The USA isn't safe

An article written by Rachel Dicker over at US News and World Report caught my eye, it was titled
10 Safest Countries, Ranked by Perception:

"According to data from the 2016 Best Countries rankings- a characterizations of 60 countries based on a survey of more than 16,000 people from four regions- Denmark is perceived to be the safest country in the world."

She goes on to say:

"The United States comes in 20th on the Best Countries ranking of safe countries, perhaps because the U.S. is beset by high rates of gun deaths, as well as mass incarceration and high military spending."

Here is the "safest countries in the world"  ranked by perception. I emphasized her use of the word because this entire article is conjecture. Ms. Dicker, and US News is not using any guideline to validate her assumption, and this "perception" can be taken apart quite easily.  I have also included their populations:

       Country                  Population      

1. Denmark  -          5,690,750             
2. Sweden -             9,851,852            
3. Canada -            36,286,378
4. New Zealand -    4,565,185
5. Netherlands -    16,979,729
6. Austria -              8,569,633
7. Australia           24,309,330
8. Luxembourg -        576,243
9. Germany -        80,682,351
10. Ireland -              4,713,993 

Consider that the populations of California (37,253,956) and Texas (25,145,561) = 62,399,517, which is larger than all these countries with the exception of Germany. In fact, if you removed Germany from the equation, these two state would be among the largest on the list.

Let us look at some of the actual crime statistics of these countries compared to the U.S.: (I will note, the data that I am using ends at 2010)

Rape:                                       Amount

#6 Sweden                                 (63.5)
#11 Australia                             (28.6) 
#14 United States                     (27.3)
#16 New Zealand                      (25.8)
#21 Ireland                                (10.7)
#22 Austria                                (10.4)
#24 Germany                               (9.4)
#25 Netherlands                           (9.2)



Assault Rate:                            Amount:

#6 Sweden                                  (845.2)
#7 New Zealand                         (839.4)
#10 Canada                                 (737.5)
#12 Germany                              (619.9)
#16 Austria                                 (440.3)
#22 Netherlands                         (351.8)
#26 Luxemborg                          (296.5)
    United States                         (242.3)
#45 Ireland                                  (93.9)

Total Crimes per 1,000               Amount

#2 Sweden                                     (138.35)
#5 New Zealand                            (108.2)
#8 Denmark                                   (91.34)
#9 Netherlands                               (88.11)
#10 Canada                                    (80.25)
#11 Germany                                  (78.89)
#13 Austria                                     (68.35)
#16 Luxembourg                            (58.38)
#22 United States                          (41.29)
#40 Ireland                                     (20.67)


The point behind all these statistics is that the United States is not only safer than the majority of these countries in some categories (Total Crimes per 100,000 & Assault Rates) but if you take into account the size of most of these countries, they are not very safe at all per 1,000 residents at all. That makes a big difference when 5 of these populations are equal to or smaller than New York City (8,550,405).

Next, I have a disdain for this prevailing notion that the United States is epicenter of gun violence in the world. Despite what you have been told, gun homicides have remained steady after a sharp decline in the 90's,  yet the public is unaware according to Pew Research in October of last year.

"Between 1993 and 200, the gun homicide rate dropped by half, from 7.0 homicides to 3.8 homicides per 100,000 people. From 2009 to 2014, the most recent year data are available, the number of gun homicides has hovered around 11,000 and 12,000 per year."

continuing:

"Despite national attention on the issue of firearm violence, most Americans are unaware that gun crime is lower today than it was two decades ago. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, today 56% of Americans believe gun crimes is higher than 20 years ago."

 Why is this the case? Simple, articles such as this by Ms. Dicker. What military spending has to do with a country being perceived as safe? Is the United States Mayberry? No it is not. However, it is not deserving of the reputation as a dangerous place. The fact that is just not true:

 This decline in gun violence is part of an overall decline in violent crime. According to the FBI's data, the national rate of violent crime has decreased 49% since its apex in 1991. America has become a much less violent place. 

