Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …


Survival Aspects of Cartridge Reloading, by Jerry M.

Having spent my teenage years in my dad’s commercial reloading shop, circa 1955 to1958, I learned quite a bit about reloading ammunition. Back then we loaded mostly .30-06, .30-30 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .300 Savage, 250 Savage and other old calibers that were excellent deer and elk rifles. Long before the magnum mania came about, these rifles were killing big game, and doing it quite well. Many today find this unbelievable, but back when the silver certificates were money, and fiat currency was only a dream of the globalist bankers, you could buy a pound of DuPont 4895, a box of 100- .30 caliber JSP bullets, and …


Letter Re: A Street Gang Rapid Response Kit

I visit your blog daily and the link to a map showing gang presence in the United States caught my eye. I note that my home is within one of the “moderate” gang activity areas. That is not news to me. We are about a mile from the perimeter of the “war zone” of our city in a semi-rural part of town. We hear gunshots (within a half-mile of the house) nightly and the roofers who replaced our shingles last year remarked at the number of bullet holes in our roof. Those shots came from the street in front of …


Letter Re: It Takes a Brickmaker To Build a Village

Mr Rawles & Co., I recently found a project on the Kickstarter web site while browsing for good DIY options for brick making machines. The project seems right up any survivalist’s or prepper’s alley in that it involves designing cheap and durable machinery for use after the collapse of civilization, using mostly only scrap metal or other junk. If successful, the end result is going to be an open-source database (and various CDs) containing schematics and instructions for the construction of at least 50 machines and vehicles. These include brick makers, primitive CNC machine tools, tractors etc. (You get the …


Letter Re: Earthquake Retrofit an Old House

Hi Jim, Living in an area that’s earthquake prone and overdue for a large one, I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching ways to limit any damage that we might experience in our home.  In 1994 the Northridge earthquake and the resulting fires were the cause for the creation of a device that, I feel, is instrumental to possibly saving any home with a gas-line.  It’s commonly referred to as a Northridge valve.    Simply, it’s a seismic device that stops the flow of gas at the house meter should there be any seismic event over 5.2 on the …


Economics and Investing:

Charley S. pointed out this interesting essay: Don’t Blink! The Hazards of Confidence. And a related article, courtesy of Patrick S.: Can a monkey pick a hedge fund? Merkel wants ‘permanent’ supervision of Greece, warns of war. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.) John S. flagged this: Yuan Gold Contracts a Step toward Reserve Currency ‘Unknown territory’ for Europe if summit fails: France. ( A hat tip to John R. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: FedEx Sees E-Commerce Driving Record Holiday Volume Just In Time For The Holidays: A Bad Economic Mood Gas Price Could Slide Another …


Odds ‘n Sods:

David N. in Tennessee mentioned: 154 free military medical course downloads.    o o o There is a lesson in OPSEC here: Five Criminals Who Got Caught Because of Facebook. If you must use social networking to promote a business, then avoid mentioning anything controversial. But the best choice is never sign up at all!    o o o “Apartment Dweller” sent this: First Google.Org-funded geothermal mapping report confirms vast coast-to-coast clean energy source    o o o The latest Orwellian news: Intelligent Street Lamps To Debut Friday. Does anyone honestly believe that the guys that deal drugs on street …




Survivors Sample Chapter Excerpt — Chapter 5: Hornet’s Nest

“The only purpose of a government is to protect a man’s rights, which means: To protect him from physical violence. A proper government is only a policeman, an agent of man’s self defense, and, as such, may resort to force only against those who start the use of force. The only proper function s of a government are: The police, to protect you from criminals; the army, to protect you from foreign invaders; and the courts, to protect your property and contracts from breach or fraud from others, to settle disputes by rational rules, according to objective laws. – John …


Letter Re: One Strategy for Bugout Bag Foods

Sir: I would like to follow up on my recent article, Some Thoughts of How to Live in Times of Hunger, with a few actionable implications that might make a difference to my fellow preppers. As always, I eagerly look forward to the contributions of the worldwide prepper community to add to or correct my conclusions.             If I ever have to bug-out on foot it will be under dangerous circumstances, and I will need to move quickly and cover at least several miles. This on-foot bugout is my truly worst-case scenario: minimum supplies, emergency escape. If I can plan …


Economics and Investing:

Commentary from George Maniere: Silver Waits to Begin Breakout G.G. sent this: Expect more QE from the Bank of England Also from G.G.: US States are Facing Total Debt of Over $4 Trillion. Get ready for higher taxes and creative “fees”. And from B.B.: Rustling costs ranchers millions in poor economy Erik B. mentioned that Glenn Beck has been trumpeting the derivatives time bomb. (Much like I have, since the early days of SurvivalBlog.) Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Mixed On Stronger Earnings, Europe Reports Help for Underwater Homeowners Unveiled Merrill Lynch Warns of Another US Debt Downgrade Wal-Mart Offers …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Salina Journal News: Preppers a diverse group. (Thanks to Jeff H. for the link.)    o o o Is nothing sacred? Thieves steal 2-ton bell from St. Mary’s garden    o o o Jeff R. spotted this: Ancient South American volcano Mount Uturucu blowing up like a balloon.    o o o Some good news from Canada: Conservative Party introduce bill to abolish long gun registry    o o o My recent interview on Frank Wuco’s show is now available as an archived podcast. My interview begins about 11 minutes into the hour, but please don’t miss the moving tribute …