basic rules of survival during hard times

8/8/2019 Basic Rules of Survival During Hard Times

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For example, consider the following three events that occurred in the United States, whereeach one was the result of a different set of circumstances but where the consequences werealmost identical:

The New York City Blackout that began on July 13, 1977 and lasted for one 24-hourperiod:

1,037 fires were started, 1,616 stores were looted and damaged, 3,776 people were arrested.

The Rodney King Rioting in Los Angeles, California that started on April 29, 1992 andcontinued for six days:

3,600 fires were started, 1,100 buildings were looted and destroyed,

over 10,000 people were arrested, 53 people died violently.

The Hurricane Katrina Disaster in New Orleans on August 29, 2005 included:

an undocumented number of carjackings, murders, rapes, and looting.

Each of the above events was the result of a different set of circumstances. However, in eachsituation the dark side quickly emerged in a large percentage of the people in the affectedgeographical area, and the resulting chaos and destruction was similar in all three situations.

Therefore if our world continues to slide further and further down into a devastating hardtimes economy then you should be emotionally prepared to personally witness the dark sideof people. And if you want to survive then you should make preparations right now toproperly and adequately protect yourself, and the ones you love, and the place you callhome.

Criminals

Second, the people who will hurt you will not look likecriminals. The reason is because criminals intentionally dressand act like ordinary people whenever they are planning toengage in a criminal activity. A criminal will do his or her bestto look and act like a normal average person so he or she cancatch his or her victim(s) by surprise.

A criminal can be either a man or a woman, attractive or

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unattractive, short or tall, thin or heavy, weak or strong, of anyage (6 years to 96 years), of any race, of any ethnic background, and either well-dressed orpoorly attired. I have personally visited prisons and taught Bible Study Classes in theevenings and the people inside the prison lookexactly like the people on the outside exceptfor their prison uniforms. If you try to stereotype criminals then you will quickly become anunsuspecting, unprepared victim for every criminal who does not fit your personal vision of

what a criminal should look like.

Children

Third, during a serious hard times tragedy event kidnappings willincrease exponentially. Children are the easiest people to kidnap andeven if you pay the full ransom promptly and exactly as instructed thereis still the chance you will never see your child again. At the beginning

of a serious hard times tragedy event you must explain the seriousness ofthis to your children and make sure they don't go anywhere without you.Your children are too precious to gamble with their lives. Even your ownyard will not be a safe place for your children to play. During a hardtimes tragedy event you will need to keep your children indoors withyou. And you will need to keep them relatively quiet in order to avoid attracting unnecessaryattention to your home. If your children are playing and laughing loudly then anyone whopasses your home will hear them and they will instantly realize that the people inside yourhome are not experiencing the hard times. This will make your home a target for a surpriseattack, and that attack will probably occur in the middle of the night.

Dogs

Fourth, during hard times be extremely cautious around dogs. Alarge number of dogs will be abandoned at the beginning of aserious hard times tragedy event. Since these dogs will have beendomesticated they will have little or no fear of people. Whenconfronted with starvation dogs join together to form packs and a

pack of dogs will attack, kill, and eat any animal or any person theycan bring down. The size of the dog is not as important as thenumber of dogs in the pack. A pack of just six dogs can quicklysurround and overpower even a strong adult male. A person onlyhas two hands and two feet and it is very difficult to properlycoordinate all four extremities at exactly the same time against a multitude of attackers.After the dogs get you bleeding in several different places it will be just a matter of timebefore you become too weak to fight due to the loss of blood. Therefore if possible do nottravel alone, and always become immediately alert the instant you see a dog. If you believe




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this would be difficult for you to do, then during a hard times event when you see a dogthink "bear." The best strategy for dealing with a stray dog or dogs is the same strategy thatworks with a bear - avoid it by putting as much distance as possible between it and you. Ifthis is not possible and you are attacked by the dog(s) then terminate the dog(s) as quickly aspossible.

