In a sign of the times, a woman in Detroit, Michigan was car jacked and hog tied while the thief robbed her home:

A bizarre home invasion left a Detroit woman hog-tied with duct tape and robbed of electronic equipment, jewelry, money and her sense of security.

It started when Leah Smith was unloading her Thanksgiving Day groceries.  She says a man put a gun to her face and tied her up first with jumper cables and then with duct tape as he ransacked the rooms in her Woodbridge neighborhood duplex.

During the ordeal Smith say the man told her he was sorry but had fallen on hard times and Christmas was coming and he had little kids.

At one point Smith says she thought it was over, so she worked to free herself but then the man came back.

He told her he needed help loading all her belongings into her own car.  Smith says she just wanted him to go so she helped him pack her car, watched him drive away and then ran to a neighbors house to call 911.

source: WXYZ

This incident goes to show just how desperate some people will get. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

We can certainly empathize with the man who is going through tough times – millions are going through exactly the same thing. Of course, this does not justify him carjacking, hog tying and then robbing a woman.

When there are no jobs, and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, many people will take actions that they would never have considered taking in better times.

For now, there remains a governmental safety web of unemployment benefits (for most), welfare, food stamps and Medicaid. But once those on the programs start being eliminated, or the inevitable austerity cutbacks commence, stories like the one above will become commonplace.

We can expect a rise in home invasions, robberies, kidnappings for ransom, and violent crime. This is an unavoidable side effect of a depressionary economic environment.

How can you prepare?

For one, we recommend to all our readers that you get armed. If you have a home defense weapon already, consider a conceal and carry permit. In addition to being ambushed entering your home, mall, grocery and retail store parking lots will become hot spots for thievery and assault.

For the armed amongst us, also consider taking self defense classes. For those without martial arts or fighting experience, look into programs like traditional Japanese Karate or Israeli Krav Maga.

The following videos show some basic skills that can be acquired in Krav Maga – a system of self defense originally designed in the Jewish quarter of Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in the 1930’s. Skills learned in Krav Maga, Karate or any other fighting art can save your life if you’re caught without a self defense weapon (or happen to run out of bullets).

Our family has chosen to practice traditional Shorin Ryu Karate (empty hand combat) for a number of reasons that include convenient scheduling of classes for kids and adults, comparatively low cost,  very personal instruction from a 4th degree black belt and his assistants, and the practical application of Karate skills for real-life self defense that include blocks, strikes, grappling, pressure points, pain compliance, and body conditioning. We highly recommend that you consider similar training for both, adults and children in your family.

Here are some excellent videos from Krav Maga practitioners that are worth watching as they will show you just how easy (once properly trained) it is to defend yourself in situations that happen to regular people everyday.

Krav Maga Gun Defense:

Krav Maga Car Jacking Defense:

Krav Maga Edge Weapons Techniques:

Hat tip Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition