Economics and Investing:

No cash allowed: Stores refusing to accept money – K.B.

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Death of ‘financial whiz’ on Queensland beach exposes suspected $100 million Ponzi scheme – A.S.

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Bank of England wields stimulus ‘sledgehammer’ to beat Brexit blues. The Bank of England has cut rates for the first time since 2009 along with restarting bond purchases.

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Chicago Seeks Tax Hike to Avert Insolvency for Pension Fund

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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:

How To Navigate Using the Sun and Stars – DSV

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A rather long video (2½ hours), but if you’ve got the time, it’s well worth the watch: The Truth About The Fall of Rome: Modern Parallels with Stefan Molyneux – T.Z.

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Princeton Study Exposes New Ways Sites Are Spying on You – G.G.

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DHS To Run Elections, Wants Voting Classified As “Critical Infrastructure” DHS has turned America into a Police State and now they want to take control of our elections! According to a NY Times article, the Obama administration wants DHS to run our electronic ballot casting system. DHS wants to classify our election process as “critical infrastructure”. Do you really believe we can trust DHS with our voting system? DHS/TSA have been accused of corruption nearly since their inception – H.L.

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Wearing ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ insignia could be punishable racial harassment – B.B.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Conservatives and liberals are kindred spirits as far as government spending is concerned. First, let’s make sure we understand what government spending is. Since government has no resources of its own, and since there’s no Tooth Fairy handing Congress the funds for the programs it enacts, we are forced to recognize that government spending is no less than the confiscation of one person’s property to give it to another to whom it does not belong – in effect, legalized theft.” – Walter E. Williams

Notes for Thursday – August 04, 2016

On August 4th, 1944, 15 year old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family were captured by the Nazi Gestapo. The Franks had taken shelter is a small space in a sealed off area of an Amsterdam warehouse along with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man. They were aided by Christian friends who brought them food and supplies. Her diary survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo, but Anne and nearly all of the others perished in the Nazi death camps.

Guest Article: SHTF Intelligence – Getting Started- Part 2, by Samuel Culper

This is the second article in a series about using intelligence for preparedness. I’m starting from square zero, in order to introduce a new crop of Americans to the concept of using intelligence, to prove that there’s a need for intelligence, and to get readers quickly up to speed on how to incorporate it into their security planning. After getting caught up to speed, if you’d like to gain a deeper knowledge and put theory into practice, a book entitled *SHTF Intelligence will show you the way forward. You can find a small homework exercise here.

In the first article, we covered why we need intelligence and an introduction to the Intelligence Cycle. We use this cycle in order to produce early warning intelligence and threat intelligence; those are the top two priorities for the Analysis & Control Element (ACE) in a SHTF situation. Our ACE is the brain where we funnel information and out comes actionable intelligence. The ACE’s job is to inform the leadership about threats in the area, where they might be, and what they might do next. If we can get community involvement and start producing intelligence, then our work will be well worth the effort.

This second article is going to take our intelligence requirements– the things we need to know but don’t– and move on to Phase 2 of the cycle: Collection. (If you haven’t generated any intelligence requirements yet, you can get a start at the homework page.)

In any SHTF situation, we’re going to face one of two problems: either we’re not going to have enough information to make well-informed, time-sensitive decisions, or we’re going to have too much information to wade through, which will slow down our decision-making process. So what’s the lesson? We need to begin developing streams of information now in order to avoid problem number one, and we need to know what to do with that information in order to avoid problem number two. Let’s focus on solving problem number one.

It seems like a poor decision to believe that we’ll have access to lots of information during an SHTF scenario. I’m more than willing to concede that information will not be as inexpensive and easy to collect then as it is now. So the more information we can collect now, the less we’ll have to collect later. For now, while information is inexpensive and easy, we’re going to focus mainly on the Internet and other widely available sources of information.

Inexpensive and Easy Information

Say what you want about Google, but there is no better online tool to collect massive amounts of information. (That obviously goes both ways, as it’s always collecting information about you, so it’s a good idea to use online anonymity tools and an anonymous or pseudonymous email address.) We run into a problem, however, when collecting that information monopolizes our time. Who has time to sit at a desk and search for hours on end for information that may not even exist online? Not me, and that’s why we need to automate collection as much as possible.

Google Alertsis a great resource for automated intelligence collection. Some of my searches include:

  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “crime”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “drug”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “gang”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “corruption”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “violence”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “Sheriff”
  • “Waller County” and “Texas” and “whatever else is relevant to your security”

Etc…

Also, be sure to replace “Waller County” with your own town or county and state, and start getting more local information. You could even do searches for the name of your community or subdivision or for nearby landmarks. If you need help creating searches on Google Alerts, then just refer back to your intelligence requirements, which identify your intelligence gaps. (Caveat: You’re likely going to get some articles or posts that aren’t relevant. Don’t worry about them. Focus on what satisfies your requirements or that you can use to produce area intelligence.)

What Google Alerts does for us is creates a daily roll-up of new articles that Google finds about those subjects. I start my day every morning checking my Google Alerts to find more information about my area, and it saves me a great deal of time. Now, assuming that our searches use quality logic, one problem we may run into is a lack of reporting, especially if you live in a very rural area. If that’s the case, then we have a few options. First, I’d encourage you to go volunteer with your county sheriff’s office or local police department and get to know the crime, drug, and gang information from knowledgeable sources. Second, we could approach our local paper, if they’re not already doing it, to start writing more about crime or drugs or gangs (or all three) in the area. Third, if there’s no area paper or they’re not interested, then we could start doing it ourselves. (Local area “micro-papers” like the Appalachian Messenger are a great way to get our message out to the community, as well.)

I’d also encourage you to search Twitter and other social media for your area. For instance, a search for Hempstead, Texas on Twitter doesn’t seem to reveal much pertinent information immediately. However, I’m identifying people who live nearby posting about what’s important to them, and that’s certainly of some intelligence value. After a little digging, I’ve found a like-minded individual and discovered someone who could be a threat to my community.

If you’re concerned about critical infrastructure in the area, I’d steer you towards the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and their US Energy Mapping System, where you can see the critical infrastructure in your county (or across the country). If you’re interested in the human terrain, sites like City Data are great resources with tons of relevant information and mapping tools.

Of course, we can’t forget about the radio networks. You can rely on your Ham radio guy, or you can study for the technician or general class amateur radio test and begin learning Ham radio yourself. Forget about transmitting for a moment. Our ability to listen into communications, whether they’re from first responders, law enforcement, or a Ham radio operator passing along relevant information, is a mission-critical skill for the ACE. If we don’t have around-the-clock monitoring of at least police scanner, then we’re missing out on potentially a lot of important information.

More Difficult Collection Options

In a grid-down situation, or a scenario where our intelligence requirement can’t be satisfied with open source information, we’re going to rely heavily on other humans to collect for us. Let’s steer clear of calling this “source operations”, because it doesn’t need to be that complex or professional to get us through an emergency. By expanding our circle of friends and acquaintances, we’re expanding our access to information. Building rapport and becoming friends with individuals who are likely to have important information is going to greatly increase our ability to maintain situational awareness.

Beyond that, we should be using the eyes and ears of those in our community. We need to get our neighbors “bought in” to the idea that community security is everyone’s responsibility. I hate to use the phrase “See Something, Say Something”, however, DHS is on track to building lots of channels of information of potential intelligence value. Our message to the community could be as simple as, “Let me know if you see anything suspicious.”

Alternatively, starting (or joining) a neighborhood watch program is a great option. Not only will we get access to law enforcement officers and crime information, but we can also build a reporting system and give our community members a seat at the table. It also gives us a great excuse (something we call “cover for action”) to go door-to-door asking questions and providing information as the block leader of the Neighborhood Watch.

Finally, we absolutely need to be using police scanners and any other technology we have in order to stay on top of the changing security situation. In the Ultimate ACE Startup Guide, I’ve outlined what we need, why we need it, and where to get it.

Last Work On Collection

When we consider all the websites, radio frequencies, and humans to which we have access, there’s virtually no end to the potential for collection. (Just ask the NSA.) Having developed intelligence reporting streams is going to pay dividends for us when we have to navigate our way through an SHTF situation, and it’s going to solve problem number one: not having enough information. That’s a problem we can avoid by doing some homework now and setting our community up for success by developing sources to use later when we need to provide security.

