The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

38 Comments

1. The Milwaukee Hermit’s Arsenal: I happened to live in this area. On my way to a retail outlet in the morning, I heard the gunshots. I thought, oh no a shooting and then minutes later I saw Milwaukee police racing to the area with their sirens blaring. I thought someone got shot. Later to learn there was a hermit living in a bunker along the Milwaukee River. There are couple of homeless people who live in this area along the Milwaukee River.

   I’m surprise no one noticed this guy was living there. I took a walk over there but the area is taped off with No Trespassing signs. The bunker was taken apart.

   If you’re going to build a secret bunker, do it off private property. Don’t be shooting firearms off! And building a bunker on public land? Remember the guy who was discovered in a hidden bunker by a hunter in northern Wisconsin this year? Best to purchase some land and build your secret bunker legally!

2. That’s pretty interesting re: how we are dependent on China for much of our antibiotic production. I wonder how many other necessary things are no longer produced here in the US? That would be an interesting study; wonder if one has been done?

   1. It has, and the government is not willing to share the results with you….

      This tidbit is very useful when wondering to yourself how the “trade war” with China will play out. Just ponder for a moment how much of our ‘stuff’ comes from China now. Then look at just 2 of those things: medicine (not just penicillin, ALL of it), and those rare earth metals to Mil.Gov uses in all their whiz-bangery…

      Do you still think the US will ‘lose’ the trade war? The Japanese had a word for it: kabuki theatre. The romans called it bread and circuses. Some say it is a form of propaganda. You my friend, may csll it whatever you wish, but thank you for noticing and pointing it out (its a glorious red pill, isn’t it?)

      1. An interesting book titled “A Year Without Made in China” was published over 10 years ago; I’d imagine the situation has only gotten worse since then. I agree with you that the so-called “trade war” is just entertainment for the masses; end result will be same old same old.

      2. K in Tenn,

         Yeah but if China turned off the spigot of consumer goods the flow of green backs stops flow into China. In America we call that Suicide. As for rare earth metals we have already switched sources to wean ourselves off the China teat. Might even been here on SurvivalBlog that I saw the story.

         Also if China would shut down their goods coming into the US what do you think the Millionaire and Billionaire share holders of the companies doing business in China would do when they couldn’t sell their goods? Communist Leaders or “Democratic” leaders- doesn’t make a difference they are all beholden to the same financial influences. Little Mikey Bloomberg might even have to say something negative about his beloved Communist dictator. The backlash of re-awakening American manufacturing would hurt them financially and militarily.

   2. A&K, = the Trump-Train is working to decouple the USA from the China-Vampire Train operated by the Global Elites. … The Multi-National Companies, along with complicit US politicians (Of both political parties), have their loyalty towards their pocketbooks and NOT America/Americans. = Trillions of dollars have been taken and stolen out of the USA, then transferred to China.
      The real Kabuki Theater is the US-China trade talks. The Chinese workers are economic slaves under their dishonest Communist Government.

      Can President Trump change business as usual in the Washington DC >swamp? = Prepare and prep NOW! Don’t wait to find out. Preps and skills can always be used in case of local and regional emergencies. Stay with Survivalblog.

3. Hmmm……I see the adult sized Red Ryder is available again on Amazon. An inch or so longer than the “regular” size and twice the price of the one without the decoder ring, and made in China as well. Not sure if like……….

4. I remember a past article relating that our supply of saline solution for hospitals comes mostly from Puerto Rico and was severely limited by recent hurricanes there. Why have we let this happen?

5. @ No climate emergency.

   Below is another article that is worth considering for those of you who are interested in or concerned about climate change.

   https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xwygg/the-collapse-of-civilization-may-have-already-begun

   1. re:
      civilization collapse

      Collapse is built-in from the beginning.
      We lost a lot about ten-thousand years ago with this goofy haphazard agriculture/civilization experiment.

      Obviously, temporarily setting aside our hunter-gatherer roots to experiment with our current situation is not working.
      The consequences of agriculture, and its sibling civilization, are proven to be not worth the cost.
      How many are clinging to the failed experiment instead of evolving into our next stage?

