Author Archives: JD

One of the biggest challenges we face in preparedness and trying to respond to situations is information overload. We have phones that provide us with instantaneous access to intelligence information that would have taken weeks or months to produce in World War 2. The problem, though, is the inundation of raw data and confusing thatContinue reading “Vetting Information”

Let’s get a little housekeeping out of the way…my dear amateur radio friends, please refrain from the hysterical screeching about how wrong I am until the end; I think you’ll admit that what I say here has merit. Also, if you feel the need to discuss the FCC in the comment section, please understand thatContinue reading “Being Honest About WROL Comms”

As the war progresses in Ukraine and the country devolves into a total Without Rule of Law situation, the question has arisen: In a true WROL situation do morality and integrity matter? If civilization collapses, isn’t everything justified? The answer is an emphatic yes, morality and integrity matter, and no, not everything is justified. IfContinue reading “Preparedness & Integrity”

Last week, we talked about key civilian lessons from the Russo-Ukraine Conflict. Today, I would like to discuss some more. While the lessons are from the Ukraine conflict, they can be applied to any armed conflict, civil disturbance, or emergency in general. This brings us to today’s Tactical Wisdom: You will hear of wars andContinue reading “Civilian Lessons Part 2 – Ukrainian Boogaloo”

Today, I’d like to talk about where we are now, where things are headed, and what we should be doing. No, it’s not meant to be “fear-porn” or doom-saying; it’s meant to be a realistic look. Time to take off the blinders of normalcy bias and take stock of the REAL situation. No, we aren’tContinue reading “A Look at the Horizon”

First, I hate saying I told you so, but I got all kinds of negative feedback on social media for my article, “The Russians Are Coming”, calling me alarmist and “fear-clickbait”. I was simply telling you that the Russians were indeed coming. February 23rd made perfect sense for a date because it’s the date ofContinue reading “Civilian Lessons – Ukraine”

When things go bad, communication is often the first thing to go. Even if the cell phone network is still up, it doesn’t take much to overload it. A high volume of calls and lots of people streaming video, and suddenly you are without voice communication. I am by no means an expert on theseContinue reading “Developing Comms Plans”

Without getting into the political aspects, the events unfolding in Canada carry vitally important lessons for those of us interested in preparedness. First, the changes that they are making to their Terror Financing Laws under the Emergencies Act Declaration are draconian and PERMANENT. In other words, as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said, even when theContinue reading “Lessons from Canada”

While working on Tactical Wisdom Volume 4, I got a lot of questions about how to apply and organize the steps and information in the first three volumes. An idea was hatched by the smartest person on the team (which is clearly not me) to create a companion book. A Contact and Notes organizer forContinue reading “Organization – Notebook”

My friend Mike Shelby over at Forward Observer (find them at: forwardobserver.com) talks a lot about Gray Zone Conflict. The Gray Zone is that space between peace and war that we used to refer to as a “Cold War”. Gray Zone is a much more fitting name, because in many aspects, Gray Zone Conflict canContinue reading “The Gray Zone”

One of the issues that I get frequent questions about relates to gathering supplies after rule of law has collapsed and how that is done. There is no easy answer, but we can look to history and common law to guide us. First, I want to point out that your first responsibility is to PREPAREContinue reading “Gathering/Foraging Post-WROL”

I woke up this morning with snow coming down pretty heavy and decided it was time for a little refresher on selecting winter clothing and winterizing the year-round gear. I don’t really recommend dressing like super-secret agents Austin Millbarge and Emmitt Fitz-Hume above (a classic film). I know a lot of you live in warmContinue reading “Winter Gear and Some Cautions”

As massive formations from four additional Russian Army Groups are heading to Ukraine, President Biden gives a speech calling anyone who opposes his radical agenda a domestic enemy, a mysterious wall goes up around the White House, and the FBI arrests 10 members of the Oath Keepers, I thought it was good time to catchContinue reading “Heed the Warning Signs”

I frequently get called an alarmist. When I discuss our current situation, people say, “That will never happen here” or “This is America, they can’t ever do that”. It frustrates me to no end, because in America before March of 2020, if someone said, “The state governments here in America are going to order allContinue reading “Yes, It Can Happen Here”

Earlier today, video emerged of a large man punching a small woman in the face on the subway, and literally no one intervened. To be fair, one man shouted at the guy AFTER the assault, which accomplished nothing. Some pointed out that she had just told the man that he needed to take a chillContinue reading “On Principles”

As the situation degrades more every day, I want to give you some advice and some direction on having a scanner and how best to employ it. A radio scanner is a receive-only device designed to let you listen to a large number of frequencies with a single unit. You can program either manually orContinue reading “Why You Need a Scanner”

When our tempers flare, we get very tempted to say some not very nice things. When you combine that with edicts that affect our kids, it gets ten times worse. As I pointed out the other day with my post, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Netflix, we are at a momentous point in AmericanContinue reading “Exercising Caution”

It’s a shame, really. When the Continental Pipeline attack happened, many of us warned people to up their preparedness for a serious cyber-attack. Sure, the people directly affected by the gas shortages took heed, but the average American did not. But, LORD, let Facebook and InstaGram go down for a day and watch chaos ensueContinue reading “Immediate Steps – Cyberattacks”

As the situation here continues to deteriorate, one important thing to consider is how you will recognize members of your group or family during a chaotic event. It’s important in the initial chaos, but later, in a full collapse of society, it will become vital. For example, imagine that you are on post at yourContinue reading “Recognizing Friends”

On March 23rd, 1775, Patrick Henry gave a speech at St John’s Church in Richmond Virginia. He concluded that speech with a phrase that has echoed throughout history as a battle cry and a guiding principle, “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!”. He wasn’t just saying empty words, either. He would go on toContinue reading “Give me Liberty, or give me Netflix”

Whatever your reason is for preparing, a second or third order effect is going to lead to the unavailability of gasoline. If you’re preparing for an EMP, then vehicles are already off the table. I know, everyone likes to say “But I’ve got a 1984 Chevy”. Cool story. How will you get gasoline without electricity?Continue reading “Training Task: Urban Scouting”

I can’t imagine my life without my dogs, one of which is Miss Lucy above. In that photo, I think she was waiting not-very-patiently for me to put the laptop down. Also, I have a cat, and he’s the ultimate “Chad Cat” of all Chad-Cats. He stages items along the very edge of the kitchenContinue reading “Pet Preparedness”

We’ve all got a tent, and a sleeping bag, and the supplies we think we need to live in the field, should we need to. Some people plan on living a permanent mobile existence in a WROL situation, which isn’t actually realistic, and some are planning on bugging in. No matter what you envision, areContinue reading “Are you ready to live in the field?”

Whether it’s Max Rockatansky, former police officer of the Main Force Patrol, or Eli, former K-Mart staffer, the movies always feature a man traveling the wasteland alone, righting wrongs and accomplishing amazing feats all by himself in a world gone mad. That’s called FICTION for a reason. The truth of the matter is that alone,Continue reading “Finding Your Tribe”

My preparedness philosophy revolves around the idea that at any given point in time, you are no more than 72 hours from a complete and total collapse. This may seem extreme, but let me give a historical context. The most recent example is Afghanistan. We spent years training their new military and they fell withinContinue reading “72 Hours”

I have long said that the government views people into preparedness (“preppers”) as a threat. Many people point at the FEMA website http://www.ready.gov and say “See, you’re wrong. They want you prepared.” Have you really looked at their guidance? Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of great information on that site. However, thatContinue reading “The Government View on Prepping”