At times, when I express criticism of the institution of secular
western democracy, I hear the response, “If you don’t like it, then
leave!”
With all due respect, such words can only come from a person who is
stuck so deep in the golus (exile) that although he
recognizes that he is a Jew, and may even consider himself an
Orthodox Jew, his words indicate that he identifies himself primarily
as a citizen of his country, and so to him, I’m being rude by
questioning the perfection of the political institution upon which his
country is founded. Since I’m disrespecting his country,
he feels entitled to speak on behalf of that nation, and tell me
that I should only stay if I agree to respect the rules.
But the Torah teaches that the Jewish people fundamentally don’t
belong in golus. Despite our citizenship, we have been
merely guests in various host countries. Just as in the past we
didn’t belong in Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, Rome, Spain, Poland,
Hungary, Germany, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco, so do we not belong today
in USA, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. And we don’t even
belong in the secular state of Israel (note that Eilat, which is not
part of Eretz Yisrael, is part of the state, but much of
South Lebanon, which is not part of the state, is part of Eretz
Yisrael). We belong in only one place, and in only one state
of being: In Eretz Yisroel with Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
Now, is it technically true that in western countries today, we
enjoy much more freedom than that experienced in many other exiles?
Yes, but that is not necessarily a good thing. The Alter Rebbe
famously preferred persecution under the Czar to religious freedom
under Napoleon, to the extent that he instructed his very own chassidim
to put their lives on the line by joining the Czar’s army in the
Franco-Russian war.
Yes, in western society we are free to practice Torah and Mitzvos
without persecution. But this freedom also makes us free to
assimilate, may G–d save us, and spiritual death is worse than
physical death (see here).
Do we wish suffering on ourselves—no (see here).
But we dare not allow our awareness of the advantages of our current
exile to blind us to its drawbacks, and to the difficult tests that
we face (if anything, the challenges of our current exile are even
more difficult than those of all previous times—see here),
for then we will surely succumb to these tests, G-d forbid.
In other words, our hosts are not nice people who are good to us and
therefore deserve praise, nor are they nasty people who torment us
and therefore deserve condemnation. They are simply the agents of
Hashem to carry out the decree of exile in accordance with His
detailed plan of where the Jewish people need to be in order to
accomplish what they need to accomplish.
Of course, viewing our hosts as merely channels for divine blessings
does not mean we should take them for granted. The Jew should
respect his gentile hosts just as any guest should respect his host.
When they help us, whether materially or spiritually, we should
thanks them appropriately, in accordance with the basic Torah
principle that teaches us to acknowledge favours and not be
ungrateful.
We should be particular to follow the civil law of the land, for
“The law of the land is the [Torah] law”).[1] Moreover, we should
avoid inappropriate behavior that would make a chillul Hashem
(desecration of Hashem’s Name) and arouse our hosts’ eivah
(hostility). On the contrary, we should pursue darkei sholom,
ways of peace, and even pray for our hosts, as the Torah exhorts us,
“Seek the peace of the [gentile inhabitants of the] city ... and
pray for it, for through its peace, you will have peace.”[2] We
should also do our part to influence them to follow the Sheva
Mitzvos Bnei Noach, the Noahide laws.
But living peacefully, and respecting and expressing genuine
gratitude to our hosts, does not mean identifying with them.
Thanking them as appropriate for their assistance does not mean
forgetting that they are merely conduits for Hashem’s blessings, as
the Talmudic adage says, “Although the wine belongs to its owner,
one gives gratitude to the butler”[3]: The main gratitude must be
felt to the true source of the blessing. One should turn to Hashem
in thanks for sending these nations to facilitate this freedom and
prosperity.
Likewise, when suffering befalls us from the nations, G-d forbid, we
must know that the reason it occurred was not because some craven
anti-Semite decided to hurt Jews (may Hashem save us), but because
there was a divine decree, as part of the broader decree of the
exile, that this suffering would occur. No one can inflict harm
unless Hashem so decrees it,[4] and its purpose is that we accept it
as a divine punishment and turn to Hashem in sincere Teshuvah (see
here),
while at the same time doing our part in the natural order to
protect Jews from harm as much as possible, whether through guards,
the police, the army, and the like.
So our response to persecution should not be “Islam is bad because
of suicide bombers, etc.” or even “democracy is good because our
rights are protected, etc.” Our response should be: Everything that
occurs during the exile comes from Hashem alone, and is a necessary
part of the cleansing process of the exile. How does Hashem want me
to view this event in terms of the way I have to grow and change as
a Jew, and bring Moshiach now?
Fighting to recognize this is itself one of the tests we face in our
current exile, and if you’re finding it difficult, don’t be
surprised: Every test is difficult, because by definition, tests are
supposed to be difficult.
And in every exile, we are called to stay true to Torah and Mitzvos
despite the myriad tests that we face. The purpose of all the
difficulties, suffering, and tests of exile is to cleanse us and
bring us to do Teshuvah (see here).
When we do Teshuvah sincerely, the exile in all its
various locations and manifestations will come to an end. May Hashem
be satisfied with our efforts, and send Moshiach now!
Dedicated in honor of the birthday of my dear sister, Hinda
Zelda Bracha bas Chana Feiga (Bracha Tsap) on 2 Adar
by my parents, ovi mori, Reb Kasriel Oliver and
family.
Dedicated in the merit of a speedy release for the
captives Yonasan ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard), Sholom
Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka (Sholom Rubashkin), Yaakov Yehuda
ben Shaindel (Jacob Ostreicher), and Zeva Rochel bas
Chaya (Wendy Weiner Runge).
___________________________________ Like what you read? The articles
I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor
an article for (at least) $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding
anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or
for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also,
see here concerning the tremendous merit of
supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the
blessings that one receives for doing so.
*This is not an attack on your average Jew who has had no Jewish
Education and does not know any better. This is about the Bernie
Madoff’s of the world who should know better and are leading
Jews astray. I am sure that there are a handful of "Reformism"
spiritual guides who mean well. Unfortunately, the damage has been
done.
It seems only natural to entitle this response with the exact
opposite of the title of David
Brent’s article in Times of Israel last Tuesday. David tells
us that Reform Judaism is unpopular in Israel. Not only is it
unpopular, he tells us, but “most Israelis agree that Reform
Judaism is bad.”
It is not clear on what basis he reaches that conclusion. All
public opinion surveys in recent years have shown precisely the
opposite, so one can only assume that his observations are based
upon his narrow circle of acquaintances rather than upon any
objective assessment. (cont.)
Hmm... Popular, huh? That might very well be true.
First, let's take a look at some of the various strategies
philosophies in which the "Reformismists" have manipulated
struggled over the last few hundred years:
Rejecting the divine nature of the Torah sheb'al
Peh (Oral Torah).
Respecting the historical aspect of the Torah sheb'al Peh,
but not "feeling" bound by it.
Taking off their kippoth.
Putting their kippoth back on.
Making Shabbos on Sundays (like the goyim להבדיל)
Talking about spirituality, when that was seen to be attractive.
Talking about "social action" when that was seen to be attractive. (Where was their "social justice" and "social action" for the
sake of European Jews during the Holocaust?)
Refusing to make women "rabbis."
Making women "rabbis."
Refusing to make gays and lesbians "rabbis."
Making gays and lesbians "rabbis."
Take your pick, depending on who you ask, the "Reform Movement" has
tried them all. My main point here has something to do with hashqafah
(perspective), but mainly about the hypocrisy involved
throughout the history of "Reformism."
I have a theory, one which becomes increasingly more than just a
theory, as each day passes.
Sure, the original "Reformismists" wanted to make life in Germany
and France easier and more comfortable for Jews. But, in my opinion,
that was simply the underlying selling point to it all.
The reality is that not only did they not believe in the unusurpable
place which Torah sheb'al Peh holds in Judaism. They did
not believe in Torah shebiKhtav (Written Torah) either!
Yet, like the Tzadoqim (Sadducees), in my opinion, they
knew all too well, just how powerful the Torah is. They knew that
they could not attack it head; they had to attack it, a piece at a
time.
Everything about the appearance of current day "Reformism" is
connected to how to keep Jews stuck in galuth (exile), and duped
into thinking that liberal, Western values and sensibilities are
synonymous with Jewish values and sensibilities. Even though they
are not. Intentional or not, it doesn't matter.
They call their path progressive, but it is anything but
progressive. Many Jews are moving backwards, farther and farther
away from The Almighty's precious Torah. And we have the
"Reformismists" to thank for much of that.
Michael Boyden continues:
That a person should disparage “homosexual female tefillin
wearing rabbis” probably says more about such an individual than
it does about the rabbi, but that is another matter!
(Incidentally, Bruria and Rashi’s daughters among others are
reported to have laid tefillin.)
Throw a kippah, tallith, and tefillin on
someone, who may or may not be Jewish, it doesn't matter in the
least. It doesn't matter if that individual is a homosexual female
or a heterosexual male. That individual may even be Jewish! The
outward symbols, the accoutrements, do not magically turn
that individual wearing them, into someone who leads those following
to him, OR HER, down a Jewish path.
I do not even use the word "authentic" here, for that would give
"Reformism" wriggle room for legitimacy, albeit minute. No doubt thy
would take that ball and run with it.
As far as Rashi's
Daughters are concerned, sure they were known to
have worn tefillin. But, maybe Michael Boyden should take
a look at their motivations for having done so. They were certainly
not out to make a political statement about it, unlike certain
other women. They were also tzanu'a
(modest) about it. They had to be, because they were actually
concerned about halakhah (Jewish Law). Whereas
tzeni'uth (modesty) is the furthest concern from the minds of
certain
other women.
Well, so are "Reformismist" leaders are also concerned about halakhah,
concerned about breaking it.
But there ARE some "Reformismists" who are concerned about halakhah.
Of course, that depends on whom you ask, the day you ask, the year
in history you ask, and, of course, his OR HER creative definition
of halakhah. EVERYONE needs to have a creative definition
of halakah! They're ALL the rage!
Maybe that is why "Reformism" is believed by some, to be so
"popular." You get to do what you want, and even make it up as you
go along!
There only seems to be one requirement: The acceptance of liberal,
or "progressive," Western assimilationist ideology as being
inherently Jewish,...even though it is not.
Whether this fills up their synagogues, or not, is irrelevant.
Judaism is not a popularity contest; it is the prescribed way of
life for a specific people, defined in a very specific manner
Of course, I have no problem whatsoever using the word "synagogue"
when talking about "Reformism" places of gathering. Synagogue is,
after all, a Greek word, Greek as in Hellenist, Hellenist as in
those Jews killed in the battles leading up to one of the most
politically-incorrect holidays celebrated in Judaism.
However, we should not think of these poor individuals, duped into
believing that "Reformism" is Judaism, in the same way as the
Hellenist Jews targeted by the Maccabees 2,176 years ago. It is not
their fault. They do not know any better.
Boy, I'll bet that last sentence sure bruised a lot of egos, and
switched on a lot of defense mechanisms. But, hopefully those
individuals, some of them even Jews, will give themselves a break,
and take the time to look into what Judaism really is. Leave a
comment below, with your general location below, if you would like
some help.
I have made few allusions to those who are "even" Jewish, or whom
might be Jewish, throughout this post. That is due to those Jews who
are told that they are "converting to Judaism," when in fact they
are receiving nothing more than a sham conversion. Well, actually,
it is something more than a sham conversion; it is a denigration of
the Torah.*
Then there are those who are told that that they do not have to
"convert," because they have a Jewish father.
It depends on which "Reformism" leader you ask. Maybe the time of
day also makes a difference. I am not sure.
Oh, just one more thing, a suggestion for the Times Of Israel
website. The subsequent times the word "rabbi" is applied to the
likes of Michael Boyden, use these:
" "
I am sure that I will not be able to convince you not allow the use
of the word "rabbi." The number of your readers would certainly take
a nose dive, and you would not be able to reach Jews who need to be
reached.
I can understand that.
But, if you use quotation marks, them you would be doing the Jewish
community, in Israel and abroad a great service.
Unlike Haredi and Settler bashing HaAretz,
Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonoth, Haredi and the
certain Settler-bashing Jerusalem Post, and even Settler-friendly Arutz
7, you would at least be making a move the direction of
publishing the truth. Thus, you would be aiding those poor, duped
individuals, those blindly following the "Reformismists," those
following the "Reformismists" for saying what they want to hear, and
even those who were fooled into thinking that they are Jewish, wake
up from their numbed out state of assimilation and exile. Tell them
them the truth. Tell them that "Reformism" is not Judaism.
Posted by Esser Agaroth
Obama and freedom for Jonathan Pollard
The American president and freedom for Jonathan Pollard
By ESTHER POLLARD, The Jerusalem Post
August 25, 2011
Executive clemency is not merely the president’s privilege, it's
his solemn duty; US judicial process hijacked by a political
agenda.
The extensive powers of clemency the American Constitution grants
to the president are his solemn responsibility. This executive
privilege is bestowed to enable the president to safeguard the
rights of all American citizens.
In cases where the justice system has discharged its
responsibility appropriately and the public good would be neither
benefited nor harmed by the president’s intervention, it is
entirely his prerogative whether or not to exercise executive
clemency.
But in a case like that of my husband Jonathan Pollard, where the
judicial system has been subverted to prosecute one American
citizen excessively and where all legal remedies have been
exhausted, there is a moral imperative compelling presidential
intervention.
Incredibly Obama has responded with prolonged, inscrutable
silence to a virtual deluge of appeals entreating him to exercise
executive clemency to free Jonathan.
Now completing his 26th year of a life sentence, it is manifestly
clear that the judicial process was hijacked by a political
agenda.
As JJ Goldberg revealed in a 1998 LA Jewish Journal essay, “Crime
and Punishment,” “high-ranking sources say that it was the Joint
Chiefs of Staff who urged the judge, through then-Defense
Secretary Caspar Weinberger, to ignore the plea agreement and
throw the book at Pollard.... They wanted to send a message....
Pollard is still in
jail, these sources say, not because his crime merits his lengthy
sentence it doesn’t but because too many American Jews still
haven’t gotten the message.”
Weinberger himself the man who drove Jonathan’s life sentence
admitted in a 2002 interview with journalist Edwin Black that
thePollard case had been blown out of all proportion. Asked why he
had omitted any reference to Pollard in his memoirs, Weinberger
replied that the Pollard case was “a very minor matter, but made
very
important.” Asked to elaborate, Weinberger repeated, “As I say,
the Pollard matter was comparatively minor. It was made far bigger
than its actual importance.”
Jonathan is the only person in the history of the US ever to
receive a life sentence for spying for an ally. This sentence has
always been reserved for those who spy for America’s enemies. He
received the life sentence without benefit of trial the result
of a broken plea bargain, which he honored and the US abrogated.
By sentencing Jonathan as if he were an enemy spy, the American
judicial system effected a defacto redefinition of Israel as an
enemy, not an ally.
Every attempt to seek relief from Jonathan’s life sentence has
been stymied. All legal remedies have been exhausted, without the
merits of the case ever being heard in a court of law. Even the
possibility of parole has been denied since the government placed
an insurmountable obstacle in the path of his security-cleared
attorneys, unjustly denying them access to the secret portions of
their own client’s file. Without that access, those who oppose
parole are free to fabricate reasons for keeping him in prison.
The case has been appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court,
which has refused to hear it.
Today, the only remedy that remains is executive clemency the
one area where the president’s power is absolute. Article II,
Section 2 of the Constitution states: “[The President] shall have
power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the
United States…” While the president may consult with the White
House Legal Counsel or the Pardons Attorney, he is under no
obligation to do so.
Prior to the Pollard case, no other clemency appeal in history
has provided any president with such unprecedented, transparent,
bipartisan support from senior American officials. Among those now
calling for Jonathan’s release are a former director of the CIA, a
former attorney-general and a former deputy attorney-general, a
former deputy secretary of defense, a former vice president, a
former White House legal counsel, two former secretaries of state,
and former heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as
sitting congressmen
and senators from both sides of the aisle. In the face of such an
overwhelming appeal, President Obama maintains a stony silence.
Even requests for clemency by the prime minister and president of
Israel have met with absolute silence.
Rather than embrace his responsibility for executive clemency,
the president simply remains silent while his appointees are given
free rein to make a mockery of justice by deflecting
responsibility back to the very system that failed in the first
place.
To avoid having to respond to public inquiry, they claim they
cannot comment because the issue is before the American justice
system. The system that subverted justice 26 years ago is now
being referenced as if it were about to spontaneously correct the
injustice it has perpetrated.
The numerous appeals to President Obama now pending, requesting
executive clemency for Jonathan Pollard, are my husband's last
hope of resolving a 26-year-long injustice which now threatens to
end his life in prison.
The sublimely moral task of saving Jonathan’s life, while at the
same time safeguarding the American public by correcting this
injustice, sits squarely with the president of the United States,
Mr. Barack Obama.
Executive clemency is not merely the president’s privilege. It is
his solemn duty.
From Justice for Jonathan Pollard Committee Urgent!
Please help us get this short video to go viral! How?
Here are the steps: Please watch the short video: "Should
Jonathan Pollard be released?": YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX8KY4VxoXXk
Please send it to at least 10 people (or more) with a request
that each person who receives it from you, should please send it
to 10 more people, who should in turn send it to 10 more people
who should in turn send it to 10 more people and so on.
Please send the video link to anyone who has a large email
distribution list and ask them to distribute it to their mailing
list as a matter of "Pikuach Nefesh" (literally to save a Jewish
life -- Jonathan's!) Please send the video link to Jewish
organizations and groups, and ask them to share the video with
their mailing lists, as a matter of Pikuach Nefesh (literally to
save a Jewish life -- Jonathan's!)
Anyone who can post the video link to their website or blog is
encouraged to do so.
Please take a few moments of your time to do your part in the
mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim by ensuring that all of your friends and
family receive the video link and that they watch it! May all who
participate in the mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim by disseminating this
video and by calling the White House at 202-456-1414 to tell
President Barack Obama to Free Jonathan Pollard Now! be abundantly
blessed! Thank you for your help.
Here's an article from the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe's magazine,
Feb. 1943 (הקריאה והקדושה), roughly translated from Yiddish. I post
it on this blog to serve as a preamble to a subsequent post wherein
I'll maintain, to my utter dismay, that the gangster
regime now in power, the ruler of Edom, will again triumph in
the next presidential election. I will refer back to this
article to remind readers what this Jewish leader of his generation
forewarned his flock. I have this premonition of imminent disaster I
feel compelled to share with you, later. [The highlighting is mine.]
Our sages, who foresaw that this last diaspora, called "Edom", would
endure nearly two millennia, also foresaw that, as it winds down to
its terminating stage, Torah will have become enfeebled among a
majority of Jews, and this would therefore bring back the age-old
national Jewish scourge - the FALSE PROPHETS.
These false prophets would then lead Torah-empty Jews through all 49
degrees of impurity, unfortunately.
The end-stage period would then necessarily have to be a horribly
bitter one. It would spell outright danger wherein multitudes of
Jews will undergo waves of spiritual suicide, even conversion, G-d
forbid.
Accordingly, the sages decided to foretell the signs that will usher
in and constitute the Messianic era's birth pangs - in order to save
at least a remnant of those being swept away; And also so that some
Jews, here and there, will be able to console their distressed
brethren by disclosing to them these very signs, just as this
periodical has been doing for a year and a half now. We've
been telling you we are in the eve of the Messianic era; That
we've been foretold the tragedies that will unfold; And that we
can attenuate these problems, or entirely prevent them from
occurring - by tearing you away from the
modern false prophets, so you return to the warm fold of Torah, back
to the ways our forefathers practised.
Our sages knew saving the entire Jewish nation would be very
difficult because the false prophets will not loosen their grip. On
the contrary, they will exert their strongest, spiritual pogrom ever
against the Jewish nation, until the very last moment when, as our
sages tell us, they themselves will finally perish during
physical pogroms against the Jews.
The sages took as their task to rescue the innocent victims of the
false prophets, those who might even question or doubt one of two
things; Either the false prophets, or, the Torah and its true
prophets. It was for the benefit of these 50-50 Jews or
50-50 believers for whom the sages foretold us the many signs by
which to recognize the eve of the Redemptive Era.
The many signs serve each person as however he will understand them.
In truth, however, all the signs really boil down to but a
single sign - for they all point to this one point, that
"And against all the gods of Egypt will I avenge myself, for
I am G-d" (Ex. 12, 12). And why so? In order to finally
and totally discredit the false prophets, so the Jewish masses strip
away their allegiance to them and from the various idols of Egypt
the false prophets would have them worship. The modern idols our false prophets energetically
promoted, and succeeded in convincing a huge Jewish populace to
follow them, are well known: Political Freedom, Economic
Certainty, and Godless Zionism. These
are the 3
primary false idols. These extend to other such
"isms", like Bolshevism, Bundism, Yiddishism, and dozens others.
The signs of the Era of Redemption our sages depict start out as
follows: "The son of David will not come until …"
such and such happens. These signs portend the utter destruction of
the above 3 "isms", for which the false prophets should be
dishonored.
Our sages tell us that after the known, bloody wars, the entire
world will be ruled by the kingdom of Edom, the one Ovadiah the
Prophet refers to as "You are greatly despised"
(Ov. 1, 2). This means many nations will be ruled over by unabashed
tyrants and oppressors who will put an end to all hope for Political
Freedom, Economic Certainty or whatever other culture! "Moshiach will not come," our sages say, "until
the following signs will manifest":
1) "All cheap dominion will disappear" from Jewish notion. This
means to say, until all new systems of rule most Jews place their
hope in, will reveal themselves as being cheap and worthless, as was
evident with Bolshevism in Russia, and other such unavailing
systems. 2) "Mankind will lose hope in any redemptive process." Note
the exact words of the sages; They did not say, "Until the Jews",
but rather all "mankind" will lose their faith in any
redemptive process. 3) "All judges or police (protectors of Jews)
pass into oblivion." 4) "All conceit passes from among Jews",
because all will become poor and enslaved.
The 4 above signs indicate that the false prophecy of Political
Freedom will be shattered. Not only Jews but the other nations
too will be robbed of freedom. No longer will hope be held out for
redemption, or for returning to previous times. "Moshiach will not come," continue our sages, "until
...":
5) "The last penny of savings will disappear." 6) "When they seek a
sliver of herring for an invalid but can't find one". We can thus
imagine what smidgen of better foods healthy people will be able to
find, who command less mercy than sick people.
From the latter 2 signs we easily note how the idol of Economic
Certainty will also be shattered. And our sages offer several
more signs that will convince everyone that the idol of Culture
will also lie in a shambles.
They say, "Moshiach will not come until,"
7) "All governments in the world are under the control of
G-d-deniers." 8) "The number of students will diminish." 9) "Every
event will have several interpretations". This implies strong
censorship; When nobody knows the truth, and everyone has a
different version of what happened. 10) "All souls will leave their
bodies", which could mean all mankind will be obsessed with hunger,
when their only concern will be to to hold on to dear life, where,
like animals, no thought is given to nourish the soul with
spirituality.
Under a reign of avowed G-d-deniers who will abolish education for
the masses, except for a privileged segment, entire populations will
slave for the state, eking out enough only to survive. With a press
akin to that of Nazi Minister of Propaganda Goebbels, the idol of
Culture will obviously be smashed, just like its two other "idol
friends", Political Freedom and Economic Certainty.
All these 10 signs of impending redemption our sages show us actually
constitute one sole general sign regarding G-d's
claim, "And against all the gods of Egypt will I avenge
myself", where these signs merely indicate the many ways
one can be poked in the eye, in that generation.
RFID chips and Privacy
ScienceDaily (Nov. 25,
2008) — A research article published in the current issue of the
International Journal of Intellectual Property Management suggests
that Big Brother could be opening a privacy and security Pandora's
Box if human rights, particularly regarding data protection are not
addressed in the design of new RFID applications.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips can be found tagging
everything from groceries and clothing to the experimental
swipe-free credit cards used to pay for those goods. In library
cards, warehouse inventories, and under-skin pet tags. They are
also used for prisoner and parole tags, in hospital patient
wristbands, and in smart passports.
According to Eleni Kosta and Jos Dumortier of the Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, the benefits of RFID technology in
innovation are beyond question. However, the threats posed to
personal privacy should be taken into account at the design phase
of the applications. Their increasingly widespread deployment
means individuals do not necessarily know when, how and what kind
of information about them is being transmitted at any given time
from an RFID in a passport, in their shopping bags, or even when
they visit the library.
