7 Takeaways From The Austin Bombings And Beyond

Ever since the Unabomber began wreaking havoc, I have always wondered when our nation would be awash in bombings and bomb threats by various criminals and terrorists.

Perhaps it is also the apparent simplicity and effectiveness of home made bombs or IEDs that made it so easy for me to see right through gun grabber nonsense about making our world a safer place by removing just one type of tool that can be used for killing.

As I read through the information coming in about Mark Anthony Conditt (the Austin, TX package bomber), I cannot help but be reminded of the Unabomber and the implications of his modus operandi so many years ago. Then, as now, I feel that it is important to be aware of bombing threats in our society, and not lose track of them because mainstream media chooses to focus on other matters.

Never Accept Packages at Home

While gun grabbers and mainstream media remain fixated with guns, we must take action on our own to safeguard ourselves and our communities from people like the Austin package bomber. Here are some things you can do:

• Get a PO Box and direct all packages to the post office. Never give out your PO Box address to anyone other than those whom you expect correspondence or packages from. When choosing a post office, ask if you can have packages delivered to the post office by supplying their physical address when it is required.

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Once you are reasonably certain no packages are expected at your home, NEVER pick up a package left on your doorstep or in your yard. Call the police and ask for their assistance instead. • If you must have a package delivered to your home, make sure that you are at the door and on hand to receive it directly from the shipper.

Always ask for a tracking label so that you can track the package through the shipping system and gain a good sense of when it will be at your door.

• Be aware of additional places where you can pick up packages. For example, if you order items from Wal-Mart online, you may be able to pick them up at your nearest store. In a similar fashion, Amazon is also making repositories or lockers available in various areas where you can go to pick your items up.

• Use the following link when assessing packages you receive at the post office or at your home.

Watch Your Letters Too

Chances are, you barely read the name of the sender on envelopes before ripping them open to see what is inside. Not so long ago, this would not have been very risky mainly because the most dangerous thing you could come into contact with was anthrax.

Today, fentanyl and other drugs easily absorbed by your skin can kill or render you unconscious long before you begin unfolding the paper inside the envelope. Here are some ways you can keep yourself as safe as possible while opening your mail:

• Verify the sender of the letter. If you are not expecting a letter by mail from someone, give them a call or send an email before opening the item. Remember, the Austin package bomber was looking up addresses to determine who to target. You simply never know when someone may get the name of a friend or family member, and then use that information to send you a letter (or package) that you are more inclined to open.

• Never open a letter if the handwriting looks different from what you would expect from friends or family members. • If the letter does not have a return address, or the location is suspicious, turn it over to the postmaster, or the police if they direct you to do so. • always wear chemical resistant gloves when opening your mail. Once you are sure the letter is safe, you can go ahead and treat the item as you normally would.
• Once again, you will be best served by having all letters sent to a PO Box. While it may cost a bit each year for this service, you will not have to worry about toxins, let alone bombs making their way into your home.

Recognize the Signs of a Bomber

When it comes to suicide bombers, follow this link to see some characteristics that you should be able to pick up easily enough. Good situation awareness when you are out in public will go a long way towards helping you alert the police, as well as give you enough warning to stay away, or get out of the target area.

In addition, it should be noted that other kinds of bombers may case a neighborhood or store before actually carrying out a bombing. If you have a camera up outside your home, do not forget to record activities when you are not at home. You can always review them each day to see if suspicious people have been on your street, or even on your property.

Here are some other things to look for:

• If the person has a backpack, purse, or other carryable bag, they may simply leave it and walk away. This is distinctly different from someone that leaves a bag in a shopping cart while browsing in an aisle.
• Some bomb materials may emit unusual odors that you may smell if you are downwind of the person or close enough to notice something unusual. They may also use perfume or other strong smelling scents to cover the odor of the bomb.
• As we saw in the Austin package bomber, they may also try to look different when delivering bombs. Where Conditt used a wig, others may shave, wear heeled shoes or boots, or wear a different shade of makeup from their normal skin tone.

If you suspect that a bomber is in the same building as you, and your phone is already on, see if you can get a picture of them without being noticed. Do not hesitate to inform a clerk or someone else that can summon help from any security guards that may be available. In a situation were no one is immediately available, leave the building and call 911.

