Odds ‘n Sods:

An observation from JWR: The now semi-archaic term “hip shooting” may make a comeback, with a new meaning, now that we are living in the age of Level IV body armor. If you suspect that your opponent is wearing body armor, then aim your fire at his head, neck, or hips–just below his vest.

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An incredibly dangerous precedent is being set here. Anything you say or don’t say can now be used against you. Silence can be used against suspects. – T.P.

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Martin Armstrong Warns “We Are Witnessing The Collapse Of Democracy”. – C.J.

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5 Defensive-Shooting Tips to Avoid. – M.S.

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Brain Hurt – No Make Thinky. – B.B.

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NY State Candidate for Governor Arrested For Filming Police. – J.W.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.” John 16:1-3 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – August 16, 2014

I’m officially calling an end to my 4-year running experiment on gardening this week. I’m not calling it quits on gardening, but I have now discovered which of the methods tried is best for our location. In the last four years, I have tried nearly every form of gardening that was practical. The winner, by far, is the method outlined in “How to Grow More Vegtables than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine” by John Jeavons. This method, while physically intensive, produces an amazing crop from very small spaces. Anything planted in one of these gardens, loves the soil and responds by growing incredibly well with excellent produce. I highly recommend this gardening method. I think I see a forthcoming article on this in the near future.

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Chinook Medical Gear, Inc. has offered SurvivalBlog readers a 10% off discount that is good on their MinimalistPAKs until August 31, 2014. Enter “.14SBMINI”

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Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ 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 hardcase 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 1 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 Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS 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. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. 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,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, 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.

Systematic Efforts by the U.S. Forest Service to Take Control of Private Water Rights, by W.W.

Jamal Utah

I am writing today to inform the readers of this blog about systematic efforts by the U.S. Forest Service (“F.S.”) to take control of private water rights. Recently, this blog made mention of efforts to institute the “public trust doctrine” in California. In Colorado, we have been fighting ballot initiatives concerning the public trust doctrine for years. While the public trust doctrine issue is increasingly concerning, I am writing today about what I feel is a potentially even greater threat to private water rights.

In the last few years the U.S. Forest Service has been quietly revising its internal rules concerning the management of the National Forests (“N.F.”), to include severe restrictions on the diversion and use of surface and groundwater. It is worth noting at the outset that Congress specifically granted the citizens of the U.S. the right to obtain private water rights under state law on federal land. See the Mining Acts of 1866 (30 U.S.C. § 51); the Mining Acts of 1870 (30 U.S.C. § 52), the Desert Land Act of 1877 (43 U.S.C. § 321); and California Oregon Power Co. v. Beaver Portland Cement Co., 295 U.S. 142, 158 & 162 (1935).

While I have been aware of efforts by the F.S. to restrict private water rights in the limited context of grazing permits and ski area permits for some time, it has recently become clear that the scope is significantly broader. Below, I describe past and ongoing efforts by the F.S. to seize and control private water rights. I also provide a little background on the laws governing the F.S.’s authority to obtain water rights, in order to put this issue in context.

Special Use Permit Clauses Requiring the Relinquishment of Water Rights

On March 6, 2012, the F.S. issued Interim Directive No. 2709.11-2012-2 (“2012 Directive”), which requires the insertion of a new clause into new and renewed special use permits ski areas. Among other things, this clause required the Applicant to assign and/or convey any and all water rights associated with the special use permit to the F.S. as a condition to the issuance or renewal of a special use permit. This would include reservoirs, ditches, wells, pipelines, etc. and the associated water rights, even where they were lawfully developed solely by private parties with private funds. The 2012 Directive also required the Applicant to waive any damages or takings claims against the U.S. for this conveyance. Thus, no compensation is given for this transfer. Similar permit requirements were introduced in grazing permits.

In December 2012, the National Ski Areas Association successfully challenged the 2012 Directive. A federal court granted an injunction in favor of the ski areas on procedural grounds, stating that the Forest Service had failed to comply with various public participation and notice statutes. You can read an article about this decision online.

Unfortunately, the decision did not address the greater issue, which is whether the F.S. actually has the power to place such requirements on the use of federal land. A Federal Task Force, charged with evaluating this issue in 1997, concluded that the F.S. did not have this power. Specifically the task force made the following three conclusions.

  1. Congress has not delegated to the Forest Service the authority necessary to allow it to require that water users relinquish a part of their existing water supply or transfer their water rights to the United States as a condition of the grant or renewal of federal permits;
  2. Decrees entered in McCarran Amendment water rights adjudications are intended to result in a binding allocation of the rights to the use of water for federal and non-federal purposes, including the use of water to attain the primary and secondary purposes of the National Forests. Accordingly, the Forest Service may not use its permitting authority to reallocate or otherwise obtain water for National Forest purposes from non-federal water rights which have been or will be recognized in McCarran proceedings; and
  3. The Forest Service must attain the secondary purposes of the National Forests by obtaining and exercising water rights in accordance with state and federal law and by working with owners of non-federal water rights to achieve National Forest purposes without interfering with the diversion, storage, and use of water for non-federal purposes. The use of these approaches will avoid the circumstances that have motivated the Forest Service to act in a manner which exceeds its legal authority.

The full report can be viewed online.

Moreover, U.S. Supreme Court decisions have confirmed that the federal government is to defer to state law on issues of water right administration and adjudication. See, California v. U.S., 438 U.S. 645, 653 (1978)(“The history of the relationship between the Federal Government and the States in the reclamation of the arid lands of the western states is both long and involved, but through it runs the consistent thread of purposeful and continued deference to state water law by Congress.”) .

Since the decision in December 2012, the Forest Service has worked to comply with the procedural requirements mandated by the federal court. It also recently released a new rule concerning ski area special use permits. While this rule no longer requires the transfer of the water rights to the federal government, it prevents the owner from doing anything with that water right without prior F.S. approval. So basically, the F.S. is the owner of the water right because the title owner will lose their special use permit if they do anything with the water without F.S. approval. The rule also prohibits the applicant from selling the water rights. Those new rules can also be found online.

At this point, you may be asking yourself why does this matter for anyone other than ski areas? The problem is that similar rules have been put in place for grazing permits. Moreover, comments have been made during state and federal committee testimony suggesting a desire by the F.S. and the BLM to adopt these rules more broadly once the F.S. gains a foothold. The concern over these actions was so great that Senator Tipton introduced a bill that would block these efforts. Unfortunately, the bill was defeated. Some information can be found on this bill on Senator Tiptons Web site. Colorado also attempted stop the F.S with the introduction of House Bill-1028. While this bill passed the House with bi-partisan support, it was killed by senate democrats, despite calls from the democratic governor that it be taken to the floor for a vote. See press on this legislation on the Telluride News site.

So is one of several examples of F.S. attempting to seize and/or severely restrict private water rights. Moreover, these efforts are ongoing.

2014 Groundwater Directive

On May 6, 2014, the F.S. published notice of a draft directive entitled “Chapter 2560 – Groundwater Resource Management”. This directive creates rules, both explicitly and implicitly, that would allow the F.S. to restrict diversions of private groundwater rights on the N.F. and creates discretion to deny new and renewed special use permits for groundwater development based on undefined and unquantified impacts to “F.S. groundwater resources.”

It is important to recognize that in most western states, one does not have any right to withdraw groundwater under your land simply by virtue of owning the overlying surface. Rather, your must either get state administrative approval or water court approval, or both. The Groundwater Directive is based on the incorrect assumption that the F.S. has a legal interest in the groundwater under the N.F. simply by virtue of its ownership of the surface. Basic property law dictates that this is not the case. Moreover, both the Task Force Report described above and the U.S. Supreme Court as described above has made it clear that groundwater use is governed by state law to which the U.S. must comply.