RFID tags are powerful devices for use in a wide array of
applications: stock inventory, logistics, security finance,
buildings, and across international borders. However, they provide
a seemingly innocuous medium for the collection and transmission
of personal data, as well as the ability to track the movements of
people.
The European Union has already recognized some of the concerns
being raised. A recent European Commission report, "Communication
on RFID" emphasized that privacy and security should be built into
RFID information systems before their widespread deployment.
Moreover,
European legislation on data protection applies to RFID
technology when it entails the processing of personal data, Kosta
and Dumortier point out. However, it is not always clear whether
or not information stored on or transmitted via an RFID tag is
personal data.
"In order to achieve a common approach towards RFID technology at
the
European level, a unified interpretation of what is perceived as
personal data is necessary," the team explains. "When information
about an individual, such as name, age and nationality, is
directly stored in an RFID tag, it is beyond doubt that it
qualifies as personal data."
However, there are many instances when the information seemingly
cannot be directly linked to an individual, but by linking the
RFID tag number to a back-end database can be correlated with a
credit card payment, for instance, and so provide indirect
identification of the individual. "In this case, even if the data
seem anonymous at first sight, the processing falls under the
scope of application of the Data Protection
Directive, as the data can be easily linked to the credit card
data", the team explains. Even vaguer are the cases when the
information on the RFID tag cannot be linked to an actual person,
or at least significant effort is needed for a link to be made.
The team counter the argument that honest citizens have nothing
to fear from RFID. "A surveillance society where RFID tags reveal
personal information and enable the tracking and tracing of the
individuals, shall be contested, as every law-abiding citizen
should be free from any kind of monitoring," they say.
An immigrant family shops at the local Supermarket.
Did you know that your bank, credit card company, insurance
company, brokerage, and other companies you do business with can
legally sell the personal information they collect from you to
telemarketers, direct mailers, retailers, and others? Is it okay
with you if these companies sell your social security number,
credit card spending habits, account balances, or monthly income
information to companies that want to use the information to
target the people who are most likely to purchase their products
or services?
The privacy notices you've no doubt been receiving in the mail
from financial institutions you do business with probably ended up
in your trash can, a move that you may come to regret unless you
act quickly. These notices were NOT junk mail. Federal law now
requires companies that collect personal information about you to
give you the option to refuse to allow them to sell your personal
information. But if you don't "opt-out" by responding to the
notices or contacting these companies directly, your personal
information can be sold to anybody willing to pay the price.
In some cases, those willing to pay the price have been criminals
who illegally used the information to run scams where millions of
dollars of bogus charges were charged to credit cards.
Your right to opt-out is limited, due to flaws in the law that do
not protect consumers, but it is still worthwhile to opt-out. It's
also worthwhile to write to your Congressional representatives to
let them know that you expect them to pass legislation that will
better protect the privacy of consumers.
If you're among the millions of Americans that tossed these
privacy notices in the trash, you can still protect your personal
financial information by contacting each of the financial
institutions you do business with and instructing them NOT to
disclose information about you to non-affiliated companies.
Privacy Rights Now offers a sample form letter on their site that
you can use or adapt.
When you open new accounts at financial institutions, or when a
financial institution you do business with changes its privacy
policies, you'll receive privacy notices in the mail. To protect
your privacy, follow the instructions in the notices (you may have
to complete a form or call a toll-free number).
In 2011 The Baby Boomers Start To Turn 65:
16 Statistics About The Coming Retirement Crisis That Will Drop
Your Jaw
Do you hear that rumble in the distance? That is the Baby Boomers
- they are getting ready to retire. On January 1st, 2011 the very
first Baby Boomers turn 65. Millions upon millions of them are
rushing towards retirement age and they have been promised that
the rest of us are going to take care of them. Only there is a
huge problem. We don't have the money. It simply isn't there. But
the millions of Baby Boomers getting ready to retire are counting
on that money to be there. This all comes at a really bad time for
a federal government that is already flat broke and for a national
economy that is already teetering on the brink of disaster.
So just who are the Baby Boomers? Well, they are the most famous
generation in American history. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the
Baby Boomers as those born between January 1st, 1946 and December
31st, 1964. You see, after U.S. troops returned from World War II,
they quickly settled down and everyone started having lots and
lots of babies. This gigantic generations has transformed America
as they have passed through every stage of life. Now they are
getting ready to retire.
If you add 65 years to January 1st, 1946 you get January 1st,
2011.
The moment when the first Baby Boomers reach retirement age has
arrived.
The day of reckoning that so many have talked about for so many
years is here.
Today, America's elderly are living longer and the cost of health
care is rising dramatically. Those two factors are going to make
it incredibly expensive to take care of all of these retiring Baby
Boomers.
Meanwhile, the sad truth is that the vast majority of Baby
Boomers have not adequately saved for retirement. For many of
them, their home equity was destroyed by the recent financial
crisis. For others, their 401ks were devastated when the stock
market tanked.
Meanwhile, company pension plans across America are woefully
underfunded. Many state and local government pension programs are
absolute disasters. The federal government has already begun to
pay out more in Social Security benefits than they are taking in,
and the years ahead look downright apocalyptic for the Social
Security program.
If we are not careful all of these Baby Boomers are going to push
us into national bankruptcy. We simply cannot afford all of the
promises that we have made to them. The following are 16
statistics about the coming retirement crisis that will drop your
jaw.....
#1 Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000
Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. That is going to keep
happening every single day for the next 19 years.
#2 According to one recent survey, 36 percent of Americans say
that they don't contribute anything at all to retirement savings.
#3 Most Baby Boomers do not have a traditional pension plan
because they have been going out of style over the past 30 years.
Just consider the following quote from Time Magazine: The
traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent
of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady
payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15
percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in
Washington, D.C.
#4 Over 30 percent of U.S. investors currently in their sixties
have more than 80 percent of their 401k invested in equities. So
what happens if the stock market crashes again?
#5 35% of Americans already over the age of 65 rely almost
entirely on Social Security payments alone.
#6 According to another recent survey, 24% of U.S. workers admit
that they have postponed their planned retirement age at least
once during the past year.
#7 Approximately 3 out of 4 Americans start claiming Social
Security benefits the moment they are eligible at age 62. Most are
doing this out of necessity. However, by claiming Social Security
early they get locked in at a much lower amount than if they would
have waited.
#8 Pension consultant Girard Miller recently told California's
Little Hoover Commission that state and local government bodies in
the state of California have $325 billion in combined unfunded
pension liabilities. When you break that down, it comes to $22,000
for every single working adult in California.
#9 According to a recent report from Stanford University,
California's three biggest pension funds are as much as $500
billion short of meeting future retiree benefit obligations.
#10 It has been reported that the $33.7 billion Illinois Teachers
Retirement System is 61% underfunded and is on the verge of
complete collapse.
#11 Robert Novy-Marx of the University of Chicago and Joshua D.
Rauh of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management recently
calculated the combined pension liability for all 50 U.S. states.
What they found was that the 50 states are collectively facing
$5.17 trillion in pension obligations, but they only have $1.94
trillion set aside in state pension funds. That is a difference of
3.2 trillion dollars. So where in the world is all of that extra
money going to come from? Most of the states are already
completely broke and on the verge of bankruptcy.
#12 According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social
Security system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in
payroll taxes in 2010. That was not supposed to happen until at
least 2016. Sadly, in the years ahead these "Social Security
deficits" are scheduled to become absolutely horrific as hordes of
Baby Boomers start to retire.
#13 In 1950, each retiree's Social Security benefit was paid for
by 16 U.S. workers. In 2010, each retiree's Social Security
benefit is paid for by approximately 3.3 U.S. workers. By 2025, it
is projected that there will be approximately two U.S. workers for
each retiree. How in the world can the system possibly continue to
function properly with numbers like that?
#14 According to a recent U.S. government report, soaring
interest costs on the U.S. national debt plus rapidly escalating
spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security and
Medicare will absorb approximately 92 cents of every single dollar
of federal revenue by the year 2019. That is before a single
dollar is spent on anything else.
#15 After analyzing Congressional Budget Office data, Boston
University economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff concluded
that the U.S. government is facing a "fiscal gap" of $202 trillion
dollars. A big chunk of that is made up of future obligations to
Social Security and Medicare recipients.
#16 According to a recent AARP survey of Baby Boomers, 40 percent
of them plan to work "until they drop".
Companies all over America have been dropping their pension plans
in anticipation of the time when the Baby Boomers would retire.
401k programs were supposed to be part of the answer, but if the
stock market crashes again, it is absolutely going to devastate
the Baby Boomers.
State and local governments are scrambling to find ways to pay
out all the benefits that they have been promising. Many state and
local governments will be forced into some very hard choices by
the hordes of Baby Boomers that will now be retiring.
Of course whenever a big financial crisis comes along these days
everyone looks to the federal government to fix the problem. But
the truth is that after fixing crisis after crisis the federal
government is flat broke.
At our current pace, the Congressional Budget Office is
projecting that U.S. government public debt will hit 716 percent
of GDP by the year 2080.
But our politicians just keep spending money. In order to pay the
Baby Boomers what they are owed the federal government may indeed
go into even more debt and have the Federal Reserve print up a
bunch more money.
So in the end, Baby Boomers may get most of what they are owed.
Of course it may be with radically devalued dollars. Already we
are watching those on fixed incomes being devastated by the rising
cost of food, gas, heat and health care.
What is going to happen one day when prices have risen so much
that the checks that our seniors are getting are not enough to
heat their homes?
What are we going to do when those on fixed incomes are buying
dog food because it is all that they can afford?
We are rapidly reaching a tipping point. As the first Baby
Boomers retire the system is going to do okay. But as millions
start pouring into the system it is going to start breaking down.
No, there is not much that we can do about it now. We should have
been planning for all of this all along. Americans should have
been saving for retirement and governments should have been
setting money aside.
A story of an Island and a Whale
by Rabbi YY Jacobson
Art: Jacek Yerka
Two old Jewish men are standing in front of the Czar's firing
squad.
The officer asks them if they would like a final cigarette.
One of them says, "No, I don't smoke, and you can drop dead."
The other whispers in his ear, "Shhh, Yankle, don't make
trouble."
The Whale The latest developments in Egypt have
become a source of concern in Israel. The Jewish State is in doubt
whether the new emerging powers in Egypt will honor the cold peace
treaty between Egypt and Israel, signed three decades ago. This only
underscores yet once again the vulnerable position of Israel, and
how its very existence is still questioned. A revolution so
inspiring and uplifting in the land of the Pharaohs, but Israel's
right of existence is still not a simple matter.
Let us reflect a bit on this.
One of the great Talmudic sages related the following episode:
Once, while on a ship, we came to what we assumed was a large
island, since we saw on it sand and growing grass. We disembarked
the ship, went on to the island, built a fire, and cooked our meal.
Yet what we assumed to be an island was really a fish. When the fish
felt the heat, he rolled over and we were plunged into the water.
Had the ship not been nearby, we would have drowned. -- Talmud Bava
Basra 73b.
What is the meaning behind this absurd Talmudic tale, related by one
of its great sages, Rabba the son of Bar Chana?
According to some of the great Talmudic commentators, this tale
captures, in intriguing metaphor, one of the most essential truths
about Jewish history, particularly one relating to the holiday of
Purim, which will be celebrated in a few weeks. The Journey From the moment they stood at Mt. Sinai
more than three millennia ago, the Jewish people have been traveling
on a lone and long journey. Their destination is a world healed,
redeemed and reunified with its Creator; a society cleansed from
ego-centricity, hatred and bloodshed; a universe permeated with
moral and spiritual awareness, filled with "the knowledge of the
Divine as the waters cover the sea" (in the words of the prophet
Isaiah chapter 11). The Torah and its Mitzvos serve as their
blueprint for this courageous voyage in a vast and seemingly endless
sea.
Yet the waters have often become increasingly tumultuous and the
voyage discouraging, if not apparently futile. So when in the midst
of their journey they observed what seemed to be an island of
serenity, an oasis of tranquility, a respite from a miserable fate,
many of them abandoned the "ship" of Jewish consciousness and
commitment for the perceived blessings of freedom and happiness.
The era in which the Purim story occurred was a classical example of
this pattern. The king was married to a Jewish woman; large segments
of Jewish society assimilated into Persian culture; the Jewish
establishment played a pivotal role in the economical and political
structures of the Persian Empire. The community had been invited to
the royal feast and given status as equal citizens. In reciprocity,
the Jews learned how to "behave;" how to become integrated and law
abiding citizens. They did not demand kosher food or kosher wine at
the feast, nor did they create any other waves that would disturb
the equilibrium and make them stand out as Jews.
Seventy years after being expelled from their ancient homeland,
their Temple being burnt to the ground, many of them had abandoned
the old ship, secure in their belief that they have reached an
island of serenity; they finally "made it." Identity Crisis Throughout history, the struggle of
Jewish identity and our relationships with the world around us has
become so challenging, that it often caused us to redefine ourselves
from within. Jean-Paul Sartre claimed in his Sur le Question Juif
that the only thing Jews had in common was that they were the
victims of hate. It is not Jews who create anti-Semitism, he said,
but anti-Semitism that creates Jews. Arthur Koestler wrote:
"Self-hatred is the Jews patriotism." Franz Kafka said: "What do I
have in common with the Jews? I don't even have anything in common
with myself."
Time and time again we have been lured into the faith that if we
abandon the "ship" of Judaism-of Torah and Mitzvos-we would gain
acceptance among the brotherhood of mankind. "Be a man in the street
and a Jew at home," was the 19th century slogan by the Enlightened
Jews in Western Europe. If only Jews weren't so Jewish we would have
less anti-Semitism, so went the theory.
The past three centuries have produced a dazzling variety of
movements, ideals and solutions to the age-old "Jewish problem,"
offering islands of hope for a people tormented by persecution and
targeted for abuse. The Enlightenment (Haskalah) came to "civilize"
us and allow us free entry into European society; the Marxists and
Socialists promised to create a utopia for us and all of mankind;
Zionism's goal was to grant us a State, a national identity, and
thus cure anti-Semitism once and for all; Reform came to make us
acceptable to the non-Jewish society and to inculcate us with
humanistic values; secularism came to free us from the burdens of
tradition which have supposedly hindered our progress and happiness.
All of these attempts have been brilliantly captured in that ancient
Talmudic tale: Once, while on a ship, we came to what we assumed was
a large island, since we saw on it sand and growing grass. We
disembarked the ship, went on to the island, built a fire, and
cooked our meal. Disillusionment Yet, ironically, the end of the
Talmudic tale also came to be:
What we assumed to be an island was really a fish. When the fish
felt the heat, he rolled over and we were plunged into the water.
Had the ship not been nearby, we would have drowned.
Each time we came to feel comfortable on the island, and we began at
last to live out our latent dreams, the "fish" turned over and threw
us back into the raging waters. In the days of Purim, when the Jews
felt that they had successfully integrated into mainstream culture,
under the very nose of a Jewish queen-the king was persuaded to
issue forth a plan of genocide for the Jewish people.
Assimilation never cured prejudice. Not in the days of Purim, nor at
any time in the future. It didn't even in 15th century Spain, where
Jews converted to Christianity and yet still suffered from
persecution under the vicious doctrine of limpieza de sangre
("purity of blood"), the forerunner of modern racial anti-Semitism.
It didn't in 20th century Germany where Jews were often "more
German" than the Germans. It didn't in the Modern State of Israel
constructed as a secular democracy.
The historical truth remains that none of the above movements
achieved their stated goals. The Holocaust made mockery of Jewish
integration in the general humanistic world; Zionism created the
State of Israel, which we cherish deeply, but only exacerbated the
problems of anti-Semitism and still struggles to provide security
for its citizens. Israel still needs to fight for its "right" to
exist. Stalin "cured" us of the "paradise" of Marxism and Socialism;
the Enlightenment apparently did not sufficiently civilize us;
secularism has deprived generations of direction and meaning,
leaving our youth thirsty for identity and purpose (1). Our Hope "Had the ship not been nearby, we would
have drowned," is how the Talmudic sage concludes the episode. What
saved us during the time of Purim - and what has guaranteed our
existence throughout our long and difficult history - was not
forfeiting our identity and surrendering our truth; it was our
animated relationship with the living G-d, the creator of heaven and
earth, and our dedication to His Torah and Mitzvos that has allowed
us to survive and thrive, till we reach the culmination of the
voyage, speedily in our days (2).
1) Interestingly, the metaphor employed in the Talmudic tale is the
fish. What the travelers felt was an island was really a fish
waiting to plunge them into the waters. The zodiac sign for the
month of Adar is Pisces, fish (mazal dogim.) As the book of Esther
relates, the Persian Minister Haman chose a day in the month of Adar
(the 13th) to exterminate the Jewish people (Maharsah to Bava Basra
73b). Conversely, what is unique about fish? They must remain
submerged in their natural element of water to survive. So too, the
Jewish people must remain in their habitat of Torah and Mitzvos for
their continued existence (see Talmud Berechos 61a).
2) This essay is based on the commentary of the Maharsah (Rabbi
Shmuel Eliezer Eidels) to Talmud Bava Basra 73b and on other
sources.
Revealing the Hidden
Posted By Matzav Editor On March 3, 2011 @ 1:18 PM In Breaking
News, Featured Opinion | 3 Comments
By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
The sefer which tells the tale of Purim is called Megillas
Esther. In truth, the name contains two words which are
diametrically opposed. The word megillah has at its root the word
gilah, as in giluy, which means to reveal. The root of the name
Esther is seiser, as in hester, which means hidden.
Thus, the translation of the words Megillas Esther would indicate
that this is a sefer which reveals that which is hidden. If so, we
would imagine that the Megillah would reveal the Hand of Hashem in
all that transpired when Haman and Achashveirosh plotted to kill
all the Jews in the 127 medinos under the dominion of
Achashveirosh.
But, in fact, the Megillah doesn’t appear to be revealing any
secrets. If you read the story the way it is written, without the
Medrashim and the drashos of Chazal in Maseches Megillah, you
would think that the Megillah is simply a depiction of a story
which happened without any Divine involvement.
If the Megillah is, in fact, living up to its name of being
megaleh the nistar, revealing that which is concealed, it should
go beyond the tevah and relate how the Yad Hashem guided all the
events that transpired.
The truth is, the Megillah does just that. During the time the
events took place, the Jewish people were devastated. One day they
celebrated in the palace of Achashveirosh and the next day they
were slated for destruction. When one of their own was picked to
be the new queen, sadness was felt throughout the Jewish world.
When Haman publicized his plan to eradicate the Jews, they were
despondent. When the king’s messengers fanned out across the
kingdom, all hope was lost.
It was only when the story was complete and the people
experienced it from beginning to its successful end that they saw
how everything that had taken place was intertwined and
coordinated from on High. They were able to trace one event after
the other and see how they followed a pattern and were designed
not only to deliver the Jews from the hands of their tormentors,
but also to restore them to their former position of glory and
strength.
Thus, the title of the sefer which tells this amazing tale is
indeed correct. The Megillah really does perform the task which
its name indicates. It is megaleh and reveals that which was
nistar, hidden.
The halacha (Orach Chaim, Hilchos Megillah 690:6) therefore
dictates that the Megillah must be read in order, and if one skips
around, reading the later pesukim before reading the earlier
pesukim, even if he reads the entire Megillah, he has not
fulfilled his obligation. In order for the message of the Megillah
to be absorbed, the story has to be read in its entirety,
following the sequence of events. It is only in that way that the
mitzvah of pirsumei nisah is realized.
Furthermore, the halacha (ibid., 17) is that the Megillah is
folded before being read aloud in shul. The bracha that is recited
following the reading can only be said when the Megillah is
properly rolled up. This is to signify that it is only when we
read the entire story from beginning to end and go back to the
beginning that we can understand what really took place and
celebrate the miracles which the day of Purim commemorates.
It is interesting that the bracha which we recite after the
reading is written in the present tense, unlike most brachos
recited to commemorate past events, which are said in the past
tense. It is telling that before reading the Megillah, we say,
“She’asah nissim laavoseinu bayomim haheim bazeman hazeh,”
thanking Hashem for miracles which took place “on this day in
those times.”
Perhaps that is because before we read the Megillah, we
acknowledge that on this day of Purim, we are celebrating the
miraculous deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s evil plan. But
once we finish reading the entire story from beginning to end and
we roll up the scroll, we recognize that just as the Yad Hashem
becomes evident when reading the entire story as it transpired, so
will we begin to realize the Divine Hand in so many other
happenings which we thought were merely coincidental.
Therefore, when the Megillah is rolled up, we recite the blessing
in the present tense and thank Hashem for fighting our battles,
exacting retribution on our enemies and saving us in our times of
danger. We now realize in hindsight how so many things which
happened to us were not happenstance. We see history in a
different light. We see our lives differently. Things that
happened to us which we thought didn’t make sense are now viewed
differently. People who are living through difficult, trying
experiences are given new hope as they realize that everything
happens for a higher reason and purpose. They look forward to the
successful culmination of the nisayon.
These thoughts came to me in the merit of Sholom Mordechai ben
Rivkah Rubashkin, whom we all daven for. He called me asking for a
vort and some chizuk, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu put these ideas into
my head to convey to him. For now, the purpose of his extreme
suffering is still unrevealed. The way he accepts his lot, with
emunah and bitachon, as he awaits his private giluy and geulah,
can serve as a lesson to many of us as we stumble our way through
life’s trials and tribulations in periods of seeming hester.
We are living through a historic period, when events are
transpiring at a rapid pace. Countries are spiraling out of
control, as the rest of the world watches helplessly. For no
explainable reason, a plague of revolution has taken root in Arab
states and is spreading like wildfire. Entrenched monarchies,
dictators, and murderous sycophants who exercised tight control
over a domicile public are either gone, going, or teetering.
Wise men who study these things are at a loss to explain how this
all began and where it will lead. Egypt, the bulwark of normalcy
in a sea of radicalism, is under military junta as it heads for
democracy. The man who stood by America’s side against al-Qaeda,
Hamas and Iran was publicly vilified by the leader of the free
world and told to leave “now.” As he sits in isolation in his
beachfront palatial estate, while neither we nor anyone else has
any pity on him, Iran continues it victorious march throughout the
area, celebrating the loss of its greatest nemesis in the region.
Mubarak was far from perfect. He was a virile anti-Semite who
used State propaganda to vilify Israel in particular and Jews in
general. Egyptian authorities are investigating how much money he
plundered from the poor state he ruled over with an iron fist for
three decades. But he served as a reliable and steady ally, and if
Iran gains entry into that country and the Islamists win power,
his removal will prove to be a detrimental turning point in
history.
Already, Iran has sailed two warships through the Suez Canal,
which Mubarak never permitted. The ships were on their way to
Syria, where they will sit in port to remind the world of Iran’s
overarching ambitions for the region and the world.
This took place as word leaked out that Syria is presently
operating at least three nuclear enrichment sites. They are back
in the nuclear weapons business and no one seems to know or care
about it. The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency
is lobbying not to include Syria is his upcoming UN report on the
nuclear menace. He says that it will remove the focus from Iran.
As if the world is about to focus on Iran. Perhaps the UN will
issue another statement, as it has done previously and as it has
done in the case of Libya and its maniacal dictator, who mows down
innocent civilians in a bid to stay in power.
It should be obvious by now that a toothless UN resolution will
stop neither Muammar Gaddafi nor Iran. Nothing short of total
isolation coupled with a strong stand for democracy and basic
human decency will influence events in those troubled areas
governed by out-of-touch, irrational men.
We look around the world now and see Israel surrounded by a
strengthened Hamas. We watch a revolution brewing in Jordan and
Hezbollah in control of Lebanon. Among America’s few remaining
Arab friends, Yemen is on fire, as is Bahrain and Oman. Saudi
Arabia is quaking in its oil-drenched boots, praying that it will
not be affected next by the spreading wildfire.
At a time like this, America is governed by a president who has
lost the trust of the majority of his people and the world. People
are at a loss to explain his lack of action in the face of the
historic changes sweeping through a region vital to America’s
immediate future. His disappearance from the world stage is as
mysterious as it is dangerous. He has neglected his responsibility
to encourage and support the forces of decency and democracy. He
reads faint words of condemnation against the forces of evil and
doesn’t back them up with anything real.
