The “Prepper-Lawyer” by The Fourth Whirlwind

I have been deeply perplexed ever since first beginning to read SurvivalBlog. Every night, while the wife and new baby daughter slept in peace, I have thought about my lack of tangible knowledge. Sure, I have many skills over a variety of useful tasks in our everyday lives, and even some that would help my family survive in a bad situation. But, when we have to be brutally honest with ourselves, self-doubt can get the best of us. I say this now because it was reading the highly useful SurvivalBlog that brought on this doubt for me. I wanted to …


Letter Re: Soft Nose Loads for Battle Rifles

Jim, I’ve only been reading your blog for a short time, but I find it both interesting and informative. Having been a hunter for the last 56 of my 64 years, I do wonder why anyone who plans on getting out of Dodge and heading for the woods would want a battle rifle with ball ammo when we won’t be bound by anything like the Hague Convention as to the ammo we use. Seems to me, that soft points would be a better choice and if the SHTF. My M1A will be traveling with me and will be loaded with …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Frequent contributor Bill N. mentioned an interesting site on off-road driving. Bill’s comment: “The guy teaches 4WD recovery procedures and has several articles posted on his web site. I read his one on Hi-Lift jacks and learned some things.”    o o o KAF was the first of several readers to send us this: Homeland Security forecasts five-year terror threats    o o o Justin and Jeff both sent this, from The Wall Street Journal: Fourth Quarter Retail Sales Plummet.    o o o Reader Dan. H. mentioned this photovoltaic power system in the San Juan Island archipelago in Washington …



Letter Re: Advice in Storing Extra Gasoline in Cans at Home

JWR, Thanks so much for Survival Blog. It’s been an invaluable resource to me and my family as we prepare for what’s coming. This is the first time I’ve ever emailed you, but it’s with a question that I haven’t been able to find a good answer to elsewhere. I’m hoping you’ll share your advice. With the price of gas so low right now, I’m thinking it would be prudent to stock up. I’d like to have some on hand at my house to run the generator for small events like snowstorms and such, but I’d also like to have …


Note from JWR:

We are having a quiet, snowy Christmas here at the ranch. As you know, I write and edit most of my posts a day in advance, so these posts for December 26th are being composed and posted on the 25th. Sorry that the blog is a bit “light” today, but I’m a bit preoccupied with the Christmas dinner preparations and present opening chaos. All that I can say in my defense is that I haven’t missed a day of posting yet, since SurvivalBlog was launched on September 5, 2005. There are now more than 5,700 archived articles, letters, and quotes. …


Two Letters Re: The Big Chill Causes Diesel Gelling Problems in the Lower 48

James: The blog post regarding diesel gelling is correct for the most part. However there are solutions that are easy and inexpensive. There are many aftermarket additives that will keep your fuel oil from gelling and also raise the cetane level of the fuel. The cetane level is similar to the octane level of gasoline, the higher the better it burns. DieselKleen, Stanadyne and others are good choices. My 6.0L Ford F350 gets a full mile per gallon better mileage with the addition of DieselKleen and I have not had a single engine problem in over two years of operation. …


Two Letters Re: What Are the Best Magazines for Investment?

Jim Here’s my feeling on what pistol mags to obtain. Obviously, if you have a high capacity handgun, it behooves you to have at least ten mags for it. I actually have 30 Glock Model 19 mags since I already have one and contemplate picking up another that a friend wishes to sell. I’m also trying to pick up Glock 17 mags, even though they stick out the bottom of my G19. I really want a Glock 34 long slide 9mm, and figure that the only way I may be able to get mags for it down the road is …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Katie F. suggested this account of surviving and airliner crash.    o o o Several readers mentioned this: “The End of the World As We Know It”: An unexpected, thick layer of solar particles inside Earth’s magnetic field suggests there are huge breaches in our planet’s solar defenses, scientists said. These breaches indicate that during the next period of high solar activity, due to start in 2012, Earth will experience some of the worst solar storms seen in decades.    o o o Aaron R. flagged this one: Liquidity Traps versus Inflation Traps    o o o From Cheryl: Massive …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

This is a coalition to ban coalitions, I ain’t a politician but I’ve got views. Some folks want to ban cars some want to get rid of Fender guitars. Why don’t you do your thing and we do our thing too? Now they want to take my cigarettes and all my good whiskey And these d**n coalitions they are after you and me They want to get rid of my forty fours and all the R-rated films If they only knew how much we’d all love to get rid of them And this is a coalition to ban coalitions, the …



Charity, Civility, Community, and Hope

Whilst pondering the various possibilities for the future, it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of radio frequencies, milligram dosages, microns of filtration, calibers, and calories per ounce. (You” read plenty of those details in SurvivalBlog. But in doing so we can easily lose sight of bigger, far more important issues such as charity, civility, community, and hope. Charity Most of you reading this are the heads of households that are far better prepared than your neighbors. Your deep larder, expansive fuel storage, advanced skills, and wide range of useful tools will put you in a distinctly …


Letter Re: The Big Chill Causes Diesel Gelling Problems in the Lower 48

Hi Jim, My Bug Out Vehicle is a diesel truck that is also converted to run waste [vegetable] oil, on my trips to my retreat I sometimes need to tank up. As all diesel owners (should) know our new diesel is ULSD which is a new standard for low sulfur in diesel. As this fuel becomes more common and mandated more and more diesel pumps dispense it with no other option. Important information for those running diesels as their prime source of transport. We’ve had fleets of school buses and even our street plows taken out of commission in the …


Bug Out Bag Preparedness Tips From the Mouths of Babes

Hello Thank you for all the work you do. I thought I’d give you a Christmas chuckle. My small daughter was telling us the Christmas story, but it had a twist. She told us that “the wise men brought Jesus gold, food, and water, because they [Joseph and Mary] had to leave quickly and didn’t get their bags ready.” Just when you think your children aren’t listening… Needless to say, we set her straight on the real story, but have been, and will continue to smile over that story for a long time. Have a terrific Holiday, – Mr. O. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers sent us the link to this Christian Science Monitor article: Survivalist businesses surge in uncertain times. BTW the article mentions both our spin-off web site (SurvivalRealty.com and several of our advertisers.    o o o Speaking of retreats, readers FFF and Ben H. both mentioned that the newly-released US Census data might be useful for anyone looking to buy a retreat property:    o o o Michael from Texas suggested this: Google Maps Mashup Combines Your Address, Nuclear Blast    o o o I wish that I had better news for you for Christmas, but here is some …