Thursday, April 21, 2011

"Advice From an Israeli Agent"

I normally disregard chain e-mails, but recently once was passed on to me that caught my attention. After reading it I did a little digging and a few flags were raised when I tried to identify its origins. Firstly, I could not identify the original author of the work and found that its supposed reference had credentials which were suspect. It also seems that this e-mail has been circulating since around 2005. Since the original timeline for the events describe has likely long since passed, and the credentials of it's "sources" are unreliable, you might wonder why I am event bothering to mention it.

After reading it through I found a lot of the cultural criticisms relevant and the suggestions it provided were well thought out. We as a culture do lack situational awareness and lack the planning to effectively deal with disasterous situations, should they arise. This is a mixed blessing as this compliance has arisen because of the relative safety that we enjoy on a day-to-day basis. Of course when a catastrophe does happen, we are now left vulnerable and unable to cope.

For posterity's sake I reproduce it here, unedited. Take from it what you will...absorb what is useful, reject what is not.

Juval Aviv was the Israeli Agent upon whom the movie ‘ Munich ‘ was based. He was Golda Meir’s bodyguard, and she appointed him to track down and bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who took the Israeli athletes hostage and killed them during the Munich Olympic Games.

In a lecture in New York City he shared information that EVERY American needs to know — but that our government has not yet shared with us.

He predicted the London subway bombing on the Bill O’Reilly show on Fox News stating publicly that it would happen within a week. At the time, O’Reilly laughed, and mocked him saying that in a week he wanted him back on the show. Unfortunately, within a week the terrorist attack had occurred.

Juval Aviv gave intelligence (via what he had gathered in Israel and the Middle East ) to the Bush Administration about 9/11, a month before it occurred. His report specifically said they would use planes as bombs and target high profile buildings and monuments. Congress has since hired him as a security consultant.

Now for his future predictions. He predicts the next terrorist attack on the U.S. will occur within the next few months.

Forget hijacking airplanes, because he says terrorists will NEVER try and hijack a plane again as they know the people onboard will never go down quietly again. Aviv believes our airport security is a joke — that we have been reactionary rather than proactive in developing strategies that are truly effective.

For example:

1. Our airport technology is outdated. We look for metal, and the new explosives are made of plastic.

2. He talked about how some idiot tried to light his shoe on fire. Because of that, now everyone has to take off their shoes. A group of idiots tried to bring aboard liquid explosives. Now we can’t bring liquids on board. He says he’s waiting for some suicidal maniac to pour liquid explosive on his underwear; at which point, security will have us all traveling naked! Every strategy we have is reactionary.

3. We only focus on security when people are heading to the gates.

Aviv says that if a terrorist attack targets airports in the future, they will target busy times on the front end of the airport when/where people are checking in. It would be easy for someone to take two suitcases of explosives, walk up to a busy check-in line, ask a person next to them to watch their bags for a minute while they run to the restroom or get a drink, and then detonate the bags BEFORE security even gets involved. In Israel , security checks bags BEFORE people can even ENTER the airport.

Aviv says the next terrorist attack here in America is imminent and will involve suicide bombers and non-suicide bombers in places where large groups of people congregate. (i.e., Disneyland, Las Vegas casinos, big cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc.) and that it will also include shopping malls, subways in rush hour, train stations, etc., as well as, rural America this time. The interlands ( Wyoming , Montana , etc.).

The attack will be characterized by simultaneous detonations around the country (terrorists like big impact), involving at least 5-8 cities, including rural areas.

Aviv says terrorists won’t need to use suicide bombers in many of the larger cities, because at places like the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, they can simply valet park a car loaded with explosives and walk away.

Aviv says all of the above is well known in intelligence circles, but that our U. S. Government does not want to ‘alarm American citizens’ with the facts. The world is quickly going to become ‘a different place’, and issues like ‘global warming’ and political correctness will become totally irrelevant.

On an encouraging note, he says that Americans don’t have to be concerned about being nuked. Aviv says the terrorists who want to destroy America will not use sophisticated weapons. They like to use suicide as a front-line approach. It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s effective; and they have an infinite abundance of young militants more than willing to ‘meet their destiny’.

He also says the next level of terrorists, over which America should be most concerned, will not be coming from abroad. But will be, instead, ‘homegrown’, having attended and been educated in our own schools and universities right here in the U.S. He says to look for ‘students’ who frequently travel back and forth to the Middle East . These young terrorists will be most dangerous because they will know our language and will fully understand the habits of Americans; but that we Americans won’t know/understand a thing about them.

Aviv says that, as a people, Americans are unaware and uneducated about the terrorist threats we will inevitably face. America still has only a handful of Arabic and Farsi speaking people in our intelligence networks, and Aviv says it is critical that we change that fact SOON.

So, what can America do to protect itself? From an intelligence perspective, Aviv says the U.S. needs to stop relying on satellites and technology for intelligence. We need to, instead, follow Israel ‘s, Ireland ‘s and England ‘s hands-on examples of human intelligence, both from an infiltration perspective as well as to pay attention to, and trust ‘aware’ citizens to help. We need to engage and educate ourselves as citizens; however, our U. S. government continues to treat us, its citizens, ‘like babies’. Our government thinks we ‘can’t handle the truth’ and are concerned that we’ll panic if we understand the realities of terrorism. Aviv says this is a deadly mistake.