Since you may be making a mistake in your assessment, it is best not to scream or alert anyone other than the building owner, facility employees, or any emergency personnel you happen to come across, that there may be a bomber on the loose.

A bomber may detonate sooner if they suspect they are found out, and thus prevent anyone capable of stopping them from doing so. In addition, if you are wrong, causing a stampede by shouting something like this is not protected by the First Amendment, and may also leave you open to criminal charges.

As hard as it may be to say nothing and leave the building, this is truly the best thing you can do.

How to Recognize and Stay Safe Around Bombs

Sadly, it would take months on end to even make a dent in all the possible chemical and solid material combinations that can be used to make an explosive device. By the time you get into detonators, it becomes a lifetime of study.

That all being said, there are some common features you can watch out for and designs you should be aware of, especially in these troubling times:

video first seen on Survive & Protect

• Make sure your cell phone is powered off before you go outdoors for any reason. Depending on the detonator type, a signal from your cell phone can cause the bomb to explode.
• Always carefully inspect the wheel wells, under your vehicle, and other recessed areas for bombs. Never get into your vehicle without checking the trunk and back seat. In addition, never sit down to start the ignition as there may be a weight sensitive detonator under the seat. Pay careful attention for clicking noises when you turn the ignition key. In some cases, the bomb may actually be under your seat, and trying to get out of the vehicle will set it off. When starting your car, simply never touch the seat. Instead, reach in to start the vehicle and make sure it turns over properly.
• Drano Bottle Bombs – these are especially dangerous to pets and children. If you have to cut your grass, tend the garden, walk the dog, or plan for your children to play outdoors, check the area first for this and other bomb types. When in doubt, call the police.
• Other chemical bombs – never touch or go near any kind of glass, metal, or plastic container sitting abandoned unless you are sure it is empty and not attached to anything that may be a bomb.
• When walking around your yard or any other location, look for any item such as pressure cookers or other vessels that seem like they don’t belong in that setting. It is also important to be aware of abandoned plastic or paper bags, backpacks, purses, suit cases, brief cases, or anything else with compartments that explosives can be fit into. Always call the police if you see an object that doesn’t seem to be in its proper setting. This includes cell phones that appear like they were dropped that have wires hanging out that go behind or under something where you cannot easily see an explosive. Do not forget that some bombs can also be set off by wireless signals, so any phone laying around should be high on your list of suspicious items, especially if it is turned on or appears to be active.
• When approaching bottles, bags, or other other objects, pay attention to any unusual odors or sounds. Suspicious bulges, or wires hanging out can also be indicators that a bomb is present.
• Never touch anything that you suspect is a bomb. It is better to get far away from the suspected device, turn on your phone, and call the police. Remember, you never know how much explosive material is hidden away, nor the amount of force it can deliver once detonated.

Crime and Terrorism are Equal Opportunity Employers

It is a sad reality that both people who have a right to be in this country and ones who are here without permission from our government can and do commit heinous crimes. Both groups can also commit acts of terrorism, insurrection, and other forms of violent crime. When it comes to situation awareness and assessing whether or not you are in the presence of a bomber, it is best do away with the following stereotypes:

• never limit your observations to middle eastern, black, or latino males. In many cases, suicide bombers are female because many radical Islamic terror groups consider females to be expendable. They may not waste a man’s life on a suicide bombing unless the male in question is viewed as a problem to the organization.
• Never limit your observation to middle eastern looking people. Islam is, and has been the fastest growing religion for some time now. People of all races have joined this religion, and some may unknowingly have joined a radical or violent sect. This, in turn means that a “radical Islamic terrorist” suicide bomber can just as easily be from any race. In addition, even people that are not Muslim can be brainwashed by radical organizations and claim allegiance to them.
• Never forget there are many different violent or extremist groups in the United States at this time. In addition, even if someone isn’t tied to a specific “hate group” that doesn’t mean they are mentally stable. As I have noted in other articles, prescription and illegal drugs as well as violent video games and media can all lay the groundwork for someone to commit a horrendous act of violence. Given the nature of bombs, never conclude that any kind of stereotype can keep you safe. Always look, instead for physical, tangible features such as loose, but heavily laden garments, unusual odors, and nervous or other kinds of abnormal behavior.

