Good Communities Create Good Civil Defense

You Survive and Prosper with Others, Never Alone

Apr 12, 2024

When I was interviewed on Civil Defense Radio several years ago, I was asked what the difference was between FEMA, Preppers, and Civil Defense communities. I was being interviewed because I am the volunteer vice president of The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA.ORG).

My answer was this.

FEMA shows up a month after a natural and manmade disasters and writes you a check eventually...if you qualify. It is a government agency, not a community.

Preppers, God love 'em because they are trying, concentrate too much on the materialistic and solitary, when it is through strategy, plans, friends, family, and neighbors you survive. Some are members of prepper communities, some not.

Civil defense, in contrast, is as old as the Bible and had survived the test of time. The Word of God prepares you to not just survive, but to triumph over natural and manmade disasters. As the Bible shows in story after story, all civil defense depends on many (12 apostles, 72 disciples, etc.), not one. So, civil defense is all about community.

I list website links below of some of my communities that help me learn about, exercise, execute, and master the discipline of civil defense. Although it may not seem that some are related to civil defense at first, they all feed into my life and enable me to do my volunteer civil defense work so that I may help others.

Your support communities, of course, because you are a unique creation of God, are different. Think about your communities and their place in your civil defense life. If you have yet to identify them, do so. Life is short. Many manmade and natural disasters will happen in your lifetime. Get to know those who will get you through these events.

As Scripture is clear that ““You will not know the day or the hour of my return (Jesus), there is no “climate change” Armageddon or nuclear war End Times or any of the other fear porn so current in the corporate media, government, and Hollywood these days. However, natural and manmade disasters are real and you need to be ready for them. So, I learn lessons from prior disasters to be ready for the next one. You and your family should, too.

Hopefully, the plandemic nonsense and the death jabs that have resulted in so many medical problems for millions have educated that you are on your own when it comes to your health. Civil defense is the ultimate protection of your health. You are on your own when it comes to critical thinking, but it must be informed by the communities that support you.

Civil Defense in a Family Community via God, the Blessed Trinity, and the Communion of Saints

Community begins with God. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, clearly states: "God created man in his own image. . . . male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:27 & 28).

This belief in the family as the most fundamental community has always been hallowed by Christians, providing countless generations with a faith-based understanding of humanity. The Lord God is our source of being. Both men and women are made in His image and therefore of inestimable dignity, equality, and worth. He never wants us to be or to survive alone. "The Lord God said: "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." (Genesis 2:18)

"Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon the man, and while he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and closed up its place with flesh. And the Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: "At last, this one is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. ...That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." (Genesis 2:21-24)

The Blessed Trinity consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the first community. Over centuries, the Communion of Saints community believed in the Blessed Trinity community and survived horrid and often continuous disaster. Besides deadly invasions, disease, famine, and pestilence, there was also deadly persecutions, but they survived and prospered due to great faith. I recommend Lions of the Faith by Andrew Bleszad to understand the incredible struggle our ancestors endured so that we are here. There are hundreds of civil defense lessons in this tome.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Civil defense is often a battle between good and evil. You need a reserve of spiritual grace to endure before, during, and after a disaster. Here is a quick prayer I say each morning to remind me of the Well Spring of all communities and to keep myself grounded.

Lord, I cover myself and everyone around me with the Blood of Jesus. I cover all the members of my family with the Blood of Jesus. I cover my home and my possessions, my car, my finances, my marriage, my technical writing, and my American Tactical Civil Defense ministry with the Blood of Jesus. I cover the work of my hands with the Blood of Jesus. In the Name of Jesus Christ by the power of His Blood, I break off, tear down every power of the kingdom of darkness formed against me and cancel every argument on earth that has established itself against the plans of God in my life. I confess that my bod isa Temple of the Holy Spirit, justified, sanctified, perfected and protected forever by the Blood of Jesus. I take authority over the plans of the Satan in my life and reverse and break every plan and tongue that has formed against me and the Perfect Plan of God. I call forth in the name of Jesus all of God’s plans and purposes for my life and my family. For me and my house and family, we shall serve the Lord. Amen.

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8 NIV. The ultimate civil defense building block is the family. They know you. They love you. They have a sacred duty to keep you alive and functioning in good times and bad. They are ultimately who you depend on in any disaster.

