Odds ‘n Sods:

Lee M. sent this article datelined Spartanburg, S.C.: Sheriff: Time For Citizens To Arm Themselves; Sheriff Chuck Wright Doesn’t Hold Back

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SDG spotted this: DHS completes Multi-Band Radio testing

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Survival Mom very kindly spilled a lot of ink pixels, posting links to my recent radio interview with Peter Schiff.

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“Boosters” sent this piece that has been overlooked by the mainstream media: Muslims Stone Catholic Festival-Goers in France.

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Over at TechPlus: How to create disposable mail address

Note from JWR:

A quick update on my writing projects:

I’ve finished writing the second sequel to “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”. It will be titled: “Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”. Like “Survivors”, it will be a contemporaneous sequel to “Patriots”, but this one will focus more on the latter stages of the War of Resistance. This novel is set mainly in and near Fort Knox, Kentucky. It describes how U.S. Army Captain Andy Laine infiltrates the Provisional Government’s New Army in the midst of the resistance war, and the foundation of a new Constitutional government. The novel also details the cross-country trek of Ken and Terry Layton, and introduces a new character: Joshua Watanabe, a U.S. Air Force Missileer, stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. “Founders” will be published by Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) It is scheduled for release in November, 2012.

Meanwhile, I’ve just begun writing “Rawles on Guns and Other Tools For Survival.” (A non-fiction book.) It is scheduled for release in late 2013 or early 2014 by the Plume Division of Penguin Books–the same company that publishes my international bestseller “How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It.

OBTW, I heard from my editor at Atria that “Survivors” is already in its fourth printing even though the book is not yet a month old. Here are the details:

1st:      29,000
2nd:     6,000
3rd:     12,500
4th:     5,000
Total in print (as of 31 October, 2011): 52,500

Note that the third and later printings include corrections to a few typographical errors. My apologies for letting those slip by!

Letter Re: Radio Communication and Antennas

All radios need an antenna and the type of antenna chosen will determine important performance characteristics. Let us start with a radio most people are familiar with. The citizens band
radio is typically supplied with some form of mobile vertical whip style antenna. This antenna is usually mounted vertically on the vehicle and it radiates radio frequency energy with mostly vertical polarization. Most CB users have vertical antennas so they are most sensitive to similar signals having vertical polarization. If a person using CB radio wanted to make his signal heard by his comrades more and less by people outside his group, he could change his antenna to a horizontally polarized antenna style and have his comrades do the same. There are other tricks to making a radio signal less likely to be intercepted by an unfriendly force. Antennas can be built to have directional characteristics so that the majority of the radio frequency energy is directed toward your comrades but not towards the opposing force. One cheap and user friendly wire beam antenna is named the Moxon beam. The Moxon beam is built to operate on a narrow band of frequencies and it typically doubles your effective radiated power twice and reduces radiation to the rear by a large degree. The Moxon beam antenna also can be set up for vertical or horizontal polarization. A very important feature of the Moxon beam antenna is it’s suitability for matching the impedance of the radio transceiver. Most radio transceivers have a 50 ohm nominal impedance and that just means that in order to transfer the most energy to the antenna, you need the connecting cable and the antenna to both have 50 ohm ratings. Coaxial cable is often used to connect the transceiver to the antenna and this cable for low power would typically be RG-58 (available from Radio Shack and many others).

Antennas radiate differently depending how high off the ground they are mounted. Let us take our CB radio and connect it to a dipole antenna. The frequency of CB radios is about 27 Mhz(megahertz) and another way to express the frequency is by the mention of the wavelength which is approximately 11 meters. If we mount our dipole antenna at ¼ wavelength above ground, it will radiate energy efficiently perpendicular to the wire and practically no energy in line with the wire. The ¼ wavelength at 11 meters is close to 108 inches. If we bring the antenna closer to the ground at 50 inches the antenna radiates most of it’s energy straight up towards the clouds(which is the reason this type of antenna is called a cloud burner). A point of safety: any antenna radiating radio energy must be isolated so that people are not able to physically touch the wire or an RF burn may result. An RF burn can burn to the bone and take many months to heal. Also, ionizing radiation from antennas can be hazardous if power levels are elevated and/or a power gain antenna is used and directed where humans may be.

Why would you want to direct your radio frequency energy towards the sky? A skywave coming from a near vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) antenna at the appropriate frequency will cover an area that would be described as regional as opposed to global. An NVIS generated signal is much harder to direction find by the opposing force.

Another wire antenna type for point-to-point communications is the Rhombic antenna. This antenna can make a pin point beam width of about 30 degrees and is useful for a wide range of frequencies but may take up a large area to erect. The Rhombic antenna is diamond shaped and each side of the diamond must be 3 or 4 wave lengths. For CB a rhombic antenna would be a little less than 6×11 meters long or about 200 feet overall. On the 75 meter ham band the length would be just under 1400 feet. On the 2 meter ham band the overall length would be under 36 feet. The big plus of the Rhombic antenna is pin point aiming which give higher effective radiated power and much better hearing for the receiver. The antenna gives an amplifying effect without using extra power. The power gain is estimated at 10 dB (Decibels) or greater. The power is doubled effectively for every 3 dB of gain. If the transmitter output power started with 5 watts, this style antenna could boost the directional power to over 30 watts of effective radiated power.

My personal favorite antenna for ham radio is a relatively discreet loop of wire that circles my yard at an average height of less than 15 feet and it has about a 550 foot circumference. It is inexpensive and proven to work on all high frequency ham bands (1.8 to 28 Mhz) with the use of an antenna tuner. This antenna is not for talking reliably for more than about 400 to 600 miles using 100 watts of power on the 75 meter ham band. 

For more in depth antenna study, consult the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and their publications. The ARRL Antenna Book has a wealth of information as does the ARRL Radio Handbook. The ARRL web page has information about where to test for your ham radio license and QRZ.com has sample test questions to prepare for the test to become an amateur radio operator.

The ham tests are written and all the answers are at QRZ.com.There is no longer a code test but Morse code is a great mode to operate with under low power conditions or less favorable propagation and it makes your communications more secure from the average eavesdropper.

Disclaimer: Check with your Radio Authority before transmitting to be sure you are operating according to rules of the Authority having Jurisdiction over your geographic area. In the US that authority is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). – Uniform Delta

Letter Re: A Different Perspective on Packing a Bugout Bag

Dear Editor:
The unanswerable question becomes what constitutes the absolute needed contents within the much discussed and dissected “Bugout” or “Bail Out” Bag (BOB). The generally accepted definition of a BOB could be summed as providing the carrier with seventy two hours of life supporting kit.  While the initial attempts to define its necessity would likely center around the need to displace due to such things as hurricanes, earthquakes or extreme civil strife I am not convinced this would constitute the apocalyptic SHTF scenario so many individuals seem to envision when compiling their BOB contents lists.  I do support the theorem of necessitating a grab bag that is prepared for immediate deployment.  However, I do not believe the majority of the items I have seen pre-positioned for rapid departure would be of use in the aforementioned natural disasters. For the record the aforesaid adversities are statistically more likely to occur versus the end of the world as we know it.  Thus, your primary concern should be to ensure your BOB is equipped for the most likely scenario dictated by your local seasonal phenomena. Under those dire circumstances a reasonable load of food, water, and personal hygiene items for a man, woman and child (children) would suffice until humanitarian aid arrived.  I would wager that upon a close examination of the after effects of Hurricane Katrina one would be hard pressed to find a verifiable incident evidencing death by starvation.  Therefore, a reasonable conclusion or statement could be made that aide, whether provided by the state/federal governments or a non-governmental agency (NGO), such as the Red Cross, would be sufficient to maintain timely subsistence.

I am not advocating described times would not be tough to cope with, but I am saying those that are subscribing to the 72 hour BOB theory at times appear to be preparing for two missions.  The intent of this commentary is to examine the concept of the Bail Out Bag from one of these two unique perspectives.  The first of which is to make it through the initial onslaught, seek and gain semi-permanent refuge within three calendar days so as to be supported by local/national level relief agencies.  Ultimately the intent would be to return home once declared safe.  Now on the other hand, some individuals seem to take into consideration an extreme objective when loading up a BOB.  Based on their packing lists and forum derived commentary, they seem to be leaning towards how best to prepare for the complete dissolution of the Rule of Law whereby every man, as the last vestige of humankind, is facing personal extinction on a daily basis.

Before I continue, I would like to reiterate and reinforce my stance that preparation for surviving a 72 hour movement to safety is great.   But I would strongly advise a prepper to concentrate in preparing his/her load out based on these three items.  First is water, second food, and finally the tertiary concern should be personal hygiene items with a basic first aid kit. 

Let us use the example of a 160 pound adult male backpacking 25% of his body weight, which should be exactly 40 pounds.  The initial guidance would be to carry two gallons of water and at 8.5 lbs per gallon this would be 17 lbs.  I would pack two pounds of food per day, which is six pounds for three days.  I would keep my personal hygiene and first aide kits down to three pounds.  At this point the weight carried equates to 26 pounds.  This leaves fourteen pounds of items to be carried at the discretion of said male, some of which is already accounted for in the form of the BOB itself.  Obviously, your load out equipment will vary based on the type of terrain traversed, time of season and proximity to a safe refuge.  Personally, I do not believe having immediate access to only two gallons of water is sufficient for a full three days of hiking, especially if you are operating in climates high in humidity, having to traverse over terrain versus defined roads or operating in desert-like terrain.  One very broad rule of thumb states an adult male should have three liters of water per day, which converts to .79 gallons. By day three the displaced male would be almost a half gallon short of water.  The problem with the given rule of thumb is the source, and a respectable source at that, did not specific the age, weight, physical condition, nor did it indicate if the “men” had to remain inactive on a daily basis to meet this threshold of three liters.  I believe a better way to determine how much water might need to be carried; one should measure his/her water intake over a series of inactive and physically active days to extrapolate an accurate demand for hydration during arduous activity.  Honestly, my opinion would be to advocate carrying another gallon of water and utilizing only 5.5 lbs for discretionary items.

So why have I taken the time to run the numbers on something as ordinary as water?  It is to underpin my earlier commentary that those who prepare are preparing to carry too much in unnecessary accoutrements.  Look how quickly the weight of the BOB increases with just the minimal necessities of food and water.  Therefore, extreme caution and moderation should be exercised when determining what extraneous items are to be packed.  You may have 100 pounds of high speed, low drag gear but that still is a 100 lbs you have to carry.  When one is contemplating the initial packing lists, are you just packing for yourself, a spouse and/or children?  It is fairly evident the individual physical fitness capacity of each person within your group is going to determine who carries how much and how much of what is going to be carried.  A five year old child may be able to carry only his supply of pull ups for three nights but in no way will he be able to carry his 72 hour requirement of juice boxes.  Trust me; my son who just turned six seems to consume his body weight in juice on a daily basis.  Consequently, I would have to carry my necessary items along with those needed by my son, which further reduces my ability to carry optional items. At this point I hope I have been able to clearly convey how I would approach a realistic resolution in easing one’s anxiety over how best to prepare a BOB. 

With saying the above, do you really need to pack snare wires for trapping small animals, a myriad supply of Swiss Army knives, machetes, axes, daggers, fixed/folding blades, combat tactical edged weapons, chemical lights in addition to LED flashlights, strobes, thousands of rounds of ammunition for your collection of assault rifles/combat pistols, stoves, pots, pans, titanium flatware, and finally lest we forget a level IV plate carrier with four ceramic inserts along with soft armor.   I will admit there is a time and place for that level of outfitting but I cannot advocate the need for the type or amount of equipment I have seen desired or acquired by a vast plethora of preppers who envision a three day movement.  Of course we are assuming you must leave your home of record and won’t be forting up within your residence due to the need, real or perceived, to relocate. 

If an individual or group has to displace and their collective plan includes the carrying of firearms, there are at least two concerns I would advise they take into consideration well prior to such a need.  The first is to ensure a complete understanding of their respective and adjoining states’ laws regarding the open and concealed carry of handguns, along with rifles/shotguns.  Just because there is a state of chaos or panic due to a disaster does not give a person immunity to operate outside the legal boundary.  Another point that should warrant thought is how are those carrying firearms going to be received by the agencies rendering aid?  I have always wondered what would happen when these people make it to the FEMA/NGO aide centers.  There is no why any government organization or relief agency is going to allow you to enter or partake of aide when you are carrying armaments in the quantities which surpass the basic combat load of an Infantryman.  It is one thing to legally carry a concealed handgun with a few extra magazines but to carry an arsenal of tactical rifles during the scenarios delineated earlier would likely cause more trouble than not.   

