Odds ‘n Sods:

No great surprise: Defense Security Service – Succession Petition Signors – Security Clearance Impact. Note that: “This issue is under review.” (Thanks to F.T. for the link.)

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Ratmageddon: 180 Million Rats Face 22 Tons of Poison on Galapagos

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Reader Rick H. sent a reminder that the 505-page 15th Anniversary Edition of the AVOW Preparedness Manual is now available for free download.

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Reader Kevin S. mentioned Aircraft Spruce–a company familiar to most private plane owners and FBOs, but of interest to preppers. They even sell carbon fiber material.

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Steve H. found a nice homemade trekking or bug out pull cart. (Skip forward to 1:40 to avoid the annoying intro voice-over.) BTW, every well-equipped ranch workshop should have a proper aluminum conduit tubing bender. (Or better yet, build your own.)



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Ask yourself, why do I hold some of my wealth in the form of money? The answer is, because you like the unique flexibility that only money can give you. If you have demand for money, it means that you have demand for purchasing power in the form of money. It is not a specific number of paper notes or weight of gold that you desire to hold – neither, by itself, does anything for you – but it is the spending flexibility that the monetary asset gives you, its exchange value, that you demand.
From this, some powerful conclusions already follow. A growing economy does not need a growing supply of money. If people have more demand for money, they sell non-money goods (or reduce their money-spending on non-money goods) and accumulate money balances. In the process, the ‘price’ of money (its exchange value) goes up. The same physical quantity of money now gives everybody more spending flexibility. This process – a natural market process – has satisfied the rising money demand automatically.” – Austrian School Economist Detlev Schlichter, as quoted in The Daily Bell.



Notes from JWR:

Here in the States, today is set aside as a special day to thank God for his blessings upon us.

Today is also the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born, 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He is well-known to the shooting fraternity as the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, and Stoner 63. (The AR-15 was the basis of the M16 and all of its variants including the now ubiquitous M4 Carbine.)

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



The Family Cow, by Faith S.

How can a family cow be an ideal addition to your food storage and survival plan? We started our self-reliance plan with gardening.  Then we planted a few fruits and added chickens.   One day we realized that if we had a cow, we could truly be self-sufficient with our food supply.    We now raise family sized milk cows with grazing genetics in Virginia.  This article should persuade SurvivalBlog readers who own two or more acres, of the wisdom of owning a family cow. It should also answer questions we frequently hear.

Why a Cow?
Owning a cow produces milk, cream (butter, crème fraiche, sour cream, cream cheese), hundreds of cheeses, buttermilk, yogurt (which you can keep going for years), ice cream, meat (the bull calves), and manure for the garden and fields.  Raw grass-fed milk is 500% higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is has health benefits for the heart, joints, and a myriad of other things.  Raw milk has natural probiotics and enzymes to help you digest all the goodness in the milk.  In fact, we learned that 90% of people who think they are dairy intolerant, are just reacting to the processing.  We used to think that three in our family were allergic to milk but found out that they can all drink raw milk and have no reactions whatsoever.

Raw milk is probably one of the most nutritious foods on the planet and has all the amino acids.  According to history, the famous Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan would ride a mare and take a mare into the rugged winter mountains and live on raw mare’s milk for weeks at a time during his battle forays.   One could survive quite a long time on raw milk.  I know people who have done raw milk fasts for weeks at a time and their health thrived.

How to Purchase a Family Milk Cow? 

One can choose to purchase a calf or a mature cow.  There are advantages to both and some of it may come down to personal preference and/or budget. 
It will be less expensive to start with a weanling.  If one starts with a calf that has been “bottle” fed (as long as the calf has been fed with the bottle in a bottle holder the calf should not become too pushy.  Otherwise, they tend to butt you as they would their mom.  That is not “cute” when they get bigger.  Make sure the calf has been raised on real milk for four months.  This insures that the rumen will properly develop so they can digest forages as an adult and not need to have much grain, especially if you get what we call grazing genetics, which I will explain later.  It also sets the cow up for a healthier immune system for life. 

If you purchase a weanling, we suggest halter breaking and leading it while young.  Also, touch her all over.  Touch her on her belly, legs, udder, etc.  Make her move her leg back like you would if you were going to sit down and milk her.  Give her a voice command.  I say, “Move your leg back”.  Once your calf has bonded to you, it takes much less time to maintain that familiarity.  If your calf gets too pushy, correct them as mama would.   A smack to the nose, which is tender, and a sharp, “no!” usually works.  Eventually they learn what “no” means.

You could also purchase a mature cow but be forewarned that unless they are hand-milking already, you may need lots of determination  and patience to train them.  Mentoring would be useful too.  Sometimes a cow takes to milking almost right away once they get over their fear of people but it can take a good bit of patience if they were not what we call “gentled” as a calf.  The obvious advantage of an adult is that you can enjoy your milk and other dairy products right away.  Usually a neighbor or friend will donate money toward the care and upkeep of the cow to help pay for her, and take the extra milk if you have extra.

If the SHTF you can always breed her to a bull of any kind in the neighborhood but a cow will also keep lactating for years.  You just will not get the peak production that a freshening brings on.  However, you can live pretty well on 2 gallons a day, which is what the average Jersey should maintain with decent grazing and no grain.  Especially after the second and even third lactation which get subsequently more productive.

Size?   
Size is one thing to consider.  You could purchase a miniature cow such as Dexter.   I personally have not been impressed with them but do your own research.  If you purchase a Dexter, make sure they come from milking breeding lines, as many Dexter’s are not milked and being bred for production.   You could purchase a mini Hereford that will not give as much milk but as any beef breed, can be milked.  Our favorite cow is the Jersey whether mini or full-sized.  The minis as a rule do not give as much milk and to be honest, there is always some way to use extra milk.  I will cover that later.  However, mini’s work well for some situations such as smaller acreage, family size, and are sometimes not as intimidating to new hobby farmers.  Minis will cost more as a rule.  All Jerseys whether mini or standard have wonderful cream so we skim off ½ of the cream to use for our ice cream and butter and we still have great tasting milk.  To me the most important factor to consider as far as intimidation goes is whether the cow was gentled (not spoiled) as a calf and whether it trusts and is bonded to people.

I prefer a full sized Jersey with the old-fashioned genetics and size.  The smaller, efficient size that Jerseys used to be a few decades ago.  Unfortunately, they are breeding the American Jerseys larger in later years and American Jerseys as a rule have many health challenges.  We have been fortunate enough to work with a couple of organic farmers that have preserved the old style Jersey.  You could also cross a Jersey with a beef breed such as Terrantaise (a French dual-purpose breed that has very rich milk) or Hereford to get the grazing genetics and better health genetics.  Make sure the baby is dam raised or raised on real milk four months to develop the rumen properly.  This will set up the immune system for life and help her to be an efficient grazer and not need large amounts of grain if any.

How Do I Care For a Family Milk Cow?  

In our post industrial revolution confinement operation farms where all the food is made and brought to the animals, most people no longer realize that in much of the U.S. animals can be pastured all year.   It helps if one learns the basics of rotational grazing and what is called stockpiling in order to accomplish this.  There is no need to stock mounds of hay in the barn except for drought or very deep snow where the cow can’t paw down to the stockpiled grass.    I also use a nice flake of green tender hay during milking time but if it could not be purchased, it would not be essential.  Rotational grazing also in effect doubles your acreage as it creates healthier forage.  The cow cannot just take what she likes and leave the rest.  This will kill off certain plants and allow weeds to thrive.  With rotational grazing you can reduce weeds dramatically and allow seeds that can lie dormant for many decades to grow such as legumes like red and white clover for example.  When you create the right environment, you will find that you have more variety and healthier forage.  This variety gives the cows a smorgasbord of nutrients necessary to go without grain. 

When we started to use rotational grazing, we could not believe the difference in the quality and variety of our forage.  We do spot spray the thistles but have been able to control all other weeds with rotational grazing.  Also, in our case since we have growing calves and lactating cows, we keep ours pasture shorter than many beef herds will so we like to mow it on the high setting after they graze an aisle to keep the tender lush forages coming.  In a TEOTWAWKI situation, this would not be necessary or even for a small hobby farmer.

We have split our field up into aisles.  There is a corridor all the way across the front of the field that every other aisle has access to and it contains the water trough.  We work on one aisle at a time.  Each aisle has a gate handle at the front end.  We open the gate to the aisle we are working on.  Then we use three or four step-in posts (you can push them in the dirt with your foot and pull them out by hand, no pounding needed) for the single [electric] wire that we move.  (You would use more if your aisle is wider.) Every day, we move the wire to give enough grazing for the number of animals we have in that field.  You will get a feel for that as you move them each day.  Don’t worry, they will let you know by bawling if they are hungry.  During some times of the year, you will have to move the dividing line faster or slower.  We use one line of the poly wire with several small strands of wire running through it.  This is easy to work with and if it breaks, you can tie it in a knot to connect it.  Knots do not affect the electrical current at all.  On our cross line that determines the amount of grazing for that day, we use an alligator clip with rubber protector (purchased at local hardware) to hook onto the main aisle wires on both sides.  This makes the dividing wire hot.  Our aisles are all done with the cheap fiberglass posts from the farm store that have to be pounded in except the corner stakes should be T-posts, which are sturdier and will shore up the whole set up and you will have less frustration operating the “gates” to each aisle.

We always rest one section each year for a seven-year rotation.  Another wards, in seven years we should be rotated back to the original plot to rest it again.  Resting is done by grazing once early in the spring and then letting it grow all summer.  This section can be grazed in the winter after all the plants have re-seeded themselves.   This improves the ground and forage wonderfully and is a biblical principle with benefits now proven by science.

