Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The disciplined warrior, made irrelevant by by mechanized war, disdained and abandoned by the high-tech culture, is fading in American men. The fading of the warrior contributes to the collapse of society. A man who cannot defend his own space cannot defend women and children. The poisoned warriors called drug lords prey primarily for recruits on kingless, warriorless boys." – Robert Bly in Iron John, 1990

Pat’s Product Review: No-Name AR-15s

Over the past several months, I have been asked by many SurvivalBlog readers which AR-style rifle is the best. And, many readers mistakenly believe that some civilian brands of ARs are 100% “mil-spec.” When I explain to them that their civilian ARs, no matter who made them, are NOT mil-spec, and the facts to reinforce my argument, I don’t hear back from them.
 
So, let me explain why civilian ARs are not 100% mil-spec. Some AR makers mistakenly (intentionally?) advertise their ARs as being mil-spec, when in fact, they are only partially made up of mil-spec parts. Even Colt, who makes the M4 for the military, doesn’t produce a totally mil-spec AR-style gun for civilian use. One point of my argument is that, mil-spec guns are made to be select-fire, whereas, civilian M4gerys are semi-auto only. Secondly, mil-spec guns of the M4 variety usually have a 14.5″ barrel, and civilian guns, must by law, have at least a 16″ barrel. Additionally, if you look at the bolt carrier in most civilian ARs, they are not of the full-auto design, nor is the fire-control group. I could go on and on, but I don’t wish to receive hundreds of e-mails from readers wishing to debate this topic.
 
I’ve also heard from SurvivalBlog readers, who claim that only ARs made by the big-name gun companies are worth having, and the smaller, no-name ARs aren’t worth having – that they’ll blow-up in your hands, or they’ll fail when you need ’em the most. I’ll not argue that some ARs are better made than others, I concede that fact. However, just because your no-name AR only cost you $600, as compared to someone who has a similar Colt that easily cost twice that much, doesn’t mean they have a “better” AR than you have. Also please note, when I use the term “AR or AR-15” I’m using it as a generic term – everyone calls their AR-style guns by different names..
 
Most folks are shocked to learn, that most big name gun companies simply don’t manufacture every part they use in their guns – they contract many parts out. And, when it comes to ARs, and their parts, almost all of the AR makers have many of their parts made by someone else – who is also selling the same parts to a competitor down the road, or to a no-name AR maker. So, odds are, some of the parts in your brand-name AR, are from the same vendor that sold the same parts to the no-name AR maker. Once again, I’m not saying there aren’t better parts in some guns, or that some barrels are more accurate than others. Sometimes you get what you pay for, other times, you are over-paying simply because of the big name gun company selling a similar AR.
 
Over the years, I’ve probably owned more no-name ARs than those made by the well-known makers of ARs, and that’s a fact. I can only recall having a problem with one AR that I’ve owned over the years. This gun was made by Olympic Arms – however, someone put a different bolt/bolt carrier in the gun – they assumed, as do many folks, that it was simply a drop-in affair – it’s not! The after-market bolt and bolt carrier were over-sized and caused functioning problems. This was not the fault of the Oly Arms, it was the fault of the idiot who just dropped the parts in. I finally got the parts fitted properly, and the gun was 100% reliable after that.
 
I decided to do a mini torture test, on an no-name AR that I recently purchased at my local gun shop. This gun was manufactured by Superior Arms, and I had to do some research on the company. They’ve only been in business a few short years, but most of the reports I read on their guns were very favorable. This gun was used when I got it, well-used. The only thing I did to the gun was clean it and lube it, and check the orientation of the gas rings on the tail of the bolt – everything looked great.
 
I contacted long-time bud, Jeff Hoffman, who runs Black Hills Ammunition and requested 1,000 rounds of his 5.56 mm NATO factory seconds ammo, 55-gr FMJ. This ammo normally isn’t available for sale to the public. What we have with the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds are reloaded rounds, and the cases might have tiny dents, or are discolored for whatever reason – they were picked out of the final inspection and classified as “seconds.” To be honest, you’d have to look very closely at a lot of the rounds to see why they were pulled during the final inspection process – which is a testament to how well Black Hills Ammunition inspects their finished products.
 
The reason I specifically requested the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds was that I wanted to see if the Superior Arms AR would be up to the task of shooting this ammo. I figured if there were gonna be any problems, the factory seconds would cause them. Before heading out to do my mini torture test, I loaded thirty, 30 round magazines, which gave me 900 rounds of ammo to burn through, without having to reload more mags. Yeah, I know, I had 1,000-rds of ammo, but I just plain ol’ got tired of loading magazines, my thumb was sore!
 
Instead of going out to one of my usual shooting sports near my home, I headed deep into the Cascade Mountains – far from where people could hear my shooting. I didn’t want someone calling the local sheriff and reporting there was a shooting war going on near their houses. So, I was at least 15-miles from the nearest house for my testing.
 
The Superior Arms AR was clean and lubed at the start of my testing and no further cleaning or lube was done during my testing. I started out burning through the first couple of mags firing as fast as I could. I knew I couldn’t keep-up this pace for long – unless there was a Zombie hoard coming my way. So, I slowed down my pace, and towards the end of my 900 round test, my trigger finger was pretty tired, to say the least. It took me about an hour and 15-minutes to burn through all those magazines – maybe a little longer. Like I said, towards the end of the shooting, my trigger finger was tired, and the gun was extremely hot – even the trigger.
 
During my testing, there was not a single malfunction or failure with the Superior Arms AR, and no problems with the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds that I was using. Every round went off when the trigger was pulled, and every round sounded the same – no dudes or any problems of any kind. So, what did I learn in my mini torture test? Well, that it’s a lot more work than I thought it would be – starting with loading all those magazines, and then shooting all those rounds in one shooting session. I thought the gun might malfunction or have some kind of problem when it got extremely hot – but there were no problems to report with gun or ammo.
 
As an aside, the area I was shooting in, was about a 35-minute drive from my house – and the gun’s barrel was still very warm when I got home – so that hummer really got hot during my testing. Needless to say, it took quite a while for me to get the gun clean after that shooting session. Everything inside the gun looked good to go, for another shooting session, too. Oh yeah, I’ve gotta get back out to the area where I was shooting and police-up all that empty brass – one of these days. I suspect it’ll still be there when I get to it.
 
So, what did I learn? Well, this was only one gun, from a no-name AR company – so I can’t speak for all the other no-name ARs that are out there, as to if they’ll hold up to this sort of mini torture test – but I’m betting they will – assuming you start with a clean gun, that is properly lubed and in proper working order. I’ve gone out and shot 200-to-300 rounds at a time through an AR in the past – and that was fun. However, this shooting session was work, and it just killed me to “waste” all that Black Hills Ammunition .223 ammo, too. Jeff Hoffman has been supplying my ammo needs for 20-yrs now and always fills my requests when I tell him I’m just gonna “waste” ammo. Black Hills Ammunition are good people to give your business to.
 
My Superior Arms AR has the 11″ barrel on it, with a permanently attached 5.5″ flash suppressor on it. On a good day, I can hold about a 3″ group with this shorty barrel. And, a couple days after my shooting session, I tested for accuracy again, and it was still about a 3″ group gun – which is about as good as you’ll get with the shorter barrel. I just happen to like the look of this set-up with the shorter barrel and longer flash suppressor on it. I also know that it reduces the effectiveness of the .223 round much beyond the 150 – 200 yard mark, too.
 
So, if you are on a limited budget, don’t think you have to settle for second best when you look at buying a no-name AR. Check the gun over carefully – take it apart – and if a gun shop won’t let you do that – take your business some place else. Try the charging handle – see if it operates smoothly, and try the trigger-pull as well – not that most ARs are known for outstanding trigger pulls. Don’t be afraid to buy a no-name AR just because your best buddy has a $2,500 AR of some type that he is always hyping. Odds are, when you go out shooting with your buddy, your no-name AR will shoot just as well as his expensive AR does – if not better.
 
There’s nothing “wrong” with ARs made by the big name gun companies – and I’ve owned quite a few spendy ARs over the years – some shoot better than others – but not a whole lot better. Sometimes it depends on the ammo you’re using – many guns will shoot one brand of ammo better than another – so don’t be afraid to experiment if you aren’t getting the accuracy you’d hope for. I want to give an example of a big name AR maker – I recently purchased one of the Carbon-15 ARs that is made by Bushmaster – I liked the look of the gun and the light-weight. However, this gun simply would not group – it was more like a shotgun – it “patterned” instead of grouping. I traded the gun back to my local gun shop the next day and told them about the gun. They sold it at a gun show, and told the new owner, that the gun didn’t group well – he still bought it!
 
The only ARs I tend to shy away from are the parts gun -you know the ones I’m talking about. Someone bought an upper receiver parts kit, and then a lower receiver and put it all together themselves – those guns scare me at times – I’ve owned a few – they worked, but I still wasn’t 100% sure they would keep working, or had any knowledge of the person who assembled the gun – if they knew anything about how ARs work.
 
So, if you’re on a budget, take a look at the no-name AR that might be half the price of the big-name AR next to it – you might be surprised how well-made the no-name AR is, and how well it shoots, too. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Lessons From Latvian Bank Runs

James,
I recently read an article at Zero Hedge about a bank run in Latvia.  The run was apparently brought on by accusations of embezzlement, document forgery, accounting fraud, and abuse of authority by two shareholders.  (Honestly, this is not about the US Congress emptying the Social Security Trust Fund, or Congressional insider trading)  The information on the bank’s web site refers specifically to Jon Corzine and MF Global!  “Kinda like Jon Corzine, if not by the actual authorities, then by everybody else. And just like in the US where the lack of confidence in the system following the MF filing, so in Latvia the people have decided to hit the ATMs first and ask questions later. “
 
The pictures just by themselves make the article worth taking a look.  Coming soon to a bank near you? – S.M.

Letter: Type 1 Diabetes–There Has to Be a Way to Prepare

Mr. Rawles,
I’m writing this because there has to be a better way to prepare for everyone that feels the responsibility to do so without leaving type 1 diabetics behind.  I’m hoping you or someone reading this may have answers or can help in the search.  I had been prepping for a year or so in small but steady ways.  We had covered a lot of ground, everything from food storage to medicine, woodstove, small solar, guns, gardens, you name it and we continued to punch away at our personal list.  Then it happened, my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  It’s hard to image a diagnoses requiring more dependency on medicine, especially for a family working to be as self-sufficient as possible.  My son is 16 and until this diagnoses he had been healthy, even athletic.  A total shock, and to make it even more stunning, one of his best friends, also an athletic child, had been diagnosed only six months earlier.  These kids have grown up together and now lighting had struck twice in the same place, simply unbelievable.  After a couple of months adjusting to our new life I went to work on prep. for the most important thing in our lives, the entire reason to prep. in the first place, my son and family.  I’m doing those things that seem to be the low hanging fruit (not to be confused with being easy).  We approached his doctor about having extra supplies on hand and were given a three month prescription versus monthly.  I’m working on the alternative refrigeration, but have a plan to use a forgotten family spring house in a pinch.  I’ll likely pull the trigger on a propane refrigeration system in the next few months (right after paying property taxes).  I think it’s also likely we can obtain some prescriptions for additional out of pocket supplies from our son’s doctor and I’ll be proceeding with that once I’m certain we can store it properly.  All this would help us in a short crisis, but I’m looking for a long term solution. 
 
Have you or any of your subscribers read the very inspiring story of Victor and Eva Saxl?  To make a long story short, during WWII Eva and Victor found themselves as refugees in China, and Eva a type 1 diabetic, was cut off from her supply of insulin.  Victor refused to give in to the inevitable and using the book “Beckman’s Internal Medicine” and access to a friends “lab” was able to produce a insulin which kept Eva alive as well as several hundred other diabetics in the same situation.  I’m not certain what would constitute a Chinese WWII era lab…  The full story of Eva can be found on the Internet.  I’ve tried in vain to find a copy of Beckman’s Internal Medicine or the exact formula and process used to make insulin the old way.  Either the insulin made by Victor or the formula invented in the 1920s by Banting and Best.  I’m sure this is something the drug manufactures and public safety officials do not want to be public knowledge.  After all a person could likely do considerable harm to themselves attempting to use a homemade insulin, but in an extended emergency, knowledge for anything that a person is dependent on for life shouldn’t be a secret.  If nothing else I would like to have this information available to provide to local health officials or those with resources, if it is ever needed.  To find the book and formula/process I’ve scoured the Internet without success.  I’ve also gone as far as contacting the Banting and Best Institute at the University of Toronto.  Banting and Besting being the scientist that discovered and refined the process for animal insulin in the 1920s.  Initially the professor I corresponded with seemed extremely excited about the Eva Saxl story and the Beckman’s Internal Medicine book.  He had instructed his staff to see if a copy could be found in the Universities archives.  However, after further inquires from him as to my interest in the book, his interest in sharing information chilled considerably.  Again, I can’t blame him as the dangers and liability might be considerable, but I also can’t give up.  I’ve also spoken to state health officials regarding the availability of insulin in a national or regional emergencies and while many hidden stockpiled emergency medicines would be available to some degree, those stockpiles to not including insulin. 
 
A few weeks ago I heard my son and his friend talking on the phone.  My concerns about a possible economic collapse aren’t any secret to my family.  They are also smart kids and can watch the news same as anyone that pays attention.  They were talking about what would happen to them and how they would get insulin.  My heart nearly broke when my son told his friend not to worry, my Dad will find a way.

Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. suggested this: Pictures From A Latvian Bank Run As MF Global Commingling Comes To Town

Also from J.B.G.: Deutsche Bank: If Merkel Doesn’t Budge, ‘Our Investment Advice Is To Dig A Hole In The Ground And Hide’

Clive Maund: Gold To Profit From Economic Uncertainty

From Wired: The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin

Items from The Economatrix:

Coming–Big Austerity Cuts

17 Quotes About The Coming Global Financial Collapse That Will Make Your Hair Stand Up

Death of a Currency as Eurogeddon Approaches

Update On US Banks And The Euro Area–Things Are Looking Grim

Odds ‘n Sods:

Steve M. sent a news article with this comment: “One more reason to live full-time at your retreat”: Neighbors helping neighbors—to break into vacant houses

   o o o

Scientists create man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out millions if it ever escapes research lab. (A hat tip to F.J. for the link.)

   o o o

Jonathan B. sent this from northern California and southwestern Oregon: State of Jefferson Rises again!

   o o o

EPA targets families that generate heat off the grid using traditional wood-burning stoves. (Thanks to Steve M. for the link.)

   o o o

J.B.G. sent this from The Daily Mail: Think we’ve got it bad? Read about the British expats whose lives have become a nightmare in violent, chaotic Greece

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The first thing I did when I turned twenty-one was go out and buy a handgun. The reason I did that was because it made perfect sense to be armed and seemed totally foolish not to be. By the mid-1970s, I became aware of the fact that there was a growing survivalist movement – everything from food to firearms to retreat property – and that people saw themselves as somehow being able to survive a nuclear war or whatever else might lie in store, if somehow they could prepare. I always believed, as does [my fictional protagonist] John Rourke, that ‘It pays to plan ahead.'” – Jerry Ahern

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 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 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Sleeping With the Friendlies, by Heidi C.

In comes TEOTWAWKI. You grab your B.O.B. pack and lay feet to a packed truck and trailer toward a predetermined secret house in the boonies. After a long day of inventory, greetings, and ears peeled to the radio, you amp down from that first frightening night of your uncertain future. You lay exhausted, in 1 of 3 bed sheet curtain bedrooms, and suddenly find yourself all and sundry, plummeted into a collage of personalities and lifestyles you thought you were familiar with – but are you? In what once was your quiet home, your new place is full of distractions. “Who is that snoring?” “Who is practicing their guitar?” “Did someone leave candles burning?” “Is that body odor?” “Is someone having intercourse?” It all may sound a bit humorous now, but it won’t be so funny if you find yourself in a bad situation because you really didn’t get to know who’s in your group, and you didn’t establish any social rules for the group. I have a degree in Communications with an ongoing interest in Theories of Societies. And since I have read very little about living in small groups in survival forums, I wanted to dole out some advice about the challenges of living in small groups, and molding your group members and organizational plan into a decent stronghold- whether they like it or not.

I live in North Idaho, and in my experience I have seen only one small survival group so far that has it pretty well together as far as knowing each other. They are more like a Squad. They camp together, do drills together, run “what ifs” and gun talk over beers together. But they’re young, full of energy and free time, and mostly single. But honestly, the majority of people like me are ‘regular folk’ coming together with a few (new?) friends and family who all agree that they should development a plan, some supplies, and a stronghold of sorts in case of TEOTWAWKI. The result is more like a small village rather than a squad. We understand the value of pooling our resources -I have a flour mill, my friend has a James Washer.  Plus, we create safety in numbers, hence the name, Stronghold. But, many people, like myself, have ‘default’ members who are not into emergency preparation. Some have elderly parents, or maybe an unimpressed teenager or a spouse that thinks TEOTWAWKI is a cute hobby that keeps you out of trouble. Sometimes we recruit friends of friends. And, you know there’s no way your wife is going to let her best friend get left behind, even though deep down you know she, her heels and Armani purse won’t fair well in the foxhole. But most of us don’t really have a moral choice to abandon these people if the SHTF. And that’s just the beginning of the difficulties. Now stuff them all into a small place, struggling to survive.

There are many problems with small groups living in small spaces. It’s no slumber party like sometimes glamorized in books and movies. Most real-life social structures of small indigenous tribes and even more modern communes share a lot of the same difficulties and issues that a small survival community may encounter. Here are the 2 most problematic challenges to keep in mind.

Too Close: This has many connotations, but it’s solely the biggest challenge in small tribes. Although today’s society complains about a world where people are too detached, it can be disastrous living too close. A relative can be too close. Close enough to not respect you and spend time arguing with you because you were always the “bossy sibling”. Too close that you hadn’t noticed how lazy your brother is. Too close so that you neglected to know that your aunt and uncle didn’t store any food. Too close that you hadn’t really considered the fact that your parents are 75 and really can’t do anything but drain food and medical supplies- God love’m. Or too close to dismiss your rebellious 14 year old.

Too close can also mean proximity. Close quarters can feel very claustrophobic with others around. Some like lots of light, some think your wasting light. Some want to stay up until midnight talking, some need to sleep early. Some snore. Someone might find it perfectly normal to walk buck-naked to the latrine at night. These are all the kinds of situations you don’t think about until you are there, annoyed, tired, and too late for civil organization.   

Too close can also mean ‘closeness’. No one wants to hear it, but it is a big problem in tight knit communities. They get very emotionally and physically close, through hardship and locality, and through no other explanation, inappropriate intimacy can start to take place if unchecked. This was a huge problem in small indigenous Tribes where they were in very small quarters (like huts and igloos). The movie The Beach has a horrific, but realistic version of what could happen in a small community living off the grid. Granted, they lacked spirituality, so if your group has higher moral standards, the better off you are. Just make sure you all share that standard – more on that later.

Lifestyle: ‘Too close’ covers some of these issues like noise, lights, talking. But lifestyles of individuals also account for diversities in hygiene, diets, education (survival), Religion, and Ideologies (surrounding survival).

For instance, you might shower everyday, but you’d guess your friends’ friend, never showers. Granted, you might find yourself having to squeeze in bowl baths just to make you feel relatively fresh, but come on! This guy doesn’t even try! Someone else’s bad odor wasn’t what you had in mind while sitting at the communal dinner table. And speaking of dinner, whose food is whose anyway? Is it communal? Is it separate? The group must have rules.

Do you know who in your group knows what about survival? Do they have a specialty? Do they get nausea at the site of blood? Have they ever built a fire? You may very well have never even gone camping with some of these people. Some may not like camping at all! How much do you know about them? Can you trust them?  Everyone must have roles

And finally, examine your survival ideology. If someone walked up to your stronghold, what ideology will they feel from your group? Are you militant? Ex-military? Or, are you passive and hope to sneak by TEOTWAWKI by quiet evasion? Maybe you’ll play the innocent group, pretending to be a gritty backwoods family getting by only because the family hunts and fishes, keeping instead large caches? If some of your group is militant, some passive, and some play gritty, has that been explained, established, or planned for? And are all of you God loving? God fearing? Do you have a son who is Pagan? Spirituality can be a direct hit on the group’s values and it needs to be addressed. Everyone must have joint core values.

All in all, the bottom line is that every group must have roles, rules, and joint core values. If you feel you are the one in your group with the most overall knowledge and desire to survive, and no one else is taking the lead. You do it. The starting place for peace in your “village” is an organized and watchful moral leader.

You obviously need a plan – back to rules, roles and core values. I’m not giving an actual plan- making strategy–there are many articles on the Internet for that. But leading your group into a few group games and activities over Sunday afternoons, a holiday, or planned game night, it will help get your plan together and help get your “uninterested” default members a little better educated and maybe even more interested!

ACTIVITIES TO DISCOVER YOUR MEMBERS AND AND IDEOLOGY: Below is a bunch of activities for your group. By looking at your people differently (as a survival member), you can better plan the roles, rules and the core values in order to write the groups organizational handbook. And take notes!

1. Identify 5 core values that the group agrees with:
Core values are the basis on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. Examples of core values are respect, integrity, security, acceptance, belonging, choice, community, compassion, power, privacy, freedom, helping others, faith, team work, contribution, et cetera.. They govern personal relationships but requires no external justification – hence, the value to you alone. If you don’t share values, you build separation. If you don’t respect others values, you can’t have good relationships. You can find lists of values online as a starter guide to print out. Ask everyone in your group to go through these values and write down the 10 top values, which have the most resonance to them. Make sure they are thinking of Work Values, not personal values (at this point). The goal is to link 3-5 values that all of you have in common. Incorporate and integrate those values into all areas of organizational rules. 

It helps if you think of the most fulfilling times in your life, the most content, the most self confidence. You might find something not on your list.  You will find that these are the few things in life that you will “stand up for” and argue about, quit your job for, yell at your boss over.

From that list, ask each member to pick three values, not on the work value list, that are personal values to them. These are the values we need not share, but we have to respect. In order to memorize their top values, create a  “nickname”, so everyone can memorize their personal value. Try to work in this particular value with the members role whenever possible. Appreciate that persons value. Let them take control of it. Let them influence you with it. If it is spirituality, maybe they want to head up a morning of spirituality for other members. Nickname him “soulman”. If it is teaching, allow them instruct. Call her “teach” If is it learning, make sure they have lots of opportunities. Call him “Utube.”  If it is nurturing or helping others, maybe there is a space for personal counseling in the group. Call her “Freud.” Freedom? “Martin”. Teamwork? “Baseball” Make it fun, and you can even do this exercise via e-mail.

2. Discuss ethical dilemmas: Make a list of things that one may encounter in a small survival group. Read it aloud at the next get together -you will get opinions!

a. After a week in the new camp, many members are “forgetting the rules” and relying on others to enforce them. What do you do?
b. Something is stolen from the root cellar. What is the call of action.
c. John pushes James, knocking him over after a grapple over jealousy. How do you handle it?
c. Aunt Mary shows up at your Stronghold, with nothing but a broom. What happens to her?
d. One of your members has a very loud voice. How do you handle it?
e. The cook is snacking on the food as she cooks it. Is that okay? How should it be handled.
f. Someone is walking down the road with a rifle. Do you sneak down and confront them as a united front, or do you stay low and let them walk by. Why?
g. Group Dinnertime. Is it needed, or should the couples have time together? When does close get too close?
h. Someone has a dog that barks nonstop. What to do?

3. Finding Your Voice: Here are a few non-board games that will help you know your members better.

a. Your Message to the World

In advance to your meeting, ask all members to write a 10 minute speech. This is whatever you want to say, if you had 10 minutes to talk to the world on prime time television. Make it fun.

b. 3 sentences to a fallen world
This is a message to the world, given on a ham radio to “who knows who” after an economic collapse of the country.  You hold a ham radio in your (probably trembling) hand, and say what?? Make it realistic by having them hold a two-way radio or ham radio to do it. Again, make it fun!

c. Role Models

If you could meet anyone from history or from literature, who would it be and what would you ask them. What is it about that person that you admire?

4. Board Games: Below are a couple of commercial board games give you an opportunity to learn more about each other in different ways and educate them on survival situations.

The Worse Case Scenario Survival Game: Find out how much each of you know about a variety of survival subjects and learn more. It’s also a great opportunity to discover a members hidden knowledge talent.

Hunting and Fishing Trivia: Another good learning tool.

