Note from JWR:

Today we present an entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 28 ends on May 31st, 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.

Desert Water — Where is It?, by Knun

Let’s all hope that the information contained within this article is never used. To put it simply, for most suburban type folks, we would be in a world of hurt if we actually had to use this information during a SHTF situation. Mitigating a basic need such as water should be at the forefront of our preparations. Since preventing ourselves from being in a situation that would require the skills I will describe is ten times better than using them. With that in mind I have also described techniques to minimize the need to utilize these skills.

If you live in or near a desert environment then preparedness is the best course of action with regards to water. Are there springs, pools, water holes, canals, or any other sources of water nearby? In this discussion nearby is a relative term. Do you plan on driving 100 miles through the desert on the interstate in a bug out situation? If so, 100 miles should be considered nearby. Plan and prepare accordingly. Be prepared to find water, when it’s over 100 degrees, with minimal disruption to your travels and your well being. Ask yourself how far you could travel, on foot, in order to obtain enough water to carry on with your task at hand. To put this in perspective, here’s a little story that goes along these lines. A close friend of mine moved to the desert. He and his wife went out for a night on the town shortly after arriving. When they decided to travel home the wife decided to drive while the husband slept in the passenger seat. The wife ended up traveling toward a distant town, which was actually in the opposite direction they needed to travel. She was driving towards the lights and ran out of gas. My friend hitchhiked towards the nearest settlement and after a few hours reached a gas station. He was able to procure a full three gallon gas can. He then hitchhiked back to his vehicle, put the three gallons into the tank and proceeded to run out of gas ten miles short of the gas station. A funny story but it transitions easily into a survival situation. Always know your limitations and prepare accordingly. Do not put yourself in a situation where you are ten miles short of the next source of water.

What does being prepared mean? The most obvious is having enough water with you to begin with. To me prepared means having in hand, or direct access to, enough water to provide one’s needs for a determined amount of time. We hear of a guideline of one gallon per day. But as with everything else in life a guideline is rarely the optimum. It will simply allow an average person to survive. If you’ve not spent time traveling across country, in the desert, when it’s hot, you may want to rethink the gallon per day idea. I know folks that could easily get by with a quarter of that amount while I actually need more. I was hiking with a friend and we both had a large quantity of water with us. We were fully hydrated but my friend started to develop heat stroke. It was quite hot and to maintain his temperature at a manageable level we had to use the water to wet him down. In that situation the amount of water we had was barely enough. I always carry as much water as is practical at the expense of other useful items. But there are a few other ways in which to prepare for desert travel. Here are some of those I have learned.

First and foremost find water prior to the emergency you are preparing for. Travel the route you are planning to use and determine where water is along your route. You may find that by doing this your route will need to be altered accordingly. Native Americans traveled based on access to water. Just as today we travel based on access to fuel for our vehicles the natives traveled based on access to fuel for their bodies which is water. Their trails were rarely in a straight line to their destination. One important resource on the road to discovery, which is often overlooked, is talking to people familiar with the area. As an example, I hiked a trail for years and did not realize that less than 100 yards off that trail was a grotto of at least a thousand gallons of water, until I hiked it with someone who knew of the grotto’s existence! No maps, contemporary or old, showed this liquid treasure trove. Is there a water distribution canal along your route? Would it be viable in an emergency? Are there livestock watering holes nearby? Would the owner allow access? A spring? Free standing pools? A seep? All of these could save your life when it’s 115 degrees out side and you find yourself without water. I would suggest looking for these areas in the fall. To illustrate, a water seep found in the spring may be dry in the late fall season. If you find water in late summer or in the fall chances are it will probably be there year round. Be aware of droughts since even those areas of water may dry up during a drought.

But there is an even better way to prepare, and people have been doing it for thousands of years. It is simply to cache a supply along your route. My friends and me sometimes hike in the desert nearby during the heat of summer. During the cooler months of the year we cache water all along the routes we travel. What better way to prepare for an emergency than to preposition water along your route? Be sure to cache more than you will need and in a usable sized container. I prefer a five gallon sized container for long term storage but know of thirty and even fifty-five gallon containers positioned throughout the desert nearby. Be sure to use a container that will survive the desert heat and no matter what the ecology folks say the common one-gallon “milk” jugs water is sold in will turn to dust quickly when exposed to the [harsh light and ] intense heat of the desert. Don’t forget about animals when hiding your water. The most dangerous of which is man. I have cached water in the most secure of places only to find that it was found by someone (or something) else. Another reason to hide much more than needed. But probably the most important thing about caching water is being able to find it when you need it. There is nothing worse than, being within fifty feet of your cache, not knowing exactly where it is. Use your GPS to mark your locations as well as a topo map. Take a picture from your cache spot of a prominent feature nearby, mark your topo with an arrow pointing in the direction of the photo then number the photo and the spot on your map. Be sure to print the photos directly and store them with your treasure map.

But let’s say Murphy’s Law has reared it’s ugly head. You have to find water to survive.

Look for signs of man in the area. A windmill, waterhole, or cistern could be nearby. Watch for smoke, fresh tracks, a well worn trail or even a trail cabin.

