Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” – Isaiah 51:12-13 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – September 09, 2016

On September 9, 1492, Columbus’ fleet set sail west. The rest, you know as history, or is that revisionist history.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. 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. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The “Chicken Little” Syndrome- Part 2, by Peter Martin

Opinions

So, what is wrong with opinions? Well, for the person holding it, nothing is wrong. It is their opinion, and that is all that is important.

So, what is the problem? An opinion is not necessarily anything factual. Huh?

If I like my steak well done, then a good steak is a well done steak. To others, a good steak is rare, or medium rare, medium, et cetera. So, the opinion is accurate or valid to the holder of the opinion, but it’s not necessarily valid to anyone else.

The President recently stated, “…that no one ever running for the Office of the President has ever been more qualified than Hillary Clinton.” That was the President’s opinion. I would think that Dwight Eisenhower’s descendants might disagree with that statement. Though never having held a political office previously, his experience leading the Allied effort in Europe during WWII, dealing with the multitude of personalities under his command (from all Allied forces) and with representatives of various governments provided General Eisenhower with very unique qualifications to lead a country. That’s my opinion.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” – H.L. Mencken 1880-1956

(To make this quote more contemporary, I would add the modern Mass Media, as it is just as bad as the practical politics of H.L. Mencken’s day.)

An Informed Opinion

What is an informed opinion? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is “a belief, judgment or way of thinking about something based on information. ‘She has enough knowledge of the system to offer an informed opinion of why it isn’t working.’”

Most of what we see, hear, or read is not an informed opinion but just an opinion. Some make it sound like the opinion they are expressing is an informed opinion, although for the most part it is just opinion. Some talk radio show hosts are very good at this, and it is misleading. Some news anchors, both local and national, are also quite good at making their opinion sound as if it were the Gospel truth, which it isn’t. We must stay informed, and the only way to do such things is to search for information from as many sources as possible in order to discern what is true and what is not true.

I thought about listing out some of the sources I use, but then those sources are my opinion of what a good news source is, and it’s not your opinion. So, let me provide a good insight into determining good sources of information and determining not so good sources of information.

If a source of information tells you that the economy is going to collapse soon (something I have been hearing since 1990) and it doesn’t happen, then they are just stating an opinion and a really bad one for the most part. If a source of information is telling you that military exercises inside the USA is a rouse for an actual take-over or martial law to be declared and it doesn’t happen, then you need to realize that it is fear mongering and that you need to get a better source of information. Just a side, military exercises have been happening in the country for well over 100 years and are not of any real concern. Some just think that seeing military vehicles in large numbers being transported by train or 18-wheelers is a concern, when that is how they are being moved to the exercise sites. Some of those sites are Yakima, WA, Camp Irwin, CA, and White Sands, NM. There is no real cause for alarm, as these exercises happen quite frequently. I know this from my military background and those of my family, relatives, and friends.

When you need to be concerned about such movements is when the Army Posts, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Bases are suddenly put under high alert status, only authorized personnel (no retirees or vendors) are being allowed in, and there has been no public announcement of why the facilities are under high alert. It would not include when a Post or Base has had an active shooter situation or other such event, as it would only affect that particular Post or Base. Security alerts are normal and announced, and usually they will allow retirees and vendors access to the facilities.

It would probably take nothing short of a nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) agent attack for martial law to be declared. An EMP event could also be cause for martial law to be declared, but it would have to be something that significant of an event for a legitimate martial law to be declared. Anything less would probably meet with resistance from Congress, law enforcement agencies (both civil and federal), and probably the military as well. Many have been led to believe that law enforcement (both civil and federal) and the military will just respond like automatons to any Presidential order for martial law, and in some cases that may be correct, though in other cases they will not cooperate. There are many police chiefs, county sheriffs, and military leaders that will not follow those orders if it is for anything less than an NBC attack or an EMP. Isolated terrorist attacks or riots in the streets would not be enough to declare martial law. Wide spread attacks or riots across the nation that involved every major city in the country, including every states’ major cities and state capitols could be grounds for martial law. Something else to consider, with the current administrations gutting of our military, there isn’t enough military forces combined in this country to enforce martial law. There also are not enough federal agents to do so either, regardless of whether they were acting with the military.

There are 10.2 million people in Los Angeles County alone, so how many military personnel do you think it would take to control it under martial law? Upwards of 30,000 or more would be my guess. That would be three Army divisions, and with troop strength being what it is the government would start running out of troops very quickly. The greater New York City area is approximately 20.2 million people, which would take upwards of 60,000 or more Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force personnel to keep under martial law. By the time they put the top 10 most populous cities in the country under martial law, the military would become exhausted of personnel, leaving vast amounts of the country not under martial law.

As previously mentioned in this article, if the source(s) you use to get your information from are always presenting the “Chicken Little” side of the story, I would caution you to look for other sources of information and to not react or over-react until you are able to confirm from independent sources that the information you have received is valid information.

In conclusion, there is no easy one-stop-shopping for the information you need to keep yourself well informed. You can spread around the time needed to find the information out over the course of the day, if you do not have the time to do it all at once. Be careful and watch the information you are getting by seeing if what they say actually happens, or if it is just misinformation or disinformation. Don’t fall into the “Chicken Little” syndrome and allow some source of information to constantly keep you in a fearful over-reacting mode, as you are just playing into a game you cannot win.

Peter Martin is a resident of New Mexico and has served in the U.S. Army. He also worked for 20 years in the Video production and Television Broadcasting industries. He is currently a civilian contractor working for a major Defense industry contractor to the U.S. Air Force in New Mexico. He holds several college degrees in History/Anthropology, Fine Arts Photography, and Organizational Learning and Instructional Technologies.

Letter Re: Survival on the Road

Hugh,

An item that has made all the difference for us many times are rain deflectors. With these covering up the top of the window you can stay in a vehicle during a rainstorm without fogging up or getting wet. In the winter time a slightly opened window will prevent a rapid exhaust of whatever warm air is in the vehicle as well as keeping condensed breath from frosting up the windshield. – R.T.

Economics and Investing:

Why You Should Be Paying Attention to America’s Quiet War on Cash – DSV

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5,300 Wells Fargo employees fired for creating over 2 million phony accounts – P.S.

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Hanjin Bankruptcy: a Harbinger for the Global Economy? – B.B.

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Hanjin Shipping’s Troubles Leave $14 Billion in Cargo Stranded at Sea

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Are they serious? First picture of four-bed house that jobless couple with eight kids slammed council for offering – P.M.

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

While America Partied On Labor Day: “Obama Initiated Another MAJOR Redistribution Of Wealth” – B.B.

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ATF pushing government app to report suspect gun owners – DSV

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My Homemade Gun Collection!!! Yet another reason why gun control does not work. – W.C.

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If you have concerns about apex predators (mountain lions, wolves, coyotes) eating or injuring your pets, (horses) livestock or your children (maybe even you), then you may find this story of interest: CDFW Predator Management Deception – S.E.

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A hilarious video about a prep that actually makes sense: Redneck Drives a Duct Tape Car off a Cliff! – J.C.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I shall exert every faculty I possess in aiding to prevent the Constitution from being nullified, destroyed, or impaired; and even though I should see it fail, I will still, with a voice feeble, perhaps, but earnest as ever issued from human lips, and with extinguish, call on the people to come to its rescue.” – Daniel Webster

Notes for Thursday – September 08, 2016

On September 8, 1565, the first permanent settlement in what would become the United States of America was formed. (St Augustine, Florida)

Also, in 1943, on this day, Italy surrendered to the Allies in World War II.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. 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. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The “Chicken Little” Syndrome- Part 1, by Peter Martin

Definitions for this article:

  • Misinformation: as used in this article, is information that is for the most part correct. It is the manner in which it is presented (spun/spin) that is misleading and therefore makes it “misinformation”.
  • Disinformation: information that is 90% fiction (not true) and 10% or less true/factual.
  • Discernment: 1) The ability to judge well, 2) the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure: skill in discerning.

Introduction

In these troubling times we can be inundated with enormous amounts of information, from radio (AM/FM/SW), TV (Network and Cable), newspapers, the Internet (news-sites and blogs), talk-radio, journals, books, magazines, and anything else one may encounter in their day-to-day activities. It can be very difficult to filter it all out and discern the fictional information (false or misleading) from the non-fictional (true) information.

Discerning What To Listen To And Read

Over the years many have become jaded to mainstream newspapers, magazines, and television/radio news. There are many good reasons for not believing what you see and hear from these sources, and yet is the information they present really unbelievable? Is it all lies?

Talk radio is also a source that many have become jaded to, for the same reasons that they have become jaded to newspapers, television, and radio news.

So, how does one try to determine what is a good source of information? What is misinformation? What is disinformation?

Well, there is no easy way. The only way is to discern what you have seen and heard and then try to confirm the information from at least one independent source if not two or three different independent sources.

The main stream media (MSM) is more misinformation than it is lies. The events they are reporting on have actually happened or are happening, and it is the bias they add to the event that makes it misinformation.

When the Orlando shootings happened recently a good portion of the main stream media was focused on assault weapons and automatic weapons, not on who was doing the shooting and why. They down-played the radical Islamic aspect and played-up the gun control aspect. Most of the MSM were not willing to state that the Orlando shooting was a terrorist event. Even the President was not willing to make that statement, although his CIA Director did state that it was a terrorist act.

Many times what you find on certain websites is worse than misinformation; it is disinformation. What you find is an event that is happening or has happened but only 10% or less of what they are telling you is true, making it disinformation. Sometimes it is complete fabrication. Recently, in New Mexico, there was a story making the rounds on the Internet concerning an “Islamic refugee being apprehended in Luna County (on the border with Mexico) in possession of plans to a gas pipeline”. The only problem was that there was no truth to it at all. The Luna County Sheriff’s department stated that no such event had occurred, nor were they aware of anything of that nature happening in any of the surrounding counties. One deputy stated, “Before putting out such an article that could put people in such an uproar, maybe they should confirm their stories.” I was able to confirm that nothing of this nature had taken place through other independent sources, including both law enforcement and media here in New Mexico and Texas.

What a concept! Confirming, verifying such information before pulling the “Chicken Little” routine and running around yelling the sky is falling! There is too much of the “Chicken Little” routine happening these days from all sources of information that it seems that all sources of information have fallen into the realm of tabloid sensationalism.

The Internet, in some capacities, is much like the old grocery store bulletin boards, where anyone could post anything they wanted to regardless of what it was, or whether it was anything even of a legitimate nature. For anyone to be able to post anything they want and for there to be little or no ethics or morals being used in what is being posted makes it very difficult to discern just what is really going on. In some cases, it is tabloid sensationalism that seems to be prevailing, alarming people unnecessarily, and misleading them into believing something that is not true.

One of the things you have to do, and most people do not have the time or the motivation, is to spend at least a couple of hours or more a day searching the Internet for news on any particular events you are interested in. Is it time consuming? Yes, it is, but I do not know any other way to find out what is really going on. It used to be that you could go to newsstands and libraries to find newspapers from all over the country, and in some cases from all over the world. You could purchase those papers or sit and read them to get a good idea of what was going on locally, national, and internationally. These days too many rely on a few sources on the Internet that basically just regurgitate each other, which too many think is enough to verify and confirm to them that it is true. Some of these are MSM, and some are alternative sites and/or conspiracy theory sites.

One of the ways to tell whether you are being lied to or not is to look at what your source is telling you, and then look at what, if anything, has happened. If none of those things your source has told you was going to happen has happened, then you are being lied to on a major scale. The “Chicken Little” scenario is sometimes all too evident in what we are seeing, hearing, and reading today, regardless of the source it is coming from. There is so much misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies that it does nothing but stir up a lot of fear and anxiety in people causing them to over-react. In some cases, I think that many of these sources that are using the “Chicken Little” tactic want for nothing more to happen than for people to start over-reacting, causing civil unrest and/or giving just cause for a government confiscation of guns and perhaps a suspension of the Constitution. So, beware of any such sources and double and triple check the information from independent sources to see if there is any real truth to what you have seen, heard, or read.

