I had my first live radio interview tonight, and was on the American Voice Radio network for 2 hours this evening. I was interviewed by Michael Lehman, and the topic of the day was family preparedness.

I’ve got the show right here. Just click the player button below and listen to the entire show…

 

 Rich Fleetwood on Civil Defense, Nuclear Preparedness and Fallout Shelter: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Rich

Hi Friends,

As usual, when things are getting interesting, I get the occasional email from someone in the world of media production, journalism, or entertainment…asking for help, usually finding “volunteers” who wouldn’t mind being interviewed…in places convenient to the producer’s location…with something to do with survivalism, skills, or nuclear prepping.

I received the latest one last night, from Elisabeth

Quote:

Dear Richard,

I saw a lot of your writing online and was very interested in contacting you. I am working on a series of online documentaries for www.cbs.com and we are dealing with quite a few issues of nuclear preparedness, disaster scenarios, private military, and citizen’s armies. We are shooting some interviews in New York City about the possibility of a modern day civil war in the US…and looking for some theorists or sociologists who could talk about some hypotheticals.

I wonder, would you have any aquantences in the New York area who might be able to talk about this sort of thing?

I know it is a long shot…but I hope to hear your thoughts!

Many thanks,

Elisabeth Harris
Associate Producer
CBS News / 48 Hours
212-975-xxxx

I’ve posted this kinds of requests here before, as well as on my website, and on my blog at www.cosmicechoes.org .

Below is my response back to her this morning, after sleeping on it…

Quote:

Hi Elisabeth,

Thank you for contacting me.

In the past, I have helped journalists like yourself connect with individuals in all parts of the country regarding preparedness, survival skills, and community involvement. Regarding the topics you’ve mentioned, there are a great many folks who are quite knowledgeable of these areas.

Unfortunately, I have found that since 9/11, the Patriot Act, and somewhat lopsided news coverage of these people and their work, that most are becoming quite shy about assisting journalists, and the media in general.

I have been sharing these media requests I receive such as yours below, with close friends and contacts, and posting on my websites, my blogs, my email lists, and several forums I frequent for many years now (since 1999), and the response I get back lately is one of concern for their safety, their privacy, their ideas and ideals being misrepresented, and general concern for what the real angle of the news story is. In other words, they fear misrepresentation and downright hostility, just for wanting to help their fellow man.

Personally, after seeing this happen for years, I have decided to do something about it, and returned to college, having finished two degrees and working on a third, which just happens to be Journalism. In the work I’ve done, I believe there is still much to be learned and shared by these intelligent and caring people, but MSM just is not going to get very far with most of them. I hope to be able to tell these stories that others don’t seem to be able to get anymore, through the long term work and longevity of my SurvivalRing project.

I will be glad to forward your request below, and locations needed and contact info, to my usual outlets, and see what we can turn up for you.

As always, I would be glad to talk with you on any of the subjects and help your project if you can use me. I do have a TV and radio studio at my disposal here at my college campus (I am the radio station Operations Manager) to produce any content or on camera work you might need…just in case.

Let me know if you’d like me to move forward, and I’ll start immediately with the call to help.

Rich

To this, Ms. Harris responded with much more enlightening info, specifically regarding a TV show on CBS that many of us here find quite interesting and enjoy watching.

Read more…

Quote:

Hello Rich

Thank you for your honest answer! I understand completely where you are coming from and I don’t really think of myself as part of the news media even though I am freelancing with CBS right now. Our project is 22 episodes and almost all complete. We have spoken with experts of all sorts of backgrounds, on very controversial issues. You can see 17 of our episodes at:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/digital.php

This is not for TV and is not high enough exposure for anyone to be concerned about safety. In fact, we don’t intend to really go into conspiracy or underground groups, but rather just want to talk about the climate today vs. the climate at the time of the Civil War and how they are similar. And what kind of scenario it would take for red & blue states to separate and fight. This is all in relation to the show JERICHO which features an all out war between neighboring towns.

I hope this makes a little more sense now…we must find someone in the next few days so if you do have any thoughts of people on the east coast, near NYC, please do let me know!

Much appreciated,

Elisabeth

Personally, these web based videos are about the CLOSEST thing I’ve seen with REAL SURVIVAL information being put out by MAIN STREAM ANYONE in years.

I fully support helping in these projects, but alas, I am in the middle of Wyoming…lightyears away from the Big City.

So…again…the call goes out.

Could you or can you volunteer to help Ms. Harris at CBS, with background info and personal theories on possible future civil war (something pretty much aligned with the current story line in Jericho), in the next few days?

If you’re interesting in helping her, email me for her email address and phone number.

Rich

Another media company has contacted me requesting help in finding folks who may be interested in adventure, travel, survival, and probably a little pain and worry.

I’ve taken a look at their website below and I’ve seen many of the shows they produce appear on the Discovery Channel.

