Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 16, 2020

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Today is the anniversary of The Boston Tea Party, in 1773.  This destructive act of protest was in response to the British Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act of 1773. Parenthetically, this protest wasn’t popularly called “The Boston Tea Party” until 1825.

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Also, December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of writer Philip K. Dick, who died March 2, 1982. He penned a remarkable number of sci-fi novels and novellas that have been adapted into movies, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor, Minority Report, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and The Adjustment Bureau. Though he had a troubled personal life (with drug use and several failed marriages), his captivating books certainly had a knack for envisioning potential futures.

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I just heard of the recent passing of novelist John le Carré. He was truly the master of the espionage novel genre. Our condolences to his family.

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Don’t forget to watch the sky tonight for both the Northern Lights and the very rare planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  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 Made 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. 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).
  4. 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.
  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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. 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 92 ends on January 31, 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.

 


26 Comments

      1. Yes it is. It is must read, even if you cannot perform a patrol. Any part of it can be adapted to the level your people can assimilate, and your COMSEC is improved. We can start out with just keying the mic, and slowly working up to the SOI as detailed in the article. As the situation deteriorates, as the threat to life increases, people will become more motivated, and either adapt or die. Have a plan to adapt.

  4. JWR; I don’t know how you & Miss Lily do it, reminding us of all the events through history happening on a daily basis, but I do appreciate the reminder. There are so many worthwhile events to remember I can’t keep track of em all. Boston Tea Party, one of the more memorable, and if events unfold as they appear to be doing, we will soon have another one.
    Long Live Our Republic!

    1. The Boston Tea Party was part of a movement. The resistance was organized throughout the colonies. See below.

      This Day in History: The (almost) forgotten Charleston Tea Party

      On this day in 1774, the South Carolina Gazette reports on the so-called Charleston Tea Party. You’ve heard of the Boston Tea Party, of course. Charleston had one, too!

      Discontent had been brewing for a while. Colonists were furious about the “unconstitutional tax” on tea. In November 1773, an editorialist wrote in the South Carolina Gazette that Parliament was determined “to raise a revenue, out of your pockets, against your consent—and to render assemblies of your representatives totally useless.”

      You can imagine, then, that locals were furious when a ship arrived in Charleston harbor just a few days later—its cargo included 257 chests of tea! A meeting was convened. Patriots such as Christopher Gadsden and Charles Pinckney convinced merchants to sign an agreement: They would not import any more of the much-hated tea.

      No tea was dumped in the harbor that year, as it would be in Boston. Instead, the collector of customs came up with a plan to avoid a confrontation: He simply seized the tea in the middle of the night. The tea was brought ashore and stored.

      The seizure proved to be embarrassing. Charleston was the only port to allow a shipment of tea to be brought ashore during those months. In Boston, of course, the tea had been dumped overboard. In Philadelphia, a ship bearing tea had simply been turned away.

      Gadsden and other members of the Sons of Liberty were mortified, but they would soon get a chance to redeem themselves. During the spring of 1774, Parliament enacted the harsh Coercive Acts, which closed the Port of Boston and demanded that Bostonians make recompense for the lost tea.

      Gadsden and others leapt into action.

      “We depend on your Firmness,” Gadsden wrote Samuel Adams, “and that you will not pay for an ounce of the damn’d Tea.”

      South Carolinians sent relief supplies to Boston. In fact, they contributed more than any other colony! They also worked to support the new Continental Congress that was being considered. Perhaps more satisfyingly, though, when a cargo of tea made its way into Charleston Harbor in November 1774, locals were quick to act.

      A committee was convened, and the presence of the ship’s captain was demanded. Captain Samuel Ball confessed to “having the mischievous Drug on board,” but he claimed that he had not known about the cargo until too late.

      “[H]is Mate had received them in his Absence,” he swore. But “as soon as he made the Discovery, he did all in his Power to get them relanded.” Nevertheless, he was unable to get the cargo off his ship. Captain Ball must have known he was in for some trouble! When he arrived in America, he was carrying a sworn statement that he’d had notarized in London. It certified his objection to the cargo aboard his ship, even before he departed for American shores.

      Ball didn’t want everyone mad at him! He wanted the blame to lie with those merchants responsible for his cargo. Was he being genuine or just punting responsibility? Either way, it worked.

      The committee called upon the importers of the tea, who indicated that they “were ready and willing to do any Thing, which the Committee should be of Opinion would most effectually contribute to preserve the Peace and Quiet of the Community.”

      What was going to make Charleston Patriots most happy at this point in time? Dumping the tea overboard, of course. And that is exactly what the merchants did.

      The South Carolina Gazette later reported, simply: An “Oblation was made to Neptune, of the said seven Chests of Tea.”

      Presumably, it was a very satisfying outcome, given the events of the past year. The city of Charleston celebrated for days afterwards.

      Carry on

  5. IDK who needs to hear this today, maybe just me, but don’t ever forget:

    The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness HAS NOT OVERCOME IT. (John ch 1, emphasis mine)

    and also

    Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations ch 3)

    Peace be with this whole community!

    1. Watching this makes me tear up. I have so much respect for those men. Having gone back to college as a grandma the last couple years, I can say I have tremendous doubts in todays’ young people. Surely, WWll soldiers were the greatest generation.

      In the early eighties, my college professor took us to the Mardasson Memorial which commemorates the Battle of the Bulge. It was a privilege to go there. I was in awe, even as an 18 year old. We walked around in silence, only speaking in whispers, feeling like we were on sacred ground.

      At the historic center at that time, I purchased one of my most treasured souvenirs: A Battle of the Bulge book that was all copies of original photos from the battle.

      They were great men of courage, bravery and perseverance…

      1. -Outnumbered 27 to 1, 18 vs. 500

        -Commanded by 20 year old Lt.

        -Not experienced infantry, not expected to engage the enemy, or equipped to do so. They were not train to occupy a defensive position, they were coordinating an intelligence effort.

        -They lost communications, and had no support.

        I’m impressed.

        BTW, my Great Grandfather was a Prussian General. The Germans had the finest.
        We would probably would not have won, but Hitler was in charge.

        1. @Tunnel Rabbit

          I´m also impressed

          That wasn´t my point, my point was that even the wehrmacht paratrooper units couldn´t replace their heavy losses with well trained handpicked soldiers but must scrape the bottom of the barrel in terms of qualified light infantry.
          This shows how unable the wehrmacht was to replace the losses in trained soldiers and equipment.

          Prussian
          Well trained, disciplined soldiers with initiative, good tactics and operations, very good leadership and leadership doctrine, bad strategy and abysmal grand strategy abilities

          WWII was lost before it began, the lack of gas was essential and after case blue failed to take and hold the sowjet oil fields it was only a matter of time

          2. Let’s give credit where credit is due. We won the war as a team with the Soviet Union. Their army chewed up the Germans and spit them out. If you look at the numbers of tanks, trucks and aircraft they produced during that time, you will see the industrial might they brought to bear. Then check out the number of casualties, the quality of their generals, strategic maneuvers and you might gather that Hitler’s stupidity and America’s military might played a smaller role in the outcome of WWII than is usually reported.

            Carry on

  8. A recycled Gab post:

    AK’s are under appreciated because they have the stigma attached. Real warriors know better, and find the AK can be a preferred weapon. I have both. I’ll take the AK if the need to share magazines is not a concern. If you will be operating in open country, the AR would be a better choice, however most contacts will be well inside of 200 yards, and more often than not, inside of 100 yards, and even with an AR shooting at you, you are a much smaller target at ranges the AR has the advantage. I will leave my options open, and chose the tool that fits the job the best. Sometimes it will be a bolt rifle.

    Although this is corrosive ammo, it is actually higher quality ammo in my book. In cold weather, corrosive primers are much more reliable. As we should clean our rifles everyday anyway whether they are used or not, the use of corrosive primers, or not, is moot. The AK has proven over the decades to be able to use corrosive primers and remain reliable despite their use. 1 quart of boiling water, or a solution using ammonia poured down the barrel and gas tube, and wiping down the piston a bolt face is quick and easy. At .35 cents a round, we buy 2 or 3 times the ammo, train more, and shoot back more. But do have an AR if you can afford it, just in case you run out of 7.62×39. There will be a very limited supply of this ammo out there should you run out.

    Part of the solution to the limit supply of 7.62×39 is to buy twice as much, and you can afford to at .35 cents a round. Or if you are just starting out, for the total the purchase price of a gun and ammunition, the price of the rifle being the same, we can purchase twice the ammunition if we are supply an AK. The minimum ammunition per rifle should be 6,000 rounds in my estimation. 6,000 X .66 cents for 5.56 equals $3,960.00. 6,000 rounds of the good quality 7.62×39 at only .35 cents is $2,100. It pays to do the math.

    https://www.sgammo.com/product/golden-tiger-ammo-sale/1000-round-case-russian-762×39-124-grain-fmj-bt-corrosive-primer-fact

    Here is a lesson from the Sandbox:

    U.S. troops using confiscated Iraqi AK-47s

    By Andrew England
    ASSOCIATED PRESS
    11:00 a.m., August 24, 2003
    http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?9257-U-S-troops-using-confiscated-Iraqi-AK-47s

    Excerpt:

    “Now U.S. troops who have picked up AKs on raids or confiscated them at checkpoints are putting the rifles to use – and they like what they see.

    Some complain that standard U.S. military M16 and M4 rifles jam too easily in Iraq’s dusty environment. Many say the AK has better “knockdown” power and can kill with fewer shots.

    “The kind of war we are in now … you want to be able to stop the enemy quick,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tracy S. McCarson of Newport News, Va., an army scout, who carries an AK in his Humvee.

    Some troops say the AK is easier to maintain and a better close-quarters weapon. Also, it has “some psychological affect on the enemy when you fire back on them with their own weapons,” McCarson said.

    Most U.S. soldiers agree the M16 and the M4 – a newer, shorter version of the M16 that has been used by American troops since the 1960s – is better for long distance, precision shooting.

    But around Baqouba, troops are finding themselves attacked by assailants hidden deep in date palm groves. Or they are raiding houses, taking on enemies at close-quarters.”

  10. Radio Contra Episode 39: Manchurian McConnell, Secular Democrats calling for Re-education Camps for Christians, ATF coming after 80%, WikiLeaks

    https://radiocontra.podbean.com/

    Radio Contra Episode 39: Manchurian McConnell has declared Beijing Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, confirming that China has deep economic ties on both sides of the political aisle in the US. Manchurian McConnell’s financial gains have been explicitly in the interest of the Chinese Communist Party. On top of that, the Secular Democrats of America are calling for re-education camps for Trump supporters. I then dive into the ATF’s new plan under Beijing Biden to go after 80% lowers and further attempt to disarm the American populace, the most recent WikiLeaks dump and some notes on the Fighting Kalashnikov.

  11. Tunnel Rabbit, thanks for the link to The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge. My father was in the Battle of the Bulge. He spoke very little regarding the war other than general terms. Near the end of his life, one Christmas morning it was very foggy, and triggered memories of that Christmas and being surrounded by the enemy. He told us that the fog lifted, the sun came out, and the US planes flew in and dropped supplies for those on the ground. He always credited a young officer that lead his group out with his compass for saving their lives.

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