In the next article, we’re moving to Phase Three of the Intelligence Cycle, which is Analysis & Processing. I’ll talk about how we can sort through information and begin building intelligence products that will support our mission of community security.

Samuel Culper is the director of Forward Observer, a threat intelligence service that focuses on domestic SHTF issues. He’s a former military and contract intelligence analyst, and author of SHTF Intelligence: An Intelligence Analyst’s Guide to Community Security. You can find out more about the SHTF Intelligence Center at his website.

Letter Re: Wifi At a Discrete Distance

It’s better to find an adapter with antenna port. This is a high-powered single-band adapter or a dual band (I’d recommend the 5Ghz band if possible, but it is still a bit rare) with RP-SMA connection. Then add a good antenna; the omni is probably equal to the Yagi. If there isn’t interference and is dual band but this Yagi will pull in from a longer distance. If you can get two and get a connector, you can put it “in the middle” like in a tree and point one at the source and one where you are using it, and it will be a very narrow beam. And, yes, I’ve used such. There are other adapters, antennas, and amplifiers (which I won’t go into) when I didn’t want to go through the problem of installing cable for just a few hours per day when I was home and a “main office lobby with free wifi” was available. There are various ways to get passwords for routers. Another thing is to get an inexpensive router and just “install it free” and leave it somewhere they have a few loose ethernet connections.

One thing to be careful with is some adapters can change their MAC address, which can be used as a fingerprint. (It will indicate the manufacturer, and if they try hard they might be able to trace who originally bought it.) Either randomize the MAC or buy “used” and rotate or use wifi adapters as you would “burner phones”. While the MAC is normally only known to the router, it will leave a DHCP record for hours or days on most routers. – TZ

Odds ‘n Sods:

Robb Moffett, from Rob’s Homemade Life posted a new video that shows a DIY body camera from an eyeglass pouch and an old Kodak Playsport video camera. Remember, everyone is a reporter now.

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Starving Venezuelans Break Into Zoo to Butcher Animal. This is what Communism does to a country! The zoo has lost 50 animals so far – starved to death. Being food secure in one’s home is critical! Governments can and do turn on its citizens – H.L.

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Obama Shortens Sentences For 56 With Gun Convictions – B.S.

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Germany sees record requests for self-defense weapons – P.S.

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OPSEC – Very Cool Hardware Firewalls to connected with a dedicated VPN server – D.W.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. – Ronald Reagan

Notes for Wednesday – August 03, 2016

August 3rd, 1846 is the day that the Donner party found a note warning the emigrants that their expected route through the mountains ahead was nearly impassable. Hastings, an unscrupulous trail guide, had created his own “short cut” route and wasn’t even at the meeting place at Fort Bridger but had left word for the party to continue on. Hastings had claimed easy passage through the rugged Wasatch Mountains but had left a note attached to a forked stick for the party explaining that the route was more difficult than he thought. Eventually reduced to cannibalism, only 45 of the original 89 emigrants reached California the following year.

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SurvivalBlog would like to welcome AMTAC as a new advertiser. They specialize in “precision engineered silence” for your weapon of choice. Head on over to amtacsuppressors.com and check them out.

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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.

How Do You Find A Good Survival Retreat Property?, by D.R. in TN

With global economic instability rising and personal security issues taking center stage in the U.S., consumer demand is increasing for remote properties that offer security and the ability to be self-contained. This could include providing your own electric power, drinking water, food, and personal protection. In other words, it’s the ability to live independently, in a self-sufficient manner, with renewable resources far from urban chaos.  Are you looking for a remote survival property?

