Category: Privacy & Encryption

Letter Re: New Jersey Court Upholds Man Arrested for Visible Gun Case

Sir: The situation described in the recently-cited article (New Jersey: Court Upholds Man Arrested For Visible Gun Case In Car) only underlines frequent Rawlesian reminders for maintaining OPSEC at all times.  His arrest might have been avoided had he simply covered the cargo area with a blanket so the cases were not visible.  Hopefully the conviction will be overturned in a higher court under the provisions of the Firearms Owners Protection Act (FOPA).  In general, this states that: “notwithstanding any state or local law, a person is entitled to transport a firearm from any place where he or she may lawfully possess …


Letter Re: Jurisdictional Issues and Modern Statutory Law

Dear Sir: Many are dismayed by the recent Colorado law restricting firearms. But a cursory reading shows that the law only applies to “persons liable” and not the people at large. Regarding any new law, tax or regulation, remember to ask servant government: [ ] Whose endowed rights are being secured by this ? [ ] How and when did I give consent to be bound by this ? [ ] What privilege is the subject of this tax ? Because the Declaration of Independence states that Job #1 = secure rights, and Job #2 = govern those who consent. …


Letter Re: A Privacy Lesson From the Boston Bombing Investigation

Jim. I learned something from the recent Boston terrorist incident….though it passed very quickly in a reporter’s interview – and even though the reporter was interrupted and didn’t get to finish her thought. In regards to one of the bombers, the reporter said something like  “We can tell from the contents of his “Wish List” online, that he”  ……..(not exact quote). so… I was aware that Amazon.com had a “Wish List” that shoppers can create.  I had NOT been aware that you can search for anyone’s “Wish Lists”, but you can. So everybody needs to know that any Wish List …


Letter Re: Ham Radio Standardization for SurvivalBloggers?

Good Day James, I’m a long time fan of your books and your blog thanks for all that you do. There is some great information there. I am interested in finding out if your [local] group or another group has established any ham radio frequencies that may serve as a beacon of information in a SHTF situation or are you totally off the grid when that time comes. I do have your IP written down, but was just curious… Regards, J.M., USMC JWR Replies: The folks at Radio Free Redoubt are already doing a fine job of coordinating communications with their AmRRON …


Pre-TEOTWAWKI OPSEC, by P.J.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Isaiah 39:5-7 God’s word to Hezekiah, king of Judah, through the prophet Isaiah immediately followed a dramatic sequence of events …


Single Scope Tyranny

I recently heard from one of my readers who holds a Top Secret clearance and who has SCI access. His clearance was up for a Single-Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) periodic reinvestigation (PR). These SSBI-PRs are standard practice for anyone who holds a Top Secret clearance with access to Special Access Programs (SAPs), Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), or nuclear (“Q Access”) programs. He told me that he was the subject of an “Expanded Reinvestigation” and in the course of that investigation he was challenged by investigators about his loyalty. The challenges, he discovered,were based upon his e-mail history and the assortment …


Living a Double Life, by Sara Sue

The biggest threat to this country right now is the Socialist/Progressive movement that includes the belief that we should not be “America the great, the free”; that we must take our appropriate place among the world leaders as equals, and that we must “spread the wealth” to ensure “social justice”.  In the end, this type of thinking leads to a one-world government under the leadership of a “benevolent” governing body who controls our every move.  This belief has undermined the security of this country and exposed us to those who would have us dead – the external threats.  The internal …


How to Thwart Nigerian Scammers: Demand Proof of Life

SurvivalBlog readers often buy gear for their retreats using Craigslist and Internet message boards such as Buddy’s Board and eHam to buy equipment. There are some genuine bargains out there, but be advised that these web sites have become the favorite hunting grounds of Nigerian Scammers. They prey upon people who are looking for bargains. Typically, the scammers place fraudulent ads offering items for sale in the Want To Sell (WTS) category , or they respond to Want To Buy (WTB) ads. Some Red Flags that may indicate that you’ve been contacted by a Nigerian merchandise scammer: 1.) The seller …


The Folly of Hubris — A Cautionary Tale, by Mrs. S.

How do you balance the secrecy needed when prepping with letting your friends and relatives know that you are a prepper and encouraging them to become one too? Because when SHTF, you want your loved ones to be safe too. Wouldn’t it be wrong to prep in secret and not afford your favorite people the opportunity to prep like you? I know it is not wise to advertise to non-preppers that you are a prepper. But I did it anyway. I just wanted to start a conversation about prepping with my best friend. I was excited about prepping and I …


Three Letters Re: Forget Codes: Using Constructed Languages for Secure Communication

Jim: The article on constructed languages [by Snow Wolf] was fascinating. Just two concerns: An outsider might be able to crack your code based on repeated grammar. As was mentioned in the letter, “sentences follow the common subject-verb-object pattern”. This pattern is predictable and could help a very intelligent decoder. Also your activity can be observed after communication, helping one define terms. Both of these concerns can be mitigated with re-aligning, as mentioned in the letter. So take care not to overlook that step. Finally, if every tip in this article (such as re-aligning and custom grammar) were practiced, and …


Forget Codes: Using Constructed Languages for Secure Communication, by Snow Wolf

Egyptologists tell us that the last hieroglyphic inscription was carved in 394 A.D., and within a few decades all memory of the ancient Egyptian language was lost. For the next fifteen hundred years the world’s greatest scholars tried to translate hieroglyphics, but it was only when Jean-Francois Champollion had access to the Rosetta Stone in the 1820s that the dead language spoke once more. The Rosetta Stone, which had an identical inscription in three languages, was the key which allowed Champollion to begin translating the forgotten language. You may be wondering what this has to do with preparedness. I believe …


Secure Signals for a Survivalist, by Fred J.

This subject is a much overlooked area in the survival community and sorely neglected. I hope that the following synopses of this crucial topic will inspire an invigorating awakening in this area that I feel is vital to our collective success, without which our endeavor could well be doomed. Every country and every military around the world through the ages has employed codes, ciphers and signals as well as signets et cetera for security and authentication of messages. Sending messages via couriers, as well as during times of war and peacetime to prevent their opposition from learning their secrets and …


Technology Today, by KCLO4

Let me premise this by saying I am no expert in the material I will provide. I, like most everyone on this site, is an avid hobbyist in these matters. For some background on me though, I am a Mathematics and Computer Science Major in my fourth year of college, a phone and computer enthusiast, I enjoy white hat hacking and build computers for fun. Maybe not the average prepper, but I get by. I am writing this article as I have found almost nothing on modern technology in the several blogs that I visit on a daily basis, even …


Letter Re: Home Computer Security Tips

Hi James, I heard your recent radio interview with Alex Jones. It it you mentioned Darknets [such as Tor] and IP addresses. I happen to use the following tools for security. Perhaps they will be of use to SurvivalBlog readers: To make it easy to find IP addresses, I use ShowIP. This is a little tool add-on to Firefox and works a treat, makes saving favorite web site numeric addresses a breeze. Private VPN tunneling:  Normally this is difficult to say the least, by TunnelBlick is great, easy to use, and I use RiseUp for both secure anonymous e-mail and …


Letter Re: Curious Postal and Common Carrier Drivers

James Wesley: I was wondering if you could pose the question of “mail-order stuff” to the UPS or Fed-Ex drivers that read SurvivalBlog. Have they been told to “see something-say something”? Thanks, – Ed S. JWR Replies: I haven’t heard anything definitive on that topic in recent years. I’d appreciate UPS and FedEx drivers chiming in. FWIW, I should mention that David Koresh (of Waco) first came to the attention of the BATF because a UPS driver reported seeing “grenade casings” protruding from a ripped cardboard box that was sent to the Waco church address.  Well, those were actually inert …