Here is where it gets interesting:

I should note here that he also was stating that society owes it to educate each other and that research is valuable and needed (I pointed out that university research as far as educating people means squat and that people can research and invent, etc w/out gov run universities). I had also suggested that if he is having problems paying back his loans now that he needs to slow down (he has an AS and wants a BS and then a PhD). I reminded him that going to college was *his* choice, not mine. He eludes that doing things other than his way is immoral, I call him out on it.

Finally, I pull a “Stefan” on him:

Me: i owe nothing to no one but myself and my family. why should i be forced under threat of violence to care for those that will not take care of me? i am independent. i don’t want anyone else to take care of my needs, besides anyone able to give you everything can also take it away.

Him: you DO owe others. You did not grow up in a vacuum. Society helped provide an environment. You must be part of that now. Hate to break it to you, but the Gov’t has the ability to take by force from you anything you have, no matter how you got it.

Me: so you don’t believe in liberty then… I’m a Rothbardian. you won’t change me. Check him out: http://mises.org/media.aspx?action=category&ID=87 BTW they have the ‘ability’ to steal from me b/c you give them that ability.

Him: sure I believe in liberties. Positive liberties count as liberties. No, they have that ability because society saw fit to give them guns.

Me: Society is not an individual. liberty is liberty. you cannot change its definition to suit your own desires. which is why *some* of us still have our own (guns).

Him: Right, society is a collection of people. We all help each other out. Some are just less charitable about it. I’m not, go forth and discover the preexisting definition of positive liberty.

Me: putting another word with “liberty” doesn’t change it’s definition. you cannot decide what is positive for other people.

Now, from this point. I should have stopped. The print out of our total conversation is 16 pages long! He made it clear that he has no problems accepting the proverbial gun in the room and using force to pay him for an education that he thinks he deserves because, to him, it means he can contribute his research later, as if that is some guarantee of making society better. It gets worse. He brings up utopia and I bring up free will. He says free will is an illusion. I propose that he is using his own free will to type this ongoing debate on Twitter and, I kid you not, he says it’s society and science that is making him do it. I suggest he embrace his identity and his power and own it, to stop handing them both over to other people and entities such as ‘society’ and ‘government’. He tells me to not force my idea of identity on him… you see where this madness is going right? Yup! You guessed it! “But who will build the roads?” I had quit replying before he posted that last bit but it always comes down to that doesn’t it?

Now, back to the subject of this post. Occupy Wall Street. Occupy *insert name of city here*. There is even one in my town though I’ve paid absolutely no notice. With trying to run my home as a SAHM and further my agorist efforts, it went unnoticed. I never really heard anything about it in the news and I’m downtown almost every day taking my husband to and from work. I’m sure if it were something significant, I would have seen or heard something. On the surface, it sounds like a decent idea. I have no problem with protesting in general. It is a healthy exercise in free speech. And I don’t care what it is you are protesting – whether or not I agree with your cause doesn’t affect whether or not you have the right to flex your free speech muscles. Do it.

However, it would help to know what you are protesting. It appears the majority of the people involved in these nationwide protests are only protesting the symptoms and are completely missing the causes. In fact, based on their “demands”, it would seem if they had their demands met, we’d be in an even worse hell than we already are in! There are a handful of people out there that seem to get what is going on and I know quite a few activists that are out there on the streets, trying to point out the root of the problems that the protesters seem to be missing out on. However, a lot of these people are not listening. In fact, one of my friends was blocked from Occupy Charlotte’s Facebook page and all her posts removed, not that that is stopping her from hitting the streets… Just kind of proves to me that these protests are more about increased government and not less.

So, for any Occupier out there reading this, please, please understand economics before you protest it! Below are some links and videos that I hope will help you learn basic economics and the root of the problems that we are facing as a society now.

