A Quick Run Around the Web--January 31, 2016

(Source)

• "Masked marchers beat immigrants in Stockholm"--The Local. The attacks apparently were because of the police failing to deal with crime by North African youths in and around central Stockholm. The police, though, did have the energy to attempt to track down and arrest some of the vigilantes. And the Anonymous Conservative reports that Germany is turning the full weight of its intelligence apparatus on the so-called "far right." He writes: "They’ve literally lost half the foreign invaders/rapists in their own country, but mark my words – they will now have a file for each member of PEGIDA which will contain extensive imagery, frequently traveled routes and destinations, all contacts and associates, a detailed itinerary minute by minute of daily activities for at least a week and maybe several months, a detailed data file of all electronic/online/mobile/phone monitoring, as well as detailed records of every item they purchased in person, including dates, prices (if you only buy butter on sale, that is important for prediction), and where they were purchased."

• Related: "German admin ordered CCTV of Cologne attack, erased"--Live Leaks (warning: video automatically plays upon opening). If you were wondering why there wasn't more video from surveillance videos showing the Cologne attacks, it is because senior police officials ordered that the recordings be destroyed. Yet another reminder that the sheep dog works for the sheep herder, not the sheep.

• Related: "Russians Lay Waste To Muslim Migrants In Germany"--Anonymous Conservative. A group of Muslim immigrants made the mistake of kidnapping and repeatedly raping a Russian school girl--part of a Russian immigrant community. The blog author describes what happened next:

Supposedly the Russian immigrants got together, acquired their blunt objects, and then rolled up to the German migrant hostel in over a hundred cars. In true Russian fashion, they exited their cars and proceeded to tear the place apart in an orgy of violence, and beat anyone who looked suspiciously foreign. Germany is desperately trying to keep the whole thing covered up.

• Related: "How America Can Capitalize On Europe’s Implosion"--Angelo Codevilla at The Federalist. Most of the article is about how the delusional ruling elite in Europe have mucked up everything, but then turns to how it may benefit the United States: by encouraging the migration from Europe of those Europeans who desire a future. 

• "Hillary’s Top Secret E-Mail Scandal Just Got A Whole Lot Worse"--The Federalist. "Hillary Clinton’s email woes just got a whole lot worse Friday after the State Department announced it considers 22 of her emails to be 'top secret.'"

• Related: "Why Hillary’s EmailGate Matters"--Observer. From the article:

The number of “unclassified” emails that turn out to be classified, some of which transited Ms. Clinton’s unencrypted server of bathroom fame, now surpasses 1,300 and may go higher still. A couple weeks ago I explained howMs. Clinton’s emails included highly classified information from the National Security Agency, based on signals intelligence about Sudan at the Top Secret Codeword level (see this for an explanation of such classifications). How they got there has yet to be explained.

We’ve since learned Ms. Clinton’s “unclassified” emails also included Top Secret information from the Central Intelligence Agency, including espionage from a compartmented Special Access Program. SAPs, as they are called in the Intelligence Community, represent “crown jewel” information. Even for holders of Top Secret Codeword clearances, the highest in the U.S. Government, access to SAPs requires special permissions, on a strict need-to-know basis.

... The communications of America’s top diplomat are closely monitored by dozens of foreign spy services, and anything sent out unencrypted, as Ms. Clinton’s email was, should be assumed to be read by numerous countries, including some who are not our friends.

• Related: "Who are the spies for the DC power brokers?"--American Thinker. The author writes:

As we have learned in the past few days, the FBI has moved from a criminal investigation to an espionage investigation in the Hillary email scandal.  The FBI is now going directly to the source of the classified documents found on Hillary’s unclassified server to compare the originals with the documents that were found stripped of their classification markings.  The damage to national security can’t be underestimated, because the gist of the FBI’s change of focus means employees of the intel agencies who had access to classified assessments, including special access programs (SAP), abetted the effort to disclose the information to unauthorized individuals.  In some cases, extremely sensitive materiel may have been even been physically sequestered under strict security protocols that require an insider’s knowledge to circumvent.

Despite the vast majority of patriotic and talented people in the intelligence community (I.C.), the question becomes, then, who would take advantage of being “read on” to restricted programs to obtain these documents, thereby committing an act of espionage?  I don’t know the names, obviously; the FBI will take care of that.  But I think there are three main types of people who would work around the safeguards.

The three types are, first, "the true believer"--those, like Sid Blumenthal, who have hitched their wagons to the Clinton gravy train. Second, the "progressive, idealistic, newbie" who thinks he/she is saving the world (and advancing their career) by assisting a power-broker. Third are employees that have been discovered via polygraph interviews to have committed crimes, unrelated to maintaining their security clearance, but that nevertheless make them vulnerable to blackmail by their superiors--crimes such as drug abuse, child molestation or other sex crimes.

Prepping/Survival:

• "Hearty Sausage and Red Lentil Soup"--All Things Provident.
• "Mobile Open-Source Solar-Powered 3-D Printers for Distributed Manufacturing in Off-Grid Communities"--Appropedia. 
• "Area Air Purification, Part 3: Monitoring"--Blue Collar Prepping. For when you don't have access to a canary.
• "All About Zika Virus"--Survival Medicine. Not all about, but provides some basic information beyond that typically provided in a news article.

• Related: "The Zika Virus"--Blue Collar Prepping. A more detailed article about the virus and its symptoms.

• Related: "Zika Virus A Mutation?"--Survival Medicine. Some thoughts on why the virus is causing much more severe symptoms in the Americas than in its home of equitorial Africa.

• "Imodium’s Survival Applications: What It Is & Why Carry It Everywhere"--More Than Just Surviving. Diarrhea is not funny.
• "Shelter No.2 - The Stuffed Survival Bag"--Neo Survivalist. A test of Coghlans Survival Bag stuffed with crumpled paper.

On the Soap Box: Some Thoughts On The Failure Of The Oregon Standoff

Oregon protesters during the standoff (Source)

I've seen some calls for analysis of why the Oregon standoff was such a failure, and some comments as to particular failures (including how quickly the leader rolled after his surrender). Here are some of my thoughts on the matter. 

Organization: 

Successful protest movements are built around "legitimate" political parties or special interest groups that are separate from and can claim plausible deniability of the acts of militant followers. This central group (the umbrella organization) acts as a public face for the movement (whatever the movement may be), and works at influencing politicians and public opinion. Part of its mission (and perhaps assigned to "sister" groups) will be fundraising and community outreach, charity work, legal defense, and so forth. But, above all else, this organization must be viewed as legitimate and clean of criminal conduct. A good example of this type of organization is CAIR.

Completely separate from this (and they must be walled off) are the militant or protest groups for the movement. Some of these will organize quasi-legal methods of protests: marches, sit-ins, strikes, etc. The umbrella organization may show up to show support of protesters, but shouldn't be connected to planning or organizing the protests. 

A movement may (but not necessarily) be supported by radical militant groups: those responsible for clearly criminal acts such as illegally gathering intelligence, intimidating witnesses, raising funds through theft or robbery, perhaps even engaging in acts of terror. The umbrella organization may appear to be sympathetic to the causes or plight of the radical militants, but must never publicly be supportive of the methods, and never associated with funding or organizing such groups (although, in reality, the umbrella organization, or its leaders, are probably doing both). The membership of the radical or militant groups must be kept secret; their plans must be kept secret.

