"The Reluctant Partisan, vol 2: The Underground"

[Diz]

Just a heads up here, Mosby's second volume, which covers "The Underground" will be out shortly in e-book form. Go to the Forward Observer Magazine on line, starting Dec 1st for pre-order. It will be 15 bucks, and only available until Jan 1, upon which time the hard copy will start coming out. Once the hard copy is for sale, you will not be able to get the e-book, so don't screw around. The e-book will be sent out on Dec 25, as Mosby's little x-mas present to us all. Tiny Tim would be pleased. As in Dickens, not that fag musician from the 60's. Never mind you children don't even remember back that far.

Vol 2 will cover a lot more of the basic home defense stuff, as well as urban guerilla T,T,P's. This is where I thought vol 1 was a little thin, so now I'm happy. This is for folks who are stuck in an urban area, and either can't get out, or elect to stay and act as the underground for the more overt guerilla out in the boonies. As such, I think it will be more applicable for the majority of folks out there, until or unless they can get out to the bush.

Don't know what the hard copy will cost, but Mosby says it will be cheaper than vol 1, which is good. It will also be in 8 1/2 x 11 format, with 12 pt font, which is also very good, cuz vol 1 is smaller, but harder to read. It will be approx. 500 pages, so it will also be a bit larger than vol 1.

So all in all, I think it would behoove most folks to pick this one up.

As soon as it is available I will be reviewing it here for your consideration.

[Diz]

Well I ordered the e-book yesterday and am anxiously awaiting the down-load as we speak. This will probably be one of the most valuable x-mas presents I ever got!

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Ordered mine as well. At least I won't just get a lump of coal for Christmas this year, although....a lump of coal=energy. Maybe Santa's onto something??

[hudson5969]

I'll wait for the hard copy.

[Diz]

Ok, just received the new, revised version of Vol 2. It is very interesting, in that it's not exactly what I expected but it contains some very valuable information just the same. Mosby's books have been like this to date. It's not exactly what you expected, but it turns out to be actually more useful, in a different way. He sets out a good outline of the subject, and gets off to a good start, but then leaves some things out (at least according to my estimation) as he runs out of steam at the end, so to speak. But for all that, he does not disappoint.

My expectation of vol 2 was the T,T,P's for operating in an urban environment, as opposed to T,T,P's for a rural one, as outlined in vol. 1. While he does cover some of this, he also delves into other aspects of our present situation, which are also just as interesting, if not valuable as well. This is based on his estimate of the situation, which is very different from that of the main-stream "prepper" community, to say the least! After thinking about it a little, I'd have to say that he's probably right. But, as always, read it for yourself and decide what you think.

He believes that our current economic situation is pretty fucked up (duh) and not sustainable, or even fixable. That is a pretty universal sentiment. However, he believes that what may emerge from a full or partial economic collapse is a form of "balkanization", along tribal lines, versus a full-blown, grid-down, "Zombie Apocalypse", or "Red Dawn" foreign invasion scenario. I happen to agree with this assessment. He believes that we should abandon trying to restore the nation-state, and concentrate on building community at the local level. He calls this "Communitarian Autarky". Which roughly means coming together as a self-reliant community.

This certainly flies in the face of the "III Percenters" and others who clamor for guerilla warfare to fight the good fight against a totalitarian regime. He believes this is un-winnable, especially when a arguable majority of folks are more interested in comfort and entertainment, than they are in freedom and self-reliance. So what to do. He believes in simply "opting out" as it were, and forming your own self-sufficient communities, and not really worrying about all the rest of it. This kinda flies in the face of so much rhetoric, from both sides, actually. The traditionalist that wants to restore the constitution, to the progressive that wants to obliterate it. To Mosby who essentially says, "fuck the whole program"; form your own "tribe", and live your life on your own terms, come what may.

And this is a lovely idea, IMHO. But the devil is in the details. How to recruit, organize, and work together as a community. And ultimately, how to survive from all threats. And this is the genius of Mosby. It's not exactly what you expected, but it turns out to be some pretty cool, thought-provoking shit.

Oh don't get me wrong, there's plenty of nuts and bolts T,T,P's in there, which I plan on diving into in the coming days. Things on planning, and threat analysis, and other interesting Intel aspects; vehicle/mobility ops; weapons selection and training (especially for urban ops); even some additional material to add depth to what was covered in vol 1. Very solid info. But not so much on what you might have expected, as far as organizing "the insurgency", in respect to the "underground", and the "auxillary". But hey, I can read the SF handbook and figure a lot of this stuff out for myself, so I'm not really disappointed he didn't go that route, just sorta of surprised, in a good way.

