Month: May 2013

Economics and Investing:

IRS Admits, Apologizes For Targeting Conservatives During 2012 Election Spain is officially insolvent: get your money out while you still can Jeff H. sent: Not even good enough for dog food: Imported food from China loaded with chemicals, dyes, pesticides and fake ingredients Items from The Economatrix: Hoard Alternative Money & Reforming Banks They Are Murdering Small Business: The Percentage Of Self-Employed Americans Is At An All-Time Low Marc Faber On Gold, Terrorism & Democratic Wealth Confiscation


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader F.G. flagged some bad news: Delaware Governor Markell signs bill expanding background checks for gun purchases to include most private sales.    o o o For those that missed it: Glenn Beck’s EPIC Keynote Speech – 2013 NRA Annual Meetings    o o o Here Are-the Top Five Best and Worst States for Business: Guess Which Ones CEOs Prefer?    o o o Just for fun: The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly    o o o Missouri Legislature Nullifies All Federal Gun Control Measures by a Veto-Proof Majority    o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; …


Notes from JWR:

I noticed that silver just took another dip. It was at just $23.30 per ounce when I last checked. I have long recommended buying on these dips. The new American Redoubt silver coin is now available, but be advised that Mulligan Mint –like all of the other mints–has recently been swamped with orders. And although they admirably just cleared a 90,000 ounce backlog, you can still expect delays of up to 21 days after your check clears. Order elsewhere if you don’t have patience. — Today we present another entry for Round 46 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Making Your Home Less of a Target Once The Lights Go Out, by W.K.R. in Kansas

Like most of you I have been preparing for the bad times to come. I have made plans with food stores, water, guns and ammo, etc. In my desire for knowledge and to be as prepared as possible I’ve read anything I can get my hands on and I surf the Internet nightly, I also have an impressive library. I have gleaned what I could from all this and fortified where I can. My major concern now lies is in how to protect my family and supplies that I have worked so hard and diligently on, along with personal sacrifice …


Two Letters Re: Motorcycles as Bugout Vehicles

James; I too have consider the motorcycle-for-TEOTWAWKI option. E.M.P. covered the pros and cons pretty well and I can add just a couple of thoughts. I have a family, which means while there are a number of possible TEOTWAWKI uses for a motorcycle, actually bugging out isn’t one of them. This is obviously viable only for the single, unencumbered prepper. But I can see other, perhaps invaluable uses. A [high field strength EMP event – A motorcycle is small enough that it could actually be kept stored in a protected enclosure. Or failing that, it would be far easier to …


Economics and Investing:

Bank of America to face $7 billion claim by AIG H.L. sent: Feds Charge Eight in $45 Million Cyber Crime Scheme. The article begins: “In one of the biggest ever bank heists, a global cyber crime ring stole $45 million from two Middle Eastern banks by hacking into their credit card processing firms and withdrawing money from ATMs in 27 countries…” The U.S. has Spent $8 Trillion Protecting the Straits of Hormuz No “Peak Natural Gas” Anytime Soon Jim W. sent a microcosm for the national mindset of borrowing money to pay for past promises as if there will be …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike Williamson (our Editor at Large) sent a link to some analysis of the 3D Printed Gun controversy, by Joe Huffman: Faceless bureaucrats, not blue helmeted elk. And as for the files themselves? They can’t stop the signal. For every web site that the DHS takes down, I’m confident that five or more will pop up, to take its place. Clearly, the djinn has left the bottle, and there is no putting him back. For anyone who would like to support their upcoming legal battle, the Bitcoin address for DEFCAD is: 1Gb5GNxrVGMT8e9uoJ8CmamrdVz9o8fAEa A side note: Do they teach toothpaste tube …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: [and] the patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is [the cause] that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance: and [by it there is] profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence: but the excellency of knowledge [is, that] wisdom giveth …


Notes from JWR:

May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper (born 1920, died September 25, 2006.) Cooper was as close to the Patron Saint of practical shooting as a man could be. This is also the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007) He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding after five decades to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent …


Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms, by Frog

Introductory note: This guide is mainly aimed at the American prepper. Without a doubt, firearms are one of the most important preps we have to make; without a way to defend them, none of the other supplies we amass are truly accounted for. So, when the beginning prepper sets out on the road to self-sufficiency and preparedness, we want to maximize our dollars; buy once, cry once. Perhaps you’re not a ‘gun guy,’ like some of us, or perhaps you’re only used to hunting, or sport shooting. Which guns should be considered, and why? Hopefully, this will help. Gun number …


Letter Re: Motorcycles as Bugout Vehicles

Hi James, After seeing and living through the nightmarish traffic jams and rerouting during the Colorado wildfire last summer, I started thinking about the wisdom and utility of having a motorcycle in SHTF scenarios.   There are pros and cons to it that I can think of, but I’d like other’s opinions.  An off-the-top of my head list:   Pros: 1)  Bypass traffic jams and stalled/out of commission cars. 2)  Saddle-bags can carry a lot more than than a human 3)  Much faster than on-foot bugout. 4)  Handles off-road with suitable tires 5)  Fewer people could drive it compared to a …


Letter Re: Be Prepared to Fortify

Jim: A few comments on Mountain Man Virgil’s letter titled “Be Prepared to Fortify.” I would like to offer a few alternatives to his plan to “hide security measures in your garage until you need them.” I am assuming that he is referring to items such as barbed wire and sand bags. There are many things one can do which offer very good security and still blend in with the neighborhood. Large decorative rocks, strategically placed or large treated logs as garden or flower beds can offer excellent cover and concealment. Large livestock water tanks of metal or heavy plastic …


Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. sent: 10,962,532: U.S. Disability Beneficiaries Exceed Population of Greece Record Number of Americans (Including Hamid Karzai’s Brother) Renounce Their Citizenship Frequent content contributor Jim W. sent: Bix Weir – You Can’t Trust The Paper Price Of Silver and Time is Running Out To Get Physical Items from The Economatrix: Robert Shiller:  Home Prices To Remain Stagnant For The Next Ten Years Gary Shilling:  The Disconnect Between Weak Economies And Strong Markets Won’t Continue No Bank Deposits Will Be Spared Confiscation


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul B. suggested this at Nature Bats Last: The irreconcilable acceptance of near-term extinction    o o o F.G. liked this: Snell: Waking the dragon — How Feinstein fiddled while America burned    o o o The Nanny State run amok: European Commission to criminalize nearly all seeds and plants not registered with government    o o o Some near future conjecture by Bill Buppert: The Fourth Strike of the Match (at Zero Gov.)    o o o US Government Takes Control of 3D Printed Gun Makers Files/Website