Category: Emerging Threats

Guest Article: SHTF Intelligence – Getting Started- Part 1, by Samuel Culper

This is the first article in a series about using intelligence for preparedness. I’m starting from square zero in order to introduce a new crop of Americans to the concept of using intelligence, to prove that there’s a need for intelligence and to get readers quickly up to speed on how to incorporate it into their security planning. After getting caught up to speed, if you’d like to read more in-depth and put theory into practice, a book entitled SHTF Intelligence will show you the way forward. You can find a small homework exercise here. Why do I need intelligence? …


Making a Living in the Hinterboonies

One of the great quandaries faced by many American preppers is that their desire to move to a lightly-populated rural region is usually not consistent with the ability to earn a good living. Let’s face it: The job opportunities in the Hinterboonies are scarce. Unless you are retired, self-employed, or you are in a high-demand profession (such as medicine or dentistry), then it might be difficult to have the same standard of living that you’ve enjoyed in an urban or suburban community. Part of the following repeats what I wrote in SurvivalBlog back in 2009 about the sorts of jobs …


A Call for Legislative Change – Part 2, by J.D.

(Continued from Part 1) The third explanation is law, which is defined as the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. Let’s disagree with that definition, because clearly with millions of laws and regulations on the books to regulate our actions it doesn’t work. Our country’s prison system maintains over 5,000 jails with a population of nearly seven million. It doesn’t look like law regulates anything to include the definition of “actions”. I think we can argue ethics does regulate action, because …


Letter Re: Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits

James, That was an excellent letter sent recently by “The Silver Bull” (Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits).  Regarding his suggestion of  pre-1965 “junk” 90% silver coins,  I’d like to ask  a question: Are the 1 Troy ounce U.S. Mint American Eagles purchased from dealers considered suspect for counterfeiting? I know that are when purchased through eBay. There is some good counterfeit-spotting tutorials available on YouTube. I appreciate what he is saying. By the way,, my favorite precious metals remain quality brass, lead, and copper in 5.56 and 7.62. Thanks for all you do. – RetiredPara …


A Call for Legislative Change – Part 1, by J.D.

Why not now? Why not us? A call for legislative change. The mystic Chinese philosopher, Lau Tzu, once said, “The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.” I can’t help but think of an image regarding 6,899,000 people under the supervision of adult correctional systems in local, county, state, and federal custody (Glaze, Kaeble 1). The Unite States has more jails, approximately 5,000 (Stephan 1), than degree granting institutions, approximately 4,700 (“Fast Facts”). Our Judicial system is a blood sucking beast of a hundred thousand heads draining our country of its dwindling …


Letter: Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits

Dear Editor: Those buying  silver and gold coins and bars need to be aware. I work in the industry at a well known coin shop in the mid-west. Time after time…week after week customers try to sell us fake items that they purchased from eBay, pawn shops, Craigslist, and elsewhere. It has become a bigger issue over the the last year and especially so in the last few months. When purchasing coins and bullion from customers we use our scales to make sure items are of proper weight, we use our calipers to check diameters, and we have the benefit of …


Letter Re: Radical Islam

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Dear James and Hugh, I was just reading the article mentioned on June 18th in SurvivalBlog regarding BHO’s refusal to mention ‘radical Islam’.  There are very few things that I agree with regarding the BHO’s thought process, but I tend to agree that our problem is not with ‘radical Islam’. As Scott Ott suggests, a better term would be ‘Literal Islam’. These people wreaking terror all over the world are taking their book of faith seriously or ‘literally’. Such a shame that more of us that claim to be followers of Christ don’t take His book as seriously. If we …


Letter: My Take on the U.S. Economy and Politics, and Their Implications for Prepping

HJL: I’m a both CPCU and CIC chartered senior insurance agent. I have observed that in a normal [business] year there is all sorts of business formation in the first three months.  I know because they ask for insurance quotes for the pro-forma or just come in and buy insurance, to to kick off operations. That activity has declined over the last three years to the point where it just did not happen this year. In the lead up to Mr. Obama’s election, business activity oriented to expansion practically stopped.  No one wanted to rent a building.  Very few bought …


Tracking Dogs- Part 2, by D.D.

Cross a River I specifically brought this one up. They laughed at this as a common misconception. They will have maps, and if they think you ran in the direction of a river, there is probably someone working their way up already without a dog. They will just run a dog up and down both sides of the river until they regain the trail. If they are close on your trail, they will send runners up and down both sides to see where you exited by finding the water trail and will actually gain time on you. Moving through water …


Letter Re: What We are Up Against

Greetings: You may be aware of my concerns over the potential for local infiltration of Islamists and what will no doubt ensure thereafter. As bad as some criminals are, most don’t gun-down 100 young adults in a club! And shockingly, far too many Americans fail to understand that horrific tragedy was considered desirable and “compassionate” by an Imam preaching in the local Orlando Mosque… Here is the video from their local TV station: Look at the battle that Mayor Van Dyne in Irving Texas has been fighting… and how she was ambushed by her own city council members when it …


Something in the Water- Part 1, by J.R.

After years of dreaming, planning, saving, and sweating, you are finally ready to leave occupied territory and make your move to the American Redoubt. You have poured over maps, studied census data, consulted with real estate professionals, and talked to county planning and assessors offices. You now are down to your short list, but what about the water supply? Water can make or break your new homestead. “It’s no problem,” you say. You checked the well logs, and the general area has good producing wells of reasonable depth, or your selected property already has a well. What is a Well …


Longing for Liberty: A Blueprint for Defense of Second Amendment Rights on a Local Level – Part 1, by JD

In March of 2016, a local radio show mentioned that my town was considering gun control laws and these proposed laws would be voted on at the town meeting in May. Immediately, I checked online news sources, which confirmed that there were warrants added to our Town Meeting that would enact restrictions far beyond what the state already had in place, and the state’s were already some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. My heart dropped from that first moment when I heard the news of these proposals, and I have only briefly recovered after the victory against …


Letter Re: Avian Flu Consequences

Hugh, Last July I sent out a warning about the duck population in Wisconsin. Last year, out of 40 hens only three hens reproduced and had 14 ducklings. The year before (2014), we had about 20 hens, and just about all had young, averaging 10 ducklings each. Avian flu pretty much wiped out reproduction last year and prompted my warnings about stopping the hunt that fall. Nobody listened! This year, the population of adult ducks is down about 75% from 2015 levels. So far, we have three hens that haven’t nested, five hens that have come off the nest with …


Guest Article: Open Source Intelligence, by Samuel Culper

In light of an election season, economic conditions, and domestic stability particularly vulnerable to disruption, we should examine a distinct possibility. Under Title 10 of the U.S. Constitution (as described in Title 18, USC Section 1385), the President has the authorization to order military forces to support civil authorities and to aid domestic security efforts. These operations are referred to as Military Assistance to Civil Disturbances. After the Watts Riots of 1965, the U.S. Army drafted a plan for the Defense Department, codenamed Operation Garden Plot. Since then, U.S. Presidents have authorized both regular army and national guard troops to …


Surviving the 2015 Fire of Lake County California- Part 2, by B.G.

Looters- Lessons Learned You don’t need to be an expert killer to deter an attacker. The people who loot an evacuated area are generally cowardly. You need only appear more of a threat than the average person. Buy a gun, learn to use it, but don’t obsess. The survivalist fantasy of defending your home against squads of organized killers is just that– fantasy. What is more realistic is that you will stumble into the opportunist that thinks “mandatory evacuation” means “no one is at home”. Encounters can happen any time. If you are staying, start carrying a gun shortly after …