Analysts compare the American leader to former presidents and
wonder what they would have done had they been in power, as simple
people across the world seek freedom. In the place of a powerful
advocate for liberation, we see an apathetic and arrogant
president. It wasn’t that long ago that French fries became
freedom fries as a symbol of a world furious with French
vacillation in the face of terror. Today it is France which is
taking the lead, together with England, in exercising leadership
standing up to tyranny and dictators.
People search for answers as to how this all started and why this
is happening. They wonder why Obama is so impotent in the face of
a historic opportunity to spread democracy in parts of the world
which have never experienced it. People fear how all this will
end. Where will the street revolutions lead? Will the forces of
liberty triumph or will those who seek to pull the world backwards
emerge victorious?
We, who read the Megillah, know that we have to wait for the last
chapter to be written to understand the inexplicable events of our
day. Currently unfolding in front of our eyes is a historic drama
whose outcome no one can predict. It is a time for us to do as the
Jews in Shushan did, bayomim haheim bazeman hazeh, engaging in
self-improvement and beseeching Heaven that the story ends
positively for us and for all of humanity.
Article printed from Matzav.com - The Online Voice of Torah
Jewry: http://matzav.com
URL to article: http://matzav.com/revealing-the-hidden
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Thursday, May 09, 2013
(NaturalNews) We are republishing two important stories here
(with links to original sources) that you need to read. The first
is a report from a man who survived the war in Bosnia. Although
the source of this cannot be confirmed, the advice is extremely
valuable regardless.
The second story, appended to the bottom of this article, lists
35 excuses that will get you killed if you fail to prepare for
what's coming. This was originally published on SHTFplan.com and
is sourced below.
Read both of these articles if you want to live.
Here's the first:
One year in Hell...
I am from Bosnia. You know, between 1992 and 1995, it was hell.
For one year, I lived and survived in a city with 6,000 people
without water, electricity, gasoline, medical help, civil defense,
distribution service, any kind of traditional service or
centralized rule.
Our city was blockaded by the army; and for one year, life in the
city turned into total crap. We had no army, no police. We only
had armed groups; those armed protected their homes and families.
When it all started, some of us were better prepared. But most of
the neighbors' families had enough food only for a few days. Some
had pistols; a few had AK-47s or shotguns.
After a month or two, gangs started operating, destroying
everything. Hospitals, for example, turned into slaughterhouses.
There was no more police. About 80 percent of the hospital staff
were gone. I got lucky. My family at the time was fairly large (15
people in a large house, six pistols, three AKs), and we survived
(most of us, at least).
The Americans dropped MREs every 10 days to help blockaded
cities. This was never enough. Some -- very few -- had gardens. It
took three months for the first rumors to spread of men dying from
hunger and cold. We removed all the doors, the window frames from
abandoned houses, ripped up the floors and burned the furniture
for heat. Many died from diseases, especially from the water (two
from my own family). We drank mostly rainwater, ate pigeons and
even rats.
Money soon became worthless. We returned to an exchange. For a
tin can of tushonka (think Soviet spam), you could have a woman.
(It is hard to speak of it, but it is true.) Most of the women who
sold themselves were desperate mothers.
Arms, ammunition, candles, lighters, antibiotics, gasoline,
batteries and food. We fought for these things like animals. In
these situations, it all changes. Men become monsters. It was
disgusting.
Strength was in numbers. A man living alone getting killed and
robbed would be just a matter of time, even if he was armed.
Today, me and my family are well-prepared, I am well-armed. I
have experience.
It does not matter what will happen: an earthquake, a war, a
tsunami, aliens, terrorists, economic collapse, uprising. The
important part is that something will happen.
Here's my experience: You can't make it on your own. Don't stay
apart from your family; prepare together, choose reliable friends.
1. How to move safely in a city
The city was divided into communities along streets. Our street
(15 to 20 homes) had patrols (five armed men every week) to watch
for gangs and for our enemies.
All the exchanges occurred in the street. About 5 kilometers away
was an entire street for trading, all well-organized; but going
there was too dangerous because of the snipers. You could also get
robbed by bandits. I only went there twice, when I needed
something really rare (list of medicine, mainly antibiotics, of
the French original of the texts).
Nobody used automobiles in the city: The streets were blocked by
wreckage and by abandoned cars. Gasoline was very expensive. If
one needed to go somewhere, that was done at night. Never travel
alone or in groups that were too big -- always two to three men.
All armed, travel swift, in the shadows, cross streets through
ruins, not along open streets.
There were many gangs 10 to 15 men strong, some as large as 50
men. But there were also many normal men, like you and me, fathers
and grandfathers, who killed and robbed. There were no "good" and
"bad" men. Most were in the middle and ready for the worst.
2. What about wood? Your home city is surrounded by woods; why did
you burn doors and furniture?
There were not that many woods around the city. It was very
beautiful -- restaurants, cinemas, schools, even an airport. Every
tree in the city and in the city park was cut down for fuel in the
first two months.
Without electricity for cooking and heat, we burned anything that
burned. Furniture, doors, flooring: That wood burns swiftly. We
had no suburbs or suburban farms. The enemy was in the suburbs. We
were surrounded. Even in the city you never knew who was the enemy
at any given point.
3. What knowledge was useful to you in that period?
To imagine the situation a bit better, you should know it was
practically a return to the Stone Age.
For example, I had a container of cooking gas. But I did not use
it for heat. That would be too expensive! I attached a nozzle to
it I made myself and used to fill lighters. Lighters were
precious.
If a man brought an empty lighter, I would fill it; and he would
give me a tin of food or a candle.
I was a paramedic. In these conditions, my knowledge was my
wealth. Be curious and skilled. In these conditions, the ability
to fix things is more valuable than gold.
Items and supplies will inevitably run out, but your skills will
keep you fed.
I wish to say this: Learn to fix things, shoes or people.
My neighbor, for example, knew how to make kerosene for lamps. He
never went hungry.
4. If you had three months to prepare now, what would you do?
Three months? Run away from the country? (joking)
Today, I know everything can collapse really fast. I have a
stockpile of food, hygiene items, batteries -- enough to last me
for six months.
I live in a very secure flat and own a home with a shelter in a
village 5 kilometers away. Another six-month supply there, too.
That's a small village; most people there are well-prepared. The
war had taught them.
I have four weapons and 2,000 rounds for each.
I have a garden and have learned gardening. Also, I have a good
instinct. You know, when everyone around you keeps telling you
it'll all be fine, but I know it will all collapse.
I have strength to do what I need to protect my family. Because
when it all collapses, you must be ready to do "bad" things to
keep your children alive and protect your family.
Surviving on your own is practically impossible. (That's what I
think.) Even you're armed and ready, if you're alone, you'll die.
I have seen that happen many times.
Families and groups, well-prepared, with skills and knowledge in
various fields: That's much better.
5. What should you stockpile?
That depends. If you plan to live by theft, all you need is
weapons and ammo. Lots of ammo.
If not, more food, hygiene items, batteries, accumulators, little
trading items (knives, lighters, flints, soap). Also, alcohol of a
type that keeps well. The cheapest whiskey is a good trading item.
Many people died from insufficient hygiene. You'll need simple
items in great amounts. For example, garbage bags. Lots of them.
And toilet papers. Non-reusable dishes and cups: You'll need lots
of them. I know that because we didn't have any at all.
As for me, a supply of hygiene items is perhaps more important
than food. You can shoot a pigeon. You can find a plant to eat.
You can't find or shoot any disinfectant.
First aid skills, washing wounds and burns. Perhaps you will find
a doctor and will not be able to pay him.
Learn to use antibiotics. It's good to have a stockpile of them.
You should choose the simplest weapons. I carry a Glock .45. I
like it, but it's a rare gun here. So I have two TT pistols, too.
(Everyone has them and ammo is common.)
I don't like Kalashnikov's, but again, same story. Everyone has
them; so do I.
You must own small, unnoticeable items. For example, a generator
is good, but 1,000 BIC lighters are better. A generator will
attract attention if there's any trouble, but 1,000 lighters are
compact, cheap and can always be traded.
We usually collected rainwater into four large barrels and then
boiled it. There was a small river, but the water in it became
very dirty very fast.
It's also important to have containers for water: barrels and
buckets.
6. Were gold and silver useful?
Yes. I personally traded all the gold in the house for
ammunition.
Sometimes, we got our hands on money: dollars and Deutschmarks.
We bought some things for them, but this was rare and prices were
astronomical. For example, a can of beans cost $30 to $40. The
local money quickly became worthless. Everything we needed we
traded for through barter.
7. Was salt expensive?
Yes, but coffee and cigarettes were even more expensive. I had
lots of alcohol and traded it without problems. Alcohol
consumption grew over 10 times as compared to peacetime. Perhaps
today, it's more useful to keep a stock of cigarettes, lighters
and batteries. They take up less space.
At this time, I was not a survivalist. We had no time to prepare
-- several days before the shit hit the fan. The politicians kept
repeating over the TV that everything was going according to plan,
there's no reason to be concerned. When the sky fell on our heads,
we took what we could.
8. Was it difficult to purchase firearms? What did you trade for
arms and ammunition?
After the war, we had guns in every house. The police confiscated
lots of guns at the beginning of the war. But most of them we hid.
Now I have one legal gun that I have a license for. Under the law,
that's called a temporary collection. If there is unrest, the
government will seize all the registered guns. Never forget that.
You know, there are many people who have one legal gun, but also
illegal guns if that one gets seized. If you have good trade
goods, you might be able to get a gun in a tough situation. But
remember, the most difficult time is the first days, and perhaps
you won't have enough time to find a weapon to protect your
family. To be disarmed in a time of chaos and panic is a bad idea.
In my case, there was a man who needed a car battery for his
radio. He had shotguns. I traded the accumulator for both of them.
Sometimes, I traded ammunition for food, and a few weeks later
traded food for ammunition. Never did the trade at home, never in
great amounts.
Few people knew how much and what I keep at home.
The most important thing is to keep as many things as possible in
terms of space and money. Eventually, you'll understand what is
more valuable.
Correction: I'll always value weapons and ammunition the most.
Second? Maybe gas masks and filters.
9. What about security?
Our defenses were very primitive. Again, we weren't ready, and we
used what we could. The windows were shattered, and the roofs in a
horrible state after the bombings. The windows were blocked --
some with sandbags, others with rocks.
I blocked the fence gate with wreckage and garbage, and used a
ladder to get across the wall. When I came home, I asked someone
inside to pass over the ladder. We had a fellow on our street that
completely barricaded himself in his house. He broke a hole in the
wall, creating a passage for himself into the ruins of the
neighbor's house -- a sort of secret entrance.
Maybe this would seem strange, but the most protected houses were
looted and destroyed first. In my area of the city, there were
beautiful houses with walls, dogs, alarms and barred windows.
People attacked them first. Some held out; others didn't. It all
depended how many hands and guns they had inside.
I think defense is very important, but it must be carried out
unobtrusively. If you are in a city and SHTF comes, you need a
simple, non-flashy place, with lots of guns and ammo.
How much ammo? As much as possible.
Make your house as unattractive as you can.
Right now, I own a steel door, but that's just against the first
wave of chaos. After that passes, I will leave the city to rejoin
a larger group of people, my friends and family.
There were some situations during the war. There's no need for
details, but we always had superior firepower and a brick wall on
our side.
We also constantly kept someone watching the streets. Quality
organization is paramount in case of gang attacks.
Shooting was constantly heard in the city.
Our perimeter was defended primitively. All the exits were
barricaded and had little firing slits. Inside we had at least
five family members ready for battle at any time and one man in
the street, hidden in a shelter.
We stayed home through the day to avoid sniper fire.
At first, the weak perish. Then, the rest fight.
During the day, the streets were practically empty due to sniper
fire. Defenses were oriented toward short-range combat alone. Many
died if they went out to gather information, for example. It's
important to remember we had no information, no radio, no TV --
only rumors and nothing else.
There was no organized army; every man fought. We had no choice.
Everybody was armed, ready to defend themselves.
You should not wear quality items in the city; someone will
murder you and take them. Don't even carry a "pretty" long arm, it
will attract attention.
Let me tell you something: If SHTF starts tomorrow, I'll be
humble. I'll look like everyone else. Desperate, fearful. Maybe
I'll even shout and cry a little bit.
Pretty clothing is excluded altogether. I will not go out in my
new tactical outfit to shout: "I have come! You're doomed, bad
guys!" No, I'll stay aside, well-armed, well-prepared, waiting and
evaluating my possibilities, with my best friend or brother.
Super-defenses, super-guns are meaningless. If people think they
should steal your things, that you're profitable, they will. It's
only a question of time and the amount of guns and hands.
10. How was the situation with toilets?
We used shovels and a patch of earth near the house. Does it seem
dirty? It was. We washed with rainwater or in the river, but most
of the time the latter was too dangerous. We had no toilet paper;
and if we had any, I would have traded it away.
It was a "dirty" business.
Let me give you a piece of advice: You need guns and ammo first
-- and second, everything else. Literally everything! All depends
on the space and money you have.
If you forget something, there will always be someone to trade
with for it. But if you forget weapons and ammo, there will be no
access to trading for you.
I don't think big families are extra mouths. Big families means
both more guns and strength -- and from there, everyone prepares
on his own.
11. How did people treat the sick and the injured?
Most injuries were from gunfire. Without a specialist and without
equipment, if an injured man found a doctor somewhere, he had
about a 30 percent chance of survival.
It ain't the movie. People died. Many died from infections of
superficial wounds. I had antibiotics for three to four uses --
for the family, of course.
People died foolishly quite often. Simple diarrhea will kill you
in a few days without medicine, with limited amounts of water.
There were many skin diseases and food poisonings… nothing to it.
Many used local plants and pure alcohol -- enough for the
short-term, but useless in the long term.
Hygiene is very important, as well as having as much medicine as
possible -- especially antibiotics.
Original source:
http://personalliberty.com/2013/05/06/one-year-in-hell/
35 excuses that will doom the non-prepper
As of today it is estimated that ONLY 1% of the population
actually goes to much of any effort to prepare and store up enough
of what they need to survive a true calamity. This means a huge
majority of the population fails, yes fails, to have much of
anything if and WHEN what they need each day to live evaporates
quickly. Most people have no clue what life will be like after the
grocery stores close. They simply cannot grasp the horrors that
will befall those people that have not put away for tomorrow or
prepared contingencies for life threatening emergencies.
Instead of taking some time, effort , and money to safeguard
themselves and their families, they have a wide array of reasons
(excuses) for why prepping is crazy and not at all necessary.
There exist a magnitude of what are called TRUE civilization
altering or world-as-we-know-it ending events that could happen.
Many have already occurred throughout history, as well as within
just the last decade. The fact is , it's only a matter of time
before these catastrophes happen again.
People who choose not to prepare for their families will be faced
with life and death situations that few have ever experienced
before.
Without water people will die within a few days. Without food
people will die within a few weeks. Without everyday necessities
people will die in hordes from varying ailments and diseases.
Without what they are accustomed to on a daily basis, people will
suffer and most will die. This absolutely does not have to happen
to such a high percentage of the population, but sadly it will
unless more people understand there is no real excuse for NOT
preparing.
The following are 35 of the most common excuses and causes cited
by the 99% of the population who don't prepare.
1. Oh come on, it is never going to happen, my area is safe, I am
safe.
Fact or Answer: The overall odds increase of having a mega or
even a lesser catastrophe as the population grows and cities grow
in size. Just like increasing the size of a target, it is easier
and more likely to get hit. Even if your area doesn't get hit,
your location can be cut off from getting vital supplies from
areas that DID get hit. Every single spot on the planet is a
target, from natural disasters to terrorism to war to pandemics to
a black swan event that no one expects. No one is invulnerable
anywhere and living this way is delusional and totally
unrealistic.
2. I am convinced that everything is recoverable and my area will
get back to normal quickly.
Fact or Answer. The media and government have longed ingrained
into people's minds that no matter what happens, it is repairable.
Fortunately up until now there has not been a type of event that
is so severe and widespread that recovery is very long or requires
massive clean-up involving millions of people and trillions of
dollars. There are potential disasters that occur on regular time
frames that could easily be ranked as hundreds of times worse than
anything we've ever seen in our lifetimes. The New Madrid fault
zone and San Andreas fault are a couple of examples. A solar
induced super EMP (electro magnetic pulse) which occurred in 1812,
1857, and 1859 is another. Fukushima is a recent example how bad
things can get almost in a matter of just 24 hours.
3. No matter how horrible it is, help will eventually come, I
just have to wait it out.
Fact or Answer. Help can come IF there are people and resources
available. All of the recent disasters have been fairly isolated
and allow the majority of the unaffected population to come to the
rescue of those in need. What happens when an entire country is
affected - or most of the world? Assuming that your government or
someone will reach your area with help and supplies no matter what
is dangerous. The government is going to spread help to areas of
the highest priority FIRST. Your area could be weeks or months
away from help and you could be long dead before help and supplies
arrive.
4. Even if something happens, there are plenty of food and
supplies for everyone in my city.
Fact or Answer. Ever seen towns and cities cut off by winter
storms? Food in supermarkets, food warehouse stores, and
restaurants, are extremely limited - perhaps one to seven days at
best. To prove this take your population where you live and divide
this by the number of grocery stores in your city or town. Now go
into one of these stores and look around and consider how fast a
few hundred or a few thousand people could empty that store. You
see all those trucks coming in each day carrying food and supplies
for these stores. Imagine those deliveries stopping. Food will
disappear faster than anyone can imagine.
5. My state government, my community, my neighbors will not
abandon me and let me starve.
Fact or Answer. It's a pure numbers game. If food and other
necessities are not there for the state to distribute, then
everyone who has failed to put away for such a disaster will go
hungry. Your neighbors are likely to be in the same boat as you if
99% of the people don't prep. Those that did prepare are likely to
not share with a bunch of people that choose not to. Taking food
from those that did store up will not be an easy task, as they
will likely be well armed. It is extremely selfish to expect your
neighbor to sacrifice their family because you determined that
preparing was too much effort. Simply don't be the 99% that don't
prepare.
6. I have a 3 day supply of food, the government and others tell
me that this is plenty.
Fact or Answer. Three days go by awfully quickly, and as we saw
in Hurricane Katrina help took much longer than that to arrive. If
it is possible, a bare minimum of 30 days worth of food, water,
and other supplies should be considered for all families. In the
past, during "lightweight" SHTF events, help arrived 1-2 weeks
after the disaster occurred such as areas hit by a great
earthquake or mega hurricane. Severe disasters require much longer
times for real help to arrive.
7. I have lots of credit cards, I will purchase anything I need
in my city or nearby cities.
Fact or Answer. First of all, credit is something that ONLY works
when systems connected to the outside world function properly.
People think that these little "magical" pieces of plastic will
save them in all circumstances. This misconception is something
that will flatten those who go out and try to buy food because the
banks are not allowing or are simply unable to process any credit
or debit cards. Cash is necessary for buying what you need - have
a fair amount in ALL denominations from 20's down to 1's.
Additionally, if your backup plan is to drive to another city to
purchase emergency supplies you may not be able to get out of your
area due to lack of fuel or closed roads. Again, have your own
supplies BEFORE it happens.
8. My water faucets will have water, even if it is temporarily
shut off, they will not let us go thirsty.
Fact or Answer. Water pipes that bring water to your home require
power, without power there is no water. Those expecting water
trucks to bring drinking water to their neighbor should not count
on it. Those who plan on drinking unsafe water from ponds, lakes,
and other catchment basins are just asking to become very ill. If
someone doesn't store much food, at least there should be water
stored for drinking. 1/2 gallon per person per day minimum, not to
forget the household pets either. Water could be down for weeks.
Cases of bottled water are one way to store water for longer terms
and can be neatly stacked in a small corner of your home. Many
stores sell safe water storage units that can be filled up with
plain tap water. A good water filter is something that all
households should have for outside water should city supplies be
inoperable or contaminated. Learn how to catch rainwater and dew.
Dehydration is something that will kill scores of people because
they have not taken water storage seriously. Without clean water
you're dead in 72 hours.
9. There is no room to store supplies that will never be used
anyway.
Fast/Answer. Vertical storage is one way even very limited amount
of space can be used to put away what someone's needs. There are
all sorts of "dead spaces" around the home. Under the bed, closet
shelves, or your garage are a couple of ideas. Square footage of a
home is 2 dimensional, as there is usually about 8 feet of space
up to down between ceiling to floor. Even people living in tiny
apartments find room to store up emergency needs.
10. I can't rotate supplies, everything will get old and have to
be thrown away.
Fact or Answer. Many items can be consumed way past the ‘best by
dates'. Those that feel that they still can't store up items even
in cans because of some use by or best by date, can store up a lot
of other items that don't have to be rotated. There are everyday
items that can be forgotten about and will still be just as good
as when you first stored it. Sounds crazy, but there are items
that will fetch a high barter value that people need and want.
Toilet paper is one key supply that can be traded for food and
other items because it will never lose its demand. Other barter
items such as cigarettes and alcohol have extreme value just about
everywhere. It would be wise to always store up what you eat each
day in cans, as canned foods have a very long shelf life so long
as they are kept dry, cool and undamaged.
11. I don't have extra money to store up anything for disasters.
Fact or Answer. There are many coupons online, in newspapers, and
in stores. Manufacturers want to attract new customers to try
their product so badly that they often offer food for free or near
free. People live on coupons with very limited money sources using
coupons. Stores also offer reduced pricing on overstocked items.
Collecting these supplies will add up if one is willing to start
doing so. Never pass up an opportunity to get something for free,
especially if it can be stored for later use or barter.
12. It is too much work to bother with.
Fact or Answer. Even a person that is hardly an expert prepper
who has stored up something will fare far better than the 99% that
have not. Simply picking up extra food and other supplies at the
market each time and putting these into boxes in some isolated
part of the home will add significant reserve supplies. This is
very limited effort that will reap huge results WHEN you need it.
You don't have to work that hard to put away a decent amount of
what you will need someday.
13. I have absolutely no idea what to store or how much.
Fact or Answer. What do you use each day and every week? This is
what you want to store up. Buy your regular household staples in
jars, bottles, or well sealed packages for longer term storage.
How much can be determined simply by asking yourself, ‘how long do
I want to be self sufficient during a disaster?' Have a time frame
- a month, two months, etc. You should be able to easily determine
how much of something you will use in a certain amount of time.
14. I don't need any protection after a disaster, the police,
national guard, military will protect us.
Fact or Answer. Even those that don't like firearms should
consider owning one. The larger the distance between an attacker
and your family, the less chance that someone you love will get
injured or killed. A firearm gives you this distance. At least
have something to defend your family with. There are some real
psychos out there that will certainly take advantage of the
lawlessness that will come with no police or military force. How
many police does your city have per citizen? This ratio is one
golden reason to have self protection before, during, and after a
disaster. There may be no way of reaching law enforcement even if
they are available after a true disaster as all cell towers and
phonelines may be fried for whatever reason.
15. The power grid will come back on, until then I have LED
flashlights that last forever.
Fact or Answer. First of all when they say on commercials that
the light will last for 100,000 hours they are referring to the
bulbs. Batteries run out of energy. You should have many extra
batteries to avoid the dark with LED lights. Many accidents happen
in the dark and flashlights should not be the only source of
lights. Candles are cheap and last several hours and can be used
to warm up food and a small heat source. You don't want to live
nights without some source of light - it will get so dark
sometimes that you won't even be able to see your hand in front of
your face. Besides light, the power grid may not come back up for
weeks, or ever if something catastrophic enough has happened.
Another grave consideration is what is called temperature control
of your environment as excessive cold or heat kills hundreds or
thousands of people in stable times every year. You will likely
lose the ability to stay cool or warm in the event of a power grid
failure. Weather insulation of your surroundings before anything
occurs is a preparation that many should consider doing NOW. A
back-up electric generator with back up fuel is one option. For
those who can afford it or know how to build it themselves, a
solar or wind driven electric system is a viable long-term
solution. You may have to live a long time without power, as the
grid is a lot more frail than people realize, so consider
alternative energy supplies now.
16. Again and again I hear these fear mongers exaggerate the
threat level, another false alarm.