The Groundwater Directive will impact anyone who uses groundwater that underlies the N.F. Moreover, the Directive indicates that the F.S. will begin investigating activities outside of the national forests, in the adjoining land, that could impact groundwater under the national forests. So even if your well isn’t on federal land, you could receive scrutiny from the F.S. Obviously, this is very alarming.

2014 Best Management Practice Directive

Concurrently with the Groundwater Directive, the F.S. published another notice in the federal register for a National Program of Best Management Practices. For those who are unfamiliar with Best Management Practices or BMPs, a common example of these are the straw bales that you see around stormwater drains at construction sites to prevent soil erosion. While the federal notice for this directive itself is unremarkable, it states that the directive would “require the use of the Agency’s National Core BMPs and National Core BMP Monitoring Protocols detailed in Agency technical guides FS–990a (April 2012) and FS–990b (in development).” The National Core BMP Monitoring Protocols described in the Directive have not been released for public review. However, the National Core BMP document is available online as well. Buried in this document are rules that would allow the F.S. to require water users to reduce or eliminate otherwise lawful water diversions under the guise of water quality protection. In a section addressing water diversions and conveyances, the document contains the following direction: “Operate diversion structures in such a manner as to leave desired or required flows and water levels in the source waterbody as determined in project planning.” This suggests that the F.S. will dictate the amount of water that water right holders can withdraw as they see appropriate, based on their own planning. This undermines private property rights, and the F.S. has no authority institute such rules. Keep in mind that these are rules that the Forest Service is creating for itself. The F. S. does not have direction from Congress to act in this fashion.

Legal Framework

When hearing about this for the first time, many people immediately think that it makes sense for the F.S. to do these things because it owns the land and can do as it pleases. While this is true to a certain extent, the F.S. can only obtain water rights for the N.F. in two ways. The first way is what is known as the reserved water rights doctrine. This doctrine grants the U.S. that amount of water necessary to carry out the purpose for which the land was reserved from the public domain. When Congress set aside the national forests, national parks, national monuments, et cetera, they specifically listed why this land was being protected from private settlement. The purposes for these reservations varies.

The U.S. Supreme Court has specifically held that the purpose of reserving the N.F. was to promote timber production and protect watersheds so that sufficient water would be available to the settlers of the west. See U.S. v. New Mexico, 438 U.S. 696 (1978). Thus, the Reserved Water Rights Doctrine resulted in the F.S. getting all the water rights that it needed to carry out these very limited purposes. Moreover, one of the explicitly stated purposes of the reservation was to protect water for private development by settlers. Because of the reserved rights doctrine, the F.S., by definition, currently has all the water rights that it needs to protect the national forests as dictated by Congress.

Later, Congress passed the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act, which allowed the F.S. to obtain additional water rights for purposes other than timber production. However, according to the U.S. Supreme Court it must obtain this water pursuant to state law and it must do so in the same manner as any other private individual. See U.S. v. New Mexico, 438 U.S. 696, 702 (1978). Moreover, as stated in the Task Force Report, discussed above, the F.S. must not interfere “with the diversion, storage, and use of water for non-federal purposes.” The bottom line is that the Forest Service already has all the water that it needs, and if it wants more it has to get it in the same manner as any other private citizen, which does not include taking it without compensation from others or using its permitting authority to get it.

Conclusion

If one were to look at these actions by the Forest Service individually, they may not make much of it. However, when viewed together and with the proper context, it is clear that the F.S. is actively engaged in a systematic effort to take control of all water arising on or under the N.S., despite a complete lack of authority to do so. Moreover, the F.S. is attempting to hide what it is doing by compartmentalizing these efforts in hopes that the broader scheme will be obscured. This is incredibly frightening because federal land makes up a large percent of the available land in the west as well as many of the headwaters for major rivers and streams. If the F.S. gains the ability to disrupt private water rights on these lands, it could have a dramatic effect on the livelihood of those in affected states. Moreover, very few people are aware that this is happening. Once it happens, it will be much harder to undo than if efforts are made to stop it now.

I would encourage all of the readers to look into this issue and try to figure out its impact on you and your businesses. Contact your state and federal representatives and get involved to stop this. If necessary get your attorneys involved. We need both state and federal legislation to stop this from moving forward. This is a huge issue with massive implications. Please get informed and involved. I also imagine that there are readers of this blog who have first hand experience in dealing with the F.S. on this issue. In my mind, it would be a benefit to everyone if those folks shared their stories. Thanks for reading.

Letter Re: Pre- and Post-SHTF Vehicle Operations and Preparation

Hugh,

Thanks to C.C.K. for the great article on convoys. It’s great to hear from the voice of experience. One item I have not seen addressed in the various SurvivalBlog submittals on post-SHTF convoys is ideas on responding to vehicles who might want to join your convoy. I suspect that a well-equipped and organized convoy is going to be fairly easy to pick out for many people. Similar to signing up to join the old wagon trains across the west, because there is an experienced guide (you hope) and safety in numbers, in many scenarios there are likely going to be other vehicles that want to join your SHTF convoy. How do you respond to Honda Accord with a family of four clearly following your convoy for 5, 10, 20 miles down the road? How do you respond when you must stop to refuel and that Accord parks behind your last vehicle and someone exits the car and approaches your group? What do you do if that family of four appears to be decent honest folks and they ask to join your convoy for as long as your pathways intersect? What do you do if you tell them they can’t join your convoy but they continue to follow you anyway? At this stage in my preps, I personally have a destination to bug out to but no like-minded group of people to travel with. So, if the balloon goes up and any of you all see a well-equipped, all-wheel drive Toyota Sienna mini-van cautiously approaching your convoy, please keep the firearms on safe until we have a chance to talk. – SB

Odds ‘n Sods:

JWR’s Recommendation: For anyone who would like a glimpse of what a modern civil war looks like, then look no further than the lengthy VICE News series of Russian Roulette news reports from The Ukraine. If you have enough time, start with Dispatch #1, and watch over the course of these 70 reports how things fall apart, in slow motion: starting with shouting, protests, and flag burning and slowly progressing to tense standoffs and then full-blown civil war. Take this opportunity to closely observe the weapons, field gear, uniforms, commo procedures, and tactics. Some of the bumbling “volunteers” with no military experience look comical, but the situation is deadly serious. It is noteworthy that one of the American reporters for VICE News, who speaks fluent Russian (Simon Ostrovsky), was detained and tortured by the pro-Russian separatists and was greatly in fear for his life. Later revelations of mass executions from the same timeframe confirmed that his fear was well-founded. WARNING: Some of the “gore of war” in these news reports is quite graphic and not suitable for children!

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11 Shocking Facts About America’s Militarized Police Forces. – H.L.

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Here’s an excellent interactive tool showing exactly where the military’s surplus gear is going. You might be surprised to find out how much of it is in the hands of your local law enforcement. The data is broken down by county. Mapping the Spread of the Military’s Surplus Gear. – T.P.

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Homeland Security Predicts Rise of ‘Anti-Government’ Violence – P.M.

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Washington DC Votes to Continue Militarization of American Police. – B.B.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18 he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.” Deutoronomy 10:17-18 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – August 15, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ 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 hardcase 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 1 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 Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS 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. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. 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,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, 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.

Saving Your Marriage for the End of the World – Part III, by Cottage Mom

This is the final portion of the three-part article, outlining ways to embark on a prepping journey with a prepping-adverse spouse. The list of suggestions continues below:

  1. Use Current Events as a Springboard for Purchases

    Many non-preppers don’t give much thought to the future, and they only see the need to prepare while they are in the eye of the storm. Use mini-emergencies or news stories to support purchases and advanced preparation.

    That latest tornado warning is a reason to get a weather radio. The cell tower outage is a reason to develop a family communication plan. The energy tax credit is a reason to convert your fireplace to an efficient wood-burning insert. The crime committed in your town is a reason to purchase a firearm. The Northeast Blackout of 2003 is a reason to do a host of preparatory activities.

    There are so many dire events from those in your neighborhood to those across the globe (refugees in Ukraine), it should be fairly easy to use these as a justification to obtain a few preparatory items.

  2. Avoid the Chief Oddball Prepping Activities for Now

    There are about three prepping categories that cause most mainstream spouses to freak out, and it behooves you to lie low and take other territory before you attempt them. It is not that you will never attempt these but rather postpone them, until you can get your spouse’s enthusiastic agreement.

    1. Storing Large Quantities of Food, Supplies, Recyclables

      • Buying a box of eight cans of corn at a big box store would not be considered crazy by most people. However, having to rotate a year’s supply of canned corn would.
      • Storing large quantities of water in drums or 2-liter bottles in case the world blows up would be considered extreme. However, putting in a swimming pool for the kids, or installing a rainwater collection barrel for the garden, which would subsequently provide an alternate supply of water, would not.
      • Stocking several 5-gallon buckets with quantities of grains would be considered extreme; however, learning to make your own bread and subsequently buying a large sack of grain to grind yourself for maximum health would be considered wholesome. Then, after bugs or mice get into your large sack of grain, that would be an opportune time to explain the need for a few plastic buckets to prevent that from happening again. What has been accomplished in this example is that your spouse had the opportunity to experientially perceive the rationale for why buckets of grain are not weird or crazy.
    2. Buying Multiple Firearms, Ammo, Military Gear, and Playing War Games.

      Most mainstream-groomed people have been conditioned to believe guns are bad and so are the people who own them. Most people, however, do not look sideways at playing recreational paintball, laser tag, or other target-oriented games, like archery. Instead of imposing a firearm on one’s reactionary spouse, begin introducing the idea of “guns” innocuously. Start by playing darts as family fun. Even darts will develop a certain level of aiming skill and coordination that can transfer to other self-defense skills.

      As alternatives:

      • Explore archery as a family.
      • Invest in a quality air gun for backyard target practice—which is even considered, by some, to be better firearms practice than using a firearm with live ammo at a range.
      • Store your recreation equipment—even the darts—responsibly in order to inspire trust/reduce fear of accidents for your spouse. Gradually get your spouse used to gun-looking objects and activities before approaching him/her about acquiring a real gun.
      • If you have boys (but even girls will love this), you have a perfect opportunity to play with them using military-style games in the yard. For a fun birthday party, set up an obstacle course and dress them in camo, complete with face paint. Keep it light and fun. For example, have them fill water bottles and clip them to a vest or belt; make a plank bridge crossing over a kiddie pool with toy alligators in it. Have them crawl through a cardboard box with plastic spiders and synthetic webbing. At the end of the course, they can eat real MRE’s or freeze-dried camping food out of a pouch. Not only will this “fun” lay the foundation for your children to develop self-defense skills, it will also gradually desensitize your spouse to his/her aversion to self-defense and survival training.
      • Gradually increase awareness about self-defense in your family by purchasing everyone a personal canister of pepper spray, and perhaps enrolling in a self-defense class or gun safety course.
      • Read real life stories to your spouse where someone averted violence through the prudent use of a firearm and see how your spouse reacts. Carefully plant seeds of truth about firearms to gradually undo the mainstream conditioning that “guns are evil.”
      • In purchasing your family’s first firearm, subtlety is key. Instead of trying to acquire an arsenal for the end of the world, begin with one firearm purchase for one specific purpose. If you are a man, you can generally begin hunting without raising any eyebrows; most wives will tolerate their husbands need for this sort of “man-time.” As a woman, most men will generally support a wife’s desire to protect herself and train with a personal firearm.
      • If you or your spouse has any anger management issues at all, you must resolve them, and then have a long track record of self-control prior to bringing a firearm into your lives.
    3. Scaring Your Spouse with Tales of Doom, Bugging Out, and Relocation.

