The American Mind: Bitcoin Versus the Bond Villain

Alexander Leishman at The American Mind briefly writes in Bitcoin Versus the Bond Villain about government overreach, tyranny in western so-called democracies, and the power of cryptocurrencies.

The perfect tool to thwart the ambitions of modern autocrats.

If you’ve watched any spy movies lately, you’ll have noticed a new type of villain: the old-fashioned cat-scratching megalomaniac has been replaced by the power-mad government functionary or bureaucrat. Consider the character of Max Denbigh—or “C”—the head of the “Joint Security Service,” from the 2015 Bond film, Spectre. C’s vast ambition is to capture all personal data from all places, and thus build a public spying operation described as “George Orwell’s worst nightmare.”

“Take a look at the world…chaos…because people like you, paper-pushers and politicians, are too spineless to do what needs to be done,” C explains to his intelligence counterpart. “So I made an alliance to put the power where it should be, and now you want to throw it away for the sake of democracy, whatever the hell that is. How predictably moronic.” Similarly, in the Jason Bourne series, CIA officials use terrorist threats as a pretext for widespread government surveillance and black operations of questionable legality.

The anti-heroes in these blockbuster films style themselves as the good guys, “protectors” who use their power for your own good, to prevent something worse from happening. And yet, it says something that we instinctively sense and mistrust their sinister ambition when we see it on screen—and we cheer when their plans are thwarted.

These movies jumped to mind over the last week, as we’ve seen a real-life Bond villain—less over-the-top in his self-presentation but no less dangerous—usurp the rule of law in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers to quell anti-vaccine mandate protests. While the powers were in effect, he was able to use provisions in the Emergencies Act of 1988 to expand the rules within the Terrorist Financing Act, giving him leverage against financial institutions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and crowdfunding platforms.

Under the Emergencies Act, Trudeau was able to apply banking surveillance to payment processors and crowdfunding websites. He demanded that cryptocurrency exchanges and crowdfunding platforms report “suspicious” transactions to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). His government could also suspend the insurance and freeze the accounts of companies that own the trucks being used in the protest.

Ten days after Trudeau first invoked the Act, it became clear that he did not have the votes in the Senate to extend his powers. So he revoked the measures. But the logic of Trudeau’s governance is all too clear: the head of state in a Western, democratic nation is prepared to treat a public protest by his own citizens as an act of terrorism. It is hugely significant that his chosen form of leverage was forcing financial institutions to do his bidding. This is a breathtaking—and frightening—abuse of government powers, and it will set a precedent for other Western leaders to delegitimize opposition using digital control of finances.

That makes Canada’s protests an essential proof point for the virtues of Bitcoin. While much is written about Bitcoin, its ability to evade the traditional financial system rarely gets much coverage. That’s deliberate: Bitcoin advocates have been fighting to gain legitimacy for so long that they tend not to focus on “avoiding surveillance” as a selling point.

But this moment calls for something different: It’s a chance to talk about Bitcoin as a safeguard against the whims of those public leaders who use finance and money as a political cudgel. Trudeau’s actions make a sterling case for why Bitcoin matters for free speech and free expression—because both speech and expression require the free movement of money. And when the government controls how money flows—and when they decide to cease that flow to suit various political goals—that leaves free speech and expression in the lurch.

By contrast, Bitcoin operates on a distributed ledger system, with no one authority able to control or access privileged information about where money does and does not go. While government regulators have been trying to curtail the work of cryptocurrency exchanges, they are finding it hard to even wrap their heads around the technology, let alone write sensible regulatory protocols for it.

And thank goodness for that delay and lack of comprehension. Because if the Canadian government’s Bond-villain-style tactics show us anything, it’s that the free movement of money needs as much protection as the free transmission of ideas, picket signs, or trucks. Bitcoin is a defense of financial independence—an ideal as vital to liberty as any other.

We the Governed: G.R.I.T. Rally/Freedom Festival, March 5th, Olympia

We the Governed reports on the G.R.I.T. Rally/Freedom Festival which is taking place this weekend, March 5, 2022 on the State Capitol steps in Olympia.

This Saturday, March 5th at noon you can join thousands of other activists, concerned citizens, and other mobilized people who want to promote Freedom and Liberty. This is a family friendly Freedom Festival and Rally, with live music, limited speakers, unlimited tents, and many people with whom you can network and organize. You are far from alone, and this is a great chance to meet and organize with others.

So many new people have become mobilized and organized over the past 18 months, and this is an effort to bring them all together in one place so that people can network and coordinate with others. The organizers expect thousands of people to attend, not including impromptu convoys. To learn more about this event go to the organizer’s website linked here.

If you are frustrated or disgusted with our state political leadership this is the event for you. If you want to send a message to the political establishment and Governor Inslee, this is the event for you to attend. If you care about freedom and liberty – not just for yourself, but for future generations who may not even know what they are losing under our current political “leadership,” then this is the place for you. Bring your best signs (I will be handing out some of my “Ministry of Covid Compliance – Not Approved” buttons to those who have the best signs).

I posted this video last week on February 23, 2022, and I hope it does an adequate job explaining the goals of this event:

Comm Academy April 9, 2022

Seattle’s emergency communications and amateur radio conference known as Comm Academy will be held on April 9, 2022. A YouTube playlist of last year’s presentations can be found on the CommAcademy channel. Some organizations that have participated in the conference include Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES©), Auxiliary Communications Services (ACS), EOC Support Teams, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary, REACT, CERT, and MST.

During the pandemic, the number of presentations has been reduced and the format has changed to virtual. 2022’s academy will be streamed on their YouTube channel, and there is no advanced registration required this year.

Practical Self Reliance: Cooking with Animal Fat

Ashley Adamant at Practical Self Reliance has a good article up on Cooking with Animal Fat. In some sort of long term disaster scenario, it will be easier for most people to procure animal fats than vegetable fats. Lard, as one example of animal fat, is shelf stable for four to six months at room temperature, which also happens to be the same amount of time that it took for pioneers to travel the Oregon Trail. A family of four on the Oregon Trail would take around two hundred pounds of lard with them for the journey. An excerpt from the Practical Self Reliance article is below:

Animal fats can be a healthy part of any diet, especially from a grass-fed and pasture-raised animal. Learning to cook with lard, tallow, and schmaltz is easier and healthier than you might think.

Whether you’re rendering fat from scratch or buying good quality animal fat, there’s never been a better time to reintroduce this classic kitchen staple back into your culinary repertoire.

Animal fats have been through a lot in the last 30 years. Once a staple in kitchens across the country, lard and tallow were largely eliminated from American cuisine in the early 90s when fat-free diets became popular.

At the time, margarine and vegetable shortening became the new popular kids on the block — it was down with natural fats and in with super-processed, high-in-trans-fat alternatives!

We now know that those synthetic, processed trans fats have nasty health consequences, and studies are now confirming the wisdom of a traditional diet with plenty of natural animal fats. (And grass-fed bone broth too!)

Now the pendulum seems to be swinging in the opposite direction and animal fats are making a resurgence. Maybe you’ve noticed the appearance of duck fat-fried potatoes on your local bistro menu or you’ve made an astonishingly perfect pie crust using lard instead of shortening.

Or perhaps you’ve read about the health benefits of using animal fats, many of which are rich sources of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. Whatever your reason for wanting to introduce more animal fats into your diet, there are plenty of reasons and resources to get you started.

BENEFITS OF ANIMAL FATS

Animal fats have been vilified for so long that it’s refreshing to see a resurgence in public interest around the once-taboo ingredient’s many health and culinary benefits. Both lard and tallow are high in vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids and lack any of the trans fats which are prevalent in commercially prepared vegetable shortenings.

Depending on the recipe, food that has been prepared using animal fats tends to be crispier, flakier, and ultra-flavorful. If the fat is prepared properly before rendering, that is, all the meat has been removed, it should be fairly flavorless and odorless.

Instead of introducing a “gamey” flavor, the rendered fat should work to enhance the natural flavors of the remaining ingredients.

Readily available animal fat is an added bonus of the tip-to-tail lifestyle, it would be incredibly wasteful to dispose of fat instead of finding a use for it — whether that’s in the kitchen or elsewhere.

Even small animals like squirrels are a potentially good source of animal fat, I’ve found it largely comes down to trial and error in terms of which fats are best for cooking with.

TYPES OF ANIMAL FATS

The world of animal fats is vast and varied, with many different factors contributing to taste, texture, and usage.

The type of animal is top of the list, but other factors include where on the animal’s body it’s harvested from, how and what the animal is fed, and the season it’s harvested…(continues at PSR)

Coffee or Die Magazine on Ukrainian Civilian Preparedness

Inside a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, in December 2021. Photo by Nolan Peterson/Coffee or Die Magazine.

‘Emergency Suitcases’ and Mass Evacuation Plans: Ukraine Preps for Worst-Case Russian Attack appeared in Coffee or Die Magazine in January. It’s a lengthy piece detailing Ukrainian civilian preparations and preparedness recommendations as the country faced the build up to the current Russian invasion. Some recommendations seem fairly optimistic such as recommending that a citizen’s emergency suitcase not exceed 50kg (110lb). This must assume a vehicular evacuation, as that is far in excess of what most civilians could carry very far. Some portions of the article are excerpted below.

The walls are freshly painted inside this Cold War-era fallout shelter located deep underground in Ukraine’s capital city. Even so, the aged wood paneling, as well as an outdated rotary phone, offer evidence that this facility was one of hundreds built by Soviet authorities in Kyiv during the 1950s and 1960s at the height of the Cold War. At that time, an American nuclear strike against the Soviet Union was the looming threat. On this day in late December 2021, the threat of a Russian blitz has spurred Kyiv city authorities to designate this shelter, and thousands more across the city, as places where civilians can seek refuge.

Standing inside a ventilation equipment room, Anatolii Lazurenko, civil security chief of the Kyiv City Council’s Shevchenko District, reflected on the historical irony of this shelter’s contemporary utility.

“You understand that life moves very fast,” Lazurenko told Coffee or Die Magazine. “We — the Soviet Union — used to see the United States as our enemies, but now they are our friends. And now our so-called Russian brothers are our enemies. This is unfortunately our reality.”

Situated beneath a district government building across the street from the 19th-century National Opera of Kyiv, this emergency shelter was originally designed to house 60 people. Yet, in a pinch, the facility can hold some 300 people, Lazurenko said. From ground level, a nondescript metal door opens into a staircase that descends multiple stories underground. The shelter has a special air ventilation room (originally intended to protect against radioactive fallout) and is connected to the city’s water main. Lazurenko said daily deliveries of food and medical supplies would sustain occupants in the event of a drawn-out Russian bombardment or siege.

“This security structure is ready to be used as intended,” Lazurenko said…

The Kyiv City Council has posted an interactive online map, which shows the locations of the roughly 5,000 official locations where residents can shelter from a military attack. Of that number, 514 shelters are purpose-built facilities dating back to the Cold War where people can remain for days on end.

Known as dual-use facilities, the remaining 4,500 shelters include basements, underground parking lots and passageways, as well as Kyiv’s 47 metro stations.

However, many of Kyiv’s ad hoc, dual-use shelters have fallen into disrepair and are not ready for use in an emergency. And for the shelters that are available, many are only useful for immediate safety during an attack — they are not equipped to house occupants for more than a few hours…

On its website, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine outlines in detail the steps civilians should take in the event of “emergency situations of a military nature.”

Each citizen should prepare an “emergency suitcase” ahead of time, the service advises. This should be a backpack with a capacity of at least 25 liters, a little more than 6.5 gallons, containing “clothing, hygiene items, medicines, tools, personal protective equipment, and food.” The service also recommends carrying important documents and cash in the backpack.

“The emergency suitcase is intended for the fastest possible evacuation from the zone of emergency,” the service says, adding that the bag’s overall weight should not exceed 50 kilograms, or about 110 pounds…

The [State Emergency] service also advises citizens to stock up on food and first-aid supplies, as well as flashlights, candles, cooking gas, and lamps. Important documents should be consolidated and packed away in advance…

Ukraine War Updates and Effects

Following are a few articles and videos on the Ukraine invasion and the effects on the rest of the world. First up is a video from S2 Underground. In their video On the Steppe, they give a good and heavily-mapped overview of what is happening on the ground in Ukraine. They also spend some time talking about what NATO is doing or not doing, and a little bit on the effects of sanctions, such as the price of fertilizer. Following the S2 video is an article by investment banker and market analyst Bill Blaine talking about how the world has changed with the invasion, especially focusing on market matters.

