Letter Re: 2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey

James:
I got one of the USDA’s surveys, too, and had an interesting discussion with whoever responded to their “contact us” email address. I noted that my paper form claimed very clearly that response was required by law, but the web site version of the survey said it was voluntary. So I asked which was true, and was told that Public Law 105-113 “authorizes the [USDA] to conduct an agricultural census every five years,” and explained the form was to help them save time in some further census process. The response said nothing about whether my response was required or not, though it did (of course) say the law required all information from respondents to be kept confidential, specifically that it “cannot be used for purposes of taxation, investigation, or regulation.” It ended with a warm fuzzy statement about how important agriculture is to America (for some definition of “agriculture”, I guess).

So I replied, saying they hadn’t answered my question, which I repeated. Their response said, “To try to completely answer your question, the Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years, is a survey that by law requires a response from operators who are involved in agriculture. Though other NASS surveys do not by law require individuals to respond, NASS is required by law to conduct these surveys and publish statistics from the information gathered.”

You’ll note this still doesn’t answer the question, though it does say I need to respond if ever they come knocking with actual census forms. In my emails I also mentioned that the questions ask about “land that is in government programs”, in the description prior to question 1. All other questions depend on this answer to question 1. I own “land with the potential for agricultural production” (kind of vague, don’t you think?) but none of it is part of any agricultural government programs. It’s subject to property tax, emergency services can presumably access it without penalty in time of emergency, and I guess it could be subject to seizure under eminent domain, all of which means it’s probably part of one government program or another. But, I don’t have a government loan on it or equipment I use on it, I don’t get subsidies, so I call it “not a government program”, and put “0 acres”. All my other responses were thereby zero, as they all depend on how much acreage I operate. Regards, – E.K.

Letter Re: Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins Diesel

JWR:
Regarding the recent link in in SurvivalBlog to the articles on Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins diesel engine, I have experience with the B and ISB series Cummins engines in several applications and believe they are fine powerplants. However, this swap IS an electronic engine and transmission, as described. And it is not necessarily something easily fixable in the kind of situation you envision.

I would suggest that a mechanical engine (which does include the earlier 12-valve B Cummins sixes and its four cylinder sibling the 4BT) and a manual transmission might be more suitable.

Several possibilities exist for this size of vehicle. I am sort of partial to the old Series 53 Detroit Diesel, all mechanical, simple unit injectors, nearly idiot proof. That’s why these two cycle Detroits went into so many LTL day cab trucks: union drivers couldn’t wreck them.

If you don’t really need this big a vehicle, I would look at some of the smaller Japanese and German (Mercedes) engines with Bosch style injection pumps. These engines are in many, many small industrial machines, gensets, etc. so parts are available. They are not high horsepower but they are all mechanical and generally very robust. isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan all have some great choices. With Mercedes you are looking at the OM 616 and 617. They are lower horsepower, very reliable units. There are some all mechanical VM Cento engines out there as well. Parts support isn’t quite as extensive but is available and they are quite robust, especially the six cylinder inline that went into FedEx and Airborne package delivery trucks for years. This engine is also widely used in marine sport boating applications and was installed in Jaguar cars in Germany by a tuner company with good results. – Roger R.

Odds ‘n Sods:

New Jersey Will Pay You $1,000 to Destroy the 2nd Amendment

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Avalanche Lily forwarded me this (just across our bedroom, but routed through our VPN server in Switzerland): Northern Plains hit hard by deer-killing disease

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Some cogent observations by Ol’ Remus on resistance warfare: Continuity Plan

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And speaking of Ol’ Remus, he had a link to this: SOPA is the end of us, say bloggers

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Reader Scott S. wrote to tell me that my latest novel “Survivors” was recommended in an APRN article about ham radio: “The Case for Code – pt. 2”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.” – Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, 1987

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two 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 38 ends on January 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.

Raising Guinea Pigs as a Survival Food, by Lisa F.

A range of considerations come into play when selecting food to cache at your retreat for survival post-TEOTWAWKI: caloric load, shelf life, storage space required, price, ease of preparation, etc.  This article will deal with a topic I hold dear to my heart: fresh meat.  Depending upon where your retreat is located, hunting may or may not be a viable option; space, facilities, and season impact animal husbandry choices as well.  While pork and beef are preferred sources of meat for many Americans, there is no argument against the fact that pigs and, even more so, cattle require a fair amount of room and feed to thrive.  That is why guinea pigs make an excellent survival food, whether your Bug Out Location is rural or urban, temperate or alpine.