Visits to the Martinsburg Veteran’s Administration hospital are rough because I am face to face with many men broken by combat 20 or 40 or 60 years earlier still recovering. But instead of allowing the difficult scenes to get to me, I try to learn from them, especially civil defense lessons. Some are non verbal. For example, on my last visit, I saw an elderly Marine in a wheelchair in very bad shape. But his devoted wife kept wrapping his sweater around him as it would fall off and tying a band around his chest to keep him upright. It is that kind of devotion your family will bring to your life in a disaster.

And by family, I mean your extended family: grand parents, nieces, nephews, cousins, second cousins, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and anyone else who shares your DNA or is related to you by marriage.

For example, my wife’s family is nearby on their family orchard in Levels, WV and my son’s family is nearby in Harpers Ferry-Bolivar, WV. My birth family, my seven brothers and sisters and my 56 cousins, live in and around Philadelphia, PA. For practical reasons, even though I have more members of my immediate family in Philadelphia, I would rely on my West Virginia family during a natural or manmade disaster. But they are ALL family and I owe ALL of them my best efforts to teach them about civil defense.

Civil Defense inside a Church Community

I sing in the choir at St. Bernadette’s in Hedgesville, WV at the 9 a.m. Mass every Sunday. So, I have a choir community and a larger parish community. The penetrating words in the sacred songs slay me and give me the strength to get through the next work week. Here is just one song called “Be Not Afraid” we sing that I offer to strengthen you in this age of anxiety.

Be Not Afraid

You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst

You shall wander far in safety, though you do not know the way

You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand

You shall see the face of God and Live!

Be not afraid, I go before you always

Come, follow me, ad I will give you rest

If you pass through raging waters in the sea you shall not drown.

If you walk among the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.

If you stand before the power of hell and death is at your side,

Know I am with you through it all.

Be not afraid, I go before you always.

Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.

As part of my civil defense ministry, I give my civil defense website links card to parish members, and especially Dads and Moms with children. I just say, “This is my volunteer work. There is much information here to keep your family safe. Please spread the word to other good Americans.” Everyone I have given a card to has been gracious, thanked me, and many say they will pass it along. I plant a little seed and let the Holy Spirit take it from there.

Civil Defense via Neighborhood Community

‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 19:18b-19

Even in large cities and vast suburbs in the United States, you will rely on your neighbors for civil defense, even if you do not know them yet.

An earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire, chemical spill, cyberattack, or any other threat that strikes and leaves you vulnerable will quickly force you to get to know your neighbors to survive. Why not introduce yourself to them today BEFORE the event strikes?

Two good guides to help you build civil defense neighborly communities are The Practical Prepper and the Civil Defense Book.

One household may have a generator they can allow other neighbors to access during a power outage. Another may have a boat to board the elderly or homebound during a flood (Cajan Navy example).

Even that oft annoying Homeowners Association (HOA) can be a civil defense resource. Rather than arguing about the increase in the housing and trash removal fee going from $200 to $250 a year, you can bring up, “What are the HOA’s plans to cope with a major natural or manmade disasters.” You will be surprised at how many people in these trying times are looking for answers to these kinds of questions. You can even print out a relevant article from the American Tactical Civil Defense Substack and give it to the President of your HOA to get the conversation going.

Look at the storyline to any Hollywood disaster movie. It is a truth even they get. After the event, neighbors who never knew each other before must come together to help one another get through the hard times. It is how we have survived from the beginning. We survive with others, not alone.

Get to know your neighbors. Like family, they are an invaluable resources in a natural or manmade disaster.

Civil Defense via the American Civil Defense Association

The American Civil Defense Association is a remarkable organization that has been educating American families about civil defense since 1962. I have been blessed to be a board member and volunteer vice president for 15 years. I can vouch for their honest, truthful, accurate, and practical preparedness information resources. Please explore our vast resources at TACDA.ORG.

Go to the TACDA Survival Store. I recommend four items in particular.

WaterBricks: Pure water is essential to survival. Buy WaterBricks to ensure you have pure water for you and your family during and after a disaster. Purchase at least three times the WaterBricks you think you need as pure drinking water disappears very fast in any disaster.
EMP-Hardened Waterproof Thumb Drive: Most small business go out of business after a disaster not due to the fire, hurricane, flood, etc., but due to a loss of data. This waterproof thumb drive has our disaster courses on 5% of the memory. The other 95% is for your use. Backup your data daily to ensure your business survives. Moms, back up your family medical data, financial records, and all other vital data on a device you can keep in your purse.
Go Dark Faraday Bag: The Go Dark Faraday Bag for Cell Phones and the Go Dark Faraday Bag for Tablets offer one vital tool to blind the unwanted, intrusive power to monitor, track and control your daily life.
Journal of Civil Defense and Archives: Each issue contains hard hitting articles analyzing and providing solutions to all the threats on the treat matrix, and even some that are not. We spent many months gathering and uploading issues from the 1960s to today to create a vast civil defense library. Ignore the Armageddon and End Times fear porn. Instead, prepare your family for events that are as old as the Old Testament with accurate and practical preparedness information.

