Month: March 2009

Odds ‘n Sods:

Hawaiian K. and Chris were the first of several readers to mention an article about statist politics: Who owns Colorado’s rainwater? (In Hawaii, where rainwater catchment is the norm, a law like that would probably trigger a revolt.)    o o o HPD spotted this: Catastrophic Fall in 2009 Global Food Production    o o o Perhaps there are few survival nuggets in a news article on the life of Popcorn Sutton, a moonshiner from Maggie Valley, North Carolina.(A tip of the hat to Matt H., for the link.) Judging from his picture, who would have ever guessed that he …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 21 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: Two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing Round 21 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for …


The 19th Century Home Retrofit, by Y. Cornelius

By now most SurvivalBlog readers have gone about your preparations for your ideal home or retreat cabin, all storage food and tools acquired, fuel stored, generators ready, PV panels carefully concealed and hooked up to the battery bank. You and your family or group are ready to handle the coming collapse, but are you really? Are you ready to do without? Without that generator when the fuel runs out, or a critical piece is worn out and a new one cannot be had? At some point your supplies will be used up, storage fuel consumed and there may not be …


Three Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle

Mr. JWR, I’m surprised this hasn’t been addressed more thoroughly, but the first point of consideration should be whether the vehicle will be diesel or gasoline (since most vehicle models don’t have a diesel equivalent). I know this topic has been done before here, and even led me to investing in a diesel, but apparently it’s worth rehashing. The disadvantages of gasoline are substantial. Gasoline is difficult to store safely (as it is so combustible). Its useful life generally expires in about 12 months (so should you not have access to your stabilized cache, you can expect your vehicle to …


Economics and Investing:

John in Ohio forwarded this: At G20, Kremlin to Pitch New Currency. JWR’s Comment: Gee, so they propose replacing numerous un-backed fiat currencies (with free-floating values) with a single un-backed fiat currency of a “fixed” (constantly inflating) value. Cui bono? As I’ve written before: inflation is a hidden form of taxation. How do I vote for a genuine specie-backed currency? Only with a trip to my local coin shop or arms bazaar. Vote with your wallet. For our own protection, get out of paper currencies and into tangibles! From The Appenzell Daily Bell: Banks pop on talk of [FASB] accounting …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some good news! The US military’s “fired brass destruction” policy change turned out to be very short-lived. It has just been reversed. To begin with, the policy change was intended only for military brass that is OCONUS, not in CONUS. (If you have a fast Internet connection, then see this PDF., but was apparently over-applied ) I also got some information from Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association (by way of a SurvivalBlog reader up in Montana): “I just received a phone call from the office of U.S. Senator Tester of Montana to inform me that at …



Notes from JWR:

The good folks at Ready Made Resources have very generously added a Warrior Aid and Litter Kit (with a retail value of $1,500) to the SurvivalBlog benefit auction that started on Monday. This brings the combined value of the auction lot to $2,800! The benefit auction lot now includes: 1.) A Warrior Aid and Litter Kit, donated by Ready Made Resources. This is an advanced medic kit package that includes a Talon II 90C folding handle collapsible litter, which normally retails for $560, just by itself. This truly a “full up” tactical trauma kit! This sophisticated medic kit normally retails …


Life’s Lessons and the Foundations of Preparedness, by A.B.

We may soon depend on all of what we have learned over the years. Putting all of the threads of knowledge together into a tapestry of self-sufficiency, and survival capabilities, is part of the lifelong quest for our family’s security. We learn from many sources and experiences such as: family, church, friends, teachers, teammates, co-workers, reading books and SurvivalBlog, and hopefully from our mistakes. Preparedness Skills from our Grandmas and Grandpas The foundation for preparedness begins with my childhood in Michigan. We lived in Lansing where my great-grandmother was next door and my grandmother lived next door to her. My …


Letter Re: Private Gated Communities May Not be Gated After All

Dear Mr. Rawles, I read Brad S.’s letter with interest today. About ten years ago I was working in property management for an apartment community in Lakewood, Washington. Not exactly a low-crime area, to say the least. One of our selling points was the gates at each entrance of the community. My manager and I took over the property not knowing the sort of people the previous management team had rented to. Over the course of four months, we evicted dozens of tenants for being months behind on rent, among other things. When this process began, we noticed that we …


Letter: Full Capacity Magazine Price Inflation and Scarcity

James, I too purchased a PTR-91 [HK91 clone] rifle and ordered 50 magazines from PTR 91 Inc. The shipping was reasonable and when I received them, there were [actually some free “bonus”, for a total of] 55 magazines. They ranged from good to like new condition and had dates all the way from 1963 thru early 1990s. For $107 delivered, I got 55 magazines and a very big smile on my face. – M.E.K .


Economics and Investing:

HPD sent this: Citi, Morgan Stanley look to sidestep bonus caps: report. (Your tax dollars at work.) HPD also sent: Paul O’Neill: Banks must show U.S. the money Laura H. mentioned: this WorldNetDaily piece: Montana considers return to gold, silver dollars, Proposed bill slams Fed, allows payments in precious metals Items from The Economatrix: Investors Restart Wall Street Rally GM CEO Says Bankruptcy Would Force Liquidation Congress Looking at Huge Taxes on AIG Bonuses Housing Starts Surge, Wholesale Prices Edge Up Completed Foreclosures Hit New High in February Corporate Meltdown Leaves Renters in Limbo US Mint Suspends More Production of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

 Last year, I featured a link to the captivating website of a retiree that had custom-built a horse-drawn “RV”. I just heard that he had an unfortunate accident. Prayers, please.    o o o From Cheryl: Many People are Raising Their Own Food to Save    o o o Our friend Bob in Tennessee mentioned a piece at the WRSA site, titled: Peggy Noonan Goes Doomer. The article references this article in The Wall Street Journal: There’s No Pill for This Kind of Depression    o o o Skip flagged this: Gun Advocates Ready for Battle on Federal Assault Weapons …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Morals—all correct moral rules—derive from the instinct to survive; moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level…. Man is what he is, a wild animal with the will to survive, and (so far) the ability, against all competition. Unless one accepts that, anything one says about morals, war, politics—you name it—is nonsense. Correct morals arise from knowing what Man is—not what do-gooders and well-meaning old Aunt Nellies would like him to be." – Robert A Heinlein, Starship Troopers 1959