Category: Current Events & Politics

The New Urban Fortress- Part 1, by M.H.

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Stealth vs. Tactical I am a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, retired Navy O-5, a mechanical engineer (academically), and an IT business consultant. I am considered by my colleagues to be an “idea machine”. I have made a good living based largely on my outside-the-box thinking. While I have too many ideas to viably act on all of them, there are enough good ones that all are usually worth at least consideration. An Idea To Have Readers Find Flaws in My Thinking I have been prepping for a couple of years now and have come upon an idea that …


Some Implications of the NRA’s Recommended Full Auto Amnesty

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Introductory Note: The following is not intended to be legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your own state.  This essay is simply conjecture on possible outcomes of a change in U.S. Treasury Department policy, in response to a recent suggestion by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Your perspective might be substantially different, your situation might not match what I’m suggesting, and “your mileage may vary.” Do not do anything illegal. The window of opportunity that I will describe does not yet exist. So this essay is just some conjectural food for thought. The recent national kerfluffle over so-called “bumpfire” …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the effects of higher interest rates on stock markets. (See the Stocks section and the Economy and Finance section.)   Precious Metals: August’s Gold Market Looks ‘Ready For The Up Cycle’ – Sprott Money o o o VIDEO — Michael DiRienzo of the Silver Institute …


Surviving the Age of Disinfomation

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Dezinformatsiya I’ll begin this brief essay by defining a term: Disinformation is the deliberate spread of information that is known to be false or biased, in order to achieve a military, political, or social goal. The term was coined by Soviet planners, during the Cold War era. They dubbed it “Dezinformatsiya“. It has both military and geopolitical objectives. It includes strategic and tactical subsets that include propaganda, camouflage (“maskirovka“), contrived “news”, and political indoctrination. More than simply spreading false news of troop movements, dezinformatsiya is a grand strategy that encompasses all aspects of media manipulation and deception to reach a …


The Internet Gulag: Demonetization, Demonization, and Deletion

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A wave of Internet censorship is sweeping the globe. This censorship is no longer just the nefarious work of totalitarian nations. Many western nations are experiencing their own brand of censorship that is being promulgated by ostensibly “private” companies. (Although many of these are near-monopoly utilities that could be classified as public accommodations.) The War on Guns Dozens of conservative, pro-gun videobloggers and news outlets have been demonetized by YouTube in the past two years. By flagging these sites as “not family friendly”, viewers must now toggle “Restricted Mode: Off” and even when they do, advertisements are no longer displayed. …


Guest Post: The Meaning Of Good And Evil In Perilous Times, by Brandon Smith

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Perhaps the most destructive idea ever planted in the minds of the general public is the notion that nothing in this world is permanent — that all things can and must be constantly changed to suit our whims. The concept of impermanence fuels what I call “blank slate propaganda”. The usefulness of the blank slate as a weapon for social control should be explained before we examine the nature of good and evil, because these days it infects everything. Recycled and Repackaged Old Ideas Notorious For Failure The push for never ending social “evolution” has been called many things over …


Maintaining Mental Health in the Face of Crisis: Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress, by M.G., MSN, RN

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Many of us have considered how we would provide for our family’s physical needs, including medical care, during a prolonged crisis. Indeed, it would seem foolish to be unprepared for trauma related to accidents, violence, fire, et cetera, when professional medical care might not be available for weeks, months, or more. What most of us don’t think about is the effect that a long-term crisis and/or exposure to traumatic events could have on our mental health. Next to food, shelter, and security, this may seem to be a low-priority concern, but depression and anxiety related to traumatic events can have …


How I Sued My Neighbor and Won- Part 2, by A.E.

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In part 1 of this article about how I sued my neighbor, I described the details of how my young daughter and I arrived home to witness a dog attack of our chickens. I tracked this dog through the snow and had an uncomfortable encounter with this neighbor, to whom I explained the situation and asked for compensation. One of the men there pulled his finger, like a gun, and pointed it at me. Subtle intimidation ensued, but I didn’t back down. The end result was his refusal to pay for the expense of my chicken, so I took him …


Letter Re: Australian Gun Control Update

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Hello again friends, Because the Australian system of gun control is highlighted as “the model” of desired gun control/gun ownership, I thought it was time for another quick update. First Those that check the NRA website will see that some Australian Politicians are suggesting we have a category of firearms for semi – semi automatic firearms. This imagined category would cover firearms such as the Verney – Carron Speedline model rifle and manual repeating shotgun. It would also cover the Savage A22 which is a semi auto style rifle but has a manual operation to fire again rather than a …


How I Sued My Neighbor and Won- Part 1, by A.E.

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The Day The day it happened, my daughter and I returned to the majestic country estate located somewhere deep in the American Redoubt and witnessed a dog attack of our chickens in progress. My young daughter began screaming while I exited the vehicle with a handgun. The dog ran away and I was unable to engage safely or humanely. There are at least two hens nearby that have given up the ghost. Feathers were all over the area. Miscreant Tracked to Owner’s Home I tracked the miscreant through the snow to the owner’s home. Concerned about entering the yard with …


Are You Preparing for SHTF or TEOTWAWKI- Part 2, by 3AD Scout

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We are taking a look at the similarities and differences between preparing for a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI event. In part 1, we left off with questions one and two of the four questions associated with not having the luxury of normal commerce and how that impacts preparations for TEOTWAWKI. Let’s continue and wrap up the two-part article. Question Three We have question three to answer, and it is a significant one. Once the stored inventory is used up, how will it be replaced with either a renewable resource or by manufacturing? Scavenging. There is another possibility, which is scavenging. I …


Evacuation, by S.A.

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They’re coming. You know they are coming, because they have told you so. Yet, you have told them over and over through the years what lies ahead. They have listened politely with a small smile, then proclaimed, “I’m just coming to your place!” ‘Nuff said? Personal Message To Our People Our personal message is that when you get the call to come, then come. You must come, now. Leave within the next two hours so you can get out of the city before the roads become impassable. Some say if you miss the 24 hour window for evacuation, you will …


PGP for Preppers- Part 2, by Groundhog Gravy

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We should be especially careful when communicating electronically: it’s little more than trivial for a government, a corporation, or even a couple of well-equipped criminals to intercept phone calls, emails, or text messages. This article explains how to use simple, secure tools that do only encryption and do it right. These are based upon a tool that is significantly better than the name suggests, Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), and offers excellent communications security for preppers. Part 1 covered PGP and how it is used. Now, we are continuing. Setting an Expiration Date Now that you have created a key, there …


PGP for Preppers- Part 1, by Groundhog Gravy

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Introduction We all have a need for private communication. Whether it’s details of our preparations that we want to share with others in a group, discussing tactics, carrying on trade, or any of a hundred other matters, we should be concerned about keeping our communication private. We should be especially careful when communicating electronically: it’s little more than trivial for a government, a corporation, or even a couple of well-equipped criminals to intercept phone calls, emails, or text messages. We can use encryption, which transforms data into a form that can only be read with a secret key, to help …


The Rules of Engagement: Meet PTSD- Part 2, by Autistic Prepper

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Illness Triggers High fevers can also trigger flashbacks. During a bad bout of flu, H’s temperature soared to 105 degrees, and he went back to the hospital where he was treated for peritonitis after being shot. Sometimes medical treatment in Vietnam had to be improvised. H was placed in a tub of ice, which burned like fire but did lower his temperature. Now, in the present, he looked at me with beseeching eyes and begged me not to put him in the ice. I promised I wouldn’t. Hyper-Vigilance: Once Learned, Never Forgotten Hyper-vigilance, or hyper-alertness, is also common. People who …