Kind, But Dangerous

0:02Keith You are listening to the Common Sense Practical Prepper, monitored by Duct Tape, the real Duct Tape. It fixes everything except that decision. Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border, coast to coast, and all ships at sea. Here is your host, Keith.

0:21 Yeah, welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast for October the 18th, 2026. Give you a little background on why I decided to record this particular episode tonight. When I was a police officer, if you had not known that I was a cop, well, one of the giveaways would have been my high-and-tight horseshoe.

0:40 I had a high-and-tight horseshoe haircut, marine style haircut for those who aren't familiar with a high-and-tight horseshoe for gosh, probably all 26 years that I was a cop. If my hair was just a little bit longer and you had met me when I was off duty, you never would have guessed I was a police officer.

0:56 I was a completely different person. I was the kind of cop that I kept my county safe for eight, nine, 10 hours, however long the shift was. Then I went home and I literally left the uniform, the body armor, and the firearm at the door and became just a regular person, which is why I think I've been able to survive as long as I have post police officer.

1:16 I know a lot of cops that will not retire for whatever reason. That's that's up to them. But I realized about 15 years into my 26-year career that it was just a career, and that if I could do another 10 years, get to 25 years, 26 years, retire, pension, the whole nine. And so I guess the reason I bring that up is that I am only a serious person when I have to be serious.

1:42 If I don't have to be, I'm very happy-go-lucky, funny, try not to take things too seriously, try not to get too stressed. But underneath, there is a very serious person that at times with current events can be a little worried, a little concerning, not really knowing where our future is going, and that sort of thing, which is one of many reasons why I'm into preparedness.

2:08 And there were times as a police officer, and those that are retired law enforcement or active duty military law enforcement, what have you, you folks will understand that there are times when the other part of you or the other side of you has to come out, the dangerous side, the violent side, however you want to phrase it.

2:31 So I give that little caveat, that little prologue to the rest of this episode because I don't want too many people getting their knickers in a twist, really not knowing where I'm going with this. And a lot of this has to do with recent events, stuff going on in France, the shooting in Oregon, and just general lawlessness, carelessness, lack of respect for human life, human dignity that we see far, far too often.

2:59 So basically what I'm saying is this, and this will rub some people the wrong way, and it's not meant to. You hear the expression, somebody will say, well, if that ever happened to my kids, or if anybody ever put their hand on my child, I'd be the one going to jail. Somebody would have to get bail money.

3:18 And I get that. I hope all parents would have that kind of attitude. And I think most of us, not all of us, but I think most of us have that part of us kind of in the background that if we had to become dangerous, if we had to become violent for the right reasons, then we'd be able to flip that switch and be able to protect those that we love.

3:46 So when it comes to becoming dangerous, commit to learning to be dangerous, not irresponsible. Just dangerous to those who would harm you, your family, your friends, or others. I've said this before. Swift, savage, violent action wins the day. Be kind but dangerous. Be that person every day. Most people hear this and think it means two things pulling against each other.

4:22 Kind on the surface, violent underneath, but that's not what I'm trying to say. Kindness without capability is just compliance with good manners. Danger without kindness is just another predator with better branding. The rare thing, the thing that's worth talking about, is a person who can end a threat and choose not to unless they have to, who walks away from a fight not because they're afraid, but because they know they would win and they would rather not.

4:53 That choice only exists if the capability is real. Most people never build it, so the choice never shows up. Because they stay kind because they have to. Or they get loud and aggressive because they don't know what else to do, which can be dangerous. Neither of those is the same as being dangerous on purpose.

5:15 And folks listening probably know what I'm talking about when you see somebody. I'm sure in real life or make-believe the movies or TV shows, you'll see somebody walking down the street, some guy be like, man, look at that guy. I'd never want to mess with him. He may have the talent or capabilities to back it up if he was to get into a confrontation.

5:36 Maybe he's like some accountant that would never harm a fly. But you know what I'm talking about. You see a man or a woman, you're like, man, I'd never want to piss her off, or man, I don't want to make her angry. Just look at her. She looks like she could just bite your head off. And physical presence has a lot to do with that.

5:53 In my current role, I've had managers walk up to me and say, Is everything okay? Are you okay? I'm like, Yeah, why? Oh, no, no, just checking. And apparently I look mean. I don't know. I don't think I look mean, but apparently I look mean. But anyway, I digress. Being dangerous is not, it's not a personality.

