How and Where to Legally Buy Guns in the USA and Europe

Posted on June 13, 2009
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WHERE CAN YOU JUST WALK INTO A GUN STORE AND BUY WEAPONS IN THE USA?

Nowhere! Not even in one of the fifty USA states. There are no sales at gun shops unless you are first checked out by the Feds. That involves (usually) a 30 day wait. Once you have your Federal clearance, about 37 states do permit carrying concealed weapons. Most of those 37 states grant reciprocity to permit holders from other states. Some don’t.

Should a permit holder wish to purchase an additional weapon, there is no waiting period since you’ve already been checked out.

Loopholes? Anyone can go to an advertised gun show and at one of the many stalls or display tables buy a pistol from a private seller. There is zero paperwork (not even an ID check). The same holds true for people selling guns privately online or via classified ads. Private, person-to-person gun sales are legal and unregulated. Obviously, it is easy to own an unregistered hand gun in the USA. Hunting rifles and shotguns are openly bought and sold at USA sporting goods stores – along with bicycles and sneakers.

BUYING AND CARRYING GUNS AS A FOREIGNER IN THE USA

A foreigner in the USA can easily and usually legally buy a handgun in a private transaction. In many states, that act would be legal. Carrying a loaded handgun would by definition be illegal, since a foreigner is not a resident and can not qualify for a permit.

The exception to this rule is Florida – the only state we know of which issues weapons permits to non-residents.

WHERE YOU CAN OBTAIN INSTANT ONLINE FIREARMS PERMITS

When US President Ronald Reagan was shot by a young punk in the early eighties, his press secretary, James Brady, got a bullet in the head. He survived, but with dramatically reduced mental capacity. His wife, Sarah, formed an organization which in the early nineties secured the passing of a law known as the ‘Brady Bill’. This mandated a five-day waiting period for purchase of handguns.

This is supposed to have been replaced with an ‘instant check’ system, where the information you put down on a federal government form is run through an FBI computer while you wait at the counter.

The only place where we know where this ‘instant check’ really works is the US state of Nevada. If you are a resident of Nevada, you can walk into any local gun shop and purchase a pistol.

You then wait about 10-15 minutes for their instant check system to register you. After that (assuming you are not a convicted felon) you walk out with your new ‘Colt 45,’ a holster, and a box of ammo.

New Hampshire, a small state known for its libertarian population, allows residents to carry concealed weapons without any permit whatsoever. However a Federal background check at the time of the gun purchase is still required.  But only if you are purchasing from a licensed NH retail dealer.

Otherwise, implementation varies somewhat by state. Some will issue a ‘concealed-carry’ permit, authorizing the bearer to carry a loaded handgun on his person, within that particular state. In Pennsylvania, the bearer of such a permit may also buy handguns without any check whatsoever, just as he’d buy a candy bar.

If all this makes it sound like America is one giant gun free-for-all, be aware that there are many states where mere possession of a handgun, at any time, is a felony. New Jersey is one of these. The same is true in the District of Columbia. New York and Maryland also have extremely strict regulations.

SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES – EASIER TO PURCHASE AND OWN

All US states allow possession of shotguns and rifles, with much less restriction than for handguns. There is no federally-mandated background check on long barrel non-automatic guns, although one still has to fill out a brief form. The general theme of both the handgun and long gun forms is: -Name, address, Social Security Number and questions such as: Are you a convicted felon? Have you ever been held in a mental institution against your will? Are you an alcoholic? Do you use controlled substances? Give the right answers and you walk out with your rifle or shotgun.

GUN RULES IN EUROPE

There is a free market (USA style) in Switzerland and in Italy – outside of big cities. But non-residents may not carry guns in any of those places except to/from/at recognized sporting events or for hunting (with a proper licence).

Other countries allow the possession of guns for sporting purposes. These include France, Hungary, Estonia and the Czech Republic. In Russia and parts of Eastern Europe, gun ownership is strictly limited by law, but enforcement is lax.

Legally owning firepower is difficult or impossible almost everywhere else in the first world.

This posting courtesy of ByeByeBigBrother.com

Consequences of Dollar Collapse for Passive Income

Posted on June 3, 2009
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A reader asked us:

Since many feel that it would be very easy for that crazy Iranian president to explode a magnetic pulse device over the u.s. and shut down all the electricity for many months afterwards, do you have an offshore passive income opportunity that would work well to guard against forex not being able to function anymore for people who like forex trading to generate passive income? I am looking for something and was wondering if you had anything for your members in the offshore arena that does not depend on trading in the U.S. via the internet?

Here’s our reply:

To answer your question I think if there is no electricity in the US for many months it is a pretty sure bet that there would be very severe commuications disruptions worldwide, so to protect against that contingency you should be looking at non-internet businesses. People will always need a place to live, so real estate is good (so are productive activities like agriculture, but real estate is more passive).

Paraguay is the perfect place to be when things like this happen.

Realistically I don’t believe the USA will lose electricity or be attacked by Iran. That is in the realm of conspiracy theories. But it is not unlikely that the dollar will collapse completely. Consequences of this could be closures of forex and stock markets, collapse of payments systems like credit cards, and more.

Significantly, if the credit card system went down there would be real havoc worldwide. I believe Visa and/or Mastercard going down in a vast cyber hacking attack is infinitely more likely and easier for the USA’s enemies to implement than bothering to create magnetic explosions. All it needs is a small team of talented IT guys with regular PCs and the internet. Why would they need magnetic pulses?

Even a partial collapse of payment systems (including insolvency of banks etc) could well lead to problems with the internet. Due to the nature of the internet, various upstream and downstream providers will resort to disconnecting each other when they don’t get paid. For example, if the dollar collapses and Asian providers demand to be paid in their local currencies, but the US ISPs only have worthless dollars, who is going to pay the bandwidth fees to keep the internet open?

Guns for the International PT Man

Posted on May 1, 2009
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In another guest post from Grandpa, author of The Invisible Investor (ByeByeBigBrother.com) Grandpa talks about the PT and expat aspects of personal guns for self defense.

Guns are all around us everywhere we go in the world. The freedom loving libertarian crowd has much in common with PTs. We share many of the same ideas and ultimate goals. Many Libertarians – especially Americans – consider the right to bear arms to be a basic freedom. They want the right to keep guns at home and carry hand guns with them at all times for self defense!

According to the National Rifle Association, millions of crimes are stopped every year when storekeepers and others simply brandish firearms at would be attackers. The average criminal or gang member has no training in firearms handling or shooting. They are scared of guns in the hands of their victims. All they know how to do is to ’spray and pray.’ They are no match for a trained marksman, experienced hunters or even someone with target shooting experience.

IS ‘PACKING HEAT’ COMPATIBLE WITH BEING A PT?

Our opinion? Yes, it can be. This chapter is about how and where you can legally own and carry guns, if guns are your thing.

Being a PT means keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble. We generally believe that if we need to have a gun for self-defence, we must be in the wrong place, the wrong business – or hanging with the wrong crowd. Either way, for this writer at least, it would be time to move on. We don’t want to live in the kind of environment where we are likely to need to use a gun. There are plenty of safe environments in the world. We choose to hoist all our PT Flags in civilized, non-violent communities.

