Tactical Wisdom
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A community of preparedness people, with a biblical foundation. We discuss preparedness advice, my books, and current events.
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Maccabees - 10% for the Big Guy

Sorry for missing a couple of days, but the world has gone a little mad.

As we begin 2 Maccabees 4, Simon the Fed is still making false claims to set up Onias. This time, it's that Onias conspired against the government (surprise).

2 He dared to designate as a plotter against the government the man who was the benefactor of the city, the protector of his compatriots, and a zealot for the laws.

This sounds familiar, because here, people who love the Constitution and it's promise between the People and the Government, have been designated as "plotters against the government". We're not anti-government, we're "anti-government OVERREACH". The Founders never envisioned the government having this much intrusion into your daily lives, but I digress.

With all of the unrest, most kept their heads in the sand, having a normalcy bias. Eventually, though, even Onias had to acknowledge the danger, just like we do here:

3 When his hatred progressed to such a degree that even murders were committed by one of Simon’s approved agents, 4 Onias recognized that the rivalry was serious and that Apollonius son of Menestheus, and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, was intensifying the malice of Simon.

Yep, Onias realized that the GOVERNMENT itself was instigating the violence, to justify further oppression and taxation. Man, that sure sounds familiar. The purpose of CRT and DEI programs is "intensifying the malice" of allegedly oppressed and marginalized groups.

A man named Jason offered the King a bribe and was appointed High Priest. Now, this High Priest's "Reforms" led to watering down the observances of the Church and adopting the Greek's customs and pagan ways. Every kind of immorality was suddenly "reinterpreted" by the Church, and observances fell by the wayside:

13 There was such an extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no true high priest, 14 that the priests were no longer intent upon their service at the altar. Despising the sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hurried to take part in the unlawful proceedings...

This is where Western Churches are today. Churches are reinterpreting the Word and finding ways to twist it to sanctify and excuse every detestable thing. They've justified trans-sexualism, which directly calls God into question. They have justified every kind of sexual deviance and theft or envy in the name of "equity" and "justice". Hard work has been slandered by the New Church. They have slandered the institution of marriage, which was established by God in Genesis 2:18:

The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now, as the Bible shows us time and again, this always leads to disaster:

16 For this reason heavy disaster overtook them, and those whose ways of living they admired and wished to imitate completely became their enemies and punished them. 17 It is no light thing to show irreverence to the divine laws—a fact that later events will make clear.

We are at such a moment. Disaster is impending all around us. There is some other Tactical Wisdom in here...."became their enemies and punished them". What this means is that no amount of "being an ally" or "apologizing for past discrimination" is going to appease the woke mob. They may get to you last, but they will still come for you; they are still your enemy.

At this point in our Maccabees tale, more intrigue enters. Menelaus, Simon's brother, offered a bigger bribe to the King and was allowed to replace Jason. The Tactical Wisdom here is that loyalty cannot be bought, especially when you THINK you've bought it. You can pay someone to be loyal, but they're only loyal until someone else offers them more money.

Onias attempted to expose this grift and make public all of the misdeeds of the government officials. How do you suppose that went? Exactly as you might think:

33 When Onias became fully aware of these acts, he publicly exposed them, having first withdrawn to a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch. 34 Therefore Menelaus, taking Andronicus aside, urged him to kill Onias. Andronicus came to Onias, and resorting to treachery, offered him sworn pledges and gave him his right hand; he persuaded him, though still suspicious, to come out from the place of sanctuary; then, with no regard for justice, he immediately put him out of the way.

There's a couple of pieces of Tactical Wisdom here. First, Onias set up his safe haven first. Have a safe location that you can defend that you can "bug out" to if needed. In TW-03, I discuss how to set up a "safe house" network with your allies. Second, Onias was only killed after he agreed to set aside his security preparations. Don't talk to the Feds! While I joke about Feds, seriously, if you've made arrangements for your security, don't set them aside for anything.

35 For this reason not only Jews, but many also of other nations, were grieved and displeased at the unjust murder of the man.

