News Flash

This is simply one of those things I just can't keep to myself. While it does involve a bit of “she said, she said” I still believe it’s credible and wanted to pass it along to all of you. As a forewarning, this issue may be considered disturbing by many, so you may want to wait to read this message on a blasé day.

Yesterday, (March 11, 2009) I went to get my nails done. As soon as I walked in, Heather, the gal who has done my nails for nearly three years, got a call on her cell. Seeing Heather regularly over the last couple of years has allowed me to meet and come to know her family and even friends of the family. When Heather looked who was calling, she noticed it was her daughter, then apologized to me for the delay and took the call, while she readied herself for our appointment. As I waited patiently, I could easily hear her side of the conversation.

“What?!
“When?!
“Are you SERIOUS?!
“Why isn’t this on the news here?!
“OK. Just calm down. There’s nothing we can do about it from here. I’m so sorry!
“No. It’s not even on the news here. I’ve seen no coverage of this.”

The conversation was brief, but clearly disturbing. When she got off the phone she shared the conversation with me. Keep in mind that after three years of doing business with her, Heather knows me and my firm beliefs. (After all, what else is there to do while you’re getting your nails done but talk, right?)

The Story the News is Not Telling You DOES Affect Your Life

Heather's daughter’s best friend is from Mexico, who I’ve met on several occasions at Heather’s. Part of her family is here legally in the U.S. while a great many more are in Mexico. Apparently her Mexican friend had just recently spoken with her family in Mexico. They conveyed to her some atrocious facts that have serious bearing here in the U.S. Heather’s daughter was clearly shaken up by a recent conversation she had with her Mexican friend which was relayed to Heather.

The drug cartel are attempting to take over the Mexican government…all of it. They are on the run throughout parts of the country and are intent on their design, senselessly killing Mexican citizens in their wake. Entire small cities have been completely abandoned as many have left their homes and fled in hopes to find safety from the power-crazed drug cartel. Along the path of flight from these cities are piles of decapitated bodies.

Here are some of the ramifications of these atrocities. As you know, illegal immigrants have become more flagrant in their attempts to enter our nation. With the drug cartel's actions to compel them, obviously fear will spread throughout areas of Mexico. Our borders are not prepared to handle or defend against a mass exodus of fearful Mexican citizens. If sufficient communication is conducted between the U.S. and Mexico government officials prior to a completed coup, I suspect that our nation may even intend to permit a massive flight of Mexican citizens across our borders. If that were the case, how do we differentiate between the innocent citizens trying to flee for safety, albeit illegally, and the blood-thirsty members of the drug cartel? If the cartel successfully takes over the Mexican government, what kind of international neighbor will we have on our hands? I don’t know about you, but it makes me very concerned to think we may have a tyrant for a next door neighbor who has committed Nazi-like atrocities on its own citizens.

While I was able to find one piece of news on the 11th of March about the “improving drug cartel crack down in Mexico,” the article stated that “90 percent of the killings in Mexico are drug related.” This would have you believe that only “bad guys” are being killed. Bad guys, even in Mexico, don’t get decapitated by officials, folks, and they certainly aren’t left in piles on deserted city streets. This is certainly NOT the report being conveyed by citizens of Mexico seeing it first-hand. Innocent citizens in the vicinity of the attempted coup efforts are indeed suffering heinous deaths. These violent gangs are apparently increasing in their level of–and demographic spread of—sheer violence. In Arizona, kidnappings at the hands of Mexican drug cartel members have increased significantly in the first part of this year along with the number of all-out assaults on the U.S. border. In Mexico, reports show that twice as many deaths have already occurred in the first 8 weeks of 2009, compared to the same time last year, with over 1,000 deaths reported. Some of the decapitations are reported in the cities on the U.S. / Mexican border like Tijuana and Juarez and surrounding cities. A small online newspaper reports that a note attached to a pile of decapitated bodies said, “For each one of mine you kill, I will kill 10 of your soldiers.” The beheadings were also accompanied by serious mutilation of the bodies.

Considering that Mexico has an agreement (albeit highly unconstitutional) with the U.S. government to use Mexican forces on American soil to aid in anticipated massive civil unrest and the event of the declaration of martial law, this is even more frightening in my opinion. These “aiding military” members could be corrupted officials by the drug cartel, or could be the cartel members personally.

I’m also concerned about a potential mass exodus (illegal or not) and an escalation of violence in our neighborhoods here as a result. At present, over 60% of all violent crimes are committed in the U.S. at the hands of illegal immigrants. Over 90% of all criminal shootings throughout our nation are committed with a weapon illegally imported into our nation from Mexico!