Fact or Answer. While Y2K, the Mayan calendar and many others
have been wrong, there have been many times when a disaster has
been a lot worse than anyone could have predicted. Two of the most
powerful tsunamis caused calamities that rank the worst of all
time -- one is widespread radiation release in Japan, and event
that is likely killing people as you read this. Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and recently Sandy were far worst than
predicted. Tornadoes have destroyed entire cities. Deepwater
Horizon caused the worst oil disaster on record. Many wars and
terrorist attacks have brought untold suffering in this century
alone. These are still lightweight disasters and are dwarfed in
comparison to what has happened before and will happen again.
Preparedness is the only answer for the common person to help
survive what is eventually coming.
17. I have a good car and family in other areas, if anything
happens I will just go stay with them.
Fact or Answer. One of the worst assumptions is that family or
friends will openly accept you and yours and let you live with
them. Even if they do, you may not be able to get to them. Your
car or vehicle may be disabled for any number of reasons, or the
roads may be unusable because law enforcement will not allow ANY
travel or because they have been destroyed. Planning on how to
stay safe where you are should be your foremost option. Bug out
only as a last resort (unless you have a complete bug out strategy
and destination already in place).
18. I work all week long and I am going to spend my extra money
on fun rather than fear.
Fact or Answer. Self indulgences seldom have much or any lasting
benefits. People often blow their money on something that was
nothing more than fleeting fun. In the end it is often expensive
and worthless. A good plan is to do anything that will bring long
time enjoyment and help you live your life with less stress. The
amount of stress you and your family will suffer after a true
disaster strikes and you have nothing to feed yourself and your
family will be well beyond what any job or most of life's agonies
can bring. Entertainment can help live life better. Not storing up
for emergencies can help end your life in true anguish.
19. Survival supplies taste bad, I can't live on this for long at
all.
Fact or Answer. Some supplies have high sodium contents, others
are near or at goumet levels. Practically everything that someone
enjoys can be found in a can at the supermarket or other food
retailer. Just because food is stored up, doesn't mean that it has
to taste bad. Most of what people cook for everyday meals - rice,
beans, flour, oatmeal, etc. - can be stored for quite a while.
20. If a true catastrophe occurs we are going to die anyway,
besides that I don't want to live through it anyway.
Fact or Answer. To each his own, but when you look at the faces
of your family or your own face in the mirror, this feeling kind
of changes its tone. Even during the worst disaster there are
going to be survivors, why should it not be you and your family?
Here is something very few people understand - after a very bad
catastrophe the planet and the life, vegetation and animals, have
a remarkable recuperative ability. In other words, times are
likely to get better each day after a true disaster. There are of
course exceptions, but in all likelihood there will be slow to
moderate improvement as time goes on. The main objective to have
enough of what you need to get through the worst parts of it.
21. Survival and prepping for the worst is negative, as long as I
stay positive, only the positive will happen.
Fact or Answer. One of the most positive things is to have what
you need when the situation presents itself. Too many people live
like the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the ground.
Not being realistic with worldwide situations that are way beyond
your control is negative. It is denial. Wishing that the economy
will not collapse, a mega earthquake will not hit an area way
overdue, that war will not develop in the Middle East and so on,
will most likely not work. Prepping and being ready for such an
event(s) will work to help better safeguard you and your family
and increase your chances of surviving it dramatically.
22. Preppers / Survivalists are radical, paranoid, conspiracy
driven out of touch with reality, I don't want anything to do with
them.
Fact or Answer. Out of touch with reality is depending on the
government to come to your rescue when they simply can't because
of the magnitude of a particular disaster. Preparing and storing
up food, water, and other needs has nothing to do with associating
with anyone but your immediate family and friends. If you don't
like preppers and their way of thinking, no one is saying you have
to become friends with anyone to store up what you need for later.
Letting your personal views of people that prepare influence your
family's well being for the future makes no sense. Buying
insurance in the form of what your family will need after it
becomes no longer available for an undetermined period of time
makes excellent common sense for everybody.
23. I don't know why everyone is so worried, times are better and
safer now than ever in human history.
Fact or Answer. The old doomsday clock put out by the Bulletin of
Atomic Scientists puts the clock at 5 minutes to midnight. Since
1960 the clock has only been closer to midnight between 1981-1988
during the height of the cold war. In 1991 it was set at 17
minutes to midnight. Most of the time it was set 7 minutes or
higher. As competition grows with increasing population, resources
grow less plentiful. While it can be argued that the earthquakes,
volcanoes and other natural disasters are all part of a regular
cycle, man-made conflicts and needs are something never
experienced with 7 billion people trying to get what they need out
of limited resources of water, food, arable land, energy and much
more. If anything, times are becoming a lot scarier and gives even
more support to the notion of preparing to what the future may
hold for us.
24. There is so much to prepping, I'll take my chances that
nothing will happen.
Fact or Answer. There is a lot to knowing what to do after a
disaster, but it takes little no know to simply put away what you
need everyday in life. Just the simple act of putting away canned
food and water and other necessities like toilet paper will put
you into a better situation that most of the people you know.
Those people that even put away a month's worth of what they need
will likely survive better than at least half of the population
after a mega SHTF event. Just start putting away and continue it
and someday you will probably be grateful you did.
25. All my investments go right into what makes me money and
gives me security for the future.
Fact or Answer. Many people cannot find a better investment for
the future than to have what they need within arms reach. Banks
are closed most of the time, and online trading is only good if
the internet and phone lines are up. While having a stable
portfolio is important, especially if nothing happens, not having
an investment in the things you use each day to live life with
ease makes no sense. Buying stocks in precious metals is equally
worthless compared to actually having the precious metals in your
hands or your safe in a situation when the stock and commodities
markets collapse or are inaccessible.
26. Why bother storing up that much food and supplies, mobs will
just come in and take it.
Fact or Answer. If you tell everyone that your house is a grocery
store, then when something does happen you can expect big
problems. If no one knows you have food, it is much less likely
you will have any mobs come after you. Good self defense is
essential to guard your supplies as many people are cowards and
just don't have the gall to try to force themselves in while being
shot at, many times people will back off just because there is a
gun aiming at them. Also something to consider is that many people
will become quite weak after lack of food and water and after a
few days the threat level will diminish significantly.
27. I have a refrigerator and a cupboard full of food, 2 cases of
water, a 12 pack of toilet paper, I am all set.
Fact or Answer. So many people are totally clueless to what they
DON'T HAVE. First of all the water of 2 cases will be used up in
3-4 days by a family of four. If the power goes off everything in
the refrigerator will have to be eaten within a couple of days. A
cupboard full of food is not a bad start, but most pantry sizes
would store about a week's worth of supplies. Something is always
better than nothing, but people need to see just how much they
actually need for a certain amount of time. Exaggerating what you
actually have is very counterproductive - and poses a risk to the
well being of your family should disaster strike.
28. If something happens I will just run to the grocery store and
stock up before it closes.
Fact or Answer. This is not a bad idea if you see a crisis is
imminent. For many preppers, heading to the grocery store at the
first sign of trouble and adding goods to what they already have,
such as fruit and vegetables that will perish within a short time,
may help reduce psychological and physical strains of the initial
impact. Depending on this as a plan to stock up because you have
nothing in your current supplies, however, is not a good idea and
quite dangerous. What will you use to purchase what you need? Do
you have cash on hand to purchase these last minute supplies or
are you planning on using your possible inactive credit or debit
card? Even with a wad of cash, the stores might not be open. Your
best course of action is stock up before anything happens, you
cannot depend on any store to provide what you need after a
disaster.
29. If we become sick after a disaster we have good medical
treatment centers that will care for us.
Fact or Answer. Medical response could be overwhelmed and could
takes days or weeks to come back online. It is likely that the
number one killer after a calamity will be disease. Extreme
preventative care of yourself and your family is all too
essential. Germ control and ‘hand awareness' of germs is top
priority here. Storage of anti-bacterial soaps, bleach, and other
disinfectants are something no home should be without. Investment
in a really well stocked first aid kit is an excellent survival
item for everyone.
30. Nothing is as bad as it ever seems, stop overblowing
everything as doomsday.
Fact or Answer. Tell that one to Hurricane Katrina and Sandy
survivors that were told it would not be that bad by the mass
media. Tell people in Haiti or people devastated by the two killer
mega tsunamis about it not being all that bad. Ask people who went
through World War 2, the Korean or Vietnam war, or in Syria or
Iraq how much less worse it was. Preparing for the worst means
that you can much better handle those worst-case scenarios that
have occurred regularly throughout history.
31. If disaster strikes everybody will band together and save the
day.
Fact or Answer. Nice sentiment, but throughout history this
idealism has proven to be less than reality. Take away the hope of
recovery with a bad enough situation and people revert back to the
survival of the fittest. Depending on the good will of human
nature can and does lead to vast disappointment and individual
disaster. Depending on your own self and what you can put away is
a lot more stable and reliable.
32. People have become way too civilized to wage a world war and
take what you have and act like savages.
Fact or Answer. There are too many examples to disprove this of
people's nature. Given the severity of the circumstances, people
are capable of anything as long as most of them can JUSTIFY their
actions in their minds. Trust in yourself and then others.
Trusting in society's self righteousness to not act like criminals
is a true stretch. Good self defense and a cautious nature will
take you far.
33. There are food banks and emergency preparedness places nearby
to me, they will take care of us.
Fact or Answer. It is all about volume, these places are meant to
feed people on a SHORT TERM basis to keep people from starving to
death immediately. You will likely have to exist on a snack size
package of crackers and maybe an energy bar per day. You might get
a couple of bottles of water if you are lucky. Depending on these
places for handouts is a losing proposition with any disaster that
is even moderately tragic. You could store up way more from a
couple of weeks worth of extra items bought at the store than what
these places are likely capable of feeding you with.
34. FEMA , the Red Cross, and other government agencies are huge
and have the whole country backing them.
Fact or Answer. Even if these organizations and government
agencies can get to you, their supplies and what they can give out
is severely limited, much like local and state run emergency
preparedness centers. Think about just how many people one million
is and how much daily food that means. Try to think of tens of
millions of people needing all sorts of food, clean water and
other supplies. The logistics of distribution on this scale is a
nightmare for any planner. Even if there was enough food, imagine
standing in 4-10 hour lines to get some crumbs and a drink of
water. Now imagine going into a room of your house and simply
getting what you need. Kind of makes the idea of prepping sound a
lot better doesn't it?
35. I can always wait until tomorrow to start prepping, there is
always time.
Fact or Answer. No there isn't always time. Eventually that
tomorrow does come. When world or national events have
deteriorated enough to scare many more people into prepping it is
probably too late. The best time to start preparing was yesterday,
the next best time is right now. Everyday that goes by without
putting away what you need is going to make it that much more
difficult to store up enough of what you need for survival. Time
runs out quickly, start preparing today and find out how rewarding
it is when you have what you need right there in your own home.
It is not an overblown statement that says 99% of the population
could perish during the next mega calamity based on the sole
reason that they did not prepare. Without food, water, means of
keeping yourself clean and disease free, and the many other
necessities that people have become way too dependent on to
survive everyday life, people cannot live and won't. Those rare 1%
that choose to prepare and sacrifice those everyday pleasures and
expensive distractions will have what they need as flocks of those
unprepared will die in massive numbers because society can no
longer support them. Those 99%, though, have the conscious choice
of not becoming a statistic and truly doing something about it
with a lot less than they realize. All it takes is some time,
effort and dedication to spending any available extra money and
resources on living "life insurance" such as food, water, and
everyday needs.
Original source:
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/life-or-death-choices-...
A bug out bag is designed in theory to give you everything you may
need to live for at least 72 hours outside of your home and should
be considered as part of any comprehensive plan for disaster or true
preparedness. The tendency with bug out bags is to throw
everything but the kitchen sink in them to cover every conceivable
scenario or need. When this happens you have people with Bug Out
Bags that weigh more than they do. Not only could this seriously
slow you down at the precise time you need to be light on your feet,
but having a bag that is overloaded with a lot of stuff you could
live without or which more likely couldn’t help you at all, could
get you killed.
When I started my own prepping journey, a bug out bag was high on
my list of priorities. I read a lot of articles and watched a ton
of YouTube videos about this subject and as you can imagine, there
are as many bug out bag ideas as there are grains of sand at the
beach. The bags all share a common goal in that they are supposed
to keep you alive if you have to leave your house for some period
of time. I think where the line gets blurred however is what
your own idea of the duties of your bag are for. What do you
really “need” in order to “live”? If your Bug Out Bag contents
look more like what you would pack in a suitcase for a vacation,
you may want to reconsider your options.
