Category: Odds ‘n Sods

More troubling privacy news: Secrets of FBI Smartphone Surveillance Tool Revealed in Court Fight and IRS: We can read emails without warrant. (Thanks to G.G. and R.B.S. for the links.)    o o o Reader B.B. sent this: York Arms Cancels All Its New York Police Orders    o o o The ultimate “Angry Beaver” story: Beaver Bites Man To Death In Belarus Attack. (A hat tip to Pierre M.)    o o o B.B. sent: Newly Approved Arms Trade Treaty Could Shut Down Flow of Surplus Ammo. This will surely mean short supplies and higher prices, so I recommend …

A reminder that Safecastle is currently running a semi-annual 25% off sale on Mountain House canned long term storage foods, through April 15th. Check it out.    o o o Got a chainsaw? SurvivalBlog’s Mike Williamson spotted this: A Finnish style log camp stove.    o o o A good introductory field training video from SouthernPrepper1: Hand and Arm Signals    o o o Five Ways To Charge Your Phone In An Emergency    o o o Some interesting lessons here about “needs” versus “wants”: When Home Is a Campus Parking Lot

Just as I warned you, the “compromise” has begun: Tommey-Manchin Sellout Bill Is Worse Than Feinstein Gun Ban. Please contact you senators and emphatically tell them how you feel about this amendment and while you are at it, please tell them where they stand on : A.) All other gun legislation, B.) the upcoming immigration amnesty bill (a lot of the same bad actors getting into Deep Schumer, on this one), and C.) Senate ratification of the UN Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) treaty. In related news: Reid’s Gun Control Bill Makes a Missing Firearm a Ticket to Five …

S.Q. sent this encouraging news: PoliceOne’s 2013 Gun Policy & Law Enforcement Survey    o o o Reader Anthony P. wrote to mention a very sad accident: Two children killed at bunker construction site. Anthony’s comment: “I’m sure the media will take this as an opportunity to further vilify the prepper movement.”    o o o I heard that Alec Smith’s latest book, Staying Home, (the follow-up to Getting Home) is now available on Amazon for just 99 cents until Friday.    o o o Frequent content contributor Jim W. suggested this Primitive Pathways video: Stone point penetration test on …

Attention Texans: April 26 to 28 there is a Self Reliance Expo in Arlington, Texas. Marjorie Wildcraft, Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy are among the many speakers.    o o o Some commentary by Claire Wolfe over at Backwoods Home: Can the U.N. Ban America’s Guns?    o o o Sad news from Oz: Queenslanders handing in 500 guns a week. Of course what is not mentioned in the article is that there are millions of unregistered guns in Australia, including hundreds of thousands of now contraband semi-auto and pump action guns. Recognizing their long standing right, many Aussies have …

Congress returns to try to reach final deals on major issues of immigration, gun control. Please contact your Senators again!    o o o Kansas Governor Sam Brownback Signs HB 21 – Recognizes All States’ Concealed Carry Permits. Hopefully this will be a trend setter!    o o o Dawn S. in Texas wrote to mention that just found a large variety of flower, vegetable and herb seeds in Mylar packaging at her local Wal-Mart. She notes: “Some are heirloom varieties. Although the product is listed with a “sell by” date of 12/13, it is hermetically sealed. This is a …

Signs of the times: As cities lay off police, frustrated neighborhoods turn to private cops. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)    o o o And yet another! Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) member and Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin was arrested yesterday for allegedly accepting bribes from an undercover FBI agent, as part of a wide-ranging federal corruption probe that netted six New York state politicians. Meanwhile, we read, about another MAIG member: Gun-Toting Mayor Charged in Sex Intimidation Case. He has now been formally booked for a long list of charges, but they missed discharging a firearm inside …

