Why now is the time to forge your own civil defense network

[trooper1]

I don't post often on this site though I visit it daily, but recent events have convinced me that not only is the United States in for a very rough next few months (and possibly the remainder of it's future), but also that if events proceed as I fear we could see the very destruction of our society as we know it. The contuning crisis on wall street and and in our economy and the probability that Peak oil and energy will soon present even more disastrous changes to our life styles along with several other factors I will address later in this essay have me convinced that mere financial and supply prepartion on the part of the individual or small groups without planning for security issues is pointless. The time has come for individuals to form groups that not only stockpile supplies, form cooperatives in localization of agricultural and necessity production, but also to plan and implement group security protocols. Call them civil security teams if the term militia with all its connotations to hard right fanatics turn you off if you like, but the fact is that the coming turmoil that will result from our "leaders", both in government and in the private sector, mismanagement and looting of what was once a self reliant  and resilient nation may very well turn the U.S. into a battle ground that makes the wars in the 1990's in the former Yugoslavia look like a school yard scuffle amongst first graders. Allow me to explain how and why I have reached this conclusion.

First a bit of history. America is a diverse country, made up of many different ethnic groups that for the moment in large part live amongst each other in relative peace. If one looks at the reasons why nation states with diverse populations survive and prosper two alternatives to social management (i.e. government and political economies) become startlingly clear. The first, the model the United States has traditionally followed, is a fairly transparent and democratic government coupled with a prosperous economy. One might quibble with my assertion that our government is either transparent in its operations or is truly democratic in nature (the last eight years especially), but for the most part that has been the model under which our society has been governed since its inception, especially compared with the governments of other nation states around the globe. The second reason diverse nationalities have coexisted in peace under state control is the result of authoritarian government with few qualms of using extreme violence to enforce stable societies. Examples of such governments include the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Syria. Under the yoke of communism and its penchant for nonsense compliance with state edicts the Croats, Bosnians, Serbs, and ethnic Albanians lived together in relative harmony. Once the iron fist of the communist government was removed all the above mentioned nationalities were at each others throats within a few months. In the case of Iraq, Saddam Hussein maintained order through fear and intimidation and extreme violence towards dissidents among the Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish populations. After the invasion Iraq again it took a relatively short amount of time for these ethnic groups to begin to attack  one another, viewing for power and land and it was only after we began paying off the Sunni's that the majority of the ethnic violence there fell to lower levels (it is my opinion that the Iraq war was the biggest strategic blunder ever conceived by our government and that once we leave ethnic violence and genocide will continue at a not before seen pace - as an Iraq war veteran I can attest to the visceral hatred these ethnic groups share towrads on another). The third example is Syria, where Kurds, Sunnis, and Alawitte Muslims vied for power until the current leader of Syria's father virtually obliterated the city of Hama as an example of what his government was prepared to do if ethnic violence did not cease. Although there are historical exceptions to these rules, for the most part either economic prosperity and fair government or extreme violence by autocratic authorities have been the main reasons states comprised of diverse nationalities have held together.

Let us now examine the current situation in the United States. Since 1965 immigration rates, both legal and illegal, have soared. These rates have turned the traditional model of ethnic assimilation into American culture that was so successful in the 19th and early 20th centuries into a poorly phrased joke. Many of the ethnic nationals that currently reside in this country are hard working and loyal Americans, but many are not; here only for economic and social benefits with allegiances and ties to their former countries - and most importantly their own ethnic groups - unbroken. Many immigrants primary loyalties lie within their own ethnic identifies and cultures, not to the Untied States. If my assertion that economic prosperity and democratic government are the main reason the various ethnic and cultural groups that reside in the United States coexist in peace, then the current problems facing our country represent a tinder box that could spark a conflagration that could consume large parts of the United States. The potentiality that the U.S. could descend into racial and ethnic violence if our current economic prosperity is diminished and standards of living fall precipitously is therefore of great concern. If the upcoming presidential election is perceived to be rigged or a replay of 2000's election occurs similar outcomes might be expected.

The issues of the economy and the peaking of the world's oil production make a fast crash scenario more plausible then one might have envisioned even a few months ago. The U.S. Government, broke and depending on the good will of foreigners to fund the excesses in both our federal, state and local budgets as well as in consumer spending, is currently scrambaling to find a way to fix a mess thirty years in the making. As I write this Treasury Secretarty Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairmain Bernake are testifying before congress on what to do to fix our broken economy. The list of options is short and all merely postpone the crises emerging from Wall Street and depend on plunging the federal government even further debt it will never be able to repay. The fixes Washington is proposing to the countries energy crises are equally bereft of substance and amount to short term fixes to long term problems. The United States of America is resting on a chair with two legs already broken, precariously balancing itself to avoid crashing to the ground. I'm betting the balancing act can't last much longer.