Many of our readers (Americans in particular) want to have an arsenal of automatic weapons at home, and carry guns in their cars. The reason they usually give is that (besides preventing crime) Big Brother will think twice about bothering them if they have lethal weapons at their disposal.

The basic PT theory: if what you want to do is illegal where you are, move to a place where your ‘thing’ is legal! If smoking dope is important to you, go to Amsterdam. If carrying guns is important to you, go live in rural Texas. There you can have an armory in your home and shotguns prominently on display in the back window of your pickup truck.

In most places (outside of Texas), police are very paranoid about guns. Too many of their brother cops get shot. Having a gun in your possession makes you an immediate threat in their eyes. PTs don’t want to be considered an opponent of authority. However, there are exceptions. In certain US states, for example, cops think of people (usually private security guards) who are legally carrying concealed weapons as potential allies in a firefight. Thus, it depends on who you are, and where you are.

We heard an interesting reason not to carry a gun from a PT who lives in Papua New Guinea: “The fastest way to get shot here is to carry around a handgun! They’re hard to obtain here. Guns are a big prize for any street gang. The local kids won’t hesitate to kill you for your gun!”

WHAT IF YOU HAVE NO CHOICE?

What if you are settled in somewhere? You can’t or don’t wish to move. Crime and the threat of violence have come to your neighborhood.

One acquaintance told us this story. We retell it here because we think this is a good example of a situation where carrying heat might be compatible with being a PT.

Our friend commented: “I was once simply unable to realistically imagine a situation where I would need a firearm in self-defence. Then I got a threat one day: I was going to being beaten up and maybe shot in the knees by persons ‘representing’ a certain criminal underworld organization’s interests.”

“How did I find myself on the receiving end of such a threat?  I was the successful bidder on a real estate deal that the bad guys wanted. They did not ask me to sell to them, or make any demands. I had, by simply bidding on that property, offended some hoodlum. The ‘unknown’ people had already put my business partner in hospital with a fractured skull, broken legs and arms. Not surprisingly, he’d had a nervous breakdown after being beaten with baseball bats. Their objective, it appeared, was to show a legitimate operator that they would close us down if we dared to bid at ‘their’ public auction. There was nothing to be negotiated.

“The police told me they could not supply me or anyone with protection, but if anything beyond ‘mere threats’ happened, to report it. Sure, I needed to report the name and address of the person who shot me or broke my skull. The forces of ‘Law and Order’ were quite unable to protect me from an inevitable, possibly fatal injury.

“My reaction was that as a law abiding, tax paying member of society – with no criminal record – I should be able to carry (even concealed) a weapon to protect myself if I chose to do so.”

“As a practical matter, I did not particularly wish to walk around every day with an illegal hand gun. Yet I did want to feel that I had a chance of defending myself in my own home. Particularly at night. My world had unexpectedly become a dangerous place.”

We hope that you, dear reader, will never have to conclude that because of an absence of arms you are basically, a lamb ready for slaughter. Shouldn’t a law-abiding member of the public be allowed to defend himself? We will get back to our story in a moment.

TRAINING IN THE USE OF GUNS

This author would not like just anyone, to be able to buy guns and ammo without having at least some training! A gun owner should know how to aim and shoot with some chance of hitting the target! As bullets can be dangerous to neighbors and bystanders, we feel that gun owners should also know how to use and stow weapons safely

Still, facing an immediate direct threat most of us (like the guy in the story) would like to have the legal right to have a pistol or shotgun handy. For example, in case of a break in. How else could you confront and discourage someone (or more than one) determined to do you harm?

There is so much controversy surrounding guns, it’s easy to forget the basics – especially about handguns. They are designed to kill, but pistols are effective only at close quarters. Citizens don’t need rockets, bazookas, machine guns, tanks, or even automatic weapons.

But a handgun or shotgun is perfect as a weapon to try to keep yourself alive when if ‘baddies’ are breaking down your door.

What happened to our real-estate friend?

He figured there were several options:

1. Leave the area and disappear

2. Have himself locked up by the state – if indeed they would even take you into protective custody. {In fact, this is not even an option unless one is a witness in a high profile pending case.}

3. Be ready to defend himself, to fight and to kill his opponents. Self defence with a gun is illegal in his country (England).

As it turned out, his response was not what you would see in a movie. He just decided to leave the area with his family. This prudent course caused much economic hardship. His vacant home was burned by ‘unknown arsonists.’ The insurance company would not cover the loss because the property had been vacant for over thirty days when it was burned down. Our hero relocated in another town.

Months later, he still did not sleep soundly. He fears for himself and his family. What would you do? In England it is legal to purchase a shotgun for sport purposes. It can be kept at home. Our friend is planning to take up the sport of clay pigeon shooting. Simply having a gun handy for self-defence will give him some peace of mind. It will not really protect against an ambush or assassination by a careful professional. Our recommendation would be retreat. Move, perhaps to another country and start over. It might be more heroic or brave to single-handedly take on a criminal organization, but the odds are not good. The payoff is more likely to be personal disaster. How will the cops protect you? Not at all, thank you.

DON’T RELY ON THE STATE FOR PROTECTION

Some naïve people believe that the state will protect them. But you – and you alone – are the first, last and only line of defense against criminal or other violent attacks. To be realistic, even some crazed serial killers have been able to operate for decades before they are apprehended -if they ever are.

There really are evil thugs, crazies and criminals in the world. These germs typically prey on elderly, unarmed or otherwise helpless people. If there is an attempt to enter your premises in the wee hours of the morning and it is met with a shotgun blast, the criminals (if they escape injury) will probably move away from you and on to softer targets.

If you are retired and happen to live in Monaco where video surveillance is everywhere and there is one armed cop for every 19 residents, you won’t need a gun. Monaco exists to be a safe haven for the very rich. It protects its residents from both Big Brother and from Petty Criminals. Likewise, if you live in a gated, guarded community or high security apartment building, you are far less likely to be burglarized or assaulted. But not having the luxury of such protection leaves the majority of the world’s population – and maybe you –vulnerable.

It is up to you to protect yourself and your family. You can do that by installing alarms, heavier doors and shutters or in our opinion, last choice – by acquiring a gun. Our first choice would always be simply moving to a safer locale.

GUN POSSESSION IN THE THIRD WORLD

In the Third World, gun possession is common, but usually illegal. It is always illegal for foreigners to carry or transport any firearms without officially issued paperwork. Don’t even think of taking your guns along on vacation!

Mexican authorities, for example, are very strict on gun ownership. Some Texans decorate their pickup’s rear windows with a rack of rifles and shotguns. There have been cases of drunken Texans crossing the border unwittingly. Finding themselves on Mexican territory, they are arrested and jailed. The guns and trucks are confiscated. After a large bribe is paid, the Texans are usually released.

CONCLUSION: KEEP BELOW THE RADAR

PTs in conversation, if not in practice, often talk about activities that if acted upon could get them into serious legal trouble. The average PT is constantly challenging the status quo in his mind.

“How can I find a way of circumventing that law or regulation?”

There are also times when our younger adherents’ macho nature over-rules common sense.

“Heck, I’ll just get a gun and point it at those suckers and tell them to ‘Quit bustin’ my balls or I’ll blow your head off.’ ”

This is ‘Assault with a deadly weapon’ – a serious felony.

