Showing posts with label Off the Grid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Off the Grid. Show all posts

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Feds and Rumors of Feds

I read two very troubling posts today and I feel I have to comment. If they are true (and I have no reason to believe yet that they aren’t), then things are speeding up and it sends a cold shiver down my spine. Never a good sign.

Of the two, I’ll address the one on the feds going to a food cannery first as it bothers me the most. Oathkeepers put up an excellent post today: Federal Agents Demand Customer Lists From Mormon Food Storage Facility. They say this has already been verified to be true.

In short, the Feds went to a Mormon cannery in Tennessee and wanted the list of all those who had purchased bulk food. When the proprietor informed them that no such list exists, they asked for credit card receipts or anything else that would give them info on the customers who did business there. The owner then told them that it was a cash-and-carry business and they would not give them that info either. Good for them. It is none of the Feds business who is buying or how much. From Oathkeepers:

A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man that manages the facility related to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals that had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager and personally confirmed this information.

I believe this is a precursor to accusing Americans of ‘hoarding’ food and passing regulation both prohibiting bulk food purchases and the seizure from homes of such food caches. This would be blatantly unconstitutional and fascist. It is a level of tyranny we have not seen in our lifetimes in the Land of the Free, but I fear it is almost upon us. Be very careful who you tell that you have stockpiles of food. Keep your private life quiet and protect your family and their future by being discrete.

The next troubling part of the report:

And here in Tennessee, we just learned that Nashville Metro Public Health and the Tennessee Department of Health are conducting “door-to-door assessment of disaster preparedness … using a tool designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to go door to door and check to see how disaster ready you are. .. in 30 neighborhoods in Davidson County [TN] that have been randomly selected to be the target of a door to door assessment.” I have confirmed that that is a state run effort.

This sounds like government and state reconnaissance of individual households to find out if they are hoarding food and/or weapons. Not good. The local government claims that they have good intentions – I don’t believe it. You cannot trust the government and the Feds. They are not doing any of this out of concern for you. I smell a rat, big time here. Oathkeepers states it flatly and correctly:

“Deprivation of food has long been a weapon of war and oppression, with millions intentionally starved to death by fascist and communist governments in the 20th Century alone.

Accordingly, we will not obey or facilitate orders to confiscate food and other essential supplies from the people, and we will consider all those who issue or carry out such orders to be the enemies of the people.”

If those who carry out such orders to confiscate food are enemies of the people, then that same label also fits anyone in the government compiling lists of Americans who store food. There is no legitimate reason for the Department of Homeland Security to compile such lists. Al Qaida suicide bombers are not known to store powdered milk and buckets of wheat. Nor are they known to store away dehydrated carrots and instant potatoes, or fruit punch mix for the kids. But the Mormons are known to do so, and so are many other Americans who have the common sense and maturity to take personal responsibility for ensuring that their families will have food, come what may.

It is part of Mormon Church religious doctrine to store food for hard times and emergencies, with a recommendation that each family store a year’s worth of basic dry goods along with three months worth of store-bought canned and boxed foods. To facilitate that practice, the Mormon Church runs its own food storage canneries selling powdered milk, wheat, flour, rice and beans, sugar, salt, and various other dry goods either in bulk 50 lb bags or in #10 cans for long term food storage (up to 30 years for some items). These Church canneries also often sell food storage items to non-church members, seeing it as both morally right and prudent to help their neighbors store food, whatever their faith. The cannery in Tennessee that was “visited” by federal agents follows that practice of helping the general public become better prepared.

On to the second post of interest. This is rumor and has not been confirmed, but where there is smoke there is usually fire. This is said to have occurred in the National Guard:

He just got home from a EDRE (emergency deployment readiness exercise) at the armory. He said that during the exercise 3 companies of infantry were polled by questionnaire about the drill and it’s purpose. One of the questions was, will you as a member of the Nat. Guard use lethal force against the American public if ordered to do so? One of the men stepped forward and refused to take the poll and explained that it was a moral judgment on his part and that he could not do so. He then placed his weapon on the ground and fell in behind the formation. Devon said it was like a waterfall, Every member laid their weapons on the deck and fell in beside the one lone specialist. This included ALL NCO’s, STAFF NCO’s and SENIOR NCO’s. The only people left in front of the original formation was 3 Capt’s. 2 Lt’s and the BN Commander who was so upset he started having chest pains from yelling and screaming about court martials and disbandment of the unit into other units.

The Specialist who first laid down his weapon was held in county jail by the Bn CMDR, awaiting a hearing under the UCMJ. He was there for a few hours and has been released. An investigation is being conducted into those who started the poll and no charges against the soldiers are being filed.

If this turns out to be true, it is very disturbing. I am gratified the soldiers behaved as they did, but why was this EVER asked of them? From Oathkeepers:

Again, this is unconfirmed, and we are working on confirming it. Please keep that in mind. But this is certainly the kind of mass, whole-unit stand-down that may well become necessary, especially in light of the treason of the US Senate, which voted 93-7 to authorize military detention and trial of U.S. citizens — claiming the power to apply the laws of war to the American people in the same way as they are used on a conquered, enemy population, like Iraq or Afghanistan. While National Guard units can, and have been used for riot control without violating their oath, we suspect that this survey was asking them about whether they would do something far worse than just keep the peace during riots. We will do our best to get to the bottom of this, and provide all details once confirmed.

If accurate, this is reminiscent of the stand-down during Katrina by SSGT Joshua May’s Utah National Guard Unit, where the whole unit let their commander know, in a peremptory refusal, that they would not participate in any gun confiscation.

The young man who originally posted this on Facebook will not be posting on it further out of respect for his friends and the fact that the military is now investigating this internally. I would really like to know for certain whether this happened or not, because if true, it is like the canary in the coalmine and baby, she’s blasting for all she’s worth if this occurred. I read the comments on this and people are upset and very concerned over it and rightly so.

There is soooo much going on that I can’t keep up with it. But I sense things are beginning to spiral out of control and next summer should be a doozy. Store food, get items to barter and buy guns and lead. Keep it to yourself and get ready for one hell of a ride. I’m sure we’ll hear much more on Feds and rumors of Feds…

Recommended Preparedness Resources:

http://www.providentliving.org/
http://www.survivalblog.com
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com
http://www.opperationsleepinggiant.com

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton at the NoisyRoom

Related:

From Oath Keepers:

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/12/08/oath-keepers-alert-federal-agents-demand-customer-lists-from-mormon-food-storage-facility/

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/12/08/oath-keepers-receive-tip-of-national-guard-unit-stand-down-refusing-to-answer-questionaire-asking-if-they-would-use-force-against-the-american-people/

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Ready for Life ‘Off the Grid’?: GBTV Launches Reality Show ‘Independence U.S.A.’

Here’s the news release:

GBTV LAUNCHES ITS FIRST REALITY SHOW- INDEPENDENCE U.S.A.

Video: Ready for Life ‘Off the Grid’?

This January 2012, Join the Belcastro Family as They Prepare for an Independent Life Off the Grid Co-Production Between GBTV and The WorkShop, L.L.C. Whose Team Has Produced Shows For History, ESPN, HGTV, Travel Channel, Lifetime, Discovery Channel and TLC, Among Others

(New York, NY December 13th, 2011) GBTV, Glenn Beck’s live streaming video network unveiled today its first reality show, Independence U.S.A. The show follows Frank Belcastro and his family as they try and become completely independent and prepare for life “off the grid.” Independence U.S.A. is being produced by GBTV and The WorkShop, L.L.C. whose team has produced shows for History, ESPN, ESPN Classic, Animal Planet, HGTV, trutv, Travel Channel, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, TLC, The Golf Channel, and Broadcast Syndication. The show will debut on January 18th 2012 and will air weekly on Wednesdays.

Concerned that the economy could collapse? Or that a natural disaster could wipe out our infrastructure? So is Frank, and he is doing something about it! Believing that America has become too reliant on a crumbling foundation, Frank is preparing his family for life “off the grid,” admiring the way people lived in the 19th century. Like them, he longs to become completely independent. So he is embarking on one project at a time hoping to prepare his family for the worst, such as building a car that runs on wood in case gasoline supplies are interrupted, becoming expert hunters when grocery stores are no longer in existence, and making his own alcohol for barter when the dollar collapses. Frank does it all with determination, intelligence, and good humor. He’ll need all that and more, as he attempts to motivate a family that neither shares his fervor nor wishes to sacrifice the comforts and conveniences of 21st century life. In the series premiere- “A Hunting We Will Go”- we meet the Belcastro’s as they set out on a journey to be a self-sufficient family. Frank wants the family to be able to hunt and kill their own food but not every one is on board. Starting with making their own weapons Frank and his son Adam really learn an appreciation for the hunt but wonder if they will succeed.

Joel Cheatwood, President of Programming at GBTV said: “Independence U.S.A. is the perfect way for GBTV to enter the reality genre and promises to be an entertaining and informative look at how one family tries to grapple with their concerns for America.”

Frank Belcastro said: “This show, for me, is a fun and sometimes funny way to get people to open their eyes and see what’s going on. Americans are so reliant on the infrastructure around them but when you can create something with your own hands and everybody works as a team, everybody does a part, you can focus on the positive of this. You can spend time with your family and your community.”

This announcement follows the recent news that GBTV signed a deal with Icebox, the innovative animation production company to jointly develop an animated comedy series. Since its launch, GBTV has already added a wide range of original programming including Liberty Tree House and the comedy news show The B.S. of A. GBTV features Glenn’s two-hour show, which is broadcast live weekdays from 5 to 7PM ET from a newly-built set designed by Glenn and his team at the iconic NEP Studios in Midtown Manhattan. The show, which will be moving to Dallas next year, features Glenn’s unique fusion of entertainment and enlightenment and includes contributors like Amy Holmes, Will Cain, S.E. Cupp and Raj Nair.

Learn More About The Belcastro Family:

Frank Belcastro
“The Man with the Plan”
A carpenter by trade, Frank’s not afraid to experiment in order to get his family one step closer to self-sufficiency but will he succeed? No idea is too big for Frank and he always sees them through. His family doesn’t always agree with him, but they’re always on his side.

Kim Belcastro
“The Skeptic”
Reluctant to accept change and always afraid of what she’s going to come home and find, Kim is always there to question Frank’s ideas. Afterall, it’s her house too and when you bring Frank’s ideas to life anything can happen!

Adam Belcastro
“The Wingman”
The youngest of the family, Adam is a local fire chief and Frank’s right hand man. No matter how crazy Frank’s idea is Adam is ready and willing to try it. Together this Father-Son team is unstoppable.

Emma Belcastro
“The Realist”
Emma is so comfortable in modern society that she doesn’t always see the point in her dad’s plans. She is always there to give Frank a hard time but at the end of the day she believes he has their best interest at heart.

About Mercury Radio Arts

Mercury Radio Arts is Glenn Beck’s fully integrated multi-media production company. Mercury produces all Glenn Beck related properties including The Glenn Beck Program, America’s third highest-rated radio show, Beck’s New York Times bestselling books, and his live stage-show business.

Mercury’s digital platforms now include GlennBeck.com, the fan portal; GBTV, the live streaming video network; Markdown.com, the e-commerce site for connecting consumers with valuable discounts; and TheBlaze.com, the News & Information network.

Founded in 2002, Mercury has a full time staff of over 100 employees and is based in New York, NY.

About The Workshop, L.L.C.

The WorkShop, L.L.C. is an independently owned production company that specializes in creating high quality professional content. Whether The WorkShop is producing a broadcast television series or a broadband “webisode” series, each client is guaranteed to work with our award winning team of professionals. This multimedia service approach allows our client to choose the distribution platform for their project and have it executed in a way that best suits their consumers. The management team at The WorkShop has produced shows for The Golf Channel, History, ESPN, ESPN Classic, Animal Planet, HGTV, trutv, Travel Channel, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, TLC, and Broadcast Syndication.

Source:  The Blaze

Friday, March 4, 2011

Homegrown Revolution: Something We Should All Be Doing!!

One of the best things you can do to help your budget, be prepared and gain a level of freedom is growing your own food.

Yes, You Can Survive The Coming Economic Nightmare – One Family In California Grows 6,000 Pounds Of Produce On Just 1/10th Of An Acre If you work hard and get prepared, you can survive the economic nightmare that is coming. All over the United States and around the world there are millions of people that are learning how to become more self-sufficient. For example, there is one family that is actually producing 6000 pounds of produce on just 1/10th of an acre right in the middle of Pasadena, California. In fact, they grow so much food that they are able...