Remember the old Boy Scout Oath or Promise?

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

And the U.S. Military Service Oath of Enlistment?

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Because past generations were Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts or military members or both, they learned the skills they needed to survive life and death situations that are part of disasters. No more. Only a tiny percentage of American youth now join the Boy Scouts or the U.S. military. But they still need the skills learned and mastered in those institutions.

Visiting the TACDA website and reading the Journal of Civil Defense, our blog, studying the TACDA Academy material. or the is one way to make sure you, your children, and your grandchildren master the skills they need to keep them alive.

Sadly, because young people do not have basic survival skills, when they encounter disaster they just stare or pull out their phones and record it to upload it to the Internet. I saw this first hand when I put out a hay baler fire as church was letting out. Don’t let their lack of survival knowledge end tragically. Learn the skills they need and pass on those skills to them before they need them.

Civil Defense via Substack

Substack is a wonderful community with thousands of creative members with innovative ideas about a million topics. They follow the 1st Amendment. Many Substacks address civil defense topics directly, like me. Others touch on it at times, like Yuri Bezmenov.

Explore the thousands of Substack authors for the knowledge that will broaden yours for how to have advance knowledge of impending disasters, how to deal with them once they arrive, and how to recover and learn lessons for the next ones.

Civil Defense via X

Social media like X can be a powerful tool to deal with disasters. I first joined Twitter, now X, when I realized what a remarkable tool it was to have advance knowledge of disasters. For example, when Captain Chesley Sullenberger Scully landed his plane on the Hudson River and saved everyone aboard, it was on X an hour before it was in the media.

I use X to discover, monitor, and learn about disasters in real time without the corporate media slant. I ask Grok questions as I do because I believe it is the only honest AI platform available. I also use it to learn civil defense lessons. When I read comments by people who are devastated by the event (fire, earthquake, hurricane, flood, bioweapon attack, etc.) rather than spread the negative echo chamber in comments, I simply write, "Find helpful resources, see: TACDA.ORG and American Tactical Civil Defense. Many comment back that the links are useful and helpful, especially in a time of no hope and high stress.

Civil Defense via Groups and Associations

Communities can often be found in groups and associations to provide you with fellowship, fun, useful activities, mates, and a human connection. Authentic and genuine communities can help you live, love, and grow in Authentic Intelligence (AuthI) and keep Artificial Intelligence (AI) where it belongs: as a useful tool, not a religion. Shout out to Substacker Yuri Bezminov for the following definition of AuthI.

How much AuthI do you have?

Can you give life and be an irreplaceable parent, mentor, or friend?
Can you build high-trust communities?
Can you embrace love, empathy, and humor?
Can you spark joy and serendipity?
Can you create new things that didn’t exist before?
Can you solve complex problems?
Can you focus and prioritize?
Can you navigate ambiguity and uncertainty?
Can you strategize, adapt, and execute?
Can you communicate with clarity and nuance?
Can you set up and play win-win situations instead of zero-sum games?
Can you harness risk-reward to your favor?

For example, in my 20’s I used to go to a DC Federal Poets meeting once a month in the old Commerce Department building back when the Feds weren’t so paranoid about outsiders using spaces in tax payer-built buildings. I read poetry with a varying number of talented and untalented poets that was more diverse than any corporate ESG or government DEI tyranny can enforce. And in my 30’s, I read poetry at the Frederick Coffee company.

For the past 25 years I have read poetry at the Vietnam Memorial with the Memorial Day Writer’s Project with a community of veterans, most from the Vietnam War. Their poems, stories, and songs and deep knowledge about combat and military life inform my civil defense knowledge.

Why? We all share an interest in poetry. There are poems some people read that slay me because they carry more truth than it would seem possible for anyone to discover or put into words. There are turgid poems that make me wonder why I wasted my time attending. But it was all HUMAN. I was part of a poetry group. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it. I learned and grew by interacting in a community of people who also love poetry.

