Some Thoughts on Prepaid Legal Services

A comment on one of last week's blog posts asked what I thought of pre-paid legal services (probably in relation to the post which focused on shooting to defend your life...a situation which is bound to require some sort of legal response in many jurisdictions).  My comments on this type of service are thus:

• I am all for the pre-emptive protection of your assets (in the form of insurance for life, health, auto, home, disability, etc).
• I am flat out against multi-level marketing businesses (except a few such as Amway and Avon).  Prepaid legal services are an MLM business and if it looks like a pyramid scheme...
• The average person should actually have very few reasons to need legal representation more than a couple times in their entire life (many legal processes can be done yourself such as uncontested divorces, Wills, etc).
• EVERYONE should have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses, legal or otherwise.
• Everyone should know a bit about protecting themselves from lawsuits (if you carry a weapon you should have a massive amount of training on how to use it.  If you drink you should not drive.  If you have a situation in your home or business that could cause a liability claim, mitigate it. Et al.)
• It's a good idea to know a few lawyers that you can call on with the odd question (or in the event you are in deep legal trouble).
• If you find that you are ALWAYS having legal problems either figure out why this is and correct the problem on your end or learn the legal process well enough to represent yourself (not highly recommended but I have a friend who has been in litigation for over a decade and he has done a fine job of representing himself--sans legal degree--in a situation that would have bankrupted the average mere mortal).

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.

A Bit More on Defensive Shooting and I'll Hop Off My Soapbox

Last week I threw up this link up on the blog.  Otherwise known as the defensive shot heard 'round the internet, it pointed out one of the most basic reasons for owning a firearm, namely, the protection of yourself and your children.  Here's some follow up links pertaining to this story:

• The 18 year old almost made this mistake (the gist of the article being that if you have to stop and ask about the legality of defensive shooting at a critical moment, you are wasting valuable time and putting yourself in even more danger, so know the laws BEFORE you need to know them)
• An "Aftermaths" contact form (something we usually don't think about ahead of time)
• After you draw your gun (again, more stuff you should think about before you find yourself in a self defense situation)

Challenge: Specialize

Although Robert Heinlein famously quoted that specialization is for insects, today I am going to challenge that assumption and ask you to do the same.  Today's challenge is for you to specialize in something this year.  I don't care what you decide to specialize in, it could be taxidermy, HAM radio operations, website design, house painting...whatever it is you have the slightest interest in and/or whatever it is you have the easiest access to, I want you to go ahead and grab that specialization by the horns and conquer it.
Why?  A couple of reasons actually.  First, one of the biggest difficulties people have when looking to start their own business (or even finding side work after they have been laid off from their regular job) is that they are OK in many things but not really great in any particular field.  With months of work in one area of specialization, you will overcome this problem and have some solid skills to fall back on.  These skills may not make you a millionaire (but then again they could, who knows...) but they will make you a near expert in something.
Second, by specializing in something, you will have a usable skill should TSHTF and you have to bug out.  No matter where you go, should you have picked a reasonably useful specialization, you will make yourself a useful person to others who will need your skill set.  This will not only give you a way to earn money/a living/room and board/etc but it will instantly make you a vital part of the group you choose to bug out with.
Here's some ideas and how you may put them to work:

• Idea one.  EMT (emergency medical technician).  An EMT-B (as opposed to being a paramedic, EMT-P) isn't going to make you rich.  In fact many EMTs start off as volunteers, however the skills you learn from a basic EMT class can be extremely useful, not just for yourself but for your friends and family in an emergency.  EMT classes are offered all over the place, the time needed for the class is minimal (usually a couple of months for the class and to become certified), the experience you gain from working along side paramedics and hospital staff is invaluable, and in a pinch, you can always get a side job as a part time EMT in many communities.  From this one specialization, I have seen many people go on to get higher level jobs in hospitals, go on to train others, and even use these skills and credentials to start their own business (usually teaching fire safety and basic first aid skills).
• Idea two.  Range safety officer.  If you hang around most professionally run shooting ranges, you will note that there are usually some range safety officers on duty to make sure everything runs smoothly at the range.  Again, this usually starts out as a volunteer position and training (as well as certification) happens "on the job" but with this type of experience you will develop a wide range of skills that can be used in the future for earning an income.  Also, the more time you spend around the range doling out advice and information, the more opportunity you have to pick up on all kinds of useful things/information (ie: someone selling firearms for a super low price because they know you, someone giving you some free reloads because they made extra, the opportunity to take advanced classes at a discount because you are part of the range staff, the opportunity to get in a lot of extra shooting practice on the range's dime, etc).
• Idea three.  Butchering meat during the fall hunting season.  I know quite a few people who love to hunt in the fall.  I know fewer people who relish the thought of butchering their own meat (which is why butcher shops near prime hunting areas are usually overwhelmed in the fall).  Learning this skill--whether through formal instruction in a class, less formal instruction gleaned through the internet and lots of practice, or even less formal instruction by watching over your brother-in-law's shoulder while he cuts up his latest harvest--can prove invaluable.  By learning this skill and after continued learning, you will then have many opportunities such as being able to buy a side of beef at a super low price and butchering it yourself, teaching community ed classes on the topic to people eager to learn this skill, or even writing a how-to book on the topic and becoming an "expert".
• Idea four.  Website design.  There is a mountain of information available online to teach you this skill for free.  While you won't be an "instant expert", after pouring through this information, and with a lot of practice, you will become good enough to offer your skills in your community and make a bit of money on the side.  You might want to start here.   
• Idea five.  Blow your hobby up into a multiple-stream-of-income business (and if you don't have a hobby, then get one).  Many people have become "experts" simply because they had a hobby that they enjoyed, the learned as much as they could about their hobby, then they "went pro."  Which isn't as hard as it sounds because often becoming a professional simply entails finding a way to make money off your hobby.  Such as writing about it, teaching others about it, selling the results of your hobby (tied flies, bird houses, etc), etc.  I was introduced to a friend of a friend last summer who happens to be a professional fisherman.  He goes fishing, catches some fish, makes $50,000 (plus a boat in one tournament!) and now he is the advertising face of fishing lures and other fishing related equipment.  Another guy I know liked hunting, knew all of the best spots to go in the mountains near his home, and with a bit of business and marketing skills, ended up with several clients who came from as far away as Asia to go hunting with him each year.

So in tl;dr form: pick a topic you enjoy, learn as much as you can about it, practice it, get certified if possible (however this isn't always necessary), continue learning, find a way to sell your knowledge, continue learning, become an expert.

Yes, Stockpiling Firearms for Future Bartering/Selling Is a Good Idea

I got a couple of comments from this post which I thought I would address here.  Seems some people think it is a crazy idea to stockpile firearms for future use--such as bartering and selling--which on the one hand does sound kind of crazy (why arm people who could use the arms against you?) but on the other hand makes complete sense.  Here's why:

• Firearms are easier to value and sell as compared to, say gold.  I have yet to ever sell gold to a random person but have bought, sold, and traded firearms with people many times in the past.
• I can shoot exactly two firearms at a time.  So even if I stockpile a couple hundred firearms, I will only be able to shoot two at a time.  With the spouse, that would make four.  The other 180 firearms will be just sitting there doing nothing.  Might as well make them usable...by holding them as hard assets that could be used to provide for the things I need via bartering or selling.
• The possibility of total societal collapse where I would use my firearms as barterable/saleable items is about 2%.  The possibility of personal collapse (extended illness, extended job loss, divorce that leaves me with nothing, etc) where I would use my firearms as barterable/saleable items is about 98%.  It is the 98% that I mostly prepare for.
• Should the 2% happen and societal collapse is upon us, I would still be able to decide who to sell/barter my firearms too.  It's at that point that I would hope to be living in a community/with people as a "tribe" so to speak who would (most likely) be people who I could trade/barter my firearms with and who would be unlikely to use them against me.

Of course there is always a downside to stockpiling firearms, namely the need to maintain them, secure them, etc. but in the grand scheme of things, I would much rather put my money into usable assets such as firearms, food, tools, etc. than into, say, a pile of US bonds which may eventually be worth less than the paper they are printed on.

Challenge: Get Your Daily Carry Bag Together

Note: throughout the year you will find a variety of challenges that will make you more prepared should you choose to accept the challenge (...sorry just watched 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' and couldn't resist...).

