Letter Re: Sources of Vitamin C in a Post-SHTF World, by Okie Ranch Wife

Sir:

There are a couple of sources of Vitamin C that are not common knowledge.

If you are an oldtimer like me you may remember the name Euell Gibbons, the
spokesman for Grape Nuts cereal. His catchphrase was “Ever eat a pine tree?
Many parts are edible.” He wasn’t kidding. The inner bark of a pine tree is
a great source of Vitamin C, Thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin A and other
beneficial properties like Protein and fat, yes fat one of the things everyone
needs to survive.

How to get it? Take a branch the size of your little finger (this is about
one serving), strip (slicing motion) off the corky outer bark with a knife
until you get to the soft inner bark (which is sometimes green, sometimes
white.) It is the layer between the corky bark and the wood. This is
the layer that eventually becomes wood and carries the nutrients from the soil
to the needles. Strip that off with a knife, chew it until it becomes like bubble gum, then swallow. Does it taste great? Only if you enjoy drinking PineSol (not recommended). But the fact is that people can use this to make it through an emergency situation or to ensure you are getting enough vitamin C ify ou are in doubt about your diet. You can also make a tea out of the needles.Pour boiling water over two tablespoons of washed and crushed pine needles and let it steep for 20 minutes, and then drink it. Pine cone nuts are full of fat and can be eaten right out of the cone. All pine trees can be used this way, even the hemlock tree (but not the hemlock vine as that that is poisonous) which is related to the pine tree.

As an off-subject tip, if you have Dogwood trees in your area and suffer from migraines, you can use the inner bark (prepared the same way as a pine tree), and make a tea. Pour boiling water over the strips of inner bark, let its steep for 20 minutes, and drink. (And by the way it tastes much better than pine bark tea.) I have seen this work. After 15 minutes you start to feel the effect and within an hour the pain is either gone or reduced to a level that makes you able to operate again. But I digress, this letter is about Vitamin C. Moving on…

Another source of Vitamin C that is not as readily available as pine trees are the fruit and leaves of the Moringa Oleifera tree. This tree grows over 10feet per year. You can only grow it outside in southern Florida (and BTW if you live there I would leave), Southern California (ditto) and parts of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. You can grow it in a greenhouse or in your house for the winter and trim it back to grow it like a bush or grow it in the ground and protect it from frost in the winter. You can buy sproutable seeds online. This is a super food. Leaves are eaten right off the plant or dried and crushed to make a powder. I have a bag of this in my refugee bag (aka Bugout Bag or BOB). This plant also has protein, fat and carbs. The bark is edible like a pine tree, the roots too, but they have a horseradish taste and it is not recommended you eat that regularly. The Moringa tree is being used to combat malnutrition in Africa, as well as to supplementf eed their cows to increase production of milk. Women can use this as a supplement for breastfeeding.

According to one maker, here are some facts about this food:

  • 3 times the Potassium in bananas
  • 7 times the Vitamin-C as in oranges
  • 25 times the Iron in spinach
  • 4 times the Calcium in milk
  • 4 times the Vitamin A in carrots
  • 46 Antioxidants
  • 36 Anti-Inflammatories
  • Omegas 3, 6, and 9
  • Vitamins

    Vitamins A (Alpha and Beta-Carotene), B, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, Folic Acid, Biotin and more

  • Minerals

    Calcium, Chloride, Chromium, Copper, Fluorine, Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Molybdenum, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Selenium, Sulfur, Zinc

  • All 8 Essential Amino Acids

    Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine

  • 10 Additional Amino Acids: Alanine, Arganine, Aspartic Acid, Cystine, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine
  • Other Beneficial Nutrients: Chlorophyll, Carotenoids, Cytokinins, Flavonoids, Omega (3, 6, 9) oils, Plant Sterols, Polyphenols, Lutein, Xanthins, Rutin, and more.
  • Nourishes the bodies immune system
  • Promotes healthy circulation
  • Supports normal blood glucose
  • Enzymatically alive
  • Delivers Z-Atin
  • Supported by Modern Scientific findings
  • Natural Anti-Aging benefits(Zeatin, Quercetin, Omega 3 Fatty Acids & vitamins, can protect the bodies cells and prevent many of the common conditions associated with aging.)
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Boosts real kinesiological energy safely (via amino acids and B vitamins)
  • Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)
  • Improves your metabolism
  • Easily absorbable

Happy grazing. – R.T. in Georgia

Economics and Investing:

On the Peter Schiff podcast: Yellen Admits Rates Could Stay at Zero Forever. Schiff rightly concludes that interest rates must rise eventually, in response to a global currency crisis, with dire consequences in the bond and equities markets..

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The Daily Mail reports: Four out of five migrants are NOT from Syria: EU figures expose the ‘lie’ that the majority of refugees are fleeing war zone

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The Silver Supply Crunch Continues

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Some good analysis by Gary Christenson: Gold: The End and The Beginning

Items from The Economics Team:

How I Live Without a Credit Card

Tips for Savings on Grocery Shopping

China Intensifies Crackdown on Financial Markets

Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at The Prepper Journal: Migrant Crisis Validates Golden Horde Theory Fears

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T. sent this BBC news story: US driver shot from police helicopter

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Some great reading over at Thoughts from Frank and Fern: A Collage of Comments

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Mac L. Sent this from The Wall Street Journal: Russia Expands Military Presence in Syria, Satellite Photos Show. (Note: A WSJ subscription is required.)

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K.T. sent this bit of bad news: X Products Can Cannon Ruled to be an NFA Item When Assembled

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Millions of Americans were duped by the federal government and the Federal Reserve into buying homes they could not afford and failed to count the cost. When the financial crisis of 2008 hit, they could not keep up the monthly mortgage payments and defaulted.” – Mark Skousen

Notes for Wednesday – September 23, 2015

Our Managing Editor Hugh Latimer is presently on vacation, so I’ll be filling in with the mechanics of posting the blog each day for the next couple of weeks. So if the blog looks a bit ragged, or if I inadvertently post something twice, then blame me, not Hugh! – JWR

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Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy
    Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical” target=”_blank”>onPoint Tactical. This
    certificate will be 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,
  3. DRD Tactical is
    providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromelined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have 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),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 MagPul PMAGs 30rd 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.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, 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 FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, 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,
  4. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 Lifestraws (a $200 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. 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,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  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 60 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Surveillance State 2015- Part 2, by Kass Andrada

Police and government have also been using cell phone jammers in a number of places. The Federal government has discussed implementing in-car jammers in order to enforce anti-texting and hands-free laws,[1] in part, at the urging of articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association.[2] While the FCC insists that use of cell phone jammers is illegal[3] at least one commercial site offers cell phone jammers for use in prisons[4] and at least one corporation has been caught using cell jammers to prevent it’s employees from communicating while on the clock.[5]

License plate readers have been deployed in fixed locations and mobile vehicles to read and track all license plates traveling through certain locations.[6] Public interest groups,such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center[7] and Electronic Frontier Foundation[8], continue to oppose such activity and have recently obtained judicial review of the practice. Until such time as a court orders its halt or a legislature intervenes, however, it is very likely to continue or expand.

Legislation was passed to reform NSA data collection, however, it was limited in application, rife with loopholes, and had no particular disclosure or enforcement mechanism.[9] When Congress allowed certain Patriot Act provisions to lapse, the NSA was permitted to revert back to old mechanisms and did so within two days.[10] Perhaps, to nobody’s surprise, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruled in June, 2015 that bulk collection of domestic phone calls could be resumed.[11] After all, politicians themselves are targets of the spying and have been for years. “The way ECHELON had been designed,” she said, “the targeting of U.S. political figures was not an accident.”[12] U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein openly accused the CIA of spying on her and the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2014.[13] It was a charge that they never refuted and appears to have been true.[14] Senator Feinstein, despite her professed outrage at the actions against her and her office and Congress in general,returned to championing domestic spying within a year, claiming that the programs do not constitute “mass surveillance” and that they are necessary to combat “evil”, even though warrants were only sought in 12 of 288 queries about possible suspects.[15]