Guinea pigs were domesticated by the Incas about 7,000 years ago in what is now Peru; people there eat around 65 million guinea pigs a year – over fifty percent of Peru’s animal protein, according to veterinarian and food expert Calvin Schwabe, author of the book  Unmentionable Cuisine.  Vegetarian mammals, they can be fed for little or no money, depending upon your access to grass. Guinea pigs are quiet, which provides an advantage if your retreat must be hidden or appear unoccupied, and they are highly portable.  They reproduce quickly, due to a short gestational cycle, and reach sexual maturity (important for a breeding herd) at a young age. Guinea pigs do not usually cannibalize one another, and people living in an area served by Craigslist or near a guinea pig rescue organization can often find free guinea pigs.  While their skins are small, they produce supple leather that would be well-suited for clothing items.  In addition to their short gestational cycle and early age of sexual maturity, guinea pigs are advantageous for a post-disaster environment compared to other livestock because their feeding efficiency is high:

4:1 ratio of forage/food to growth weight for guinea pigs
8:1 ratio for cattle or sheep

Establishing a breeding group of guinea pigs

Female guinea pigs are fertile one month after birth; breeding females are called “sows”, and the males are “boars.” The gestational cycle, including estrus, averages 80 days; females can bear up to five litters a year.  Each litter averages four pups, though established pet breeders in the United States have achieved much higher litter size.   Stillbirths are fairly common, so you will need to plan to breed more guinea pigs than you expect to keep or eat. Research supported in the book Microlivestock: Little-Known Small Animals with a Promising Economic Future indicates that a herd of 20 females and 2 males will produce enough meat annually for a family of six. Depending upon the size of your retreat and the number of people in your survival group, you might select one of the following models for your breeding herd:

Model A
1 boar and 2 sows bred over a 5-month period with no harvests:
2 sows x 2 litters yield an average 16 pups
8 pups from first litter (assume 4 females/litter) bred 1x during initial 5-month period yield an another 32 pups
At end of initial 5-month period, herd is likely to = 48 guinea pigs
This model is good for short-term food production but unsustainable for long-term breeding because it will promote the appearance of recessive genetic traits.

Model B
2 boars and 3 sows bred over a 5-month period with no harvests:
3 sows x 2 litters yield an average 24 pups
12 pups from first litter (assume 6 females/litter) bred 1x during initial 5-month period yield another 48 pups
At end of initial 5-month period, herd is likely to = 72 guinea pigs
This model is better for both long-term food and breeding.

The more boars you have in your initial breeding group, the more genetic diversity you can create in your herd.  Make sure to select the larger guinea pigs for breeding.  If your food needs are not urgent are expected to exist long-term, rotate/rest your breeding females to promote greater likelihood of full-litter delivery.

Tips for herd management:

  • Guinea pigs are social animals and mix well in a herd, though an all-male group may incite aggression.  Boars do well together if they are pairs that have been brought up together.  Cull boars from your herd for eating to keep space/management needs low.
  • Use spray paint or Sharpie markers to identify lineage; this enables you to maximize genetic diversity in your herd. Colored markings on the guinea pigs conserves space better than creating segregated pens.
  • You will want to segregate by sex if you are establishing breeding lines or trying to control the rates at which litters are produced.
  • Pregnant females should be housed alone when possible to minimize stress.  Keeping the mother and babies separate from the herd until the babies are weaned is a good precaution.
  • Sex the guinea pigs early (you will  need to examine the genital area closely to do this; females will have a Y-shaped opening under a flap, and males’ penises will appear if you press above the genital area.)  Knowing the sexes of your herd will allow you to control breeding rates.
  • Harvest your guinea pigs before the age of 3 years; the strain of breeding shortens their life expectancy (by contrast, pet guinea pigs commonly live to be as old as eight years.)
  • Females must be bred for the first time when they are between four and seven months old.

Feeding Your Herd of Guinea Pigs
If you have a yard or outdoor space with grass available, your guinea pigs can subsist totally on grass and vegetable scraps leftover from your kitchen garden.  If your post- TEOTWAWKI retreat is an apartment or bunker and you do not expect to have access to vegetables and fresh plants, you will want to store baled alfalfa or pellets; you will likely also have a smaller herd than makes sense for someone with a rural retreat or city house with a yard.  Guinea pigs must have green food to eat, as they are susceptible to scurvy.  Grass or the ends of your vegetables are fine.  They are selective eaters and will not eat once they are full, so if you add fresh food to a bowl or cage and they have leftovers, the leftovers will not get eaten; make sure they finish what you’ve made available to them before providing more food.  If possible, make hay and/or pellets available to them all the time and supplement with vegetable scraps.  For indoor guinea pigs (think – urban stronghold), you should provide a small handful (1/8 to ¼ cup) of pellets per guinea pigs each day.  Their weight gain should be apparent; you are raising them to eat, so too much food is not really a problem.

Housing Your Herd of Guinea Pigs

Being both small and sociable, guinea pigs require very little room; you can keep ten females and one male in a cage, pit, or cardboard box together.  Extensive herds can be cared for by a single person.  It is helpful to provide bedding (straw, wood shavings, etc) whether they lodge indoors or outside; if provided adequate bedding and shelter from wind, guinea pigs can live outdoors in any season.  They handle cold temperatures better than hot, as they are chubby, furry little creatures.  Some people in Peru let the guinea pigs run loose in their homes; others allow them to forage outdoors during the day and herd them into pens or underneath their homes to sleep at night.  For a rural retreat that may have lots of predators, I recommend building tractors (essentially wire mesh cages with no bottoms) to concentrate the guinea pigs in small areas for grass consumption.  Their portability makes them a good food source even in the event that you may have to bug-out.  Guinea pigs do best if they are housed either outdoors or indoors; going back and forth between the outdoors and a conditioned environment is not as good.

