Recipe of the Week:

Notutopia’s One Pot Beefy Mac N’ Cheese

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground meat
1/8th cup dried diced onions
pinch of garlic powder
1 T parsley flakes
salt and pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni or egg noodles
1 8oz. can Bega cheddar cheese cut in small 1/4 inch cubes, or 1/2 cup
of cheddar cheese powder

Directions:

In a 4 quart pot with a tight fitting lid, fry the ground meat with onions, seasonings and parsley flakes, until meat is browned. Do not drain oil from the meat. Add 5 cups of water to the meat mixture and bring to a rapid boil. Add the pasta, stir well and boil for 5 minutes. Cover the pot and turn off the burner. Allow the pasta to continue cooking and expanding and do not open the cover. In 10 minutes, open the cover, and stir in the cheese until melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

“Cabinetman” over at The FALFiles Forums recommended this traditional cookbook: Meta Given’s Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking published by J.G. Ferguson and Associates Chicago, 1953. Cabinetman’s description: “There’s a 77 page index to give you an idea of how comprehensive this book is. I can’t stress enough how valuable this book would become during as SHTF situation because it provides many alternatives to traditional cooking techniques as opposed to modern cookbooks which rely on microwaves and electronics and a lot of pre-packaged ingredients. In this book you start with picking the veggies from the garden, getting the feathers off a newly dispatched broiler, or carving up an elk. However, she also details more modern ingredients that may be frozen or butchered at a shop. It’s not a cookbook full only of rustic techniques but both old and newer ones. They are most certainly techniques that will help you adjust to a less-modern way of feeding a family.”

Reader Lee M. mentioned that there are some great recipes posted in the discussion forums at the Mrs. Survival web site.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have tested extensively? Then please e-mail it to us for posting. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

With the stroke of BHO‘s pen on a Friday evening (after most of the newsies went home for the weekend), all pretension of a free civil economy in the U.S. have been discarded. Read this: National Defense Resources Preparedness. In essence, if they want it, they can now take it. Under this executive order, all segments of the economy have been been put on a war footing, and unprecedented Federal power has been established, without the consent of congress. Refer to Section 201 (b), and you will see that the order applies to both emergency and non-emergency conditions. Under the terms of this fiat, anything and everything can be “allocated,” by executive decree. Reader Christopher C. wrote to mention that beyond simply taking the authority to seize food commodities, this executive order also includes: Section 502 which says they can make you work for the government without compensation, Section 302 which gives Department heads the ability to take loans without approval from congress, and Section 804 which removes our right to sue the government for the return of or compensation for what they steal from us under this executive order. [JWR Notes: There is a lot to dislike and perhaps fear in President Bolt Hold Open’s new decree. To explain: I sometimes jokingly refer to Barack Hussein Obama as “President Bolt Hold Open” because they both share the same acronym (BHO.) I think that Bolt Hold Open is a fitting moniker for our sitting President, because a rifle Bolt Hold Open lever is: A.) An Obstruction. B.) Only useful and noticed after the real work has been completed by another apparatus, and C.) A reminder that best is behind us, and that the fun won’t resume until Bolt Hold Open is slapped and disengaged. Coincidentally, the word ABHORRENT includes BHO.]

The power of compounding interest: Children born today will inherent a per capita share of the national debt exceeding $1.5 million, a new study reveals. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)

F.G. sent this: In Sweden, cash is king no more

Michael Pollaro, writing in Forbes: Money Supply booming, seeds of the next Greater Recession

Items from The Economatrix:

Doomsday Survey:  51% of Americans Believe A Financial Collapse Is Imminent

Time To Accumulate Gold & Silver

Five Charts That Prove We’re In A Depression And That The Federal Reserve And D.C. Are Wasting Money

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Varkman sent a picture that tells a thousand words: This is why astronomers build telescopes in the mountains of Chile. (Looking at the map, you can see why I prefer the western U.S. of A. for retreat locales. The relative lack of light pollution in The American Redoubt region shows just how lightly populated it is here. OBTW, here’s a direct link to the large .PNG image.

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Avalanche Lily alerted me to this: The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)

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For those that were captivated by my recent mention of the Battle of Athens (Tennessee, 1946), SurvivalBlog Timothy R. mentioned this site, for further reading.

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Reader Mike Q. wrote to remind me that the movie Atlas Shrugged: Part One is now available on Netflix.

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Veteran contributor R.B.S. sent this, just for fun: A whale of a story that became a legend. (Yes, there is such a thing as using too much dynamite.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Sweet liberty,
Sweet liberty is in our hands
It’s part of the plan,
Or is it a state of mind?

Horses and men,
Horses and men are on the field,
They didn’t yield.
Many have fallen here;

Never forget
Never forget what they have done,
The time will come,
When it will change again.
Never forget!” – Chris De Burgh, from the lyrics to his song “Liberty”, from the album The Getaway

Notes from JWR:

Enola Gay, the editor of the immensely popular preparedness, self-sufficient-living, Christian patriot blog, Paratus Familia will be interviewed on Radio Free Redoubt on Sunday, March 18th at 7 p.m. Pacific time. The show will also be made available for later playback.

—

Today we present two more entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Psychological Side of a Defensive Shooting Incident, by B.D.M.

I have been reading survivalblog now for about 2 years and enjoy the information provided in the articles. I have often wondered what if anything I could contribute to the site.  After reading “After the Shooting” by Tupreco, which emphasized the legal aspect of a shooting, I thought this article would be a good follow up concentrating on the psychological side of it.
My background: I have been a police officer for 8 years and was involved in a shooing in February of 2008.  You can watch the dash cam view of it here on YouTube.

Basically, I stopped a car for a defective tail lamp. The driver stopped initially but then pulled away and turned down a dead end road. Just before the car came to a stop the suspect exited and started shooting.  Thank god he slipped at first.  One round hit the bottom of my radiator three feet directly underneath where I was seated.  There was an initial exchange when I exited my squad and then a second when he circled around the house he ran behind and a third when he came down the driveway closer toward me right by the front of the house.  He was hit twice (unknown to me at the time) and was later captured about a half a block away. He was hit once in the shoulder and once in the other arm breaking his humerus bone in two places. Even though he was hit he still managed to climb over a chain link fence.  At the trail a jury of “peers” from my community decided that despite the clear video evidence and they fact he shot at me at least 6 times, they convicted him only of the lesser charge of “recklessly endangering” safety. His defense was that he had a bad day and snapped.  He didn’t deny anything really. He got sentenced to seven years for basically trying to kill me and five years for being a felon in possession of a stolen gun.  I have researched shootings on my own and been to several tactical classes and read numerous books and articles.  Dave Grossman has some great works on the psychological side of shootings/killing. 

Commonly believed concepts of shootings: You will have audio exclusion, tunnel vision, not be able to use small motor skills, a perception of slow motion, you will feel regretful, have memory lapses, revert to your training, will not use your sights, it will probably be 3-5 shots and a few seconds in duration.

Reference audio exclusion, tunnel vision and slow motion. I can’t say that I really experienced any of them.  My ears rang for days and my Glock was very loud on that zero degree night.   While I was certainly focused on the target I didn’t feel like I was looking through a tunnel.  While I felt in the “zone” time didn’t seem any slower or faster. Just be aware you may or may not experience these effects.  Each person is different and there is no way to predict your experience.

Memory lapses. A few hours after the shooting I had a verbal interview with a detective and did a scene walk through.  While initially I felt completely justified I later doubted myself. Did I really see him point a gun at me or just a muzzle flash? It was so dark out. There were casings in between my squad and the car I moved to for cover.  I didn’t remember shooting on the move but there was the evidence.  Was my backstop clear? Some rounds hit the house. I prayed that no one inside was hurt. How many rounds did I shoot? I don’t remember but I knew I had 6 left.  When traumatic event like a shooting occurs your brain is flooded with chemicals. Some state it takes up to 72 hours for them to clear out. Until they do your brain will not be functioning normal. Your interview if possible should be put off until that time frame is over.  An intense cardio workout will help clear those chemicals out of your system quicker. You will not be able to clearly recall everything. This is normal. 

Small motor skills: First off, I will say that I believe in using gross motor movements and keeping manipulations as simple as possible. I did use my slide release which most consider to be small motor skill during my shooting. I think this proves that they can be done with enough training. I now changed my training to the overhand slide grasp.
The shooting will be few rounds and quick: While most shootings will be, mine was a good example where it was not.  I don’t believe that if you get in a shooting you will ever wish you had a smaller gun with fewer rounds.   I do believe that it is likely you may wish you had a larger gun with more rounds.

You will revert to your training: ABSOLUTLEY.  The first probably thirty seconds of my shooting I was on complete autopilot.  I moved out of my squad, which was where he expected me, and took a better position behind another parked vehicle. I preformed a tactical reload once I moved to the car.  My breathing was controlled. I was using radio codes and trying to update other units.  I did all of this without ever consciously thinking about it. Train, train, train and induce stress.

You will not use your sights: I don’t recall seeing them at all for most of the event. Toward the end when he moved close in to me I remember a voice saying, “if you don’t calm down and aim, this will end bad for you”.  Toward the end I remember lining up the sights and that is probably when I hit him.  BTW our department didn’t allow us to have night sights at the time. 

You will feel regretful: The media likes to portray the shaken, disheveled, citizen who is distraught over shooting/killing the  usually well intentioned suspect who made a bad choice. If you do feel that way that’s fine. But you may very likely not. This person just tried to seriously harm or kill you or another person. You survived they didn’t. That is an intense experience. You should feel good about it.  You won. You triumphed during an extremely intense situation.  Many of us train and never know how we will actually perform when something real happens.  Be proud of yourself, you performed and did what you had to. You may be angry. I was. That was my strongest emotion at the time.  I was furious.  Here I am trying to do my job and was probably just going to give him a warning and he tries to kill me.  Any blame should be on the suspect. It was his choice to commit a crime, arm himself illegally and not listen to orders. If one goes to the zoo and jump into the lions den he shouldn’t mad at the lion when he gets bit.  That’s his fault.

Emotional considerations after the shooting.  Talk it out.  Certainly not to the media but to people you trust and may have  legal privilege with. Clergy, attorney. spouse. You will need to talk about it to let it process.  Your sleep with be effected. Those chemicals are pumping through you and you are amp-ed up.    Don’t consume alcohol. Use calming techniques and stay out of stressful environments. Use routine to  help feel at ease.   A common experience I had and is often reported is what I’ll call the movie reel effect.  The event kept replaying in my head.  It felt like I was watching a movie replay over and over. This is normal and will diminish with time. Anxiety will occur. Our brain is an amazing organ. When you touch a hot stove it stores a message not to do that again. It is a protection mechanism when a negative result occurs.   After my shooting my first probably 20 traffic stops were filled with anxiety.  You will likely experience a similar response when you attempt to do something similar to what triggered your incident. Examples of this could be walking from the store to your car, waking up to a crash in the night, going to the ATM. Try to calm yourself and realize this is normal.

Monday morning quarterbacks. This can come from several sources.  Friends, media, pundits, co-workers. Few people can say they know what fighting for your life feels like. Few will take the time to read all of the details. But many will say you should have done A then B. They will say that they could have done it so much better hitting moving head shots at 50 yards with a pistol etc. This can be hard to swallow. Here you did what you could and everyone seems to think they could do better. I got ridiculed for shooting 40 rounds. I was told I should be re-trained and was just spraying and praying. Neither one is the case and most of them probably would have soiled themselves. After trying to explain the facts of case to people  including: the distance involved, actively taking rounds, low visibility at night,  the cover the suspect used etc. I learned it didn’t matter. My advise it to not read any forums, papers or listen to radio or anything after your shooting. It will only anger you.  If you’d like review some of your tactics seek other professionals who have been in shootings.

If you think you need professional counseling, then get it. It is nothing to be ashamed about. If you broke your ankle you would seek a doctor.  This is no different.

I hope this will give others a little insight toward a subject that is not often discussed and prepare you mentally for what to expect.

My Journey Through Prepping and the Christian Worldview, by Southwest Michigan Fred

I remember 25 years ago saying something to a supervisor at work about maybe developing the skills to grow a garden because, “you just never know what might happen.”  That seemingly innocent, off-hand comment brought upon me his very public pronouncement of being of a “doom-and-gloomer” and the ridicule of every one of my fellow workers with whom he gleefully shared our conversation.  While his immature and idiotic rebuke was stinging I can’t say that it changed my thinking or altered my behavior, but I just never began the hard work of preparing.  Even though I knew in my heart that I should, I didn’t make time to pursue it.  Being the sole financial provider for a family of six and serving in my local church, Cub Scouts and Little League can keep guy pretty busy, I suppose.  But things are changing.   After a couple decades of ignoring the gut instinct that I should be prepared to provide for my family in the case of some kind of economic, societal, or natural calamity, I read JWR’s book How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It and became a regular visitor to SurvivalBlog and now the journey has begun.  While I don’t have the financial resources to fill a barn like the guys on the reality television shows, I’ve committed $10 per week to my efforts – less than many folks waste on fast food and soda each week.  I’m gradually filling galvanized steel trash cans with vacuum-packed bags of rice, beans and oatmeal and my wife keeps our pantry stocked with hundreds of jars of home-canned vegetables from our garden.  My storage shelves are slowly gathering an assortment of cooking oil, peanut butter, Coleman fuel and small propane cylinders.  The two-way radios we take camping are now stored in insulated steel ammo cans as is my old marine radio and a dynamo powered weather radio.  The pitcher pump for my shallow well is on a shelf in the garage, the garden is in and I have an acre’s-worth of heirloom seeds in the deep freeze.  My firewood is cut, split and stacked.  I have oil lamps and a kerosene heater along with spare wicks for all.  Emergency candles and a brick of strike-anywhere matches are next on the list as is building a Faraday Cage for my generator and chain saws.  I picked up a big stoneware crock at an Amish hard goods store and I’m having a blast canning my home-made sauerkraut.  I’ve mastered raising chickens and pigs and will be adding a calf later this spring.  My next goal, in addition to continuing to fill the shelves, is to learn the art of cold smoking meats in case the freezers go down.  I’ve come a long way and have even farther to go and I’m loving every step of the journey.  This is truly an adventure. 

But there’s a nagging issue that keeps tugging at my heart.  There’s a Question that goes beyond the mind straight to my soul.  You see, I’m a Christ-follower.  And I believe that being a Christian is far more than just religion and a free ticket to the non-smoking section in eternity.  True Christianity is an all-encompassing worldview.   True Faith captures our hearts and causes us to see the world in a way that shapes the way we live in it.  And that should impact the way we approach TEOTWAWKI, should it not?  JWR does well reminding us often to set aside extra provisions for those who are unprepared.  And the December 2011 SurvivalBlog writing contest winner,  Barter, Post-TEOTWAWKI: The Micro Store  – is a great encouragement to all of us to think about how we can help others help themselves while improving our odds of thriving at the same time.  There’s more going on in this movement than just working for self-preservation and that’s something my worldview embraces. 

I dream often of a retreat location somewhere in the American Redoubt.  Wyoming perhaps, or Montana, or maybe even the Ozarks.  Or more exciting yet – my late-maternal grandfather was a freelance photographer with a serious case of wanderlust and spent a lot of time in the Coeur d’Alene country of northern Idaho.  He fell in love with it and always wanted to return there when he was older and though he never was able, he left us with his photographs and the memories of his adventures.  Maybe I should go there in his stead – talk about adding thrill to the adventure!  But then there’s that Question that haunts me.  That unresolved issue that goes beyond whether or not I have the time and the financial resources to pursue the dream of a retreat.  A Question with its roots implanted in the very foundation of my faith.  That voice that keeps whispering to me, “Is that the right thing for you to do?”  Is fleeing to the mountains to protect myself and my family from “the golden horde” in keeping with my faith’s call to “see the world in a way that shapes the way I live in it?”  I can’t answer that question for anyone else – and I don’t believe the answer is the same for every one of us – but I must answer it for myself.  JWR’s done an excellent job of laying out a Biblical rationale for food storage, self-defense and charity in the SurvivalBlog  Prayer Page.  As with all things Biblical, there’s a wealth of wisdom there whether you believe in God or not.  I won’t repeat it all here but if you haven’t read the page, you should as you’ll be stronger and wiser for the time spent there.  And isolating those Biblical missives from the full context of the whole of Scripture, life and eternity seems to make them scream, “Run for the hills!”  In fact, those words are actually in there.  When people start to ruminate about the end of the world (the real end, not just “the world as we know it”) I like to say, “I’m not worried about it.  I’ve read the end of the book.  I know how it ends.”  I have read the end of the book and I do know how it ends so I’m really not worried about it but the fact is some of the stuff at the end of the book isn’t very user-friendly and running for the hills isn’t a bad idea.  But that’s not really what we’re talking about prepping for here.  The end of one civilization (ours!) in reality would be just another footnote in history, not an eternity-ushering cosmic cataclysm, even though it might seem like it at the time.  But escaping even that “footnote in history” doesn’t seem like such a bad idea and providing for and protecting one’s family is unquestionably a Biblical mandate and I take those very seriously.  Oh, that it were all so simple!

The Question comes to me as the result of the reading I’ve done on Christian worldview.  One of today’s most prolific writers on the subject is Chuck Colson and in the prologue of his excellent treatise on basic Christian beliefs – The Faith – he tells the story of the early Christians of the Roman Empire and how their response to the 1st century smallpox epidemic was used by God to fuel the explosive growth of God’s plan to restore humanity to himself.  Because of the squalid living conditions in the cities of that day – much like will become of our cities when the water and sewers stop flowing – they were ripe for the spread of communicable disease and plagues of various kinds that would often decimate the population.  At the onset of these unnatural disasters, the wealthy – the physicians and elites – would flee to their country estates and leave the hordes to die and rot.  But then along came this new group of people called Christians who believed that every human being is a precious life created in the image of God.  They would go around the city, picking up the moaning bodies covered with putrid, oozing pox and take them to a place where they could, “give the victims water, keep them as clean as possible, and encourage them with kindness and prayer.”  Needless to say, many of those early Christ-followers performed this ministry at the expense of their very lives.  But somehow, by giving up their own lives, they added to their number, so much so that they, “progressed from being a small sect to the dominant cultural group.”  People saw the sacrifice and said, “I don’t know what it is that they’ve got, but whatever it is, I want it.  I want to be one of them.”  And the world will never be the same.  By “surviving in place,” – or in many cases not – these folks were used by God to change the world. 

And so the Question pursues me.  I’m blessed with a four-acre place in the country surrounded by hundreds of acres of farm fields and woods but we’re within a day’s walking distance of a city of 100,000 and an hour’s walk from a major interstate.  It’s impossible for me to lay up enough to help everyone who might come to my door even if I were to give it all away.  And how long could we really hold out against a horde of desperate hungry people or against the authorities who might come looking for something to “fairly redistribute?”  Probably not very long.  By trying to survive in place, could I lose my life and endanger the lives of my wife and my four children?  It would seem so.  But might that be a chance that at least some of us who call ourselves Christ-followers could be called to take?  I suspect it might. 

And so I continue to ponder the Question.  In the mean time, am I laying up a supply of food?  Absolutely.  Have I established a sustainable source of water?  Yep.  Do I have guns?  Better believe it.  Do I have ammunition?  Yes (even though somehow the word “enough” just never seems to apply here.)  Am I prepared to defend my family against an invasion by those who would steal us blind and leave us without the ability to survive?  Lock and load!    I will do what I need to do to protect my family and at the same time look for ways to live out my faith and honor my Lord by serving “the least of these.”  And whatever else happens . . . happens.  As pastor and author Charles Stanley says, “Obey God.  Trust all the consequences to Him.”

Letter Re: Solutions to the Car Carry Gun Problem

Let me preface this information by saying it only applies to those preppers that live in states where it is legal to possess and carry a handgun in the car.

I live in a state where it is not a problem or an issue to carry a handgun in a vehicle, it has been that way for many years. Our state considers it part of the “castle doctrine”, it is legal for a citizen to defend his castle and his vehicle is considered to be part of that castle.

For years I have carried a variety of weapons, semi’s and revolvers, in my different vehicles. Some in the glove box, some in the console, some under the seat, and some in the pouch behind the passenger seat. My main concern has always been the security of the vehicle when left un-occupied. I have to admit that I have lost two different weapons when I had a vehicle break in.

Because of the possibility of vehicle theft [or theft of contest from a vehicle], I have never wanted to buy a high dollar handgun and have a $500 or even a $1,000 handgun lost. Well, I have found the best of both worlds. A handgun that is a big .40 caliber semi-automatic that works super and costs less than $200.

A good friend that is a retired law enforcement officer introduced me to the Hi-Point SW-40B. Frankly I had never even heard of Hi-Point and the handgun was a very pleasant surprise. The semi-auto is black polymer and has an adjustable rear sight. It shoots like a dream and consumes all types of ammo with no problems. It is also backed by Hi-Points lifetime warranty on repairs if they should become necessary. The great thing is that this pistol is readily available from dealers around the country for $159-to-$189. Check this out.

The only down side I have found about this pistol is it is a real heavy weight. It weighs almost three pounds before it is loaded. It is not what I would want to have as an everyday carry weapon, but that is not the issue here. We are talking about a great car carry gun for not much money. By the way, an almost identical model is also available in .45 ACP if that is your caliber of choice. – Gringo Dude

Letter Re: Ham Radio Privacy

Capt. Rawles,
I enjoy your blog very much, however, I have read several times that you need a physical mailing address to get an amateur (ham) radio license.  I don’t believe that is correct.  If you look closely at FCC form 605, line 15, they ask for a “P.O. Box, and/or Street Address”.     The FCC needs a “address of record”.  One could rent a box at a UPS Store (which gives a street address) they just want to be able to reach you by mail.  You can also register as an “Entity”, i.e. a business, corporation, LLC, etc.  I recently went through the process.  I used an old business that has not been active in years, along with it’s EIN, instead of my social security number.  It should not be very difficult to keep ones actual physical address out of the FCC database, without lying or doing anything illegal. – The Shiny New Tech    

Economics and Investing:

Short sales and foreclosures made up 52 percent of all recent Southern California home sales

Kurt T. suggested this over at Zero Hedge: Guest Post: Caution – Falling Currencies

How many times do I have to mention that there is no proper substitute for taking physical delivery of your precious metals purchases? Here is the latest horror story: Secret Service Raids Upstate Business Atlantic Bullion And Coin Inc. Accused In Alleged Ponzi Scheme. (Thanks to A.L.H. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Gold “Vulnerable” As US Treasury Bond Market Sell-off Worsens

Europe’s Economic Crisis:  Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Belgium Following Greece

Retail Sales Suggest Consumers Shrugging Off Gas Prices

You Can’t Beat Silver As An Investment

Odds ‘n Sods:

Todd M. wrote to mention that it should come as no surprise that several of the American Redoubt states are among the the states with the least expensive gasoline, including Idaho, Montana, and low cost champion, Wyoming.

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[Warning! Graphic video.] Stuff happens, unexpectedly. So I recommend that you get right with Christ, today.

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Resistance to antibiotics could bring “the end of modern medicine as we know it”, WHO claim. (Thanks to R.C. for the link.)

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K.A.F. flagged this: How to Live in Your Car. (Don’t miss reading the comments section.)

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Ken L. spotted this: Meals in a Jar — Guest Post by Chef Tess

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;
And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:5-13 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Are We Just Preparing Instead of Preparing and Preventing?, by C.W.S.

Generations of Americans have been vigilant in the past about doing what they believed would provide for their families in times of need.  There has always been a large variation in the types of preparations and the extremes each would go to in these measures.  Why?  Because we are all different people with various backgrounds, influences, upbringings, ethnicities, education and finances.  Some people have lived through the Great Depression, or just hard financial times for that matter. Living through this has instilled a belief upon their families to “put a little away for a rainy day.”  This could mean putting some extra money in a savings account, keeping your pantry stocked in case household bills get tight, preparing an education fund for your children, or any number of things.  Many of us have been taught about the virtues of self-sufficiency and how this can help you in life.  Many of us have been taught about the virtues of hard work and learning skills that will help you do things for yourself when the time may arise. These have been values that have made the people of this country so successful in the past.  Oh my…how times have changed.  There was a time in this country when these ideals and beliefs were engrained into the very being of the majority of our citizens.  We have now become the minority and it is a sad state of affairs.  As the minority we have now become stigmatized as extremists, outcasts and possible terror threats to our government.  Who puts that label on us, and why?

