Feral Jundi

Monday, January 4, 2010

Disaster Response: The Lesson–Passengers Are Not Helpless

Filed under: Disaster Response,DIY — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 1:05 AM

   I want to kiss this writer. Amanda, thanks for writing this gem of a story and I certainly hope other journalists follow your lead.  We need more of these types of articles that promote empowerment and the ‘hero in waiting’ concept, because as we have seen so clearly with the recent attacks, the government, military and police cannot be everywhere and at all times to protect us.

   The government is also doing a huge disservice by promoting this fallacy that they can protect you and me at all times, and criminals and terrorists are taking advantage of this weakness in the nations of the world.  Instead, leaders should be pointing people towards the idea of empowering the citizenry, along with doing all they can to strengthen state sponsored security.

   We should also be helping the government to connect the dots.  Little things like the BHMA that I brought up, are tools that help connect the dots.  The Texas Border Watch program is another way to involve people in watching the border, and connecting the dots. Most of all, an alert and informed citizenry can help out the government tremendously, just as long as the government is doing their job in processing that information.  It takes an innovative approach to think of ways to involve the citizenry, and if the government was a student of Jundism, they would know that people will support what they help to create. Until then, I will continue to promote self-reliance and the hero in waiting concept.

   The other thing that ticks me off on this, is the cycle we go through after events. That government and it’s military and police forces, are way to slow to react to most of these ultra-quick attacks.  And when these groups fail at protecting us, the citizenry screams bloody murder, and then the blame game begins.  Politics and finger-pointing gets fueled by the media, and then the whole thing turns into a circus.  The outcomes usually relate to an increase in government and military size, an increase in safety measures that don’t make sense or don’t really work that well, an increase in the size and complexity of decision making loops, and an increase in taxes to pay for all of that.

    So we get more inconvenience and we pay more money to the government, and yet terrorists and criminals are still able to defeat the security measures that we paid for and were sold on by the politicians.  I say continue to apply Kaizen to our security measures and defenses, but begin to focus more on empowering the citizenry to get involved.  Hell, we could even provide tax breaks to citizens that seek training or reward those that have done good deeds.  We must foster the hero in waiting concept, because increasingly, that is the guy or gal that will stop the terrorist, criminal, active shooter, lone wolf, extremist, spy, and super empowered individual in the mad minutes of an attack or a crime. Millions of heroes in waiting throughout the world, are the ones that will increase our odds at defeating those who wish to do harm. We can’t stop all of it, because that is the nature of man, but we can certainly do more to help prevent and stop these acts. –Matt

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The Lesson: Passengers Are Not Helpless

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009

By Amanda Ripley

Since 2001, airline passengers — regular people without weapons or training — have helped thwart terrorist attacks aboard at least five different commercial airplanes. It happened again on Christmas Day. And as we do each and every time, we miss the point.

Consider the record: First, passengers on United Flight 93 prevented a further attack on Washington on 9/11. Then, three months later, American Airlines passengers wrestled a belligerent, biting Richard Reid to the ground, using their headset cords to restrain him. In 2007, almost a dozen passengers jumped on a gun-wielding hijacker aboard a plane in the Canary Islands. And this past November, passengers rose up against armed hijackers over Somalia. Together, then, a few dozen folks have helped save some 595 lives. {See the top 10 inept terrorist Plots.}

And yet our collective response to this legacy of ass-kicking is puzzling. Each time, we build a slapdash pedestal for the heroes. Then we go back to blaming the government for failing to keep us safe, and the government goes back to treating us like children. This now familiar ritual distracts us from the real lesson, which is that we are not helpless. And since regular people will always be first on the scene of terrorist attacks, we should perhaps prioritize the public’s antiterrorism capability — above and beyond the fancy technology that will never be foolproof.

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Monday, March 30, 2009

Job Tips: Disaster Response Security Work and Cohort International

Filed under: Disaster Response,Job Tips — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 6:41 PM

  I was perusing Lightfighter the other day, and came across this awesome thread from the guys at Cohort International.  So after asking their permission, I was given the go ahead to post this awesome write up on what they are looking for for disaster security work.  

   To me, this is one area that could continue to be the silent bread winner in this industry, and disasters come in some shape or form every year it seems.  The last couple of years has really been nuts.  So get your resumes in and do what you gotta do to keep in shape and do well on the shooting tests, because disasters strike at any time.  Thanks again to the guys at Cohort for putting this together.  –Matt

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 The diaster relief contracts are with the third largest energy suppler in the US. Cohort has been helping them out and has the contract already. (We have been under contract with them since Katrina)

We are looking for former military, LEO, medics, and National Guard units. (Last seasnon we hired 50 NG from the Montana guard.) YES females may apply with the same qualifications as the men,you will be treated like everybody else.

If last season is any indication of things to come according to NOAA this year is supposed to be worst. Cohort put 400 operators in the region and kept them there for over three months.

With the hurricane season starting in three months we are compiling a list of good solid people willing to work these disasters.

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Friday, March 27, 2009

Disaster Response: We Used PMC’s for the Katrina Hurricane Disaster, So Why Not The US/Mexico Border Disaster?

     This story below is ridiculous, and I certainly hope that this is not yet another trend that only increases do to a perceived lack of manpower or resources to fight this crap.  I have also been listening to a lot of law enforcement agencies and government officials on the news continue to complain that they just don’t have the manpower to cover this stuff. Couple that with the weapons story I just posted, and entire towns being rampaged by drug cartels, and I am just wondering when this disaster is going to be treated like a disaster?  

     To me, this is a disaster of epic proportions, and needs attention now. Arguably, the drugs and gang/border violence over the years, have killed way more people and ravaged way more communities than any muslim fundamentalists have or hurricanes have.  It is a disaster that requires attention now.  But so do the disasters in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, etc.

     So what is the solution, if the border needs guys with guns, and there just isn’t enough of them in the military or police? Hell, Obama just requested 4,000 more troops for Afghanistan.  And if money is an issue, or time to train up an adequate force to get on the border is an issue, then a short term or mid term solution called Private Military Companies or Private Security Companies is the answer. They were an answer during the Hurricane disaster of 2005, and they could be the answer now.   

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Disaster Response: Gustav is Heading Towards Gulf States

Filed under: Disaster Response,News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 1:20 PM

This is not good.  This is heading straight for New Orleans and it is supposed to be Category 3. No word yet from companies like Blackwater, but I am sure the planners are ramping up.  I haven’t seen anything on the forums either.  –Head Jundi

 

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