 Why does this bother me? What does this have to do with Emergency Management? Well perception is reality, and this perception shapes government policy. If people like Ms. Dicker continue to perpetuate the idea we are a dangerous society, the public will demand changes that are not necessary. That, in turn will take away time and resources from more pressing issues.


Good Luck and Good Hunting 

Can "See Something, Say Something" truly deter a terror attack?

One of the most trotted out phrases used after an Incident such as Orlando, San Bernadino, Boston Marathon Bombing, Chattanooga and Fort Hood is "If you see something, say something."

Michael Matza, in an article for Emergency Management.com asks the question, what does something mean? He goes on:

"Dropping a dime on someone whose words or behavior seem menacing does not necessarily prevent tragedy. According to news reports, the FBI interviewed Mateen twice since 2013, both times in response to complaints by coworkers that he had bragged about ties to radical Islam.
Those interviews proved "inconclusive," said Ronald Hopper, the agent in charge in Orlando. "So there was nothing to keep the investigation going."
Mateen's case - one among 10,000 in the FBI's routine workload - was closed.
Had the nation's top law enforcement agency missed the opportunity to intervene? Had the people who knew and worked with Mateen done enough to raise alarm about his reported fascination with ISIS and al-Qaeda?
Daniel Gilroy, a former coworker, said Mateen used slurs to refer to gays, blacks, Jews, and women, and "talked about killing people all the time." He reported Mateen's "unstable, unhinged" behavior to the security company that employed them. Now, he wonders, should he have done more?
"I feel a little guilty that I didn't fight harder," he told multiple news outlets. "If I didn't walk away and I fought, then maybe 50 people would still be alive today."


This is not the only example of suspicious behavior not being followed up properly? Are there other factors in play? Let us look at the San Bernardino attack. As the Daily Mail reported:

"Neighbors of husband and wife San Bernardino shooters 'noticed them acting suspiciously but did not report them for fear of radical profiling."

Now we come to an issue that very few people want to talk about. Political Correctness. It is a problem in our society and unfortunately has become one of the major barriers to properly securing the nation. Now the question will be asked "So you have zero respect for people's individual rights?" Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that political correctness does not equate with individual rights, in fact, more often than not, it inhibits individual rights.

Political Correctness is defined as: " a term which, in modern usage, is used to describe language, policies, or measures which are intended not to offend or disadvantage any particular group of people in a society."  

Here is the problem with the concept of Political Correctness: that is a very broad definition. Too broad. It basically encompasses all of life. With a population as diverse as the United States has, and with particular attention being paid to little action, how can a person do anything without someone considering it "offensive"? This is especially true when applying this notion to a group, such as law enforcement, who have to try and serve and protect a broad, diverse group of people within their communities.

So the question facing law enforcement, and emergency managers by extension is this, can "See Something, Say Something" be successful in a PC dominate culture? 

As highlighted by the inaction of the San Bernardino neighbors, "See Something, Say Something" in our current American culture does not and will not work. 
 
Profiling works, it does. Distressing, that tool, much like Stop and Frisk in New York, was sacrificed at the alter of political correctness, putting us all at risk. Until we as a society get back to the idea of "Sticks and Stones", these incidents will continue to happen.

Good Luck and Good Hunting

Water-What to include in your Basic Survival Kit (BSK)

Good Friday everyone,
   
    This is the first of the Basic Survival Kit (BSK) series

After 3 days you will die without water, this is an undeniable fact.

