This past weekend marked an increase in violence surrounding demonstrations across the country. Lives were lost as a result. Many people — protesters and bystanders alike — were injured. We saw it at the Austin protest, a rally in Louisville, at a demonstration in Seattle, and in other places. Today it seems appropriate to discuss some of the events we’re currently faced with and what we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones from danger.
The best thing we can do in our position as podcasters, bloggers, and instructors and teachers, is to talk about safety and survival objectives, including:
• threats and how to recognize them
• threats and how to avoid them
• response without reacting to emotional triggers
• preparation, precautions, and preemptive measures
Podcast Host: Daniel Shaw
Co-Host: Varg Freeborn
Producer and Transcriptionist: Leah Ramsden
Below is a break-down of some of the main topics discussed during our podcast today. Feel free to find the topic of your choice;
- 2:18 A shooting in Austin
- 2:39 A shooting in Colorado
- 2:52 A shooting in Louisville
- 5:30 What to know right now
- 7:36 How to mentally prepare
- 8:00 Stock up
- 9:30 Avoidance
- 10:24 Getting caught in a mob story
- 11:32 Normalcy bias
- 12:40 Standing your ground
- 17:18 How to start preparing
- 18:13 The importance of strength and fitness
- 21:20 The importance of self-control
2:18 VF reflects on the recent violence across our country,
“This past weekend, we had a major shooting during a protest in Austin. There was a protester with a rifle, and there was a car that tried to drive through the protest…that guy with the rifle ends up getting shot to death. Another protester ends up shooting at the vehicle also, so there were at least three guns involved in that.”
2:52 VF continues, “Most notably in Louisville we had hundreds of militias show up on different sides of the aisle, fully kitted out, fully armed, and one of the militias had a negligent discharge in their staging area, injured two or three of their own members…
A group of protestors tried to stop a truck driving through, and the occupant of the truck drew a gun and put it in the protester’s face, so the protestor then drew a gun and put it in his face. They’re viscously yelling at one another with guns pointed just inches from their faces.”
7:30 VF Asks, What do you think are some ways we could take that information, about the escalation of violence and what we’re clearly seeing happen and act on that in some way in our own lives?
DS Replies, “Nothing changes with my outlook, I have been preparing for this for a long time. My hope is, this gives a sense of urgency, to a lot more people to be more prepared.
We recently did an episode on Home Defense here, where we can harden our house, harden our structure, protect our families better.”
There’s a lot happening right now and it’s a scary times to be unprepared… -DS
9:30 VF suggests, “The first thing to know (Just like I teach in classes and anytime we’re talking conflict and violence) avoidance is the first, best option. However, you can get caught off guard in conflict.
DS Replies, “I have a friend of mine, who I’ve known for many years, and his daughter had no idea what she was driving into. She was heading to work, and she ended up in the middle of one of these mobs. She rolled her window down, smiled, and thinking that they were going to let her. She was thinking they’re a peaceful protest, no big deal.
She was getting assaulted and she barely got away. But she was totally oblivious that this was a danger. She didn’t even know that her life was in danger right then.”
There are things you can do; if you see something a couple miles down the road that looks questionable, find another route -VF
Start NOW
17:18 VF Says, “You can step back now and say, [I want to] train and have the responsibility to take care of myself and take care of my loved ones, be my own protection and first responder, have my own medical, equipment, knowledge and skills.
That kind of stuff is very important and if you’re just getting on board and realizing that now with the recent events, that’s good, but you’re behind the curve. So, you better catch up [quickly], because I don’t know how much time we’re going to have if this keeps escalating.”
Training Strength & Fitness
18:13 VF suggests where to start if you’re just starting now,
“Your strength and fitness should be number one, because no skill, and no amount of weapon, gear, or knowledge, is useful if your body cannot move to deliver it. All of the knowledge, skills, and equipment require your body to physically deliver those. If you get overwhelmed physically by the smallest tasks like going up a flight of stairs… all of the other preparations are not going to help you at that point.
And then:
Have some weapons training, a little bit of fight training, some medical training, have the gear to support those skills, and learn about clarifying your mission…All the decisions you make should be based on that mission.
Training Your Mind: Self-control
21:45 VF recommends,
The first thing I’d try to accomplish in the category of self-control, is to resist being emotionally charged by any headline, or any video, or any post on social media, or anything you see that comes at you from a remote distance. If you [get] emotionally charged, you’re allowing something outside of yourself to take control of you and your emotions. Your decision making is going to be [impaired] based on those emotions. Now your decision making is not entirely yours anymore. You become very predictable and very controllable.
…the things that charge you up emotionally, you should recognize those immediately and stop yourself from allowing that to happen. Step back and be logical, be rational, and be objective about your decision making.
Final Thoughts
26:21 DS says,
“Now it’s virtuous for you to do exactly as the government says, and it’s not virtuous to go against anything. Nevermind all the different scientific studies saying different things. Nobody really knows what’s going on right now. But there are people who fight and argue with people they used to care about…
We have to take a step back and remember, above all else, be a good person. Be kind to each other. If we can stay with those tenets; self-control kindness, gratitude…then we won’t let them divide us.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
What the fuck is “asymetric violence.” YOU fucking idiots, morons, are making up language to sell more guns, more ammunition, and create more REAL violence just to fill YOUR GREEDY FUCKING COFFERS with more MONEY.
That’s what THIS DISCUSSION is all about. Making more money for greedy jackasses who don’t care who gets hurt in the process!!!
CAPITALISM!! Seriously though, you didn’t listen to the podcast, did you?
Where?
Where is the data that show the correlation?
Thanks for the great example.
Unfu€£ingbelievable! Not only have you shown your jackass but your lack of reading comprehension, your politics, your inability to control your emotions and lack of logic. You statement reads just like the pathetically confused co-dependant antifablmers appear. You should probably seek professional psychiatric help before you go postal on your mother in HER basement when she unknowingly “invades” YOUR space as she brings down a load of laundry.
FYI the term is derived from the widely used and understood idea of asymmetric Warfare which closely resembles what is currently happening within the U.S. in many ways. It closely relates to insurgency and rebellion while contrasting symmetric warfare. Our goal is never to create more violence. We actually don’t sell guns or ammunition. This podcast has always been about avoiding it and then how to react when avoidance is impossible. Find a new blog to read and a new podcast to listen to because you certainly didn’t listen to this one. You may also consider picking up a book at some point.
Well Daniel, I guess JJ proved a point made in the podcast concerning emotionally unbalanced participants in social media. As a retired military officer and retired LEO, I have to admit that it is hard sometimes not to get “charged” by what we see and hear in the media and on social media. As a student of insurgency (I’m always learning) I can step back and put on my dispassionate analysts hat and look at the source with LEO eyes and ask myself if this is just a troll or a paid agitator. The podcast hit the mark with the discussion on how the opposition uses the science of human behavior to get people riled up with specific goals in mind. We can’t take any of this at face value but must be discerning in evaluating the source and methods being used. Considering the use of professional agitators and the wide-spread violence it’s my belief that we’ve moved a long way from protests and pointless rioting to a more concerted effort of insurgency. Good job on the podcast guys. . . .
Thank you, Robert. We are certainly in interesting and scary times. Since I retired from the Corps, I haven’t spent much time continuing my education on Insurgencies and COIN, but I have recently dusted off some books and dove back in to find many startling activities at work in our homeland. Stay safe.
Here’s an informative classic video on Russian Subversive Tactics. Disregard, just for a moment, that it is Russian based because what is important is the process being described. This is not to say it isn’t the Russians but more to the fact that any party/persuasion can employ these processes because they work. Review the video and look at American history just in the last twenty years and you’ll be able to see the processes employed and how well they worked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgmg2VFX058 Cheers. HM2 1st MARDIV, 3rd MAW. Semper Fi.
JJ,you must be referring to the violent liberal socialist, progressive marxist democrats in BLM and Antifa rioters, I mean “protesters”,the murderers and other assorted criminals recently turned loose from prisons.who are all commiting black on black crime,attacking white people, as well as planned attacks on LEOs and Federal Courthouses as well as commiting arson on churches, not to mention looting, then burning stores owned by blacks. In case you didn’t know/are not smart enough to figure out…. that those are the reasons for the dramatic rise in gun sales .
Well said!
You have listed four out of six political ideologies. How can one be all of them?
Amusingly it has mostly been conservative governments that introduced gun regulations. UK, Canada and Australia.😊😊😊😊
Great information and guidance in this podcast. I hope you guys read these comments because I would be extremely interested in you expanding on your conversation at the the end pertaining to high tech advertising and powerful forces in play. I think i have a good idea as to what you where referring to but as stated i would love to hear more detail of your take on the key players in these historic events.
As a Marine vet, former FF/EMT and now 20 year LEO veteran, I have always been aware of the importance of being prepared. With current events, I find it more pertinent that we continue to improve on our preparedness, awareness and ability to defend ourselves and our families. I believe you can’t lose a fight that you can avoid; if – but, if the fight comes to you, you better have done the work beforehand to be victorious. What’s that saying; The more you sweat in the training, the less you bleed in battle. As always, great info and advice on your podcast.
The silent majority is crap. Don’t rely on it. Have we forgot what a 3 percenter means?
Daniel Shaw: Learn the difference between a tenant and a tenet. Even AP and WAPO make that error sometimes. Like the difference in pronunciation between a cache and caché. Both are typical military type goofs.
Thanks for finding the oversight in the transcription of the podcast. I will make the correction. I don’t even know how I pronounced it in the episode. Probably wrong.
Nice job. 1st time I have heard you.