America’s Literal Collapse

October 7, 2013 Economy One comment

Our readers are more than versed on the figurative collapse of the United States, but today it is important to look at the literal collapse of America.  A key indicator of whether a nation is waxing or waning is the condition of its infrastructure.  Specifically, is the infrastructure modern, maintained, robust, and operating efficiently or is it dated, failing, vulnerable, poorly maintained, and inefficient?  When one assesses the condition of the US infrastructure, one finds a massively inefficient system that is becoming increasingly costly, breaking down, and in desperate need of repair and/or complete overhaul.  Today we will specifically look at the condition of the US transportation sector, which is quite literally, collapsing.

 

On September 24th a major bridge in Wisconsin near Green Bay had a 400-foot section suddenly sag forcing police to close off the span that carries Interstate 43 over the Fox River some 120 feet below.  The bridge carries over 40,000 vehicles a day and will be indefinitely closed.  Perhaps even more disturbing is that the bridge was recently renovated and last inspected in August of 2012, when it was declared sound.  If a recently inspected and renovated bridge that was deemed sound has failed, what does that say for the older bridges that haven’t been renovated and are already deemed at risk?  The answers are dire and supported by the latest civil engineering research.

 

A US Senate report just released coincided with this latest bridge failure.  The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE’s) 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the nation’s infrastructure a “D+” based on 16 categories and found that the nation needs to invest approximately $3.6 trillion by 2020 to maintain the national infrastructure in good condition. The following are the grades and the investment needs by 2020 for the surface transportation area:

o Bridges received a grade of C+;

o Transit received a D;

o Roads received a grade of D, and combined with bridges, and transit, have an

estimated investment need of $1.7 trillion; and

o Rail received a grade of C+ and has an estimated investment need of $100 billion.

 

Based on this, the US has to somehow find almost $4 trillion (estimates always go up, never down) in new revenue in what effectively amounts to five fiscal years (funding due in 2020 would need to be programmed no later than Fiscal Year 18 to pay out in Fiscal Year19).  Further, to receive C and D ratings, the majority of our transportation infrastructure has to be at risk of failing.  The bottom line is the money is not going to be appropriated because we don’t have it.  Even if we did, the bureaucracy with its pork, inefficiency, and regulations won’t be able to put the money into effect.  This means the repairs will not get done before 2020.

 

We can expect more and more major infrastructure failures across the nation as corrupt leadership and an overly burdensome bureaucracy continues to siphon off more and more money from the taxpayer.  Instead of going directly to maintenance projects where it was earmarked to be spent, the money ends up going to welfare programs, campaign donors, and interest payments on the exponentially increasing state and national debts.  None of these recipients add value to the society and will only contribute to the further deterioration of the infrastructure.

 

The huge problem with the infrastructure collapse is that it is not linear and it has ripple effects.  By not linear I mean that failures do not occur along a nice even line that gradually increases or decreases as bureaucrats would like.  Our collapse will resemble a more exponential trend similar to power grid failures where a small failure in the network cascades into a major grid failure.  Specifically, as one piece of infrastructure fails, it places greater pressure on other parts of the network.  This overstresses these nodes and causes them to wear out quicker and catastrophically fail long before their expected service life has occurred.  This trend will occur faster than money can be raised and maintenance conducted.  This accelerates the collapse of other nodes.  Further, as key nodes in the infrastructure network begin to fail, it has a direct negative impact on local, regional, and national economic conditions.  To offset the conditions, governments historically have opted to raise even more overly burdensome taxes on the few remaining productive citizens with jobs, which in turn actually reinforces the collapse cycle.  In fact, as major hubs begin to fail, businesses begin to lose greater percentages of their revenue, which forces prices higher and causes shortages of goods and services.  This reduces government revenues raised in the form of taxes and further reduces the amount of money available to be dedicated toward infrastructure maintenance.  Raising taxes higher only further magnifies this problem and creates even worse economic conditions.  This creates a viscous downward spiral that accelerates a nation toward total collapse.

 

Today we are caught in the downward spiral.  It is not when or if it occurs.  No ladies and gentlemen, we are in the midst of the collapse right now.  There has been no economic recovery and only lies and fudged economic numbers.  Even Wall Street, which has been booming, will face another even greater collapse when the Federal Reserve is finally forced to stop counterfeiting money, handing it for free to their banker allies, and then billing the taxpayer.  Make no mistake, it won’t be your grandchildren that inherit this unimaginable debt as politicians tell you; it will be you.  As such, you have two options.  The first is to ignore reality and succumb to a new Dark Age and slavery.  The masses have repeatedly done this throughout history when faced with a painful choice between immediate gratification or a tough, slow recovery that requires personal sacrifice.  The second option is to awaken your mind and open your eyes to what is going on around you and take action.  You few that choose the later will be in the minority.  You will be persecuted, harassed, and potentially even jailed for taking a stand to right the wrongs, but you will be the few that always change history.  Remember, it is never the masses that change history.  You know the collapse is coming and can’t be stopped, but you can be prepared for it.  Do all that you can in the time you have to prepare yourself, your family, and your community to rebuild.  Don’t waste your precious little time trying to fix what amounts to the Titanic sinking for the ship is lost.  No, be a Last Minute Survivor.  Go and get in a life boat and start paddling while the others remain convinced the Titanic is unsinkable.  You may still make it, but they will continue to dance until they drown.  Good luck.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

All rights reserved.

 

http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=a810613a-c18c-46fd-b38b-e8d4028c23fb

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/24817517

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130926-906190.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/us/wisconsin-bridge-sagging/index.html

 

Improvised Firearms Maintenance

September 29, 2013 Equipment Reviews, Special Skills Comments Off on Improvised Firearms Maintenance

While reviewing preparedness plans I find consistent oversights respective of properly preparing to maintain gear and equipment.  One glaring shortfall is that individuals nearly always fail to have stocked proper tools and supplies for firearms maintenance.  This article addresses the issue and provides some simple, improvised solutions that will keep your firearms in top notch working condition.

People are very particular about the type of firearm(s) they select for home defense and survival.  They spend countless hours deciding on what mix of firearms will suite their needs best and this is very worthwhile.  However, when I ask them how to field strip and maintain the firearm, all too often, I get a blank stare or what amounts to a futile attempt to demonstrate the proper maintenance technique for the firearm.  This oversight never ceases to amaze me.  A person will spend thousands of dollars for a top of the line rifle, scope, ammo, and extra magazines, but have no idea on how to actually maintain, repair, and care for the weapon.  They will also stockpile thousands of rounds, but barely practice with the gun.  Owners of AR-15 variants are by far the worst offenders since the AR is a complex firearm that requires thorough cleaning and maintenance after “every” use or it will cease to reliably function.  Further, when I ask what supplies they have for cleaning; most people can only produce a small can of gun oil and a few patches.  This situation is unacceptable and will lead to a critical failure point in any preparedness plan, but is easily preventable.

To remedy this situation, you must first read your instruction manual for your firearm.  Yes, you actually need to do this.  The manufacturer will provide you the proper procedures for safely field stripping, cleaning, maintaining, and operating your firearm.  For older firearms or ones without instruction manuals, I have been able to find the necessary instructions online for nearly every firearm I have encountered.  Often, you are able to download a PDF document directly from the manufacturer.  For more complex operating systems such as that found in the AR-15 variants, it may be best to get with a former soldier or Marine and have them show you the proper techniques.  In particular, the bolt and bolt carrier group (BCG) in AR-15 style weapons are troublesome and require an inordinate amount of attention and cleaning.  Most people simply do not realize the time and labor required to keep a weapon such as this operational under battlefield conditions.  In future articles, we will discuss in detail the maintenance procedures for an AR style rifle.

After mastering assembly and disassembly of your weapon there are a few basic tenets of cleaning to know.  The first is to clean any major dirt, dust, and debris from your weapon.  This is an important first step because any residual dirt, sand, dust, etc. will mix with gun oil and can cause a weapon failure.  It can also scar the finish and lead to corrosion and rust.  Second, you need to remove carbon and lead/copper fouling that may have accumulated in the firearm.  This is usually the worst in the chamber, barrel, bolt, and/or feed ramps.  To clean, use solvents to loosen and dissolve the fouling and then scrub the affected area with a stiff plastic or brass brush.  Be careful to avoid plastic parts and wood finishes on any firearm when cleaning with solvents.  Although many gun solvents claim to be universally safe, it is a best practice to prevent solvents from coming into long term and repeated contact, especially, with plastics and composites.  Solvents also tend to be very unhealthy so you should always wear protective gloves and eyewear and use them in a well-ventilated area.  Solvents “dry” out the metal and leave it more susceptible to rust, corrosion, and friction.  As such, the last step in cleaning is to lightly oil the gun and wipe it down paying special attention to scrub any areas where rust has formed or may form.  In wet or humid environments, the liberal use of oil will prevent rust and corrosion; however, in dry, dusty areas, very light oil or dry lubricants are best.  For example, in an area like Arizona, a gun that is too “wet” will mix with dust to form a gunk.  This paste made of oil and dirt will jam an operating mechanism, especially in semi-automatic style weapons, such as AR variants, and cause them to fail or improperly operate.

Now that you know how to field strip and clean your firearm, you will need to have the materials to clean it with.  You can buy a host of gun care products.  Names like CLP®, RemOil®, and Hoppes® are well known as leaders in gun cleaning supplies.  You can also buy very expensive cleaning kits.  Otis produces high quality cleaning kits with specialized brushes and gun oils.  When it comes to cleaning solvents and oils, I find it best to stockpile these in bulk and then transfer them to small bottles.  However, improvised tools, solvents, and oils can do just as well for far cheaper.  They may also be all that’s available during a grid down situation.  For a cleaning brush, just use an old stiff bristle toothbrush.  Any old t-shirt or cotton cloth can be used as a cleaning rag.  Cotton t-shirts can then be cut up to make cleaning patches.  For solvent, carburetor cleaner works very well to dissolve carbon, but one must be careful not to get it on plastic or composite parts.  Gun oil is by far the easiest to improvise and everything from a light coat of WD-40® to synthetic motor oil can be used in a pinch.  However, vehicle transmission oil appears to most closely match actual gun oil and even has a detergent effect.  Transmission oil works across a broad range of temperatures, effectively lubricates even under high heat and friction, is dirt cheap, lasts indefinitely, and is available throughout the world.  Further, we have tested it on numerous weapons to include M-4/AR-15 style weapons and are aware of numerous major police department SWAT units that regularly lube their pistols and assault rifles with transmission oil with positive results.  Having a cleaning rod is usually the most difficult piece to improvise; especially, for small caliber weapons.  Nonetheless, one can use commercially produced rods and tips or a BoreSnake® type device, which we found to be an excellent way to quickly clean a rifle bore in seconds.  We also were able to improvise effective rods by taking copper wiring (appropriate in size to the bore diameter) and just bending a J-hook in the end to hold a patch and then pulling it through the barrel.  Note that you should always clean a firearm from bore to muzzle and pull not push a patch through it.  We were also able to find shoelaces and braided rope that fit most calibers and could be used to improvise various BoreSnake® type cleaning devices.  Heavy test fishing line also worked well when a non-steel hook was used and bent flat together with pliers to hold a patch.

In conclusion, you must plan and prepare adequately for the maintenance and cleaning of not just your firearms, but all of your gear and equipment.  Knowing how to use it is only half of the equation.  To get safe, reliable, long-term service from gear and equipment, you must properly maintain it.  Knowing how to do this with improvised materials easily found around the world is key to a sustainable and robust preparedness plan.  Remember, even the best quality equipment will fail if not properly maintained.

By Guiles Hendrik

All rights reserved.

The Truth About DUI Checkpoints

September 25, 2013 Big Brother, Liberty and Freedom Comments Off on The Truth About DUI Checkpoints

Today our civil liberties are not only being infringed upon, but often outright violated.  Sadly, few Americans are even aware enough to challenge these gestapo style intimidation tactics as police powers run amuck of our once free society.  Thankfully, a number of free thinking sites such as Alex Jones’ “Infowars” have provided numerous articles about the illegitimate nature of checkpoint stops and have sought to educate people on how to resist intelligently.  Here at Last Minute Survival we have also provided numerous well researched posts on how to protect your civil liberties and continue our series with this piece on DUI checkpoints to inform our readers how to exercise their “rights” against poorly trained thugs (some law enforcement) that blindly enforce draconian edicts.

DUI checkpoints are unconstitutional.  It is that simple.  Any checkpoint, which a stop is, even if it falls under the “Terry” case law, must at minimum, meet the requirements of reasonable suspicion.  To move forward and actually not allow someone to leave upon their own free will becomes an actual detention and probable cause of a crime “must” be present.  Nonetheless, police around the country violate this clearly established Fourth Amendment legal precedent with few civil liberty violation suits being launched.  Citizens need to know that they are not legally required to even speak with an officer at a checkpoint and do not need to remain (one must still obey traffic laws such as the need to yield) at the checkpoint once it is determined the “detention” is without probable cause.

If approaching a checkpoint, stop as directed and find out the nature of the checkpoint and why you are being stopped.  This could be done by only rolling down the window a small amount.  If the stop is for a random check, Fourth Amendment protections kick in.  This at best gives the officers some latitude to attempt to talk and question you, but you are also free to refuse to talk and leave on your own free will.  If an officer prevents you from doing so, it is usually best to comply as resisting will only give the officer more grounds to charge you frivolously.  However, if no probable  cause of a crime exists and the officer demands you get out of the vehicle, prevents you from leaving and going on your way, or in any way detains you further, the officer has violated your civil rights and is subject to legal suit. Further, any ensuing charges are likely to be dropped because any grounds for arrest were developed “after” an illegal detention.  As such, it is very important to understand what constitutes a Fourth Amendment detention.

The lowest legal bar for a detention; albeit temporary, is a “Terry Stop.”  This is most often the case of a traffic stop where an officer suspects the driver of violating some ordinance or committing a crime and stops the vehicle.  During the traffic stop the driver is NOT free to go and as such, the stop is governed by the Fourth Amendment search and seizure clause.  The Terry case law has been used by the courts for years to guide what constitutes reasonable grounds for an officer to make a vehicle stop or temporarily detain and question a suspect on foot.  As such, the opinion of the Supreme Court is that “reasonable suspicion” that a crime has been committed, is in the process of being committed, or is about to be committed by the subject in question must be met before an officer can detain a person for further investigation.  Even then, the Supreme Court has put time limits on the detention to allow the officer to develop “probable cause” from the original reasonable suspicion and arrest the individual or release the individual if probable cause cannot be established.  Although the courts recognize setting a specific amount of time would be counterproductive, the court favors a “reasonable” timeframe that often turns out to be no more than fifteen to twenty minutes in most cases.  In all cases though, the officer must meet the constitutional requirements for the seizure or be subject to prosecution and civil suit for civil rights violations.

The good news is that as citizens become more aware, it has become increasingly difficult for police departments to establish and operate checkpoints.  This is also due to the fact that the legal challenges that have gone forward have been successful.  As such, very few “DUI” charges are ever effectively prosecuted beyond appeals that are issued as a result of a checkpoint stop.  As a case study, we conducted an examination of the disposition of DUI charges issued at DUI checkpoints in Prince William County, Virginia.  We selected Prince William County because it is an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. and has a highly professional police force that has recently walked away from random checkpoints exactly for the constitutional reasons we have discussed.  What we found was that next to zero DUI’s were actually prosecuted.  In fact, in about every case we reviewed, the charges were dropped unilaterally by the prosecution to lesser crimes to avoid the constitutional challenge in court.  This is highly suggestive of the changes occurring due to constitutional challenges of informed patriots and should be seen as a major victory toward reversing tyranny and the police state.

Please know and exercise your rights responsibly and act to educate others.  One of the best things you can do is band together with local lawyers to talk to your local sheriff or police chief and educate them on the unconstitutional nature of these type checkpoints and demand that your county, parish, city, etc. do not use them.  In the event a checkpoint is announced, organize local publicity campaigns to educate locals on the illegal nature of these stops and make sure you vote out any official that condones these type of draconian actions.

*Disclaimer:  This article is for informational purposes only.  LMS does not employ lawyers and our articles are the opinions of our analysts and should not be viewed as professional legal advice.  We always recommend seeking the opinion of certified legal counsel.

Analysis Confirmed: Syrian Rebels Massacring Christians and Possessed Sarin Nerve Gas

September 22, 2013 Exclusive Story, News and Intelligence Comments Off on Analysis Confirmed: Syrian Rebels Massacring Christians and Possessed Sarin Nerve Gas

Once again, our analysis, which concluded the exact opposite of the “official” propaganda being dispersed by the Obama Administration regarding the Syrian chemical attack, has been proven to be accurate as the Admin’s story falls apart.  Further, our coverage of Al Qaeda rebels backed by the CIA killing Christians has been vetted and found to be true and on-going.  Even our assertions that the effects of the alleged “Sarin” gas attack in Syria did not fit the profile of a military grade nerve gas attack, which suggested an improvised rebel origin have now been confirmed by US military intelligence sources.  We have repeatedly warned that the gas attack was nothing more than a false flag attack launched in order to become a pretext for the US entrance into a broader war in the Middle East.

We put our reputation on the line daily and are proud to be say “you heard it here first.”  Time and again, we are the first to break the truth while the rest of the mainstream media is passing elitist lies without question.  Please help us get the truth out by continuing to visit our site and forwarding our articles, citing our work, and demanding news consolidators link to us.

Thank you,

Guiles Hendrik

 

Supporting links:

http://www.infowars.com/russia-says-sarin-gas-in-aug-21-syria-attack-was-homemade/

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/u-s-military-confirms-rebels-had-sarin/?cat_orig=world

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24051440

 

How Good are our Analysts? Homeland Security Issues Facing the Next Administration.

September 19, 2013 Domestic Terrorism, Economy, Energy Security, Oil and Gas Comments Off on How Good are our Analysts? Homeland Security Issues Facing the Next Administration.

We have said from the beginning that predicting the past is for amateurs and academics, but accurately predicting future events is for true professionals.  Rather than pointing out that our previous articles have been spot on and proven out by recent events we will reach back to 2007.  The following memo was written by one of analysts as a short brief for whoever became the staff for the next president back in 2008.  We believe the accuracy of the predictions are a shocking testament to our accuracy.  Not only were the effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy predicted, but the housing collapse, economic recession, failing infrastructure and power grid, dysfunctional health care, and even forest fires being set by terrorists were accurately identified as problems the Obama Administration would face!

The following is an exact cut and paste without edit of the August 2007 memo:

Homeland Security Issues Facing the Next Administration

 

The security of the homeland will face an unprecedented list of complex challenges in the coming year.  The next President can expect to inherit numerous lingering security issues as well as new and dire threats that will require fast and adaptive solutions.  This paper identifies critical shortfalls in contingency planning regarding how overlapping effects of a crisis significantly increase the overall magnitude of the threat.  

 

In short, a single limited crisis incident can usually be contained and reacted to.  These type contingencies have been analyzed and prepared for in detail.  Unfortunately, this one dimensional approach only identifies point of impact operations and does not deal with the much more catastrophic results of multiple overlapping incidents that occur whether by design or chance.  These type scenarios could be deemed as “worst case” and will quickly overwhelm even the combined capabilities of regional emergency services.  Even more frightening is the fact that not only can these events happen by chance, but a multi-dimensional attack can be planned and orchestrated by terrorists utilizing low technology and minimal coordination.  

 

Historically speaking, a single incident of even massive magnitude such as a natural disaster, bombing, or economic crash has been recoverable.  On the contrary, recovery against multiple disasters within a short time frame has crippled nations and brought about entire geopolitical shifts.  This ripple effect can begin quietly in a realm such as economics, but when coupled with a terrorist attack and or a natural disaster, the effects are dramatically magnified.  A real time sample vignette to illustrate this ripple effect could transpire as such:

 

Time: Labor Day Weekend 2007

 

Background:  A downturn in housing has caused the economy to slide into a recession while the federal funding has already been strained to the limit by a still on-going war.  Further, money to fund infrastructure modernization and repairs has been diverted to fund the war leaving bridges, damns, and power grids dangerously ill maintained.  Record heat waves have caused droughts across the nation and set record demand for energy that has increasingly relied on gulf oil imports as a result of the war in the Middle East.

 

Situation:  A Category 4 hurricane strikes the still recovering Gulf Coast turning the region into a flooded disaster zone.  Further massive fires have been spreading across the dry drought stricken United States as small bands of terrorist cells initiate a low tech coordinated arson attack across the country.  

 

Effects:  Normal emergency response teams are paralyzed to act in the flooded hurricane effected regions as they have been over committed fighting massive forest fires that have now begun to spread into residential and urban areas.  Due to power lines being damaged by fire, wind, and water and a high energy demand for cooling, power grids have begun to shut down leaving entire regions of the country without power.  The combined effect sparks looting and riots further deteriorating the system.  Martial law is declared, but implementation becomes difficult as forces are unavailable, not networked, and unable to span the massive scale of the crisis leading to a vulnerability culminating point.

 

The direct attack:  Just as the nation is most vulnerable, a terrorist sleeper cell is activated to conduct an attack of mass effect.  The results are catastrophic and will require years and perhaps decades for America to recover from.

 

Latent effects:  General anarchy develops leading to a massive economic downturn.  Further, failure of health care facilities and standing water from flooding leads to outbreaks of disease further exasperating the already critical situation. 

 

The above vignette is not a doomsday prophecy, but rather a very realistic scenario that could play out in present time across the nation.  DHS and the incoming administration must prepare the department for these ripple effect contingencies.  Although much more difficult to prepare for, immediate actions must be taken to specifically address the potential for ripple attack style events like above to be initiated by terrorists seeking to asymmetrically cripple the United States.  

 

As we further improve the security of our homeland, our enemies continue to adapt and find new ways to strike and the foundations of the United States.  Based on this, the Department of Homeland Security must work in concert with the next administration to continue to invest in threat analysis that seeks to predict how terrorists will asymmetrically evolve and develop new and to date unseen tactics for offensive attacks.  Recommended actions for DHS include war gaming the potential impact of different ripple chains, developing disaster drill scenarios that take the ripple effect into account, and developing a hardened and redundant logistics infrastructure that is reminiscent of the Cold War era.  A premium must also be placed on unconventional creative thinking as well as the development of agile, adaptive, and networked plans that can be rapidly implemented.

August 31, 2007

 

No one has a crystal ball, but they myriad of events illustrated in this memo certainly have come to pass and are developing as of the writing of this post.  We will continue to provide you visionary analysis with an unprecedented record of accuracy.  We hope that our analysis will help you understand the daily events happening globally and how they will affect you.  Armed with this knowledge you will be better able to make decisions critical to the protection of your life, liberty, and wealth.

See link for more information on arson as a terrorist weapon:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/are-terrorists-setting-u-s-wildfires/?cat_orig=us

By Guiles  Hendrik

All rights reserved

Radio vs Gun

September 13, 2013 Big Brother, Second Amendment / Gun Control, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures Comments Off on Radio vs Gun

We live in a time where many citizens are being illegally deprived of their Second Amendment right.  In cities like Chicago it is still nearly impossible for an average citizen to “legally” carry a firearm for self-defense.  This situation becomes even more pronounced when traveling overseas in countries with total gun control.  As such, the issue of how to protect yourself and your family against predatory thugs when disarmed is a situation we have all likely experienced and had to endure.  This article does not seek to diminish the necessity of firearms, but does provide an expedient option that has proven time and again to be highly effective at deterring criminals.

A few months ago a veteran Special Forces operator and I were chatting about the degree to which the US had moved toward tyranny and a police state.  We discussed strategies we had successfully employed when confronted with threats where we desired a firearm, but for one reason or another were unable to carry one.  One tactic we employed domestically as well as overseas was carrying a policy style radio.  At times the radio may have been even more effective than a firearm as its presence alone dispersed a crowd much larger (and likely armed) than someone armed would want to confront.  To employ this tactic, one should consider carrying a Motorola style “police” handheld radio in a manner that looks covert enough to appear cop-like, but overt enough to be clearly seen by thugs. We both used this simple strategy very effectively.

In both our experiences, the moment the radio was seen by the circling predators, they immediately backed off and left the area.  Criminals hate cops, but rarely look for a fight with a cop when they are not cornered.  It is this perception of law enforcement that is so effective at deterring potential assailants.  Further, the radio is generally not a restricted item that security will take from you or that you can be punished for possessing.  As such, it can be carried concealed, overseas, and even through airport security.  It is also an object that is recognized worldwide as associated with official government activities that the public generally would prefer not to be involved with.  The effect can be amplified by purchasing and using the stereotypical “pigtail” earpiece often associated with Secret Service Agents.  Finally, if the radio is actually functional, you can even use it to legitimately call for backup if in trouble.  Employed properly, the criminal will generally pick another target and you live another day.

We are not suggesting that carrying a police style radio is going to stop all potential attacks and may not even be visible during low light conditions or at night.  However, it certainly causes any potential assailant to hesitate and second guess whether or not to go through with their criminal act.  It is within this window of opportunity created where you can effect escape, execute a defense, or potentially avert the attack completely.  Further, when no firearms are available or allowed, it is one item that is available, but goes overlooked as potentially useful for deterrence.  Also, the weight of the radio makes it suitable as an expedient bludgeon.  Although new Motorola XTS 5000 style radios can be extremely expensive, plenty of very affordable Motorola radios such as the Motorola CP185 have the look and function you need for effective deterrence.  Ultimately, you must evaluate your own personal defense plan, but in a pinch, this Last Minute Survival Tip is certainly one to consider.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

Hatchet vs Knife

September 10, 2013 Equipment Reviews, Survival Skills 4 comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

The popularity of knives is ageless.  Edged implements have been a critical tool for mankind from the earliest fossil records.  Knives in particular have found great popularity for their utility, portability, concealability, and lethality.  However, edged chopping instruments like hatchets and tomahawks still provide valuable, yet often overlooked advantages over knives to both the survivalist and outdoorsman.  The point of this article is not to suggest that one tool is superior, but rather to show the advantages inherit in edged chopping tools.

Looking at the earliest stone tools, we find both cutting and chopping tools side by side and for good reason.  Anyone planning to survive in the wild needed both.  Chopping tools allowed trees to be cut, wood to be split, shelter to be constructed, big game to be processed, and enemies and prey to be quie

tly killed with swift precision.  In fact, a single blow from a sharp axe, hatchet, or tomahawk could easily sever limbs, decapitate, crush bone, or shatter a rib cage and slice through vital organs making it even more lethal than a knife.  Further, many of these implements can be used at greater distance due to a long handle and the weighted head containing the cutting edge, which magnifies the force created in a swing.  Also, with practice, these implements lend themselves well to being thrown.  In fact, they are far easier to master than knives in respect to being thrown and can actually be finely tuned into an effective capability with minimal practice.

Today we also face prohibitions on weapons of all types whether carried concealed or in the open.  Knives in particular endure an unfair stigma by the general population as a weapon vice tool.  However, an axe or hatchet; albeit an incredibly effective weapon, tends to be seen as a tool vice a weapon.  As such, law enforcement also tends to look at knives more harshly than an axe or hatchet.  A person is able to carry “wood cutting” equipment in their vehicle and not draw unwanted scrutiny, which a person attempting to conceal a Bowie knife or even a small flip out folder in their pocket would generally receive.

Reliability is also a strong suite of chopping tools.  They are simple and have almost nothing to fail or break.  One only needs

to maintain the handle, which can be easily and repeatedly replaced with improvised materials even in austere conditions with the most basic of tools.  The most common problem is the head slipping off the handle, which can be easily remedied by driving a wedge into the handle or purchasing a synthetic handle.  These chopping implements also only require a utility edge, which is tough, easy to maintain, and easy to achieve unlike finely honed knife edges.  This edge can be achieved with a rough stone, file, or grinder and doesn’t require the use of high end sharpening equipment.  Nonetheless, many axes and tomahawks are sharpened to a fine edge on par with any knife.

Chopping tools also lend themselves well for breaching and hammering tasks.  Whether trapped inside or outside of a vehicle or structure, chopping tools are far superior to other tools.  We tested hatchets on windshields and sheet metal and found they easily penetrated.  We also found that they made short work of a variety of doors, drywall, and plywood.  Well-constructed all steel implements made by Estwing in particular were also very adaptable to prying tasks.  Finally, in a pinch, most of these tools could be used for a variety of hammering tasks depending on their design.  We were able to effectively drive nails, smash open nuts, and drive stakes.  None of these tasks were effectively performed by knives with the exception of windshields where some folding knives containing a “windshield punch” did an adequate job of spider webbing the window, but usually failed to completely

shatter and remove the coated glass (note that hatchets also provided superior protection to the user due to increased range from the glass shards).

We also were able to test out how well our tools penetrated armor and found them again to be far superior to knives.  In fact, the tactical tomahawks ripped through steel helmets with ease and when sharp were able to also penetrate soft body armor.  When tested against Kevlar helmets all implements delivered a strong enough strike to most likely knock the wearer unconscious and axes in particular proved to be an overmatch.  Knives proved completely ineffective against both steel and Kevlar helmets, but did penetrate soft body armor.  We also tested strike force against body armor containing both steel and ceramic plates and would not rate them as effective in penetrating the hard armor, but found the strike force of both axes and heavy hatchets enough to knock down and injure anyone wearing the armor.  It is also worth noting that all implements tested have the ability to bypass any armor worn and still easily deliver a lethal strike with a single blow.

Finally, good hatchets, axes, and tomahawks are also very affordable.  The demand for them does not command the prices that “tactical” folders and other “sexy” knives rate for price mark-ups.  A used axe or hatchet can be found for as little as a few dollars and brand new items rarely cost more than fifty dollars.

After testing various implements our staff has come to some basic conclusions when it comes to selection and purchasing of chopping tools.  First of all, it is best to buy items that don’t draw attention like neon green “zombie apocalypse” warhawks.  You can get the same items in neutral colors.  Second, synthetic handles proved superior to wooden handles for both chopping an

d throwing tasks.  Third, most steel in modern middle and low end axes and hatchets were of poor quality.  We recommend buying from a reputable dealer and brand or finding “antique” hatchets and axes, which have far better steel.  Finally, for throwing, double bla

ded implements are superior as they can stick on both the front and back spin.

When it comes to recommendations, we generally don’t support one brand over another, but will provide you the facts from our field tests.  We found that for fighting and throwing, SOG’s Tactical Tomahawk Black / F01TN-CP ( http://www.sogknives.com/tactical-tomahawk-black.html ) is a well-designed lethal implement that when sheathed draws little more attention than a standard hatchet or axe.  It is well balanced and a novice can stick this tomahawk at a broad range of rotation angles at about seven paces nearly every throw with a little practice.  We threw our Tactical Tomahawks for weeks on end and thousands of times into trees, stu

mps, logs, plywood, steel drums, and slabs of pigs and found the tool held up and could be brought back to a very sharp edge with little effort or skill.  However, the tomahawk is not well adapted for more mundane tasks such as chopping and splitting wood.  If you are searching for an actual axe or hatchet for chopping and splitting we were impressed with the edge, quality of steel, durability, and performance of both Fiskars and Estwing.  Fiskars provides tools with synthetic handles, which are lighter and still extremely rugged.  This allowed for faster manipulation and ease of use.  They also didn’t seem to transmit shock to the user.  Estwing provides  all steel tools that are virtually indestructible, but at a tradeoff of being very heavy and slow to manipulate.  Estwings will also wear you out if you use them all day due to the weight and shock translation through the handle.  Depending on your needs and uses, all of the above brands we found to perform at or above standard.

What American Military Intervention in Syria really means in plain language

August 27, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, Israel, Syria Comments Off on What American Military Intervention in Syria really means in plain language

Americans are keen to want to go out and save the world.  The problem is that we can’t.  Lofty goals and ideologies must be tempered by reality.  Not only are there obvious financial limits to these kind of interventionist policies, but these policies have historically shown a near zero success rate.  In fact, in nearly every case of US intervention, we made the situation far worse.  Not only are more people often killed, but the suffering is made to last sometimes for decades.  So now President Obama is faced with somehow selling a war with Syria, which is a necessary pretext for a war with Iran, neither of which are in America’s best interests, and the best he can do is recycle the humanitarian argument for intervention and Iraq War era chemical weapons propaganda.

This would be a laughable justification if US Special Forces and CIA paramilitary officers weren’t already on the ground in Syria leading the proxy armies they trained and setting the groundwork for coming air strikes.  Unfortunately, the reality is that the US has been lobbied into fighting what will prove to be a disastrous war that is neither in America’s interests nor necessary.  The case currently being put before the American people is that President Assad has allegedly used chemical weapons against the rebel forces.  It would be worth noting that nothing about the actual validity of this chemical attack claim has been verified by independent and reputable sources or that it may actually be in our interests to allow Assad to kill what we know to be Al Qaeda avowed terrorists; however, it would side track the primary argument that our idea of “help” means we will kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

Just as our “help” in Iraq led to the death of over a million Iraqis in order to “liberate” them from oppression, I have the strong feeling that our “help” in Syria will lead to the deaths of over one hundred thousand Syrians.  Considering this, it is hard to square the logic of how killing a hundred thousand more Syrians equates in any way to improving their life.  In fact, one would have to use the insane Iraq logic that destroying the nation’s infrastructure and killing a million people was the right thing to do to “help” the Iraqis.  Now I am pretty sure that most Iraqis would disagree that the US helped them, but then that wouldn’t make for good propaganda being generated by the White House, which its zombie mass media outlets parrot without so much as a thought.

Understanding that our “help” is anything but actual help allows one to understand the real mechanisms at work.  Supporting Syria to “stop the bloodshed” will turn out to be the exact opposite, but that’s okay because most Americans have proved to be mindless lemmings and will believe whatever the savior Obama tells them.  In the end, this will lead to a costly war that will bankrupt the US and kill untold numbers of people across the Middle East all while bringing about no peace.  Only the bankers that financed the war and the military-industrial complex that supplied it will profit from this foolish endeavor.  Even Israel, which has demanded this war with all of its lobbying might, will find that it will not like what it ordered.  If you are dumb enough to actually believe this looming war with Syria and Iran (and perhaps Russia and China) is in our best interests, please do everyone a favor and volunteer for service with the infantry on the front lines and remain far from policy work.

By Guiles Hendrik

August 26, 2013

All rights reserved.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN SYRIA: US Proxies Enter Syrian Civil War with US Advisors

August 27, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, Israel, Syria Comments Off on BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN SYRIA: US Proxies Enter Syrian Civil War with US Advisors

News of US Special Forces and CIA paramilitary officers entering Syria leading proxy fighters began to trickle out around August 23, 2013.  Naturally, the US is denying these reports, but as with Libya, it will only be a short matter of time before photos of US military forces leading rebels in combat begin to surface on the web.  This means that it will only be a short amount of time before American bombs begin to drop on Syria.  Just as in Libya, these ground troops will be the leading edge of full scale US military involvement in Syria and will act as forward air controllers for air strikes.  Make no mistake; the US has now entered overtly into the Syrian Civil War allied with Islamic extremists loyal to Al Qaeda.

Contrary to what the Pentagon and White House are admitting, the information has been available for some time that we planned all along to enter the war against Syria just as we have reported.

In July the Los Angeles Times reported that the Central Intelligence Agency and US special forces have been training Syrian rebels at a new US base in the desert in southwest Jordan since November 2012.  One such US covert training session, conducted by American, Jordanian, and French, has allegedly been taking place in Jordan for the last month or so, the newspaper cited Brig. Gen. Yahya Bittar, the head of intelligence for the Free Syrian Army.  The training covers the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and has been carried out at bases in Turkey as well, the newspaper reported.  This training is not being done for fun, but because the US fully intended to lead these rebels into battle at least a year before any false pretext (use of chemical weapons) was created to justify the US entrance into the war.

Further, last month, the Pentagon said that F-16 jet fighters and a Patriot missile battery deployed to Jordan for the “Eager Lion” military exercise that ended weeks ago would remain in the desert country.  Again, the US did not keep these advanced weapon systems in Jordan because it didn’t feel like moving them back to the US.  Instead, just as our analysts predicted, the US has from the beginning intended to launch a full scale attack against Syria and only delayed to allow the rebels time to do the bulk of the fighting and generate propaganda (use of chemical weapons) that could be used as a false pretext to justify the US entrance into the war.

What is clear is that the US and some key allies have been building up for a war with Syria and training a proxy army in neighboring countries for at least a year.  This sets that actually planning and execution of this operation “years” prior to the current date.  This is long before any actual pretext to justify US involvement materialized and is demonstrative of how the US all along has planned to enter the war under false pretenses whether or not real cause existed.  This war is as phony, illegal, unconstitutional, and unnecessary as the Iraq War and will be far more costly since it ultimately aims to destroy not just Syria, but specifically, Iran.  Considering this, one would be well justified in calling into question the faux chemical attack pretexts now circulating and being used as grounds for overt US military action.  Further, it is of no irony that the very same countries (US, France, United Kingdom, Israel, etc.) that have been training and covertly supporting this war against Syria for years are the same countries that immediately “confirmed” that the most recent alleged chemical weapons attack was launched by the Syrian government.  It should then come as no surprise these countries are racing to “take action” before any real investigation of the alleged attack and verifiable, “independent,” conclusions can be reached.

Washington and Tel Aviv are acutely aware that they are running out of time to execute their war plan against Iran.  Their terrorist proxies in Syria were never supposed to “lose” and now the US has had to create a false pretext to overtly enter the war to save their rebel army from total defeat while Iran continues to expand its nuclear programs.  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu knows he is almost out of time if he wishes to destroy the Iranian nuclear program.  As such, he is willing to do nearly anything to force the US into fighting another disastrous war on behalf of Israel.  If our analysts are correct, there is a reasonable chance that full scale regional war will break out in the Middle East between the US, Syria, and Iran before winter.  It is of absolute necessity that all of our readers contact their elected officials immediately and demand a complete exit from actions in Syria and that no war with Iran will be fought.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

August 26, 2013

All rights reserved.

 

For more reading:

http://rt.com/news/usa-cia-train-syria-rebels-087/

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/22/amman-denies-cia-training-syria-rebels-in-jordan/

 

Al Qaeda Rebels in Syria Begin Killing Kurds

August 27, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, Syria Comments Off on Al Qaeda Rebels in Syria Begin Killing Kurds

Throughout 2013, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the primary rebel organization fighting a civil war against President Assad’s Syrian Army forces, has become predominately manned by Al Qaeda avowed jihadists.  These terrorists have now turned their guns on Syrian Kurds, which up until recently have attempted to remain neutral in the fight.  As Kurds have been increasingly slaughtered by Islamic extremists in Syria, the number of refugees fleeing to Kurdistan in Iraq has massively increased.  Some estimate well over 100,000 Kurdish refugees have now fled Syria.  The murder of Kurds by the FSA marks another dark turn of events that will soon undermine US positions in the region.

Kurdistan and its capital of Erbil have remained the one region of the Middle East where Americans have enjoyed relatively good relations and security.  In fact Americans are not even required to have a visa to enter Kurdistan where both Muslims and Christians live together in relative peace.  Further, Kurdistan is a region seeing significant investment and business growth.  The relative peace that has been maintained in Kurdistan has driven the oil and tourism markets currently fueling Kurdistan’s growth in a region where security is all too rare.  The capital Erbil is a vibrant cosmopolitan city arising in the shadows of the distant snowcapped mountain peaks where westerners can find all of the trappings of modern day living.

Unfortunately, the relative peace and security Americans have enjoyed in Kurdistan will no doubt be coming to an end soon.  The Kurds are acutely aware that the US is now actively supporting the FSA, which is massacring their people.  As the Kurds flee death in Syria at the hands of Sunni Jihadists armed and trained by Americans they carry that knowledge to overflowing refugee camps now forming in Kurdistan and Turkey.  These refugees have lost everything but their lives and are rightfully angry.  It will only be a short period of time before they correctly identify the US as the primary catalyst behind their suffering.  As anti-American sentiment solidifies, Americans will be targeted inside Kurdish regions, which until now, have been peaceful and supportive of Americans.  In what will prove to be another policy disaster, this will force the one ally Washington still retains in the Middle East directly into the camp of the Iranians.

Turning the Kurds against the US will have dire second and third order effects for the US.  Kurds will now have no choice but to join with Assad’s government forces.  The Kurds are relatively good fighters when compared with other ethnic groups in the region and will no doubt prove to be a potent ally for Assad.  This will significantly swell the number of fighter’s Assad has at his disposal and hasten the defeat of the rebels.  This will force Washington to directly enter the Syrian conflict to avert a complete route of its proxy army.  Further, this will accelerate the regionalization of this conflict beyond the borders of Syria as Iraqi Sunnis battle Iraqi Kurds in Iraq and Iran consolidates the Kurds as their new ally against the Arabs.  Americans in Turkey will also become much more likely to be targeted by Kurdish groups seeking revenge and to force an end to US support of Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria.  This destabilization will force Turkey to take a more adversarial role toward US policy in the region, which can only complicate matters more for the US.

By Guiles Hendrik

August 25, 2013

All rights reserved.

US Continues Dangerous False Narrative about Assad’s use of Chemical Weapons

August 27, 2013 Iran, Israel, Syria Comments Off on US Continues Dangerous False Narrative about Assad’s use of Chemical Weapons

The US again jumped to conclusions about the latest alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria and immediately condemned President Assad’s government.  However, Washington has no way to immediately verify the attack was indeed a chemical attack and even less ability to know who was actually responsible for the attack.  Nonetheless, this didn’t stop the White House calling for serious consequences and the use of force against the Syrian government.  In short, President Obama is ready to launch the US into another disastrous, undeclared, and unconstitutional war based on the word of Al Qaeda avowed terrorists that have everything to gain from conducting a false flag attack that brings the US into the war on their side.

To understand the big picture, one must understand how the actions in Syria relate to Israel’s strategic goal of eliminating the Iranian regime.  Just as we have repeatedly reported, Israel is reluctant to launch an attack against Iran without first securing its northern flank.  To do this, Israel conspired with its allies to significantly degrade Iran’s proxy army Hezbollah and its ally Syria via the use of a proxy army made up of global jihadists.  This group of Al Qaeda avowed jihadists, which now form the bulk of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) is backed by the US and regional allies opposed to Iran such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.  This plan was intended to depose President Assad and weaken Hezbollah without drawing the US and Israel directly into the war.  However, the plan fell apart as Assad’s forces coupled with Hezbollah fighters began to drive back and defeat the FSA in battle after battle.  As each day goes by, the situation for the FSA has become more critical and has thrown the Israeli war plan into chaos just as Iran’s nuclear program is approaching what Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu describes as his “red line.”  Set against this diminishing timeline, Israel and the US are desperate to finish off Assad and justify the US entrance into the war with Syria.  Syria must fall because it is an essential part of strategy for drawing the US into a greater conflict with Iran, which has been the final goal all along.  As such, the US and Israel have resorted to false flag attacks and recycled the chemical weapon scare tactics used previously to involve the US in a war against Iraq.

The fact that the US and Israel are already engaged in a war against Iran and the Syrian front is just the last stage before an actual overt war against Iran is launched.  The truth doesn’t matter to the Obama Administration just as long as the narrative suits its political agenda to entangle the US into a war with Iran.  Some will be quick to point out the sources contradicting Washington’s narrative are Russian and thus somehow are not credible, but it is also very reputable elements within the United Nations inspection teams that have called into question the origin of these alleged chemical attacks.  Make no mistake, Israel will follow through with its plan to destroy Iran and President Obama has proven incapable of resisting the powerful lobbying behind the scenes.  Furthermore, if President Obama fails to involve the US military in Syria to deliver decisive ends that satisfy Israel, Israel will unilaterally launch an attack against Iran that will, as we have repeatedly warned, force Washington’s hand into entering the war unprepared.

In the coming days and weeks, we as a nation again enter a “red zone.”  The coming months will be a time of great instability, upheaval, and potentially large scale war in the Middle East.  The US doesn’t do this out of its own best interests or national security, but as a result of powerful alien lobbyist elements within our midst that demand the destruction of Iran.  Even though the major news agencies have all but ignored Iran in recent months, Israel has not.  Ignoring the situation between Iran and Israel has not made the situation go away even if the average America has long forgot the war propaganda about red lines, centrifuges, and enrichment.  In fact, the situation has been quickly approaching a major break point where either the US acts, or Israel potentially launches a tactical nuclear strike launched from submarines now stationed in the Persian Gulf and arguably in the Black Sea.

In the run up to what will become a strategic disaster for the US, expect more false flag attacks that are used to justify increasing US involvement in Syria.  Both Tel Aviv and Washington are acutely aware that the rebels will lose if the US doesn’t become decisively involved in the civil war now.  This will include special operations forces on the ground and air strikes that will be launched under what will be named a “no fly zone.”  The Israelis have already been launching air strikes inside of Lebanon as retaliation for alleged rocket attacks, but have used this as cover to test the status of Syrian air defenses in preparation for air strikes in Syria.  Only an immediate and massive public outcry against another war will we stand a chance of averting America’s overt entrance into another war that will be far more costly than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Both Republicans and Democrats should stand united on this front.  The Democrats and media in particular, which doggedly attacked George Bush over the war in Iraq, need to unite against this war unless they wish to be proved total hypocrites and blind stooges of President Obama.  The military too needs to speak out and register its protest to its involvement in what will prove to be an unwinnable war fought for foreign interests at the expense of American blood and treasure.  Please call, email, and write your elected representatives immediately and say no to any further US involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

August 24, 2013.

All rights reserved.

 

For more reading:

http://rt.com/news/libya-syria-weapons-rebels-117/

http://rt.com/news/syria-chemical-catastrophic-uk-932/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/20137920448105510.html

Christians Massacred with Weapons Supplied by US across Africa and Middle East

August 27, 2013 News and Intelligence Comments Off on Christians Massacred with Weapons Supplied by US across Africa and Middle East

July 29, 2013 Kano, Nigera:  Multiple explosions have hit a predominantly Christian area in Nigeria’s northern Kano city, with security forces transporting scores of wounded to area hospitals, witnesses say.  “We have had some explosions in Sabon Gari [neighbourhood] this evening,” Kano state Police Commissioner Musa Daura confirmed on Monday night.  Christians are continually targeted and killed by the thousands in Nigeria by Islamic Extremists.  The US remains neutral and continues to focus its interests in Nigeria on oil and resource exploitation, which has been at the expense of the Christians.

August 20, 2013 Cairo, Egypt:  Coptic Christian churches are looted and destroyed by Islamic extremists linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.  Nuns were forced to undergo public humiliation and were marched down streets as they were taunted and attacked by Islamists.  In Egypt, the situation for Christians is dire and many have already been killed, wounded, and or forced to flee the country.  The White House remains mute and appears to be maintaining support for the Muslim Brotherhood through its inaction.  President Obama refuses to recognize the broadly supported government that replaced President Morsi, which is now in charge of Egypt.  Further, the White House has condemned the new government’s actions to dismantle the radical Islamic elements unified under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Syria:  Some of the most holy sites in Christendom have been attacked and destroyed by Islamic extremists.  Christians have been forced to flee or have been executed by elements within the Free Syrian Army (FSA).  President Obama has paid no attention to the suffering of Christians at the hands of radical Islamists.  In fact, Obama has authorized the training and arming of these Al Qaeda terrorists, which have brutally massacred entire Christian communities.

Pakistan:  Christians are broadly discriminated against, assaulted, and even murdered for adhering to their faith.  In response, the US continues to provide Pakistan with military support and billions of dollars in aid.

All over the world, US Foreign Policy is directly and or indirectly leading to the deaths of thousands of Christians.  In some countries, the Christian communities have been nearly completely wiped out.  Instead of expressing outrage and supporting what would be some of America’s most natural allies in these countries, the Obama Administration has repeatedly ignored their plight and left them for dead.  On a humanitarian front, the US indifference is simply inexcusable.  However, there has been one world leader that has spoken out for the rights of Christians when other leaders of Christian nations have turned their backs.

“The rights of religious minorities, including Christians, are being infringed all over the planet and humanity must take measures to stop such instances,” Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with Orthodox Christian leaders in Moscow.  “In many of the World’s regions, especially in the Middle East and in North Africa inter-confessional tensions are mounting and the rights of religious minorities are infringed, including Christians and Orthodox Christians,” the Russian President noted, adding that such conflicts could lead to the most serious consequences. Putin called for immediate measures to prevent such situations.

It is truly a sad day when the US turns its back on its religious foundation.  Instead, it is Russia that has become the light of freedom and security for Christians around the world.  This situation just over two decades ago would have been unthinkable and shows how far from grace the US has fallen.  As America turns its back on its Christian heritage, it will lose the very foundations of what formed the very essence of Western Civilization.  Christianity formed our country and our culture.  Without it, our civilization will not survive and devolve into savagery unguided by the critical morals and ethics imbued in a culture guided by a religious ethos.  A free republic devoid of a collective moral consciousness unified by a common religious ideology is simply incompatible with law and order.  The loss of faith in a higher power and the US government’s war on Christianity marks a dark day in our country’s history.  Contrary to trendy pundits, it does not mark a progression in American culture, but rather, a decided turn toward cultural regression.  Please ask your elected representatives to stand with Christians around the world and oppose US policies that lead to their murder and discrimination.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

August 23, 2013

All rights reserved.

For more information:

http://rt.com/politics/putin-christians-repressions-resistance-584/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/07/2013729221645359465.html

 

Syrian Rebels Continue to Lose Ground against Government Forces

August 27, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, News and Intelligence, Syria Comments Off on Syrian Rebels Continue to Lose Ground against Government Forces

Syrian government forces reinforced by Lebanese Hezbollah forces have been consolidating their control over the strategic rebel held district of Homs, which is Syria’s third largest city.  Homs has been controlled by rebels in part since 2011.  The recent military success by the Syrian military and Hezbollah fighters has left the rebels in retreat and Washington’s battle plan for Iran disintegrating.

As of July, Syrian government forces appeared to be on the verge of retaking most of the northern neighborhoods in Homs and were continuing to advance on the remaining crumbling rebel positions.  In addition to its symbolic value, Homs is a strategic lynchpin in Syria.  Homs controls the main highways from Damascus to the north and the coast.  The government offensive has already successfully expelled rebels from a 13th century landmark mosque in Khaldiyeh the rebels controlled for more than a year.  Previous to this, government forces captured the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanon border in June.

The danger of these victories is not that Assad and his government forces will prevail, but that Washington and its allies will now be forced to take more drastic measures to make sure their Al Qaeda proxies are not defeated.  In light of this, it foreseeable that the White House will soon authorize more overt support to include providing military weapons and advisors to train rebel fighters outside of Syria in Turkey and Jordan.  However, it is unlikely this level of support will turn the tide in favor of the rebels.  Instead, for a rebel victory to be engineered, Washington will be forced to put Americans (most likely in the form of CIA and Special Forces) in Syria and institute a no-fly zone coupled with air strikes on Syrian government targets.  False flag attacks and copious applications of war propaganda will be necessary to justify these ill-fated operations.   This action will cement the US entrance into another undeclared, unconstitutional war that historians will point to as a disastrous misstep in US Foreign Policy that will ultimately eclipse the US strategic defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By Guiles Hendrik

July 29, 2013

For more information:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/201372817314489545.html

Media Missed the Biggest Coup in the Middle East and it wasn’t in Egypt

August 1, 2013 Al Qaeda, News and Intelligence, Politics, Syria Comments Off on Media Missed the Biggest Coup in the Middle East and it wasn’t in Egypt

Tuning into the Fox and CNN “entertainment” networks, one would be lucky to catch a small bit of news between the brain numbing, around the clock reports on the Trayvon Martin Case and Anthony Weiner’s perverse antics.  Nonetheless, a close follower may have gathered that “former” Egyptian President Morsi was overthrown in a broadly supported coup that has pitted the Muslim Brotherhood against the Egyptian military.  However, at about the same time, a much quieter and potentially more dangerous coup for the US took place in Syria.  In fact, Al Qaeda just accomplished its latest “hostile government takeover” by effectively decapitating any last vestige of a secular Free Syrian Army (FSA).  If not bad enough, President Obama has announced commencement of an insane US policy to arm these well-known terrorists.  This can ONLY end in disaster for the US.

By July 12, 2013 news of the assassination of Kamal Hamami began appearing in foreign press.  Kamal Hamami, a member of the FSA’s Supreme Military Council, known as Abu Basir, was killed in the Turkmen mountains near the northern city of Latakia, spokesman Louay Meqdad reported to Al Jazeera.  Hamami was killed by fighters from an Al Qaeda-linked group in Syria and was one of the most senior leaders of the Western- and Arab-backed Free Syrian Army.  Another FSA spokesman Qassem Saadeddine told Reuters, “The Islamic State phoned me saying that they killed Abu Basir and that they will kill all of the Supreme Military Council.”  Al Qaeda should be taken at its word as it does appear to have continued to carry out its threat and has operationally assumed control of the rebel army.

The leader of the Al Qaeda organization that claimed responsibility for Hamami’s killing, the Islamic State of Iraq, is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi arrived in northern Syria to take control over Al Qaeda operations in the country and has apparently wasted no time in consolidating power under Al Qaeda’s banner.  This organization has effectively assumed control of the Islamist Al-Nusra Front, which was officially declared a “terrorist group” by the US in May, and is considered to be the most effective opposition group battling Assad.  As such, any notion of secular, nationalist forces fighting Assad evaporated with Al Qaeda’s coup within the FSA.

Analyzing these events further, one will note that Abu Bakr is a violent Al Qaeda terrorist leader from Iraq and epitomizes how this conflict has already gone regional.  The US created civil war in Syria has now fully spilled over into neighboring Iraq just as our analysts predicted and warned.  Violence in Iraq, which now is killing hundreds weekly, has reignited the Sunni-Shia civil war in Iraq removing any notion that the US succeeded in bringing about a more peaceful and democrat Iraq.  Incidentally, Abu Bakr cut his teeth on killing Americans, not Syrians, and now Obama IS arming his organization in what must be considered one of the dumbest policy moves an American president has ever made.

Middle East analysts recognize the fact that the Syrian Civil War will continue to spread and engulf more countries in the Middle East counter to Washington’s claims.  The situation is out of control.  Longtime US ally Jordan is in a particularly perilous spot.  In fact, secretly, Washington is so worried Jordan will be the next government to be toppled by the Al Qaeda terrorists the US is backing, Washington has quietly deployed a military force numbering over 2,000 in Jordan to attempt to contain the fighting should it begin spilling across the border.

Collectively assessing this information, it is clear the US has placed itself into an untenable paradox.  On one hand we are trying to defeat Al Qaeda and protect the US while simultaneously arming and training Al Qaeda on the other.  Al Qaeda has made no question that it will target the US as soon as its fighters finish in Syria.  By arming these terrorists, our nation is effectively creating, aiding, and abetting its very own enemy to kill Americans.  Not only is Obama’s policy a violation of US anti-terrorism laws, but it violates every core element of common sense and self-preservation.  This conclusion is so obvious and the intelligence so overwhelming, Obama is literally using our tax dollars to kill Americans.

This policy of fighting Al Qaeda while simultaneously arming Al Qaeda that the Obama Administration has engineered screams of amateur hour, is out of control, and is as dangerous as it is schizophrenic.  The only groups to benefit from this lunacy will be the money lending institutions and the defense industry (military industrial complex).  However, in the interim, hundreds of thousands of people have been wounded and killed with many more surely to follow.  There is simply no way the Obama Administration can claim that by arming KNOWN AL QAEDA TERRORISTS, the US will benefit.  This Al Qaeda coup in the FSA leadership proves that any arms provided to the FSA WILL ultimately end up in the hands of Al Qaeda radicals.

Please contact your representatives in Congress, petition the White House, organize your neighbors to political action, and contact your media.  Demand this insane policy of arming terrorists in Syria cease immediately.  Failure to force Congress and the President to act will ultimately suck the US into another disastrous war, economically destroy our nation, and lead to untold numbers of dead and wounded Americans.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

July 29, 2013

All rights reserved

 

For more information:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23283079

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/20137127710849717.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2361814/Al-Qaeda-linked-rebels-assassinate-Free-Syrian-Army-leader-followers-immediately-vow-revenge.html

http://rt.com/news/qaeda-militants-kill-fsa-commander-979/

Government Announces Deployment of Orwellian “All Seeing Eye” Total Surveillance System over Washington

July 28, 2013 Uncategorized Comments Off on Government Announces Deployment of Orwellian “All Seeing Eye” Total Surveillance System over Washington

Today news widely broke that the Army will be deploying blimps over Washington, DC for what it claims is a pilot program for its missile defense system.  The high tech blimps are sophisticated stationary surveillance and targeting platforms known as the JLENS or specifically, the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System made by Raytheon Co.  The problem is that Washington is at most under a minimal threat if under any threat of a cruise missile attack at all.  Thus, one should question the true motives for installing a roughly $450 million surveillance system over DC.  Our analysts believe that the system’s true mission has little to do with air defense and everything to do with monitoring, surveilling, and recording the movements of individuals and vehicles in real time, around the clock, 365 days a year.

The JLENS consists of a pair of blimps.  One of the aerostats carries a powerful long-range surveillance radar with a 360-degree look-around capability that can reach out to 340 miles. The other carries a radar used for targeting.  Operating as high as 10,000 feet for up to 30 days at a time, JLENS is meant to give the military more time to detect and react to threats, including cruise missiles and manned and unmanned aircraft, compared with ground-based radar.  However, the system has more than one use and can carry a wide ranging payload of highly sophisticated surveillance equipment and weapons.  Its manufacturer says JLENS “enables commanders to defend against threats including hostile cruise missiles, low-flying manned and unmanned aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, large caliber rockets and moving surface vehicles such as boats, SCUD-launchers, automobiles and tanks.”  The problem with this statement is that cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, drones, and large caliber rockets pose no threat to DC and SCUD-missile launchers and tanks have never rolled down the streets of America.  Considering this, the last couple capabilities are of note; in particular, boats and automobiles.  In this small admission, you find the real use of these aerostats that will soon begin appearing all over the U.S.

Contrary to what the government claims, this Orwellian system has the combat proven capability to track, analyze, and record the movements of every single vehicle in and around the DC metropolitan area.  Similar systems have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to identify, track, and kill insurgents and it is now being deployed above the streets of America.  This “All Seeing Eye” can map the ground and identify even the slightest changes to the terrain such as a footprint or tire track in a field.  It also can identify, track, and destroy targets from points far beyond DC to include areas from New York down to North Carolina.  In fact, not only can the system map and store the movements of your car, but it can zero in on your license plate and even your face.  Using facial recognition software and integrated search algorithms it can identify single individuals and unknowingly track them indefinitely through their day.  The detail of the camera and radar systems are so precise that one could clearly identify if an individual is openly carrying a firearm or peer into your windows to see what you are having for dinner.  In fact, using thermal and infrared sensors, the system is capable of actually seeing into your home and through foliage.  Acoustic sensors can be tuned to the point it can identify a single gunshot and locate its origin or allegedly even record a conversation 10,000 feet below using high tech directional microphones.  Integrating data, the system is capable of compiling mountains of data that can then be mined and used to construct entire daily routines of individuals without their knowledge.

In short, the JLENS provides the government with the ability to track, follow, and record your every move feasibly throughout your entire life.  Misused, this system can obliterate perceived Fourth Amendment protections in your home as its technical capabilities allow it to pierce the privacy of your home’s walls miles away and see inside and listen to your conversations.  Further, in the wrong hands, the information this system gathers can be used for a host of draconian purposes to harass political dissidents in manners far worse than witnessed with the on-going IRS scandal.  This all raises serious civil liberty and privacy issues that must be addressed.  No court would allow the government to set up a thermal camera to persistently look into your home and record conversations spoken in private with sensitive equipment without probable cause and a warrant sworn before a judge, but this is EXACTLY what this system can and will do to every single household and person within thousands of square miles around the blimps location.  The government knows this and so is blatantly lying to the public about the JLENS’s true purpose.  The government wants the blimps in place across the US before the public realizes what is going on.  The government is in a full scale false information campaign to desensitize the public to this level of “total” surveillance.  Not since Orwell’s prescient novel has the US come so close to a total surveillance state, but fiction is now fact.

Please contact your representatives and demand that JLENS be scrapped and funding for the unnecessary system be cut.  Express your outrage and spread the word about what JLENS really is being used for.  Get on talk shows, blog, and write to your local papers about the system’s true capabilities.  The US doesn’t need to be spending a half “b”illion in your tax dollars to watch your every move. Resist the surveillance state now before it is too late!

 

By Guiles Hendrik

July 26, 2013

All rights reserved

 

For more reading:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/dc-blimps_n_3651676.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/01/us-usa-blimps-raytheon-idUSBRE91018320130201

http://rt.com/usa/army-raytheon-jlens-blimps-594/

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/persistent-threat-detection-system-us/

Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas…

July 25, 2013 Big Brother Comments Off on Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas…

From Reason.com

“Auburn, Alabama is home to sprawling plains, Auburn University, and a troubling police force. After the arrival of a new police chief in 2010, the department entered an era of ticket quotas and worse.

“When I first heard about the quotas I was appalled,” says former Auburn police officer Justin Hanners, who claims he and other cops were given directives to hassle, ticket, or arrest specific numbers of residents per shift. “I got into law enforcement to serve and protect, not be a bully.””

See the rest at:

http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/07/24/how-quotas-pervert-police-priorities-fir

 

Domestic Spying and the Descent to Tyranny

July 11, 2013 Big Brother, Big Government, Constitution Comments Off on Domestic Spying and the Descent to Tyranny

New government scandals have come rapidly in the last couple months.  The scandals are very serious and a direct danger to any nation of free people with liberty.  George Orwell’s “Big Brother” police state has arrived.  The only difference today is that our government possesses even more ambitious powers than Orwell ever imagined.  Every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation must demand justice and accountability from those in power.  Every citizen must demand the permanent end to secret courts, domestic spying, financially terrorizing citizens, targeting of political opponents, partisan politics, bottomless corporate campaign donations, faux money, financial manipulation, and endless imperial wars overseas to name just a few of the more egregious problems facing the US.  Failure to hold those responsible for their actions criminally liable will mark a dark day for America where historians will note the rule of law died and tyranny breathed life.

Thanks to brave patriots that have been demonized, seized, tortured, fired, harassed, and imprisoned by the government, American citizens are now aware of some of the egregious illegal government operations ranging from “Fast and Furious” to the latest revelations about the National Security Agency (NSA) unconstitutionally spying on all Americans.  The data NSA is storing are broad and range from phone records, text messages, and conversations to emails and financial data.  The revealing of this highly classified domestic spy program contradicted the Obama Administration’s previous claims that there was no such program.  It also proved that General Clapper committed perjury when he emphatically denied under oath to Congress such a program existed when directly asked if NSA was conducting “any” type of domestic surveillance program.  The NSA domestic surveillance program is a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against conducting unlawful searches and seizures.  The Bill of Rights and the Fourth Amendment are unique in that they specifically direct what the government “cannot” do and were without doubt, intended to be a legal check against just this type of power grab by the federal government.  They are the supreme guiding legal framework under which the US government must operate.  However, as all governments inevitably do, the US government began creating bodies with false powers to provide the false illusion of justification for its actions.  The creation of artificial secret “government” bodies to rubber stamp illegal government actions make these acts no more “legal” or “just” than the Nazis justifying wanton extermination of people because the “government” ordered it.  In spite of this prohibition, the government still broke the law, ignored our Constitution, lied about the programs, and continues to operate the illegal programs.

Perhaps even scarier, the same gang of government thugs in power has been openly conducting state terrorism against its own citizens via its political officers at the Internal Revenue Service, Justice Department, and Environmental Protection Agency.  What caused the government to target and terrorize its own citizens one may ask?  The answer is clear; peaceful and law abiding citizens were targeted for nothing more than having a differing political ideology than the leftist thugs now in power.  No longer will the naïve position of “I don’t have anything to hide so I am not worried” suffice to keep one safe from this growing government threat to a free people.  In spite of the government’s growing list of transgressions and crimes against its own citizens, no one has been held accountable even after months of scandals.  In fact, it appears the culprits have been rewarded.  The day has arrived in the United States when the government has effectively become a separate entity acting for the interests of a small number of elites and beyond the rule of law.

We no longer have a government of the people and for the people, but a government for the elites and of the elites acting to enslave and use its subjects for its benefit at their expense.  In short, the government has lost its legitimacy to govern.  This government is no longer made up of the citizens that granted it (not vice-versa) the power to govern and is certainly not answering to the demands of the public.  Rather, the government is now, an alien group of political radicals and their zombie appointees effectively executing an internal overthrow of this once free republic.  There are only two ways to obtain wealth.  One is to create it and the other is to steal it by force.  Government is decidedly party to the latter category making it the US Government the largest, most powerful organized crime cartel in the history of man.  As such, an illegitimate government is nothing more than an organized crime racket used to extort wealth by force from its victims…also known as citizens.  These corrupt leaders, elected and appointed, must be completely removed from office, tried, and held responsible for what amounts to treason and violations of our Constitution and civil rights.  Until these tyrants and their political henchmen are run out and the rule of law is equally applied and re-instituted from the highest office down to the most common citizen, tyranny will rule.

At the most basic level, government can be defined as an organization that has a monopoly of force over a specific area and its respective population.  In the best of cases, this organization theoretically would represent the will of the people and operate to protect their freedom, liberty, and collective security.  The idea of a “good” government may only exist in theory, but the United States initially set out to achieve just this unprecedented balance between the governed and the governors through a system of checks and balances designed to weaken and restrain the government while vesting the real power in responsible citizens.  However, over the last two hundred plus years, this system has evolved through court rulings, legislation, and policies.  This evolution was heavily influenced by nefarious designs, subterfuge, and lobbying interests, which perverted the original Republic’s architecture.  The result has been the establishment of what amounts to a police state that is no longer accountable to the citizens it was designed to serve.  Further, this parallel government arose when the interests of political parties, banks, and corporations began merging and superseding the interests of the nation.  This faux representative body then began to create, staff, and empower organizations with no actual legal authority to provide legitimacy to the government’s self-serving actions.  The now nullified system of checks and balances has been so perverted that any notion that the government is somehow restrained in its power and still serves the will of the people has been utterly destroyed.

As such, when the government no longer is comprised of the governed people, no longer operates for the good of the citizens, no longer is answerable to the rule of law, and no longer provides effective governance, it is a burden and illegitimate.  The government of the US is now almost indistinguishable from the decadent last years of Rome before it fell under the overt rule of dictators.  Today, just as it was in Rome, our government is run by elites that maintain power though dynastic succession.  The handpicked successors pretend to provide a “choice” to the voters while maintaining power within a handful of families.  To illustrate this, just last week, the Hillary for President Campaign began kicking into high gear as talk of another Bush run for president also began to circulate.  Family names like Clinton, Bush, Rockefeller, and Kennedy are repetitively recycled in the political circles just as surely as kings and emperors retained familial control of power.  Although billion dollar faux elections are held, the winners and losers are hand-picked by the elite establishment and in practice offer no difference in policies.  Parties only serve to distract the uniformed voter, which falsely believes that by voting “D” or “R” really makes a difference when in practice the policies of both parties are nearly indistinguishable.

Again, just as in Rome, our government allows an impotent senate to exist only to maintain the illusion of representation and to provide legitimacy to its illegal acts.  Congress has record low approval ratings and is totally impotent to solve any of the major problems facing the US.  This too echoes of the last years of the Roman Republic when their Senate was also totally inept, corrupt, and serving the interests of elites behind the scenes instead of the people.  Congress as the representative arm of government (the legislative branch) has totally failed to check the power of the Executive as it was designed in the Constitution.  Congress not only fails to counterbalance the actions of the Executive, but has sold out to party interests and acts blindly in their interests jointly with the Executive.  For example, Democrats, including then Senator Obama, which once rightly criticized then President George Bush for using the “Patriot Act” to garner greater surveillance powers have been completely mute when it comes to denouncing the far greater abuses committed in this regard by President Obama.  This illustrates how party loyalties have obliterated the system of checks and balances.  Today, laws are enacted by Congress not to protect, help, and promote the freedoms and liberty of the people, but to control them, tax them, and restrict their liberty and freedom while enriching the elite.

Finally, in Rome, perpetual wars were fought for elite interests while the games were held to distract the people from the broken system exacting an ever greater toll to pay for their mismanagement and excesses.  Today wars are not fought for national defense, but are imperial expeditions designed to handsomely profit the captains of the military-industrial complex.  What national interests were served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and now Syria?  The US lied to the public to enter these wars, failed to win any of these wars, and spread death, destruction, and further instability throughout the world, but Lockheed Martin, Boeing, KBR, Halliburton, Booz Allen Hamilton, and other similar firms handsomely profited from the blank checks written by Congress.  Perhaps the failing petro-dollar was propped up for a short time longer, but Americans on Main Street realized no long term benefit as the price of gasoline skyrocketed nearly fourfold.  In the end, America’s wars only created more Islamic extremists, “terrorists,” and other assorted enemies that have been used to justify even more war.  What Americans got through these wars were tens of thousands of dead and wounded, un-repayable debt, higher taxes, a devalued dollar, destruction of civil liberties and privacy, and the animosity of the world. Not to worry though because ESPN, MTV, and the rest of the media (including the falsely labeled “news” networks) are doing a great job of pumping round the clock mindless entertainment to effectively distract, deceive, manipulate, and lie to the masses.

The enemies of this illegitimate power have always been the educated free thinkers that dare to speak out and call the emperor naked.  These righteous patriots are vilified as the most heinous of criminals by the state even though their high treason was merely telling the truth and exposing the government for the criminal enterprise it is.  The government hates nothing more than being exposed because it undermines their power.  The banks, media monopolies, mega corporations, and politicians are now connected as one entity and using their power to collectively serve their like interests at the expense of the citizens and are determined to maintain their grip on power.  However a tipping point is approaching.  Although possessing seemingly endless power and resources the government has reached a high water mark where it can no longer continue the lies.  Its policies have failed and it can no longer maintain the illusion of good governance.  Literally the foundations of this country are cracked and the system is collapsing.  People are waking up to this fact and recognizing who is responsible.  This growing patriotic movement has been inoculated against the old tricks of control such as race baiting, games, propaganda, fear mongering, and intimidation.  The elites know this and are afraid.  They know that it is not necessary for more than 10% of the population to become aware to sway the masses and this key threshold is about to be reached.  Historically, at this point, in a desperate bid to hold on to power, governments have nearly always turned to more draconian and brutal tactics.  This has always polarized the population and led to even greater and more rapid disintegration and even civil war and revolution.  As such, heed this article as a warning of things to come.