In the end, this is pure Mosby. You're just gonna have to get all the volumes he puts out, and then re-organize them in a format that fits your estimate of the situation, and what you need to be working on. There are so many gems in his writings, but as of late, he has not covered what, in my estimation, should be included in your "Survival Retreat SOP". But, on the other hand, he does give you some very thought-provoking ideas that make you re-evaluate just what exactly you should be prepping for, and how to go about it. And this may end up being more valuable than your previous estimate of the situation, and your planned response to it. I am still processing his thoughts; analyzing, evaluating. More to come.

[Diz]

As I continue to think about what Mosby has said here, a few thoughts come to mind. He has essentially defined the dis-connected relationship that I now have with my country. My country. In that I was born here. There is very little, if anything left, past that. This is something that has been troubling me for the past several years. I am truly a stranger in the land of my own birth. You guys can't possibly fathom the changes that have occurred in this country since the early 60's. It is a totally different land that we now live in. And it is not for the better. The decline of western civilization, or as Mosby likes to put it, the nation-state. We could go on and on about the why's and where-fore's, and be-moan the times. But in the end, you accomplish nothing. I have to agree with Mosby here. It's already a done deal. This country has been transformed in fundamental ways. All these guys getting ready for the big one, when we finally "push back" as they say today, but it's already too late. Evil forces, whoever they may be, have found a way around our so-called freedoms, and have dismantled the greatest (former) country on earth. Just because they "let" you have your AR, equipment, and supplies, doesn't mean jack-shit. We have been stock-piling all this shit for decades. As long as they keep our "life-style" intact (or should I say bread and circuses), they know we ain't gonna do jack-shit. I believe that's the reality of it.

Mosby articulates this in a way that makes me finally understand why I feel so confused about these things. We, or at least I, was taught from an early age, that we are the guardians of freedom, of all that is good and right. That it is out patriotic duty to serve our country. We are supposed to stand in between our loved ones, and war's desolation. But therein lies the problem. All the folks you are supposed to be protecting no longer hold your values. In fact, they disdain the very principles you are supposed to be upholding. But you are expected to carry on, on continue protecting them regardless. What Mosby is saying is that it's "OK" for you no longer accept the responsibility of protecting all these folks, who no longer hold true to the founding principles. They have broken the pact; you are no longer bound to it. This is a profound change in thinking. I haven't wanted to accept the truth in this thought. But that doesn't change the reality of it. This country is but a brittle shell of it's former self. The people you swore a sacred trust to defend are no longer worthy of defending. In fact, they despise you for even trying. Just for having martial abilities you are considered a threat to the state, a domestic terrorist. Or a bitter clinger for daring to suggest we should restore the old republic, rife with racism, injustice, and inequality. The truth really hurts, but your country no longer requires your services.

If you can get to this point, and accept this fact, then all the confusion you are feeling about your responsibilities will be settled. You are no longer torn to protect things that shouldn't be protected; you can finally let go of that duty. This is very painful self-awareness. We all took an oath to protect and defend things that are now morally indefensible. We did not the break the faith. They did. So do we blindly maintain our post on the wall, when the country has rotted out from within? Mosby is saying, and I agree, that this pact has been broken, and we are no longer bound to it.

If you can accept this, then you no longer care about all the corruption around you. You don't have to rail at all the mysterious forces that have totally fucked things up. This no longer concerns you. You can now focus all your talents and energies towards taking care of your own, people actually worth caring about. Forming small communities with the common goal of becoming self-sufficient. There are many "labels" for this. Balkanization, tribalism, prepper communities, survivalists, etc. This concept is being demonized by the "collectivists", as it is diametrically opposed to their views. But again, fuck them in the left ear, and drive on.

Pretty radical stuff, huh?

In a related note, the concept of rural retreating versus urban living. If you really think long and hard about this, you'll realize that for most folks, this concept of rural retreating is just a pipe dream. Not to bust balls, but most folks just aren't up to the task. That's the reality of it. We are several generations removed from hardy pioneer stock that might have had a chance to return to the woods and pull this off. I am just barely capable of doing this, due to my age and exposure to the olds ways as a young'n. If you are younger than me, you are probably not up to the task. I don't want to sit here and argue about this, I just want to say that most folks don't realize what they're talking about, and are not capable of pulling this off. You probably need another plan of action.

