Category: Current Events & Politics

Letter Re: A Strange Assortment of Weapons in Rio

Dear Editor: In a 28 November post in Survival Blog, you observed: “Rio de Janeiro shaken by fresh gang violence. There were 15 deaths in one day. Notice that one of the photographs shows a policeman carrying a scoped FN-FAL. Things must be serious. Please pray for the city’s residents.” As a journalist I encountered a wide variety of weapons in use by the Rio de Janeiro Policia, including Imbel FALs, Ruger Mini-14s, various M16/M4 family weapons, Kalashnikovs and many examples of handguns. If the equipment–including tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles–tactics and appearance of the policia appears to be that of …


The Wikileaks Backchannel Fiasco

It will be years before the full implications are felt from the unauthorized release of 251,287 U.S. State Department cables. (Of these, 15,652 of the cables were classified Secret or Secret/NOFORN.) In the end, the Wikileaks fiasco might even destabilize a number of governments, including those in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, the U.A.E., Egypt, and Turkey. The most immediate effect may be seen in Saudi Arabia. Starting in the 1930s, a status quo developed there through tacit agreements between the House of Saud, its rival princes, and the Wahabbist clerics. In essence, King Abdulah ibn Abdul Aziz’s ruling faction is …


America’s Terrorism Problem Isn’t Domestic

SurvivalBlog reader R.F.J. sent me a link to a recent news account about the would-be Portland, Oregon bomber, Mohamud Osman Mohamed. Reading that article confirmed something that has been very clear to me for more than 20 years: America’s terrorism problem isn’t domestic. As others have already pointed out, the purveyors of terrorism in America and elsewhere are mostly Islamic Middle Eastern Men, predominately ages 18 to 30. All the leftist hand-wringers whine on endlessly about “fairness”, and decry that horrid “profiling.” But the latest incident in Portland is just another in a long, long, string of Islamic Middle Eastern …


Letter Re: Bernanke’s Absurd Quantitative Easing Jobs Claims

JWR,   You can’t make this stuff up.  Seriously.  Ben Bernanke claims that the $600 billion QE2 will create 700,000 jobs.  Even if he’s right, that’s $857,142.86 per job created.  Even if you believe the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, more appropriately called the “BBS”) thei figure of 14.8 million currently unemployed Americans, that means that the U.S. would need to have just over 20 more infusions of $600 billion to employ all of our unemployed.  20 x $600,000,000,000… (drumroll, please)… $12 Trillion!   I think that it’s doable.  Let’s get QE3-to-QE22 underway.  Maybe SurvivalBlog readers could start a grassroots movement to get this …


Letter Re: Retreating: A Minority Perspective

Hello Jim, Blessings to you and your family. Here are my comments regarding the article Retreating: A Minority Perspective, by Alex B. The Aryan Nations group has been forced out of North Idaho.  Not only did they lose the lawsuit that took away their “compound”.  The new owners allowed local fire department to train on site when the buildings were torched. Their leader, Richard Butler, died a few years later and the rest of the bugs left for parts unknown. This small group was good at making themselves look bigger by holding an annual camp-out at the compound and marching …


Letter Re: A Closer Look at Bank Closures–Failed Banks Without Buyers

James Wesley, You recently posted this article: Seven banks closed in Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan. Remember something we’ve been trying to focus on? Watch closely for banks for which the FDIC cannot find a buyer. Read closely… in that article there were a couple banks that were only partially purchased by other banks. The FDIC held on to some of the liabilities of some of the banks. The real zinger is the First Arizona Savings bank – completely shut down, no buyer, no more bank. The FDIC is sending checks to those customers (hope you didn’t have more than $250,000 …


How We are Making Changes, and Our Lessons Learned, by K-Dog

After college (in the early 1990s), I was educating myself about finance even though I was not employed in that industry, I felt that if I was going to be responsible for my own financial well being during life I better start my education. I learned quite a bit, but failed to act on any of the information.  I was constantly seeking more and more info, then I had a series of jobs changes and got married, our first house and hence missed the “dot com” stock rally on all levels. Looking back I associate this with information paralysis. Lesson:  …