It is especially important these days to be as discerning as you can possibly be and to not over-react! Over-reacting just gives credence to what the left has been trying for decades to push, that only right wing fanatics want to own guns, while the sane people are fine with only law enforcement and the military having guns. The left is not only trying to get law abiding gun owners to over-react, now they are trying to get law enforcement to over-react with constantly accusing them of outright murder in many cases where it was self defense. Are there bad cops? Yes, but not every one of them is bad.

What Is An Independent Source?

That’s a good question! It may be easier to state what an independent source is not than to state what an independent source would be. If you saw something in the NY Times, then chances would be using the Washington Post or the Chicago Tribune would not be independent enough sources to truly confirm the information as being true. In that same regard, neither would CNN, MSNBC or perhaps even FOX News. The same would be true if you hear something on Rush Limbaugh, using Bill O’Reilly or Laura Ingram would not be good sources to confirm what you heard from Rush. Internet sites have the same problem(s), because some are run by the same people/organizations and are reporting the same stories with little or no differences. The Internet has a vast array of different sources available– local, national, and international sources– that can be used to search for information and verify what you are seeing, reading, and hearing. It does not take that long, and most search engines will provide you with multiple results very quickly, where you can check to see if the information you have come across can be confirmed.

The first thing to remember is that no source of information that you listen to, watch, or read can ever be considered 100% accurate or unbiased, especially unbiased. The event you are seeing, hearing, or reading about may actually be happening; it is the way in which the information on that event is being presented and what biases are affecting how that information is being presented that you must consider.

Many would agree that the main stream media is not a good source of information, when in fact, the MSM does accurately report on events (what is happening or has happened, for the most part); it is the biases that are presented, which are not reliable or accurate. The events have happened, but the way in which it is presented may definitely be slanted to whatever agenda the MSM is working with at the particular time.

The same is true for many web sites and blogs. Some web sites, which will go unidentified in this article, are just as bad a source of information as anything the MSM can come up with, and they are so sensationalized that even standard supermarket tabloids seem good sources of information in comparison. In other words, Caveat Emptor– let the buyer beware. Just like anything else you purchase, buying into what you see, hear, or read requires your own discernment as to whether it is a valid or quality product. Not doing so tends to lead to unfortunate consequences.

Just because some thing is on the Internet, on TV, or on the radio, in the newspapers, or in a book does not mean that it is true. It just means someone was able to get it online, on TV, on the radio, in a newspaper, or in a book. Even worse, in many cases, it is just someone’s opinion, and as we used to say in the Army, opinions are like a-holes– everyone has one.

Letter Re: Grid Failure

Thanks for the Disaster Survival on the Road article, which made some excellent points, many of which would also apply to a bug-out situation.

An EMP will be evident, due to the majority of cars not running and cell phones not working, but how will we know if the grid has been shut down by a cyber attack? Although power will be out, cars will still run as will their radios. I’m not sure whether cell tower backup generators will keep cellphone service available for a few days, or if grid-tied generators will be disabled.

In short, how will we know that the electricity outage is permanent rather than temporary? I really doubt the government would broadcast the truth, due to fears of panic. And if one waits several days to find out, it will be probably be too late to leave. – RLM

HJL Comments: In a few words, you don’t. Until you collect intel, you have no idea how far reaching a grid failure is, nor how long it will last. Having battery-operated radios will give you the best chance at gathering intel, both from commercial sources and from individuals. Of course, the longer the grid failure lasts, the more likely it is wide spread. Gathering intel is the name of the game at that point.

Odds ‘n Sods:

For those who enjoy adult coloring books, here is the latest book based on my brother Bruce’s creations: Bewusst Malen – Heilige Geometrie. (All of the quotes included are in German, but it is still a great coloring book for those who are fascinated by geometric shapes.)

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America the Illiterate – H.L.

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For those who are working on their communications abilities, SurvivalBlog reader RBS sent in this link to American Radio Supply. Lots of odds and ends to build your system out.

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Britain to start building anti-migrant wall in Calais – A.S.

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Israeli Science Teacher Invents Low-tech Water Treatment System – K.C.

Notes for Wednesday – September 07, 2016

This is the birthday of novelist Taylor Caldwell (born 1900 – August 30, 1985).

Today is also the birthday of Dr. Ludwig Vorgrimler (born 1912 in Freiburg, Germany; died 1983). Vorgrimler was the designer of the Spanish CETME rifle, from which sprang a plethora of roller-lock descendants from HK, including the G3, HK21, and MP5. His bolt design was also copied by the Swiss for their excellent PE57 and SIG 510 rifles. (Although the Swiss felt obliged to mount a “beer keg” charging handle on the right side of the receiver, for the sake of familiarity to Schmidt-Rubin shooters.)

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Dont forget to check out Camping Survival’s Mountain House sale. Discounts of up to 45% of are available and it only runs through the September 11th.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. 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. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Plea to Those Still Dependant Upon the Banking System, by G.S.

Recently, I discovered the last local bank in the area is being bought by a bank with eight times more exposure to derivatives. As I attempted to explain the dangers of this increased exposure to my family one evening, I realized my father may have more than the current FDIC insured limit stashed in this one bank.

In an attempt to make the case for him to at least spread out his savings, I have been researching the many reasons he should consider changing where his money is kept. I believe it is important for everyone to recognize the danger associated with having too much money in the banks, as well as the even greater danger of having it all in one bank.

Reason One: You might need your money and not be able to get it out.

When you deposit your money in the bank, they give you an IOU, and it is theirs to do what they wish. They don’t hold it in the vault you see in the front lobby. The money is lent to other people to buy homes and cars so the bank can earn interest, or the money is invested in other investments, such as bonds, to earn a return. The bottom line is, the bank only has access to a small percentage of the money needed to cover all of their deposits. Historically, when a bank runs into a crisis where more people want to withdraw money than the bank has on hand, the bank limits how much can be withdrawn. A recent example from a large bank can be seen from HSBC, as reported by BBC “HSBS Imposes Restrictions on Large Cash Withdrawals”. If you cannot withdraw your money, what good is it?

Reason Two: The days of earning money by having it in an interest bearing account are long gone.

Here in the U.S., I guess we are still fortunate. In my interest bearing savings account, I am earning 0.19 percent. Make sure you read that right. That is not 19 percent. That is a little less than one fifth of one percent. In some parts of the world, the negative interest rates make it so bank depositors actually pay the bank to take their money. It really does not matter if you earn interest though, because it is nearly impossible to find a bank account paying more than inflation. If you have $100,000 in your account this year and earn .19 percent, at the end of the year you will have $100,190. Let’s say we use the current, laughable, inflation rate for the last twelve months published by the U.S. government of 1%. (It is much higher in reality.) This means your $100,000 deposit today is worth $99,190 after a year. Our money is worth less as time goes on, even though we might earn a little interest.

References:

Negative Interest Rates – Less Than Zero

Inflation Hidden in Plain Sight

Reason Three: Banks have been given permission to steal their depositor’s money.

The Bail-Outs of the big banks after the 2008 crisis did not go over very well. The government used taxpayer money to make sure banks, who made terrible investment decisions, did not suffer any consequences. (Watch The Big Short movie.) Since then, the Dodd-Frank bill was passed to assure the next crisis will take a much larger toll on me and you, the average bank depositor. Essentially, if there is a crisis, instead of getting money from the government (taxpayers), the banks now have permission to take money directly from their depositors. We know this was done in Cyprus, but we need to realize legislation has already been passed in the U.S. for the same type of Bail-In.

Check out the following article on Dodd-Frank. It clearly lays out the disturbing list of who banks are responsible for reimbursing in the event of a crisis, and in what order. Unsecured debts, such as checking and savings account are eighth in line, behind the government and banking executive salaries.

