Letter Re: Austere Dentistry

HJL, It’s a great article and fills a gap in my preps I have been concerned about regarding temporary fillings. The two Intermediate Restorative Materials (IRMs) he recommends from Dentisply and Temrex are both widely available online. Every source from eBay, Amazon, and any dental supply house you contact all require that you supply required proof that you are a licensed dentist or dental operation. How or through whom does JD propose that a non-dentist like me and most SB readers can get past this substantial barrier? – Wontogo


Austere Dentistry and Temporary Fillings, by J.D., DMD

I am a general dentist, who has been at it for 26 years working part-time in private practice in a small, working class town and part-time on the dental staff in a state prison. I am also the dental director of a small non-profit organization that provides dental and medical care to the rural poor patients in Honduras. One of my main professional interests is low tech, austere dentistry. The purpose of this article is two fold. First, I want to give the reader some insider, professional advice on how to get their dental needs squared away and met while …


Letter Re: Online OPSEC

Hello, I read your articles concerning “OPSEC” and was wondering if you could answer a question for me? I am concerned about my privacy with online purchases. I would like to buy some “controversial” items (nothing illegal, of course). For example: An AR-15 80% Lower. How would I do that with good OPSEC? – Dave HJL’s Comment: Unfortunately, if you are going to pay online, there is virtually no way for you to maintain any sort of anonymity. There will always be a path of traceability. You can help the situation by paying with Postal Money Orders for which you …


Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 4, by N.M.

If civil unrest escalates to the use of edged weapons, cross bows, or firearms, then body armor may be an option. Concealed armor is usually level 3A and would protect from most handgun rounds and some knives, particularly with slashing motions; it is also easy to wear without being detected. However, it will not protect from sharp projectiles but might reduce their impact. If you are hit with a baseball bat, soft armor does diffuse the impact and may give you a chance. (I’ve been hit across the back with pool cues and hardly felt it, much to the surprise …


Letter Re: Equestrian Survival – Part 4

Hugh, The author of this submission Part 4, recommends “saddle soap” be applied to bridles and all leather tack components. Based on 30+ years of equestrian training and almost daily use of leather tack use, I can say without reservation that the absolute worst product to use on leather of any type is saddle soap! Saddle soap contains alkaloids that strip the natural oils and any other oil compounds applied to leather goods of any type during manufacture and/or in the tanning process. If you’ve ever looked at old or antique leather holsters, tack, or saddles and observed many small …


Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 3, by N.M.

Options If You Get Caught In A Protest (continued) I mentioned eye protection above, but one of the most vulnerable areas is your head. Bike helmets will provide a level of protection against impacts and won’t look too out of place. Have you noticed the way police are using bike officers in civil unrest? They use a helmet to protect the head, safety eyewear to protect from wind while riding (wink-wink), and a bike that forms a barrier wider that two or three officers, and they’re not as conspicuous as a riot shield and baton. Protect your hands as well. …


Letter Re: Camo Patterns

Hello HJL and JWR, Regarding spray painting cloth, this article shows that spray painting cloth with [ultra-flat] camouflage Krylon paint actually reduces its near infrared reflectivity. Can your readers comment? I have spray painted surplus UCP camo with a light, even coat of brown camo paint, making it look very dirty, similar to an ATACS pattern. This would seem to be a cheap option for those of us on a budget. – EP


Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 2, by N.M.

Do Your Intelligence Work (continued) In addition to knowing who is out there, there are other things you can do. Listen to local law enforcement with a scanner. I would not rely on the various scanner apps and feeds on certain sites that also list frequencies for a lot of agencies and organizations, such as radioreference.com. The feeds you hear are provided by someone in the area with a scanner that is feeding into the Internet. The problem is, you are reliant on what they are feeding, which is usually their primary dispatch channels. If you have your own scanner, …


Letter Re: Camo Pattern Clothing

Gentlemen: An inexpensive and non-standard substitute can be made from off-the-shelf khaki and light gray trousers and oversize long sleeve shirts and some clothing dye. I’d suggest one size larger than one normally wears, to hide body outline, permit freedom of movement, and allow for an insulating layer. Thrift stores are good sources, and faded colors are a plus. If one is a purist, it’s advisable to take along a UV light source when shopping; once clothing is washed in detergent with brighteners, it’s UV reflective pretty much for the life of the garment. (Editor’s Addition: Ditto if they have …


Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 1, by N.M.

Let me premise this article with a few points you need to consider: First, you must research local laws for yourself as some items or actions discussed may be illegal in your location. Additionally, while carrying some items may be generally legal, there may be places that prohibit these items from their building, et cetera, such as airports or government buildings. Again, know your local laws. Discussion of specific items does not constitute an endorsement; I may mention them because I have them, may have used them, or may know people who have. Again, do your own research before buying …


Letter Re: Survival Prospects for Gun-Toting Liberal Protestors

These people may not know how to fight. Lots of right-wingers don’t know how, either, including those who have been to a lot of spray-and-pray classes. The point is, when the fighting starts, you either learn how to fight or die, or find a way to escape from the front line. The thing to remember is that none other than Karl Marx called for the “universal armament of the proletariat.” The point being, that once the “proletariat” do the job of massacring the right-wingers, they can easily be disarmed. Europe has demonstrated that. Remember that the leftists are most decidedly …


Recipe of the Week: Deer Stew, by ALC

Ingredients: 3-4 pound deer roast 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can of tomato sauce 2 onions, chopped coarsely 1 lb baby carrots 4-5 medium potatoes, quartered Directions: In a slow-cooking crock pot, combine deer with salt, pepper, garlic, and onions. Add cream of mushroom soup, tomato sauce, and enough water to cover meat. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. (I usually cook overnight.) Add potatoes and carrots, cook an additional 3-4 hours until carrots and potatoes are tender. o o o Useful Recipe and …


Letter Re: Making a Bible

Hugh, I have long wanted a homey Bible, one that I don’t have to be careful with, something to take when traveling, on camping trips, accidentally left in a hotel room or airplane, or just something comfortable to read while sitting on the easy chair. The typical Bible, being a book, is bulky, and I don’t always want the whole works, from Genesis to Revelations, there with me. I only want the books that I am going to be reading at the time. I’ve tried digital versions, but no matter how developed they have become, and there are some good …


Letter Re: Surviving Custer

HJL, Almost all vehicles have a purely mechanical lock in the door for when the battery is dead or similar failure, and these are the simple flat keys which you can just keep with you in your wallet or keychain or hidden somewhere instead of the fat remotes and can be duplicated most places that do other keys. If you get a spare security key, you can keep it in the (locked) glove compartment or some other secure place; you’ll need the anti-theft feature of the fat key to start the car. There is also the common scenario where you …


The Accidental Survivalist, by Athena

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Allow me to first apologize for all of my ignorant assumptions about a survivalist lifestyle. I grew up in a life of prudence and subsistence, and I swore I’d never put myself in a position to have to homestead or subsist again. During the hot summer at the canning tables and fish smoking racks, I swore I’d grow up to live in cities with abundant grocery outlets, fancy cafes, and pastry shops on every corner near my cute little apartment. Never again would my life rotate around a harvest schedule or my weekends spent in hunting tents. But life is …