Food Value and Preparation

Guinea pig young may be weaned at three or four weeks and experience rapid weight gain for four to six weeks; by age ten weeks, they should be big enough to be worth eating.  Dressed carcasses result in a little over half of the guinea pig mass to be food value.

Preparation is simple: skin and gut your animal.  The head is commonly left on and provides a few little morsels of crispy flesh.  You can also blanch if you wish to scrape the fur off but leave the skin on.  Grilling or cooking on a spit over a fire is the easiest way to make your meal; simply rub with salt and spices and cook over flame – turn frequently, as the animals are small and burn easily.  stewing is also yummy.  The feet can be eaten whole, bones and all.

A few simple recipes:

Dry-rub with a mixture of spices:  cumin, paprika, black pepper, coarse salt, dried basil or cilantro.  Butterfly and grill over flame until the skin is crisp.

Rub with salt and pepper and deep-fry or pan-fry in oil; serve with a spicy peanut sauce or garlicky marinara.

Bake whole in an oven or pit lined with coals (if using this method, wrap with foil or large green leaves from a plant you know to be nontoxic); guinea pig is an excellent dish for preparation over a campfire. Enjoy!

JWR Adds: I know that Lisa’s article will elicit howls of criticism, but facts are facts. Just because guinea pigs (“cavies”) are cute, doesn’t make them inedible. Harvesting them for meat is no different than what has been traditionally done with rabbits. Both rabbits and cavies are herbivores and in my estimation both are perfectly safe to eat. And both breed almost like tribbles. But be advised that neither are considered kosher. Raising guinea pigs can actually be profitable in the short term, by selling most of your sows’ offspring to pet store buyers. Our family did this in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when I was briefly lured back to the corporate world, and living in the suburbs. As I recall, our family’s little herd peaked at around 90 cavies, at the turn of the century. In 2001, weaned cavies were selling for $5 each, wholesale, in Northern California. The buyer even came to our house to pick them up, and he offered to buy all the cavies that we could supply. This arrangement more than covered all of our expenses, including feed and cages that we had bought via mail order, from Bass Equipment. Eventually, we sold our entire remaining herd to the wholesaler, just before we moved back to the hinterboonies. But we still make good use of the cages, for our rabbits.

Although most states don’t even have procedures in place for commercial processing and sale of cavy meat, there are very few restrictions on selling them “on the hoof.” Peruvian ex-pats are few and far between in the U.S., so plan on raising your cavy herd just for the pet store trade, for now. Thus, you can gradually build a herd and selectively breed for size, large litters, and and sows with good nurturing behavior. If and when the economy disintegrates, you can easily transition your cavies into a sustainable meat herd for your own family’s use.

But needless to say, consult your state and local laws before starting any breeding program.

A Prepared Child is a Safe Child, by Gary T.

I am a father of three and have one on the way. My oldest is now almost 20 years old. One thing I have learned over the years as a father is not to underestimate children and young adults.

I am pretty blunt and a straightforward guy, if anyone gets anything from what I share it is this….if you love your children then do not shelter them, prepare them!
Let’s tackle the big one first, children and gun’s. When my oldest was around four years of age he had a rare opportunity for someone so young, he got to see first-hand what guns do. We were elk hunting and a friend of the family had the good fortune to take a bull elk very close to the cabin. We had just sent our friend on his way after breakfast and not even four minutes out the door we heard the shot. We came right away to see if help was needed and arrived at the downed bull just as our friend did. We got to watch as this magnificent animal drew its last few breaths of life.  At this point in his life my son had seen guns being fired and he had also seen the animals we harvested and had even seen us butcher them, but at this moment you could see the understanding click behind this child’s eyes, even at age four he got the connection between guns and what they could do. I knew right there and then I would never have issues with him being safe with guns.

Eight years later a couple of friends and I were asked to take a large group of “Gun Virgins” to a rock quarry and  give them an introduction to guns and let them try to do some shooting. It was interesting to see the reaction to some in the group when I arrived at the quarry with my twelve year old son. I learned something that day and so did they. See even though these people had an interest in shooting guns they had still been brainwashed by pop culture and lack of education from their own parents about guns. They were taught that guns were evil and wanting to shoot them was practically a sin that they as adults had a right to partake in even though it is basically wrong, like pornography, alcohol, or adultery. Not all them thought this way but it was disturbing learn that some did. To them shooting a gun was something they would like to experience but never would involve a “child” because a child automatically did not know as much as an adult and could not possibly know all the evils of guns as they did as an adult. I was beside myself at the thought and was reminded of the experience of the Elk and I decided right then and there who was going to conduct the review of basics in gun safety for the group of 20 plus people before they got to shoot! My two friends that knew my son and myself thought that this was a great idea, but there was much grumbling from the group of the idea of being taught by a twelve year old. I pointed out that I trusted my son more than any adult I knew on this earth, because I knew what he was taught and what he wasn’t first hand. There is no room for pride in gun safety, even if the president of the NRA himself was there that day and he did something wrong I would call him on it and so would my son (of course we would do so respectfully). By the time my son was done and they were given the okay to shoot they were starting to understand also. To my son guns were not evil and wanting to shoot them was just plain fun, nothing to feel guilty about. He also demonstrated that he knew they could be dangerous and that he was taught how to properly handle them and he was teaching them.

