Notes from JWR:

American Liberty: Not the Past, But the Future I’m not the first one to mention this, but the governance of the United States can be divided into four distinct epochs, delineated as follows: March 4, 1789: the first day of constitutional government, April 13, 1861: the first day of un-constitutional government, December 8, 1941: the first day of non-constitutional government, and January 20, 2009: the first day of anti-constitutional government. The past is immutable. We cannot travel back to it, nor can we change it, but the future is something entirely different. The future is a blank slate. We, as …


Guest Article: Physical Possession of IRA Gold and Silver, No Taxes, No Penalties, by Will Lehr

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A complete Ira type and benefits summary There is much clout and confusion about IRAs and their uses for purchasing precious metals and real estate among the truth, freedom, and self-reliance communities. In this article I aim to clarify the different options and the benefits and potential pitfalls of each, especially as it pertains to taking physical possession of IRA Gold & Silver. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the IRA LLC to the precious metals investor is that the individual (as manager of the LLC) can take physical possession of Gold and Silver Eagle Coins with IRA funds and it …


Pat’s Product Review – LED LENSER M7RX Flashlight

It seems the older I get the more I think about being young and all the things I did in my life. Now, if you were to ask my daughters how old I am, they’d probably tell you that when I was younger I hunted dinosaurs with spears. Well, I’m not quite that old, but I am getting there. I spent a great deal of time in law enforcement and private security and I still remember old fashioned flashlights. You know the ones I’m talking about. They held two large “D” sized batteries that didn’t last long, and the light …


Pat’s Product Review: Titan Straps

In another life, I worked as a truck driver. I drove different types of trucks– dump trucks, “straight jobs”, and even pick-up trucks– delivering all manner of cargo. Today, my deliveries are made using an SUV. If I have to haul something, it’s usually on the luggage rack on top or inside. If I have anything bigger to haul, I’ll call a friend with a pick-up truck. There’s one thread common in hauling anything, and that is that you have to secure it to keep it from moving around. For hauling anything on top of my SUV, I keep some …


Recipe of the Week: Mrs HJL’s Sweet, Southern Cornbread

In response to requests for the Sweet, Southern Cornbread recipe Mrs. HJL makes to season our cast iron skillet, here’s her recipe: Pour about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet. (It should be enough oil to cover the skillet with roughly 1/4 inch of oil.) Place skillet and oil in the oven and turn oven on to 425 degrees. 1 cup freshly ground corn meal 1 cup bread flour (or use finely ground Hard White Wheat flour for a healthier, but heavier cornbread) 1 tsp. salt 1/3- 1/2 cup sugar (Yes, we like it SWEET!) 1 …


Five Letters Re: Hardtack

Dear Editor, When I was in college we had a history class which we re-enacted the civil war battle at Pea Ridge, Arkansas. We actually dressed in period clothing and ate food the solders would eat. Hard tack was one on the meals we had. Another staple was beans, I found if you put the hard tack down and had the beans on top it was a little easier to eat. If this was all I had to eat I would go looking for something better for supper. FYI the hard tack works well as a hammer. – K. —– …


Letters: Hearing About Southeast’s Winter Storm

Dear Hugh, I live just north of Atlanta and, fortunately, I work from home, and I also live alone. So I was not stuck in the massive traffic jams everyone saw on TV. I was nice and warm and comfortable in my home while all this happened. My sister, who lives three counties over, had trouble getting home, but nothing like the 16 hour commutes most people had. It did hit home the fact that I live near a major population center and will have to plan any evacuation in a SHTF situation accordingly. All the Monday morning quarterbacks and …


Economics and Investing:

Beretta USA Chooses Tennessee for New Factory Site – JBG Gold Mint Runs Overtime in Race to Meet World Coin Demand – Bloomberg – B.R. Economic Meltdown? Analyst Says You Need to Watch for These 20 Early Warnings – M.A. Items from The Economatrix: U.S. Economy Expands 3.2% In Fourth Quarter Consumer Confidence in U.S. Fell Last Week to Two-Month Low Baltic Dry Index Collapses 50% From December Highs To 5-Month Lows


Odds ‘n Sods:

Winchester has issued a recall notice on a few lots of it’s .22 LR rimfire ammunition. o o o More evidence that the mainstream is catching on. This looks like an interesting movie trailer: Goodbye World. – G. o o o Linking to the letters we received from the South East is this blog: Rescuers along U.S. Highway 280 face a scene that ‘looks like Armageddon’ – JBG o o o J.C. sent in this video about magnesium bars saying: “Perhaps it’s not legally a fraud, but it is deceptive to gain sales. Many Mag sticks will not light a …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Labour was the first price, the original purchase – money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labour, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased.” – Adam Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher. (Author of “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, 1776)


Notes from HJL:

February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905 and died March 6, 1982). She is, of course, remembered for her novel, Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (atheism), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty.


Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins. Every month, we’ll take a look at the “month that was” in precious metals, covering everything from price action to the information that’s driving the numbers. January in Precious Metals December closed on the usual down note as the last bit of tax-related selling went through, but January started off strong, as the big commodities index funds had to buy gold to meet new percentages. The index rebalancing only added fuel to an oversold gold market, as the price jumped $30 in 48 hours. Part of …


Guest Article: When Preps Become Poison, by S.B.

As desert-based urban preppers, my wife and I have invested a lot of research, time, and expenses building up a substantial supply of food, water, household supplies, medications, fuel, alternative power, and home defense resources. We’ve studied, we’ve trained, we’ve networked with like-minded families, and we’ve done our best to be ready for what increasingly seems to be the inevitable. And then things changed. Roughly four years ago I began experiencing unexplained episodes of debilitating vertigo, ear ringing, hyper sensitivity to sound, hearing loss, and fullness in my left ear, similar to that feeling you get when you’ve been swimming …



Letter Re: Nixtmalization of Corn

Hugh, Seasoned readers of Survivalblog may remember a letter on May 28, 2012 referring to “Optimized Corn” presented by ShepherdFarmerGeek. This is a very important article, since it discusses how to transform corn (generally regarded as nutritionally inferior) into a really great source of nutrients. This gringo had no clue what this was all about, but I did “know” corn was Baaaaaad. It is not so, however. The process is called nixtamalization (or liming) and was practiced by early Mexican cultures, but was omitted by Europeans in their preparation of the grain. This mistake was the root cause of Pellagra …