OPSEC In Your Daily Life

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Yard Dart, Apr 5, 2017.


  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Meet ‘The Most Armed Man In America’ And His Insane Arsenal
    [​IMG]

    The video starts innocuously enough. A bearded gentleman waddles into a room covered floor-to-ceiling with guns and ammo belts and introduces himself. “I’m the Dragon Man, from Dragon Land,” he says, with a slight New York accent, his arms sleeved in tattoos, “and today we’re going to explain why they call me The Most Armed Man In America.”

    What follows is a tour through an arsenal that’ll make your jaw drop: 3,000 working firearms, 88 military-grade vehicles, and hundreds upon hundreds of mannequins festooned in military uniforms.

    “Everything works. Nothing’s fake,” the Dragon Man says. “Because this is a private collection, not a government museum, everything can work.”

    The Dragon Man was once Mel Bernstein, a wimpy Jewish boy who used to get his ass beat on the streets of Brooklyn. But after a brief stint working on weaponry for the Army at Fort Bliss during the Vietnam War, Bernstein opened a motorcycle repair shop in Long Island, where he earned the name “Dragon Man” for “pop[ping] wheelies on the Harley that he fashioned with a fire-breathing dragon head,” as the Colorado Springs Gazette reported in a lengthy 2017 profile.
    In 1982, Bernstein and his wife Terry Flanell moved to El Paso County, Colorado, where Bernstein set to work on his massive collection of firearms and military vehicles. For the last 30 years, he’s owned and operated “Dragon Land,” the sprawling 260-acre shooting range and military gallery, overflowing with high-powered weaponry (he has a Class III federal firearms license) and military memorabilia from World War I through Vietnam.



    Among the most impressive items in his collection: a 65,000-square-foot military museum with rooms for every country that’s gone to war with the U.S. between World War I and Afghanistan; more than 150 M-1 Garands’ six “brand new” 1000-pound bombs; a baker’s dozen of .50-caliber machine guns; 48 swords (including a Japanese “suicide sword”); and his infamous motorcycle, now equipped with two Colt 9mm submachine guns. Oh, and a 40-ton Russian tank:

    [​IMG]

    Now 71, Bernstein now operates Dragon Land alone: In 2012, Flanell was killed in a freak accident after being struck by two smoke bombs, moving at 150 mph, that were part of the special effects for a reality TV show on the Discovery Channel. “I’ve been running this rifle range for 30 years and no one’s got hurt, because it is very safe here,” Bernstein told ABC News at the time. “Out of eight days of filming, it happened in the last 30 seconds, the last frame. And it happened to my wife.”

    So what does the Dragon Man do during the day? “I have weapons so big I can’t even shoot them here,” he jokes in the video. “I’m going to have to wait until something big happens in town.”
    Meet ‘The Most Armed Man In America’ And His Insane Arsenal



    I am not trying to disparage Mr. Mel Bernstein.... just using this article as an example. I for one am deeply jealous of his arsenal....wish I could say the same as far as his most excellent collection.

    On topic though, the question I have for each Monkey is, what are you showing and telling daily.... are you minding your personal OPSEC or are you telling your neighbors, work mates and friends too much? Do the folks at work and down the street know that you have 3,000 firearms like Mel Bernstein or the six months of food, 100 gallons of water and weap's and ammo to arm the "hood"?!

    We work very hard to make sure we are standing, when others are taken down by local, national or environmental issues.... do you give away your strategic position and preparedness level to others, that may not be so ready and prepared for what may come?

    I for one, had a recent event happen with an employee that was terminated for cause.... I was going through his WORK laptop and within it, I found a host of pictures and other things that he was sharing with lots of folks.... in this case (he had his Facebook account on a shortcut with no password protection)..... he was a starting prepper.... maybe my fault for planting seeds without him asking questions, but who knows. I found weapons pics, and shots of various stores of goods and such... that he was sharing on the web. Since he was released on Monday, I have been bombarded on my work PC with spam from his mirrored email pointing to my account..... all related to his "hobby". He knew I had a "hobby" but I never shared much more than a sneak peak at a tool or two.

    Have you sat back and evaluated what you put out for others to consume. Does your neighbor "Bob" really need to know you have 8 cases of MRE's.... because you stack them in the open garage for him to look at every day. When you go to the range, do you brag about how may firearms you are stocking and the amount of ammo filling your "bunker". Are you using a fake email for your online activity that can be dumped without affecting "your" real life.. and not your work or primary personal one?! When the service guy comes out to fix an electrical issue, do you have to move the 20 ammo cans so he can get to the receptacle that shorted (one of my electricians found this exact issue a couple weeks back on a call out).

