Letter Re: Dealing with Troubled Teens in a Post-Collapse World

HJL, In response to the question “Let them in or not?” in “Dealing with Troubled Teens in a Post-Collapse World- Part 1”, do yourself a favor and answer “NO!” to that question. Dealing with a “troubled teen” when the child is your own is one thing. Voluntarily inviting that kind of volatility into an already bad situation is sheer insanity! Not only will the child not listen to you, you run the risk of an “authority conflict” between you and the child’s parents. This will affect everyone under your roof and could spell disaster for all. Reaching out to others …


Dealing with Troubled Teens in a Post-Collapse World- Part 2, by Credo in Deum

Aside from sexually-related conversation, which is discouraged in the classroom, food is probably the number one topic of interest among juvenile inmates. After assignments are collected and they are conversing in the few minutes of free time before an officer comes to escort them out, these juveniles endlessly talk about what will be their first meal after they get released from jail. Needless to say, they’re not too thrilled with the bland institutional food they get. Burritos, burgers, cakes, cookies, and candy are among the delectable delicacies that they can’t wait to sink their teeth into. Imagine what things will …


Dealing with Troubled Teens in a Post-Collapse World- Part 1, by Credo in Deum

The collapse has happened. You thought you were prepared for just about any challenging circumstance. Do you have enough food? Check. Enough water? Check. Enough guns and ammo? Check. Are you ready to deal with unexpected guests, including lazy, rebellious, criminal, troubled teenagers? You better check! Why do I bring up this issue, you may ask? Maybe it’s because in my own line of work as a substitute teacher, I come into contact with quite a few teenagers. Before I retired, I taught in elementary school, middle school, and even adult school. After retirement, I’ve had the unique opportunity to …


Recipe of the Week: Taco Pizza, by L.H.

The garden is doing well so far this year, and we are right now awash in romaine lettuce. Ten little lettuce seeds at planting time doesn’t seem like much, until the stuff is ready to harvest all at once. There are only so many salads a person can consume. Anyway, taco pizza is one of our favorite ways to use up our fresh lettuce when we tire of salads. It’s terrific! Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1 packet (1.0/1.25 oz.) taco seasoning 1 pizza crust of choice (I prefer the box of Jiffy or packet of Great Value; they are …


Pantry Building Basics for Individuals with Food Allergies or Sensitivities, by M.W.

More and more individuals today are diagnosed with food allergies and sensitivities, and the market for foods which contain alternate ingredients is ever-expanding, reacting to the increasing demand for tolerable foods. There is a definite difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity. Healthline.com describes the most common symptoms of a food allergy as hives, swelling, itching, dizziness, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms of a food sensitivity include bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and nausea. Regardless of the reaction, a person with an allergy or sensitivity to even common pantry staples must remain vigilant when shopping, cooking, and dining out. As one …


Letter Re: Sanitation Considerations

Mr. Latimer: Regarding the problem of smelly outhouses– Deuteronomy 23:13 directs us to “cover that which cometh from thee.” This can be done with soil, or with sawdust, straw, or other common materials. If this is done every time the pit privy is used, the foul odor is nearly eliminated, rendering it no worse than a properly-functioning compost pile. This will also help to reduce danger of contaminants leaching out into the water table. It also eliminates most of the fly problems. You will notice that this is the equivalent of a composting toilet, primitive style. However, there is no …


Sanitation Considerations for Long Term Emergency Situations- Part 2, by D.Q.

Latrine Alternatives There are many alternatives to using a latrine, all of which have positive and negative aspects to them. By far and away the best option of all is to have a septic system installed. This kind of system requires a substantial amount of space for its installation, and it can be somewhat costly. However, it is a well understood system that is commonly used throughout rural America. If you live in a house attached to a septic system, then you should have few worries. Portable Latrine. Another alternative is the use of portable latrines. These are typically used …


Letter Re: Grey Water for Toilets

Hugh, I have an idea to provide rain water for toilets when other water is not available. My thought is to place a small broad flatish tank (10 gallons or so) on the rafters in the attic above the bathroom. Then I would modify the vent through the roof to feed the tank and to still provide venting. When the tank is full, the rain would just flow over the “roof drain”. A sort of V shaped channel dam on the roof could divert additional water to the drain into the tank. There are many possible ways to fill the …


Sanitation Considerations for Long Term Emergency Situations- Part 1, by D.Q.