Water is one of the things that we take for granted in our society. Don't believe me? Walk into any convenience store and glance at the refrigerator. Yet despite these this, when a disaster situation occurs, many are surprised at how quickly those supplies dries up. As with many other post, please do not wait until you are told the water supply is inaccessible, by then it is too late. According to Ready.gov this is the BASIC amount of water you should have:

• One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation.
• I need to highlight sanitation- if your electricity/water have gone down, your shower/tub is down. The idea of a sponge bath makes you shutter, try not showing for three days in the middle of summer, you will find it a lot more appealing. 
• That recommendation is for a healthy adult.
• You also need to take into account your living situation, if you live in San Diego, where heat stroke isn't a real danger, this guideline works for you, However, if you live in Phoenix, AZ your going to need more, consider doubling your needs as a baseline.
• Also realize that children and elderly members of your family are going to need more water. 
• Consider 2 gallons per child. 
• For you animal lovers, one gallons should work for a 5 days:
• One fill up per morning
• You need to keep AT LEAST a three-day supply of water per person.
• Family of four should look like this:
• Father and Mother = 4 gallons per day x 3 = 12 gallons
• Three kids = 6 gallons per day x 3 = 18 gallons
• Family pets = 1 gallon for 5 days = 1 gallon

That is a total of 31 gallons of water to meet the BASIC needs of your family for 3 days. Now don't pull your hair out, let me give you some suggestions:

• The Dollar Tree has 1 gallon jugs of Crystal Geyser water for, you guessed it, $1. You can get your entire supply for under $40. 
• You local supermarket has their version of jugs of water, within a similar price point.
• You can try grabbing bottles of water, which is fine. The only problem is that they will take up more space, but water is water.
• Consider something like a reusable portable water filter with the ability to filtrate out microns.
• Also consider a LifeStraw personal water filter 

Remember this formula, 2=1 and 1=0. You can go the very basic, just consider this, what happens if your emergency goes a week?

Good Luck, Good Hunting

Orlando Shooting demonstrates yet agains government puts Politcs over Public

What happened in the Pulse nightclub was the act of a coward. Unfortunately politics have gotten in the way of facts, and now there are members of the United States government that are pushing for  a re-institution of the  the "assault weapons" ban, saying that the best to prevent people on "terror watch list" and other "suspected terrorist" from buying firearms or explosives. 

I will be covering why this is a sad excuse for politics as usual. 

1. Terrorist do not need guns to carry out an attack
2. The Orlando Shooter (whose name will not be written here) cleared multiple background checks, proving that background checks do not stop terrorism or mass shootings.

Here at The Brief, we like to focus on facts and keep emotions as far as in check as possible. What the fact is what transpired was an act of terrorism. One interesting problem the Department of Homeland Security is that there is not one "true" definition of what an act of terrorism is. For the sake of argument let us look at two examples:

Title 22 of the U.S. Code, Section 265f(d) defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usally intended to influence an audience."

This in contrast to the Federal Bureau of Investigation which states "terrorism as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

So we can see why there is such confusion when it comes to labeling an event an "act of terror". Both of these definitions do share the common there of using violence to intimate of enforce, which is what happened in Orlando.

Now in regards to the method that was perpetrated, social media has been flooded with "experts" who are lecturing their fellow countrymen about how guns need to be removed from the populous. I am sorry but that is not true. If someone has evil in their heart and has the intent to carry out a vicious act, they will and I will cite these five examples over 20 years:

Oklahoma City Bombing:

• On the morning of April 19th, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a rented moving truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. At 9:02 am the bomb located inside the truck exploded killing 168 and several hundreds more being injured.

 September 11th, 2001:

• On that fateful morning, groups of attackers boarded four domestic aircraft at three East Coast airports, and soon after takeoff they disabled the crews, and proceeded to fly these planes into the two WTC towers and the Pentagon. 3,000 people died that day. 

 July 7th, 2005:

• Three suicide bombings occurred within 50 seconds of each other on three different trains traveling through London Underground stations A fourth suicide bomb exploded within an hour on a double-decker bus. Total loss of life: 52. 

 Boston Marathon Bombing:

•  On April 15, 2013, double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three and injuring 264. 

 Jerusalem bus bombing:

• A bomb was placed on the number 12 bus in Jerusalem on April 21st, 2016. When the bomb exploded, 21 people lost their lives.