Communication between the umbrella organization and the militant group(s), and within the militant group(s), must be limited and secure. Plausible deniability must be maintained at all times. Again, I would refer you to the Lizard Farmer's article entitled "How They Hunt."

The Oregon standoff was a complete failure in this regard. The leaders associated themselves with the actual standoff and occupation, and, consequently, were arrested. They appeared to implement absolutely zero operational secrecy. To the extent that the standoff was a failure, this has now besmirched both the leaders and the movement. 

The Message/Movement: 

What is the group protesting? What is its purpose? What is the message it wants to communicate to the public? This is Fourth Generational warfare, which relies on influencing the human environment; it is a fight for legitimacy. Yet the Oregon group did not seem to have a simple message or understandable purpose--at least not one that appealed to the public or would garner sympathy. 

From what I understand of the Bundy's, their basic motivating principle is that public land should pass into the hands of ranchers and farmers. I doubt that this goal would have much traction with the public, which means that the group needed a message that would advance its goal and still be attractive to the public and/or media. If it had such a message, it wasn't effectively communicated.

A couple of examples. CAIR probably seeks the imposition of sharia in the United States, but its message is a more palatable "the U.S. shouldn't discriminate against Muslims." Something that makes most people feel fuzzy and warm because no one wants to be called a bigot. Of course, the way to not discriminate against Muslims is to let them have their Mosques, the public calls to prayer over loudspeakers, their own holidays, getting rid of Christian Holidays, limit speech that is critical of Islam or Mohammad, their own courts, and so on--as we advance step by step toward the unstated goal of sharia. 

"Black Lives Matter" appears to have a goal of setting up quasi-independent reservations for blacks (actually, fiefdoms for black politicians, but lets not quibble about semantics). Its public message is that police shoot too many "innocent" black youth. The means of correcting this problem, though, is granting more political control to blacks, thus advancing the unstated goals of the group.

Planning: 

Very few movements are true grass roots movements where a resistance rises up spontaneously and out of nowhere. Although the appearance of spontaneity is desired because it gives a certain legitimacy to a movement, movements are planned and cultivated. They require patience, especially to pass up on opportunities to protest that will be ineffective or, worse, counter-productive. You may remember some comments I made some time ago about Rosa Parks, and how the black leaders had passed up organizing protests around earlier, but similar, incidents because the victims of the discrimination would not be able to garnish public sympathy. Such was the case here: although the occupation was nominally in protest of the prosecution of certain ranchers for arson, those ranchers did not present a sympathetic cause: they had pled guilty(!) and had even stated they didn't want any protests. This was just not the right incident to protest. 

Another problem with the Oregon standoff was that it was in an isolated location. Remember, in the country, no one can hear you scream; including members of the media which can easily be kept away by blocking a few roads miles from the scene. This was poor planning and poor messaging.

Use of Force: 

Armed movements have not fared too well in the United States, and violence often has a negative impact on the advancing a movement. Generally, successful movements have relied on non-violent or minimally violent acts such as sit-ins, verbal confrontations, protests, and so on. 

However, if a radical group intends to undertake an act of violence, it needs to be one that also advances the message or movement rather than violence for violence sake. This requires a great deal of discipline, and is why most terrorist groups are ineffective. The goal of violence in advancing a movement is to either alienate the population from the government, or to draw the population to the movement. In either case, though, the movement cannot come across as weak.

The former goal is generally advanced by acts that show that the government is powerless or incompetent, or by prompting a heavy-handed reaction from the government that reduces its legitimacy. The formation and implementation of the TSA is a great example of government action that hurts government legitimacy because it is incompetent, and treats all members of the public as potential terrorists. 

The second goal of drawing the population to the movement is generally accomplished when the movement is seen as protecting the population or providing services that the government cannot or will not. Mao used this quite effectively in winning over the support of peasants by protecting them from bandits, warlords, and tax collectors--all activities requiring the exercise of force--and providing health and education services. This second goal requires a close cooperation between the central movement and the militants, which is why it may be more difficult to put into practice. Nevertheless, it is probably more effective than simply attempting to alienate the people from the government.

The Oregon standoff was ineffective in its show of force because the standoff was essentially a sit-in, to which the members brought guns. They did not use the guns (so why they brought them, I don't know). I can't think of any situation where the members of the standoff could have used force to make the government appear ineffective. By bringing firearms, the members of the standoff opened the door for the government to use force (including lethal force) that would not have been condoned if the members had simply chained themselves to a gate or sat in the middle of the BLM headquarters chanting protests or holding up signs. Thus, rather than make the government's use of force appear to be excessive, it legitimized the government's use of force. Moreover, because the members involved in the stand-off ultimately did not resort to violence, but seemingly threatening it, it made the group appear weak and ineffectual. 

A Quick Run Around the Web--January 29, 2016

• The video above is a short piece on the collapse of the Teton Dam in Idaho in June 1976. Here is a short article entitled "Breaking Point: Teton Dam Disaster in Idaho" published in the LDS publication, The New Era. Although very young at the time, I still retain memories of the aftermath of the flooding. Although the cause may not be as spectacular, similarly destructive floods happen all over the world. Other disasters strike with monotonous regularity. The value of storing up clean water, food, fuel for cooking and heating, and other supplies is well established. Even if you can only store enough for a week or two, that is of a huge benefit to you, and less of a strain on those attempting to aid others. Although the people's whose homes were destroyed in the Teton Dam flood did not get to use their supplies, they were fed and provided for from the food storage of others, as well as those kept in LDS storehouses. So, even if you do not need the food or water, someone else might.

Firearms/Prepping:

• Don't forget this week's Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training. One link in particular that I wanted to point out was an article from Suarez International with some advice on sighting in your handgun.
• "The Poor Man’s SAW: Using A SlideFire Stock For More Than Fun"--The Firearms Blog. "They found that the combination of a trigger with a short reset (in this case a KE Arms unit), a bipod (to provide the constant forward pull), and a heavy barrel gave them a rifle that fired rapidly when shooting prone or sitting."
• "Do You Need to Engrave Your Form 1’ed SBR?"--The Truth About Guns. Short answer: yes, when you sell it, even if it has been switched back to a non-NFA item.
• "SHOT Show 2016, Part I"--Field & Stream. David E. Petzal complains that there is too much "tactical" and not enough hunting stuff at Shot Show. He says the show "has now become so heavily militarized that you have to look fairly hard for something designed to kill animals instead of people." He also was disappointed with the lack of booth-babes, although he was impressed with the attack dog demonstrations. Another of his gripes:

The posters, displays, and photos for anything relating to big-game hunting showed people whose expressions looked like they were getting a prostate exam from the former Secretary of State. Everyone was getting rained or snowed on, wallowing in mud, crawling over boulders, and generally looking like Hugh Glass after the grizzly got through with him. I have no idea what this is supposed to convey. Maybe that hunting is the way to redemption through suffering? If so, allow me to plagiarize mildly from the Army with my own motto:

“Hunt big game. Embrace the Suck.”

I've seen some negative comments about his post, with some suggesting that he was borderline anti-Second Amendment. I read it differently. To me, it reminded me of but a few years ago when there were many complaints from the "tactical" community about the Zombie craze. The reality is that when we go to a store or gun show, we want to see things related to what we like. For instance, I don't do much with shotguns, so I can walk by a whole table of shotguns with nary a glance. But if I went to a gun show and it was 90% shotguns and related items, I, too, would be irritated. 

Moreover, I think that Petzal is subconsciously recognizing a different trend: the growing number of people becoming involved in the shooting sports for reasons other than hunting.

• "Long-term storage food packaging and preppers"--Packaging World. The author sees prepping as an expanding, and lucrative, market that should capture the attention of grocery retailers. After discussing how long-term food storage is primarily an issue of packaging, he concludes:

The growth of long-term storage foods just might repeat the example set by health foods. There was a time in the not distant past when health foods were mainly retailed in, well, health-food stores. Increased consumer demand for such products did not go unnoticed by traditional grocery stores; and today, health-food sections are commonplace. A similar mainstreaming is possible for long-term storage foods, especially given the consolidation driving the grocery industry. One consequence of consolidation is larger stores, with shelf-space and display areas that need to be occupied by new, high-margin sections.

• "From escape routes to living in the wild: The SECRET world of Britain's DOOMSDAY preppers"--The Express. The article states that there are an estimated 5,000 preppers in the UK. I suspect there are a lot more, even if, as Skean Dhude surmises, they don't call or think of themselves as "preppers." Anyway, an interesting peek at prepping in another area of the world from where I live.
• "The Philly Urban Prepper: How not to be a victim in a mass shooting"--The Examiner. The bulk of the article are tips or thoughts on surviving a mass shooting. The introduction is a more general discussion on prepping/survivalism.
• "Disaster Preparedness Tokyo"--An online book (PDF format) in English to help prepare for a major earthquake in Tokyo (h/t Surviving in Argentina).
• "Russia's iconic AK-47 to be made in USA"--Fox News. The article is about Kalashnikov USA. Old news to those that follow developments in the gun world. Also, a nice reminder to those seeking to ban the import of "assault weapons," that it will have little impact on the U.S. market.
• "Suomi M31 receiver thread repair sections"--The Redneck Engineer. For those of you building a Suomi, or interested in doing so, the author plans on making another batch of these for sale.

Other Stuff

• "Why Police Shot the Oregon Occupier LaVoy Finicum"--The Atlantic. The situation could have ended much worse for the occupiers. The FBI has had assault teams and helicopters standing by, if needed, to take the location by force. 

• Related: "Militants Say Negotiations With FBI Stall At Malheur Refuge"--Oregon Public Broadcasting.
• Related: "FBI video of the shooting of LaVoy Finicum..."--SNAFU.

The FBI released this video to quell those rumors [that Finicum had been shot while attempting to surrender].  I find that curious.  The reason?  Have you ever seen a video released before the investigation into the police shooting has been completed?  I haven't.  Not from the authorities at least (you might see a bystander video).

So that tells us something rather dramatic in my opinion.  The FBI is monitoring social networks and responding to key words and tailoring their response to deal with public reaction.  American Mercenary's human terrain theory is being used by American Law Enforcement.  That is chilling.

• "Is a secret sniper killing off Isil's high command in Libya?"--The Telegraph. "Mystery gunman credited with shooting three of the terror group's leaders in their new 'Caliphate' in Colonel Gaddafi's home city of Sirte."
• "Muslim migrants not as stupid and simple as politically-correct Europeans seem to believe"--Bookworm Room. The author writes:

These refugees didn’t come out of the jungle. They came out of countries that, despite sharia law, have access to modern amenities. They’re not as primitive as all those condescending Europeans think.

Here’s what I think is going on: The refugees are acting as they are, not because they see themselves as charity cases, but because they see themselves as conquerors. They know perfectly well that one doesn’t defecate in a pool in which people (especially children) are swimming. They’re doing it because they are performing the literal equivalent of the expression “I don’t give a shit about you.” They know you’re not supposed to rape women . . . that is, unless those women are the products of conquest, in which case raping them is one of Mohamed’s commandments.

It’s almost funny seeing Europeans trying politely to teach their conquerors how not to treat those whom they have conquered. I wonder how long it will take before the Europeans figure out that they’re no longer in the driver’s seat. And then I wonder whether they’ll be able or willing to mount a counter-strike, or whether the twelve-hundred year-long Islamic jihad against Europe will finally have succeeded.

• Related: "Just how old do you think these migrant 'children' are? Alarming pictures of refugees - including 'the fastest 14-year-old in Sweden' - that shed light on a growing scandal amid Europe's asylum crisis"--Daily Mail. The 15 year old that stabbed a Swedish aid worker earlier this week--he is now believed to be 19 years old. And the story has other examples of "children" in their late teens or early twenties that have lied about their age to obtain asylum and preferential treatment. 
• Related: "Maoris, Moors and Migrants: A history lesson for civilized humans facing an Ork invasion"--Matthew Bracken at Gates of Vienna. "Europe is now at the point in The Alienork Way when everybody agrees that the three 'nephews' of Amok are a serious problem, and it looks like at least thirty more armed male Orks are on the way. With each fresh arrival of refugee 'reinforcements,' local defensive measures will require even greater levels of violence to be successful. The difficult decision to forcibly eject the invaders is continually delayed. The 'peaceful islanders,' today being played by the Europeans, keep putting off the inevitable, as thousands and thousands of male Orks arrive every day from the failed states comprising Orkistan."

• "'Hundreds' of rapes 'hidden' by Danish police"--The Local. "Denmark recorded an average of 395 rape cases every year up to 2014. But an investigation by the Ministry of Justice has revealed the actual number to be closer to 1,100 annually, Metroxpress reported on Thursday."
• "Zika Emerges – A Model Of What Could Come"--Anonymous Conservative. Somewhat mirroring earlier comments I had made concerning an STD form of Ebola, the author postulates:

Once it hits the gays, it can adapt quickly within AIDS infected, weakened human hosts, and begin to gain the tools it needs to overcome the immune defenses of healthy human hosts more effectively. That would probably begin with a few gay guys complaining of a chronic flu that hung around and wouldn’t go away, and end with bodies beginning to pile up around Miami from the new killer mosquito-borne virus. How it would look on exiting the gay population could be much different from how it entered.

If this had been a virus that was slightly more communicable, and hit when our populations had a significant proportion poorly nourished, and under the stress of the apocalypse, it could easily gain the fuel it needs to become another pandemic killer.

• Related(?)--"American Airlines flight from Rio to Miami makes 'emergency landing' in Brasilia: Second flight grounded in days after 'passengers and crew pass out'"--Daily Mail. "It comes just days after an American Airlines flight to Los Angeles was forced to return to London Heathrow after around 15 people on board fell ill."

• "Bank of Japan surprises with negative interest rate"--USA Today. "Tokyo's central bank hopes that by imposing a 0.1% fee on selected current account deposits — effectively a negative interest rate — commercial banks will be encouraged to make more loans and so stimulate economic growth."
• "China's 'zombie factories': Grim pictures show the once-bustling steel plants completely abandoned as economic miracle slows"--Daily Mail.
• "Laid-off IT workers muzzled as H-1B debate heats up"--Computer World. The story addresses how, as part of severance packages, professionals and workers being laid off by many companies are required to sign non-disparagement clauses, which they believe prohibits them from speaking out about what these companies are doing.
• "Trump Taking Evangelicals"--Anonymous Conservative. The author notes that Trump has gained the support of Evangelical Christians--a group who does not share Trump's ideology. He explains that this means: 

I think evangelicals have reached a point that their hatred of the machine is overwhelming all other issues for them in their amygdalae. If they were to vote purely on religious issues and socially conservative issues like marriage, Cruz would probably win. Even if you were to vote purely to oppose liberal ideologues, Cruz would probably edge out Trump, based on how liberals hate Cruz’s positions. But the evangelicals seem to be abandoning concern about their core issues, out of a hatred and disgust with the corrupt machine – a hatred which actually transcends ideology.

• "Preparing for the Next Big War"--War on the Rocks. Key bit: "Today, virtually no one serving below the rank of colonel or enlisted senior chief has ever served in a military facing a powerful peer competitor, nor have they faced a realistic prospect of fighting a global war to protect the nation’s most vital interests and perhaps even its survival."
• "We might be living in a dead Milky Way galaxy and just don't know it yet"--Business Insider. How galaxies die (stop producing new stars) and whether the Milky Way is dying (slowing in its production of new stars).
• "The truth really IS out there: CIA releases thousands of declassified 'X-files' on aliens, flying saucers and other unexplained phenomena"--Daily Mail. 

A Quick Run Around the Web--January 28, 2016

• The above video is a product review by Skallagrim entitled "Plastic knuckle dusters - legal in Canada!" The manufacturer/seller is Defiant Craft.
• This is interesting: "M-LOK Outselling KeyMod about 3 to 1"--The Firearms Blog. I agonized over the decision between M-LOK or KeyMod, and finally decided on M-LOK for a few reasons, the most significant being that it is the standard developed and supported by Magpul. Whether or not you use Magpul products, it has a very large share of the market for AR accessories and, thereby, a proportionate influence on the market. I suspect the end result of the competition between the systems is that KeyMod will probably gain (keep?) a certain cachet in the high end accessory market simply because of its origins, while M-LOK will be more mainstream. My concern, though, wasn't whether my firearm was sufficiently "cool," but to obtain a system that will be supported over the long term.
• "5 Tips to Get Your Body in Shape for Self-Defense"--PJ Media. The author writes that "[f]or self-defense, you must focus on four areas: endurance, power, speed, and flexibility." He also gives a brief description of his weekly workout.
• "The 50 most violent cities in the world are revealed, with 21 of them in Brazil... but Venezuela's capital Caracas is named the most deadly"--Daily Mail. The article's author tries to "redeem" himself by pointing out that it is not just Latin American cities listed, but that the U.S. cities St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit and New Orleans are also named. (Cities from Jamaica and South Africa also make the list). The results were compiled using homicide statistics (number of murders per 100,000), with the author specifying that it does not include war zones.
• "You’re Either A Globalist Or A Nationalist"--Roosh V. The author observes:

It’s very possible to put a conservative and liberal in the room but have them completely agree on multiculturalism, immigration, democracy, and transgenderism, though disagree on more hot-button topics like abortion and gun rights. They can agree at least half of the time because they both share a primarily globalist belief system, even when they may see each other as enemies. On the other hand, if you get a globalist and nationalist in the same room, they will disagree on more than 80% of issues, even including the basics such as the proper system of government.

While mainstream liberals tend to lean globalist, and mainstream conservatives tend to lean nationalist, the dividing line between them is becoming more narrow as nationalist views are prevented from being properly discussed in the public sphere. Soon, it will be impossible to tell liberals and “conservatives” apart. The only true dividing line left is globalism versus nationalism, especially since nationalism has not yet been co-opted by the elite, and is seen by them as the only real threat that could sever their heads.

• Related: "Danish teen fought off her attacker - now she'll face fine"--The Local. "A 17-year-old girl who was physically and sexually attacked in Sønderborg [Denmark] will herself face charges for using pepper spray to fend off her assailant." The description of the attacker seems to suggest someone of Middle-Eastern or African ancestry. It seems that this would have been a case where the proper prosecutorial discretion would have been to not bring charges rather than use this girl as an "example" to all the other peons. 
• Related: If you haven't read it yet, please review Daniel Greenfield's "The Two Empires We Must Defeat," which describes the two faces of modern globalism.

• "African Bishops Against Sexual Liberation"--The American Interest. The article is largely an attempt to explain the coming schism among the Anglican faith, but, in doing so, illustrates why Victorian moral values are so important for raising people out of poverty (and, thereby, also explaining why socialists have a visceral dislike for such morals). The key part from the article:

As the Union Jack was ceremonially lowered and the flags of newly independent African nations fluttered in the breeze, the leaders of the resistance movements took over.... But the new African elites who celebrated the end of the Victorian Raj had been successfully indoctrinated with Victorian morals—and those turned out to be very functional to poor people trying to get out of poverty (if you will, the Max Weber effect), even if the elite (like elites everywhere) only paid lip service to moral principles while enjoying the hedonism supported by the privileges of power. But Anglican bishops are not part of the elites in Africa: When they uphold good Protestant values, in the best Evangelical tradition, this is no mere lip service—they really mean it! And so the Archbishop of Uganda may by 2019 excommunicate the Archbishop of Canterbury!

One way of looking at what is happening here is as an international extension of the American culture war. America is at the heart of the Anglican crisis. It is the Episcopal Church of the U.S. that is specially sanctioned by the angry African bishops; even the Canadians have thus far avoided sanctions (they have only allowed some local variations on same-sex marriage while the Americans have formulated a policy for everyone). The Church of England has offended the Africans by allowing women into the clerical hierarchy ....

The wider African cultural change is very relevant. Traditional African culture was certainly not ascetic, if anything hedonistic, but with men getting most of the fun. As long as this culture was polygamous, it put women into an inferior status, but even so it provided a certain order for them and the children. Modernization broke down this order, as it was based on kinship and tribe. This was enhanced by men employed in migrant labor in the cities, their families left behind in the villages for long periods of time–lives of these women certainly not enhanced by sexual liberation. Instead they wished, not for the old polygamous order (many of their men were already in serial polygamy), but precisely for the bourgeois family propagated by the good old Protestant ethic. Women play an important role in African Protestant churches in the cities, and they often succeed in “domesticating” their men. Using a lot of historical sources, Brigitte Berger has shown how what she calls the “conjugal nuclear family” (husband and wife living with their children in a household separate from wider kin) played an important causal role in European modernization (The Family in the Modern Age, 2002).  She also argued that the same arrangement has a modernizing effect in developing societies today, particularly in Africa. This is the real liberation for women and children in the slums of what used to be called the “Third World”, and the ensuing domesticity can be attractive for men as well in the midst of rapid and tumultuous social change, where all the traditional sources of stability–village community, tribe and extended kin–have weakened or disappeared. The British sociologist David Martin has shown in a series of studies how the Protestant congregation, especially in its rapidly growing Pentecostal version, fills this gap.