Sometime our goal seems best attained by crossing the line and doing something clearly illegal. Not a good idea! This impulse is to be resisted!  It contradicts what PT is all about.

But remember, the guy on the receiving end of any threat needs to prove it with at least one witness. Otherwise it is ‘his word against yours.’

The US government, as well as most other Western governments, wants its citizens to leave personal defense strictly to the authorities. They tell people ‘even if you are being robbed or burglarized, do not resist. Just give the criminals what they want.’ Numerous court decisions have held private citizens criminally and civilly liable for the injuries they cause criminals. The right of self-defence has been curtailed. At the same time the cops won’t help you if you are robbed or assaulted. It has been stated time and again that the police forces are not there to protect any individual, no matter how threatened he may feel. They might investigate only after you are dead.

Under the circumstances, retreat is the safest and most logical way to deal with a threat. If retreat is not possible, it is best to do what must be done. Protect yourself. Then stay below the radar to avoid trouble with Big Brother.

We won’t spell out exactly how to do it. We think you can figure it out. Big Brother is very good at convicting innocent people of victimless crimes, but not so good at anything else.

Flying Pigs, Tamiflu and Factory Farms

Posted on May 1, 2009
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by F. William Engdahl

If we are to believe what our trusted international media report, the world is on the brink of a global pandemic outbreak of a new deadly strain of flu, H1N1 as it has been labelled, or more popularly, Swine Flu. As the story goes, the outbreak of the deadly flu was first discovered in Mexico. According to press reports, after several days, headlines reported as many as perhaps 150 deaths in Mexico were believed caused by this virulent people-killing pig virus that has spread to humans and now is allegedly being further spread from human to human. Cases were being reported hourly from Canada to Spain and beyond. The only thing wrong with this story is that it is largely based on lies, hype and coverup of possible real causes of Mexican deaths.

One website, revealingly named Swine Flu Vaccine, reports the alarming news, ‘One out of every five residents of Mexico’s most populous city wore masks to protect themselves against the virus as Mexico City seems to be the epicenter of the outbreak. As many as 103 deaths have been attributed to the swine flu so far with many more feared to be on the horizon. The health department of Mexico said an additional 1,614 reported cases have been documented.’ We are told that the H1N1 ‘shares genetic material from human, avian and swine influenza viruses.’1

Airports around the world have installed passenger temperature scans to identify anyone with above normal body temperature as possible suspect for swine flu. Travel to Mexico has collapsed. Sales of flu drugs, above all Tamiflu from Roche Inc., have exploded in days. People have stopped buying pork fearing certain death. The World Health Organization has declared ‘a public health emergency of international concern,’ defined by them as ‘an occurrence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.’2

What are the symptoms of this purported Swine Flu? That’s not at all clear according to virologists and public health experts. They say Swine Flu symptoms are relatively general and nonspecific. ‘So many different things can cause these symptoms. it is a dilemma,’ says one doctor interviewed by CNN. ‘There is not a perfect test right now to let a doctor know that a person has the Swine Flu.’ It has been noted that most individuals with Swine Flu had an early onset of fever. Also it was common to see dizziness, body aches and vomiting in addition to the common sneezing, headache and other cold symptoms. These are symptoms so general as to say nothing.

The US Government’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta states on its official website, ‘Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.’ Nonetheless they add, ‘CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.’3

How many media that have grabbed on the headline ‘suspected case of Swine Flu’ in recent days bother to double check with the local health authorities to ask some basic questions? For example, the number of confirmed cases of H1N1 and their location? The number of deaths confirmed to have resulted from H1N1? Dates of both? Number of suspected cases and of suspected deaths related to the Swine Flu disease?

Some known facts

According to Biosurveillance, itself part of Veratect, a US Pentagon and Government-linked epidemic reporting center, on April 6, 2009 local health officials declared a health alert due to a respiratory disease outbreak in La Gloria, Perote Municipality, Veracruz State, Mexico.

They reported, ‘Sources characterized the event as a ‘strange’ outbreak of acute respiratory infection, which led to bronchial pneumonia in some pediatric cases. According to a local resident, symptoms included fever, severe cough, and large amounts of phlegm. Health officials recorded 400 cases that sought medical treatment in the last week in La Gloria, which has a population of 3,000; officials indicated that 60% of the town’s population (approximately 1,800 cases) has been affected. No precise timeframe was provided, but sources reported that a local official had been seeking health assistance for the town since February.’ What they later say is ‘strange’ is not the form of the illness but the time of year as most flu cases occur in Mexico in the period October to February.

The report went on to note, ‘Residents claimed that three pediatric cases, all under two years of age, died from the outbreak. However, health officials stated that there was no direct link between the pediatric deaths and the outbreak; they stated the three fatal cases were “isolated” and “not related” to each other.’

Then, most revealingly, the aspect of the story which has been largely ignored by major media, they reported, ‘Residents believed the outbreak had been caused by contamination from pig breeding farms located in the area. They believed that the farms, operated by Granjas Carroll, polluted the atmosphere and local water bodies, which in turn led to the disease outbreak. According to residents, the company denied responsibility for the outbreak and attributed the cases to “flu.” However, a municipal health official stated that preliminary investigations indicated that the disease vector was a type of fly that reproduces in pig waste and that the outbreak was linked to the pig farms.’4

Since the dawn of American ‘agribusiness,’ a project initiated with funding by the Rockefeller Foundation in the 1950s to turn farming into a pure profit maximization business, US pig or hog production has been transformed into a highly efficient, mass production industrialized enterprise from birth to slaughter. Pigs are caged in what are called Factory Farms, industrial concentrations which are run with the efficiency of a Dachau or Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They are all conceived by artificial insemination and once born, are regularly injected with antibiotics, not because of illnesses which abound in the hyper-crowded growing pens, but in order to make them grow and add weight faster. Turn around time to slaughter is a profit factor of highest priority. The entire operation is vertically integrated from conception to slaughter to transport distribution to supermarket.

Granjas Carroll de Mexico (GCM) happens to be such a Factory Farm concentration facility for hogs. In 2008 they produced almost one million factory hogs, 950,000 according to their own statistics. GCM is a joint venture operation owned 50% by the world’s largest pig producing industrial company, Smithfield Foods of Virginia.5 The pigs are grown in a tiny rural area of Mexico, a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and primarily trucked across the border to supermarkets in the USA, under the Smithfields’ family of labels. Most American consumers have no idea where the meat was raised.

Now the story becomes interesting.

Manure Lagoons and other playing fields

The Times of London interviewed the mother of 4-year-old Edgar Hernandez of La Gloria in Veracruz, the location of the giant Smithfield Foods hog production facility. Their local reporter notes, ‘Edgar Hernández plays among the dogs and goats that roam through the streets, seemingly unaware that the swine flu he contracted a few weeks ago — the first known case — has almost brought his country to a standstill and put the rest of the world on alert. ‘I feel great,’ the five-year-old boy said. ‘But I had a headache and a sore throat and a fever for a while. I had to lay down in bed.’’

The reporters add, ‘It was confirmed on Monday (April 27 2009-w.e.) that Edgar was the first known sufferer of swine flu, a revelation that has put La Gloria and its surrounding factory pig farms and ‘manure lagoons’ at the centre of a global race to find how this new and deadly strain of swine flu emerged.’ 6

That’s quite interesting. They speak of ‘La Gloria and its surrounding factory pig farms and ‘manure lagoons.’ Presumably the manure lagoons around the LaGloria factory pig farm of Smithfield Foods are the waste dumping place for the feces and urine waste from at least 950,000 pigs a year that pass through the facility. The Smithfield’s Mexico joint venture, Norson, states that alone they slaughter 2,300 pigs daily. That’s a lot. It gives an idea of the volumes of pig waste involved in the concentration facility at La Gloria.

Significantly, according to the Times reporters, ‘residents of La Gloria have been complaining since March that the odour from Granjas Carroll’s pig waste was causing severe respiratory infections. They held a demonstration this month at which they carried signs of pigs crossed with an X and marked with the word peligro (danger).’7 There have been calls to exhume the bodies of the children who died of pneumonia so that they could be tested. The state legislature of Veracruz has demanded that Smithfield’s Granjas Carroll release documents about its waste-handling practices. Smithfield Foods reportedly declined to comment on the request, saying that it would ‘not respond to rumours.’8

A research compilation by Ed Harris reported, ‘According to residents, the company denied responsibility for the outbreak and attributed the cases to ‘flu.’ However, a municipal health official stated that preliminary investigations indicated that the disease vector was a type of fly that reproduces in pig waste and that the outbreak was linked to the pig farms.’9 That would imply that the entire Swine Flu scare might have originated from the PR spin doctors of the world’s largest industrial pig factory farm operation, Smithfield Foods.

The Vera Cruz-based newspaper La Marcha blames Smithfield’s Granjos Carroll for the outbreak, highlighting inadequate treatment of massive quantities of animal waste from hog production.10

Understandably the company is perhaps more than a bit uncomfortable with the sudden attention. The company, which supplies the McDonald’s and Subway fast-food chains, was fined $12.3 million in the United States 1997 for violating the Clean Water Act. Perhaps they are in a remote tiny Mexican rural area enjoying a relatively lax regulatory climate where they need not worry about being cited for violations of any Clean Water Act.



Pig Factory Farm Industrial Production is a classic breeder of disease and toxins but little attention is being paid to this source

Factory Farms as toxic concentrations

At the very least the driving force for giant industrial agribusiness outsourcing of facilities to third world sites such as Veracruz, Mexico has more to do with further cost reduction and lack of health and safety scrutiny than it does with improving the health and safety quality of the food end product. It has been widely documented and subject of US Congressional reports that large-scale indoor animal production facilities such as that of Granjos Carroll are notorious breeding grounds for toxic pathogens.

A recent report by the US Pew Foundation in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health notes, ‘the method of producing food animals in the United States has changed from the extensive system of small and medium-sized farms owned by a single family to a system of large, intensive operations where the animals are housed in large numbers in enclosed structures that resemble industrial buildings more than they do a traditional barn. That change has happened primarily out of view of consumers but has come at a cost to the environment and a negative impact on public health, rural communities, and the health and well-being of the animals themselves.’ 11

The Pew study notes, ‘The diversified, independent, family-owned farms of 40 years ago that produced a variety of crops and a few animals are disappearing as an economic entity, replaced by much larger, and often highly leveraged, farm factories. The animals that many of these farms produce are owned by the meat packing companies from the time they are born

or hatched right through their arrival at the processing plant and from there to market.’ 12

The study emphasizes that application of ‘untreated animal waste on cropland can contribute to excessive nutrient loading, contaminate surface waters, and stimulate bacteria and algal growth and subsequent reductions in dissolved oxygen concentrations in surface waters.’13

That is where the real investigation ought to begin, with the health and sanitary dangers of the industrial factory pig farms like the one at Perote in Veracruz. The media spread of panic-mongering reports of every person in the world who happens to contract ‘symptoms’ which vaguely resemble flu or even Swine Flu and the statements to date of authorities such as WHO or CDC are far from conducive to a rational scientific investigation..

Tamiflu and Rummy

In October 2005 the Pentagon ordered vaccination of all US military personnel worldwide against what it called Avian Flu, H5N1. Scare stories filled world media. Then, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced he had budgeted more than $1 billion to stockpile the drug Oseltamivir, sold under the name Tamiflu. President Bush called on Congress to appropriate another $2 billion for Tamiflu stocks.

What Rumsfeld neglected to report at the time was a colossal conflict of interest. Prior to coming to Washington in January 2001, Rumsfeld had been chairman of a California pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences held exclusive world patent rights to Tamiflu, a drug it had developed and whose world marketing rights were sold to the Swiss pharma giant, Roche. Rumsfeld was reportedly the largest stock holder in Gilead which got 10% of every Tamiflu dose Roche sold. 14 When it leaked out, the Pentagon issued a curt statement to the effect that Secretary Rumsfeld had decided not to sell but to retain his stock in Gilead, claiming that to sell would have indicated something to hide.’ That agonizing decision won him reported added millions as the Gilead share price soared more than 700% in weeks.

Tamiflu is no mild candy to be taken lightly. It has heavy side effects. It contains matter that could have potentially deadly consequences for a person’s breathing and often reportedly leads to nausea, dizziness and other flu-like symptoms.

Since the outbreak of Swine Flu Panic (not Swine Flu but Swine Flu Panic) sales of Tamiflu, as well as any and every possible drug marketed as flu-related, have exploded. Wall Street firms have rushed to issue ‘buy’ recommendations for the company. ‘Gimme a shot Doc, I don’t care what it is…I don’t wanna die…’

Panic and fear of death was used by the Bush Administration skilfully to promote the Avian Flu fraud. With ominous echoes of the current Swine Flu scare, Avian Flu was traced back to huge chicken factory farms in Thailand and other parts of Asia whose products were shipped across the world. Instead of a serious investigation into the sanitary conditions of those chicken factory farms, the Bush Administration and WHO blamed ‘free-roaming chickens’ on small family farms, a move that had devastating economic consequences to the farmers whose chickens were being raised in the most sanitary natural conditions. Tyson Foods of Arkansas and CG Group of Thailand reportedly smiled all the way to the bank.

Now it remains to be seen if the Obama Administration will use the scare around so-called Swine Flu to repeat the same scenario, this time with ‘flying pigs’ instead of flying birds. Already Mexican authorities have reported that the number of deaths confirmed from so-called Swine Flu is 7, not the 150 or more bandied in the media, and that most other suspected cases were ordinary flu or influenza.

(To be continued)

F. William Engdahl is author of Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation (Global Rersearch, 2007, see below) and A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order (Pluto Press). His new book, Full Spectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order (Third Millennium Press) is due out end of May. He may be contacted through his website: www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net.

Notes

1 Health Advisory, accessed in http://www.swine-flu-vaccine.info/.

2 Ibid.

3 Centers for Disease Control, Swine Influenza and You, accessed in
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm.

4 Biosurveillance, Swine Flu in Mexico- Timeline of Events, April 24, 2009, accessed in
http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/biosurveillance/2009/04/swine-flu-in-mexico-timeline-of-events.html.

