Letter Re: I-594

James, Your article “Learning from Washington’s Huge Background Checks Mistake” is on target. My comment is on the Founding Father’s intent of the Second Amendment– to permanently preserve the capability of the general public to be adequately armed to stand up to a tyrannical government. The only place in the Constitution that explicitly prevents “adjusting or interfering” with an Amendment, is the Second, with the admonition “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”. I have yet to see or hear of a definition of that statement that allows ANY of the multitude of “gun control laws” that currently infringe on the Right to …







Odds ‘n Sods:

A Moral Code For The Post-Collapse World. – ShepherdFarmerGeek o o o Although there is much in the history of America’s wars with the Barbary pirates that is of direct relevance to the current global war on terrorism, one aspect seems particularly instructive to informing our understanding of contemporary affairs. Very simply put, the Barbary pirates were committed, militant Muslims who meant to do exactly what they said. Take, for example, the 1786 meeting in London of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Tripolitan ambassador to Britain. As American ambassadors to France and Britain, respectively, …







Notes for Thursday – February 19, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with …




BOB(B): Bug Out Bag (Baloney), by R.S.

Many in the prepper community work hard to develop the skills and test the gear that they expect to rely on in a time of collapse. However, I am convinced that many more are “armchair” preppers. These “armchair” preppers are those who are actively involved in reading blogs (including excellent ones like this one, of course!) and purchasing supplies and equipment but never actually using them to verify that they will serve their intended purpose in a time of crisis. I am further convinced that this is nowhere more true than in the oft-discussed area of “bug out bags”. Preppers …




Letter to BATF Re: Armor Piercing Ammunition Exclusion Comments

To Whom It May Concern: It appears that much has come up regarding the legislation and regulations applied as a result of legislation relating to Armor Piercing Ammunition. The definition of “Armor Piercing Ammunition” per 18 U.S. Code § 921(a)(17)(B), identifies two definitions: The first definition is: “a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium” While SS109 / M855 contains steel, it does not contain any …




Economics and Investing:

Federal benefit programs to support Apple Pay . – RBS o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Audio Interview: David Stockman: The Global Economy Has Entered The Crack-Up Phase I May Get Out of US Stocks: Nobel-Winner Shiller With Clock Ticking, Greece May Ask for More Time Why The Alarms Over A Slight Rate Hike? – While we should have market set rates and not central planners to “set” rates, what is a fact is the U.S. economy cannot withstand higher interest rates, as JWR and many others have pointed out. The author clearly doesn’t understand this.




Odds ‘n Sods:

A review of JWR’s Tools for Survival by John Walker has been posted. SurvivalBlog considers it an honor to have a review written by Walker, who is a legendary figure in the software world as the inventor of AutoCAD. o o o NJ Cops Arrest Gun Owner for “Creating a Risk of Widespread Injury or Damage” – D.S. It is evident from the photo, the majority of that gunpowder is smokeless (nitrocellulose) powder–NOT black powder–and hence represented no significant risk. I’d be much more worried about a poorly-stored five gallon gas can. o o o Those who were around in …







Notes for Wednesday – February 18, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with …




The Twelve Pillars of Preparedness: A Leap of Faith, by R.W.

Suffice it to say that much of this information is floating around in books, print, or cyberspace, and it may or may not be new and informative, but here is my outline for being prepared for possible difficult times and is kind of a value or mission statement that my wife and I have agreed to live by. It is by no means all inclusive or complete; rather, it is a work in progress for our group. Faith/knowledge. I am secure in my faith. I am a child of the most high God. I understand that God is good, holy, …




Two Letters Re: Washington I-594

Hugh, James nailed it in his piece, “Learning From Washington’s Huge Background Checks Mistake”. Washington’s statewide election results are determined by metropolitan Seattle, where the majority of the state’s population lives. We all know that big-city voters are mostly NOT property owners, so they have little incentive to think critically about ballot measures, referendums, and initiatives. That, added to the huge numbers of public assistance recipients in Seattle (and every large city) and you have the reason why Democrats and Democrat-led ballot measures win in the state. (Oregon is exactly the same, with metropolitan Portland.) The last two sentences in …




Economics and Investing:

Video: Silver & Gold Dealers To Be Shut Down? Update On Operation Chokepoint – Mike Maloney JWR’s Comment: On orders from Eric Holder, America’s gun dealers and precious metals dealers have been targeted as “undesirables”, putting them in the same category as pornographers. It is notable that the apparatchiks have made themselves exempt from oversight and the FOIA, in the “Chokepoint” campaign. o o o How much debt does your state have? o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: U.S. Companies Can Avoid Venezuela Devaluations by Taking One Big Hit Risk of Greece Leaving the Euro Increases As Bank Run …