Year: 2015

Two Letters Re: Good Samaritan Bag

HJL, Samaritan Bags– these are an excellent idea, and the boxes built for Samaritan’s Purse gifts come to mind as a basic model. I have some ideas! One might build these using resealable bags (sandwich sized or larger). Each could contain a few personal care comforts: mylar safety blankets and/or a rain poncho, a cap and/or gloves, moistened hand-wipes, wash cloth, and hotel-sized bar of soap, travel-sized hand sanitizer, kleenex, Chapstick or other lip balm, packaged hard candies, a protein bar. Alternative versions could be created for kids and even for four-legged companions, too! A whole lot can go into …


News From The American Redoubt:

Intoxicated man falls off cliff after driving off Idaho road o o o Southeast Idaho post office forced to remove Nativity scene – Once again, an outside PC group is attempting to force their beliefs on a local population. If only more locals had more backbone: Belen responds to a demand to remove Nativity scene o o o Police release body cam footage from October officer-involved shooting o o o Pocatello school lunch lady fired for being kind There is also a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the lunch lady. While I object to the concept of public schools, …


Economics and Investing:

The War against Cash, Part II – Sent in by G.G. o o o Your tax dollars at work, laundering illicit drug money: Bal Harbour to Caracas: Millions in drug money. One must ask: Cui bono? o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News The Credit Crunch is Back: Banks Scramble to Collateralize Loans to Record Levels (Zero Hedge) Key Words are JUST IN CASE. From the Article: “… suddenly banks don’t want any risk from residual loan exposure which they can’t offload, and as a result are demanding companies pledge assets and otherwise collateralize whatever loans they issue …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Conservative talk radio host Pete Santilli was arrested after police dispatch radio traffic mentioned that both he and his co-host “…vehicle matched to terrorist watch list, along with names.” Then the backpedalling began… This is quite troubling, even as an isolated incident. The chances of both the vehicle and the two radio hosts names INCORRECTLY matching the terrorist watch list are close to ZERO. The police chief reportedly spent an hour on the phone with the DHS before de-escalating the arrest. And doubtless part of this hour was being briefed on how to handle the upcoming CYA session with television …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay, for it is not only an evil itself, but also it is a fertile source for further evils because it invites reprisals.” – Frederic Bastiat


Notes for Monday – December 28, 2015

December 28, 1793 is the day that Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason. The charges against him were never fully detailed, but he was tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Best known as the author of Common Sense, he moved to Paris to be part of the French revolution. Initially welcomed, the tide soon turned against him, because he was opposed to the death penalty and the French revolutionaries were sending hundreds to the guillotine.


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Cold Steel’s Tiger Claw

Wicked! That’s the word that comes to mind, whenever I think about certain types of knives, especially those designed for self-defense use. Of course, many will associate the word “wicked” with an ex-spouse, and I can certainly understand that! LOL! However, many knives have passed through my hands over the years for articles, perhaps a thousand or more knives. Many, while designed for self-defense, weren’t especially “wicked” looking to my mind. Oh, for sure, you could tell they were what many call “tactical” knives, whatever that means to different people. I’ve been trying to lay claim to a Cold Steel …


Recipe of the Week: Nutty Chicken Breast

Ingredients: 1/4 cup peanut butter 2 Tbsp chopped peanuts 4 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp instand minced onion 1 Tbsp minced parsley 1 clove garlic, crushed Several drops of red pepper sauce 1/8 tsp ground ginger 4 whole chicken breasts, halved, skinned, and boned 2 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp melted butter 1 (10 1/2 oz) can chicken broth 1 Tbsp cornstarch Directions: Mix peanut butter, peanuts, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, onion, parsley, garlic, pepper sauce, and ginger. Spread on the inside of each chicken breast and fold in half; close with a small skewer or toothpick. Place in a …


Letter Re: Being Anonymous, by Spotlight

HJL, One note on this. I’ve had a “mailbox” (mail receiving service) for longer than I’ve been at any address. It started when important documents ended up with the wrong carrier and were “returned to sender – address does not exist”. A full service private mail receiving service can (for a fee) forward any mail, as well as UPS or FedEx packages to your mail. (Note: Wyoming allows PO Boxes as an address for the drivers’ license last I checked.) Also, with E911, you can’t avoid tracking, at least with cell towers. GPS can be jammed/blocked. Note that 315MHz is …


Economics and Investing:

The War against Cash, Part I – Sent in by G.G. o o o Negative Power Prices Highlight Some Regulatory Problems o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Report: Fed-Up Creditors Seek to Put US Energy’s Zombies Into Bankruptcy (Reuters) From the Article: “Rising financial stress in the U.S. energy sector has prompted some suppliers and vendors to take unusual legal action to collect unpaid debts: forcing struggling companies with billions of dollars in debt into bankruptcy.” International News The Commodities Party is Officially Over and “Now We are Suffering the Big Hangover” (Business Insider) Hint: There will …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader B.G. sent in the link to a Washington Post article detailing that the Justice Department just shut down a huge asset forfeiture program. It’s important to note that this is just a small part of the whole “asset forfeiture” system. States can still use state forfeiture rules, and it does not address seizures by federal agencies, like the FBI, DEA, or DHS. It’s ironic that an individual confiscating your property under the same rules would end up in jail for theft. I guess stealing is deemed okay, when you’re a government. o o o The Anti Safe Act Organization …



Notes for Sunday – December 27, 2015

On this day in 1979, in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union sent 75,000 troops to enforce the installation of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the nation. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had little success in putting down anti-government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destructive, and ultimately fruitless Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. Death by a thousand cuts. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 62 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this …


The Second Amendment and Its Relevance in Today’s Society, by B.E.

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Amendment II (the Second Amendment) of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights declares a well-regulated militia as “being necessary to the security of a free State” and prohibits infringement of “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” It is a controversial subject whose ramifications are still being debated to this day, over two-hundred and thirty years after it was written. Its place in the Bill of Rights as the Second Amendment is indicative of how important our nation’s founding fathers thought that right should be. It is still relevant in today’s society, despite haphazard attempts at …


Letter: Good Samaritan Bag

Hugh, I was getting together some clothes that I don’t wear anymore (amazing how they seem to shrink just hanging in my closet) to donate to Salvation Army and had a mini-inspiration. In my car I carry my Get Home Bag, first aid kit, a case of water, my EDC, a tool kit, some spare parts, tarps, and blankets. In other words, all the things a good prepper should have on hand. Then I got to thinking, what about emergencies that are less than TEOTWAWKI? Specifically, what if you come across an accident, someone who is lost and wet or …