The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at medical ethics, in pandemics.

Virus-Tracking Technology Puts Privacy at Risk

Reader DSV suggested this article over at WND: Virus-tracking technology putting privacy at risk

Incumbent Don Cheatham Endorses Alex Barron

Incumbent Republican State Senator Don Cheatham has just endorsed Alex Barron to fill his old seat. In an open letter, Don Cheatham wrote: “I am voting for Alex Barron, and I encourage all of those who have supported me in the past to support Alex Barron.”  Also, Don Cheatham provided the maximum financial support allowed by law for Alex Barron’s campaign to continue his work in the Idaho State Senate.

A Nova Scotia Mass Shooting

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Canada shooting: Gunman kills at least 16 in Nova Scotia.  JWR’s Comment: This tragedy will doubtless be used as an excuse for even more civilian disarmament laws, probably in the U.S. as well as in Canada.  Why in the U.S.? Because we are both English-speaking countries and both get preached to by the Nanny State BBC.

An Italian Perspective on Medical Ethics

Our Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson spotted this timely and thought-provoking essay on medical ethics and law, from Italy:  Giorgio Agamben: A Question. The translation is mediocre, but his message gets through.  Here is a key passage:

“We then accepted without too many problems, solely in the name of a risk that it was not possible to specify, limiting, to an extent that had never happened before in the history of the country, not even during the Second World War (the curfew during the war was limited to certain hours), our freedom of movement. We consequently accepted, solely in the name of a risk that it was not possible to specify, de facto suspending our relationships of friendship and love, because our proximity had become a possible source of contagion.”

Rich Americans Activate Pandemic Escape Plans

‘We needed to go’: Rich Americans activate pandemic escape plans.

The Milkman is Making a Comeback

Reader H.L. sent us this: The milkman is making a comeback as coronavirus keeps people from shopping

Safest Place in U.S. for Pandemic?

H.L. sent this article about the little-known Point Roberts enclave: Is This The Safest Place In America To Hide From COVID-19? A snippet:

“Point Roberts, a pene-exclave of the US, located on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, that is south of Vancouver, has a population of approximately 1,300, and is a geographical anomaly – is one of the very few regions on the US mainland to be untouched by the virus.”

Full-Scale Investigation of Wuhan Lab Connection

At Fox News: US officials confirm full-scale investigation of whether coronavirus escaped from Wuhan lab.  A quote:

“The U.S. is conducting a full-scale investigation into whether the novel coronavirus, which went on to morph into a global pandemic that has brought the global economy to its knees, escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, Fox News has learned.

Intelligence operatives are said to be gathering information about the laboratory and the initial outbreak of the virus. Intelligence analysts are piecing together a timeline of what the government knew and “creating an accurate picture of what happened,” the sources said.”

Kyle Bass Blasts the Chinese Communist Party

Kyle Bass Blasts China’s “Most Lying, Coercive, Manipulative Government” For “Knowingly Infecting The World

The “Risks” of Homeschooling?

Kimberley sent us a link to possible the most horribly misinformed leftist-statist essay about homeschooling that I’ve ever read: The Risks of Homeschooling.  The article is chockablock with unfounded suppositions, blanket characterizations, and outright slurs on homeschoolers. The comments following the article are much more informative than the article itself.

Three Simple Home Brew 2-Meter Antennas

At American Partisan: Three Simple Home Brew 2-Meter Antennas

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You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) Thanks!


126 Comments

  1. We used Royal Crest Dairy in Denver for the decade we lived there. Milk, cream, eggs, cheese, butter, bread and even cookie dough all came right to the porch. Was so nice when the boys were toddlers. Alas in Texas now and too hot for porch delivered dairy.

        1. The VA “study” wasn’t a study at all. Look deeper and remember, the Main Street Media is nothing more than the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party. They lie most of the time, pictures in stories about New York that are from Italy, doctored pictures of “white hispanics” or Florida reopening beaches full of people but showing piers that were destroyed two years previous.

          1. Jeff, (edit by Lily) No where do you support your first statement. I did some more research. The study wasn’t perfect and the authors admitted such and we need better, longer term, more controlled studies to confirm the observations, one of the conclusions of the authors, but the data was sufficient for many medical groups to change their recommendations about the drug. See below for an article that explains the study. https://www.contagionlive.com/news/preprint-results-of-hydroxychloroquine-use-among-va-health-systems-

        2. Read the link you posted. They did not do a study. They pulled records without posting any data. When you do a study of the effectiveness of any drug, you need to quantify every aspect of the trial. The article was written by someone who didn’t know why a drug was given, when the drug was given in relation to patient treatment, what was the overall treatment protocol for the patient. When a drug is in trials, all the other factors are minimized as much as possible to zero in on the effectiveness of the drug. Going over records is not a study. All this information, the propaganda arm didn’t give you, only headlines to further an agenda.

          1. The good study results that you describe and seek also do not exist showing the drug was effective against the coronavirus. The side effects and risks of the drug have been documented in the type of trials you describe, as its an old drug. When a good study shows the drug is effective, the risk vs reward calculation shifts. I personally would avoid the drug right now unless my doctor could make a real good case it would help me.

          2. I would hope no one is making medical decisions about their health based on propaganda articles like the one you linked. I see them pushing fear and ask why. That is more the question I have. I am very suspicious of all “media”. Too many times have they been caught manufacturing news. Understand what their motivation is. When you know the why of something, you can better respond to it.

    1. My thoughts exactly. Too many people have already forgotten about the Warren Commission, or never knew what it was about, or never heard of it. As far as 9/11 … same public misinformation. Building 7 collapse like magic. Hmm. I wonder if the building I’m sitting in right now will do the same all on it’s own.

        1. The same “outfit” that did the other two buildings and in the same way. Do a little checking on “in plane sight”. But beware there are plenty of “spoofs” about that as well.

    2. Recently someone called the virus a Scamdemic.Consider this. The spread of COVID-19 is
      controlled by two factors.
      #1. How dense the population is.
      #2. How dense the population is.

      The virus does not have wings or feet. It needs one means of transportation.People who
      refuse to take precautions.

      God will remember those that do not care enough about their fellow man to help keep
      them safe.

      2. I read an article a couple of weeks ago about a member of a remote Amazon tribe hospitalized with the virus. This tribe is deep in the jungle and zero contact with outside world. They were discovered and are monitored by aerial photography. How did covid 19 get to them?

        1. I’ve looked and looked. I can’t find any more info about that case since it was initially reported.
          Makes me wonder if the original story was even real…

    3. The Warren Commission and the 9-11 Commission were cover-ups of the truth, not investigations. Let’s hope that we get a true and honest investigation this time, although you sound skeptical, and I am skeptical also.

      1. The chances of that happening are very very slim. When the “scientists” don’t even know how to do research. Some do, but many do not as they are products of the public educational system. An example: Most “scientists” believe the theory of evolution to be a fact even though it contradicts one of the laws of thermodynamics. More importantly it contradicts the Bible.

        1. Why have the Evolution Theory scientists not yet been able to evolve even one species from another ? They have had over a century and a half to do it in. That is why Evolution is a THEORY, and not a scientific law.

          2. Evolution has been proven. Bacteria do it all the time to our detriment. It’s why so many antibiotics are no longer effective, the bacteria have evolved so the antibiotics no longer kill them.

          4. nathan hail, the study is more complicated than you describe. For example there are bacteria which can reproduce every 20 minutes, which means in 7 hours they could produce over 2,000,000 off spring, and over a year could have over 26,000 generations of bacteria. To put that in human terms, with the average woman capable of having kids at age 12, it would take humans over 314,000 years to have the same number of generations that a bacteria can have in a year. In higher level slow reproducing species you will never see a new species evolve from existing species because you will die before the species has enough reproductive cycles for evolution to take place. Now I have read of interesting research on the genetic code of similar species, but you really don’t want to hear about it.

            Neil DeGrasse has described three types of truth.

            He wrote “So a personal truth is something that you hold to be true no matter what anyone else thinks of it. And almost all religious tenets would come under that category. Is Jesus your savior? Is Muhammad the last prophet on earth, and you are certain of that? Do your ancestors keep watch on you and look after you?

            Political truths are established by repetition. They may be true, they may be supported by evidence, a good portion are false, created to serve a political purpose, gain power, control people, etc. People choose to believe them.

            Objective truths are supported by evidence. They can be tested. Cause and effect can be measured. This is the realm of science and study.

            Belief in Noah’s Ark is a personal truth. It’s based on faith. No one has found reliable evidence that it happened. If you want to believe the Ark story as a personal truth, fine, the constitution protects that right, but please don’t try to pass it off as an objective truth or expect others who don’t accept it as a personal truth to consider it to be an objective truth because it is not.

            Let’s call the disbelief in evolution a personal Truth and move on.

    5. I share your skepticism, Montana Guy. Commissions are a way to distract us from the pickpockets in mega gov’t and biznss.

      I am glaad to see you posting in your opinionated way. Haven’t seen you out there and wondering/worried. Maybe I just missed your posts. I don’t always read every one.

      Carry on in grace

  4. Three Simple Home Brew 2-Meter Antennas
    At American Partisan: Three Simple Home Brew 2-Meter Antennas

    I just cobbled together the parts for Moxon using .75 inch aluminum tubing from a discarded tent, and 3/4 inch PVC pipe. The extra large in diameter antenna will greatly increase the band width to at least 10 Mhz of coverage. Heating the PVC pipe, the tubing will be inserted into the soft PVC pipe and slightly expanding it. Once cooled, the PVC holds the tubing securely. It is form fitted and the pieces can not be separated with force. This means this moxon antenna will be ridged, and provide it’s own structure. It will be rugged, have a low wind resistance, will easily be mounted, and is light weight as well. Antenna design is more than just getting the wire cut to the right length, it is also about engineering.

    It may prove to be quick and easy to assemble as well, and the parts are inexpensive, almost free and plentiful. It would be good to put a Dakota Alert Sensor on a moxon. The ERP of the 1/2 watt transmitter could be increased to almost 1.5 watts.

      1. Acouple of tips about the Moxon. Several ‘moxon antenna calculator’ are availble, but some are better than others, and some are not as accurate as others. Choose the center frequency carefully. The extra wide band width is forgiving as less than perfect construction methods still makes a usable antenna. Getting the ‘gap’ right is important. Another benefit using these antennas, is that there is little changes in SWR when used either vertically polarized or horizontally polarized, and the need to mount a horizontally polarized antenna up high is not necessary. Using a directional antenna to go into a repeater can also make DFing your position nearly impossible, yet you can get the transmission out on an omni directional antenna. Also consider using 3 moxons pointed in three directions on the same tower. This make a rotator unnecessary and one can quick sample the signal by switching from one antenna to the other. And as these are high gain antenna, weak signals from hand helds are easier to hear.

      2. Moxon con’t.

        Also by using the moxon horizontally, or with a 45 or less degree cant going into a repeater with enough signal if nearby, or because there is sufficient distance and the polarization becomes less horizontal over distance, we can go in weak, and perhaps undetected, yet come out much stronger out of the repeater, and vertically polarized. A smart intercept station will also monitor the input frequency to a repeater. We would like to make that technique less effective.

        Low power is our friend, and so are antennas. In any event, this can be a fun experiment, and the result filed for possible future use.

      3. Due note that most DF equipment, including what the Army and FCC use, is designed to find vertically polarized radio transmissions. The combination of the weakest signal that can be put through a horizontally polarized directional antenna that effect reliable communications, can defeat the best efforts of professionals, or less motivated and skilled OPFORS personnel who might be operating an intercept station. I will use both vertically and horizontally polarized receiving high gains antennas, yet few others will.

        Even using low quality equipment, superior performance can be had if the skill of the operator is adequate.

        1. TR, thanks for the valuable information. I had to order a couple of adapters (should be here today), but I’ve got everything else ready to go.

          Gotta admit, I’ve been a bit focused on other issues, that I forgot to go out into the shop and just tinker. Brought a smile to my face.
          Thank you Sir.

  6. I just got an email in regards to a “forum” Harvard is hosting this summer on homeschooling. I guess this article is the proof that the forum will be no more than a homeschooling bashing session. What a joke. Loved the comment from the public educator.

    1. Harvard will probably support home schooling if it consists of hiring one of their professors for $500,000 per year to serve as a private tutor on one’s estate.

      They didn’t acquire that $41 Billion endowment by annoying the Rich. To the contrary.

  7. Re: the invasion of privacy, in Westport CT the police are using drones to monitor people’s temperature, etc. There’s no way that should stand up to scrutiny-it’s clearly a search. What actions will they take as a result? Are people going to be taken into custody and forced into quarantine because they have a fever?! Incredible to see how fast civil liberties disappear in a crisis. The police chief is touting it as “officer safety”. So much for all the cops who will never follow unconstitutional laws….

  8. VA Gov. Northam escaped his state’s lockdown down order by flying into locked down NC OBX to his family’s vacation home. The islands were blocked to all outsiders. Unless, of course, you are a Democratic politician!

  9. After reading the Harvard article on home schooling and finding out they applied and received Government aid they clearly didn’t need, and only gave back due to President Trump publicly shaming them, I think all government aid should be withdrawn and they should close their doors. If I still was in business I would hang a sign on the door. “No Harvard Graduates need apply”

  10. @ Safest place for a pandemic.

    I have been watching the news for stories on bugging out since the lock downs began. There are several things about what has been reported that I find really interesting in the context of the age old bugging out stories so often told in survival tales.

    It seems that the “golden horde” as many talk about so often is really context dependent. In the current pandemic, its not poor people, but rich people who are the golden horde. The locals, regardless of class, do not what any out-of-towners flocking to their region. Should this situation further lead to a full out collapse, I suspect non-locals will be further targeted.

    Much of survival as it is practiced today has its origins in the early Cold War. As found in the article linked in today’s Odds ‘n Sods, New Zealand is discussed as a place of refuge. Question of the day…..New Zealand was first mentioned as a safe place to bug out in what Cold War nuclear fiction novel?

  11. Giorgio Agamben: A Question

    wrote also this

    The Church, under a Pope who calls himself Francis, has forgotten that Francis embraced lepers. It has forgotten that one of the works of mercy is that of visiting the sick. It has forgotten that the martyrs teach that we must be prepared to sacrifice our life rather than our faith and that renouncing our neighbor means renouncing faith.

    https://www.zeit.de/2020/14/italien-priester-coronavirus-infizierte-tote-vorbilder

    Here is an article with the names of italian priests who died doing exactly what Giorgio Amben said they didn´t do.

  12. The article on homeschooling is hands down the worst I have ever seen for bashing it — just absolutely appalling! But the comments are fantastic, not one is supportive of the trash written. And I notice the comments are already closed … I guess Harvard didn’t want anybody else to add any more positive support to the topic!

  13. Safe place to hide, Tsawwassen Peninsula.

    I have heard that Shoshone County Idaho also has not had any infection nor deaths due to the Wuhan virus.

  14. So, home schoolers are child abusers and public school teachers are their saviors.
    Got it.

    I’m actually dumber for wasting my time reading that article.
    Think I’ll go over to moms and give her a hug for being one of the best teachers I ever had.
    You too dad. Thanks for teaching me how to do anything and be a critical thinker. RIP.

  15. ‘It’s a Free Country, Brother’
    By Victor Davis Hanson
    April 21, 2020 6:30 AM
    https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/coronavirus-crisis-bill-of-rights-protects-freedoms/

    Fwd to my by BDC

    “Out of nowhere little Napoleonic governors arise to enact decrees prohibiting gardening or strolling on an empty beach — decrees that seem to have little purpose other than to reflect that they can do so. Snitches volunteer to out felonious social deviants who are seen cooking in the backyard with a neighbor. A little horned-devil virus seems to be trying to do what those Russkies never could….”

  17. RE: Nova Scotia shootings

    Canada already confiscated and outlawed all rapid firing guns and instituted strict gun control laws many years ago….obviously that’s not working out too well for them, especially those gunshot victims who couldn’t defend themselves against the predator.

    1. Actually they didn’t. Back in ’92 they passed bill C-68 which was a draconian piece of legislation, that did, in fact, prohibit many handguns and rifles. They prohibited many of the popular military rifles of the day, (FN’s, AK’s, HK’s) along with any handguns with a 4″ or shorter barrel, and .25’s, .32’s etc. All semi-auto centerfire rifles and shotguns are limited to 5 round magazine capacity.

      There are also a class of firearm called “restricted” which we can own, but are only approved for range use. This includes handguns, and some semi-auto rifles – the most famous of which is the AR-15.

      However, we do have many semi-auto rifles that are non-restricted. (H&K SL-8, Swiss Arms, CZ-858, The M-305 which is an M1A copy from Norinco, SKS’s, Robinson Arms XCR series.) Also in the non-restricted category are all of our hunting rifles/shotguns. Now, unlike the U.S. we do not have an SBR designation. Manual action firearms do not have a barrel length restriction (Only OAL), so you will see many Remington 870’s with 14″ barrels.

      Given, our laws are much more restrictive than yours south of the border. (Except for places like California) Our laws are really screwed up, with many stupid, and seemingly contradictory statements, but we have learned to make them work as well as we can, and maintain as much freedom as possible. Having said all that; that is a “right now” situation. Unfortunately the socialist embarrassment that is presently in charge wants to bring in sweeping changes – not unlike many of your own governors and representatives.

  18. Homeschooling our kids was the best decision we could have made. Our only regret is that we did not engage the idea sooner! If we had that time to do over again, we would have gone with home-based education from the beginning. We are also entirely delighted that our #1 son and his wife plan to home school their kids when they become parents themselves. We will support them in every way in this endeavor, and look forward to making the education of our grandchildren a family endeavor.

    1. Telesilla of Argos,

      Yes, couldn’t agree more! We homeschooled our children from start to finish, and it is hands down the most rewarding and enjoyable thing our family has ever done. I would go back and repeat every bit of it in a heartbeat. Our children have thanked us countless times for not sending them off to be indoctrined with the masses, and instead letting them stay home, learn at their own pace and learning style, have a real and faith-based education, pursue individual interests in depth, and also to be able to be involved hands-on in everything happening on a daily basis on the farm from a young age on up. A real life education! They too have plans to home educate their own children, and we are thrilled and look forward to helping in any way we can. The relationships we have built with our children because of the amount of time spent with them on a daily basis over the years is absolutely priceless.

      1. Farmer’s Wife! Well said and a wonderful reply. So enjoyed the thoughts you shared about the homeschooling experience of your family. Thank you! It’s a choice that fosters quality of individualized education including the development of values, quality of relationships with parents, grandparents and siblings, and the quality of life that comes with a love of long learning well into adulthood. Rather than fight the participation of parents in the education of their children, our culture should embrace and encourage it!

  19. Public school curriculum is misunderstood. Where else can teachers provide communist (aka socialist) doctrine with union backed impunity, tainted U.S history, subtle anti-American rhetoric and the need for peace and love through gun control.

    Soon we may celebrate May Day together.

    1. I am a high school Agriculture teacher at a public high school. The comments that are made about public schools being indoctrination camps are correct. The things that happen are appalling. Our school district is in a rural area that is very conservative. Our schools were very traditional and conservative, until a few years ago we got a superintendent from an urban county, and things have changed drastically since then. We have had a hunter safety program- I teach hunter safety courses and we have shooting teams. The school system is loading us down with restrictions and requirements in an attempt the get rid of the hunter safety and shooting programs.
      I teach welding, animal science, and horticulture, and we have approximately a 25 acre farm at school. It has gotten to the point that we pretty much cannot hold a student accountable for refusing to do assigned tasks, which has led to having classes where two or three students will work, and the rest refuse to. The administration will defend those who refuse to work and won’t lift a finger to help those who work.
      The only reason I am still there is for the minority of students who actually come to school to learn and who I can pass useful skills along to. Most of those are working as welders and mechanics when I see them after graduation.
      When my son is school age he will either be home schooled or in our local private Christian school.

      1. What you’re describing is a great concern… Even rural areas with conservative values are losing ground to the liberalism that too often comes with urban transplants.

        Thank you for your dedication to the few who still come to school to learn. We are struggling against the odds, but we should never give up!

      2. It is teachers like you who are a savior to children in a public school system. Those that you are able to connect with and teach those valuable and rewarding skills to will be thankful to you for the rest of their lives. Blessings to you on your work!

      3. Yes to what wwes said, but even more socialist agenda on the subject matter taught even to 3rd graders. State lists of objectives are made, and teachers are threatened that they must teach the curriculum as their jobs depend on annual evaluations which mostly include state tests scores over that curriculum. Teachers who even mildly protest will find that they are undermined to parents and other teachers, portrayed as trouble makers and not “team players”, left out when supplies or support materials or computers are handed out, given the students with the most learning or behavior problems, constant room assignment changes, etc. There have been college research papers published on different ways principals have to keep teachers “in with admin. program”, so please be careful and watch your back. They have their ways to get to you professionally, and then you will not be able to get a job. Been there, seen that.

      4. It really saddens me to see the deterioration going on around me. I truly do enjoy seeing students learn skills that can help them, I just wish that I could help open more of their eyes to the lies that our school system and culture shove down their throats. Most of my best students are the very ones that the school counselors and administration put little effort into because those students generally plan on going to tech schools or straight to work, so they don’t look good for the school “numbers” The school system doesn’t seem to care that those are the students with some of the best work ethic and values. Every morning that I go to school I pray for God to work in my student’s lives and to guide me and use me to carry out His will.
        My thoughts are that when He lets me know that it’s time to move on, or when I see that I’m not making a difference for the few good students anymore, I will move on to another career.
        Thank you for your blessings and prayers as well, they are much appreciated. Please keep the young people in your prayers especially, they really need it with all of the evil this world puts in front of them.

        1. It’s very sad. The work of dedicated teachers is more important than ever before. Continue to lead by the excellent example you provide, and use your voice to deliver the truth. There will be some who hear you even through the cacophany of evil. God is calling. You will hear His voice through the noise. You will help others hear Him too. We want you to be encouraged, and to know that you are supported and among friends here at the SB.

          1. Telisilla of Argos:

            Thanks for the encouraging words. I have been reading SB for a year or so now, although I hadn’t really posted until recently, but it has been easy to see that it is an amazing group of friends on here. Also, I have always been amazed at the wealth of knowledge available on SB. I have even shown my students posts on here in the past when it related to our curriculum, mainly on subjects related to raising animals and gardening.
            This is truly an amazing place to network with friends, and I am grateful to the Rawles family for their great generosity in making it possible.

        2. wwes,

          Yes, I want to echo what Telesilla of Argos has stated so well. Continue to pray for guidance, because you know God hears your requests and is at work. He will lead and guide you when you ask. His plans are always perfect, even when we can’t always see what they are. Continue to lead by truth and example, because you are making an enormous difference in the lives of these students, even if it doesn’t seem immediately evident. God is working in their lives as well, through you. I will continue to lift you and your students up in prayer.

      5. WWES:

        Your assessment is spot on.

        My son taught high school in Mesa, Arizona. His experience with the school board, administrators, curriculum and half the teaching staff caused him to quit after seven years. The accounts of his experiences were incredible.

        If you don’t mind cell phones in class, being told to F-off, being spied upon by liberal fellow teachers, meeting with student’s Moms and lawyers, being physically threatened and not being backed up by your hoping-to-retire administrators ….. then teaching public school in Arizona is for you.

        1. It sounds like Arizona schools are a mirror image of NC schools. Luckily teaching in a vocational building I don’t really get spied on, but everything else pretty much happens on at least a somewhat regular basis. Cell phones are an absolutely horrible problem. No matter how “engaging” or valuable a lesson or activity is, I have found that it is next to impossible to compete with the phones. Most of my best students are ones whose parents don’t allow them to have a phone.

      6. I see nothing in your post describing indoctrination. The lack of will to enforce discipline is discouraging, the lack of administration support is appalling, the classes you teach are all important including the hunting and gun safety class, but none of that is indoctrination. Maybe your school board needs to step up and change the direction of your school.

        1. Don,

          I fully agree that the school board needs to change the direction. I work very hard to make sure that I am NOT indoctrinating my students, and I believe the other vocational teachers (carpentry, masonry, and the other agriculture teacher) at my school tend to be in the same camp. We teach our subject matter and try to help prepare our students for life and a career. Much of the rest of the school sounds just like what you hear in the media. I have personally heard other teachers lecturing students that the second amendment does not give individuals the right to bear arms, that we have no rights to privacy in our homes if we are suspected of illegal activities because the government has the right to watch us and search our homes, that the reason our economy is so bad is because we don’t enough taxes to help those on government benefits, that sharecropping and low wage jobs are the way that the rich have continued slavery since the civil war in order to suppress the poor, and many, many other things. The history and literature classes often sound like something from the soviet union. And good luck trying to find English teachers who actually teach students how to write in an intelligible sentence, they are few and far between.
          Also, for what it is worth, most of the academic teachers, at least at my school, have NEVER had any job other than teaching. I can honestly say I learned much more about agriculture and life through other jobs that I have worked before teaching, as well as through jobs that I work when school is out in the summer, than I ever did in my four years in the university. Working in greenhouses, installing chicken house equipment, and building/installing cabinetry taught me a great deal (and were fun jobs at that)

          I hope this didn’t come across as a snarky comment in any way, that is not my intent, I just wanted to clarify why I agreed earlier about public schools being indoctrination camps. Not to mention what Mr. Rawles said in a comment about the horrendous culture among the students being 100% spot on. We have had students caught having sex on the bus in the seat next to their 10 year old siblings, I have walked in on students in the bathroom snorting powder, etc. All of the things that you hear about DO happen, even in schools in relatively rural, conservative areas.

