Year: 2009

Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals

Greetings James, The recent article by Eli was very informative but I would like to ad one comment regarding his section referring to burglaries. I believe what I’m going to mention here is commonly overlooked as I was guilty of it myself. Eli wrote: “Go and look at your front door. Find your lock plate. When a door is forced, this is the part to give, with the plate coming loose and breaking the trim. Get a screw driver, and remove one of the screws. Realize that this is what is securing your front door. Now go buy longer screws, …


Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire

I found a product called Grancrete, that when laid down with a trowel and embedded with multiple layers of fiberglass can be made bullet proof. I was originally investigating this stuff because it was invented for nuclear waste encasement I thought it could be used for a little extra protection. After talking with a very knowledgeable staff I found out that it has never actually been used for nuclear encasement but they have completed ballistic tests and it was resistant up to a .30-06 with just a two-inch layer. I do believe that people could easily retrofit a house [with …


Economics and Investing:

In a recent edition of his Reality Check e-newsletter, my mentor Dr. Gary North mentioned this alarming piece posted in the Not A Sheep blog: The Disappearing £16.3-trillion. In the age of the Internet, it has become difficult for the Powers That Be to spike a news story! Laura and Garth were the first of a dozen readers to send this link: Kansas suspends income tax refunds, may miss payroll Ben H, sent this link to an interesting (and frightening) article at the Von Mises Institute: Printing Like Mad I noticed that spot silver and gold prices are solidly back …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Bob A. sent us a link to a bit of Climate Change humor to cheer us up in the midst of all this depression talk.    o o o JS sent us this cool link: The supergun that kills from a mile – and the camouflaged crackshots using it against the Taliban    o o o KAF flagged this thought-provoking piece in the Effect Measure blog: Fort Detrick stands up by standing down    o o o Justice prevails! West Allis man not guilty in open carry gun case. (KAF also sent that link. Thanks!) JWR’s suggestion: Mr. Krause set …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 21 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded 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. …


Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals, by Eli

I sat down to see what I could offer to share with other SurvivalBlog readers. Many topics have already been covered, so I will attempt to go somewhere new. I am a law enforcement officer by trade, and hope to provide a unique perspective as such. I have seen shootings, stabbing, burglaries, robberies, etc. I have served both search and arrest warrants. I work in the southwest US, and have worked in very affluent areas as well as very poor areas. What follows are some observations of my time on the job, relating to a few different areas and crimes …


Letter Re: Gaining Situational Awareness and Old-Time Knowledge

Jim, Situational Awareness has a number of definitions, from the rather complex to the “simple”. They include: The process of recognizing a threat at an early stage and taking measures to avoid it. (Being observant of one’s surroundings and dangerous situations is more an attitude or mindset than it is a hard skill.) The ability to maintain a constant, clear mental picture of relevant information and the tactical situation including friendly and threat situations as well as terrain. Knowing what is going on so you can figure out what to do. What you need to know not to be surprised. …


Economics and Investing:

The Old Yooper mentioned this FSU piece: Signposts Towards the Inevitable. The graph showing the upcoming second wave of ARM is particularly alarming. There will be some real ARM-twisting then! Thanks to G.G. for this piece: Irish government faces growing fears of debt default Steve S. recommended a video of a lecture on the history and nature of debt-based modern currencies, and their implications on freedom. DS spotted this: As U.S. Borrowings Rise, Treasurys Begin to Pop. As I’ve mentioned before, look for a big jump in Treasury yields as a key indicator that stagflation is ahead. Items from The …


Odds ‘n Sods:

My old friend Fred the Valmetmeister sent us a “signs of the times” piece: For many Idahoans, better a trailer home than no home o o o Greg mentioned a useful table on Firewood Ratings and Information, published by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory. Greg notes: “With all the “fire” wood down in the recent ice and wind storms this appears to be a helpful link. I see too many people burning the wrong woods or at the wrong time.” o o o When we last checked, “Patriots” was ranked #3 in What’s Shaking in Buy.com’s Entertainment section


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I am so firmly determined, however, to test the constancy of your mind that, drawing from the teachings of great men, I shall give you also a lesson: Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: ‘Is this the condition that I feared?’ It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress, and it is while Fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against her violence. …


Note from JWR:

Congratulations to CDR, the high bidder in the auction that ended yesterday. Today we begin a new SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes: 1.) Another “be ready to barter” box of 38 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 4 – Excellent condition original East German 30 rd. steel AK-47 magazines in a “raindrop” camouflage pattern belt pouch, 12 – Excellent-to-new condition original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Well-used but serviceable condition original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines with cartridge counter holes, …


Letter Re: UHF Business Band as Another Option for Retreat Local Two-Way Communications

Sir. Another option for retreat communications is to license your own business frequency with the FCC. That is what we did. Having worked in public safety, both fire and law enforcement for 30 years, I knew what I wanted in a radio system. I wanted to use public safety quality radios and I wanted my own repeater, all in the UHF business band. Our remote area has few UHF frequencies since public safety operates in the VHF band in our area. There are few businesses that use radios. The initial license cost about $400. for ten years because the initial …


Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire

Sir, I wish to inquire about hardening a home .I n a firefight, when in a “normal” home, shots would traverse the walls. Being a simple farmer here in southeastern Idaho I am a little concerned about the current turmoil and possible Golden Horde. I know that when I was in Rhodesia, we built earthen berms around the home like big flower boxes along with 2″x4″ mesh wire to stop RPGs. We also had built two perimeter fences and placed crushed white stone inside the two fences ([each] nine feet high). Also I am interested in how to pump water …


Three Letters Re: Gold and Silver Coins as an Investment

Howdy James, I hope you and yours are doing well. I recently came across the Preparedness Podcast and in Episode 5 – Gold, Silver, and a look at what’s coming in 2009 is an excellent primer on investing in gold & silver. Basically silver is your ‘checking account’ and gold is your ‘savings account’. A 20% silver and 80% gold ratio is suggested as good mix of spending power and portability. A few gold coins take up a little space when you have to bug out, but the same dollar amount in silver will weigh you down when you need …