The American Redoubt -- Move to the Mountain States

[FDNYLiberty]

I thought it appropriate to introduce this topic with a Jeff Cooper observation.

Boston

To present a full account of all of our adventures in the wonderful month just past would require a very thick log book. Let us just say that we had a nifty time touring the great mountain states in the lovely [Audi] S4 and seeing them at the peak of their spectacular fall colors. Not only is the "mountain redoubt" (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho) beautiful to see, but in addition it constitutes what may be the last refuge of dignity, decency and common sense in the United States (e.g. a bumper sticker we saw in Cody, Wyoming, announced, "Stop honking, I'm reloading.").
   The place names up in that country are a delight in themselves: Spotted Horse, Wounded Wolf, Recluse, Medicine Bow, and Dead Swede - among others.  This is indeed a grand region, but it is lonely. "People who need people" should look elsewhere.
   -- Jeff Cooper, 1998

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Ol' Remus posted an insightful analysis of J.W. Rawles 'American Redoubt' proposal.  A good read for sure.

REDOUBT
http://www.woodpilereport.com/html/index-210.htm

Considering everything that has been happening in our country in the past few years - and now seemingly accelerating at lightning speed (around the world) - a few sentences within this article really grabbed my attention:

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"The classic path for the aware citizenry is to anticipate the catastrophe, retreat from easy reach of the regime and recoalesce into cooperative communities. Francis Porretto of Eternity Road put it this way in Part 5 of his Shape of Things to Come, (Note: Linked here: http://www.eternityroad.info/index.php/weblog/single/the_shape_of_things_to_come_part_5_the_worse_the_better/)

Obama knows exactly what he's doing. More important, he's sensed that he can use the reluctance of conservatives and libertarians to give true coloration to his program and the motivations behind it. We're simply too cowardly, most of us, to admit that America put a destroyer, an enemy of freedom, into the highest office in the land. That would reflect badly on far too many of us, wouldn't it?

Obama and his lieutenants are increasing that tension with every move they make. As it tightens on us, ever more Americans are retreating from civic involvement and resolving merely to protect themselves as best they can. The atomization thus evoked, wherein individuals are too suspicious of everything around them to repose trust even in their neighbors, is a perfect playground for a coherent, well focused program of totalitarian control.

We're past the point of fixing this with civic involvement. Now it's down to self preservation and nurturing the animus of Constitutional government."

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Just look at who is (now) in control of our government. This article sums up the reasons very nicely:

Joe McCarthy Would Have A Field Day
http://westernfrontamerica.com/2011/04/08/joe-mccarthy-field-day/

Reading Ole Remus's article (and James W. Rawles) gives me all the more reason to get off the east coast ASAP and out to the WY (or one of the other Mountain States) as soon as possible to be prepared and ready to defend our Constitution, Liberties and our Freedom.

FDNY Liberty

[NiteRider]

Here's Chuck Baldwin's take on the issue:

http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?p=3285

[Dennis Wilson]

You might seriously reconsider your support of the Constitution after reading THIS book:

Book review: Hologram of Liberty
http://dennisleewilson.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=43.0

From: DennisLeeWilson-Ariz-Wyo  (Original Message) Sent: 8/18/2003 3:57 PM
This book review was copied from: http://javelinpress.com/holo.html [link no longer works]
 

Hologram of Liberty
The Constitution's Shocking Alliance with Big Government
by
Kenneth W. Royce (a.k.a. Boston T. Party) 

[NiteRider]

Yep!

Read it.  Yet, BTP mentions in the book that it is still salvageable.

[Dennis Wilson]

The Liberty Amendment? (10/8) Or perhaps you had some other part in mind.

The book was written in 1997, before the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act and two undeclared wars and the Insurance Dictate and etc, all of which make it even more clear that the Constitution has either authorized what we have or been powerless to prevent it.

And since 1997, NOTHING has advanced the Liberty Amendment. If anything, it should be readily apparent from the events of the past 13 years, that, even if the Liberty Amendment somehow got passed, any and all limitations and restrictions upon the Federal government will be "judged" by the Federal judiciary--and found to have no merit.

Perhaps we could persuade Boston to add his thoughts "13 years after".....

[Boston]

Thanks, Dennis.

The speech which I was to give at the now cancelled teaiii.org rally
would have address this head on.  Perhaps before the Jam I will write
it out as an essay and post, but I'm pretty busy from now through the summer.

