Colorado Preppers: Power

Showing posts with label Power. Show all posts

Not Prepared Enuf

We had an electrical outage at our new home yesterday. Couldn’t work online, blog, or write. Couldn’t use my seal-a-meal. Couldn’t use the microwave to make my kid’s lunch (we improvised the menu!). The whole thing just reminded me that I haven’t finished my preparations, and most of my information is either on my computer’s hard-drive or online either in blog-postings or e-books.

I hadn't even printed out my inventory list! I finally found the crockpot but couldn't find my packages of dried food with recipes enclosed.

So I used my cell to get in touch with a person who has expressed interest in publishing, and together we struck a collaborative deal. We’re going to go through a list we made, and write short to-the-point e-books and laminated cheat-sheets for all of the topics we need quickly accessible in case of emergency. These won’t be just for our use, but also for sell, if anyone is interested in them.

We have quite a list, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment on this posting.

And now I have the flu. Well, not THE flu, but a stomach variety. Argh. I'll be back when I'm feeling better.

When the Police Ask Out-Of-The-Blue Questions

This is a necessary vid to view. When speaking to the police, you don't HAVE to VOLUNTEER information about what's in your car. Check out this video for more information: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865

Here's an excerpt from another website (http://wisdomaddict.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/dont-talk-to-the-police/) about this:

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The absolute worst thing you can do during an interaction with law enforcement is to speak. DON’T do it. The police will try to charm you. They pretend to be your best friend. They will smile and look you in the eye and stroke your ego. They will tell you how intelligent you are and how whatever reason they are speaking to you is no big deal and your simple explanation will smooth everything out and you will be on your way. This is CRAP. THERE IS NO WAY SPEAKING WITH THE POLICE CAN HELP YOU! IT CAN ONLY HARM YOU! The reality is you are only one individual in a long line of individuals that the police deal with day in and day out. You are nothing. It is their Job to find people who have committed Crimes. They could care less and may even revel in their power to wreck your life - Guilty or not.

“Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution”

“Due process”

“Double jeopardy”

“Self-incrimination"

“Eminent domain”

No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Your Miranda Rights

You have the right to remain silent;
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law;
You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have a lawyer present with you during questioning;
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire;
If you do choose to talk to the police, you have the right to end the interview at any time.

The second piece confirms that the suspect heard and understood the rights and is making a voluntary decision to speak with law enforcement:

"Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"With these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?"

THIS IS WHEN YOU SAY

"NO, I DO NOT"

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Remember that they can't pull you over "just because". Do you have an NRA sticker in your car window? You could be a likely target. Do you have a visible gun rack? Same. Be careful about your driving, especially while transporting your newly-purchased firearm. Keep your car insurance and registration up to date, and your vehicle in obvious good working condition.

As a single mom, I've been bullied by cops. Yes, I know they are just doing their jobs, but when they come across a single mom, with a 3-month-old in the backseat, properly strapped in, in a 1984 Chevy that barely runs, tattered clothing, no job, and 100+ degrees in August ... there is NO excuse for a policeman to mistreat the mom just because she couldn't afford the car insurance necessary to drive her car once a week to get formula for her child. Had to walk the 2 miles back to the camper that subbed as a home, in the heat, carrying the baby and diaper bag. I haven't respected law enforcement since.

Preparing for a Home's Power Outage

With the freak blizzards, and the Spring storms, let's prepare for a power outage in our homes:

Gather emergency supplies like food, can openers, water, candles, matches, flashlights, batteries, and radio.
Know where your fuse box and/or circuit breaker is.
Learn how to reset a circuit, and how to change a blown fuse.
Find out NOW how to override an electric garage door. If there isn’t a way, figure out what to do to get your car in or out of the garage.
If you think a power outage is about to occur, turn your refrigerator and freezers to the coldest settings. This will help keep food cold longer. Be sure to not only the fridge/freezer doors except when you absolutely have to, and do it quickly – quick in and quick out.
You should have most of your electrical equipment and all of your entertainment and computer equipment hooked up to surge protectors. This will prevent a sudden surge of electricity from hurting or frying them.
Keep extra blankets and old cardboard boxes (with an x-acto knife) and duct tape to cover windows in case the heat does go out. This will prevent drafts.
Figure out which of your home’s rooms are the most insulated. Inner room, or the family room with the fireplace. Make that where you spend most of your time during the power outage.
Once the power does go out, turn the thermostat pretty low, and turn off the circuit breaker for the water heater to reduce the demand for energy once the power is restored. An overload could send it back to an outage. However, leave one light on, or a radio, so you’ll know when the power has been restored.
If the outside temperature is expected to stay below 35 degrees, place items from your fridge (milk, cheese, etc.) in a cooler on your back porch to keep things cold.
Cover the freezers and refrigerator with blankets to insulate them.
If you small gas, do NOT use matches or flip switches (including flashlights). Call the gas company, and turn off your utilities manually.

Did I leave anything out?