President Obama issued a memorandum in February, 2015 directing federal agencies to develop policies and protect privacy and civil rights,[16] however there are a number of loopholes hat allow the requirements to be evaded, such as “unless retention of the information is determined to be necessary to an authorized mission of the retaining agency, is maintained in a system of records covered by the Privacy Act, or is required to be retained for a longer period by any other applicable law or regulation.”[17] Essentially,if the agency can articulate a reason to keep the data, or promise that it is stored safely, it will be kept.[18]

None of the foregoing has any effect whatsoever on the myriad independent contractors and agencies of the federal government. Although they have been officially encouraged to comply,[19]there is no enforcement mechanism. The general public is specifically barred from claiming any rights under the memorandum:

(e) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

If electronic privacy violations aren’t bad enough, the various government entities are also engaged in real-world warrantless surveillance through drones. Drone surveillance is largely unaddressed by existing law despite the fact that a large number of government agencies have them and use them regularly.[20] One attempt to gather data on how many agencies used drones suggested more than three hundred and fifty (350) state and federal agencies were using drones as of 2012.[21] The FBI alone “operates dozens of small spy planes across the country. …over 100 flights in 11 states over cities and rural areas during a 30-day period.”[22] There is neither a uniform policy for their use,[23] nor a mechanism for protecting the general public from any drone activity.

The states have not been particularly aggressive regarding drone and surveillance limitations either. As of February, 2015, only fourteen (14)states had any requirement to obtain a warrant for drone surveillance.[24] Wiretap, voyeurism, paparazzi, and other problems associated with drones are only haphazardly addressed[25] and are caught in the interplay of state and federal regulations.[26] The National Conference of State Legislatures maintains compilation of state laws but restricts access to its members; however, some of the data was extracted to private web sites.[27] A brief review of that information suggests that little has been done to protect the citizenry from the vastly expanded power of the state.

Overall, there is a very severe concern that U.S. citizens are being constantly surveilled and all communications and data obtained from that surveillance has been retained by multiple government entities or affiliates as well as a huge number of private companies under lax to nonexistent standards on an indefinite basis. If a citizen has a cell phone while they are driving,or perhaps even inside their home, every element of their activity, identity,licensing, whereabouts, and communication is immediately known by one or more government agencies as well as a much broader range of private companies and could be shut down at any time.

Privacy is, as far as the government is concerned, a relic of the past. It’s not one that will be buried or forgotten over time either. In the absence of any direct and enforceable requirement to delete data files, there is no reason to think that they would ever be removed. They know who you are, what you’re doing and saying, and where you are all the time; and if they don’t know right this minute, it is only a matter of looking back into the archives to find out.These facts can no longer be denied. It is a question of what should be done.Will the American people demand a right to privacy, a right to be secure in their homes, papers, and effects unless the government obtains a search warrant based on probable cause[28], or will they meekly submit to the surveillance state?

“Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.”- Learned Hand 1944.

References

[1] “”The federal government should enact stringent new safety standards that require all handheld devices to be rendered inoperable when the motor vehicle is in motion,” the authors write.”http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/12/4093064/researchers-call-for-crackdown-on-texting-while-driving

[2] http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1660390

[3] https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/jammer-enforcement

[4] “CPC The product that SOLVES cellphone problems in prisons NOW!” http://cjam.com/

[5] http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/fcc-seeks-48k-fine-for-driver-using-cell-phone-jammer/

[6] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/07/eff-and-aclu-win-review-automated-license-plate-reader-case

[7] https://www.epic.org/

[8] https://www.eff.org/

[9] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/the-nsas-second-coming_b_7535058.html

[10]http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/02/politics/bulk-data-collection-coming-back-usa-freedom-act/

[11]http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/us/politics/fisa-surveillance-court-rules-nsa-can-resume-bulk-data-collection.html

[12]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/03/gchq_duncan_campbell/?page=5

[13]http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/politics/senate-cia/

[14] “An internal investigation by the C.I.A. has found that its officers penetrated a computer network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee in preparing its damning report on theC.I.A.’s detention and interrogation program.” http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/01/world/senate-intelligence-commitee-cia-interrogation-report.html?_r=0

[15] Feinstein at Stanford: U.S.needs to track possible terrorists 5/29/15 http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/may/feinstein-security-talk-052915.html

[16] “… the Federal Government shall take steps to ensure that privacy protections and policies relative to UAS continue to keep pace with these developments. Accordingly, agencies shall,prior to deployment of new UAS technology and at least every 3 years, examine their existing UAS policies and procedures relating to the collection, use,retention, and dissemination of information obtained by UAS, to ensure that privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are protected. Agencies shall update their policies and procedures, or issue new policies and procedures, as necessary.” Presidential Memorandum 2/15/15 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/presidential-memorandum-promoting-economic-competitiveness-while-safegua

[17] Ibid.

[18] The question of whether any federal data can be stored safely is very much in play given the data breach of twenty one and a half million people in one of its’ major departments, see Massive Federal Data Breach Affects 7% of Americans http://time.com/3952071/opm-data-breach-federal-employees/retrieved July 31, 2015. 47

[19] “(d) Independent agencies are strongly encouraged to comply with this memorandum.” Ibid.

[20] “The Federal Government currently operates UAS in the United States for several purposes, including to manage Federal lands, monitor wildfires, conduct scientific research, monitor our borders, support law enforcement, and effectively train our military.”Presidential Memorandum 2/15/15. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/presidential-memorandum-promoting-economic-competitiveness-while-safegua.See also https://www.govloop.com/community/blog/bird-plane-cool-government-drones/for a list of agencies using drones as of May 2015 including: the US Geological Survey (USGS); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Science Foundation (NSF); US Department of Transportation (USDOT); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); US Department of Agriculture(USDA).

[21] https://www.muckrock.com/drone-census/ .

[22] http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/02/congress-demands-answers-from-fbi-on-domestic-spy-planes/

[23] “Right now, the federal government doesn’t have a clear picture of how it’s using drone technology across agencies and departments, nor does it have clear, consistent standards in place to protect Americans’ privacy.” https://www.aclu.org/blog/unchecked-government-drones-not-over-my-backyardRetrieved July 31, 2015.

[24] http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/few-privacy-limitations-exist-on-how-police-use-drones-20150205

[25] https://www.aclu.org/blog/status-2014-domestic-drone-legislation-states?redirect=blog/technology-and-liberty/status-2014-domestic-drone-legislation-states

[26] http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2014/09/civilian-drones-and-privacy

[27] http://dronelife.com/2014/07/19/state-drone-laws/

[28] See U.S. Constitution,Amendment IV: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Letter: Using What Others Throw Away

Dear SurvivalBlog Editors and Readers,
The last few days have shown me the wastefulness of others but have given me opportunities to gain from it. I now have apples, corn, and pork sausage that I didn’t plan on getting. Here is what happened:

  • My own apple tree only produced seven apples, because the blossoms were destroyed during a storm. But a friend has a tree in her yard, but didn’t want the apples. She offered them to me. I picked ten five-gallon buckets full of apples. I am now canning applesauce and pie filling.
  • My neighbors chopped silage, which leaves a lot of corn in the field. My husband and I gathered a trailer-load of corn. The chickens and goats will enjoy it.
  • A co-worker had a hog slaughtered, and had sausage that they didn’t want. They were tired of eating it, so I now have free sausage.

The sausage cost me nothing. The corn cost me some time. The apples cost me
time, canning jars, and a few extra ingredients for making applesauce and pie filling. If things go as I believe, I will have some much-needed food for the upcoming problems we will face. If things don’t ‘go bad’ in the near future, I will have additional food. Either way, I have benefitted from others who were unwilling to do a little work. I am trying to live as if we were already experiencing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI). By doing this, I will be ahead of the game when it comes. I challenge SurvivalBlog readers to do the same. Where can you save? What do others throw away that you can use? Look around and benefit from the wastefulness of others. Sincerely, –
Prepared Grammy

JWR Replies: Your letter ties into the old sayings about expending sweat versus dollars. Even if you have a modest budget, there is no excuse for lack of preparedness for your family. Keep a close eye on Craig’s List and Freecycle, and you can find some great bargains. It is not unusual to see “free to come and pick up” offers for farm and garden produce, shelving, canning jars, storage bins, and many other useful items that will contribute substantially to your preparedness.