          1. WWES,
            Your recent post makes more sense. Some of the teacher examples you site need to be improved by the teachers. It doesn’t really surprise me. I’ve worked with ex teachers over the years and heard the discipline and administration horror stories and challenges of teaching. Those problems gave my employer some good workers. What I’ve seen also suggests the entry requirements and intelligence needed to earn a teaching degree seems less than some of the other degree programs even though the skills required to be a good teacher are not that common and not necessarily gained from classroom or OJT education. As to your experience vs the other teachers, you teach skills, how to do, trade skills useful for manipulating materials so your previous experiences gave you more skills to teach and a better understanding of them. Ponder the English teacher the history teacher or the math teacher, where do they work prior to teaching to improve their teaching skills? What do they need to learn? The English teacher could try writing professionally but what do the history or math teacher do. History is history and math is math. All three primarily teach knowledge and thought processes. Hopefully their knowledge and skills improve over time as they age, but I could see teaching each new class providing useful feedback and experience as well as any other jobs.

            My son went to public schools through college and excelled. I’ve heard no comments from him or his friends that indicate any indoctrination, but the sample size is too small to draw conclusions. You describe the lack of discipline, lack of respect, sex, and drug problems, all valid problems with many kids, but I don’t think they are problems caused by schools or necessarily the schools problems to fix, though it seems many communities expect such. I would describe that as a break down in society, community, connection, and parenting skills, an emphasis on the individual without regard for the collective, parents working two jobs to pay for food, shelter and clothing, the gig economy, and a host of other factors, but the biggest is an economy rigged by the rich to mainly benefit the rich (they make the rules). Don’t count on a big improvement until the rigged economy and the rules that do the rigging are changed. My son is disciplined and respectful because I had the time, took the time, and had the resources to teach him those character traits while I demonstrated them in my daily living. My son had boundaries, a safe environment, expectations of behavior and academic effort and excellence, no worries about whether there would be food to eat or no place to sleep, a stable one parent household, and unconditional love. Not every child has all this due to a myriad of causes, some of which I listed above. I believe it starts at home.

            As to what they are teaching, the details and context they are teaching are very important. Take the 2nd amendment, we didn’t have an individual right to keep and bear arms until the conservatives on the supreme court rewrote decades if not centuries of precedence with the Heller decision in 2008. Prior to that I read it was a collective right that also acknowledged the 1st half of the amendment. Our guns are safe for now. Technically the government does have the right to observe us in and search our homes providing they have permission from the judicial system that was obtained based on potential evidence of a crime. Without the warrant, no, they do not have said rights, though I keep reading about law enforcement not following the rules. The rich do control the c8ountry mainly through using their money to buy rules for the economy (all the laws and regulation at all levels of government that regulate commerce and behavior and protect individual and collective rights) that enable the rich to keep a greater share of the wealth created by everyone and avoid punishment when the violate the rules. Simple example, why has Trump been able to create corporations, the corporations borrow money, Trump keep all the profits from those corporations, and when the profits stop and the borrowed money can’t be repaid those corporations declare bankruptcy (6 times for Trump, but its common across the economy) while Trump walks away with all the prior profits. If you borrow money and can’t pay it back, and you declare bankruptcy I can guarantee you will lose a greater share of your wealth than Trump and the rich lose in bankruptcy. This is one. example of tens if not hundreds of thousands of rules across the US. There are rules at the local, state and federal level that provide similar benefits for the super rich, though not all to the same degree or advantage. Low wage jobs are not the cause, only the outcome of those rules.

            My personal experience with writing is that its difficult to master from a class or text book. I believe you need to read more and write more to improve your writing. It’s a practice make perfect skill, though some need more practice than others. I developed the skill over time to a point that people send me documents to review to ensure the words convey what the authors want to say.

          2. Don,

            I agree with you on quite a bit of what you have said. I completely agree that the root of many of the problems stem primarily from the home, and most of the good that I see coming into the classroom comes from good homes too. One of my biggest issues with the behavior and discipline issues is when problems that happen on campus and in the classroom are ignored and/or enforced selectively. This isn’t necessarily an indoctrination problem per se, but it is a problem. A personal example: one of my students was suspended for 15 days for having a small two bladed stockman pocketknife in the cup holder of his truck, he had it there from cutting the strings off of hay bales before school. Another student, the same week, had a seizure at school because he overdosed on some bad heroin that he used in his classroom, and he still had a considerable quantity of it in his bookbag. He was back at school a few days later once the hospital released him. The student with the knife was charged with having a weapon on school grounds for having a knife that doesn’t even qualify as a weapon per NC law, but the student who had a few grams of heroin on campus wasn’t charged with anything. Both students were in the same class and within a few months of the same age, either 17 or 18 – I can’t remember for sureas several years have passed. That is only one example, it isn’t a unique one.

            We recently had a teacher on campus who was having an ongoing sexual relationship with at least two of our students, complete with photographs to prove it, and she was given the opportunity to quietly leave and take a job in another school district because our district didn’t want the bad publicity.

            I agree with what you say about the details and context of what is taught being important. Context matters greatly. I do take issue with a teacher telling students, for instance, that the government can search your home and person without going through the process of obtaining a warrant just because they suspect the person is doing something illegal. I have personally heard one of our history teachers telling students this, and that does NOT agree with the Constitution.

            I attended public school (including the same high school I now teach at), both for K-12 and for my bachelors degree. I excelled as well, and I learned not just the how to of the skills that I now am responsible for teaching, but the background and theory of those subjects. I don’t have the answer of how to improve the math, science, english, and history education. I can tell you that the reason I was in the top of my class in math was because I was in vocational classes where I learned to actually apply what I was learning, and the reason I was in the top of my science classes was because I was in agriculture classes learning how to apply what I was learning. I can think of examples of fantastic teachers that I have known, far better than myself, who have never had a job in their life other than teaching, just like I have had the misfortune of working with some who had plenty of on the job training but were horrendous teachers. I have seen a lot of both, my school has a terrible turnover rate.
            I do believe that it would help the students if the focus in ALL subjects was more how to think, and to apply the information to the real world, instead of just cramming information in to pass a state multiple choice exam. My exam scores generally aren’t spectacular, and I’m OK with that because I spend my time focusing on helping the students learn how to do, as well as showing them the “why” behind what we are doing. I’m far from perfect, but I do try to shape them into something other than parrots who can spit standardized test answers out.

            I do agree wholeheartedly that actually reading and writing are the best way to improve writing skills. I love to read, I always have, ever since I was a young child. I encourage my students to read, although I believe it falls on deaf ears most of the time. I buy books for students as presents and rewards sometimes. Copies of Mr. Rawles novels have been graduation gifts for several of my seniors.

            Hopefully my post didn’t ramble on too much. I am certain that we have points that we agree on, as well as some that we don’t. One of the things that I appreciate about reading posts, comments, and replies on blogs such as this one is that I do read things that make me consider viewpoints other than my own. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

          3. WWES, Its sad to where we have come with knives. I can remember carrying my boy scout knife in high school and I always have my Swiss army knife on me now, until I want to go in the courthouse, Disneyland, or on an airplane. I totally agree on your How to think observation, as its so important for success. So many don’t have good analysis skills.

  20. 1) The interesting thing about the billionaires’ survival plans is that they seem somewhat ignorant. New Zealand only has 4 million people, can’t afford much of a navy and has 4 BILLION Asians just to the north. Doesn’t anyone remember WW2? They would be speaking Japanese if not for the Battle of Midway.

    https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/777272

    2) Has no one noticed China’s moves since the US aircraft carrier Roosevelt was crippled by the Wuhan virus after a stupid port visit to Danang Vietnam March 4-9?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hong-kong-crisis-escalates-as-china-moves-to-hasten-demise-of-citys-autonomy/2020/04/21/0a0afcd8-839c-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html

    3) Some of the other billionaires had the brilliant idea of escaping to the Caribbean on their superyachts:

    https://nationalpost.com/news/world/billionaires-instagram-perfect-isolation-on-a-luxury-superyacht-draws-public-outrage

    4) That would be the Caribbean that is collapsing into an economic depression because it Makes one THIRD of its money from tourism traffic –which has dropped to zero.

    https://news.trust.org/item/20200420092012-o7axn

    5) That would be the Caribbean which –with the exception of Cuba – imports 60% of its food , with some countries importing 80%.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2019/02/20/five-facts-about-caribbean-food-security/#25fb85975016

    6) A Caribbean with extremely HIGH population densities
    –500 people per sq mile

    https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/caribbean-population/

    7) A Caribbean with a tradition of modern day piracy on yachts even in good times:

    https://nypost.com/2018/05/23/pirate-attacks-are-on-the-rise-throughout-the-caribbean/

    8) A Caribbean with the European hostility to gun ownership — including guns on visiting yachts.