You can also follow washes since they eventually gather together in low areas where water would be more likely to be found. Two particular things to look for are, pools in a wash, or a canyon with steep sides (a narrow canyon is best) that is shaded from the south and west sun for much of or all of the day. Small pools of water will stay in these places the longest and water might be found just underground in a dry pool at these spots. Before drinking such water look for signs of poisoning by checking for signs of animals using the water. If you see lizard, rodent or other animal tracks leading to and from the pool, but don’t see any remains of small animals nearby, chances are the water is okay to drink. Small pockets of water may also be found in these areas between rocks. A small flexible drinking tube can be fished into these crevices and the water sucked out. Water is often located just below the surface trapped within the underlying rock layers. The key, in this regard, is to know where to dig. Water often collects beneath the surface in areas of the streambed where there are sharp bends. Dig near the outside of such bends. If you do find water it may not be in large quantities. When you dig down and find wet sand or gravel, keep scooping out this material until water gradually seeps into the hole. You can line the hole with grass or cloth to act as a filter. If there is not enough to dip out and drink you can sponge it up with a shirt or other article of clothing and squeeze it out into your mouth.

Another particular thing to always look for is vegetation. Cottonwood and sycamore trees will tap into underground water and grow quite large. These trees can be seen from quite a distance due to their size but their roots can go down 100 feet to get to that water. Two plants that have shallow root systems are a tree called desert willow (mulefat) and the desert cane. If you see them green in dry weather there is always water within a foot or so of the surface. These plants grow in washes or canyons with cottonwood and sycamore sometimes nearby. Mountain Laurel is also a good tree to look for if it is in a grove and is of a very unnatural green color and especially growing in a ravine or coming down off the side of a mountain or hill leading to a canyon bottom. Another technique near the large trees is to find rock outcroppings in the washes and to dig before after or in the bedrock outcropping. Many times the bedrock in these locations have depressions or bowls carved over time that will hold water.

Of course the best way to find water in the desert when there are few clues to vegetation is to find a good trail with lots of tracks of animals like javelina, coyote and deer. Usually these animals know where the water is and if the trail and tracks are numerous and the trail is used constantly, follow it and eventually it will lead you to the only water source in the area. Sometimes these trails go for miles but these animals need water on a daily basis so following these trails could save your life.

Also, doves and quail always go to water just before sunset and roosting for the night. Watch for flights of these birds and which direction they are flying about sundown and go in that direction. They always travel in groups to water but will return from drinking one or two at a time. So always look for groups of birds and note which direction the large groups are all traveling.

Watch for insects such as bees or flies. They do not venture far from water. Sometimes you can actually see lines of these insects flying to surface water. Bees and wasps will protect their water supply so be very careful. Approaching these locations at night, when they are dormant, would be wise.

Obviously, some desert vegetation such as certain species of cactus contains water. The barrel cactus is one example. If you can cut open the cacti to get to the pulpy inside, you can obtain some water out of them. But the structure of this cactus makes this a difficult task and the small amount of fluid you obtain almost prohibitive. Besides the spines you will also have to cut through the wooden skeleton which surrounds the pulp. Unless you have an ax the work involved would far exceed the amount of water you obtain. A cousin of the barrel cactus is far more suited to fluid recovery. It is the hedgehog cactus. With a knife you can easily cut off the top of these small cacti. Holding the top stable with your finger or a stick cut the spines and skin off like peeling a cucumber. You can then slice off a chuck. Eat the soft pulp or squeeze out the water in a bandanna. You won’t get much moisture from a cactus, it’s more like slime than water, and the taste is pretty bad. But it’s something, none the less. An even more productive part of the cactus to harvest is the fruit. Barrel, saguaro and prickly pear all produce edible fruit, which will provide juices. In fact, all cactus fruit is edible but some are not palatable. The barrel is somewhat unique since the fruit will survive for up to a year on the cacti. Another nice feature of the barrel fruit is the lack of spines. With all of the others you will have to remove the small, almost invisible prickers, by rolling them in the dirt for a bit. Cactus produce fruit in the spring and it matures into the summer so they are a viable source to look for. The taste is usually tart and the texture is rather slimy. Another technique is to place many small pieces of edible cactus into a plastic bag, place it in the sun, and let moisture collect inside. Obviously, the bags of cactus pulp are also transportable.

Animals, reptiles, and insects are another source of water. Of course the water is a part of the creature so is not easily obtained. Sucking the blood of a rabbit or chewing the abdomen of a tarantula may not sound appealing but could allow you to survive if you could handle the experience. Many folks could not and it possibly could cost them their lives. Having never done this I doubt I could get far with a large spider but I could chew on a raw rabbit.

Another possibility for very short term survival is your own urine. If you absolutely have to you could drink your urine to survive. But there is a trick to it. You have to drink it immediately, you cannot carry it in a canteen for later use. The natural bacteria will overcome the ammonia very quickly and become toxic in an hour or so. Urine as it is passed from the body is 100% sterile and if drank within a few minutes contains no bacteria and other than a bad ammonia taste and a mild upsetting of the stomach, will keep you going for another day.

The most important thing to remember if you are in a desert without water is to not give up. Don’t die of thirst when water may be just a few meters beneath your feet or nearby in a hidden rock outcrop. If there are animals and plants living in the desert in which you are located, then there is water as well, if you know how to find it.

Letter Re: “Special Operations Mission” Television Series

JWR,
I have recently been viewing a show on Netflix [via “Watch Instantly”, on-line] that I believe contains information your readers would be interested in. The show is called, “Special Ops Mission.” It is a war game show filmed part, “Survivorman,” style, and part film crew. A lone operator is given a couple objectives and a four man enemy team (and time limits) to compete against. The weapons are real, but firing simunitions. Both parties talk about the tactics they employ, tactics they wouldn’t use, and some of their thought processes in their decisions. There is much food for thought, to put it short.

Thanks for all you do. – C.B. in Albemarle Co.

Economics and Investing:

Brian B. mentioned this commentary by Robert Prechter: Gold Correction Factors, Hidden Dollar Swap Hammer.

Signs of the times: Wait grows longer for Rhode Island tax refunds

My old friend Fred The Valmetmeister wrote: “It looks like some of us will be paying a lot more tax next year – [in all] more than 50 percent [income tax]. The 35 percent [Federal income tax] rate goes back to 39.6 percent next year, plus state income tax (6.9 percent in my state) plus 3.8 percent to cover the new health care that just passed. I find it amazing that dividends will be taxed like ordinary income; that will get all the old people; it’ll get the ones who voted for BHO and they thought that only ‘the rich’ would have to pay…”

Items from The Economatrix:

Debt Level, Spending Pose Risk to U.S.’s Aaa Credit Rating, Moody’s Says

Greek Scramble for Physical Brings Gold Price to $1,700 Per Ounce

Big Brother’s Lock on Your Money is Complete

Stocks Close Out Their Worst Month in Over a Year

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 28 ends on May 31st, 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.

Limiting Your Carbon-Copy Footprint, by Matthew S.

Most of us that live in the post-modern era have undoubtedly heard the term “carbon footprint.” This is a term that has come to the forefront of most of our daily lives due to a streamlined and tenacious push to increase the green mentality. We have seen posters, commercials, testimonials, political rants and even legislation on this topic. The idea is to keep your impact on your local environment small so that you minimally affect the “worsening global condition.” I will not go on any type of tirade about how those that impose these ideas don’t follow it themselves (multiple houses, vehicles, wasted finances, etc.) On the surface this sounds like a sound idea and in principle we should do our best to take care of what we have been given. I believe that our Creator mandates this; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:27.

So as much as we should aim to reduce our carbon footprint in the sight of men we should more-so reduce our carbon-copy footprint. I can safely say that all reading this have probably seen, read, or heard about what transpired in Michigan a few months ago involving militia, guns, “questionable ideals”, and the web site YouTube. I am not saying anything about the people or their ideas/plans, nor am I saying if I feel this may have some Hollywood influence or be somewhat reminiscent of what took place in a particular small town in Texas. What I am saying is that regardless of what transpired we should learn from what happened there and not make the same mistakes ourselves. We should not make ourselves to have a “Carbon-Copy Footprint” of somebody else and make their mistakes. For some reason it seems that the average person lives to relish in the glory of their own accomplishments or resources. This has become more evident as technology allows for us to follow the lives of average (term used loosely) Americans. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. make contact and information sharing almost instantaneous and impersonal. If you go on YouTube and look for “gun” or “shooting” you may find more videos than you could possibly watch in a lifetime of people flaunting their weapons and making untactful expressions of themselves. I fear this is a learned experience but can attribute almost every video that I have watched to one very common humanistic flaw, Pride. A wise Proverb holds true: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” This certainly proved to be the case in Michigan. A good portion of the investigation was done online through video and commentary analysis. An entire case was built off what they said/did through their computers.

Most of us can agree that the idea of being a survivalist does not appeal to the masses that live comfortably in a four bedroom 2 bathroom house with a flat screen in almost every room. (Not excluding myself here). Subsequently if it does not appeal to the masses it most certainly does not appeal to those that “serve” these masses. The idea of modern democracy is don’t rock the boat and point out those that do so. We live in an age of information and security, both of which are very subject to outside influence. I recently read that Facebook was in the midst of discussions with groups like the National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and the infamous Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Duct tape an (inside joke most will get.) If you don’t believe me, then just as Rabbi Google by searching for the above key words. I am not here to spread paranoia and fear or start some anti-government movement. All as I am saying is to be aware of your surroundings an act accordingly. For example, I work as a Civilian contractor for one of the military installations in my area. I love to do research on survival technique, weaponry, food storage, etc. and read a certain novel twice through on my down time at work. But it took someone pointing out to me, my beloved wife, that I was not acting responsible or being aware of where I was and the implications such actions could have on my employment or security. It goes without mentioning that this all happened around the time of the Fort Hood incident and has not happened since I received reproof.

Most people reading this probably have, at least to some degree, their beans, bullets, and band-aids stored within arms reach and safe. Even though common sense would suggest that this is wise I have read where this could be deemed Un-American, hoarding, and in a loosely defined Patriot Act, Terrorism. There are probably very few of us that leave our stores and supplies out in the open for all to see, right? Or do we? It is easy to say “I don’t talk to anyone that does not need to know about what I am planning.” Even though you may not speak openly around family or friends, in some cases it is easy to infer what your plans are based on what you type or post on the internet. This brings us to the next defined term, Operational Security. In layman terms this is defined as the ability not to be detected or found out. It may be one of the few things that if you loose you can not get back, or at least not back in the same state as you created it. It seems funny that some people will go to great lengths to camouflage their guns, clothing, cars, gear, dogs, houses, etc but will speak openly into cyberspace about the very thing they are trying to conceal.

