Duty To Protect

On June 21, 2021 Johnny Hurley found himself in a dicey situation. Fortunately, Hurley had prepared for just such a scenario. And while others were fleeing or hiding, Hurley acted heroically.

Multiple armed neighbors assist shot man during gunfight in Reno, NV; UPS driver Brian Walters saves drowned girl in Soup Lake, WA; restaurant-goer tends to gunshot victim in Orlando, FL — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

What do you do when your neighbor does not, by default, exude civility? I was confronted with this situation when living in Manchester, New Hampshire when a man thought it appropriate to blast his vehicle stereo for the whole neighborhood to hear. I engaged him in conversation with an aim to achieve an understanding. While that did not immediately happen, the goodwill undergirding my perspective did ultimately find resonance, and we were both better off for the relationship.

Each of us can be a hero.
https://DutyToProtect.net

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Armed customers step-up to thwart robber in Georgia, John Gelinne and son rescue downed pilot Steve Couchman in Maryland, man saves children from burning home in Michigan — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

Each of us can be a hero.

Being targeted by one aggressor is unpleasant enough. Facing many aggressors, who have preyed on many people for years without pushback, is another beast altogether. It was due to this second scenario, where systemic double-standards were the norm, that The Deacons for Defense and Justice emerged. A group of individuals who had enough, and who came together to protect each other and their community. The Deacons, as an organization, existed for a relatively short period of time, but their impact was enormous and lasting. Joining us this week is Dr. Lance Hill, the foremost scholar on the subject, who shares his insight.

Jay Withey acts to save two dozen caught in Buffalo blizzard, Shontakbaev Sabit saves toddler from falling death in Kazakhstan, and unidentified man stops attempting kidnapping near Memphis — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

The Guardian Angels emerged as a reaction to the rampant crime in New York City, especially on the subways. Led by Curtis Sliwa, the Angels sought to deter crime, and if needed, to intervene to protect their fellow New Yorkers. Though they were initially met with the ire of existing power structures, the public was quick to support the Angels, and for good reason. In this episode a zoomed-out history of the Guardian Angels is given, with the aim to give them props and to encourage you to be ready to step-up and do what’s right.

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An armed employee stops further bloodshed at Amazon facility in Arizona, a woman valiantly fends off armed car-jackers in Nevada, and neighbors step-up to thwart an assault in New Jersey — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

first story / Chandler, AZ / Unidentified Amazon Employee Stops Gunman Jacob Murphy

Do you know vonu? It’s a radical self-liberation strategy based on (an admittedly awkward) contraction of the phrase, VOluntary Not vUlnerable that was first outlined in the 1960s by Rayo (aka Tom Marshall). Our guest this week — Shane Radliff — has done more than anyone alive to proliferate vonuism — a paradigm, and a lifestyle, that’s arguably even more timely in our age, due to the onslaught of technocracy.

As you’ll hear from Shane, vonuists are not content to merely discuss and theorize, but are hyper-focused on living freedom in the here and now. Indeed, as Rayo penned in 1969, “I suggest that liberation is possible only on the individual level and only by changing attitudes and living-patterns together…it is to integrate intellect with reality — to follow thought with action.”

To do this, an emphasis is put not on hinging ones hope in a mass movement, but in action — in taking thoughtful steps to extricate oneself from the mainstream, coercion-based society, in favor of the second realm. What’s the “second realm”? In this episode Shane unpacks that and other useful concepts, outlines the importance of financial freedom, touches on digital privacy, and makes clear a preference for use of accuracy in language rather than word sophistry.

The best coercive encounter is the one that can be avoided altogether. Vonu provides concepts and tools that can help you thoughtfully mitigate coercive encounters, thus increasing your level of protection. If you want to investigate further, check out the resources below.

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Teenager Dalin Wilkinson frees father in Oakdale, CA, Kevin Holland’s superhero tendencies in Texas, and an armed driver in Chicago thwarts a roving crew of robbers — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

first story / Chicago, IL / Roving Robbers Stopped by Armed Man

In this episode we take our deepest dive yet into practical emergency medical care thanks to the input of Alu Axelman. Alu’s competency and teaching ability is evident — you’ll likely gain a better grasp on scenarios you may encounter and may feel motivated to do more research and training to become better-prepared. In addition to the medical skills and tools discussed, Alu also weighs-in on his long-held realization that he — not a collective — is responsible for his actions, and thus by extension, why he advocates firearm proficiency for self-protection. Because, as Alu notes, “I am my own first responder”.

Alu and his family live in New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. When Alu isn’t working professionally as a critical care and flight certified paramedic, he can be found writing articles at The Liberty Block, authoring books, speaking at events, advocating for political decentralization via peaceful means, and improving his physical capabilities.

Connect with Alu: 

In Chicago Idriz Redzovic detains aggressor, in Utah Kristin Fowles looks out for neighbor, in Buffalo Reynaldo Beckford stops gunman — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.


Our guest this week is Lee Morrison. He is a dangerous gentleman in the true sense. His life experiences and drive have culminated in a dynamic method of self-protection called Urban Combatives. While this obviously includes physical components (which are damn effective), as Lee expounds, the even more important aspect — and one that is often overlooked by other “self-defense” practitioners — is ones mindset.

