Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader B.H. sent this news headline, which reads like something out of a novel: Indonesia Moves Warships to Border

For some background in the recent growth of Indonesian military power, see this article from The Jakarta Post: TNI gears up, sets sights on foreign threats

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For those intereted in light weight rifles this one sounds like it has quite a bit of promise.

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G.G. sent this news report in onNew Hampshire Thieves Raiding Woodpiles For Firewood.

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Disturbing news that the US Government may have been colaborating with the Sinaloa drug cartel

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U.S. Army expects to replace a quarter of soldiers with robots by 2040

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B. sent in this link that discusses a geological study about the New Madrid fault that might be of interest to our readers. While many readers don’t live in this area, the area is a rsik to the total US infrastructure.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“The thing was, though: When James Wait got there, a worldwide financial crisis, a sudden revision of human opinions as to the value of money and stocks and bonds and mortgages and so on, bits of paper, had ruined the tourist business not only in Ecuador, but practically everywhere…Ecuador, after all, like the Galapagos Islands, was mostly lava and ash, and so could not begin to feed its nine million people. It was bankrupt, and so could no longer buy food from countries with plenty of topsoil, so the seaport of Guayaquil was idle, and the people were beginning to starve to death…Neighboring Peru and Columbia were bankrupt, too…Mexico and Chile and Brazil and Argentina were likewise bankrupt – and Indonesia and the Philippines and Pakistan and India and Thailand and Italy and Ireland and Belgium and Turkey. Whole nations were suddenly in the same situation as the San Mateo, unable to buy with their paper money and coins, or their written promises to pay later, even the barest essentials… They were suddenly saying to people with nothing but paper representations of wealth, “Wake up, you idiots! Whatever made you think paper was so valuable?” – Kurt Vonnegut, in his novel Galapagos (1985)

Notes from SurvivalBlog Editors:

Note from JWR:

On a recent trip to the eastern U.S., my wife and I had the opportunity to finally meet face to face with sci-fi novelist Mike Williamson, (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) and his family. It was great fun to put faces to names, and to build stronger bonds than is possible through mere correspondence.

Notes from HJL:

January 27th is the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth, (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006), a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho.

Notes from SurvivalBlog Readers:

Sometimes SurvivalBlog gets small emails from our readership that just are not big enough to warrant placement in their own blog post. Some of these can be quite profound too. Rather than just let them fall by the wayside or respond privately, I will post them in this section. – HJL

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A quick note of thank you from B.

Jim,
Pat will be greatly missed. Us southern Louisiana preppers will keep him and his family in our prayers. – B.

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And another quick note from P.W.

HJL said it “The reality is that we can’t go it alone.”
I have a quote that says: “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.”

I think this is a good prospective to keep in mind. A ‘scout’ needs to be swift and stealth. A ‘community’ needs win the long Trek.

Pat’s Product Review: SOG Trident Folder

In all the years I’ve been around knives, there are one or two things I’ve learned about what most people think about knives. It really depends on where you live, too. Many folks in the big cities see knives, including folding knives, as a weapon of last resort, and that isn’t wrong thinking by any stretch of the imagination. Folks who live in rural areas think differently about knives. Instead of a weapon, most see a knife as a tool to use in dressing out game. Then we have Preppers, living in the city or in the country. They see a knife as a tool and a weapon. I’m in the Preppers corner on this one. First off, I see a knife as a tool and then a weapon. Very few people actually use a knife as a weapon for self-defense. Most use the knife as a tool quite often; in my case, I use one almost daily.

I like innovative knives, especially folding knives. I’m not a big fan of the slip-lock type of folders, where the blade does not lock up, because they can be dangerous when used as a heavy duty tool. The blade can close on your fingers. I, also, don’t especially like folders with a nail-pull notch to get the knife blade out. I prefer some kind of thumb stud or disc opening device because it’s quicker and easier than the nail-pull method.

So, I’ll introduce the SOG Knives folding knife into this discussion. There are quite a few characteristics that I like about the Trident folder. (SOG also makes a Trident fixed blade knife, too.) The first thing one notices on the Trident Desert Camo folder is, well, the desert camo pattern on the glass reinforced Nylon handle scales. The desert camo pattern is digital in design, which is quite eye-catching, to say the least. The blade is desert sand in color, and my sample came with a partially serrated blade, which I find very useful as a tool, as opposed to a weapon. The serrations come in handy when cutting through cardboard boxes and box straps; serrations really grip and rip through that stuff.

The blade is 3 3/4 inches long and made out of AUS-8 stainless steel, and the design has a Bowie clip-type handle. The stainless steel blade, along with the coating, resists rust. One will also notice that there is a sliding button on the right side of the handle scales – this is a lock – that keeps the blade locked in the open position, preventing accidental closing of the blade on your fingers. There is what is called a bayonet pocket clip on the butt of the handle. This allows for deep pocket carry. Also, the clip is easily rotated to the other side of the handle for left-handed carry.

Blade hardness is just about perfect for a knife blade at a Rockwell hardness of 57-58. It will hold an edge a good long time and is easy to re-sharpen. I like AUS-8 stainless steel. It’s a great compromise stainless and is very affordable compared to some of the “super stainless” knife blades. I like a bargain in a knife, and AUS-8 affords you a good blade steel at a great price. The Trident only weighs in at 3.80-ounces. It so light you will readily forget it is clipped inside your pants pocket.

Then, towards the ends of the handle, there is “that thing”– a groove milled into the handle scales. It is actually an opening that allows you to easily slice through paracord or thin rope without opening the blade. The opening in the handle scales allows just enough of the blade to be exposed, so you can place a piece of cord in there and cut it. You might wonder what the big deal is about this. This was designed by a former US Navy SEAL, who saw Zodiac boats on rough water punctured by someone opening a knife to cut some paracord, causing the Zodiac to sink. With the groove in the handle, you can cut paracord without opening the blade. It’s a nice idea, especially if you are around water much. It is also great for fishermen. It’s one of those simple designs that make you wonder why you didn’t think of it first.

The blade has ambidextrous thumb studs on it, for getting the blade deployed quickly and easily. However, this Trident folder has what is called S.A.T.– SOG Assisted-opening Technology. It’s an assisted opening folder. What SOG came up with is a VERY fast-opening device, one of the fastest assisted-opening folders I’ve run across. You only have to push on the thumb stud, and the blade comes right out of the handle scales in the blink of an eye. Some assisted-opening folders are rather slow or sluggish; that’s not so with the S.A.T. mechanism. It’s FAST!

There is a raised pattern on the handle scales that allow for a very firm grip on the Trident. They aren’t too aggressive, nor too passive. They are just right. On the bottom of the handle scales are serrations milled into the scales, giving you a firm grip on the knife when the blade is opened.

If you don’t like the digital desert camo pattern on the Trident folder, you can get one in all-black, tiger stripe camo and a few other camo colors. I personally like the digital desert camo pattern. The sand colored blade is actually a TiNi coating, which resists scratches.

For the better part of a month, my wife and I tested the Trident folder using it around my house for all kinds of cutting chores. My wife found the S.A.T. opening easy to use . Believe it or not, a lot of folks have a difficult time opening assisted-opening folders. These folks keep their thumb on the thumb studs a bit too long, which slows the blade down just enough that it won’t fully open. You won’t have that problem with the Trident folder.

I liked the Trident folder for several reasons. I like the S.A.T. technology for fast opening; I liked the clip point blade design; and I like the partially serrated blade, too. Now, the Trident is a great Every Day Carry (EDC) folder and makes a super Gent’s folder for all kinds of everyday chores. Is the Trident a survival knife? Well, that depends on your definition of “survival”. I wouldn’t want to take the Trident into the woods as my one and only knife because it’s not designed for heavy wilderness work. You can dress out game and accomplish some chores, but I’d prefer a heavier folder for that. SOG has many folders to pick from. As an EDC folder, the SOG Trident really shines. Folks will be amazed at how quickly the blade is deployed, and it will serve most of your work needs. It can also be used as a last-ditch self-defense weapon, too.

SOG advertises the Trident folder as being assembled in the USA with some parts made in Taiwan.

The SOG Trident retails for $114, and you can usually find it for less on the Internet if you shop around. It’s a great knife at a great price, and it won’t let you down as an EDC knife. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Pat’s Product Review: C.T. Fischer Custom Knives

There was a time, many years ago, when I collected high-end custom knives. I designed several of the knives myself, and had a couple custom knife makers produce them for me. I was a real sucker for a beautiful hand-made knife; I still am. However, I didn’t want to use any of those beautifully crafted knives because, well, they were so beautiful. They were works of arts, and I didn’t want to see them get all scratched up. Oh sure, I had some custom knives that were “working” knives. I wasn’t afraid to put them to work or get the blades scratched or dirty. However, most of the knives in my collection were too darn pretty to use. (Using them would decrease the value of my knives.) Eventually, the entire collection was sold.

Since selling my handcrafted, fancy custom knives, I’ve designed a few more knives and have also received custom knives for articles over the years. I was mainly interested in a working man’s knife, rather than an “art” knife. I want knives that I’m not afraid to use and abuse. Christopher Fischer of C.T. Fischer custom knives from Elk City, Idaho contacted me some months back and asked if I would be willing to test one of his knives for SurvivalBlog readers. He also asked for an article on my findings. I agreed. He had an in-stock fixed blade knife on-hand that he sent to me. Many custom knife makers are backlogged months and sometimes years on their orders. I just happened to luck out this time with the knife being immediately available for testing.

I received the 6-inch, full-tang, all-purpose camp knife with a brass guard for testing. A camp knife is one of those knives that can handle most chores around a camp, dressing game in the field, and preparations in the kitchen, as well as act as a weapon for self-defense. A camp knife should also have some type of guard to prevent your hand from sliding onto the blade and doing some serious damage to your fingers. The camp knife Fischer sent me came with a full brass guard. He also offers the same knife without a guard, if you want it that way.

Fischer usually works with CPM S30V stainless steel; high-carbon steels, such as O-1 tool steel, 1095, 1075 and 52100; and steel from large saw blades. While I really like CPM S30V stainless steel, like many stainless steels, it doesn’t hold an edge as well as carbon-steel blades. I’ve always found carbon-steel blades easier to re-sharpen when compared to stainless blades. Now, don’t get me wrong, most of the knives I own and use are made out of some type of stainless steel, which is a nice thing to have in the rainy and very wet Pacific Northwest, where we usually have about 8-months of rain per year. Even with the best care, stainless steel blades can rust and carbon steel blades are even worse. Carbon steel blades require extra care, but it’s worth it.

The camp knife I received for this article is made out of 0-1 tool steel. Fischer sends all his stainless steel knife blades out for heat treating to Paul Bos, who (if you ask me) is “the” number one name in heat-treating of knife blades. Even though Bos no longer does the heat treating himself, the company still holds to his high standards. Fischer does his own air-hardening heat treatment himself on the non-stainless blades.

The blade on the camp knife sample I received is 6-inches long– neither too long, nor too short for a camp knife. The thickness of the blade is 3/16th of an inch, which is just perfect for this type of knife. Its overall length is 11-inches from tip to butt, and the knife weighs 13-ounces. The handle material on my particular knife sample is made out of light- to medium-brown Dymondwood. It is a dyed, plastic impregnated laminate that is available in 50 colors and color combinations. It has a layered look to it , which is very attractive and almost bullet-proof. We’re talking super-tough hand scales. However, you can get your knife’s handle scales made out of Micarta or hardwoods. Fischer doesn’t use bone or antler because they are fragile and shrink-up on a knife.

Another nice touch to all of the C.T. Fischer knives is that Fischer makes all his own sheathes, which are well-made and heavy duty. I’ve had some absolutely beautiful hand-made knives pass through my hands in the past with sheaths that looked terrible. The knives didn’t fit in the sheaths properly. Not good! Fischer’s sheath that came with my camp knife sample was made for the knife and will last a lifetime with little care.

Fischer will make you a sheath out of Kydex, if you request it. However, on this camp knife sample, it just made sense to my way of thinking to have a leather sheath. A Kydex sheath would detract from the look of the knife. You can also get a sheath made for horizontal carry as well as neck sheaths for his smaller knives. C.T. Fishcher will be happy to fill your special sheath requests.

Okay, I’ll be honest, before being contacted by Fischer, I’d never heard of him or his knives. I haven’t really been into custom knives in a number of years. So, I did some research on Fischer and his knives and found some big-name knife dealers are carrying and selling C.T. Fischer knives. These dealers’ websites had some favorable comments from very satisfied customers. That’s a good thing.

The blade on my camp knife sample has a soft satin finish on it. On a working knife, you don’t want a shinny blade because it shows the scratches easily. The handle scales were also pinned on the knife, and there is a lanyard hole in the butt of the knife. The knife came shaving sharp, which is a nice thing. Some custom knife makers don’t know how to put an edge on a blade.

Around my small homestead we always have an abundance of blackberry vines. No matter how much blackberry killer I spray on these vines, new ones pop up all the time. It’s an on-going battle keeping these wicked vines in-check, and it gets very expensive having to buy the spray-on blackberry vine weed killer. So, I often get out there with a knife and whack away at those vines. It’s a great media in which to test the sharpness of any knife. Many knives won’t cleanly cut through thick blackberry vines, which are super tough. The C.T. Fischer camp knife had no problems taking the large vines down with one slice with the knife. I also used the camp knife in the kitchen, too, for all manner of cutting, including tomatoes, meat, and onions. The knife breezed through them all.

Now, one look at the Fischer knife will readily tell you that it is a working knife rather than a show piece. You could mount it on a stand and put it on your desk for everyone to admire. However, Fischer’s knives are working knives, first and foremost, no doubt about it. Like the old Timex watch commercials, they can take a licking and keep on ticking. Okay, maybe not “tick”, but they can stand-up to just about anything you can throw at them and still do the job they were designed for. The camp knife had a nice balance just behind the brass guard. I like a knife that is slightly handle-heavy, especially if I’m doing any chopping.

I didn’t bother with any knife-throwing tests, like I normally do with knives. I just couldn’t bring myself to throw it and scratch the blade or handle scales. Yeah, there is still some of that “fancy” knife mentality left in me since I couldn’t abuse this sample by throwing it.

All-in-all, I was impressed with the C.T. Fischer camp knife sample. It is a working man’s knife, and one that deserves consideration as a wilderness or survival-type knife. If you don’t like this particular pattern, check out the website. Fischer also makes a Classic-style Bowie with a 9-1/2 inch blade, as well as a 3-inch utility knife and everything in between. Now, for the good news, the 6-inch camp knife sample I received, with the tool steel blade, is only $360. In my book, for a custom, hand made knife, of this quality, it’s a steal. I would have expected this knife to cost at least $500 or more. Now, once again, keep in mind, these are NOT show knives. They are designed as working knives, so the blades won’t come all shinny. However, the knife sample I received was well-executed, well thought out, and priced “oh-so-right”. Fischer doesn’t often have knives in-stock, but check with him. If the knife pattern you want isn’t in-stock, see how long it will be for him to make one just for you. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week

Margaret R’s Pig Pickin’ Cake:

1. Grease and flour two cake pans and pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

1 box of cake mix (lemon, yellow, or white– in my order of preference)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges (undrained)

2. Mix the above ingredients together until well blended. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tooth-pick comes out clean, when cake is tested.

1 large carton Cool Whip (or 1 pint Heavy Cream, whipped, as a more fluid alternative)
1 pkg. instant pudding (Banana Cream, is our preference)
1 large can crushed pineapple (half the juice drained)

3. When cake is cool, combine the above ingredients and spread between cake layers and on top and side. Refrigerate a few hours before serving. Keep leftovers refrigerated!

Note: You can decorate it with cherries or pecans. When you try this cake, you’ll understand the name. It WILL make a pig out of you!

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letter Re: A Science Based Technique for Seasoning Cast Iron

Dear Hugh,

Hi – first off, I am in NO way an expert or even knowledgeable enough about this matter to offer advice.

After reading Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning in Odds ‘n Sods,I became interested in the subject as I generally just use grapeseed oil to season my pans. The very first article I pulled up not only refuted the information in the article above, but it also suggested that taking the advice of the article above could be dangerous.

Here is the relevant extract: ‘Perhaps no other related topic is so rife with garbage on the internet than the seasoning of cast iron pans. It is cancerous with political correctness and completely removed from practicality. I think the worst that I have read was someone selling new pans and (proudly) saying he seasoned them with flax seed oil. Flax seed oil? That is just about the most unstable polyunsaturated oil there is. It is so unstable — read easy to oxidize — one never cooks with it, ever. To subject it to high heat for seasoning can create dangerous compounds and guarantees lousy performance. It is difficult to express just how stupid that is. I’ve also read where people spray a pan with no-stick spray then throw the pan in the oven at 500F for three hours, a pointless expensive exercise that might burn the house down.’

Here is the full article. I haven’t the foggiest notion who is right and who is wrong on this matter, but I thought it worthy of being brought to your attention. – J.B.

HJL Replies: I’m almost embarrassed to admit how we treat our cast iron. We have two pieces that have been handed down at least three generations. The standard procedure is to use whatever oil is at hand– canola(rape seed), olive, lard, butter, whatever. The meal is prepared and then the pan is merely wiped out with a paper towel while still warm. Since the pan is used on a daily basis, it never imparts a bad taste. Occasionally someone will cook something in it that ruins the season or cooks a strong flavored food which requires soap and steel wool to clean. In these cases, it generally has to be re-seasoned and the most common method is to wipe it down with canola oil and heat it on the stove top or oven. We generally just heat it until the oil is right below the point where it smokes and then let it cool down on the stove. About every 5 years or so, we begin to notice a black crud forming on the rim above the level that food is generally at. When it becomes noticeable, I just take the pan out into the yard and use a 100,000 BTU weed burner to heat it to the point that the carbon crud burns off, then let it cool down overnight and re-season it in the morning. There are many who would say that we are abusing our cast iron, but it’s tough to argue with a process and pan that are 100 years old. My wife informs me that making her southern cornbread is an excellent way to keep the skillet seasoned. She pours about 1/4″ of canola oil into the skillet and pre-heats it to 425 degrees before pouring the batter (made without any oil) into the hot oil. The cornbread is then crispy, southern-fried and your skillet is a pleasure to work with.

Letter: Walmart and Augason Emergency Food Supplies

Mr. Rawles,

I don’t know if you know about this, I didn’t. I also don’t know if this is an online only type thing. But, I found Augason emergency food supplies online at walmart.com today. I live 2 hours from the nearest Wal-Mart and 3.5 hours away from the nearest Wal-Mart/Sams SuperCenter. So, maybe they sell these in the store, now. I don’t know. But, for those of us who rely on shipping supplies in, this is news of note. Orders of $50 or more ship free from walmart.com. – B.E.

Economics and Investing:

P. sent in this interesting link about Russia:Russia’s Growing Regional Debts Threaten Stability

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Local governments extending tax breaks to movie production companies is becoming commonplace now; Even to the point where cities and states compete with each other to be the hosting location for the movie company. Several readers sent this link in showing How Leonardo DiCaprio Cost New York Taxpayers $30 Million. HJL Adds: My own city recently released financials showing that in the past year, they hosted four movie productions, giving significant tax breaks to the production companies, with less than $9,000 increased revenue to the local businesses.

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More disturbing news about the Federal Reserve and QE.

Items from The Economatrix:

Life Without Benefits Gets Tougher For Jobless

$90 Cut To Food Stamps For 850,000

Here It Comes – More Leading Economists Call For Capital Controls

1.4 Million Jobless Officially Get The Emergency Claims Axe

Odds ‘n Sods:

JWR was doing some research on concealment from FLIRs and active IR emitters on starlight scopes for his upcoming novel Liberators, and found an interesting post at the Urban Evasion web site.

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Mountainview Off Grid Livingsells 5 gallon buckets of Hard White Wheat and Hard White Wheat. HJL Adds: For those not familiar with the Hard White Wheat, it is a product that has the same moisture and protein as the standard Hard Red Wheat but has a milder flavor. We use it almost exclusively, and you can make a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread that tastes really good. You can also use the Hard White for pastries and lighter breads if you grind it finely. My wife’s favorite biscuit recipe, which she makes weekly, uses 2/3 Hard White and 1/3 bread flour.

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B.B. sent this link reminding us that the unprepared are the ones who are hurt the most in crisis.

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A.W. reported this link showing a comparison to the world in 1914 and 2014: Is the world on the brink of war?

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If you’re a criminal, you probably should be careful who you try to steal from. Here are a couple of links sent in by readers about criminals who weren’t: Businessman Andrew Woodhouse cleared of using unreasonable force against fuel burglars, and MMA fighter Jardine stops mail theft.

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B.P. sent this interesting link about a Supreme Court case that could have far reaching implications on the ability of governement to regulate personal gun transfers.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“The general sentiment of mankind is that a man who will not fight for himself, when he has the means of doing so, is not worth being fought for by others, and this sentiment is just. For a man who does not value freedom for himself will never value it for others, or put himself to any inconvenience to gain it for others…

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”- Frederick Douglass, August 3, 1857, in a speech at Canandaigua, New York

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,700+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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, and
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.)
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy.
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225,
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad. They have a combined value of $195.
  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. and
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit.

Second Prize:

  1. A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand,
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589.
  3. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com.
  4. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials
  6. A full set of all 26 of the books published by PrepperPress.com. This is a $270 value,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).
  8. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  9. Autrey’s Armory — specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts and accessories– is donating a $250 gift certificate, and
  10. Dri-Harvestfoods.comin Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is 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. This is a $185 retail value,
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises.
  6. Mayflower Tradingis donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Productsin North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies. This assortment has a retail value of $208.

Round 50 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.

Defending Your Neighborhood, By M.M.C. and D.K.

Bugging out to a more defensible location, away from the big cities and the anarchy that will be taking place there, is what everyone talks about. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us do not own or have access to such a redoubt or refuge. Even if we have a place to go to, defending in place in our neighborhood may be the first thing we need to do before setting out on the road. For most of us, a neighborhood defense may be our best hope, especially if the roads are clogged with evacuees just trying to get away from the turmoil. We know that getting boxed in on the road is not good.

Regardless of where you live, the size or shape of your neighborhood, or how many of your neighbors are like-minded, MMC’s advice and instruction comes from decades of proven Marine Corps doctrine on combat and survival. MMC is a U.S. Marine Corps recent retiree with a plethora of skill sets and experience. He has served in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan during his 20 years of service and spent years training Marines in the art of marksmanship as a Primary Marksmanship Instructor, Combat Marksmanship Instructor, and a Small Arms Weapons Expert Instructor. The planning and execution of these methods revolves around the key words: Defend, Reinforce, Attack, Withdraw, and Delay. This is a time tested method used by the Marine Corps when writing an Operations Order and can be used as a planning tool prior to the action of defending against the enemy threat and for considerations to going on the attack against a potential enemy threat. We will explain these points and show how you can apply them to your unique environment.

Your first step may be to print out a Google Earth satellite image of your neighborhood, with several different magnifications to show surrounding territory, the larger neighborhood, and down to two-block areas. County and municipal road maps will also be needed, as well as your state and adjoining ones. You can make a clear overlay of your neighborhood map to plot out defensive positions and other modifications. Whatever the cause of a “failure of civility” in America (economic collapse, infrastructure, or electromagnetic pulse), government will probably respond with martial law. Our military will be called up to help the overwhelmed civilian law enforcement agencies. They will concentrate on larger cities, protecting key businesses, utilities, medical facilities, and communications. The fiber of our military forces will eventually erode, since opposing American citizens would mean fighting their own people; thus, there will be desertions and resistance to government. Some estimate all forms of law enforcement will collapse within 90 days. Many will join opposition groups, and many will go home to defend their homes and families.

Defend: Protect what we hold dear– family, home, neighborhood, water source, and food supply. Join with other neighbors and families who are equally dedicated to your overall cause. These are like-minded people who intend to protect their families and homes and survive the crisis. The goal is sustainability of what I have and what I cherish. The method is to control the fight. The primary defensive point will be a 360° perimeter around your defensive zone, with an emphasis being placed on the likely approach routes of vehicles and foot traffic. If you have a property that is adjacent to large bodies of water or other terrain features that form natural barriers, concentrate on a solid 180 degree perimeter from that feature. Your defensive zone will cover an area where you are able to engage intruders at the maximum effective range of your weapons, generally 500 meters. You can use terrain features that favor your engagement of the enemy and also limit their engagement of you. Use barbed or concertina wire to block between house areas and other avenues that might be available to the invaders. Trip wires connected to early warning devices, such as shotgun shell alarms and flares, will help alert defenders. Even trip wires attached to tin cans with rocks in them will cause a noise.

A secondary defensive point will be your first fallback fighting positions. The tertiary point is your home itself– your headquarters. If you have a basement, it needs to be turned into a livable area to defend. It has only one way in, the stairwell, which would be a death trap for anyone coming down. Barring a fire, it is a secure area. It’s important to present your tertiary point as a “hard” target, with prepared fighting positions and obvious planning for attacks.

The area beyond your primary position must be cleared to create a “no man’s land” that will enable you to observe anyone approaching your area’s defensive zone. Burn down empty houses and move people back into your key terrain. Knock down chimneys and cut down and burn trees and shrubs. You must create clear fields of fire, allowing invaders no cover and concealment. Eliminate the ability for the enemy to “bound” from point to point and advance on your positions.

Create wide fields of fire that will become wide-open killing fields. An area of burned-down houses will tell invaders that this area has already been picked clean, and there is nothing of value left. Houses that may be left standing should have the appearance of having been already looted. Break windows and spread small furniture and debris on the lawns. Be careful not to create what’s known as Dead Zones; these are areas that cannot be engaged by direct fire weapons because of hard obstruction. Do not give signs of life beyond the burned out zone. Make it look as if it has been picked clean, but beware that you could be creating a defensive position for your enemy. Make improvements on your defensive positions daily by reevaluating, upgrading, and inspecting from the intruder’s point of view as well as your own. Harden all positions by adding logs, sandbags, and boulders.

  • Key terrain is all ground and structural features of your immediate and extended neighborhoods. Keep your defense area small if you are a small group of people. The larger the group the more you can expand your defense.
    • Evaluate your immediate home structure. Choose which windows will be used as fire ports. The inside wall areas beneath and alongside the windows can be reinforced with sandbags. Purchase at least 100 sandbags. They can be filled with sand or dirt, not gravel. If shot, gravel can become a secondary projectile.
    • Evaluate your neighbors’ homes for defensive positions inside and outside.
    • Survivability is fortifying everything from your primary position to your tertiary position and improving obstacles that you’ve placed.
  • Observation of fields of fire
    • Defensive positions, including windows, must allow overlapping fields of fire– the left-to-right area in front of your weapon. This will create mutually-supporting coverage of defensive fire. Mark the left and right limits with stakes, spray paint, ribbons, or tape. Shooting beyond these limits will endanger your defenders with friendly fire.
    • This must be done for primary, secondary, and tertiary defensive positions, and everyone must be familiar with the limits.
  • Cover and concealment
    • For cover, use natural objects, such as trees, stumps, boulders, solid fences and walls, and buildings corners.
    • Supplementary fighting positions can be created by digging in. Create small “spider holes” for one person to fire from, larger two-person fighting positions, and trenches to hold several people. Throw and pack excavation dirt along the outward defensive edge or lay sandbags on the expected enemy approach side. The more dirt there is the better.
  • Avenue of approach
    • Put yourself in your enemy’s mind. People, in general, are lazy and will pick the easiest path to or through your neighborhood.
    • Eliminate access points to your street so that there is only one avenue of approach or entry point by vehicles, and no easy paths for people on foot.
    • Topple trees to block roads and trails.
    • Use natural bends or curves in your one avenue of approach as choke points, where a vehicle must slow down. Create a serpentine blockade to prevent a vehicle from blasting through, using trees, boulders, steel spike (nail) boards, and vehicles.
    • Secure a regress path for your escape. Don’t use roads or organized trails, and don’t establish regular paths to caches; make yourself less vulnerable. Make your own overland route and use natural obstacles to discourage your enemy and/or allow defensive positions for yourself.
    • If the enemy approaches in a staggered column or other formation or uses hand and arm signals, it may indicate they have some military training, and may have more than average capabilities.

