Category: Current Events & Politics

Letter Re: Some Good May Come From High Gas Prices

Dear Jim, Believe it or not, I find current oil prices encouraging as well as annoying, but with an undertone of warning. At our current domestic US price, it becomes cost effective to exploit the Canadian tar sands. Canada is next door, civilized, and easy to deal with. Their reserves in that form are probably larger than the entire world’s crude supply. Venezuela has an equal amount, and Chavez can’t live forever. The Canadians have gotten production cost down to $15/barrel, but are not yet producing at full speed. It is obvious, however, that growing technology will improve this, and …


Letter Re: Misinformation on Plate Tectonics

Dear Jim and Family, Regarding the [recent Odds ‘n Sods] link to the article about the Aussie researcher [Australian Researcher warns about Mass Human Extinction from Global Environmental Collapse] As a geologist, I feel compelled to respond. There are lots of critical events to worry about, but shifting the crust around like a greased orange peel is not one of them. Be worried about the collapse of the Cantarell oilfield in Mexico. Be worried about an attack on Ras Tanura loading station in the Persian Gulf. Be worried about Iran building nukes, and giving them to Al Qaeda and Hezbollah. …


Letter Re: Consider The Downside of HOAs and CC&Rs Before Making a Land Purchase

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Rawles; I live in so-called “rural” western Oregon. Last month I sold my home that was in a Homeowner’s Association (HOA) and moved to a slightly bigger place (3.5 acres, versus 2 )[that is] a few miles farther out into the country, outside of any HOA. Living there [inside the HOA] was worse than living inside city limits. I was forced to move [because] they had some CC&Rs that made it very diffiicult–if not downright impossible–to prepare for a disaster. Under the [“covenants, conditions, and restrictions”] CC&Rs, my storage space for all my survival goodies was …


Letter Re: Confusion About Ban Markings on Rifle Magazines

Mr. Rawles: I was at a gun show last weekend, stocking up on ammo and magazines. A dealer had some original [Ruger] Mini-14 magazines (made at the factory, in white boxes) that were marked “restricted for law enforcement use..” or somesuch, stamped right into the body of the magazine. I also saw some Beretta M92 magazines with a whole bunch of the same kind of “thou shalt not…” small print. I thought that the [Federal] magazine ban had expired. I’m confused here. Could I get in trouble with my local police if I buy magazines with these marks? Thanks, – …


Poll Results: Why are You Preparing to Survive?

Here is the second round of responses to this question: Those who are well educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making fall into two groups, the merrymakers and the preparers. The merrymakers don’t see life worth living post-SHTF, so they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have chosen to survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization? Because the collapse will only be temporary? Because we can and we’re stubborn with a stronger than normal will to survive? The following is the second batch of responses. A …


Poll Results: Why are You Preparing to Survive?

Here is the first round of responses to this question: Those who are well educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making fall into two groups, the merrymakers and the preparers. The merrymakers don’t see life worth living post-SHTF, so they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have chosen to survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization? Because the collapse will only be temporary? Because we can and we’re stubborn with a stronger than normal will to survive? The following is just the first batch of responses. …


Reader Poll: Why are You Preparing to Survive?

SF in Hawaii recommended the following topic for a SurvivalBlog reader poll: Those who are well educated enough to see a societal collapse of some sort or another in the making fall into two groups, the merrymakers and the preparers. The merrymakers don’t see life worth living post-SHTF, so they live it up now. We on SurvivalBlog are the preparers and have chosen to survive, but why? Our children? To rebuild civilization? Because the collapse will only be temporary? Because we can and we’re stubborn with a stronger than normal will to survive? Please send your responses (one paragraph or …


Living in Times of Partial Law and Order, by FerFAL

Many people tend to think about survival as if it where an on/off switch, black or white reality. You have a relatively nice, normal life, such as the world most first world citizens live in these days, and suddenly you have a SHTF event and you go into Post-SHTF mode all of a sudden, meaning people start carrying their load bearing vests full of mags, with their SHTF rifle of choice, scavenging around the ruins of the city, shooting trespassers and burying them in the back yard. This is all very cool to talk about, its fascinating in a Hollywood …


The Big Picture on Gold, Silver, Real Estate, and the U.S. Dollar

I have come to the conclusion that the nascent implosion of the U.S. residential real estate bubble is going to have some far-reaching macroeconomic consequences. We are just starting to see the beginning of the real estate collapse. The adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) reset clock is ticking, and the home foreclosure rate is just starting to spike. I predict that in just three or four months, the housing market collapse will be just as big a news story as the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980s. There will be plenty of hand wringing and finger pointing. The lenders that …


The Virginia Shootings, Israel, and the Shoah, by David in Israel

Today we see again a senseless shooting in an American city on the same day we observe the remembrance of the Shoah. Sadly an innocent Jew who survived all of these years after being delivered from the Nazi death machine gave his life trying to disarm the attacker. Rumanian-born Prof. Liviu Librescu, 75 was an Israeli citizen and taught engineering at Virginia Tech where the shooting occurred. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. Had Prof. Librescu been in Israel his home perhaps the end of the story would have been different. Israelis carry their …


Letter Re: U.S. Income Tax and the Galt’s Gulch Retreat Option

James, I am not sure if the majority of SurvivalBlog readers are interested in the following, but I am. It was inspired by your quote of the day for April 13, 2007, by Robert Nozick. Here is a summary of an article at the Tax Foundation’s Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data, by Gerald Prante. It discusses the Federal portion of the US income tax burden. As one will see in the following, one productive American family works to support the burden of two American families, 100% of the time. Another productive family pays the bill for ten(!) …


Letter Re: Macroeconomic Implications of Large Scale Ethanol Production in the U.S.

Hi Jim I have run across some information that I thought might be of interest. I am in the food business and come in contact with a lot of people in the food industry. One of my associates is in the frozen fruit and vegetable business. He has been telling me the effect that W’s ethanol incentives are having on the agriculture industry and it is quite alarming. I have not researched this, so don’t have facts and figures to back it up, so take it for what it is worth. This situation seems to have mysteriously stayed out of …


Retreat Locale Analysis of Maryland, by Al in Maryland

Here are a few personal observations about the state of Maryland and Montgomery County in particular, where I live. Since I didn’t know where the statistics used for the other states analyzed on SurvivalBlog came from, for the cost of housing, car insurance, etc; I didn’t want to dig up any off the wall numbers, so none are listed. The only exception is for firearms ranking by “Boston’s Gun Bible 2005 ed.”, which I have. I only discuss the main part of the state of Maryland and not the western part which is not as developed. The western part of …


Letter Re: Stocking Up on AR-15 Lower Receivers?

James, I have been reading SurvivalBlog for a few months now, and I have to say that you are doing a great job! I have taken your Ten Cent Challenge, and look forward to renewing for next year. I have been following [the U.S. Congress] bill H.R. 1022 and your advice to stock up on “assault weapons” and/or high capacity magazines. If one cannot afford multiple weapons would you recommend buying a quantity of [AR-15] lower receivers in the hopes of building them up to full guns at a later date? – Kevin JWR Replies: That is a good idea. …


From #1 Son: Update on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)

The USDA‘s NAIS program is now in the “convince the angry crowds that there is no problem” stage. They are constantly spouting phrases like, “We’ve made it clear, and I can’t stress this too often or too much that NAIS is a voluntary system.” That’s a voluntary system at the federal level, with a capital “V.’” However, no matter how often they say that it is voluntary, it will not prevent it from becoming mandatory at a later date. States can still make it mandatory, and if all do, it would still be “a voluntary system at the federal level”. …