I could go on about how guns are not evil but that would digress my own point which is that they are not unlike any other tool, they have a use and a function, and the biggest factor in safety of any tool is knowledge of how the tool works and should be properly used. Your kids probably know more than you do about how to use your computer or DVD player, and most likely no one showed them how to use these things. They can figure out how to load and use a gun on their own, you can’t rely on keeping children safe from the dangers of guns by keeping them away from guns, they need to learn and you need to be involved in that learning so you know what they know. Heaven forbid that my life or the life of my wife would someday depend on our children knowing how to properly use a gun, but if that they day ever comes we are as prepared as we can be.
I met an elderly man one day that told me that in Physical Education when he was a young school boy they could sign up for a segment to learn things like knife safety. As a father the thought made me smile as I had just learned from my youngest son that it was mandatory that he learn dancing in PE, could you imagine if I went to the school board and asked them to replace dancing with knife safety! The same thought also saddened me, to think that our society has gotten to the point that knife safety would never ever be considered for topic related to our schools again. Let the children learn how to put a condom on but heaven forbid they learn how to properly handle the most basic of tools in human history. Look on any emergency preparedness list and you will most likely find a knife near the top of the list. It is the most basics of tools and yes it can be dangerous if handled improperly so why not start learning to use one when you are young. Earlier I stated that knowledge is safety but so is experience. I have been carrying a pocket knife for as long as I can remember. My knife gets used almost every day, and yes even the most experienced knife user may cut themselves every once in a while, but the fact that I have never seriously cut myself as an adult I attribute to the fact that as a child I was taught to properly handle a knife and was allowed to carry and use one every day.

During the summer months my children usually carry their knives. But during the school year since they cannot carry even a little gentlemen’s blade in their pocket during school without fear of being expelled they end up forgetting it even on the weekends when not in school. This gets explained to me often by my children as I always ask where their knife is when they ask to borrow mine. This bothers me because being prepared means more than knowing how to use your tools but having them available when you need them. This is one of the reasons I keep asking “where is your knife?” even though I know and understand the answer, so maybe they will remember to keep it with them when not at school.  As a side note my fourteen year old daughter seems to remember more often than the boys to carry her knife, I think this is because she likes to shock people when there is a rope or something to be cut and she is the one that produces the right tool for the job!

I believe that our society is doing a disservice to our up and coming generations, by teaching them that they do not have to think for themselves and that if they just follow simple rules like do not touch knives and do not touch guns they will be magically be safe. We are also creating an environment where parents are afraid to teach their children certain things. I was sitting at the table with my father and my four year old grand niece, my father had a package that he needed to be cut open, and he handed it to me and asked me to open it. When I took out my knife to do so, my grand niece looked like she was going to have a heart attack. She looks at my father and states “your kid has a knife” as she pointed at me accusingly. You never have seen the old man so confused. It was really cute the way she referred to her Great Uncle as “your kid” but really disturbing that she was already brainwashed into believing that knives are evil weapons. She is a smart four year old, so I asked her what else was I supposed to use to open the package. I got two rounds of the answer “knives are naughty and bad” before she gave it some thought. She finally got the message that they are not naughty and they are not bad but can be dangerous and therefore she is not to touch one until her parents are ready to teach her how to properly use it. Both her parents are hard working ranchers and use knives every day. The answer of “knives are naughty and bad” came from her less than one year experience at pre-school.  I thought about this the other day at my work when a similar situation came up when a Design Engineer asked me if I had something to open up a blister package with. I pulled out my pocket knife and handed it to him. Should have seen the look on his face it scared him to death. Now here is a grown man who you know has had to have used knives in the kitchen before but was scared to death of the one I pulled from my pocket. All because he probably was never taught how to properly use one and was probably brainwashed as a child that “knives are naughty and bad”.

