Sending “Patriots” as a Form of Protest

Dear Jim, I was incensed that one of my state’s US Senators (Kay Hagan of North Carolina) voted for the so-called “Stimulus Bill”. I searched for ways to register my protest in such a way that it would get her attention. Thanks to you and your novel “Patriots”, I have a way. I just sent her a copy with a gift card from Amazon.com. The gift card reads: “This is to thank you for voting for the stimulus bill and making the resulting economic collapse and hyperinflation profiled in this work of fiction a reality.” I just hope she gets …


Economics and Investing:

From the most recent issue of The Appenzell Daily Bell comes an article that details both banking peril and some blatantly revisionist editing: European Commission report says $25 trillion in toxic EU bank holdings Reader “DD” sent us this: Thousands losing jobs in housing crisis. From reader H.D.: The Great Awakening: Boomers, Your Crisis Has Arrived (Part 1 of 3). From G.G. came this link: German 10-year Bund auction fails for second successive time. Laura H. said that liked this Wall Street Journal editorial: Capitalism Needs a Sound-Money Foundation. Items from The Economatrix: Martin Weiss: Stock Market to Fall at …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Hawaiian K. flagged a great article at Kevin Kelly’s Technium Blog: Amish Hackers    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson pointed us to the comments accompanying this article: Second Circuit to Second Amendment: Drop Dead…. The article was informative, but I thought that the comment from “Bruce” was potentially quite practical: “[I]f you live in a rural area like I do, go out in the woods somewhere and dig a hole. Don’t fill it in. We’ll call it the ‘plausible deniability hole’. Then, when the state comes for your guns (bullion, whatever), take the officers to …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“You’ve got to understand that we had a big ranch but we only got money once or twice a year out of it. The money wasn’t very free. All the money you got was in gold coin. I remember I was nearly fifteen or sixteen years old before I saw much paper money. It was all gold and silver. They didn’t have any greenbacks that I remember. My dad would take the wool and mutton to sell, and he’d come back with some tobacco sacks full of twenty-dollar gold pieces. He used to drive three or four-hundred head of sheep …


Note from JWR:

Today’s first post is a cross-post (with permission) from Dr. Richard’s excellent Virginia Prepper’s Network Blog. His article addresses a fundamental issue that is a concern for most SurvivalBlog readers. Choosing between a rural retreat versus an “in town” approach is a decision that should be made deliberately, with plenty of study and prayer. There is not a “one size fits all” solution. Choosing a retreat locale depends upon your personal circumstances, the size of your extended family , your source of income, your health and fitness, your stage in life, and your personal envisioning of the future. OBTW, be …


Survival Retreat vs. Neighborhood Survival, by Dr. Richard

Earlier this month, I posted Etienne’s guest post Seeking/Starting a Survival Retreat in Virginia / Maryland / Pennsylvania / West Virginia. Today, I had lunch with Etienne de la Boetie and another prepper here in Loudoun County [, Virginia]. We had a long discussion about survival retreats vs neighborhood survival. Etienne is a big fan of the survival retreat concept. He previously had a retreat where he did not own the land but where he was able to store a travel trailer recreational vehicle in which he pre-positioned various preps and supplies. Unfortunately, his friend moved and sold the property. …


Letter Re: Should You Invest in Real Estate?

To quote Robert Prechter, “Short Answer is: no. Long Answer: The worst thing about real estate is its lack of liquidity during a bear market. At least in the stock market, when your stock is down 60 percent and you realize you’ve made a horrendous mistake, you can call your broker and get out (unless you’re a mutual fund, insurance company or other institution with millions of shares, in which case, you’re stuck). With real estate, you can’t pick up the phone and sell. You need to find a buyer for your house in order to sell it. In a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles returns to the small screen tomorrow evening. It has been moved to what has been called the Friday night “death slot.” There are rumors that the series will canceled. Cue the sad, sweet theme music to Firefly. 🙁 Meanwhile, there is plenty of buzz about the Terminator 4: Salvation feature film, which should be released on May 22nd.    o o o Craig W. flagged this: The (Zimbabwean) Dollar – The Point of No Return. (They’ve slashed another 12 zeroes!)    o o o Thanks to Stephen B. who was the first of several SurvivalBlog …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“With the planned fiscal stimulus (taxing future generations), the National Debt will reach 100 percent of GDP during the Obama administration. When Argentina’s economy collapsed in 1998, their National Debt as a percentage of GDP was 65 percent. The Great Deniers say we are not Argentina. They say we are safe because the U.S. dollar is the reserve currency of the world. This is like jumping off a 20 story building and as you pass the 10th floor someone yells out the window asking how you are doing. You answer, ‘Good, so far’.” – James Quinn


Notes from JWR:

The current high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $1,510. This auction ends at midnight (Eastern time) on Sunday, February 15th. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes:: 1.) A “be ready to barter” box of 36 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 12 – Used original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) steel 20 round magazines, 6 – Used original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines, with cartridge counter holes, 10 – Used AR-15/M16 USGI (all Colt made!) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Excellent condition original Glock Model 19 …


One View on the Ultimate Vehicular Bug Out by Jerry the Generator Guy

There hasn’t been much discussion regarding what might be a well-planned bug out. The following is an overview of our vehicular bug out plan. This overview is offered to assist others in fleshing out their specific needs and plans. If you are like us, then you believe that the local area is not viable for long term personal survival. Thus we are forced to consider quickly getting to an alternate location. I won’t present our criteria for the destination as everyone has different needs. We selected a locale for serious consideration and visited there. The “boots on the ground” impression …


Letter Re: My First Attempt at Forming a Retreat Group

Jim; I prayed, reflected and then invited several families to work with me to form a group. Here are my results: – I formed an agenda, created a ‘private’ [password-protected] web site where I posted articles (in PDF files), created links to web sites like SurvivalBlog, and set a date to gather at my home – I found near universal interest as folks are scared about the economy and direction our country has taken – People eagerly attended meetings (every two weeks), opined, and felt very good about gathering – Three months into gathering I printed up some rules and …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Bullion sales hit record in rush to safety    o o o Rory sent us a link to a video clip of a home invasion robbery foiled by an armed and vigilant Tucson homeowner. Given the 1-to-4 defender to attacker ratio, the homeowner did a creditable job.    o o o Our thanks to Florida Guy and Scotty who both sent this: Gun dealers experiencing shortages of ammo    o o o Some news and commentary, courtesy of The Economatrix: Marc Faber: US Will Default on Debt or Enter Hyperinflation — California Begins Employee Furloughs, Closing Offices — Record 19 …