Odds ‘n Sods:

James Madison: How to stop the federal government. – D.S. o o o Prof: ‘Elf on the Shelf’ conditions kids to accept surveillance state. – D.S. o o o Spain Pushes Gag Law, Could Become A Nightmare Police State Very Soon. – CDV o o o Seems their people have not forgotten…the famous “NUTS” response in WW2. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde return to duty following Queen Fabiola’s funeral. – RBS







Notes for Monday – December 15, 2014

December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. (The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia.) We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud. The 15th of December, 1923, was the birth day of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas). According to Wikipedia, he was “…born in Weimar, Germany. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 he moved first to England and later, in 1936, to Kibbutz Yagur in the British Mandate of Palestine where he changed his name to Uziel Gal. In …




The Care and Feeding of a Woodstove

Here, at the Rawles Ranch, we heat our house with a masonry wood stove. Because of the thermal mass of its masonry construction, the stove holds heat and, therefore, provides a much more consistent heating effect; well, that is the case for at least three-fourths of our house. Our stove’s wood box is large, so there is the risk of overheating the living room, especially in the fall and spring, when the afternoons warm up outdoors. In those seasons, we have to be careful to keep the stove’s air vent nearly closed almost all of the time. (However, we are …




Scot’s Product Review: Panteao Productions, LLC

The ability to learn is, in my view, about the most important of the many gifts God gave us. During my stint as a teacher, which continues as I homeschool my son, I got to study learning styles and the ways people manage to accumulate knowledge. Some of us best learn to do something by reading about it. Others best learn if someone tells them how to do it. Then there are those who best learn by seeing others do it, and finally there are those who can only learn if they do it themselves. While I remain convinced that …




Recipe of the Week: Basic Pinto Beans

We eat a lot of beans, prepared in a variety of ways. I read on SurvivalBlog that alot of people are stockpiling “beans, rice, and bullets”. However, I’m wondering if all of those people who are stockpiling beans know how to prepare them so they will be enjoyable. Here is our most basic recipe, which is sometimes spiced up more with additional red chili, cooked longer for softer/refried beans, or added to other recipes. I cook up a big batch and can them, as it is just as easy to make a “mess” of them for additional quick meals later. …




Letter: OPSEC

Mr Rawles, I received an interesting letter today that profoundly reminded of OPSEC. The letter was notification of a class action suit against Oregon ARCO stations. They failed to disclose their prices when the station charged a 35 cent debit card transaction fee. While my visits to Oregon Arco stations “south of the river” are quite sporadic, the dates of time are what really got my attention– January of 2011-August of 2013. This seems to prove three things to me– our debit and card purchases are being tracked and cataloged, and perhaps Mr. Snowden is not the ogre he is …




Economics and Investing:

Paying Down The Debt Is Now Almost Mathematically Impossible. – E.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Venezuela Has a 93% Chance of Defaulting on Its Debt Greek Bonds Extend Worst Week Since Euro Crisis Greek Stock Rout Means ASE Is 2014 Worst After Russia Memo To Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat: Does Your Crony Capitalist Plunder Know No Shame? – FDIC is not a free market solution, and Glass–Steagall was only needed because of FDIC. It’s an example of government regulations necessary to protect us from a prior government mandate. Perhaps we could try the free market again? Perhaps …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Thug run “fake roadblock” documented by NJ driver’s dashcam. – T.P. o o o Teachers Are Being Mandated To Get the Flu Vaccine or Wear a Mask and Gloves. – D.S. o o o “Knockout Game” Player Shot By Concealed Carry Permittee . – RBS o o o From the Department of Fiscal over-reach: Despite promises, Social Security still trying to collect old debts from kin. – B.B. o o o Cop admits on camera MRAP is for “Constitutionalists”. – T.P.







Notes for Sunday – December 14, 2014

December 14th is the birthday of the late John Warren Wadleigh (born 1927, died September 24, 2013). Wadleigh was better known to many SurvivalBlog readers by his pen name– Oliver Lange. He was the author of the best-selling resistance warfare novel Vandenberg. This is also the birthday of Air Force General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, who died September 27, 1993. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, …




Spanked!, by K.B.

I saw a weather commentary on television one night in late August, 2005, that was a bit different from any I had ever seen before. It appeared that a pair of chubby fraternity brothers were yucking it up over an incoming hurricane. They were downright giddy. “Yes, indeedy,” the first guy said with a big smile. “It sure looks like Louisiana is a-gonna get spanked. And spanked good! This looks like it might just be the best hurricane ever!” The other guy agreed with great enthusiasm. “Yes, indeed! A once in a century event. Maybe even a once in a …




Letter Re: Stomping Laundry Clean in TEOTWAWKI

Hugh, Another alternative: Take two laundry baskets. Put the wet clothes in the first, nest the second inside the first, and stomp away. Water will flow through the holes. You may have to drill holes lower in the basket, if the floor of the basket is solid. Alternatively, you can use two buckets. Drill large holes in the bottom bucket. – CDV




Economics and Investing:

Cronyism and ensuring American taxpayers bailout the finance industry during the next crash: Nostradamus like spending bill will ensure big banks never fail with your money. o o o The US Mint (and Congress) inch forward to composition changes (or phase out) of pennies and nickels. (It looks like we will have at least one more year to accumulate “25/75” composition nickels.) o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Giving Up Your U.S. Passport Getting More Expensive Russia’s Rate Increase Fails to Halt Ruble’s Slide to Record Congress Narrowly Averts Government Shutdown




Odds ‘n Sods:

From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large: Widener’s is out of Mosins, but has M48 Yugos for $199. My Mosin Nagants arrived well packed, arsenal refurb new, with bayonets and accessories. An excellent quality deal. o o o SLC man gets stolen shotgun back 37 years after it was taken. – T.P. o o o Where is the mainstream media on this one?Christian Man Asks Thirteen Gay Bakeries To Bake Him Pro-Traditional Marriage Cake, And Is Denied Service By All Of Them. – RBS o o o For everyone who thinks that small towns will escape trouble …