When I was 16 and slightly more naïve than I am now, my favorite movie of all time (for the summer of 1986, at least) was TOP GUN, starring Captain Scientology, Doc Holliday and Dr. Mark Greene (also of “Miracle Mile” fame- THERE’s a survival movie that makes you take a second look at Darwinism.)
The movie’s plot (for those of you who don’t know) revolves around advanced fighter pilot training, and three trainee characters “Mav,” “Goose,” and “Iceman.”
During a training exercise/dogfight, “Iceman” cuts off “Mav” and “Goose” (in the same 2-seater F-14 Tomcat.) The engine exhaust blast from “Iceman’s” aircraft blow out the engines in the other plane, which, due to some aerodynamic/Hollywood principle I still don’t quite get, goes out of control and into a flat spin.
The occupants of the now spinning plane are pinned to the sides aircraft by the wonky and unexpected G forces, making it extremely difficult to accomplish anything meaningful (like ejecting to save their own lives.) As a result, “Mav” gets to experience the horror of his bestest buddy in the whole wide world, “Goose,” falling prey to an ejection/canopy mishap that costs him his life..
I love my Country. I grew up being told that America is the greatest place on Earth to live, and for many years I bought into that wholeheartedly, without questioning, until my teenage years. When the cold war was on, to myself and many others of my generation, the good guys and the bad guys were a clear-cut thing. There were Cowboys, and there were Indians; Cops and Robbers; Jedi and Sith. (Nowadays, there are elected Americans I despise and trust less than certain Russians I admire.)
We grew up “playing guns,” “playing Star Wars,” and all kinds of other things that would get a kid expelled from school now. My high school in AZ actually had an Army rappelling and weapons demo- from a chopper- over the HS football field, and officers explained the various items on the demo tables to interested prospects, and gave us the opportunity to join the AZ National Guard Explorers. This actually fuelled my desire to be in the Army, or Marines, and be a chopper pilot (for medical reasons, it was not to be.)
Things in the US were nowhere as wimpified then as they seem to be today.
Now, America’s enemies are foreign AND domestic; guys on our own side- our fellow countrymen- have “cut off” some of us, and are blowing out our economic engines. Massive debt, the devaluing and rampant printing of the Dollar, forced social programs like national health care, out of control taxation, bankrupt Social Security, constant threats against our basic Constitutional freedoms, no-fly lists, terror watch lists- the havoc being wreaked by “Our Fellow Americans” goes on and on and ON.
Our shining city on a hill is still bright, but mostly because it is on fire. Many of my fellow Christians are weak-sauce and not leaders in any sense of the word, and I myself starved for years desiring a mentor in any of several fields I was interested in- only to find either commitment, direction, or competency sorely lacking. I shudder to see the shell of a nation that my son will inherit, and lest I be painted by him as one of those that runs around Jim Taggart* style whining that it’s “Not My Fault!” I am reevaluating everything about our family’s lifestyle, businesses, residence, and overall plans. I will not leave my children with the US Government Teat being their only option.
To this end, nearly everything is back on the table. I may work a “real” job, I may not work a “real” job. My wife may or may not do the same. She may open a business, I may close a business ( why add stress if the government and bureaucrats are only going to steal the fun along with the funds?)
One constant that remains is preparedness. You see, my love of Country (and my horror at its current flat spin) were reinforced in me as a child by the Boy Scouts of America.
“Be Prepared” is their motto, and something I try to constantly consider. One can never be ready for every situation, but one can certainly apply common sense and situational awareness to their daily lives and come out much better off than the average mouth-breathing voter that does not.
An idea is only an idea until you put it in writing, then it can, once you start working on it, become a PLAN. When it comes to “ejecting” from the flat spin we call America, we do not want any casualties, so preparedness for the eventual crash would be the wise choice. Preparedness is a choice, but the choice to prepare can be totally overwhelming to newbies that realize their plane has been knocked out of control by their “allies.”
With this, I present to you a PLACE TO BEGIN. Not a way to “Save our Country-“ there are plenty of groups out there desperately trying to do that now. I am talking about a place to begin regarding taking care of your family and friends, and yourself-survival begins with YOU.
The new, FREE downloadable .pdf survival Ebook by daily survival blog author M.D. Creekmore is a good beginning, simple enough for newbies to digest without causing much of a panic attack in any but the most neuroses-ridden.
The title of the e-book is “It’s the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine.”
Many of the recommendations within can be enacted on a budget, and do not take the thousands of dollars that many survival supply retailers would love for you to spend.
PLENTY of additional valuable insight and information can be found at his website, too- but we are talking about a place to BEGIN. At 29 pages in length, nobody should be overwhelmed by the information in this book, and it should really get you to think through where you are at now, and where you should be going with your plan-or even how to begin a plan.
If you like to be warm, eat, and generally make it through your days without being miserable, I strongly suggest that you read this e-book and begin applying the information within to your family’s lifestyle, and encourage your friends to do the same for their families. After all, when the “plane hits the drink,” who do you think your friends and family will turn to for help? Are you willing to turn them away, or do you show them how to “eject” now, while there is a little time remaining? Do you plan to support them all by yourself, or help them stand on their own?
Mr. Creekmore has managed to compile a fairly thorough, yet basic compendium of the needs one might experience, including around 6 pages of relevant shelf-stability information for various foodstuffs, so that nobody needs to be eating expired goods.
The sections on basic gear and the recommendations on a Bug-Out-Bag are solid; all I might add is for someone to toss in pens, notebooks, some .22 lr ammo or silver coin for quick trade, and a couple of bic lighters- but that COULD fall under “this-n-that.”
(I also keep a copy of the KJV Bible and a copy of the US Constitution/Bill of Rights in my BOB, for something to read. One day, those will probably get upgraded to a Kindle.)
The section on survival guns, is, well, a list of lists of popular guns, and not much more.
I’d still rather have everyone with Ruger 10/22s, Ruger Mark IIs, or Marlin Model 60s and 10,000 rounds of ammunition (affordable and portable, for a family) than 2 family members with only 500 assorted rounds and half a dozen guns. Call me a simpleton. If you carry daily, it would be logical to assume tht you already have a sidearm, and anything beyond those 2 things is just a plain old PLUS- either for trade, sale, investment, or use. Too many folks planning on “bad times” focus too much on guns, but may not own a solid knife or axe. Not so in this text, thank heavens.
Personally, I say get a .22 first if you have nothing now- practice with a .22 is cheap, and if you can’t hit with a .22, don’t expect to hit with a .223, .40, or anything else “tactical.”
The medical and Dental sections are exceptional, for a beginner’s text.
The resource section, and the recommendations for further reading are dead on with what is listed, more could be added, but that is always true on these topics.
Overall, the book is not burdened with tons of jargon, and none of the information or anecdotes in it are wasted ink. I enjoyed reading through this book, and outside of a couple of minor spelling and proofreading issues, I have no real suggestions to improve it beyond its intended purpose.
It is a well written easy read, and Mr. Creekmore's experience at living what he preaches shines through, even if just a bit. he is obviously NOT an armchair survival guru, and THAT I can appreciate.
By no means is this book the “ultimate survival manual;” there is no such thing, anyway. But if you have friends or relatives asking questions, with that “deer in the headlights” look in their eyes, and you don’t want to spook them into inaction with a bunch of political mumbo-jumbo or massive lists of stuff they cannot afford, then THIS IS THE BOOK to start with.
America is in a flat spin, and headed out to sea…
Download and read this book; eject, and pop your family’s parachute open.
Remember, with survival and prepping, much like Top Gun- there are no points for second place.
* Read Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