Taking into account the historic stability of western capitalistic-modeled, democratically governed countries, how many of such failed to adequately take care of their citizenry during any epic manmade or natural disasters?  I am not naïve to say governmental agencies are going to be Johnny on the spot when it comes to providing for its displaced citizenry.  Hence, I reiterate my belief that a 72 hour BOB, intelligently stocked, is indeed a wise investment in time and currency.  This strategy would allow the individual to bridge the gap between the time the disaster struck and arrival of aide.      

Now, let us consider the worst case scenario whereby the SHTF and every day that you awake you must answer the questions…do I eat and will I be eaten?  What assumptions must be made and what facts are applicable to this setting?  Firstly, something of such destructive power has completely eliminated the protections afforded to us through modern civilization.  While making assumptions as to what could cause a calamity of such annihilation is counterproductive to determining how best to prepare your BOB, it is the fact that your individual or group’s lifespan is now dependent on how well you can survive without the conveniences of modern times.  Therefore, in preparation of said earthshaking tragedy, the driving factor in prolonging your ability to function is derived from how well and comprehensively you have prepared your BOB.  As with the beginning of this commentary an unanswerable question has been posed yet again.  Clearly, the contents will be based on personal need, real or perceived, and what you believe will work best for you.   While I do not claim to know what best to pack for the time of omnipresent darkness I would find that subject matter a very worthy topic warranting more commentary. – F.J. (JWR Adds: F.J. is a U.S. Army officer currently deployed at a remote FOB in Afghanistan)

Economics and Investing:

The New American magazine cites my novel “Patriots” in a recent article on hyperinflation.

More derivatives news: Credit-Default Swap Risk Bomb Is Wired to Explode: Mark Buchanan. (Thanks to BigTex for the link.)

Bob S. spotted this: USDA economic research say CPI of food price to rise 3.5% – 4% in 2011.

Reader AmEx (American Expatriate) was the first of several readers to send this: Three Men Arrested In Nickel Theft At Local Steel Plant

Meanwhile, some sad news from England: Thieves desecrating memorials to our war heroes every other day as metal plaques and statues are being sold for scrap

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.G. sent this article from California that underscores a deep division in all of American society: Steven Greenhut: Rural rebellion brewing

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SurvivalBlog reader TTabs has produced another one of his great ultralight “trike flying” videos. This one shows a flight over ponds, rivers, and lakes in Eastern Washington. Not only is this scenic, but consider it some scouting for potential retreat locales. (Eastern Washington is part of the American Redoubt region. And BTW, one advantage of Washington state is that there is no personal income tax.) If you haven’t yet seen it, be sure to watch his aerial tour of locales from my novel “Patriots” , in the eastern Palouse Hills region of northern Idaho.

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Jeff A. forwarded this headline from Utah: Woman stole neighbor’s food storage, charges state.

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Kyle L. stumbled into an interesting web site called Vintageprojects.com while he was looking for some camping trailer plans. They have a bunch of do-it-yourself and “how stuff works” articles from Popular Mechanics, back in the 1950s and 1960s. All the PDF plans are free to download.

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Check out the new Self-Sufficient-Blog. Great stuff.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Should these speculations (on the future of humanity) be found doubtful or fallacious, there still remains a more humble source of comfort and hope. The discoveries of ancient and modern navigators, and the domestic history or tradition of the most enlightened nations, represent the human savage naked both in mind and body, and destitute of laws, of arts, of ideas, and almost of language. From this abject condition, perhaps the primitive and universal state of man, he has gradually arisen to command the animals, to fertilise the earth, to traverse the ocean, and to measure the heavens. His progress in the improvement and exercise of his mental and corporeal faculties has been irregular and various; infinitely slow in the beginning, and increasing by degrees with redoubled velocity: ages of laborious ascent have been followed by a moment of rapid downfall; and the several climates of the globe have felt the vicissitudes of light and
darkness. Yet the experience of four thousand years should enlarge our hopes and diminish our apprehensions: we cannot determine to what height the human species may aspire in their advance towards perfection; but it may safely be presumed that no people, unless the face of nature is changed, will relapse into their original barbarism.

The improvements of society may be viewed under a threefold aspect.

1. The poet or philosopher illustrates his age and country by the efforts of a single mind; but these superior powers of reason or fancy are rare and spontaneous productions; and the genius of Homer, or Cicero, or Newton, would excite less admiration if they could be created by the will of a prince or the lessons of a preceptor.

2. The benefits of law and policy, of trade and manufactures, of arts and sciences, are more solid and permanent; and many individuals may be qualified, by education and discipline, to promote, in their respective stations, the interest of the community. But this general order is the effect of skill and labour; and the complex machinery may be decayed by time, or injured by violence.

3. Fortunately for mankind, the more useful, or, at least, more necessary arts, can be performed without superior talents or national subordination; without powers of one, or the union of many. Each village, each family, each individual, must always possess both ability and inclination to perpetuate the use of fire and of metals; the propagation and service of domestic animals; the methods of hunting and fishing; the rudiments of navigation; the imperfect cultivation of corn or other nutritive grain; and the simple practice of the mechanic trades. Private genius and public industry may be extirpated, but these hardy plants survive the tempest, and strike an everlasting root into the most unfavourable soil. The splendid days of Augustus and Trajan were eclipsed by a cloud of ignorance; and the barbarians subverted the laws and palaces of Rome. But the scythe, the invention or emblem of Saturn, still continued annually to mow the harvests of Italy; and the human feasts of the Laestrigons have never been renewed on the coast of Campania.

Since the first discovery of the arts, war, commerce, and religious zeal have diffused among the savages of the Old and New World these inestimable gifts: they have been successively propagated; they can never be lost. We may therefore acquiesce in the pleasing conclusion that every age of the world has increased and still increases the real wealth, the happiness, the knowledge, and perhaps the virtue, of the human race." – Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, edited by J. B. Bury, 7 vols. (1896-1902), vol. IV, pp. 160-169

Pat’s Product Review: ISSC M22 Pistol

I think many of us grew-up, with a .22 caliber rifle of some sort, as our first gun. I still remember getting my first .22 rifle when I was down in Kentucky, back in 1967. My grandmother took me down to Sturgis, Kentucky to visit her sister, whom she hadn’t seen in 40 years. I met all manner of country cousins that I didn’t know I had. I remember walking through the tiny downtown area of Sturgis, and I stopped in the Western Auto store. I was surprised to see that they carried all manner of firearms. I was literally like a kid in a candy store.

I was only 15 years old at the time, but I spied a bolt-action .22 rifle for only $19.95 – I had that amount in my pocket and then some. I told the man I wanted to buy that rifle. I still remember what he said to me that day “boy, I don’t think I know you, are you from around here? I explained who I was, and that I was there visiting my Aunt Catherine. Little did I know at the time, that she was one of the richest people in town, and owned the coal mine – where most of the folks worked at the time. The man called my Aunt Catherine, and told her I was there and wanted to buy a rifle. She asked the man, “does he have the money?” And, he told her I did, she said “well, then sell him the gun…” Remember back then, we didn’t have the 1968 Gun Control Act, and it was easier to purchase firearms. You simply paid your money and walked out with a gun.

I honestly can’t remember how many rounds of .22 ammo I fired through that bolt action rifle during the two weeks I was down in Kentucky. However, I believe it’s safe to say, I easily put a couple thousand rounds through that gun – hunting rabbits and birds, and “killing” all manner of tin cans and rocks. My two favorite country cousins, Mo’ and Abner taught me how to shoot and took me shooting all over the countryside. I also shot my first 1911 .45ACP during that visit, as well as a couple of rifles.

My own two daughters were both given .22 rifles when they were only four years old, and they are still avid shooters to this day. So, I still believe a first gun for a child, or even an adult, is a good ol’ fashion .22 rifle of some sort. And, if you are serious about survival, you need to have some sort of .22 caliber firearms in your battery.

