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The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL [1]”. Wait till you hear about the accidental discharge by a teacher!

Firearm Confiscation

Reader H.L. sent in this article on how one writer feels total gun control is on the horizon [2]. In essence this is about using domestic violence (or the threat of it) to create a protective order that allows authorities to confiscate your firearms without any real due process. Or as Trump recently put it “Take the gun first, go through due process second.” Obviously, these people understand what due process is so this is flat out about gun confiscation. How hard do you think it is for anyone to make a claim that you are a danger to yourself or others?

Accidental Discharge

In a complete act of stupidity, deputy Barney Feif a teacher had an accidental discharge [3] of their firearm inside a classroom. The firearms discharged into the ceiling and one student was taken to the hospital due to injuries received from shrapnel as the bullet fractured upon impact. According to some reports, the teacher was showing the students how to disarm an attacker. While this incident will certainly be used by the left to dissuade lawmakers from allowing teachers to be armed, what you won’t hear from them is how this teacher was also a reserve police officer [4] and a city council member.

Solar Storm

A rather large solar storm is being tracked by NASA and could hit the earth today causing damage to satellites, power systems and creating some spectacular northern lights. The storm coincides with a yearly weakening of earths natural protection against charged particles that occurs around the spring and fall equinoxes which could make the damage worse. Prepare accordingly. Thanks to P.M. for the link.

Stop the Bleed

Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large wrote in to remind everyone that March 31st is “Stop the Bleed Day”. Bleedingcontrol.org [5] is a site that everyone should visit regularly for the latest info on professional and improvised bleeding control. It’s easy to do and may very well save your life or that of another. You have no reason not to use this free resource in your medical preps.

Social Media Safety

Mike Williamson also sent in this article about a Belgian court threatening Facebook [6] over privacy concerns. Mike says:

Facebook’s creepy algorithms stalk members and non-members across the web, spying on you and storing everything you do in the unique permanent data file they have just on you.

Can you imagine this bizarre yet true reality – Facebook, just like Google, SNAP, Instagram, and yes, even WhatsApp, create a permanent record of you and what you do – and it’s just not your posts they are recording for a lifetime – rather they are logging everything about you – topics you discuss, people you talk to, news that you read, everywhere you are, everything you search about, things you buy, the list is endless. They sell it too.

Facebook is like a communist country with a crazy leader and absolutely no integrity.”

From Cold to Quadruple Amputation

Reader DSV sent in this article on a freak medical nightmare. About a month ago, Tiffany King got a cold. Sadly, she was on the drug Humira because of a rare form of arthritis that affects the spine and large joints of the body. Humira, however, weakens the body’s immune system. As a result, her cold turned into bacterial and viral pneumonia and she ended up in the hospital for a month where she got sepsis. In the hospital, doctors put her on a low blood pressure medicine when caused her body to shunt blood away from her extremities and resulted in a quadruple amputation. The takeaway from this? Take ownership of your own health. Know what the side effects of any medicine are that you take and make informed choices on what your health care options are.

Filtered Water

Reader W.W. sent in this article on the results of testing some of the leading brands of bottled water [7]. Unsurprisingly, they were contaminated with a number of things, including plastic particles. By and large, tap water is actually safer than bottled water (except in rare cases like Flint, Michigan) and you can mitigate the quality of your own water. At the Latimer we use both reverse osmosis water as well as filtered water for cooking, drinking and other health related activities. The regular tap water is used for all other things like washing dishes, bathing, et cetera. Good water testing is available for about $50 and everyone should have their water tested. If you are not in control of your own water supply, you may want to have it test often.

o o o

Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact [8] form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!

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Comments Disabled To "The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:"

#1 Comment By Anon On March 15, 2018 @ 12:44 pm

Can’t help but notice the multiple instances of accidental discharges by teachers right after the public suggestion that teachers should be able to be armed. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect if they had been intentional.