I am not advocating that it is blindly okay to go give your children knives or let them shoot guns. Just like I do not think there is something magical about the age eighteen or twenty-one that all of a sudden enables a person to know how to handle guns or knives I also do not think there is a certain age to start children. You are their parents if you work with them (and that is the key, to work with them) you will find out how much responsibility they can handle and understanding they can absorb.  I think you will learn if you challenge them they will surprise you, my four year old grand niece understood the why knives are dangerous when I explained it to her but not all four year olds would. But she is safer now because someone took the time to explain it to her. She will grow up better able to handle a knife than that Design Engineer. One of the things I have learned as a father is that all children are different. My oldest son started shooting when he was five, my youngest when he was eleven. It wasn’t that one was more mature than the other at five it was that he was mature in different ways. Kids respond to being given responsibility, the key is to challenge them but only put on them what they can handle. I have only written of Guns and Knives so far but I testify that letting my children learn responsibility in areas that society has deemed adult only has had many positive side effects. In many ways my children are better suited than many adults I know to tackle what life throws at them, and it is not just father’s pride that makes me say that. I have had many experiences where my children were willing and able to tackle learning new things that seem to intimidate many adults.

When the world comes crashing down, I would rather rely on my own children than most adults that I know.  And they are still very happy and well adjusted children none the less! This is because I love them and therefore have prepared them by teaching them all that I know.

Letter Re: 2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey

Mr. Rawles:
Have you all heard about this?  Yesterday I received a 2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey [from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service] in the mail.  They ask 25 nosey questions about how many of each animal we have on our farm i.e. cows, chickens, beehives, turkeys, sheep, goats, horses etc., how much we spend in our “operation” every year, and how much we plan to make this year.  They also ask if we have internet access, how many “operators” are involved in the decision making of our “operation” how many acres we have, how many are pasture land or wooded, do we have greenhouse plants, grain storage and how many animals do we sell each year….and on and on. 
 
We are told on the first page of the survey that it is required by law to fill out this form, or we will get a phone call or someone will show up at our door (to count our animals themselves?)  This is ridiculous, and I believe it goes against our Constitutional rights.  
 
My family does not want to send our survey in, as we are not at all interested in allowing the government have this information which they have no right to know.  We only own 10 acres with a few sheep and goats, yet they classify us as a farmstead “operation” and instruct us to fill out the form if we so much as own one animal.  Without a doubt, the USDA is not going to use this information for our good. Either they are going to start taxing for each animal we own to keep us from being able to afford a self-sufficient lifestyle, or they are going to keep track of what we have so that they can take it from us and somehow make us dependent on them.  They have no right to know how prepared we are to support ourselves.   

I think we ought to get this information to anyone who has animals and receives one of these forms. If enough of us refuse to fill out this form it will be a very good thing. 

Thank you so much for what you are doing with Survival Blog. I am a daily reader. – Lydia B. (Age 16)

JWR Replies: The survey’s cover letter is cleverly worded, to conceal the fact that sending in the form is actually voluntary. Just say no to drugs. And just say no to nosey surveys. They are only useful as kindling and bird cage lining.

Economics and Investing:

Absurd Gold/Silver Price Ratio; Why $500/oz Silver Is Now A Certainty In The Future

I recommend watching this commentary on “the coming storm” for the economy: Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Facing the Arithmetic. While more of a pep talk than practical instruction, Whittle’s comments are spot on.

G.G. sent this: Six million households have only five days’ savings

One end result of derivatives counterparty risk: MBS fallout could hit Wells Fargo, JPMorgan. (Mortgage backed securities are derivative securities.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Odds ‘n Sods:

Do you recall my comments in the unsuitability of Alaska as a retreat locale, for all but a few? Here is a bit more confirmation: Short on Fuel, Alaskans Now Burning Their Stuff. (Without regular resupply by sea and air, most of Alaska’s cities are like isolated islands.)

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For an amazing collection of maps that could be useful in choosing retreat locales, see the archives at: Oh Wow Maps.

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F.G. sent this news of Nanny State Illinois Nincompoopery: New Law Requires Photo ID To Buy Drain Cleaner

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Joshua recommended the University of Tennessee’s web site with a lot of free building plans for all kinds of structures–all in PDFs.

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Supreme Court Hears Case of ‘Dream House’ Stopped by EPA

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature…. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation … it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces." – President James Garfield

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two 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 38 ends on January 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.

Get Home Bag Lessons Learned, by Traveling Salesman David

I’ve been seriously prepping for a decade and consider myself a prepared and competent guy.   Y2K got me started, but the events of the past few years have kicked my preps into higher gear.   I’m confidant with my guns and food storage.  I have alternate power and heat sources established at both our home and retreat location.  I have a co-worker who includes me in his prepper group’s  meetings.  My family (immediate and some extended) is on board with our plans for TEOTWAWKI.   Although I’m not where I want to be, I’m know I’m better off than 98% of the sheeple out there.
After my travel experience today, I’m not so sure I’m as “practically” prepared as I should be.
 
Today was a beautiful day.  52 degrees in Nebraska…..in January!?!?    What a great day for a road trip.  My daily driver is a late 1990s Subaru.  It still gets great mileage and is all wheel drive which is nice in this climate.  My wife drives a newer minivan and we have a low mileage 2001 Dodge Durango for our spare/bug out vehicle.   My car’s odometer read 168,508 when I filled the tank this morning.  It was getting close to ½ empty so of course, as a prepared guy, it was time to fill up. 
 
I finished a sales call just after noon in a small town about 30 miles North of the City where we live. I decided to take the scenic route on the way back to the office.     I chose to travel a paved road that ran west from the main highway.  From this road I took a number of  gravel roads headed mostly southbound .   Besides the fact that I enjoy the windshield time, I’d like to buy a piece of rural property and these road trips are an easy way to look for them.  It was on one of these roads that my car’s timing belt failed.  In a disabled car on a quiet country road is not a place you want to be on most January days in the Midwest.  I was very thankful for the mild weather today.   I had no clue how much I would learn from this slight diversion from the highway.  
 
My first thought was…”Where am I?” Situational Awareness is something I’ve read about on Survival Blog dozens of times.  But, I didn’t have a clue what road I was on.  What was the intersecting road had I crossed a mile or so back? How far off the highway was I?  I could see a small town about 2 miles to my south west.  What town is that?  It was too far to read the writing on the water tower.                     

Lesson #1:  Pay attention!  Know where I am all the time. 

Lesson #1.5: Get a GPS for this car.
 
There were two houses in view, one was about a mile behind me and one was about three quarters of mile ahead.   It was time for a hike.  Note:  Rockport semi-casual dress shoes are fine for sales calls. They are not however, intended for walking on gravel.  Same goes for dress socks or dress pants.  Good news:  I keep wool socks and my Vibram boots in my “Get Home” bag.   I love those boots!  I picked them up at a local Army Surplus store for about $25.   Too bad that my “Get Home” bag wasn’t in the trunk.   I took it in the house to update it last night!  I did not put it back in the car this morning.                                       

Lesson #2: It’s called a “Get Home” bag…not a “leave it at home” bag for a reason.
 
Not knowing If I’d be coming back to the car or not, I grabbed my laptop in its backpack, my cell phone and my keys (I double checked that I had the keys) and locked the car.  As I walked down the road I was pleased to see I had great cell reception.   I called my wife to tell her what was going on.   She offered to come get me, but she is directionally challenged and doesn’t  trust the GPS . Besides, I couldn’t tell her where I was anyway.   I was in the process of telling her that I would figure out where I was and then call her back when my cell phone battery died.  This just gets better all the time. 

My plan was to walk down the road to the next house or intersection to determine where I was.  I could see the cross road about two miles ahead was a paved road with quite a bit of traffic.  I guessed at what highway it was, but still couldn’t think of the name of that little town.   The farmhouse ahead was set back from the road with a long driveway. I did not want to approach the house.  It seemed a little to ‘cliché: traveling salesman with a broke down car down the road….  No, there had to be another way to figure out where I was.   Their mailbox was on a post along the road but there were no numbers on it. The mailbox door was ajar and I could see that there was mail inside.   I hope I didn’t break and postal laws, but I pulled out a piece of mail and wrote down the address then returned the mail to the box.  At least I had pen and paper with me. 
 
As I walked back to my car, I plugged my Goal Zero Guide 10 into my cell phone. This is a great little AA (4) battery charger/power supply. It has three different power input ports, a USB output port and a built in LED light.  I keep this and necessary cords in my computer backpack.   I plug it once a week to insure it is charged.  I have set up a reminder on my outlook calendar to remind me to do this.  See, I wasn’t as unprepared as I had thought.    After my phone re-booted, which seemed to take forever, I called my anxious wife and told her not to worry and that I’d just call AAA roadside assistance.   The walk back to the car was colder due to the wind in my face.  52 with wind chill is still nippy.  I had no gloves, no hat, and was only wearing a light jacket.  My “Get Home Bag” has gloves and stocking cap…. oh yeah, I left it at home.                                                                                                                                                             

Lesson #3: It’s fine to wear the light jacket on a nice day, but bring the warmer one, too.  This is Nebraska in January for crying out loud.
 
Once I reached the car again I called AAA.   This AAA membership is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.   I understand that my auto insurance company offers roadside assistance at no cost too, but I’ve neglected to sign up for it.  I’ll do that tomorrow….really, I will.   The agent on the phone was very nice but had a hard time finding the address I’d pulled from the nearby mailbox.  It took about 10 minutes to get the tow order set up.  She said the tow truck driver would arrive in about 30 minutes and that He would call in route.  The agent also said they would call again to check on me.
I powered up my laptop (plugged onto the car 12 v), I plugged the cell phone into the laptop USB and used my Air card to get on the Internet. I pulled up MapQuest and determined exactly where I was, the name of the nearby town and settled in for the wait. The net is great but, what if I had not been able to get on it?                                                                                                                                                           

Lesson #4:  I own a good State Road/ Topographical map.  Put it in the car.  
 
