Letter Re: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget by J. H.

Dear Sirs, Regarding a recent letter mentioning the use of rapeseed as a cooking oil, care must be taken in finding the right cultivars as natural rapeseed is not suitable for food uses. Wikipedia describes this in depth. In a long-term survival situation over many grow seasons, I’m not sure I would trust the use of rapeseed to remain safe for consumption of the oil. -Mike




Economics and Investing:

China fooled the world, and now comes the Great Unwinding – G.G. (May require an account to read the article.) o o o From 9/1, France bans cash payments over 1000 euros (previous limit was 3000) – G.G. (Google translated version) o o o The rise and fall of the American homeowner: Current homeownership rate is back to where it was 50 years ago. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Central Banks Can’t Save the Markets From a Crash. They Shouldn’t Even Try – The first section of this is pretty good, but after that it starts venturing off …




Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Movies April 9th In Danish subtitled with English, covering the German Invasion of WW2. One note is that just because strategic surprise has been achieved doesn’t mean you can’t work to get the tactical advantage back. Admiral In Dutch subtitled with English. Absolutely stunning visuals. Covers Dutch republic in its war against Germany, France, England. Books I also read had the chance to read the Knights Templar trilogy by Jack Wythe. I suggest all three–Kights of the Black and White, Standard of Honor, and Order in Chaos. While reading I discovered where Friday the 13th comes from and the term …




Odds ‘n Sods:

South Dakota drops teaching high schoolers about American revolution, founding documents – B.B. o o o IRS Could Not Verify 40% Of $15 Billion Of Affordable Care Act Tax Credits Due To Lack Of Data From Health Insurance Exchanges – PLC o o o FLIR ONE thermal imaging camera review – G.P. o o o President Warns Nation Of Massacre And Death – Scenes Of Plundering In The Streets, Empty Shelves And Mile Long Lines Should Have Americans Preparing For The Worst – B.B. o o o From Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlogs Editor At Large: some finer Form 4473 points







Notes for Tuesday – September 01, 2015

September is Kilted to Kick Cancer Month. It was a wise move, not picking January. (Brrrr!) September is also National Preparedness Month. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day 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 …




EMP Protection For Electronic Safe Locks, by PrepperDoc

Like many preppers, I have a safe with a digital lock that I purchased before I understood EMP, and I would now like to have some protection for that lock against the E1 component of an EMP attack. (Because the lock is not attached to any very long wires, the E3 component is not an issue.) I present here a simple technique that may provide significant (although imperfect) protection and which is amenable to becoming a commercial product by a motivated individual (and I freely give away the idea). Such additional protection would be expected to raise the probability that …




Letter Re: Fishing Pliers

Hello, I would like to respond to the question about reliable fishing pliers. First, let me give you my experience with the subject. I have been a hunting and fishing guide for over thirty years, and for the last nine I’ve been a fishing guide for salmon in Alaska. While I have tried many types and brands of fishing pliers over the years, I have yet to find a pair that I would be excited about. However, there is one pair/brand I would not recommend, and that is Mustad fishing pliers. This summer while king salmon fishing I had a …




News From The American Redoubt:

An incredible video of an ultralight flight through Bull River Valley ending at the Forrest Bird Museum. – T.T. o o o From Snake River Shooting Products: Need to take down a drone? A munitions company offers firepower o o o Wyoming man files suit over massive EPA fines for building pond – B.B. o o o Amateur Repeaters Fall Victim to Washington Wildfire – John Jacob of Radio Free Redoubt o o o A recent video from our friend, Wranglerstar, shot at and near the Columbia River: The Amazing “Super Scooper” Firefighting Plane (Wranglerstar is one of our favorite …







Odds ‘n Sods:

For a moment there I thought I was reading the plot line of a “Dirty Harry Movie”: 600 police gunshots during Stockton bank robbery were ‘excessive,’ report says – T.P. o o o How America can be saved from stupid people – J.C. o o o May you never find yourself in this situation, but if you do: Urban foraging — if you’re still stuck in the city when disaster strikes – D.S. o o o The editor of the Weaponsman blog suggested a video that incorporates some good tips: Saturday Matinee 2015 35: Uncertain Tomorrow (Web pilot, 2015) o …




Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks – It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” – Samuel Adams




Notes for Monday – August 31, 2015

August 31st, 1992 is the day that Randy Weaver surrendered to the Federal Authorities, ending the 10 day siege on Ruby Ridge. This is the incident that preceded the Waco siege and is known for the unconstitutional rules of engagement and overzealous actions by the jack booted thugs of the federal authorities that resulted in the death of two innocent people– Sammy and Vicki Weaver, Randy’s son and wife. It is notable that Randy was acquitted of all charges except missing a court date and violating bail conditions on an ATF sting operation where it is suspected that Mr. Weaver …




Scot’s Product Review: SGK 440 Portable Power Solar Go Kit

This is something I wish I had owned back in my old days at the newspaper. We sometimes had to go places where there was no electricity and coming up with power could be a real hassle. As the years rolled by, the need for power got bigger and bigger. When I started, the cameras were mechanical and we shot film. By the end, everything was digital and required batteries, plus we had computers and cell phones too. We often drove around blowing fuses in cars with inverters plugged into the lighter socket in a desperate effort to keep stuff …




Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Cold Steel/Rawles Voyager Limited Edition

Disclaimer: Neither Jim Rawles or Hugh J. Latimer asked me to do this article, nor did Lynn Thompson from Cold Steel. I received an e-mail flyer on this limited edition folder and requested a sample for review. No one involved in this project, including myself, are profiting from the sale of this folding knife. All proceeds are going to charity! ————— The Cold Steel Voyager folder is one of the best-selling folders in the Cold Steel stable of knives. It’s always in demand. I really like the Tri-Ad locking mechanism on this line of folders. It’s super strong, to be …