While I will suggest that anyone interested in helping this reality series possibility pursue it with caution (all kinds of things happen when you let it all out on national TV…think of Survivor Winner Richard Hatch, who’s now in prison for tax fraud regarding his winnings), if you ARE up for a challenge, an adventure, and a chance to do something very few individuals ever get to, then send them an email at the address below.

I have. And I will report any updates here.

Rich

Below is the inquiry I received, and below that is the posting they want to share in their search for what I’ll term “meat”.

Hi there,

We’re a non-fiction TV production company looking for some survivalists for a show we have in development. Would mind if I posted an ad in the SurvivalRing forums? I understand many forums have issues with SpamBots, so I thought I’d just contact you first. I’ve included the text of the ad
below.

And here is the posting I’ll be sharing on my websites and other areas….

From Ms. P (name sanitized per request)
Morningstar Entertainment
Burbank, CA
www.morningstarentertainment.com

Are you able to survive in the most dangerous places and situations? We are
currently looking for media-savvy men and women to appear in a television
series about surviving the worst the world has to offer.

If you think you might fit the bill, please email a picture and a brief
letter about what qualifies you to be our survivor to:

morningstarentertainment1@yahoo.com

Check us out on the web:
http://www.morningstarentertainment.com

No calls, please.

Every few months, some big wig in the media world knocks on my online door, asking for assistance in their quest to Market Survivalism To The World.

In nearly all cases, these “assistants” to the decision makers are looking for options, but almost always, when it comes to “Survivalism” and “Survivalists”…they are looking for that Main Stream Media version of Survivalists…you know the kind…camoflauge, guns, missing teeth, scorn of the government, etc, etc, etc.

I truly believe that FOX is looking for that flavor of individual..er, uhm…family…for TRADING SPOUSES…as the email below will show…

Give it a shot if you want. $50k is on the line for the LUCKY family selected for this “Wonderful Opportunity”.

As for me and my family…uhhh…we’re going to pass this time…yes, the money would be wonderful…but at what expense to our family and friends? Personally, I don’t think it balances out.

Ya’ll have fun!

Hello,

I am a casting associate for FOX’s hit show “Trading Spouses.” I was checking out your website and was hoping you could help me out in my search. I am looking for hardcore survivalists and their families to participate in the show which highlights the wealth of cultures and personalities from households across the country. The show requires that each family consist of at least one child between 6-18 years of age and have two parents within the home. At the end of the 7 day shoot, each family receives $50,000! If you are what we are looking for, or know another family that is, please contact me. If you have any questions regarding the show, check out the website at www.fox.com and click on the “Trading Spouses” icon.

Our deadline is approaching FAST and I would love for families to have this amazing opportunity. Thanks so much and I can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks a lot and take care,

Jason

Jason Eskin
Casting Assistant
Trading Spouses
Rocket Science Laboratories
323.802.0485
JasonE@rocketsciencelabs.com

As the Avian Influenza/H5N1A/The Bird Flu slowly creeps around the world, scientists and politicians alike worry their pretty little heads off. They’re concerned that this “modern day plague” could lead to millions of deaths worldwide in the next few years.

Preppers, doomers, survivalists, and millionaires alike are stocking up again, just like for Y2k. Prepackaged food, water, water filters, defensive weaponry, gas masks, medical supplies, and LOTS of meds like Tamiflu and herbal remedies are being yanked off shelves, while online suppliers keep running out (or scamming folks out of hard earned money by not delivering product.

Some of you may have stocked up and filled your bunker by now.

Guess what? Inquiring minds want to know. The media is knocking on MY door again, just like Y2k, and looking for preppers in THEIR neck O-the-woods.

Wanna help your fellow man? Want to dispense your ideologies and thought provoking preparedness protocals to the masses? Want to create a sensation and save the world?

Consider contacting Michelle below, in California. Her newspaper iin Stockon, about halfway between San Franscisco and Yosemite National Park (good place to be…they’ll have a head start when the Flu hits ‘Frisco’, and be hiding out in the caves and cliffs of Yosemite before sundown!)

Give her a shout, if you can help her out…

Richard,

I am a reporter writing a story for The (Stockton, Calif.) Record about pandemic flu preparedness. I am looking for a source in San Joaquin County, California – someone who is ready to be self-sufficient when the next pandemic hits. Do you know of anyone?

As with all media-types, I am working against a deadline. If you could respond at your earliest convenience, I would be most appreciative.

Thank you.

Michelle Machado
Business Reporter, The Record
(209) 943-8547 — phone
(209) 943-8504 — fax
mmachado@recordnet.com — e-mail

Interesting email day today…

Seems “urban survival” is coming back in vogue in a big way again…

First email was from John C. P. Goheen of Terranova Pictures, from the western suburbs of the big city of Denver, Colorado. He’s a television journalist who’s looking for assistance on a couple of stories….one area regarding “bomb shelters”, and the other on urban survival techniques. Here’s his email…

Hello Richard,

I am a television journalist researching a couple of stories…one on urban survival techniques and one on underground shelters (some would call bomb shelters) .

I came across your site and found it very interesting. I am interested in identifying several things. Related to the underground shelters story, I am interested in finding manufactures of this product. I would also like to locate and find someone who has a vintage 1950s era shelter that would allow me to video tape.

I am trying to find examples of things people are doing to be better prepared for the unexpected, either man made or natural. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks, John
John C. P. Goheen
Terranova Pictures

My reply to him follows…

Hi John,

Thanks for the kind words about the site. There are several companies across the US manufacturing prefab fallout shelters, including delivery and installation.

Walton McCarthy at www.bombshelters.com has been featured in many documentaries and news stories before and after 9/11. His former website was www.radius-defense.com .

A friend of mine runs www.safecastle.com , and offers three types of prefab steel shelter here…

You can read more about JC at his blog.

Author Robert Crais is a true Robert A. Heinlein fan. Read about his visit to Heinlein’s bomb shelter in Colorado Springs. Includes photographs.

http://www.illumirate.com/opinions.cfm?cat_id=425565&item_id=93250

His web page was recently updated, and I can’t find a current link to his original article. The current owner of Heinlein’s old home might be able to help you get some video footage. Not sure of the address in Colorado Springs, but someone in that town might be able to direct you there.

Regarding examples of prepping….well, I eat, live, breathe, and share the prep lifestyle for a living. Just earned a electronic media degree, finishing a web degree in May, and started an emergency and disaster management degree this summer, but I’ve live the lifestyle all my life.

I have contacts all over the nation that do the same, and most have the same goals and ideals I do. Many of my closest friends are also active and retired public safety, military, law enforcement and emergency management folks, who have dealt in some way, shape or form with disasters big and small…and helping communities respond and recover.

My background (available on my website) includes years in federal employment, defense electronics, and manufacturing, as well as a love of the outdoors, nature, and the physical world around us.

In being ready for nature and man made disaster, you have to know what the threats around you are. Studying history and events that occur locally and regionally help prepare folks for hurricane zones, tornadic activity, earthquake zones, and the like. My goal is helping others recognize these historical threats, and make plans on dealing specifically with them.

With the events of Katrina, our nation saw the decades of planning went for nought; billions of dollars of government funds to the states went to waste, fraud, and graft; hundreds of man-years of disaster education were useless; and untold numbers of real American lives were put at risk…by a nation that SHOULD have been able to respond INSTANTLY to a natural disaster that took DAYS to actually hit the New Orleans area.

What does this mean? In a true national catastrophe, it falls to the individual to develop skills to save themselves, their family, and friends in a true disaster. What is needed is a much larger program that starts at bottom up, such as the FEMA CERT program, instead of talking heads and management wonks from DC (such as Micheal Brown) who have NO background whatsoever in emergency planning, who are doing the thinking and making decisions, without truly knowing what is about to happen to real people.

My goal is to actually develop training plans, videos, and radio broadcasts that do exactly this. I’m already creating video productions aimed at young adults, and have produced a Telly Award winning set of PSAs, which you can see at www.yaaaonline.com . This is just the start. Many more folks like myself are working on this area of work, and we will be successful.

I’ll be glad to share your request for info on my email lists, and several forums. Or, if you’d like to talk to me further, my contact info is below.

Good luck in your quest, and hope I’ve been able to help some.

Rich

Got something you’d like to share with John? Email me, or hit the CONTACT form at the top of the page to send me a message.

The other email was from Howard D. Shapiro…a big time L.A. lawyer who is seeking a little assistance in regard to Les Stroud, star of the cable television show Survivorman. I’ll share more later…let’s just say Les is coming to the states to visit for now…

Well, got down here to Cheyenne this evening without incident…pretty good considering a winter storm came thru the past two days all across Wyoming, and I had to travel across a good chunk of the state.

Got the Capital building all set up with cameras, audio, and so forth hooked up to the satellite truck and tested…all a-ok for tomorrow.

Found out that of ALL the media people in the state covering the “visit” tomorrow, that only THREE of us (including me) from Wyoming Public TV are allowed in the House floor, with EVERYONE else having to sit it out and watch via closed circuit TV in the Herschner building next door.

I must say I’m a bit excited about tomorrow…although it’s going to be a VERY long day. Have to get there HOURS early for security check, do the broadcast, tear down the cameras, tripods, and cables, and move them ALL over to the other building A.S.A.P., for the afternoon broadcast of the weekly legislative update, which our station is doing every week for the next few weeks.

I’ll have my tiny Sony HC20 MiniDV camera with me and try to get some footage before and after the speech…and any I can DURING the event.

More later…

Rich
(feeling “special” since I get to hang out with some VERY powerful people tomorrow)