Jim’s Quote of the Day:
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." -James Madison, Federalist Papers, No. 45
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." -James Madison, Federalist Papers, No. 45
Today we welcome our newest advertiser: The Alert System.com. This is an automated system that sends out e-mails to subscriber mobile devices (such as cell phones and pagers) for less than a dime a day. It was started as a project to keep the inventor’s like minded friends informed of the latest important news, and to coordinate any bug out/in. Since then, at considerable expense this project has been scaled up to handle thousands of subscribers. Check it out. Starting in April, I will be quitting my day job, and blogging full time. To put bread on the table, I …
Regarding the very enjoyable letter about the Spanish Flu in1918, I can’t resist one comment. It is with incredible relentlessness that Big Pharma in their zest to sell vaccines keeps stating that we have 30,000 or 36,000 deaths per year from the flu. If you take the time to examine the actual CDC published data it is a bit different. I did a while back, and I seem to recall the 2003 and 2004 numbers being closer to 600 to 900 deaths per year from the flu. The deaths from pneumonia are close to 35,000 per year, so it appears …
I read the first-hand accounts of Argentina’s decline from wealth and prosperity to near lawlessness that were linked to here a while back and they stuck with me. How could a prosperous nation with generally well-regarded policies sink so far so fast? Far more importantly, what caused it, could it happen in other places (i.e. here), and what indicators were missed? Luck would have it that I stumbled across the answers to two of those entirely serendipitously. The answer is actually rather simple: debt. The Argentinean economy was in good shape in the 1990s, it had good growth, good employment, …
I’ve been running night vision since I learned to fly with them back in 1978. Not to disparage the writer’s comments about how good the “Mini-14” monocular is, because it is a good unit. However, it’s been my experience that the PRC-14Delta (Government) model is even better. Yes, a papered version costs more than a civilian Mini-14 but it’s worth the money. And, as an additional note, the manual gain adjustment of the PRC-14D is invaluable. It’s there for a reason. You strap it on and adjust the gain until you have maximal effectiveness of both eyes (One aided eye …
I just stumbled across Rogue Turtle, an interesting site with a wide range of survival and preparedness information. o o o Wiggy’s (one of our first advertisers) is offering a special 15% discount on all of their sleeping bags until the end of April. These are the best sleeping bags I’ve ever used. They are extremely durable. Their two-bag FTRSS is my personal favorite. Every well-prepared family should have a full set of Wiggy’s bags. Even if you plan to “bug in” rather than “bug out”, a warm sleeping bag could be an absolute life safer in the event …
“Freedom of speech and of the press guarantees one’s right to speak or publish at one’s own expense, but not to be heard nor read.” – Rourke
My mentor in the law, when asked to prove the depravity of man, produces from his pocket a common set of keys. He then asks, if men are not morally depraved, why he must lock his home when he leaves it. His belief in the common depravity of man is such that he (quietly) celebrates the fact that many of the lawyers in the office carry concealed sidearms, believing that the fact that many of us are armed makes all of us safer. Everyone who locks his door has taken the first step toward securing his home, but there are …
Jim, I always see broken shell extractors for sale on web sites and at gun shows. I have yet to ever see a need for one. Do you have any experience in the need for one? Also, exactly how do they work? Would one for a .30-06 work for a .308, or a 7.62×39, or vice-versa? I have pondered this for a while, and am hoping you or a fellow reader might be able to answer this. Also, what causes the need for one? Would a dirty chamber cause a cartridge case to stick in the chamber, thereby ripping the …
Hi James, Spring has sprung and it is getting close to time to plan and start gardening prep. I am far from a green thumb and wondered if anyone has a solution for keeping moles and gophers from ruining the garden? Last year, 95% of my sweet corn was destroyed by these pests. Come time to count on the garden after TEOTWAWKI, I don’t want to watch my food supply vanish. I tried trapping these pests with no luck. Any info would be greatly appreciated! -The Wanderer JWR Replies: Garden pests are typically just a “nuisance” in good times, but …
“Licensed to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit – ever. They’re like the Viet Cong – Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that’s all she wrote.” – Bill Murray as Carl Spackler in Caddyshack.
There are just three full days left to submit your entries for Round 3 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best contest entry will win a four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. The deadline for entries for Round 3 is March 31, 2006. The first piece posted today is another fine contest entry:
With so much in the news these days about SARS, the Asian Avian flu and others it is always of interest to look back and see what has happened before. The last really big worldwide flu epidemic was the so-called Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918. It killed over 40 million people worldwide, with about 500,000 deaths in the US. It was called the Spanish Flu because the first publicly recorded deaths from the disease were reported in newspapers in Spain. Their newspapers were not censored as many other countries were at the time due to World War I. When reporters …
Jim, I found this tool for building igloos: http://www.grandshelters.com/ Certainly a useful concept for people in the Midwest, Rockies or further north, for fun, practice and possible emergencies, both personal or regional. – Michael Z. Williamson
Jim, I agree that nothing beats physical bullion and ammunition for real wealth, but there may be something to be said for keeping a store of digital wealth in tact for as long as possible also. My bank has an emergency plan. They mailed me a copy. So I figured I needed to incorporate a plan to keep them out of my life during an economic meltdown. The plan is very simple. I fully intend to eliminate my mortgage with what is left of my IRA on the day before doomsday (or thereabouts). My money will ride out the storm …