Month: February 2024


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 7, 2024

On February 7th, 1992 The Maastricht Treaty was signed by 12 countries from the European Community (EC) to create the European Union (EU). — On February 7th, 1812, one of the largest earthquakes in U.S. history occurred along the New Madrid Fault. — February 7th, 1867, was the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder (died February 10, 1957). SurvivalBlog highly recommends the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as well as her biography. — Some sad news: Country music legend Toby Keith dead at 62, after battle with cancer. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the …


A Christian Prepper’s Response to Postmodernism – Part 2, by Benjamin Szumskyj

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Additionally, various elements of postmodernism do not fit together to form a coherent system; it seeks to exist as much as a coherent system, yet doesn’t want to exist as a coherent system. While postmodernists claim that there is an overarching coherence, this cannot be true as this is only true inasmuch as the individual believes it to be according to their view of reality and how they interpret knowledge. By its nature, it could have coherence, order, and structure and at the same time, seek to dispel these are real, possible …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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. — Controversy Unleashed: Biden Administration’s Proposed Gun Sales Background Check Sparks Constitutional Debate.  JWR’s Comments:  All Federal gun law authority is based on the Interstate Commerce clause. The ATF’s proposed rulemaking grossly expands the definition of “engaged in the business.” Given the recent Bruen Second Amendment decision and the upcoming Loper Bright Enterprises …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 6, 2024

February 6th, 1895 was the birthday of baseball player Babe Ruth. His home-run hitting helped make him one of the most-celebrated athletes in American sports. — President Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6th, 1911. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: 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 $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used …


A Christian Prepper’s Response to Postmodernism – Part 1, by Benjamin Szumskyj

From the ancient world to the contemporary, followers of Jesus Christ have encountered philosophies that often seek to compete or undermine the Christian faith and the Scriptures they are based on. The Apostle Paul, in writing a letter to the church at Colossae, exhorted to believers that they should ensure “no one takes [them] captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary” (Colossians 2:8). One of the most prevalent philosophies of the latter and current century’s is that of postmodernism. The informed prepper knows this. Postmodernism is the philosophy that rejects absolutes, …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the continuing disenfranchisement of eastern Oregon’s conservatives by western Oregon’s overbearing Democrat majority. (See the Central & Eastern Oregon section.) Region-Wide Biden administration’s deal with Six Sovereigns sparks debate over Lower Snake River Dams. o  o  o Ballotopedia: Greater Idaho, Oregon, countywide …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“No position appears to me more true than this; that the General Govt. can not effectually exist without reserving to the States the possession of their local rights. They are the instruments upon which the Union must frequently depend for the support and execution of their powers, however immediately operating upon the people, and not upon the States.” – Charles Pinckney, “Plan for a Government for America,” Constitutional Convention, June 25, 1787.  In the mural detail above, from the the US Archives, Charles Pinckney is pictured at the far left.


Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 5, 2024

On February 5, 1778, the Articles of Confederation were ratified by South Carolina — the second state to do so. The Third Punic War, the last of three between Rome and Carthage, came to an end this day in 146 BC, culminating in the final destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its people, and Roman hegemony over the Mediterranean. Today is the birthday of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916). He was an American-British inventor best known as the creator of the first truly automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. Maxim also held patents on …


Ready Up Gear Digital Trigger Pull Gauge, by Thomas Christianson

The Ready Up Gear Digital Trigger Pull Gauge provides a handy, reliable, easy-to-use tool for objectively measuring trigger pull weight on a firearm. Made for Ready Up Gear by Pridefend, the gauge was available for $29.99 at the time of this writing from www.readyupgear.com. Background As I test various firearms, it is easy to subjectively tell that some triggers feel heavier and that some triggers feel lighter than others. But heretofore I did not have an objective means of measuring exactly how heavy or how light a particular trigger might be. So when Ready Up Gear offered to provide me …


Recipe of the Week: Emergency Corn Biscuits

The following simple recipe for Emergency Corn Biscuits is from Good HouseKeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (253 pages, copyright 1925, now in public domain). That is one of the 11 new bonus books included in the new 2005-2023 edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. Ingredients 1-1/4 cupfuls bread flour 1 cupful of cold water 3/4 cupful cornmeal 1 teaspoonful sugar 2 tablespoonfuls shortening 5 teaspoonful baking-powder 1 teaspoonful salt Directions Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Mix in the shortening with two knives or the tips of the fingers. Add to the cold water and mix …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“What are the 50 historical laws dating from 1789 to 1868 that the Attorney General has compiled as potential historical analogues? One would expect to find laws or ordinances that required a gunsmith to check with the local sheriff before selling a firearm. Or one might expect to find laws that restricted gunsmiths from selling to any customer who was a stranger in his community. Or perhaps there would be historical laws uncovered requiring a customer’s proof of citizenship before a merchant was allowed to sell him gunpowder. These could be apt analogues to demonstrate a related historical tradition of …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 4, 2024

On February 4, 1932, the United States hosted its first Winter Olympic Games, in Lake Placid, New York.  . On February 4, 1974, newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). An observant San Francisco gun store salesman gathered intel and took photos of SLA supporters/arms suppliers. This led to the May 1974 Los Angeles shootout and Hearst’s subsequent arrest in September 1974. February 4th, 1824: J. W. Goodrich introduced the world to the first rubber galoshes. On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected …