Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

Ammunition is in short supply these last few months, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. RImfires and common defensive calibers like .380, 9mm and .45 went first, then .223/5.56. Since the election, even shotgun shells are scare as hens’ teeth. Leftist politicians may not have to gut the Second Amendment if shooters can’t find ammunition. When Mahbub Ali gave Kim a revolver, it was fully loaded. “Of what use,” the wily Afghan observed, “is a gun unfed?” What ammunition is still available is often at scalpers’ prices. Paying a dollar a shot for steel-cased Russian junk is not …

(Continued from Part. 5. This concludes the article.) If I’m going to be operating in a rural or wilderness area there are some changes I make to what I bring with me. I lose the Boker tool and the shove knife (since there probably won’t be many doors I need to get through), and I add in an Orion Pocket Rocket Aerial Signal Kit. That gives me 4 signal flares that will go up to 300’ and burn for 6+ seconds, which should significantly increase the odds of being spotted by rescue personnel. As I mentioned previously, when I’m backpacking …

(Continued from Part. 1) When you’re planning and evaluating your current environment for possible emergency events, don’t just focus on the immediate location and impacts – consider scenarios with a larger scope and secondary and tertiary impacts. You also should make sure you have some balance in how you approach this type of planning – I’m not suggesting that you stop and spend an hour doing disaster planning before you enter any building. If you devote some time to learning about different types of events and can develop the automatic habit of gathering some basic information on things like emergency …

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This lengthy article will be posted in five parts. Please reserve most of your comments until after Part 5 is posted, on Saturday. — If you’ve ever had any involvement with trauma medical care (especially in the military) you’ve probably heard the term ‘The Golden Hour’. This is generally considered to be the hour immediately following a traumatic injury in which medical treatment to prevent irreversible internal damage and optimize the chance of survival is most effective. For this article, I’m going to re-purpose the term ‘Golden Hour’ and use it to frame a discussion about surviving …

introductory Disclaimer: Eight years ago I suffered a brain injury.  Prior to that I was a professional in high tech, and had handsomely-paid writing and teaching gigs.  I have several degrees, and held at least a dozen technical certifications in a wide variety of technologies.  Most of what I knew was forgotten, lost, in that moment my brain almost died.  My writing and teaching skills flew out the window.  It’s taken a long time to regain even social skills as I still struggle to string my thoughts together in a coherent way, and command my body to function.  All that …

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Searching for jobs can be done in multiple ways. If you’ve filed for state benefits, you’ve likely been enrolled in a state employer search database. Make use of this, as the employers linked to the state are likely to be hiring constantly and not too picky. If you just need some money coming in, you’ll be hired soon. If you want to wait for a higher quality job, begin searching online. Local listings on Craigslist, Indeed, Monster, and other search engines are a reasonable starting point. I’ve discovered, however, that the oldest …

Introduction There’s an old saying, “When your neighbor loses his job, you call it a recession. When you lose yours, it becomes a depression!” Dealing with unemployment is something we all face at one time or another in life. For many in the USA and around the world, 2020 has given us a refresher course. Unfortunately, COVID-19 not over yet. The incoming Biden administration is not likely to be friendly to liberty – economic and otherwise. Some state governments have become emboldened by their success at implementing draconian regulations. The risk to our economic security is quite real as we …

My grandfather grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and had to make do with just the things that he had. One of the skills that he learned was building a better cardboard box. He would fit and glue boxes together, and add wooden handles to make nearly indestructible cardboard tote and storage boxes. I have some of his old boxes that are 53+ years old, and they are still strong. My father never had the knack for it, but my uncle did! He would use the cardboard like plywood and fill edges with glue to add strength. …

In this essay, I’ll be discussing The Bill Of Convenient Privileges (Formerly Known As The Bill Of Rights.) It is a sad day in a sad country. Ours was the only nation that was formed based on the concept of individual freedom and equal opportunity. (Not equal outcome.) I am going to show how we the people no longer have rights, but only Government-granted privileges. And only when they are convenient to the government. So let’s do this by the numbers: The first five Constitutional Amendments — Oops, I mean the first five convenient privileges. Amendment #1: Congress shall make …

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Military Training Standard training for United States military troops is commonly called boot camp, basic training, or some variation of this. This training takes place at any one of several forts and bases around the United States. It lasts between 8 and 10 weeks depending on which service branch is entered. All members of all branches receive basic firearms training using standard-issue rifles/carbines. Any additional training occurs depending on your rating, duty assignment, and abilities. Handgun training is relatively rare in the U.S. military except for some members of units with handguns …