Notes for Sunday – February 14, 2016

Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …




Special Note

Saturday’s news flash on the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia came as a shock. Given that the leftist U.S. Senate has a long history of “rubber stamp” confirmations of Supreme Court Justice nominees, this is an evil omen. The news of Scalia’s demise is troubling, even if Hitlery Clinton is not elected. The BHO Administration will undoubtedly nominate another ultra-liberal Statist, resulting in a tectonic shift in the composition of the court. (With a 5-to-4 Statist majority, the District of Columbia v. Heller decision would have gone the other way.) In essence, once Obama’s next Supreme Court nominee …




Notes for Saturday – February 13, 2016

Today, February 13th, is the birthday of both Robert Charles R.C. Sproul, Jr.(born 1939), a well-respected American Calvinist theologian, and General Chuck Yeager (born, 1923), the first man to break the sound barrier. o o o I recently received a sample of the new Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) OC3 fixed-blade tactical knife, which was designed by SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio, in cooperation with Brian Wagner. The overall length in nearly 11 inches, and it is constructed of SK5 steel that is black powder-coated. It has a practical drop point, yet it comes sharpened on BOTH edges, …




Notes for Friday – February 12, 2016

The Panic of 2016 is continuing, just as I predicted, with further sharp declines in the equities markets around the world. The push for negative interest rates is continuing. I’m now asked: “Should I buy gold?” My answer: No, buy silver, and if portability is a concern buy some platinum. Presently the ratio between the price of gold and the price of silver is a whopping 78-to-1. That makes the long-term prospects for silver much better than for gold. Meanwhile, the price of platinum is $285 per ounce less than an ounce of gold! So that too is a better …




Notes for Thursday – February 11, 2016

February 11th is the birthday of the late Burt Blumert (born February 11, 1929 in New York City, died March 30, 2009). He once owned Camino Coin Company (as did Dr. Ron Paul). JWR was a Camino Coin Company customer, starting back in the late 1980s, and can remember Burt personally helping him dolly out his first purchase of 100-ounce Englehard bars. That was back when they cost just $580 each. Those were the days! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this …




Notes for Wednesday – February 10, 2016

February 10th is the birthday of Zvi Zvika Greengold (born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded the Medal of Valor. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …




Notes for Tuesday – February 09, 2016

February 9th is the birthday of Major George Charles Nonte Jr. (born 1926, died June 30, 1978). JWR had the privilege of attending ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox in the same company with his daughter, Yvette, in 1981. Some of the stories that she told about her father were amazing. He was quite a guy. Cadet Yvette Nonte went on to a career in Army Intelligence, retiring as a Colonel.




Notes for Monday – February 08, 2016

On February 8th, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated. For 100 years, the BSA stood as a strong bulwark of conservative, libertarian, moral values. They successfully united boys from diverse backgrounds, different religions, and different ethnicities– uniting them based upon the principles required for a boy to become an upstanding man. The BSA was attacked from all sides for their righteous stance and even persevered and won their case (Boy Scouts v. Dale, 2000) in the Supreme Court. Sadly, they have in recent years caved from within. Their desire to fill the executive board with amoral, powerful industry …




Notes for Sunday – February 07, 2016

On this day in London, Benjamin Franklin published An Imaginary Speech in defense of American courage. The speech was intended to counter an unnamed officer’s comments to Parliament that the British need not fear the colonial rebels, because “Americans are unequal to the People of this Country [Britain] in Devotion to Women, and in courage and worse than all, they are religious.” Franklin’s response included his usual wit and acuity. o o o We just noticed that one of our advertisers, Camping Survival, also has another web site http://www.hvactool.com where they sell tools to help you work on your own …




Notes for Saturday – February 06, 2016

Today is the birthday of “The Gipper”. Born on this day in 1911, President Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. The nickname came from his portrayal of George Gipp of Notre Dame University in Knute Rockne – All-American, a film about the legendary football coach during Reagan’s previous career as a movie actor. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact …




Notes for Friday – February 05, 2016

On February 5th, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt announced his plan to expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 Judges. This unconstitutional move was in response to the hostility that the court held towards his “New Deal”, itself an unconstitutional expansion of government authority. Roosevelt was flushed with his landslide victory in 1936, so Roosevelt pressed his advantage. In April of that year, two justices conceded the high moral ground and capitulated to his demands allowing for a narrow victory on the New Deal. The reorganization was now unnecessary and in July the Senate struck it down, but the …




Notes for Thursday – February 04, 2016

On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College. This was repeated again on this same day in 1792. Because of the way the early American voting procedure worked, the electors cast two votes with no distinction for president or vice president. Washington was chosen by all of the electors and is considered to have been unanimously elected. Of the others on the ballots, Adams had the most votes and thus became the vice president. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the …




Notes for Wednesday – February 03, 2016

Mayflower Trading Company (one of SurvivalBlog’s contest sponsors) is having a food sale going on through the end of the month. If you’ve delayed prepping, now is the time. They have 2,000 calorie/day 1-year food packages starting at $499.99 as well “just add water” meals and “no prep required” food bars when you’re on the go. If it’s edible, it’s on sale. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from …




Notes for Tuesday – February 02, 2016

February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905, died March 6, 1982). She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 63 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series …