These blustery autumn days have made short work of stripping leaves from our hickories and oaks. Light shines on us again from forgotten angles, through windows that haven’t opened in six months. Maybe longer than that.
We have more wind comin’, too, according to the forecast.
Locals’ optimism about inbound rain is tempered by the knowledge that storms bring lightning. This parched land could take a spark in an instant, and wind could whip a small blaze into a catastrophe. I don’t know how you and your neighbors would deal with a threat like that, but ’round here, folks come together to pray.
That’s how it is.
I focus on what I can control and enjoy what I have. Fate deals the cards I play.
Through the treetops this morning, I could see the outline of the high ridge to our south and west. Looking north, I watched the sun dance over the slopes beyond Crooked Creek.
That’s also how it is.
I want to snip a couple of ravelings on the subject of the presidential election and what’s possible in its aftermath. I’ll probably have more to say over the next week, but these are the things that come to mind now.
First is the role of Trump as POTUS #47. So much Kool-Aid has been served and consumed that many Americans view him as a sort of savior — with Trump in the Oval Office, all would be well.
I don’t see that.
We still live in post-Constitution America. The enemies of Liberty still control commerce, culture and media, and they still dominate the Permanent State. What’s broken about this country can’t be fixed in four years.
To the extent that he could stop the bleeding, the next administration — which will be Democrat, because Trump has no demonstrably electable understudy — would rip off the tourniquet as soon as it’s installed in January of 2029.
And so, if America is fortunate to have four more years of Trump, it’d be but a temporary reprieve from the inevitable. It may buy us a little time.
Trump can’t save America. He can only salve America.
The next topic goes back to something I covered yesterday. Specifically, I want to address preppers who currently find themselves stuck in urban or suburban areas, and the challenges they could face when they bug out.
Never mind skills and supplies — this is about moving and traveling.
If you must wait ’til after the shit hits the fan to bug out, you should get clear of “civilization” as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible. At that point, make sure you give yourself options — multiple routes, obviously, but also multiple bug-out destinations or locales.
Everything should be scouted in advance. It’d be unwise to rely on GPS, and though paper maps are fine, there’s no substitute for firsthand, eyes-on reconnaissance.
Expect delays. Expect to burn more gas than you thought you would. You might as well expect checkpoints and roadblocks, too.
If you travel with comms (GMRS, CB, etc.), turn them on and then monitor the chatter. Don’t talk — just listen.
And don’t respond to distress calls. Consider every one of them to be bait in a trap.
Turn off your cell-phone and put it in a Faraday bag.
If your route takes you through dangerous neighborhoods or along isolated stretches of highway, tighten your security and be prepared to handle your own business.
What I believe will foil more bug-out attempts than anything else are what’s called “choke points” — the only way to get from where you are to where you want to go is through a narrow passage. They’re prime spots both for banditry and for official interest, and though you might try to avoid them, you may have no reasonable alternative.
The simplest example of a choke point is a highway bridge over water. You chose a bug-out locale on the other side of a river, perhaps more than one river, and you’ll have to cross a bridge or two to get where you’re going.
Chances are good that there are multiple bridges taking you in the right direction — an eight-laner that carries a major Interstate across the river, and maybe a two-lane bridge on a state highway. There might even be a rickety hundred-year-old span that almost nobody uses anymore.
So what’s the best bad option?
I have no idea. Your scouting should help you answer that question yourself. Just be prepared to adjust with changing circumstances — even if that means driving hundreds of miles off your route or not crossing at all.
You’ll have decisions to make. The best choice, of course, is avoiding choke points wherever you can.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB