Month: October 2015

Notes for Saturday – October 17, 2015

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: …


Surviving EMP: Suburban Circle Garden- Part 2, by Northwest Native Elder

Step 3: Buy the best of plants for surviving I have listed the vegetables below that I have planted and that have proven successful for me. Also, I have ordered the following plants from 1-5 with #1 needing the most sun and #5 needing the least sun. They will all benefit from the most sunlight they can get, but tomatoes need full sun and heat. It is a short list but an important one. These are the plants that you, as an inexperienced gardener, will have the best chance at growing, storing, and surviving on. You may have to supplement …


Letter Re: A Budget Disaster Response Kit

Gentlemen, Bruce F. gave some good advice about cutting down barrels, but I find that the process is greatly improved by using a standard pipe cutter, not a tubing cutter. Most tubing cutters will fail if put to the task of cutting steel. A pipe cutter is a tool used to cut primarily black steel pipe. It is very similar in design to the tubing cutter but substantially more robust and up to the task. – Tim in CT


Economics and Investing:

B.B. sent in this article: 77.5 Million Households Are Not Paying Federal Income Taxes (CNBC) o o o D.S. informs us that Illinois to Postpone Pension Payments “We Are out of Money Now” (The Daily Sheeple) o o o From the Economics Team: Wal-Mart Tumbles Most in 15 Years After Predicting Profit Slump (Bloomberg) Hyperinflating Argentina Forces Government To Increase Banknote Denomination (Zerohedge) Repossessions spike 66% as foreclosure crisis lingers (CNBC) Sanders and His Followers are NOT Outliers (Mises Institute)


Odds ‘n Sods:

J.C. informs us that the BLM is at it again with this article from News Channel 6 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Video: BLM Land Grab o o o Speaking of the BLM and Federal government overreach, B.B. sent in this article: Feds Sentence Oregon Ranchers to 5 Years in Prison for Setting Preventative Fires (The Gateway Pundit) o o o I just heard about a small company in the state of Washington that makes oil centrifuges, called www.simplecentrifuge.com. These centrifuges would be of great utility for anyone setting up a biodiesel factory, or for anyone that has a need to …



Notes for Friday – October 16, 2015

October 15th, 1859 is the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes …


Surviving EMP: Suburban Circle Garden- Part 1, by Northwest Native Elder

Being descendants of Native Americans and Swiss/German immigrants, my family has survived and thrived off our land for generations. We hunt and gather an abundance of local food– venison, salmon, elk, smelt , crab, clams, acorns, huckleberries, and seaweed– from the Redwood Forests, Wild Rivers, and Mighty Pacific Ocean, and we cultivate our “civilized” gardens and orchards, grown in the manner brought by our European ancestors. Having the best of both worlds so to speak, we have never really experienced a lack of food in our area. The art of gathering, growing, and preserving food for winter has always been …


Two Letters Re: The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities

Hi HJL and JWR, The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities was an awesome article. Patrice Lewis definitely addresses the knowns, the unknowns, known unknowns, and unknown-unknowns in her article! I totally agree, based on the same data that she and her husband are looking at that most people won’t make it out of the cities alive. As a collapse theorist myself, if we do indeed have a fast crash (as compared to the slow one we’re currently in), I believe that the current societal trends– the suicides, the mass-shootings, overdoses of legal and illegal drugs, et cetera– would …


Economics and Investing:

B.B. sent us this gem from Zero Hedge: The Problem Explained In 110 Words o o o R.V. spotted this: US Banks Build Defenses Against Downturn. R.V.’s comment: In spite of the title, the article is actually about how banks have taken down loan loss reserves to bolster profit, not about how they have increased the reserves. If I reduce the loan loss reserve, I have to back out the previously recognized expense, which has the effect of increasing profit. So if I increase my loan loss reserve, it is an expense, which would lower profit and reduce assets (loans …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From October 16th to 19th only, Oathkeeper–the latest book from Prepper Press–will be available free of charge, in Kindle e-book format. o o o What’s the Goal of DOJ’s Strong Cities Network? o o o Reader RBS suggested this: Controversies – Closing of Rural Hospitals across U.S. Upends Communities o o o Video: Unarmed black woman beaten and tackled by Florida cops for filming arrest of her husband. When will the police learn that photographing a public event is not a crime? For any readers who do not yet have press credentials, I strongly reommmend that you print out a …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms is an extension of the natural right to self-defense and a hallmark of personal sovereignty. It is specifically insulated from governmental interference by the Constitution and has historically been the linchpin of resistance to tyranny.” – Judge Andrew P. Napolitano


Notes for Thursday – October 15, 2015

October 15th, 1990 is the day South Africa’s Separate Amenities Act, which had barred blacks from public facilities for decades, was scrapped. o o o Having spent the last 18 days camping, it’s good to be back! The homecoming is somewhat bittersweet though. Eight of those days were spent celebrating The Feast of Tabernacles with others in a wonderful time of joyful worship, and it’s hard to leave such fantastic fellowship! Now the process of unpacking and cleaning begins. This trip also happens to be great practice for a G.O.O.D. situation. Just like every year, there were some lessons learned …


Structured Thinking for Practical Prepping for Suburban Life, by S.I.R.

I am writing this article based on my experience as Army Infantry officer, a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and intelligence professional, but most of all as someone who uses structured thinking to plan against and mitigate threats. It is important to plan for events that are less of a threat yet highly probable that in turn provide the foundation to plan for extremely dangerous threats that are less likely to happen. Structured thinking and scenario development will assist the average reader with how to move beyond theory and talk to practical planning. The Americans I interact with live in …


Letter Re: A Budget Disaster Response Kit

Hugh, I have a couple of comments on the Budget Disaster Response Kit article by R.S. I found the article useful and thought provoking. For those that don’t have access to a metal lathe to shorten the barrel, I have used a standard tubing cutter, such as you would use to cut conduit or copper pipe, with great results. First, make sure that the cutter will cut square to the tube, I have had a couple that tended to walk down the barrel, cutting a spiral. Second, cover the area with a few layers of masking tape to protect the …