5 Things Happening This Weekend That the Lamestream Media Isn't Reporting On

There are several things happening this weekend that mainstream media is going out of its way NOT to cover including...

1. The Freedom Convoy 2022 across Canada.  Truckers and others are driving across Canada to Ottawa to protest the vaccine mandates.  Their GoFundMe is reaching stellar heights and you can find several YouTube videos of the event online.
2. The major protest in Washington DC against vaccine mandates.  Again, there are several videos on YouTube about the event but sparse coverage anywhere else.  Find Dr Malone's speech at the protest here.
   
3. There are also protests against vaccine mandates and vaccine certificates around the world which are hardly getting any coverage (examples here, here, and here).
   
4. The US closed both the Mexican and Canadian borders to unvaxxed truckers yesterday.  Needless to say, this will have a severe impact on US supply chains and food prices.
5. Finally, violent crime is continuing to run rampant but usually only gets a few second sound bite on the news (examples here, here, and here).
   

WTF 2020?

So this year just keeps heading in a downward spiral...  If the pandemic quarantine and the resulting  economic fallout weren't enough, now we have violent protests and looting happening in many cities.  In all cases, no matter the disaster you are facing--pandemic, protests, hurricanes, tornadoes--being prepared and proactive is much better than being reactive.

There are plenty of preparedness folks proclaiming it's the end of the world and still other folks calling for a full-on revolution.  Then there is social media which is a dumpster fire by all accounts.  The conspiracy theorists are in full affect, the regular media is garbage...it's hard to know what to believe and who is pulling the strings.  Again, be proactive, no matter what is happening.  Some random thoughts on the current situation:

• Avoid the protests.  These are very volatile situations which can easily turn from quietly carrying your sign to all hell breaking loose.  I am happy to help make positive changes in my community but screaming on a corner is probably the least effective way to make lasting change.
• Bringing a firearm to a protest is a bad idea.  The cops have no idea what side you are on and perceive everyone not in uniform as a threat.  Defending your life with lethal force in the midst of a protest is a guarantee that you will hit not only the aggressor but other innocent people.
• Be aware of what is happening and where it is happening in whatever area you are in or will be going to.  Many people have inadvertently walked or driven into areas where they suddenly found themselves in the middle of protests that have turned violent; this doesn't work out well for anyone.
• For the most part, dial down on all media, both social media and regular media.  Listening to that crap 24/7 will make you crazy.  Obviously using these types of media to ascertain the developing situation in your neighborhood is a good idea.
• Be prepared to defend yourself.  Your home should be your castle and it should be secure and defensible.  Gun sales to first time gun buyers has surged which is not a way to be proactive.  Responsible gun owners will already own firearms, already have their CCW, already have several sessions of practice under their belt...not panic buying a weapon they have no idea what to do with.
• Stockpile enough food, water, and supplies to see you through a month or more of not leaving your home.  We all got this lesson at the beginning of the pandemic and now in some cities, local stores that people rely on for food and supplies have been burned to the ground.  Also in these cities public transit may not be running so for those who depend on local stores and/or public transit to buy the food and supplies they need, they may be totally out of luck until things return to normal.
• Know who you can depend on during a disaster.  We have reached out to help several people during the pandemic. and while my house is far away from where the protests are taking place, I know several neighbors that can be counted on if the looters were to come to our neighborhood.
• Be prepared if things go from bad to worse.  A pandemic was bad.  A pandemic plus violent protests is worse.  A pandemic plus violent protests plus power outage/water shut off/cell towers going down/hurricane/etc. is practically a nightmare situation.  Have plans to address all of these possibilities.  How would you bug in?  How would you bug out?  Can you survive without power?  Can you survive without water coming out of the tap?  How will you communicate without cell phones working?  How can you do all of these things in a stealthy manner so you won't draw unwanted attention to yourself?

March for Our Lives

In case you missed it there were concurrent protests across the country today in the wake of the Douglas school shooting in Florida a couple weeks ago.  I was happy to see that many of the protesters were met by counter protesters who were standing up for our right to own guns.  While I am, of course, against school shootings (who isn't?), taking guns away from law abiding gun owners isn't the answer.

If you look at the largest mass shootings, you will see that many of these took place in "gun free zones".  So maybe get rid of gun free zones?  Also in many of these shootings the perpetrator was clearly mentally ill and "everyone knew it" ahead of time.  So maybe our communities should have better control of the mentally ill?  Instead of arming teachers why not make schools a harder target or hire armed security since the best way to stop someone with a gun is, well, with a gun.

Cars are useful yet they kill many thousands each year.  Opiods are useful yet they kill many thousands each year.  Knives are useful yet a number of people are stabbed to death each year.  If people can't kill others (or themselves) one way, they will find a different way.  Our society needs to figure out how to keep people from being so prone to murder/suicide instead of taking away a tool that is beneficial for the vast majority of people who own them.