If You Have Money In A US Bank Account Be Aware

Reason Four: Your money in the bank is not as insured as you think it is.

I want to go back to Cyprus for a moment. Did you know the money in those accounts was also insured, just as the FDIC insures yours? Read

”

Cyprus: What Happened to the Sanctity of Insured Deposits”?

More disturbing to me is the FDIC can only afford to cover a small portion of bank account deposits they currently claim to insure. They cannot possibly meet their obligation of up to $250,000 per account in a major crisis with the money they show as available. In addition, they do not know how much each bank would need, and their antiquated systems would not be able to handle the distribution of the money they do have. “Even FDIC Admits It’s Not Ready For Next Banking Crisis”

If you want more detailed information, Here is the actual document where the FDIC admits their inadequacy.

The FDIC is the federal government. Are we supposed to believe the government, who is somewhere between $14 Trillion and $20 Trillion in debt (that they admit to), will actually cover all of the insured accounts? If they are forced to, I imagine they will just insert another Trillion dollars into their balance sheet, essentially adding it to the taxpayer’s burden, and send that even more worthless money to cover the accounts. We live in the United States of Insolvency

Reason Five: Money in the bank is all electronic now, making it vulnerable to hackers.

Hackers these days are very good. We hear about new data breaches all the time. Were you aware even the FDIC has been hacked? The Washington Post reports “Inadvertent Cyber Breach Hits 44000 FDIC Customers”.

The troubling thought I have about hackers is their ultimate goal is not to let anyone know they are hacking. Think about this… if a hacker currently has access to any financial system, are they going to announce it, or are they going to keep quietly gaining access to the information for as long as possible? I have a feeling, for every instance of stolen information, there are many others we never know about. Guess what? “No, the FDIC Doesn’t Insure Your Bank Account Against Cybercrime”.

Reason Six: With your money in the bank, the government has access to your financial information.

Have you tried withdrawing more than $10,000? In 1970 the government passed a law saying banks had to get ID and file a report for any withdrawal, or deposit, over $10,000. Recently, I have been grilled by the bank teller for even smaller withdrawals. The tin foil hat wearing part of me wants to believe this paper trail is actually unnecessary anyway. I believe we are kidding ourselves if we think the NSA does not have access to all financial transactions within the banking system. If they eventually manage to get rid of cash, you will not be able to buy a pack of gum without the government knowing about it. In addition, the second article linked below makes another good point about removing cash. If they implement negative interest rates, you will not be able to avoid paying these negative interest rates by keeping cash outside of the banking system. Two articles: “Federal Banking Rules on Withdrawing Large Sums of Cash” and “Why Governments Want to Eliminate Cash”.

In Reason Two above, I pointed out with a $100,000 deposit that I will potentially earn $190 in interest. The only question I (and you) need to answer is this… is it worth $190 to expose my $100,000 deposit to Bail-Ins (legal theft), hackers, government meddling, and government access to my financial transactions? The answer for me, and hopefully for anyone after reading this, is “no”.

I would recommend having a portion of your money in cash outside of the banking system where you have access to it when needed. When I proposed this option to my wife, she was concerned this would expose the money to theft if there was ever a break in, or destruction if there was a fire or other natural disaster. For these reasons, I would suggest dividing your money and storing it in multiple locations. You will probably want a portion in a fire resistant home safe, where you have immediate access if needed. Another portion could be stored with a trusted relative. You may also consider keeping some outside the home, safely buried. See this article for tips on preparing a buried cache.

I would also recommend not leaving more than $50,000 in any single bank, if you decide to use the banking system. My reasoning for this is simple. Every time the government says they are doing something for the people, they promise to “take from the rich people” to make it happen. If they do implement a Bail-In, I believe there is a good chance they will have a floor where people with under a certain amount in deposits will have less stolen by the Bail-In than everyone else. In Cyprus, bank accounts with less than 100,000 Euro were penalized at a lower percentage. I don’t know what the amount will be here if it happens, but they have to keep the people who vote for them happy if they want to get reelected, so I expect some benefit to be given to those with smaller deposit amounts.