Note from JWR:

Some great news! Because book sales have remained strong, Amazon.com placed a huge-re-order for thousands of copies of my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”. The economies of scale allowed them to drop their price to just $6.96. (They had previously sold it for more than $10, and its official cover price is still $14.95.) If you are planning to buy a few copies for birthday and Christmas gifts, then this is now your chance to get some for under $7 each!




Letter Re: An Outward Bound Prepper’s Perspective

Hi Jim, I’m new to your site and books but not to the concepts and precepts. My dad had a survivalist/self-sufficient mindset with a cool mix of Native American philosophy and know-how. I didn’t eat store bought meat or baked goods until I was 10 or 12 and thought processing shoulders of venison in the kitchen was the norm. We had a huge garden and fruit tree orchard. My mom was a master at canning; although I think it should be called “jarring” because you’re putting it in jars, not cans. He collected, traded, and rebuilt guns and amassed quite …




Five Letters Re: The Survivalist’s Guide to Martial Arts

Jim, I agree with your writer that Muay Thai and Grappling (wrestling, BJJ, etc.) are essential fighting skills. I even admit that my two black belts in traditional arts were not worth much compared to a good grappler or kick boxer. However the idea that avoiding the ground is rule #1 is not necessarily true. A grappler can control a situation very effectively on the ground and it is often then case that you can’t avoid going to the ground in a fight. Further, people of smaller stature (women especially) who cannot run from an encounter have an advantage on …




Letter Re: Transcript From a Colorado Flu Pandemic Meeting

Sir, The June 25, 2009 InfraGard meeting was on the pending pandemic. The speakers were Robin K. Koons, Ph.D., epidemiologist for the Colorado Emergency Preparedness and the Director of FEMA for the State of Colorado. This InfraGard meeting was non-restricted, so these notes may be shared: [begin transcript] It is anticipated that 30% of the working population, 42 million people, will become ill. 70% of the working population, 150 million people, will not get ill, and will have to run the country. In 1918 out of the 30% that became ill, 2% died. Infrastructure may not meet human needs. Supply …




Influenza Pandemic Update:

Swine Flu Multi-Shot Vaccine May Overwhelm States “Two injections will be required three weeks apart for swine flu, also known as H1N1, and a third will be needed for seasonal flu, health officials said at a meeting today at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta. Children younger than 9 years old will need four shots, the CDC said. … People older than age 50 are getting swine flu at far lower rates than younger people, evidence they may have some immunity from prior exposures to a similar virus, and will only need one shot, the CDC …




Economics and Investing:

New Hampshire’s Senator Gregg slams the growth of the Federal Debt on an IBD editorial: A Debt The Founders Wouldn’t Believe. (Thanks to GG for the link.) GG also suggested this piece: Depression 2.0 by Michael S. Malone Patrick M. like this one: The Great American Bubble Machine Items from The Economatrix: Banks Reap Record $9.8 Billion Trading Derivative in First Quarter “The U.S. banking industry said it made $9.8 billion during the first quarter trading derivatives and securities as investors started returning to the markets amid signs the recession bottomed.” States Form Committee to Oppose GM Sale to US, …




Odds ‘n Sods:

There was a good article recently posted over at The Silver Bear Cafe: Help! The Grocery Store Shelves are Empty    o o o Andrew D. sent us this video link: Flooded River Destroys Road In Minutes. This illustrates hydraulic power–in this case circumventing an under-engineered culvert. Roughly the same thing happened at our old ranch, where the previous owner’s three-foot diameter culvert on the creek was washed out by springtime floodwaters. I replaced it in 1994 with a six-footer, and so far as I know it is still there, and the road above it is still intact.    o …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"…the Constitution does not repose in the Congress the power to bail out individuals or private industry: Bailouts violate the Equal Protection doctrine because the Congress can’t fairly pick and choose who to bail out and who to let expire; they violate the General Welfare Clause because they benefit only a small group and not the general public; they violate the Due Process Clause because they interfere with contracts already entered into… Worse still, Congress lacks the power to let someone else decide how to spend the peoples’ money. "- Judge Andrew Napolitano, November 25, 2008