I am not the type of person to say that I was not immune to the fad that is Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube. Nor would I ever try to advise or warn someone on something that I did not experience for myself firsthand. I used to spend hours on Facebook giving updates about my life and throwing out my two cents which is fine if you feel the need to do that. But what became a survivalist’s no-no was in the videos or pictures that I had posted. I have been an avid shooter and love going to the range with my wife and friends. (My wife is quick to tell you that she is a better shot and figuratively descendant of one Mrs. Oakley.) Again nothing wrong with that. What was the problem was that I had the pictures of what we were doing plastered all over my sites. I had pictures with our pastors joining us taking shots at human silhouettes and sporting some pretty heavy firepower. For any of those people who are involved in a religious organization I would advise to not place any physical ties between your place of meeting, the people involved, and any type of weapons training or firearms. Think Waco, Texas, and think how it is going to be perceived by those trained to spot “religious extremism” even in the most mundane acts. In other words don’t advertise a day at the range during fellowship service. I only say this because I have seen it happen many times first hand. Without thinking we also had pictures of out of town friends shooting weapons not legal in all the states they may have resided in.  I placed myself and all those around me at risk. For all the preparedness that I thought I had undertaken, I broke one of the cardinal rules that could have made it all worthless. I compromised the operational security of myself, my family, and those in our group unknowingly. I let my pride say, I am a man, I have a rifle, and the world wants to see me use it. Don’t fall into that trap as I did.

Since then I have deleted my Facebook page, I don’t post on YouTube, and have become an Internet nobody. That works for me. I am not telling everyone to run out and delete their accounts or that you are putting unnecessary risk on yourself, I am saying to think before you act, post, speak, Twitter, blog, etc. All the planning and equipment will be useless if you loose the initiative and make yourself a target. I chose to write on this after much thought, consideration, and prayer. I read some of the older posts and realize there is probably not much that I can provide that has not already been discussed or written about in regards to materials and equipment. I try to make myself a student of common sense and point out things that some people often overlook. Alas, you ask, what is the point of all this? Why should I care about what I say or post on YouTube or the Internet? Or sometimes worse, what other people post about you on the Internet. The answer is, it just may be a culmination of your pride before the coming destruction. May you seek the face of the One that formed you. In Christ, – Matthew S.

Letter Re: I Thought That I Had a Clue

Jim,
The recent submission by K. in Florida left me scratching my head in disbelief. I don’t know if his wife thinks shaving her legs after TEOTWAWKI will be important, but I absolutely don’t intend to shave mine. Nor do I think spare car parts will be important. Folks are thinking in terms of Pre-TEOTWAWKI rather than Post-TEOTWAWKI. This way of thinking is just plain wrong, IMHO. Let’s face it, we can only imagine how things will be. We don’t know how things will be. But I seriously doubt that anybody will be needing replacement parts for his car — because there won’t be any place worth going. And if there was a place worth going, it might not be smart to drive there. Odds are that stores will be looted and trashed almost immediately, so a trip to town for supplies could become a ride into barbarism on a grand scale. Better to stay away. Besides, there will be plenty of abandoned cars for the taking, no replacement parts needed and nobody to respond to the car alarm..

Anybody trying to maintain cattle after the fall of Western Civilization will be greatly disappointed, I suspect. Cattle are a lot of work under the best of conditions. They don’t do well if left to their own devices, and they need supplements to maintain their health. Who will have adequate time and materials to maintain a healthy herd after all hell breaks loose? Perhaps goats would be more practical. They’ll eat almost anything and they don’t need a lot of care. Goats can be milked, hitched to carts for transporting small loads, and they make lots of noise when danger comes around. Plus, they can be stewed, fried, baked, and barbequed. Their hides can be made into gloves, moccasins, and knapsacks. In the US, rather than raising cows (or sheep), raising native animals seems like a no-brainer. The American bison or the Rocky Mountain Elk have a better chance of living off the land, and they are far less subject to predation when fully grown. Many elk herds are already raised on mini-ranches in Idaho. Even California has a few privately owned bison ranches. These animals are being raising domestically today, so it isn’t a stretch to think they can be raised by survivalists tomorrow. [JWR Adds: The fencing requirements for elk and bison are tremendous, compared to cattle, sheep, or goats. Therefore, it is not realistic for most of us to be able to afford to fence a true pasture area for these critters. And supplemental feeding with hay brings with its own large set of requirements–a hay mower, hay wagon, hay storage, tack ,harness, and trained draft animals, (or fuel)!] Think about the native fauna that inhabits your area and study their needs. Then develop a plan for raising them if commercially available today. Bobwhite quail, grouse, and turkeys can be penned and raised for food. Since they’re indigenous species, they’ll thrive in their own environments. They are available from breeders who will ship them anywhere it’s legal to do so. Even some non-native fowl do well in the US and they make good eats — chukar, pheasant, Guinea fowl, and pea fowl. Pea fowl are terrific as alarm animals and as Sunday supper. Guinea fowl had been a staple farmyard species as recently as the 1950s. They have regained some popularity in the past 10 years where Lyme Disease is prevalent because they eat adult ticks, among other pests. I’d think of these bird species before I’d think of chickens because they have better survival instincts.

Successful hunting and fishing forays are not sure things today. Expecting to have success at hunting and fishing when everybody else has the same idea will be even less productive tomorrow. The most numerous animals in the USA today are domestic dogs and cats. Their populations far exceed whitetail deer, black bears, and feral pigs combined. And they breed more often and more successfully than the aforementioned species. So, doesn’t it seem far more logical to plan on trapping, snaring, and/or shooting feral dogs and cats for fresh meat rather than on taking wild game? As long as they weren’t your family pets, it shouldn’t bother you to snuff ’em and stuff ’em. A dog gone feral can be a dangerous animal. Better to eat it before it eats your child. Feral cats will decimate many native species of small game and birds if humans don’t decimate them first. Keep your pet cat as a mouser for the barn, but don’t hesitate to view the neighbors’ cats-gone-wild as lunch.

We have been taught through PETA, the Humane Society of the United States, and other groups that eating horse meat is akin to eating something sacred or even a part of the family. Balderdash! Horse meat kept many a Native American, trailblazer, and westward pioneer alive and strong 150 years ago. A person can ride a horse, eat a horse, and use a horse for burden work. Horses need attention, but they are more versatile than cattle. Think outside the box, there is more to flesh than cows and sheep. There are goats, horses, dogs, cats, rats, snakehead fish, and even exotic animals that morons have released into the environment when they grew tired of them. Throw a reticulated python or boa constrictor on the grill and chow down.

The most difficult thing to wrap our minds around is that The End of the World As We Know It is just that – the end of the old and the beginning of the next. We must stop thinking in ways that mimic today and we must start thinking in ways that anticipate the new reality. We have to think about getting back to basics, about dropping the emotional attachments we have to things and animals, and about making do with less. We can’t take it with us if it means slowing us down, jeopardizing our safety, or wearing us out trying to defend it.

In TEOTWAWKI, less may actually be more. After all, civilization began with a dull rock and a sharp rock – one for smashing and one for cutting. That’s all we really need to start again, and that may be all we can salvage. Don’t let our relatively comfortable lives of today control our thinking about tomorrow. We must think more like the Indians, the pioneers, and the mountain men did. In other words, Keep It Simple Survivalist (KISS). To think otherwise may be our undoing. – Wry Catcher in Northern California

Economics and Investing:

Craig S. spotted this bit of chartistry: Dollar Primed for Collapse by End June. Yes, the US Dollar is presently artificially strong. But we are looking at a study of relative weaknesses. All the major fiat currencies are in a race to the bottom. Don’t make the foolish mistake of swapping from one un-back currency into another. Instead, swap into tangibles!

Brian B. and Jon M. were the first of several readers who sent this: US money supply plunges at 1930s pace as Obama eyes fresh stimulus. The money multiplier effect works in reverse, as credit collapses. But at some point the huge waves of stimulus spending will be financed by monetization, and that will be hugely inflationary. Be ready for a rapid transition from deflation to inflation, possibly as soon as late 2010 or early 2011.

Stocks on Track for Worst May Since 1962. (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.)

S.M. sent these last three links: Home Sales Set to Plummet in Markets Hit Hard by Foreclosures

Three Florida Banks Closed May 28, 2010

Spain Loses its AAA Credit Rating at Fitch Amid Debt Struggles

Items from The Economatrix:

Double-Dip Fears Over Worldwide Credit Stress

Collapse of Euro Would Open Door to Democracy

Eric Sprott on Financial Farcism

Inflation, Money Supply, GDP, Unemployment and the Dollar

Dysfunctional Markets that Change Every Hour

Slow-Motion Recovery Keeps Unemployment High

Mortgage Rates are Back Near Record Low

Odds ‘n Sods:

Here at the Rawles Ranch, and in our vehicles, we’ve standardized with Anderson Power Pole connectors for all of our 12 VDC radios and accessories. We mostly use their 30A Power Pole Connectors. These genderless connectors have been adopted by most Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) organizations and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARE ) organizations. They are vastly superior to the bulky “cigarette lighter plug” connectors, which have a bad habit of popping loose, unexpectedly. In our experience, one good source of Anderson Power Pole connectors, cables, and adapters is PowerWerx.com. Aand another good source is Quicksilver Radio Products.

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DARPA’s Super Sniper Scopes in Shooters’ Hands by 2011. OBTW, the article mentions that British army sniper has earned a place in military history by killing two Taliban machine gunners from more than a mile and a half away.

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Susan H. flagged this: Millions face hunger in arid belt of Africa

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"There is no country in the world where so many provisions are established for them; so many hospitals to receive them when they are sick or lame, founded and maintained by voluntary charities; so many alms-houses for the aged of both sexes, together with a solemn general law made by the rich to subject their estates to a heavy tax for the support of the poor. Under all these obligations, Are our poor, modest humble and thankful? And do they use their best endeavors to maintain themselves, and lighten our shoulders of this burden? On the contrary, I affirm that there is no country in the world in which the poor are more idle, dissolute, drunken, and insolent. The day you passed that act, you took away from before their eyes the greatest of all inducements to industry, frugality, and sobriety, by giving them a dependence on somewhat else than a careful accumulation during youth and health, for support in age or sickness. In short, you offered a premium for the encouragement of idleness, and you should not now wonder that it has had its effect in the increase of poverty. Repeal that law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday, and St. Tuesday, will cease to be holidays. Six days shalt thou labour, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them." – Benjamin Franklin

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 28 ends on May 31st, 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.

I Thought that I Had a Clue, by K. in Florida

So since the balance of power change in the Federal Government I thought I was sitting pretty good for my ability to survive a possible TEOTWAWKI . Man was I so wrong. I have learned in the past three months that I am so far behind that if The Collapse happens in 20 years I will still not be as prepared as I thought I was.

Yes I have some basics and am a bit off of the beaten path, but there is still so much more that I am not ready for. Let me explain. I have lived in Hurricane Alley my entire life and have always made sure I and my family could get by for up to a week on our own. But, after meeting a few survivalists and reviewing their plans, be it G.O.O.D. or hunker down, I see how woefully unprepared I am. I have bullets band aids and some beans, but not enough. So I thought I would write about where to go from here. And list the things that I know I should have when or if the Schumer Hits the Fan.

First off, I have 10 acres of land most wooded with yellow pine and some white oak. It has a pond that is fed by a small spring. Briers grow just fine so I have blackberries in the summer along with plenty of wild blueberry trees. But, no much in the way of a garden plot. Not that it matters much as I have a hard time getting ordinary grass to grow. So the first thing I need to do is learn how to grow a garden.

Hunting is not much of a hobby for me but I can do it and am able to access plenty of deer and wild boar on and near my property so I should be set there. The pond has a few catfish and bream in it so I will be able to supplement there. The current plan is to continue to stock the pond and feed the fish as time passes. I am thinking of buying a few cattle and letting them graze on unused areas of my property. I can do that with minimal cross fencing and a place for them to get shelter. This would be an easy thing to do as except for the cows I have that stuff already to take care of the shelter and fencing.  The biggest problem is keeping them in water so I would have to grant access to the pod for them after The Collapse. Now I do have a place to clean any animals that I kill and can do it so I should be fine there. I would recommend anyone reading this to learn how to do it themselves if they do not know how. This can be a skill easily learned by even the youngest of children so get on it if you have not yet done so.

I have a small stock of barter goods and am adding to them every chance I get. I have learned that the internet is a valuable resource in this respect. I posted a few well placed wanted ads on Craig’s list and got a supply chain started. Also registering with storage shed companies so I can attend their abandoned property auctions helps too. The stuff I do not want or need goes to a flea market to recoup losses or to local charities to help out there. I have further found several other auction sites that sell off surplus government items and bid there as well for items I want. I missed out on an entire pallet of MREs by just a few dollars on one site. The special thing about those ones were that they are the ones not for military use so they are quite a bit more appetizing for delicate palettes. That reminds me. If you have kids. Open up a pack of MREs. Treat it like a prize pack from a box of Cracker Jacks. My 10 year old daughter loves eating them now. When she first heard my buddy and me talking about them she was less than thrilled. Now she asks to take one for lunch at school every so often. How cool is that?

Now for vehicles. I have a diesel powered Chevy four wheel drive one ton.  The drawback there is it is a 1994 so it has the electronic injector pump. They furthermore have a reputation for snapping crankshafts. I am looking to get an extra motor to store for it and an extra fuel pump drive module. I would seriously recommend finding older vehicles as proposed in “Patriots” (by Mr. Rawles). I have a 1986 Dodge Ramcharger that was my previous [primary] vehicle and I am extremely capable of any repairs that it may need in the future. Stock pile extra belts, hoses, starters, alternators, ignition coils, voltage regulators, water pumps, antifreeze (for colder climates), oil, transmission fluid, wiper blades (you only have to see to drive so you can expand their use time) and the other such items for future repairs. This thought was with me because of my “day job.” It is important to new preppers to think of such things. Whatever vehicles you own get at least a Chilton’s Repair manual, but preferably a Factory Service Manual. No, do not get the ones on compact disc for your computer. How would you propose accessing it post Collapse? They can be found with ease on eBay for around $50 to $100 each. Tools are not an issue for me since my hobby is wrenching on cars. But, for newbies … get a good set of Craftsman, Matco, or Snap-On tool kit. You need sockets, wrenches, ratchets, Allen tools, screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, pipe wrenches, sand paper, emery cloth,  floor jack, jack stands, engine lifting device (a tree limb and a come along will get the job done), chains, the list is almost endless.  Duct tape, rolls of wire, electrical tape and connecters would be things to have also. I now think a different way. Just think about anything you buy. Ask yourself the following question; “What if there was no way to ever get another one of these ever again?” Get extras if you can for future bartering and charity. That goes without saying on most things we are looking to have. Want to save money on this stuff? Go to flea markets, estate sales, yard sales, auctions, etc to get them.

