“Never stand when you can kneel, never kneel when you can sit, and never sit when you can get down prone. Take your time, and make each shot count, son.” – Donald Robert Rawles, (JWR’s father), instruction on shooting positions, circa 1975
Today we present another entry for Round 23 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried foods, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $350. Third Prize: A copy of …
One topic I have paid close attention to for the past 10 years has been our nation’s risk to Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). There are a few points I would like to make that are often overlooked—mostly dealing with the magnitude of the threat. I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but I have consumed as much information as possible that doesn’t delve into the high-level physics—the kind of knowledge required to truly be an expert. What may set me apart the most is the simple fact that I actually read the 181 page Critical National Infrastructures (CNI) …
I have been a follower of your blog for a couple of years now and find it to be the best source of self-sufficiency information on the Web. You and your readers have provided me with a wealth of information that would have otherwise taken a lifetime to research on my own. –and for that, I thank you and all those who took the time to contribute. While the plethora of advice handed out on a daily basis is extremely helpful, the one thing that I have found to be sparse is the first hand accounts of failure. A wise …
Legal Immunity Set For Swine Flu Vaccine Makers Quarantine at San Diego Detention Center Due to Swine Flu Human Trial of Swine Flu Vaccine Soon No Time For Wishful Thinking on Swine Flu Swine Flu a Real Danger to Children Britain’s swine flu advice confuses public
F.G. forwarded this news story: Bank ‘walkaways’ from foreclosed homes are a growing, troubling trend. If foresaw buyers walking away from houses, but not banks! A piece that I missed from earlier this month: Banking system like South Sea bubble, says senior Bank of England official Reader MAM sent this fascinating piece from Columbia Journalism Review: Goldman Sachs to the Forefront. The plot thickens! LJ on England spotted this: Deflation fears as the underlying rate of inflation reaches its lowest level since 1948 Items from The Economatrix: Lawmakers Blast Paulson for His Response to Crisis Philadelphia Suspends Payment of Contracts …
John (“The Midwest Hiker”) reminded me that The Discovery Channel will begin to air “The Colony” tonight (Tuesday, July 21) at 10 p.m. eastern time. John’s comment: “As far as I can tell, is a show about an enclave of survivors rebuilding and struggling after a major TEOTWAWKI event; a plague of catastrophic proportions. I have some doubts about the technical accuracy of the show–the survivors, after all, are living in a ‘compound’ in L.A.–but even so, the show employs a talented cast of ‘survivors,’ everyone from a rocket scientist to an electrician. This should at least be worth the …
"You’ve got a fast car, Is it fast enough so we can fly away? We gotta make a decision, Leave tonight, Or live and die this way." – Tracy Chapman, from her song "Fast Car", 1991
One of my readers sent me this news item from southwestern England: Announcing the Release of ‘Can Totnes and District Feed Itself?’. That got me thinking. Perhaps they can feed themselves. But if things fall apart, how can they feed the Golden Horde from Bristol, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Poole, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bath, Exeter, Swindon, Torbay, and the other cities of southern England? And let’s not forget greater London. Most of those city dwellers will want to head for “the countryside”, but how many urban refugees can the small towns absorb? Parenthetically, I’ll mention that the Rawles family name originated from southwest …
Mr. Rawles, Within our Christian survivalist group in Washington State, we use your novel Patriots, as a primer for friends. Keep up the great job you do. Please consider the following statement with your readers. I believe that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack by satellite can happen to the U.S. without any notice at all, and many nations already have the satellites in order to produce the end result. This is not meant to scare, but just an observation on how our great country can be taken back to the 1800s technology and a Third World country economic level, in …
Jim, I read the article regarding BlueRhino and Amerigas (“Companies are now shorting (cheating) on propane tank refills“). I guess one could argue both sides of the issue. My personal opinion is that while the practice is sleazy, there’s nothing illegal going on, as the canisters are marked with the amount of propane they contain. It’s not unlike potato chips or breakfast cereal sold “by weight not by volume”. Manufacturers all over the place put their product in packaging far larger than the actual contents would require. Like I said, it’s sleazy, so except for one or two barbecue “emergencies” …
Joan M. sent this: WHO says flu pandemic spreading too fast to count. “…the H1N1 flu pandemic has been the fastest-moving pandemic ever and that it is now pointless to ask countries to count every case.” Britain prepares for 65,000 deaths from swine flu Swine Flu Threatens Muslim Hajj Season Swine Flu to force 1 in 8 to take time off work sick Swine flu sweeping world at ‘unprecedented speed’: WHO “In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks.” Swine Flu: …
DD sent this article: 23 metro areas where the recession is finally coming in for a landing. It includes a fascinating animated state-by-state map showing waves of recession since 1994. Pay no attention to their conclusions about incipient recovery. They are dreaming! The current recession is not a typical dip in the business cycle. It was caused by a collapse of the global credit market. This will last a long time, and may very well become a full-blown depression. Reader KAF flagged this: CIT collapse could ripple through retail industry. They are already begging for a Federal bailout. SurvivalBlog regular …
The BATFE apparently can’t understand the plain meaning of the 10th Amendment. Without citing any genuine justification, the ATF is dictating to manufacturers and dealers to ignore the newly-enacted state law. But in actuality, they should ignore the ATF. Federal jurisdiction over FFL-licensed manufacture and sale of firearms is based on the which established Federal jurisdiction over interstate commerce. If a gun doesn’t cross a state line then that is intrastate commerce, and hence outside of Federal jurisdiction. The ATF director needs to read the Tenth Amendment, and the precedent-setting Lopez decision, and take a chill pill. No nexus means …
“You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or use any other word you think will work, but I’ve found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much the universal language.” – Clint Smith, founder of Thunder Ranch