We've all heard of unjust killings and excessive force. This murder roused the people, and they began protesting. Rioting is as old as when men founded the first city-state. When the Greek forces in the Citadel tried to suppress the riots, things got spicy:

40 Since the crowds were becoming aroused and filled with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men and launched an unjust attack, under the leadership of a certain Auranus, a man advanced in years and no less advanced in folly. 41 But when the Jews became aware that Lysimachus was attacking them, some picked up stones, some blocks of wood, and others took handfuls of the ashes that were lying around and threw them in wild confusion at Lysimachus and his men. 42 As a result, they wounded many of them, and killed some, and put all the rest to flight; the temple robber himself they killed close by the treasury.

It's not confirmed, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the crowd was shouting "Jewish Lives Matter" and chanting "All Greeks Are Bastards", but that has not been confirmed. In all seriousness, there is a line at which point good people can be pushed too far. April 19, 1775, on Lexington Green is one such example.

After this riot, Menelaus was charged by the King, and people thought that all was good. However, when the trial began, Menelaus offered up "10% for the Big Guy":

45 But Menelaus, already as good as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptolemy son of Dorymenes to win over the king. 46 Therefore Ptolemy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind. 47 Menelaus, the cause of all the trouble, he acquitted of the charges against him, while he sentenced to death those unfortunate men, who would have been freed un-condemned if they had pleaded even before Scythians. 48 And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages, and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty.

Not only did Menelaus go free, but he also killed his accusers. How many times have we heard of those investigating the misdeeds of the powerful dying under mysterious conditions? It's not a new thing. It's as old as government and when one man desired to rule over another no matter what.

The chapter closes with the best point yet. Despite all his misdeeds, the bad guy remained in office by promising 10% to the Big Guy, and he doubled down on his tyranny, just as we are seeing today:

50 But Menelaus, because of the greed of those in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his compatriots.

Till next time....

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Timeline Cleanse

Time for a timeline Cleanse before WW3 kicks off.

00:00:10
INTEL UPDATE - GUYANA

This appears to be video from the fighting on the Venezuela-Guyana border.

00:00:36
Quick Thoughts on GPS Units

Here are a few quick thoughts on GPS units.

1. Get older ones - they may have less features, but they also don't track you for "your safety".

2. You don't need a camera on it. Ever.

3. There are guys on Ebay who specialize in flashing old units with new software. I just bought a "new old stock" one that a guy upgraded.

4. They will also sell you all the newest GPS Topo maps at reduced prices. I have like 5 different map areas on one SD card.

5. Get one that takes an SD card and force the unit to save all your tracks and points to the SD. That way in the event of potential compromise, you can pull the SD Card and either bury it or toss it, and they can't exploit your GPS to find your camp, home, base, etc.

00:04:55

Situational awareness.

Today’s run going north into Nashville I encountered a small group of protesters on an overpass, their protest was political in nature and banners openly calling for violence. (Comey beach numbers and Kathy Gifford infamous photo)
I did not engage nor in any other way interact with them… I did, however, call 911 as one of the individuals appeared to be holding a brick in his hand… possibly a HT radio.
As this summer proceeds to produce acts of violence, I would urge everyone to take a few minutes, slow down and be very thoughtful in your trip planning w/ a threat assessment and in your mental prep how you will deal with such a scenario, like traffic stopped due to a protest.
If the summer of 2020 showed us anything it is that motivated people, of either political or religious ideology are willing to do some outlandish things.

Take care, stay Frosty !

INTEL BRIEF - IED/Asheville

The National Park Service police are reporting the discovery of an IED along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC.

You are in an insurgency. Act like it.

INTEL BRIEF -UAF

On the eve of peace talks (allegedly) the UAF has launched over 200 drones against Crimea and SW Russia.

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DM-32UV Radio Review

Brushbeater Store Link: Baofeng UV-32DM

I know, I know, "Not another Boo-Fwang", right?  Well, this one fills a need for the prepared citizen, and it's not what you think.  I've had one for about 2 weeks and have been testing it out.  In this, I'm going to recap my thoughts.  

Let me just say that if you are a sad ham, or a fan for amateur "Digital Mobile Radio"/DMR, you should probably stop reading.  NC Scout and I teach an entirely different skill set with the DMR than you use, and you won't like it.  I did not test this out on a single DMR repeater and did not try to program every ham DMR contact in the world into my radio.  Sorry.  Just like we say at every class, "This is not ham radio".

So, if I don't use Amateur Radio DMR, why would I want a digital radio?   Well, for starters, in a complete collapse and Without Rule of Law (WROL) situation, a digital voice signal (like your cell phone) travels farther than analog voice, so there is that.  Our use case is for sending text messages via a handheld radio.  I know, some sad ham is going to screech about how we can't do that without a permission slip from our overlords, but that's entirely FALSE.  Digital text messages are allowed on MURS and you are allowed to send text messages via FRS/GMRS under the rules.  It's perfectly legal, sad hams. Wait until you hear about digital over CB - wild times, man, wild times.  Oh, and Midland is campaigning to add digital voice to GMRS, just like the Europeans did with PMR (Personal Mobile Radio - 446 Mhz).

I tested the message function and it works across all brands.  In other words, I was able to send and recieve text messages with my Baofeng digital radios, my Abbree ones, and Motorola XPR digital radios.  They all also recevied the digital voice using both the All Call ID and private calls.  A cool side effect of using digital traffic is that anyone with an analog-only radio will just hear static rather than your comms.

Another important feature on these radios is AES 256 encryption.  I tested it with my other Baofeng DMR (DM-1701) and the Abbree DM-F8 DMRs I own and the encryption worked flawlessly.  I was not able to get it to handshake with my Motorola XPR and XTS radios.  That's both a blessing and a curse I guess.  However, if everyone on my team has one of these and the same encryption key, we are good.  Now, neither NC Scout nor I recommend running encrypted radios all the time because they draw unwanted attention to your traffic, but there are times and places when I might want it.

The software is easy to use, but a little quirky.  For example, when programming repeaters, if you don't "Forbid Talkaround", the radio defaults to talkaround only and doesn't let you activate a repeater.  Checking the "forbid" box solved it, but it's annoying.  It also required me to enter the All Call talkgroup (16777215) manually, while every other DMR I've ever had had it already in the radio.

I recommend setting the squelch to 3 on all of your channels.  I started with 5 and wasn't receiving anything at all, while my other radios were. Adjusting it down to 3 was a quick fix.

The stock antenna is actually quite good, once you set the squelch properly.  

The radio is very well-built and is designed to look like a Motorola APX.  It fits very well into AR-152 pouches.  My radio came with a pouch, but I am not a fan of the stock pouch.

The main problem I have with it is the screen brightness.  When turned all the way up, it is still not readable in daylight.  You can turn the screen off as well.

The radio accepts all the standard K1 accessory cables.  You don't need to buy a whole bunch of additional stuff that way.  The radio battery screws into the unit and accepts USB-C charging, so you can charge it on the run.  You can also find spare batteries on Amazon.  For the first time, the people at Baofeng got the charger right - the charging base is also USB-C powered.  FINALLY, I can run the quick charge base from my vehicle power using a USB cord.  Well done.

The radio has GPS and will do automatic APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System).  I did test the GPS function (because of two hams who asked me like a million times - you know who you are).  It matched what my Garmin GPSMap said exactly, including speed and elevation.  I did not test APRS because I am never comfortable broadcasting my location for anyone with a radio to find.  Before you tell me that I carry a phone that does that, several students will attest that one rural Tennessee Sheriff Department complained that my phone pings in Europe (they weren't looking for me, they were looking for a student in the woods with me whose mother was worried - Sorry Samuel).  I do turn the GPS on once a day to keep the clock updated, which is VITAL in digital communications.  Once it gets a fix and accurate time (from somewhere I'm not going to be at for long), I turn the GPS off.  It gets a fix in about 30 seconds after the first time.

The range is simlar to every other VHF/UHF dual band radio.  I am able to hit the Bigfork repeater from 30-35 miles away if I am outside with no problem.