• "We have gone back to the Middle Ages and face religious war with the fascists of radical Islam"--The Telegraph. Speaking of globalists: "Isil provides a unique challenge to world leaders. Their new Islamic ideology appeals to the masses. This ideology crosses borders and, sadly, the Westphalian arrangements where countries do not interfere with the internal affairs of other countries has been rendered obsolete." (Underline added). The author believes that the solution to the problem of violence by Islamic migrants is to clearly identify "radical Islam" versus "moderate Islam." The flaw with his solution is that all Islam is "radical" when placed in proximity with a Western secular culture, as in Europe. 
• "WHO leader: Zika virus 'spreading explosively'"--CNN. My translation: "give us more money."
• "After Abbas: The coming Palestinian bloodbath"--The New York Post. A prediction that upon President Abbas' death, the Palestinian Authority will collapse into civil war. 
• "A predictable outcome"--Vox Popoli. Vox Day comments on the Oregon standoff, writing:

... I have no idea what these people were thinking they were going to accomplish by occupying a wildlife refuge center, but I can testify, from my father's experience, that no one is going to "wake up" and no one is going to be inspired to do anything as a result of it. They're just going to be vilified, jailed, and forgotten.

It's like a tragic parody. And notice that the moment the government took action, they tried to surrender. Never play or posture at violence. And never threaten violence unless you are fully prepared for your enemy to resort to it.

• Last, but not least, this week's Woodpile Report. Remus begins this week's edition by commenting on the history of import bans on firearms, and then states: "Don't be surprised if a ban on imported AR and AK style guns gets industry assistance, or their acquiescence at minimum. Very quietly, of course. I'd gladly be proven wrong about this, but their support for the Second Amendment has been highly selective over the years. The contemptible 'sporting purposes' standard comes from them. The full exercise of our right to keep and bear arms has fewer friends than you imagine." Similarly, firearms dealers, or at least a significant portion, will quietly support any move to require all sales to be completed via a firearms dealer.

A Quick Run Around the Web--January 26, 2016

• The video above is from Survival Lilly, and entitled "How to Make a Net Trap."
• "Gun collector faces jail over illegal arsenal"--The Daily Telegraph. Facing up to 5 years of prison for ... wait for it ... an "arsenal" of airsoft guns. Yes, toy guns. This is where the insanity of gun control leads.
• "Rogers New Mini-Red Dot Sight Mount"--The Firearms Blog. Basically, it is a short section of picatinny rail that is, in turn, mounted on a quick-release mount to attach to a picatinny rail. So, if you have a mini-red dot sight designed to clamp onto a picatinny rail, but is not a quick release mount, this adds the quick release feature. My concern is how high it would sit, since essentially you have stacked picatinny rails.
• "Self-Defense Tip: Be Ready for a Gun Grab"--The Truth About Guns. The article builds off a recently reported incident where a woman drew a gun on two assailants, and one of the assailant promptly grabbed her gun away. The author goes on to recommend that you learn methods of weapon retention. Unfortunately, it doesn't go into specifics on methods of retention. Like many things involving self-defense, this is something where you are better off learning through the physicality of practicing with someone else. (There are instructors, including Greg Ellifritz, that provide these courses to the public). One basic thing, though. If you carry in a holster on your strong side, turn your body slightly so your strong side hip is behind you, putting more distance between the aggressor and the firearm and your strong hand (you can use your weak hand to block or deflect a grab from the aggressor). This is also a reason why you should not be married to one--and only one--method or style of drawing and shooting your firearm. At short distances, there is no clear demarcation between hand-to-hand combat and using a firearm; it is a continuum. 
• "Zika Virus: Two Cases Suggest It Could Be Spread Through Sex"--New York Times. 

Zika virus has already been linked to brain damage in babies and paralysis in adults. Now scientists are facing another ominous possibility: that on rare occasions, the virus might be transmitted through sex.

The evidence is very slim; only a couple of cases have been described in medical literature. But a few experts feel the prospect is disturbing enough that federal health officials should inform all travelers, not just pregnant women, of the potential danger.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, say the evidence is insufficient to warrant such a warning. While the two instances suggest a “theoretical risk” of sexual transmission, they note the primary vector is clearly mosquitoes.

Dr. Márcio Nehab, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Fiocruz, a research institute in Rio de Janeiro, said that much more research was needed to be done to definitively prove that Zika can be transmitted during sex.

• "Argentina Scrambles to Fight Biggest Plague of Locusts in 60 Years"--New York Times.

Farmers and fumigators in Argentina are running out of time as they scramble to control the country’s worst plague of locusts in more than half a century, officials warned on Monday.

The provincial authorities and Senasa, the government’s agricultural inspection agency, have intensified their efforts to exterminate swarms of the insects in the dry forests of northern Argentina. But their attempts might not be enough to prevent the locusts from developing into a flying throng in the coming days — when they will then threaten to devour crops like sunflowers and cotton, and grasslands for cattle grazing.

“It’s the worst explosion in the last 60 years,” Diego Quiroga, the agriculture agency’s chief of vegetative protection, said in a telephone interview. “It’s impossible to eradicate; the plague has already established itself. We’re just acting to make sure it’s the smallest it can be and does the least damage possible.”

Small pockets of locusts, which first appeared last June, at the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, have spread across an area of northern Argentina about the size of Delaware. The mild and rainy winter here created comfortable breeding conditions for the locusts; their surge outpaced the ability of the authorities to control the spread of the insects.

Farmers last year reported locust clouds that were more than four miles long and nearly two miles high, said Juan Pablo Karnatz, a representative for the Province of Santiago del Estero at the Rural Confederations of Argentina, which represents more than 100,000 farmers here.

In the past five years, Senasa, the agricultural agency, has seen an increase in the numbers of insects that can destroy crops — like fruit flies that threaten citrus groves — as a result of warmer, wetter winters.

Mr. Quiroga pointed to a warning last November by the Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency, which said climate change would contribute to locust plagues in Africa. “There is clearly an impact in our country, too,” he said. “We are definitely being affected.”

Many farmers here blame the coming plague on the previous government of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, saying officials failed to take last year’s warnings seriously enough. There is no study yet that shows climate change has led to the increase in locust populations, said Paola Carrizo, a professor of agronomy at the University of Buenos Aires, explaining that a more likely cause was insufficient pest control by Senasa.

• "Italy Dreads Looming Invasion of 400,000 New Immigrants ‘in Coming Weeks’"--Breitbart. 

... Until a few days ago the Italian peninsula was a transit channel for tens of thousands of desperate migrants en route to the countries of Northern Europe, yet now these same migrants are finding themselves stranded in Italy because of closed borders to the north. Overnight, Italy has moved from being a passageway to a dead end.

Six countries— Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Slovenia—have suspended the treaty for two years, and others appear ready to follow them. In many respects, Schengen no longer exists.

With the recent closure of the Austrian border, the border points have already begun to be besieged, and authorities are expecting a migrant tent city to form there. Moreover, when good weather returns, they warn, arrivals could increase tenfold.

• Related: "European Migrant Madness Beginning to Turn"--Anonymous Conservative. European governments begin to react. Some thoughts and analysis from the Anonymous Conservative. 
• Related: "Fortress Europe: Brussels shuts borders and calls for refugee camp for 300,000 to be built in Greece in last-ditch bid to stop a flood of migrants"--Daily Mail. "Belgian migration minister Theo Francken ... said that the Greeks 'now need to bear the consequences' of being too weak to guard their own borders and called for Athens to face an EU 'sanction mechanism' under which the rising number of refugees entering the country would be forced to stay there."