Aviv recently created/executed a security test for our Congress, by placing an empty briefcase in five well-traveled spots in five major cities. The results? Not one person called 911 or sought a policeman to check it out. In fact, in Chicago , someone tried to steal the briefcase!

In comparison, Aviv says that citizens of Israel are so well ‘trained’ that an unattended bag or package would be reported in seconds by citizen(s) who know to publicly shout, ‘Unattended Bag!’ The area would be quickly & calmly cleared by the citizens themselves.

Unfortunately, America hasn’t been yet ‘hurt enough’ by terrorism for their government to fully understand the need to educate its citizens or for the government to understand that it’s their citizens who are, inevitably, the best first-line of defense against terrorism.

Aviv also was concerned about the high number of children here in America who were in preschool and kindergarten after 9/11, who were ‘lost’ without parents being able to pick them up, and about our schools that had no plan in place to best care for the students until parents could get there. (In New York City , this was days, in some cases!)

He stresses the importance of having a plan, that’s agreed upon within your family, of how to respond in the event of a terrorist emergency. He urges parents to contact their children’s schools and demand that the schools too, develop plans of actions, just as they do in Israel .

Does your family know what to do if you can’t contact one another by phone? Where would you gather in an emergency? He says we should all have a plan that is easy enough for even our youngest children to remember and follow.

Aviv says that the U. S. government has in force a plan, that in the event of another terrorist attack, EVERYONE’s ability to use cell phones, blackberries, etc., will immediately be cut-off, as this is the preferred communication source used by terrorists and is often the way that their bombs are detonated.

How will you communicate with your loved ones in the event you cannot speak to each other? You need to have a plan.

If you understand, and believe what you have just read, then you must feel compelled to send this to every concerned parent, guardian, grandparents, uncles, aunts, whomever. Don’t stop there. In addition to sharing this via e-mail, contact and discuss this information with whomever it makes sense to. Make contingency plans with those you care about. Better that you have plans in place, and never have to use them, then to have no plans in place, and find you needed them.

If you choose not to share this, or not to have a plan in place, and nothing ever occurs — good for you! However, in the event something does happen, and even more so, if it directly affects your loved ones, then this e-mail will haunt you forever.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Disaster Prep: The Zombie Apocalypse

It's 7:06 in the morning, and you're awakened suddenly from your sleep. You roll over to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, but you realize it's not suppose to go off for another 24 minutes. What's that noise?! Jumping out of bed you head over to the window and look outside. CHAOS! Across the street from you is an overturned ambulance with it's siren till running! There are fires all around the block, and no law enforcement or fire trucks in sight! Out of the corner of your eye you see the neighbours little girl covered in blood hunched over the mailman on the ground biting and clawing at his body. You just bought scout cookies from her yesterday! What's going on!? How did this happen!?!!!


Zombies.

This is the nightmare hundreds of people face each year, and millions more fear. Contrary to popular belief, zombies are in fact real and do plague humanity, mostly in developing nations around the world. The key to management is swift action when dealing with an uprising. Only in that way has been possible thus far to keep any epidemics from spreading to worldwide pandemics.

So how do you prepare for something that seemingly cannot be killed? Knowledge and preparation!


1: Identification


What kind of zombie are you dealing with?
In his book The Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks identifies the virus Solanum as key culprit in zombie transformation. In the time since the publication of the guide there has been significant advances in our knowledge of zombism. In fact we have now identified two distinct types of zombies.

The solanum zombie, slow moving and dangerous in numbers due to their persistence. This is the classic view of the zombie which has inspired mythology through human culture.

The rabid zombie, fast moving, capable of sprinting and easily attracted to loud noises and bright lights. As the name suggest, these zombies are created by a mutation of the rabies virus. Due to it's more recent appearance, debated still rages regarding whether this mutation is natural or is the result of an attempt to weaponize the virus.


2. What makes them different from each other?


In either case, none of the infected are actually "dead". Their bodies still perform basic metabolic activities, however all cognitive functions of the brain have ceased. What made them human is gone, and what remains is a body left in auto-drive.

Due to the differing nature of the infection, tactics for dealing with the infected differ slightly.

The solanum zombie
will have a slower metabolism and so can endure for much longer between feedings than the rabies zombie before shutting down. Consequently it can actually remain under water for quite some time as it's body uses oxygen at a slower rate. These zombies are slow moving and lumbering, so the real danger here comes from their persistence and large numbers.

Rabid zombies are different in that they have fast metabolisms and are known to sprint and chase down their victims. These zombies are voracious killers and need a constant supply of food to fuel their high metabolisms. Encountering even one of these infected can be more than most people are prepared for.


3. How do I deal with them?


When dealing with the zombie plague there is only one option. Destroy them. While the brain my no longer be capable of cognition, it is still the command center for the rest of the body. It is the primary target on any infected individual.