    What could possibly go wrong? Heh Heh

    9) You would think the billionaires would spend a little money to get advice from survivalist consultants BEFORE SHTF.

    1. Can any of us really find fault with or blame the wealthy for bugging out rather than staying
      somewhere that has a high infection rate? If the “Rich Shoe” was on your foot wouldn’t you
      wear it?
      It is tiresome listening to the same old hum drum of disgust for the wealthy. Did anyone ever
      get a job from a poor man? That’s what I thought.

      I’m not sure if this came from the Bible,but there is a saying “The lord will take care of those
      that take care of themselves.”
      All preppers,rich or poor are doing the best that they can.Cant we let it go at that.?

      1. 1) Really? I was not so much attacking the Rich as mocking their stupidity. You haven’t heard real criticism.

        Maybe the next time you hear of a baby being aborted in the third term – or a young child being raped by a priest – then maybe you will want to leave that up to the Lord as well. Because the sins of the Rich are worse. A million Americans may die from this virus because of the greed of the Rich.

        2) It was the Rich who decided to plunder the world after the fall of the Soviet Union — and to discard their fellow American workers like used toilet paper in the process. That is why a virus arising 12,000 miles away arrived so swiftly on our shores while in centuries past it would have taken months to arrive and our ports would have been closed well before then.

        Our imports were only a small percentage of GDP before Bill Clinton’s buddies executed globalization – which will inevitably collapse into a Great Depression unless we also accept a Global Government to go with it – a Global Government that will be an implacable tyranny from day 1.

        3) It is the Rich who turned the US Congress into a house of prostitutes who have left this nation totally unprepared for a threat forecast decades ago.

        Why are our doctors and nurses dying because there are no N95 masks to protect them? Was it because Obama and Joe Biden used 89 million masks in 2009 and didn’t replace them because their Rich buddies wanted the Big Bailout to pay off their Wall Street casino gambling debts?

        4) Look at all your fellow countrymen who are falling into hopeless poverty –and dying because they can’t afford medical care or to stay at home. Americans who never had the chance to get a job that let them create life savings. Because the Rich preferred to bring in cheap, foreign labor.

        5) Our sons have to register for the draft — to die on the battlefield protecting the Rich if Congress and the President orders it – while the Rich accept no obligation in return.

        Would even a foreign warlord treat us any worse than our own ruling elites have done?

        To criticize mere politicians for the disasters that have befallen this nation is ridiculous – they are merely low paid employees of their Rich donors. As I joked with a Secret Service guy one time, the politicians are merely there to decoy the assassins.

        6) The Rich have made New York City into a lethal threat to the rest of USA. While many US rural counties have 0 to 10 virus cases per 100,000 people, New York City and its suburbs have 1400 to 2200 cases per 100,000 —and those cases are exploding like a nuclear chain reaction.

        Rich New Yorkers fleeing the disaster they created are carrying the virus throughout the USA. Even in the Redoubt, Sun Valley Idaho had 2049 cases per 100,000 on April 16, Vail Colorado had 871 and Jackson Hole had 251 per 100,000. As someone noted, hard to stop the Golden Horde if the Horde has Gulfstream 550 private jets.

        Instead of staying and using their wealth to help their fellow New Yorkers, the Rich leaders of New York City ran like rabbits.

        7) You probably do NOT know much of the above – because the Rich own the giant News corporations that betray America with deceit — constantly trying to divide us so we won’t notice who is really stabbing us in the back.

        Any politician like Trump who actually tries to help the American People is destroyed by a barrage of lies from the people who control our national discussion. Democrat billionaires like Tom Steyer, George Soros and Jeff Bezos (Washington Post) have mounted a campaign from day 1 to undo the vote we cast in November 2016.

        8) Read what Jesus said in Matthew 25:41-46 and tell me why you defend the Rich.

        1. It is, “The love of money that is the root of all evil,” not the having of money. 1 Timothy 6:10.

          That said, I do not dispute what you shared, but will proclaim to the world that my life has been thoroughly blessed by wealthy people, both Christian and non-Christian!

          The most important example I can share is about a wealthy family back in the late ’70’s that invited my parents to a book club. I was just about to turn 13, and my parents made me go with them on Thursday nights. I found it captivating, as it was about some amazing science fiction stories from a book called, “Revelation.”

          Every Thursday night, the leader, (who, by the way, was a friend of Roy Rogers) would explain how Jesus was the Son of God, who came to take away the sins of the world, and how we could have our sins forgiven by believing in Him and spend eternity with him in heaven.

          This was all new and interesting to me, and I pondered it in my heart. After several months, the Lord opened my eyes, and for the first time in my life I realized I was a sinner that needed forgiveness. I was alone in my room when this epiphany happened, and I prayed to Jesus and asked Him to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins…

          This wealthy Christian family treated and loved me as their own, and took me on yachting, skiing, and tropical adventures with them. To this day, my dad is still his best friend.

          Abraham, Solomon and Job come to mind as exceptions of the rich who loved God more than riches and were not condemned for being rich.

          That said, I will conclude with my desire to be like Philippians 4:11-13 which is apropos to these constantly changing times we live in.

          “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

          I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

          I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

          I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

          I send my love and prayers to fellow believers here who encourage me in these dark times. Krissy

          1. Krissy,

            Thank you so much for sharing your precious testimony of how you came to know the Lord! Thank you as well for sharing the words of the Paul from Philippians. That book teaches us so well how to live with joy, no matter what our situation. We couldn’t ask for better guidance than these words in times like this, and I am grateful that you’ve written them here for all to read. I, too, am a believer who has been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. May the Lord richly bless you, Krissy, as you keep your eyes and heart focused on Him.

        2. Being constantly offended and angered doesn’t mean that a person is right it just means that the some people are too narcissistic to tolerate opinions different than their own.

    2. I would´ve pittied the japanese soldiers trying to invade New Zealand less than any who tried to invade Australia or India but they would´´d an uphill struggle in Front of them if they tried.

      Not for Nothing wanted Rommel them for taking hell or holding hell

  21. Re: Nova Scotia shootings. As a Canadian, and a gun owner, I am appalled by the shootings and the RCMP response to it. The facts of what exactly happened were obscured by Politi-speak by a scrambling RCMP Representative. There was also no Hue and Cry by the media to ban guns and no report by them of what types and how many guns were used. Today it came out that the shooter used unregistered and illegal firearms most likely smuggled into the country and had no firearms license (PAL). With no direct link to legal gun owners the Media has chosen to remain silent on liberal dogma and stick to the facts. Too bad it doesn’t happen more often! While the contributor Dan is not entirely correct in what has been banned in Canada he is essentially correct in his assessment about defenseless citizens and how needlessly they died. This was also brought up after the “Montreal Massacre” and was shouted down and ignored by the media. Gotta luv a free press!! TTFN

    1. Definitely a tragedy. Also a huge failure of the government which has taken away people’s right/ability to defend themselves, with the promise that they will do it for them. These incidents continue to occur in mostly urban/liberal strongholds. I also notice that they seem to occur at convenient times for the government to use them as an excuse to remove further rights from law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. (maybe my tinfoil is too tight)

      Maybe my bias is showing here, but I really don’t see something like this happening out where I live. Very simply put – Western Canada tends to have more of an independent, even libertarian attitude. And Western Canada has a lot of well-armed people with more of a pioneer mentality – they can and will look after themselves when push comes to shove.

      1. You’re not alone buddy, I live in Alberta as well. An transplant from Montreal. We need to speak up more often and be heard by the media and the Liberal stronghold of Ontario. Also we need to hold individual people accountable for their actions and not target groups. If colour or ethnicity were targeted this way the Libs would scream racism. Go figure!!

  23. Canada’s Lee Enfield No 4: 303 cartridge roughly equal to NATO 7.62 , 20-30 aimed shots per minute, 10 rd magazine, reload with 5 round stripper clips (or with additional 10 rd magazines )

    Just saying….

  24. Sitting tight here.
    We are in training, walking our steep hill 4 times a day for a total of 1.4 miles.
    We are still on our reduced calorie plan shedding a few winter lbs. If it gets really bad we will already be used to eating less and doing more.

    We are adding a few layers of security here and there.
    Staying sane with jigsaw puzzles, ham radio, starting vegetables, and limiting our time watching the talking heads. Did you know you can listen to music all day?
    We do visit this blog everyday. Here we get great tips, real news and honest opinion from like minded patriots.
    God Bless.

  25. The British paid a very high price in lives when they fought against the Dutch “Boers” armed with their Mauser rifles. The “Boers” fired their Mauser rifles from 1000 yards and hit their British targets with deadly effect!

      1. The Mauser’s sights are indeed graduated out to 1,000 yards. But at the extreme end of that range, those sights are intended for “volley fire.” (Read: A dozen soldiers on line, down prone, all firing simultaneously at the same target. That COULD be effective.) The 240 grain bullet from an 8×57 IS still deadly, at that range.

        1. Effective yes, but for a good number of hits the range was to large AFAIK, at least as Long as the enemy didn´t bunch up like the French at Waterloo.

          The Soldiers in the Boer war and later shouldn´t fight shoulder to shoulder but more dispersed with room between the men, and the boers fired usually in a much Shorter range.

          All that said, i know i would want to go into cover 1000 m or less wouldn´t matter much.

          I can vote that at 100 m or so even perfectly save it wasn´t pleasant with 7,62 NATO from G3s flying over my head

  26. Rich Americans escape plans:

    I’m sure it wont take long before the locals get tired of the wealthy Californian and New York crowds that descend into their paradise and become like a swarm devouring locust wanting all of the luxuries that their money can buy.
    The greenback will one day be used for TP then what will they do?

  27. The open hostility for private property rights on display in the comments here lately is disturbing. For years I’ve read about the importance of a bug out plan here at SB. Now that people are bugging out during this plandemic, the majority of the comments here are promoting the idea that non resident property owners should be denied access to the property they own. Staggering hypocrisy on display.

    1. See my comment to Vickie above. It is not hostility to private property rights. Like it or not, the Rich run this country and they are not doing a very good job of it. Due to a shortsighted selfishness and focus solely on their own benefit — which, after all, is how they became rich to begin with.

      Military officers and the old European aristocracy understood that while rank has its privileges, it also has its burdens, duties and responsibilities to subordinates. Any leader who forgets that gets left alone on the battlefield —or has a hand grenade rolled into his tent.

      Trump is among the few billionaires who feels an obligation to this country — which is why he is so savagely attacked by the News Media owned by richer men than he. Because the Rich think they can hop onto their Gulfstream jets and fly to Europe or New Zealand if they turn things to crap here. Whereas the old aristocrats fought to the death for their fief.

      Read the Declaration of Independence. ALL Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And if the government of the Rich doesn’t provide it, we have the right to replace it with one that will.

      2. Actually. It’s been ridiculous here how the preparedness community has reacted.

        Statements of we must have more testing and antibody testing to make a vaccine…. From rugged individualists.

        Talking of locking people off from their property.

        Shaming people for thinking of breaking quarantine…. And then praising people for protesting the quarantines.

        As of this current crisis there have been one after another failures and hypocrisy expressed here by the preparedness community.

        Honestly this was and has been in my and many other point of view the only preparedness community…

        And as of late it has shown that in practice many of the community are little better than the people on that doomsday preppers television show… You know the one where the guy went deaf and another lost his thumb…

        It’s disheartening to say the least.

        1. Very Disheartened,

          I hear your sadness. Permit me to say a few things.
          This blog has commenters from all walks of life, many different religions, and beliefs from people all around the world, not just here in the USA. Sometimes those with ill intent comment too. It is a diverse group to say the least. Hearing differences of opinion is encouraged because it helps us think.

          The comments that cast you down cannot be addressed by me because many are blanket statements without specific examples of who said what and when, i.e., Person A said this, but person B said the opposite…
          Yep. You will find a lot of that here. I think it is wonderful.

          “As of this current crisis there have been one after another failures and hypocrisy expressed here by the preparedness community.”

          Ouch. So much judgement. I am fifty-five and yet not the person I want to be. I am still learning and working on improving myself. My guess is I am not alone. Please consider sharing your feelings and opinions as they happen for the good of everyone. Honestly, if I can, anyone can.

          In the past, when looking for property, my dad used to tell me, “Krissy, there isn’t the perfect place.” I believe that philosophy applies here too. However, if I am wrong and you do find a, “perfect preparedness blog,” please let us know!

          Peace and blessings to you, Krissy

    2. HP, since I engaged in the discussion on the rich bugging out, I want to further chime in.

      Nothing that I have said had anything to do with private property rights. And, as we have been seeing during this pandemic, those rights only mean something until they don’t.

      Bugging out is so common in survival discussions that what we are seeing during this current pandemic with governments, local PD’s, etc…blocking or hunting down non-local people needs to be at least acknowledged so that people interested in survival are better informed.

      Simply discussing these events as they unfold should not automatically jump to “private property is bad.” You are most certainly correct in that the golden horde story is told in order to protect private property. But, in the case of this pandemic, it is not the poor people we are worried about (so far).

      There have been many news stories during this pandemic that say poor people may become violent, but in a pandemic it seems the golden horde is now less about economic class, and more about a territorial pissing between “those people” over there, and “us people” over here.

      In this way, economic class does play a part in the story of the golden horde because people that have money have the physical ability to travel to where as poor people do not. Again, simply observing this behavior and talking about it is far from a staggering hypocrisy.

  28. Good afternoon,

    So they just announced an extension to the Illinois lockdown. Grrrr… It was supposed to end on April 30
    It has been extended to May 30.
    Had a feeling that this would happen
    Also announced we are required to wear a face covering in public starting May 1. Anyone over 2 years old. (I already do this, plus much more, I’m just sick of being told what I HAVE to do).
    There are also rumblings that government here wants more helicopter $ from the fed to stifle the hemorrhage of budget shortfalls that have been going on for decades, specifically the pension debt. I’m hearing that the republicans are screaming no way. Illinois is already rated at Junk Bond status….

    On a lighter note, they delivered the gigantic Tyvek bag of rubber mulch that I ordered. Yahoo! I’m sooo glad I didn’t order the bigger bag, this one weighs 1,030 lbs. I seriously doubt it will blow away (we have had really high winds here lately).
    I can’t wait to get outside & start getting this put around, it will look so nice. It’s yucky today so I’ll have to wait ☹️
    Continuing to pray and thinking of you all !

    Have a Rockin great day!

  29. I wondered if anyone else noticed recently the video (within the past week or two about the Wuhan’s Bio Level 4 lab), the footage showing a Chinese lab Dr. working at a dry erase board. On that board were several photo’s of different animals and insects. Something about that brief footage troubled me. The pictures included a bat, a sea star, and two hand drawings of ticks. It was clear the individual was making notes regarding gene sequencing and there was a partial hand drawn gene sequence on the board.

    I spent much of that day trying to figure out why, a sea star and ticks would be on that same board with a bat. It almost seemed like they were trying to incorporate different animal traits into a strain. Then I remembered hearing a week or two ago that one of the early indications of nCoV was loss of smell and taste. Wasn’t there a tick born illness that included loss of taste/smell? I know Lyme disease affects taste. Wasn’t there another tick that was associated with that like the Asia Longhorned or Lone Star ticks? And why a Sea Star? This whole Wuhan thing stinks. And SARS came out of that province too didn’t it?

  30. Don Williams,,,,,,,,,,took me some time to decide to reply to your post ,,,,and how much to say ,,,,,,,
    Our group in Idaho is founded and made possible by very wealthy principals ,,,jets and all ,400 members out of 500 of us would not have the opportunity to have a safe place to “bug out” if not for some millionaires and billionaires ,the wealthy have no monopoly on butt heads ,when I use to sign a pay check on the front I had good feelings knowing that a good people had there needs met ,,today I have those same feelings knowing that some good people have a safe place to live in or go to ,

    SHALOM

    1. 1) I understand your gratitude and friendship and I do not criticize it. But, with all respect, 400 people is not a significant portion of 328 million Americans.

      2) My criticism of the Rich is for their benefit as well — they seem to have forgotten that they will have nothing without the support and protection of the American People. See how long 500 billionaires on their own would last in battle with 1.4 billion Chinese.

      3) One of the reasons the Roman Empire fell is that the ordinary citizens no longer supported it — indeed, the early Christian Church grew because it provided a cradle of humanity and fellowship in a sea of vicious, predatory corruption, judicial tyranny and slavery.

      3) This relentless decline was triggered centuries earlier by pandemics imported in from China by trade. Read from the Christian priest Salvian why Roman citizens were deserting Rome circa 440 AD:

      https://www.101christianmagazine.com/salvians-comparison-of-roman-and-barbarian-behavior/

  31. It’s stunning that wealth envy is so strong in many in this nation. And all problems are tied to the rich since by their definition they are evil for having so much money, really?

    Now recently I saw a great documentary on Cars in the US with Henry Ford being the pioneer on getting his car to the masses. Anyway, he became very wealthy and if it was not for his business empire helping out the war effort in World War II we might have lost the war. The Titans of industry back than we’re all very wealthy but when crunch time hit the we’re instrumental in beating Germany and Japan.

    Also wealth is relative. The poor in the US are wealthy as compared to about 3 billion other people on this planet. Americans are fabulously blessed even now.

  32. Billionaire Bunkers in New Zealand is a diversionary hoax. There’s no Billionaire stampede to New Zealand. ,,, If anything, the wealthy are buying cattle ranches, and such,up in the Redoubt region of the USA.
    The wealthy hobnob with each other at such places as Jackson Hole, WY and Aspen, CO. The Billionaire’s own the FAKE NEWS media too.

    The USA is still the place where most people try to follow Judeo-Christian values. Plus, the wealthy would understand the American culture. …….. If you’re rich you’d would want to hire honest bodyguards and servants. = Most Americans are honest. +There’s a code of ethics in the US Military. Veterans here in America are trustworthy.
    [An exception is just that. = an exception.]

    The Redoubt is nearby to some of the ‘extra’ homes of the wealthy. There’s a number of planes and helicopters that can fly quite a distance, and then land somewhere close to a cattle-ranch home.

    WWYD = What would you do, if you won hundreds of millions in a lottery? 1. Live in a Bunker in New Zealand or 2. At least, live part time on a big cattle ranch (with lots of timber) in the Redoubt region?
    *****************************

    Personally, If I won the Lottery, I would buy a few Barrett semi-automatic rifles, rather than a bunch old Mauser 98s. +A quality Resistol Cowboy Hat to go with the big Cattle Ranch in the Redoubt region. [I already have old clothes suitable for a working farm/ranch].

    My new job would be raising cattle to help feed the poor people around the world and the USA.

      1. Oh my goodness! This made me laugh so hard! (To me, the funniest comments are funny because they are based in truth.)

        I have always said the same thing about the horse business…

      2. 0ldhomesteader & GritsInMontana, something tells me, you’re both very smart. … Tax deductions are what makes Ranching and Farming attractive to wealthy people. … We’ve all seen the news stories about the ‘how we need’ to save the family farmers, with more government subsidies and tax deductions.

        Wealthy people buy a big place out in the boonies, and protect/create even more wealth through the tax advantages available. Only in America can a wealthy person build a big summer >estate, and receive tax deductions at the same time. … Owning land is an excellent way to preserve wealth, especially if done wisely. Land can be an insurance against inflation.

        Two articles from the Internet:
        1. ~America’s Billionaire Playgrounds: Rockets, Ranches and Rivers ~

        “Acquiring land for recreation is a common motivator for today’s ultra-rich buyer. A unique property with stunning vistas and vast acreage has become its own class of luxury asset and, unlike, say, fine wine, it can be >enjoyed while it appreciates.”

        “The quirky pastimes of billionaires often require huge amounts of open land. The world’s richest person, Jeff Bezos, spent time as a youth castrating cattle on his grandparents’ Texas ranch. Today he has his own rural idyll: 420,000 acres of desert scrub in Texas, where he indulges his passion for space exploration.
        Over in Kentucky, investor Brad Kelley—America’s seventh-biggest landowner—owns 3,300 Kentucky acres, some of it prime bluegrass, where his Calumet Farm has bred some of the best racehorses in history. Third-generation cattle rancher Mike Smith owns a Texas luxury ranch with a 3,200-acre wildlife preserve.” …
        [From: Bloomberg, September 13, 2019]

        In the first article is a link to a graphic about, who owns the most land in America; it will link to the second article. Wealthy people are buying land (lots of it).

        2. Here’s Who Owns the Most Land in America [2nd article]
        The 100 largest private landowners in the U.S. own 40 million acres—an area the size of >Florida.
        [Also: Bloomberg September 6, 2019]
        **************************

        Why Bloomberg? Maybe, Mike Bloomberg was running for President and positioning himself as the ‘battling billionaire ~> man of the little people.’ “It takes a Billionaire to take on other Billionaires!”
        Don’t discount that idea. Donald Trump is at odds with almost all the other Billionaires. Trump needed his billions of dollars to get elected President.
        *******
        *******
        The 2nd site with the graphics about land holdings stirs day dreams in a hick. The Bible talks about wealth.
        1. Rich people can become so rich, they think they no longer need God.
        2. Poor people run the risk of cursing God, because of their poverty.
        ***
        3. We are to praise God always for all blessings, even when we are ill, old and poor.

        1. 1) Well, one benefit of the Superrich fleeing to the Redoubt is that one can laugh at New York middle class yuppies preening in their grossly overpriced designer jeans — while the Superrich are wearing the Wrangler jeans of their blue collar cowhands.

          https://nypost.com/2020/03/14/why-so-many-billionaires-are-escaping-to-teton-county-wyoming/

          2) Doctors use radioactive tracers to illuminate the body and find cancers. In a similar way, I’ve been using the Wuhan Virus statistics to evaluate the retreat areas that Joel Skousen recommended in his book “Strategic Relocation: North American Guide to Safe Places”

          3) What I’m seeing is that relatively poor counties in the Alleghany Highlands of northern Pennsylvania have infection rates of 7 to 10 cases per 100,000. Similarly, the counties in the Appalachian Cumberland Plateau area of eastern Kentucky/southwestern West Virginia/western Virginia have infection rates of 0-20 although a few have higher rates due to features that bring in outsiders — colleges, tourist areas,etc.

          4) But Rich people want to be around other Rich people –including other Rich people who have traveled widely on their private jets and picked up the virus along the way.

          So some of the Rich resorts in the Rockies have very high infection rates: Vail: 871 per 100,000, Sun Valley Idaho 2049 per 100,000 and Jackson Hole 251 per 100,000. Those figures are from April 16.

          This morning, Jackson Hole (Teton County, Wyoming) has 93 cases within a population of only 23,464 — which gives an infection rate of 396 per 100,000. Up from 251 in just a week.

          I wouldn’t want to be the one telling the cowboys they have to stay in the house and that they can’t go into the local bars this weekend. And watch out for the cook with the cough.

  33. DON. Williams ,,,,I look at the”VALLEY” as a life boat. You can only save so many or you sink the boat ,how do you choose? We started 35years ago ,some are still with us ,some have moved on ,some have moved up,
    When the time comes those left can rebuild form the ashes of this once great country
    During the fight for freedom from the king it was the wealthy that stepped up to fund the army often at loss of everything ,life,sons,family, and all that was dear to them ,
    So sad to see the American dream cr*pped on by those with the most to lose ,
    It didn’t have to be this way ,,,

    Rand saw it coming ,told us it would ,
    Would you be a John Galt? or Ellis Wyatt ,?

    1. 1) Actually, men starved and froze here at Valley Forge Pennsylvania because many of America’s Rich did NOT step up to fund the Army.

      Some did — the Jewish merchant Haym Salomon gave his fortune to support the Revolution and died bankrupt. But some wealthy merchant families in Philadelphia traded with the enemy and pimped their daughters to British officers with titles.

      2) But by 1783 the War was almost lost. George Washington’s subordinate General Benjamin had lost the entire Southern branch of the Continental Army by trying to defend the warehouses of the Rich in Charleston, South Carolina. On a peninsula. Against the most powerful Navy on the planet.

      3) Another George Washington subordinate, General Benedict Arnold, had been convinced by the wealthy Shippen family to sell the West Point fortress to the British — if successful , that would have given the Royal Navy control of the Hudson River and allowed them to split New England off from the US. Divide and Conquer.

      George Washington was reduced to begging for money and support from French officials.

      4) As the US Army’s America Military History notes, it was Appalachian hillbillies who turned the war around — exterminating Cornwallis’s subordinate Ferguson at King’s Mountain and destroying Tarleton at Cowpens. My own ancestors kicked Cornwallis’s behind at Guildford Courthouse and drove him into the arms of the French fleet at Yorktown.

      5) The British attempt at “divide and conquer” had failed in the South because bands of terrorists …er.. Freedom Fighters .. under Francis Marion and Andrew Pickens let Loyalists know that if they supported British occupation and British attempts to restart commerce, then the Loyalists houses would be burned down, the men would be killed and their wives and children made into refugees.

      6) Meanwhile, George Washington had to suppress mutinies in his starving army by turning his cannon onto his own men.

  34. Just read the article about homeschooling, especially if you are considering it or doing it. Ignore the offended editors description.

    The author of the article presents a mix of facts and data that is widely available and public record, a mix of opinions about state constitutions, what they say, and the role of the state in education, and still more opinions based on the values of the sources quoted for the article. Everyone is entitled to opinions, but there are real problems and risks in homeschooling depending on what you want for your kids and what they want out of life. If you are homeschooling make sure you understand the problems and risks so you can avoid them, mitigate them, select good course material, and your kids come out prepared for life.
    Some of the teaching materials contain wrong and inaccurate information. I’ve seen concepts from textbooks and teaching materials that was wrong, mainly in the sciences, some in history. I’ve also read interviews with college students that were home schooled. They complained that what they were force to relearn material to catch up with students from public schools. Obviously most home schooled kids aren’t having this problem so there are good teaching materials and programs out there, but there are also materials that are more indoctrination than fact. The quality of the teaching material will matter most to those pursuing an education after K12, or those that want to be scientists, or those that want to become the president of a fortune 500 company. If you don’t believe that Climate change is caused by human actions recommend you find someone else who does to review your course materials. The cause of climate change is settled science as much so as watching the sun rise in the east, what isn’t known is how fast its coming, what kind of damage it will cause in specific locations, how many trillions of dollars of damage it will cause, how many additional trillions we will spend trying to fix the damage, and how many people are going to die.