Kevin S. recommended this over at the JPFO site: Jim Crow Rides Again    o o o Pro-Gun Laws Gain Ground: Since Newtown Massacre, More States Ease Regulations Than Bolster Them. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.) And speaking of liberty and the lack thereof: “State Control”: What the UN Firearms Treaty Is All About. (Thanks to Jim W. for the latter link.)    o o o Over at Red State: The only gun infographic you’ll ever need.    o o o Worth noting: Camping Survival has dropped their price on sandbags by about 30%. As usual, SurvivalBlog readers …

G.G. sent this gem: Fusion center director: We don’t spy on Americans, just anti-government Americans. In related news, here is one Baltimore cop who has swallowed the whole SPLC party line: 10 tips and tactics for investigating Sovereign Citizens. Here he warns his fellow officers not to be swayed by Constitutional and court case citations. Incredible! (Thanks to C.R. for the link.)    o o o Undoubtedly, a Darwin Awards Candidate. An important safety tip, folks: Most dynamic nylon climbing ropes have up to a 30% stretch factor, under load. Dynamic ropes should not be used for static rope applications, …

Californians would have to show ID when buying ammunition under a proposed new law. “Sponsored by Berkeley Democrat Nancy Skinner, AB 48 also requires dealers selling ammunition to be licensed in the state, for federal and local officials to be notified when an individual purchases more than 3,000 bullets [sic] over a five-day period and prohibits the sale of kits that help convert conventional firearms into semi-automatic weapons.” JWR’s Comment: Oh no! That brilliant Mrs. Skinner must have caught wind of the enormous boatload of Pedersen Devices and 3D-printed Shoulder Things That Go Up that is about to be surreptitiously …

Coming up this Sunday (April 7, 2013) in Orlando, Florida at the Days Inn conference center, JRH Enterprises is hosting Survival Medicine I: From the ground up. You can register ahead of time or pay at the door. Bring a friend or family member and save $25.    o o o Utah’s ‘real-life Davy Crockett’ captured after five YEARS on the run for stealing from mountain cabins and taunting police.(Thanks to G.G. for the link.)    o o o Kansas couple: Indoor gardening prompted pot raid. [JWR’s Comments: This events echoes some OPSEC warnings that have previously been published in …

Reminder: The Get Prepared Expo will be held April 6-7, in Lebanon, Missouri. I will be one of the featured speakers (via teleconference.) I will be on from 11AM to 1 PM on Saturday April 6th. They will have 100 exhibits and 80 of their 1-hour seminars – running six at a time for two days.    o o o Apparently it is fine for Veep Joe Biden to proclaim “Get a shotgun”, but then when it is suggested that they actually be handed out to lowly peasants in Texas and Arizona in neighborhoods where they are most needed to …

There has been a lot of chatter on the net about the call for an “‘Armed’ Peaceful March on Washington D.C. for July 4th”, as mentioned in the DC Clothesline blog. While I trust that the organizers are sincere, I believe that going armed would be unwise. Because open carry is banned in DC and because of the now mature facial recognition software, everyone who attends could face arrest at home — even weeks or months after the event. (And wearing masks is out of the question, because that is banned in D.C. too.) I strongly urge them to gather …

Joe K. suggested: Emergency Preparedness & Outdoor Adventure Planning Checklist o o o Americans Are Migrating To More Free Republican States. It is noteworthy that the study (see summary here) would have ranked Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana higher, except that “freedom” as they define it includes so-called “same sex marriage” and the freedom to use marijuana. This skewed their results. o o o F.G. suggested this vintage video that explains vacuum tube technology: AT&T Archives: Bottle of Magic o o o Ten Reasons Why Senators Should Vote Against the Gun Control Bribe-o-thon o o o Reader D.D. sen this link …

Dear Respected Comrade, Supreme Leader, Great Successor, First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, Kim-Il Sung Jr., Jr. seems to have gone full-on Col. Jack D. Ripper “Sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids ” bonkers. There has been news of North Korea targeting Guam, Anchorage, and perhaps even Oahu or Seattle with their handful of low-yield nukes–which are probably not yet compatible with their missiles. (And their missiles most likely still …