      I made this mistake when I first learned of the survivalist movement. It was during the economic collapse of 2008, and our family business had been low on work. As I began sharing dire stories and the strategies to protect us (my method of dealing proactively with our situation), my spouse could not handle the depressing emotions these stories conjured. I discovered just how differently my spouse is wired from me, and if I wanted to be wise, I had to be sensitive to my spouse’s unique psyche and needs. What my spouse needed most were spiritual encouragement, optimism, and fun distractions. I decided to keep my prepping mentality to myself, but I did all the prepper things I could that would not upset my spouse in any way. We still had health insurance, so I got the whole family up to date on all their exams. I completed dental work I had been putting off. I began exercising, which really delighted my spouse. I kept a larger amount of cash in a drawer my spouse could draw from instead of going to the ATM, and this had a side benefit of saving time and reducing ATM fees.

      In addition to prepping in plain sight in the ways I could without causing negativity in my spouse, I also supported my spouse in the manner my spouse needed support. I didn’t embarrass my spouse. As our finances improved, I purchased various supplies with my spouse’s approval. Several brief power outages created an opportunity for discussion and resulted in getting a generator for our business that would also supply our home with emergency power. I set a goal to have a year’s worth of non-perishable consumables in our home, which meant we saved money, trips to the store, and we no longer ran out of soap, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, et cetera, and would come in handy should the SHTF.

  3. Fly Under the Radar for Some Prepping

    Don’t underestimate the power of little-by-little accumulations. There are some prepping activities you can do on the down-low, which your spouse doesn’t need to be an active partner or give specific approval. Do you desire to purchase extra batteries, fish antibiotics, sewing thread, or a roll of duct tape? Did you find a good deal at a garage sale for something you can quietly stow away? Does your spouse really need to participate in these purchases? While I don’t approve of keeping secrets from one’s spouse, in most households every purchase is not scrutinized, and there is leeway to accumulate small but valuable preps. If your spouse does scrutinize every dime, negotiate a monthly sum for your own discretionary spending; the money will be budgeted for, but you will have a measure of spending freedom as well.

  4. Find Like-Minded Friends

    Accept that your spouse may never come on board the way you would hope, and locate a few others who are supportive and can prep along with you. This can relieve some of the pressure and expectations you have for your spouse and give you a chance to share your excitement with someone else.

    Warning: Of course you must guard against crossing any romantic lines with another prepper.

  5. Objection

    I can hear the urgency in your thoughts: “But I don’t have any time to waste in getting ready! I need to protect my family now, whether or not it causes marital strife. I think I should prep now and get forgiveness later.” Again, review the list of all the ways to prepare that most likely will not cause marital strife. There is a lot that can be accomplished that will not jeopardize your marriage.

    Love is patient. It can take time for someone to undergo a sea change in their views on prepping, but it will happen in most cases if you proceed wisely. If you forgo the Queen Esther route, however, you may never be able to undo the damage you cause.

  6. My Own Experience

    These principles work! Here are some ways that my non-prepper spouse prepped without even knowing it:

    • We installed an above ground pool. This benefited our family in four ways– exercise and enhanced swimming skills; a large, alternate source of water; family fun and bonding time; and the potential to raise fish as a food source.
    • We drink spring water we get from a delivery service. In addition to our pool water, which can be used for hygiene or purified for drinking, our water delivery cycle allows us to have 25 gallons of readily-dispensable drinking water on hand at all times, plus it is regularly rotated.
    • Since my spouse loves technology, he installed security systems and purchased a hardened laptop for me that I stored my gathered survival information on.
    • My spouse takes pride in upgrading our household systems to be as energy efficient as possible. I assist by doing research and price shopping.
    • Since I encourage his areas of interest, he does not mind my accumulation of kitchen items– grain grinder, dehydrator, and more. I also put these items on my gift lists.
    • We used to be just-in-time shoppers, but then I began shopping at big box stores “in order to save time and keep us from running out of consumables,” which also conveniently serves my TEOTWAWKI ends as well. My spouse raised his eyebrows at first but now is used to seeing big box quantities of toilet paper, garbage bags, and the like. As long as I keep it organized, he doesn’t mind, and he appreciates not having to make emergency trips to the store.
    • Because our income is unpredictable, I made a case for storing a year’s worth of consumables as another version of a savings account. When income is coming in, I replenish and rotate what we use from our storage; when our income stalls, we draw from our storage without replenishing and radically reduce our monthly spending without impacting our comfort level. Since we have a supply on hand, I can wait until there is a sale to buy them.
    • I explained the concept of food insurance to my spouse. (It’s like life insurance, except that you actually get benefit from it when you eat it.) While he still rolls his eyes at me, he lets me do my thing. As long as it is in the budget, I can purchase any food supplies I want.
    • The biggest success, which occurred through providence, is that we actually bought some acreage to “play” on, but for me, it doubles as our survival retreat and bug out location, should the need arise.
    • Bees and chickens are in our future! I’m not sure what prompted it, but he actually suggested these to me!
  7. Stay in Faith