Effective methods of inducing trauma include firearms, blunt force and decapitation.

If you can find something heavy and can lift it, then start swinging.

If you can remove it's head, do so.

If you have a gun, shoot it.

A direct shot to the head is clearly the best option, however many things can affect the accuracy of your shot. Panic, adrenaline, lack of skill all contribute to a missed shot to the head (a relatively small target). Better instead to incapacitate the infected and finish with a melee weapon. A powerful shot to the chest will cause cell walls to rupture as the shock-wave passes through surrounded tissue, muscle fibres tear and neurons will stop firing. With the heart liquefied, and muscles none existent, the infected will attempt to pursue in vain, only to be physically incapable
of doing so. If you have the chance, finish it with a melee. Otherwise, keep running.

Your diligence will pay off in spades. Many a survivor has allowed themselves to become compliant and paid for it with their life.


4. Gear
Preparation is everything. Those who are not prepared will depend on law enforcement or military support. When the disaster hits, these resources will be stretched too thin to help all but the fortunate few.

I offer my own preparations to you as a guide, and possibly an insight into creating your own stockpile.

Get one here

Headgear
A tactical mask with goggles is the only way to go. Protect the face from splatter damage and reduce the risk of contamination.

Upper Garment
Who is best prepared to deal with the constant threat of physical harm? Firefighters? Law enforcement? The military? IMHO I must reject all answers except for one. Batman. No one else faces the constant threat of violence, and so it makes the most sense to adopt the armour mean to protect vital areas. Remember that during the apocalypse, threats will reveal themselves to you as both the infected AND survivors. Fortunately for us, this armour is available on the civilian market.

Lower Garment
More armoured clothing, light weight being an important factor as you will be carrying the weight as you travel.
Boots
Trekking long distances is a very real possibility in the zombie apocalypse as fuel for vehicles will be at a premium. My choice are the rugged Asolos that have reliably served me.

Tactical Accessories
Fixed blade and tactical gloves.

Primary Weapon
The Marlin 1895SBL is chambered for .45-70 rounds. This round has the stopping power to take down a charging Grizzly bear, and will be sufficient for a charging zombie.

Many people will have you believe that the best choice as a primary is the AR-15 rifle, due to the availability of the 5.56x45mm NATO round, which will be carried by law enforcement and military squads. This point is mute, as you should already be stocking enough ammunition for a 15 year war.

Secondary Weapon
Dan Wesson PPC .357 magnum. You're looking for stopping power here. As with above, you'll hear many people recommend the 9mm, since it will be available. Don't compromise! Go for the round that will leave a hole where flesh used to be, and you won't be disappointed. Stock up your own ammo or learn to reload yourself.

Melee Weapon
Most people will have you believe that a blunt force trauma instrument is the best bet against hordes of infected, citing "sticking" of blades as the primary reason to avoid them. I will tell you that this is a fallacy, and only the untrained will face this problem.

Sticking occurs when the surrounding muscle tissue puts inward pressure on the face of the blade, causing it to refuse to let go during a piecing or thrusting attack. Very often a survivor will find themselves embedding their melee machete or knife in cranial area of an infected only to be unable to remove it in time to defend against an onslaught of the horde.

This can be avoided by instead targeting behind the neck and severing the the spinal column, rather than attacking the cranium. This immediately shuts down the signals coming from the brain and allows for quick removal of the blade.

My choice of melee is the ESEE Junglas large survival knife/lite machete. If it can do this to a hog, then I'll wager my life on it during the outbreak.

Inventory (non-combat)
  • Pack
  • Headlamp
  • Lighter - Bics might be more reliable, but nothing tops the class of a Zippo
  • Gasoline - To power generators, fuel vehicles, and manufacture Molotov cocktails as improvised weapons.
  • Optics - To increase field of vision.
  • Water filter - To provide fresh water.
  • MRE Food rations -Enough to hold over until suitable agriculture programs can be implemented.

Vehicle
Once again...Batman.
The Tumbler is an armoured vehicle capable manuevering through city streets to quickly grab resources, capable of quick bursts of speed and yet robust enough to plow through hordes of infected or abandoned vehicles as needed.

Stronghold
A good base provides fortifications against the infected as well as means to support a growing populace of survivors. Movies have shown the folly of choosing grocery stores or shopping centers as strongholds. While initially a wise choice, after and extended siege from the infected, you will soon find yourself running low on resources. Indeed a better base provides both resources and means for self reliance.

It also needs to defense against both attacks from the infected, as well as invading marauders intent on ousting you and stealing your supplies.

To that end, a fortress with a guarded perimeter with access to fresh water and ample area to grow crops provides the ideal setting. However, an exit strategy is a requirement in the event that the outer defenses are breached and the inner walls begin to fall.


5. Never let your guard down Don't let times of peacefulness lull you into a passive state. Remember, it is those that prepare that will make it through times of hardship. When it comes to an enemy that never sleeps, never stops, and grows exponentially, we cannot afford to give an inch of leniency.

Happy First of April everyone!