SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some news of some criminal trials — both pending and adjudicated — in the American Redoubt region.  But first, some mainstream news coverage on the American Redoubt movement.  (See the Region-Wide secion.)

Region-Wide

The left-wing Vice News visits a prepper expo in Sandpoint, Idaho, and tours the region: Land of the Free: Traveling the American Redoubt.  Apparently, this was filmed a couple of years ago, but Vice News just posted it on YouTube last week.

Idaho

Defense asks to move Bryan Kohberger trial in Idaho college murders case, citing ‘mob mentality’

o  o  o

No “slaps on the wrist”, in Idaho! Idaho man gets 27 years in prison for sexual exploitation of minors.

o  o  o

Coeur d’Alene Man Convicted of Multimillion Dollar Accounts Receivable Factoring Scheme.

o  o  o

Twin Falls: City Cops Start Their Own Gun Registry. JWR’s Comments: Idaho very clearly has State Preemption over any would-be local gun laws. So the City of Twin Falls was out of bounds, for even considering this ill-advised scheme!

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 26, 2024

On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crécy, south of Calais in northern France; Edward III‘s English longbows defeated Philip VI’s army. Period accounts mention that cannons were used for the first time in battle.

—

August 26, 526, is the officially recorded anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese.

—

August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Kershaw Link 1776BW, by Thomas Christianson

The Kershaw Link 1776BW is a rugged everyday-carry (EDC) knife. It weighs in at 4.3 ounces and has a 3.25 inch, drop-point, hollow-ground, blackwashed-finish blade made of 420HC steel that is 0.1 inches thick. The assisted-opening blade is reliably deployed via a flipper, and is held open by a liner lock. The glass-filled nylon (GFN) handle provides an excellent grip. The overall length is 7.6 inches. Best of all, the Kershaw Link is made in the USA.

The particular model that I tested has been discontinued. A similar model with an olive aluminum handle and a stonewashed-finished, CPM-Magnacut blade is currently out of stock at kershaw.kaiusa.com, with a list price of $159.99. That knife is widely available from other online vendors for about half as much as it costs at the Kershaw website.

I purchased my test sample used on eBay for $30.73.Continue reading“Kershaw Link 1776BW, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Storage Rice and Spicy Red Beans

The following recipe for Storage Rice and Spicy Red Beans is from SurvivalBlog reader Tony D.  He says: “This is a way you can use your storage food supply. Rice plus beans makes a complete protein.”

BEans Ingredients
  • 4 cups Dry Red Beans
  • 3 Tablespoons Dried Onions
  • 1 Tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon dried crushed red peppers
  • Water
RiCE InGredients
  • 8 Cups of water
  • 4 cups of rice (I prefer Basmati-type)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
BEANS Directions
  1. Rinse and then soak the beans overnight.
  2. Change the water, to “de-gas” the swelled beans.
  3. Add the onions, garlic, and pepppers and cook the beans as usual, allowing them to simmer on low heat for a couple of hours.

Note: Start cooking the rice just 45 minutes to an hour before you plan to serve dinner.

RICE Directions
  1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil.
  2. Add the salt.
  3. Stir in the dry rice.
  4. Briefly return the pot to a boil.
  5. Remove from heat, cover with a tight lid, and allow it to stand for 40 minutes.  (Do not remove cover, until serving.)
SERVING

Serve the beans on a bed of rice, with the side dish of your choice — vegetables, sprouts, or greens.

STORAGE

Both the beans and the rice store well for several days if kept refrigerated in sealed Tupperware-type containers.

—

Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic from X/Twitter is a timely meme that has gone viral.  I didn’t create it. (My own meme creations are usually posted on Sundays.) This meme came to me by way of Terry in Idaho.  I’d like to give credit to this meme’s creator, if someone can let me know.

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

Meme Text: “They’re only Weapons Of War if you try to come and take them…”

—

Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As you know, I left that [Democratic] party in October because it had departed so dramatically from the core values that I grew up with. It had become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big Ag, and big money.

When it abandoned democracy by canceling the primary to conceal the cognitive decline of the sitting president, I left the party to run as an independent. The mainstream of American politics and journalism derided my decision. Conventional wisdom said that it would be impossible even to get on the ballot as an independent, because each state imposes an insurmountable tangle of arbitrary rules for collecting signatures. I would need over a million signatures: something no presidential candidate in history had ever achieved. And then I’d need a team of attorneys and millions of dollars to handle all the legal challenges from the DNC. The naysayers told us we were climbing a glass version of Mt. Impossible.” – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, in his August 23, 2024 presidential campaign withdrawal speech.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 25, 2024

On August 25, 1986 Warner Bros. Records released Paul Simon‘s seventh solo album “Graceland”, a blend of pop, African, zydeco, and rock music. It went on to win a Grammy for album of the year, 1987 and sold over 16 million copies.

August 25th is also a birthday shared by humorist Bret Harte (born 1836), novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (1933-2018). Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others. McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

 

Field Intelligence Collection – Part 6, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)

Scent and Touch

Smells and tactile input generally won’t provide a lot of significant intelligence by themselves, but there may be instances where they could be useful. For example, the smell of smoke can be detected from a long distance away, especially if you’re downwind from the source. If you’re patrolling and you smell smoke, make a note at the location using OsmAnd and include the current wind direction – that way if you don’t have time to check it out immediately it can be added as a ‘to be investigated’ item on a later patrol. Some other examples include:

  • You’re investigating a recent fire and you detect a strong odor of an accelerant like gasoline or kerosene, so you can probably assume it was arson and not an accident.
  • Decomposition is another strong odor that can carry quite a distance and may indicate the presence of bodies.
  • A chemical smell might indicate a nearby chemical leak/spill or contamination in water.
  • The smell of food cooking usually indicates the presence of people.
  • The smell of exhaust fumes can indicate the presence of an internal combustion such as a vehicle or generator.
  • The smell of gunpowder can indicate that a firearm has recently been fired somewhere nearby.
  • The scent of strong body odor or feces can alert you to the presence of people.

As far as I know, there isn’t a commercially available scent recorder, so you’ll need to make geotagged notes in OsmAnd as Favorites to document what you encountered; don’t forget to include atmospheric conditions such as wind speed and direction, temperature, etc., as these can impact how and where odors travel.Continue reading“Field Intelligence Collection – Part 6, by J.M.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:


Meme Text:

Did You Know That “WOKE” Is Actually An Acronym?

W.O.K.E. Stands For: “We’re Obviously Kamala’s Entourage”

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 24, 2024

On August 24th, 1847, Charlotte Brontë finished her manuscript of “Jane Eyre”.

—

August 24, 1682,  Duke of York, James II awarded the “Three Lower Counties” that form modern-day Delaware to William Penn, ensuring ocean access for his colony of Pennsylvania.

—

And on August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths under Alaric I, in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Field Intelligence Collection – Part 5, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 4.)

Another potential standalone camera option is one of those inexpensive infrared night vision cameras. While their primary function is night vision, they can also be used to take pictures during the day. Here’s a sample from a GVDA GD900, which is a compact night vision device with a 12MP sensor and 4X digital zoom that costs around $50:

Continue reading“Field Intelligence Collection – Part 5, by J.M.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I continued with firewood cutting, splitting, and stacking, on four days this week.  Both Lily and our Younger Daughter (“Miss Violet”) helped with the stacking. And I helped Lily with the potato harvest.

I made several trips into town for an SUV pre-repair diagnostic, to pick up mail, and to buy some parts for an upcoming project as well as 250 pounds of winter feed for our chickens.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.” – Ecclesiastes 5 (KJV)