I received an ISSC M22, .22 LR handgun for Test and Evaluation for SurvivalBlog. Upon first opening the box, I was struck at how closely the M22 resembles a Glock Model 19 9mm handgun. The gun not only looks like a Glock 19, but it also feels very Glock-like as well. The M22 has a 4″ barrel inside of an alloy slide, mounted on a polymer frame. The gun weighs 21.4 ounces empty, without a magazine in it – again, very Glock-like. The magazine holds 10 rounds of .22 LR ammo. The rear sight is adjustable for windage, and the front sight can be easily removed and replaced with (supplied) front sights of different heights to change your elevation – I found no need to change the front sight that was installed on the M22.

The trigger-pull on the M22 is smooth and broke at a nice even four pounds. The Glock line-up of pistols have what the BATF calls a double-action only trigger (it’s not – really). The M22s trigger is single-action only. There are several safeties on the M22, some are visible and some are passive in nature. You’ll note the slide mounted safety and the trigger safety right off the bat, the others are passive in nature – this is one very safe handgun to be sure. When you apply the slide-mounted manual safety, if also (safely) drops the hammer. So, when you are ready to fire, you’ll need to put the safety in the fire position and thumb cock the hammer – not a big deal!

One thing I really liked about the M22 was that it felt like a “real” gun – it didn’t feel toyish, like many .22 handguns do. The frame has finger grooves on the front strap – again, a nice touch! The polymer frame has texturing for a secure grip. There is also a Weaver-style rail on the frame for mounting a laser or light, as well.

I was anxious to get out and fire this pistol – I just knew I was gonna like it. The gun didn’t disappoint me or my wife, who also loved it. We put many brands an varieties of .22 LR ammo through the gun with zero malfunctions. The gun shot to point of aim at 25-yards and you can’t ask for better than that. While we didn’t measure any groups on paper, the gun hit whatever we were aiming it at – we “killed” all manner of rock, tin cans and other targets of opportunity while testing this gun. It was just plain fun to shoot.

If I had one complaint it would be, the gun only came with one magazine. It would be nice to have had a second mag with the gun. However, your  dealer should be able to order additional mags for you – they run around $25 to $30 each. I found the M22 also fit most holster designed for a Glock 19 pistol, too. Again, this is a nice touch, so you should be able to easily find a good holster for the M22.

Now, I wouldn’t carry any manner of .22 caliber handgun for self-defense on purpose. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to carry the M22 afield for small game hunting and plinking. And, if push came to shove, the M22 with 10+1 rounds of .22 LR ammo would sure make a bad guy wish he were some place else if he were shot with this pistol. While the grand ol’ .22 caliber isn’t known as a man stopper, I think it’s safe to say that thousands of people have probably been accidentally (or on purpose) shot and killed with this round since in was invented. Still, having the M22 on your hip is better than a pocket full of stones or a handful of sticks to use in a self-defense situation.

The ISSC M22 is manufactured in Austria – just like the Glock is. I honestly couldn’t find anything to fault with the M22. It performed perfectly with a wide assortment of .22 LR ammo with no malfunctions of any type. It hit whatever I, and my wife were aiming at. And, it comes with the accessory rail on the frame for a laser or light. The gun is lightweight and easy to handle, too. The only minor drawback I can report is that, ISSC says to not use Break Free Powder Blast on the gun, it will cause the finish on the slide to start flaking or it can discolor the slide. I guess if it were me, I’d steer clear of using any sort of spray cleaner on the M22, just to be safe.

In all, I put more than 500 rounds of various .22 LR through the M22 – and some of the ammo was dirty and corroded, and there were no problems encountered during my testing – that’s a great gun in my book.

You can get your M22 at your local FFL dealer. Full retail is only $299.99, but you will usually find the M22 discounted. So, if you’re in the market for a well-made and good performing .22 handgun, take a serious look at the ISSC M22, I think that you’ll like it. – Pat Cascio, SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor

Dealing With Ankle Injuries in TEOTWAWKI, by Dr. Bob

The ankle is a frequently injured joint currently with the grid up and will be even more often with the grid down.  Ankles are easily turned, or rolled, with uneven ground, curbs, trees, rocks, etc.  Walking in general and walking in rough terrain are assumed to be more likely in TEOTWAWKI situations.  Almost everyone has had an ankle sprain in their lives, and many people have actually “broken” their ankles.  There will be no local doctor’s office and certainly no X-ray availability without a grid, so how do you take care of an ankle injury and how do you know what is likely to be broken? 

