This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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Federal judge again strikes down California law banning high-capacity gun magazines. JWR’s Comments: Sadly, this decision includes a one-week stay, so there probably won’t be a repeat of “Magazine Freedom Week”. There will surely be an appeal filed by California, within a few days. This case has dragged on for nearly five years. And there may be a few more years of appeals–probably all the way up to the Supreme Court. But in the long term, the unconstitutional magazine bans will be overturned!
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Conservative actor Kevin Sorbo recently tweeted this at X: “Just got kicked out of the library for moving the post-apocalyptic fiction to the current events section.”
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Sen. Fetterman Presides Over Senate in Shorts After Dress Code Change. JWR’s Comment: This is just another bit of evidence that American society is slipping into Romanesque decadence. Just when I thought that Fetterman was the one willing to change…
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Are you ready to move? Reader C.B. sent this video link: Beginners guide to safely load a Uhaul and tow a vehicle.
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Thousands of California wells are at risk of drying up despite landmark water law.
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“This past week I picked up an Azure Standard order of 100 lbs of organic flour, and 100 lbs of organic cane sugar. Good flour used to be .50/lb and it is now over $1/lb. I suspect the prices will continue to rise. My sourdough starter is thriving and soon I’ll be baking sourdough bread again. All the excess milk from the dairy cows sold this week, and that’s a first. I’ve gotten to know absolutely wonderful families who cherish the milk. One family asked if I could teach them about managing the animals because they want to learn too. I thought that was a wonderful idea. The more people who learn to grow their own food, the better for everyone. The breeding group of pigs were delivered. And again, I got to meet wonderful people who just wanted their animals cared for more than anything else. We talked a long time about everything. I feel so blessed when I meet like-minded people. I met with my Oncologist and we agreed on a holistic approach to managing my disease. I believe in Food as Thy Medicine and he agreed to let me try to improve my health while we monitor the disease. I felt blessed by that interaction. I know I’m the decision-maker when it comes to my health, but to have the backing of a good doctor means the world to me. There are few doctors left of that caliber, in my opinion. I focused on healthy meals this past week, and canned up some bone broth. I have more work to do in preparation for the sows to farrow, but I have what I need and have time to do the work. I noticed feed costs have gone up, again, by $2/bag. That adds up when you’re feeding a lot of animals. Thankfully, their primary food is pasture. It’s been a very busy, but productive week and I am thankful. Tired, but thankful, and grateful to the Lord because He just keeps blessing me in spite of myself. It’s good to know that kind of love.”
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New-Found Emails Prove Biden White House Hid COVID Vaccine Harms from the Public.
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Reader A.M. had this response to the recent article: A Silver Conversion Exercise:
“Is it economically viable for a wife to be a stay-at-home mother in this environment? Can she afford to stay home? Or rather, can she afford to work? Perhaps there are more factors to consider than just the money she isn’t making. Maybe her staying home can save more money than she could ever make in the market. I heard a quote, supposedly by Joel Salatin, “a dollar saved is a $1.25 earned.”
I stay at home. I’d like to share some ways that I save money. I cook almost all of our food from scratch. I can up food and it is sitting there on the shelf, beating inflation. I am constantly hunting out ways to buy food in bulk, which I then preserve in various ways. I make some of our clothes or repair the clothes if they need it. Alter clothes to other purposes, sometimes clothes that fit us better. Raise goats, sheep and calves on bottle, with milk I milk from my own cow. I slaughter hogs to make cat and chicken feed and render out the fat to make lard for cooking, metal preservation and lamp oil. I go to the dump and get old refrigerators that I bring home, strip down, paint to look like brick planters, and then fill with dirt to use for raised beds. I am constantly searching to learn ways to heal us using natural methods. I am harvesting tree leaves and preserving them using lactic fermentation (silage) to feed our ruminants. I harvest grass and either dry it or lactic ferment for our ruminants. I am presently building closets and cabinets, which I didn’t know how to do previously. This is to be able to store preps. I seem to constantly be building shelves or cabinets or closets. I was able to learn to do this because I was at home. I taught myself how to do it. I learned it while building chicken tractors. Some people have many more skills than I do. I am not especially skilled. You basically have to be willing to try it, if you want to do it badly enough, you will figure it out.
My husband has many more skills that save us a lot of money. I would contend that if you want to amass wealth, you need the wife to stay at home and hunt out ways to be extremely frugal. If she is at home, she doesn’t need a manicure or pedicure. She doesn’t need fancy clothes. She isn’t getting take-out food. She doesn’t need someone to come clean her house. She doesn’t pay someone to take care of the children. This is just the economic benefits. There are lots of other benefits also, such as, if she homeschools the children, she is able to instill in them the values that will potentially shape the next generation, of which, if enough families do this, could save the country.
I wish that I could find some kind of community that shares frugal ideas of how to be more self-sufficient and be able to save money. I see it as a game. How can I increase our standard of living for free, out of materials that we already have? How can I use someone’s trash to make something we need? How can I raise animals to benefit the soil and make it more productive? I have no idea where to get more ideas on how to be more frugal. It is at times like this that I stop and ask the Lord to show me what I can do. And yes, sometimes I get overwhelmed because I have so many projects, far more than I can ever get done. I have to prioritize my projects in how I use my time. But this is a very satisfying life.”
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Reader B.G. sent this video link: Trump Visits Gun Store In South Carolina, Checks Out The Firearms For Sale. JWR’s Comment: As the sign says, Palmetto State Armory is much more than just a “gun store.” PSA is one of the largest manufacturers of Glock pistol clones, ARs, and AR parts in the country. I’m proud to be an affiliate advertising host for them.
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China has floated a red line in the South China Sea claiming 79%.
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“Sarge” sent this:
I have a few follow-up comments on the article posted on 23 September 2023 by Reltney McFee entitled One Way to Get Started in Ham Radio:
His warning on “Scanner” laws is very important. Many states ban the possession of a radio scanner in a vehicle. However, to claim the Amateur Radio “exemption” you must have a copy of your FCC Amateur Radio Service license on you. Otherwise, you have no proof that you are a licensed ham radio operator.
Since the FCC went paperless, you need to log-in to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) using your FCC Registration Number (FRN) and password, then click on “Download Electronic Authorizations” in the menu to view and download a .pdf copy of your license that you can print-out.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has more information on how to obtain a copy of your Amateur Radio license at http://www.arrl.org/obtain-license-copy
Remember, the FCC requires a valid contact address where you may be reached. Providing your actual street address is NOT required! In the past, a Post Office box where you receive your mail was perfectly acceptable. Now the FCC prefers an e-mail address, but even that does not have to be your actual e-mail address. Members of the ARRL may request a generic e-mail address of yourcallsign@arrl.net. You can then tell the ARRL the actual e-mail address that you want all electronic correspondence forwarded to.
Another important tip in case you get pulled over by the Police is to ensure your ham radio is set to an Amateur Radio frequency. If you have the radio in scan mode, make sure you stop the scan mode and set the radio to a local ham frequency. It will be difficult to claim the Amateur Radio “exemption” if everything the Police officer says over his 2-way radio also comes out of the speaker of your “ham” radio while he is standing next to your vehicle. (very awkward…)
Having a copy of your Amateur Radio license can also be helpful if the Police pull you over for “talking on a cellphone while driving”. Many states ban the use of cellphones while driving, unless you are using a hands-free device. Many states also provide an exemption for Amateur Radio operators using their ham radios in a vehicle. But to be safe, only use a mobile radio with a hand microphone. I do not recommend using an HT while driving, as the Police officer would probably not see a difference between holding an HT in front of you and holding a smart phone in the same manner. A good option would be to use an external speaker/microphone plugged into an HT, so the actual radio can be clipped to the dashboard or placed in a cup-holder.
Reltney McFee also mentioned the great difficulty in programming the Baofeng UV5R using the front keyboard. The simple answer as to why it is so difficult is the fact that the Baofeng, and other Chinese radios, are NOT ham radios! They are being imported into the United States under the claim that they are “FCC Part 90 Certified” or “compliant” radios intended for use on the Business Band frequencies (fire, police, ambulance, tow trucks, delivery vans, etc.). But the FCC Part 90 regulations prohibit the operator from being able to program frequencies into the radio using the front panel controls (See Part 90.203)
The Baofeng radios in particular received intense attention from the FCC when the FCC realized that their transmit frequency range far exceeded the frequencies allocated for Part 90 operation. They could transmit on Marine frequencies (Part 80), Aviation frequencies (Part 87), FRS and GMRS (Part 95) in addition to others. Plus they could be programmed using the buttons on the front panel, which violates the restrictions of Part 90.203. So with that last violation, they weren’t even legal for Part 90 operation.
That is why programming a Chinese radio from the front panel is so difficult or nearly impossible. It should be! The use of programming software is the answer. Use the software to create a “code plug” of all the desired frequencies and memory channels, then load the completed code plug into the radio to program it. A recommended source of programming software and connection cables is RT Systems. They sell proven software and cables for a variety of Chinese radios and actual ham radios.
Manufacturers of actual “ham” radio equipment include Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom, and Alinco.
Purchasers need to be aware that just because something is sold on the internet, that does not mean it is legal to use. The FCC regulations require the person actually using the radio equipment to be properly licensed and using authorized equipment. Sellers take advantage of this loop-hole to sell questionable radio equipment, knowing that the FCC will go after and fine the person using the unauthorized equipment – not the seller.
Doing a search on Amazon for “ham radio” will return a great many questionable products. There is no firm definition of “ham” radio, resulting in a flood of Chinese radio equipment that may or may not be suitable for Amateur Radio use. It is definitely a case of “buyer beware!” Please seek out advice and assistance from your local Amateur Radio club before making a purchase. The Baofeng radios are inexpensive and very handy, but can be difficult to program without the use of software. Do your research and use them wisely!”
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And finally, reader H.L. spotted this: Liberty Safe Scandal: Parent Company Exposed as Major Donor to Gun-Control Democrats – Report half million dollars to pro-gun control Dem.
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