Notes for Wednesday – March 04, 2015

The shooting sports industry lost a dearly loved member when Marval Hornady, Co-Founder Of Hornady Ammunition Passes at 102 Years of Age.

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The supply of green tip SS109 (M855) 5.56mm ammo has dried up almost completely in the United States in the past two weeks. I’ve heard from two different friends and a consulting client that vendors at gun shows on both coasts last weekend were demanding and getting $1.50 to $1.60 per round for this scarce ammo. However, I also heard that www.WhatACountry.com has some available for just 69 cents per round. Theirs is Australian military SS109 equivalent, in 900 round cans. Stock up folks, before the market price jumps to $2 per round! (I have good reason to believe that it will, in the next few weeks.) – JWR

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SurvivalBlog readers usually already know this, but for those who have just started following us, we don’t allow open comments on articles because the threads generally degenerate into flame wars, and the effort required to keep it clean would require the addition of several editors. However, if you have something you want to say about an article, send it to the editor. If it’s post-worthy, we will post it in the “Letter Re” column. Keep it clean and friendly, as this is a family blog. – HJL

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Today, we present another entry for Round 57 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a 340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis 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,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 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 57 ends on March 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.

Reaching Out to the Un-Prepped, by Mark C. – Part 1

If you are reading this and you have a high interest in prepping but maybe someone you know or someone close to you does not, read on. You’ve tried to reason with them, but the result is the same. Whether it’s your passion or persistence, they get overwhelmed and simply glaze over. Or, maybe they become unsettled or scared. Either way you lose them, and that frustrates you because you feel time is running out. If they would just read Patriots or survivalblog.com! Right? Well, print this out and give it to them.

Now, if you’re reading this because you’re the one that won’t read Patriots or survivalblog.com but you promised someone that you would at least read this article, please read on. This person cares about you. They might be overzealous or overbearing, but they really believe it’s in your best interest.

Prepping Has Become Trendy

In the grand scheme of things, prepping has become increasingly more popular. It has heightened the awareness of millions of people. However, with viral popularity comes an onslaught of commercialism and exploitation. From con artists to stand-up comedians and from vendors to television shows, everybody wants to get in on it. While all of this has heightened awareness and even increased knowledge, the result (as with any booming popularity) eventually seems to drift toward negative connotation. The fashionable becomes unfashionable. In short, to some prepping has started to become more of a joke than a positive trend, and so finding legitimacy may be difficult.

If you were one of those that took interest early on but then fell away, it’s likely you did so after exposure to these negative influences. They twist reality and embed doubt. Ultimately, the popular becomes unpopular. Like disco music and bell bottom pants, no one wants to be affiliated with something they can be criticized for or be the brunt of a joke. We all danced to it, and we all owned the pants. You may be too young or too old to have been part of the disco era, but you understand the concept. Think for a few moments and you will relate to something similar; instead, do you relate to low-hanging pants?

The thing is, unlike trendy fashions or passing fads, prepping is a very serious endeavor. First, if you prep for something that never happens, you’ve wasted time and money. I get that. Who has extra of either? However, if you don’t prep and something really happens, you and your family will likely perish. Please understand my intention is not to scare you. There are a number of studies conducted as a result of isolated or regional incidences that have prompted emergency services and National Guard units to create “canned plans” in order to respond effectively. Riots, blackouts, and natural disasters, are some of the motivators. Of course, these are isolated to a particular area or region, but recently FEMA joined with Homeland Security to create facilities located across the United States that are designed to support responses to these types of events as well as those much larger in scope. Some citizens are very upset by this, as “FEMA Camps” have been equated to internment facilities similar to those used for Japanese citizens during WWII. I don’t know if these facilities are meant to go to that extreme, but I will admit concern over FEMA/Homeland’s purchase of billions of rounds of ammunition, , as well as a presidential executive order to establish “martial law” under his signature alone to include forcing citizens into uncompensated labor, redistribution of food from all sources, and quelling civil unrest. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

We’re talking about American citizens inside the United States. What kind of natural disaster or riotous event requires control of the entire nation of citizens and for what purpose? I don’t know exactly, but the point I’d like to make here is that if the U.S. government is preparing for an event of that magnitude, what should we as individuals be doing?

Logical/Practical Prepping

So let’s start small. Those of us who live in areas that are affected by hurricanes or snow storms already prep in some fashion, usually in the form of keeping a full pantry, bottled water, extra gasoline, propane, firewood, and so forth. We know that loss of electrical power is a real possibility because we’ve already experienced it. The level of preparation in these circumstances starts with basic survival needs and extends out to being very comfortable. It depends on the individual really and can include everything from flashlights to generators and ice chests to window air conditioners. What do you consider essential? Is toilet paper essential? It’s definitely on my list!

Certainly your location and circumstances merit consideration of customizing your own preparations, but having a plan may also be required. For instance, living in a coastal city in Florida doesn’t just require preparations and supplies; it also requires an evacuation or “bug-out” plan. You only needed to watch the news during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to know it wasn’t a good idea to stay in New Orleans and weather out the storm. Consideration as to where you will go, how you will get there, what you’ll take with you, and how you contact relatives are all important. Why and when will you decide to leave are critical, too. Maybe you don’t live in a hurricane zone. Maybe you live with tornadoes or blizzards or near a potentially flooding river. The lesson is the same—don’t be caught wanting or needing, and you definitely need to have a plan.

Have you ever taken a CPR or First Responder course? This is a different category of prepping—the accumulation of knowledge. Serious preppers know this is arguably more than 50% of the entire effort, but it’s also the most neglected. Desperately needing to know something that requires a time machine is not a good place to be. A choking child or an electrical shock victim needs immediate attention from someone who already knows how to respond. Google isn’t going to cut it, and a 911 call is too slow when immediate attention is required.

So, you can see that you already prepare for life’s curve balls. Prepping is not foreign to you. Yet, you may take exception with foolish preparation or hoarding—those things that clearly demonstrate obsession or craziness. So do I. However, then you need to ask yourself, what is enough? Where do you start? What should you prep for?

You may want to look to the government for that answer; do you remember the FEMA camps or the Presidential Executive Order, dated March 16th 2012, that I mentioned before? These were created in anticipation of an event or events on a national or even global level. While we all agree the government doesn’t always spend our money well, they believe it to be serious enough to spend billions of dollars. They have conducted studies and practiced responses; they have observed microcosms, like natural disasters and riots, and have employed many government agencies or entities in these studies to include the Department of Defense, Center for Disease Control, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Reserve, as well as National Guard and police departments, just to name a few. Each of them have contributed by providing expertise, that when compiled, creates a scenario that is realistic, probable, and I believe inevitable. I can’t go into the detail here for reasons of brevity, but you can certainly find much more information at survivalblog.com. I will, however, give a brief synopsis of a scenario from the point where, regardless of root cause, all preparation should stem—that being the loss of the power grid.

Where’s the Juice?

Regardless of the cause—solar flare, Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP), terrorist attack on the nine critical substations, disease pandemic, or economic collapse—the result is the same; it’s a loss of the power grid. That’s where we are the most vulnerable, by nature of our technologically-advanced dependencies. Here are some examples:

  • Imagine no Internet—information is unavailable for any purpose. The grid is controlled/monitored through the Internet. All financial institutions use it. All retail, shipping, and sales would completely stop. Without supplies and information, all public utilities, hospitals, emergency services, police/fire, et cetera are severely handicapped and services likely suspended altogether.
  • Pandemic—like Ebola or some other deadly disease, people would stay home and away from public places where they may contract it. This means the workplace would also be vacant. Stores would be closed and/or empty, trucking/transportation would stop, and public utilities, like electricity, water, and sewer would cease.
  • Economic collapse—no buying or selling, transportation, food distribution, et cetera. Again, utilities shut down.
  • Solar flare/ EMP—power grid destroyed, all electronics inoperable, vehicles are permanently disabled.

There’s much more I could list, but the results are the same—there is no juice, and these situations have already been observed on a municipal or regional level. That’s when it gets a lot worse, and that’s what our government is planning for on a national level. This is what you should plan for too, so let’s look at why.