    As a summary, this is just food for thought.... tighten it up if any of the above applies.... unless you like to leave it hanging in the wind for someone to rip off.
    YD

    Thought's?!
     
    arleigh, Dunerunner, Ganado and 11 others like this.
  2. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Well, first of all, I agree with you 100%.
    Second, the Dragonman is VERY cool, and once he gets to know you a bit will talk and talk. Used to take my nephews to his paintball range often when I lived in Colorado. Been shooting at his range many times and rented quite a few of his weapons.

    Not saying it's a good thing but I disclose more on here than I ever do anywhere else. Around home I'm just a good 'ol boy who can fix stuff and likes to shoot his guns out back every so often. Most of our family have no idea what we have or that we prep.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2017
    Dunerunner, Ganado, Brokor and 4 others like this.
  3. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    When I was early to the forum, I emailed a long-standing member in the process of something we were working on. His first comment back was "dude, your email shows your real name...change it" and I did. Nobody had ever given me that lesson... and I was grateful for the notice. ;)
     
  4. duane

    duane Monkey+++

    OPSEC is funny, always remember that old saying that no two people in the US are more than about 6 contacts apart. Once you tell someone anything about your preps you have no idea who they are going to tell and you can't get the information back . I live in NH, talk weekly with family in MN, FL. TN, KS, and CA. Then I am on the net and only God knows where people are watching or what their intent is. Given that I purchase from the net, including some from ads here and other blogs, buy from out of state suppliers, etc, I have very little hope of flying below the radar and just hope that they will be after much bigger fish. Can't hope to be a grey man, but do think it is better to hide like a quail than look like a peacock.
     
  5. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    I have nothing.
    Work full time as a millwright electrician, the cars and house are paid off. And I have a really bad cocane, liquor and hooker addittion.
    That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
     
  6. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    And how many ABC agency's do we have on here at any given time taking notes?
    Btw fuds, Put a passion mark on my ???
     
  7. medicineman

    medicineman Survival Guru

    At my age, and health, I have somewhat abandoned the OPSEC that I used when I was younger and active with various "Patriot" groups.
    Nowadays I mostly promote Survivalism to others and try to relate my personal experiences to the upcoming who need it.
    I also have a BOL where most of my gear and supplies reside.

    "OPSEC" tends to be an overworked ideal sometimes.
    We are not the CIA, Nor are we a "Terror Cell" trying to avoid a visit from a laser guided bomb.
    Maybe "BOB" doesn't need to know everything, but you might open a discussion if he does "see something".
    And it might lead to Ol' Bobby becomingless ofa problem later on.

    I am probably in the minority with my opinion. That's okay.
     
  8. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I suspect that you are in the minority in your opinion....most do just want to keep their stuff quiet. I promote independence, survival, preparedness often to listening ears... but I do not promote to those that I do not trust, nor do I look for ones to listen or try to garner benefit from such knowledge.... financial or otherwise.

    The thread is more about personal protection of your activities... not about "promoting" a better way to be prepared for what may come. As I said before, if you want to let your level of preparedness hang out there for all to see....cool by me... you are not my neighbor. ;)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2017
  9. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    OpSec is a personal thing... I do NOT need to do much, because of where I live, and what I do... now that I an reTIRED... When I was A FED, OpSec was very High, on my Radar, as well as my families.... All my Children take, what they feel is, appropriate precautions, for themselves... I have ALWAYS taught those that ASK, about Preping, an d the lifestyle, but I do NOT go out of my way, to proselytize my beliefs... If someone wants to know, or gain, information from my Knowledge Base, or SkillSets, all they have to do is ASK, otherwise, I am just another Dude, that lives out here...
     
  10. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    When I first started this journey, It was a long, hard, and awfully lonely journey for me, I didn't share any thing with any one, I never purchased any thing unless it was F.T.F. and in CASH, I never bought any thing in large amounts, and I never did any thing online related to any thing prepping. that all changed when I realized that even the OPSEC I was doing, people still talk, and people started asking questions. Now days I am more open about what I am doing, and I find most people to be helpful. This tells me that what I thought of as fringe was more common then I ever thought. I still practice OPSEC, but I realize that I can only do so much, and if it complicates things too much, I drop it a notch or too. Now, about that M-41 A3! Whoops, let that one slip! LOL
     
  11. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    Nobody knows anything about my preps except for a very short list of people I'd have on my team. Those that do don't know everything, just the part that relates to their possible role along with perhaps an old backup rifle I might have you can use if needed.
     
  12. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    I am from a small town where everyone knows me and back in my younger days some of the stuff I did when you could beat a man ass when he needed it helps me out now and other people story's are a lot better than the truth and that helps to and the fact I am always out in the yard shooting my bows slingshots throwing knives or Hawks shooting blow guns or atlatl makes people stay away
     
  13. Tevin

    Tevin Monkey+++

    I reveal very little about myself on line that can be traced back to me specifically. No one here or on any forum even knows what state I live in. I don't disclose my marital status, where I work, children, or even pets. You can go back and read every single post i've ever made and you'll never find this information.