If the fast crash does come soon, if ethnic violence and civil disorder become endemic, it is only rational to assume that those living near major populations centers will become victims of the storm. I'm betting that include a majority of the readers of this site. If one is to survive the coming tribulations the feel good localization, stockpiling of supplies, and relearning of lost skills in agriculture, contruction and maintenance, and medicine will all be for naught if you don't have a plan for defending what you've worked so hard to accumulate and learn to prepare for this crises, which brings me to the point of this admittedly long winded essay. A security plan is as important to your prepaeration efforts as any other, and to ensure security one must reach out to others of similar mindset and coordinate what to do if and when violence spreads to your areas. I often see references to MZBs in posts on this site (mutant zombie bikers), and to be sure criminal elements, especially gangs such as the Bloods, Crips, and MS-13 will take advantage of social disorder to loot and murder, but in my view it is the threat of ethnicities turning on each other that will present the most potent danger to the safety and security of your families and groups that have struggled to prepare for the demise of order in the U.S. Therefore I suggest you take the following steps to ensure that you have a fighting chance at survival when TSHTF:

1: Talk to your families, friends, neighbors and members of localization or preparation groups about security and self defense plans.
2: Take the steps needed to learn first aid for combat and extreme trauma related injuries. (Red Cross and AHA classes are good, but not sufficient. Buy an EMT-B,I,or P manual and spend some time studying it.)
3: Organize your groups. Elect leadership (officers, preferably with some military experience) and divide up responsibilities. These include logistical support, medical support and security personnel (i.e. trigger pullers).
4: Take basic firearms training through the NRA if you are unfamiliar with how to use a gun. Purchase a firearm and practice with it.
5: Don't get fancy. That M-4 lookalike with all the fancy gadgets may look pretty, but you can buy 2 or even three AK-47's for the price of a loaded AR.
6: Stockpile ammunition. I recommend a 1000 to 2000 rounds per weapon.
7: Get a copy of Army Field Manual 7-8: The Infantry Platoon and Squad and familiarize yourself with light infantry tactics. Groups like MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia are made up in large part of former military or paramilitary fighters. They have the training, make sure you/your group does as well. The Ranger Handbook and The Initial Entry Training Manual used by the U.S. Army are also good references.
8: Don't let your political feelings on guns or unorganized militias get in the way of your security plans. I know a lot of the readers of this site are to the left of the political spectrum, but in this case we're talking survival, not politics. Or maybe we are talking politics: as Mao said "power flows from the barrel of a gun". Don't let yourself be caught on the wrong side of the barrel. 

[mazz75]

in the uk we already have something called 'neighbourhood watch'
basically nosey neighbours looks out for each other, I don't bother supporting mine yet but I will
communities will need security and assisting the law - and the police over here are a pain in the ass but we'll need them and they'll need us.
basically it comes down to this: talk to your neighbours, work out a strategy and look out for each other. do this and the foundations are in place. if it's 'every man for himself' we will be in a serious heap of trouble and fast
get ready to be the organiser in your community, not yet - you'll know when!

[spacecase0]

I know my neighbors,
if things get any worse I will be moving,
where I live is already falling apart.

[731]

Solid post; nicely done

[OzzyLad]

Hi trooper, I am like you as a long time reader. That is a great post.

I think if you are stuck in a city your chances of survival are going to be drastically reduced. In Australia there are "biker gangs" which are probably our largest organized criminal force, I suspect they will take over any city they operate in relatively quickly. They already have their networks setup, have large amounts of weapons and the morals to take from others, hence I think most city people are severely disadvantaged against this. In the USA martial law is another threat that I would have no idea how to handle. I would think the best way to handle this if you're caught in a city is to be guerrila like, not bound to any one place, which means you have to throw away many preparations you could do if you had a homestead in a good area. Obviously the ideal situation is you have a homestead in a good area, are well prepared, have fruit trees, animals, etc. However there seems to be few of us here in such ideal situations. This presents a good opportunity for us to band together if we are close I, it's just hard trusting others with your life in a way isn't it.

