Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. We have given the hand [to] the Egyptians, [and to] the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. Our fathers have sinned, [and are] not; and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: [there is] none that doth deliver [us] out …


Notes from JWR:

November 16th is the birthday of Michael D. Echanis (born 1950, died September 1978), a former United States Army Special Forces and 75th Ranger Battalion enlisted man. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device as a LRRP trooper in the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in eastern Oregon. Echanis was killed in Nicaragua in a plane crash along with colleague Charles Sanders and members of the Nicaraguan armed forces. (This was while Somoza was still president.) There was conjecture that the plane was destroyed in mid-flight by a Sandinista time bomb or barometric …


Digging a Root Cellar/Storm Cellar, by Marlene in Indiana

We decided that our family needed a root cellar for maintaining root crops, cold storage and for more extensive water storage, here is our story. Hopefully, others can learn from us and not make the same mistakes. One Sunday afternoon, we went out to the yard and sized up the area we wanted, and marked our spot. Our property borders Federal land that occasionally has people lingering around, we have even caught people in our other shelters on the back of our property, so I wanted to keep this one as close to the house as possible. When we purchased …


Letter Re: Anticipated Refugees Flows in a Grid Down Collapse

Mr. Rawles,   I’m currently trying to do a cogent analysis of the lower 48 and where my optimum safety location/region might be. I’ve read your articles on the great redoubt, rankings and ratings etc… I can respect your criteria and agree with most of it. The question that I’m pondering however, is that in a serious SHTF scenario, how will mass migrations occur. The “head for the hills” mentality will motivate millions to escape die off zones desperately seeking life’s basics. I agree that in a scenario of seriously “grid down”, a great many Americans will die. In contrast …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Tim R. suggested this by Matt Phillips of Quartz: One chart that tells the story of US debt from 1790 to 2011 G.G. flagged this: Silver price to ‘increase 400 percent in three years’ Marc Faber: ‘The Great Reset Is Coming!’ The “Sell Off” Has Already Begun Which Could Soon Turning Into Panic Selling Everything Is Lining Up For A Huge Future For Farmland Items from The Economatrix: Stocks At 4-Month Lows As Fiscal Cliff Looms The Fiscal Cliff Is A Mole Hill Compared To The TAG Program Expiry Silver’s Outperformance Over Gold To Be Staggering In The Long …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard about a new blog that might be of interest: Tactical Tales.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this instructional video: Racking a Slide Like a Lady    o o o After a three year wait while MGM nearly went though a full-on bankruptcy and laughably the villains were digitally changed from China to North Korea (just for the sake of boot-licking political correctness), the re-make of Red Dawn will finally be coming to theaters on November 21st.    o o o K.T. mentioned a snow track system for 4WD trucks that is …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered. ” – President Lyndon Baines Johnson (Ironically, Johnson was the principal architect of the flawed and failed Great Society programs.)


Notes from JWR:

Today we present also another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …


Announcing C.R.O.S.S.: A Unique Missionary Outreach to South Sudan, by Micah Wood

SurvivalBlog readers and brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, Greetings! My wife, Dania, has always desired in her heart to be a missionary. Until recently, I did not. Yet here I find myself publicly announcing to the readers of SurvivalBlog that God has sovereignly led us down a path, which clearly points to us becoming full time missionaries for our Lord Jesus Christ, in South Sudan. Growing up, Dania read many of the famous missionary stories and felt God would likely lead her to the mission field one day too. Me? I didn’t read many of the missionary …


A Legal Review of Secession, 150 Years Later, by Attorney Terry E. Hogwood

Introduction The Civil War [aka War Between The States] (or The War of Northern Aggression, depending on your personal view) ended in 1865. However, the legality of secession by the Southern States simply will not die 150 years after Texas formally seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. As late as May, 2011, secession by part of the State of Arizona from the rest of the State is being proposed. Secession is often bandied about by politicians on both sides of the spectrum but do any of its proponents really understand what secession, from a legal …


Letter Re: Natural Gas Explosion in Indianapolis

Just writing in for the first time to bring an interesting incident to the forefront of the readers minds. It’s been lost in the national news since it happened . Saturday night, November 10, 2012 at just past 11 p.m. an explosion rocked a south Indianapolis neighborhood. Officials immediately cordoned off the neighborhood and started doing sweeps of the debris looking for survivors. In all four houses were totally destroyed, two were wiped to the foundations. Several surrounding homes were damaged beyond repair and 80 homes were damaged. The scene looked like a war zone with the look of a …


Economics and Investing:

Jim T. spotted this over at Zero Hedge: Q2 Total Gross Notional Derivatives Outstanding: $639 Trillion. (Don’t miss reading the comments.) O.T. sent: Regulators Destroying Your Home Appliances Peter Schiff: Thanks To Federal Reserve Policies Like QE3; We’re All Scr%#ed Items from The Economatrix: Gold And Silver Prices Set To Explode Obama Win Means Big Inflation Is Coming, Investor Refuge In Gold And Silver US To Become Largest Oil Producer, Energy Independent


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Tony S. spotted this: 100 Free Survival Downloads    o o o F.J. liked this: Hinged Canvas Hides Your Alarm Panel [or other items]    o o o Regular content contributor F.G. sent: Drifting Fish Farm Yields First Harvest in US Waters    o o o Dulce et decorum est: Chicago’s gun buyback helps group pay for youth shooting camp. (Thanks to Janet U. for the link.)    o o o Huelga! Transport chaos across Europe as millions take to streets in austerity protest and police fire rubber bullets at rioters


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“We have reclaimed our permanent home given to us by God as our birthright. Never again shall South Sudanese be oppressed for their political beliefs. Never again shall our people be discriminated [against] on account of race or religion. Never again shall we roam the world as sojourners and refugees.” – Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of South Sudan


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …