“Although we give lip service to the notion of freedom, we know that government is no longer the servant of the people but, at last, become the people’s master. We have stood by like timid sheep while the wolf killed – first the weak, then the strays, then those on the outer edges of the flock, until at last the entire flock belonged to the wolf.” – Gerry Spence, From Freedom to Slavery
Wow! Three million unique visits! Thank you everyone, for making SurvivalBlog a tremendous success. Please continue to spread the word to family, friends, and co-workers. Today we present another article for Round 15 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 15 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries for Round …
My husband and I are like minded, (he realized way before I did), and he and I didn’t meet until I was in my mid-thirties. I was considered weird, called a tomboy and later, a gear head. Don’t get me wrong, I cook, sew, knit and crochet. I had many interests though and wanted to learn. What I have seen lately and in some people we met that are like minded, is the lack of initiative on the part of some spouses. I have seen some women and men that will ridicule their spouses or will just roll their eyes …
Mr. Rawles, Hello again! Hope you and your family are doing well. I have had some questions on my mind lately, and was curious if you would mind helping me. (I know you must be tremendously busy with our “strong” economy!). My wife and I are both college students in Santa Cruz, California, and we have a very limited amount of storage space and limited income. Are there any tricks or pieces of advice you have for individuals like ourselves? I recently spent my tax refund on some firearms (which were from a federal firearms dealer :-[ ) and now …
Fellow novelist Matt Bracken mentioned this article: Farms of fear, about murders in rural South Africa. It gives some useful glimpses, when considering security measures for retreats in the not-too-distant Schumeresque future. o o o Speaking of Harder Homes and Gardens, ponder this piece: Bulletproof public design in Los Angeles. (A hat tip to James K.) o o o Inyokern spotted this sobering piece: Into the Economic Abyss: How Deep Will It Go? Even the mainstream media is catching on… o o o Reader “EL” suggested using propane for a source of lighting. EL notes “The Amish …
“Don’t believe them, don’t fear them, don’t ask anything of them.” – Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Our first post today is a cross-post (with permission) from Ranger Man’s SHTFBlog:
Rawles, at SurvivalBlog, had a good post earlier this month that included reader-submitted comments on survival lessons from the homeless. Check the link to read the advice, which mostly contains thoughts on street survival as the homeless see it, how to score a free shower, etc. Let’s flip this line of thinking around and brainstorm on how staying dirty could be a SHTF survival technique. If (when) the world is your enemy, deception is your ally. I think this is particularly pertinent to urban dwellers, but it could be valuable for everyone. WTSHTF – dress like a bum. Post-doomsday: George: …
Sir: I have read your web site and thanks for posting it. I am presently purchasing seven acres in Wyoming with an existing log home. We are going to build a new home on the same property and would like to invest in a good attached underground bunker. Can you please tell me where I can find decent plans and specs for a bunker to sustain five adults and three children? I would like to branch it off of our new basement. I would really appreciate it. God Bless, Mel JWR Replies: I would recommend Safecastle. They have lots of …
We have some great news for you folks that have been wondering where all the approved retreats disappeared to, on the Idaho page of SurvivalRealty.com. (This is SurvivalBlog’s sister site that JWR put together specifically to help SurvivalBlog readers to find their own survival retreats.) More than 15 Idaho listings have now been posted! You can view them here. In order to comply with guidelines set forth by the Idaho Real Estate Commission, although the listings are available on any public MLS approved site, the subsequent retreat evaluations, analysis and photos are only allowed to be disseminated to actual customers …
Courtesy of Steve H., comes this article: Is your grocery bill going up? You’re not alone o o o More and more bad economic news: Investment Firms Tap Fed for Billions. Meanwhile, we read: Corporate liquidity begins to dry up. Also, The Insider told me that KB Home (already in hot water for inflating home appraisals) just defaulted on a $850 million loan from Wells Fargo, and they’ve been given just 30 days to settle up, or face a foreclosure that could trigger collapse of the company. The global credit crisis is far from over, folks. The chances of …
“I’d rather be over trained than under trained.” – Bruce Lee
The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $230. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. If you aren’t familiar with the Dakota Alert infrared perimeter security system, take a few minute to look at the Dakota Alert web site. These alarms are very reliable and versatile. I often recommend them to my consulting clients–especially those that plan to have lightly-manned retreats. You can easily …
Hello Jim, I am a prepper who is trying to do so on a very tight budget (wife, four kids, and two jobs just to make ends meet-you get the idea). Here are some random ideas that others might find useful. 1) Try drying your own fruits and vegetables for food storage. Whether homegrown or bought. This can be done inexpensively and dried food takes up very little storage space. 2) Consider making your own biodiesel. I am in the early stages of doing this myself. It’s not that hard. Just pay attention to detail and do it right. Besides …
James, To follow up on Mike Williamson’s recent letter on choosing a state for relocation, the April 2008 issue of Outdoor Life magazine has a good article on the best 200 towns in the U.S. for hunters and fishermen. The towns were rated for: Abundant Fishable Species Abundant Huntable Species Public Land Proximity (This may or may not be a good thing, IMHO.) Trophy Potential Gun Laws From 1 to 10, the top 10 towns rated were: Mountain Home, Arkansas Lewsiton, Idaho Sheridan, Wyoming Cody, Wyoming Pocatello, Idaho Lewistown, Montana Marquette, Michigan Dillon, Montana Page, Arizona Bismark, North Dakota They …