***

Let’s be honest, survival is not something you want to gamble your life on. Meeting your basic needs during a disaster is key to survival, and having the right set of tools to fall back on is paramount in your preparedness endeavors.

The ten tools listed below are some of the most important survival tools that should be in your 72-hour bags or survival bags. Practice using these tools regularly so that you know their capability and their strength.

1. Water Treatment: We simply cannot live without water. The more energy you consume, the more water your body will need. Having a means to purify water in a survival situation will help keep you hydrated, your brain functioning properly and your focus on survival. In addition, if you sustain an injury, water can be poured over the wound for cleaning.
2. Compass and Map: Knowing which direction you are headed and where you need to be are essential. Keep maps of your surrounding area at home (in case you have to evacuate by foot), in your car and in your survival bags.
3. Fire Starter, flint bars, matches or lighter: Having a way to produce fire can help you cook food and keep warm and prevent hypothermia.
4. First Aid Kit: You do not want to be caught in a survival situation without a first aid kit. This kit assists in injury treatment and helps prevent infections from perpetuating.
5. Mirror: Used for signaling, checking face for wounds, looking at your back for wounds/ticks, and can be used to start fire.
6. Rope: This can be used for making snares or assisting in making other traps lashing branches together to build a shelter, assisting in first aid (splints, tourniquets, slings), or to make survival tools such as spears.
7. Survival Blanket or Bivvy: A bivvy or survival blanket can be used as an emergency shelter, sleeping bag or can be an extra layer added to your existing sleeping bag if you are expecting a cold night.
8. Multi-tool: Used for notching or more complex wood working skills, opening cans, altering equipment, medical uses, if snare wire is around wire cutters can cut it.
9. Lighting: Lanterns, light sticks, flashlights, and head lamps can help you find your way if in the dark. LEDs, solar and hand crank will get you the most for your money.
10. Survival Knife: Survival knives should be made of good quality steel. Invest in one you can rely on. Make sure it is well made, is strong enough for rough field use, and is the best you can afford.

Bottom line is your preparedness tools are your life line andwithout them, you could be ill-equipped in a survival situation.

***

Now, in addition to this “top-10″ survival list, I have to suggest a couple/few more items, because I believe they’re very important:

• A large handkerchief, bandana, or – even better – a shemagh. This is essential survival clothing.
• A .22 rifle for hunting (the Ruger 10/22 of course)
• A firearm for self-defence

So, how many of the above items do you have, now? If you’re not prepped, start today!

He was instantly killed – not captured. It seems they would have wanted to question him, at the very least.

His body was swiftly dumped in the ocean, instead of buried. The reasons given for this are either inaccurate (concerning Muslim beliefs) or nonsensical.

The spontaneous cheering crowds of people, right afterwards. They assembled in front of the White House and “Ground Zero”, but no where else. Major networks were ready to capture the jubilant gatherings almost immediately, late on a Sunday night.

The administration says they will not release photos or video of the operation, the bodies, or the funeral. The reasons given make no sense, and it goes against the transparency that the administration claimed it would practice.

The announcement was made during a time when the President’s birth certificate was the subject of widespread scrutiny and discussion. After a week of increasingly suspicious revelations and probing questions in the public realm about the origin of the birth certificate that he finally released, it’s very fortuitous for the President this this has distracted everyone.

But don’t complain hypocritically.

I have long seen people who would object to being spied upon doing something that makes no sense: self-informing. You might be doing the same thing.

Are you on Facebook? If so, check out how many times you’ve uploaded a photo or tagged yourself in a photo. Look at how many times you’ve willingly posted your whereabouts, your beliefs, your latest purchases, your thoughts, and the details of your family’s lives. You might not have thought about it at the time, but you don’t just share Facebook data with your “friends” – you share it with the owners of Facebook, the workers at Facebook, the financial backers of Facebook…and whoever else has been given access to Facebook’s data. Do you know who that might be? Probably not, and you’d probably be horrified if you knew the extent of “private” data dissemination.

Are you on Twitter? If so, your tweets amount to informing on yourself. In days past, communist dictatorships paid good money for citizen spies to report on their friends and neighbors. Today, otherwise sensible people do it willingly (and for free).

My point is this: if you value your own privacy, don’t give out your information.

And it probably doesn’t need to be stated, but don’t use any “smart”phone.

Update 4-22-11: Today it comes out that Google’s Android phones do the same thing – track users a few times each hour, and upload the location data to Google. There is no privacy if you carry one. Still going to keep your smartphone?

When I was a child, no more than 4 or 5, I distinctly remember telling my parents that the people on the news (the announcers) were “robots” and I remember them laughing and assuring me that those were real people.

I believed them.

Now, I have come back to the point of view I had when I was innocent and young: the news programming is done by robots. And like begets like.

Of course, I’m referring in large part to the way in which TV viewers are essentially told what to think and believe by the news and even by the entertainment programming. (Well, I guess those two things can be one and the same.)

I’m not as concerned about commercials trying to sell us stuff as I am with people being robbed of their ability to reason and actually practise the act of critical thinking about things like life and death.

Does the majority of America even question things such as our involvement in Libya (i.e. killing people in Libya)? Do people question the official reassurances that we shouldn’t be concerned about radiation from Japan? I would wager that most people simply accept and believe.

My advice? Don’t just accept and don’t just blindly believe. “Trust and obey” is a hymn (and it’s about God), so unless government is god now, question and prove all things.

Due to the loyal reporting of the Loyal Citizen and the heroic efforts of the police (and the full cooperation of the Wal-Mart security force) the Potential Terrorist was taken into custody without incident.

Read the full story here.

We look forward to hearing more reports of how well the “See Something, Say Something” program is working. We are also happy to note that the Loyal Citizen reporter will be immune from prosecution in the event that the Potential Terrorist ever would attempt to press charges for false accusation and potential incarceration due to the Loyal Citizen’s reporting them to the National Police (DHS).

The Capturing of America’s Loyalty
Directly post-9/11 and into the beginning of the Iraq war (c. 2003), America was either cheering for Bush/Patriot Act/neo-cons/etc and waving the flag, or they were criticizing him. The nation was polarized into pro-Bush, pro-America patriots (who were identified with conservatives and Republicans) and those who were asking tough or direct questions and opposing the war (identified as liberals and Democrats). My thoughts are that TPTB wanted to capture the loyalty of what was the largest segment of the US populace – the conservatives. So they did it with a terrorist attack and a war, all represented by a “Christian” cowboy tough-guy far right-wing president.

Fast-forward to now. They are capturing the other largest segment of the populace: the liberals. They first got a far left-wing candidate, appealed to the hipster progressive hippie Democrat intellectuals and all the people that go along with that crowd, and got him elected. He then proceeded to implement the same exact freedom-killing policies as his predecessor, but because he’s on “their side” (remember, this is akin to rooting for a football team to MOST of the American populace) the liberals either support the policies now – or are silent in criticizing the policies. The result is that the loyalty of the rest of the American populace has been captured.

To what are they being held captive? To a way of thinking about rights, behavior, and what is or isn’t acceptable. We call it conditioning or training, but to do that the people had to become open to it. That has been accomplished.

Whereas in pre-9/11 America there would have been a general uproar and vehement opposition by almost everyone, in 2011 there is a minority of people who are willing to fight against such things as checkpoints on highways, checkpoints in airports, checkpoints at train stations, cameras in all public places, official national police (read: DHS) propaganda message being broadcast to us as we go about our business (I’m referring the DHS Wal-Mart video messages), and proposed restrictions on free speech (internet, specifically) and privately held firearms.

If you think about what I’ve just said (and you know anything about history, at all), your mind will conjure up images of two things: SS and Stasi. But in the USA.

The Enlistment of the Lowest Levels of Society
I might insult some people here, but I think if the “people of Wal-Mart” website reflects even an inkling of reality you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that Wal-Mart is probably frequented by more “simple” people than the average store. (Come on – you know what I mean. You’ve been to Wal-Mart and thought the same thing.)