After Blaine’s article is a video of Ukraine President Zelenskiy calling on able Ukrainians to come forward so that Kiev an arm them. The general mobilization prohibits any male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.

Forward Observer’s daily situational awareness video discusses soaring wheat prices. Following that is a short article from the BBC on prices which may increase as a result of the war, and then a longer article/interview from WWD on Russia’s motivations, goals, and implications for various future problems.

Blaine’s Morning Porridge: Hold the Narrative and Win the Game of Risk excerpt:

The world changed yesterday. Markets did not.

For the next 10-14 days – for that is how long it will likely take Russia to subjugate Ukraine – it will be wall to wall coverage. Already some fatigue with the streets of Kyiv is setting in. Our shock, horror and outrage will continue to be blunted – and by the time it’s over, other topics will be filling the screens.

Probably these other things will be surging inflation, soaring food prices, unimaginable energy bills, tensions in the Taiwan straights, and Europe bickering across every imaginable policy decision. For the next few years expect horror reports about brave Ukraine resistance fighters being massacred – or terrorists being dealt with if you watch Sputnik TV.

The reality is the world fundamentally changed yesterday:

There are the obvious issues; prolonged inflation for longer. We’re all aware that food prices will be impacted long-term. Russia is a major supplier of fertilisers, Ukraine is the number one sunflower seed producer, no 2 in Wheat and massive across agricultural commodities. (Some readers have already asked if it’s a “Ukrainian Chicken Farm moment” – the absolute top of the corporate cycle, named for the said poultry farm that launched a massively oversubscribed bond deal at an insane price, just days before SARs and Bird Flu caused it to shut with uninsured losses – but that is a story for another day…)

Energy is the other talking point – massive spikes in European Gas as we wonder where it’s going to come from. European nations are all eyeing each other – nervous the rest might cut a deal with the Kremlin to secure their own supplies.

It also confirms the critical effect of Geopolitics – and it confirms a massive tectonic shift has occurred as the world splits into new plates with their attendant conflict zones.

Putin is aware reproachment with the West will be a long-term play – and he won’t be counting on it happening soon. He’s pivoting (what a great word) to Asia – setting up Gas, Energy and Food deals with China.
China is happy to continue building its co-prosperity sphere in Asia. The more Russia and Europe can distract the US, the happier Xi will be.
The “West”, including our outposts in Japan and Oz will be wondering where they should stand.
The pundits expect Trump or a Trump Clone to lead the US into isolationism in 2025.
Europe will remain a tired, broke little grab-bag of ill-assorted nations pretending the like each other, at the end of very long supply chains dependent on what Russian Energy they can beg, borrow or steal.. (Steal in this context being breaking the climate change agenda to re-invest in Energy Security by opening coal, oil and gas facilities – prompting fury from climate activists who will accuse governments of stealing from future generations.)

That leaves Africa and South America up for play – the Chinese have learnt their debt lesson and will be loath to rely on further soft-power through lending. They may get… “outward bound”… As resources dip, populations rise, and climate change fries Africa the refugee crisis will further destabilise Europe.

I’m sorry if it sounds like a Game of Risk – but it’s beginning to look that way..

BBC news: Five Ways Life Could Get More Expensive excerpt:

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to drive these [energy and fuel prices] even higher and has already caused the oil price to jump to its highest level in more than seven years, while future gas prices have increased 60% in just one day.

WWD: Worse Than a Crime, It’s a Blunder excerpt:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has profoundly shaken the world order (such as it is) and raised a host of questions about Putin’s endgame, the West’s response, the alternative courses that neither side took, and the consequences for Ukraine, Russia, and nearly everyplace else. In search of some preliminary answers, Prospect editor at large Harold Meyerson and managing editor Ryan Cooper talked to Anatol Lieven, senior research fellow on Russia and Europe at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of Ukraine and Russia: A Fraternal Rivalry. An edited transcript follows.

Harold Meyerson: What is Putin’s endgame, as far as you can discern it?

