Showing posts with label personal safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal safety. Show all posts

Be safe, be secure

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Our safety and security first and foremost is down to each and every one of us ourselves and we must get that message across to the governments also and we must take responsibility for it (and be allowed to do so).

slapperPeople, however, have abdicated their own responsibilities to the government, local and central, and ask for more and more liberties to be taken away from them so that they can feel safer.

Crime prevention is the job of each and every one of us and should not be farmed out to some agency. It used to be that way. The law and its enforcers should only come in as a last resort.

That means that we must deny any potential thief or burglar the opportunity to commit a crime against us and the same goes as far as attacks, such as robberies and muggings are concerned.

Walking about town and country with earplugs in and listening to an MP3 player or iPod not for safety makes. In fact it makes you vulnerable as you are no longer (fully) aware of your surroundings and any potential attacker realizes that as well.

After the leaks, in June 2013, about the NSA and FBI, even in the UK (and elsewhere), spying on people using the Internet the President of the USA, Barack Hussein Obama, states that in order to have the security required people have to be prepared to give up (some of) their freedoms. That is how the powers-that-be have gotten to us already in that people have, as said, abdicated more and more of their freedoms to the governments because they, the people, are not prepared to be responsible for their own security and safety. Not that many governments will even permit that anymore.

In a ruling some years back the US Supreme Court stated that it is not the job of the police to prevent crime but that it is the police's job to enforce the law and this is more and more the case, done by methods the Nazis would have been proud of.

So, if crime prevention is not the task then why the CCTV and all that jazz which is supposedly there to fight crime? Because all that surveillance stuff is only there so they can spy on the people.

In a statement a US official said that they are not using CCTV and other methods to spy on all American but only on anti-government Americans. And how precisely are the cameras and other electronic eavesdropping devices distinguish between a “good” and a “bad” American? Think, people, think. Government does not have our safety and security at heart with all those measures but the total control of the people.

The protection of ourselves and that of our loved ones rests with us and we must wrest the powers back from the governments in order to be able to provide for ourselves in this, and other, departments.

The state is not our friend when it comes to safety and security; the opposite rather. More and more the state is reducing our own ability to defend ourselves more and more under the guise of needing to provide security and safety for all, by more and more methods of control over the means at our disposal.

A people who can, and who are prepared to, take care of themselves are a threat to the powers-that-be, that is to say the state and those that rule from behind the smokescreen, and it is for that reason that any attempt of the people to do things for themselves is being undermined.

A free people have the right and the duty to defend themselves and to look after their own affairs without anyone lording it over them. However, the people themselves, in the majority, have abdicated their rights to the governments by demanding more and more protection which they, the people, are not prepared to provide for themselves and thus we have all those restrictions to our liberties that we have no, with more of them in the offing.

In Britain self-defense has more or less become a thing of the past and people are told to call the police rather than to take actions themselves. In fact, defending against an attacker or burglar, who then may end up getting injured, could land the victim in jail rather than the perpetrator and this is purely and simply wrong.

While the law states one thing the interpretation of it by the prosecuting authorities and the judges more often than not is a different thing altogether.

Theoretically civilians can defend themselves and even arrest, by use of restraints, such as handcuffs even, a criminal, the practice often is very different indeed with the victim having to defend his or her action rather than the perpetrator being taken in, no questions asked.

Going prepared for defense is seen as carrying offensive weapons, even if this is just a stick or cudgel though there was a time when this was the way everyone went about their business in Britain, including in the cities. The cudgel was a common accoutrement of the gentleman and trader and it was the same in the countryside where every man and boy did carry such as defensive tool and it was accepted that this was the case.

City areas where patrolled, even when the police was already established, by vigilance committees, armed with cudgels, in order to provide security for residents and most able males were enrolled in such committees. What is more, it worked. Then the powers-that-be decided that it was the job of the police, and only of the police, to provide security for people and ever since then we have had problems.

It is up to each and everyone of us to do what is right and to claim back our powers that rightfully belong to us.

© 2013

Don’t post holiday travel plans on social media

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While this message is being repeated time and again it is once again, it would appear, something that is needed, yet again.

There is no such thing as 100 percent privacy on social media websites, and even so-called friends may not really be friends.

Therefore DO NOT post any information as to whether you are going away over the holidays and to where on Facebook, Twitter, or other forums and such like. This is one sure way of letting criminals know your home is empty. Thus it is not a very good idea even though you may think you MUST keep your “friends” and followers informed every minute of the day what you are doing and where you are.

Avoid you home being targeted by burglars by keeping all that information until later. There is no need for everyone to know where you are and what you are doing. Also and especially resist the urge to broadcast their location on Twitter or through “geotagging” which posts the users exact location on Facebook and other sites.

There are ways of protecting yourself by simply turning any “geotagging” facility simply off (permanently) and also not to have any address details posted on any of the sites, whether Facebook, Twitter, or what-have-you.

Parents need to be especially vigilant in watching what their children post on social media websites. Kids might brag about going on a ski vacation or post their current location as home alone while the parents are out shopping. This is dangerous information if it falls into the hands of the wrong people.

As we saw the hacking of Mark Zuckerberg’s own Facebook page, there is no such thing as 100% privacy on social media websites, and even so-called friends may not really be friends. Therefore it is best to not put anything on the Internet that could be used to find you or your home, and that includes photos that could be used for burglars and other criminals to track you and your home down.

Here are five tips for using social media safely:

  1. If you are traveling out of town, wait until you return home to post photographs and details about your trip. DO NOT do it while you are away. Criminals search for personal information on Facebook profiles and may discover an opportunity to burglarize your empty house.

  2. If you or your children are home alone for the day or the weekend, never post it as a status update on Facebook or tweet it.
  3. Thoroughly examine all the privacy options Facebook offers for the accounts of everyone in the family and choose the most restrictive settings. Review with your children who is on their friend’s list and verify they are truly friends.
  4. Do not post dates of birth and other sensitive personal information. Be aware not to accidentally publish answers to security questions, such as mother’s maiden name, the town you were born in or your favorite movie. Also avoid giving out information that could help narrow down your location, such as which high school a student attends.
  5. Turn off “geotagging” on Twitter and other social media sites to avoid telling strangers where you are and where you are not.

Your safety, that of your family, and of your home and possessions could be at risk if you reveal too much information about yourself, your family and your locations. Play it safe at all times.

Oh, and before I forget: this is valid for all occasions and not just the Christmas holidays and vacations.

© 2011