Think very seriously about it. We did, and what follows is a checklist of considerations for finding a survival retreat. It is the culmination of a four-year process of searching, site visitations, and more searching. When we started our search 10 years ago, we were living about 100 miles from “ground zero” for every nutjob with a terrorist death wish. There was some urgency, even then. We knew we had to prepare to Get Out of Dodge. We were convinced that, when things go South, having a dedicated safe retreat for relocating our loved ones would put your minds at relative ease, and it did. It would make no difference what the SHTF crisis was. It could be man-made or a natural disaster that causes you to leave your immediate area; it could be a nationwide financial melt-down or a long-term security situation that could make returning to your primary residence perilous or impractical. Having a retreat, when facing TEOTWAWKI, provides you with a secure place to go that is far from inner city anarchy and where you can safely maintain food reserves and other supplies and start your life over again. If that sounds like a practical alternative to holing up in your house while looters with sledgehammers crack open nearby ATMs, then our experiences could be a good primer for you.

Where do you start in determining a good location for your survival retreat? Start by doing your own research. Understand that it’s going to take some time commitment to find what you want. It’s probably one of the most important purchases of your life and for your loved ones, so take the time to be thorough. Read up on what makes a good retreat property. James Wesley, Rawls’ book, Rawles on Retreats and Relocation, is a good place to start. Joel Skousen’s Strategic Relocation is another well-known reference. Use popular Internet sites (like SurvivalRealty.com) to select your top two or three areas of the country, and learn all you can about those locations. Be sure what you select is within your budget and is a practical choice for your family and/or retreat mates. Unless you have unlimited funds, there will be trade-offs and compromises in your selection process. Eventually, you’ll boil down to the lowest common denominator– the “must-haves” at your retreat property. Once you’ve really narrowed your choices to one single area, get some professional help. If you don’t buy and sell properties on a routine basis or have a very close friend who already lives in the area you’ve selected and is willing to help you, you’ll want to consider finding a seasoned real estate broker– a highly experienced expert in local retreat properties. Talk with all of the rural property brokers in the area you’ve identified. Research the brokers thoroughly, and talk to their past clients. Consider someone very familiar with the county courthouse and who can demonstrate a good track record of satisfying clients, not just having the most listings or selling the most houses. Remember, this person must be someone you trust to be knowledgeable, thorough, and discreet; you’re not looking for a fast-buck artist. An expert who understands pricing elasticity in your area can guide you to properties that you can afford and assist, if necessary, with finding owner-financed properties and other purchasing options to meet your needs. Of course, you must have your finances in order and be seriously ready to pull the trigger when you find the property that you want.

Significant Points to Consider

Once you have pinpointed a short list of properties in your chosen area, these are some significant points to consider. Later in this article, I’ve included a fairly complete checklist of critical considerations and questions. It’s not exhaustive, but based on our own experiences it can serve as a practical guide for most everyone. These are some initial questions to ask yourself about the best sites you’ve selected.

Location: The most important rule of real estate is always location, and this is the overriding consideration in choosing any retreat location. How will you get to this location in a disaster, if it’s a multi-state drive away? What’s the population of the local area? Is the property defensible? How far off the beaten path do you want to be? How close is it from major population centers and evacuation “lines of drift”? How many access points are there?

Water: You must have year-round reliable drinking water. Are there wells, streams, springs, rainwater collection potential, and/or ponds? You need redundant water sources that are independent from city water services. What will it cost to develop or remediate these? What are average rainfall amounts for the area?

Self-sufficiency: Is the site suitable for solar energy production, wind mills, or mini-hydro power applications? Is the soil favorable for growing your own food, if necessary, and for raising livestock? Is there plentiful wild game? Is their adequate timber for building and firewood for heating your home? If you need it, what would it take to get central station electricity and city water, natural gas, and sewer to the location?

Cost of living: Can you find employment in the area? What’s the zoning situation, and how about property taxes? What are insurance costs? What sources are available locally for various services, such as hospitals, diesel mechanics, electricians, plumbers, and/or earth movers? Where are schools and churches?

Finally, don’t procrastinate. If you’re reading this, you already recognize a serious need for the security of your loved ones and close friends, should a disaster occur. Get started now. Identify a general location that is accessible and well suited to your needs. As noted in other SurvivalBlog posts, you can use City-Data.com as an effective tool to pare down your location choices. Contact a local real estate expert that specializes in retreat properties from your chosen area. Good luck and good hunting.