If you go out onto the Internet, whether it is YouTube, one of the many prepper websites, any of the preparedness forums, and so forth, you are always treated to a wealth of interesting and useful information. Information on food storage, bug out bags, fire starting, EDC reviews, and all sorts of other subjects are common, with the issues of food and clean water being the most important. While many would think personal defense is the next most important issue to be discussed, the truth of the matter is that the need to defend yourself is a potential and not …


Letter: Relocation in Advance of SHTF

HJL, I always assumed that as long as I was somewhere far far away with a one year supply of food and water, if you just wait it out, then you could have your pick of relocation areas and homes as most of the population would be gone. Am I missing something here? Why go to all the trouble NOW of relocating and setting up the BOL that you might in fact have to abandon, when you can just hunker down with some good paperbacks and videos and wait it out? HJL’s Comment: The concept of relocating now is designed …


Longing for Liberty: A Blueprint for Defense of Second Amendment Rights on a Local Level- Part 2, by JD

Accomplishments of the Finance Committee The finance committee ended up being comprised of one person, and that individual set up a bank account and received funds from individual members, GoFundMe donations that came in through the GoFundMe page, and from corporate donations. One thing that was emphasized (falsely) by the opposition was that our group was funded by the NRA. While I am a proud member of the NRA, and many of our members are life members, in a smallish upscale suburban community the NRA is viewed very negatively. To be linked to them by these residents was not a …


Longing for Liberty: A Blueprint for Defense of Second Amendment Rights on a Local Level – Part 1, by JD

In March of 2016, a local radio show mentioned that my town was considering gun control laws and these proposed laws would be voted on at the town meeting in May. Immediately, I checked online news sources, which confirmed that there were warrants added to our Town Meeting that would enact restrictions far beyond what the state already had in place, and the state’s were already some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. My heart dropped from that first moment when I heard the news of these proposals, and I have only briefly recovered after the victory against …


Recipe of the Week: Baked Beans, by Mrs. Kangaroo

Hello to you all. My family and I have been readers of your blog for many years and have enjoyed all the posts and the many tips that people send in. When you started the recipe part on Mondays a little while back I was a little confused, “Don’t people know how to cook,“ I thought? A couple times since then as I was cooking I have thought to my self, “Oh, this would be a good recipe to send in”, but then I never did, thinking that long time readers the likes of Enola Gay, Pantry Paratus, and Rural …


Letter Re: Avian Flu Consequences

Hugh, Last July I sent out a warning about the duck population in Wisconsin. Last year, out of 40 hens only three hens reproduced and had 14 ducklings. The year before (2014), we had about 20 hens, and just about all had young, averaging 10 ducklings each. Avian flu pretty much wiped out reproduction last year and prompted my warnings about stopping the hunt that fall. Nobody listened! This year, the population of adult ducks is down about 75% from 2015 levels. So far, we have three hens that haven’t nested, five hens that have come off the nest with …


Guest Article: Open Source Intelligence, by Samuel Culper

In light of an election season, economic conditions, and domestic stability particularly vulnerable to disruption, we should examine a distinct possibility. Under Title 10 of the U.S. Constitution (as described in Title 18, USC Section 1385), the President has the authorization to order military forces to support civil authorities and to aid domestic security efforts. These operations are referred to as Military Assistance to Civil Disturbances. After the Watts Riots of 1965, the U.S. Army drafted a plan for the Defense Department, codenamed Operation Garden Plot. Since then, U.S. Presidents have authorized both regular army and national guard troops to …