Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 6, 2020

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Today is the birthday of science fiction author David Brin. (born, 1950.) He wrote The Postman, which was very loosely the foundation of a movie by Kevin Costner.

October 6 is also the birthday of Thor Heyerdahl. (Born 1914, died April 18, 2002.) Although his east-to-west theory of Pacific Ocean transmigration was later disproved by genetics studies, his many adventures were still remarkable.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.


15 Comments

  1. The Postman is still my all-time favorite movie. One of the rare examples where the movie was better than the book. The other was “Into the Wild” where Krakauer totally missed the point and Sean Penn, my least favorite actor, total got it and made a great movie.

    Thor Hyderdahl was another author that inspired me, while I was still grade school, to a life of adventure and I’ve read most of his books. He lived in the good old days when scientists got out and experimented to see if their theories might be valid. Sitting in a modern lab doing DNA work has its place but fails to inspire kids to exploration and adventure.

    1. JWR, Tunnel Rabbit, St. Funogas, Once a Marine and the rest of you WARRIORS among the cast of characters here on SB… i am not a warrior and know if i need to be, i will be up a creek. There are plenty of others in the same position i fear here in this community. PLEASE, could this issue be addressed in a series of articles that would accelerate and walk us up to a more realistic understanding without berating us? It would mean the difference between _life_ or a quicker stepping into eternity, (and not being available help to those around us.)

      PLEASE consider what could help us who want and choose to stand in the breach…you KNOW what i am asking, even though _i_ barely grasp the concept. Thanks for the glimpses you all have given us who are not there yet!

      1. joyce, there are many ways to stand in the breach. Only a few involve violence.

        Giving away some of your garden’s bounty, strategically, to likely allies is one. Sharing other resources like tools, labor, rides with people you want to get closer to is another.

        Teaching others what you know like knitting, food preservation, car repair. Any kind of skill-share will do. You need not be an “expert”, just teach what you know, be open to questions and learning as you teach. Invite those you teach to share their skills.

        Just last night, I called the fellow who hired me to teach food drying to his garden club. He was so happy I did so. I learned something from him in the back and forth.

        The “warrior” thing is IMO blown out of proportion, Yes, there are many stories. I have a few. And, violence seldom offers a long term solution to a problem. Collaboration and trust, shared knowledge…now there is treasure.

        Carry on in grace

        1. Once a Marine …perhaps it’s the THOUGHT of being a violent warrior that promotes my approach to the edge of panic. So your response points out the flip side of this coin to me and anchors my spirit a bit.

          Recently in my study of scripture, 1st Peter 4:8 has come around to speak with a bit of emphasis concerning the “end of all things being at hand.”(verse 7)

          (verse 8)
          “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

          The concern for defense is still with me…especially of those one loves. But, as you point out, there is a larger picture besides feeling like a bristling dog backed into the corner.
          Thanks for your response…

        2. Miss Joyce, I would echo my jarheaded brother above. Even in a modern army, only a small percentage…about 10% or so…are front-line trigger-pullers. The rest are support…mechanics, cooks, medics, supply, etc. In fact, what makes the US military so powerful is not our combat power, but the ability to project and sustain that power.
          While I agree with Muddykid that you should acquire some basic self-defense skills, there are many ways to help support yourself, your family, and your community in these troubled times. Use the talents, abilities, and resources loaned to you by Almighty God, and trust in Him for the rest.

    2. There’s NOT going to be a big Civil War in the USA, at least NOT in the near future. … The libtards have a strategy of attrition. Leftwingers control the Fake News, Show Business (movies, TV, radio) and our school system. The libtards politically control the Blue States. Libtards have to lie and then steal elections to gain political control. Immigration has been a tool of the Libtards. Trump wants a merit based immigration policy.

      The shock troops of the libtards are really drugged-up criminals. The ‘running dogs’ for this group are the silly college kids; they think socialism is a viable economic system. The rallying cry of the libtard is ‘More Free Stuff.’

      Can you foresee, Pelosi, shifty Schiff, and Bubble Head, Gavin Newsom [Governor of California] leading their ‘troops’ up into the Redoubt Region?
      ****
      ****
      The Cop Unions are endorsing Trump. The cops are tired of leftwinger nonsense. The libtards have to close down the Churches. = Churches are gathering places for conservatives.

      There’s a lot of information about varying political allegiance in the US Military. … There’s also visual information about the US Infantry and Armored units in our foreign wars. The combat soldiers are NOT going to fight to take over America. The US Army Infantry can kick-ass everywhere. [Civil War takes Infantry]
      ……… A separate Kudos to the US Marines. The actual combat Marines will NOT fight to destroy the USA. Loyal Marines do NOT sacrifice, and then later work to destroy America. ….. Will our Navy shell and bomb our cities? Will the Air Force be willing to bomb the USA for Biden, Harris and Pelosi. [And the other libtard criminals]

      Libtards will fold over like a paper-cup, when confronted by loyal Americans. … The US Military Veterans back Trump. I haven’t seen a big Veteran group for Biden. [At least many combat veterans.]
      All the Democrats can do is try to steal the election. Trump acts very confident; he uses his own private polling numbers. … Loyal Americans have to vote.
      ****
      ****
      Libtards have filled the country with people that hate America; the mega billionaires are cronies with Communist China. Hollywood is very silly and owned by China too. They all want Trump gone.
      There will be continued Chaos, until it’s resolved. … The Libtards see death as a solution. Based on history, = poisoning the drinking water and planned food scarcity will be a chosen method, ~if a slow War occurs. [Make sure preps are in order. Actually, the prepping will foil libtard future plans.] … Water Filtration Systems and Storage Food are necessary preps.

      Trump has demonstrated the USA was made poor by US Politicians selling out the American people. Trump and Pence want to Make America Great Again.

      The libtards might try to steal the election. The majority of Americans will NOT tolerate it. Election theft will be a difficult sell to the American people. = The libtard politicians know it.
      The hardcore supporters of the libtards are people dependent on Free Stuff and Government Benefits. The typical libtard military experience is just playing video games.

      People have to vote for Trump if they want to save our country. … A big mob of people can’t win against a large number of cops and men with US Military Training and combat experience.
      As a separate note: The NRA says it has 5 million members; the NRA backs Trump.

      May God continue to Bless America.

      1. appreciate your posts GGHD but i am of the philosphy of never say never i see some potential for civil war coming at us like a libtard runaway freight train…

        God Bless the USA

    1. All she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth….

      That was ADORABLE. Looks like there is a whole series? I might need to bookmark it for a cuteness break when my own littles are driving me up the wall, across the ceiling and down the other side……

  4. Village Praxis: Drive the Right Rifle: Upgrades Less Optics
    by Bill Buppert
    (2020, October 5)
    https://zerogov.com/2020/10/05/village-praxis-drive-the-right-rifle-upgrades-less-optics-by-bill-buppert/

    Predator, “NO LIVES MATTER” Meme
    https://zerogov.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/predator-.jpg

    Buppert: Rifle Upgrade Thoughts
    Author Concerned American
    Posted on October 6, 2020
    https://westernrifleshooters.us/2020/10/06/buppert-rifle-upgrade-thoughts/

    1. Interesting article. It does not really capture why food subsidies are interesting, how the concept has changed in policy circles, and how one of the more important aspects of FDR’s approach resulted in the discourse of food security. IE: the freedom from want.

      Food security has changed from the focus of abundance to availability, individual access, and stability (for what and for whom?).

      Is there a relationship between food subsidies and government interest in healthcare expansion? Or, is there a net energy loss to where every calorie we eat is the equivalent to 10 calories of oil? Corn and the war on terror? 😉

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