Scruples: A great game to find out each other lines of ethics and values. Prepare for couple to bicker a bit, which is a great way to understand their relationship too.

5. Make a list of ROLES people can take on in your group. Suggestions are positions like communications, logistics, cooking, gardening, counseling, medic, hunting, gathering. There are many lists of roles for a survival camp online. Make a list and start feeling people out for roles they might fit into and enjoy. Your Dad may not be able to dig foxholes, but he might be a great source of wisdom and council for others. And he might make a killer Huckleberry wine! Look for the strengths in the members whose strengths might not jump out at you at first. The exercises will help you know them better. Offer up these roles to those people. You may find them more interest than you imagined. My daughter has an interest in identifying plants in the wild, so I asked her if she would be interested in heading-up wild foods and herbal remedies. The opportunity for learning and leadership made her jump more passionately into the subject.  

6. Find your N.U.T.s:
These are non-negotiable, unalterable terms of your organization. As a group, list at least five for the group. They are like your 5 commandments of an organization. For instance, you might agree: If you steal from the group, you leave the group. Period. No exemptions. If you are late for duty, you will pull a double shift when you get there. Period. No Exceptions ever. Make sure they all agree and sign it!

Using these techniques, and all your notes, you will be better prepared to start your organizational handbook of roles, rules and core values. It can help immensely with the peace kept at your stronghold, and give confidence, security and familiarity in a situation that can be very stressful.

HOW TO DEAL WITH “DEFAULT” MEMBERS: Whether my family and friends know it or not, they are members and preparing for TEOTWAWKI. I use the below techniques all the time and it is working. I had a friend call me the other day and asked me to watch a video they found on youtube. The info wasn’t new info to me, but I was thrilled because they were engaged, learning, and riled up!

Holiday Gifts: Give up the useless sweater, and buy them something you know they haven’t bought for themselves to survive. Like long-term food! Or a B.O.B. pack. My adult daughter wasn’t much on board with the survival thing, but I assembled her an awesome “camping” pack for her birthday last year. Among the predicable camping gear, was a complete B.O.B. pack – her friends were blown away and wanted one too! This year I’m assembling one for my brother in Seattle- a more urban-earthquake ready pack.

Books: Buy and Lend them books: Patriots, One Second After, and Back to Basics. Get the audio book if they don’t read much or drive a lot. Look for specialty books that might peak interests in their particular expertise. 

Movie Night: Plan a movie night with a twist. Instead of Tron, make it The Road, or The Book of Eli or The Beach. Talk about it. I’ve also burned Youtubes for my parents, with documentaries on our economic destruction, and also on things like ‘how to plan a long term storage food cache.” And I watch it with them. Dad has decided to build a root cellar (and he’s built 2 in the past!).

The Food Bank: Ask each family to throw in $10 a week (or whatever they can afford) toward your community food bank. Each week take your $50 or so, and buy beans, rice, and others in bulk. They may not want to go out and buy stuff, but they may have no problem paying you to do it. I do this at Costco!

Activities: Invite them on hikes and just for fun, show them how to use items in your pack. Take them out shooting with your guns. Show them your stash of food goods. Get them excited and curious. Talk politics and mention videos or newscasts that concerned you. Draw them in to look for themselves without shoving it down their throats.

Make them participate. They are your family and friends after all. Go to their house for dinner or invite them to dinner, and over the after dinner chit chat and drinks, hit them with one of my six outlined activities explained for establishing roles, rules and core values.

Plan for Them: I was quite upset when my best friend didn’t have any desire to store so much as an extra can of tuna. The whole family is family to me. My initial reaction was “well don’t come knocking on my door if the SHTF!” But in realty, I know they will, and I know I will them in. In reality, I would rather die myself than to turn them away knowing they will die. So, I reduced my pride, and my pocketbook, and just starting putting away stores for them- sometimes you just have to do it. (I am grateful, however, that a year later, she is finally starting to plan for herself)!

Just remember that you can’t change them, you have to heighten the strengths that they have already.  Incorporate the core values, use their strengths, and organize the group. Take the finished plan to a meeting or distribute them by email and ask for feedback. If you take it upon yourself to be a good leader, knowing and addressing the issues that come along with small group communities and good communications, they will treat you like a great leader.

Prepping While Unemployed, by Paul H.

I am writing this because I have talked to so many people who believe that there is little they can do to prepare because they have no job.  There is a difference between having a job and working and although I have not had a real job now for over three years, I continue to work six days a week.  I had already been unemployed for almost a year by the time I started reading your books.  Having moved to this small city for a job in finance, I paid cash for an old mobile home in a trailer park rather than rent an apartment.  When I found myself out of work a few years later, I owned the mobile home and my aging sports car free and clear.  I also had a little money in a retirement account and what I had saved from the difference between trailer lot rent and an apartment.