While I think this radio is a must have for advanced users, I don't reocmmend it if you are just starting out.  If you haven't taken the RTO and Advanced RTO course, you won't have much of a need for one of these.  It will not replace my AR-152 for tactical operations, and it won't replace my AR-5RM that I use as my daily business radio, but it has a use for clandestine communications like NC Scout and I teach.

At $99.99, it's more expensive than other Baofeng's, but cheaper than most DMR units.

Again, it's not a radio that everyone needs.  However, if you need a DMR, getting this one or the Abbree DM-F8 is a good idea.

If you're new here, we do reviews like this and on other topics as well as share breaking news with subscribers.  Additional content is avaible for paid monthly supporters as well.  SIgn up.

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Book Review: The Debilitating Tools of War
H John Poole Studies

Affiliate Link: The Debilitating Tools of War

H John Poole, legendary trainer at the USMC School of Infantry East, has released a new book, dealing with the threats posed by modern technology and how to defeat them.  The book touches on the two areas most people are concerned with most, drones and thermal imaging.  His opinions match those of NC Scout and I and hopefully the book can open some eyes.

As always, Poole begins by pointing out that the US military, and all western miitaries, are overly reliant on technology.  We have the most advanced and accurate weapon systems the world has ever known and drones are an incredible force multiplier.  However, as Poole points out, these tools haven't exactly enabled us to defeat Eastern soldiers.  We fought the Koreans and Chinese to a stalemate, we were defeated by a farmer militia in Vietnam, and we were outlasted by tribal militias in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

He also points to the example of Ukraine, where both sides are using drones heavily, but depsite the Instagram videos, neither side is winning.  In truth, both sides are now reverting to small unit skills and smaller bodies of troops to make progress....more on that later.

The book covers more than just drones and thermals.  Poole dives into weapon mounted lights and lasers, night vision, GPS, acoustic and motion sensors, and many other gadgets we use.  He cites the historical examples of how Eastern soldiers have consistently been able to defeat all of this with solid squad and team level small unit tactics, movement skills, and movement planning.

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Book Review: Reluctant Partisan V2

Book Link: The Reluctant Partisan Volume 2

This weekend, I finished John Mosby’s second volume: The Reluctant Partisan, Volume Two: The Underground.  This volume builds on the first, which was directed more at the actual rural fighting force of a local resistance/partisan unit.  Volume Two concerns itself with the other aspects of resistance, running operations in an urban area, to include intelligence and counterintelligence.

While I liked the book, brace yourself for Mosby’s style.  The only thing I don’t like about this book is his looking down at anyone who wasn’t SOF but thinks they will form a resistance.  He spends a lot of time bad-mouthing the 3 percent movement, which is probably justifiable, but it gets to be too much.  He also derides most of the preparedness community unless you are a super-athlete.  While he has a valid point, he lays it on a bit thick and rather than motivation, it comes across as ridicule and hate.  I’m able to roll my eyes and glean the great training material in here but just brace yourself.

Having said that, this book has great material in it, far beyond the typical “tacti-cool” stuff you find.  He talks about developing an intelligence network and local defense group, finding like-minded people, and intelligence analysis. He also covers counterintelligence and guarding the image you project.  These sections need to be read and re-read dozens of times.  Might even make great class content…..

Just like me, he breaks down “gray man” tactics into reality.  There is a time to be the “gray man” and blend in and there is a time to project the “we will kill you if you trifle with us” image.  As I said, once things get spicy, gray man essentially goes out the window, except in very specific circumstances.

John offers an excellent primer on vehicle patrolling and movement tactics and the appendix contains a very good training curriculum for vehicle operations. 

There is a chapter on the urban guerrilla’s primary weapon, the handgun.  He goes into great detail on handgun operations as well as two-man CQB, the same type that most of the private military companies teach (as well as CAG and other SOF units).

There is a chapter on rifle selection and use.  John smartly stresses familiarity with the manual of arms on several different rifle platforms, as you may have to pick one up and use whatever your enemy was carrying.  It may not be the AR-15.  It might end up being Mikhail’s Brilliant Tool (the AK) or The Right Arm of Freedom (FN-FAL/SLR).  The appendixes contain a pistol and rifle training program.

It’s a solid book and I recommend it.  You can only find it at lulu.com.

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