I personally believe that we as preppers have done a great service to our families and communities to help prepare for disasters of almost any nature.  What exactly are we preparing for, and is it enough?  We have been preparing for any number of events that could be problems.  In recent week, we have had significant tornadoes in parts of our country causing damage to houses, neighborhoods and even whole towns.  We have encountered earthquakes and wildfires in other parts of our country causing significant damage to property.  Floods, droughts, blizzards, ice storms and other “natural disaster” events regularly put our citizenry at risk.  We also encounter factory closures, loss of industries, layoffs, medical issues and other financial factors that have unraveled the lives of individuals, communities and whole towns.  These are all relatively short-term issues that can be made less life-changing events if you have prepared for them the best you can.  If your preparations have fortunately brought you through the event unscathed then you can go on to charitably take care of your family, friends and community in times of need.  Having supplies of food, water, wood, fuel, cash or precious metals, firearms (for protection and hunting) and emergency medical supplies can make the difference between a disaster and an inconvenience.  There is a great distinction between the two that we as short-term or long-term preppers understand.  I consider the people who prepare only for the one week to one month events I’ve just described to be short-term preppers.  I also respect them for at least having the foresight and caring to prepare at even that level.  I do not consider the “72 hour FEMA -recommended supply”-following people to be doing anything beneficial to help themselves. This is because after three days to one week they will be looking around with their hands out complaining nobody is helping them when they should have been helping themselves.

The events that I’ve described can be understood by just about anyone.  Turn on the television, read the newspaper or browse the Internet and everyone can understand and see these events for what they are.  If you speak with the waiter or waitress at a restaurant about the horrible tornado that just the day before ripped a whole town apart, then everyone wants to talk about it and you are “normal”.  So why is it then, when you want to discuss an event that will cause long-term significant changes to how our civilization lives you are a “nut-job” because these events “can’t happen” in our lifetime.  They seem to imply: “Take off your tinfoil hat and stop talking nonsense and did you see what happened on The Bachelor last night?  Did you hear what movie start just got arrested for…blah blah blah.”  My reply: No but I did read about solar storms and their significant threats on the NASA web site.  It discussed the entire province of Quebec was in darkness on March 13, 1989 due to a solar storm.  Also discussed often by scientists is the Carrington Super Flare of 1859 and the devastating affects it would have in our technological era we are now living in. (Google is your friend for researching both of these events.)  Scientists, astronomers, and many other people would greatly enjoy discussing these events with you but your average citizen not nearly so much.  We could add to the list of events that would cause long-term disruptions to our current lives that most believe certainly could never happen. Let me go through a few potential disaster situations:

Nuclear War – They prepared for that back in the 1950s to 1970s and it never happened so we don’t have to worry.  Asteroid hitting the Earth – The government would shoot it down with a missile or Bruce Willis would blow it up.  Supervolcano? – Never heard of it.  You mean that there are ones under Yellowstone, in Indonesia, in California and many other spots on our planet?  I didn’t hear about that on my local news. Then perhaps you should watch Discovery Channel occasionally.  Long-term affects from these types of things could be devastating.  The majority of our citizens do not fully understand how vulnerable our power grid is or the 3 to 5 day cycle of food supplies and deliveries to our supermarkets.  Our long-term preppers take the time to educate themselves on the possible events that could disrupt our lives as we know it.  Most of these people store food for a year minimum for themselves and family or group they plan on helping.  The Mormons consider 1 year food storage a minimum for all of their followers and try to practice and preach self reliance.  It is a good practice that all people should think about doing if financially prudent.  Did you notice the word people is starting to replace the word preppers in this writing.  The stigmatism of preppers does not belong as it is just normal everyday people looking to become self-sufficient in time of need.  We as these people need to become the majority again.

By this point in this article you must be saying I have no idea what the title means.  You can also see that this is also not a descriptive “how-to” article that would fall in line with giving the writer and advantage in some contest.  I think it is pretty clear that we would have no chance in preventing any of the aforementioned events from disrupting our way of life and we would just do our best to endure and thrive in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event.  There is one very large issue that we can prevent but only if our citizens decide to make a significant change in how we allow things to be done in our country.  If you mention that our government has become too large, unmanageable and destined to fail unless it is fixed you will again be looked at like a “nut-job”.  Our government is too big to fail and we are the most powerful country in the world.  It could never happen, right?  In history we have seen that the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the USSR were all deemed too big and powerful to fail.  Eventually even the largest forest fire burns out.

