Ted’s essays

Communications Basics

Two-way radio communications is a tremendous subject that can and does carry people in many directions. Certainly among the most important are field communications to and from tactical and reconnaissance teams, particularly with some semblance of security or privacy to the information thereby exchanged. Particularly well suited to teaching this fine art is NC Scout. He recently published a book on the subject: The Guerrilla’s Guide To The Baofeng Radio, which I recommend and am buying myself. He also has a web page covering a whole lot more range. I share the outline below, but encourage you to go to the source. Simply click the linked heading. – Ted – The Foundation: Squaring Away Communications Basics Improvised Field Antennas The […]

midnight prowler

At 0030 last night Beagle Brain went off as if the zombie apocalypse had begun at our door. In a flash I had my robe on and was in the front room. The motion-detector flood lights were on, but everywhere I looked was vacant of mammalian beings… or anything at all visible but the snow, river and trees that normally occupy our riverside yard. Yet Beagle Brain was barking at extreme pitch, far more so than the normal ‘won’t shut up cuz there is a deer walking in the woods’. I continue investigating, then see a flash of a man walking by our front window! Briskly. I dash to the side window to catch a retreating view… big parka, fur-faced […]

dam cavalier attitude

In late February, Dallas Erickson presented to the Bitterroot Amateur Radio Club a view of the risk behind the Painted Rocks Dam. Nature has a way of returning these canyons to their original state. The transformation is usually spectacular… particularly to those humans who live in the path or know someone who did. On February 23rd I wrote about the risk potential: Dam Threatens Darby, Conner, Hamilton. I also posted Dallas’ write up here: Painted Rocks Dam. We need to act now. A dam failure would likely begin with a change in shape of the dam face that can be measured by simple technology. Next would be an extraordinarily rapid rise in water levels that also can be measured by […]

wi-fi freeloaders cut off

Out in the boonies, we have only two choices for Internet access. Neither is great, but surprising me, the cell-phone provider from a tower 4.5 miles away is unreliable while the satellite 25,000 miles away is pretty good by comparison. For about the same price, both limit us to 10 gigabytes per month anytime and an additional 10 gigabytes in the middle of the night. In my case that means I can get a couple hours of bonus bytes between 0600 and 0800 fairly often. I use that for our heavier consumption downloading video news programs like The Kaiser Report and SophieCo which take around 220 Kb for each half-hour show. Even with those shows shifted into “bonus byte” time […]

Bitterroot Neighborhood Posse

The new patch is now under construction To save you some looking around for it, here’s the contract:   Bitterroot Neighborhood Posse purpose, principles, bylaws Responsible adults have the right and responsibility to participate in the defense of, and emergency response for their neighborhoods. To this end, we join together forming a mutual-aid organization as outlined in this document. There is nothing confrontational about it, nor is there any question of the legality of our right to freely associate and assemble. We take the responsibility to actively participate in the defense of our own life, liberty and property, as well as that of our families, neighbors and community. We renounce initiation or threat of force or fraud against persons or […]

enemies list

I was asked to un-click a couple of facebook boxes in my link to a friend. I honored that request, but sent him much of the following via private message. I unchecked as you requested in fb, but didn’t post the note on my wall. I have felt for years that nothing online is private. You probably know from my blogging that I have long assumed the NSA has been collecting my data. Intelligent people learn this and shut down – move to low profile. A small handful mount the rooftops to incessantly yell warnings at the top of their lungs… well aware of the exposure and risk. We certainly need both kinds. Without honest reporters, THEY win. Without unexposed […]

Sandy Hook vs journalism

When I learned the fundamentals of journalism, they were: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why. They also included a foundation of reliability, accuracy and honesty, without which you earn no audience. Sadly things have changed. With the consolidation of mainstream media into six mega-corporations, the absence of competition in primary news sources allows the same misinformation to come from all six sources, reinforcing their illusion of fact. With all six CEOs quite publicly part of The Bilderberg Group, there is precious little doubt whose “facts” are being reinforced. The hot topic of the day is a perfect example, and a perfect opportunity to test your news sources. If they are not showing the truth on the Sandy Hook school […]

join the posse

This is just an example of one posse within Ada County. Kuna happens to be small enough that one posse will probably be enough. Boise, on the other hand, will likely develop several posses for various areas within Boise. Any neighborhood group can pull one together if several responsible, active people decide to. — BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR — Join the Kuna Posse * Civil Defense * Emergency Response * Disaster Preparedness *Security for local events * Be a valuable part of your community while working with great friends All skills and talents are needed from trained veterans to those interested in learning emergency response, observation, reporting, ham radio, crowd control, community events, legal use of force, etc. Team leaders, […]

news bits

I couldn’t quite just pass these tidbits by without some comment, but am not in an essay mood, so I’m just combining them here… then get on with the rest of my day. Redford man foils robbery by shooting suspect First off, I HATE IT when what passes for journalists today use the word “suspect” to describe a vilian who was injured or captured IN THE ACT. “I blasted the sumbish who attacked my act” (or similar sounding) is a lot more likely to come to mind than “I dissuaded the suspect from continuance of his overly assertive socially questionable behaviors”. Back to the main point: Please folks, do be careful when using ATMs or other times when you are […]

neighborhood posse

Neighborhood Posse Ada County, Idaho purpose, principles, bylaws Regardless of who holds the office of county sheriff, responsible adults have the right and responsibility to participate in the defense of, and emergency response of their neighborhoods. To this end, we join together forming mutual-aid clubs as outlined in this document. There is nothing confrontational about it, nor is there any question of the legality of our right to freely associate and assemble. We take the responsibility to actively participate in the defense of our own life, liberty and property, as well as that of our families, neighbors and community. We renounce initiation or threat of force or fraud against persons or property as inherently illegitimate. We declare no war with […]

home security

Ready Nutrition has an excellent article on home security. You can click the link to see it at their website, but I’m saving you the trouble and reprinting it completely below. While my priorities and suggestions would differ slightly, theirs are excellent and well worth a thorough review. —– If you live in suburbia, security starts from the inside out. Your home should be a fortress, although not so blatantly that it catches the attention of casual passers-by, making them wonder, “What’s in there?” Some simple updates can harden your domicile against intruders. Doors should be sturdy and steel core. The frame around the door is equally important. Even the strongest door will not hold up to a determined intruder […]