The “Reasonable” Dictators of D.C.

The congressmen and executive branch bureaucrats of the District of Columbia (DC) — a.k.a. The District of Criminals — are now fully exercising arbitrary and capricious powers. While supposedly operating within a constitutional framework, their dictates are becoming more and more draconian, and often downright absurd. Their latest proposal is a  “high capacity” magazine ban. I’d like to illustrate the absurdity of such proposals with an analogy: Let’s say that you live in the mythical country of The Republic of Freedonia. Freedonia is a constitutional republic with individual rights enshrined in a much-vaunted but two-century-old Constitution. Among these rights is “freedom …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at how second-hand car prices are soaring. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: U.S. Congressman Seeks Full Audit Of America’s Gold Reserves. o  o  o Some interesting history, from Vince Lanci: Gold is Money. Silver is More. Economy & Finance: Here’s what’s in Republicans’ new $928 billion infrastructure counterproposal. …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 27, 2021

On this day in 1861, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of Maryland issued the Ex parte Merryman decision, challenging the authority of President Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. military to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland. On May 27, 1813, former President Thomas Jefferson wrote former President John Adams about the loss of their mutual friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush. Reflecting upon the loss, Jefferson wrote, “We too must go; and that ere long. I believe we are under half a dozen at present; I mean the signers of the Declaration.” Dr. Rush was instrumental in the reconciliation of …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at Saber Rattling in the Arctic. More Saber Rattling in the Arctic H.L. sent this: Russia Warns US & NATO Over Increased Military Activity In Arctic. Meanwhile, the view of NATO …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Whenever the legislators endeavour to take away, and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any farther obedience, and are left to the common refuge, which God hath provided for all men, against force and violence. Whensoever therefore the legislative shall transgress this fundamental rule of society; and either by ambition, fear, folly or corruption, endeavour to grasp themselves, or put into the hands of any other, an absolute power over the lives, liberties, and estates …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 26, 2021

May 26th is the birthday of Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.) He was born 1949. When not touring, he lives Somewhere in Montana, so he qualifies as a Redoubter. He reportedly has a large gun collection which is heavy on Sharps rifles and rifles that have factory letters showing that they were originally shipped to Montana. His song A Country Boy Can Survive is practically a survivalist anthem. His father was just 29 when he died, and despite a couple of close calls, Hank Jr. is now well into his golden years, so he may yet live to a …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. o  o  o Our own Pat Cascio forwarded this disturbing news: It Begins: Fully Vaccinated People in Oregon Must Show Proof of Vaccination Status in Order to Enter Businesses Without a Mask. o  o  o Reader “Bear” wrote: “I liked a recent article by Angelo Codevilla. Anyone who quotes Alice’s Restaurant gets bonus points from me, but the real idea …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 25, 2021

On May 25th, 1787, The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. The task of the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Article of Confederation eventually led to the United States Constitution that is so abused today. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on some grizzly bear encounters. (See the Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming sections.) Region-Wide Calendar of County Commissioner Meetings regarding Greater Idaho o  o  o Seven rural counties in Oregon that voted for Trump have voted in favor of effort to secede from the …




Recipe of the Week: Mrs. Alaska’s Biscuits and Flour Tortillas

The following recipes were kindly sent by SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska: Biscuits and Flour Tortillas with bear fat (or bacon grease, pork lard or butter) Around the world, virtually every region makes its own delicious version of a flat or risen bread (called a quick bread) that requires NO yeast. Consider Indian dosas, rotis, chapatis, and naan, Vietnamese scallion pancakes, British and American biscuits and scones, French crepes, and Latin American tortillas. The flat breads have the advantage that they can be cooked WITHOUT an oven, on a woodstove, griddle, grill or even on a porous utensil over an open …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at fixer-upper houses. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Egon von Greyerz: Everything Is On Fire. o  o  o Silver Demand for Printed and Flexible Electronics Forecast to Consume 615 Million Ounces of Silver Through 2030. o  o  o A Pitchfork Made With Gold. Economy & Finance: At Daily …