1) Learn Hayek vs Keynes: Basically, as simply as I can state this it’s an economic method vs another. Hayek believed in little to no government intervention and Keynes believed in absolute government intervention. Obviously there is a lot more to that than what I’ve said but it’s a primer. Most Occupiers seem to favor more government intervention so it would help if they knew what that would entail – not just regulations – but economics. Here is an objective debate held recently at London School of Economics:

2) Take a good look at your demands and know the real meaning of what it would be like in reality if they were met:

3) Start listening to those on the streets with you and see their point of view as well. Don’t turn your back on those that have a different point of view. You want your point of view heard, offer that same respect to others around you.

4) LEARN ECONOMICS! This is a must. No one will take you seriously if you are ignorant of the very topic you are protesting.

OccupyTheFED

More vids with GREAT information:

Jayne playing while on Haven in 'Serenity' - could this man possibly be any sexier?!? Who doesn't love a man that plays guitar?

Yes, the list of activities now making people “bad guys” in the eyes of the “law” grows more and more asinine each week, doesn’t it? The Department of Justice raid on guitar maker, Gibson Guitars, has raised more than a few eyebrows and, while there is a lot of speculation about it, the point remains that it seems to center around a foreign law and not even a law here in America. I cannot seem to completely pinpoint the problem that Gibson is supposedly guilty of doing; however, here is some of the information I’ve been able to gather:

• DOJ raided Gibson in 2009, seizing products alleging they were made of illegally obtained wood; however, they were never formally charged and none of the products were returned. Gibson is currently suing to try and get the products back in their possession.
• A few sources list the reason for this past week’s raid and seizure as being wood from India not being the correct size allowed for export.
• A few other sources list the reason for this past week’s raid and seizure as being wood with “not enough Indian content”, meaning it was supposed to be finished by Indian workers before being shipped for export.
• There are others that also make the statement that this is a partisan bully tactic because Gibson is a supporter of the GOP and their competitor, using the same material and not being targeted by DOJ, is a DNC supporter.

I’ve tried searching DOJ’s website to find more information as, at this point, the cause for the raid is purely speculative. However, I couldn’t find anything. Perhaps my research skills are not up to par today after a late night of writing and staying in contact with Twitter friends in Delaware and New Jersey as Hurricane Irene slammed into them. Or perhaps there isn’t anything for DOJ to announce? At this point, I don’t know which is more accurate. I do have my own thoughts and opinions and since this is a blog I’m free to write whatever I want, so here it is.

Click picture for article from 'The Wall Street Journal"

One of the things that bothers me the most is the appearance that the US government is trying to enforce laws from another country. Gibson denies the allegations that the wood was obtained illegally and that they get the wood from a certified company to ensure that no environmental or international laws are broken in obtaining the wood. If this is the case, then it sounds to me as if the Indian government should be looking at this certified company and/or the Indian exporter instead of US taxpayer money being used to go after Gibson. I also take issue with the idea of some international law that forbids American workers refining a raw wood product in favor of keeping more jobs abroad, but hey, that’s just me! *rolls eyes*

Something else that bothers me is that this has raised another big issue – the Lacey Act. This is an idea that someone came up with and a bunch of other someones thought it was a great idea and made it law. Basically, nowadays, if you cannot prove that your piano’s ivory keys, or your guitar’s ebony, ivory, and/or rosewood parts predate their export/import restrictions – you are screwed! Your instrument will be confiscated and you will be fined! So that antique piano? Don’t take it with you if you move out of the country until you have replaced those ivory keys with plastic ones! Musicians far and wide are now even choosing to LEAVE THEIR ACOUSTIC GUITARS BEHIND when touring internationally! Why? Because even if they do not know there is some regulated material on it somewhere, anywhere, they will still be held accountable and lose the guitar (or whatever instrument) and be fined. I wonder what happens with the replaced and confiscated parts? It’s not like you can toss those parts back into nature and a new forest and group of elephants and rhinos suddenly spring up from the ground.

Now, the last thing that irks me, and it’s minor – very petty really – but I’m voicing it anyway. It is this conflict about how musicians *must* not want to really conserve nature by still using these restricted plants in their instruments. I do see a bit of hypocrisy but to make such a big claim over *all* musicians and artists for wanting to 1) hang on to older instruments with now-banned materials and/or 2) for still using some of those materials when they are controlled, but still allowed to be used. The minor hypocrisy, of course, is that there are quite a few celebs that preach what they claim is conservation but don’t practice it themselves. So to those, yes, bug off… but to those that cherish their beloved instruments and do not preach the green gospel to the world, hang on to them dearly! It is quite clear that they will, at some point, disappear. I hope to continue to hear music from these amazing instruments for years to come…

By the way, there was mention by Lee Stranahan on his Twitter account about some sort of guitar contest in support of Gibson. I don’t know any details if this is going to happen but I will certainly post an update when I can find out! Sounds so freaking groovy and I hope that I can participate!  Follow Lee on Twitter @Stranahan.

Sources, in no particular order:

http://leestranahan.com/

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980064777

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904787404576530520471223268.html

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/08/27/report-gibson-competitor-is-dem-donor-uses-same-wood-experienced-no-federal-raids/

http://www.dailymarkets.com/economy/2011/08/27/gibson-under-attack-by-u-s-justice-department/

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/10172010-justice-department-targets-gibson-guitars

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/27/shipment-prompted-gibson-searches/

I’d list DOJ’s site as a source but since they have exactly SQUAT on the topic, they get no link…

Please take part in #opFeedtheHomeless this coming Saturday, August 27, 2011. Here is the announcement from Anonymous:

Fellow Anon and Citizens of the world,

Anonymous is here to help the people in yet another operation designed to help those that are in need of HELP, to assist those who have no VOICE. We are proud to announce #opFeedTheHomeless

`Worldwide, (I believe this is an error and that it is August as on the image above) September 27, 2011:  Join us all to help those in need. Here are some ways to support this Operation.

•  Buy a bag of groceries and hand them out to standing in the unemployment or public assistance lines.
•  Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or shelter.
•  Donate food to your local food bank.
•  Set up a table to hand out food and drinks.

These are just some ideas and suggestions. Remember we are anonymous.

Why #opFeedThehomeless?

Not all Anonymous are hactivists! Many Anonymous are activists with a purpose and a voice.

America is portrayed as the land of the brave and the home of the free……..

Anonymous likes to differ. Many soldiers who “fought” for our country come back with little or nothing to their name. Citizens with great paying jobs are being laid off due to the world’s economic crisis. Where does this leave them, striving for more money to pay for rent, mortgage, loans, and bills.

Join us in this operation, support those in need and spread the word of the misuse of the American and worldwide citizens.

We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.

“We Are the Voice of the Voiceless”

Contact info: @an0nyc and @Knowledge_US

Please consider doing something to help the homeless in your area. Risk what needs to be risked, even, if you have to. Truly this should not be something done only once, so consider making a habit of it. It truly saddens me to know that there are so many out there that need help, especially when it comes to our military. Just read those statistics in the image above – very heartbreaking.

There are several steady resources in my area for helping the homeless, some specializing in veterans. Veterans can have a very unique set of problems that frequently include mental illness and drug abuse, stemming from their service abroad. I hope I’m not the only one that gets pissed off to see the life of a retired politician that sent soldiers into battle and then to see the life of homeless veteran because those idiot politicians forgot about them after handing them a medal for their “service”. It’s a disgusting outrage and every time I see a politician talking more war, “honoring” our service men and women but then not living their talk themselves I don’t know which compulsion will be more prevalent – the desire to vomit, or the desire to punch said politician right in the face. I hope there is a special place in Hell for men and women that send people to war on their behalf and then abandon them to their fate when they return home.

Okay, all very well and good, redd4a3, but how is this exactly a bad guy activity? Oh yes! Back to it now that the announcement of this Saturday’s operation has been posted. Yes, people have been arrested for feeding the homeless. It would appear that a certain municipality that shall remain nameless doens’t like the fact that feeding the homeless in a park will make the homeless visible. Oh okay, so nameless they shall not remain – Orlando, Florida. Back in June and many times since, people in Orlando where being arrested for feeding more than 25 people in a certain park without a permit. Most of those arrested are with a group called Food Not Bombs, dedicated to providing vegetarian meals to homeless people. The ordinace says:

The ordinance requires groups to obtain a city permit to distribute food to 25 or more people in downtown parks. Groups may only receive two permits per park, per year. -Mayor Dyer drops charges in homeless-feeding arrests, Sun Sentinal

The supposed issue is that drawing such a crowd will increase crime in that area. I don’t really agree with that assessment and even if there is some loose connection then why would hiding the homeless be the answer?  Why not a little more outreach? I believe in my heart of hearts that private charity and compassion can go much more further than public shoddy, mismanaged ‘charity’. I know the rate at which we as a people and our property and businesses are being taxed is… well…. taxing, but we can’t just bury our heads in the sand when entire families are living on the streets. This really isn’t about “too lazy to work”, in a lot of these cases it’s about a severe illness, physical and/or mental, that has gone untreated, it’s about private sector layoffs and the dependence and shortage of public sector jobs, it’s about the housing bubble, it’s about so much more…

I can speak with some knowledge on the topic because, for a very short time, when I was 19 years old, I was homeless. I was with an extremely abusive man (I use the term “man” loosely) and we were living out of my car. For the most part, we’d go from friend’s house to friend’s house, with some family helping for a short while but there were times when we were left sleeping in my car – no food, no water. I remember for an entire week, we had less than a loaf of bread and one small can of oranges to share between the two of us. Eventually, he was arrested for nonpayment of child support to his ex-wife, and a friend allowed me to stay with her, and her and her husband fed me and for that I will be eternally grateful! Once out of this guy’s control, I managed to leave his sorry ass in jail and move on with my life, my family there to help me every step of the way. But those couple of months with no home and no promise of food and water were excruciating, leaving scars that still sometimes bleed, even now fifteen years later (crying as I type this out).

So please, starting with this Saturday and hopefully with some regularity to it, please dedicate a small portion of your time to reaching out to those that really do need our help and compassion, and not to be shoved into the shadows to be forgotten. There are many ways to help, as mentioned above. Just find the resources available in  your area and sign up to volunteer, or just walk around town passing out food. This is not something that people need a permit to do. You do NOT need the government’s permission to show compassion and caring. Do something, anything! There is a niche that EVERY ONE can fill, don’t wait to be asked, just do it.  And if the long, overreaching arm of the law tries to stop you, stick to your guns.  Don’t let them stop you from helping your fellow man. You never know, that person could have been someone that paid for your lifestyle with the sacrifice of a life of their own…

The past few days have been an interesting few days. I lost contact with someone I admire because I made a smart ass remark after I initiated a debate. Someone came at me aggressively, assuming I would see their point of view because of that lost contact, but they were shouting their own buzz words with no evidence and screaming and cussing at me when I didn’t respond the way she wanted me to. I’ve spent a lot of time on introspection and viewing these and other debate conversations I’ve been in over the weekend. I will be the first to brag that my ability to talk and debate has come a very long way since I first took an interest in engaging people and with the exception of the first situation I mentioned, I believe I handled myself very well, not letting myself get emotional and just sticking with facts. I won’t say I changed minds, though I hope I was able at least to get some folks thinking about my point of view.

I used to stick to random “points” that I heard others say, not really backing it up with facts or how I came to such conclusions, and when I got stuck, I would strike back and resort to the middle school tactic of name calling and stomping off, looking for others parroting the same “points” as I to feel better about myself. Before long, I realized I was getting no where. I realized that I wasn’t coming to my own conclusions at all and that is why I wasn’t able to convince anyone. I was being a punk about things, really, and who wants to be that way? I don’t. So I started investigating these phrases I would spout and, in the end, it changed my view of politics and philosophy forever.

When engaging in a debate, remember that we are all humans and have free will. For the most part, people base their belief system (religious, political, etc) on experiences they have had in their own life. Those experiences are no greater or less than your own. Approaching a debate with an automatic show of respect for the others involved will put you in the best spot to join a discussion.