Let us go back to the beginning of this article and answer the question:  Who puts this label on us, and why?  These labels are put on us by our government and by opinion leaders in he media and in the general population who the government has cultivated into a herd of followers.   The government figured out a long time ago that if we just keep the masses lulled into a happy existence then they will not want to meddle into their political doings…especially if it were to have any affect on the comfortable lives we live.  Politicians also figured out that if they can give money to those who choose not to work (as we know there are a significant number of these people) that they could count on getting voted in at the next election.  Great for the people who can now make more by not working than if they had to get a job, great for the politicians who want to stay in power and great for the everyday hard working American because it never affected their comfortable lifestyle.  This has worked out great for the last few decades because everyone seems to be perfectly happy.  The government found they could take money from hard working people and give it to lazy people to win votes and nobody said they couldn’t or shouldn’t.  Well, if we can do that then why can’t we take away even more resources and the cherished liberties from our citizens?  The politicians are thinking: After all, we the few know what is better for our country as a whole than the populous does right?  So once the politicians gained control of the majority of our citizens, then those who believe they “know what is better for us” , then our rights have slowly been eroded.  But you are asking, “Isn’t that Against the Constitution?”  Who cares because it is for “the safety of everyone.”  But you are asking, “Isn’t that against your right to protect yourself and your family?”  Again, Who cares because it is “for the safety of everyone.”

I live in the state of Massachusetts where the criminal who breaks into your home has more rights than you do, to protect your family.  I can not have a pocket knife shipped to me in the mail by mailorder companies because the Attorney General in Massachusetts threatened lawsuits against companies who do so.  There is no law stating that shipping pocket knives or ammunition is illegal in our state but companies will not ship because they do not want to pay the large legal fees in court against our Attorney General’s office.  Does this sound right or legal?  This is yet another example of what I just outlined: Who cares because it is for “the safety of everyone.”  These types of rights violations against our citizens are happening all over this country by various government agencies, at all levels.  Now we have government agencies that have been able to violate our rights with impunity, tax as much as they choose so they can keep the whole system (failing system at that) afloat and everything is just going to keep on going without change because it is working so well.

Oh wait…our current National Debt is $15.5 trillion which is roughly stating that every US citizen is responsible for roughly $49,500 of this debt.  Please try to explain this to most people and they don’t quite understand because it does not immediately affect them.  We have a very good chance of making our US Dollar almost worthless at some point if fiscal responsibility is not adhered to.  I once read a very good article by John Silveira in Backwoods Home magazine regarding hyperinflation and how destructive it can be, titled: A quick tour of hyperinflation and the possible consequences for America. Most people do not understand the hyperinflation concept. (And in fact I did not fully understand it until after I had read his article.  Please read it if you have time. .  Financial woes of our government will only be solved by reform or more taxes for the working public.  You can choose which you would like to see.

We have one preventable disaster that we can and should be doing everything we can to stop.  Please do the prudent thing and prepare for any natural or unforeseen disaster that you can because it is the right thing to do for your family   Please do the prudent thing and prepare for the preventable disaster by getting involved in your government, knowing your politicians and what they stand for and voting the ones out who will not change things that are not working.  Take the time to tell them they will not receive your vote if they keep infringing on your rights, taking away your ability to protect your family, taking your money to give to others who do not deserve it and spending more than we have as a country.  This is something you can do that is the right thing for your country.  Become an educated and involved citizen. Do not be afraid to tell your government what is not right in your eyes.  Remember one thing as well:  Our founding fathers gave us the Second Amendment right to bear arms not only to protect ourselves from our own citizens but to protect ourselves from the government!  Bring the majority back.

Is It Time for Financial Tough Love in Your Family? by Mrs. Lynne

I want to address a common issue these days for “empty nester” parents.  How much and in what forms do you financially help your adult children?  Over the last two years, this has been our experience. 

First, let me tell you about us.  My husband is in his late sixties, and retired from law enforcement and is living on a pension.  He was diagnosed with throat cancer last year and with God’s grace and first class medical treatment, he is doing all right.   I have a good job in a medium size city.  I am in my mid-fifties.  We live in a modest home on a suburban acre.  We have been married 24 years in a second marriage and our children are from our first marriages.

Here are the kids (most are in their mid-thirties):

#1 Son, Spouse and Teen-Age Son
Seems to be doing all right financially with two incomes in a rental.  We paid $800 in electric bills in the past to catch them up during a period of unemployment.

#2 Son, unmarried
He has been disabled for over a year with back trouble.  He had recent back surgery and applied for Social Security disability.  We paid $1,100 this year to catch up on his expenses.

#3 Son, Spouse and two small children
Two incomes, but one is extremely sporadic. They are underwater on home mortgage to the tune of about $75,000.  We recently paid $675 to catch up on two of their truck payments.  Recent requests for money have been $1,500 for truck repairs and $2,562 to catch up on two late house payments.  They are unwilling to change lifestyle in any way and we have had to push hard to get him to look for more reliable employment. 

#1 Daughter, Spouse, and no children
Financially secure in every way.

#4 Son, Separated with one small child
Major substance abuse problems here.  We are still paying on a loan for his last re-hab stint. (That cost $13,000.)  We paid his rent for an entire year (at $740 per month), bought a van for his wife ($4,000) and gave him a car ($5,000) so he could get back and forth to a new job.

What I want to address is “financial survival” in the face of needy adult children.

 First of all, here are the issues:

  • Kids “keep track” of what the other adult children have been given.  Parents try to make it even.  It is impossible.  Paying rent so your one-year-old granddaughter has a place to live doesn’t necessarily guarantee understanding on the part of some of the other kids even though they did have a place to live.  Our situation is exacerbated somewhat because our kids are from two different marriages.
  • Yes, your grandkids will be used against you.  I can’t tell you how it makes you feel when an adult child tells his father “I used my last forty dollars to buy my kids some food.” 
  • Resentment on our part, as parents.  We try to help financially, but we resent lifestyle choices made by our kids.  Why should we pay a truck payment when two smokers ($10 per day habits ) could quit smoking and probably could make their own truck payment?  We don’t want to be involved in lifestyle choices of our children and we should not have to. 

The constant phone calling for financial help has taken a toll on my husband.  Even during his cancer treatment, I could not get one adult child to stop calling him despite my repeated requests.  I don’t harbor very good feelings for this child even today, a full year later.

So what is the answer?  What is needed is financial tough love.  Literally, the demand for money one week from two different family units was more than my entire take-home-pay for two weeks.  My husband and I sat down and said “enough!”  We have our own mortgage to pay, a car payment, utilities, et cetera.  We can’t as a financial entity support another family easily.  We did that for an entire year and are still trying to recover.

We came to several conclusions.

Our financial security is paramount.  We have nine more years to pay on our mortgage and our house is an important component of our retirement plan, if things last that long.  Our best course of action long-term is to own our home free and clear.  We do not want to be a burden to our children and frankly most of our children are not in a position to help us anyway.  The best thing we can do for everyone is take care of ourselves.  Our home may end up being the only place for several family members to live in the future.

Using our resources to help adult children who refuse to change their lifestyle is ill-advised.  As long as Mom and Dad continue to help financially, there is no reason to make any changes.  I would have done almost anything to avoid asking my parents for financial help and I never did.  I am grateful that they paid for my college education thirty years ago and I have worked hard my entire adult life.  I know times have changed and maybe working hard just isn’t always enough these days, but it has always worked for me.

Son #3 is about 57% underwater on his house.  No equity loans here, he just bought at the height of the market.  I see the writing on the wall on this one.   Nobody wants to go bankrupt, but it happens and only working five hours a week can make it happen pretty fast.  If you can help someone out financially during a short-term blip that is one thing, but when it becomes a chronic, insurmountable issue then you have to cut your losses.  What is worse than one family going bankrupt? Two families going bankrupt

We love our grandkids, but we have to demand that their parents provide for their basic needs.  If that means you take a second job, then find a better job, ditch the cell phones and cable, or get rid of one of your cars; then we expect you to do it.   We took care of you while you were growing up and we expect you to do the same for your children.

Finally, let’s talk about adult children with substance abuse issues.  It is a bottomless hole financially and emotionally.  Throw a pregnancy in the mix and it becomes the worst sort of blackmail.  Parents do their best to fix the problem.  You can provide all kinds of resources; re-hab in various forms, money, doctors, therapists, attorneys…and the list goes on and on.  Ten years later, we are spent financially and emotionally with our #4 son.  I always remember a scene in the movie A River Runs Through It.  The character played by Brad Pitt was beaten to death over unpaid gambling debts.  The pastor father is talking about his son during a sermon.   He remarks that that often times you don’t know what help to give someone and even if you do; they do not want the help anyway.  We finally had to give this issue over to God. 

So, when you can’t provide financial resources to your adult children anymore, then what can you do?

Well, first of all you can provide emotional support.  Not advice, unless they ask for it….just emotional support.  We helped with a resume and sent job leads that we found.  When the inevitable requests for more money came in, we simply told them that if we used our emergency funds to help them, our financial security would be in jeopardy.  We are not rich people and it is all right to convey that to your adult children.

Second, if things get dire, we told them that we would provide them a home with us for a limited period of time while they get back on their feet. They will have a place to live, food to eat and basic utilities.    Traditionally, multi-generational households were common, so we should certainly be able to do it successfully for a limited period of time.  Not having a house payment or paying rent should help adult children settle other debts and save up for a new living arrangement.

Third, we have not shared our views on the coming economic collapse with some of our children.  This has been a shortcoming on our part.  We are continuing to prepare as best we can and we are going to share our views with everyone from now on. We live fairly frugally, and need to use aspects of our lifestyle and experience as teaching moments.

Lastly, let go of the guilt.  When my decade old car finally gave out, I hesitated to get a replacement.  Why?  I was worried one child would say, “Well, I see that you can afford to get another car but you won’t help me out.”  That child probably did think that, but I still needed a vehicle to get back and forth to work. That was simple reality. 

We love our children and some of them have mighty big warts.  We have our warts too.  Doing right by your children sometimes means you have to say “No” to them.  Protect your financial security by deciding how much and in what forms you can help your adult children. [JWR Adds: After some deliberation and concerted prayer, it is important to set limits, and then stand by them.]