6:13 It's not tactical gear or a persona that you put on for the internet. It's the guy at the gas station who notices that two men are casing the lot before anyone else does, and then he quietly moves his family to the car and then they leave. It's the woman who ends a conversation with a man who won't take no with one sentence that changes the entire evening.

6:38 It's boring, unglamorous readiness that only looks impressive in hindsight. Dangerous is a state of being prepared for the 1% so that the other 99% can live in peace. You don't get there by wanting it. You get there by doing the unsexy reps over and over when nobody is watching and nothing is happening.

7:02 Cardio that keeps you breathing when your heart rate is 180. Grappling until your body stops negotiating with your brain. Dry fire drills until the draw is a reflex, not a decision. Scenario training so your first real decision under stress is not the first time that you've ever made that decision. And I've talked about that before.

7:26 Most people train their bodies and skip their minds. The mind is where the hesitation lives. Do I act? Do I not? Becoming prepared, becoming that person, the work is very quiet, it doesn't look like much, and it also does not expire at the end of the day. The person who trains is still the person who notices things at the grocery store, who doesn't freeze when something feels wrong and can move their family out of the way without making a scene.

8:00 The training is just a foundation. The rest is just paying attention, situational awareness, paying attention every day so the foundation actually gets used. So last Thursday, October 15th, at the elementary school in Oregon, a 16-year-old former student with a shotgun made entry into the school and went into a special ed classroom.

8:25 He killed three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher named Megan Lambert. He wounded a seven-year-old and another teacher. He still had 44 rounds left. Caleb Giamanco, 36, a carpenter who was driving home from lunch, heard the shots. He saw that a red pickup truck was being shot at.

8:50 He swerved onto the sidewalk, grabbed his pistol that he legally kept in his truck, and ran inside. When he got there, a teacher had thrown her phone at the shooter and then tackled him. Caleb found them on the floor and shot the kid several times. Police arrived about three minutes later, and it was over.

9:14 Caleb is a father. His two daughters go to that school. Can you imagine? I cannot. I cannot imagine. He realizes what's happening. His daughters go there. He grabs his firearm and he goes after the suspect. Maybe one of these days he'll do a public interview. I hope he never does. I hope he never does an interview.

9:41 Because the decisions he made, the actions he took, are his and his only. He's probably been second guessed six ways to Sunday already, but I have no use for people that are second guessing that man. I can only imagine, I'm just going to pretend because I don't know. But I bet you he would have done that at any school.

10:03 Did not have to be the school that his daughters go to. But I bet you a nickel. Somewhere in the back of his head, when he when he saw what was happening, he grabbed his firearm. He probably said, You are not going to hurt my daughters. You are not going to hurt anybody in that school. And I will do whatever I can to keep that from happening.

10:26 Again, I'm just making this up because I have absolutely no idea what was going through his head. His mother read a statement that he's not seeking recognition. His brother says that he's shaken and he doesn't want to talk publicly, good for him. He did tell his mom, quote, I couldn't save them all, end quote.

10:46 And that type of guilt in those types of situations is natural. And that's the part that most people skip. The gunfight is the easy part to understand. The cost is the part that doesn't fit any headline. A man did the exact thing, and this is what this whole episode is about. And being right didn't make it free, it just made it survivable.

11:08 He didn't get to choose whether last Thursday happened. Most of the time, those seconds never arrive. When they do, the work that you've already done is the only thing that decides how that situation ends. So if I had a chance to write a letter to my younger self, I think Brad Paisley wrote a country song about that.

11:37 I would tell the younger version of myself that the world does not necessarily reward the strongest person. It rewards the people that are prepared. And I'm using prepared in the largest sense, not prepping. It rewards those who are prepared. So be the person who can walk away from a fight because you know you would win, and who chooses to walk away anyway.

12:05 That is not a weakness. That's the entire point. You walk away because you know you would win. You choose not to fight. Become that dangerous person. Don't be irresponsible. Just dangerous to the people who would harm you, your family, or others, and be that person every single day. All right, folks, thank you so much for stopping by.

12:30 Practicalprep podcast at gmail.com, prep underscore podcast on the Twitters and the new website, BuildYourArk, A-R-K.net. BuildYourArk.net. All right, folks, thanks again. I really do appreciate it. And as always, please be careful out there. Take care of one another. And until next time.

12:54Keith You've been listening to the Common Sense Practical Prepper. Subscribe, like, drop a review over and out.