--hello friends! I removed my original profile last night (11-22-2001), it was pretty long and sorta outta date. It was written after a short time being here at freepers. Now that I have over 2,000 posts/replies, a profile written as a "newbie" here I think isn't appropriate. In addition to the over two thousand here, at various places around the web there is easily ten or twenty times that amount of my writings, on politics and on survivalism, the meat and potatoes aspects. .

Just a quikee-my net handle "zog" is not Z.O.G., it's a coincidence,and it's also my meatworld nickname, merely that, had it a long time, see no reason to change it.

I am a proponent of "Survivalism" as a lifestyle choice, as compared to what I term "non-survivalism". ", which is what most people are frankly, "non" survivalists, which is sorta silly when you think about it. Survivalism", in case anyone is wondering, is not synonymous with racism, the unabomber, goose steeping, or mad jihader attacks, or hooded wonders, or hypocritical neo-jerks. Just lose and forget the common interpretation of it, lose it, it's a false premise promoted by, well... bad or completely uninformed people who don't know what they are about, or who have an anti-american agenda. Unfortunately, this applies to a lot (not all, but a lot) of folks in positions of "authority" or who are employed in the mass media. Sad but true. A Survivalist is an asset first to themselves, then to their immediate family and neighbors, then to their community and nation as a whole. They are not threats OR burdens. Survivalists are NOT anti government, they are PRO-honest government, they are anti criminality, from the pettiest crooks in the 'hood, to connected ones who abuse other people in large numbers. Do not fall for the demonization and propoganda that is promoted about survivalism, it's mostly false. It's insulting, too, to survivalist/preparedness oriented people, it really is.

Anyway..... Survivalism is, simply put, a philosophy of perpetual and getting better daily preparedness, you are never "finished", and you can't "buy it". You can learn about it and aquire it, but you really can't just immediately go to some store and buy it, it takes a lot more knowledge than just 'stuff' to accumulate. It's the boyscout creed taken to a much higher and completely practical and do-able in any situation level, a level high enough to deal with day to day realities that effect us. It's sorta that simple, although it is a complex and technical way to live compared to the way most americans live, but it does get easier once the newness wears off, guaranteed, just like any other skill one may aquire. Compare it to learning a language or a musical instrument, or gaining a technical college degree-it is similar in effort, although you are immediately enriched from day one once this aspect of your life changes from being a proud "non survivalist", and it's really easy once you start, really! it's fun, practical, rewarding, and almost everyone who has started has commented to me "wish I had done this sooner!".

After gaining the awareness of the need for survivalism, the single most important part, then a mindset is achieved, and it gets a lot easier. Some folks (most unfortunately) plan for becoming survivalists after an emergency hits, this is incorrect, it's not gonna work probably (really), and will be mostly ineffective in the real world. Think about it, in -say-the military, do they start thinking about what to do after a battle starts, or before? In business, do you get organized and work towards your business goals, or do you wait, and try to make a buck when your competitor has snagged the market from you? This is the 'snooze ya lose" principal, so don't snooze! ha! You plan, train, and prepare on a day to day level, so when/if an emergency outside the norm does hit you, it is still almost 'routine"-no big deal in other words. What's not to like about that?

It's being an aware, prepared adult, as opposed to being an ostrich head in the sand ignorer who goes through life never being aware of their surroundings past a superficial level. You can be quite 'successful" in your field, and make a lot of money, but still.....

This is just normal, our modern western technological life tends to baby sit and coddle us, so it's easy to snooze off a little. That's a good analogy. it's better to be awake in other words.

Basically, what the popular sentiment and media smear demonization descriptions are-is completely *wrong*. Completely, totally, and maliciously wrong. If you believe what the government and the mainstream media have propogandizied into the nation's consciousness, into believing what they lie to you about "survivalism", well, yep, you got brainwashed. Please don't take this personally or badly, but it's important to approach the subject with a clean slate, that's all, just to be fair about things, and it's no biggee either, really. Like anything else, just getting the true knowledge presented, the true data, is enough for most people to see where is what is who on any issue, so here's perhaps a new thing to explore and learn about. it's also important, and this is a bigee for me personally, to admit mistakes or where you might have erroneous in thinking in the past, or perhaps some assumptions you took that can now be shown to be incorrect. This is IMPORTANT. Don't carry 'wrong thinking' baggage around with you. Lose it, drop it as fast as you can, it's destructive and harmful. If new data is presented, be open to it enough to see if it effects your analysis and conclusions, then go on. As soon as you stop learning-well, you stop learning!

So, if you wish to learn more, feel free to participate. Education is preferable to demonization and assumptions, yes?

My website is open for anyone who wishes to discuss any of these aspects, it has been up in some form or another since oct 97, although my involvement and education in this field comes from my awareness from roughly the cuban missile crisis and jfk days, combined with extensive, and on going education and developing techniques and expertise in the field, from natural disasters and economic strangeness to security issues in heavy urban areas, to complete and total wilderness survival, and everything in between, a to z. I'm not any sort of newbie to it, been around this for decades now, I HAVE "been there-done that", it is not armchair theory to me, I know what works and what doesn't, and my site is frequented by others,from all walks of life, family people, decent people, who have come to similar conclusions, so we share ideas, techniques, and also discuss day to day regular issues. It's fun, and a down home, family room style atmosphere, and is non threatning, open to all. The only caveat is to please keep it polite, avoid cursing and flaming, just normal common sense netiquette rules apply. I moderate, and also treat people as adults, and actually "moderate", I WILL step in (extremely rarely) and comment to someone if they are getting out of line, rather than just banning or removing posts like is done at freepers here. I only have to do this REALLY infrequently if at all, because most survivalists are honest and polite to the max. I think the moderators here at freepers are actually "censors" more than the dictionary definition of "moderator", which isn't bad, just different, that's all, but this is the way the owner sets this up and runs it here, so be it, like my site, his site is run according to his wishes, as it should be, and it's a fine forum, isn't it? Mine is as well, it's just "different" in some ways, and it's smaller, that's about it.

Besides that, hello, I'll try to get a better profile up at some point when it's necessitated, or make it available elsewhere's on the net.

One of my "jobs" is to offer private consultations on technical aspects of survivalism, from individuals to families to businesses. I use an honor systm sliding scale that starts at *free*. NO ONE is turned away from lack of funds in other words. I have done everything from merely answering some basic questions on the web to actually being involved in extensive planning and design of urban and rural properties, and in contingency planning for families and businesses-it's pretty varied.

If you think the modern world might have a danger or two to it, and want to adequately prepare yourself, any location, any budget, for your family, or your business to deal with any and all contingencies, and want to cut through the noise quickly, then feel free- give me a freep mail on it, I can help you. This is my speciality, my professional expertise. It's a very limited niche field, there really aren't that many professionals out in the marketplace who do what I do, it is not served by most "security" concerns or people, as the mindset/style/work is different in many ways. Some is similar, quite a bit isn't. I believe in proactive work, not in reactive almost-solutions. Most security-style firms (and the government run emergency services) are almost completely reactive in nature, there is the difference. Their techniques have some superficial similarities, but are that, superficial. for a good analogy, government organized, or large private NGO organized services come and fix a flat, I can show you how to probably avoid that flat. See? Big difference there, MUCH bigger in the results as well, avoiding the flat is just a better way to go about things, in my opinion, it just "works" better. Results count, that's the important 'bottom line". excuses won't cut the mustard.

Some others have cropped up on the internet here and there that just jumped on the y2k bandwagon and started selling assorted products-these folks (in many but not all cases for sure, I personally know quite a few of these folks) are not really survival experts, they are mostly merchants. Absolutely nothing wrong with gear and supplies, they are most necessary, but it's the knowledge and tactics and mindset that is important. What you pack around between your ears is more valuable than something that comes in a box that you stash in a closet for an emergency. There's the difference.

Thankyou, looking forward to hearing from people either on my site or via private freepermail.