Checklist for Choosing Remote “Retreat” Property

  • How will you get to the retreat location in a disaster? ls your vehicle reliable and well-outfitted?
  • Do you have a refueling plan if it’s a multi-state drive away? Will you have backup supplies along the way?
  • How defensible is it? Is there high ground to control access and maintain security? Mountainous, rocky terrain limits access, but is it also suitable for planting a garden, digging a root cellar, or building a tornado shelter?
  • What are the prevailing area weather patterns? What’s the average rainfall? Length of seasons?
  • Is your site near an earthquake zone or susceptible to river flooding and/or mudslides?
  • Will any structures be visible from the nearest county road? Is there high ground from which to overlook and control your access points or build an LPOP?
  • Is there more than one ingress or egress point? Is it a private entrance or a county-maintained roadway? Does it require 4WD to access? Does the property entrance look inviting to solicitors, spooners, hunters, or other uninvited individuals? A county road sign (ie: Shady Cove Ln) is an invitation to wanderers. You do not want “curb appeal” at your retreat.
  • ls there year-round fresh drinking water– wells, streams, springs, rainwater collection, or ponds? Look for multiple water sources independent from convention city water services. What will it cost to develop or remediate these?
  • Will the soil need to be amended for agriculture or is it adequate for growing crops now?
  • What is the year round climate, and will you be able to tolerate it (for yourself and for your garden and livestock)?
  • Is there plentiful wild game? Rural areas are home to many insects, rodents, and other indigenous critters that you may not be familiar with. What are the natural predators in the area? Feral hogs and coyotes are growing into a nuisance in the South. Learn what to look for so you’ll not be surprised at what already lives on your selected property.
  • How far is your site from a major metro area or large city? What is the population of the local area, the county, the closest town, and how close is it to migratory “lines of drift” from major population centers. During a crisis, areas with high population densities generally can experience the most crime, social unrest, looting, highest likelihood for diseases, and the highest death tolls due to anarchy, depleted resources, and poor sanitation.  Avoid proximity to these areas.
  • If your site is just a raw tract of land, what are the local zoning restrictions for building? Can you have an airplane landing strip? Can you have fuel storage tanks? Can you build a lake or dam a stream? Can you drill for oil or natural gas on the property? You do plan to buy with all of the mineral rights intact, right?
  • Is there adequate road access for bringing in building materials if needed? Are there fences and gates on the property, and what is their condition?
  • Will you have to install a septic system, and if so, has the soil been perc tested? If not, what is the confidence of passing a percolation test?
  • Is there electricity nearby? Do you know the cost of bringing electricity to the building location? Will you need back-up generation capability? Which fuels (propane, natural gas, et cetera) are available?
  • Will you consider solar power? Is the site suitable for photovoltaic energy production, wind mills, or mini-hydro power applications? If so, check for adequate sun exposure near the building location (South-facing exposure for Northern Hemisphere).
  • Is there plentiful timber for building and/or firewood for heating your home?
  • Are you at least 50 miles from the nearest nuclear power plant? What are the seasonal prevailing wind directions from that plant?
  • Do you or your family need professional medical services? Occasionally, you may need medical treatment from a metro center, e.g. special health care). You might not want to live too far away from a city but beyond the reach of an evacuating mob. We like a 50 mile minimum, but further (75 miles or more) is much better. What about local ambulance service? Do you or your family members have allergies to any environmental (natural or otherwise) elements that could be aggravated at your selected location?
  • What is the general cost of living in the area? What are the median income and education levels?
  • How expensive are the property taxes? What’s the local regulatory climate?
  • What are the State and Local taxes? Is there a state income tax?
  • What about educational opportunity for school-age children? How far away are the schools?
  • What religious affiliations are prominent in the area? Where are the churches?
  • Will you live on site full time? Unless you have enough funds in reserve or lucrative investments, are you going to be able to find employment? Will the location provide a supplemental income? Will it be enough to get by?
  • If you don’t live on-site full-time, who will be looking after your property? Do you have a trustworthy neighbor to look in on the property routinely and report back?
  • What’s the attitude of local law enforcement? How about the local elected Sheriff? The local Road Commissioner is also good to check out.
  • What are the crime statistics for the county your property is in? Review the local newspaper and consider prevalent arrest statistics.
  • Who are your neighbors, and might they be like minded? Stop and visit them prior to any purchase. Make a good first impression; your life may depend on your neighbor’s good will at some point.
  • What is the political climate of the state and in the nearest town that you are considering? Will you be able to tolerate it?
  • What will it cost to insure your property for fire loss and weather-related damage.
  • Are you surrounded by other private property owners or do you have some natural boundaries or Government, National/State Forest, or BLM boundaries? This could be advantageous or not, as some Western ranchers have recently discovered.
  • How far is the location from the nearest small town? (You will need to occasionally replenish your supplies.)
  • How far is the location from the nearest mid-sized town? (They will have special services that you may require from time to time, like refilling your buried propane tanks.)
  • Would it bother you much if a high percentage of county residents were illiterate? What other characteristics of a local population should you be concerned about?
  • What sources are available locally for mechanical services, such as electricians, plumbers, earth movers, and vehicle repairs? If these are scarce, how far would providers have to come to help you, and at what cost? Can you learn to handle property maintenance work and minor medical crises yourself? Are you physically able to handle manual labor and DYI projects common in a remote setting?

There’s a lot to consider in seeking a survival property, but take it one step at a time and you won’t be overwhelmed. You’ll find it’s a lot like prepping; you start with your top survival priorities and work at it with conviction and patience over time until you have assembled what you need and learned how to deploy your acquired resources. A survival property search can be fun and very rewarding, even though it can be a long, thoughtful, decision-making process that you and your family do not enter into lightly. Sure, finding the “right” property for your needs and budget takes some time, but don’t drag your feet on starting your search process. Consider the alternatives; they are not pleasant. Leaving the city at the last minute with your family and a car full of luggage is definitely not a smart strategy. You need a specific safe destination and a solid plan (or two or three or four plans) to get to your retreat. Being aimless and mobile is high risk for even the best prepared individuals. Believe me, most city dwellers assume they are safe if they stay in their cozy house. That’s their survival plan. The error of this supposition becomes sadly obvious when the first well-armed looters invade their neighborhood. These pillagers definitely had their own plan all along, which was to take what you have as a means for their own survival. Of course, there are other city folks who really believe they can “head for the hills” and survive with their old “Boy Scout” skills. That scenario does not have a happy ending. What’s left is about 97% of the population clueless and totally unprepared. By the time they figure out there’s a serious problem and no one is coming to help them, the Seven-11’s are already empty. Be smart; be among the 3% that have a secure retreat location in advance and a plan to get to it in an emergency if you are not already living on site. In fact, have multiple backup plans to reach your retreat expeditiously, with the fuel reserves for a reliable vehicle to transport you and loved ones there as safely as possible.

Finding a good survival retreat location is not a difficult task. But putting off your search will only ensure that you’ll likely not have a safe retreat when you or your family needs it most. Start your research now. Select a general retreat location (multi-county) in a region you like, look over these checklist questions, and contact a local expert in survival retreat properties. Good luck on your journey, and God bless.

Letter Re: The Profile of Wounding in Civilian Public Mass Shooting Fatalities

Dear Sirs,

I read the excellent study (“The profile of wounding in civilian public mass shooting fatalities“) linked from SurvivalBlog on 7/30/16. The only criticism I have is the premise that civilian public mass shootings (CPMS) victims could receive prehospital care within 10 minutes and trauma center care within 60 minutes of injury. As we have seen in events such as the Orlando and Paris Bataclan nightclub capers, these goals are sometimes stymied. Insights I gleaned from the study are as follows:

  1. Blindly following an algorithmic approach to trauma care may lead you to select the wrong algorithm for the situation. As the study pointed out, the differences in weapons, distance between combatants, and presence or absence of body and/or head armor all significantly change the wounding patterns and therefore the immediate approach to care.
  2. While I don’t know if the individual combatant thinks much about this at the time, in war a strategy of wounding slows the enemy more and causes them to use more resources than a strategy of killing. It was apparent to the authors that the strategy in CPMS events was to maximize killing. It was very revealing that the study authors could only identify 9 of 125 CPMS victims (7%) with potentially survivable injuries.
  3. The authors confined themselves to examining medical options for dealing with CPMS injuries. Since so few victims can be expected to survive, even with quick and appropriate care, the more successful strategy in CPMS may be in limiting casualties by stopping the attack quicker. It is clear that gun free zones do not work (and seem to be a magnet for such attacks). Expanding a failed strategy never results in its subsequent success.
  4. About 6% of our population has concealed carry permits. To obtain them they demonstrated knowledge in weapons law as well as proficiency in handling a handgun. In addition, they passed a background check. Statistically, it has been determined this group of people are less likely to commit a crime than are police officers. If one out of every 18-19 people did routinely carry their handgun, maintained proficiency with it, and there was a reduction in “gun free zones”, it is likely that the overall death rate from CPMS would decline.
  5. For those squeamish about the idea of an armed citizenry, I would like to draw an analogy. Though I have only used the fire extinguisher in my car once in the last 30 years, I continue to carry one. I do not look for fires to put out, and I would not use it on fires that it would not extinguish or whose progress it would not significantly impede. I certainly do not start fires to put out with my fire extinguisher. I view equally inanimate objects (like firearms) the same way.
  6. Though medicine has evolved greatly and continues to progress, it may be less responsible for declining death rates over time than good hygiene, waste disposal, and modern food packaging practices. We should not depend entirely on the medical profession to mitigate the damage from CPMS events. – Kris

Economics and Investing:

You Can’t Eat Gold. “The point is that simple statements such as “You can’t eat gold” are a useless DISTRACTION.”

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End of Driving Season Could Send Oil Back to February Lows. Oil prices are about to face even more downside as the end of a somewhat disappointing driving season is nearing.

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We May Not See A Total Meltdown Of Global Currencies But This Will Definitely Collapse

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Admitting a Weak Economy, the Fed Keeps Rates Low

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

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Reader J.B. recommended the Hardy Boys series:

I’ve been reading the Hardy Boys series aloud to my children (three boys, one girl, ages 4,7,8,10), and I think I enjoy them as much as they do. Not only entertaining, it is quite refreshing to read how they solve problems with only their ingenuity and their bare hands. The boys are smart, funny, hard-working, and chivalrous to their young lady friends. They respect their parents. They know when and how to fight, build a fire, and track animals and people. They take the blame when necessary and work hard to make their mistakes right without complaining. These stories provide an excellent opportunity to engage discussions in science, nature, bullies, history, manliness, respect, and emergency preparedness.

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Reader S.R. suggested Wild by Nature: From Siberia to Australia, Three Years Alone in the Wilderness on Foot by Sarah Marquis. A female’s ten-thousand-mile solo hike surviving extreme temperatures, thieves, dehydration, an abscess, and more. Not a continuous journey and she had help, but still an educational read.

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H.L. suggested War Day by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka. Written in 1984, it’s the first novel to deal with the aftereffects of an EMP attack and strikes on our ICBM fields. Five years after war day two Dallas reporters travel the country, trying to put together a coherent picture of how the USA is doing, with interviews with many different folks. Very thoughtful book, all in all.

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R.T. suggested The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: Respecting and Caring for All God’s Creation by Joel Salatin

Unfortunately mis-titled, it’s not about pigs. Its target audience is denominational Christian farmers who subscribe to corporate-style farming.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Tim Kaine’s stance on firearms has shifted along with events.

This article in the leftist Washington Post seems to praise him for lying to his constituents about his intention to disarm them. So this is Hitlery’s running mate? All that I see is typical political opportunism, statism, and prevarication. I hope that the American electorate sees through the shrewd lies of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Timothy Michael Kaine. – JWR

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I was sent this video for Armageddon Gear (Made in America) by reader G.S. This has to be one of the most inspiring videos I’ve seen in a long time: Armageddon Gear American Made

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ATF forgot to comply with policy, accidentally creating gun owner database – DSV

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CBP ‘Secure Locations FAQ’ Is Guide For Avoiding Deportation – B.B

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Number of Americans renouncing their citizenship near record highs – G.G.