A Review Of "A Failure Of Civility"

I had read about this book in passing about a year ago and had downloaded the excerpt of it to read at length. I remember about how impressed I was about the length of the excerpt. Most free excerpts from authors only contain a chapter or two at most. The excerpt for A Failure of Civility (AFOC) was right around 80 pages in length. The two authors care that their information and knowledge is shared with as many people as possible.

A while back the Defensive Training Group had some copies available for purchase. I snapped one up right away.

Immediately I noticed the larger sized font and short paragraphs. The short paragraphs allow for concise, focused thoughts and ideas and the large font can be read under a flashlight or by firelight if necessary. For even more focus, there are gray stand out boxes that will explore a thought or define a term in more depth.

However, the items that really stuck out to me is the use of stories, both real and imagined, of what life is like under the conditions of AFOC. Stories from the Balkans (Selco's account from SHTFSchool.com), cities in the grip of rioting here in the states, and then imagined scenarios to drive home a point were perfect in grabbing the reader's attention and impart necessary knowledge.

Underlying it all was the idea that "bugging out" is not going to work for the vast majority of people. Instead, to tactically understand your neighborhood and develop the relationships to create an underpinning for the creation of Neighborhood Protection Plans (NPPs) and Neighborhood Protection Teams (NPTs) is the key to surviving. These are not "militias" or civilian "SWAT" teams, these are the grouping of neighbors who take upon themselves the responsibility of protecting their neighborhood.

The authors are unblinking in their portrayal of that possible reality. They list 22 possible Catastrophic Events that would change life as we know it that they believe could happen in our lifetime: financial collapse, war, EMP, cyber warfare, natural disasters, and so forth. No zombie apocalypse here. Yet the effects on everyday life for the survivors of such are listed. Common diseases that are minor today could be fatal in a AFOC situation. Many of things that happen behind closed doors today would be done in possible full view of others. The mental and psychological planning and preparing for these kinds of events is just as important as the physical preparations.

The book is really focused more on the suburban survivor of these kinds of events. There are interesting chapters on surviving in a multi-storied buildings. Having lived on an edge of a large city for the last several years, I can really appreciate the direction the authors have taken with this book.

Right now the Defensive Training Group is out of copies, but keep checking back on the link above to check for availability.

More Tactical Gear On A Budget

Most people involved in prepping, tactical shooting, and related topics are all typically "gear-dos." The biggest issue for me is the cost. Yes, quality can cost, but, does it have to cost so much? I do appreciate the modularity and adaptability of the Haley Strategic D3CR chest rig. However, the cost is above what I can afford.

What I often do is use what I have collected over the last 10-15 years and mash it together.

What I have here is one of the 5.11 tactical MOLLE chest rigs with a Condor 3 mag shingle. I added an admin pouch (which has a small compass) and a Leather Wave on the front. The GP pouch was added later. It contains a medkit. In the map pouch on the right side I placed a Cold Steel Roach Belly Knife.

What budget tactical gear have you put together?

Leave And An Upcoming Review

So Christmas Block Leave time has arrived. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. Saved up leave in order to take a little longer that the "normal" block leave period. Lots of things loaded and ready to go.

I have an upcoming review on the book "A Failure of Civility." It will be more about things that stand out to me rather than a blow by blow critique. There are plenty other reviews out there. I was fortunate to pick up a copy when the Defensive Training Group (see blog roll) had some available.

See you in a few...

Earthships: self-sustaining homes for a post-apocalyptic US?

Another great all encompassing idea for housing and food.

Stacked cargo containers in New Haven's "LEGO" apartments

I have been following this Youtube channel for some time and found this particular video very interesting. It would be interesting to try more creative designs in an area with less building code regulation.

Remembering Pearl Harbor, And The Alamo, And The Maine, And The Lusitania, And, And, And...

Today is the 73rd Anniversary of the attack on the US Navy Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over 2,000 Americans lost their lives that morning. It shook this nation to the core, awakening a slumbering giant to the drumbeat of war. What has been termed "the Greatest Generation" then changed the world, attacking and defeating fascism on two fronts.

Unfortunately in American history, there is a trend of this kind of event in order to shake the average American out of their stupor in order to for them to see what is going on in the world around them.

They will often say "Never Again!"

But then it does happen again. And again. And again.

Unfortunately, the contemporary media outlets at the time were pushing their agendas as well. Or the elected leaders of this country were aware of certain movements or plans by the other countries and were waiting for the right moment or "crisis" to bring their own plans into fruition.