Fertile soil produces nutrient rich forage, which keeps the cow healthy, and the nutrition is passed on in the milk.  One can do many things to improve the soil.  I will list a few.  The best thing to do is to have the local extension office or local feed store come out and take soil samples (or you may need to do it yourself with their instructions).  You want to know the ph of your soil and calcium level to know if you should lime it.  If it needs lime, do you need the high calcium lime or the high magnesium lime?  You only know by testing.  If you even consider doing chicken manure, test first.  Your phosphorus could already be high and it would not be the best choice of fertilizer your field needs.  The other improvement we do to our fields is to spray diluted milk, 3 gallons milk to 20 gallons of water , per acre and a very dilute solution of something called sea-90 (we get it from Countryside Organics but you could google it to find a dealer near you) which is a naturally mined sea salt that is very high in minerals.  If I were only going to do one thing,  it would be to spray the milk and if you can, the minerals during the spring and fall growing seasons each year.    You can use a 4-wheel ATV and sprayer or a backpack sprayer for smaller areas.  This will draw the earthworms and help to break up the soil and provide many benefits to your land.  The milk feeds the microbes in the soil (the living part of the soil that makes nutrients available to the plants.  Milk also raises what is called the brix, which is a natural sugar in the plant.  This makes the plants more nutritious and palatable for the animals but since insects such as grasshoppers do not have a pancreas and therefore cannot digest sugars, they leave.  It is simple and you can use your very own milk! 
You do not have to do these improvements to the soil.  If you can, and you want your forages high in naturally occurring minerals and nutrients so you gain the benefit of that through drinking the milk and your cow has better health, go for it.

We also feed our cows a few supplements.  Give free choice (always available) ½ kelp and ½ Redmond trace mineral salt.  You can go to RedmondNatural.com to find a dealer of the natural trace mineral salt near you.   Hopefully, that same place would have the kelp as well.  If you keep both cool as possible and dry, they will last for years.  The most important nutrient to prevent mastitis is calcium.  (In addition, not overfeeding grain.)  The kelp and trace mineral salt does not provide a source of macro minerals but only has trace minerals in a highly digestible form.  For the macro minerals, you need to free choice something like Cattle Mineral Mix sold by Country Side Organics in Waynesboro, Virginia (they ship) or at least top dress a calcium supplement on their grain each day.  Lancaster Ag in Pennsylvania is also a wonderful source of natural supplements.  There are other ways to get the free choice supplements.  One of those is thru Advanced Biological Concepts, which has a top-notch free choice system for cows and horses.  Be prepared to pay a little more though.  You can do a web search on “natural animal supplements” for your state or find natural farmers in your area and query them.  We have done something similar to the above with all of our large animals for almost 20 years and have had maybe one or two incidences where we needed the vet for sickness.

As far as feeding the cow other than grazing, we give a very small amount of grain, mostly to top dress a supplement.  For example, we would give our ½ mini milk cow about two cups and our standard sizes one quart.  They do not need grain at all though especially if you get the grazing genetics going for you.  Too much grain is not good and will shorten the cow’s life.  Excess grain will make the cows system acidic and cause many health challenges that most confinement dairies think are normal occurrences.  If you feed more than ½ or 1% of the body weight in grain, the starch-digesting bacteria overcome the cellulose-digesting bacteria.  When that happens, they are no longer getting the nutrition out of their forages.  More and more organic farms are going grain free and focusing on rotational grazing to improve their forages instead.  We work with two different farms that only have the vet for pregnancy checks and routine testing, etc.  That is unheard of on conventional dairies where the cows only have 1-3 lactations because they are so unhealthy.  A note of warning:  If you buy a cow that is being given a lot of grain, change their diet slowly.  You may or may not be able to let her go completely without grain and stay in condition but try to get her down to not more than ½ of 1% of her body weight.  To be sure, a dairy cow does not have to look like a beef cow and in fact, we do them a disservice trying to “fatten” them up, but you do not want them to thin either.

Another advantage of not overdoing the grain is that you never have to trim hooves, as conventional farms have to do.  Our first cow was a cull cow.  She had really long feet and we could not find someone to come out to trim them.  We had her a couple of months and one day realized that her toes were chipping off.  They literally fell off to be a normal length.

Is There a Once-A-Day Milk Cow? 
Yes!  We milk our cows once a day.  If you are not pushing them with lots of grain, they can usually be milked once a day with some knowledge.  If you are over-graining your cow, you will not be able to milk once a day.  If you go out to the barn and her bag is tight and very full of milk, then you need to milk twice a day or cut back on the grain.  We milk once a day and have no trouble with mastitis or ketosis which is the scourge of dairies and many family cow owners.  We have the grazing genetics firmly in place and feed very little grain.  The only time you really have to watch them is the first couple of weeks after calving until the calf is drinking enough.  You can let the calf nurse or milk and feed the calf in a bottle and later a bucket.  You can also let the calf have all the milk (after a month or so) until you need milk and then separate the calf for 12 hours and milk the cow for your milk.  You can go on vacation or if you get too busy, the calf will eagerly milk for you.  When we travel, we turn the calf with mom and go.  We do not leave the calf with the mom full-time if the calf starts tearing the teats up.  If that happens, we only let the calf nurse twice a day and keep them across the fence from one another the rest of the time.  This way there will be very little separation stress and after the first couple of days, they get used to the routine and no longer call out to one another.   When we travel, we still put the calf with the cow but then separate and put salve on the teats if they have teeth marks when we return.  This usually works for short term even if it doesn’t work for long-term in cases where the calf has gotten to the size that they tear up the teats.  Some calves can nurse until they wean at 9 months, for others, they have to be separated and allowed nurse once or twice a day after four months or so.

When Do I Wean the Calf? 
The calf can be safely weaned at four months.  Their rumen is well developed and they are ready to just eat grass and good quality hay.  However, if you want, you can keep the calf on until 9 months.  Follow the suggestions above for nursing long- term.

Tethering 
Cows can be taught to tether.  Start with a shorter rope 10- to 15-foot (cotton will not burn them if tangled) and only where you can keep a close eye on her.  If you have a nervous cow, you should be right there to watch it.  You can lengthen the rope as she learns to untangle herself and not to take off so quickly that she hits the other end and flips herself.  I like to start with a calf but most adult cows can be taught to tether with time and patience.  You can purchase a tie out kit from outback outfitters for horse camping.  It is said that a chain does not tangle and loosens when they lift their foot.  I have not used a chain. 

Fencing   
This can be as simple as an electric fence but the perimeter fence should be woven wire or four-board fence for a TEOTWAWKI situation.    For now, you could do a 3-strand electric perimeter fence with plans to make it more secure as time and finances allow.  Talk to the most knowledgeable person at your local farm store for details about fencing.  If you have electric, be sure you have a solar charger and extra supplies.  Insufficient grounding causes 90% of electric fence problems so be sure to cover that with your farm store knowledgeable person.  In general, the rods must be galvanized to retain conductivity and if the soil is dry or poor then you will need more grounding rods.  Do not place the grounding rod to close to a building as it can electrify the building.

A good reference to read is Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef by Julius Ruechel.  It is geared toward beef cattle but much of the information about fencing and rotational grazing and more is helpful for the family milk cow.

What to Do with the Extra Milk? 

We find so many uses for extra milk that we can easily use all that one cow produces.  We make cheese, butter, and yogurt as well as other dairy products.  Many cheeses can be made with buttermilk and rennet, which are quite easy to store.  Buttermilk can be kept going indefinitely as can yogurt.   You must buy the cultured buttermilk from the grocery store.  Add ¼-cup cultured buttermilk to ½ gallon of milk and let it set until it thickens.  Make more using the same ratios (you can make less) each week.  We buy yogurt cultures from CulturesForHealth.com.  They specialize in cultures from around the world.  The two that we keep going are cultured at room temperature.  We don’t have to heat the milk or keep the temperature steady with a yogurt maker.  We simply skim our milk to allow room in the ½-gallon jar and put in one cup of yogurt from a previous batch.  If you make the next batch before the last one is too old, you can keep it going for a very long time.  It is best to heat the milk to 160 degrees, make a pure mother culture, and use that to start your first batch.  I freeze the mother culture in 1-cup batches so I can occasionally fall back to my mother culture if my yogurt gets to old before I make another batch.  In TEOTWAWKI situation, you would just be diligent about keeping your yogurt going and keep it away from other cultures such as buttermilk and sourdough as the bacteria’s can compete with one another and weaken your strain.

You can buy cheese-making supplies from cheesemaking.com or hoeggerfarmyard.com, which is a goat supply catalog, but they have products for anyone who milks.  They also carry my favorite cheese recipe book “A Cheesemakers Journey” by Mary Jane Toth.

Whey from the raw cheese making recipes, yogurt, and buttermilk can be used to make lacto-fermented drinks and veggie dishes such as kvass, kimchee, and sauerkraut.  These products have more probiotics per serving than a whole bottle of probiotics from the store.  Probiotics is one of our main treatment protocols for any immune system related issues as the gut is 75% of the immune system.  Your food becomes you medicine.  Two of my favorite books for this is Sally Fallon’s big book, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen by Alex Lewin.  With these two books, you will be able to preserve probiotic rich foods the traditional way.  Be sure to have glass ½ gallon jars, 1 gallon jars, and or lead free crocks on hand.

We also use extra milk for fertilizer as mentioned above.  We have never seen so many earthworms in our garden as since we have started putting on diluted milk as previously mentioned.

We feed extra calves, lambs,  and animals such as the cat (mouse patrol), the dog (head of ranch security), chickens (bug patrol and chief egg layers) and I have even fed it to baby rabbits whose mama just couldn’t keep up with the large litter. 

I hope you will consider adding a family cow to your homestead for your health and long-term food security. 



Guest Article: Reflections on Secession, by Partisan

Sure, I signed my state’s petition to secede.  (Coincidentally but not at all comparable, an ancestor signed the Ordnance of Secession of Georgia.)  Most people correctly realize that these petitions are symbolic of our frustration with and desire to reject federal statist policies affecting all 50 states.  Still, there are those who act as if these petitions are the spark that will somehow ignite nationwide revolt.  In and of themselves, these petitions are a circus detached from reality and they’re a distraction from a real solution.

I believe that secession can be a real solution but, as you’ll see, it carries an enormous cost and doesn’t necessarily make life any easier.  The quality of life under the secession solution is questionable but I’ll state the case for the American Redoubt.

For those unfamiliar with the American Redoubt, it’s a region including Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon first theorized by James Rawles of SurvivalBlog.  The majority of citizens vote Republican, are fiercely independent, are more self-sufficient than the average American, and I think are more politically hostile toward the .gov behemoth.  This doesn’t describe all citizens of the American Redoubt but it’s a start for a good many of them.  Theoretically, if we arrived at a conclusion that secession was a realistic option, that it was adequate at solving the issue of federal dominance, and that the quality of life in the Redoubt would greatly improve; we would still require both a bombproof legal basis for secession and the ability to enforce the decision and protect our sovereignty.

For the sake of academic exercise, here are two issues that the American Redoubt, among other regions, would need to address should we ever secede.

Balancing Governance and Defense.
There’s seemingly no end to the list of maladies that plagued the Confederate States of America (CSA) after secession (chief among them was the “peculiar institution” of slavery).  Had they not held the infinitely heavy burden of fighting a war, the Confederate government may have been able to fix these problems.  Had the CSA successfully defended the South, the Confederate government would still have faced the critical task of ensuring good governance, along with the insurmountable odds of ending hyperinflation that plagued its citizens and economy.

I would not expect the federal government to allow a region to withdraw peacefully from the Union.  Likely targets for arrest would be elected government officials and military leaders.  Under a highly structured and centralized organization, if leaders critical to mission success were removed, then the entire movement would fail.  How many times and how often can you replace a governor?  How many times and how often can you replace a president?  But under an organization that favors decentralization with a ceiling at the state level (insofar as wartime is concerned), there is no one head of the snake.  (There’s no need here to get into a strategic level debate of defending the Redoubt.)  Even then, a state alone could still function without a governor so long as county and local government continued.  In that case, the American Redoubt states must ensure that essential services will continue to function; and one of the best ways to do that is to simply limit the quantity and scope of essential services offered by the state.  County and local government must ensure that the rule of law is respected and they would do this through local law enforcement and, ideally, the utilization of small, localized militias where law enforcement is scarce or ineffective.  This works best when the populace is or is nearly self-sufficient – this includes the ability to defend themselves from enemies, foreign and domestic.

The association between the military and its civilian leadership is a critical link under a centralized structure.  If critical military leaders are removed through death or arrest, then the organization suffers.  If military and civilian leaders’ ability to command and control is degraded, then the organization suffers.  Ideally, there is no upper echelon leadership in a Redoubt resistance.  That’s not to say there’s no communication or coordination; but the Redoubt would have to effectively remove its own high value targets (HVTs) from the battlefield.  A colonel leading a Redoubt brigade or battalion is a HVT in the eyes of the adversary.  The equivalent of a sergeant leading a small squad is not because his removal from the battlespace would have a negligible effect in terms of the duration and scope of disruption.  One sergeant’s removal would not affect the other squads around him and across the region like the removal of a colonel would.  Liberty-committed Patriots must wrestle their minds away from the conventional, force-on-force paradigm and into the history books of guerrilla and partisan resistance warfare.  In effect, the resistance says, Come and enforce your laws on us.  When confronted with mass resistance of a civilian populace – if nearly the entire region would go along (a big if) – imposing the federal will is a thoroughly costly and immensely difficult practice, if not an altogether impossible feat for the occupier.  For evidence, look no further than Vietnam (still communist) and Afghanistan (still tribal).

Economy and Exports.

The American Redoubt, of all regions, has the most robust natural resource base in all of America: oil, lumber, minerals, and metals.  Each of these are required to fuel an economy; and silver and gold are real money.  In addition, each of these natural resources has upward price potential while the cost to acquire them (except for the cost of fuel) stays relatively the same.  As a region, the GDP of the American Redoubt is around $130 billion, which puts us near the total GDP of Kansas. Federal royalty revenue from natural resource extraction in Wyoming is around $1.7 billion; and only $1.8 billion if you include the entire Redoubt region.  Theoretically, if current EPA regulations were eased under the state or regional government, that revenue would increase.  The American Redoubt region’s tourism industry is valued around $8 billion dollars, which employs thousands and brings in hundreds of millions in state revenue.  In addition, the federal government spends approximately $2.1 billion on social security retirement and disability, low income housing assistance, supplemental nutrition programs, medicare, medicaid, and education in Wyoming alone.  That number is $4.5 billion in Montana and $6.2 billion in Idaho: that’s nearly $13 billion for the region.

It doesn’t take long to see that secession, even if the Redoubt region could fight its way out of the Union, [the subsequent economic isolation] would inflict heavy economic casualties on the region.  In short, it’s an economic issue and it’s not happening.  (This isn’t to say that a large movement of employers to the region couldn’t bolster the economy and ease the economic burden of secession.) While we can’t put a price on our freedom, our quality of life is still multitudes higher now than as its own region.

Editor’s Note: This article is re-posted with the permission of the editor of the GuerillAmerica blog, where it first appeared.



Letter Re: Preparations for a Long-Distance Commuter

Mr. Rawles,
For those considering the purchase of winter tires, a good web site with demonstrations comparing the performance of different vehicle types (including all wheel drive) with and without these tires from the Rubber Association of Canada.

Survival experts have also advised against consuming snow as a water source. Les Stroud, a Canadian survival expert, has demonstrated that if engaged in physical activity, such as walking, the consumption of snow when necessary is safe as metabolic heat offsets the cold snow. Some have survived in Arctic conditions doing this. However, it is still not safe when hunkered down.

Best Regards, – S.R.



Economics and Investing:

An interesting perspective on calculating life insurance coverage or retirement savings: How long do you expect to be dead?

Robert Fitzwilson: “History says that once set in motion, fiat money schemes cannot be reversed. Tragedy and collapse are the terminal destinations.”

We Have a Shortage of Gold – Eric Sprott

Items from The Economatrix:

The Twinkie That Broke The Economy’s Back:  Just Two Weeks Since The Election And 100,000+ Jobs Lost

US Treasury Secretary Geithner:  Lift Debt Ceiling To Infinity

Greenspan On The Cliff:  This Leveraged Economy Was No Accident~Take The Deal~Recession Is Guaranteed

Dollar Collapse Update:  7 of 10 Asian Countries Move From Dollars To Yuans



Odds ‘n Sods:

Real Crimes of Genius: Not so Honest Abe?

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G.G. sent: House Tour: Laura And Matt LaVoie’s 120-Square-Foot Home In The Smokey Mountains Of North Carolina

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Joseph L. mentioned some new dual-wheel drive motorcycles. [JWR Adds: I’m more of a quad kinda guy. I don’t own a motorcycle, and thus avoid embarrassing myself.]

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Reader F.G. wrote to report that the Drone Wars have begun: Flying Camera From Animal Rights Group Shot Down at Pigeon Shoot



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." – Thomas Sowell



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 43 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



Preparations for a Long-Distance Commuter, by Darin P. in Michigan

Long-distance Commuters face challenges. I average 20 days at work per month.  During those days, I am away from home for 11.5 hours.   Unless the Crunch starts conveniently on a Saturday morning, before I can survive the end of the world as I know it I have to get home.     

My daily commute carries me 35 miles each way.  Sometimes while sitting in traffic I’m reminded of real life – and fictional – disaster situations looking a lot like what I face each day; miles and miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion.  The defining difference is this: My traffic jam eventually clears and I motor-on my way towards wife and kids and dog.  And two cats.      

Lately my thoughts push me towards my need to return home in the event of the worst – specifically, planning for accommodating my trip.   Before I can bug-in at my homestead, I have to get there! Before I can work to provide comfort and safety for my family, I have to reach home. If the roads were closed or blocked just how would I manage? Living in Southeast Michigan for several years, I have seen the weather change pretty quickly.  Even if my winter vehicle has the ability to traverse deep snow covered roads, local authorities have the power to determine roads “Impassible”, stranding me away from the homestead.  

Apart from winter hazards, commuters face a multitude of potential challenges, from massive traffic accidents, terror attack – recall the streams of pedestrians evacuating downtown New York City on 11 September 2001 – or natural disasters.  Below you will find tips to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the commute from hell.  Driving: Take serious consideration in your commuter – remember a car not properly equipped, or lacking other capabilities gets great fuel economy, while stuck on the side of the road.  In my 14mpg pick-up hurts my wallet at fuel-up however worth more to me is the security presented by having a greater chance of making it home through all kinds of weather.     

During winter season, as defined by the daily high temperatures not exceeding about 40 degrees, I swap my summer all-season/all terrain tires on my F150 4×4 SuperCrew with dedicated-winter tires. Providing additional weight over the drive wheels is a water bladder, filled to approximately 400lbs of water, secured to the floor of the pick-up bed.      Late February of 2011 I flew from the Detroit area for deployment to Iraq.   I was under orders – I could not simply call-in sick.   The night I left, the Detroit Metro area was hit with significant snow storm.  With a solid foot of snow falling around us, the truck performed flawlessly – bringing me and my family to the airport, and providing my wife and kids safe return home.   The benefits of ground clearance and proper winter tire combined in a way either of the two alone could not.   I passed dozens of compact and other passenger cars stuck on the road, even trucks with large off-road and mud-terrain tires spun helplessly on the slick roads.     

I often hear a common misconception – “My car goes well in the snow”.  Not true, mostly.  Your car’s TIRES go through the snow well. Tires are often over-looked because the summer or all-seasons currently on the vehicle “have good tread left”.  Tread compound and tread designed specifically for winter and cold-weather driving conditions is the best way to ensure safe travel.  More than simply having the power to take off from a stop, winter tires provide stopping and turning power.  Often winter-specific tires can stop in half the distance of summer or all-season tires.  Even the best all-season tires will stop many feet later than winter-specific tires – but sometimes even a few feet can mean the difference between a collision with another car, obstacle, or person, and prevention of those impacts.      

Tornadoes are not unheard-of in my area – wind damage to infrastructure is inevitable.  Deciding to commute in a vehicle with all or four-wheel drive, and offering as much ground clearance as possible will enable me to overcome standing or running water across roadways (while avoiding those obstacles is ideal, sometimes there is no choice), or limbs or other debris across the roadway.   I also live 1.4 miles from the nearest paved road – in the worst kind of weather, my road is not maintained. Getting home means getting muddy.  Packing for worst-case: In addition to common items – jumper cables, Tylenol/aspirin, extra food, gasoline, water, folding knife, small tool kit, first-aid kit and blanket, Meal, Ready-to-eat; a ¾ full re-usable water bottle (to allow for freezing temperatures), extra socks, scarf, gloves, hat, basic first aid kit, sunglasses, small disposable lighter, 50ft of 550 cord, military surplus thermals, and plastic rain poncho will work to keep me prepared for either driving or walking home.   I purchased a pair of Army surplus aviator gloves; the Nomex™ construction will provide some flame protection in the event of an accident or rescue, while thin enough preventing significant finger/hand dexterity loss. All items fit nicely in my Oakley “Kitchen Sink” backpack.    Military members can order their Kitchen Sink pack via usstandardissue.com’s Military purchase program for substantial savings.     

I also created homemade fire-starters using make-up removing cotton patches, dipped in melted candle wax, and left to dry on a wire rack over a sheet-pan.   After bundling the tender, rip one of the wax-coated patches to expose the cotton fibers.  Apply flame from the lighter and within about a minute I have a sustainable flame that holds enough flame to ignite even damp branches, sticks, and debris. A head-mounted lamp will help with vehicle repairs or path illumination should I be forced to abandon my vehicle.      Using the head-worn lamp brings freedom to use my arms to carry other items, support, or defend myself.  The lamp also serves to signal others if I become in need of assistance due to injury or attack.   I tend to forget to check the batteries of all my stored emergency electronic devices – do not follow my example as an unlit lamp shines on no path.  A good reminder – every time I change my car’s wiper blades, I re-inventory my supplies. 

Alternative routes:     Most days I follow the same route to work and home again.  While shopping for my house I became familiar with my area – I know which roads connect to the road that leads me home.   One day, every other month or so, I take a new way home – even the LONG way.  I do this to remain up to date with road closures, detours, construction, and traffic density.  In the event of the worst-case scenario, the popular roads will likely become clogged with vehicles and pedestrians sticking to the familiar.  Knowing which side streets connect to where affords some relief and ease of access to other roads leading home. One thing to remember – if you think of a short cut, chances are somebody else has too!  Avoiding the shortest route, in terms of distance or time to complete, may end up being faster due to less congestion.  Alternative Transportation:     Even my truck’s 6.5ft-long bed is large enough to hold a bicycle.  Placing a mountain bike in the truck bed, and securing with a normal bike lock and cable can provide a much-faster way home, should stuff hit the fan.   Again, do not forget to maintain the emergency bike – ensure your bike has air in the tires and inner tube patching equipment along with a means to pump air into a repaired tube. 

Walking:      While a soldier, I learned first-hand the benefits of Leather Personnel Carriers (LPCs) as a mode of transport.  Facing a 35 mile walk home, maintaining a pair of broken-in, comfortable and durable boots is vital.   Buying a pair of great hiking boots or shoes, and placing them in your car for emergencies might lead to debilitating blistering, rubbing, or aching – hindering the trek.     

Sure to be in a hurry to reach my family, I cannot forget to stretch my muscles before, during and after such a walk.  Slow and consistent plodding will take a toll on my feet, joints, and hips.  My back and shoulders will be sore carrying my backpack, too.   Nobody has to do 35 mile walks to prepare for a 35 mile walk in the worst conditions – however having a realistic view of one’s physical abilities will help in planning for such an endeavor.    

To ease the impact on feet, walk on the unpaved shoulder areas of the roads – a tip taught to me by my Drill Sergeants during Basic Training.   Using arms to swing and help momentum is effective towards covering ground.  In training, having marching cadence either playing on MP3-player with headphones, or recited from memory can help maintain an effective pace and breathing pattern.  [JWR Adds: When things go sideways, you would of course want full situational awareness, so ear buds would be a no-no.]  

Unless I am being chased, I must stop for rest periods.  These periods can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.  Word of caution – it is often easier to KEEP walking, than to START walking. As good as a rest may feel, the pain of starting again might be worse.    

Drinking water, even in cold temperatures is vital to success.  I cannot carry enough water to keep me for 35 miles; however I can work to ensure I maintain daily hydration and consume the water I carry. Ideally, one quart per hour – water cannot help if it is never consumed.  While on a march like this finding potable water is essential.  Options include groceries and gas stationed, if open – or even a friendly neighbor along the way.     

To fight one’s worst enemy – worry/distress – finding the right mindset is essential.   Embarking on a journey like this means hours and hours before reuniting.  Considering what you might find when you return home may serve as motivation to complete the walk.  When this consideration moves to worry, rushing and carelessness may lead to injury or worse.   When starting on a walk like this, making each mile, or route-marker as individual goals will prevent the hurry-ups, and might prevent hasty decisions.  Instead of ‘walking home’, I am only walking to “The freeway overpass a couple miles from here”.  The smaller goal is more achievable than the more-than-a-marathon distance awaiting me.  Focusing on the small task makes the big task achievable.     We live in a world where the worst can happen.  With the threats and capabilities of terrorists, and the fury of Mother Nature, we can no longer afford to ‘hope’ things work out.  Hope is not a viable strategy.  Through careful consideration we can take steps to mitigate the damage; with a practiced plan, we can establish alternatives to our situations – wherever circumstance – or our commute – places us. By planning ahead, we will help to ensure we make it to our loved ones during times of crisis.  



Letter Re: Can You Take To The Sky?

JWR,
I have been reading you blog and the letters other people has written for a few weeks now. A friend of mine turned me on to your site. Thank you and everyone else for all you do. I have learned much over the past few weeks and look forward to learning more as time goes on.
 
I just read the letter post in September by Greg G., Can You Take to the Sky? Greg makes some very valid and interesting points in his letter. Like Greg, I am a licensed pilot. I studied at a local community college earning my A.A.S. in management with aviation option. When I started the course I had no flying time what-so-ever. When I finished the course 1.5 years later, I had earned my commercial pilot’s certificate with multi-engine and instrument ratings.
 