Basically, the state governements have one last chance over the next 1-3 years
to firmly make their stand for a republican form of government.  After that, I
think some sort of "national emergency" (at least partly contrived) will lock up the nation.

In short, whatever guarded optimism I had in 1997 has been reduced by about 80%.

Boston

[NiteRider]

Which makes all the more imperative for freedom supporters to head to your region.

[Boston]

The American Redoubt -- Move to the Mountain States
http://www.survivalblog.com/redoubt.html

Your Checklist

I suggest that you follow these guidelines, as you prepare and then move to the American Redoubt:

Research geography, climate, and micro-climates very carefully.
Develop a home-based business.
Lighten the load. Keep the practical items but sell your junk and impractical items at a garage sale.
Bring your guns.
Sell your television.
Sell your jewelry and fancy wristwatch. Buy a Stihl chainsaw instead.
Choose your church home wisely, seeking sound doctrine, not "programs"
Leave your Big City expectations behind. There probably won't be cell phone coverage, high speed Internet, or Pilates.
Expect a long driving distances for work and shopping.
Sell your bric-a-brac and collectibles. What is more important? A large collection of Hummel figurines, or having a lot of good hand tools and Mason jars?
Switch to a practical wardrobe and "sensible shoes".
After your buy your land, convert the rest of your Dollar-denominated wealth into practical tangibles.
Begin homeschooling your children.
Sell your sports car and buy a reliable crew cab pickup.
Expect persecution and hardship. You will be despised for being true to your faith. (Just read 2 Timothy 3:1-12. and Matthew 5:10-14, and John 15:18-19.)
Encourage your kids to XBox and Wii less and read more.
Make a clean break by selling your house and any rental properties. You aren't coming back.
If you buy an existing house, get one with an extra bedroom or two. Some relatives may be joining you, unexpectedly.
Donate any older bulky furniture to the local charity store before you move.

After you move:

Don't try to change things to be like the suburb that you left behind. You are escaping all that!
Pitch in by joining the local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), Ski Patrol, Sheriff's Posse, or EMT team.
Be a good neighbor.
Patronize the local farmer's market and craft shows.
Respect the property rights and the traditions of your neighbors.
Be active, politically, but use a pseudonym in letters to the editor an internet posts.
Use VPN tunneling, RSA encryption, firewalls, and anonymous remailers.
Support local businesses, and companies that are headquartered inside the Redoubt, not Wal-Mart.
Encourage like-minded family and friends to join you.
Stock up heavily on storage foods for lengthy power failures, or worse.
Do your banking locally, preferably with a credit union and/or a farm credit union.
Be active in local home school co-ops and service organizations.
Find and visit your local second-hand stores. Watch for useful, practical items that don't need electricity.
Conduct as much business as possible via barter or with precious metals.
Gradually acquire a home library that includes self-sufficiency books and classic books--history, biographies, and novels.
Join the local ham radio club. (Affiliated with the ARRL.)
Expect to be the subject of gossip. Live a righteous life so there won't be much to gossip about.
Loyally support your local church with tithes and support your local food bank.
Get used to eating venison, elk, moose, antelope, trout, and salmon.
Attend some farm auctions in your region to gather a good collection of useful hand tools and a treadle sewing machine.
Attend gun shows in your state. (This keeps money circulating in the state and keeps you legal, for private gun purchases.)
Choose your fights wisely. Don't tilt at windmills, but when you feel convicted, don't back down.

[VFTR55]

Boston et al - if we might philosophize on the "liberty movements" in this country in-general:

It's been said that success consists of a series of little daily victories...and of course, success is subjective in a generalized context...

Given the financial architecture of the nation and the ebbing capital flows in the pipes, do you ever ponder "pulling a Jim Rogers" and just renouncing? If efficacy of personal economy is of primary focus, seems like jumping out of the warming oven is more effective. Surely it at least crossed your mind while in Africa...maybe that's too extreme of an example  In a more general focus, as you learned from research for your GB4/15 work, one's sovereignty is a function of status, domicile, etc...

If people are moving to the mountain states in ever-increasing waves (which I'm sure they will be w/ the state bond melee in CA, NV, etc), but the big corporate titans already pull the strings in local & state gov't, just how effectively can the liberty movement gain ground under the pretense of spontaneous organization for voluntary association in government affairs? Money talks...anybody here keen on international finance? Or did I just say the f word?

Now that's a rambling patchwork of thought if I ever did one...would like to get some intellectual musing...

Boston: you just hit on this in your comment about "dual sovereignty" in the thread you did on the ZH article...Paul hit on it in the "little platoons" thread...

the thread about group prep for inflation and gas prices leads me to a conclusive pitch for all this...

FSW hedge fund, the executive arm of the BTP charitable foundation  (lower-case, that is; and, you might be surprised on what title 26 states on the necessary qualifications of a "charitable foundation") . Perhaps do a "community currency" like this group http://www.informedtrades.com/trades.php?page=points-guide . After struggling with the mechanics and concepts of the system for a bit, I've decided that the most effective thing I can do is learn to use the tools used against us on the international stage to lawfully improve the foundations of sovereignty through development of individual economy, be that individual a man or a group. Everybody on the forum is sitting on the internet all day anyway  , how about some Japanese candlestick charts and Cox-Ross-Rubinstein drills in between firing range sessions?

don't tase me on this too hard, bro! Just stirring the pot

[Boston]

Thanks for your interesting post!

I think that prepared and capable individuals working together locally
is about the only answer.  If they can also knit a strong vertically integrated
economy, especially with local money -- they'll be almost immune from
the worst of national/international complications.

Jim Rogers (whom I know) is an urbanite and not a shooter, so it was
easy for him to expat to Singapore.  The USA is still the best (so far)
for rural hardy types who are enthusiastic members of the gun culture.

Boston

[Paul Bonneau]

Just to pick a few nits... 

Sell your jewelry and fancy wristwatch. Buy a Stihl chainsaw instead.

Doesn't everybody have a chainsaw already? (I have two of them, both Stihls.) 

Also, Ferfal said jewelry is excellent "alternative currency", so it would be pretty silly to get rid of it.

Sell your sports car and buy a reliable crew cab pickup.

11 mpg pickups may be going the way of the Dodo if gas prices keep climbing.

Some relatives may be joining you, unexpectedly.

I'd rather have friends who "get it" than clueless relatives.

Pitch in by joining the local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), Ski Patrol, Sheriff's Posse, or EMT team.

Great! In other words, become just another tax-eating government employee. 

gather... a treadle sewing machine.

Are these still manufactured? 

[Crappiewy]

Paul. You can still buy treddle type singer sewing machines brand new.

[rhodges]

J

Pitch in by joining the local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), Ski Patrol, Sheriff's Posse, or EMT team.

Great! In other words, become just another tax-eating government employee. 

When I was a volunteer EMT in Hulett, I neither saw nor heard of any tax money directly involved.  The only indirect tax money was from some of the patients who used Medicare.  Nor were there any employees, much less government employees.

[Paul Bonneau]

I suppose it depends on the county. I checked out being a "volunteer" fireman in Park County. They are government employees, even get tax-funded pensions!    I said to my friend there, who is one, that I am not interested in that, but if he ever needed help just dragging hoses around or whatever, to give me a call.

[VFTR55]

If they can also knit a strong vertically integrated economy, especially with local money -- they'll be almost immune from the worst of national/international complications.

...The USA is still the best (so far) for rural hardy types who are enthusiastic members of the gun culture.
Boston

Immunity is a tall feat to accomplish, even with a well-integrated local economy that is scaled way down from what most Americans have come to take as the norm. Besides the occasional exchange of money/goods/services with the outside world for things that the scaled-down local economy needs to progress to its next milestone, the external governing laws of commerce and property will always be a thorn in the side for resistance vs "goin' along to get along."

Again, I guess it all depends on the definition of success. The crux of my pondering about success in building, sustaining, and growing a liberated community in the face of the overlords who hold all the cards, is: we're on their field, there is human capital holding voting rights via stock in land, deposits in local banks, etc, yet the prime movers hold majority voting rights via stock in commodity capital (coal, oil, other mineral reserves), declarations of future cashflow expectations from commercial transactions, etc...that's what woos the politicians. Add to that the international bondholders of the federally-owned lands and, well, it's even stickier.

A tricky adversary to flank, for sure, but strategy and success are open-ended here, and it seems that at least a modest improvement in tactical elevation could be achieved by more thoroughly scouting their terrain (i.e. their body of law - commercial, international securities, estate, etc) and securing a spot that gives more "coasting potential" for the vehicle of a private community. The beauty about some of the aspects of those legal bodies is that they're so modular like an Erector Set, a vehicle as open- or closed-ended as desired could be made (you know, don't want to forget the trunk hood so that freeloaders can't scurry up and pile in)