Odds ‘n Sods:

Backwoods Home magazine is having a two day free ebook and emagazine giveaway on January 10th and 11th, 2013.    o o o H.L. sent: Teachers In Ohio, Texas Flock To Free Gun Training Classes    o o o L.C. sent this: How to make strike anywhere matches    o o o Reminder: Blog readers in Florida should plan to attend the Life Changes Be Ready Preparedness Expo and Gun Expo on Saturday January 19, 2013. I will be a guest speaker, via teleseminar. The event will be held at the Volusia County Fair and Expo Center in DeLand, Florida. …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled, and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers. This political judgment, moreover, is not simply or primarily a right, but like self-preservation, a duty to God. As such it is a judgment that men cannot part with according to the God of Nature. It is the first and foremost of our inalienable rights without which we can preserve no other." – John Locke


Notes from JWR:

Congressman Steve Stockman has introduced H.R. 35, the Safe Schools Act of 2013. This a bill to allow principals, teachers, and staff to possess firearms in order to defend their students. Please contact your congresscritters and say NO to all “gun control” (civilian disarmament) bills and YES to H.R. 35. Also, be advised, Vice President Joe Biden hinted that executive orders on guns might be coming quite soon. Two likely actions: An import ban on 11+ round magazines (except for the military and law enforcement), and perhaps reclassifying the Saiga 12 shotgun as a Destructive Device. If you need any …


Water Cistern Facts, by Rex X.

Cisterns have been used for water storage for thousands of years and continue to be used today.  A cistern is a large water storage container that is often underground.  Many of you will remember Masada where the Roman Legion had the Jews besieged.  This mountain top fortress was able to hold out for as log as they did, in part, because of the large cisterns where they stored rain water.  In fact without cisterns this would have been nothing other than another uninhabited mountain. These water storage tanks can range up to thousands of gallons, or liters if you prefer.  …


Letter Re: Gasoline Available in a Pinch at the Big Box Store

Hi James, I was recently at the chainsaw shop and saw cans of something called TRUFUEL. It is basically one quart metal cans of gasoline, with most versions premixed for 2-stroke engines.  However, they also have a 4-stroke version that my chainsaw dealer tells me is simply 92-octane gasoline with stabilizers and other additives that would be perfectly suitable for running a car or other vehicle.  Haven’t tried it myself yet, but if plausible, big box hardware stores, power tool dealers, and some auto parts stores could have fuel available in a pinch (and I imagine for only a short …


Three Letters Re: Why Civilian Disarmament in the U.S. is Just a Statist Fantasy

Mr. Rawles,  I love the SurvivalBlog site and what you do. Many thanks to you and all contributors! I have some remarks on the letter: A Call to Action: The Impending Weapons Ban, by James M. I agree on the fundamental points made regarding firearms, but it does sound like a re-hash of the red-herring debate from ’91 with the only “Call to Action” being that Congress should ban something else.  Maybe they should ban Murder. Oh, wait that’s been done…   I personally don’t think our Congressional leaders should really be banning anything at all, and when the subject …


Economics and Investing:

Peter Schiff: Even if you raise taxes to 100%, we couldn’t pay it off. We’re going to default. Dr. Gary North details the latest legislative travesty in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln Obama: A Bill to Register Buyers of Gold and Silver Coins. Just as with guns, they have it down to a science: they register, they tax, and then they confiscate. Federal Reserve May Pause Quantitative Easing. JWR’s Comment: Yes, and your local crack head may try to kick his habit by going cold turkey. They’ll both have about the same chance of success. Hedge funds face suspicious activity …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Blog readers in Florida should plan to attend the Life Changes Be Ready Preparedness Expo and Gun Expo on Saturday January 19, 2013. I will be a guest speaker, via teleseminar. The event will be held at the Volusia County Fair and Expo Center in DeLand, Florida.    o o o Randy K. came across a series of YouTube videos by a young woman who made a comprehensive switch to a homesteading lifestyle. Randy describes it as “…quite lively and entertaining. Unlike some of the run-of-the-mill stuff out there, she makes these videos personal and shares little bits of herself …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Collectivists believe in collective guilt, unsurprisingly. They believe this as deeply and unquestioningly as any Bolshevik commissar or medieval inquisitor. They reveal themselves when they say the NRA ‘refuses to accept blame for the Sandy Hook massacre.’ The people manning the solar observatory at Sacramento Peak also refuse to accept blame, or would if asked, and rightly so. Absent evidence the perp had accomplices, or was under direct and actual control of others, blame attaches to the shooter alone. The proposition is simple and of unassailable provenance. As with all crime, guilt lay with the perpetrator. Hence the term, perpetrator. …


Notes from JWR:

I was shocked to hear that Keith Ratliff, the manager of the video blog FPS Russia was recently found murdered in Carnesville, Georgia. His relatives sound dubious about the reported details. You’ve probably seen some of the very popular YouTube videos featuring Keith’s buddy Kyle Myers demonstrating various exotic weapons. (In the videos, Kyle mimics a Russian accent and uses the stage name Dmitri Potapoff.) FPS Russia is reportedly the third most popular video channel on YouTube. His death comes as very strange news. If it was indeed a robbery (as some claim), then why were so many guns found …


A Call to Action: The Impending Weapons Ban, by James M.

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary was as profound a tragedy as one can imagine; period. In light of this and similar events we need to have a national discussion about the real causes of mass murder. Contrary to what we will hear in the coming days and weeks, guns were not the cause of the Sandy Hook murders. Nevertheless, local, state, and national leaders, lead by California’s Senator Dianne Feinstein, will use this awful event as a rallying call to push for the most serious infringement of our Second Amendment rights ever proposed in this country’s history. They will …


Letter Re: Advice on Washing Military Utility Uniforms

Sir: What would you recommend when washing military uniforms at home? I was wondering if soap nuts are a wise choice since they have no optical brighteners. What do you use? Thanks, – Brian X. JWR Replies: I’d recommend using Atsko Sport Wash. Not only does it not have any brighteners, but it is also unscented. Dogs and even people with sensitive noses can smell detergent scents and perfumes, which could reveal your position if you are in a close ambush situation. Laundry scents also overwhelm your own sense of smell, making it less likely for you to smell your …


Letter Re: Why Civilian Disarmament in the U.S. is Just a Statist Fantasy

James, The Internet is replete with potential gun confiscation scenarios. Many people voice the opinion that this confiscation will take the form of armed troops going house to house searching for guns. This would be a potential source of revolution, would demonstrate the true nature of government and would result in the deaths of many of the regimes ostensible supporters. I’ll make the assumption that The Powers That Be are not stupid (evil, probably, but stupid, no). Since they are not stupid, and can foresee the difficulties with house-to-house searches, they will use other methods. Let’s explore some of these …


Economics and Investing:

H.L. sent: Silver Prices in the Event of a Comex Default Jim W. suggested this article about the underground economy: My Name is Cash A Graphic View of How Shale Gas Could Change the Future Obamacare Guarantees Higher Health Insurance Premiums — $3,000+ Higher Items from The Economatrix: It’s Not Too Early To Worry About The End Of Fed Easing Economy Adds 155,000 Jobs In December:  “It’s A Slow And Steady Recovery” Social Security: It’s Worse Than You Think


Odds ‘n Sods:

Kevin S. recommended the very informative (link-heavy) web site of ham radio operator Ron Herring (W7HD.)    o o o Kevin also mentioned this from the Family Research Council: Hunger, Plenty, and Population    o o o Peter Ferrara of Forbes sums it up well: ‘Assault Weapon’ Is Just A PR Stunt Meant To Fool The Gullible. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)    o o o F.G. suggested this video: Sight In Your Rifle in Two Shots