Reinforce:

  • Move your personnel to the point of attack to repel invading force, while keeping flanks and rear covered.
  • Preposition ammunition for ease of resupply.
  • The key to reinforcement is being able to maintain your mobility for resupply, counter attack, casualty evacuation, and withdrawing, while denying your enemy the ability of counter-mobility towards your positions. Do not allow the enemy to be able to redeploy, flank, envelop (encircle), or fight from your rear.

Attack:

“The best defense is a good offense,” is a term used in football and in military theory. Put the attacker on the defense and upset their plans, creating fear, disorder, and confusion by your aggressive response. Time allows them to fortify and reorganize.

  • As soon as the enemy appears to be regrouping or the fighting lulls, attack. The ability to counterattack is pivotal.
  • Take cover or concealment and advance on the enemy. Rehearse and understand “support by fire” positions, with some firing while others are moving to engage. Keep the enemy fixed in location and head down, unable to return fire. “Massing fire” goes along with “support by fire”, concentrating several weapons toward one point.
  • Gain fire superiority by massing fire toward a location. The key to remember on any type of attack is violence of action and fire superiority will win every time. Whoever has superiority is going to be able to maneuver toward the objective. Those who are being repressed with fire will die.

Withdraw:

  • If faced with a powerful force that cannot be stopped or routed, you must withdraw to survive.
  • Pull back to your secondary positions first, and if the situation does not change, fall back to your tertiary– “last stand” point.
  • If all else fails, you must abandon your home(s).
  • Successful withdrawal requires a delay or diversion to stall the enemy, such as exploding pre-placed liquid propane gas containers. Advanced planning for an orderly withdrawal is critical.
  • A pre-planned signal will initiate the withdrawal.

Delay:

  • Allow your force time to retire to safer area. Lay down suppressing fire against the enemy to make them seek cover. This will prevent them from seeing the escape route and your departing forces.
  • The route of withdrawal must be pre-planned.
  • The lead element, noncombatants, are allowed time to reach an established safe zone and cache rally point 3.5 miles away. The covering force delays and bounds back 200 meters at a time with hasty positions.
  • Repeat this procedure until you reach your safe zone.
  • Conserve energy and resources as much as possible.

Throughout your planning and actions, be aware of the “OODA loop,” conceived by USAF Col. John Boyd. The OODA loop is a process of decision-making, which occurs in a repeating cycle of observe-orient-decide-act. If you can mentally process this cycle faster than your enemy, you will be able to get “inside” the enemy’s decision process and gain the advantage. This loop must be kept in continual operation during any combat situation.

  • Observe: Take in the raw information of the situation.
  • Orient: Pull from training and life experiences of similar events.
  • Decide: Choose what course of action you will take. Is it go or no-go?
  • Act: Make your move faster and before your opponent can figure out your actions.

By cycling this process faster than your enemy, you will obscure your intentions and seem “unpredictable” to your opposition.

Two Letters Re: LDS Buying Experience

Dear Hugh,

My online purchases of canned food from the LDS typically arrive within a week via FedX. The most recent purchase this month for 2 cases, showed a shipping cost of $3, no tax. Before it was always free shipping. -J.S.

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Dear SurvivalBlog,

Regarding the local LDS store, as stated, they have stopped selling the large bulk items and no longer hold canning sessions. That being said, they do have a warehouse full of the prepackaged #10 cans/cases for purchase of pretty much all the items they used to carry in bulk. The prices can be found on the LDS website “Provident Living” . We are not affiliated with the LDS, but visit frequently and have always been treated with respect and kindness. We consider this the best buy in town. – Nick