Just to clarify, I am no longer active in aviation due to the high cost of building time necessary to “land” a job as a career pilot. Working line service at the local FBO (Fixed base operation) just didn’t pay the bills for a man, wife and two kids. When I could get a trip/time in a multi-engine aircraft, it was usually a free trip (meaning I provided my time and services free of charge) in order to build flying time. I gained a good bit of time in the air over a three year period and gained an enormous amount of self-confidence as a result. Just a little background to bring me to my point.
 
Greg states that the Cessna 172 would be an excellent BOV and I would tend to agree. They are reasonable priced from $30,000 to $50,000 and are relatively easy to maintain. I think the $5,000 annual figure he mentioned is fairly accurate. I am currently scouring the web for used aircraft. I am looking at C-172s as well as light sport to ultra-light aircraft. The only drawback to the ultra-light planes is that I would have to convince my wife to learn to fly and would have to have at least two two-seat aircraft  to use a BOVs. Of course, redundancy would be a good thing.
 
Greg also mentioned training. Training is paramount any time you plan to defeat gravity. If you are interested in getting an ultra-light aircraft, please get an experienced flight instructor to teach you to fly. Learn to operate in a controlled airport environment. If you are ever forced, through bad planning, bad weather, or just bad luck, into a metropolitan airport, you will be thankful for the training in that environment.
 
As far as getting your instrument rating is concerned, I would highly recommend the training. Even if you never use it, it will make you a better pilot and if the weather suddenly closes in on you, you will be better prepared to handle it. I remember during my instrument training, the instructor had me look out the windows during actual instrument conditions. All I could see was the wingtips and the nose of the airplane. When I returned to the instrument panel, I had a strong case of vertigo. Had I not spent hours in the flight simulator and had a few hours “under the hood”, I could have easily gotten disoriented enough to crash. Fortunately, I had complete faith in the instruments and was able to maintain control until the vertigo passed. For this reason, I would encourage anyone interested in learning to fly to take at least several hours of instrument training.
 
I have no experience with helicopters other than radio controlled helicopters. I can see some use, as mentioned in other letters, for UAV type surveillance using radio controlled aircraft but that would be the subject of another post. I do know full scale helicopters are maintenance intensive and expensive to learn and operate. If I could, I would learn just for the ability if I ever needed it.
 
God bless you and yours as well as this great nation, – Mike in Tennessee



Economics and Investing:

Some stunning charts: Quantitative addiction and the allure of low interest rates – US paid $454 billion in interest payments alone in 2011. Equity in real estate for households cut in half.

Negative Real Interest Rates Continue To Drive The Gold Price

Miles in Indiana sent this from Ahead of the Herd: Nickel Mining Like its 1864–Nickel Sulphide Project Pipeline Empty

Billions in bearer bonds could be lost due to Hurricane Sandy. (A hat tip to to Linda U. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Greenspan Warns Financial Markets Will Crash If US Can’t Solve Fiscal Cliff Problem

Most In US Won’t Be Able To Escape The “Fiscal Cliff”

Pink Slips For Elves?  Toy Sales Are Buckling



Odds ‘n Sods:

The New York Times gets down and dirty a with prepping issues and the requisite OPSEC: How to Survive Societal Collapse in Suburbia. (The article briefly quotes JWR.)

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Scientific American: How Safe Are America’s 2.5 Million Miles of Pipelines?

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JRH Enterprises is celebrating their 20th Year in business with a big Black Friday sale that starts Wednesday. The sale includes new Third Generation+ Pinnacle Autogated  Mil Spec PVS-14s with real ITT tubes and a 5 year warranty as low as $2595. And PVS-14 Third Gen + Pinnacle Autogated “Upgraded” monoculars are available as low as $2995. (Just like ours here at the Rawles Ranch. Also on sale are FLIR Scout Thermal Imaging units and the Ultimate Survivalist’s wood stove and many other items. This is a limited time sale.

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I noticed that SurvivalRealty.com (our spin-off site, operated by my #1 Son) has continued to grow rapidly. There are now more than 125 listings. It has become the premier site for buying and selling retreat properties. Full-length listings there are just $30 per month, with no sales commissions charged. Take a look.

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Our friend Tam at View From The Porch pointed us to: The proper way to load Mosin-Nagant stripper clips. (Note: The automated “ad*lt content” warning was no doubt triggered by the use of the word “stripper.” On a related note: Be very careful when you do web searches for information on Hustler brand ham radio antennas.)



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Even after the elite decamp there’ll be plenty of good eatin’ left on the carcass for the stay-behinds. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the somewhat less than elite. For one, their toadies in DC have been building Führerbunkers and stocking them with supplies and ammunition for the day when they’re toadies no more. Some of the toady’s toadies have retreats and plans of their own. They keep it quiet, unsurprisingly. Then it’s all against all, a spectre of flag-waving warlords and tribal strong men, of alliances and secessions, of fiefdoms and redoubts and contested regions. Everybody who wants to be somebody will invite themselves to the fray. Who is king and who is not king will be the sum of all politics; asset-stripping the sum of all economics. It’s going to be a memorable squabble.” – Ol’ Remus, The Woodpile Report, in an essay on national insolvency (November 21, 2012)