Letter: A Few Thoughts on Water Storage

Hugh,

I reuse polyethelene 2.5 gallon theatrical fog fluid tanks for water storage. The fog fluid is a glycol, and the tank will smell for awhile. I first rinse the tanks to get all the gross product residues out. I then begin a leaching process by filling the tank with very hot water and let it sit until cool. I then repeat the process multiple times, until there is no smell. I do two more leachings after that. Another point that I thought was missed is biofilms. These, like slimes, adhere to the walls and are almost impossible to get rid of. E. coli is one of these film producers, and it’s on your teeth. This is why I hate trying to reuse milk jugs. You can never get these biofilms out of them completely. I like peach tea, and within a couple of days, you will notice stains on the walls of the reused milk jug from incomplete removal of the biofilm. Only use jugs that came from the factory with water in them. I can use a water jug for months before any films begin to form. – Capt Nemo

Odds ‘n Sods:

How important is clean drinking water in an emergency? Safecastle has Katadyn filters up to 35% off right now.

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Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, recommended this link, if you are planning to live off of small animals (like squirrels) when the SHTF: Squirrels for SHTF?

He also notes that there were no screams when this article was published in 1956: Portraits of Schoolkids Learning Firearm Safety in Rural Indiana, 1956. My, how times have changed.

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SurvivalBlog Reader R.G. suggested this podcast on Islam: Exposing Islam Part 3

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Americans to Receive Full Biometric Treatment for all Forms of European Travel. – H.L.

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State Department Tweets Speech by Cleric Who Blames Unrest on Global Zionist Conspiracy. – P.M.

Notes for Tuesday – March 03, 2015

Ready Made Resources is offering two classic assortment buckets and one essential assortment bucket at no extra charge, when you purchase their Mountain House Entree Pac.

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Seed for Security has introduced two new products– their Colossal Security Pack and their Heirloom Herb Collection. The Colossal Security Pack has approximately 84,305 open-pollinated, non GMO seeds. The shipping weight is 7 lbs. and 9 ounces. Their Heirloom Herb Collection features five flavorful, healthful herbs. Both the Colossal Pack and Herb Collection are packed for long-term storage.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 57 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a 340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis 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,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 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 57 ends on March 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.

Defending The Castle, by R.T.

Numerous articles and blogs have appeared over the last couple of years, targeting the prepper community and those people associated with standing up for our God-given rights as well as those rights afforded us from within the Constitution. These articles are generally positive, and they supply the reader with a fair amount of good quality advice in regards to surviving a “grid down” situation or some other catastrophe that may come about.

Being that it is nearly impossible to know which impending event might suddenly occur with little or no notice, it is extremely difficult to plan for ALL possible scenarios. It might be a financial collapse, an EMP event, the imposition of martial law, an asteroid strike, the eruption of the Yellowstone super caldera, or something else; the list of possibilities seems endless!

In order to make the best determination as to which course of action you should take that best suits your family’s location and circumstances, you must keep your eyes on the horizon and your brain tuned into the world around you. The constant assault from the MSM (main stream media) offers little in the way of news that could potentially help a person’s family make an informed decision about HOW to prepare, WHAT to prepare for, and WHEN to prepare for what may be about to transpire. I, personally, spend a fair amount of time following the alternative news sites, reading what they have to say, filtering out what does not apply to me, and discerning the facts from the fiction. I also read numerous blogs, watch some prepper videos on “how to” projects, and then spend a little time watching and listening to the Bible prophecy experts and what they have come to understand regarding the end times.

I am a lot like most people who live in the suburban areas of a large metropolitan city. I work full time, get paid bi-weekly, and basically live paycheck to paycheck. I have been able to save some money periodically and have made preparations to survive a TEOTWAWKI event.

Based on my location and circumstances, my wife and I have made the decision to “bug in”. We do not own property out in the country. We do not have rich relatives; all of our relatives are suburban dwellers, like ourselves. At our age, bugging out to the mountains with minimal supplies and living off of the land until things improve is just not an option.

We are going to remain in our residence, fortify it as best we can, and defend it with our lives. I have undertaken numerous and various steps to survive as long as we can, but this article will describe what we have done to secure and defend our home from marauding thieves and malcontents. I’m not going to talk about food storage, medical supplies, weapons, and the like, but I will concentrate on physical interior and exterior barriers and fortifications.

My thought process in developing a protection plan was to keep us safe inside and keep the criminal element on the outside. I felt that there were five areas of concern that needed to be addressed right off the bat.

  1. Windows. First, secure all of the windows. Windows provide easy access to any residence/building and are easily penetrated to gain entry.
  2. Exterior doors. There are three personal doors leading into my house– the front door, garage door (door from garage into my house), and the back door (from garage leading to the back yard).
  3. Overhead garage door. A single car garage door is made of thin aluminum and divided into four quadrants with two sections each.
  4. Sliding glass door. Mine leads from the kitchen to the back deck.
  5. Bay window. I have a rather large living room bay window.

All of these possible access points into my home created their own special set of circumstances. So, my question was how best do I mitigate those vulnerablities?

I decided to leave the bay window and the sliding glass door towards the end of my preps, so that I could concentrate on how best to solve the other problem areas. It so happens that in my home, all of the windows have an inward recess of five inches. Also, all of the windows have Venetian blinds and are about 25 inches tall and about 32 inches wide. I went to my closest big box hardware store and purchased six 4-foot by 8-foot pieces of 3/4 inch plywood. I cut the plywood to the dimensions of the windows minus 1/8 inch. I had also purchased four right angle metal brackets, containing four screw holes on each side, for each piece of plywood. I then secured the brackets to the plywood at the very edges. I then mounted two of my “plywood windows” in my rooms downstairs– a storage room and a bathroom. I left the blinds in place, closing them completely, and then placed the plywood up tight against them, so when viewed from the outside it looks like the blinds are closed and the plywood is not visible. With four brackets and four holes in each bracket, I end up with 16 2½” screws securing the brackets to the window frame. I then caulked completely around the wood, so that no light would escape from inside into outdoor darkness, hopefully indicating to transgressors that there is no activity on the inside. All of my other “plywood windows” are cut to size, brackets installed, and can be mounted in each window within five minutes or less. They are stored in the garage so as to be easily accessible. They also each have a pair of inexpensive aluminum handles screwed onto them so that I can quickly mount them and not kill my fingers doing it. I also have a tube of caulk for each one. Some of you may question the wisdom of my already mounting two of my “windows”, as it negates any attempt at escape thru those windows in case of a fire or other emergency. Those two windows are really the LAST place we would attempt to escape, if that kind of scenario popped up anyway. We also do not ever have young children over to our home.

My next challenge was figuring out how to secure a flimsy overhead garage door. This one took some extra thought. After doing some Internet searches, I discovered that the cost of having a new garage door installed that would meet my requirements was cost prohibitive. The solution that I came up with was to reinforce the door in its current configuration. The door is supported down the middle and on both sides by 1½” aluminum channels. I decided to place some steel mesh in front of those panels and secure them with metal screws, or so I had imagined. Again, I went to my local big box hardware store and started shopping around for ideas. I ended up finding, and eventually purchasing, eight 4-foot sections of metal shelving that had a one-inch lip around three of the four sides. I initially purchased one and took it home. I performed a fit check to see if it would do the job that I had envisioned. To my good fortune, the shelf fit right into the channels on both sides with just a little bit of bending. Now I had to figure how to secure them in place so that they could not be kicked in. I decide on 1-inch “u” bolts with a washer and nut on both sides. I bought 18 “u” bolts with washers and nuts and secured them to the aluminum channel by drilling ¼” holes in the channel on both sides. The garage door now weighs twice as much as it did before, but the electric garage door motor opens it with no problem.

Next, were the considerations for exterior doors leading into the house. Fortunately for me, this older home has solid wood doors, so there was no need to purchase new ones. Taking my cue from some of the old movies depicting those castles with the big wooden gates and the cross bars, that is the route I decided to take. Again, I took a trip to the hardware store to look around and try to determine what would work best. I ended up purchasing six steel open top brackets with two bolt holes that would hold the width of your standard 2 x 4. I also bought ½-inch wide 3-inch long lag bolts so that I could screw the brackets right into the door frame on both sides to support the hardware and the 2 x 4. When installing the brackets, I positioned them mid-door, right between the door knob and the deadbolt just above. I performed this same set-up on all three doors and feel very confident they will hold up to lots of abuse prior to any failure. Of course, by then, other defensive measures will have been deployed to thwart further aggression.

I’m pretty confident in the physical actions I have taken to ensure our continued longevity here on Earth, but I am also realistic. Will anyone be able to throw a rock or brick through my windows? No! Will anyone be able to kick in my front door? No! Will anyone be able to bash their way through my garage door? No! However, determined individuals will be able to, if I do not take further defensive measures during the onslaught. Will my defenses stop bullets flying? No, but I do have other plans to enhance our defenses when bullets start to fly. What I have accomplished is giving ourselves a reasonable expectation of survival during an intermediate SHTF event that is hopefully short lived.

I hope that what I have shared with you will provide you with some food for thought or give you some ideas as to what may be applicable to your personal situation.

Guest Article: Gold – The Good, Bad, and Truly Ugly, by Gary Christenson

THE GOLD STANDARD: Although it may be unrealistically optimistic, I believe my paraphrase of a Churchill quote:

“Central Bankers will eventually do the right thing and return to a gold standard after they have exhausted all other alternatives.”

While central bankers are exhausting all other alternatives, I worry about the collateral damage to 90% of the population who are not first in line on the fiat money gravy train that benefits the financial and political elite.

Clearly, central bankers will return to a gold standard only if forced by a financial implosion, economic collapse or equivalent disaster. Hence, the powers-that-be will do whatever is necessary to conceal the sovereign debt bubble, hide the insolvency of sovereign governments, and extend and pretend regarding the value of bonds, equities, and fiat paper currencies.

THE GOOD: Gold is and has been real money for 5,000 years.

THE BAD: Gold prices will benefit from the following items. (This is a long and incomplete list.)

  • Greek bankruptcy and their inevitable exit from the Euro zone: Such an exit will confirm bad debts, weaken or destroy the banks that made the loans, and damage confidence in fiat currencies, ever-increasing debt, and sovereign debt collateral.
  • Euro, Yen, Dollar collapse: Can a major world currency collapse in value without damaging confidence in all other fiat currencies? People will have more confidence in gold and will lose confidence in fiat currencies.
  • Baltic Dry Index has hit new all-time lows. Global economic activity is weakening. Will central banks do nothing as the world economy weakens or will they continue the global QE to infinity to stimulate the global economy? Of course central banks will print currencies.
  • Price of oil has collapsed. The same arguments apply as with the Baltic Dry Index.
  • Central bank creation of currencies: QE to infinity! Maybe it will prolong the current system or perhaps a deflationary collapse will occur regardless. Would you rather own gold, or sovereign bonds backed by insolvent governments that can repay their debts only because central banks create new currency and monetize their debt?
  • Cooked statistics: Who still believes the GDP, unemployment, retail sales or real estate sales numbers in the US?
  • Ukraine conflict: Expect this growing conflict to damage European stability, increase military budgets, and substantially increase debt and financial risk.
  • Syria and the Middle East: Expect more military spending, debt, bond monetization, and currency in circulation.
  • “No boots on the ground,” except in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. However, I know of no plan to invade Antarctica. Swell! And you can trust that the economies of Europe and the US are humming along nicely, employment is robust, the people are happy, banks are solvent, politicians are truthful, and this is the best of all possible worlds.

THE TRULY UGLY:

  • COMEX default or shutdown: What if the COMEX can’t deliver gold or silver and is forced to cash settle futures contracts. It could happen, perhaps soon since a huge quantity of gold has been shipped from western vaults to Asia. Paper gold is not real gold and that realization will be devastating to global confidence if the COMEX defaults on gold or silver delivery.
  • LBMA shutdown: Same as a COMEX shutdown. See above.
  • Global reset and financial collapse: We don’t want to think about the ramifications, the inevitable blame-game, false flag diversions, escalating wars and human suffering that will result from an economic collapse.
  • Global credit collapse: Most economic transactions are based on credit. A global credit collapse probably would collapse global financial and economic systems, including the delivery of food and fuel. See above. Again, the consequences will be truly ugly.

President Nixon separated gold from the dollar (temporarily) on August 15, 1971. Currency in circulation and debt have subsequently increased exponentially. The purchasing power of fiat currencies has similarly decreased. The exponential price increase is gold mirrors the devaluation of the dollar. See the graph below. I discuss this in my book, “Gold Value and Gold Prices From 1971 – 2021.”

O-gold-40yr

CONCLUSIONS:

  • The global financial system is vulnerable and dangerously fragile. If it were safe and healthy, why would Europe continue to “throw good money after bad” with more bailouts to Greece and other countries? Ask yourself if Italy, Spain, Japan and the US are materially different.
  • A vulnerable and dangerous financial system that is increasingly leveraged is a bubble in search of a pin. Accidents happen! Protect yourself and insure your assets with gold and silver.
  • The Baltic Dry Index and the price of crude oil are telling us that global demand and economic strength are faltering. Expect more central bank intervention, bond monetization, and “money printing.” If sovereign debt is a dangerous bubble now, what will it be after another year or two of massive printing and stimulus?
  • Various wars and boots on the ground: Wars are inflationary. More war creates more debt, more “money printing” and higher prices for commodities and the cost of living. The S&P, sovereign debt prices, and politician approval ratings probably will not benefit from more wars, a higher cost of living, and declining living standards. Protect yourself. Gold prices will rise.
  • Gold has been real money for 5,000 years. Dollars, Euros, Yen, and other unbacked fiat currencies have been printed to excess for decades. Bet on gold prices rising.

Originally Posted on February 24, 2015 by Gary Christenson on The Deviant Investor

News From The American Redoubt:

Doctors able to save cat severely burned in Seattle RV blast

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SurvivalBlog normally avoids “zombies”, but this one is kind of funny: Cornell researchers find safest place to hide from zombies. – H.D.

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Hindu prayer to open Idaho Senate

Idaho patriots, legislators, and assemblies,

I wanted to bring to your attention something that is planned in our state capitol and something I feel requires a strong response from you and me, as Christian patriots, to our legislators. Next Tuesday, the Senate will be opened for business with an invocation including a Hindu prayer. Idaho Senate Pro-Tem Brent Hill said “…it demonstrates our tolerance for other religions,” despite the fact that Hindus are hardly measurable in Idaho, with fewer than ½%, and the fact that it is an affront to God and Christians in Idaho. A Hindu prayer is inappropriate and does not reflect the Judeo-Christian values of the people and culture of the state of Idaho.

What happened to God’s people in the Bible when they “demonstrated tolerance for other religions?” They began adopting those religions, which was an affront to God, and His people faced judgment. This should be offensive to the conservative Christians in the state of Idaho.

The preamble to Idaho’s Constitution reads as such:

“We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.”

Our own constitution recognizes Almighty God as the source of our freedoms and blessings. Christian men put pen to paper to ensure our Constitution became a compact to preserve Biblical principles of governance. It would be incongruent for God-fearing Christian men, when authoring Article 1, Section 4, guarantee of religious liberty, to have intended the assertion of false gods.

And since the constitution was written by God-fearing men and we are ourselves God-fearing people, we must ask ourselves, “Would God smile on us and beam with pride for our tolerance of worship to a false god within the halls of our government?” – a government being operated under a constitution with the above preamble?

I urge each of you to notify your legislators and voice your strong opposition to this, an offense to God and (hopefully) to us. If they continue with this, urge your Senator to leave the chamber during the prayer. Who does your Senator fear, God or man?

In your service, and the service of the King, – J.J.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Our friend Tam over at the great View From The Porch blog mentioned this handy yet compact tool that should be on everyone’s EDC keyring.

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Video: How to Make Aspirin If You Are Lost in the Woods. – P.S.

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WH Plans to Develop a “Country Within a Country” of 15 Million “New Americans” . – B.B.

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The Life-Saving ‘Survival Tree’ When You Need Food, Shelter Or Medicine. – D.S.

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Deadly Bacteria Accidentally Released From Louisiana Lab. – H.L.

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“World-Leading Economist” And Advisor To Chancellor Osborne Busted For Smoking Crack. – P.M.