I don’t mean to say that if someone shops at Wal-Mart they’re dumb, but I am saying this: a large percentage of Wal-Mart shoppers will be from lower-income brackets and statistically lower education levels. We’re not talking about people who are by and large knowledgeable about things such as the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, God-given rights (as opposed to state-given), civil disobedience, individual freedoms, the history of tyrannical governments, Machiavelli, the Illuminati, or any of the other subjects you and I (if you’ve read this far) are even interested in and have knowledge about. There’s no nice way to put it, but in my humble opinion the average Wal-Mart shopper isn’t the “best and the brightest” of society – I would guess they are the intellectual equivalent of a very average public school student (or below).

The reason this has relevance is the DHS messages being broadcast in Wal-Mart (well, just Wal-Mart for now). To me, this represents the DHS (aka national secret police) enlisting Wal-Mart shoppers. Picture, if you will, the elite masters (intellectually and monetarily) at the top pulling the puppet strings of the people at the very bottom (again, intellectually and monetarily). The puppet strings are being pulled in ways which direct the puppets to report to the masters or do the bidding of the masters. It’s so easy for the elites to get these people to do what they want – and they could never get the large mass of society to do their dirty work anyway.

For now it’s just Wal-Mart – America’s largest mass retailer. Next will come other ways to get the lower-classes of society to do the work of the masters. These could include DHS infiltration of public school (meaning they will enlist children), a national civil service force (meaning they will enlist people who have no other job prospects, again a large number which will be statistically the lesser-educated members of society).

[BTW I'm not even talking about actual DHS employees here - many of which could be good people who just want a job, but don't know how basically...well...evil of an organization they're empowering by doing their work. I can't think of any other adjective for an all-seeing totalitarian national organization except "evil".]
Back to Nazi Germany. If you’re thinking of the parallels here, you’ll probably picture two similar things the Nazis organized: the “brownshirts” (the uneducated toughs who needed work), and the Nazi Youth. (And from the aspect of using citizens to report to the secret police on other citizens – again, the Stasi.)

What does all this mean to you and I? It means that if you aren’t a member of the loyal masses, and you want to return to a society of independently-minded, self-sufficient, truly patriotic freedom-and-justice-loving Americans…you will be enclosed on the top by the elites and on the bottom by the loyalists to the Program. You will quickly see that to oppose these forces puts you in danger, and to voice your opinion only means that you anger the top (who understand your opinion exactly) and you invoke the wrath of the bottom (who either don’t comprehend your opinion at all or don’t care – because you don’t give them their paycheck). You will be called names (such as “domestic terrorist”) and accusations will be made about you (“he engaged in hate speech”) and your motives will decided upon (“they oppose Obama because they can’t stand a black president”)…all without any evidence or semblance of reason.

And you will be dealt with.

Welcome to Nazi Germany, circa 2011.

I would like to suggest three essential devices that you (as a prepper or survivalist) should own. These are things I recommend based on their utility, reliability, and usefulness.

The Big Berkey Water Filter

First, you need a water filter. I have used a few, but if I had to pick one it would be a Big Berkey. To explain why, let me tell you the things I’ve used (or currently use). I used the Pur faucet filter, I currently use the Pur pitcher with filter, and I currently use a WaterWise distiller. These all have good points but also have shortcomings. The shortcoming with all the Pur filters is that they don’t filter chemicals (like the drugs that have leached into our water supplies) nor do they filter flouride (which is purposefully added to our municipal water supplies). Also, the filters must be replaced every three months – and they’re expensive.

The shortcoming of the distiller is that it needs electricity in order to operate it. This is obviously not ideal in an emergency or survival situation – or even in a common electric outage during a tropical storm or hurricane. The distiller also takes about four hours to produce only one gallon of water.

The Berkey filters do not require electricity in order to operate. Being gravity-fed, it works wherever you find gravity . The filters last about a decade, so the cost and trouble of replacing filters isn’t an issue either.

If you want something that can be used at any time, anywhere (basically), and can purify gallons of water in a short time – the Berkey filters are the best option.

AquaSkin Foldable Water Bottle

This is one of the more interesting items I’ve found. The AquaSkin folding water bottle is a BPA-free water “pouch” that can be re-used over and over. (“Water bottle” doesn’t accurately describe the AquaSkin – it is more or a water bag or water pouch.) If you want a reason to use something like this, I have to recommend you watch the documentary entitled Tapped, which shows how we’re polluting our  world with BPA water bottles – and polluting our bodies with unknown contaminants each time we drink from supposedly “pure” bottled water.

The facts all point to bottled water being detrimental to our day-to-day survival – but AquaSkin is a remedy for that. Not only can it be refilled and reused daily, but it doesn’t need to be thrown away so it doesn’t contribute to pollution. Because it’s BPA-free, it doesn’t leach phalates or unknown substances into the water. If you purify tap water at home, you can fill up a few of these and have portable pure water with you whenever you desire.

When the AquaSkin is empty, you simply roll it up and fold it into the attached clip. The clip can be latched onto a belt loop or onto the side of a backpack. This is the first viable alternative to bottled water I’ve seen besides the BPA-free Nathan water bottle
I’ve been using for years.

[Don't get me wrong - I love the Nathan bottle and swear by it. But the AquaSkin is much easier to carry with me, and it holds the right amount of water. The Nathan is bulky (it's a hard plastic bottle) and holds way more water than what I need during a normal day.]

WaterBrick

The WaterBrick is a cube-shaped water container. They come in 3.5-gallon “bricks” and the bricks are designed so they can be interlocked and stacked. These make an efficient use of space, so they can fit in a pantry, closet, or in a corner of your garage. You should keep a number of these filled and stacked, especially during hurricane season.

The WaterBrick is also very portable (smaller than most water containers which are usually 5 gallons) and of course BPA-free. The reason portability is important is in case you 1) wanted to hand out a few of these to people in need or 2) quickly grab a few and evacuate.

In addition to these items, I would say that it would be advisable to have one other item, depending on your situation. If you’re a gardener (which you should be, if possible), is a rainwater catcher – a cistern. You can find these at both Home Depot and Lowe’s. These will allow you to catch water when it rains and use it to water your garden.

If you’re armed with the items above, you’ll find that as long as there is some form of water in your vicinity, you’ll be able to drink it and use it. And in the world of survival, this is a main priority.

• A total crackdown on free speech
• An outright attack on private firearm ownership

I am not going to explore the possibilities surrounding Loughner’s attack in Tucson (in regards to possible conspiracies involving mind control – which Loughner believed was happening to him and which other Tucson shooters believed in the past – or some kind of ordered assassination). People never want to believe in conspiracies, even when there’s evidence, documentation, or video testimony. Even when the conspiracies are shown to be real. Without evidence, it’s all just crazy speculation, isn’t it?

I don’t want to go down the path of speculation. I just wanted to mention the two things that will definitely now occur.

Because of the perverted way of thinking that seems to now be taking over our country, our reality is increasingly looking more and more like the society shown in the book 1984. I would not have ever guessed, just a few years ago, that the U.S.A. could so quickly become taken over by mass hysteria and irrational thinking. I never could have imagined that so many otherwise intelligent people would actually fall into step with what they’re told to think. You could not have convinced me that we’d have a government agency (with the scary-sounding “Homeland” in its name) telling us to watch each other and report on each other’s activities.

Now, we all face a world in which you cannot have a rational discussion in which you disagree or criticize anyone in government – because that sort of dissent is viewed as “terrorism”. In fact the witch hunt for dissenters has begun – and you now face a potential visit from “security”, as if we’re living in East Germany during it’s Communist heyday.

They (meaning, those who rule) have wanted to do this for a while. I’ve heard hints of it for at least a year or so. And one of the main goals is to eliminate free speech on the internet after they lock it down.

In order to keep everyone safe (especially the security services and the people who give them their orders), we all face a world in which you and everyone you know will be disarmed. I believe it will be done by law, then by coercion, then by force. At that point, our country will have little difference with WWII-era Germany.

The way I feel about all of these developments don’t actually matter, but I have to say they make me feel sad, disappointed in my people, and a little frightened at what’s to come. And, angry. Angry that this could happen in what was the most free country in history.

Ooops. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. It could be construed as violent hate speech by whoever is watching us these days.

Oh well. I can’t help it. Just because insanity is the new sanity doesn’t mean we’ve all lost our minds.

One of the big stories of 2010 was the widespread and brazen abuses of Americans by our own TSA. The turned the volume up to 11 on that one, and refused to turn it down – no matter how long and how loud good Americans complained or protested. They’ve sent a clear message to U.S. citizens: “We will do with you as we will.” And many in the power positions probably have “do as thou wilt” as one of their life-guiding mottoes.

So what does 2011 hold? I’m afraid it doesn’t look good. While I’m not one to predict such things as the USA breaking up or widespread riots, I will make a few likely predictions for 2011. Here they are.

Increased abuses by the authorities against citizens. This means more TSA-style intrusions in our lives, outright mockery of us as individuals who think we have rights, and blatant disrespect and disregard for anyone’s dignity. (Unless that person is rich, powerful, or connected.) While the TSA debacle has been fodder for late-night talk show hosts and even for funny t-shirts, it will become dead serious and apparent to even the most uncaring American during this next year.

Less luxuries for average people. It’s been visibly and steadily happening since 2008 at least, but it will only become more pronounced in 2011. People simply will have to make due with less, and focus on the essentials. Why? Higher gas prices, higher food prices, higher taxes, and more devaluation of the dollar. We will continue to get squeezed, but in 2011 it will be tighter and from more directions. This isn’t a surprise, but what will be a surprise will be the dramatic contrast between elements of society starting in 2011 – it will be more and more obvious who the “classes” are, and everyone will know where they “belong”.

Major changes in government’s tone. I predict that during 2011, the gloves will come off. Actually the masks will come off. Our leadership will stop pretending to be something they aren’t. We will see and hear very plain admissions as to what they want to do and what they expect us to do – along the lines of “we want to achieve the following goals, and we will do what we want no matter what the American people say”. You might think they’ve already done this during 2010 but they’ve still tried to maintain a facade of decency and due process. I think they’ll do away with all the show-dressing in 2011 and at least be honest about who they are and what they’re about.

I’m not at all happy about what’s coming, but I think we need to examine the future the best we can and prepare. I would say this means the same as always: get seeds, food, ammo, and have emergency medical supplies and extras you might need if/when times get tough. No surprise there.

I also think there will be some legislation (more likely, executive order) further curtailing 2nd Amendment rights. So if you think you might want some firearms, get them ASAP.

Whether or not my predictions come to pass remains to be seen, but it’s always good to prepare. With that being said, Happy New Year anyway!

But is that the biggest problem facing American citizens’ privacy? Not by far – your garbageman is probably the least of your concerns. You also need to watch the skies: there might be a police drone observing your every move, flying in the sky and recording your movements. Think it isn’t possible? Not only is it possible, but it’s happening in Great American cities like good ‘ol Houston, Texas. And it’s coming to a city near you.

And you know about these incidents only because you have free and relatively open access to information. You can probably dig up facts on just about any subject within just a few keystrokes, and you can freely exchange news with anyone, anywhere in the world. For now.

I fear that one day (soon) you and I will be severely restricted in what we can say, transmit, or read over the internet. Various governments (such as the U.S. FCC, the UK, and of course the world government – aka the U.N.) are all rapidly moving to place the internet on lockdown. (For the safety of the children, of course. Or so they say.)

What is the real reason for more regulation? It’s always about control. And this time, they simply want to control what goes in (to you, the average human) and they want to control what goes out (from you, to other average humans). Oh yeah, and they want to keep tabs on you while they control what you see or say.

It’s all about locking YOU down. And it’s all just an extension of governments’ (including “our” government) spying on their own people.

So savour the taste of freedom while you have it. Because it’s being taken away, chunk by chunk. Today, they take away your porn. Tomorrow, they try to take away your access to speak.