What is the purpose of a Bug Out bag?
OK, let’s start with what a Bug Out bag is most typically used
for and go from there. A 72-hour bag or kit is usually listed as
the standard we as preppers should aspire to and is actually what
FEMA recommends on
their website. Again, this means that your bug out bag
should have enough supplies to get you through 72 hours. What you
put in here though should vary by person and need. If you have
considered whether you will bug
out or hunker down, preparing a bug out bag could be the
next step in the process.
Your bag is meant to be something that you can quickly grab and
run out the door. Your bug out bag should be pre-packed with the
appropriate supplies and ready at a moment’s notice. Ideally you
would have practice with your bag and lugging it around through
various terrain and experience actually living off the supplies
that you have stored in there. A bug out bag is different in
scope from a Get
Home Bag, but you may have some of the same types of
contents in both.
At a minimum your bug out bag should cover the 3 basic
necessities you need to live; food, clothing and shelter. After
that we look at supplies to make your life more comfortable or
more secure.
Do I need a Bug Out Bag?
Bug Out Bag Options
Great question! The answer depends on what you are going to use
it for I think to a large extent. Bug Out Bags come in two main
flavors or types. The first type is the bag that you plan to strap
on and head out into the woods or use to hike to a remote
location. This might be your retreat hidden away in the woods in a
small town somewhere away from your home. This could also be for
those who figure they are just going to hike deep into a national
forest and live off the land until whatever crisis they are
avoiding has passed.
For most people, I think a Bug Out Bag is more along the lines of
a pre-packed suitcase so they can get out of dodge quickly without
having to stop and pack. These types of bug out bags are very
useful for people who may live in wildfire, flooding or hurricane
areas although I would hazard to guess that not many people in
today’s society would be able to have a wildfire, flood or
hurricane sneak up on them. If you
are completely unaware of what is going on around you then
you most likely won’t have any bag packed and ready to go in the
first place. For the rest of us, fires, hurricanes and floods are
generally forecast and announced with more than ample time to
prepare, pack and get out of the way. Are there circumstances
where this is not the case? Of course, but we are talking in
general terms here for the most average prepper scenario.
How can my bag get me killed?
There are two main ways I can see how not thinking logically
about your Bug Out Bag can end up hurting you. The first is
weight. Let’s assume that your bug out bag’s purpose of use is
that you plan to walk out of town with it strapped to your back
before the zombie hordes can breach the city. This will be your
bedroom dresser, kitchen pantry, shelter, entertainment center and
medicine cabinet all rolled into one tidy package. The average
weight guidelines for a fully loaded backpack are no more than 25%
of your overall body weight. For a 200 pound person (in good
health) that is 50 pounds.
How many of you are used to walking with 50 pounds of weight on
your back for 20 miles? How many of you think your bag would
actually weigh more than 50 pounds? Do you know how much 3 gallons
of water, the recommended amount you need for each person – for 3
days weighs?
Having a bug out bag that is too heavy can cause injury very
easily. Not only that, but it can wear you out much faster and
make running, something you may have to do when the zombies are
hungry, very difficult to do. Unless your bag is packed the right
way, your center of balance will be off and you can just about
forget doing any type of tactical movement with a heavy pack like
this.
It aint heavy, it’s my Bug Out Bag!
Am I talking about trained Navy Seals? No, I am talking about Mr.
and Mrs. Joe Public who are probably just like most of us. We have
jobs where we sit at a desk most days and aren’t training daily
with 50 pound packs like the 10th Mountain division.
What about your children? Will they be able to carry all of the
supplies needed on their backs as well? Probably not in all cases.
The second way I can see having a large pack could be dangerous
is from the standpoint of a total collapse scenario where massive
amounts of society are displaced, scared, hurting and desperate.
With a large pack you are a greater target. If there are truly
desperate people and they see you with a big pack full of supplies
and goodies they may be more inclined to relieve you of that extra
weight. If their children are freezing or starving and you are
walking around with the Wal-Mart camping section attached in a big
bright orange pack, they may decide that you need that less than
they do.
How can we avoid this problem?
Pack Smarter – A bug out bag should be viewed as a life preserver
in most situations, not a convenience store. When I see lists out
there that have as their contents miscellaneous hardware and
tools, saws and fishing gear I have to wonder what these people
are going to do. Most of us, if there is really some type of
disaster won’t have any place to fish at all. You aren’t going to
likely be fixing a radiator hose on your car either. If you were,
that is a different pack for a different purpose. Think smart
about your bag and what needs to go in there. If all hell
breaks loose in your town, what will you really need to
survive? Will a change of clothes, something to shelter you from
the elements and a means to make a fire be most of what you need?
Add in some food and a little water with a backup to get filtered
water elsewhere, simple first aid and you have the basics covered.
Will all of this weigh significantly less than 50 pounds? It
should.
There are ultra-light hiking fanatics that try to scrounge every
single ounce of weight out of their packs in order to have a much
lower weight pack and thus a happier hiking experience. You can
see a lot of great
ideas for making your gear weight much lower on this site.
You can start with these tips, but even if you take 30 pounds out
somewhere, you can’t start throwing other items like your books on
edible plants in your pack and still save weight. Think about what
your bag is for, how you will be using it and pack accordingly.
Remember, this is just to save your life. If you have a bug out
bag and you are leaving your world behind, you won’t be staying at
the Ritz. Some discomfort should be anticipated so I would plan on
leaving the Kindle behind.
Blend In – Packing lighter can certainly help with weight and
with less weight should come less bulk. With less bulk you should
have a smaller footprint for your supplies and may be able to pack
everything you need to stay alive in a smaller backpack. This will
help you look like everyone else out there and not like you are
hiking the Appalachian Trail. Just for the record, I am not
recommending that all you need is one seriously packed survival Altoids can, but we can
think about the bag that we are using to save our lives in a
logical way.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas on packing your Bug Out Bag.
I would love to hear your ideas and perspectives in the comments
below.
7 June 2013: Something quite unexpected happened just hours ago,
in the dark of night, during a two-day layover in Washington, DC.
My son and I are scheduled to take part in a seminar outside of
Raleigh, North Carolina this weekend, so we combined our travels
to include a side-trip to DC for a business meeting we had
previously arranged. It was during this layover that something
seemingly ripped from the pages of a spy novel took place.
While I was in the middle of a perfectly good and well needed
sleep in the very early hours of this morning, I received a
message. I cannot disclose how I received this message, at least
not now. The discerning reader will understand why, which, by the
way, would make a very interesting story alone. The message was
extremely clear and precise. I was to meet my high level DHS
insider at a very specific location in Washington, DC at a time
when most ?normal? people, except third-shift workers are still
asleep. And, I was to come alone and make certain that I was not
being followed, and I was to leave any cell phone or electronic
device behind.
Seriously? I thought, as I was still trying to make sense of it
all. Is all this really necessary? Is this really happening? I
considered waking my son to accompany me, but opted to follow the
instructions to the letter. Besides, I thought, he?s not the most
affable middle-of-the-night person. I left a hastily written but
detailed note in my hotel room before my departure in the event
something happened. I looked at the digital clock on my rental car
(my personal car would never survive our long distance trip). It
was 3:20 a.m.
The meeting
I felt like I was part of a spy movie set in our nation?s capital.
A chill rose up my spine as I waited in the dark of a chilly,
misty and foggy pre-dawn morning. I was to meet with my DHS
insider source at a time when most of the nation is asleep, at a
place I could swear was featured in the movie All the President?s
Men. No one and I mean no one knows I?m here, I thought, as I
could see one of the most recognizable national landmarks in the
distance.
My source appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed, and handed me
a cup of coffee with the astute observation that I looked like I
needed it. So tell me, I asked impatiently, why do we have to meet
at this time, at this location, and under such specific
circumstances? ?Because this might be our last meeting,? he
stated.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the time, the place, or the chill
of the misty rain that caused my sense of foreboding. ?Explain,? I
asked in an almost demanding tone. So he did, without mincing
words.
The details
?If anyone thinks that what?s going on right now with all of this
surveillance of American citizens is to fight some sort of foreign
enemy, they?re delusional. If people think that this ?scandal?
can?t get any worse, it will, hour by hour, day by day. This has
the ability to bring down our national leadership, the
administration and other senior elected officials working in
collusion with this administration, both Republican and Democrats.
People within the NSA, the Department of Justice, and others, they
know who they are, need to come forth with the documentation of
?policy and practice? in their possession, disclose what they
know, fight what?s going on, and just do their job. I have never
seen anything like this, ever. The present administration is going
after leakers, media sources, anyone and everyone who is even
suspected of ?betrayal.? That?s what they call it, ?betrayal.? Can
you believe the size of their cahones? This administration
considers anyone telling the truth about Benghazi, the IRS, hell,
you name the issue, ?betrayal,?? he said.
?We know all this already,? I stated. He looked at me, giving me a
look like I?ve never seen, and actually pushed his finger into my
chest. ?You don?t know jack,? he said, ?this is bigger than you
can imagine, bigger than anyone can imagine. This administration
is collecting names of sources, whistle blowers and their
families, names of media sources and everybody they talk to and
have talked to, and they already have a huge list. If you?re not
working for MSNBC or CNN, you?re probably on that list. If you are
a website owner with a brisk readership and a conservative bent,
you?re on that list. It?s a political dissident list, not an enemy
threat list,? he stated.
?What?s that exactly mean, being on that list, that is,? I asked,
trying to make sense of it all.
?It means that there will be censorship under the color of
authority of anyone in the U.S. who is attempting to expose what?s
going on in our name. It?s about controlling any damning
information from reaching epidemic proportions. It?s damage
control to the extreme. It?s about the upcoming censorship of the
internet in the name of national security. The plans are already
in place. These latest reports about ?spying eyes? have turned
this administration and others connected to it into something
very, very dangerous. They feel cornered and threatened, and I?m
hearing about some plans they have to shut down the flow of
information that is implicating them of wrongdoing. Time is
short,? he stated.
?How are they going to do this? How is it even possible?? I asked.
?First, they intend to use the Justice Department to silence
journalists like in the Rosen case, but they won?t stop there.
They will use a host of national security policies, laws, letters,
whatever to take out the bigger threats,? he stated.
Next, they will use some sort of excuse, an external threat, and I
believe it will be a combination of the economic collapse and a
Mid-East war that will begin in Syria to throttle the information
that is accessible on the Internet. And you know what? People will
believe it!?
Based on what I?ve seen, most of which I should not have seen, the
DHS is co-ordinating efforts with other federal agencies to begin
to threaten American citizens with incarceration for
non-compliance. You know the old talk of color coded lists? Well,
this is what they will be using. People exposing the truth about
Benghazi, killing the U.S. Dollar, even those questioning Obama?s
legal status and eligibility to be President are the current
targets. And they?ve had five long years to get to this point. The
ugly truth is that these policies and practices did not start
under Obama, but long before. This is about the killing of our
Constitutional Republic. The murder of our country and the
stripping of our rights. While many have been preoccupied with one
issue, few have seen the bigger issue. This is the ?end game,? for
all the marbles,? he stated.
More to come
?Please,? pleaded my source, ?get this information out while you
can. Tell people what I?m saying, that we don?t have much time,
that after the latest exposure of spying, Obama, Jarrett, Axelrod,
and others, including members of Congress, have put their plans
into high gear. This is about the Marxist takeover of America.
This is about our country being able to survive another July 4th
holiday. This is about a world war about to break out that will
kill millions of people, all because of the agenda of this
administration.?
?They are very dangerous and will do anything and everything to
stop the onslaught of negative information that?s being reported
by the main stream media. But only about one quarter of the real
information is being reported. The other three quarters will be
the game changer. But first, tell people what I?ve said. Let them
know that more will follow but get this information out right now
while the internet is still relatively free. Do it today.?
My source provided additional information, but I am abiding by his
wish to get this much out. I am writing now to let people know
that we are in for seriously dangerous times ahead. Deadly times.
War, and censorship under the color of authority and under the
pretext of of national security. It?s about to get a lot uglier.
Stay tuned.