      1. Hey LargeMarge,

         I sense some permaculture or Wendall Berry influences in your repose. Great stuff.

         What was the more important aspect of the article that I link (IMO) was not the collapse stuff, but how many of the more prominent and popular climate scientists that have helped create the climate change collapse story, are now on record backpedaling. They were quoted as saying the climate collapse is overblown.

6. 80th Commemorative Edition Red Ryder BB Gun

   You’ll shoot your eye out kid. Love that movie.

   1. I had my heart set on a Marlin single shot .22. My parents said ‘no’ and bought me a Red Ryder. I tried to convert it to fire .22s. I shot out my Grandma’s basement window. Not daring to confess I walked to the local lumber yard and they told me how to repair it. I spent all the money I had for glass, putty and putty knife. No one ever knew.

7. did Anyone notice the detachable SKS mags? Did anyone notice there is no SKS in the photos? If you zoom in on the pics you can see some of the mags have ammo in them. The reports only indicate that 1 rifle was found. Wonder if this guy had his SKS somewhere else? That cut down shotgun might not meet NFA regs but I didn’t see any mention of that.
   For a “homeless” “hermit” that is a nice “Arsenal” (aka by conservatives as personal firearms). But I would be more interested in the construction of his “bunker” (aka by conservatives as underground home). What did he do for heat, etc.

   1. I saw those SKS magazines too. The cut-down rifle to me appears to b a Marlin 60 or similar .22lr semi-automatic. The pump action I cannot determine but is certainly a shotgun.

      If you are interested in long term hermit camps, a book named A STRANGER IN THE WOODS might give some ideas. Not an underground camp, but a very long term camp – over 20 years in fact.

      1. The SKS mags prompted an interrogation into where was the rifle. His response was that depended on how long he was going to be in prison. He might need it when he gets out.

         He didn’t have his eggs stored in one basket. A lesson to us all.

      2. Thanks will have to look that up

   2. The SKS rifle probably went home with the officer who drew the shortest straw and it sets now in his gun safe. The shotgun will probably go to some other lucky officer as soon as he thinks he can get away with it. Have you ever looked in a firearm stolen gun recovery room at a police station? I have. There was nothing but junk guns in there; brands you hardly ever heard of. The good guns always go home with the cops and just ask your cop buddy and he will quietly confirm. Once again I have.

8. I left N.Y. for Co. to get away from the Bloomberg nanny State types and what does that @#$≤≥ Bloomberg do? He comes to Co. and buys off the state legislatures and gets gun control laws enacted against the will of the people. Several legislators were recalled.

9. Re- “Little Mikey”: the announce might have been made a few days ago but I believe the decision was made a while ago. No sooner did he announce and ads were everywhere. I got to view one saying how he would destroy the economy of the US and spend billions to fix something called “climate change”. I would love to ask the climate change people this question- “if the earth was cooling would you be advocating increase use/production of “green house gases”, increased use of fossil fuels etc. to increase warmth on the earth?” In logic the reverse must be true as well. I’m willing to bet they are speechless.

   1. I wonder if the Dims will hold Mikey to the same standard the Repubs did by forcing him to accept public money so he will be beholding to the establishment?

10. Re: Red Ryder BB Gun… I hope for the sake of true nostalgia that the ‘lever’ is metal and not plastic like the current mfg’d Red Ryders. The anniversary medallion and engraving is nice but I wonder if it has the ‘Red Ryder’ engraved buttstock also like the original (not shown in the photo’s). I have my fathers Red Ryder, cr. 1945… it still works! (though not very well or accurate. We do take it out every CHRISTmas and shoot a few cans for memory sake’s and to this day, we’ve never put our eye out!)
    Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the “Christmas Story” decoder ring (as stated in the description) actually a ‘Dick Tracy’ Secret Decoder Ring? Jus’wonderin… (will have to confirm that when we watch it again this year.)

    It’s all fun.
    Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

    1. My question has always been wasnt there a compass in the stock?? The decoder was Little Orphan Annie

       1. Anon…
          you are correct, it was Little Orphan Annie. Thanks for the correction, and there is not a compass on my dads ‘RRBBG’, don’t know if there was one on the earlier original models from the 30’s (don’t know if they were produced during the war years or not.)

          1. I still have my RRBBG from when I was a kid in the 1980s. It has a compass in the stock, though it no longer works.

11. that is not an “Arsenal,” that is barely worthy of a trip to the range!

12. I bought some BandAid brand bandages and other bandage supplies recently from Walmart, they were all made in China. It scares me, a lot…

13. I don’t know if Trump will win the trade war or if he is going far enough to bring manufacturing back to the US but…

    I have long thought that one of the main reasons for the virulent hate of Trump amongst the establishment is due to trade. Sometime in the past (I would say at least before NAFTA and probably earlier) we were sold out on this issue. I do not know if it was wittingly or unwittingly. Whether it was a grand plan or just stupidity. But a whole group of very powerful people were enriched by this situation and the coasts became especially dependent on it. They do not want it disturbed and whether Trump will actually redirect us toward more US manufacturing or not they fear that he might and just on that possibility they want him taken out.

    I believe if/when the impeachment proceedings fail they will continue their attack by all means available. I give it 50/50 that eventually they will attempt to assassinate him especially if he wins again in 2020. And I think a large portion of the reason will be trade and the continued outsourcing of US manufacturing. I believe this issue is that central to our current political battles.

    1. JBH, you are seeking the truth and discerning such for yourself. I commend you. Yes things are not right. And they are not what they appear.

       I think this powerful essay by Brandon Smith’s (often referenced here on SB) would be of interest to you.

       http://www.alt-market.com/articles/3407-world-war-iii-will-be-and-economic-war

14. Yeah, anti-social, outcast, non-conformist, unemployable, but he should have “bought” a piece of land to build a bunker on. He would still be nestled safely in his “bunker” with his “arsenal” if he’d have practiced proper “gun control”. Just remember, people: “If you build it they will come.” Private or public land- makes no difference.

15. Our manufacturing has been offshored and our jobs have been filled by legal (H1B and other visa types) and illegal workers. This was all done to make billionaires richer and to dilute American voters so liberals can get elected easier.

16. “Why have we let this happen?”

    –there were changes in tax law and accounting practices that made it worthwhile to ‘offshore’ our manufacturing. Changes in executive compensation rules and practices also contributed.

    –and of course, this was also part of the fruit of the crying indian campaign, and environmental activism of the late 70s and 80s. NIMBY-ism was strong at the time. (and there is some soft racism as it was much better to let the yellow and brown people pollute themselves to an early death than folks at home)

    –add in “Six Sigma”, “lean manufacturing” and “just in time” inventory control (again, driven in part by tax law and executive compensation schemes) and US based manufacturing lost a LOT of its resilience. It’s all good until there is a disruption in the supply chain, then you’re hosed. Companies have discovered the downside of this and there is a lot of discussion in the ‘supply chain logistics’ trade magazines about what to do. Counterfeiting in the supply chain is a big issue too, as more material is sourced from ‘low trust’ societies.

    –the relentless need to keep prices down while (totally undercounted and massive) inflation caused RISING prices also drove the ‘cost cutting’ measures. (if you can’t raise prices, you have to cut costs)

    There is some hope. Many US manufacturers are “reshoring” work, ie. bringing it back to where they can control the workforce, quality, and also cut down on intellectual property crimes. US manufacturers are relocating plants to ‘union unfriendly’ states in the South, which some will see as a betrayal of the American Worker, while others will acknowledge as a necessary step to break the unions and reduce funding to Democrat politicians. Trade unions and collective bargaining are the opposite of the individualistic foundational ideals of this country, and in practice they are little more than criminal enterprises that fund politicians that in turn strengthen the unions that provide them with money and ‘boots on the ground.’ Union members are fine people, and generally great Americans. Unions are not.

    Other signs of hope exist. The disintermediation of the sales process by the internet continues. There are lots of small and medium sized businesses selling online direct to their customers. There are many businesses built entirely thru online sales. Fabrication and manufacturing are strong locally in many places in the US. “Job shops” and smaller enterprises still make up most of the local economy in many places.

    Finally, if you want to encourage US businesses, then you must vote with your dollars. Shop in local stores, patronize local businesses, help your neighbors, even if it costs you a small amount more. Pay more for quality and use it longer. There are lots of choices. Yours counts.

    nick

17. nick,
    Your last paragraph says a lot to me . Until the American people stop buying Chinese and start demanding and buying American ,things aren’t going to change much. So many people cannot or will not think beyond “price”and that is only one part of the purchase decision.
    Happy Thanksgiving to all.God Bless

    1. Oh so true, Bluesman.

       So many people cannot or will not think beyond “price”and that is only one part of the purchase decision.

       We do well to remind each other and ourselves of that.

       Perhaps if we remember that we dwell in divine abundance we might be patient, choosing quality and American-made over cheap slave-labor produced junk.

       Carry on

       1. Once a Marine,
          Getting the sheep to think about anything that may have an affect on their future well being is a challenge. I am , however, running low on patience with that task. Have a great Thanksgiving

18. “Bloomberg may name fellow New Yorker Hillary Clinton as his running mate, early on.”
    If he were to actually win, with Hitlery as his VP, Little Mikey will be found dead in his sleep, or will commit suicide (with a little help from her friends). That evil creature will do anything to be president, including murder. Just sayin’!

    On the unions: In reality the voting blocks in the unions match the voting blocks in the rest of the America. About 35% Democrat, about 35% Republican, about 10% right leaning libertarian and libertarian-ish that tend to vote Republican, about 10% left leaning folks who range from Greens to Socialist to Communist that tend to vote Democrat, and another 10% that vote for everything not Democrat or Republican. Out of that 100% union folks, take out about 10% of all stripes who just don’t vote because they don’t see the point. After 43 years in the UAW, and being close to many steel workers, I know what the reality is. And you are right, Nick, they are mostly good people.

    As to the H1B visa workers: I guess this is a serious indictment of the American educational system. It seems our colleges and universities are so bad they don’t produce qualified candidates for these generally high-tech jobs. MIT and CalTech should be ashamed of themselves (sarc). Really our politicians should be ashamed of themselves for promoting the importation of cheap foreign labor above perfectly qualified American labor. Senator Mike Lee, R. (UT). should be particularly hanging his head in shame for his recent bill promoting increased H1B visas. What is wrong with Utah, giving us both Mike Lee and Mitt Romney. Mike Lee in particular is a real disappointment. He used to be a relatively good guy.

19. I was blessed on this day to hear a reading of this poem:
    THANKS IN OLD AGE.

    Thanks in old age—thanks ere I go,
    For health, the midday sun, the impalpable air—for life, mere
    life,
    For precious ever-lingering memories, (of you my mother dear
    —you, father—you, brothers, sisters, friends,)
    For all my days—not those of peace alone—the days of war the
    same,
    For gentle words, caresses, gifts from foreign lands,
    For shelter, wine and meat—for sweet appreciation,
    (You distant, dim unknown—or young or old—countless, un-
    specified, readers belov’d,
    We never met, and ne’er shall meet—and yet our souls embrace,
    long, close and long;)
    For beings, groups, love, deeds, words, books—for colors, forms,
    For all the brave strong men—devoted, hardy men—who’ve for-
    ward sprung in freedom’s help, all years, all lands,
    For braver, stronger, more devoted men—(a special laurel ere I
    go, to life’s war’s chosen ones,
    The cannoneers of song and thought—the great artillerists—the
    foremost leaders, captains of the soul:)
    As soldier from an ended war return’d—As traveler out of
    myriads, to the long procession retrospective,
    Thanks—joyful thanks!—a soldier’s, traveler’s thanks.

    The author, Walt Whitman, was born two hundred years ago. He, like many of us, went his own way and lived life on his own terms.

    Carry on

20. If Bloomberg picks Hilary as a running mate, he’s a fool. Well, we already know he’s a fool, but this would just add to it.

    It’s the opposite of Barack Obama picking Joe Biden as a running mate. That was insurance against getting knocked off.

    I think you get my point.

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