So I list some of the other famous "Remember the..." moments from American History.

Remember the Alamo!

Remember Fort Sumter!

Remember the Maine!

Remember the Lusitania!

Remember Pearl Harbor!

Remember Ground Zero!

Remembering tragic events is important. They bring perspective. But always remember the contexts that brought those events to pass. These events did not just happen in a vacuum. There were always warning signs that they were were coming down the road. Exact dates or locations may not have always been obvious or known, but the signs were there.

What are some of the signs we see today?

What are some of the plans waiting in the wings?

What are the agendas of the media?

We must never forget or let our complacency return.

The Last Chase From 1981

“Extremism in the defense of virtue is no vice.”

Back either in the very late 80's or very early 90's I remember running into a movie that was playing on a weekend afternoon that had Lee Majors as a former race car driver in a world where oil and gas were all but gone. I have since discovered that the movie is called “The Last Chase.” It was released in 1981.

The complete movie is at the youtube link above.

Essentially the plot revolves around Lee Majors character. In a voice over sequence at the beginning of the movie, he explains about the unexplained disease that runs havoc across the country. Drastic changes were made throughout society and that twenty years later no private transportation was allowed. He explains how you “learned” to keep part of yourself hidden from everyone else. The computerized, camera tracking Police State is everywhere. It is not a nation of laws, but a people ruled by bureaucrats, totally believing that what they are doing is right.

Lee Majors' character escapes in his race car that he had hidden away from confiscation. The government sends a old pilot, CPT Williams, played by Burgess Meredith, to find him and stop him. Meredith's character has an interesting exchange with the real villain of the film, an uber-bureaucrat by the name of Hawkins:

Hawkins: What do you see there, Captain?

Captain J.G. Williams: I see a car and two people. Wow! Look at that... son of a bitch!

Hawkins: Much more than a car and two men.

Captain J.G. Williams: Well, that's all I can see.

Hawkins: This man's dangerous. This little joyride he's on is undermining the entire balance of this country.

Captain J.G. Williams: Sir, this is just one car... I mean, a little exhaust isn't going to upset the whole balance of the universe.

Hawkins: You are missing the metaphor.

Captain J.G. Williams: There's a meta-who?

Hawkins: I am talking about our entire way of life, Captain. We live in a society that has the greatest tranquility ever created by man. Furthermore, this society is more protected than any other in history. And do you know why?

Captain J.G. Williams: Well, I figured...

Hawkins: Because of the system. The system of our existence which has been worked out so perfectly. In fact, it is that system which dispelled the desperate quest for the impurities contained in mobility. The mobility which had driven this nation like rats, scurrying in every direction that led us nowhere. Nowhere! Now, we have removed that addiction and brought order and tranquility... the two most fragile flowers in any civilization. And this man, this fool, is defecating on those flowers! Staining the natural hygiene of our society and tampering with the world's most perfectly balanced system.

Captain J.G. Williams: Sir... what do you want me to do about it?

Honestly, the movie is really not that memorable, except for the fact that we are still seeing the same old totalitarian BS being shoved down our throats by means of the bureaucrats and by regulations of all sorts and not by law. We are living with cameras and our smart phones tracking our every move, for our own safety of course. I could spell out more area where governmental regulations invade our lives, but I will not. We see it everywhere. This is how change is made. Bit by bit. Line by line.

It is interesting to note that many script writers right up to the 2000s that California would somehow always be a bastion for freedom from Tyranny (depending on your definition of tyranny). This is a common theme with many Hollywood Dystopian films like “The Postman” and others. Reality, at least in the urban centers, is far from that.

The Barry Goldwater quote at the top of this piece: “Extremism in the defense of virtue is no vice...” was used by the Hawkins character in the movie. I had to do some research about this quote. I did find out that it was attributed to Barry Goldwater. However, just by the wording alone I initially thought that it would be attributed to Robespierre, the leader of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror in France. Many liberals today seek a “purity of virtue” that Robespierre would recognize and approve of. Many readers of the blog will probably roll their eyes and say, “there he goes again about Robespierre.” I think in many ways, Robespierre is the prototype for today's totalitarian radicals. The ideals that he championed are the same that are championed by many of today's leftists. Times may change. Human nature does not.

Still, it was a fun movie to find. A lot of scenes with a F-86 Sabre flying. I have always had a soft spot for that bird.