Year: 2015

Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers recommended the excellent documentary: Midnight Ride: When Rogue Politicians Call For Martial Law o o o The count is now at 15 governors who have said they will reject the “refugees”. Obama faces insurrection – State governors are refusing to accept more refugees As a friend so aptly put it: “If you were given 10 grapes and told two of them were poison, and you couldn’t tell which two, would you eat any of them?” o o o The “Big Boys” have the tools, now “Jr Varsity” ISIS wants them too. Britain warns of ISIS plotting deadly cyberattacks …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“A hand from Washington will be stretched out and placed upon every man’s business; the eye of the Federal inspector will be in every man’s counting house… The law will of necessity have inquisitorial features, it will provide penalties, it will create complicated machinery. Under it men will be hailed into courts distant from their homes. Heavy fines imposed by distant and unfamiliar tribunals will constantly menace the tax payer. An army of Federal inspectors, spies and detectives will descend upon the state… Who of us who have had knowledge of the doings of the Federal officials in the Internal …


Notes for Tuesday – November 17, 2015

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: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


A Solid Solution On Securing Home Defense During A TEOTWAWKI Situation, by B.M.

Currently, I reside in a suburb about 40 miles outside of Chicago. It’s just far enough in my opinion to escape the madness should the SHTF. Nobody is going to walk 40 miles out of the city to my town. What would they achieve by doing this anyway? In any case, my personal bugout plan is to bug-in should a SHTF scenario develop. I live in a typical small suburban home with neighbors all around me. It is a typical suburban American block. I have thought through many scenarios that may present themselves during times of trouble, whether it’s that …


Letter Re: Infant Nutrition

Hello, After reading the infant nutrition article and several responses to it, I could not help it but add something to the discussion. Dental caries and especially childhood dental caries is the most widespread disease in United States. The science behind it is that it is a bacterial infection, meaning the cavities are caused by bacteria in the mouth. Kids are not born with that bacteria but acquire them during childhood. DNA testing has shown that in 90% of the infection cases, the source is the primary caretaker, mainly the mother. Ways of infection are sharing utensils, kissing on the …


News From The American Redoubt:

FBI investigating killing of Jack Yantis by Adams County deputies in Idaho o o o Idaho governor says feds should halt refugee program o o o But meanwhile, on the Left[ist] Coast: Washington State Governor Will Welcome Refugees o o o In Wyoming: Man dies when car deer comes through car’s windshield o o o Israeli airline carrying nearly 300 passengers makes emergency landing in Billings


Economics and Investing:

Items from Mr. Econocobas: China Welcomes IMF Backing to Make Yuan World Reserve Currency Car Loans Hit $1 Trillion for First Time Japan Relapses into Recession in July-September, a Blow to ‘Abenomics’ Items from Professor Preponomics: Nordstrom: The Religion of Consumption Has Proven Unfulfilling (Market Watch) It’s Official. Obama Wants to Help You Manage Your Retirement Savings. (Zero Hedge) Jury Finds Ernst & Young Liable for Millions in Damages Related to the Madoff Ponzi Scheme (Reuters) Postal Service Tallies $5.1B Loss Even As Revenues Rise (U.S. News) 100 American CEOs Have More Wealth Than 116 Million Americans (My Budget 360) …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.E. writes in with the comment: “It’s a sad day in the land of the free and home of the brave when Microsoft must move it’s data centers to Germany to give their users a smidgen of data privacy from their own government.” o o o From D.S.: Texas warns Obama: No Syrian refugees here! – The lines are being drawn. Texas, Idaho, New Mexico and others are saying no; Washington says yes. Which state did you want to live in? o o o B.B. sent in this link to an excellent article on the average Americans response …



Notes for Monday – November 16, 2015

November 16th is the birthday of Michael D. Echanis (born 1950, died September 1978), a former United States Army Special Forces and 75th Ranger Battalion enlisted man. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device as a LRRP in the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in eastern Oregon. Echanis was killed while working for the CIA in Nicaragua in 1978 in a plane crash along with his colleague, Charles Sanders, and members of the Nicaraguan armed forces. There was conjecture that the plane was destroyed in flight by a saboteur’s bomb. JWR’s novel Survivors …


Schrade SCHF3 Survival Knife – By Pat Cascio

It’s probably been at least 20 years since I owned any sort of Schrade knife, and the last one I had was a fixed blade hunting knife. It worked just fine, near as I can recall, dressing out a deer. Schrade has been around for a long, long time, well, sorta. Schrade is now owned by Taylor Brands, and I’m not sure when this takeover took place. As far as I know, all Taylor Brands cutlery is produced in China. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. I recently purchased a Schrade SCHF3 fixed blade survival knife for …


Recipe of the Week: Native Persimmon Pudding, from OkieRanchWife

Hello, Jim and Hugh! Here is another recipe for the blog. It is a great time of year for preserving the harvest, whether it is planted or foraged. I am fortunate to have numerous native persimmon trees, Diospyros virginiana, on my property. It’s free foraged food, and this year I was able to get to them before the deer, coyotes, or the cows. If you have not ever tried a ripe persimmon, the best description I can give you is to imagine a honeyed apricot. The taste is fantastic. Always be certain that it is a ripe persimmon. Green ones …


Letter Re: Multi-Caliber Firearms

Hugh, I was wondering what were your thoughts on rifles capable of shooting multiple calibers? Examples are the Sig Sauer SIG556xi and Colt MARC 901. I can see the utility of pistols having this capability, but I was wondering if you thought the extra investment would be worth it for rifles? HJL responds: I haven’t tried any of the new offerings on the market, but the Thompson Contender has long been a staple of my collection. I have both the original frame and an Encore frame with a barrel for each caliber for which I reload. I use it as …


Economics and Investing:

Americans are buying tons of gold November 12 Sent in by G.P. o o o Despite their own economic woes, the Chinese continue to chip away at the U.S. dollar dominance on the world scene: China welcomes IMF backing to make yuan world reserve currency – P.S. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: Four U.S. Firms with $4.8B in Debt May Default at Any Time: Energy Sector Losses Continue (Zero Hedge) Social Security: The Long Slow Default (Mises Institute) Obamacare’s Co-op Failure Contagion (Wall Street Journal) ECB Says Further Policy Easing is Coming to European Markets Next Month (Reuters) …


Odds ‘n Sods:

J.C. sent in a link to an interesting article on gardening in Colonial America: How Americans Gardened 260 Years Ago o o o You are probably already aware of most of this content, but while the media wants to claim that ISIS came out of nowhere, the truth is far more concerning. U.S. policy has direct links to its creation. Video: Origin of ISIS. Sent in by J.C. o o o Still not convinced that all of Islam is bad? How about hearing from their own lips that there is no such thing as Islamic Extremists; there is only Islamic: …