You might hate poetry but love to hang out with guys riding dirt bikes or shooting model rockets in a field on weekends. What is important is not the type of activity, but that you do it with others you bond with, care about, grow with, and in the event of a disaster, can count on.

Another community I belong to is the National Museum of Civil Defense where I am on the advisory board. Nick Studer, M.D. founded it and runs it. I always enjoy the meetings with Nick and the other advisors as we geek out on civil defense.

Find your own communities, join, become active, and enjoy the benefits. You will get more than you give and volunteer work is the best anodyne for anxiety and depression. All communities and volunteer work will add tools useful to your civil defense life.

Civil Defense via The Bears, Comedy, and Homesteading

Another community I enjoy are The Bears via The Beartaria Times and the Beartaria Times App. The primary directive of both the Beartaria Times website and app is that it must be innocent enough that a 5-year old can view or here it.

The Bears are reversing the demographic collapse by getting young people off their addictions to porn, alcohol, drugs and social media, and instead helping them to learn and understand that family is wealth. Members are meeting, marrying, having children, and creating healthy families. American Tactical Civil Defense depends on healthy American families. The Bears are creating those.

Many positives came out of the CCP/PLA bioweapon released on the world in 2019, one of which is American families forming communities to homeschool and homestead. Given the Satanic ideology and clubs now sanctioned in government schools, they are banding together to preserve Christianity in the original church of the family. And like our parents and grandparents who grew Victory Gardens to survive during World War Two, they seek to depend on themselves for healthy and nutritious fruit, vegetables, grains, and meats.

The Bears united around building, life, comedy, and the good, the true, and the beautiful. They refused the death vaccines, united around having children and homeschooling, growing nutritious food free of global supply lines, producing a parallel economy by starting businesses and supporting local businesses.

The founder of Beartaria Times is a comedian, Owen Benjamin, with a solid 15 years in Hollywood comedy productions record who defended children against medical mutilation and advocated for 2nd Amendment rights on Twitter in 2015. Immediately after he did so, he was banned from Twitter, YouTube, banned from all other social media, had his Air B&B account shut down, had his bank account shut down and frozen, and was shunned by his talent agent, the top comedians in the nation, and basically de-personned.

Rather than become a victim, he founded a community: The Bears. He created a social platform, The Beartaria Times app, and his own platform, Unauthorized TV, to continue to bring his comedy to other Americans. Owen, also known as Big Bear and the Bard of Beartaria, lives and broadcasts from his homestead with his beautiful wife, Amy, and his spirited four sons.

It is a worthwhile community and especially blessed to have tradesman in abundance (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, stone masons, farmers, ranchers, etc.) These are exactly the people you want in your community to rebuild if the dark forces with their evil aims have their way. I have ordered hand made copper gardening tools and thick knit wool caps from the new Bear businesses.

There are multiple interest groups as sub-communities withing the larger Bear community. In the Music group, I share my sons musical group, Billy and the Curley Brothers gigs with them.

I learn gardening tips in the Farming sub-community. Fathers celebrate their wives, new babies, and children in the fatherhood sub-community. Mothers have their own sub-community. There is even a Ham Radio sub-community, and ham radio operators are critical to self defense. Most U.S. states have a sub-community, as do the Irish.

Everyone shares, and sometimes, I share my civil defense expertise to help their families on the app. It is a community of high trust, highly skilled, and loving families who support one another. It is what social media can be when it is innocent, free, respectful, and highly useful for daily living. I love the one term of service that anything posted can be viewed by a 5-year old.

Civil Defense via the Gym Community

Because I have been blessed to work from home since the beginning of the plandemic in 2019, I am also blessed to be able to go to the gym daily due to no commute time. This is another community where I get to do my civil defense mission.

As after church, I offer a gym member a card and say, “This is my volunteer work. There is much information here to keep your family safe. Please spread the word to other good Americans.” And as in church, everyone I have given a card to has been gracious, thanked me, and many say they will pass it along. Again, I plant a little seed and let the Holy Spirit take it from there.

Civil Defense Communities: Identify and Join

I have shared my civil defense and other communities. Do some research and find a few communities you would like to belong to and just join. If you don’t like them, you can find others that are more suitable.

The U.S. is a huge country of 400 million if you include the 40 million illegal aliens, 10 divisions of which are CCP/PLA military units. There are thousands of civil defense related originations you can join among those millions of God-fearing Americans who can protect you from communism and criminal behavior. Find the communities you need where you live to protect your family as you may need multiple communities to survive if things go hot.