Letter Re: Defensive Firearms Options in Canada

Letter Re: Defensive Firearms Options in Canada Hi Jim, This is in response to Roger C.’s letter “Prospects for Canada in a Societal Collapse.” My guess is southern Alberta would be one of the best places in Canada to be in in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. Albertans generally buck the norm when it comes to Canadian values. Even among the conservative Canadian west, we are far more socially and fiscally conservative. This makes Albertans generally more self reliant, charitable, and less dependent upon government handouts than most other Canadians. We have a stigma for “cowboy culture” here for a reason. Other …


Letter Re: Europe’s Anti-Austerity Protests

JWR: Here are two links to recent news articles: Anti-austerity protests sweep across Europe, and Demonstrators protest spending cuts across Europe. How long until something similar begins to impact the U.S. may be as simple as this. The “hidden from public” depression, camouflaged by government “Robin Hood” programs like Food stamps, EBT cards, extended unemployment, various grants and subsidies, will become increasingly evident when, not if, the Fed slows down and/or stops payments that keep the masses satiated. It certainly can happen if austerity budgets rear their ugly heads and the wheels begin to come off our society. Or hyperinflation …


Letter Re: Thoughts on Upcoming Quantitative Easing

Mister Rawles: As many of the SurvivalBlog readers and individuals who are on the inflation/deflation watch have noticed over the weekend is the rumor that the Federal Reserve will begin what is commonly referred to at this point as Quantitative Easing, Round 2 (or “QE2”) , Fed Will Boost Balance Sheet by $500 Billion . Why is this important for the average American? The opening of the novel “Patriots” lays out a scenario where the Federal Reserve begins to buy U.S. Treasury debt which spirals out of control leading to the implosion of the government. There should be warning lights …


Letter Re: Why a Practice Garden?

Hi James, Concerning garden soils. Most of the bags sold as topsoil are really not top soil. Top soil occupies only on the top 6 to 12 inches of soil at best. It is called the ‘A’ horizon. What customers are getting is the deep ‘B’ horizon soils usually free of any rocks. ‘B’ horizon soils are found immediately under the ‘A’ horizon and can be any where from 20 inches to 10 feet deep. Mostly they are 2 to 6 feet deep depending on the parent material from which they have developed. Steer manure from a feedlot is most …


Letter Re: Amish Populations Bugging Out

Mr. Rawles: I saw the response to your link regarding the Amish and I concur. These folks are wonderful and are very good for a community. Where I come from in central Michigan the Amish community makes pallets. Trucks from far and wide go out of their way to come through the area for these high quality pallets. The pallets are just the base of their community. They also run a store that beats everybody, even Wal-Mart, on price. Sure, they don’t sell all that cheap Chinese stuff, but I consider that a plus. I can’t go past the store …


Shifting to Tangibles in an Age of Inflation

I’m often asked by my consulting clients why I put so much emphasis investing in tangibles rather than in traditional investments that are denominated in United States dollars. The problem with dollar-denominated investments is that they are vulnerable to inflation of the currency unit itself. The U.S. governments over-spending and deep indebtedness is bound to catch up with it someday. And when it does, inflation and economic ruin will be the result. But there is protection from inflation. If the majority of you assets are in tangibles and they are in your immediate possession, then you will be insulated from …


Letter Re: Australia’s New Nanny State Knife Ban

Dear Jim, Welcome to the newer even bigger Nanny State here in Australia. Here is some information with regards to new national knife laws coming into force soon. ( I believe about six weeks ). For all your readers it will be of interest that the Australian Federal Government is going to ban all imports of the following: multitools, lockback folders such as Old Timer, Schrade etc, Swiss army knives, and Wenger army knives. Never mind the fact that pocket knives and Swiss army knives have been used in Australia for over a century without trouble, but because of the …


Letter Re: What Your Cell Phone Could Be Telling the Government

James Wesley: Regarding the recent article at the Time magazine web site that has been forwarded far and wide: What Your Cell Phone Could Be Telling the Government. Remember, this is America. While there is no better place on earth to live, you are never any more free than They allow you to believe you are at any given moment. All you can do is live out your life, raise your family, eke out some happiness, and try to affect the change that is important to you in the short time you are here. It is certainly worthwhile (and patriotic) …