I’m not going anywhere. 20 years of hard work building my homestead is not going to be abandoned. I just don’t see local law enforcement, who are personal friends, participating in a gun grab scenario. And realistically I think the patriots on the land have a much greater personal resolve than any government force unleashed against them.
I’m an eternal optimist and see this New Democrat controlled Government failing by virtue of its stupid policies. One example makes my point. Biden opened the southern border because it has a “warm and fuzzy feeling” to invite less advantaged neighbors into the largess of the give-away society. (Plus they might vote Democrat). I have compassion for our Hispanic neighbors, and know some personally through construction work (we are less than 2 hours drive from Mexico). I speak fluent Spanish and have huge respect for the work ethic and family values that they bring. And those who have come legally are doing well. But the influx of unvetted, undocumented, unCovidtested, migrants is breaking the system. And this “Crisis” (not to be called a Crisis)…is going to demonstrate to even the most brainwashed evening news kool-aid drinkers that the Democrats have no clue how to govern. My prediction is that the border crisis is the first of many failures that will manifest from decisions coming from Socialist Playbook.
My game plan is to stay put…and build Resiliency as taught by Chris and Adam…And Kudos to Governor Gregg Abbott for standing up Texas where the federal Government has abandoned it’s obligation to defend the borders.
The #1 tip is to live in a safe city or town where you can (in theory) leave the doors unlocked. But you also have to consider adjacent cities. In other words, demographics is 80% of safety following the Pareto rule, which applies here, based on my lived experience and statistics.
the Jews that stayed put felt the same way until they came for them… I pray to God that if we stay put, we are not wrong in our resolve…
This is a great overview. I’d like to add a bit more perspective on the robbery threat. Hopefully you have good layers of defense (as mentioned). Assuming no one is home, the last line of defense for your valuables is probably a safe that it bolted down and not easily opened with a pry bar.
If you have guns and gold, where are they stored now? If the safe isn’t bolted down, how hard would it be for someone to carry it out and pry it open later?
There’s also a really amazing resource out there. If you want to know a thousand ways you can get robbed, here’s your answer: https://www.discovery.com/shows/it-takes-a-thief/episodes/1
Sorry to keep being the wet blanket here, but a friend had a bolted down safe that got quickly ripped out of the floor with a pry-bar. Additionally, he then had a damaged floor to repair. The cops told him the first place a thief will look is the master bedroom, particularly the closet for a safe. Best thing you can do with a safe is to use it as a decoy. Put some money (but obviously not too much) and some jewelry and personal items in that aren’t super-valuable. Then put it in your master bedroom closet and don’t bolt it down. The thieves will think they found your stash. Find far more clandestine hiding places for the real thing.
P.S. Friend who was robbed had a large but generally nice dog. He suspects the people who broke in know most dogs are nice and a dog biscuit or some treat will probably “buy them off.”
I agree with your suggestion re: Medeco deadbolts. I installed Medeco Maxum deadbolts for all my outer doors. The Medeco deadbolts are just incredible. Real solid and heavy. It felt like a 2 lb weight in my hand. These Medeco deadbolts are virtually pick and bump proof. Very difficult to drill through, hammer and pry open. The deadbolt is made with hardened steel and difficult to saw. I replaced my Schlage deadbolts I bought many years ago are just junk compared to Medeco. Yes, you will pay a lot more, but having a great deadbolt is worth the added costs. Also be sure to replace the strike plate screws with 3" to 4" screws. My favorite are Spax screws made in Germany or USA. They are self drilling and very easy to install.
Pappy: there are different brands and thicknesses of window film. It’s not easy to install as a DIY without getting bubbles. 3M is probably the best brand. At a minimum you want a 3 or 4mm film. 6mm is a good thickness. When you get over 10mm thickness the film starts to get blurry and harder to see out the window.
One additional comment to add re: window film… it will slow down the intruder, but won’t completely stop them from entering. A determined intruder will eventually pound a hole through the window film. If you are inside your home it will give you an additional 20-40 seconds to prepare and defend yourself. The security film may even convince the intruder to stop and move on to your neighbors house instead. I have a 3M window film installed on several 1st floor windows I feel are most likely targets for a thief to attempt a break in.
If you are in the market for a high security front door, be sure to check out Sur Doors. Very well made.
https://youtu.be/lJk5ypGKjQY
If you are looking for a wireless alert sensor I highly recommend Voice Alert System 6. It’s a low tech alert system using a wireless sensor that you mount by a door or side of your house under the roof. There is no app or camera. It comes with a 6 channel receiver so you can set up 6 sensors around your house. I have the 2 sides of my house, one near the front door and one in the garage in case someone opens my garage door to alert me. The alert triggers a voice alert message from the receiver located in my kitchen. What’s great about this Voice Alert System 6 is the distance the wireless sensor can be set up. It can go through multiple walls from the outside to inside to reach the receiver table unit. Works very well with very few false alerts. Sadly the company was bought out, then the buying company closed soon after, but you can still find product available on Ebay or possibly at a local security alarm company.
Safe’s are great to stop the casual thief; the dishonest contractor, the bad friend, the desperate relative, the juvenile delinquent. These “casual thieves” probably account for the majority of thefts, so a safe offers good protection.
The professional thief is another story altogether. The best use for a safe against the professional is, as Permie Girl suggests, misdirection.
After bolting the safe to the concrete floor, to make it more secure add concrete epoxy around each of the expansion bolts. Sure, any safe can be broken into given enough time and good tools, but most burglaries are done by the unsophisticated thief who’s in/out of your home within 15 minutes. If your safe is in your garage, disguise it by building a fake storage cabinet with doors around it to match the other storage cabinets in your garage.
>> After bolting the safe to the concrete floor, to make it more secure add concrete epoxy around each of the expansion bolts.
What you’re describing is sort of a rigging task, with a twist (something is being stolen, instead of just moved.)
I think it’s best to prepare for a prepared “redneck burglar” (trying to describe a situation, but not to impugn redneck’s.)
e.g. some guy with an F350, a tow hitch, some steel cable, and some heavy chain.
They could just throw that chain around the safe and the bolt in the floor will probably lose.
Of course, that means knowing that something is there to throw a chain around. That is an argument for setting the combination on the safe at the store, and only having family members present when the safe is installed.
To make things harder for the redneck burglar, one possibility is to find a safe with 2 or 4 bolt points.
I’m glad the “fight or flight” discussion is starting to happen. Permi’s comment about Jews fleeing asap is on-target, but so is Olive’s about digging in. So which is it?
I take all positions: 1) first seek similar demographics and dig roots for life; 2) defend your turf and attack threats early and often (preferably using lawfare); 3) regretfully have firm plans to leave as a last resort. I’ve read enough stories from South Africa or the USSR; everyone should leave at a certain point. The trick is to know that that point is. Once saw a SA immigrant burst into tears just watching teen girls walk home on their street unattended…this simple idyllic event never happens where he lived; no girl travels alone, period. Even strong and aggressive men travel in packs, always armed.
One of the problems with older Americans my age (say >40 yo) is many don’t recognize things have changed for good; culture and race are real American things nowadays in many places. When the USA was 80% white/born locally in 1980, there was a kinda-sorta shared Christian culture in general and most everyone else at least pretending to assimilate. For better or worse, that ship has sailed. the USA is now like the Balkans (without the religious angle) complete with no-go zones in places that were fairly normal 30 years ago. Bluntly, uncontrolled immigration = Balkans. A wise man arms himself and moves if needed, not stubbornly clinging the past. But only if needed.
Why not just bury valuables or put inside sheetrocked walls? Never had a problem doing either.
IMHO the #1 problem with moving to another country is, how do you know it won’t be worse? The current problems are infesting many countries around the world. It’s not like there are a couple of “bad actors” as in WWII. Seriously, where would be better? Having lived in Europe for a few years, I realize that an immigrant has many disadvantages: I didn’t understand the culture or the language and made many blunders along the way. Many locals were standoffish if not distrustful. And that was 20 years ago, during easy, normal times.
Julie
Unless you can afford your own private security team to protect you, moving to just about any country in Asia, South America, Africa and parts of Europe you, being an American will be come a target. Word will get out soon after you move into your new neighborhood that you are an American and must have money so better watch your back at all times.
Having spent over a decade outside the USA, I assure you that moving isn’t a panacea. Most countries do not allow non-natives to become citizens even if they have a citizen spouse/ and/or a child with a native. Other countries require you to apply for things called Visas to lawfully stay. Then you must often have a minimal balance in a local bank in their currency. Additionally there are usually 90 day reporting requirements at immigration you have to pay for and spend a whole day sitting in line, unless you pay a service. You have to get permission to leave and re-enter even though you have a valid visa. This costs as well. You will not get any services medical or otherwise.
Even in basic disputes like bar arguments or traffic accidents, you as an American are at the disadvantage. Everyone always overcharges you. If you see an accident if front of you with casualties- drive off. If you stop to render aid, you will be blamed for the accident and have to pay everyone. In common daily activities, if the natives are rude, you have to take it, smile, and slink away, If you don’t, by standers who have no relationship to the native will join in to beat the crap out of you and rob you.
Lovely ladies will give up their favors to the men for cars and homes. Non-citizens can’t own real property in most other countries so the guy puts the house in the girlfriend’s name. He goes to visit the homeland and comes back to find her family is living in the house, the bank account is gone, and magically all assets are in her name. She gained favor with the family by giving them stuff. That’s what matters. Happens all the time.
Know an American attorney who was hit in car by unlicensed teen boy and girlfriend on motorbike. Remember the American was stopped at a light and struck by the native. Kids were hurt. Policeman arrived and demanded a bribe or the attorney would go to jail. Then the girl’s Auntie got on the scene and wanted her medical bills paid- by the American. Several court hearings later, the American is out atty fees and still has to pay something to the kids who hit them. When said American went to leave to visit USA, arrested at the airport and put in jail three days because policeman never lifted the arrest notice since he didn’t get his bribe. This is in a civilized place…imagine it in more dicey areas.
As a foreigner you cannot volunteer at a school, etc. without permission. Local Expat group gave away food to the poor locally during CV shutdown. They got reprimanded because it made the locals look bad “like we don’t care for our citizens.” Face is big in Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Well yes, since you told the blind school they could get Govt. aid but wouldn’t allow the helper to walk them into the building as it violated social distancing, I’d say that covered it. The people literally were starving until the expats brought them food. This is how the rest of the world works.
If you live overseas, you have to send tax info in annually and report to the US Crimes Division. You have to prove any money transfers from pensions aren’t from nefarious sources or they block your cash and investigate you. Imagine this under JoeO…no rats are let out of the sinking ship. Only going to get worse. “We’ll just stop any and all money transfers out of the USA because you’re a criminal.” Forget about Medicare or most health insurance plans- you pay for it, but not useable outside the USA. Now most countries require non-natives to carry health insurance for CV (which they will provide for a fee.)
Forget the relocation / retirement agencies as they’re generally lying bastards who get commissions on everyone they get to move. They’ll say anything, but the reality is quite different. All even as retiree, be prepared to tackle a new language to be able to function. English might be taught in schools, but the guy selling apples probably can say yes, no, and OK. Period.
Evaluate your choice carefully. There may be good ones out there, but remember, in a homogenous society race/nationality matters to them. You’re not changing it no matter how nice or helpful you are.
Really, really do your homework. It is not a panacea, and it is not right for everyone. But I know people who are very happy with their decision.
Each country, with its own languages, culture, and laws, varies significantly. No place is the best fit for everyone, although some are better for most people.
The out of control health care costs in the US would likely be the biggest impetus for me to retire elsewhere. Medical tourism is big business… and living in some of those places can be very affordable.
One aspect I don’t hear people discussing is the future role of America in international politics. Many countries defer their defense spending to the US. So what happens to those countries if the US protection umbrella recedes? Will Europe, UK, Australia, New Zealand, latin America retain their degrees of freedom if America is not providing for their security? Or will they face growing threats of incursion from China, Russia, Iran? If I were in Hong Kong today or Taiwan in 5 years I’d be especially concerned.
Bottom line: whether it’s a good idea or not depends on you and what tradeoffs you’re willing to make. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
One interesting twist from COVID is a lot of the preppers who planned to bug out found they instead bugged in. Given the potential for violence and social upheaval, weighing these options is as important as it is difficult: is it better to flee somewhere else, that you can count on being safe, or stay where you are and bunker down?
I’d say it depends.
Some work in areas that are high crime, so having a bug out location is highly desirable. Financial constraints may mean only one home is affordable. In some cases, the plan B may be to stay long term with family or friends. Time may be a factor: at this point, is there enough to prepare a long-term bug out location?
From a planning perspective, it really makes sense to have an alternative location (or more than one) prepared ahead of time. Maybe you live in the Big City but Uncle Bob in the country can put you up in his place for a few months. At the very least, plan on a location to go if there’s a natural disaster that forces you out of your home.
And, it’s important to let your family and friends know where they can find you if you have to evacuate.
My two cents.
I’ll tell you Ive been thinking about this quite a bit and I can’t think of too many places where I might go to escape a crumbling America. I’d need a place where I can live the lifestyle that I love and that would require rural land, a temperate 4 season climate, a level of safety/security, and affordability.
When I look I can usually find one or two criteria; like its safe but you cant afford it. Or it has 4 seasons and you can afford some land but its dangerous, etc.
The other thing Ive found is that rural land in America is actually cheaper than most places. Even 3rd world countries, try to buy 100 acres, it’s priced out of reach [ at least for Americans ].
Right now, there are only two countries that I would consider moving to if the US became unlivable; Ireland, and Canada. Ireland has some incredibly beautiful rural land and it’s still pretty affordable. Canada too. These are relatively safe countries with good demographics, they speak English and the culture is very similar [ same roots ].
The thing to consider is, if America goes down how far behind will Canada and Ireland be? I dont know but the demographics might, at least, buy them some time.