They Call It Protesting, I Call It a Reason to Get Free Stuff

If you've watched the news during the last few days you will know that Charlotte has been a hot bed of violent unrest since the police shooting of Keith Scott.  Never mind that he was a criminal who pulled a gun on a (black) cop who responded the way any cop would when someone is pointing a weapon at them, never mind that the protesters seem more intent on looting stuff from local businesses than getting a message of protest across...but I digress...  Here's some tips if you find yourself in the middle of a civil unrest situation:

• Don't put yourself in the situation in the first place.  Sometimes scheduled protests will be noted on the news.  In other situations you can pretty much guess that if a (black) person is shot by a cop there is going to be protesting in whatever city the incident happened in (even though the person was a criminal, even though the person was armed...but I am digressing again).  Ditto the end of a big football or soccer game where the home team wins, etc.  Many of these protests you can follow on social media so you will know where NOT to be.
• If you see a situation getting out of hand, leave.  I'm not a fan of crowds anyway because they can go from stable to unstable rather quickly, but if you happen to be in a place (generally an urban area) and the crowd starts getting agitated, that's your cue to leave.  Note that this can be because of protesting over a police shooting or because a local team won a football game.  Lots of stuff can set off large groups of people (and often the majority of people have no idea what set them off, they just want to join in on the mayhem!).
• Leave the area in the most discreet way possible.  Yes it is your right to walk right down the middle of the street but it also a stupid thing to do if you value your hide.  Walk away from the crowd, take a side street, cut through a business, blend in if necessary (do the yelling and sign waving as you back your way out of the crowd if needed).  Get out of the middle of the crowd and edge your way down vacant side streets as much as possible.
• Be aware of who's who in the zoo.  Where are the cops?  Note that they aren't there to see to your safety so don't expect them to help you if a riot is taking place.  Who seem to be the leaders of the protesters and what are they doing/saying ('death to all whites' and you are white? You are definitely in the wrong place.)  What direction is the crowd going?  Where is the media (the media can sometimes become a target for violence so you probably don't want to be around them if you can help it).  Are there people helping to keep others safe like business owners letting people hole up in their shops?  This may be your only option at some point.
• Know where you are going.  If people are chasing you, you don't want to get cornered in a dead end street.  Be familiar enough with the local streets/alleys/businesses/etc so that you will have multiple options for escape.  If you can't escape, look for places to hide (dumpsters, old buildings, etc).
• Try to look as boring and non-target-like and non-threatening as possible.  Is everyone in black--protesters and law enforcement alike?  Toss your Burberry coat and let your black button down and slacks be your camouflage while you are in the problem area.  Put your Rolex in your pocket, keep you weapon concealed, take off any jewelry.  Don't try to reason with the protesters or voice your opinion on the situation, it won't help.
• Plan on extricating yourself from the area.  Cabs and Uber and your best friend aren't going to drive into the area to rescue you.  The cops will be busy and public transit may be bringing more trouble makers to the area.  Be ready to walk your way out of the area.
• If you have a business in a protest area that the looters are eyeing, well I hope you have insurance.  Besides your standard security measures (metal window and door gates and the like) think twice about trying to hold off looters with just yourself and a shotgun (a bunch of material goods is not worth your life).  
• If you are driving through an area when all hell breaks loose, keep driving.  You are usually (depending on the jurisdiction) well within your rights to drive over people if your life is in danger (obviously this would be a last resort).  On the other hand, if you are able to leave your vehicle and blend into the crowd before the crowd swells around you, consider that option as well (it may make you less of a target depending on the situation and your life is worth more than a car).
• It's always a good idea to carry a concealed firearm.  It was useful in this situation.  But there are many drawbacks to doing this including being overpowered by the crowd and having your weapon taken away from you, having the police think you are one of the agitators, and, well actually killing someone or many someones (always a problem even if you are in the right).
• Gather with others who are trying to leave the area if possible.  The random idiot protester won't think twice about attacking a single person on the streets; he will think twice if it is a group of random guys (who can all be watching each other's backs as you make your escape).  The ideal is to de escalate the situation and escape but you may be pushed into using a show of force for your own safety.

So basically, your best response to civil unrest is the avoid it if at all possible.  Next, get away from it as soon as possible.  Finally, be prepared to fight for your life if need be.

Notice How the Internet is a Bit Dark Today?

If you have tried to access Google, Reddit, Wikipedia, Boing Boing, or any of the many other sites that have went dark to protest SOPA and PIPA today, then you already know there is a problem.  This link will tell you more about the problem, as will this one.  What you can do to help keep the internet free is contact your congressperson and ask them to defeat these two bills (simply enter your zipcode here and find out who your reps are in congress).  Note that if these bills pass, Code Name Insight will cease to exist, as will many other websites that link content that we want to share with our readers.  That will be a very sad day for all of us.