Disadvantages to Riding Out TEOTWAWKI in a Trailer Park:

  • No privacy – Several other mobile homes can see everything you bring into the trailer
  • More crime – One night I came home to find police officers looking for drugs someone had thrown in my yard while being chased.
  • Nowhere to hide – 2” thick walls and no basement or even a block crawlspace
  • Nowhere to run – Mobile homes lots are small and there are only more trailers in every direction.
  • Public water – Even if mobile homes had gutters, hundred of other people would see the rain barrels.
  • No storage  – I had a shed, but no such thing as a cool, dry, place.
  • Rented lots – Most leases state the mobile home is security for the rental payments.  It’s like having a mortgage that never pays off.

    
Within every problem lies the seed of opportunity.   Looking for work takes less time than working 60 hours a week.  I qualified for the unemployment which was more than my modest living expenses.  Leaving my employer meant I could move or withdrawal my retirement.  Knowing the withdrawal of my retirement would incur a 20% withholding for taxes and penalties, I opted instead to borrow out some and roll some of it over into a self-directed IRA capable of owning real estate.  This gave me the added benefit of asset protection as retirement plans are generally exempt from bankruptcy or attachment by creditors.  Most people decide where they want to live and then look for properties in that area.  I decided to look for good deals and then evaluate their appropriateness. 

Finding Good Deals in Any Market

  • Never deal with just one agent – Search the MLS web site every morning and contact listing agents directly.  I found this by visiting several local realtor pages until I found one of them had embedded it in their site.  Good deals go too fast to involve a whole other firm.
  • Watch the auction sites – More rural foreclosures are showing up as the economy worsens
  • Tax Sales – Most of these are unimproved, abandoned lots or land.  Make sure you are in a state where you actually get the deed and do not have to wait out the redemption period.
  • Ask around – Maybe another prepper will sell you some of their land.  It takes several people to defend a position.

(These tips come from the YouTube video)

It did not take long to hit pay dirt.  One morning the MLS spit out a few acres about an hour from my home.  It was about half the price I had seen for comparable properties so I followed the directions on the MLS page.  It was on a former logging road off a road that dead ends into a hollow near a national forest.  This forms a natural cul de sac where vehicle access to the community can be controlled at one bridge.  I immediately called the listing agent, met with her and the seller and made an offer on behalf of my IRA for full asking price.  The seller had been forced to sell the property as part of a divorce settlement so he listed it with his sister not caring what it brought.  She had listed it for the minimum price her broker allowed and I was the first person to whom she had shown it.  To her credit, she had a list of interested parties by the time she met with me.

I borrowed enough from my retirement account to buy a monster box of silver when it was $16.16 per ounce from what was left in my retirement account after transferring the funds for the real estate purchase.  During the same period that the stock market recovered about 10%, my investment in silver has about doubled.  I have to repay around $100 a month to my own retirement account, but the only consequences of defaulting on this loan would be that the balance would be taxable as income in the year of default.

While the seller was showing me the property lines, he made a comment about the disagreeable hermit that has the only other residence on this gated former logging road.  Instead of confronting him about a key to the gate, I left a letter in his mailbox introducing myself and inviting him to lunch.  After lamenting that he would have bought the property for privacy (I can’t even see his property line), we became great friends and he willingly handed me the key.  He has been a great resource and informed me that we do not post our properties with no trespassing signs.  Later this may change, but for now I can traverse hundreds of my neighbors acres without worrying about breaking the law.  This being different from the laws in my home state, I confirmed it with the largest land owner adjacent to my retreat.  He is an elderly cattle rancher who works and lives on the other side of the mountain.  One day as I was loading up my truck I heard someone yell ‘Hello’ which is really rare.  I peered through the trees to find an old man sitting on a stump.  I walked up the gravel road to meet my neighbor.  He had been riding his fence lines on a four-wheeler when it broke down.  I went and got my truck and ferried him back to his side of the mountain.  During the ride I made sure I can use his land. 

It took longer to sell my mobile home than I expected.  I finally got an offer the following winter contingent upon waiting for the buyers tax refund to arrive so he could pay me.  Since I needed the funds from the mobile home to finance building materials, I redeemed the time by meticulously searching Craigslist for things I need.  Here is a partial list of acquisitions:

  • 1980s diesel 4 x 4 pickup (I gave my friend a great deal on my sports car to pay for this.)
  • Wood/coal stove
  • Windows and doors for the cabin
  • A couple CB radios and a CB base station
  • Rabbit hutches (free for hauling away)
  • 2 one year supplies of Emergency Essentials survival food packed in 2008 from a guy who was moving to Mexico
  • Food grade water barrels (not the soda pop ones as sugar feeds bacteria)
  • Steel 55 gallon barrels with clamp on lids

Because I believed that food inflation would soon come, I also purchased a thousand pounds of various grains during this time which I packed with oxygen absorbers in Mylar lined buckets using dry ice as per the instructions in JWR’s book, How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It.  When others were hitting the Black Friday sales for flat screen televisions, I was picking up solar power kits nearly half off.

The pickup truck was one of my first purchases because without it I would not have been able to pick up many of the things I found.  The mountain retreat is so remote that even in the summer I have to shift into 4WD.  Winter snows require tire chains.  By the time I closed on the sale of my trailer, the rear of the retreat property looked like a junkyard with little piles of material covered with camouflage pattern tarps.  Since the cabin site cannot be seen from even the gated former logging road and I built no driveway, everything was perfectly safe.

