Odds ‘n Sods:

Snaring Varmints. – J.M.

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Making 9 Million Jobless “Vanish”: How The Government Manipulates Unemployment Statistics. – P.M.

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Muzzleloader Explodes Like Grenade, Takes Off Shooter’s Fingers . – RBS

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Sixth Circuit: Mental Health Gun Ban Is Unconstitutional. – H.L.

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SurvivalBlog reader P.M. sent in this link for old Singer sewing machine manuals.

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SurvivalBlog reader M.D. requested prayer from our readers as they are dealing with spiritual warfare. Please keep them in mind in your intercessory prayer.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Genesis 41:15-16 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – December 19, 2014

Book Bomb Day is December 30, 2014: Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own

Now available for pre-ordering at Amazon.com, but I’d prefer that you wait for December 30th to order: Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own. This book is a guide to the selection, use, and care of tools. It will also be available as an e-book and audiobook. -JWR

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December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light.

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Ready Made Resources is offering four extra cases of Mountain House with the purchase of their Premier Gold Package of Mountain House Foods, in addition to the standard package. That’s two cases of Rice and Chicken and two cases of Lasagna– a $636 value. That is in addition to the five cases of Yoders meats, one case of Red Feather butter, one case of bega cheese, and 18 yahoo canned cakes. Overall, that is a $5390 for only $3895.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value).

Round 56 ends on January 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.

What Haven’t I Thought Of For Nuclear Survival?, by D.K.

It’s easy to prepare for a specific disaster and then forget about it. Whether it’s an economic collapse, power grid failure, or nuclear attack, gathering supplies just isn’t enough. There are a spiderweb of choices to be made after each event, and this article will focus on options you may not have thought of yet, if a nuclear strike were to happen. Aside from knowing the foundations to nuclear survival, there are other important topics, such as owning protective suits, location decisions, and community goals. As with most survival situations, nuclear survival is a system of Q/A– questions and action. Here are some of the questions to ask yourself:

  • Should I get disposable or non-disposable radiation protection suits?
  • How many suits do I need?
  • Do I stay where I’m at, or do I leave during a disaster?
  • What am I going to do with waste if the plumbing doesn’t work?
  • Who in my community can I truly count on?
  • Why is bugging-out not always the best option?

Before diving into specific scenarios and trying to figure out everything you need, it’s important to know the basics of nuclear survival. There are endless calculations that go into a nuclear explosion, but there are three basic parts to recap:

  • The Blast: This includes size, burn effects, and the area is immediately affected
  • The Shock: This includes EMP, wind/shockwave, and social structure damage
  • The Fallout: The radiation-emitting dust that travel all over the place

***To give you a better idea of how a nuclear bomb would affect your area, you can use Alex Wellerstein’s NUKEMAP.***

Plan

Another foundation to nuclear survival is having a plan but not just any plan– a very specific plan. It’s easy to say, “We’ll just go to the desert or forest and bug out”, but how is that going to be executed? What are the specific steps of action you would have to take to get there?

Survival, in a nuclear conflict, should never be approached with a mind focused on the short term. Knowing what you are going to do after everything you’ve planned for has happened is important. For example, if my family and I make it out to the forest to our super secret bug-out spot and survive for a month or two, then what? What happens when the food runs out, ammo runs out, or fallout is carried to our position via atmospheric travel. Not all of us have a nuclear bunker to run to, but even if we did would we be able to survive the psychological pressures of living underground for so long? These are all things to consider.

The last foundation for nuclear survival is having a backup for everything, just like you would on your computer. If one of your suits gets torn or the road you picked is blocked, having a backup can save you from a lethal situation. Some people even like to have backups for their backups, and that is not such a bad idea!

Suits

Deciding what type of radiation protection suit to get for your nuclear survival kit is one of the most important steps towards preparedness. Should I get disposable or non-disposable suits? The important word there is “suits” (in the plural tense), as every person should have at least two of any kind of suit.