#2 Comment By Peter H On March 15, 2018 @ 7:39 pm

You’re not alone in seeing this. The timing is a little TOO perfect for coincidence…

Honestly; until this subject came up in the “conversation,” I’d NEVER heard of a teacher, instructor, etc discharging a gun in a classroom…

#3 Comment By ender On March 15, 2018 @ 1:32 pm

An older video of a cop bragging about being the only professional in the room to handle a gun. Then karma steps in and he shoots himself. Seems they will need just as much common sense training to go along with that firearm training.

[9]

#4 Comment By Just me On March 15, 2018 @ 1:41 pm

I do not believe the teacher had an accidental discharge. I believe it was a negligent discharge, in that he failed to properly clear his weapon before using it for instructive purposes. A chamber flag could have been a help here. To go an extra safety step further, he should have been a certified instructor to teach a public group. No, I am not anti gun, far from it, but safety first, check clear, and check clear again.

#5 Comment By Mr. Safety On March 15, 2018 @ 7:49 pm

I agree, negligent discharge without a doubt.

#6 Comment By Ned2 On March 15, 2018 @ 1:42 pm

Anyone notice how the ones that scream the loudest about the injustices of social media companies are the ones that continue using them?
Just. Stop. Using. Social. Media.

#7 Comment By Deplorable Silver Stacker On March 15, 2018 @ 2:21 pm

Accidental Discharge
What isn’t mentioned is that the “teacher” is a teacher only in the sense that he was there to educate a gaggle of students. He is/was not a “teacher” in the sense of education, training, and certification. Another conflation and obfuscation by the DemSM presstitutes.

#8 Comment By Hugh James Latimer On March 15, 2018 @ 7:26 pm

Actually, his primary vocation was as a math teacher. He had a secondary vocation as “reserve” sheriff and a tertiary vocation as council member.

#9 Comment By Tracer Testerman On March 15, 2018 @ 2:42 pm

By Water Testing for ~$50, do you mean professionally? Or is there a DIY Kit?

#10 Comment By Hugh James Latimer On March 15, 2018 @ 11:00 pm

I’ve used [10] in the past, but I see that they were bought out by [11] in November 2017 and have suspended the sale of their test kits until the transition is complete. Weird. Pace is not yet selling the kits online yet. They kits ranged from about $50 to $300 depending on the test that you ordered. I initially paid about $150 for a fairly comprehensive test, but subsequent test I just did the basic as it tested for the most common contaminants. Hopefully, they’ll start selling again soon. They were really great.

#11 Comment By nightbreaker On March 15, 2018 @ 3:11 pm

[12]

Hugh this has to get out spread widely.

#12 Comment By Seawind On March 15, 2018 @ 3:37 pm

Re:Gun control. Let Florida be a warning to all who live in states with GOP majority government. In a few short weeks our Governor with a A plus rating from the NRA backed by a majority of GOP in both Houses, most if not all claimed to be strong supporters of the 2nd., passed a bill now law restricting the Constitutional Rights of legal adults. Even today they will look in the eye and claim to be strong supporters of the 2ad. Can’t shake the feeling something strange is afoot.

#13 Comment By OneGuy On March 15, 2018 @ 3:48 pm

A year ago while hiking in mountainous terrain my wife was forced into an awkward placement on the trail that could have cost her life or serious injury. A deer and a fawn were also on the trail with a solid rock wall on one side and a 75′ drop on the other. My wife saw that the deer was trying to get through and stopped in her tracks to allow that to happen unfettered. As chance would have it the deer was more scared of her than of the height and choose to pass her on the “drop” side of the trail and lost it’s footing and fell to it’s apparent death. On reflection my wife realized that it was possible and likely that had the deer taken the inside route that because of the very narrow trail my wife may have been pushed off the cliff by the scared animal.