First off, as with most medical issues, we talk prevention.  Watching your step and keeping yourself in good shape is the best way to prevent ankle injuries.  Brushing your teeth while standing on one foot is a great exercise you can do every day to help build ankle strength and help with proprioception (the unconscious ability of your brain to know what your ankle is doing).  Good boots for hiking will help with uneven treks through the wild.  The reason there are not many ankle fractures in skiing…good boot protection of the ankle.  If you don’t have good hiking boots and you are a prepper, you’re doing it wrong!  Get some boots now if you lack them, we recommend multiple pairs for each member of your family.  If nothing else, get them when they are on sale and use them as you wear them out.  Get another pair to replace the pair you take, treating footwear like rotated foodstores.

When there is an injury, treatment will be important.  Treatment done right will be really important, as you want to return productivity and prevent permanent deformity and pain if possible.  There are some simple things to do for all sprains that also work to help heal fractures, commonly known as RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) therapy. .  Rest, Compression, and Elevation are available to all situations; but ice may be a bit of a problem.  Chemical ice packs should be sitting in your stockpile, and in quantities sufficient for your family or group for a good period of time.  Some folks even use RICEN which adds “N” for your favorite NSAID pain medication to the plan.  NSAIDS include aspirin (Bayer, etc.), ibuprofen (Motrin and Advil), and naproxen (Aleve), along with other prescription medications unlikely to be available post collapse.  Don’t forget that acetaminophen is not the best choice for swelling as it does not work like the others do and aspirin is often tougher on the stomach at higher doses than are the ibuprofen and naproxen.

So next, we ask the age-old question: Is it broken?  Follow the Ottawa Ankle Rules.  If you can’t stand on it and there is horrible pain when you push on the key spots, it is likely broken. If you can stand on it and push on the key spots without horrible pain, it is likely not broken. But we would do an X-ray if there was electricity and an X-ray machine near us.  In TEOTWAWKI, there is no X-ray and so the information is helpful to predict how long to lay up for, but not much else.

So, you turn your ankle badly hunting for the last of the deer, two months post-collapse.  It hurts and you can’t stand on it, so now what? Remember the acronym RICEN, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and NSAIDs.  Rest means don’t walk on it.  Ice is 6 times on day one, 4 times each day for days 2 and 3.  Compression is that good boot that you weren’t wearing, or an ACE wrap if you have it.  SAM splinting may also help, but you still have to have something to wrap it with.  If nothing else, use T-shirts.  Rope is a bad idea as it will irritate the skin and may cause a secondary problem then.  Elevation is higher than your heart, which is pretty high.  Get it up there and keep it there.  NSAIDs are ibuprofen at 800 mg three times daily or naproxen at 440 mg twice daily if you have them (adult doses).  Using crutches, whether makeshift or available, and if not then a cane may help mobility and help healing.  Pain is the main limit to return to regular activities.  If it hurts, it’s not ready.  That’s a pretty good rule for most sprains and injuries.  Most simple sprains will be back to walking within 4-5 days, severe sprains can take 6-8 weeks, as can fractures.  Obviously, if a bone is broken it needs time to heal or there will be deformity, arthritis and perhaps permanent pain.  Do your best to prevent these injuries, and if they do occur treatment is important for an effective return to functionality.  As always, stay strong.  – Dr. Bob

JWR Adds: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.

Letter Re: State Defense Force Service as a Preparedness Training Resource

Hi Jim,
Thank you for all you do and provide to us readers so selflessly.  May you always have dry powder, socks and a multitude of blessings.  I’m guessing you will probably get quite a few responses to M.K.’s article of State Defense Forces.  I had mixed reactions to it. 
 
First, let me state; I have always had the highest regard for the Military and the servicemen therein.  Our family has had someone in the Military in every generation going back before The Revolution and still do.  We even had a number that served in the early Militias.  So my argument is not with the Military, Militias, SDF, Reserves or any of the other various forms of Service.  It is with their bosses and our elected officials.  I couldn’t help but feel that MK needed to do some more research.
 
