Month: June 2013

Note from JWR:

I heard that fellow blogger Ron (a.k.a. “The Orange Jeep Dad“) will soon be leaving Phoenix, Arizona and moving his wife and family (they have six daughters) to their old family farm in Oklahoma. Established in the late 1800s, it has been abandoned since the 1980s when his grandfather became ill. Ron promises to blog about the entire adventure and include videos of how he and his family learn to farm, raise livestock, homestead, and homeschool. We wish Ron and his family the best for their move. Their new life will be quite a ride. And as one who has …


How Can We Be “Antigovernment”?

Recently, I was falsely labeled “antigovernment” by the SPLC, and that prompts me to post some clarifying remarks: There is a huge difference between being “antigovernment” and being someone who insists that our government remain our government and that it abide by the law of the land. Constitutional rights are not negotiable. In our system of government–a Constitutional Republic–we are a nation of laws, with the consent of the governed. In effect, we govern ourselves, through our elected representatives and our appointed officials. Or at least that is how it is supposed to work. I am not a “subject” of …


Betsy’s Book Review: The Prepper’s Cookbook by Tess Pennington

Publisher:  Ulysses Press, Berkeley, California. Copyright: 2013 ISBN:  978-1-61243-129-1 223 pages Available on Amazon or eBay for between $10 and $15 I received The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals as a copy for review. Tess Pennington made the assumption that the reader of her cookbook is new to prepping.  She goes step by step and explains why to prep, why to be proactive, and how to afford food preps. Also covered are economic prepping, the just-in-time grocery store concept, how to begin to stockpile, and rotating supplies. Additionally, she explains “essential …


Michael Z. Williamson’s Product Review: Brite Strike LED Tactical Balls

I’m reviewing the Brite Strike LED Tactical Balls® RID-3, Rolling Illuminated Distraction and Disorientation Device. Awkward name aside, these are an interesting item. The LED balls come as a set of three, in a black nylon pouch with a MOLLE-compatible belt loop and Velcro closure.  They activate with a push button on the back, which is readily locatable by touch.  Once lit, you roll them into an area and they tumble, sending bright light in several directions each. RID-3 are a low-level substitute for a flash bang device, being less distracting, but much safer.  Brite Strike publicizes this fact; they …


Pat’s Product Review: Montie Gear Ultra-Lightweight Knife

Over the years I’ve probably handled and tested well over a thousand different knife designs. I know a lot about knives. I look for quality materials in knives, then I look at their intended purpose, as well as the carry system – be they folders with pocket clips, or fixed blade knives with sheaths. I also look at the design of a knife, and I look at the price point, too. I test knives for sharpness and durability – do they do what they are supposed to do?   Some time ago, I wrote an article on the Montie Gear …


Letter Re: Chicken and Beef Bouillon Without MSG

  Hi Jim,  I was in Costco yesterday and noticed that they now stock chicken and beef bouillon that has no MSG. Some people try to avoid MSG because it gives them headaches. I like to avoid it for health reasons, since it’s been shown that MSG is an excitotoxin–a nasty chemical that may cause humans to develop brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. No thanks! The Bouillon in question is sold under the “Better Than Bouillon” brand, and I think bullion will store very well for at least five years, making it a great addition to our food storage …


California’s Draconian Gun Legislation: The Beat Goes On, and On

California State Senator Tom Berryhill (who represents a far-flung conservative district up in the lightly-populated Sierras) recently sent an e-mail with a depressingly long list of pending Democrat-sponsored gun legislation in People’s Republic of California: Senate Bill (S.B.) 47 (Yee, D-San Francisco) Changes the definition of “assault weapon” to include a firearm which is a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle or semiautomatic pistol that does not have a detachable magazine. S.B. 53 (DeLeon, D-Los Angeles) Dubbed the “ammo purchase permit bill”, this legislation creates new state permits that require background checks for buyers of ammunition. S.B. 108 (Yee, D-SF) Requires ‘safe’ storage …


Letter Re: Sugardyne for Wound Treatment

Hi James, I’m sure you’ve heard of this–but on the off chance you haven’t, you definitely need to: The miraculous wound-healing benefits of a goop made from sugar and betadine (povidone iodine–available cheaply everywhere). You mix together and make a paste, which can be packed into deep wounds and gouges. Some people refer to it as “sugardine.” Not everyone knows that sugar alone has been used for hundreds of years as an effective gunshot wound treatment. The high osmotic gradient it promotes attracts and traps bacteria–and animal cells are better able to withstand high osmotic conditions than bacterial cells. The …


Letter Re: Free Food: How I Found it and What I’ve Done With it

Jim, The writer of the “Free Food” article wrote that she had not found a good way to preserve avocados and in the next paragraph wrote that she had not had success dehydrating citrus fruit. If that citrus fruit is lemon or lime, it is part of the answer as to what to do with those avocados! I ordered a box of avocados prior to having a large gathering of friends and family for a long weekend. A personal tragedy prompted several of my guacamole eating guests to depart days early, so I had to think fast as to what …


Recipe of the Week:

Martha in South Bend’s Rabbit/Chicken/Etc. Casserole Here’s a very simple recipe that uses what ever meat you have at hand.    Stuffing Casserole: 3 Cups chopped cooked meat (any kind will do, great way to use up leftovers) 2 – cans Campbells’ Golden Mushroom soup 2 – cups sour cream 2  – boxes stove top stuffing mix, prepared per package directions. 9″ x 13″ baking pan. Mix the first three ingredients in baking pan. Top with prepared stuffing.  Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until it bubbles around the edges and stuffing is …


Economics and Investing:

Taxing Coin Sales: A Bureaucratic Nightmare In The Making? Bread, butter, and food stamp economy: Is the US developing a permanent under-class of citizens economically? Richard Russell: Silver, Gold & A Coming Stock Market Crash Over at Silver Doctors: COMEX confirms that its gold and silver inventory reports are fraudulent. Items from The Economatrix: Real Unemployment Rate:  11.3%?  Nope.  29%. Economist:  Labor Market Just Not That “Healthy” May Jobs Report; Government Data Grab


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. forwarded this: Everything you could want for a nuclear fallout from Kleenex to unappetizing cans of ‘multi-purpose food’: California couple discover perfectly preserved 1961 fallout shelter 15 feet below their backyard. [JWR Asks: Now will they have the wisdom to fully stock it with fresh supplies?]    o o o A very useful tutorial: How To Wash Laundry Post-Disaster.    o o o Reader W.J. suggested the latest in digital privacy: Peer-to-Peer Bitmessage Software. (Given all the recent revelations, this might be the only encrypted e-mail system that is halfway trustworthy!    o o o Long distance looters: Police …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


Community Building is Critical, by W.H.

A couple friends and I recently talked about the state of ‘things’, and how ‘things’ seem to be getting worse, and how ‘things’ are so bad that ‘things’ simply cannot get better. You’ve had those conversations, right? My friend David is well aware of the sorry state of our political system, and we’ve discussed those ‘things’ several times in the past. However, he was not thinking in terms of societal collapse. David started thinking along those lines pretty quickly, once I pointed out some weaknesses of our system, like the fact that our power utilities are not adding capacity, but …