We will not all agree, and we need to accept that differing philosophies are not necessarily wrong philosophies. This is a hard point to be able to remember and accept. We hold our beliefs as sacred and take offense to when others do not see it our way or refuse to validate our views. Don’t take it personally. If there is someone that you cannot engage in an honest debate, then walk away. A debate is a voluntary action and if it is reduced to a screaming match or name calling or cussing each other out, then the debate ended long before the parties agreed to go separate ways.

Here’s a point I want to make – someone whose view is different than yours is NOT ignorant, stupid, uneducated, racist or whatever.  If you become an aggressor and start making these charges, then perhaps it’s time you engage in a little introspection yourself. Aggression is not going to win people over to your side. My ancestors have been in the American South for hundreds of years. If you start calling me racist because of this fact, implying that being a white southern woman somehow equates that I support slavery, you just lost all credibility with me, and anyone else in the same debate. If this is the view you take and you find yourself constantly making accusations of this nature, I would advise that you try a different tactic.

So at this point, I will list a few links that will hopefully offer ideas on improving debate and talking skills in general. A couple are recent blogs of mine, two of them are outside links. I hope that you find this blog and the links below helpful. Don’t be afraid to allow room for improvement, we all need to constantly evaluate ourselves and make adjustments.

Young Adults for Liberty: Five Reasons You’re Not Winning Debates

Young Adults for Liberty: Don’t Argue — Dialogue and Recruit!

My blog: The Non Aggression Principle (and how it applies in a debate)

My blog: The sun can burn, but it also opens flowers (a critique on my own actions when I let a debate turn the wrong way and got blocked)

I wanted to clarify that after a troll on Twitter tried to get my goat. I wouldn’t fall for her attempt at smearing someone that I like and apparently blocked me and deleted the conversation – good riddance I say. But seriously, why do people automatically go into this aggressive mode and expect to win people over to their side of the argument? It’s not going to work. An honest and open dialogue is how people can get their view across. It doesn’t mean others will see eye to eye but it’s the type of environment that creates the atmosphere that would encourage active listening and it’s a voluntary arrangement where anyone can join in if they wish, and leave if they wish. It’s a complicated, but yet still very simple dance – a beautiful dance when done properly.

At any rate, I just felt the need to clarify that. Please do not come at me aggressively. It turns people off and no one will want to listen. If one wishes to truly try and get others to see their point of view, they need to keep the Non Aggression Principle in the back of their mind. And if that is too complicated for them, the old adage “you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar” comes to mind.

The sun may scorch, but a plant cannot flower if it blocks the sun’s rays for fear of a burn.  -me

In a Twitter chat today, someone was discussing with me about how our lives are built upon our experiences but also input from other people – family, friends, people we look up to and tend to give some kind of extra status to for whatever reason. I had the above sudden analogy spring into mind because someone else I was talking to this morning, someone I *still* look up to and will not bash, ever, blocked me when our political debate went towards Iran. So I was shut out from further talk/debate when this person said that a totalitarian state like Iran has to have their “bogeyman” (this was in regards to Ron Paul’s statement about Iran in the debates last night). I laughed when I read it because to me, that is the way it is here as well. So I mentioned that… in fact I said:

LOL you took the words out of my mouth – how exactly is America different there? They always have a bogeyman as well.

Okay, so I  might have crossed a line there with this person. My approach was wrong. My ability to debate has come a very long way but there is always room for improvement, I just really wished it didn’t go this way with this particular person. He has a very different viewpoint than I do and words like this, usually won’t keep a debate going for long. I want to learn from him and, hopefully, vice versa. I won’t go into why I said that, as this isn’t about why I believe what I do, just about talking and remaining open. I realize now that by saying that, I wasn’t truly being as open as I wanted this person to be with me and for that, the responsibility lies solely with me.

Again, I won’t go into how I came to the position I have now in regard to politics, that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is to suggest that we should encourage real talk and real debate or we aren’t going to encourage knowledge to grow. I try to not shut out others because I want their point of view on things. Being human, we should always want to be in a state of discovery and learning; so what happens when you turn off that ability or start to put filters on it? We don’t always like hearing other points of view because they will always differ – even people that you are perfectly getting along with at some point you will clash with them because we are different people. And having a smart ass remark or blocking will not encourage real talk. We have free will and the ability to see things in different ways, put different and new and changing perspectives on what we see through our own field of view and we should be open to new information from different people.

And this applies to EVERYONE! There is another situation where some idiot troll decided to make a lame attempt at insulting someone’s wife and kids because they just wanted to be mean I guess. That’s absurd and it really muddies the waters for those of us that WANT to talk. Other people won’t listen to me if trolls are out there trying to make it sound like they are of the same political/philosophical path as me. I assure you that is NOT the case! I adhere to the non-aggression principle (no, it isn’t pacifism) and know that ridiculous insults like that serve no one but the troll – when it comes to trolls, my motto is don’t feed them. Ignore them, don’t respond. Like a bully in elementary school, they will go away when they know they can’t get a rise out of you.

So, in conclusion if I’m engaged in talk or debate, I will really try to remain open and carefully think each response, leaving jokes or banter (or what, for me, passes as banter and jokes) aside.

And if by some strange, but beautiful twist, the person I mentioned above that I *still* look up to is reading this, please consider opening up that line of communication again. I know there is more of a chance of a snowball surviving hell than my hope that this person is reading this right now but, I thought I’d put it out there anyway…

Thanks for reading <3

Axxx Xxxxx Being prepared is the antidote for fear.

35 minutes ago •

You and 2 others like this.
Rxxxx Dxxxx (me) indeed, fear is usually caused by ignorance of what is feared… if you are educated in whatever that is, then you don’t fear, doesn’t mean one will not be afraid, but fear will no longer be part of that equation. ♥

For my Firefly/Serenity blogs, I’ll intro simply… Most of the crew of Serenity can handle themselves. Self defense is vitally important to their survival. It’s vital to yours as well, so let’s start today!

Both women and men can become prey to any criminal. I want to discuss ways and ideas of dealing with it.

FIRST: AWARENESS

You must constantly be aware of your surroundings. As hard as it might be, do NOT walk around with you cell phone to your ear, or even using a bluetooth device. When you are talking, your attention is diverted. It may not be completely diverted, but even the smallest lapse in your focus and attention can be what a potential assailant uses to get to you. However, if you are alert, watching your surrounds and LOOKING PEOPLE IN THE EYE then you will not pose as an easy target for anyone. The vast majority of thugs are not interested in confrontation – they want easy prey. So don’t be easy prey because you are distracted.

Here is a fantastic story shared on the aforementioned Facebook posting on how awareness saved Kim’s life:

Here is one example of what I saw, I am always alert. It was very late at night so I had parked over in a lighted area at Walmart. I was done and came out, glanced around and spotted a pickup more out, and a guy standing and talking in the driver’s window to the driver. I keep my car key in my pocket and always have it in my hand before I step out the doors. As I walk, out the guy leaning against the truck heads off in the direction I am going, perfect line so he will get to my car just after I do. I sped up just a little. I see another buggy against my car. I used my anger at that; no one near me, and a buggy against my car. I stopped my buggy behind my car and watch the guy still headed my way. I put my hands on my hips and step so I am beside the buggy, I look at the design and decide where I think the sweet spot will be. I kick up and out to just below and behind where the kid would normally sit. The buggy flipped over almost 2 and a half times before falling back and landing on it side. It went a good 15 foot from where it started. Then I looked straight at the guy headed my way with my whole body, I wanted him to know, I see you and you are next! I turned my back to him as he was a good 30 foot away and walked behind my car opened the hatch (I was facing his way again) and started loading it and keeping an eye on him, the tire iron in reach every second. I saw him change his direction and headed out of the parking lot and when he got to the outter loop the guy in the pickup stopped and picked him up. They left. It did not hit me until later that I saw no security that night. I put on a big enough show that I was not an easy target, that I knew he was there, and then they left me alone. When loading my stuff in the trunk I put my purse in the trunk, remember key in my pocket or in my hand so I dont lock myself out. I have a couple sprays for door locks… Cap off standing in a tote so I can grab and use now, I have my tire iron right there… I am always aware. When all is loaded I can pickup my purse and take it up front with me. But I dont need the distraction of it being on my arm or worse sitting in the buggy where they can grab it to easy. My key in my hand can do some damage, even if nothing more than taking out an eye or marking there face really good.

Kim made it obvious to her would-be attacker that she was no one to mess with. By being aware, she avoided a confrontation from the start.

SECOND: SCARE AND EVADE

Okay, so what if you are caught off guard. Occasionally, I find myself on the phone when I really shouldn’t be or my kids are distracting me, it happens. Suppose someone does approach you and grab you or one of your kids or something, what then? MOST of the time, screaming “FIRE!” or just screaming will do the trick. Again, the average thug wants an easy target. But are some other methods that can be employed to help you get to the point, where you are released, even if only for brief moment, so you can run?

I was witness to a near-kidnapping. When I was a single mom, I lived in a really bad part of town in some crime ridden apartments. I never went out at night. Just too dangerous. However, one night (and my son was with his dad so I was alone) I heard a scream. I ran outside, as well as some other folks, and I saw a car speeding off; however, the potential victim was running in the opposite direction. Even with a car, when she screamed, she spooked her assailant and he, probably instinctively, let go for a brief moment, which she used as her chance to escape.

Evasion also require training so try to get to your optimum health. I myself am training in cardio and once I’m good at running again, I will train in some free running techniques. Not required but urban evasion is a big interest of mine!

THIRD: SCAR AND EVADE

Okay so you’re screaming and they are not letting go… something you can do in the awareness stage is to put your keys in between each finger and walk with your hand in a fist – kind of like the keys acting like brass knuckles. Scratch, pull hair, bite, kick… most women are not very strong with their arms and upper bodies, however, our legs are pretty damn strong (carrying kids on your hip and chasing after them is hard work after all! Hahahaha!). So DROP, become dead weight and start kicking furiously… DON’T STOP KICKING once you are on the ground. Continue screaming throughout this. The moment you get to run – DO IT!

FOURTH: SELF DEFENSE

Once an attack has ensued, having some methods of self defense will obviously raise the chance of survival. I know some women that carry mace or pepper spray, but others that don’t because they fear it either being used on them or fear that it might blow back onto them (like if it’s windy). Some women carry a small taser. Others want something more significant like knives and/or firearms. I full on support Constitutional carry of weapons – concealed, unconcealed – doesn’t matter to me. You have a right, given to you at birth, to defend yourself. No man or paper can take it away from you. Period. However, you must realize that with that right comes responsibility. If you do carry a weapon, you must be WELL AND PROPERLY TRAINED! Please, please, please! I beg of you to follow through with this! Most Americans are woefully unarmed and if they did pick up a knife or gun, not being properly trained, then they risk not only being unable to thwart the attack, but also of hurting or killing themself or an innocent bystander.

Fighting skills are also important. When you learn them (as you can learn on your own if you cannot afford classes of any kind) practice it until it is second nature! Those fighting skills will do you no good if you have to think about each move before executing it! My favs are Krav Maga, Wu Su, and Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee’s fighting method – free downloads here http://jeetkunedoindonesia.blogspot.com/2009/07/free-e-book-bruce-lees-fighting-method.html). The reason I love these is they are more about fighting than martial “arts”, which can sometimes be more about art than fighting – what I mean is that it doesn’t use the least amount of moves and motion to execute a defensive move.

I’m into preparedness but it’s something that people tend to overlook. There was a GREAT show once on SpikeTV called Surviving Disaster with Cade Courtley as it’s host. I HIGHLY recommend watching the entire series as it deals only with URBAN survival and average people. Two of the episodes are relavant to this blog so here are the links:

Mall Shooting

Home Invasion

even some things in Pandemic are very useful (like using a shopping cart to maintain perimeter, like Kim did above)

Yes, these techniques can be somewhat advanced but as I said, practice them regularly.

I hope that this blog will inspire and inform its readers and that more discussion and education ensues… please comment, add your ideas and advice and share! Thank you!!!