Although there might be Federal laws now pertaining to what and where the SDF’s serve and that they can resign easily….all that can go out the window fairly quickly if TSHTF.  All you have to do is go to the FEMA, Homeland Security and Government web sites and really read some of what is in there.  So may new laws, acts, executive orders, etc have been enacted recently that have loosely worded clauses in them that would do away with many of the previous laws in the case of an emergency.
 
Heck, even the definition of “emergency” has become so misconstrued that it makes it hard to know what constitutes an emergency anymore.  Or who the “enemy” is anymore.  Almost all of them have this fun little clause hidden in them to the effect of…”or deemed by officials…”.  This leaves the gate wide open.  I think in the case of an “emergency” many in these services or medical fields or other “necessary fields” may find themselves co-opted in the name of “National Security”.  I believe it is somewhere in the Patriot Act that lists all the professions and services that will come under the command of their new big dog in charge.  Read the official stuff they have on line about Continuity of Government, 10 FEMA regions, Patriot Act and Emergency Contingency plans.  All that we know and believe can go out the window in a heart beat.  I can’t remember the Executive Order Obama signed in Aug/Sept but it gave him a tremendous amount of power and ability to suspend the known Government.  Don’t assume what is law now will be the law when the TSHTF.
 
I also believe it is a little naive to think that there is an “ingrained unwillingness of most people to initiate hostilities with an apparently organized, uniformed, armed, military force moving through their environs”.  While I do not believe many would “initiate hostilities”  I do believe there could be a big mistrust of the above mentioned.  Me personally, if I see those guys coming to town I’m going to be heading the other way fast.  Not because I have anything to hide or have ever been in trouble with the law but because I no longer trust those guys.  I don’t care what your official badge or credentials are.  You can thank the TSA, rogue cops/swat teams and government fear mongering for that.  It seems that citizens are now guilty until proven innocent.  There are too many instances of innocent citizens losing their rights and civil liberties in the name of “National Security” to ignore this threat.  No thanks!  I don’t want to be corralled into one of their imagined “safe places”.  Sorry, but I believe in the old adage of if someone shows up and says “We’re from the Government and we’re here to help”, then run!
 
In the last couple of years I too had looked at the invaluable training that the various service organization provide and seriously considered it.  Bottom line was that I did not want to get “locked” into the organizations.  Even if you only have Advanced First Aid your services can be demanded in the case of an “emergency”.  It’s a registered certification and the government has the list. 
 
My nephew served in Iraq and is career Army.  He is now back in the states and I’ve quizzed him about some of all this.  Even he has an alternate BOB and contingency plan and has advised all in our family to do likewise.  I do believe their are a lot of honorable good guys in the various services and I want to trust them.  Unfortunately, they are obligated to follow orders.  I no longer have a lot of trust in the head honchos giving the orders.
 
Take care, do lots of research, use your own critical thinking and don’t assume all is well in the World.  There are lots of little clauses out there that can make anything or anyone fair game ….”if deemed necessary” by the powers that be….or to be. – Skylar

Economics and Investing:

Ol’ Remus has posted some great observations on the coming hyperinflation

Items from The Economatrix:

Economy Grew 2.5% in Q3 as Consumers Rebound

Rate On 30-year Fixed Mortgage Falls to 4.10%

But meanwhile, we read: Contracts to Buy Homes Fell 4.6% in September. (Let’s face it: The real estate market will be broken for at least 10 years.)

BNY Mellon Slaps Fee on Some Depositors

The Great Depression 80 Years Later:  Same Culprits, Same Rage

Eurozone “Collapsed,” Euro to Vanish FinansInvest CEO Says

Gold, Silver and Fraudulent Investor Traps

Odds ‘n Sods:

A profile news story from Toronto, Canada: Survivalists fear currency crash.

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Gun turn-in pits Ceasefire against collectors with cash. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)

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B.B. sent this: When Government Knows No Limitation: New DOJ Rules Allow More Intrusive Searches. If you don’t already own a medium-level security (Level 3 or better) paper shredder then you are way behind the power curve.

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Two Million Without Power: Heavy Autumn Snowstorm Barrels Across Northeast

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Ian R. sent this: 2011’s Incredible Weather Extremes. Ian notes: “If you can’t plan for the ‘100 year storm/drought/flood’ because they are all being broken, then what do you need to plan for?”