Note: The following news story, published on August 18, 2009, tells how an elderly couplewere killed by wild dogs:Wild Dogs Kill Georgia Woman, then Husband

In summary, most dogs and most people will probably not hurt you. However, you onlyhave to misjudge one time and you could forfeit your life. Therefore during a hard timestragedy event you should be more careful because the basic rules of society will havechanged.

Survival Strategies for Hard Times

Let me begin by defining three different types of hard times:

1. Normal Hard Times: This is what most of us would call an economic recession. Thisis not what the government calls a recession because the government is constantlymanipulating their statistics to give the illusion of a healthy economy. Normal hardtimes occur when many different types of businesses have significantly decreasingsales revenues that force them to layoff large numbers of their employees, and they

close some of their branches, and this results in a lot of personal bankruptcies. As longas you personally still have a job and a place to call home then you can refer to thisperiod as a "recession."

2. Serious Hard Times: This is what most of us would callan economic depression. There are huge reductions in salesrevenues and massive layoffs nationwide. A lot of differentbusinesses and financial institutions declare bankruptcy.You personally lose your job and your home. If you arelucky you can move in with someone else in your familywho still has a job. If you aren't lucky then you may haveto live in your car, if you still have a car, or you may beforced to live in some type of tent in a "temporary tentcity." Regardless of who you are, or what you did in thepast, or how many college degrees you have, as soon as you are forced to become apart of the "temporary tent city crowd" you will be perceived as one of theunproductive members of society and the local city and county officials will make yourlife far more difficult than it already is. You will also be feared by most of the local




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residents who still have some form of income and some type of home or apartment.This level of resentment and harassment is the trigger that unleashes the "dark side" ofthese ordinary people.

3. Extreme Hard Times: This occurs when government and financial institutions worktogether to save themselves and the savings, pensions, and lives of most of the

remaining ordinary people are sacrificed. Utility services become intermittent andunreliable. Necessary goods and services become scarce. Inflation rapidly escalates. Inorder to create the illusion that the government cares about you and that thegovernment is trying to help you, official price controls are implemented and thoseprices are set at "pre-inflation price levels" which is below the current actual cost ofthe goods. Therefore most items are only available on the "gray or black markets"where their selling price at least covers the cost of the product. The government andthe financial institutions blame everyone else for these problems - especially anyoneor any group that voices a dissenting opinion. During this period there will bewidespread starvation, epidemics, lootings, murders, rapes, and general lawlessness.

Each person and family will be individually responsible for their own safety andsurvival. (Note: The current "spot" price of gold and silver is an example ofgovernment price controls in action. Almost anyone, including the government, wouldbe more than happy to buy gold or silver at the official "spot" price which issignificantly below the current true market price. However almost everyone, includingthe government, will not sell any gold or silver at the current "spot" price unless theyare forced to do so. Therefore there are almost no sales of silver or gold at the currentofficial "spot" prices.)

How to Protect Yourself:

During normal hard times, which began for many of us in the spring of the year2007, it would be a good idea for every adult in your household to always carrya folding pocket knife all the time, even when you are at home. (Note: Pleaseverify and then comply with your local and state laws.)This folding pocket knife should have all the following features:1. The knife should only have one blade.2. The knife should be very easy to open.3. The blade should have a strong sharp point.

4. The blade should have a very sharp cutting edge.5. The blade should be between 2 to 3.5-inches long (check your local and statelaws for the maximum legal blade length).6. The knife should have a locking blade.(Note: Several individuals suggested item number 6 above and therefore I have added it tothe list of desirable features.)The only purpose of this folding pocket knife will be for personal self-defense and it shouldbe selected based on that single objective. The knife should not be used for anything except




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an emergency self-defense situation. Don't gradually dull the blade or the point on this knifeby using it for a variety of daily cutting tasks.