As our nation moves forward do not expect to see reform, accountability, and justice.  Expect to see more brutality, intimidation, chaos, violence, and thinly veiled attempts to divide the public along lines of race, religion, class, and gender in order to maintain control.  Things will deteriorate further, but in this is the silver lining.  As things get worse, more and more people will wake up, organize, resist, and ultimately take back our nation.  Further, as things get worse there will be less money available to fund the financial needs of the government leviathan and its imperial interests.  The day is not lost and has only begun.  However, we sit at a critical juncture in history.  The path of inaction and apathy leads to tyranny and slavery for generations.  It is up to every freeman to dispense with fear and apathy and take action.  Take care of yourself, your family, and your like-minded neighbors.  Prepare for hard times.  At the ballot box refuse to vote for any Democrat or Republican and instead run your own local independent candidates.  Educate and organize your family and friends beginning at the local level.  Stage non-violent protests, marches, and demonstrations.  Demand the attention of the media and highlight every government indiscretion, illegal act, lie, and abuse.  Train your mind, body, and soul to a level that your presence alone demands respect and your moral character is beyond reproach.  Do not give your enemies ammunition to attack you, but expect it and prepare for it.  These are but a few things one can do to turn the tide on the usurpers within our county.  In time this will lay the foundation for victory, but this war cannot be one if the battle is not joined.  Today is the day to begin taking back your liberty and freedom!

 

By Guiles Hendrik

USA Enters War Allied with Al Qaeda

June 26, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, Israel, News and Intelligence, Syria, Terrorism Comments Off on USA Enters War Allied with Al Qaeda

On June 13, 2013, President Obama announced authorization for the arming of the Syrian rebels last week amidst a string of growing scandals rocking the White House.  President Obama’s action authorized without congressional debate or public justification the United States’ entry into another war.  Not only has the US now picked a side in a bloody civil war where both sides are hostile to the US, but committed the US to a war in a country where the US has little national interest.  At best, this action is constitutionally unsound and a gross abuse of the powers prescribed to the Commander-in-Chief.  At worst, this is an illegal war that will ultimately result in the single greatest foreign policy disaster of Obama’s administration to date and bankrupt the US.

Contrary to the Administration’s claims, the only security threat Syria poses to the US will be the one we create by arming Al Qaeda affiliated rebel groups that openly espouse destruction to the US and Israel.  The White House rationale for this undeclared and unnecessary war was that President Assad used chemical weapons.  In the midst of growing public scandals, does President Obama’s hypocrisy know no end?  First, it was then Senator Obama that openly attacked the Bush administration’s entry into what he deemed an illegal war in Iraq on fabricated intelligence even though the international community did believe Saddam Hussein still possessed weapons of mass destruction.  Yet now, President Obama wants the US to enter another war in the Middle East again on very dubious claims of chemical weapons and when no good argument for US interests exist.  Not only is Obama’s “intelligence” on chemical weapons suspect, but the investigations done by the United Nations, which are available for public scrutiny conclude that “if” chemical weapons were used, they were used by the “rebels” and NOT Assad’s forces.  This glaring contradiction to the Administration’s official spin was dismissed by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.  The White House departure from its long history of walking in lock step with the U.N. is certainly telling.  The problem this time is even the Washington Post which, known for its overt support of liberal policy and President Obama, called the Administration’s claims into question.  In the Post’s article it states; “Despite months of laboratory testing and scrutiny by top U.S. scientists, the Obama administration’s case for arming Syria’s rebels rests on unverifiable claims that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its own people, according to diplomats and experts.”  It goes on to say, “If you are the opposition and you hear” that the White House has drawn a red line on the use of nerve agents, then “you have an interest in giving the impression that some chemical weapons have been used,” said Rolf Ekeus, a Swedish scientist who headed up U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq during the 1990s.

Things are sounding an awful lot like the Bush-era false war propaganda about Iraqi chemical weapons with a touch of President Clinton’s policy of bombing “terrorist” targets at the height of the Monica Lewinsky Scandal.  Hopefully, the American people have finally learned their lesson and will demand to see the actual evidence and be given a legitimate reason why war is “necessary” this time, what our strategy is, and what is the desired end state.

One need not be a fortune-teller to foresee how U.S. involvement in Syria will go down as one of America’s greatest foreign policy disasters.  After being defeated in Iraq and now Afghanistan, the U.S. should have learned a few lessons about the folly of interventionist policy.  In the least, it should not be committing the U.S. to another war before it has at least finished its fight in Afghanistan.  In this regard, the hubris of the Obama Administration in this regard is staggering.  Now, not only has the U.S. entered a war against a nation, but it has entered a sectarian war between Shia and Sunnis that has split Islam since the seventh century.  This war extends far beyond Syria’s borders and is engulfing the entire Muslim world.

Currently, approximately 1,100 Marines and possibly up to a few thousand “advisors,” are in Jordan.  This is in addition to a small cadre of Special Forces and CIA case officers working closely with rebel elements in and out of Syria.  Further, U.S. forces are positioned to the north of Syria in Turkey and have been clandestinely supporting rebel training camps, NATO airbases, and air defense facilities.  As Washington’s plan to arm the rebels fails to save their strategy to overthrow Assad, Obama will be forced to increase American intervention.  This will likely involve the implementation of a “no-fly zone” and will be the next step towards a hot war with Syria and Iran.

Obama is no doubt in a dilemma.  He foolishly thought the he could use proxies to topple Assad in order to destroy Iran’s fifth column in the preliminary phases of the ongoing cold war with Iran.  The failure of the rebels means Washington must either face humiliation as its policy to remove Assad collapses or now openly enter into a war on the side of rebels previously known as terrorists, insurgents, and jihadists.  Obama has doubled down on the rebels.  Of the rebel forces, Jordanian intelligence estimates upwards of 80% of their combat power and front line fighters are jihadists that have avowed the destruction of both the US and Israel.  In fact, even US allies in the Middle East have openly called into contention the notion the CIA can distribute advanced military weapons only to secular Sunni rebel forces in Syria.  Supporting this skepticism is the fact the most powerful element within the Syrian rebel force is the al-Nusrah Front, which is allied to al-Qaeda.  As such, the thought that the US can arm these jihadists turned rebels and not directly endanger American lives is so foolish; the mere suggestion is an absolute bald face lie.  Therefore, the sudden policy shift and use of the chemical weapons rationale to arm the rebels exposes the true nature of Washington’s intent to use Syria as a stepping stone toward an ultimate showdown with Iran.   As Obama’s administration is forced toward war with Iran by special interests, he will now have to demonstrate greater and greater involvement.

Moving forward, the US now owns the civil war in Syria.  Obama has joined forces with known Al Qaeda terrorists to fight an equally nasty dictator.  Neither of which support US interests.  The newly armed and resurgent rebels will not hesitate to attack US interests at the first opportunity.  American’s will die because of this policy disaster.  Washington and by default, the American people, will now be blamed every time the rebels commit an atrocity.  These Sunni extremists are the same brand that attacked the US on 9/11 and there is no reason to expect them to act any differently in the future.  We are indeed creating our own enemies.

The violence has now fully spilled over into a regional conflict.  Hezbollah in Lebanon has now committed fully to the war.  Iran has committed to support Assad as well and has sent thousands of troops to support Assad’s military.  Qatar and Saudi Arabia are sending billions in arms and equipment.  Turkey’s streets are on fire with protests.  Egypt is now warning of outright civil war.  Israel is on high alert and dealing with daily cross border fire from the conflict in Syria.  Iraq is now fully re-engulfed with sectarian violence as we previously warned would occur.

How President Obama believes that any good for the US can come of providing US military weapons and equipment to a motley collection of known terrorists, international jihadists, and Sunni extremists is beyond rational logic.  No matter how the conflict ends in Syria, the party that takes or retains power will be openly hostile to the US.  Not only are our analysts predicting greater bloodshed, but we now see all of the signs of a full-blown regional conflict that has the potential to rapidly draw the US back into a full-scale disastrous war that will likely be the final blow to America’s global economic and political dominance.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

June 26, 2013

All rights reserved

Syria Becomes Battleground for Global Proxy War

June 12, 2013 Al Qaeda, Iran, Israel, Military, News and Intelligence Comments Off on Syria Becomes Battleground for Global Proxy War

The Syrian Civil War is poised to explode into full scale sectarian violence that will engulf the region as a global proxy war is played out on Syrian soil.  Recent news reports cite Iraqi Shia fighters trained by Iran have been joining ranks with Hezbollah militants in Syria.  These combined forces are supporting Syrian President Assad’s legitimate government forces against a Syrian rebel army that is comprised mainly of Sunni Muslims.  Like the Syrian government’s forces, the rebel army is also comprised of a large contingent of foreign fighters.  As we have repeatedly warned, the vanguard rebel fighters are Sunni extremists from around the globe, which include a large contingent of Sunni Iraqis and others waging global jihad.  These rebel fighters have sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda, support the Muslim Brotherhood, and have announced that when they are done fighting in Syria, the USA will be next.  As such, one would think the US would want to see President Assad prevail.  Ironically, though, this is not the case.  This article will review the regional and global competitors in this conflict and why the US is worried Assad will defeat the Al Qaeda led rebels.

At the regional level, as discussed in part above, a Shia versus Sunni war has developed in the Middle East and Syria is ground zero.  On the rebel side you have countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia sending large sums of money to finance the rebel army while they look the other way when their citizens leave their country to wage jihad in Syria.  Jordan and Turkey are actively providing training facilities and logistical support to the rebel armies.  Iraq’s population is split down sectarian lines in its support of the rebels.  The US, Israel, and EU have all aligned against President Assad and have covertly been supporting the rebels by procuring weapons and medical equipment, was well as providing training and intelligence.  Finally, you have countries from around the world like Chechnya and Libya whose citizens have flocked to Syria to fight with the rebels.  These jihadists once united in combat become infinitely more radicalized, better trained and equipped, and very well organized.  Ultimately, they become very dangerous terrorists that will attack the US and their former host countries.  This same pattern played out during the Soviet War in Afghanistan where a little known Saudi named Osama bin Laden began financing jihadists and organizing what became known as Al Qaeda.

Opposing this rebel jihadist army are equally dedicated Shia fighters.  This includes Iraqi Shia and perhaps Kurds and Lebanese based Hezbollah fighters.  Hezbollah is backed by weapons and money from Iran.  Specifically, Iran has provided state level support to Syria, which includes weapons, advisors, and most likely fighters.  However, it is Russia that is ultimately President Assad’s most powerful and persuasive supporter.  Russian President Putin has to date successfully prevented the US, Israel, and the EU from directly attacking Syria and has been providing advanced weapons systems to Syria.

Based on the nationality and religious allegiance of the fighters in Syria, one can clearly see how the entire Middle East is represented and could be pulled into the Syrian conflict.  As we have previously reported, Iraq, the central lynchpin of the Middle East, is being ripped apart by this conflict.  Sectarian violence has reemerged with a vengeance across Iraq as happened during their previous civil war and the one now raging in Syria will metastasize into one giant regional Sunni-Shia showdown.  If President Assad is not successful in routing the Sunni jihadists, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia will without doubt become the next targets of this growing terrorist army.  Make no mistake, this is a fight for keeps and the winner takes all.  Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has stated publicly that the group’s existence depends on defeating the Sunni rebel army against Assad.  “Hezbollah is fully engaged in the battlefield.  And this is a major shift.  It’s no longer them trying to protect villages along the border in Lebanon; it’s waging battle alongside the Syrian government forces … willing to sustain casualties and shoulder the consequences,” said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics.

At the global level, Russia has moved naval forces into the region not seen since the height of the Cold War.  The Russian show of force includes various warships and submarines armed with nuclear weapons.  Russia is no doubt signaling to the US that it is not willing to accept a loss of its only warm water port in Syria and will back its most trusted regional ally.  The EU wants a pipeline from Qatar to break the Russian monopoly on European energy supplies, so has at least tacitly thrown its support behind the rebels.  China sees the US as a threat and realizes that another US war in the region will further weaken Washington.  As such, China is positioning itself to exploit the chaos at the expense of the US.  This includes making deals with both sides all while staying out of the fight.

However, the US has been the driving force behind the civil war that has led to the deaths of over 80,000 people.  To accomplish this, the US has been covertly organizing, training, equipping, and advising the rebel forces from Jordan, Turkey, and now Syria proper.  Per our previous reports, factions within the US are determined to attack Iran and recognize Syria as a critical stepping stone in achieving this war.  As the war plan goes, Syria and Hezbollah must be taken out first to insulate Israel from counter attacks.  When Syria and Hezbollah are seen as sufficiently degraded, a pretext would be used to launch an overt military strike on Iran, which would include using an air corridor opened through eastern Syria.  However, this could not be achieved through a direct attack by the US, which would polarize the world against the US and be seen even by Americans as too egregious, so proxies were chosen to do the dirty work as per Cold War unconventional war doctrine.  This plan has been implemented to assuage Israeli fears of the US doing nothing about a nuclear Iran in hopes of at least delaying Israel from striking Iran and sucking the US into a disastrous war.  Ironically, it will make the situation far worse for the US and Israel.  Nonetheless, the US has responded by moving its own naval forces into the region.  The US has stationed an aircraft carrier battle group in the Mediterranean and recently deployed approximately 1100 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit into Jordan where they will meet up with Special Forces and other US military units already on the ground.  This deployment is using the cover of being a routine annual military exercise with Jordan codenamed, Operation Infinite Moonlight.  Further, in Turkey, the US has positioned Patriot II air defense missiles and set up CIA supported training camps for rebel fighters while threatening greater NATO escalation should Syria try to fight back.  Finally, Israel has repeatedly provoked and flagrantly violated Syria’s sovereignty by launching repeated air strikes against various targets throughout Syria.

The combined Syrian government forces are winning against all the covert efforts of Washington and this scares the White House.  In fact, the Syrian Army is now poised to launch a large scale counteroffensive around Damascus designed to route rebel forces and drive them out of the suburbs.  “Planes are dropping off fully armed fighters from Hezbollah and the Iraqi Fadl Brigades,” said opposition activist Abu Yasser.  Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based terrorist group and the Fadl Brigades are Iranian-trained Shiite Muslim militants from Iraq.  According to USA Today, both groups are likely destined for the fight in al-Qusayr, a town near the Lebanese border that is at the center of the rebels’ supply routes for ammo and fighters, Yasser said.  What one must understand from this is that Syria has now become the battleground for a proxy war being waged by regional and global competitors and Washington’s rebel army is not winning.  This likely means the White House will need to execute more overt and risky interventionist strategies to bring about the desired rebel victory.  The rationale is that failure for Washington to engineer a rebel victory will force a complete recalculation of the Iranian War Plan.

If Washington’s proxy army in Syria loses, the US will be forced to enter the war directly.  To do this, Washington must engineer a situation that forces unilateral military action in Syria, which the American people are firmly against.  This overt action will not only cause a violent regional response, but also trigger a Russian response.  Even a limited Russian response such as providing increased military support to the Syrian army will make any US efforts incredibly costly if not futile.  Already, repeated staged crises have failed to pull the American public behind any intervention.  These attempts include Turkey trying to invoke a NATO response after provoking Syrian air defenses to shoot down a Turkish military jet violating its airspace and blaming the Syrian army for what likely was rebel mortar fire into Turkey.  Further, Assad was blamed for using chemical weapons against the rebels until the truth came out that it was in fact the rebels that had used the chemical weapons.  Other blatant propaganda such as staging and doctoring photos of the injured and dead have also failed to convince the average American that they have joint interests in Syria.  As a result, the US and EU will likely begin massive covert arming of the rebels, which may or may not turn the tide of battle, but will certainly lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.  If this too fails, Israel will likely demand direct US action in Syria or launch its own attack on Iran.  This will be a choice of two evils.  Both will ultimately be too costly for the US, which has painted itself into a corner.  If the rebels win, Muslim extremists will control a large military with advance weapons on Israel’s border, which will destabilize the entire region and threaten the US.  If the rebels lose, Iran will be firmly established as a regional player on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

Washington’s interventionist policies have created a situation where the US is in a lose-lose situation.  Israeli interests have hijacked US foreign policy for the worst leading either to a disastrous war with Iran or the rise of extremist Muslim nations.  In conclusion, we have passed a point in the Syrian Civil War where we could have cut our losses.  Instead, we doubled down and are now in a position that virtually assures the US will be drawn into another costly war before the end of 2013.

 

By Guiles Hendrik

June 11, 2013

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The Owen Technique®: Perfecting Night Shooting with a Handgun

June 10, 2013 Special Skills, Survival Skills, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures Comments Off on The Owen Technique®: Perfecting Night Shooting with a Handgun

Why you must train at night:

I find it interesting how many fellow gun owners discuss preparedness and training with their choice home defense weapons, but few have actually practiced low light shooting.  This leaves them woefully unprepared to operate under the condition most likely for situations where they will require the use of a handgun for defense.  Home invasions, robberies, sexual assaults, and a host of other crimes are all too often committed during the hours of darkness.  The reason is simple.  Criminals operate when people are least prepared and when they are most unlikely to be detected.  This article discusses some of the key considerations for using a tactical light with a handgun.

If you own a firearm and intend to use it to defend yourself, your family, and your home, you must practice with it at night.  Learning on the fly after awakening in your bed to glass breaking in the middle of the night is not the time to learn.  In fact, if you haven’t prepared, it is unlikely you even have a flashlight collocated with your handgun.  This may be one of the first rules to remember.  Always collocate your combat light and weapon together.  Without the light, you risk failing to properly identify your target and cannot effectively engage it should it be a threat.  Many will be quick to suggest that one should just turn on the lights, which is a good idea.  However, during disasters such as Katrina when power was out for extended periods of time and looting was extensive, you did not have that option.  Further, one may be confronted in poorly lit parking lots, streets, or in areas where artificial lighting is not available or sufficient.  Remember, there is good reason why every police officer carries AT LEAST one flashlight.

If you do not have access to training ranges that allow for low light firearms training, you still can prepare.  At night or in the dark, practice various techniques of holding both a firearm and flashlight while clearing your own home until you find one that is comfortable for you and then become proficient with that technique.   Training should include situations where the target is dimly lit (low light), back lit, and is completely hidden in the dark (requires use of a flashlight).  Many good websites discuss various methods such as the Owen®, Harries, FBI, and Chapman techniques for using a handgun with a flashlight so try them all.  Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages.  Further, watch YouTube videos of various close quarters combat methods for individually clearing a room, structure, and or home.  Couple these techniques to fit your needs best.  Remember to always discuss and rehearse any plans with family members.  These plans should include preparing and rehearsing movement to and/or hard pointing in safe areas so that family members are not confused with criminals by accident.

Selecting the right light:

Selecting a good flashlight for shooting can be daunting today with all of the choice.  Flashlight technology has come a long way.  The days of the giant Maglite have passed and today’s market is ruled by tiny, lightweight, super tough, high intensity “combat lights.”  Further, incandescent bulbs, which had a tendency to break from shock proved inadequate for combat situations, have been replaced by much brighter, more robust, and highly efficient LEDs.  Flashlights using LEDs can produce a brighter beam with less heat much longer than the older incandescent bulbs using the same type and number of batteries.  Further, these flashlights typically use compact and powerful lithium or rechargeable batteries to maximize the lumen output.

The market offers a wide variety of quality tactical lights.  Many law enforcement and military personnel have found Streamlight, SureFire, ICON, Fenix, Inova, Insight Tech, and OLight brands some of the best, but shop around.  There are dozens of great manufacturers offering a host of lights and accessories.  This allows one to pick the right flashlight for their individual needs, body mechanics, weapon, etc.  My everyday carry tactical flashlight is the Surefire Z2X Combat Light with a high intensity LED.  Nearly all combat lights have a push-button switch at the base of the flashlight for one-handed operation.  This is a mandatory feature, but make sure the switch has some type of built in safety to prevent accidently turning on the light or running your battery out.  Select a light with a high intensity LED that can produce very intense light at over 160 lumens.  This can temporarily disorient an attacker at night giving you a tactical advantage in reaction time.  Finally, nearly all come in rugged, lightweight, aluminum housings, but make sure the light you get is bullet proof and has good O-rings to prevent water and humidity from getting into the light and ruining it.

Respective of weapon mounted lights, they are great if one trains with them.  However, they are expensive and in the case of handguns require a special holster that is much bulkier and harder to conceal with the light already mounted.  Further, because the light shines in line with the barrel of the weapon, anything you point the light at will also be “flagged” by the rifle/shotgun.  This violates the primary firearms safety rule of never pointing a weapon at anything you don’t intend to shoot.  As such, it does not sit well with many users and instructors since the potential for a scared and nervous person to shoot the first thing illuminated is high.  For those willing to accept the risk and properly train, it is indeed very convenient to have a light pre-mounted on a rifle or shotgun since the effective operation of a rifle requires two hands.  Nonetheless, one can still operate a rifle or a shotgun with a handheld flashlight using proper techniques that will be discussed in a later post on night fighting with rifles and shotguns.  For handgun, many believe the hand held light is still best due to its versatility and the ability to effectively fire a pistol with one hand.

How to fire my pistol with a flashlight:

Most techniques teach the shooter to hold the handgun in the strong hand and the light in the weak hand.  This provides the shooter the choice of illuminating a danger area to first determine if a threat is there before quickly aiming the pistol at the target or simultaneously sweeping for a threat while pointing the weapon in the same direction.  This also allows for offset holds that do not give away your exact position.  Further, you may need to clear around a corner or get down on your stomach in a prone position where it would be much better to have a flashlight free in the weak hand.  Based on how you intend to employ your weapon and light, various techniques can be used.  Try various methods and positions and practice often.

I for general use, I recommend the Owen Technique® of tactical night shooting as one of the most effective means of employing a handgun simultaneously with a small, high intensity, tactical style flashlight.  The advantages of this grip over other previous methods are many.  For starters it allows one to fire with the weak hand wrist tilted and locked out for better accuracy.  This weak hand grip technique is employed by many professional shooters, law enforcement, and military personnel as well as being the technique taught to federal agents such as the US Marshalls, BATFE, and DEA.  Since the grip allows for a locked wrist with forward hand placement on the gun, it also allows for significantly better recoil management.  This allows for accurate shots in rapid succession that are virtually impossible using methods such as the Harries technique.  Finally, it allows for the light beam to be focused in line with the muzzle so that what you illuminate is what you are aimed in on.  For those familiar with the Rogers/SureFire Technique, it is similar, but as stated above, allows for better weak hand placement for improved accuracy and recoil management as well as easier and more controlled manipulation of the lights on/off switch.  Those more comfortable with the older Chapman Technique will find the Owen Technique® very easy to adjust to since it is equally effective with old style top mounted push button lights like the Maglite and smaller, rear cap equipped push button flashlights.

2 1To perform the Owen Technique®, the flashlight is held by the thumb as the light rests inline and on top of the area between the knuckle and middle joint of the index finger when using a shooting grip with the wrist pointed forward and locked out.  The hand and light positioning allows for the weak side index finger to point forward with the gun or wrap the trigger guard depending on shooter preference and size of the light and handgun.  The remaining weak hand fingers wrap around the pistol grip over the strong side fingers per a normal grip.  The strong side grip is virtually left unchanged other than the thumb, which still wraps the handgun’s pistol grip but stays slightly

straight with the thumb pointing up at about a 45 degree angle so that the pad of the thumb can depress rear equipped push button switches.  In the event of a top mounted push button switch, the thumb is simply rested along the top edge of the flashlight along the frame of the handgun and the weak side thumb is used to activate the top mounted push button.   For rear cap equipped push button lights, the shooter has a choice of lightly pressing the light back into the thumb of the strong side hand or using the thumb of the strong side hand to directly press the button to turn the light on/off.

 

For additional information, I found the below website to be useful and succinct:

http://www.floridacarry.org/education/self-defense/23-using-a-tactical-flashlight

 

By Guiles Hendrik

June 8, 2013

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