“The power vested in the American courts of justice of pronouncing a statute to be unconstitutional forms one of the most powerful barriers that have ever been devised against the tyranny of political assemblies.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848. It ended the Mexican–American War. Mexico lost 55 percent of its territory to the US, including California, Nevada, and Utah in exchange for $15 million. — February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum, in 1905). She died on March 6, 1982. She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate …
Okay, it’s here: The Stuff has Hit The Fan (SHTF). You are either ready or you are not. Time is limited. Even if you are the most ready of anyone, you probably still can’t do it all, in isolation from others. In getting to where we are at this moment, many of us think we have done a very good, even great, job of prepping. Prepared people read and watch the news critically, identify what they think the most likely problem is that will occur, and prepare for it (plus many related issues). They use information sources like SurvivalBlog to …
The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: We’ve Just Learned That The Only Truly Unforgivable Sin Is Leaving The Democrat Party News Links: Tulsi Gabbard grilled on Snowden, Assad and Putin in tense Senate hearing. Elizabeth Warren claims ‘most’ of Senate sees Tulsi Gabbard as a security threat. Tulsi Gabbard’s Fiery Response On Democrats Accusing Her Of Being ‘Trump’s And Modi’s Puppet’. Gabbard was hoping for the Pete Hegseth hearing treatment. She didn’t get it. Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is …
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, …
On February 1st, we recognize the birthday of the late Dr. Gary North, in 1942. North was a prolific writer on Christian Reconstruction, economics, and preparedness topics. He passed away on February 24, 2022. His more than 50 published books are a lasting legacy. He also assembled a free online library of books by other godly writers, through his Institute For Christian Economics. Those free books, totaling 38,000 pages, are all still available online. They are a great resource for homeschoolers and economics students. — We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and …
We’ve announced the winners of Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. — But before we announce those winners, we’d like to introduce the most recent writing contest prize sponsor, starting this month with Round 117: 3Vgear.com. Take a look at their website for details on their top-quality outdoor and preparedness gear. This Utah-based company makes backpacks and bags, rifle cases, MOLLE pouches, pack covers, hydration systems, and more. For their prize, they will be generously providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus …
A few months ago, my father gave me some camping gear he bought in the 1970s when he and my oldest brother started camping. He gave me a red Coleman lantern, and a large, green Coleman, dual burner stove. I remember using both pieces on occasion when he took me camping as a young boy. On the last camping trip we did together, when I was in college, neither the stove nor lantern would work. It was a dark night, and our food was cold. Both pieces were put on the shelf for many years. I have rebuilt many stoves …
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations. …
On January 31, 1616, Cape Horn was rounded for the first time by a Dutch expedition led by Jacques Le Maire and Willem Corneliszoon Schouten. They named Cape Hoorn after Schouten’s hometown. — The Last Day! In honor of the birthday of John Moses Browning (January 23rd, 1855), we are running a 10-day sale at Elk Creek Company. This January sale is always our biggest sale of the year. These discounts range from 10% to 40%. All of our gun and knife inventory has been deeply reduced until midnight, Pacific Time today (Friday, January 31st, 2025.) Don’t miss out on …
Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at Government Spending and Deficit Reduction. Precious Metals: Spot gold just posted another record high, yesterday. It was up $51.20 to $2,844.70 per Troy ounce at mid-day. That was a 1.8% gain for the morning. Meanwhile, spot silver jumped $1.02 to $31.77. That was a 3.3% gain for the morning. Platinum was up …
“One thing I hate about the New Deal is that it is killing what, to me, is the American pioneering spirit. I simply do not know what to tell my own boys, leaving school and confronting this new world whose ideal is Security and whose practice is dependence upon government instead of upon one’s self. All the old character-values seem simply insane from a practical point of view; the self-reliant, the independent, the courageous man is penalized from every direction.” – Rose Wilder Lane
On January 30, 1835 two single-shot muzzleloading pistols carried by Richard Lawrence both misfired when aimed at President Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C.. This was the first recorded attempt at an assassination of a US President. — “The Lone Ranger” debuted on WXYZ radio in Detroit on January 30, 1933. The masked vigilante lawman and his Native sidekick, Tonto, became a dynamic duo of multimedia fame. — January 30th is the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some very engaging history books. — January 30th is also the anniversary of the 1945 Great …
SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, reports on a couple of Chinese cyber advances. A Major Kansas TB Outbreak Recently reported by USA Today: Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America’s largest in recorded history. …
“Balanced budget requirements seem more likely to produce accounting ingenuity than genuinely balanced budgets.” – Thomas Sowell