    Kids learn other skills at school besides what’s in the text book like social skills needed for interactions with peers and adults, and needed for many of today’s workplaces as adults, or courtship rituals for the opposite sex. Sports teach the value of discipline and hard work. Learning in a group is different than learning individually. A school full of kids whose parents all expect and push their kids to excel will create peer pressure and an environment where learning in prized and rewarded. Some kids might do better in this environment, other kids might do better learning at their own pace individually. If homeschooling figure out what your kid needs both in the books and beyond and can these skills be taught in other ways. I’ve read of groups of home schooled kids who meet for social activity, friendship, sports, etc.

    The article is correct about how Homeschooling has provided cover for some parents to abuse their kids. I read regularly about parents who kept their kids out of school and didn’t educate them, sometimes locked them up, didn’t always feed them right, etc. It shouldn’t be a problem for anyone reading this.

    I need to preface my last point with this. Neil DeGrasse has described three types of truth. He wrote “So a personal truth is something that you hold to be true no matter what anyone else thinks of it. And almost all religious tenets would come under that category. Is Jesus your savior? Is Muhammad the last prophet on earth, and you are certain of that? Do your ancestors keep watch on you and look after you?

    Political truths are established by repetition. They may be true, they may be supported by evidence, a good portion are false, created to serve a political purpose, gain power, control people, etc. People choose to believe them.

    Objective truths are supported by evidence. They can be tested. Cause and effect can be measured. This is the realm of science and study.

    Belief in Noah’s Ark is a personal truth. It’s based on faith. No one has found reliable evidence that it happened. If you want to believe the Ark story as a personal truth, fine, the constitution protects that right, but please don’t try to pass it off as an objective truth or expect others who don’t accept it as a personal truth to consider it to be an objective truth because it is not.

    I’ve found that most people tend to think and speak as if there is only one truth. I was guilty of this until recently. This leads to confusion, miscommunication, and misunderstandings.

    If you indoctrinate your kids with your prejudices and hates, if you choose teaching material that teaches your personal truths as objective truths, what are your kids going to think if they reach the real world, leave your artificial bubble and discover your programming isn’t correct? Sure, your kids are still going to love you, but they will realize what you tell them can’t always be trusted and you will lose some influence and respect. If you want your kids to keep their indoctrination you will need to keep your kids close through adulthood and make sure they don’t see and experience the real world.

    1. Don:
      My experience has shown me that your position is incorrect. We have homeschooled all of our children, all the way to Grade 12. The youngest of them will finish high school next year. ALL of them have ended up very well adjusted, rational, and VERY well-educated. Our oldest son is an engineer with a Bachelor of Science degree, and now has a family and home of his own. And, by the way he and his wife plan to homeschool his own children. Our children have a a Biblical world view, good discernment, and critical thinking skills. They each have a personal relationship with God, and the work the work of the Holy Spirit is evident in their lives. They have a wonderful sense of justice, they honor life, and they threat others of all ages with respect. They are not hesitant to speak with anyone.

      The oft-cited “lack of socialization” premise is largely a myth. Only a very few homeschoolers living in true geographic isolation (such as the interior of Alaska) have a lack of outside contact. In our case, our kids had both neighbors and members of their homeschooling co-op to interact with. One of our relatives warned us that our kids would “miss out on the life experiences of public school.” My reply: Which experiences would those be… Obsession with clothes and Godless celebrities? Teasing and bullying? Smoking tobacco or weed? The socialist indoctrination? The incessant genderqueer questioning? Cussing and swearing? Being shunned by social cliques? Disrespecting adults? Casual sex?

      The bottom line is that public schooled kids are not raised by adults. They are raised by other kids. And the results are uneven, at best.

      1. JWR
        I’m sure most home schooled children turn out fine. You made efforts to mitigate some of the risks with neighbors and your coop. What if others don’t. Apparently you and the teaching material were also sufficient to teach the STEM material in high school. I preferred the teachers over the text books myself.
        Your kids appear to be successful which I’m sure makes you proud and happy. Sometimes it seems like chance for which kids get there. My son attended public K12 + college and graduated with Latin honors with a BSME degree. Like your kids he’s disciplined, respectful, responsible, a great friend to others, out on his own, and successful. I’m sure his graduating class has many others like him. The success of either of our kids does not prove that home schooling or public/private schools are inherently better or that each doesn’t have any risks or problems. The sample sizes are too small, cause and effect hasn’t been established, and other contributing factors haven’t been examined. The key is to understand the risks, problems, and limitations of each and what the needs of your kids are. Schooling is actually very complicated. My son didn’t have any of the bad “experiences” you describe. He chose his peer group well. More important though was his home life. My son learned respect, discipline, and love for others because I had the time, took the time, and had the resources to teach him those character traits while I demonstrated them in my daily living. My son had boundaries, a safe environment, expectations from me for his behavior, academic effort, and excellence, no worries about whether there would be food to eat or no place to sleep, a stable one parent household, hope, and unconditional love. He was taught to defer gratification and the differences between wants and needs. Not every child has all this due to a myriad of causes. I believe success starts at home. I’m confident your children were raised similarly, so how much did each factor contribute? The school type, how you raised them, the values you taught them, the environment they grew up in, the church or even the genetics you passed down? You also made a valid point about kids raising kids in public or private schools. When shopping for my house my first and most important criteria was the schools and the kids that attended them. I chose carefully. There have been studies where they take kids from failing schools and drop them into schools filled with successful kids. The kids that were failing in the substandard school start being more successful. I’m sure some of it is higher quality teachers, but its also the students and their attitudes about life, success and academic excellence. Peer groups can create the bad “experiences” you describe but other peer groups can have very positive effects on kids including pushing them to excel through unspoken peer pressure. I’ve also read my share of anecdotal stories told by kids who credit teachers, coaches, grandparents, or siblings who provided grounding, steered them away from the gangs, drugs or other bad influences around them, that contributed to reaching their current success, so it doesn’t even have to be parents, it can be other people. Looking back years ago, kids also had much more contact with their grandparents and the community took a more active role watching and raising kids. Another thread would be how many people actually know how to be good parents? It’s not like there are many classes available. I believe many people do not know. Next question, how many parents have the time or energy to be good parents when they are working 60 hours a week at two jobs just to cover rent, food and utilities? My state has a big city school system that is failing the students. The state already spends a higher than average per student amount on the schools, and politicians are pressing to spend more. Will more money fix the problems? I doubt it. Even if the money now provided were spent more efficiently, the problems with the schools are also from what is happening outside the schools. If I was forced to live in that big city, with the problems in the schools and those social problems outside the schools I would be home schooling too, picking my curriculum carefully so it wasn’t religiously or politically biased, so the science was based on objective truths, and mitigating the friend, social, other risks.

    2. 1) The interesting thing about the education debate is that so much of it is focused on HOW to teach but relatively little on WHAT to teach. WHO decided what the K12 curriculum would be, WHY did they decide that and WHY do the people it is supposed to serve — the parents and their kids — have so little say in its design.

      2) Why is cost vs benefit ignored? Should a poor kid in an impoverished ghetto be forced to study English Literature — when what he really needs are classes in how to build a business and acquire savings? 50 years ago, a K12 degree provided the means to get a job that would support a family — today it does not.

      3) And why has the college Liberals Arts degree been turned into a means of enslaving people.? In the ancient past, it was the education of the Free Man — slaves having no need to understand politics or history or foreign affairs.

      But today our national discourse is dominated by people who wasted 4 years of their lives — and went deeply into debt — acquiring a degree that gives them no useful skills. No means to produce a product or provide a skill that anyone would buy.

      So they have no choice but to go TV and lie for rich patrons. Or write news stories for Newspapers doing the same. Or craft con games on Wall Street or in our political campaigns.

  35. JWR,,,,,,,i concur with you on homeschooling ,,XDW and I were told by teachers our kids would be social out casts , to a point there were right ,or better said ,different ,and out of step from “normal” ,,,,,,ones a pastor ,ones a millionaire ,,ones a missionary ,,,ones a good banker ,,,ones a farmer ,ones is studying micro biology at Harvard headed to a PHD
    I like my kids being out cast from the” norm ”
    The “norm ” worry me

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