AAA called back and told me that the tow truck driver was going to be more like an hour away.  Good grief!  I gave them a much better description of my location and told her I was content to wait.  The driver called me about 15 minutes later and I also gave him better directions as he had not received the updated information. 
I’d only seen one car go by on the road and that had been right after the mine had died.  That driver didn’t even slow down.  Two utility trucks drove by without stopping before a farmer finally stopped.  I told him I was fine and waiting for a tow.  The next vehicle made me very nervous.  This beater pickup approached from the highway,  slowed as he went by then turned around and came back. There were two guys in this truck and they pulled over dangerously close to my window. The “less than professional looking” passenger leaned out and asked if I needed help. I replied that I was fine and waiting on a tow.  He asked how long I’d been waiting.  I (lied and) answered that the tow truck would be there in just a few minutes.  He asked what I thought was wrong and if I was a salesman.  I remained friendly and answered.    He said “Well I didn’t think you were a farmer, you got them ‘out of county” plates.”  I thanked them for stopping then thanked the Lord when they drove away.     I’m happy to say that I have a concealed carry permit.  I even had it with me… the permit that is.  I did not have my handgun.   I did not have my knife.  I did not have my “truck tire thumper.”  I had nothing for personal protection – on me or in the car. I’ve not felt that vulnerable (or stupid) in a really long time.                                     

Lesson #5: A Concealed Carry Permit does you no good if you don’t carry. 
 
I now know that I was 24 miles from home.  If I had walked, I estimate the walk on this nice day would have taken me close to six hours (at four miles per hour).  That pace would have gotten me home about 9 p.m. when the temperature would have been in the low 30s and it would have been dark for four hours.  The only thing of any use in the car was a wool blanket which I probably would have improvised into a poncho for the walk.  Obviously, I had communication capability so I would not have walked the entire distance.  But, that was this time.  What if this had been an EMP?  What if the weather today had not been so nice?
 
The tow truck arrived when expected. Technically, I got myself home ‘all by myself’ and it all turned out fine, except for the upcoming car repair bill.     My “Get Home” bag is restocked, updated and at the front door ready to put in the Durango in the morning.    Lessons learned!

Social Cooperative Learning: The Benefits of Belonging to a Group of Survivalists and Preppers, by R.H.

The Beginning of My Journey: Why I decided to Start My Own Meetup Group ­
I began my journey towards preparedness about 3 years ago.  I had wanted to start preparing for an emergency but just didn’t know where to start.  It also felt very overwhelming when I thought of all the work I would need to do in order to go from being poorly prepared to becoming truly prepared.  However that egging feeling of “what if” kept pestering me.  As a San Diego native earthquakes were a natural threat and there was always that fear of the “Big One”.  In 2003 and 2007 we had had to evacuate during the wildfires and in 2005 I like millions of others had watched the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and hundreds of thousands who had died or were left homeless and with nothing due to poor planning and lack of outside help.  Finally it was during the financial housing crisis and subsequent downturn of economy that I decided enough was enough and I needed to turn my thoughts into actions.

I’m pretty sure that I don’t quite fit the “profile” of most preppers.  I was single, did not have a family, and was relatively younger than most preppers I knew at the time. My friends were more into partying and focusing their energy on (in their opinions) more present and near future problems such as finishing college or getting a job.  I had tried talking to some of them about disaster and emergency preparedness but some of them treated me like I was being paranoid, others saw the value but were reluctant to do anything about it for themselves. I felt somewhat alone and thought that maybe perhaps I really was being paranoid.
For starters, I knew it would not be easy. I knew that my preparedness skills at the beginning of my venture were in fact quite limited.  However I had made a decision not to become a helpless victim and was motivated to empower myself into learning and preparing for a disaster- whatever that disaster might be.  The main problem I had was the ability to keep that inertia going all the time.  That was when I decided to start my own preparedness group on Meetup.com.  At first I was just looking for a few friends to possibly talk to and see how they went about preparing.  I got much more than I bargained for.  After the first week 12 people joined and now eight months later we are celebrating our anniversary with 175 members as of today. 

As a teacher I realized there was a great value in social cooperative learning.  Sure you could probably learn all the information you will ever need to be prepared off the internet but there is just something about working together with real live people and learning skills as a group that is invaluable.  In addition you learn by doing.  Having knowledge and being able to apply it practically are two different things.
With my new found survivalists and prepper friends I have gone through wilderness survival training where I learned to live off the land with just a pocket knife, became educated in wild foods and became a wild foods teacher, became CERT certified, have my Ham radio license and will be taking the Front Sight skills course, as well as a few emergency medical courses.

As a group we have had meet-ups such as:  Chicken Butchering Class, Chicken Raising Classes, Primitive Weapon Skills, CERT, Ham Radio License Study Groups, Solar Food cooking and Oven Building, Aquaponic and Hydroponic Demonstrations, Fish Horticulture, Gun Range and Gun Training Meetups, Weapon Cleaning meetups,  EMP Lectures with guest speakers, Armageddon Emergency Medicine, Nuclear Disaster Preparedness lectures and guest speakers, Tactical Hike Meetups, Bug Out Bag meetups, Tracker Naturalist meetups, Plant and Seed Exchanges, and the list goes on and on. 