[slow_dazzle]

I suspect that if there is chaos it will be allowed to develop for just long enough to terrify the masses. Then the authorities will clamp down hard and offer terrified people security by setting up militias and also by giving up a lot of liberty - we all know about how it works.

There is already a scapegoat group or two and a few real unsavoury characters who would be removed without anyone protesting about it. I saw four of the latter early this morning. Four rat-faced fucktards walking about looking like they had been sleeping rough. These types and their like could well find themselves in real danger if they start attacking/disrupting community life. People are already pissed off at the leniency with which scumbags like that are treated - in a major economic depression people will probably turn vigilante and possibly even take them out of circulation. In fact, I suspect citizen's militias, official or otherwise, will be set up and frightened people will join to try to guarantee security. The so-called lost generation too (hoodies and their ilk) is possibly going to become a convenient focus for angst and the hate born out of fear. The real scumbags though, as described above, could well be in an even more perilous situation because they will be seen as work-shy, trouble making parasites - "Folk Devils and Moral Panics" and all that (I think the author was Lewis Yablonsky).

I am reasonably sure that those people with even a small stake in society will band together against any threat and I suspect there will be official moves to form such groupings anyway. Arm a few of the people in each group and I would give the trouble makers even less chance of causing mayhem. Even if the govt does not arm the people there are quite a lot of sporting weapons in private hands. I'm not advocating or condoning vigilantes but I can understand perfectly the reasons why a frightened community will do whatever it has to in order to survive. That is what is going to happen and I suspect the set up will stem from official actions.

[Redwood]

Yes, I agree with you.  Food, water, shelter preparations won't matter if security isn't present.  Security would seem to be the weak link in all of this doomer thinking.

[thethirstmutilator]

I was interested in getting AFM 7-8, and found this, for anyone who is interested.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-8/index.html

[Gunga06]

 IMHO, The best example of community self defense is the Israeli kibbutz. Many years of real world application.

Disclaimer: I do not intend to start a whole Jew/ Arab mudsling by mentioning that kibbutzes provide a real world example of community defense. I study them with a security / military focus and am not getting involved in any theological, social, religious who has a historical right to the land..capish?

Luck Goes to the Prepared,
Gunga

[Brother]

I was interested in getting AFM 7-8, and found this, for anyone who is interested.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-8/index.html

Thanks for that link ThirstMutilator-- a good read!

Also Gunga I copy you on the kibbutz tip. I'm gonna read up on that. If you have any good links pass them along.

[Gunga06]

Brother,
I worked with the IDF when I was in the US military and had an opportunity to study their logic, methods and history.  I'm not aware of a single resource that outlines the kibbutz and adapts it to the US but there is some information on the web that explains the Israeli experience. You can search the word and pull the helpful nuggets from what you find.

Luck goes to the prepared,
Gunga

[eric1]

The liberty districts concept is also a good means of defense---the strength in numbers principle is always a strong one.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LibertyDistricts2008

[ianSF]

Good advice, thanks. 

I'm looking to bug out asap in any case.  Houses and fences on our street was recently tagged by the Sureños gang. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sure%C3%B1os ), they're a feeder to the Mexican Mafia.  I know my neighbors and I don't want to be anywhere near them if there's trouble or if the monthly checks stop coming...

[Doomsteader1994]

I'm a long time reader (and I have had other usernames, [preppingsince94] but lost access when changing computers) and wrote the following in response to a blog that really pissed me off.

Retreat Security: I Am Your Worst Nightmare, by Jeff T.
at
http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/10/retreat_security_i_am_your_wor.html

I'm really tired of the quasi-military wannabes who gleefully announce that all of us peaceful future doomsteaders are just going to be low hanging fruit, because they have a stack of guns and ammo in their mother's basement and a few buddies who have played more then their share of video games.

I write this to make a point, doomsteaders aren't dumb, and old time means of collective self defense can be quite effective.  We are not going to cower and run in fear every time some jackass with an Ak47 decides he wants to play King Bandit.  We will not sit back and be passive wimpy farmers like in The Magnificent Seven

A team of 8 to 12 murderers won't last long in the big picture.

Sure, that may have a tactical advantage initially, but strategically, in a properly organized community, they are dead.

So, to my response:


I'm a little bit annoyed.   I just read the blog posting Retreat Security: I Am Your Worst Nightmare, by Jeff T.
at http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/10/retreat_security_i_am_your_wor.html where those of us who are generally good at heart, who have made some preparations pre-event and who, post-event, wish to become farmers and generally live a better life are portrayed as saps ready to be harvested.  The posting was full of bravado and interesting techniques and methods on how to meet and murder good people.

