Sometimes a Journey Begins Due to a Bad Experience, by Jeff L.

I would like to start off by telling you about something that happened to me at a fairly young age. What I experienced made me look carefully at how truly exposed and vulnerable I was. That experience also led me to make changes in my life that were truly transformative. What follows was very emotional for me, and it shook me to my core when these events transpired. In 1990, I was at deer camp with some college buddies in Upper Michigan. We were staying at a family cabin, situated deep in the Pere Marquette Forest system. The evening we …


Three Letters Re: The Circular File

Mr. Latimer: Your “Letter: the Circular File” brought back my encounter with government busy-bodies when I worked in manufacturing. I would get this multi-page survey form every quarter that went through sales, inventory, cost of goods sold …..yada…yada. It was enormously disruptive to my work load. It had all the penalty information on the envelope, and I was afraid not to fill it out due to any consequences to my employer. If you didn’t get it to them on time, the threats would start via mail and then go on to phone calls. The last straw was when I got …


Economics and Investing:

U.S. Lost $11.2 Billion in GM Bailout, TARP Report Says – G.G. o o o What the Fed Is Really Doing to Your Money o o o Items from The Economatrix: Too Broke To Leave Home Even At 35 Years Of Age: Over 30 Percent Of Young Adults Under The Age Of 35 Living At Home. Home Ownership Rate Of Young Adults Continues To Plummet. U.S. Economy Slows To Stall-Speed Fed Says Economy Improving A Little


Odds ‘n Sods:

Here’s an older article I had missed. It’s worth a read: Trayvon Martin and America’s Gun Laws: The New Yorker. It is definitely slanted, but wiley in doing so. Battleground America. – P.M. o o o Another possible link the the Cliven Bundy saga: Reid Bunkerville LLC Exposed: Is This Why Bundy Ranch Was Targeted? o o o Because it is so important to have the Government regulating all aspects of your life, the Average U.S. household spends more on federal regulations than for health care, food or transportation. – G.G. o o o Because if we knew, we might …



Notes from HJL:

Tomorrow (May 3rd) is World Press Freedom Day. Make sure you stop by CFAPA.org to get your set of free Press Credentials. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally …


Why Private Security Will Be A Goldmine In SHTF, by R.M.

To help establish my credentials, I will tell you that I am a U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Veteran with multiple tours to Iraq. After this time, I served with a certain Private Security Firm in Iraq and Afghanistan for over three years, conducting high threat security in very dangerous environments. I understand that not every person will be able to do this; perhaps it will only be a small amount. It will all depend on your personal health and level of training, as well as the market in the area around you. J.W. Rawles in his novels noted a few …


Letter Re: The Circular File

Hi Hugh, I saw your response to the Circular File article where you mentioned you had received a request from the Census Bureau. I’m assuming you’re referring to the “American Community Survey”. I went through that colossal waste of taxpayer funds last year and thought I’d share my story. First it started with letters in the mail. Then the letters became “urgent”, with veiled threats of fines. When it really started getting ridiculous was when the local census worker came to my home. The first time she left a handwritten note. Then she showed up with the documents in hand …


Economics and Investing:

Is The U.S. Dollar Doomed?. – D.B. o o o Why Housing Has Stalled — And Why Everything Else Will Follow. – H.L. o o o Items from The Economatrix: Roubini, Rogoff, Taylor Debate Global Economy At Milken Panel: live blog Spotlight On The Economy: ADP Jobs Report, Fed In Crosshairs First-Quarter GDP Seen weak, But Wall Street May Not Mind Home Prices Cool In February The Low Wage Jobs Explosion


Odds ‘n Sods:

World Press Freedom Day is May 3rd. Speaking of which, check out the new CFAPA.org web site, that was recently launched by Jim Rawles and his son Robert. In the 21st Century, We The People Are The Free Press! o o o The French Origins of American Nationalism. – B.R. It is a pretty good read and addresses many of the issues of difference between the French and American Revolution. However, I feel it left out an important point that is probably more core to each revolution than any other ideal. By the 1700s France, in general, was moving away …



Notes from HJL:

May 1st is the birthday of the late Joel Rosenberg, a Canadian-born novelist and gun rights advocate. (Born 1954, died June 2, 2011.) He is not to be confused with Joel C. Rosenberg(born 1967) another great novelist who is the author of The Last Jihad series.) o o o Ready Made Resources is having a sale on Mountain House from May 1st through May 14th. They are offering discounts of 25-60%, and they will mix and match cases. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes …


Another Option for Emergency Power, by Freedom Loving Texan

I’m a long-time reader of SurvivalBlog, and like so many others I am deeply concerned about the choices our country has made in the last twenty years and the as yet unfelt repercussions. We seem to be living in a season of grace, but the day of reckoning will come, sooner or later. With this thought in mind, my family has been steadily pursuing the ability to care for ourselves (and perhaps some of our neighbors as well). Like many others have done, I have read and researched many methods of generating enough power to live on. Today, most Americans …


Letter Re: The Circular File

HJL, I noted with amusement your reaction to all the requests for info on property you owned 15 years ago. I own a farm in Ohio and got numerous requests and demands for data on my operation in years past and and submitted them all to the circular file. After a few years of this, I received a number of calls culminating with a threat of jail time. My response was that they should give me a few days notice before they hauled me away. Never heard from them again. – Al in Ohio Hugh Adds: I’m glad to see …


Letter Re: Preparedness For Teenagers

Hello, In response to the terminology used in firearms, I would like to relate an interesting use of a politically correct term that is being used by the FBI. I attended a citizens academy sponsored by the FBI. The day came when the participants were taken to the range for a live “Fam Fire” or firearm familiarization. All of the participants were briefed on the different types of firearms used by the FBI to include Semi-auto pistols, shotguns, MP-5 sub machine gun sniper rifles, and the M-4. After a safety brief, and with the assistance of the firearms instructors, the …