Back On The Reservation: Implications of McGirt v. Oklahoma

Most SurvivalBlog readers have seen news and commentary pieces like this one, inked over at the Whatfinger.com aggregation site: Supreme Court Just Gave Back Half Of Oklahoma To Native Americans, Leftist Judges Uphold 1866 Treaty. The ramifications of the recent McGirt v. Oklahoma decision are huge. I predict that this court ruling will be a key precedent and have some far-reaching Implications. It may even open the door for the Balkanization of the United States. This case sets a key precedent. Folks living on land that was formerly part of a reservation should particularly take note. Many reservations have had …




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: A plan to sell $30 “in advance’ tickets for entrance to the still partly-closed Glacier National Park.  (See the Montana section.) Idaho Massive boulders fall, extending Highway 95 closure in Central Idaho o  o  o Reader Cathy N. sent this: Gov. Little pushes for in-person …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I have a 1913 bond certificate that I keep around for perspective. The bond was issued by the Government of the Chinese Republic: the 5 percent gold loan of 1913 for the Lung-Tsing-U-Hai Railway. The financing was remarkably international for the day. The bond certificate is printed in both French and English. The loan is denominated in British pound sterling. And the bonds were issued in Brussels. I purchased the bond certificate complete with some associated coupons, payable every six months on January 1 and July 1, from January 1943 to January 1961. No one had ever tried to collect …




Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 13, 2020

It has been reported (but not yet confirmed) that Ol’ Remus, the Editor of the weekly Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report passed away just a few months after the death of his wife. A terse comment at American Digest stated: “Remus passed away on July 8th. He was diagnosed with cancer 3 weeks prior.” Again, this has not been confirmed, but if it is true then we’ve suffered the loss of a great man. His wit and wisdom were legendary. Our condolences to his family. — On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest …




Recipe of the Week: Apple Brown Betty

The following Apple Brown Betty recipe is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. That 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021. Ingredients 1/4 cup melted butter 1 pint bread crumbs from center of loaf 1 pint sliced apples 1/2 cup fruit juice or water 1/2 cup …




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 the accelerating urban exodus (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Gold stocks surge as spot price continues to rise. JWR’s Comment:  This month would be a good juncture to trade some of your physical gold for physical platinum. When I last checked, spot gold was at $1,804, while …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“American families are leaving dysfunctional cities such as New York City, Seattle and San Francisco and heading for Montana, Colorado, Maine and upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains among other safe havens. Big cities have always offered a trade-off between higher taxes and urban stress in exchange for entertainment, great restaurants, museums and intellectual buzz. Today the venues and buzz are gone, the crime rates are soaring and all that is left is the stress and taxes. So people are getting out. Changes like this are not temporary. Once people move out, they don’t return ever. Their children may …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 12, 2020

On July 12, 1865, George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for …




Tyranny Theory, by A.T.

It’s been said that left to itself, government will naturally devolve into tyranny.1 The natural tendency of government is to continue to grow and bloat ever larger, to the point that the state has almost complete control over every aspect of the individual’s life. Freedom often dies a slow death by a thousand cuts. The Founding Fathers of America understood this and did everything they could to prevent this from ever happening in the United States. As a result, The U.S. Constitution is the best government document ever written by man. However, I would like to propose a theory on …







The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 11, 2020

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models. A …




How to Teach Situational Awareness to Children – Part 5, by T.Y.

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article series.) Game 9: tracker Summary This will introduce your children to hunting skills through identifying animal signs in your area. Concepts Taught Animal tracking. Materials required You will need a drawing pad, pencil, and a basic book or printouts that shows detailed pictures of tracks from animals in your area. Before the Activity If you live in an area where animal tracks are easy to find, then you need no preparation. If not you will need to find an appropriate area, such as a park or forested hiking trail. How to Play …




Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How …