5 Smithfield Foods website, accessed in
http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/our_company/our_family/Norson.aspx.

6] Ruth Maclean in La Gloria and Chris Ayres in Mexico City, I had a headache and fever’ says boy who survived, London Times, April 28, 2009.

7] Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Ed Harris, Bloggers Examine Environmental Role in Mexico Swine Flu Outbreak, April 27, 2009, accessed in
http://www.planetthoughts.org/?pg=pt/Whole&qid=2870.

10 Ibid.

11 The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm

Animal Production in America, accessed in http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PCIFAPFin.pdf.

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

14 F. William Engdahl, Is Avian Flu another Pentagon Hoax?, GlobalResearch, October 30, 2005.

Problem Terminated: Instant Quickie or Offshore Divorces

Posted on April 27, 2009
Filed Under Asset Protection | Leave a Comment

Need to get rid of your spouse with or without his or her agreement? Consider the Dominican Republic or Haiti, both countries on the island of Hispaniola which has some of the most liberal international divorce laws and family law courts in the world.

This Caribbean island’s white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters have always been a popular setting for weddings. It is also the place for quickie divorces. For years,  the Dominican Republic’s easy and fast divorce laws have attracted showbiz stars like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, seeking quick splits without publicity.

Some foreign courts question the validity of international divorces obtained in foreign countries by non-residents of those third countries. Yet a good family or divorce lawyer who is familiar with international legal requirements can arrange to have such decrees validated in most jurisdictions.

If you are ready to get hitched to a new honey but you need offshore divorce papers first, here’s a quick rundown on how it works….

MUTUAL CONSENT EXPRESS DIVORCE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The Dominican Republic, some years ago, offered unilateral divorces for spouses where the divorce might otherwise have been contested, but this is no longer possible except in exceptional circumstances. This ‘exceptional circumstance’ stuff is lawyer talk. It means, without mutual consent it will cost you more, and the courts in your home country (where your spouse is living) won’t recognize it if your spouse doesn’t. You may end up unmarried and re-married to someone else in the rest of the world, but not in your home country.

However, if both parties to a marriage agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Dominican international family/divorce law courts, the case can be heard there without any need for residence or even the physical presence of the couple in question. They simply need to sign powers of attorney authorizing lawyers to represent them. If there is no contest, the file – including any separation and child custody agreements – can be given an official rubber stamp fast. Your valid, uncontested divorce is often granted faster and cheaper than it would be in your home country. If there is no contest or disagreement, you are both single again.

The downside is that if both parties don’t appear personally, one can always claim that there was some fraud involved. In later years, this could mean claims over property rights or custody of children. Unfortunately, in legal matters, anyone can sue anyone else for anything at any time. There is no certainty. The value of a divorce decree or any court order is always in doubt because it can be challenged later. The best way to make an arrangement that sticks is to have independent lawyers on both sides agree on sort of a contract (separation agreement) that covers all the possibilities you and your lawyers can think of. If this is later deemed to have been a fair arrangement for both sides, with no fraud or duress, the odds are that it will ’stick.’

UNILATERAL DIVORCE: HAITI TAKES OVER

The main advantage of Haiti, a relatively new player in the international divorce game, is that mutual consent is not required. You simply petition the court for a divorce and it is automatically granted.

The grounds used for unilateral international divorce are ‘incompatibility.’ This is proven by simply the fact that one of the parties is seeking a divorce. Therefore, there is no need to determine fault.

The only difficulty is that the person wanting the divorce has to be there in person for the hearing. The price (depending on the lawyer you use) will be higher than in the Dominican Republic.

There also a few other options. Divorce laws are in a state of flux in most countries. Your particular needs (child custody and property disputes) may require a preliminary consultation with an expert who knows the current rules, both in your country and in the places where instant divorces are available. Nevada, for instance has long been a favourite venue for both quick marriages and divorces that must, by law, be recognized in all other states of the USA. The last time we looked however, a six week physical residence was required.

It is always better if both parties agree to divorce and agree on all the terms. But a unilateral or one party divorce can be useful if one party simply refuses to end the status, or if both parties still live in a country that simply does not allow divorces. People from these countries can divorce abroad. The ramifications and complications of such a divorce could take a large book to cover, but the short version is that their divorce will be recognized everywhere but in their home country. And for some purposes, it may be recognized in the home country as well.

This information is kindly supplied by Express Offshore Divorces from the VIP Express Divorce Kit, published by Expat Wealth.

Safe Travels for the Modern PT or Business Traveler: Part 2

Posted on April 27, 2009
Filed Under Security, surveillance | Leave a Comment

In this post, we carry on from Part 1 (published last week) of a guest post from Grandpa, offshore guru at Bye Bye Big Brother and writer of the new Second Passport Report 2009.

PERSONAL SAFETY WHEN USING ATM MACHINES INTERNATIONALLY

Many a young tough will hang around a cash dispensing machine to simply grab money and run when a good target presents itself. Obviously, it is better to withdraw cash after you have visually surveyed the area and have seen several other people do it from the same machine a few seconds before you do. To make a withdrawal using your offshore credit or debit card from an ATM machine, with tough guys hanging about on a lonely night, isn’t a great idea.

PURSE SNATCHERS IN THE THIRD WORLD

Would you open up your wallet or purse on a public street and count your money in the open? Many people do exactly that. What an invitation to snatchers! Likewise, leaving your purse hanging from the back of a chair at a sidewalk café – or on any outdoor table is an invitation to snatchers on motorbikes. Many women will drive around with their purse on the vacant front car seat – with the windows down. It is only a matter of time until their purse is grabbed at a traffic light or when they are stopped in traffic. Think!

CARRYING IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS ACROSS BORDERS

If local law allows it, carry only copies of important documents like car titles, driving licenses, passports. In some countries, however, the police can jail you if you don’t have originals of these documents on your person, or in your car when driving. Check local laws and customs.

Often the ‘dumb tourist’ attitude plus a good colour copy will get you a pass from the cops. (Other places, like France, it is illegal to make colour copies of official ID documents, and this could get you in trouble. Black and white copies will do fine there.)

Only one credit card internationally should be carried on the person on the street – and even then, only if it is likely to be needed. Carry only the cash (and maybe a small reserve) you think you will need for any particular outing. This will prevent any severe losses from petty thefts – or if you just lose your wallet. One of our most experienced PT friends was paying at a supermarket checkout counter when distracted. He either forgot to pick up his credit card, or it was snatched. He didn’t notice it was gone until he arrived home. Fortunately he was able to block his credit card immediately by internet banking and his total loss was around 10 € for a new credit card plus the a 2€ nylon wallet. He wisely carried no identification for his daily ten minute shopping spree.

GOING OUT TO PAINT THE TOWN RED?

Looking and acting poor and never bragging about how rich you are is a good PT rule. For young and attractive women, out on lonely streets at night, or if you have to wait for a bus alone, don’t dress like a hooker. Everyone should avoid risky spots and risky countries. Blending in and not attracting attention is the #1 P.T. Rule.

Of course if you are in Monaco, to blend in, you have to look and act rich. That’s hard for this writer to do, since I am always broke and look like a slob – even when I try to dress up and pretent to be respectable. But it’s better to look poor in a rich crowd than to look rich in a poor crowd.

IF YOU HAVE TO FIGHT BACK

A non-lethal, disabling pepper spray can be a good form of defence in situations where you suspect that you might be subject to personal violence. ‘Mace’ is illegal in many countries, but if ever you’re stopped and searched by the police and it’s found, for one thing it’s less difficult to explain than a concealed weapon. And as a ‘tourist,’ your explanation that you didn’t know it was illegal and it’s just for self defence, is more than likely to be believed.

A wooden or metal ‘ornament’ on a key ring can be a weapon. When I am out at night and sense danger, I keep my right hand in my pocket, holding my key ring with several keys sticking out positioned between the knuckles. I’ve never had to use it, but in this position it’s an excellent knuckle-duster and could inflict painful, but superficial, injuries. This could never be questioned as an offensive weapon. If you do this, make sure the ring itself is strong and you have a soft fob cushioning against the inside of your palm, otherwise it could injure you!

The collapsible steel truncheons that the police carry these days are also very effective. They are only about six inches long and an inch in diameter with a rubber grip and a small steel ball at the end. They ‘flick’ out to a couple of feet in length and are highly effective if used correctly.

A friend who owns a jewellery store always carries one with her on deliveries or when walking to the bank. Her view is that if she’s ever ‘caught’ with it, because of her circumstances – a woman on her own, possibly vulnerable and because she may have jewellery on her – the police would view carrying it as quite justifiable.

In “spy shops” and on internet sites there are many interesting defensive weapons for sale. The people in these  spy stores can tell you what’s legal in the local jurisdiction. Tiny derringer pistols would be effective at point blank range, shot in an assailant’s eye. Because of their size and limited power, in most countries they are not classed as a gun. But before you spend hundreds of dollars on any kind of gun, remember that ordinary red spray paint in the eyes of a mugger is a legal and effective deterrant!

GUNS FOR SELF DEFENCE?  NO WAY!

For a PT, avoiding confrontantions is a less risky, far better alternative than resisting. Getting into a gun, fist or knife fight means someone will get badly hurt. Probably you! Train and bus robbers, or car hijackers, normally work in pairs or teams. So even if you shot one, the rest of the gang would probably get you. Only in Algeria do the robbers massacre all the unarmed travellers on a bus or train. In other places, the crooks take the portable valuables and go on their way. The usual command is: “Nobody gets hurt if you co-operate.” And that’s usually the way it works out.

Some macho PTs insist on carrying weapons on their person or in their vehicle. This is emphatically not recommended. In most foreign countries packing a rod (gun) can get you into serious trouble with the law. If you must have a gun for self-defence purpose, see our resource list for the few countries where this allowed for citizens and legal residents. There are almost no countries where a foreigner can legally carry heat.

A real PT should have nothing to prove in terms of his macho self image. Blowing somebody away (even in self-defence) will result in a trial and criminal arrest record at best – retribution or prison time at worst.  PTs just run where possible. If you can’t run, then

(1) be aware of any ‘natural’ weapons you may  have around you (perhaps an automobile you are in command of);

(2) Remember: You’re essentially an idiot if you don’t just run – if that’s possible

(3) Never willingly allow yourself to be forced into a car. Statistics indicate that those who resist in this circumstance are far more likely to survive.

BOTTOM LINE

We hope we didn’t scare you too much with this brief article. On the contrary, we hope it was useful to you. The truth is if you use ordinary care and common sense you will be safe on your travels. You are extremely unlikely be a victim if you take the good advice of experienced travellers offered here. You’ll find a lot more material like this in Grandpa’s Missives available online from Global Liberty Publishing.

Virtual spies to be installed in UK ISPs

Posted on April 27, 2009
Filed Under surveillance | Leave a Comment

27 April 2009, released by UK Pressure Group No2ID

The Home Secretary today makes a delayed announcement of a consultation on proposals for the so-called Intercept Modernisation Programme. It has been widely reported for some months, and plans were acknowledged by Lord West the security minister last week[1], that this would place Home Office ‘probes’ in the datacentres of every British internet provider at an estimated cost of £12 billion.

This would allow direct skimming of all traffic, making it massively easier to intercept email and monitor individual’s web use using existing powers. The Home Office would become a clearing-house, able to provide data ad lib to other government agencies. It would also become possible for the first time to collect and store details of *all* communications by everyone in the country so that government agencies could investigate friendship networks and personal habits using data-mining techniques [2].

Guy Herbert, General Secretary of NO2ID [3] said:

Just a week after the Home Secretary announced a public consultation on some trivial trimming of local authority surveillance, we have this: a proposal for powers more intrusive than any police state in history.

‘Ministers are making a distinction between content and communications data into sound-bite of the year. But it is spurious. Officials from dozens of departments and quangos could know what you read online, and who all your friends are, who you emailed, when, and where you were when you did so – all without a warrant[4]. Tracking your your every move is more efficiently creepy than reading your letters.’

-ENDS-

Notes for editors:

1) See, for example:  The Register ‘Spy chiefs size up net snoop gear’

2) As suggested by Sir David Omand in his ‘A discussion paper for the ippr Commission on National Security for the 21st Century’

‘Finding out other people’s secrets is going to involve breaking everyday moral rules.’ – But the Home Office’s use of such a super-database is *not* limited to intelligence work – see note 4.

3) NO2ID is a national, non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of other ‘database state’ initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing, and http://www.no2id.net/datasharing for how they fit together.

4) Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Home Secretary’s – not a court’s – warrant is required to read mail or listen to phone calls. But all the following may authorise themselves to examine communications data for their own purposes:

43 police forces in England & Wales

8 police forces in Scotland

Police Service of Northern Ireland

British Transport Police

Port of Liverpool Police

Port of Dover Police

Royal Military Police

Royal Air Force Police

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Ministry of Defence Police

Royal Navy Police

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency United Kingdom Border Agency.

The Prison Service

Approximately 474 local authorities throughout the UK.

Approximately 110 *other* public authorities, including almost all government departments, and Serious Fraud Office Independent Police Complaints Commission Charity Commission Gambling Commission Royal Mail to name only a few.

(source: report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0708/hc09/0947/0947.pdf )

Safe Travels for the Modern PT or Business Traveler: Part 1

Posted on April 20, 2009
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a Guest Post by Grandpa, Editor in chief of The Second Passport Report

“I used to ask my students whether it is better to be held up by a street thug or by your own government. That’s irrelevant now. You get both.”    Dr. Mark Skousen

PTs tend to spend a great deal of time travelling using all forms of conveyances. Travel is fun and usually safe, but seasoned travellers still have some tips. It is better you do not learn these tips by not following them!

IN TRANSIT

As an anonymous tourist, you are very unlikely to be threatened with serious crime such as kidnapping. Kidnappers usually know their victims before they do the deed. They want politicians or prominent businessmen, people with money and influence. Regular tourists are almost never kidnapped.

But in some lawless areas like Africa or parts of South East Asia, where a white skin is rare, whites can be victims. The same applies to wilder parts of Russia like Chechnya and Ingoushetnia.

You do need to be very aware of burglary, muggings and also armed robberies. In Mexico, all of Central and South America and the more extreme parts of Eastern Europe, hold-ups or pickpocketing can occur when in crowds, when stopped in your car at a traffic light or when using public transport, such as buses.