Yes, You Can Survive The Coming Economic Nightmare – One Family In California Grows 6,000 Pounds Of Produce On Just 1/10th Of An Acre

If you work hard and get prepared, you can survive the economic nightmare that is coming.  All over the United States and around the world there are millions of people that are learning how to become more self-sufficient.  For example, there is one family that is actually producing 6000 pounds of produce on just 1/10th of an acre right in the middle of Pasadena, California.  In fact, they grow so much food that they are able to sell much of it to restaurants in the area.  Video of this incredible "urban homestead" is posted below.  The key is to start with what you have.  The family in the video below would like to have a large acreage, but for now they have turned what they do have into an absolute miracle.  Yes, a horrific economic nightmare is coming to this country, but you don't have to be afraid.  One of the main reasons why so many of us are trying to warn people about what is coming is so that they will wake up and take massive action to become self-sufficient like the people in the video below have.

If you are not already growing your own food, now is a great time to get started.  According to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the global price of food rose 2.2% during the month of February to a new all-time record high.  In fact, this was the third month in a row that the global price of food has set a new record.

2.2% may not sound like a lot, but if the global price of food were to increase by that amount every single month during 2011 by the end of the year the global price of food will have gone up by 26.4%.

26.4% food inflation is something that is very, very serious - especially in those areas of the world where millions are already teetering on the brink of starvation.

As I have written about previously, the world is on the verge of a major food crisis.  The price of corn has increased by 33 percent just since December, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. corn reserves will dropto a 15 year low by the end of 2011.  Many other agricultural commodities are also in short supply and are experiencing significant increases in price.

So now is a great time to try to become more self-sufficient.

After all, do you really want to eat the garbage they sell you in the stores anyway?  Today, virtually all corn and virtually all soy has been genetically-modified, and more "frankenfoods" are being approved by the government all the time.

But it isn't just genetic modification that we need to be concerned about.  The reality of the situation is that most of the food that we buy is complete and total garbage.  The next time you go to the grocery store just take a few moments and read some of the labels of the products that you are buying.  The truth is that our foods are absolutely loaded with chemicals, poisons and toxins.

Those that learn to grow their own food will end up a lot more healthy in the long run.

But food is not the only area where we should be striving for self-sufficiency.  Water is being called "the oil of the 21st century" and already some very significant shortages are being reported in many areas of the United States.

In fact, some cities have already started to turn toilet water into tap water.  Fortunately this is not a widespread thing in the United States yet, but a number of localities are now seriously considering going to such a system.

Would you want to drink your own recycled toilet water in the future?

If not, perhaps now would be a great time to learn how to become more self-sufficient when it comes to water.

Even now, most localities are dumping massive amounts of fluoride and other toxic chemicals into our drinking water.  The tap water in most cities is so absolutely disgusting that it is a wonder that anyone is still willing to drink it.

In any event, the key is not to focus on the problems once you realize the truth.  Instead, the key is to focus on the solutions.

That is what one family in Pasadena, California is doing.  As mentioned above, they are producing a whopping 6,000 pounds of produce each year on just 1/10th of an acre....

sn't what that family is doing absolutely amazing?

Well, you can do it too.

For most Americans, the coming financial apocalypse is going to absolutely blindside them.

But that does not have to happen to you.  You know what is coming.  You have time to get prepared.

As I have written about previously, there are many other ways that you can start becoming more self-sufficient.

If you are currently dependent on a job, you can start developing alternate sources of income on the side.

If you are enslaved to the banks, you can reduce your expenses and start paying down debt.

If you have never had any self-defense training, now is a great time to get started.

There are hundreds of practical ways that you can begin preparing for the coming economic nightmare right now.  Just putting up some solar panels or starting a "victory garden" would be a great first step for many people.

The key is to stop fretting about things so much and to start taking action.

We have now entered a time in human history that is going to be extremely unstable, but that doesn't mean that we have to live in fear.

If you are new to all this and have no idea how to start becoming more self-sufficient, there are a lot of great websites out there that can help you out.  Some of the most popular ones are Prepper.Org, American Preppers Network and The Suburban Prepper.

But it doesn't have to be complicated.  Just start to take action.  Your family is going to need food, water, energy and shelter when the economy collapses.  Begin preparing now so that you will have those things when you need them.