Anatol Lieven: Up to this morning, I would have said, on the basis of my conversations with people in Moscow, officials and former officials, that what they were going to do was take the Russian-speaking areas of the country in eastern and southern Ukraine and then, basically, offer to reunite Ukraine on the basis of federalism—in other words, basically propose the Minsk agreement for the Donbas, but into a kind of confederal state in which pro-Russian areas would have de facto control over Ukraine’s international alignment. And accompanying that with a treaty of neutrality. Now—and I think it’s still too early to say for sure—but after Putin’s speech and given what looked like Russian moves towards Kyiv, it may well be that they want more than that, they want to replace the government in Kyiv with a pro-Russian government.

Putin’s talk about denazification, demilitarization, punishment of Ukrainian criminals points in that direction, and the fact that they seem to have crossed the border on the ground from Belarus heading for Kyiv. The Russian bombardments, of course, extend across the whole of Ukraine, but that’s what you would have expected, a classic military offensive to knock out the military infrastructure through air power and missiles. But in the end, the political fate of Ukraine will be determined by what territory the Russian army occupies on the ground.

Forward Observer: Daily SA – War in Ukraine

In the video below, intelligence analysts at Forward Observer in their daily situational awareness video discuss activity in the Ukraine war as well as some domestic moves to increase social media platform control over discussions.

AmRRON AmCON Level 2 – Critical Infrastructure Disruption Expected

Today AmRRON updated their AmCON status to Level 2. From AmRRON:

AmCON-2 Russia/NATO Cyber Attacks — Critical Infrastructure disruption expected or extremely likely in western nations

AmCON-2 at 20220224-1920Z

Confirmed: Multiple government websites in #Russia including the Kremlin and the Sate Duma have fallen offline; the incident comes amid a spate of cyberattacks targeting neighboring Ukraine (Twitter pic.twitter.com/K1pPQu7cHs

NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 24, 2022

Most significantly:

President Biden has been presented with cyberattack options that are designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine (NBC):

Disrupting internet connectivity;
Shutting off electric power;
Tampering with railroad switches

— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) February 24, 2022

AmRRON Special Instructions: No Change

Fuel and batteries should be topped off and alt power and communications operations checks complete
All Stations: Have abbreviated STATREP formatted and ready to transmit, or practice transmitting/sharing over Persistent Presence Net
Conduct local/regional communications networks tests
NCS (and higher) Stations: In addition to STATREP, have IES (Initial Event Summary) preformatted and ready to transmit in a sudden grid/comms-down disruption of conventional communications in your region or nationally.
NCSs, arrange to coordinate with adjacent NCSs and BB stations to receive (and send) traffic in support of AmRRON operations if AmCON-1 becomes necessary.

QRPer: Amateur Radio in Ukraine Banned Under Martial Law and State of Emergency

This article from QRPer talks about how amateur radio has been banned in Ukraine under the current state of emergency. This may be in part to protect the civilian population from Russian strikes that use radio detection to find targets, but also to prevent the release of Ukrainian troop movements or other defense activities. RigExpert antenna analyzers and, perhaps, Lab599 appear to be based in Ukraine, so these amateur radio products may also become scarce.

I have a number of friends (and many QRPer readers) in Ukraine, so it’s difficult to think of much else this morning after news of the invasion. From Reuters:

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday, assaulting by land, sea and air in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

Missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders from Russia and Belarus, and landing on the coast from the Black and Azov seas.

Explosions were heard before dawn and throughout the morning in the capital Kyiv, a city of 3 million people. Gunfire rattled, sirens blared, and the highway out of the city choked with traffic as residents fled.

The assault brought a calamatous end to weeks of fruitless diplomatic efforts by Western leaders to avert war, their worst fears about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions realised.[…]

Trevor (M5AKA) shared the following message via Twiter from Anatoly Kirilenko (UT3UY) of the Ukrainian Amateur Radio League: I’ve friends in both Ukraine and Russia and none of them want what’s happening here. My heart goes out to them. As with many of these situations, citizens have so little to do with the political, financial, and military interests of their leaders.

Forloveofgodandcountry: School Parents Bill of Rights

Diane Rufino at Forloveofgodandcountry’s Blog has written an article on the education system titled A Parent’s Bill of Rights. In it she discusses some failings in the school system and the loss of parental input and control over education.

Excerpt:

…Back in the day (and I’m not that old), it was always assumed that religion, morality, and knowledge were the legs to a solid public school education. It was always assumed that those in charge of the education of our children were in line with the rightful expectations of parents. And we, as parents, used to believe that we could go into the schools, into our child’s classroom, and see what they are learning and how they are being taught. This was so back in the 70’s when I was a child in the public school system in New Jersey and up until several years ago in North Carolina. What changed? When did we lose the time-honored notion of a “sound, basic education?” When did we as parents lose our rights to know how our children are being educated? When did we lose control over our children? When did the school system take control of them and disrupt the parent-child relationship? When did the school system usurp our parental rights?

And so, I’d like to address a different topic with regard with the education of our children in this article – a PARENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS…

Parents have a voice and that voice needs to be heard. They have rights and they need to be respected and not ignored. Parents have every right to be involved in the classroom. After I heard Ms. Kelly Mann, the Outreach Director for the John Locke Foundation (Raleigh, NC) mention an article she had written on A Parent’s Bill of Rights for its website, I became energized to help promote it. I wrote to every single North Carolina house member and every single state senator asking them to consider a bill officially recognizing parents’ rights in the education of their children.

A Parent’s Bill of Rights should, at least, include all of the following. I’m sure parents can come up with additional “rights” and I hope they do. The first 10 rights come from Ms. Mann (I want to make sure she gets the credit, which she absolutely deserves) and the rest are ones that I’ve come up with:

Education funds must follow students, not systems.
Parents have the right to engage in the selection and approval of academic standards.
Parents have the right to access educational materials, resources, and syllabi taught to their children in the classroom.
Parents have the right to make medical care decisions on behalf of their children.
Parents will receive timely notification of information related to the health, well-being, and education of their children.
In-person education is a right that should always be available as a choice.
Parents have the right to transparent access to school and school district academic performance.
Parents have the right to access detailed and up-to-date district financial records.
Parents have the right to opt their children out of the classroom for delivery of content listed in the syllabus with which they disagree.
Parents have the right to know of threats to their child’s safety (individually or school-wide).
Parents have the right to determine and choose which education environment will best serve their child’s education needs, without judgement from others or resistance by the school system, even if that environment is at home (home-schooling).
Parents have the fundamental right to make decisions regarding their child’s education, well-being, and access to public school progressive indoctrination. Religion, morality, family and social values are matters to be directed and respected as belonging to parents.
Parents have the right to be able to sit-in on their child’s class, upon making a request to do so.
Parents have the right to be provided with information, data, and statistics as to the shortcomings or failures (as well as successes) of each school system their child can potentially attend.
Parents have the right to be notified should the school feel the need to have a counselor speak to their child, and to have the right to refuse to have their child “counseled” by the school.
Parents have the absolute right to be notified of and to be involved in the filling out of ANY questionnaire or survey that the school assigns to their child. Likewise, parents have the absolute right to refuse to have their child answer such questionnaires or surveys. Parents have the right to control what information is shared with the school system (ie, government).
For parents of exceptional children: Parents have the right to have their child’s exceptionalism diagnosed and served by the education system.

Bushcraft Northwest: Bushcraft Weekend, Apr. 30 – May 1, 2022

Bushcraft Northwest in Goldendale, WA is holding a Bushcraft Weekend on April 30 and May 1, 2022. The cost is $250.

In this two day course, we cover everything from the basics to advanced techniques including Gear and Survival Kits, Edged Tools, Fire, First Aid, Cordage and Withes, Shelter, and Navigation. All learning is hands on and the days are packed with information. There is no skill level requirement for this course.
Full meals provided on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Please bring whatever food and camping items you’d like for your comfort during your stay. We also bring some new gear to workshops for sale, but if there is something specific you are interested in, please let us know so we are sure to bring it to the site.
Bushcraft Northwest also offers private workshops for individuals, groups, and government agencies. Cost varies depending on group size and whether the course will be held at our location in Goldendale, WA or if we are traveling to your location. Please contact us via email or feel free to call (360) 606-1036 to find out more information.

TOPICS TAUGHT DURING THE WORKSHOP:

Knives and Edged Tools: Learn proper cutting techniques which are both safe and efficient. Hands on training with lots of carving. Knife sharpening, saws, and axes are also covered. This is a must for those who want to get the most out of their tools.

Fire: Being able to light a fire can mean the difference between life and death. This section covers vital topics such as fuel types, finding and preparing tinder, friction fire lighting, ignition methods, and various fire lays.