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books

Fiction:
Code of Conduct (The Scot Harvath Series) by Brad Thor (2015.) This novel was written by one of my favorite authors. It was also recommended by SurvivalBlog reader Ed C., who notes: “I would suggest this novel as a good “think about areal pandemic situation” story – with some thriller novel aspects. This author seems to have “the touch”. He also seems to try to be specific and authentic about government aspects, travel, weapons and other parts of writing a believable story.”

Nonfiction:

Lost Rights by James Bovard

Movies

Above And Beyond. The fascinating true story of the international volunteers who founded the Israeli Air Force before and during the 1948 War. These were mostly
Jewish-American veterans of World War II. They risked loss of their U.S. citizenship, by volunteering. This documentary film is also available via Amazon Prime and Netflix.

War Horse

Odds ‘n Sods:

75 years later, Norfolk’s FBI Office Still has Three Working Tommyguns. – A hat tip to “T.” for the link.

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The New York Times reports: U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys. (“At night, we can hear them screaming…”) JWR’s Comment: If history can be any guide, the Pentagon will probably start with this “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy…

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Safecastle has another Mountain House long term storage food sale in progress. Note that they have some scarce varieties back in stock.

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Gregg sent us this: Marines test Google’s latest military robot

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Long-time SurvivalBlog advertiser Keep Shooting just received a small batch of scarce British Army arctic 4-man tents.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Honor those who have served out country, especially those who made the
ultimate sacrifice. Educate future generations about the price paid for the
freedom we enjoy in America the beautiful.” – Freeman V. Horner, United States
Army, Medal of Honor

Notes for Tuesday – September 22, 2015

September 22nd in the birthday of the late Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Reid-Daly, who founded and commanded the Rhodesian Selous Scouts. He was born in 1928, and he died August 9, 2010. His history of the Selous Scouts, titled Pamwe Chete, is fascinating to read, but it is a very hard-to-find book.

I should also mention that September 22nd, 1290 is the birthday of one of my favorite fictional characters, Bilbo Baggins (in Shire reckoning).

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Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have 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),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd 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.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, 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 FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, 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,
  4. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 Lifestraws (a $200 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. 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,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  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 60 ends on September 30th, 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 Surveillance State 2015- Part 1, by Kass Andrada

The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of governmental power, not the increase of it. Woodrow Wilson, 1912

The question of whether a surveillance society was looming on the horizon has been growing since Justice Douglas remarked in 1966, “We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government.” [1] Early in the new millenium, only about 33% of Americans were concerned about their online data as of 2009. [2] Just a few years later, in 2015, polls show 54% disapprove of government surveillance of telephone and Internet data.[3] Most seem to feel that they have no control over their personal data, with only nine percent (9%) stating that they feel they have a lot of control over their data.[4] Those who have more knowledge of the degree of surveillance that exists are more likely to indicate that they have no control.[5]

More interesting still, only about half of people responding have anything more than the vaguest notion of just how much surveillance is actually occurring. Many seem to think that their Internet searches are private or can’t be connected to their name, or they believe the retention period for the information is somehow limited, although it is not.[6] About 55% don’t think their search engines or social media should be able to save any information about their activity at all.[7] However, this is divorced from reality. Every element of online activity is fully known to both civil and government entities. This article attempts to compile information about the extent of surveillance in the United States in 2015 in order to provide a snapshot of what is known about privacy in the modern era.

Private surveillance is not a new thing. Google street mappers were actually driving around collecting data from home and network structures including email, passwords, and other personal information for years between 2007 and 2012.[8] They only admitted this practice when sued by 38 states.[9] Google also admitted to bypassing privacy settings in the Safari browser, an action for which the Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22.5 million in 2012.[10]

The practice is not limited to Google.[11] “DropBox, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, FaceBook, Skype, —and others—all do pretty much the same thing: read user data and grant government access to it.”[12] The trend is accelerating with every generation of software. The new Windows 10 collects a massive amount of user data and sends it to Microsoft:

Cortana will not only remember all of your search history, but it will also collect information on the people you know, the places you go, your calendar details, your emails, IM messages, your text messages, your phone calls, and virtually everything else you do. That’s not to mention that the system sends “speech data” to Microsoft periodically. Microsoft is ambiguous as to what “speech data” is, so we don’t know if it is voice recordings or some other sort of information…[13]

More recently, it was discovered that certain models of televisions were actively “listening” to people’s domestic conversations and sending that data back across the Internet.[14] The “feature”, which was intended simply to allow voice commands to the television, can theoretically be disabled,[15] but within days experts were able to demonstrate how the microphones and detection features could be remotely activated and run behind browsers and other Internet functions to relay data continuously.[16] Further investigation suggested that all “wired” devices are moving toward data collection from voice navigators in XBox, Siri, Amazon Now, and others down to Nest home thermostats.[17] Internet providers have been using “supercookies” to track activity of every kind and let every website know your information.[18] Even if the provider isn’t tracking, many applications or “apps” are tracking (and selling or transferring) huge amounts of data that have nothing to do with the purported functionality of the app.[19] The people or entities to whom the information is sold or transferred isn’t revealed by the app, of course.

Only one Internet provider has offered more privacy, but they want to charge for it:

Recently, AT&T surprised everyone when it added a new option to its GigaPower fiber Internet service: privacy. Yes, for just $29 more a month AT&T promises it WON’T sell your search and browsing history to advertisers. How generous.[20]

This may have been related to the fact that, for decades, AT&T had been happily turning over massive amounts of data to the federal government:

Under a decades-old program with the government, telecom giant AT&T in 2003 led the way on a new collection capability that the National Security Agency said amounted to a “‘live’ presence on the global net” and would forward 400 billion Internet metadata records in one of its first months of operation, The New York Times reported.

The Fairview program was forwarding more than 1 million emails a day to the NSA’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, the newspaper reported. Meanwhile, the separate Stormbrew program, linked to Verizon and the former company MCI, was still gearing up to use the new technology, which appeared to process foreign-to-foreign traffic.

In 2011, AT&T began handing over 1.1 billion domestic cellphone calling records a day to the NSA after “a push to get this flow operational prior to the 10th anniversary of 9/11,” according to an internal agency newsletter cited by the Times. Intelligence officials have told reporters in the past that, for technical reasons, the effort consisted mostly of landline phone records, the newspaper reported.[21]

Old law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act from 1986, is largely ineffective because it allows old communications left on servers after six months to be deemed “abandoned” and therefore searchable by the government without a warrant.[22] U.S. government agencies have been aggressively obtaining that information and more, placing so many demands on so many tech companies that a number of the companies banded together to launch a website called “Reform Government Surveillance”.[23]

Cell phones and cell phone providers are also invading personal data like never before, despite the ACLU’s warnings:

Knowing where a person’s phone is located can reveal sensitive information, like when they go to the doctor or psychologist, what political activities they engage in, who they spend time with, and where they sleep at night. Law enforcement agencies can often obtain this personal information without ever getting a warrant from a judge. The federal government also invokes powerful surveillance authorities to collect this information and more, including our call records, contact lists, and even the contents of our text messages and calls.[24]

There is no requirement for a warrant for this information.[25] Government agencies bombard cell carriers for the information up to 100 times a day.[26]

No official information exists as to whether government agencies are engaging in similar data collection behavior,[27] however there would seem to be little reason to think otherwise, as they have been exposed spying on everyone including other world leaders.[28] Letters obtained from a senator’s request shows that it’s not just the NSA spying on U.S. citizens; it’s the FBI and CIA as well.[29] Examples of such activity are numerous, but more public revelations include the fact that Federal agencies built “phantom cell towers” in order to intercept cell phone transmissions from all sources within their range.[30] The technology was eventually miniaturized to a suitcase-sized package referred to as “Stingray”, which most federal agencies and at least 25 police departments use to trick cell phones into connecting with them and transmitting their calls and data to police or agency recording devices.[31] More significantly, the technology also turned off cell phone encryption and intercepted texts as well as calls.[32] Whatever is not immediately found out by U.S. operations within the United States is instead picked up by Great Britain or another U.S. ally and sent over to the U.S., who returns the favor by spying on the citizens of those nations, thereby neatly evading laws against such behavior.[33] Whatever the source, bulky voice files which are obtained, are reduced to fully searchable text files via sophisticated programs and then retained.[34]

References


[1]Dissent, Osborn v. US 385 US 341 (1966).


[2]http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304704504579432823496404570 retrieved July 30, 2015.


[3]http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/29/what-americans-think-about-nsa-surveillance-national-security-and-privacy/ Retrieved 7/30/15.


[4]Americans’ Views About Data Collection and Security http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-views- about-data-collection-and-security/#few-feel-they-have-a-lot-of-control-over-how-much-information-is-collected-about-them-in-daily-life Retrieved 7/30/15


[5]Id.


[6]“…a Ponemon Institute survey of 1,000 Google users found that 89% thought that their searches were private and 77% thought Google searches could not reveal their personal identities – wrong on both accounts.” Why Google is the Biggest Threat to Americans’ Privacy; The Detailed Case from my House Testimony http://precursorblog.com/?q=content/why-google-biggest-threat-americans-privacy-the-detailed-case-my-house- testimony


[7]Americans’ Views About Data Collection and Security, Id.


[8]Google’s Wanton WarDriving Scandal: Fallout & Cover-up http://precursorblog.com/content/googles-wanton- wardriving-scandal-fallout-cover


[9]Google Concedes That Drive-By Prying Violated Privacy http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/technology/google-pays-fine-over-street-view-privacy-breach.html?_r=0 Retrieved July 30, 2015.


[10]Id.


[11]Pharmaceutical companies have been tracking user data or paying firms to track such data, since at least 2000 http://articles.latimes.com/2000/aug/17/business/fi-5801 Retrieved July 30, 2015.


[12]http://www.salon.com/2014/02/05/4_ways_google_is_destroying_privacy_and_collecting_your_data_partner/ Retrieved July 30, 2015.


[13]Cortana Is Listening Michael Justin Allen Sexton August 10, 2015. http://www.tomshardware.com/news/cortana-is-watching,29791.html#xtor=RSS-181


[14]http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung-smart-tv-privacy/


[15]http://www.cnet.com/how-to/samsung-smart-tv-spying/


[16]Your TV may be watching you By Bruce Schneier Updated 9:16 AM ET, Thu February 12, 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/opinion/schneier-samsung-tv-listening/


[17]http://mashable.com/2015/02/10/smart-devices-listening/


[18]Id.


[19]“Flashlight is designed do location tracking, read my calendar, use my camera, gain access to unique numbers that identify my phone, and then share data with a number of ad networks, including Google’s AdMob, iAd, and JumpTap.” The Hidden Privacy Threat of … Flashlight Apps? http://www.wired.com/2014/10/iphone-apps/


[20]What cellphone companies don’t want you to know http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2015/03/13/cell-phone-privacy/70202468/


[21]http://wtop.com/politics/2015/08/report-documents-reveal-details-behind-att-nsa-partnership/


[22]“… right now, the ECPA considers remotely stored digital files more than 180 days old to be abandoned and forces service providers to hand over those files whenever law enforcement demands—without the need for a warrant. This means that all those old emails in your inbox aren’t granted basic due process protections.” Federal Agencies Fight for Warrantless Access to Emails http://reason.com/archives/2015/08/13/federal-agencies-fight- for-warrantless-a retrieved 8/14/15.


[23]Companies include Google, LinkedIn, facebook, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, Dropbox, Evernote. https://www.reformgovernmentsurveillance.com/ Companies include Google, LinkedIn, facebook, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, Dropbox, Evernote.


[24]Cell Phone Privacy https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/internet-privacy/cell-phone-privacy Retrieved 8/10/15.


[25]Do Police Need a Warrant to See Where a Phone Is? http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/warrantless-cell-phone-location-tracking/400775/


[26]In its most recent annual report, AT&T said it received 64,703 requests for CSLI in 2014. And just in the first six months of this year, Verizon says it received more than 21,000 requests. That is, in 2015, a single carrier received more than 100 requests daily for the geographic history of an American’s life, as told through their location. Id.