Video:  Homegrown Revolution Trailer: Premiers Wild & Scenic Film Festival Jan 9-11  -  Trailer

Video:  HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION - Radical Change Taking Root  -  10 mins

Video:  Micro Farm "GROW" Backyard Farm

**If you have weather issues… consider a greenhouse.

Bartering

The Hidden Dangers of Your Home-Grown Veggies

Audio: GB WARNS OF CATASTROPHIC EVENT & NEEDING TO STOCKPILE FOOD

Monday, December 20, 2010

How to Get Started In Off-Grid Communications

The FCC’s Threat to Internet Freedom and Freedom of Speech

Dec 20th, 2010 -  by David M. Hill, Sr.  -  Off the Grid News

People often ask what the best option is for off-grid communication. There is only one answer to this question that makes sense to me and that is the wonderful world of amateur radio or ham radio.

The reason is quite simple—ham radio is the only legal form of two-way radio that you can get involved in that will provide you with all levels of communication ability. If local communications are all you are interested in, ham radio has it. If you want to expand your capability to a more regional level, ham radio provides that as well. But if you would also like to open the entire world to your communications ability, then ham radio is your only answer for reliable off-grid communications.

No other radio service can provide all of this to you, and it’s very simple to get involved in ham radio today. There have been many books published on this subject and I am not going to try to re-invent the wheel here. I am simply going to share some ways for you to consider beginning your journey into the wonderful world of ham radio. Ham radio has something to offer everyone and it takes a big book to cover all the different modes that ham radio operators can use. What we are going to focus on is reliable off-grid communications and how you can get started on the path to reach whatever goal you set for yourself.

Your First Step…

Make the decision to expand your communications ability and then start studying to get your entry level license. We will first cover one of the most popular ways to accomplish this. You can take practice tests online for free at http://www.qrz.com/xtest2.html. That is how I got started and many people I know did it this way as well. There are 100 different tests for the technician level and each test consists of 35 multiple-choice questions. That sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that, once you get thru the first ten or fifteen tests, many of the questions will repeat on the following test numbers.

Here is another very popular choice for getting started and one that I think does a much better job of actually teaching you the material. This is a much better choice for those that do not know anything about radio communications or electronics. This is not free, but it is very inexpensive in the grand scheme of things. Go to this website at:  http://www.hamtestonline.com/study.jsp

Now for those of you that prefer a classroom environment or have limited online resources, there are many classes held by local ham radio clubs. One of the guys involved with our group at the APRN did it this way. His story is rather unique in today’s society.

This man has a farm in upstate New York that does not have grid power. He does not own a computer, and he has no motor vehicle. He uses a horse and buggy for transportation. He saw the need for communications and went to the local library to do research. He found his local ham radio club and got in touch with them. They had a class coming up and, when he explained his transportation restrictions, one of the members stepped up and offered a ride to and from the classes so he could get his license. This goes to prove that there is no excuse for anyone not having a way to go get there license.

It is real simple folks—if you have the desire, someone in the ham radio world will be willing to help you accomplish your goal. You can locate your nearest ham radio club here at http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club. Once you have that page up, use the search box on the left side and enter your postal zip code to find one in your area.

There is one last way, just so all of the bases are covered and nobody has an excuse. For those of you that would prefer to read a book and learn that way, the ARRL puts out books for each of the three ham radio license classes. There are also other very good books out by Gordon West that are highly recommended by many. I have no affiliation to any of these. I am just trying to make it easy for you to get started in the wonderful world of ham radio! You can find the ARRL books here: http://www.arrl.org/shop/Licensing-Education-and-Training/

You can find many books on ham radio, including Gordon West books, on Amazon. Just search for ham radio or Gordon West. Amazon also has the ARRL books as well. Go to: http://www.amazon.com

73 “Best wishes in radio talk”
David M Hill, Sr.
W4DMH
Ham Radio Works When All Else Fails

http://www.taprn.com

Other articles in this issue:

Books:

Ham Radio for Dummies

Technician Class 2010-2014

Extra Class 2008-12 Element 4 FCC License Preparation

2007-11 General Class Audio Theory Course

Extra Class Audio Theory Course for 2008-12 FCC License Exam

Technician Class 2010-2014 Audio Theory Course