The last time I updated my Daily Carry Bag, it was about nine months ago.  Times have changed a bit, situations have changed a bit, and I felt it was time to revamp and revise my Daily Carry Bag as this is the one item I have with me, day in and day out.  This is not a BOB!  I won't be bugging out with just these few things, but the items I carry with me everyday will provide the things that I need to either a) get back to my BOB (car, home, or office), or b) if TS really does hit TF, leave in a heartbeat and resurface somewhere else either near or far (I won't have much with me and would much prefer to have my BOB with me but I would also much prefer not to carry a fully loaded backpack around with me everywhere I go each day; the Daily Carry Bag is a good compromise).  Also note that my Daily Carry Bag would be different if I had super long commutes, and thus the possibility of being stuck far from home, as opposed to mostly being less than 20 miles away from home at any given time.  Here's the contents: 
p.s. Feel free to add or subtract stuff from your own Daily Carry Bag in order to make it fit your own situation. 
p.s.s. Also feel free to make up your bag, blog about it, then post the link in the comment section below so we can all get a gander at what you carry.

• Smartphone with internet and GPS (plus radio, a scanner radio app, a very good flashlight, et al.  Gotta love the app store!).
• $200 in cash, $2 in quarters
• Concealable firearm, ammo
• Pocketknife
• Wallet with driver's license, concealed carry license, military ID, health insurance card, etc
• Passport (I usually carry this with me as definitive ID instead of handing over my driver's license or military ID which both include too much personal information)
• Visa debit card (also in the wallet) linked to a bank account with a few thousand dollars in it.  I don't link this card to my main account but rather to an emergency fund to use for emergencies only.
• List of emergency phone numbers and medical info (also in wallet) which I can access in case my cell phone dies
• Thumb drive with all of my important files backed up on it
• Small, flat flashlight found at Walmart for about $2 (the flashlight on my cellphone is better but this can be used as a back up)
• Lighter (I don't smoke but this has come in handy on numerous occasions)
• Pen and paper (I can take notes on my phone but I like thinking on paper)
• Aspirin, Handi-wipe, tissue, band aid
• Digital camera (while my cell phone takes OK pictures and video, I often take pictures that require more detail so I still carry a digital camera with me)
• Floss (numerous uses)
• Rubber band, safety pin
• Bottle of water and a granola bar
• Small, tubular whistle (great for use in am emergency)
• Keys 
• Sunglasses
• Net book (I almost always carry this small computer with me since much of my work requires special software which can't yet be installed on a pad device; if I don't have work to do that day, I leave it at home and use my cell phone for things I need such as reading documents, checking email, etc)

Most of the smaller items are organized in a LeSportsac bag (lightweight, tough, quality made, the only qualm I have is the colors and patterns of the bags but oh well...) and tossed into whatever bag I am using for the day (briefcase, backpack, messenger bag).

Things that have dropped off this list since the last update:

• Condom.  Have never used it for it's usual use since the last couple re-vampings of the bag, and while it can come in handy in a pinch to carry water, empty water bottles thrown in the trash are practically ubiquitous these days.
• OB tampon.  Don't need this for its usual use either and while it is useful as a compress for bleeding wounds, so is the t shirt I am wearing.
• Business cards. Again, mostly a weight/clutter saving thing as I rarely ever use them any more.  When I meet new people I simply email them a link to my contact info on the spot.
• Spare house key (before, I would often commute by bus, boat, and rail, however these days I drive everywhere so keep a spare key in the car instead of in my Daily Carry Bag)
• Mirror.  Didn't use this item in previous versions of my bag so have dropped it (note: there is a mirror app for smart phones now).

Some things I don't carry but you may want to:

• Prescription meds
• Mints or gum
• Leatherman tool
• Charging cables for cell phone and/or net book

Happy New Year, Yes I Survived, and Yes 2012 Is Going to Be a Kick-Ass Year for Preparedness

First, here is a picture from the Las Vegas Strip Las Night--before it got busy.
Everyone was pretty cool, law enforcement was very visible, and there was only a bit of pushing and shoving as the entire crowd tried to move at once after the end of the fireworks (which necessitated a jump over a fence by the spouse and I to get to less claustrophobic ground).  Note: my fence jumping skills need a bit of work.  Second note: if I am going to do the Warrior Dash or Tough Mudder this year I better get busy preparing for it!
So what do you think 2012 will bring? TEOTWAWKI? A non-event similar to Y2K?  Something in between--not horrible, not pleasant?  Whatever happens, the goal of this blog will be to make sure you are prepared for ANY eventuality.  There won't be an assumption that you will run for the hills when things get testy--but some of the challenges will ensure that your outdoor skills are up to par.  There won't be an assumption that nothing will happen at the end of the year so you can kick back (mostly because it is a good bet that some sort of disaster--major or minor--will land on your doorstep at some time in the future so your preparations won't be for naught).
It's time to get busy and get prepared...for any eventuality.