Month: August 2012

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Common Ground With Greens, by Kyle J.

Survivalism is at its most basic a selfish endeavor.  I don’t state that as being a negative thing, but rather as being morally right and good.  We are supposed to want to live.  And to that end, we obviously want those that we love to live too.  Environmentalism on the other hand, often seems to push selflessness.  It is usually built around messages of sacrifice, restriction, and admonition of the self for the greater good of society.  I get frustrated listening to environmental rhetoric that beseeches me to seek out environmentally friendly actions for no other reason than eco- altruism, …


Letter Re: Milsurp Concertina Wire Now Must Be De-Militarized

Dear JWR: Recent concertina wire sales at GovernmentLiquidation.com are now coming with the following notice: "All scrap under this contract requires mutilation by the buyer prior to removal if allowed at location or mutilation must be witnessed and certified by DOD personnel at buyers facility. Title to the material does not pass to the buyer until the scrap has been mutilated. Buyer agrees to allow USG personnel to witness destruction." So much for cheap, domestic military surplus concertina wire. 🙁 – Mr. C.


Economics and Investing:

El Jefe Jeff E. first of several readers to send this news: US Banks Told To Make Plans For Preventing Collapse G.G. flagged this: Study: Almost Half of Americans Die With Less Than $10,000 in Assets Also from G.G.: Slow path to progress for U.S. immigrants: 43% on welfare after 20 years From B.B.: New retirees receiving less in Social Security than they paid in, marking historic shift Items from The Economatrix: Financial Algorithmic Trading Could Gold Be Tripped Up By Coming Deflation? Gold Poised For Upside Breakout of Current Range


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader H.L. recommended this at Truth Is Treason: 38 Survival Downloads and Handbooks – Pioneering, SHTF, Engineering, Urban Gardening, Defense, and More    o o o James C. spotted these DIY instructions over at the new EDC and Prepping Blog: Making a Bushcraft Knife from an Old Putty Knife    o o o Reader KAF sent this: Genocidal Sudanese regime’s appointment to UN human rights council all but certain, watchdog says. “It’s like putting “Jack the Ripper in charge of a women’s shelter.” Meanwhile, in Nigeria, more Islamic genocide: 19 killed in church massacre as gunmen go on the rampage …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


The Mind of the Survivor, by William C. Prentice

Introduction Taking stock recently, I realized that I am probably not as well prepared as most of the followers of James’ SurvivalBlog.Com, certainly not in terms of infrastructure and stockpiles of materials and equipment.  I don’t have a long-term supply of food, nor do I have a survival retreat prepared for when the big one hits.  My bullion holdings are embarrassingly low.  On the other hand, I am probably better prepared than most for any criminal or paramilitary attack on my person, my family, or my home, so I am not totally hopeless by the standards of most survivalists. The …


Economics and Investing:

Peter S. was the first of several readers to send this item: Over 100 Million Now Receiving Federal Welfare. Peter’s comment: “If true, then this is worse than I previously thought and feared in the US.  It is going to be ugly when the U.S. Dollar collapses…” American Expatriate (“AmEx”) suggested this: Fed’s Fisher: Just Stop With the Easing Reader B.B. sent this: US Dollar already went off a fiscal cliff – what does a falling dollar mean to US families? Masking de-leveraging via debt markets. Coffematt forwarded this: Real recovery in home prices not expected until spring. JWR’s Comments: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Pierre M. spotted this: Defying History: How Kim Jong Un Could Hold Onto Power for Decades    o o o Dwindling US Crops Are a Global Concern. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.)    o o o Marilyn R. sent this: Open Carry law clarified in Wichita. (Kansas has state preemption over city and county gun laws.)    o o o Nick D. sent: Is there a constitutional right to own assault rifles?    o o o For a limited time, Seed for Security is offering a bonus: A free pint of Winter Rye (approximately 13,280 seeds), and a free …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Stockpiling and Replenishing, by CPT Blackfox

As a U.S. Army Battalion Logistics Officer, it became very evident to me that at some point my stockpile of parts, petroleum products, uniforms, etc. would eventually run out, and I needed a way to replenish those stockpiles during steady-state operations.  A total collapse situation would unfold in much the same way as a deployment of a military unit would in regard to an interrupted supply chain.  Initially, you have no logistics network and you need to rely entirely upon your stockpiles brought with you or kept in your secure location.  I learned this the hard way at the National …


Letter Re: When Will TSHTF? One Population Modeler Says 2020

Dear Mr. Rawles, Most of your readership is likely convinced that the coming decades (or years or months) will yield considerable social instability. The hard question is always what form it will take and when it is likely to happen. I found an article about ecological models that seem to describe past historical patterns with some degree of accuracy. From these models, their author is predicting another spike of instability around 2020.  From the article: “To Peter Turchin, who studies population dynamics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the appearance of three peaks of political instability at roughly 50-year …


Economics and Investing:

France’s new Socialist President François Hollande is calling for a 75% income tax! Indigestion for ‘les Riches’ in a Plan for Higher Taxes. If this is enacted, expect to see a wave of emigration. Items from The Economatrix: Has The Perfect Moment To Kill The Dollar Arrived? The US Economy Lost 1.2 Million Jobs In July Oil Drops From Two-Month High in New York as Demand Slides