Because of this and other things that have been in my mind I reconsidered my 1st aid kit. I carry half a dozen or so medications, bandaids of all sizes, triple antibiotic, gauze, etc. The usual things. What would I have used or needed if my wife had fallen over that cliff? Well probably nothing in my kit would have been of any use. I have a much larger kit in my travel trailer but of course it is too large to carry with you. This has been a constant issue for me, i.e. what to carry in a first aid kit? My decision was dramatic. I now carry a tourniquet, an Israeli bandage and Quikclot gauze. My reason is simple. The most likely life threatening trauma I or my wife (or possibly strangers) are likely to have where there is actually anything that can be done outside of a hospital is massive bleeding. Certainly we could break bones even very serious broken bones but I can only stabilize the patient and call or send for help. It could be a stroke or heart attack but what could I possibly carry to deal with it. Again I would stabilize the patient and call or send for help. There are of course worse trauma injuries than massive bleeding but almost without exception these would be beyond the ability to “treat” them in the wild. But bleeding that cannot be stopped by normal means will kill within a minute or two and can in many cases be stopped until medical help can be available. What I need is not some bandaids and triple antibiotic I need a way to stop bleeding. My new kit gives me two ways to do this. (By the way I am on blood thinners so the quikclot is intended to counter that condition.) I will be able to use the tourniquet for extremity bleeding and I will be able to use a Israeli bandage and gauze to help stop extremity or even core body bleeding (somewhat more limited applications I know).

I now have four of these compact kits. One for each of our cars and one for each of our packs. Mine is in a small pouch with a belt loop so I can carry it when I do not have the pack. I suspect very few people carry something like this and it may seem a little excessive. But put yourself in my shoes watching that deer go over the cliff right next to my wife and knowing it could have been her. Looking over the cliff seeing the broken body of the deer not sure if it was alive or not but knowing it would be dead soon if it was alive. I am 75 years old and have never needed a kit like this so the odds are I never will, but what if I do. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

#14 Comment By The Recovering Feminist On March 16, 2018 @ 5:33 am

OneGuy,
What a dramatic story about your wife. It must have been frightful watching it unfold right in front of you.

I don’t believe in luck or chance when it comes to such “close calls.”

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or [a]shifting shadow” (James 1:17, NASB).

Peace!

#15 Comment By OneGuy On March 16, 2018 @ 1:48 pm

Yes my wife was full of guilt for the death of the doe and fear that if the doe had passed her on the other side on that narrow part of the trail that she would have been nudged over the cliff herself. We visit this NP twice a year and make this hike each time and it brings it all back for us. I was walking some distance behind her and didn’t actually see it but I heard the commotion as there were a few other people on the trail and everyone was emotional about what they saw.

#16 Comment By The Recovering Feminist On March 16, 2018 @ 7:17 pm

Thank you for the follow-up comment. This could be an excellent short story expanded into a life lesson. Well, I suppose you have already done just that in this article.

#17 Comment By VT On March 20, 2018 @ 2:11 pm

Carry aspirin(noncoated) and nattokinase(fermented soybean protein.) Both are known to relieve symptoms and cause of heart attack and stroke(blood clots). Ask your physician about using nattokinase as your blood thinner (1,400 year history of safety and efficacy. Your drug probably has a short history and dangerous effects but is profitable for him.

#18 Comment By Gene Blister, Idaho On March 15, 2018 @ 3:54 pm

The concept of having trained, certified, experienced and accountable armed teachers to provide reasonable front line defense in government indoctrination kill zones, er..that is, pubic schools…is so sensible, so obvious and, unfortunately, so necessary, a blind man could see it with a cane.

That having been said, why in heaven’s name had this moron unholstered his weapon!?

There are three locations and occasions when you draw – to remove the weapon to its secure storage at night or cleaning and maintaining it, range practice, and when you are launching lead to harvest meat or “terminate the threat.”

No, deputy Fife was weenie wagging to his class and the gun did what it was designed to do. This is the kind of situation where the gun IS confiscated, his carry permit revoked, his reserve police officer service is discontinued, his seat on the city council put up for a special election and criminal/civil charges issued.

Putz.

#19 Comment By Frank L On March 15, 2018 @ 4:05 pm

@deplorable silver

Several news sites say he is a teacher and has been for many years.

#20 Comment By Peter H On March 15, 2018 @ 7:47 pm

Funny; the same people who decry the use of guns for the protection if their kids at school have no trouble with armed people guarding their money in the bank… ‘Makes you question which they value more…

…Of course, these are the same people who scream and cry about foreign nations “meddling” in our elections, but have no problem with foreign nationals, living in our country illegally, steering our country’s destiny…

#21 Comment By Charles K. On March 15, 2018 @ 10:14 pm

As for the moron teacher/cop/politician:

Why wasn’t he using a dummy or a toy gun? Just common sense, wait, politician, nuff said.
Why was the gun loaded in the first place? Actually would have been a good lesson for the students. Wait, politician, nuff said.
As mentioned before in another comment; why was the gun not cleared? Would have been another good lesson for the students. Oh yea, politician.
Finally, why is this moron not having his gun confiscated? Oh wait, he’s a politician a scumbag politician, moronic actions are par for the course. He’ll end up with a medal.

#22 Comment By S On March 16, 2018 @ 12:37 am

Full time officers do this too. You just don’t hear about it. I know one police officer giving a grade-school class a tour of the PD and he drew his gun and shot a filing cabinet. I know another officer who accidentally fired a shotgun into his office floor. These are people I personally know and worked with. I imagine this happens all across America.

#23 Comment By Kevin On March 16, 2018 @ 4:09 am

I have been in the bottled water business for over thirty years and you can not get a water test for 300 to 500 dollars that would come close to what has to be done for state requirment.
Try putting some food coloring in your pour through filter. Or what about water going through a plastic membrain. Why do R.O.s grow bacteria in them?

#24 Comment By The Recovering Feminist On March 16, 2018 @ 5:35 am

“freak medical nightmare.”

I think this is more common than we realize. A dear friend of ours went in to have toe surgery and ended up catching something and dying in the hospital. I hear stories often of such “freak” accidents, however, I wonder how rare they truly are.

#25 Comment By VT On March 20, 2018 @ 2:20 pm

One of the main causes of death is doctors,overdoses,unnecessary procedures,botched procedures,induced infections,misdiagnoses,malpractice of all kinds kill 400,000+ every year

#26 Comment By Ohio Guy On March 16, 2018 @ 1:12 pm

What a convenient story and the timing is impeccable. Fits the “guns are bad” narrative to a tee. Was this really a math teacher or a drama teacher? I use the word teacher very loosely. This individual seems to wear quite a few hats. I suspect this individual is on the payroll from some elected idiots pressing “their” agenda. This was no accident at all. It’s sad what depths people will go to for a few $’s.

#27 Comment By VF On March 17, 2018 @ 12:25 am

I learned from a dairy farmer friend, that cobwebs work great for stopping bleeding. Just grab some from a corner and press it together and put it on a bad cut. It works almost instantly a lot of times. I have never gotten an infection from the dust in the cobwebs.

#28 Comment By Greg On March 18, 2018 @ 5:50 pm

I see all these posts picking on the accidental discharge. He made some mistakes. Another lesson from this is that he is human and humans make mistakes. No matter their training, diligence, or conscientiousness, when you have 100M gun owners some will make mistakes. Those mistakes are with a tool that very efficiently injures and kills people, the very reason many gun owners have them around. We can’t forget there are the people who use the tool to cause harm to others. And then there are the irresponsible gun owners. According to the FBI around 150,000 guns are stolen every year. If you were one of the millions of people tired of bullets hurting and killing people, tired of being afraid, what would you do? The NRA just wants to deny the problem exists. The risk for those of us who want to own guns is that society reaches a Drinking and Driving type shift in acceptable societal norms that leads to even more restrictions than if gun owners actually worked with everyone else to find solutions that reduce gun injuries and deaths.