Letter Re: Christianity and Self-Defense

Mr. Rawles, First of all, thank for providing the incredible resource of Survivalblog. I have only been a reader for a few months, but it has been an eye-opening experience. I was raised in a conservative, Christian home and my father was only a “casual” gun owner. At first, when reading the opinions on your blog, I was skeptical about owning firearms. I had never owned a gun in my life and only shot one a couple times. In actuality, I had never really thought too much about guns. However, after reading your reconciliation of Christianity and self-defense and my …


Letter Re: A Source for Potable Water Storage Tanks

Jim, I enjoy your blog. Recently a few friends and I started to look for potable water storage tanks for long term storage. Most tanks either were not designed for long term storage or the retailer does not have enough information. (Ever since the bottled water cancer scare, the composition of the plastic has taken on a new importance.) Wanted to pass on to you a link to WaterTanks.com, a company that has really been great leading us through the process and willing to sell us 1 or 100 tanks. Our sales rep is James Opferman. We are going to …


Economics and Investing:

Tamara over at the Books, Bikes. & Boomsticks blog mentioned Rick Santelli’s “rant of the year”, amidst cheers from the Chicago Merc trading pits. Stock market slump: Major stock market indexes fall to 1997 levels. Hmmm, let’s see, now adjusting for infaltion,… G.G. sent this: Foreigners Wary of Long-Term U.S. Securities. JWR’s comment: How long will it be before foreign investors start demanding higher rates of return.? Stagflation is coming, folks! I spotted this Wall Street Journal article linked at The Drudge Report: ‘Nationalize’ the Banks, Dr. Doom says a takeover and resale is the market-friendly solution. Several readers sent …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Heather flagged this for us: Sole revival for cobblers. Heather asks: “Perhaps this is a good Depression-proof trade to learn?”   o o o Reader “67” pointed me to HowAutoWork.com, a a site for learning the concepts and terminology of engines and motor vehicles. Knowing how a machine works is crucial to understanding repairs and maintenance. The site has detailed, informative, easy-to-grasp information. I’m bookmarking it for “curriculum enrichment” for my home-schooled kids. This sub-page on engine types is a good starting point.    o o o Several readers sent us thi from Glenn Beck’s site: The Survivors Club Quiz …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

Wir versaufen unser Oma ihr klein Hauschen, Ihr klein Hauschen, Wir versaufen unser Oma ihr klein Hauschen, Und die erste und die zweite Hypothek! – Popular drinking song in the Weimar Republic of Germany, 1922 referring to the runaway inflation of the period Loosely translated: We are drinking up our granny’s little house, Her little house, We are drinking up our granny’s little house, And the first and second mortgage!


Note from JWR:

Please keep spreading the word! Putting a link to SurvivalBlog.com in your web page or in your e-mail footer will mean that there’ll be thousands of new SurvivalBlog readers, and more importantly thousands of people that will be prepared in the coming hard times. Consider that each of your friends, neighbors, and relatives that get prepared will be one less person that comes begging on your doorstep, on TEOTWAWKI+1, so it is in your own best interest to wake people up.


The MOAB Expands Again–Another $1 Trillion Slated for Hedge Funds

The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) keeps growing. SurvivalBlog reader PhotoTom sent us this: U.S. Tries a Trillion-Dollar Key for Locked Lending. Here is a snippet: “The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve plan to spend as much as $1 trillion to provide low-cost loans and guarantees to hedge funds and private equity firms that buy securities backed by consumer and business loans.” I’ve been warning about the likelihood of hedge fund collapses for years. This first trillion dollars in bailout money for the hedge funds is little more than a kind gesture between banking buddies. But it won’t magically …



Letter Re: The Risk to Reward Ratio in Getting Concealed Carry Permits

JWR; One option to consider for a Concealed Carry Permit would be to apply for a non-resident permit from the State of Florida. Florida’s Dept of Agriculture issues permits to non-Floridians and the application process and requirements are less restrictive than in my home state of Arkansas. The training requirements are very generous. Along with traditional types of training, they will accept firearms training courses conducted by your state or any NRA-certified instructor; a hunter’s education course, or even a Form DD-214 for military members or veterans. The cost is reasonable and Florida has one of the best reciprocity programs …


Economics and Investing:

The Army Aviator notes: “Just a head’s up, perhaps a sea change of some sort: Bloomberg[‘s televised financial news on Sunday] started off by saying that several Asian countries had pooled together a fund of $125 Billion to fight FOREX attacks against their currency but it didn’t seem like enough. Then they described Hillary’s visit to [mainland] China in an unusual way. Their comment: ‘We thought she was a presidential candidate but she’s just a bond salesman.’” From reader HPD comes this BBC news link: Is the US heading for a depression? The US economy is contracting sharply. Is there …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader S.H. notes: Many good lessons here in this outstanding photo-essay on the recent devastating Australian forest fires. There are definitely some lessons to be learned here in many of the aerial views burned homes and structures about defensible space and the repercussions of not evacuating when you should. Some of these pictures are rather sobering reminders of the power of fire.    o o o I heard that for a limited time, Ready Made Resources is offering the Warrior Aid and Litter Kit at 40% off. This medic kit package includes a Talon II 90C folding handle collapsible litter, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 21 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: Two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing Round 21 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for …


Perspectives on Prepping on a Very Low Income, by Kuraly

I was raised in a missionary family, on nine different mission fields around the world. At the age of nineteen, I went out to serve the Lord on my own in the former Soviet Union. I had no formal Theological training, but was accepted by the missionary societies of my denomination because of my experience under my father and my willingness to go to dangerous areas. I married, and my wife and I have now six children. A few years ago, due to some changes in my theology, I fell out of favor with my denomination and had to return …


Letter Re: Kids and Home Security

Jim:: I have some observations on home security where there are children under the roof: I have given my kids two new directives. 1) Every time they enter the house, they must now shout out their name and lock the door behind them. I did this because I realized that I was getting desensitized to the sounds of my front door opening… 2) If they hear me say “Hit the ground!” they immediately do just that, no excuses. If I ever need to discharge a weapon in my house I want to decrease the odds of a bullet hitting them. …