    My ham radio blog does not mention my callsign anywhere, and my profile on qrz.com does not mention my blog to avoid cross-contamination.

    I will say my real name actually is Tevin, but if anyone googled Tevin and my last name they would be sent way off course. Trust me, I've tried it. The name is not as unusual as you would think and it helps that Tevin Cambpell, a 90s-era R&B singer, and Tevin Coleman, a college football star, take up the first several pages of search engine hits.

    The neighbors don't know I'm armed. I live low key and non-descrpt. I don't drive a flashy car or call attention to myself. I'm not active on social media. Even my family and close friends do not know the full extent of my preps.

    No one can be 100% in the dark but I think I do as good a job as one can in these times.
     
  14. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    And in today's society, that is the best you can do if you are involved on the web whatsoever.... with .gov monitoring as it is... nothing you post... anywhere.... is private. If you think so, you are smarter technologically or dumber than most here...... as an FYI
     
  15. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    Even if you are using properly configured TAILS every time we unwittingly give away more information than we realize even if we think we are being careful. Whatever safeguards we think we have in terms of privacy are just a veneer. Look at the recent revelations of Susan Rice exploiting the ability to eavesdrop on foreign agents without a warrant IF the names of US citizens are redacted. Except they really aren't except when forced to share the info in a public forum.

    Remember a year or so ago when a troll pieced together the location of one of our members based on a collection of seemingly innocuous and unrelated information that summed to his home and the lake he lives by? The professionals know each and every one of us on any forum that believes in small government, personal freedom,and adherence to the US Constitution.
     
    Mountainman, Dunerunner, GOG and 6 others like this.
  16. duane

    duane Monkey+++

    One of the major reasons that I joined and am somewhat active in this group is its live and let live attitude and its relaxed attitude towards things for the most part. I am 79, don't live at a 1,000 acre off grid ranch in Utah, believe in God, like firearms and the old ways and love hearing others views of the things I enjoy. It may not be the best of OPSEC, but I like hearing about someone else thoughts on reloading, or ham radio or the Geneva bible, or politics, or greenhouses, and am not willing to throw the baby out with the bath water in the name of security. Can a troll or the government or Yahoo figure out who I am or where I live. I take for granted that they already know. Was reminded of that when I bought parts to fix the brakes on my car. It has been 60,000 miles and 3 years since I last did them, went into the auto parts place I always use, have an account, get 15 % off, etc, and he takes down the information on car and goes back and picks up pucks and discs and goes to check me out. The computer reminds him that my car has a special package and that I don't use the standard, I need the oversized ones instead. Had military security and worked on missiles while going to college and had a file pages long for that. I don't really know how to handle OPSEC, don't want to pin a target on my back, but don't intend to move to another state and assume a false identity etc either. I am an old dog and just trying to live out the rest of my life in comfort and have hopes of doing that even if the gimmies and idiots screw thing up on a massive scale. At my age I need to be at peace with God and have all the friends I can get.
     
  17. Tevin

    Tevin Monkey+++

    One thing to remember that before anyone will eavesdrop on you, you first have to be saying something worth hearing.

    Yes, the government has the capability to poke into our lives, but why would they care? And what would they find? I speak only for myself, but there are way more interesting people than me out there.

    Of much more import is the nosey neighbor or the pissed off ex or a disgruntled ex coworker/employee. Unless you: A) Were foolish enough to splatter your life all over the internet, B) were involved with something that made the news media, or C) gave too much personal information to untrustworthy people (see also A), then there isn't much these people can do to "get" you.

    A guy I only loosely know is being hounded on line. The problem is, the person hounding him is releasing unpleasant facts about his professional qualifications that can be easily proven with a simple google search. In a way, this guy had it coming.

    Anyway, the "victim," if that's what he can be called, is claiming to be a cybersecurity expert, he can trace anyone, no one can beat him, blah, blah, blah. Funny though....he's never caught his tormenter even though this has been going on for years.

    The moral of the story: It does not take a super-spy or cyber wizard to make your life miserable. The more you shoot your mouth off, the more ammo you give to the enemy.

    But in this clown's case, I am kind of enjoying watching him squirm and avoid explaining himself.
     
  18. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    My opsec is so good, that a goodly number of folk actually believe that I'm Australian!
     
  19. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    I thought you were on a mission so you could become a church Elder...
     
  20. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    Tennessee
     
  1. Brokor
  2. Coyote Ridge
  3. Yard Dart
  4. Yard Dart
  5. fl4848
  6. Motomom34
  7. DKR
  8. Motomom34
  9. Yard Dart
  10. Yard Dart
  11. Yard Dart
  12. Coyote Ridge
  13. Motomom34
  14. Meat
  15. Meat
  16. 3M-TA3
  17. Yard Dart
  18. hot diggity
  19. Illini Warrior
survivalmonkey SSL seal        survivalmonkey.com warrant canary
17282WuJHksJ9798f34razfKbPATqTq9E7