These examples show, whether a home grown violent extremist (HVE) or a foreigner with a student visa, if someone wants to perpetrate an act terror, they do not need guns to do so. 3,244 people died as a result of a terrorist attack without a shot being fired. This is why gun control will do nothing to prevent an act of terrorism. 

My second point cuts right to the heart of this push for gun control and why it will not help to reduce terrorism or mass shootings. In order to do this we need to look at the profile of the Orlando shooter:

• He was employed by the security company GS4 the world's largest global security firm, which employs more than 610,000 people in 110 countries. On the GS4 website, under qualification for the ideal canidate, you will find the following: 
• Must submit to an extensive background check, including criminal history, personal references, employment and education verification, and Department of Motor Vehicle and credit checks if applicable
• Upon acceptance of a job offer, must be able to pass the following:
• MMPI - Psychological testing, if armed or otherwise required

•  The shooter had a class G statewide firearms license is required for a Security Officers to work armed. 

To recap, this person was given 2 different background checks, was authorized to guard government buildings with firearms, and yet background checks are suppose to thwart terrorist activities? It doesn't. This latest push will not make you or I any safer. 

Now I am not advocating you go out and buy a firearm unless:

1. You feel your safety is truly threated
2. You will dedicate your time and energy to become proficient with it, buying it alone does not guarantee your safety.    

Ladies and Gentleman, it does seem to be a more dangerous time than in the past. Truth is, the only time we as a country did not have to worry about an attack from some entity was between the fall of the Soviet Union and September 11th, 2001. Government will do the best it can, but in the end the burden of responsibility to keep you and your family safe is on you. \

 * UPDATE: Rumors are circulating that the Shooter stole the identity of a Florida man and used his id to pass his background checks, I will not give full confirmation until I properly verify this information.


Good Luck and Good Hunting 

I apologize for not posting this week

I am pursing a Master's in Homeland Security from Pennsylvania State University, and as such things get a little crazy, I will make up for it this week by getting a few post up.

Thank you

Good Luck and Good Hunting

Christina Grimmie and the "Gun Violence Epidemic"

Singer Christina Grimmie, who starred in NBC's "The Voice," died early Saturday after a gunman shot her following a performance in Florida, authorities said. The gunman fatally shot himself after Grimmie's brother tackled him, according to authorities. The singer had performed at The Plaza Live theater Friday night, along with the band Before You Exit, when the shooting broke out. She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and died a few hours later.  It's unclear how the gunman got a gun into the venue or whether attendees were checked for weapons.  "We don't know if he was just a crazy fan that followed her on Twitter or on social media," Ford said. "We really don't know ... it's undetermined at this point."

Requiescat in Pace for her soul and my thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this horrible time. Unfortunately this young woman’s tragic death will be used to push an agenda that would have done nothing to stop it.

Gun Control doesn’t work.You will not hear that or read that, and yes I need to put that on the list of topics that I need to write about. Let me show you the measures that were in place to keep this young woman alive.

Despite what those who are convinced that there is a "Gun Violence Epidemic"  will tell you, you cannot take a gun anywhere. Florida has restrictions on where you could bring your legally concealed gun. The 2016 Florida Statutes under “Chapter 790– Weapons and Firearms”  states under section:

·       (12)(a) A license issued under this section does not authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a concealed weapon or firearm into:

12) Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose;

 

A quick check of The Plaza Live Theater shows two things:

1. The venue serves alcohol
2. Without proper authorization-Firearms are not allowed 

This tragic example shows that despite laws that are put in place, people with bad intentions will find a way to do terrible things. The person who committed this heinous act did not

1. Respect the laws that are in place
2. More importantly, respect the right to life

  

Laws are great, laws keep our society from descending into chaos. The problem is those whose enforce it are not everywhere all the time. One thing I will continue to say, you are responsible for keeping you and those you love safe.

Requiescat in Pace - Christina Grimmie 1994-2016

Good Luck and Good Hunting