Letter Re: An Apology About Recommending Silver?

JWR:: Your repeated bullish calls on silver have been dead wrong. Do you plan on apologizing to your readers? – Jim G. Jim: An apology for what? For making people money? You aren’t looking at the big picture if you are only looking at the past few months. If you had invested in silver back in February of 2001 when I went on record and accurately called the bottom of the silver market, then you would have more than doubled your money, even with the recent sag in the market. I made that call within 36 cents of the absolute …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul C. spotted this article: Birmingham on the brink (of bankruptcy). Do you remember my warnings starting in January of 2008 about municipal bonds?    o o o John and Abigail Adams sent us the URL for a site on North American Indian Recipes.    o o o Does this word from the mainstream analysts sound familiar? This is from MarketWatch e-Newsletter (on October 14th): “Gold prices could hit $1,500 as global plans to rescue the financial industry are set to increase inflation pressures, according to analysts led by Francisco Blanch at Merrill Lynch. “The unintended consequence of the ongoing …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The economic statistics put out by the U.S. government are propaganda, pure and simple. Issued by the government and the financial community, and reported by the mass media, the information we get has been manipulated to mold a public understanding favorable to the agenda of the powers that be." – Peter Schiff, "Crash Proof"


Note from JWR:

Today is the last day of bidding in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $770. The auction for a large mixed lot that includes: A Special Mixed Vegetable Case-Six #10 Dehydrated Food Cans (Retail Price $105.95) This special Mixed Vegetable Case contains six #10 (96-ounce) cans–one can of each of the following: Mixed Vegetable Blend, Green Beans, Sweet Garden Peas, Mixed Peppers, Potato Dices, and Sweet Potatoes and a EZ-Towels 10 Pack Combos (10 bags of 50 towels. Retail value: $99.95). These items were donated by Jan at Healthy Harvest Foods. An assortment of world class loose leaf teas, …


Letter Re: Some Observations on Registered Class 3 Guns and Suppressors

Mr. Rawles: To suppress or not to suppress: there is no question. (A hat tip to The Bard.) Many in the preparedness community are apprehensive about the acquisition of [“Class 3”] National Firearms Act (NFA) items. [These include machineguns, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and sound suppressors. There is a background check, fingerprinting, paperwork required, and a $200 tax per transfer.] There are reams of writings about “remaining under the radar”. I do not share those misgivings. Neither do tens of thousands of other legitimate gun owners. A caveat: under no circumstances should anyone build/construct/ any NFA style weapon …


Letter Re: Advice on Storage Food–Quantities, Shelf Lives, and Sources

Mr. Rawles; I’m chagrined to say that I found your blog rather late in the game–just two weeks ago, when a friend at church mentioned it. (We had been talking about the banking panic.) Your blog was a real eye-opener. So now I’m just plain overwhelmed and definitely feeling “behind the power curve.” I have a lot of catching up to do. How can I get smart on preparedness in a great hurry, especially about [storing] food? Will food from the grocery supermarket do? Do I need special containers? One of those vacuum sealing things? What about mice? I’m a …


Letter Re: A SurvivalBlog Reader’s Relocation to the Interior of Alaska

Dear Jim – Thank you for the note and I think its the least we can do to support such a worthy web information source. I’ve learned a great deal reading your archives and I’m doing my best to try and promote a self-sufficient lifestyle for our family. We have chosen to live in interior Alaska for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a steady job, but not without serious consideration. We are very well aware that we’re at the end of the food chain up here and things are a bit more expensive (and can …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader FFF found this for us: Great Depression holds lessons for surviving tough economy    o o o Several new retreat properties have recently been added to our spin-off site: SurvivalRealty.com.    o o o Susan Z. recommended this piece of commentary by Adrian Douglas: Bond market collapse is imminent. My own opinion is a bit different: I think that bonds will hold up for several more months, since so much money is presently being yanked out of the equities market by both individual and institutional investors. They need to re-invest that money somewhere. In the long run, however, bonds …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The current rescue plans, which will force governments to issue more debt, print money and flood the markets with liquidity, will flare up inflation after the crisis is over and will create worse problems. We’re setting the stage for when we come out of this of a massive inflation holocaust.” – Investing Sage Jim Rogers


Note from JWR:

Just one day of bidding left! The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $770. The auction for a large mixed lot that includes: A Special Mixed Vegetable Case-Six #10 Dehydrated Food Cans (Retail Price $105.95) This special Mixed Vegetable Case contains six #10 (96-ounce) cans–one can of each of the following: Mixed Vegetable Blend, Green Beans, Sweet Garden Peas, Mixed Peppers, Potato Dices, and Sweet Potatoes and a EZ-Towels 10 Pack Combos (10 bags of 50 towels. Retail value: $99.95). These items were donated by Jan at Healthy Harvest Foods. An assortment of world class loose …


Letter Re: Getting Adult Family Members Home in Times of Crisis

Greetings, Mr. Rawles, I need advice and I trust you implicitly in survival matters. Here’s my issue: I live in the country north of Tampa, Florida. Good dirt, well water (and well bucket), dogs, garden, silver coins stashed away. We are ready for whatever happens. My 27 year old daughter lives in Austin, Texas. We have discussed her bugging out to come home, or to her grandmother’s home in Southwestern Alabama. She is preparing her bugout pack today, and waiting to hear from me to tell her to come home. My question is this: At what point do I tell …


Letter Re: Another SurvivalBlog Reader’s Experience at Front Sight

Jim, I noticed your recent post about Front Sight’s 2009 schedule. A friend and I just returned from the four-day defensive handgun course and one-day CCW course. We did the “Get a Gun” and train package. I’d like to give you a little summary of the experience, in the hopes that some of your readers might be encouraged to train. My experience with shooting started at age 10, with my first .22 rifle. By age 19, I was a USMC rifle expert, and in the 17 years since then, have done a fair amount of recreational target shooting. I’ve always …


Letter Re: The Icelanders’ Tangibles Shopping Spree

James, Check out this article that I found on Bloomberg.com Icelandic Shoppers Splurge as Currency Woes Reduce Food Imports. It looks like Iceland is in deep Schumer – running out of food. This reminds me of your warnings regarding Hawaii and Alaska – though the same problem can happen in the lower 48 on a grander scale, since we no longer produce enough food. It is time to move my family back to Montana! Best to you and yours.- Stewart R. P.S.: Back in 1999 I bought several Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags. Those bags are wonderful. JWR Replies: We can …


Letter Re: Everyday Carry Pocketknife Recommendation?

Jim Like you, I’m constantly trying to find out what the best knives are. There are so many, at so many different prices, that it is easy to get sidetracked. With the articles my friend Phil Elmore and I write at The Martialist, we have gone through hundreds of knives over the years. Some great, some are not so spectacular. Let me tell you about the ones I have grown fond of. Not all of them are cheap, but many are. 1. CRKT Grant Hawk D.O.G. [deadbolt over grabstep] Lock. Its an open body, easily sharpened folder with a strong …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Portfolio.com reports that “unlimited dollar funding” has now been promised by the G-7 to re-liquify the credit markets on both side of the Atlantic: Flood the Zone. Just as I warned, the MOAB knows no boundaries. The destruction of the dollar via mass inflation now seems inevitable. Get out of your dollar-denominated investments immediately. Shelter your assets in practical tangibles, ASAP! Now, on to more economic news and commentary, courtesy of our stalwart Economic Editor: Manic Monday: Dow Roars Back After Worst Week Ever — Morgan Stanley Gets $9 Billion Lifeline — Sovereign Bancorp In Talks With Spain’s Banco Santander …