Cordage and Withes: From building shelters to gathering food, cordage is often used in the process. Learn traditional techniques of making cordage out of easily found natural materials.

Knots: Unless you are involved in a highly specialized activity, you don’t need to have fifty knots memorized. We cover the eight most useful knots that you need to know to get things done.

Shelter: Tarp setups and improvised shelters for both planned and emergency stays.

Navigation: How to use a compass, compensate for declination, and read natural signs (day and night) to get where you want to go. Clinometer work and other more advanced skills are covered on request.

Emergency measures: A vital and often overlooked topic that should be familiar to all who venture into the backcountry. Content includes rope work, first aid, transporting injured people, and signaling.

Gear and Packs: Stop overpacking and/or accidentally leaving important items behind. Learn Mike’s modular packing system to keep gear organized whether it’s a survival kit or a full blown backpack.

Cerberus Training April 2022 Firearm Classes

Cerberus Training of Goldendale, WA is holding four firearm courses in April, 2022.

Apr. 9 – 10 AR Armorer

Armorer courses are structured to provide each student with a practical understanding of the operation, critical parts gauging, and features of the class titled Firearm.
This two day class is a mixture of classroom instruction, hands-on operation and on-range live-fire, enabling each student to achieve a high degree of familiarity with the topics covered and running the firearm efficiently.
You will gain proficiency in the following areas: Cleaning, maintain, gauging, repair, build, and/or modify the specific platform. We will go over disassembly, reassembly, identification of mechanical deficiencies and corrective actions, so you will walk away knowing your firearm is reliable.
Topics Covered:
+ Basic operation and function
+ Design
+ Interaction of parts including safeties and fire control group
+ Proper safety checks
+ Disassembly & Assembly
+ Inspection of parts for excessive wear
+ Head Space
+ Maintenance and lubrication
+ Gauging and checking critical areas
+ Modification / Customization
+ Compatibility
+ Troubleshooting
+ Theory
Armorers course certificate and manual is provided to the student to keep, and tools will be provided to work on specific platforms.
The second half of Day 2 will be on the range checking proper operation, manipulation and an abbreviated Run the Gun class, which is made to instill the fundamentals of efficiency in running the specific platform.
If you would like to shoot – 250 Rounds
Class starts at 0900
Cost $500

Apr. 23 – Foundation – Pistol

Apr. 24 – Foundation – Rifle

This 1 day Handgun or Rifle Foundation class is for those who are new to firearms. It’s also great for the casual yet competent shooter who wants to tune their skills. We ensure your training will increase your skill set, no matter your level.
We will review firearm safety, fundamentals, and proper use of the sights and trigger. We will work on loading and unloading, presentation to the target from the holster of the handgun, or sling with the rifle, ready positions and clearing malfunctions, all with skill sets and drills to improve overall efficient operation. This class is a great way to get ready for Run the Gun Handgun or Rifle.

This class will thoroughly cover;

Safety brief & Medical plan
Firearm and Range Safety
Effective shooting stance
Proper weapon grip
Recoil control
Using iron sights, magnified and or electronic optics – Pistol or Rifle
Proper zero and confirmation.
Trigger control
Manipulation of your firearm platform
Loading – Reloading sequence
Malfunctions of the Pistol or Rifle
Sling/Holster use
and more…

Check here for Gear List and Preparing for Training;

https://cerberus-training.com/pages/gear-list

https://cerberus-training.com/pages/preparing-for-training

If you would like to shoot, bring – 250 Rounds
Class starts at 0900
Cost $200

Apr. 30 – May 1 Bill Blowers Tap-Rack Tactical – Pistol

Bill Blowers of Tap-Rack Tactical, LLC will provide you with techniques and procedures that allow you to make hits faster under stress. This course is intended to pick up where most marksmanship training ends, it is a fighting class. We will build on previous skills, but help you to hit faster on single and multiple targets. This is accuracy done very quickly. Topics covered include fundamentals, strong and weak/support hand shooting, manipulations, malfunctions, low light and shooting on the move. Each shooter will leave with a custom dry fire training plan.