While in transit, you should have ready sacrificial items that the bandits would be satisfied with, such as a fake brand name watch, small amounts of cash and a give-away decoy wallet with fake or expired driving license and expired credit cards.

Keep the real items well concealed in a thigh money belt or bra-money-belt for the girls. Have the sacrificial wallet in your usual pocket and the give-away watch on your wrist. Bandits are always in a hurry. Normally they won’t do strip or pat down search of their victims – especially those who readily give up their wallets.

Never leave valuables in parked cars. Avoid leaving anything that could even look like valuables, such as empty briefcases, backpacks, CDs or attractive sunglasses. People will break in for them causing a lot of inconvenience and necessitating repairs more expensive than the items stolen. This problem is particularly prevalent in European cities. Car radios and cameras left in the glove box are typical targets.

THEFT FROM MOVING CARS AND HIJACKING

Having an old car does not mean it won’t be stolen. Some crooks steal cheap cars, ‘chopping’ them for parts. Some crooks will try to rob even poor looking people. But it’s a question of lowering your visibility, increasing the bother and raising the risk for the thief — thereby lowering your odds of being targeted. It’s the same process as dealing with governments! Rich looking people are juicier targets than poor slobs.

Generally, only very high value cars are hijacked while being driven. However popular smaller models, for example the high-end VW Golfs, are also popular targets. There’s not a lot you can do to prevent carjacking except installation of various electronic equipment that will, for example, immobilize the car, lock the doors and sound the alarm after a certain distance if a pocket transmitter is not in the driver’s pocket. But that does not prevent the crime – it merely helps you recover the car, which is secondary.

Bottom Line?  Any anti theft device can be overcome by experienced professionals. Yet since most thefts are by amateurs who see a fortuitous opportunity, by being careful and using anti-theft devices you can avoid most thefts.

You should always keep your windows closed and doors locked when driving in crowded cities. Avoid keeping valuables such as purses on the passenger seat next to you. Don’t put valuables in easy reach for somebody on a motorcycle to drive by and smash the passenger window. Pay particular attention at traffic lights and where vendors, window-washers, etc., congregate. Never open or unlock the doors or windows even if someone starts banging on the glass. At that stage you have a good chance of just driving off unless, of course, they are armed with a gun. In such a case, you should not resist.

Some people keep a realistic looking toy gun in their cars. I would not, as some thieves will want to steal the gun! Not to mention the problems it could cause with police.

A common type of theft in Brazil and much of Latin America is the intersection trick. When a car is stopped at a light, thieves run up to the car, smash the window and rob the driver/passengers at gunpoint or knifepoint. Since Sao Paolo has major traffic problems, cars are often stuck in jams. The same could be said of the French Riviera or Miami. Tourist cars are the usual target – thieves will follow victims from the airport.

Sometimes, however, a high profile can be of help. One day in Sao Paolo, thieves decided to rob a stretch limo. The limo stopped at a light, the robber smashed the window, stuck his head and gun in the car only to discover that the passenger in the car was Pele! Pele is the closest thing to God in Brazil other than God himself. The thief apologised profusely and ran away, not wanting to rob Pele – knowing that in Brazil, if he were caught, there would certainly be a lynch mob waiting for him.

Keep a mobile phone with you in your car so you can summon help or report trouble. After looking for bugs and explosives, check tires, lights, the horn and be sure your petrol tank is full and not leaking. A flat tire or a slow leak can place you in a critical and vulnerable position.

Always keep your car (or boat or plane) in optimum running condition. Getting stuck in a bad neighborhood or being ‘rescued’ by pirates is not a scenario you should thrust yourself into.

The above warnings apply equally when travelling in taxis. Be sure to keep doors and windows firmly locked.

IF YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED

It is imperative to shake or avoid anyone who may be following you. Your tail may have a number of techniques. If it is Big Brother, they may use several vehicles or even aircraft to keep track of you. Often doubling back on yourself can throw pursuers off your tail. If you are in your car, or are a passenger in a taxi, and feel threatened by followers, lead them into a congested traffic area. Stop the car, get out and walk away quickly. Rush into a crowded subway and get on a train if possible.

In a big city, waiting until the doors of your subway train start to close before exiting can help you spot a stalker or tail. Get on a train going in the opposite direction. Keep changing trains until your tail has dropped off.

NEVER, EVER LEAVE YOUR POSSESSIONS IN A PARKED CAR – FOR ANY REASON

This news item was recently heard by one of our readers on Monaco’s English language radio station,  Riviera Radio.

The radio broadcast many an appeal that night to return the car and possessions, but they were never seen again. Locals helped out the family with a free place to stay and old clothes. As the result of the radio appeal, other locals chipped in with enough dough for them to get back to the UK. But their vacation was spoiled!

How could this (relatively rare) event have been avoided? By using the techniques previously mentioned, to make it more difficult for potential robbers. My guess is that the camper wasn’t even locked! It certainly didn’t have a ten euro steering wheel anti-theft ‘Mamouth’ device that discourages most car thieves.

The moral of the story is that you don’t have to go to Afghanistan, the Peshawar Pass or even to Mexico to be robbed. And you don’t have to be ostentatiously displaying wealth.  It can happen anywhere. It can usually be avoided by simply being aware of the possibilities and taking simple precautions to avoid it.

ON THE STREET

In unfamiliar cities or countries, there are two golden rules:

1. Be prepared
2. Blend in

Being prepared means reading up on a country before you get there.  Escape Artist and Offshore World both have lots of articles on countries. There are also of course good guide books to most places which you can read through in an hour or two. They will give you good information on local customs and what to expect on arrival.

Remember, collaboration with the enemy is one of the worst offences. When you advertise your target potential, that is exactly what you are doing. By following the usual ‘low profile’ PT rule you will avoid most trouble.

At all times, try to present an outward appearance of being a typical, respectable, middle class person. Avoid overt signs of wealth such as expensive watches and jewellery. Also avoid weird costumes or get up that may attract negative attention. Many people will pick a fight with a skinhead or ‘flaming’ gay who would be left alone if he looked and acted more conventional.

Less obvious is that you should avoid standing out as a tourist. For example if you are in a hot country but all the locals are wearing long pants, you should avoid plaid Bermuda shorts. At best it makes you stand out from the crowd. At worst, in some countries, dressing strangely might be taken as a serious religious affront. This would be especially true of women who show too much skin or dress too sexy for the fundamentalist locals. Be aware of local sensitivities!

Strangers about whom you know little should be assumed to be dangerous until proven otherwise. That may sound like overkill until examined under the light of effective security. But many swindlers gain the confidence of tourists and even invite them out for drinks. Sometimes the trusting soul gets a ‘micky’ in his drink. They wake up robbed and raped – if they wake up at all.

Avoid overly friendly people who seem to be cultivating you. Don’t compromise your privacy and security. Don’t go off to just any stranger’s home. Keep everyone at arm’s length until their background and character are known. There is no harm in asking to see a new friend’s passport or identification, and then emailing or texting that information to a friend. If you casually mention what you have done (in a nice friendly way) to your new ‘friend’ if he has evil intentions, you will be dropped like a hot potato.

The same approach is required in strange places. If you find yourself in a sleazy dive with dangerous looking characters at the bar, get out fast. Avoid neighborhoods with graffiti on the walls or young punks idling on the sidewalks. When there is even the slightest doubt about a place, avoid it. There is never a good reason for putting yourself in jeopardy.

Observation is the best way to learn. Look at what the local people are wearing from head to toe. Try to follow their examples. When they eat, where they go, what they drive, how they pay for things, etc. Every little detail counts when you are trying to blend in.

Key items to avoid in most parts of the world are big obvious cameras, baseball hats, shorts, sneakers or tennis shoes, American t-shirts, backpacks and loud English. On the other hand, if you are trying to blend in on a Florida beach, those things are exactly the camouflage you need! Adapt everything to circumstances and above all use common sense.

We have all developed habits that call unnecessary attention to ourselves. Eliminate them in your own conduct. Loud, rude and boisterous conduct is to be avoided.

In part 2, next week, Grandpa covers ATM  machine safety, Carrying Important Documents Internationallyand What to Do If you Have to Fight Back. Also, learn about Carrying Guns for Self Defence. If you would like to learn more about Grandpa and his material, visit http://www.byebyebigbrother.com

European undercover project to Attack Online Jihad

Posted on April 13, 2009
Filed Under surveillance | Leave a Comment

According to a recent article in The Register, the British, German, Netherlands and Czech Republic governments  are co-operating on a cvonfidential research project in order to avoid the distribution of Islamic  material branded ‘extremist’ on the internet.

According to the article, the majority of jihadi websites are on non-EU servers and so cannot be easily censored. It’s thought, however, that the EU governments involved are investigating  filtering technolgies, as well as  seeking international police cooperation on in order to crack down on internet service providers found to be hosting extremist sites.

A European Commission funded endeavour called “Exploring the Islamist Extremist Web of Europe – Analysis and Preventive Approaches”, is being led by the German interior ministry. However, the EC refuses to say how much funding it has granted to this project.

The British Home Office points out that UK-based ISPs have been cooperatig in voluntarily taking down extremist material. In contrast, however, British officials complain that the powers granted by Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 are useless overseas.

In February 2009 The Register ran a piece on how K ISPs had not had significant contact from the Home Office on extremist material since Jacqui Smith said she wanted “to cut off the supply of those who want to look to violent extremism [online]“. In March, a British study of internet radicalisation concluded that efforts at censorship daimed at filtering extremist material would be “crude, costly and counter-productive”.

Should you prepare for a Terrorist Bio or Nuclear Attack?

Posted on March 20, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

by Grandpa, ByeByeBigBrother.com

Personally we think the dangers of terrorist attacks are a lot of hype. All the security and government intelligence experts we know agree with us.

Unless you choose to live in a terrorist-prone zone, you are much more at risk from traffic accidents or even lightning strikes. This author once lived in Belfast during the ‘troubles.’ IRA bomb detonations were an everyday occurrence. After a while nobody thought twice about it. It was just a minor inconvenience. The odds in favour of survival there were pretty good. If you stayed out of the bars and meeting halls where youth gangs and other combatants were known to congregate, you were pretty safe.

That said, we thought we should include some ‘Be Prepared’ advice. Protecting your ass is definitely an essential part of the PT (Perpetual Tourist) lifestyle originally espoused by the late W.G. Hill. Here is some expert advice contributed by John Harper, a Security Consultant with the global consulting firm Geodex.

KEEP AWAY FROM TARGET AREAS

Don’t live or work in an obvious high priority target area or war zone. Where should you go? Resort towns (think ski or beach), would be unlikely targets. That is outside of Israel of course. The threat of robbery or kidnapping in many cities of Colombia is rather high, but the resort town of Cartagena is considered quite safe for tourists. For single PTs, it also happens to be full of available, beautiful ladies. And it’s cheap too.

Avoid living in prominent cities. Washington DC and London might be risky. Rural areas, with low population density, are not targets. Nobody would notice or care if a terrorist blew up a bomb in the middle of Iowa or rural Spain. Most of the neutral countries of the world are not likely to be targets. If there is a choice, don’t live in the Gaza Strip or in an apartment building next door to your local dictator’s palace.

It really is that simple. Stay away from target areas. It is not difficult to figure out target areas.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?

Forget everything you’ve ever seen on TV, in the movies or read in novels about this stuff – it was all a lie! Terrorist weapons are about terror. If you remain calm, you will probably not be killed or injured. Your prospects are far less scary than the media and breathless journalistic ‘experts’ make it sound.

A chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard – even for a well equipped military unit – to pull off. For terrorists, a crude bomb in a crowded place is much cheaper and more effective than gas, anthrax or typhoid spores.

To avoid bombs, stay off of crowded public transport in cities with globally unpopular governments. Avoid the higher floors of high-rise buildings, and don’t hang about crowded public places.

Nerve agents? You have these in your house. Raid insect spray is nerve gas. Spray it into your mouth, inhale deeply and you are a goner. Antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Atropine comes as a gel in a little mini toothpaste size tube with needle attached. It can be self-administered as a shot in the thigh or the butt muscles. Neither one of these antidotes does anything to cure the nerve agent. They send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes. After that the agent is used up. You survive and are not permanently injured.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN AN ATTACK

If you smell new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, camphor or anything odd where it shouldn’t be, then calmly leave the area and head up wind. Or go outside! Fresh air is the best ‘right now antidote.’ Don’t panic – if you panic you breathe faster and inhale more air/poison.

If you get a blob of liquid on you that looks like molasses or Kayo syrup, blot it or scrape it off – away from yourself. Use a tissue, newspaper or anything disposable. It is similar stuff to what a crop duster uses to kill bugs and it won’t hurt you unless you stand there and breathe it in deeply. All you have to do is quit getting it on you or into your lungs. Put space between you and the attack.

Once again, go out into the fresh air. Hold a thick cloth, tissues or even the sleeve on your arm over your mouth and nose. Breath as little as possible till you get outside. Move slowly and deliberately. Above all, don’t panic.

Chemical weapons are intended to make people panic, to terrorize, to herd the enemy like sheep. Your odds are better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time and fresh air really deal all this stuff a knock-out-punch. Poison gas in the First World War was a horrific weapon only in the first attacks because weather conditions in Normandy were so perfect. Large numbers of men were concentrated in low lying trenches. If they came out they could be picked off by snipers. Foggy mist laced with mustard gas settled into the trenches. There was no fresh air and there was no wind. Many died. Once the troops were equipped with gas masks and could breath air filtered by activated charcoal, the gas was no longer a formidable weapon. If you want to be on the paranoid side, buy yourself a gas mask.

Nuclear bombs: If you see a flash, fall to the ground and stay there two minutes to avoid the coming blast. If you are not dead in the first two minutes, you will survive.

DON’T BE RULED BY FEAR

Don’t let fear of an attack rule your life. The odds are really on your side. Even if you live in Tel Aviv, New York City or Washington DC, you are far more likely to be laid low by the flu or a drunk driver than to be injured or killed in a terrorist attack.

Our advice? Don’t waste any time agonizing about terrorist attacks. Just get on with life. Your chances of being hurt are far less than the odds of your winning ten million in a lottery.