[27]Information on PRISM collection, operating since 2007 exists in Wikipedia subject to the known limitations of that source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)


[28]See inter alia http://www.cbsnews.com/feature/nsa-surveillance-exposed/ ; https://www.eff.org/nsa-spying; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/government-surveillance/ ; https://www.aclu.org/issues/national- security/privacy-and-surveillance/


[29]http://leaksource.info/2014/08/01/fbi-and-cia-use-backdoor-searches-of-nsa-data-to-warrentlessly-spy-on- americans-communications/


[30]http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/cellphone-data-spying-nsa-police/3902809/


[31]At least thirty-six more departments refused to answer whether they were using this technology. Id.


[32]http://www.newsweek.com/what-cell-ls-those-ominous-phony-towers-268589


[33]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/03/gchq_duncan_campbell/?page=3


[34]https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/05/nsa-speech-recognition-snowden-searchable-text/

Letter Re: Helping the Maxners

Hugh,

It is never possible to insure or prepare for every event. You can only do what you are able and what is prudent.

The one thing which should be different about the Redoubt vs. other “preppers” goes back to DeToqueville when our country was young.

But the scene is now changed, and gradually the two ranks mingle; the divisions which once severed mankind are lowered, property is divided, power is held in common, the light of intelligence spreads, and the capacities of all classes are equally cultivated; the State becomes democratic, and the empire of democracy is slowly and peaceably introduced into the institutions and the manners of the nation. I can conceive a society in which all men would profess an equal attachment and respect for the laws of which they are the common authors; in which the authority of the State would be respected as necessary, though not as divine; and the loyalty of the subject to its chief magistrate would not be a passion but a quiet and rational persuasion. Every individual being in the possession of rights, which he is sure to retain, a kind of manly reliance and reciprocal courtesy would arise between all classes, alike removed from pride and meanness. The people, well acquainted with its true interests, would allow that in order to profit by the advantages of society it is necessary to satisfy its demands. In this state of things, the voluntary association of the citizens might supply the individual exertions of the nobles, and the community would be alike protected from anarchy and from oppression.

Each one prepares as best he can and seeks to be as independent as possible, but through those “voluntary association of the citizens” we are prepared to help each other. If one is struck down with misfortune, it is his neighbors, and with current technology it means the entire Redoubt are “his neighbors”, are to help.

Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? (Luke 10) A man was attacked by thieves. A priest and Levite just passed by, probably muttering about how this beaten man should have been more careful or going to form a commission to do something about robbers on the Jericho road. A Samaritan showed him mercy and helped him, when he couldn’t help himself. The answer to “who is my neighbor” is “he who shows mercy”. The Bible can be reduced to two commandments– Love God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself.

We must start now. If and when TEOTWAWKI comes, we will all have to band together. We must be a community.

I Corinthians 12:12-26: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: and those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.”

We shall not survive if everyone is merely their own family on their own land and doesn’t care for anyone else. Is that not a description of the cities, where people are depending on government to provide, where there is no collective preparedness, and where neighbors don’t help neighbors but rather point to government? And the churches are worse; many have no charity except the phone number or email of every government aid agency in their contacts list.

In my area, we are each prepping in our own way as no one wants to have to ask for help, but also we have specialists and we know we can count on each other. We are a body, not a bunch of individual cells or dismembered organs. That should extend across the Redoubt and even beyond. Jesus prayed that we all “may be one”:

John 17:20-23: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

The example that will convince the world, especially the good but non-Christian neighbors, that Jesus was sent of God will be our unity.

– Redoubting Thomas

News From The American Redoubt:

Bozeman, Montana: Transient with sword accused of attempting robbery

o o o

Blackfeet Tribe decides to banish drug dealers

o o o

‘Regulatory War’ Fought Over a Wyoming Family’s Pond Didn’t know rocks and sand were pollutants… – MtH

o o o

Parents Protest Medical Kidnappings in Michigan – D.S.

o o o

The western states emergency/disaster services, both government and volunteer organizations, are planning for a massive disaster training exercise in June of 2016 (named Cascadia Rising). It is an earthquake/tsunami scenario based exercise that I’ll be talking about more in the near future. Many state-level ARES groups are planning ahead of time to help become more prepared. The Idaho ARES will be conducting a SET (Simulated Emergency Test) on October 17th. For more information, you can go to the Idaho ARES website. – John Jacob