• "Cash Is King as Europe Adapts to Negative Interest Rates: Chart"--Bloomberg. "Europe’s ATMs worked overtime in 2015. A record 1.08 trillion euros ($1.17 trillion) of banknotes were in circulation, almost double the value 10 years ago, according to data compiled by the European Central Bank. That’s a counterargument to some bankers who say that electronic forms of cash will replace paper money sooner rather than later." The result, as many have been predicting, will be the abolition of paper money.
• As a follow up on the Survival Blog article I cited the other day on using a boat for retreat living: "'The wind costs me nothing and drives me wherever I want to go': Man goes on epic two-year voyage from Washington to Chile after quitting his engineering job and learning how to sail"--Daily Mail.
• "How stupid and vicious do elites think 'we' are?"--Michael Barone at The Washington Examiner. So stupid that, according to Barone, they think that by not mentioning "Islam" together with "terrorism," we won't catch on to the connection.
• A couple recent articles on the evolving illicit drug market:

• "How Ecstasy Has Evolved in the New Millennium"--Vice (h/t Active Response Training). As MDMA in pill form became less pure (and less powerful), users moved to a capsule form, which also has become adulterated.

• "New 'shake-and-bake' method for making crystal meth gets around drug laws but is no less dangerous"--Daily News (h/t Anonymous Conservative). A new and easy method for making small batches of crystal meth at home. From the story:

But now drug users are making their own meth in small batches using a faster, cheaper and much simpler method with ingredients that can be carried in a knapsack and mixed on the run. The "shake-and-bake" approach has become popular because it requires a relatively small number of pills of the decongestant pseudoephedrine — an amount easily obtained under even the toughest anti-meth laws that have been adopted across the nation to restrict large purchases of some cold medication.  

* * *  

The pills are crushed, combined with some common household chemicals and then shaken in the soda bottle. No flame is required.

A Quick Run Around the Web--January 25, 2016

• The video above is "Steel Chain Carnage!" from Zombie Go Boom!, which is a You Tube channel whose creators test out various weapons--production weapons and improvised--on reproductions of skulls and brains to determine what would be best at killing a zombie. Of course, it also gives you some ideas of the relative effectiveness of the weapons in the real world. This particular segment, recommended to me by my son, shows the effectiveness of a length of heavy steel chain as an improvised weapon.
• "Area Air Purification, Part 2"--Blue Collar Prepping. Part 1 dealt with how to seal off an area. Part 2 discusses air pumps/fans and filters.
• "Gut Feelings and Sleepless Nights: Here’s a 24/7 Prepper News Resource"--Advanced Survival Guide. "The KA9OFF News and Alerts page is the product of many sleepless nights and is built using server space donated by the preparedness-minded folks at Centerfire Antenna and US Dipole."
• "Rural Defense Comms: The Hardware"--Lizard Farmer. Self-explanatory, I think.
• "Is prepping by stealth becoming a norm?"--Survival UK. "Seems there are a lot more of us than we think although the media has done the damage around the label prepper and made it unpalatable to your average person in a similar way they have demonised survivalist and survivalism. So people just do it, they don’t label it to make themselves feel better. Bit like all the tory voters who just denied it in the polls to avoid being tormented by socialists they just put their heads down but voted as they wished."
• "When The Lights Go Out, How Will You Protect Your OPSEC?"--Survivalist Blog. "I hadn’t really thought about how much light comes from our house until I read Survival Mom by Lisa Bedford. She mentions an elderly woman whose candlelight and flashlight power could be seen through her windows at night. When neighbors and others approached her home asking for lamps and oil she had none to spare. They were upset and angry with this woman because she wouldn’t share her preps." The author goes on to discuss ideas to black out your windows during a disaster or other event. I'm reminded, reading of this, of a prolonged power outage that my wife and I experienced in our college days. We lived off-campus in an apartment complex at the time. A transformer exploded, leaving the neighborhood without power for most of the day, including into the evening. Inconvenient, but not a terrible disaster: temperatures were warm, but not hot, and we simply used a camp stove to cook dinner and a couple propane lanterns for light after it started to get dark. In the evening, we took a short walk. Here and there in the complex, among the darkened apartments, were a number with lights. We quickly realized that the ones that were lit were primarily those with LDS students who, like us, had some emergency resources available. It was easy to see who was prepared--just by the lights.
• "Bug Out Boats Revisited, by P.J.C."--Survival Blog. There is something compelling about a retreat that can move around, withdrawing to a deserted cove, or over the horizon, from post-SHTF threats. But vessels are complex and maintenance intensive. Nevertheless, if this is something that interests you, the author has some good ideas. I agree that, for the size and draft, a catamaran (or trimaran) is the best choice. It is also more stable than a single hulled vessel. Although I didn't see any mention in the author's article, there are solar systems available that are designed to run the electrical systems on a boat. 
• "Blade Steel: Here Comes the Science"--The Load Out Room. Some materials science basics as it relates to making blades.
• "College Food Storage or Food Storage for Singles"--Prepared LDS Family.
• "Swedish police warn Stockholm's main train station is now overrun by migrant teen gangs 'stealing and groping girls'"--Daily Mail. Anyone want to guess from where the members of these "teen gangs" came?

• Related: "Musings on Immigration III"--Vox Popoli. Musings on whether the current invasion of Germany will result in fascism, Balkanization, or it becoming part of the coming Caliphate.

• Related: "Swedish asylum worker, 22, is stabbed to death 'in frenzied attack' at a CHILD migrant centre as refugee boy, 15, is arrested for murder amid rising tensions over violence and sex assaults"--Daily Mail. The victim was originally from Lebanon. One thing to remember about Lebanon was that, until it being overwhelmed by Muslim Palestinians, it was a prosperous and stable country, with Beirut compared to Monaco and Paris.

• "China Capital Outflows Rise to Estimated $1 Trillion in 2015"--Bloomberg. Not exactly a vote of confidence in China's near term economic prospects.

• Related: "China Warns 'Social Stability Threatened' As 400,000 Steel Workers Are About To Lose Their Jobs"--Zero Hedge.

• Via Zero Hedge: "Deadly virus leaked from US laboratory in Donbass - DPR Army and Intelligence"--Donbass International News Agency. "More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers have died and over 200 soldiers are hospitalized in a short period of time because of new and deadly virus, which is immune to all medicines. Donetsk People's Republic intelligence has reported that Californian Flu is leaked from the same place where research of this virus has been carried out. The laboratory is located near the city of Kharkov and its base for US military experts. Information from threatening epidemic is announced by Vice-Commander of Donetsk Army, Eduard Basurin."
• "As Frustrations With Mexico’s Government Rise, So Do Lynchings"--New York Times. 

But the people of Ajalpan had another explanation: Tired of government corruption and indifference, the mob fashioned its own justice, part of a longstanding problem that Mexican officials say is on the rise.

The killings raise difficult questions for Mexico, highlighting an alarming development: By some accounts, there were more public lynchings this past year than at any other time in more than a quarter-century. There were at least 78 lynchings last year in Mexico, more than double the number the previous year, according to data collected by Raúl Rodríguez Guillén, a professor and an author of the book “Mexico Lynchings, 1988-2014.”

The mob actions were born of a sense of hopelessness and impotence shared by many in Mexico, where 98 percent of murders go unsolved and the state is virtually absent in some areas. By some estimates, just 12 percent of crimes are even reported in Mexico, largely because of a lack of faith that justice will ever be served.

Such a void, taken to extremes, has found its resolution in violence.

• "Jeff Bezos launches and lands again in another first for booming space industry"--Washington Post. "Two months after Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin launched a rocket just past the boundary of space and then recovered it in a soft landing, the space company repeated the feat Friday with the same rocket in another breakthrough for the booming commercial space industry." Also:

If these so-called “New Space” entrepreneurs are able to reliably recover and reuse rockets, the cost of space flight could dramatically decrease — a key step toward realizing their dreams of democratizing space and one day flying tourists to the cosmos.

Recovering and reusing rockets reliably would be a huge breakthrough, analysts say. 

A Quick Run Around the Web--January 24, 2016

• The video above is Epic How To's "How to Fight a Bear." Although presented in a humorous manner, it has some good information on surviving a bear attack.
• Some more humor: "Whatever happened to television’s most famous couples?"--Medium. Did Ross and Rachel survive the Apocalypse? You'll have to read the article to find out.
• I was little late getting to it this weekend, but here is the link to the latest Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training. There are a couple articles to which Mr. Ellifritz links that I want to mention in particular: an article by Grant Cunningham on tips for maintaining a pocket revolver; and an article on laser sights versus tritium sights on a handgun.
• "How To Choose, Buy, And Shoot A Shotgun"--Return of the Kings. A nice primer on shotguns, both for hunting and self-defense.
• "Winter Storm Jonas is OVER and now the clean-up begins: East Coast struggles to recover after 'storm of a generation' dumps as much as 40 inches of snow in some areas killing at least 29 people and turning New York City into a ghost town"--Daily Mail. "It was the second biggest blizzard since 1869 for the Big Apple where 26.8inches of snow was reported in Central Park and a record snowfall in Baltimore where residents got 29 inches of the white stuff. Glengary, West Virginia, topped the charts for the East Coast blizzard with an astonishing 40 inches of snowfall." And I thought snow was supposed to be a thing of the past.

• Related: "Tomb of the Unknowns still guarded by sentinels even during Winter Storm Jonas"--Daily Mail. Duty and honor.

• Related: "Tragedy as mother and her one-year-old son die of carbon monoxide poisoning in New Jersey after snow blocked car tailpipe"--Daily Mail. A simple mistake, but deadly. Something to keep in mind should you ever be stranded in the snow.

• Related: "Travel ban lifted in New York City"--Fox 5 News. From the story:

Gov. Cuomo had banned all travel in New York City because of the massive snowstorm that could dump 30" of snow on the city by the time it is over.

Cuomo announced a ban on roads in all of lower New York State.  Port Authority bridges and tunnels into New York City were also closed.  The travel ban started at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The ban included Long Island highways.

The governor warned that if you are caught on the road during a ban you could face a large fine or arrest.

"We will arrest them if needed," Mayor Bill de Blasio said about any drivers still on the road during the ban.  On Sunday the NYPD said they did not have to arrest anyone but they did issue several summonses.

This was just for a snowstorm. I don't imagine that the authorities would act any differently if New York was facing some other disaster: make the peons shelter in place while the elites safely drive (or fly) away.

• "This Is What The Death Of A Nation Looks Like: Venezuela Prepares For 720% Hyperinflation"--Zero Hedge. "... the IMF, which until recently had predicted "only" 204% inflation for Venezuela, already higher than the 140% consensus, revised its numbers and now sees a mindblowing 750% hyperinflation in 2016: this means that the average price of products and services will increase over eight times over the span of the next 12 months." The fruits of socialism.
• "Don’t fear marriage and fatherhood, but beware those who are working to destroy your family."--Dalrock. He writes:

Men don’t just fear the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood, they fear the way these institutions have been corrupted and assaulted by our laws, courts, Christian leaders and entertainment, and even attacked by Walsh himself. Marriage has been legally and socially replaced by a new family model.  While some men only fear taking on responsibility, wise men rightly are weary of the evil of this new form of family.  Under God’s family structure, marriage is for life and husbands are head of the household.  Under our new culture and legal structure, marriage lasts precisely as long as your wife says it will, and married fathers are either a punchline or a serious threat to the family and must be aggressively restrained.  It isn’t the responsibility that many men fear, but the contempt of society (including conservative Christians) that being a married father earns, and the loss of their family on a whim that best demonstrates this contempt.

• Open immigration is one of the surest signs of the decline and impending collapse of a nation or culture: e.g., Egyptians allowing the unfettered immigration of Canaanites (which resulted in the loss of Lower Egypt to the "Hyskos" and the end of the Old Kingdom); Rome allowing immigration of the Germanic tribes; Aztec dissidents throwing in with the Conquistadors. And now Western Civilization....

• "Gang of migrants arrested after 'sexually assaulting women and masturbating at historic German swimming baths'"--Daily Mail. Also defecating in the swimming pools. This is not something they would have done in their own countries, so why would they do this in Germany? Because they can.

• "Germans Ordered to Ban Alcohol and Not Dress Like Sluts By Muslim Group"--Anonymous Conservative. "... Muslims are baffled by the idea that a woman could wear a skirt, and men around her wouldn’t immediately rape her – the very idea is unimaginable." 

• "Mid-week news round-up of Muslim maniacs and Western wimps"--Carol Brown at The American Thinker. "I set about gathering reports on the Islamic advance across the West with the plan to write up one week’s worth of information.  However, at the mid-week point it became clear that the post would be much too long if I went the entire week.  So I stopped.  What you find below is a sample of overt and abject barbarism; stealth advance; and Western weakness, stupidity, and dhimmitude that unfolded in just under four days." Read the whole thing. (H/t Anonymous Conservative).

• "Council On American-Islamic Relations: Relax, Christians, You Worship Allah"--The Daily Caller. To Christians, Christ is deity; to Muslims, he was a minor prophet. See also, "Is Allah = Satan?"

• "Stand by for Collision"--Richard Fernandez. He writes:

When the problem was largely confined to Middle Eastern women it is easy to understand why it was ignored. Now that taharrush has come to Europe it is easier still.  Events are being covered up because it runs counter to the Narrative peddled by the Western left.  The Narrative is the source of their moral authority, the justification for their special graft.

What makes the pathological denial so catastrophic is that a vast, almost unstoppable torrent of refugees is already on the way to Germany, the fragments of collapsing Islamic countries.  Cologne is but a skirmish with the vanguard.  The main host is still on its way.

In belated mea culpa former senior adviser to president Obama Dennis Ross at last took his boss to task in an article titled: "How Obama Created a Mideast Vacuum". It's too late Dennis. What "too late" means was driven home years ago when one of the volunteer members of the Philippine Airlines cadaver recovery team described an accident which took the lives of 5 members of a university mountaineering club.  The party was trekking along a dry riverbed on the lower slope of an 8,000 foot volcano in Mindoro.  The weather was fine and the mountaineers were doomed.  Unknown to them a squall had dumped a slug of rain on the peak high above them.  The first warning they had of oncoming tons of water was a rumbling sound round the corner of the gorge.  Then the flood came and only those fast enough to clamber up the riverbanks survived.

In the same way the present calm in Europe can be deceiving. Even if its leaders were somehow to reconstitute its borders, a gigantic flood from that vacuum upstream of the old continent is already rushing with irresistible force upon it. The UNHCR says refugee numbers are expected to increase in 2016. Some estimates say as many as 10 million more are on the way.  From the beaches of North Africa to the overcrowded camps in Jordan and Lebanon; from every nook and cranny in MENA -- they are on the way.  One way or the other a terrible smash is now in train.

•  A lot of conservatives fear that the base don't place sufficient value on free markets. Free markets are great in theory--"all other things being equal"--but can face serious shortcomings in the real world where people lie, cheat, steal, and otherwise act unfairly. These can be controlled within a single nation-state, where rule of law evens the playing field. But on the international scale, there is no level playing field. As an example, "Corporate Espionage by China on 60 minutes"--Anonymous Conservative--about how China steals intellectual property and technology from companies that manufacture in China. Free markets are an ideal, something to be striven for; not an excuse to deliver ourselves into our enemies' hands.

A Review of Revelations--Part 7--The Testimony of the Lord

Krakatoa eruption

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12]

This is the continuation of my series reviewing Revelations as part of my reading of The Book of Revelation: Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass by G. Erik Brandt. Last time, I started in to Revelations Chapter 8. This week, we continue into Chapter 8.

Revelation 8:3-5 reads:

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The angel is not identified, but Brandt (and others he cites) suggest it is the Archangel Michael (i.e., Adam).

The alter and incense representing the prayers of the saints showed up earlier during the Fifth Seal. During the Fifth Seal, the prayers were those of the persecuted members of the Church seeking justice. However, at the time, the Lord indicated that he would withhold his judgment for a little while. Given the earlier reference, it seems reasonable that the prayers of the saints in this, the Seventh Seal, are likewise prayers for justice in response to the persecution and wickedness of the world. Only this time around, the Lord is prepared to mete out His justice on a wicked world.

Brandt writes: "As individuals and nations ripen in iniquity, their enmity towards good becomes intolerant and violent. ... When the Lord comes it will be to a people who are praying for relief from the persecutions and wickedness of the day." Brandt also notes that "[a]t this time conditions in the world will have seriously deteriorated 'for the wicked doth compass about the rightous' (Hab. 1:4)."

As I've documented in many posts, persecutions against Christians increases throughout the world: Christians have largely been driven out of the Middle-East, and are being killed on an almost daily basis by Muslims, particularly those aligning with the Wahhabi sect. We also see a great deal of continued persecution in China, and growing persecution by Hindus in India. Within the United States, the federal government has turned against Christians by compelling acceptance of various aspects of cultural Marxism, and we can only expect the hostility to grow.

In any event, there will come a time when the Lord says "enough is enough." Brandt continues:

The silence is broken, ushering in a new level of devastation felt by the earth and her inhabitants. Earlier in the Revelation, John noted that the "winds" of judgment were forestalled for a season. Later, Wilford Woodruff revealed that they had already been released and had begun to pour judgments in measure on the earth. Now, consent is given to release the judgments with ferocity.

When will this time come? I suppose that there could be an argument made that the time has already come. The period of silence could have been the 20 year period between Wilford Woodruff's announcement that the four angels had been released and the start of World War I. The tumult that results could be the two world wars and the numerous other events following.

However, this may be incorrect. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord indicates that the world will first hear the testimony of the Church, and, after that, the Lord's testimony be means of natural disasters and other phenomena.

88 And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people.

 89 For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand.

 90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.

 91 And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.

 92 And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

(D&C 88:88-92). Brigham Young, speaking on this point, explained:

Do you think there is calamity abroad now among the people? Not much. All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, ‘Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,’ all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. … You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulphing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations.” (Journal of Discourses, 8:123).

Keep in mind that this was made in the midst of a century that saw natural disasters, such as the Tambora explosion and resulting savage cold in North America and Europe, the New Madrid earthquake, the Carrington event, and numerous other disasters, that exceeded anything that occurred in the 20th Century. Thus, I believe that the sounding of the trumpets will follow the time that missionaries are called home--something that has not yet happened.

As we read further in the Revelation:

 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

 7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

(Rev. 8:6-13).  You will see obvious similarities with the section from the Doctrine & Covenants cited above.

Brandt notes that these are disasters that will be experienced around the globe, and surmises that "[i]n some cases, the destructions come at levels not experienced since the crucifixion of the Son of God (3 Ne. 8:6-25; Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)." While earlier God had commanded that the Earth be spared, that time is also over, as Brandt describes, "earth no longer holds back, but groans in reaction to the trumpets (D&C 84:49; Moses 7:48).

Brandt points out that "[t]he trumpet plague is likened to the storms of hail that tore through Egypt in the days of Moses." (See Ex. 9:23-35). Brandt explains:

As it was in Egypt, so across the earth storms will rage resulting in the destruction of crops and property (D&C 29:16). In places where the storms pass over and fires are ignited, a third part of the trees are burnt up, and all green grass or vegetation is consumed. This trumpet sent to ravage the lands causes great desolations of the forests and jungles, both man and beast are impacted. Perhaps the most notable effect is that many crops and orchards are ruined. Food becomes scarce and in some places serious famine is visited upon the people.

As for the second trumpet, and the "great mountain burning with fire," Brandt theorizes that it refers to a volcano. It is a possibility: both the hail of fire and this incident could be the result of violent tectonic activity. I've discussed before a theory that this could be in reference to the Cumbre Vieja Volcano. The eruption of a super-volcano could also produce the effects described. Alternatively, these may be of an extraterrestrial origin: both the hail of fire and the burning mountain could be meteorites. Certainly, as we get further into the Revelation, we will see that there is definitely some signs that have only extraterrestrial explanations. A rogue body falling from deep space would probably drag along a great deal of debris that would contribute to the events described.

The third trumpet describes a "star" falling that results in poisoned waters. Brandt theorizes that this is a meteorite of some sort that poisons much of the drinking water on the earth. He also explains:

The Seer names the star "wormwood" after a particularly harsh herb mentioned in the Old Testiment. Symbolically, "wormwood" represented bitterness and sorrow (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Lam. 3:15). When the herb is added to fresh water, the water became bitter and undrinkable. The Lord told Jeremiah that He would "feed them [unrepentant Israel], even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink" (Jer. 9:15) because of rebellion. In the gall of iniquity, the children of Israel became bitter in soul, angry, mischievous, and indignant. Wormwood is as much a symbol of the consequences of man's spiritual conditions as it is a literal event.

(Brackets in original).

The fourth angel sounds and the impact is now on the heavenly bodies (or, at least, the illumination and view receive by earth). Brandt writes:

John sees the sun and moon are "smitten," and the stars in the heavens are shaken and darkened. The Greek word for darkened is skotizo ..., which means to cover with darkness, as if the heavenly bodies are deprived of showing their light. It is unlikely, but not an impossibility, that these signs are actual changes in the heavenly bodies themselves. ... The scriptures prophesy of a sign in the last days where the sun is darkened and the moon becomes red as blood. (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20; D&C 29:14, 34:9, 45:42). Whether the sun and the moon are actually affected themselves remains to be seen, but the prophecies are distinct and will be unmistakable when they occur.

I would note that whether there are strikes by meteorites or volcanic eruptions--or both--there would be significant dust and vapor thrown into the atmosphere. We know from past events--the Tambora explosion, Krakatoa, and the Tunguska event--such incidents can literally reduce a significant amount of the light reaching the earth's surface and cause other atmospheric effects. Since the events listed in the Revelations will exceed the aforementioned incidents, we can expect correspondingly more severe reduction of visible light from the sun and moon.

In closing, I would point out that the following the Fourth Trumpet, an angel makes another proclamation--yet another call for the inhabitants of the earth to repent.