Equipment needed
Reliable semi-auto handgun
Duty, range, or concealment holster with suitable gunbelt
Enough magazines, pouches, etc., to carry a minimum of 50 rounds to the firing line
Minimum 1000 rounds of ammunition (1,000+ recommended; bring more, shoot more)
Wrap-around eye protection; ear protection; brimmed hat, weather specific clothing.
Recommended
A second gun or parts to fix your broken gun.
Note pad and pen/pencil
Cost $650

Radio Contra: NC Scout Interview with K from Combat Studies Group

Through the link below to American Partisan is NC Scout’s (of Brushbeater and American Partisan) recent interview of K from Combat Studies Group. Some of our local community members have been lucky enough to train with both of these people.

Radio Contra Episode 135. Nightvision Tips and Tricks, World Sitrep and Training Pointers with K

Radio Contra Episode 135

Practical Edge Shooting: Practical Handgun and Practical Defense Classes in April, 2022

Practical Edge Shooting will be holding their Practical Handgun class on April 23rd and their Practical Defense class on April 25&26 in Kennewick, WA.

Practical Handgun $250:

Practical Handgun class, April 23rd, Kennewick location.

Overview:
Class will introduce the student to our methodology of shooting skills and firearm safety procedures. Class serves as a base to build from for defensive firearms, recreation, and sport.

Student to Instrutor ratio is formatted to provide personal attention to each student, and individual skill progression. Completion of Practical Handgun is required prior to attending other Practical Edge live fire shooting classes.

This is a live fire handgun course teaching how to safely handle firearms, and how various types of handguns function. Students will receive classroom and live fire instruction on the fundamentals of marksmanship, increasing both accuracy and ability to drive the gun during rapid fire.

Class is an 8 hour training day, 10am-6pm, which begins with classroom followed by live fire training. There will be a one hour lunch break between the two blocks of instruction.

This class will meet the training requirment for Washington State Law, I-1639.

Prerequisite:

Students must be legally able to possess a firearm.
Waiver of Liability to be signed at start of class.
Adult students, 18 years and older (16 or 17 year olds may attend with attending parent\guardian).

Student Supplies:

Eye protection (clear safety glasses recommended)
Ear protection (double protection recommended, foam plugs and ear muffs)
Note taking material
250 rounds of ammunition for pistol
Pistol – Must be full size model (min .38/9mm, 4″ barrell or larger)
Gun rentals available. Prearrangement required, please contact us prior to class, or select the option to include during registration

Any question please contact us at 509-987-2303 or via email at info@PracticalEdge.com

Practical Defense $150:

Practical Defense, April 25th-26th, Evening Sessions Classroom at Kennewick Ranch and Home.

Overview:

Training is a seminar presentation with the information that every gun owner should know. This class, along with Practical Handgun, is required prior to taking any of the Practical Edge live fire defensive classes (Concealed Carry, Low Light, AR15). Training builds the foundation in the use of a firearm to defend life.

Topics covered include legal & moral issues, threat awareness, life priorities, equipment recommendations, and the realities of using a firearm for defense.

We strongly believe that this is information you must know. Instruction and topic discussions will be presented in a very frank and honest format.

Class format consists of classroom and presentation information only. This class will be broken up into two eveining sessions 5:30pm-8:30pm each night.

Prerequisite:

Students must be legally able to possess a firearm.
Class is formatted for adult learning and restricted to adults only.
Waiver of Liability to be signed during registration at start of the session.

Student Supplies:

Note taking material

Any question please contact us at 509-987-2303 or via email at info@PracticalEdge.com

WA SB5078 – Standard Capacity Magazine Ban – Comments Close in 24 Hours

Get your comments in on Washington State’s SB 5078, a so-called firearms safety bill which in actuality bans the manufacture, sale, transfer, importation, etc., of magazines that “are capable of holding,” or hold more than, 10 rounds of ammunition. On Wednesday, February 16, the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider an amended version of extreme magazine ban legislation, Senate Bill 5078. Comments close twenty-four hours after the committee meeting.

You can submit your comments by going to the House Committee Sign In page.

Select – Committee: Civil Rights & Judiciary and Meetings: 2/16/22 at 10:00AM
Select Agenda Item: ESSB 5078 Large capacity magazines
Select Type of Testimony: “I would like to submit written testimony”
Select: “CON”

Then type your comments and submit. You do need to enter your personal info for it to accept your comments.