With this in mind, think of how you can live as an island among a sea of different folks. "Retreating in place" as it were. This is probably a much more viable alternative for the vast majority of folks out there. Different ethnic groups have done this for decades in urban settings. It's just that we as mainstream "white folks" aren't supposed to be doing this among ourselves. Well, ring the bell, school's out sucka. Time to take care of our own.

This country no longer represents me, or what I stand for. I am sick and tired about feeling bad about this. I do not accept their new progressive values and norms. I no longer feel guilty about it. I'm splitting the program. You do what you want.

[UnforseenWeather]

This sounds like an excellent read, Diz.

Minor related sidebar to your post: it was only recently that I figured out why it was that the Commies always kill off the middle class when they achieve total power... it's because the middle class is the only element of society that has both the ability and the means to revolt.

The lower class has the reasons, but no means.

The upper class is so invested in maintaining their status as upper class that they never would.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Good point Unforseen...

Haven't started reading my copy yet as I've had a lot to do over the holiday break. Will try and start it this weekend.

[Diz]

Here is another point to ponder. Mosby points out that in an urban setting, the pistol may become your primary weapon, just because of circumstances. So, if in fact most guys are situated in an urban environment, and not going about openly armed with a long gun is conducive to your overall health and well-being, then maybe we need to explore the handgun, as our primary weapon, right now, versus the rifle sometime in the future.

And even a step further, if the handgun isn't viable, what other weapons should we be looking at, such as knife, stick, or other environmental weapons?

[omnivorous]

To take that alternate weapon notion to an extreme, the number one self-defence item I've always been able to take with me, without a single probing question being asked about it, is my tac light. Modern tac lights are very durable, and quite viable self-defence weapons, when used with appropriate techniques. On top of that, I fully concur with Diz's suggestion of other weapons being studied, if only for ROL situations, as an environment in which we may need to defend ourselves and/or family and friends, may not be conduce for defensive firearms use, i.e. a crowded gathering of some kind.

[Diz]

Yeah this calls for much soul-searching. As much as I am oriented towards rural retreating, and all the T,T,P's involved, I fully acknowledge that most folks are gonna have to figure out something different, and want to develop T,T,P's for urban ops as well.

I have long had the idea of a G-19 chest rig, as a primary weapons system, with a center-mount holster, G-17 reloads, and perhaps a bleeder kit and small radio/utility pouch. This works well with a (bug out) pack, and while seated driving. The standard belt-mounted EDC gear does not always work well.

And re-visitng body armor.

We are also looking at some additions to our bandoleers to make them more versatile.

[panzer0170]

Diz - matt's latest post on JTT will interest you, I'm sure. I'm thinking that your idea tied with this concept would be absolutely spot on. It's something you could have EVERYWHERE, ALL the time (Same thing that's by your bed is in your truck is on your hip is in your bag etc...) and with the right permits even in ROL you've got something that you can keep with you a high majority of the time.

I like this idea, definitely.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Jan 9, 2015 18:05:08 GMT -5 panzer0170 said:

Diz - matt's latest post on JTT will interest you, I'm sure. I'm thinking that your idea tied with this concept would be absolutely spot on. It's something you could have EVERYWHERE, ALL the time (Same thing that's by your bed is in your truck is on your hip is in your bag etc...) and with the right permits even in ROL you've got something that you can keep with you a high majority of the time.

I like this idea, definitely.

You talking about the 6-second mount? I can't see it in their website yet.

Here's the JTT page on it.
jerkingthetrigger.com/2015/01/09/new-products-from-alg-defense-sidewinder-muzzle-brake-and-6-second-mount/

Attachments:

[panzer0170]

I've only seen it on JTT. And yes, that is what I'm talking about. Looks like it might make a good bit of kit for a more PRO-ACTIVE carry, in a situation where a long rifle might get you shot at, but not being armed is a bad choice.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Jan 10, 2015 17:56:51 GMT -5 panzer0170 said:

I've only seen it on JTT. And yes, that is what I'm talking about. Looks like it might make a good bit of kit for a more PRO-ACTIVE carry, in a situation where a long rifle might get you shot at, but not being armed is a bad choice.

yeah, it looks promising, but i wonder when it will be for sale. Matt does a great job in staying up on the latest gear, but sometimes i wish what he posted was listed on the manufactures website. I'll forget about something if i can't bookmark it for purchase.