Letter Re: U.S. Military Surplus Backpack VHF Transceivers

Jim and Memsahib: I talked with a fellow on 6 meters FM yesterday. He is a military radio collector. I wish that you could have heard this conversation. He collects everything, and has about every military radio. He said that he stopped buying more a few years ago because the prices got too high. After 9-11 prices skyrocketed. He also said the AN/PRC-77 is one of the radios to stay away from. The blow out their finals too easily. The older AN/PRC-25 is much better. Also that the new AN/PRC-168 are superior [in reliability to the AN/PRC-77.] Also, he said …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The White House warns: a weak strain of Asian Avian Flu may already be in the U.S.    o o o SurvivalBlog reader MP dropped me a line and mentioned that Orson Scott Card, the author of the military sci-fi classic “Ender’s Game,” has posted the first five chapters for his newest book, “Empire.” From the description on Card’s web page: “The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to …



Note From JWR:

Today we present an article for Round 6 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 $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, (normally $149) generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If you want a chance to win Round 6, start writing and e-mail us your article. Round 6 will end on September 30th. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in …


The Pros and Cons of Government Service in TEOTWAWKI, by Jeremy G.

In 1976 Ronald Reagan said “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”” Why do so many of us agree with these words? Is our innate distrust of an organization that’s takes our hard earned money and uses it to restrict our rights and freedoms because “we need to be protected from ourselves”? Is it that we have seen how government agencies perform in major disasters like hurricane Katrina and we fear that we would receive the same treatment in a SHTF scenario? Or is it that the government …


Letter Re: Australian Podcast on Peak Oil

Jim, There’s an excellent, very recent Peak Oil multi-part podcast at the Australian ABC site listed below. I found it informative, and also a good way to brake the news to my wife. She’s a type A personality that works ALL the time, but she doesn’t particularly keep up with world events. (Yes, it’s my fault. I should’ve brought her into the fold long ago.) It brought her to tears. Now I feel bad because I didn’t expect that…but, it had to be done. Since she’s a survivor, and smarter than I am, it’ll be good to have her help …


Comment About Fluoride Toothpaste in Preparedness Course

Jim, Very nice job on the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course! I am enjoying it thoroughly. I feel as you do about Fluoride in toothpaste. It is extremely toxic. I believe a bottle of it ingested will send you to the hospital and possibly cause death. I found a better way; I put some baking soda on a moist tooth brush, and then pour a dab of food grade 3.5 percent hydrogen peroxide on it. Makes for a great cleaning! A word of caution though. The hydrogen peroxide you buy in the drug store has nasty stabilizers in it. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader Alfie Omega mentioned this news story: Global Food Supply Near the Breaking Point. The story begins: “The world is now eating more food than farmers grow, pushing global grain stocks to their lowest level in 30 years. Rising population, water shortages, climate change, and the growing costs of fossil fuel-based fertilizers point to a calamitous shortfall in the world’s grain supplies in the near future, according to Canada’s National Farmers Union (NFU).”    o o o Four interesting pieces of economic analysis/commentary have recently been posted at Gold-Eagle.com: The Calm Before the Storm, by Aubie Baltin, Money and …



Letter Re: Newcomers Syndrome in the Rural West

Hello Jim, My family and I are fortunate enough to live in a sparsely populated area of the Rocky Mountain West. Seems we are always being “discovered” by someone who wants to move here and get away from it all. Some even sell their homes and set up residences here, but more often than not, they last about 2 years and the “for sale” sign is back up again. Seems to me that the old adage is true… a Leopard cannot change its spots. You can’t take a fellow from the suburbs… drop them in the middle of a Prickly …


Letter Re: Long Term Storage Survival Food Buckets at Costco

Jim: I just came from a Costco in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. I spotted an interesting item on the end cap near the bread isle, 275 servings of individual food packs in a white plastic bucket. 20 year shelf life. Just boil in water for 20 minute. It has the same packaging that you’d expect from a vendor like Ready Made Resources. This from a food packaging company out of Orem, Utah. The price for 275 servings is $109.99. It is labeled ‘Survival Food’, item #104893 so you may want to inquire at your Costco. In each bucket there are 55 …


Letter Re: Ammo Clearance Sale at Wal-Marts

Jim, I have read recently on other shooting boards how some guys have stopped by their local Wal-Mart in the US and found selected lots of slow moving ammo with special red sale tags on them in the sporting goods section at reduced prices. I don’t know if this is in the wake of Wal-Mart’s move to clear most or all of its stores in the future of firearms and ammunition, but there are some good prices on some rifle, pistol and shotgun ammo, different calibers and gauges, apparently at each store. I know that in a crisis situation, you …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader S.H. pointed us to a web site that describes an interesting house with an extensive 45 foot deep fallout shelter, currently for sale in Blaine, Washington.    o o o Cathy Buckle in Zimbabwe reports on the ongoing currency exchange. (Due to the hyperinflation, they are issuing new bills, sans three zeroes.) This one is a must read!    o o o The Whiskey and Gunpowder e-newsletter mentions: “Lenders see a 10-20% tumble in home prices Yes, you heard right: A 10-20% loss nationwide, according to a poll of American mortgage lenders. And much bigger losses in the …



Note From JWR:

We are pleased to welcome our latest advertiser, Holland’s of Oregon. I have known and done business with Darryl Holland for more than 15 years. As I’ve previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, we have Holland muzzle brakes on five of our rifles here at the Rawles Ranch. We also have Holland brand nylon cheek rest stock pouches on seven of our rifles. Not only does Darryl make some of the best custom precision rifles and rifle muzzle brakes on the market, but he also teaches perhaps the best long range shooting school in the country. Whether you are a big game …