Another point to consider, when buying a suit, is how will I eat, drink, and go to the bathroom during extended periods of time within the suit? Even with a good mask that allows you to eat/drink, how can you do that without exposing the edibles. The real answer depends on the scenario and what you are up against. If it’s just alpha and beta-emitting fallout, then a basic suit will suffice and eating, drinking, and relieving yourself could be done under thick cover. If it is significant gamma radiation, then advanced suits and complete decontamination are the only way to complete very short-duration tasks outside of your fallout shelter in relative safety, and not bring hazardous emitters back into your shelter. [ JWR Adds: NO suit will protect you from gamma radiation. If a suit could protect you, then it would be too heavy to move. Read: Many hundreds or even thousands of pounds. The only reliable protection is a proper fallout shelter with multiple halving thicknesses of soil or concrete.] Some protection is better than no protection in any scenario, and knowing how to use the gear you’ve purchased is vital.

Have I practiced breathing and working in my mask? How long do my filters last? Do I have enough? Taking the time to practice using and fully assessing the items we have can prevent a load of problems created by panic during a disaster.

Stay Put or Bug Out?

Do I stay where I’m at or leave during a disaster? This is one of the biggest choices to be made, and the answer varies widely depending on your current location. Here are a few things to consider when making the choice to hunker down or high-tail it:

City (assuming it hasn’t been hit directly)

This will be the toughest area to make a choice, but at one point or another a decision to leave must be made. As we know, traffic will be at a standstill, panic will set in quickly, looters will take advantage of the chaos, and police will have hard time controlling anything. This is one scenario where staying put may be the best idea in the short term. This will give the city time to quiet down after the initial shock and potentially clear out some roads. Staying for too long could be a very bad choice, because over time gangs will form and looters will move from commercial stores to residential areas. Supplies are the driving force behind survival in a nuclear disaster, and cities are going to run out the fastest. For those living in the city, having a remote location to get to is the best goal. Here are the pros and cons of being in a city during this type of disaster:

City Pros:

  • They will be the first places where order is established, if the government still remains
  • Ethnic, religious, and family groups will band together faster
  • Cities will be targeted first for supplies and recovery, if order can be created again

City Cons:

  • There is not a strong sense of community
  • High population meaning more looters, chaos, and congestion
  • Pre-established gangs can quickly take advantage of the situation

City Final Thoughts:

  • Plan to leave 1-3 weeks after an attack, when streets are clear
  • Have many pre-planned routes out of the city to avoid major roads and highways
  • Community is extremely important here, so band together with neighbors
  • Have a destination goal with supplies pre-planted for your mid- to long-term survival

Suburb

The suburbs are where most of us will be during a nuclear strike, and it’s better than being in the city. Supplies will dwindle slower, but that doesn’t mean it’s a great choice to stay for long. Once a city is ravaged, the suburbs will be the next staging area for crime, wanderers, and the search for supplies. Here are some points to consider about a suburb after a nuclear attack:

Suburb Pros:

  • Less congestion, which means more mobility and time to react
  • There are established communities
  • It won’t be the first priority for looting, until cities are empty

Suburb Cons:

  • Generally located very close to cities
  • Long-term survival is not an option here, due to lack of supplies
  • Infrastructure will not be repaired until the nearby cities are under control

Suburb Final Thoughts:

  • Leave immediately or when supplies get low, but don’t stay for more than 2 months
  • Will you be able to handle neighbors requesting supplies and help?
  • A weapon is essential for survival in an area longer than a couple weeks

Rural Town

This is where everyone wants to be during a disaster, and in the end most people will end up here. Once cities and suburbs have run their course, people will move further away and into rural areas. Even though these small towns are great for short- to mid-term survival, it’s got a share of problems, too. Here are some pros and cons when considering a rural town during a disaster:

Rural Town Pros:

  • Less likely to be targeted, due to there not being a large population or military bases
  • Lots of reaction time and preparation for mid- to long-term survival
  • Community can quickly come together from it’s established social connections

Rural Town Cons:

  • Will be the last place to receive aid from outside sources
  • Will attract gangs or looters who can outnumber or outgun a small town
  • Must be self-sustaining or it will quickly disperse and collapse on itself

Rural Town Final Thoughts:

  • This could be a great place to stay long term, as long as the community is strong
  • Community defense and supplies are crucial to maintaining infrastructure
  • Taking in wanderers and/or turning them away will be an important town decision

Your Community

Lastly, one of the most crucial things to consider when planning for a nuclear strike is what type of community you will be a part of. Will you be a lone ranger? Will you have a small group (3-25 people)? Or will you even be a part of a town’s group (25+ people)? Each has a list of pros and cons that must be weighed, while also recognizing that a person’s community is greatly affected by their location.

Going Solo

Going Solo Pros:

  • Only responsible for yourself
  • Easier to remain hidden
  • Moving locations is quicker and easier
  • Decisions can be made much faster

Going Solo Cons:

  • An easy target, if found by any bad group
  • Doing things with one person is harder than doing it with five
  • It’s proven to be a mental and psychological challenge

Small Group

Small Group Pros:

  • Bonds and trust are held together better than in a large group
  • Defense and concealment from other groups is possible
  • Jobs can be diversified
  • There is a larger skill pallet

Small Group Cons:

  • Can quickly be snuffed out by a larger group
  • Will have a hard time making decisions, if someone isn’t the “final say”
  • If someone gets sick or hurt, it will affect the entire group much more than a larger one

Large Group

Large Group Pros:

  • An even bigger skill pool to work with
  • Can split to cover more area and create a formidable defense
  • Will be the first to establish long-term survival communities

Large Group Cons:

  • Making group decisions is not an easy process, unless everyone’s goals are aligned
  • “Compromise” is a word everyone in a larger group must know well
  • It’s much more susceptible to conflict, which can lead to the collapse of a community

Every person is a part of a community in one way or another and when something like a nuclear attack happens, it will either strengthen the community or erase it completely, due to dispersement. Planning and communicating with your community beforehand about what actions will be taken after a disaster is extremely important. Obviously, this is not possible 100% of the time, because not everyone has a community of like-minded people. In this case, it might be best to go solo during a disaster, in an attempt to join a small/large group by providing value.

This guide is not meant to be an all-inclusive step-by-step handbook to any survival situation, but rather it’s here to spark ideas and put people in the right mindset when thinking of preparedness. Asking a question like “where are we going to put the waste” is important, because it’s not something we would normally think about. Having a long term and specific approach to nuclear preparedness will increase chances of survival and put you 1,000 steps ahead of the average person. Asking the right questions and taking the appropriate actions are essential to nuclear survival. Take the time to sit down and evaluate your plan, while going through every possible scenario to not only give you a physical preparedness advantage but also a mental one.

Letter Re: Prepper Armor

Hugh,

Just a few thoughts on the article about body armor.

“The idea that you’re going to be wearing full-on body armor 24/7 during an SHTF situation is fantasy land.”

That’s me, as accurately as I can remember, on a Facebook prepper group page.

Yes, I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think body armor should be a high priority item. Certainly it shouldn’t be one before you have more basic preps squared away.

Why is that? Well, having spent a decent portion of my life wearing the stuff, I know just how inconvenient it is. So, here are some thoughts on the recent article about “prepper armor.”

(NOTE: In the interests of clarity, I have worn the Interceptor armor with full plates–front, back, and side, as well as the relatively “new” body armor with the cummerbund and full plates. I have not worn many of the police-oriented models and never worn or owned any soft body armor. Your mileage may vary.)

  1. The armor combination the author suggests for someone “in fairly good shape” is pretty bulky. A IIIA vest with plates, the codpiece (groin protector), and batwings (upper arm protection) is a lot of stuff to wear. It makes movement difficult, and it makes carrying anything around difficult, especially if you’re wearing a pack or anything like it. If you’re planning on being foot mobile (or even if you aren’t), you’re not going to be moving fast at all. Take a look at the movies Restrepo and Korengal and see how the troops there equipped themselves. This armor combination is really only appropriate if you’re doing vehicle-based patrols in a high-threat environment, like Fallujah.
  2. Try wearing that stuff and getting into a vehicle. Better yet, get into a vehicle designed to carry troops wearing that stuff without putting any of it on. You’ll notice you have LOTS of room. Now, imagine getting into whatever vehicle you’re using to bug out wearing that stuff. Can you reach all of the controls? Can you see out of the windows? Can you move your head and body effectively to see out of the windows? I’m not confident I could put on my armor from Afghanistan and fit into my truck and drive effectively if I had to react to a dangerous situation–or even change lanes during rush hour.
  3. Most people see body armor as their way of carrying their stuff. There are tons of pouches and other bits you can mount to the PALS panels. RESIST THAT URGE. What happens when you have to squeeze into a spot and you have to drop your armor to do it? You’ve lost your primary means of carrying that stuff. When I rolled in Afghanistan, I used a chest rig hooked to clips I mounted onto the armor with zip ties. If I had to dump the vest, I could unhook the rig quickly and keep my main ammo supply (plus my radio, binos, pistol ammo, flashlight, et cetera). Also remember, you’re carrying that ammo and other stuff on top of a 30-ish pound vest.
  4. So, say you’re not going to wear it all the time. Now you have to have a place to store it, and it’s something to remember to grab and make a place for if you should have to bug out. Were you going to keep it in your daily commuter car all the time? I think that qualifies as a bad idea ™.

Look, I’m not saying body armor is a terrible idea, but keep some perspective when you think about adding it to your preps. You’re not going to be assaulting an ISIS stronghold or running patrols in Afghanistan any time soon after SHTF. At best, you’ll need it to check out a noise during a watch period or to fend off an assault on your homestead. Think about how you’re likely to react and design this prep appropriately.

The idea that you’ll be wearing it 24/7, or even during large portions of the day, really is fantasy land. Keep that in mind. Body armor should probably be one of the last things you pick up, unless your threat assessment dictates otherwise.

And, if that’s truly the case, maybe that money would be better used to relocate you and your family NOW, rather than after SHTF. – K.C. “Frag”, Maj, US Air Force (Ret)

Economics and Investing:

U.S. Declares (Currency) War On Russia

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Swiss Central Bank to Introduce Negative Interest Rates – G.G.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Price of Gold in Russian Rubles – Just thought I would share this chart… Notice how fast things happen when they really make a move. Wouldn’t suspect it to be any different.

A Full-Blown Economic Crisis Has Erupted In Russia

Minimum Wage, Maximum Unemployment – This is for South Africa, but the economic principle is universal.

Odds ‘n Sods:

The mass media was quick to report that the Islamic hostage-taker in Australia was a licensed gun owner. However, there was one small problem with that convenient narrative: It wasn’t true. (Thanks to Tam at the View From The Porch blog for the link.)

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How to make a shoe : Headley, Jno. P. – P.M.

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More shots fired at BPA transmission lines Note that this is WEST of The American Redoubt, on the west side of the Cascade mountain range.

– P.S.

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German researchers discover a flaw that could let anyone listen to your cell calls. – The Washington Post– P.M.

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An interview with JWR on Radical Personal Finance: Geo-Arbitrage and Expatriation for a Better Life

Notes for Thursday – December 18, 2014

December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of others before the house was set on fire and he was shot attempting to escape the flames.” His exploits were dramatized in the movie Flame and Citron.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Case For Being A Prepper, by Quilliam Franklin

My goal in writing this article is to explain my thoughts and reasoning behind my choice to become a Prepper. I believe that being more prepared is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. However, sometimes Preppers can be seen as strange, eccentric, or even crazy. My hope is that as you read my thoughts in this essay you will get ideas that can help you have good heartfelt conversations with your loved ones. Ultimately, I hope you will realize what I did; preparing for the uncertainties in this world is anything but crazy.

As I was reading and pondering reasons why I should be more prepared, I started to categorize everything into two different groups– multipliers and uncertainties. Multipliers are variables that make any type of disaster worse off, while uncertainties are bad situations that could possibly happen but might not. Let me share with you some of these multiplies and uncertainties that are the most concerning to me.

Multipliers

Just-in-time Delivery

First, I want to talk about just-in-time delivery. Just-in-time deliver means, that when you go to the store and buy an item, it will register that the store is short of that item. The computer systems will automatically place an order, and when the next truck goes out to that store, it will now include that extra item on board. This is a practice that saves a lot of money for almost every type of business (e.g. grocery stores, pharmacies, manufacturers, and others), because now the in-store inventory is very low. However, because the in-store inventory is very low, if there is ever a reason that we can’t use our nation’s transportation system (mostly roads) the stores would run out of inventory even quicker.

A small localized example would be to look at what happened after hurricane Katrina when many of the roads were inoperable. Many grocery store shelves were completely stripped bare and people were hoarding gas to run their generators. From what I read and saw on the news, it was a tense situation, but this disaster was a localized event with a light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, our entire nation poured in supplies to help out. Now, imagine an equally devastating disaster on a larger scale without supplies being flown in. Just-in-time deliver would cause stores to run out of inventory even quicker than they would have before. Just-in-time inventory is not bad; it saves a lot of money and makes a lot of business sense, but it can easily make a fragile situation go from bad to worse.

Not Your Grandpa’s Generation Anymore

I don’t know how else to say it. We, as a people, are not the same as our grandparents’ generation. We don’t have the same skills and mindset as they used to. They worked in every aspect of their lives; they gardened, cooked from scratch, and mended what broke. They had relationships with their neighbors. They bartered, and they didn’t feel entitled to anything they didn’t work for.

I am not going to drag this topic out, but I think we can all agree that our country as a whole could not handle a disaster situation anywhere near as well as our grandparents could. How many people today would be willing to eat chicken feet soup and possum for dinner?

Made in China

It is not a secret that very few things are made completely in the USA anymore. If there is ever a disruption in the international/domestic shipping and transportation, for any reason, it would pretty much stop all production and disrupt most of what we could buy at the stores. This is just one more thing that could make a certain disaster scenario much worse.

Uncertainties

About a year in a half ago I was at an event where Paul Ryan (Wisconsin, Republican, House of Representatives) was speaking. He talked about some point in the future when America wouldn’t even be able to afford the interest payments on our debt, if we didn’t start curbing our spending. After this event, I started to think about what he said, which led me to do more research on the national budget and debt. From what I read, Paul Ryan had one of the most conservative budget plans that had a chance of passing at that time, but even his plan didn’t stop us from going into debt further. His plan only slowed the pace at which we went into debt. This was an eye-opening experience for me. It made me realize that there could be a financial disaster in the future that no one was talking about (you can’t borrow money indefinitely). And if no one was talking about this then, what else was I missing? After much research, I came up with a list of some of the biggest concerns or uncertainties I have about our future.

National Debt

My share of the national debt is $56,194.16 (as of 11/11/2014). That means an average family of four, like mine, has a share of debt well over $200,000.

The U.S. currently has close to 18 trillion dollars in debt. Our yearly budgets have recently run about 1/3 off of borrowed money, and we have added over $7 trillion to our national debt since 2008. As we continue to borrow money, the interest on our payments is going to get higher and higher, and at some point we won’t even be able to afford the interest on our payments without drastically altering the budget. In addition, we are not even trying to pay towards the principle of our debt. Very few politicians are even trying to make cuts to the budget, because doing so would take funding from areas that their constituents support. Like I mentioned above, one of the most conservative budgets that had a chance of passing (although a small chance) doesn’t even stop borrowing money, it just borrows a little bit slower than other budget plans.

In short, it is like our nation is driving straight towards a cliff, and all we are doing about it is arguing about how fast we should be driving towards the edge rather than trying to change directions. At some point when we can’t afford to pay interest on our debt payments, we won’t be able to borrow additional money, but we will still have the debt that we owe. At some point it is going to get ugly, because you can’t borrow money forever and not pay it back (well, at least not without consequences). I fear we will be left holding the debt, have our budget cut in third, plus continually have to pay more of our budget towards the principal.

There are people who predict that at this point there will be a collapse of our nation’s currency, and although that is a possibility, I hope it won’t get that bad. Whatever does happen, it will be a difficult and trying time for our country. To try to get out of this mess there will have to be high inflation, increased taxes, and deep budgets cuts. Think of what happened recently in Greece; their entire system was at the point of collapsing, but they were finally saved by a bailout from the EU. We have more debt than the next three countries combined, so if our system fails there will be no one to bail us out.

Let me finish this section quoting Margaret Thatcher, who said this about socialist countries (and if the U.S. isn’t one yet, we are pretty close): “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” You can’t say it better than that. In the end our debt in going to catch up to us, and it is not going to be pretty.

Food Stamps

It has been reported recently that 20% of households in America are now on food stamps. That number has continued to grow every year. That means that one fifth of America is directly dependent on the government for at least part, if not all, of their food budget. (This excludes people who actually get a salary from working for the government.) What would happen if there was ever an interruption, inflation, or a cutback in how much the government is able to hand out?

We need to ask what it means for our country to have a low jobless rate but still have 20% of households of food stamps. What underlying problems are there that make it so many Americans can’t even afford their own food? Perhaps, most importantly, what does it mean for our country when so many people feel it is the responsibility of the government to feed them?

The overall point I want to make about food stamps is that there are a lot of people using them for food on a daily basis and that number keeps on growing. If for any reason there was ever a problem of any kind that caused a reduction in food stamps, you would have massive riots, looting, stealing, and possibly worse. It is best to be prepared.

Social Security (What’s So Secure?)

So let me explain Social Security the way I understand it. Each year the money is collected from people paying into the system (generally through payroll taxes). In years past, when more money was put into the system than was needed to pay out, the government created and added that money to a special fund– the Social Security Trust Fund. Any extra money was put in there. The government would then essentially write an IOU (technically government bonds, but these bonds are not tied to any real assets) to the Social Security Trust Fund and then use that money in other places. Now we are to the point where we are not saving up extra money each year; in fact, we need more money that we are bringing in. So, we pull money from the Social Security Trust Fund. With the current laws, we are not projected to have a surplus of money any time soon. At the current rate of withdrawal and with very positive estimates from government, the Social Security Trust Fund will run dry in 2033. At that point, the entire program would have to reduce benefits to all the Social Security participants so that money coming in and money going out match. It is currently estimated that the government would have to reduce the benefits to everyone by about 25%, to break even.

I am sure my explanation is simple and misses some of the nuances of Social Security, but it does highlight a major problem– Social Security is going to run into some major pain points within the next 20 years.

Before ending this section on Social Security, I want to make two more points that add to the uncertainties around social security:

  1. There is only 2.9 people paying in to every one person paying out, and that ratio is getting smaller every year. At what point does it fall apart? How much of your paycheck is the government willing to take from you?
  2. The process of temporarily fixing and patching Social Security could potentially cause a lot of pain. If for any reason Social Security checks stopped coming, even for a short period of time, there would be massive backlash from the people. (There are over 54 million people receiving Social Security benefits right now.)

There are going to have to be some tough decisions made around Social Security, over and over again. If each temporary fix doesn’t go perfectly smooth, it will cause massive unrest across this country. Ultimately, I am afraid the system is going to fall apart. I am in my 30s, and I don’t expect to ever see one penny paid back to me from Social Security. Be prepared, because there are too many uncertainties to count on Social Security being there for you.

Ebola in Dallas

So I live in the DFW area, and when I first heard that there was a case of Ebola in Dallas I was a little bit annoyed but not overly concerned. I then found out that a nurse from my church congregation works at the same hospital as the person with Ebola. This made me stop and think if I should be nervous. Lastly, I learned that the nurse has kids that were in the same class at church that my kids were in, and I got even a little bit more nervous. Then, additionally two more nurses caught Ebola; my nerves continued to climb.

Luckily, it wasn’t a huge issue, and Dallas eventually became Ebola free, but that disease highlighted just how quickly people are going to panic in situations like that. In this case, the presence of one patient caused the emergency room at that hospital to shut down and some nurses stopped showing up to work. Imagine what would have happened if there were 200 or 2,000 cases around Dallas all at once. Would the hospitals be able to handle it?

I believe that there could be a disease that is worse than Ebola, one day. Especially when there are doctors and scientists publishing exactly how to create one. We should be prepared, at least the best we can, to handle a situation like that. This is just one more of those uncertainties that makes me want to be a Prepper.

My Responsibility

In the end, I feel that it is my responsibility to take care of my family. I hope and pray for continued peace and prosperity. My hope is that I never need the skills and supplies that go along with being a Prepper, but it would be naïve of me to ignore and do nothing to prepare for some of the uncertainties that I have listed in this article (and ones I did not list). Let me share some of my worst fears with you that really drove me all the way into being a Prepper. The first is that all or part of my family is killed (or worse) during a disaster scenario. The second thing that scares me is what I might be willing to do for my family.

Here is a hypothetical situation I thought of at the very beginning of my Prepper journey. Imagine I am the normal suburban guy who loves his family but is not very prepared for a disaster. Then, some sort of disaster strikes. Imagine my family and I start to go hungry. I am generally a good, Christian guy, and I tried to find food for my family in a fair way, but since food is scarce for everyone I do not have enough to get by for me and my family. Would I be willing to look my wife and kids in the eye and tell them that they have to starve because I did not prepare when I had the chance? Would I be willing to turn to robbery, or to murder, to stop my family from dying of starvation? What if this also meant ruining my own chance of salvation? Honestly, in this hypothetical situation, I am not sure what I would do. My gut tells me that I would do almost anything before I let my family die.

This scenario made me realize that if a good, Christian person would be willing to do extreme things to help his/her family, what would others with less moral convictions be willing to do? I decided that I should prepare now, while I have the chance, so that this hypothetical situation would never have the possibility of being acted out.

Conclusion

There are two reason I wrote this article. First, I wrote it to encourage the Preppers to continue on their journey. Prepping is not strange, eccentric, or crazy, and if there is ever a disaster scenario you will thank your lucky stars you prepared. Plus, knowing you are more prepared than most should allow you to rest a little easier at night. The second reason is so you can share this article with the non-prepper people in your life. Maybe this will shed a new light on why you do what you do and the non-prepper will realize that you prepare because you care about them.

In conclusion, no one thinks you’re strange if you get a life insurance policy, even though you have a small chance of actually dying. The same should be true about prepping. There is a small chance (I hope) that any of these scenarios will turn into a full blown disaster, but there is still a chance. It is normalcy bias that tells us that just because something like this hasn’t happened before means it won’t happen in the future. We should take advantage and take action now and prepare. We need to pay the dues to our disaster insurance so that we can be prepared to take care of ourselves and our family, if there is ever a disaster scenario.

Letter Re: Prepper Armor

Dear Hugh,

The recent article, “Prepper Armor,” by J.J. was good but needs clarification. It seems a lot of faith is put in the statement that Level III armor “stops 5.56mm,” but this needs to be explained further.

We have two basic 5.56 x 45mm rounds– the 62 grain SS109/M855 and the 55 grain M193. The former travels at 2,970fps when fired from a M4 16 inch barrel, while the latter is 3,200 fps at the muzzle.

Most body armor retailers distinguish the “stopping power” of their product between these two rounds by categorically stating the SS109/M855 WILL be stopped.

But, that’s not the whole story; many expressly deny their products will stop the M193, because of its greater projectile velocity.

So, a blanket statement like: “stops 5.56mm” may only be half-true and that ain’t good enough if your adversary or the “bad guys” against you have M193 in their magazines. “Half-alive” after being shot by a M193 while wearing body armor is not acceptable.

Not being an expert, I am to understand that once 5.56mm rounds exceed 3,000 fps at the muzzle, they WILL penetrate body armor rated less than Level IV. So M193 ammo seems to be an issue.

I have seen actual non-scientific tests (at 25-50 m) on YouTube where some Level III rated armor stops M193, while others do not; it’s very confusing.

Can someone knowledgeable in the M193 vs Level III armor take me up on this and give us lay people some clarity? Thanks! – K.W.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Footwear of the Middle Ages. – P.M.

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An interesting talk on the search for a “Survival home”: The perfect post-apocalyptic bolt-hole?. – A.C.

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Rule of law?? Courts rule Philadelphia man must pay $280,000 that he does not owe. – D.S.

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We Stand! 1500+ Armed Patriots Nullify i594 Gun Restrictions.. – D.S.

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Following up on Monday’s video regarding an MRAP to manage “constitutionalists”: Knezovich facing protest over MRAP flap. – B.B.

Notes for Wednesday – December 17, 2014

December 17th, 1905, was the birth day of Simo Häyhä, who was the world’s most successful sniper. Using an iron-sighted Mosin–Nagant in Finland’s Winter War, he had an astounding 505 confirmed sniper kills. He died April 1, 2002.

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Ready Made Resources is offering four extra cases of Mountain House with the purchase of their Premier Gold Package of Mountain House Foods, in addition to the standard package. That’s two cases of Rice and Chicken and two cases of Lasagna– a $636 value. That is in addition to the five cases of Yoders meats, one case of Red Feather butter, one case of bega cheese, and 18 yahoo canned cakes. Overall, that is a $5390 for only $3895.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value).

Round 56 ends on January 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.