A question for Mr or Mrs (Ms?) marauder.  Then what?  Let's say you make it for a year or two trashing doomsteads and murdering innocents.  Eventually you and your ilk will either run out of targets or meet another group like yourselves and fight over the spoils.  Either way, the question is “then what”?

Given your model of operation, your lack of larger unit support, and your ignorance of the lengths people will go for self defense, I give you one maybe two years to live, even less if you come to my town.

In my town, post-event, we'll be organized as a clan.  We'll have quarterly (maybe tri-annual) town gatherings (big parties actually) where all the inhabitants of the local doomsteads will gather, trade, gossip and re-new individual contacts and recognition.  One of the main objectives being to help everyone know everyone else in the clan and renew our collective defensive strategies.  Anyone who is not a member of the clan, is and outsider.  While some outsiders can be good, there are many many outsiders who are bad, very bad.

And because of them we'll have our collective defense which will be based on Control, Vigilance and Deterrence.

Control:  Our borders will be defined and posted.  We'll have contact and mutual agreements with neighboring towns/clans.  The borders will be clearly posted with instructions on where outsiders (non clan members) may enter and how they will register to pass through or trade.  Any single individual with a mule/horse cart of trade goods will find easy passage and low resistance.  He won't have to wait long at the “visitor staging area” to receive instructions on how to respond to security challenges from our residents and patrols.  Others may find it easier or prudent to go elsewhere or take a different route.

Vigilance: We'll have created a series of signals and means of communication for our clan members to announce any unauthorized encounters.  We'll also have a routine where each doomstead will check in with a matrix of other doomsteads to verify all is well, and follow-up procedures for those who slept in, went a visiting, or are being held hostage or murdered.  Our teenage boys (and girls for that matter) typically between the ages of 15 to 18 will be our primary resource for daily patrols and check-ins.  Kids that age are generally hearty, like to get out and about, and with school not providing a social outlet (since it is likely to be unavailable) this will give a chance for them to meet others of their age and form the friendships and relationships of their futures.  Each patrol of three will be equipped with various means of signaling all is well or otherwise.  They will have instructions, procedures and training on how to react to various encounter situations. The number one response will always be “verify and report”.  Once you are discovered, either by the result of one of your attacks, or stumbled upon by a farmer or one of our patrols, you'll be in a difficult situation.  Basically, it will be hunting season for my clan.  A swarm of armed, angry ants looking for your asses in territory we know far better then you.  We will kill you as necessary, but some of you will be taken alive.
Why alive?  Why for the last element of our defense, deterrence.

Deterrence: You see, when you came to our border, the signs you saw that suggested you go to register at the town hall weren't just text and arrows.  They included human bodies.  At least the remnants of of what may have been human at one time.  These displays will serve to reinforce the message, don't fuck with us.  It won't take many murders or burned out doomsteads for the members of my clan to embrace a healthy respect for the proper use of deterrence displays.  The medieval Wheel will likely be a favorite.  It is quite gruesome, painful, and it lasts longer then burning at the stake (which can always be added later).  In medieval times, persons subject to the Wheel could last for days, often dying of dehydration before succumbing to any of their wounds, all the while suffering in great agony.  However, I would suggest any of the surviving members of your murderous party won't have to worry about dehydration.  We'll do our best to maintain you in your state of agony for as long as possible.  Heck, feeding tubes may even be required.  There are a number of ways to create effective displays of deterrence and it is not necessary to go into detail here, the example of the wheel should be enough for you to get the idea.  And it shouldn't take many times for the word to spread that our clan isn't friendly to hostiles.

So, Mr. “I'm your worst nightmare”, you are right, you maybe just that for a doomstead or two.  You may have your fun for about six months or a year, but in the end, you will be hunted down and found.  You will most likely die quickly in a shootout with 50 angry armed farmers (if you're lucky), or you may find yourself stretched between two trees with half your skin flayed off and a dozen or so kids dancing around your bleeding body as they use squirt guns filled with salt water or alcohol.  Your screams will act as a nice deterrent to any other stupid bad ass mother fuckers who might think it is cool to kill farmers, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters or children of our clan.

Whose nightmare is it now?

[Grower]

I'm with you till the kids dancing around with the salt water guns. I think a long row of well marked graves outside the perimeter would work well.