More on tools; now that I think about it. Edged items for one example.   You need knives, axes, razors, scissors, etc. Do you know how to sharpen them? I do. Be sure you have the equipment to do it by hand. You need files, whet stones and leather strops to do a decent job. Remember that you are wearing away the metal so you need extras of the edged items. I also have several multi-tool items. I got them at Dick’s Sporting Good Stores when they were having a clearance sale one day. Remember that certain knives are for certain jobs. A fillet knife is not a butcher knife. Try to buy knives that are multi-use items instead of specialty items. Leave out ones like paring knives for an example. Are you really going to be making display boats out of watermelons? I think most likely not after The Collapse. 

Personal hygiene stuff. I just got done shaving and realized; am I going to grow a beard after The Collapse? I have to get stuff put away. Then I thought what about my wife and daughter? Are they never going to shave their legs again? I need more stuff. Razors, shaving cream, tampons, tweezers, nail clippers, small scissors, emery boards, tissues, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, detergent (for clothes), etc. Speaking of clothes, can you sew? I mean with a needle and thread not a machine. See a new skill you might need. How are you set for clothes in the future? I know I need to buy more BDUs (even though I wear them at work I need more). There is another article on this so I will not drag into it. Except to say: are you going to wear something or nothing? Don’t forget the adults are probably going to lose weight and the kids are going to grow up. Hold onto your old stuff so they can wear it in the future.

These plans are all assuming I can defend my current position and not have to bug out. I really do not have any place to bug out to, to be honest. Not that I am complaining. The resistance has to have many fronts to be successful.  But, I have to get on it about defensive plans of my area in case the horde does come. I tend to think the biggest problem at least locally will be from groups of young gangs to start with. My neighbors and I should be able to fend that off. But if it becomes “The Road Warrior” type of hordes then we will probably have issues. So I need a good perimeter fence. I am thinking like 15 feet high with barb wire and razor wire rolls at a minimum. The fortunate thing is the few access points I have can easily become overgrown with foliage in a summer. However I do have a pair of driveways from the right of way that are difficult to manage due to the geography and mostly rolling type gates would be the only reasonable solution, until The Collapse occurs. At that point I can disable the driveways manually (i.e. Dig them up with a shovel). There is so much to do.

This is a short list of stuff I am working on now. And there are probably two more articles I could type without even trying hard. For example fresh food storage and cooking is a pair of topics that come to mind. So I strongly recommend that if you are just getting started to do all you can as quietly as you can. Because I certainly did not realize how clueless I was until I discovered others who are prepared.

Letter Re: “One Second After” — A Book Review with Some Advice

I have been reading the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen. I just finished it. Whew, what a heavy book. I decided to write it up as a “lessons learned” book review. A couple of you may be wondering why I sent this to you. Well, I just thought of you and know you to be like-minded … I think. That is, concerned about what the future holds for us as a nation, as crazy and uncertain as things are getting in the world. I’ve been following the elctromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat for a couple of years now and regrettably, just now made myself purchase my own copy of this novel and read it.

My initial reaction, to get to the point, is that it is my hope is that each of you will buy a copy of this novel for your own personal libraries. It should go on the “Mandatory Reading” list, right next to “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” , by James Rawles.

EMP is a very real threat, as is the threat of a major economic collapse, as addressed in Rawles’ novel, “Patriots”.

Since I expect most all of you will acquire your own copy, I’ll spare the commentary of the characters’ specific experiences, and get to what I gleaned as “lessons learned.” I’d love to hear feedback from each of you and know your thoughts.

This is an insightful, well-thought-out and researched novel. Dr. Forstchen is extremely knowledgeable and is a respected subject-matter expert on the topic of EMP and has a web site dedicated to his research.

Also, consider checking out this video. There are lots of videos of interviews with Dr. Forstchen

Also, separate from the book and author, this piece on future weapons.

In my opinion, this author has a keen sense of human behavior, especially in stressful and traumatic situations; an acute sense of the sociological implications of an event such as an EMP attack. I think that he is extremely accurate in his assessment of what our culture could be reduced to in the event of this type of catastrophic event. The novel gives one a lot of food for thought regarding steps that could be taken to lessen the blow of such an event … at least, on a personal/family level.

Lesson 1: Never, ever, ever, if you have any choice at all become a refugee. Do everything within your power not to let your family become refugees. Remember the television series, Jericho? But we’ve seen it real world, in Sudan, Haiti, Chile, Mexico, Hurricane Katrina, and as far back as WWII, through Korea, Vietnam, and on and on. If you think you’ve got it bad in your hometown or neighborhood, you should count yourself lucky to have one (home or neighborhood).

Lesson 2: Have enough supplies stored up to last you and your family one year. That means food, water treatment capability, first-aid/medical supplies, toilet paper, .22 ammo, etc. Do not depend upon wild game (deer, elk, grouse, squirrel, etc.) in your survival plan. In a serious situation, such as described in this novel, 30,000 other people are going to have the same secret idea, and there will be no wild game to be had, and in short order.

Lesson 3: Be able to produce your own food when your food stores run out. Seeds, saws and knives for dressing game, chickens, rabbits, etc. The supplies are there to last until you can start producing your own. Be able to preserve it, as well. Learn about canning and preserving and stock up on the supplies.

Lesson 4: Security: Be able to defend your family if you have to. The ol’ lever action .30-30 is great for knocking down a deer. But have something serious on hand. Perhaps one of those kinds of firearms that make the uninitiated ask, “why would a civilian ever have a use for something like that?” Because when you do need something like that, there is no substitute. And then pray you never have use for it.

