Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 19, 2026

April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”.  Note that due to corporate bureaucracy, the Patriot Day celebration has generally been moved to the third Monday in April to facilitate a postal/banking holiday.

April 19th  also marks the anniversary of the blockade of Confederate Ports in 1861, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943, the BATF’s costly raid on the Branch Davidian Church in Waco, the gun turret explosion on the USS Iowa in 1989, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber in 2013, and very sadly also the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from our friend Brandon Smith. It first appeared in his Alt-Market.us blog, which we highly recommend bookmarking. – JWR

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We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

The US Separation From Europe And NATO Is Long Overdue, by Brandon Smith

As much as many centrists and libertarians are opposed to Donald Trump’s ongoing strikes against Iran, I have to say, the downstream result might end up becoming one of the most libertarian results I have ever seen. For decades, small government activists like those in the Ron Paul movement have been calling for a comprehensive US divorce from NATO and the shutdown of America’s military bases overseas. Trump has, either deliberately or inadvertently, set this very process in motion.

The refusal of most of Europe (and Australia) to provide support in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz might seem like geopolitical orbiting – In other words, getting involved could hurt them more than it would help them. Of course, these nations are far more exposed to the Hormuz closure and the slowdown in energy exports than the US. You would think their interests would demand a securing of the strait.Continue reading“The US Separation From Europe And NATO Is Long Overdue, by Brandon Smith”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Sarah Connor Says:

“There’s No Feta Cheese, But What We Make For Ourselves.”

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” – Romans 14:1-12

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 18, 2026

On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere (pictured) met with Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn them that British troops were marching from Boston to Lexington.

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April 18,1906: San Francisco earthquake and fire killed nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city.

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And on April 18, 1949, the Republic of Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Seven, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 6. This concludes the article.)

Evaluating Families to Find Like-Minded People

Daily, I am reminded of how bad it is out there, based on the information that I am analyzing. People often ask me “How long do we have?” If you understand history, economics, threat analysis, and have three generations of preparedness expertise in your wheelhouse, then you know the lateness of the hour. As for my situation, I hope it is long enough to be able to get married and to get the supplies my future spouse and her family need. I have a lot of supplies set aside for my future spouse and her family. The future will be difficult no matter your level of preparation, but it will be even more difficult if you do not wisely choose who will be under your roof.

Benjamin Franklin’s thoughts on marriage are very relevant over 250 years later: “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterward.” Now, it is the time to evaluate people both if you wish to add people through marriage to your family or to your preparedness group.Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Seven, by Single Farmer”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We had a busy week. I did some firewood hauling slash hauling, and slash burning.  I touched off the burn pile burning just as it began to rain, for safety.

I also helped a relative with a camper trailer conversion project.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” – Isaiah 12 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 17, 2026

On April 17, 1935:  The first commercial flight from the mainland to Hawaii, as Pan Am’s Pioneer Clipper was flown from San Francisco to Honolulu.

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April 17, 1964: The Ford Mustang was formally introduced, with a base price of $2,368.

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We are running a two-week-long sale on all of our pre-1899 antique shotguns at Elk Creek Company, with many deep discounts. This sale will end on Monday, April 27th, 2026. Please note that some of these guns have been re-sleeved and re-proofed for modern shotshells!

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Six, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 5.)

Separating the Important from the Trivial

Things that usually do not matter much for most men as far as a potential wife: her height, her income, and specific traits such as hair or eye color. I have never heard a man talk about a woman’s height unless she was very tall — which is statistically rare. Men are rarely concerned about a woman’s income unless they are looking for support. I don’t have a “type” and most men do not have a type such as only blondes or redheads.

Of course, a bonus is if a woman has rich parents, but this is not necessary. If a woman is rich and spoiled, this is a serious issue, so threading a needle between these factors is very critical. Wealth is a double-edged sword because it can creates opportunities, insulation, but then it can also create its own problems especially if a woman grew up accustomed to a certain level and the man cannot provide something similar to her.Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Six, by Single Farmer”

Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Today, a map showing Federal Spending Versus Federal Tax Revenues. Note that the maps shows far more than just impoverished regions. Spending levels are skewed in states with tribal lands. There is also lesser skewing in states with large National Forests and low population densities versus their miles of Federally-funded highways and freeways.

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

(Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

Economics & Investing Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 16, 2026

The Battle of Culloden was fought on April 16, 1746. Royalist troops under the Duke of Cumberland defeated the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart in the final battle of the Jacobite Rising on British soil.

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April 16, 1866: Nitroglycerine exploded at a Wells Fargo & Company office in San Francisco. This reportedly shattered glass in a half a mile radius.

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April 16th is the birthday of libertarian novelist J. Neil Schulman. He was best known as author of the novel Alongside Night.

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I just heard that famed mountaineer Jim Whittaker passed away, at age 97.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post from a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. Because it is partly self-promotional, it is not part of the writing contest judging.

We need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Five, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 4.)

Preparations for Sons

After spiritual preparation, the number one thing a parent can do is to prepare their son for life is to teach him how to make and control money. Money and resources create options. Lack of money limits opportunities. I have a collateral or lineal relative in every conflict from the Revolutionary War to the present. If you go back far enough in history, you will find multiple great-grandfathers at a distant generational level. For instance in the time period of the American Civil War, I have multiple grandfathers and collateral relatives who served in the Confederate Army and Navy including at the rank of General and other Flag Officers. I also have a grandfather who sold the plantation and divested his wealth out of the Confederate currency. There are a lot of stories I know from families who were wiped out either in the Civil War or in the Great Depression, so knowing how to control resources are critical for a man to develop.

A lot of people incorrectly say that money does not matter at all. But historically, money has been the single greatest determiner in the ability to marry and reproduce in addition to its fundamental aspect in survival in modern societies. Marriage (and child-rearing) are a very resource-intensive exercise. A single man uses relatively little resources compared to a married man with a wife and children. There is a resource “marriage gap” where education, income, and overall wealth are the best predictors of marriage than any other factor. Almost 90 percent of millionaires and higher-income individuals are married with over three times the marriage rate among those with higher incomes versus lower incomes. Increased education also leads to a higher likelihood of marriage.Continue reading“Preparing Future Generations for an Uncertain Future – Part Five, by Single Farmer”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, some more troubling implications of AI and digital ID. Pictured above is the Dallas, Texas Fusion Center.

The Digital Gulag of America: AI and Digital ID

Despite its violent intro sequence, blog reader M.W. suggested this insightful video from Dirty Civilian: The Digital Gulag of America | AI, Digital ID, and Social Credit Scores.

California’s Proposed “Leno Law”

I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Why Jay Leno Needs A Law In His Name. One detail from the article:

“Current law exempts from smog testing only cars made before 1976. A proposal in the Legislature would change that. Senate Bill 712 would, starting Jan. 1, 2027, “fully exempt from the smog check requirements” any car that was “manufactured prior to the 1981 model year.”

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2028, SB 712 “would expand this exemption by one model year, every year, for 5 years.” It “would be known, and may be cited as, Leno’s Law.”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”