    One of the biggest marvels that occurred completely independent of my actions was that the Lord put a mentor in my spouse’s life that is also a prepper. It was one of the ways the Lord answered my unskilled prayers. Through the input of this friend, my spouse has been mentored in firearms and even became interested in gardening. The things that my spouse would deem crazy, if I were to suggest them, are thoughtfully weighed when they come from this friend.

    If you and I stay in faith, the Lord will answer our prayers, and even supply what we didn’t think to ask. No matter how we prepare, we will have to rely on God to survive should the SHTF. We might as well get into practice now in seeing God’s hand move.

  8. Keep Life Happy Right Now

    No matter how prepped up any of us are, we cannot be prepared or saved from every contingency. Do not be so apocalypse-sighted that you neglect joy in the now. Being as serious as a heart attack all day long violates the scriptures: “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and “a cheerful heart is a good medicine.” Again, if you are creative, you can and should dovetail prepping with having fun—baking in a solar oven or making homemade ice cream is fun but also practices valuable skills. Prepping should make your life better in the long run, not worse.

    Life is short as it is; so take time to have good times. Play, and be playful. Make your prep-adverse spouse’s life as sweet as you can make it. Take family vacations; enjoy dinner dates; buy toys for your kids; plant some flowers along with your vegetable garden; lie on a hammock and watch the clouds go by. Consider a day without laughter a day that has been wasted. It is these good times that make survival worthwhile in the first place.

As much as it depends upon you, make your spouse’s life beautiful.

Letter: “Be Smart Get Prepared” First Aid Kit

Hugh,

Scot’s review made me decide to review what I carry in my car trunk– the Be Smart Get Prepared First Aid Kit sold by Sam’s Club. It was designed as a kit for a small office and meets OSHA and ANSI requirements for such use. The cost is $19.98, so it is less expensive than the Chinook MinimalistPak, even though it is larger.

The Be Smart kit comes in a sturdy plastic case with a rubber gasket around where the lid meets the case. It appears this was intended to make the case waterproof when closed, but the tolerances are not good enough to give me confidence in how watertight it is. None the less the case is good enough to keep the contents dry in the rain while removing it from my car trunk. The case has spare compartments, which allow me to easily supplement the contents. The size is large enough to allow me to include a printed copy of our local County’s Emergency Guide, a small flashlight, a small Swiss Army Knife, and supplemental first-aid items (see below).

Contents include:

  • 21 antiseptic towelettes
  • 36 alcohol prep pads
  • 6 sting relief pads
  • 6 antibiotic ointment packets
  • 6 burn cream ointments
  • 10 antacid tablets
  • 10 aspirin tablets
  • 10 non-aspirin tablets
  • 1 instant cold compress 6″ x 9″
  • 1 English First Aid guide
  • 1 Spanish First Aid guide
  • 20 adhesive bandages 1″ x 3″
  • 50 adhesive bandages 3/8″ x 1-1/2″
  • 60 adhesive bandages 3″ x 3/4″
  • 10 butterfly closures bandages
  • 18 wound closure strips 1/4″ x 1-1/2″
  • 2 gauze rolls 2″ x 4.1 yds.
  • 2 eye pads
  • 8 sterile gauze pads 2″ x 2″
  • 4 sterile gauze pads 4″ x 4″
  • 1 sterile trauma pad 5″ x 9″
  • 30 cotton tip applicators
  • 1 adhesive tape roll 1″ x 5 yds.
  • 5 finger splints
  • 1 triangular bandage 40″ x 40″ x 56″
  • 1 tweezer
  • 1 metal scissor
  • 4 examination gloves

It does not include the Emergency/Survival Blanket, Elastic Bandage Wrap, Flat Duct Tape, Burn Jel, Moleskin, Non-Adherent Dressing, Povidone-Iodine Prep Pad, Anti-diarrheal, or Oral Rehydration Salts that the Chinook MinimalistPak contains but has larger quantities of many other items, since it was designed as an office kit. It contains alcohol prep pads, sting relief pads, burn cream ointments, instant cold compress 6″ x 9″, eye pads, cotton tip applicators, adhesive tape roll 1″ x 5 yds., finger splints, and triangular bandage 40″ x 40″ x 56″, not found in the Chinook MinimalistPak.

The contents of the kit are individually packed in heat-sealed sterile packets, which are in turn organized in plastic compartments in two layers inside the sturdy plastic case. There were enough empty compartments that I was able to put some medicines including anti-diarrheal from our supply at home into tiny zip-lock bags and add them to the kit. I also added a few sizes of Telfa non-stick pads.

As a car first-aid kit thrown in the trunk, I prefer the solid plastic case over soft zipper bags for protection of the contents. I also appreciate the many internal compartments, which keep things organized.

Like the Chinook MinimalistPak, the items with expiration dates had dates reasonably far in the future. – RAR

HJL Replies: Thanks for the review of that kit. As an EMT-B, I find most kits are okay for small scrapes and cuts, but they’re practically useless when dealing with trauma. I used to carry and depend upon a small belt first aid kit that was a bit bulky on the belt but was easy to throw in the car under the seat or in a backpack. I still carry that same kit, as it has cool tools and small packs of antispetic and bandages. However, I will never forget the first time I stopped at a motorcycle accident to render help. I stood there like a fool with my neat little first aid kit wondering what I had to stop the massive bleeding from the rider’s head. I ended up using a small blanket I had in the truck, but I swore I would never be caught flat footed again. The kits are a nice starting point, but none of them have enough gauze or bandage wrap in them. I now carry copious amounts of rolled gauze and 4×4 squares as an addition to any kit I use. You can even turn your old bed sheets into useful bandages by ripping them into 4” wide strips and rolling them. Also, be careful of the 3M elastic, self stick bandage rolls (or similar non-adhesive bandages). The heat of a car and age can make it near impossible to unwrap these rolls in a hurry.

Odds ‘n Sods:

The United States is not the only country facing severe issues from drought: Brazil’s biggest city faces rationing amid drought – H.L.

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Video: Study: You Have ‘Near-Zero’ Impact on U.S. Policy. – D.D.

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Doctors refuse to treat Obamacare patients, say they can’t afford to. – J.W.

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Massachusetts governor signs law tightening state gun rules – H.L.

There are fewer and fewer states in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic that give a darn about our 2nd Amendment Rights. Time to MOVE away!

JWR’s Comment: The fertile mind of Philip K. Dick anticipated this sort of law enforcement, and he voiced a warning in his novel Minority Report.

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In the latest attempt to make your head explode, the feds once again show how little they care for their own borders. Feds Buy Border Fence … for Ukraine – B.B.

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Don’t forget the Safecastle sale going on right now. Save 31-51% on Mountain House cans and 20% on Berkey Water Filters!

Notes for Thursday – August 14, 2014

August 14, 1945 was V-J Day.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,400+ 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 hardcase 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 1 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 Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS 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. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. 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,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, 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.