the facts and then make a solid decision. Another practice scenario is more complex and engaging. When at an event observe what is going on around you and try to anticipate the actions of the people you are observing.

Next, learn to plan as you observe. As you enter the restaurant to take a minute and determine: Where are the exits…? Where can I sit so I can observe the door…..? Where is the least crowded area of the restaurant so I can have space…. can I see my car from the restaurant…. As you walk to your seat…. Observe the people eating and what they are wearing… Finally, make a quick plan…. If this happens I am going out this door… or if that should happen I am moving to that location…. Then enjoy yourself and keep a watchful eye on your surroundings.

The next step in this series is to learn how to use you tools very well.  Make sure your phone has a quick button for calling 911. Practice opening a closing your knife, to the point you can do it in the dark safely.  Finally, and most importantly, make sure you know how to use your personal protection tool very well.  This tool may save your life, and thus you need to know how to use it and not have any reservations when the need arises for you to use it.

In summary, Situational Awareness is a mental state of alertness that enables you to be actively aware of your surroundings in the event an untoward incident should happen.  In that case, the proper application of Situational Awareness will enable you to respond quickly and intelligently so you can properly address the aberrant event.  Having the necessary EDC survival tools with you and the comfort and knowledge of their use will enable you to feel secure in your actions.  The ability to respond quickly and affirmatively and the sense of security comes only from practice, practice and practice.

Communism hit center stage with the Russian revolution, as first Vladimir Lenin and then Joseph Stalin remade Russia into the image created by Karl Marx. This didn’t affect us here in the USA much until World War II, when we were uncomfortable allies with Russia. Even then, there were those who saw communism as being the political savior for all mankind. But it wasn’t until World War II ended and the Cold War began, that we clearly saw the juxtaposition of capitalism versus communism in the world.

Ever since then, there have been those in this county who have been pushing for us to become one more socialist country in the world. They hold up socialism as the shining light, where all people are treated equally. The government exists only to make sure that happens.

But even then, there is an elite in any communist government. Someone has to make the decisions about who gets what and those people always take care of themselves first. While socialism or even communism might be a great theory, it requires perfect people; and the world has always had a shortage of those.

Yet there are those in our political system, who still proclaim socialism as the way to go. They make it sound better by calling it “democratic socialism.” But all it takes is a look at other countries who have gone socialist to see what that means; you can vote it in, but you can’t vote it out.

Nevertheless, they try to make their political ideology look good by promising lots of freebies, not letting people know that they are going to have to pay exorbitant taxes to get those freebies. Rather, they claim that the rich, who don’t pay “their fair share” will pay them. Yet every time politicians talk about raising taxes on the rich, it is the middle class who feels the pinch, not the wealthy.

To the low-information voter, especially the low-income, low-information voter, this all sounds good. They get free health care, free birth control, free education, free phones, free food and free income, and someone else has to pay for it. What could be better?

Interestingly enough, over the last century, every socialist or communist government has gotten into power by proclaiming their concern for the poor. This gave them a large pool of low-information voters they could count on, so that they could get voted into office. They lied to their followers regularly, both about their own intentions and those of the opposing party. All that mattered was that they got into power. We could be seeing the same thing happening here.

So, is the United States on its way to becoming a communist country, as some would like?

As I look back over the last 50 years, I can see where we Americans have lost a lot of our freedoms. Every time the government expands, taking over another part of society, it does so at the cost of individual and state freedom. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the IRS or the EPA; they get their power by stealing our freedom.

In that sense, you can say that we are already on the road towards communism and have been so for quite some time. A major step towards getting us there was Obama’s signature healthcare law. Never intended to work, the Unaffordable Healthcare Act was merely supposed to be a stepping stone towards a single-payer healthcare system, which would allow the federal government to take full control of 17.9% of our economy.

Basically all that Obamacare has done for the country is raise the cost of health insurance and medical care. Yes, it did give some people who were previously denied health insurance coverage by insurance companies the legal right to buy insurance. Yet that could have been done at a much lower cost and without having to hire 30,000 new IRS agents, further bloating an already oppressive government agency, in the process.