Guns are the Least of Our Worries

If the Unabomber could make effective bombs with no income and few resources, how can removing less available, more expensive and more complex items such as guns or ammo keep us safe?

No matter where the Unabomber struck, gun control wasn’t going to save a single person, any more than it would have saved even one child from being slaughtered in recent school shootings. Remember, also, Timothy McVeigh murdered more children in a matter of seconds during the “assault weapon ban era” with a fertilizer bomb than any shooter ever has.

When combined with the fact that an ISIS inspired teen attempted to set off a bomb in a Utah school, and Donald Trump Jr. received an envelope with suspicious powder, the package bombings in Austin, TX are especially troubling.

Each of these events has occurred within days to weeks of the Parkland FL massacre, yet mainstream media refuses to “connect the dots” and shift their focus away from more brainwashing that is supportive of gun grabber agendas.

Nevertheless, make no mistake, each time our children go to play in the back yard, we pick up a package, or even stroll down a side walk, we are at grave risk from a bomber.

To add insult to injury; the continued emphasis on gun grabbers robs us of the opportunity to inform, educate, discuss and seek resolution to the larger risk associated with bombs; and coming to terms with what must be done to protect ourselves and our schools.

Bombs or no bombs, it isn’t guns, but gun grabber psychobabble that poses a danger to anyone trying to stave off rape, kidnapping, or a lethal physical attack. Criminals and terrorists that pay close attention to gun grabber rhetoric are emboldened when they are told they will be supported by various laws that determine when lethal force can be applied.

By the time you factor in the “statistically significant” yet imaginary gun carrier that is has a “fear of guns”, it is no wonder criminals will seek to grab any weapon, especially from a woman brandishing in an effort to defend herself.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if criminals are encouraged by gun grabber rhetoric to rape or murder because they know that gun grabber inspired laws barely leave room for women to use pee as a weapon against their attacker.

Well… come to think of it, if the woman has some kind of disease carried by urine, the current pro-criminal, gun grabber inspired laws might just be used to imprison her for using biowarfare or something such.

Gun grabber agendas may also pose a risk to our nation because of the degree and nature of the distraction from other dangers (like the uptick in bombings); and the irrational insistence on laws that will work no better here than they do in highly gun controlled nations like Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

While relatively “loose” gun control laws may be in place in Texas, criminals and terrorists are already moving on to more lethal weapons simply because they can in an arena where their actions have less scrutiny than what we are investing in, by and large, harmless people carrying guns.

We Need to Go Back to a Higher Power

No discussion on bombs (and perhaps even guns) can be complete without the observation that we are living in both sick and dangerous times.

Many people believe that raising children without God, or with the belief that humans or science are the highest power, has led to a kind of maniacal condition because complete power corrupts completely.

When we invent devices that make it easier to complete repetitive tasks, it can also be seen as a way through which we lose touch with the divine creator and all the wonders of this world.

From this perspective, not only do we need to go back to a belief in God, but we may also need to turn away from numerous convenience technologies. This includes many things shunned by the Amish and others who have no problems with violence, or the kinds of dangers prevalent in our society today.

When you do something as simple as prepare your own foods or grow them on your own, you have more time to reflect and connect with God instead of zipping off to play with the cell phone or watch TV. Consider this.

What do you get from these electronic things except someone else’s experience copied and rebroadcast, or worse yet, allow something else entirely to enter your mental, spiritual, and emotional fields?

While mainstream media believes it is more important to present coverage of children and teens “marching” against gun violence; as preppers, we have an obligation to ourselves and our families to assess all risks.

In this case, the media has done an enormous disservice by failing to give equal time and motivational type programming to the uptick in bombings and false bomb warnings. As a case in point, when, in the last 19 days did any mainstream media outlet make a continuous broadcast on how to recognize package bombs or possible bombers?

Now compare that coverage to the amount of time spent in the last 19 days covering gun grabber agendas. It is up to each prepper to to get informed about the growing danger of bombs in our society, and also to consider ways to reconnect with the kinds of values and focus that produce a healthier and safer society.