Year: 2013

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Mendy P. sent: Study: 70 Percent of Americans on Prescription Drugs. JWR’s Comment: If one considers a pharmaceutical supply chain failure in the event of a power grid collapse, then the implications of this study are staggering. What will life in American be like when 27 million Americans are forced to suddenly come down off of antidepressants? There will be no “gradual tapering”–just “cold turkey” withdrawal. My advice: If the grids go down then be prepared to stay off the streets for a few months. There will be a lot of crazy behavior manifested.    o o File Under …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of Marine Corps Lt. General Chesty Puller. (Born, 1898, died October 11, 1971.) Perhaps America’s finest-ever maverick officer, Puller was part of what I call the Even Greater Generation. This is also the birthday of my uncle, Joseph Brower. Often in the shadow of his elder brother (the famous environmentalist David Brower), Joe Brower has had an amazing life of his own. He was a navigator on board flying boats during, and after World War II. After the war, as communist troops advanced though China, Joe was a navigator for China National (CNAC.) Then he worked …


Ammunition Caching: A 20 Year Real-World Experiment, by Cache and Carry

           Introduction: Twenty years ago in 1993, I had already been collecting paramilitary style firearms for over 15 years. I remember purchasing my first HK91 rifle in the late 1970s and being so excited about the Galils, Uzis, Valmets, FN/FALs and the other varieties of collectable rifles that were available to a firearms enthusiast in that period of recent American history. Being a collector of arms also made me interested in collecting the ammunition that was abundant in that era. Shortly after getting married in the 1980s, my lovely wife asked, “Why do you need to keep all this ammunition?” …


Letter Re: Circumventing Canada’s Onerous Magazine Ban

Hello Mr. Rawles, This information may be useful for Americans living in states with strict magazine capacities. A loophole exists under Canadian laws that allows shooters the ability to legally bypass magazine capacity restrictions.   Under Canadian law, a magazine DESIGNED for a rifle may only hold five rounds of the caliber it is designed for.  A magazine designed for a pistol may only hold 10 rounds of the caliber for the pistol it is designed for.  But there is no law prohibiting the use of a pistol magazine in a rifle, a magazine designed for a different caliber than …


Economics and Investing:

Jim W. sent a link to some analysis of the recent jump in the 10 Year Treasury rate: The Nightmare Scenario Gold-Bashing Mythology Hits New Crescendo. (Commentary by Jeff Nielson.) Marc Faber: People With Assets Are All Doomed The News, the Spin, and the Reality of the FOMC Meeting No great surprise: Maryland, Virginia, D.C. escaped government spending cuts. (The D.C. Beltway’s deeply entrenched bureaucratic aristocracy rarely suffers.) Items from The Economatrix: Retirement Shortfall May Top $14 Trillion Peter Schiff:  Fed Is Trying To Ref late A Phony Economy Also from Peter Schiff:  “Vicious” Gold Rally Coming


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some great new NOAA imagery: Green: Vegetation on Our Planet    o o o Six Primitive Traps For Catching Food In The Woods    o o o Who Are The Real Traitors?    o o o R.J. sent: Oklahoma Tornado Victims Have Housing Option in Modular Homes. (The company’s web site gives some more details.)    o o o Craig J. sent: El Dorado County Sheriff Strips Forest Service of State-Law Enforcement Power.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"All of the government’s monetary, economic and political power, as well as its extensive propaganda machinery, will be enlisted in a constant battle to drive down the price of gold – but in the absence of any fundamental change in the nation’s monetary, fiscal, and economic direction, simply regard any major retreat in the price of gold as an unexpected buying opportunity." – Irwin A. Schiff



Mark Levin: Government Is Simulating the Collapse of Our Financial System, the Collapse of Our Society and the Potential for Widespread Violence

Along with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, leading conservative radio host Mark Levin reaches tens of millions of listeners weekly, and what he talked about recently on his nationally syndicated show has sent shivers down the spines of many of them. A few years ago this was fringe theory, restricted only to the sphere of alternative (conspiracy) news. Warnings of a massive economic collapse, government stockpiling of weaponry, and the idea that Americans could be broadly classified as terrorists and then detained indefinitely or killed often fell upon deaf ears. Today, as more information ‘leaks’ into the mainstream, it is …


Letter Re: Raising Beans

  This week we have been overrun. Not by looters, but by beans. We really look forward to our first spring green vegetables, which are green beans.  After raising green beans for generations on our farm, we have decided that “Contenders” is the very best variety for us. They come up the best, and produce the largest quantity of long slender green beans per plant. We haven’t saved any seeds from this variety, until this year. If you have read one of my previous posts, you will know why. After the great drought of 2011, all the stores in our …


Letter Re: Air Guns as Long Term Survival Weapons

JWR, Reader M.D.W. wrote a very informative article, as far as he went.  The newest technology in the air rifle race is the nitrogen piston, replacing the metal spring on the break action guns, both in rifle and pistol format.  The nitrogen piston, or nitro piston as it is known, uses the technology of the auto shock absorber.  When was the last time that anybody heard of one of those failing?  The nitro piston can be purchased as a spare and stored indefinitely on the shelf with no special attention.  The major advantage of the nitro piston is no spring …


Letter Re: Media Misrepresentation of Guns and Gun Laws

James, Reference the controversy about the Longmire television show. It is common on television and in movies to see 1911s carried with the hammer down and the act of cocking prior to shooting. Most folks versed in firearms recognize this as Hollywood adding some drama. The act of cocking being the lead up to a shootout. Hollywood is after all all about drama and not reality or safety.  E B  writing about the danger of carrying the hammer down on a round in the chamber is correct about the safety concerns of doing so.  However the older government models had …


News From The American Redoubt:

RBS sent: Groups offer reward for info on missing grizzly. I’d give that less chance than a murder investigation in the city of Boston, where 6 out of 10 murder cases go unsolved. Apparently some Bostonians know how to keep their mouths shut. Ditto for ranchers in Idaho and Montana, where “Shoot, Shovel and Shut up” is a commonly-heard phrase.    o o o Nate’s New York Pizza, in Post Falls, Idaho deserves your business. Great folks. They are one of the sponsors of the upcoming Patriots and Self-Reliance Rally at Farragut State Park, near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, July 26, …


Economics and Investing:

Moody’s takes rating actions on nine Hong Kong banks. JWR’s Comment: The timing of this is suspect. Is it a coincidence that Hong Kong just dragged its feet on the rendition of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, under the U.S./Hong Kong extradition treaty of 1996? The payback, apparently, is a down rating by an “independent” ratings firm. Venezuela on the Brink of Hyperinflation. (Thanks to Jim W. for the link.) Mortgage Rates on the Rise; Repeat of Lead-Up to 2008? JWR’s Comment: Interest rates are crucial. Once rates rise substantially then it will become impossible to service the Federal debt without …