If you use a knife for self-defense then I suggest that you use it like a rapier and not like acutlass. The original swashbuckling pirates used great strength to slash and chop theiradversaries with a heavy cutlass that had a sharp edge. These strong, husky pirates were

easily defeated by smaller more agile men who used a thin light weight rapier with a deadlypoint and no cutting edge. The rapier was used in a quick thrusting in and out motion. Askilled swordsman could execute two or three quick in and out thrusts in the time it took astronger man to swing a heavy sword from side to side and then regain control of the swordat the end of its stroke. The purpose of the rapier was to penetrate quickly and deeply andthen be quickly withdrawn so the swordsmen could step backwards to safety. A self-defenseknife should be used in the same manner as a rapier. Do not try to imitate the fancy knifefights you see in the movies where the men are swinging their arms and their knives fromside to side. Those types of movie knife fights are performed for the camera and they haveno relationship to real world survival.

During serious hard times every adult in your household should alwayscarry a fixed blade hunting knife inside a knife sheath attached to his orher waist belt. This is in addition to the folding pocket knife that is insidehis or her pocket. This means each adult would always have two knives -one knife readily visible at their side and the other knife inside one of theirpockets. (Note: Please verify and then comply with your local and statelaws.) Criminals simply cannot afford to get injured so they will almostalways avoid a person who is visibly armed and they will wait until theysee someone who looks like an easy target. The fixed blade hunting knife

in the picture on the right is a Buck Model 119 and it can be purchased atmost WalMarts for about $40. If you are already living in your car or in a"temporary tent city" then you should now have some type of fixed blade hunting knife forself-defense purposes. This knife can also be used for a variety of necessary daily tasks, suchas skinning squirrels and rabbits for the cook pot. Always wipe the blade of your knife cleanbefore you return it to its sheath. Use a sharpening stone at the end of each day to keep theknife edge extremely sharp. (Note: If someone politely asks to see your knife you shouldalways politely say "No, my knife is very important to me and I never let anyone handle myknife." This should also be your standard reply if anyone asks to see your firearm.)

During extreme hard times every adult in your household should always "open carry" asemi-automatic high-capacity pistol in a holster on his or her belt in addition to a foldingpocket knife and a fixed-blade hunting knife, even when he or she is at home. (Note: Pleaseverify and then comply with your local and state laws.)If you do not already own a high-capacity semi-automatic pistol then the followingsuggestions may help you make a good choice:1. A 40-caliber S&W bullet is normally considered theminimum caliber for effective self-defense.2. Most people, including females, can handle the recoil of




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a 40-caliber pistol.3. The pistol should be a "full-size" pistol as opposed to a "compact" model.4. The pistol should feel comfortable when holding it in your hand.5. The pistol magazine should hold at least 10 rounds. 15 rounds would be even better.6. The pistol should come with two high-capacity magazines.7. Hollow point ammunition is preferred for self-defense purposes.

8. A heavier grain bullet is preferred to a lighter grain bullet.9. The pistol holster (purchased separately) should have a special pocket attached thatcarries the extra magazine.10. If the pistol does not have a non-slip grip then either replace it or add a non-slip grip.

The above information is a very brief summary of the most important sidearm criteria that Ihave seen during the last twenty-years. However, just like any other topic there areindividuals who have very strong opinions about every possible aspect of firearm ownership,including whether or not a revolver is better than a semi-automatic pistol. I do not wish tobecome involved in that debate. You may consult whomever you wish and make whatever

purchase you feel comfortable with. However, if you want a specific recommendation for aweapon that simultaneously meets all the above criteria then that weapon would be a GlockModel Number 22 with two 15-round magazines and it currently sells for about $465 new(November 2008). Buy new if possible because the used pistols have generally seenextensive use at the target practice range. WalMart sells the 100 round value packages ofRemington 40-caliber S&W 180 Grain Hollow Point ammunition for approximately $32. Ifyou can afford it you should seriously consider purchasing at least ten boxes or $320 worthof this ammunition for your new pistol. Always practice with the same exact ammunitionyou will be using later for self-defense. If you are going to invest in new pistols for eachadult in your household then you should consider buying exactly the same weapon for each

person for a variety of good reasons. The exception would be if a person has a small handand cannot comfortably hold a "full size" pistol. In that situation comfort and pistol controltake precedence over standardization of weapons and ammunition. Also enroll in a firearmstraining course and learn the correct safe way to use your new weapon.