Lesson 5: Security 2: If you think you can make it on your own in a TEOTWAWKI situation, you and your family will die. That simple. The exception is some family living remotely in a valley in Alaska somewhere. Otherwise, better start figuring out now who you might want to band together with … friends, family, etc.

Lesson 6: Keep a survival kit in your vehicle. If for some reason you have to abandon your vehicle to get home, have the supplies to get there fast. Don’t forget loose, non-descript clothing and comfortable shoes. Food, water, shelter, tools, and a weapon of some sort. You can go to YouTube and look up keywords such as G.O.O.D. Bag, Bugout Kit, Urban Survival Kit, etc.

Lesson 7: As with many natural disasters in the past, and a worst-case scenario such as an EMP attack, computer banking systems go down and cash transactions will be the only transactions. Have cash on you at all times. At least $100 in small bills. ($1’s, $5’s, $10’s, and a $20 bill or two.) Never bring it all out at once. Make it appear that it’s the last of your money. If you know something bad went down, and you are safely able to, make a B-line for the store and stock up on perishable items that you couldn’t stock up on much, such as cooking oil, brown sugar, batteries, gasoline, medications, etc. Make a list of “grab from the store” items now. Purchase those items in the first minutes or hours while everyone else is still dumbfounded and trying to figure out what just happened.

Lesson 8: Try to protect electronic equipment now. Even if you purchase a couple of FRS radios just to stash away. A short-wave radio, a ham radio transceiver, or a scanner, etc. There is a ton of information out there about EMP hardening, such as Faraday cages to protect electronics from EMP. Those with communications will have huge advantages over those who do not. Do you have an old ([early] 1970s or earlier) car, motorcycle, mo-ped, etc. that does not have electronics built into it? Hang on to it, or get it running and stash it away. Mobility would be a valuable resource.

Lesson 9: Have a safe place to go to. If you have family or friends with property, or know someone who lives a self-reliant lifestyle, develop that relationship and learn from them. More importantly, it would be better if they would allow you to come there and use it as a sanctuary location if things got that bad. But be prepared to take care of yourself and them as well. In other words, bring something of value to the table. Don’t be a leech. The best bet is to have a huge store of supplies already there, just in case. Rawles’ novel “Patriots”, covers that in great detail.

Lesson 10: Learn! We all agree that things are getting volatile; in the world, in our country, economically, strategically, politically, socially. Get rid of distractions, such as television, sports, entertainment, and self-indulgence. At least for a season, prepare to be self-sufficient. Then, go back to all your “fun” stuff. Learn how to take care of yourself and your family if (when) things get worse.

It’s estimated that 90% of the US population would die within a year if we were struck by an EMP. This is a very real threat. I know it seems like something out of a Stephen King novel. And although Forstchen’s novel is fictional, he simply took a real town, with fictional characters, and wove a story around the real threat of EMP with uncanny insight into the social effects of such an event.

Our enemies have been working on such a weapon for a long time. This already exists, by the way. This isn’t something “being developed.” It has been developed! What’s more is that very similar effects come from the sun in the form of solar flares. It happened in the mid-1800s, but the extent of the damage was limited to telegraph lines bursting into flames. We weren’t living in a vulnerable electronic age, as we are now. Scientists are monitoring the sun and claim that we are over due for this type of solar activity. Some scientists assess that similar EMP-producing solar flares are highly probable, and expected in 2012. How they know that, I haven’t a clue. But it might be worth watching closer.

NASA Warns Of Super Solar Storm 2012

2012 may bring the “perfect storm” – solar flares, systems collapse

I don’t get all caught up in the 2012 hype garbage. If anything happens in 2012, it is coincidental, in my opinion. Everything will happen in the Lord’s timing, and if He decides to end it all in 2011, 2012, or 4015, then that’s when it will happen. Until His Word reveals something different, and I can’t find it anywhere in the Bible, there’s no specific date given the end of the world, or his return, or armageddon, etc. I think the Lord let’s up come up with our little date formulas just to confound us. We’ll all be surprised when He comes. And make no mistake about it, He is coming. Until then we need to be ready to defend the defenseless and provide for the needy when danger comes.

As far as I’m concerned, my children are at the top of the needy and defenseless list, by the way. In the novel, One Second After, it was amazing how many people were unprepared to take care of themselves. To position themselves in their preparations and lifestyles ahead of time. To not become victims, refugees, and casualties. Of course, the author wrote it that way to highlight the point that not being prepared has catastrophic consequences. Still, amazing.

The novel did a great job of bringing awareness to the reader about this real threat, and in such a way as to (I hope) motivate the reader to action. Toward self-reliance in a proactive way. It was a stark contrast to Rawles’ Patriots, which followed a couple groups of characters through TEOTWAWKI who had prepared in advance, who did not become refugees and didn’t need to, because they took action ahead of time. There were definitely some strong parallels between the novels though, in regard to a societal collapse and the cultural effects and personal triumph and tragedy that would be inevitable in either scenario.

It’s a must-read and although a fast read it is insightful. For those of you who have already read it, and for those of you who are about to, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’d be happy to pass them along to the others as well, for everyone’s benefit. God Bless, – Jack R.