Day: May 24, 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and …


A Guide to Chemical Warfare Preparations, by Bryan R.

All survivalists, indeed all citizens everywhere, should give proper thought and consideration to the threat posed by Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) and Radiological agents, particularly chemical agents as they are the most likely to be encountered in dozens of possible situations. It is a fact of life that chemicals are everywhere, be they in surplus military storage depots, the local chemical plant down the road, the chemical laden train moving through the county, the semi hauling a tank filled with chemicals, or the nefarious terrorist who has finally realized that all he needed to make some very nasty blood agents …


Letter Re: Listening in to the Joplin Tornado — and Other Disasters

Jim — Thanks for all that you do and the many able contributors to your site.  This evening, Sunday, 05/22/2011, I am listening to the “live audio feed” of the Jasper County and Joplin, Missouri, law enforcement scanner traffic.  As I am listening, the various agencies are dealing with the aftermath of a deadly tornado that hit Joplin.  As a former police officer I have been through this sort of event. However, listening to their radio traffic is eye-opening, even for me.  I am getting a new perspective on many of the nuances of dealing with a catastrophe of this …


Two Letters Re: Bugging Out Via Boat

Dear Jim, I disagree with [SurvivalBlog Editor at Large] Mike Williamson’s opinion on boats as a bugging out survival alternative. With proper planning, thought and equipment selection; as well as the appropriate “ships stores”, and with all the knowledge necessary to any other solution to the problem, the right boat will allow you to avoid many of the perceived problems associated with a complete breakdown of society. It’s no easier or harder than any other subject, just different and less common. Just look at the volumes of material on your site, the problem is never solved and there is never …


Economics and Investing:

Matt R. sent this: Greece default fears rise as reprofiling talk flounders Deputies confiscate 250 pounds of copper during exchange Bank of America to give away houses. (Thanks to KAF for the link.) Kirk Elliot puts the unemployment rate in proper perspective. Items from The Economatrix: Greece on Verge of Defaulting What Destroyed Rome Was Its Unfunded Government Employee Pensions US Stocks Plunge On European Debt Worries What Happens When Greece Defaults BoE Chief Warns Of More Tough Times


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paulette suggested this: Beginner Basics: Fitting a Backpack    o o o More Nanny Statism: USDA fines family four million dollars for selling bunny rabbits. Thanks to Dann for the link.    o o o Some pointed humor, over at the Paratus Familia blog: Patient Zero    o o o Loyal content contributor F.G. flagged this: Armed With Stone-Tipped Arrows, Hunters Stalk Their Inner Cave Men


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. … Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters." – Edmund Burke