Even regulatory agencies like the Department of Education can be seen to be pushing our country towards socialism and then communism. These agencies do nothing more than take the power to make decisions out of the hands of US citizens and our local governments. One of their main ways of doing this is by controlling tax dollars. Money passed out to state and local governments by these agencies always comes with a price; one of toeing the line on some regulation or other.

Part of the problem here is that once a government agency is established, it is all but impossible to shut it down. Take the EPA for example. It can be fairly argued that there was a need for the EPA, when it was founded by President Nixon in 1970. But since then, the majority of the work that the EPA originally did has been taken over by state governments, leaving the bloated federal bureaucracy in place to spend taxpayer money and create stifling regulations.

The new House of Representatives seems to be making a greater push for the government to take over other parts of our economy as well. Some representatives have even gone so far as to float the idea of taking over major corporations, “for the good of the people.” Should this actually happen, it will be the sign that our country is actively being taken over by a communistic government.

If we keep doing that, we’re going to find ourselves backed into a corner; actually several corners. The first corner will be the elimination of our First Amendment freedom of speech. The “PC Police” are already at work on this, using “political correctness” and “hate speech” to silence those who don’t agree with them.

Totalitarian authority can’t handle disagreement, so they have to criminalize that disagreement in order to silence it. Everyone will be forced to toe the party line, saying what they’re supposed to say, as if they believe it. They won’t be satisfied with us being quiet, but rather insist that we say things their way.

Once they’ve accomplished that, it will be easier for them to take the next big roadblock to communism out of the way, our Second Amendment rights. Totalitarian governments must always disarm the people, so that they can keep control. As Mao Zedong, the first communist leader of China said, “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

Without guns, what can any of us do to stop anything the government wants to do? The Second Amendment was given to us for this purpose. If those in power are going to get the power that they want, they have to take it out of our hands. That’s why the gun grabbers always attacks the AR-15 rifle, rather than pistols or shotguns. You can’t fight a war with pistols; you need rifles for that. As long as we are armed with rifles, we are a danger to the totalitarian communist government they crave.

The real question boils down to what we are going to do when they come for our freedom of speech and our freedom to bear arms?

Minority rule” is the latest buzzword emanating out of the Democratic party. Concerned about the likelihood of a 6-3 Republican-appointed majority on the Supreme Court and the possibility of Donald Trump once again winning the presidency sans the popular vote, progressives are indicting America’s republican system of government for impeding their numerical might.

The number-crunchers at FiveThirtyEight concluded that rural areas have two to three times as much representation in the U.S. Senate as do large urban cities, despite the two areas containing about an equal number of voters. “And of course, this has all sorts of other downstream consequences. Since rural areas tend to be whiter, it means the Senate represents a whiter population, too,” writes Nate Silver. It’s as if the upper chamber dials back the demographic clock twenty years. 

“Republicans essentially get bonus points: They can be the less popular party and still get to govern,” complains Seth Masket in The Washington Post. “This is how a government loses its legitimacy…And it’s not a counterargument to say that the advantages the Republicans have today are ‘constitutional.’ In fact, that’s the heart of the problem.”

In The New Yorker, John Cassidy accuses the Republican Party of intensifying “a years-long effort to consolidate minority rule.” He calls it “egregious” that “when you consider the combined influence of the Electoral College and the Senate, both of which amplify the power of Republican voters living in less densely populated parts of the country, the empowerment of the minority—an overwhelmingly white and conservative minority” exercises “a baleful influence” on American society. 

CNN anchor Don Lemon has the solution. “We’re going to have to blow up the entire system,” he told colleague Chris Cuomo. “You’re going to have to get rid of the Electoral College, because the people, the minority in this country decides who the judges are, and they decide who the president is. Is that fair?”

The amendment process makes these constitutional alterations problematic in the short term, but the ultimate goal is clear: the dismantling of institutional barriers to raw, uninhibited majority-rule. The result will be nothing short of the dictation of national policy from New York and California, while the voices and interests of smaller states and communities are smothered. 

Republicans ought to straighten their backs against this fetishization of democracy. And they’ll find guidance in one of the first-rate minds of the nineteenth century. 