The thought of moving out of my mobile home and into a tent in the middle of winter was not very attractive.  Just because I can build a debris shelter does not mean I want to spend the winter in one.  Fortunately, I knew a single mother whose maternity leave was running out.  She did not want to put her child in a daycare so we made a deal whereby I stay with the baby during the day in exchange for room and board.  I continue to collect parts and inventory which I store in a rented storage unit a few miles from my retreat property.  During this time someone I knew from high school was arrested on felony charges.  Since he would soon be unable to own firearms, I picked up his entire gun collection complete with ammunition at a very good price.  When winter turned to spring, I was ready to start building on weekends.  The basic structure of the cabin is complete and soon comforts like the solar electric system and hot shower will be finished and I will be able to move on to the outbuildings.  I already found a multi-unit rabbit hutch free for the hauling and I am waiting on a chicken coop to not sell before another party accepts my offer to do the same for them.  Everything I build is mobile so as not to be improvements to the property itself which would violate the terms of my IRA.  Once I move there and start using the retreat, the funds I spent on the land will be considered a distribution from my IRA.  As this will only happen if I do not find another job, the penalties and interest should be offset by my standard deduction and exemption as I will have no other income in the distribution year.  

I continue to look for work in my field, and despite having several interviews I still have no offers.  The last interviewer told me that about a hundred people had applied for the one position.  Hopefully my experiences will help those in similar situations realize that as long as we practice thrift no matter our circumstances, we can turn obstacles into opportunities.  Complaining about setbacks do nothing but waste time better spent progressing toward the goal.  Steady plodding brings success.   

Letter Re: BPA in Steel Canned Food Linings

Cpt. Rawles,
A recent article was cause for concern and may be of interest to many of your readers: Soaring BPA Levels Found in People Who Eat Canned Foods.  I personally will be minimizing canned goods from the store and focusing on glass and dehydration for my own stockpile.  I have been told a very small list of companies have began to ship in BPA free cans, but I am not aware of who is on that list yet.

They claim the same thin plastic lining is used for almost all canned foods and leaches BPA, if true this is a big concern for those of us with a deep pantry of commercially produced canned goods.

Best Holiday Wishes, – Nate in Colorado

JWR Replies: I’m confident that BPA-free can lining will become the norm within a few years. So in the long term, the health effect will be minimal. In the meantime, this certainly makes home canning with glass Mason jars more attractive.

Letter Re: Rawhide and Brain Tanning

Mr. Rawles,
Regarding the use of rawhide, I would recommend the short film “Lige: Portrait of a Rawhide Braider” (1985), that can be found at Folkstreams.net. The film is just under half an hour in length and is fascinating for both the people portrayed and the information it contains about the traditional working of rawhide in “the region known as the Sagebrush Corner of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada”.

The site contains many additional short films (free and licensed for individual viewing) that would interest readers of your blog – rural and traditional crafts, music, lifestyles are examined. Fascinating shorts that will bring back long forgotten memories for some and will educate many others. Regards, – J.F.

Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Goldman Sachs predicts that U.S. will be world’s largest producer of oil in 2017

J. in Kabul sent this: Here You Go: It’s Over (by Karl Denninger.) Here is a brief quote: “Oh sure, there will be rallies and there will be selloffs. But there is no longer a market, there is no longer a thing to trade, and there is no longer a reason to believe that superior analysis will lead to profit or even safety.”

Warning: Coinage debasement ahead! Steve Rothman says it costs more to make a penny and nickel than the coins are worth.

Kevin S. sent this: 50 Best Bartering Sites for the Frugal Student. (Also of interest to preppers.)

From J.B.G.: Now UK faces a £5bn bill to bail out Spain… as ministers plan for euro collapse

Items from The Economatrix:

What Would Happen if an Asteroid Hit US Banks?

Student Debt Canceling Out a Generation of Homebuyers

Black Friday Draws Crowds, But Spending in Doubt

The Game is About Done

Fear Sweeps Markets as Germany Rules Out ECB Intervention

Odds ‘n Sods:

“Sierra” sent this: Depicting America’s Greed: 10 Shocking Videos From Black Friday 2011 It shows all the various chaos that went down yesterday; everything from stampedes and frenzies to police attacks. Sierra’s comment: “Just imagine if those hungry masses were going after food instead of video games!”

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G.P. mentioned this, from a Canadian newspaper: Breaking Apart the United States: Part II

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Grace sent us the link to Charm City Vacancy, a growing (now 33 pages long) collection of photos of abandoned houses in Baltimore.

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Special discount for SurvivalBlog readers: Camping Survival set up a coupon code “Keystone” for 10% off all their in-stock Keystone meats and broths.

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G.Z. recommended the Boys Book of Carpentry, now available as a free ebook. It was written before the era of portable power tools. It includes the use and care of tools, carpentry techniques, houses, bridges, furniture, etc.