Year: 2013

Odds ‘n Sods:

B.B. sent this great essay: Gun Control Tramples On The Certain Virtues Of A Heavily Armed Citizenry    o o o Light bulb ban on horizon. And speaking of legislation: New Year Welcomes Oddball State Laws. And the shackles have tightened even more in California: Open carry of long guns has been banned. (Are you ready to vote with your feet, Californians? Or are you going to wait until they put all gun owners on a par with child molestors?)    o o o OSOM suggested: Avoiding The Ethanol Blues    o o o Jim P. mentioned this book review: …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If even the concepts of individual responsibility and individual ability to make social agreements volitionally are to survive, then our competence in such survival skills as creativity and community must be constantly of concern, along with our tools. When it comes to tools, however, we have our our own emphasis also. There is coverage galore these days of ways to turn back full circle to subsistence living, voluntary simplicity, and virtually technology-free ways of working. That is an option, of course. Our own experience strongly suggests that people cannot be held to such limits. Human creativity always leaps over limits." …


Notes from JWR:

May God Bless and Protect all SurvivalBlog readers in this new year, regardless of calamitous events. — Today is the 125th birthday of John C. Garand (born 1888, died February 16, 1974.) — Today is also the birthday of novelist Daniel Carney. (Born 1944, died January 9, 1987.) The year 2013 also marks the 50th anniversary of Carney’s emigration to Rhodesia. Daniel Carney is best known for his 1977 novel The Wild Geese, which was soon made into a very popular movie of the same name. — Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …


Moving to An Asset-Orientated Life by Greg G.

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog you know what to do to get prepared. Stock up on food for short and near term survival, find a location where like minded people live. Become physically fit and active, and train in self defense. But all of these things cost money. My article goes towards moving to an asset orientated lifestyle to achieve your goals. When you’re cash poor, it is tough to even think about planning. If you read these articles about guns and survival food, and retreat locations and wonder, while the dispute between .223 and .308 is …


Resolving to Start the New Year Right

Here at the Rawles Ranch, we’ve resolved to get back into doing our daily stretching/calisthenics and thrice-weekly tactical hikes on the National Forest land that compasses our property. (We had let this practice slip away last Fall, as the cold weather set in.) Hence forth, no more lame excuses. We’ve also begun supporting C.R.O.S.S. Ministries with weekly support. With automatic PayPal payments, this won’t be overlooked. They deserve your support, too. Note that these are Christian missionaries who will train South Sudanese villagers with small arms, so that they can defend themselves. This is a Biblical concept! (Luke 22:36) We’ve …


Letter Re: I Thought I Was Prepared

Hi Mr. Rawles, It is a bit embarrassing to share this account with you, but maybe, just maybe someone will learn from my errors. I guess we’ve always been ‘preppers’’ of some sort.  We’ve always had a fruit-cellar and extra personal hygiene items along with bandages etc. on the shelf.  When I found this site about 4 years ago, my husband and I took a long, hard look at where we were and where we needed to be.  The two of us are not just looking at helping ourselves, but my sister and her family.  So we dug in and …


News From The American Redoubt:

Wyoming has nation’s 4th highest population growth. Also in the news: Wyoming may loosen gun laws. (Among other things, allowing teachers to arm themselves. Yes!)    o o o Reader R.B.S. sent: Idaho ranks last in earnings by full, part-time job holders. No wonder that bartering is so popular in Idaho. Ditto for the underground economy.    o o o I noticed that Ulti-MAK (in Moscow, Idaho) has added several new scout style scope mounts to their product line. They also now have a good assortment of rail-mounted optics and gear.    o o o The Nampa, Idaho Rod & …


Economics and Investing:

B.B. recommended: In 2002, CBO predicted 2012 US debt would be 7.4% of GDP. In reality, it was almost 74% of GDP $1 Trillion Obamacare Tax Hike Hitting on Jan. 1st San Bernardino may have to pay pensions before police protection Items from The Economatrix: Ordinary Folks Losing Faith In Stocks Housing, Factory Data Point To Momentum In Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

The news is full of sad tales like this: Fearful of ban, frenzied buyers swarm gun stores. And this: Shelves empty of AR-15s. And it is not just a shortage of AR-15s and magazines: Nation running out of ammo. And survey the crowd at the Las Vegas gun show! (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)    o o o J.B.G. sent: California gun sales jump; gun injuries, deaths fall    o o o Steve W. recommended the latest from Selco: 10 Rules for Trading in Long Term Survival Scenarios    o o o Facebook bans Gandhi quote as part of …