(Note: The pistol in the above picture is a 45-caliber Model 1911 ACP (Automatic ColtPistol) with a seven-round magazine. The 45 ACP (not to be confused with the 45 GAP orGlock Automatic Pistol) is also a good choice for self-defense but for different reasons. TheGlock Model 21 ACP (no picture) is a standard 45-caliber pistol that comes with two 13-round magazines and it sells for approximately $520 new (November 2008). The GlockModel 21 is also an excellent pistol. However, a 45-caliber pistol has more recoil than a 40-caliber pistol and therefore some people find it more difficult to shoot accurately. The GlockModel 21 ACP also has a slightly bigger grip from front to rear which makes it morechallenging for individuals with smaller hands to grasp because they can't comfortably wraptheir fingers around the grip and gain comfortable control of the trigger with their indexfinger.The standard Glock Model 21 (45 ACP) has a total grip circumference of 6.00-inches justbelow the trigger.The slim Glock Model 21 (45 ACP) has a total grip circumference of 5.75-inches just below




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the trigger.The standard Glock Model 22 (40 S&W) has a total grip circumference of 5.50-inches justbelow the trigger.The bigger grip circumference on the Glock Model 21 is necessary because of the extralength of a 45 ACP round when compared to a 40 S&W round.)

If you are going to invest in firearms then you will also probably need a rifle. A discussionof the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of rifles is beyond the scope ofthis short article. You will need to research information about rifles on your own. However,in order to avoid a lot of future email inquiries I will briefly state my opinion here. If I weregoing to select only one rifle and if I were going to buy one of these rifles for each adult inmy household then I would buy the original model AK-47 (approximately $475 new) thatshoots 7.62x39 ammunition because it can be effectively used for self-defense and forhunting, and the ammunition is a pointed bullet, reasonably priced, not too heavy, veryaccurate, and a single shot is very deadly.

Whenever you are handling a firearm please adhere to the following universally acceptedfirearm safety rules:1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded and ready to fire.2. Never point a firearm at anyone or anything you do not intend to kill or destroy.3. Never put your finger on the trigger until the sights are aligned on the target.4. Positively identify your target (no guessing) and everything behind your target the bulletmight hit.

(Note: Resist the temptation to invest in ammunition reloading equipment. Instead investwhatever funds you would have spent on reloading equipment and reloading supplies on

ready-to-use ammunition that has already been professionally loaded and sealed at thefactory. If you will carefully research the reloading topic with an open mind you willgradually realize that factory loaded ammunition is a much better investment for anoverwhelming multitude of good reasons.)

Personal Self-Defense

How to Survive an Attack During Extreme Hard Times:

As previously mentioned, during extreme hard times each person and family will beindividually responsible for their own safety and survival. Although the government and itsvarious law enforcement agencies will still exist they will be overwhelmed by thewidespread lawlessness that will exist nationwide. Therefore the chance they will be able toprotect you or your home will be close to zero. During an extreme hard times event you willhave to protect yourself, your family, and your home.

If you doubt the truth of the above statement then do a simple internet search on the current




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situation in Mexico (or almost any other South American nation). The Mexican governmentand the Mexican police are losing the battle every day against the nation's drug dealers andcriminals. Innocent people, including little children, are dying every day in the mayhem thatexists in that country. This is the situation that exists right now in Mexico. And it may notbe very long before this type of widespread lawlessness begins to run rampant in theneighborhood where you live. Click here for a January 18, 2009 news article about

Mexico.

During normal times there is unemployment, and there are robberies, rapes, and murders. Asour current hard times continue to get worse, more and more people will lose their jobs andtheir homes, and they will become a part of the gradually increasing population of homelesspeople. During normal times these homeless individuals can usually survive on the charityand goodwill of the people in the area where they live. However, as the number of homelesspeople gradually increases there will eventually come a time when there is not enoughcharity or government assistance to meet everyone's minimum needs for survival. Whenthat happens these individuals will have nothing to lose by trying to steal what they need.

And as the hard times continue to get worse and worse and worse, these crimes of necessitythat began as simple robberies will evolve into the more serious crimes of rape and murder.The "dark side" of these people will take control and what would have been a simplerobbery during "normal hard times" will now end in murder in order to eliminate all thepossible witnesses and any chance of being punished. If you don't believe this will happenthen do an internet search on Argentina where the people are currently living in extremehard times that actually began several years ago.

With the above perspective in mind, the following information may help you successfullydefend yourself and your home during an extreme hard times tragedy event. This

information is divided into three sections as follows:1. How will the attack begin?2. What should you do if you are attacked?3. What should you do after the attack is over?

How will the attack begin?You will receive no advance warning. You will not be given any time to prepare. You willbe outnumbered. The odds will be against you from the very start. You will receive nomercy. Your only chance is to have thought about this ahead of time and to have alreadymade a decision about what you are going to do.

What should you do if you are attacked?If you are away from home when you are attacked, and running away is an option, then runaway. If you can run faster than your adversary then you will have won the victory withoutlosing a lot of blood.

Don't waste one second trying to negotiate or beg for mercy. Either immediately run away orimmediately engage your attacker(s) with everything you've got.




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The reason honest law-abiding people almost always lose street fights, and frequently theirlives, is because they don't want to seriously or permanently injure the person who isattacking them. Think about that for a moment. And then make a decision right now aboutwhat you will do if you are attacked. You need to make that decision now so you do notwaste precious time at the beginning of a fight trying to figure out some strategy to defendyourself. Simply defending yourself will not win the fight. To survive you must temporarily

become as brutal and ruthless as your attacker(s). Your attackers will be trying topermanently cripple you, permanently blind you, and kill you as quickly as they can. Pauseright now and think about that. Should you be trying to do anything less to your attackers?

If you are fatally wounded during the fight then do not simply give up and lay down andwait to die. Even a fatally wounded person will usually live for at least 30 seconds or longerafter being wounded. You now have nothing to lose by trying to fatally injure orpermanently disfigure or cripple all your attackers before you die. It you succeed then youwill have prevented some or all of them from harming another innocent human being (suchas a member of your own family). After all your attackers are dead it is still possible that

you may survive your injury. But you will have no chance to survive if you simply give up.And don't try acting like you are dead. Your attackers aren't stupid and they will make sureyou are dead before they leave the crime scene.

You should decide right now that if you are attacked during an extreme hard times tragedyevent that you will not stop fighting until you are either victorious or you are unconscious,completely incapacitated, or dead. If you will make this intellectual decision right now thenyour mind and your body will automatically take over if you are attacked. And it is entirelypossible that if you do not hesitate, and if you reciprocate with everything you've got, thenyou may actually live to see another day.

If you respond immediately with overwhelming force then you will probably take yourattackers by surprise and for a few seconds you may actually have the advantage. The reasonis because most of your attackers' previous victims probably didn't put up much resistancebefore they were terminated. Therefore, based on their past experience, your attackers willprobably be expecting you to do one of two things: (1) to try to talk your way out of thesituation, or (2) to wait until you know how serious the situation is before you actually try todefend yourself. Therefore your attackers will probably be anticipating another easy kill, andthey will not be expecting you to immediately defend yourself with everything you've got.

What should you do after the attack is over?If you are away from home and you survive an attack and you are physically able to leave,then put as much distance between yourself and the fight scene as quickly as you can. Donot wait for the attacker's friends to show up and finish you off. After you have retreated to asafe place, then immediately bandage your wounds and try to stop the bleeding. Thenimmediately seek medical assistance from a trained medical professional.

If you survive an attack then do not criticize yourself about the way you behaved during theattack. Do not intellectually punish yourself by trying to think of ways you could have won

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the fight without hurting any of your attackers. You did not initiate the aggression andtherefore you are not morally responsible for the fate of your attackers. Instead you shouldtake some comfort in the fact that you have reduced the number of criminals who will beattacking innocent people in the future. And you will have probably saved one or moreinnocent lives. However the people who will not get attacked in the future by thoseparticular criminals will never know what you have done for them.