Over 90% of the cocaine in the U.S. comes from the Mexican drug cartel. 90%! This means that the drug cartel has been alive and well within our own borders for some time, and with the financial pinch they are feeling from heightened attempted crack-downs by their government—as indicated by fighting in a never-before-seen manner in Mexico—you have to believe it’s going to affect you here as well. The drug cartel is clearly becoming more desperate and brazen.

So, what is my point in telling you all of this? It is not to make you afraid. It is to make you aware and thoughtful of the consequences of the violence in Mexico and its effect within America. A crisis of significant proportions can be at our doors much sooner than you think. So here’s the question: are you ready for it? Do you have appropriate food, water, and medical supplies should your normal way of life be interrupted by chaos or other unexpected events? And most importantly—DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF? If you have martial arts training, great, but that’s simply not going to help you in a street fight or a violent domestic break in. Women especially, since they are the top of a criminal’s list of easy targets, MUST learn how to protect themselves and not rely on someone else to do so. That requires women to become familiar and skillful in the use of a firearm. Such a tool is the only appropriate equalizer against the level of violence that the Mexican drug cartel is willing to wield to get what they want. Your peace of mind and safety can no longer afford to be the result of your perceived environment. It is the result of the environment of safety you proactively create for yourself. If you have not fortified that environment with the skills and mindset that will better protect you, then you will not have the peace of mind you seek. Simply having fired a gun out in the field or on a gun range doesn’t cut it either. It’s important that you take the acquisition of such a skill just as seriously as you would a babysitter for your children. Get expert training that you can use in a real-life situation which will undoubtedly involve an emotionally climatic situation. Contrary to some common notions, preparing yourself to fight such a battle doesn’t give you nightmares; it gives you peace—peace, knowing that if the time did come for you to use such skills, you’re going to know exactly what to do and how to do it in order to protect you, your family, and, if necessary, your community.

To your peace and safety,

Kellene Bishop

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

If a violent criminal has broken in to your home…who’s his first target?

There are a handful of common reasons why women do not proactively learn how to defend themselves either physically or with a firearm. But I have found that most of these reasons can be resolved with education. In today’s article I wanted to give my fellow women some useful food for thought.

Suppose you have a competent husband. He works out. He’s fit. He’s conscious of his surroundings, and perhaps he even is familiar with the proper use of a handgun for self-defense purposes. Let’s even add to the mix that you also have a few children as well who have been taught how to safely live in an environment aware of self-defense. Thus you may have a sense that all is well.

Now, let’s suppose that the unthinkable occurs and a violent criminal has broken into your home. And we’ll even assume that you “got lucky” and your husband is home when the invasion occurs. Who do you think a strategic criminal would target first in order to get his demands met? Your husband, because he’s the strongest threat? No. That would be an incorrect assumption. The criminal would go after you, the wife and mother, first because you are perceived as being the weakest yet the greatest asset. Think about it. What would your husband do in exchange for your life? What would your children do if “Mommy” was being threatened with unspeakable violence? In this instance, your lack of skill and knowledge is actually a dangerous liability to the rest of your family.

This situation could be significantly different if you merely appeared to be the weakest and yet were able to fully protect and defend yourself and your family.

That was a married woman example. Let’s play this out in a single mom situation. The criminal may go after you as you are perceived to be the only viable threat. Or the criminal could go after your children in order to manipulate your actions. Either way, your unquestionable will to protect your children is simply not enough to save them. You must back up that will with knowledge and skill. Otherwise you will still be a liability to your children or anyone else you love and care for.

So how do you defend yourself? While there are many defensive alternatives that can be considered, consider this. A firearm operated safely and with expertise is the ultimate equalizer between a woman and her would-be attacker. If an attacker is under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or rage the proverbial karate chop is not likely to save your life and to end the altercation. You need real stopping powers against such mind and body numbing substances in order to truly bring the altercation to stop and ensure you and your family’s safety.

In today’s society where criminal activity seems to know no bounds, it’s naïve of us women to think that someone else will save us. The police can’t stop every attack from ever happening. Our husbands or significant others won’t always be there to protect us. We will not be able to ward off an intruder solely by our motherly lioness instincts. These instincts may provide us with adrenaline and determination, but unless they are backed up with applicable and practical skill such instincts may only bring us more harm.

Here’s the good news. No, you do not need to train countless hours to have this kind of expertise. And no, you do not need to shrink from your femininity in order to be capable of protecting yourself. There is a proprietary technique available that will ensure that you hit only what you’re aiming at, and to do so expeditiously before the encounter escalates to an impossible situation.

For more information, go to http://www.womenofcaliber.com/

Here’s to your safety and peace.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.