The paradigm Lee puts-forth is holistic. It stresses the importance of language, of looking inward, of understanding the impact of adrenal stress, and the preference to prevent a physical exchange in the first place, through street smarts, communication, and escape. But, if that’s not possible, being able to identify pre-fight cues and possessing the gross motor skills to unleash — blitzkrieg-style — to protect yourself, those you love, or a stranger.

With a run-time of about an hour and a half, this is the longest Duty To Protect episode to date, and that’s great — Lee imparts much wisdom and thought-provoking insight.

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In Missouri YoVan Young shield woman and returns fire, in Georgie Kelcey Willis rescues child from aggressor, in Pennsylvania Kenneth Vineyard saves stranger then his life is tragically taken — details on these and other instances of individuals who acted heroically in this installment of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

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Our guest this week is Jason Bassler, co-founder of The Free Thought Project and founder of Police The Police. A self-described activist, anarchist, and abolitionist, he is thoughtful and eloquent. His strike-the-root message is not just accessible it is empowering.

In this conversation Jason delves first into the omnipresent conditioning to which most of us have been subjected — during formative years by parents or guardians, when in government schools, and via the legacy media and other power centers. Not content with that statist quo, with seeing people around him being manipulated, he next focuses on solutions. Jason encourages the listener to become the change they want to see in the world — a critical, transformative moment that begins by admitting that something isn’t right, and then putting in the work: unlearning misinformation and collectivist-oriented programming, looking inward, and being mindful in each moment.

This conversation fits squarely within the foundational step of Duty To Protect — Prepare. Jason’s emphasis on self-education, on listening to ones own intuition, and on thinking critically are key. They engender self-ownership and position one to be able to help others seeking to break free from their own mental prison.

This is a powerful conversation. As is advised in the intro, you may want to give it a second listen to capture all the wisdom.

Connect with Jason Bassler 

A woman deters NYC subway stabber with pepper spray, a father defends family and other party-goers in Surprise, Arizona, an aggressor is shut-down by Power Rangers in Oakland, California — details on these and other instances of individuals who saw something amiss and chose to step-up to make the situation better in this batch of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

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Police have no duty to protect you, the individual. We review court cases that have reached this conclusion and discuss how you, now aware of this fact, may choose to act upon it — opting to be more responsible for your own protection.

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A man in Georgia heroically frees a family from a vehicle moments before it gets struck by a train, a teenager in New York makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his sister, an anonymous neighbor in Michigan stops a violent killer — details on these and other instances of individuals who saw something amiss and chose to step-up to make the situation better in this batch of Good Samaritan Stories. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have.

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If you love something you'll protect it. In this episode we present a bit of the basics of physical protection, largely inspired by the practical, effective input of Lee Morrison and Urban Combatives. If you face a violent threat and cannot escape, or are coming to the aid of another person what do you do? Use this down time to think through and train for such scenarios — to mentally prepare yourself to switch "on" if and when needed, and to have a few strikes you can employ at a level of unconscious competence.

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In Kentucky a teenager aids a stranger who had been shot, in Massachusetts a neighbor rescues children from a burning building, in Australia a woman resuscitates a drowned child using CPR. Details on these stories and other instances of individuals who see something amiss and choose to step-up and make the situation better in this batch of Good Samaritan Stories. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have when they choose to act.

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Soft skills like non-verbal communication and verbal judo can go a long way to de-escalate a tense situation. Add to the mix nonviolent communication and you will be even better prepared to mitigate violence and restore harmony. Nonviolent Communication relies on acting consciously, by making an objective observation and then stating an emotion, a need, and a request. It seeks not to be adversarial but relies on compassion and authenticity.

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In Hawaii a restaurant host helps free a kidnapped teenager, in California a passing motorist stops and pulls an injured driver from burning vehicle, in Colorado a girl summons help for her injured mom. These stories and more in this batch of Good Samaritan Stories. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have when they choose to act.

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Dan shares insight on critical thinking and the trivium method to help you exercise intellectual self-defense and live the life that has meaning to you. Dan worked at the Library of Congress which instilled in him the importance of relying on primary sources and is autodidactic and thoughtful by nature. This conversation covers a lot of ground so buckle up and enjoy!

Neighbors in New Jersey capture would-be mugger, a teenager in Turkey saves toddler, a UPS driver in Minnesota pulls youth from burning vehicle. Details on these stories and more examples of individuals stepping-up to aid their fellow human. Call them protectors. Call them good samaritans. They inspire and demonstrate the positive impact that one person can have when they choose to act.

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We each have the capacity to act heroically. In this inaugural episode we speak to that statement and how this projects aims to help individuals develop the mindset and skills to protect themselves and others through three steps: Prepare, Peacekeep, and Protect.

Topics covered include:

• what "Duty To Protect" means
• the three areas of focus: Prepare, Peacekeep, Protect
• my own background
• content areas: interviews, recaps, your stories, text
• onward in our journey to become more competent and capable