Community Defense

Regardless of where you live you are part of a larger social community. This is true if youlive in an apartment building, or in a suburb on 1/2 acre lots, or in the country on 10 acrelots. Everyone has neighbors. During extreme hard times it would be a good idea ifeveryone worked together to help defend their community.

Effective community defense can be based on a very simple principle. If you can heargunfire, or the cries of someone who needs help, then you should respond appropriately. Ifyou do not assist your neighbors in their hour of need, then the violence will gradually movein your direction and you could be the next family that is in serious trouble. Therefore, asmart person will try to stop the violence before it reaches his or her family.

Resist the temptation to establish community defense based on natural geographicalboundaries, such as an apartment building, or all the homes on one block. The family thatlives in a corner house will be a neighbor to all the families that live in the corner homes onthe other three corners. And the family that lives in the last house on this side of the county

line will be a neighbor to the family that lives in the house just across the county line.Therefore, in most cases, geographical boundaries would not be the best way to establish aneffective community defense.

A better way to establish an effective community defense would be to use sound. If you canhear gunfire, or the cries of someone who needs help, then you should respondappropriately.

During an extreme hard times tragedy event if a group of criminals is attacking one house(or a subdivision of homes), then the surrounding community that is not under immediateattack would be in an ideal position to help stop the invasion. The criminals cannot defendthemselves from every possible direction. Therefore while most of their attention is focusedon their current primary objective, the individuals in the surrounding community couldcarefully move into a position where they could safely pick off the criminals one-at-a-time.This would not need to be a coordinated military campaign. The families that live extremelyclose to the current violence may be able to see the criminals from their own windows andtherefore they would be able to help without leaving the safety of their own homes.Individuals that live a little further away would need to carefully exit their own homes, andthen carefully move into a safe position behind some effective cover, and then positively




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determine who is shooting at whom. If a person is firing shots at innocent people trappedinside a home, then that person needs to be stopped. On the other hand, if a person isshooting at a criminal who is shooting at the house, then you should not shoot at that personbecause he or she is one of your neighbors. If each person will positively identify thecriminals before he or she pulls the trigger, then everyone can avoid making the mistake ofaccidentally killing one of their own neighbors.

The above strategy does involve some personal risk. However, waiting for the criminals togradually make their way to your home during an extreme hard times tragedy event involvesfar more risk in the long-term.

Conclusion

In summary, during extreme hard times each one of use will be personally responsible for

our own survival, and for helping our community to survive. Remember the motto of ournation's founding fathers: "United We Stand. Divided We Fall."

1. The best strategy for personal self-defense would be to avoid the fight. This can beachieved by intentionally maintaining a very low profile at your home. Do not doanything that would attract attention to your house or to your community. If possibledo not leave your home during extreme hard times. If you absolutely must leave yourhouse then do not travel alone if possible. And always carry some type of weapon forself-defense regardless of where you are.

2. The best strategy for effective community defense would be based on sound. If you

can hear gunfire, or the cries of someone who needs help, then you should respondappropriately.

If you will follow these suggestions then you will significantly reducethe chance that you, or your home, or your community will be attacked.And if you are attacked then you will have a much better chance ofsurviving the ordeal.

Also remember that the ultimate outcome of any situation is always inthe Lord's Hands. Therefore, in addition to becoming better prepared tosurvive hard times, you should also pray every day that He will watchover you, your family, your home, and your community.

Finally, please accept my most heartfelt apology for upsetting you with this information. Iknow the above topics are not pleasant ones to think about. However I sincerely believe theabove information may save your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Respectfully,Grandpappy




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Revision History

August 19, 2009 - Added a link to a August 18, 2009 News Article about Wild Dogs Killing

an Elderly Couple in Georgia.January 19, 2009 - Added a link to a January 18, 2009 News Article about the Kidnappingsand Violence in Mexioc.

November 11, 2008 - Added Brief Section on Using a Knife for Self-Defense.November 5, 2008 - Added Brief Section on Community Defense.

November 1, 2008 - Created this New Web Page.

Click on www.grandpappy.info/indexhar.htm for more Hard Times Survival Tips.

Click on www.grandpappy.info for Robert's Home Page.

Send e-mail to [email protected]


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