Letter Re: State Defense Forces

Sir: I have been meaning for some time to write a short article about State Defense Forces. These forces are an excellent way to train and learn. I have served seven years in my state guard. There are federal laws that allow a state to maintain a state guard or state defense force. These are forces available to the governor of the state when the national guard is on duty somewhere else, or if the emergency is a huge one the state defense force can actually be activated on paid mandatory duty. If a state wants to have such a …


Letter Re: Post Disaster Wi-Fi Commo Networks

James: What M.B. is describing in his letter “Post Disaster Wi-Fi Commo Networks” is ideally served by a mesh network. I’d suggest starting at the Open Mesh web site. Click the Support link for tutorials and frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you want to link up a neighborhood this can work fairly well. Mounting the radios outside helps considerably and will often be required as the 2.4 GHz signal doesn’t penetrate obstructions very well. Existing wireless routers, old 2.4 GHz cordless phones, etc may interfere. If radio links are more than a few hundred feet apart you’ll need to get …


Two Letters Re: My Deuce and a Half – The Ultimate TEOTWAWKI Bug Out Vehicle

Dear James, It is heartening to see enthusiasts for the military M35 series of trucks, but I must take issue with some of the comments made by Tom E. in his recent post. My Background: I have been working in the automotive industry for over 35 years as a consulting design and testing engineer for both civilian and military builders. Specifically, I worked for AM General in the 1980s on the M998 HMMWV problems, the M35A3 proposal, and the FMTV proposal (the LMTV version was the replacement for the M35, the contract was won by Stewart and Stevenson) and currently own …


Economics and Investing

A Daily Bell interview: Rick Rule on Scarce Commodities, the High Price of Gold and the Sale of Global Resources Several readers sent this: Zoellick seeks gold standard debate Quantifying What QE 2 Means for Future Inflation and Gold and Silver Prices  JBG sent this from a Wall Street Journal blog: Number of the Week: $10.2 Trillion in Global Borrowing Items from The Economatrix: Fed’s Trillions Purchase of Bonds is a Fraud Caught In A Lie: Bernanke Promised Congress the Federal Reserve Would Not Monetize the Debt But Now That is Exactly What is Happening Currency Wars, Debase, Debt Default …


Odds ‘n Sods

Tom M. sent us this: Alaska attack: A shot too late. The article begins: “Even as Scott Oberlitner squeezed the trigger on the .375-caliber H&H Magnum rifle and sent a massive slug flying toward the hulk of the charging Afognak Island grizzly bear, he sensed it was too late.”    o o o Deborah B. recommended and audio clip of a prescient speech by Congressman Ron Paul: “Dangerous times ahead”    o o o Garnet found a humorous article about an alligator attack.



Notes from JWR:

I’m scheduled for a two hour interview with call-in questions from listeners November 24th on EMPact Radio. — Today we present another two entries for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 $392 value.) C.) …


From Beginning Prepper, to Fully-Stocked Retreat: What to Buy, and When, by Scott in Wisconsin

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It’s easy to see that the world may be heading for more trouble, and we need to prepare for hard times ahead.  But it can be daunting to decide what to do, what to stock, and when to get it. I’ve been working at this a while, and I’ve figured out a simple balance in what to buy, and when to buy it, that I think will help other Preppers move ahead with confidence. You could call it my 100/1,000/10,000 system, and I hope it helps you get going, and get to a place where you feel more prepared for …


Lessons for the Christian Prepper, by Dallas in Iraq

Seven hundred years before the birth of the Christ, a man named Hezekiah ascended to the throne in Jerusalem. Looking around, Hezekiah saw a nation divided and in spiritual decay. Bold action was needed to set the nation back on track. Though we may not be kings with the power to lead our country off of a path of destruction, I believe that there are several valuable lessons that can be taken from the experiences of Hezekiah and applied to the life of a Christian prepper. When we look around, we see a nation on the brink of disaster, just …


Economics and Investing:

P.D. flagged this one: Right Now, a Complete Collapse of the Financial System is Not Out of the Question Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this article: Bernanke soft-pedals QE2 risks. The age of the dollar is drawing to a close. (Thanks to H.W. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Stiglitz:  We Have to Throw the Bankers in Jail or the Economy Won’t Recover Largest 15 States are Spending Over 220% of their Tax Revenue Microsoft CEO Sells $1.3 Billion of Shares World Blasts Deranged Madman’s Uncheckable Insanity German Minister Renews Fed Criticism Inflation Watch: Chris Mayer: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

There is an interesting new forum called Every Day Carry Central. It is essentially a forum for gear junkies with a focus on personal protection, security, preparedness and self defense related gear. They post opinions and gear reviews from people who really know what they are talking about. It is free to register on it and there are no annual membership fees, unless you want access to the buy/sell/trade forum. For an initial membership drive, on November 24th they are doing a giveaway drawing for more than $200 worth of gear just for registering on the site. If the winner …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm …


Retreating: A Minority Perspective, by Alex B.

There are all the “normal” things a person who has decided that a TSHTF or even a TEOTWAWKI event is possible in the near future thinks about, and then there is the fact that  some of us are ethnic minorities and our current plans may be to retreat to areas that are overwhelmingly Americans of European descent.  The reality is that many of these areas are also the best suited to survive a TSHTF event or the (hopefully) unlikely TEOTWAWKI.  Thus the quandary: retreat to areas that are highly ethnically diverse, but less prepared, or retreat to areas that are …


My Deuce and a Half–The Ultimate TEOTWAWKI Bug Out Vehicle, by Tom E.

I have been an avid follower of SurvivalBlog for several years now and you and I want to thank JWR and my fellow readers for helping me to get prepared.  I am not nearly where I want to be yet, but thanks to your books and your blog, I am leaps and bounds better prepared than I was even two years ago. I am writing this article to help others discover what took me some time and research to figure out – what would be the ideal kind of vehicle in a TEOTWAWKI bug out situation?  You’re ready.  You have …