Most of these classes are taught by members with special skills or by a specialist at a reduced price (a benefit of having a large group) for our group.  My philosophy was that with the resources and skills pooled together by members of the group each member should be able to walk away with a great amount of all around preparedness skills, training, and knowledge.  We always convey the pay it forward approach and encourage our members to take these skills home and teach their families, neighbors, and communities. 

Growth and Leadership
The benefits and skills that people were learning proved to be invaluable.   Out of all the members I felt I had benefited the most.  Although I was the Organizer of my own group I actually had the least amount of practical skills going in as far as the areas of preparedness were concerned.  However I did have excellent social skills such as teaching, networking and relationship building.  I was able to put these skills to work by arranging meetups taught by members with specialized skills and working with members of the community and local businesses to work with our group for free or at low cost. 
With the growing group of people I had to have help in organizing events and keeping up with the questions and concerns on the site.  I am very fortunate to have 2 other “Organizers” on my leadership team.  We also have 3 event organizers who help arrange preparedness meetups.  My leadership team is comprised of members of the group that have specialized skills, are trustworthy, knowledgeable and most importantly, dedicated to preparedness.  I truly feel that having these people as leaders has shaped the group into what it has become today. 

Benefits of Working with and Belonging to a Group
Working together as a group also has many other benefits which include:

  • Gaining experience in teamwork.  A skill that will be vital in emergencies and high stress situations.
  • The opportunity to learn from others who have special skills.
  • The opportunity to check for understanding.  The “how to” YouTube video or online forum that you are following is not able to ask you if you understand what you are doing the moment you are doing it, or if you have any further questions.
  • The ability to form lasting relationships which may be very beneficial even lifesaving at times of need.
  • Discounts and Group Rates. Things are cheaper if you buy them in bulk.  There has been more than a few times when we have ordered supplies as a group.  There’s nothing more wonderful than a feeling of being prepared and getting a great deal.
  • The benefit of having support from an entire community.  Having a large group of like-minded positive people is crucial to ones entire well being.  This positively affects ones mental and emotional state of mind knowing that he or she is not alone and that there are others who are all struggling to be prepared facing similar challenges with limited resources.
  •  Accountability.  When others know your goals you are more inclined to follow through.
  • The opportunity to gain other important social skills such as Leadership, Decision-making, Trust-building, Communication, and Conflict-management skills.
  • The opportunity for Group Processing.  Group members discuss how well they are achieving their goals such as what has worked well in the past, what is not working, and what they should try.
  • The greater chance of being able to solve problems and come up with alternative solutions.  It has been proven that collaborative learning produces and enhances critical thinking.
  • A healthy alternative to social interactions and engagements.  Staying at home and drinking beer or playing video games with friends is fun but not at all productive. With the new friends you make chances are you will be just as socially interactive but with activities that are beneficial and productive towards preparedness.
  • The opportunity to set a good example for your children and family.  As an adult we are our children’s greatest teachers.  If children witness their parents working well with a group of people they too will gain those important team working skills.

Concerns of Belonging to a Group – Operational Security and Screening Process
Naturally as with anything else in life there are always some negative aspects of belonging to a group.  Some worry about Operational Security.  This has never been much of a concern but the issue does come up.  Joining a group does not mean you have to tell anyone where you live.  Most meetups are held in public places or businesses.  Any information given out about someone’s personal life is made at their own discretion.  In short we are all adults and we expect everyone to use their own common sense in making decisions and divulging personal information about themselves.

Rotten Apples Ruining the Whole Bunch
In our group we have a simple screening procedure.  This is done by filling out a member profile and introduction.  The profile is a simple questionnaire that is required for a member to fill out in order to join.  It involves answering a few basic questions about their level of preparedness in different areas such as “beans, band-aids, and bullets”. If a person’s profile seems too negative and “out there” such as proclaiming doomsday and sprouting completely radical behavior they are rejected.  As with the latter topic common sense is utilized with this as well; basically what it all boils down to is if someone cannot fill out a simple “pleasant” introduction they will not be allowed into the group.
There have been a few incidences where people had been antagonizing or bullying others on the discussion forum but these people are quickly removed from the group.  I have a No Tolerance to ill-treatment of others policy.  To put this into perspective out of 175 members I have only had to remove a few.

Getting Involved- How to Find a Group and Get Started
The first step for those who are interested in a local community group would be where to look for one.  Naturally I would suggest Meetup.com as my first choice.  There are over 92 Disaster Preparedness groups nationwide on Meetup.com and many people have signed up to be notified in case one has been started in their area.  Other places to look would be your local Ham Radio club, Wilderness Club, or CERT team.  These groups are already into Disaster or Emergency training and may have some excellent resources for you to begin your search.
 My advice would be to look into it and see if it’s right for you.  The last thing you want to assume is that you are the only one out there.  I felt that way in the beginning but soon found out I was wrong. 
Helping others toward preparedness leaves one less person dependent on you in times of need. In the end we are all here to help each other. I’ll close with a quote: “It seems to me that any full grown, mature adult would have a desire to be responsible, to help where he can in a world that needs so very much, that threatens us so very much.” – Norman Lear.