Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I am so firmly determined, however, to test the constancy of your mind that, drawing from the teachings of great men, I shall give you also a lesson: Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: ‘Is this the condition that I feared?’ It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress, and it is while Fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against her violence. …


Note from JWR:

Congratulations to CDR, the high bidder in the auction that ended yesterday. Today we begin a new SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. This auction is for a large mixed lot, which includes: 1.) Another “be ready to barter” box of 38 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 4 – Excellent condition original East German 30 rd. steel AK-47 magazines in a “raindrop” camouflage pattern belt pouch, 12 – Excellent-to-new condition original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Well-used but serviceable condition original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines with cartridge counter holes, …


Letter Re: UHF Business Band as Another Option for Retreat Local Two-Way Communications

Sir. Another option for retreat communications is to license your own business frequency with the FCC. That is what we did. Having worked in public safety, both fire and law enforcement for 30 years, I knew what I wanted in a radio system. I wanted to use public safety quality radios and I wanted my own repeater, all in the UHF business band. Our remote area has few UHF frequencies since public safety operates in the VHF band in our area. There are few businesses that use radios. The initial license cost about $400. for ten years because the initial …


Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire

Sir, I wish to inquire about hardening a home .I n a firefight, when in a “normal” home, shots would traverse the walls. Being a simple farmer here in southeastern Idaho I am a little concerned about the current turmoil and possible Golden Horde. I know that when I was in Rhodesia, we built earthen berms around the home like big flower boxes along with 2″x4″ mesh wire to stop RPGs. We also had built two perimeter fences and placed crushed white stone inside the two fences ([each] nine feet high). Also I am interested in how to pump water …


Three Letters Re: Gold and Silver Coins as an Investment

Howdy James, I hope you and yours are doing well. I recently came across the Preparedness Podcast and in Episode 5 – Gold, Silver, and a look at what’s coming in 2009 is an excellent primer on investing in gold & silver. Basically silver is your ‘checking account’ and gold is your ‘savings account’. A 20% silver and 80% gold ratio is suggested as good mix of spending power and portability. A few gold coins take up a little space when you have to bug out, but the same dollar amount in silver will weigh you down when you need …


Economics and Investing:

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s planned “Son of TARP“, also dubbed “TARP 2.0” bank bailout is rumored to be more than twice as expensive as the first round that was enacted in late Aught Eight. This is more evidence that the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) has no limits, and will not end until the the taxpayers are on the hook for decades of substantially higher taxes and not before the value of the Dollar is reduced to near fire-kindling status. Thanks to Brandon S. for these two items that he spotted in the Alabama media: “Here is what happens when …


Odds ‘n Sods:

FDA Declares Form of Vitamin B6 a Drug (a hat tip to JHB for the link)   o o o FloridaGuy sent this item from any Indianapolis newspaper: Legal gun owners must give fingerprints to get their stolen guns back from police    o o o KAF and Hawaiian K. mentioned this commentary by Dimitri Orlov: Social Collapse Best Practices    o o o F.H. flagged this television news item from Las Vegas: Local couple rescued from blizzard during snow machine outing [in Utah].This tale illustrates the importance of proper planning and carrying the right clothing and survival gear. It also …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"There are certain things that are true no matter how much someone may deny them. In the economic realm, for instance, you cannot legislate the poor into independence by legislating the wealthy out of it. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. Government cannot give to people what it does not first take away from people. And that which one man received without working for, another man must work for without receiving." – Kenneth W. Sollitt


Note from JWR:

Last day of bidding! The current high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $1,725. This auction ends at midnight (Eastern time) tonight–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 …


Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Economic Stimulus, From a Macroeconomic Perspective

Jim: I sent the following letter to my legislative representatives: Here is macroeconomics as I see it: Wealth comes from commodities, manufacturing (improving commodities), and agriculture (same principle). Service industries do not create wealth, they distribute it. This includes financial industries. Government consumes wealth as it re-distributes it. Even in the admittedly vital services such as protection of its citizens. Fact: There are already (pre-”stimulus”) more government employees than there are employees in manufacturing and agriculture in the US. Observation: The aforementioned being true, increasing the size of government is like a snake thinking it can sustain itself by eating …


Letter Re: Getting the Right Training and Preparing Methodically

Dear Mr. Rawles, I wanted to thank you for what you are doing and your work. I think that the reality is that you are saving a lot of people’s lives in addition to helping people to continue to be “in” the world but less and less “of” the world. I have been able, in turn, to pass along to other people a lot of things that I have learned from you and your readers, and I hope help them to focus and remain calm in their preparations. (I have also pointed them all to your web site). Now three …


An Invitation to the Baen’s Bar Forums, by Michael Z. Williamson

I’d like to extend an invitation to SurvivalBlog readers to visit the Baen’s Bar Forums, hosted by the sci-fi publisher Baen Books. My forum there has ongoing, detailed discussions of ARs, Mausers, handgun choices, and preparedness, mostly for natural disasters. There are also shameless plugging of my books (since it’s my forum). Be forewarned that there is some off-color language–PG-13, not R, and the religion and politics of members varies greatly, though there are other fora we send them to for those arguments. Registration is free, private and not shared. My subforum is “Mike’s Madhouse,” and there are a variety …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent this: Rogers Renews Bets U.S. Stocks Will Slump on Rescue. From Brian F.: 25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis: Bill N. set a link to a speech transcript where a US Senator has the guts to point out the pork in the Stimulus Bill. OBTW, it is no wonder that the omnibus spending package is now widely referred to as The Porkulus Bill. Items from The Economatrix: FDIC Shutters Four Banks in One Day Home Prices in Record Plunge in Q4 Economic and Financial Systems Deliberately Destabilized. A key quote: “There probably won’t be bank runs …


Odds ‘n Sods:

KAF mentioned this post over at the Xavier Thoughts blog: The Sad Necessity of Anonymity    o o o Ebola Marburg Case in US Traveler to Uganda (A hat tip to FFF for the link.)    o o o Hawaiian K. sent us a link to a web site for a man dubbed “The Human Swiss Army Knife.” He regularly carries 1,300 compact survival items in his clothes.    o o o A follow-up to this article I mentioned yesterday: Congo town mounts own defense against rebels. Florida Guy sent us a link to a photo montage from the town.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The world is not going back to normal after the magnitude of what they have done. When the dust settles this will either work, and the money they have pushed into the system will feed though into an inflation shock. Or it will not work because too much damage has already been done, and we will see continued financial deterioration, causing further economic deterioration, with the risk of a feedback loop. We don’t think this is the more likely outcome, but as each week and month passes, there is a growing danger of vicious circle as confidence erodes. This will …