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



Notes from JWR:

January 8th is the birthday of the late Algis Budrys (born 1931, died June 9, 2008.) He was the Lithuanian-American science fiction author who wrote the classic survivalist novel Some Will Not Die. — We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser: StatGearTools.com. They are the makers of the T3 Tactical Triage & Auto Rescue Tool. Anyone who commutes or drives for a living (truck drivers, bus or taxi drivers, etc.) should carry one of these tools. It may help you save a life! — Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Accurizing a Precision Rifle on a Budget, by Mike L.

“Only accurate rifles are interesting.” – Col. Townsend Whelen We all know when we are shooting a super accurate rifle; when everything just “clicks” and the shooter, cartridge, and rifle come together to make great groups. But what are the variables involved in making a rifle accurate? And more importantly, how can we control some of those variables ourselves? One of the keys to accuracy, perhaps the most important one, is consistency. We know that, as shooters, we need to be very consistent to become good marksmen. We mount the gun the same way every time, control our breathing and …


Letter Re: Advice on Finding Full Capacity Magazines

Dear Mr. Rawles I am quite sad to say that you warned me about stocking up on [full capacity] magazines, but I ignored you. I stupidly concentrated on building a couple of .22 target rifles. Now I’m hurting. Here’s my situation: I have a Bravo Company (BCM) M4 with only three magazines (30 round), and a Mini-14, also with three mags. (One is a factory 5 rounder, and the 2 others are junky “PMI” [aftermarket] 30 rounders that I don’t trust [to feed reliably].) I also have a Beretta Model 92 [9mm pistol], but for that I’m in pretty good …


News From The American Redoubt:

Selway Armory, in Lolo, Montana was recently mentioned in a CBS News item: Assault Rifles, Ammo Flying Off Shelves After Newtown Massacre    o o o A misguided prepper? Man charged after parking SUV in big hole on federal land.    o o o Some other odd news from Idaho: Couple takes wrong car home from grocery store. (And unknowingly keeps if for three days!)    o o o Online academy classes to be tested in Idaho schools. (Students nationwide–especially homeschoolers–are now widely using Khan Academy materials.)    o o o Chuck Baldwin: My Line In The Sand Is Drawn …


Economics and Investing:

Tiny gold bars latest rage for jittery investors G.G. mentioned this at Zero Hedge: Here Comes The Student Loan Bailout Also from G.G.: Spain Drains Fund Backing Pensions WSJ: Who Pays More Tax in 2013? Items from The Economatrix: The Middle Class In America Is Being Wiped Out — Here Are 60 Facts To Prove It Max Keiser & Jim Sinclair & Bill Gross:  USD Will Collapse In 2013 Housing A Sweet Spot For US Economy As Recovery Expands After The Fiscal Cliff, Challenges To Economic Growth Remain