John C. Calhoun, in a forty-year political career, served as South Carolina’s congressman and senator, as both Secretary of War and Secretary of State, and as Vice President under two administrations. He began his journey as a fervent nationalist (for whom was coined the term “war hawk”) and ended it a dyed-in-the-cotton sectionalist. One of the “Great Triumvirate”—along with Henry Clay and Daniel Webster—Calhoun’s intellect burned like a furnace behind his piercingly blue eyes in an otherwise cast-iron expression.

“Calhoun’s political thought is more original and more closely reasoned than that of any other American statesman,” wrote Russell Kirk, the dean of modern conservative thought. Even John F. Kennedy praised Calhoun’s “profoundly penetrating and original understanding of the social bases of government [which] has significantly influenced American political theory and practice.”

The most consequential of Calhoun’s works, A Disquisition on Government, was written in the final months of his life as he coughed to death of tuberculosis. Published posthumously in 1851, it describes Calhoun’s vision of a constitutional republic governed by a concurrent majority. 

Far removed from the starting point of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, Calhoun rejected the natural rights tradition, and believed it was a foolish to subscribe to any theoretical “state of nature.” Instead Calhoun posited that government as an institution was divinely ordained, and that the human race always and forever existed under some form of authority. 

But while God might demand governance, it is the responsibility of man to contrive its form. For Calhoun, that meant a constitutional republic able to balance the spheres of security (a necessity) and liberty (a privilege).

To achieve this harmony, participation from the voting public is essential but not sufficient. “I call the right of suffrage the indispensable and primary principle; for it would be a great and dangerous mistake to suppose, as many do, that it is, of itself, sufficient to form constitutional governments,” wrote Calhoun. 

In an effective popular democracy, a voting majority turns “into an agency, and the rulers into agents, to divest government of all claims to sovereignty and to retain it unimpaired to the community.” But transferring the seat of authority to the masses does nothing to counteract “the tendency of the government to oppression and abuse of its powers.”

Calhoun recognized that every community—especially one as large as a nation—would have a diverse array of interests, pursuits, and situations. When the authority of the state is placed on the mass of people, it will “lead to conflict among its different interests—each striving to obtain possession of its powers, as the means of protecting itself against the others—or of advancing its respective interests, regardless of the interests of others.” 

He accurately describes how political coalitions of expediency are formed, such as our Republican and Democratic parties, as vehicles for power:

For this purpose, a struggle will take place between the various interests to obtain a majority, in order to control the government. If no one interest be strong enough, of itself, to obtain it, a combination will be formed between those whose interests are most alike—each conceding something to the others, until a sufficient number is obtained to make a majority…When once formed, the community will be divided into two great parties—a major and minor—between which there will be incessant struggles on the one side to retain, and on the other to obtain the majority—and, thereby, the control of the government and the advantages it confers.

The purpose of a written constitution, then, is “to prevent any one interest, or combination of interests, from using the powers of government to aggrandize itself at the expense of the others…that is, by the adoption of some restriction or limitation, which shall so effectively prevent any one interest, or combination of interests, from obtaining the exclusive control of the government, as to render hopeless all attempts directed to that end,” wrote Calhoun.

We now arrive at the crux of Calhoun’s essay: forming a concurrent majority whose decisions regard not only a mathematical headcount but competing interests as well. Too often a numerical majority is wrongly identified with representing “the people” as a whole. A majority, even for example 60%, still only represents a portion of the total. A concurrent majority, on the other hand, uses preventative action to achieve compromises that respect all interests. If not, and a majority is able to dictate policy to a minority, you have an absolute government—whether superficially “democratic” or not.

That is why a political minority must possess “a concurrent voice in making and executing the laws, or a veto on their execution,” wrote Calhoun. “It is this negative power—the power of preventing or arresting the action of the government—be it called by what term it may—veto, interposition, nullification, check, or balance of power—which, in fact, forms the constitution.”

When Calhoun conceived of the concurrent majority in the 1830s and 1840s, he had in mind regional interests, whose “negative power” had to rely on nullification, and eventually, secession. Today, Republicans don’t require anything so exceptional; only a defense of the U.S. Senate, electoral college, and other centuries-old institutions that will ensure conservatives continue to have a seat at the governing table. 

Calhoun hoped that a concurrent majority, “by giving to each interest, or portion, the power of self-protection, all strife and struggle between them for ascendency” would be prevented, and social feelings could “unite in one common devotion to country.” Judging from the above statements by the corporate press, who act as a vanguard for the burgeoning majority, Calhoun’s prayer for brighter days seems as fanciful as it once did in 1850. 

Understanding the relevance of Calhoun’s political theory does not require adopting his worldview wholesale; conservatives should not reject natural rights theory or begin treating liberty as “a reward to be earned.” But Republican leadership must ascertain that the voice of their voters matters, and even if demographic trends condemn them to a permanent minority status, that doesn’t require sacrificing their core interests at the altar of majoritarian democracy.

I grew up in upstate New York. The beautiful rolling hills, the Great Lakes. The lovely farm country. I would never go back if you paid me millions of dollars. Never.

But for the better part of a decade I have resided well south of the Mason-Dixon line. In fact, when I spoke to a relative a short time ago from New York State, they were shocked I didn’t sound like a Yankee, or even speak like one. “You’ve gone native,” they told me. Which is well and good in my book.

New York is about as liberal/progressive of a state as you can get. It’s a state that does not honor life, the sanctity of marriage or gun rights. It taxes its residents to death, does not value homeschoolers and has no more respect for Almighty God than does Richard Dawkins. Since I have left, the New York government has only worsened.

Today I’d like to share with you a “3-second survival hack” you can use to skyrocket your chances of protecting your loved ones during ANY crisis.

This technique is so powerful it can give you almost superhuman powers during the ugliest nightmares imaginable….

From natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes…

To explosive situations like mass shootings or even nationwide martial law.

And It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape…

Or have no equipment…

Or even if you’re disabled living in a wheelchair.

This technique has been tested and proven by elite soldiers and real world “miracle” survivors from around the world.

For many of us who homestead and farm on a small scale, we also raise families, own firearms, go to church and desire a quiet life lived in peace. Sadly judging by the moral and political climate in some places in North America, we often have to leave the place we call home in order to find these things. I believe there are still good places out there to put down roots and farm and raise your children, while other places in the USA have gone quite authoritarian.

Here are four areas in the United States for those seeking fair land prices, less government involvement, a religious friendly atmosphere, low taxes, and a place friendly toward gun owners.

South

The land of cotton has changed much in the past half century, but the area is well-known as a bastion of conservative and Christian values in the USA. The land is good for agriculture and there are many homesteaders and small-time farmers who have flocked to this region over the past two to three decades from all over the USA and Canada.

My pick for the southeast:

Tennessee. The state’s motto of “Agriculture and Commerce” speaks of the beautiful and lush farmlands — and low taxes. There is no state income tax in Tennessee. Gun freedoms are very good, and in fact after a recent shooting, Tennessee’s lieutenant governor urged people to go and get their handgun carry permits. No such thing as an “assault weapons ban” or magazine restrictions exist in the Volunteer State. Land prices are expensive toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, but Middle and West Tennessee land prices are affordable. Homeschooling conditions are great for families.

Southwest

Texas. Don’t mess with the Lone Star State. A conservative government, coupled with excellent gun laws, makes Texas one of the top places to live for the small farmer or homesteader. While not as fertile as some states, ranching is big business in Texas. A farm on the Edwards Plateau will provide your family with water from the aquifer with the same name. In the more fertile east, row crop farming as well as vegetable growing does reasonably well.

With the end of the recent drought, Texas received more rainwater this year than it had in seven years. Beware of buying land near the Mexican-US border and stay away from the more progressive cities like Austin or Dallas. Most Texans value liberty and independence, a great thing for the homesteader or farmer.

West

Idaho and Wyoming. Both of these states tie for the best places to live out west. Excellent gun laws, conservative government, a fierce independent spirit, and excellent farm country make these Rocky Mountain states ideal for the homesteader/farmer. Rich soil is available, and land prices are cheap. If you want to be away from people, this is the perfect place for you. You want to hunt and fish? This is the ideal location for the sportsman, with teeming populations of deer, elk, pronghorn and even bison. Idaho is the more temperate state, whereas Wyoming is known for its brutally cold winters.

Northeast

New Hampshire. The last bastion of any freedom in the Northeast is the Granite State, but even this state is slipping slowly toward the liberalism that has transformed the Northeast. If you must live in the North, New Hampshire or perhaps the north woods of Maine are really the only two viable options I see.

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.