Notes from JWR:

I was saddened to hear that “Barefoot” Bob Hardison passed way on Saturday. He was a Korean War veteran, a patriot, an outspoken A.A. member, and an influential figure in the preparedness movement. Over the years, many SurvivalBlog readers have referred to the Barefoot’s World web site. I just heard that Bob’s site will be maintained by our friend Michael H., as a lasting legacy and tribute to Bob’s amazing collection of lore, Constitutional history, and practical skills.

We’ve completed the judging for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. . And the winner is: George S. for his lengthy article Field Gear on a Shoestring Budget: Ten Project Examples, posted on Jan 12, 2009. His prize is a pair of transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!

Second Prize goes to H.I.C., for his article Survival Gardening: Growing Food During A Second Great Depression, posted on Jan. 17, 2009. His prize is a three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. He can take his pick of OnPoint’s three-day civilian courses.

Third Prize goes to The Army Dentist, for his article Survival Dentistry, posted on Dec. 19, 2008. His prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

The judging was so difficult that Honorable Mention prizes are being awarded to two other Round 20 authors:To Jerry the Generator Guy for Building a Low-Cost, Low-Profile Shortwave Dipole Antenna, and to Kyrottimus for Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States. They will each receive autographed copies of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.

Round 21 of the writing contest ends on March 31st, so get busy writing, and you too may be a prize winning author!

Note to the prize winners for Round 20: Let me know your snail mail addresses for mailing your prizes. Once again, congratulations!

Today’s first post is the first entry for Round 21 of the writing contest. It was authored by Kathy Harrison, whom many SurvivalBlog readers will remember as the author the mainstream nonfiction preparedness book Just in Case.”



The Community Retreat, by Kathy Harrison

Establishing a retreat seems to be the dream of many survivalists but realistically, evacuating to a retreat is not a proposition that is readily available to very many. There are generally problems with finances as well as family commitments to contend with. Many folks, like me, have spent years in establishing perennial food plants, compost piles, garden plots, building small businesses and, most importantly, forging important community ties that would not be easily broken. Therefore, we would be well advised to explore how to approach ways to turn our own residences into retreat communities.

The location of the community is of the utmost importance. Pulling off such a feat off in a large city or an affluent suburb would be pretty difficult. A small town in a rural location with a high proportion of families who already raise food and livestock is your best bet. Such a town is likely to have a well-developed sense of community, strong family ties and a faith-based community. You will also likely find a diverse set of necessary skills. Such communities are generally located in areas that have climates suitable to growing food crops. Hunting is often a part of the local culture so firearms ownership is not seen as a problem. It has been my experience that a large number of survival-minded folks find themselves living in this kind of locality. The question then becomes, “how do we locate like-minded families and establish a network of support, with possibility of barter arrangements and the sharing of skills and tools in such towns?”

We began by attending a film series a few years ago. Free showings of films such as The End of Suburbia, King Corn and Life At The End Of The Empire were shown. Each film was followed by a discussion group. Setting up this kind of series can happen at a library or house of worship. Out of this format, a core group formed, all with the sense that life as we knew it was unlikely to be sustainable for the long term and that we needed to take steps to prepare for the eventual change. We began meeting on a monthly basis. We are a diverse group; some more interested in the implications of Peak Oil, some with financial collapse. Others are the local growers of organic produce and the breeders of heritage breed livestock. We have no membership list, no rules of order, no dues and no criteria for coming to our monthly meetings. We do follow a loose agenda to ensure that we get some work20accomplished but much of our time together is devoted to chit chat about current topics and sharing ideas.

One of our most successful endeavors has been our “101” classes. This is a series of free workshops devoted to helping people learn valuable skills from others. We have had classes in raising chickens, canning produce, cheese making, mushroom propagation, herbal medicine, knitting and many other subjects. The object is to make all of us less dependant and share skills that might otherwise be lost.

Recognizing that energy shortages are likely, we set up a panel of people already alternative sources of energy. This was remarkably well-attended and led to a day long event where folks opened their homes to people who wanted to see each system in operation. We saw underground homes, photovoltaic systems, solar heat collectors, wind powered homes and a couple of places that had been off-grid for years. The tour ended with a pot-luck soup and bread dinner.

We consider helping each other as a given. We have helped each other get in our winter wood supply, can an abundance of bulk purchased chicken and traded off tools, vehicles and equipment. When my husband scored some very inexpensive sap buckets, he bought enough for many other group members. When I found myself overwhelmed with peaches, three of us processed 50 quarts in an afternoon. A couple of us are really interested in wild foods. Together we gathered fox grapes and put up 20 gallons of juice, harvested and dried over 100 pounds of wild mushrooms and canned 35 quarts of wild applesauce. We are still eating the fiddleheads we froze last May. Out latest project is to take a firearms safety course together.

When a major ice storm left our town without power for over a week, we saw an opportunity to check our preparedness level and hone our skills. Many of us were also able to provide help and provisions to those who were less prepared including the elderly in our small town.

We still have work to do. We realize that we are not as well prepared for medical emergencies as we would wish so some members are researching becoming EMTs and First Responders for our local volunteer fire department. We also see the wisdom in becoming more involved in our town government.

I know this is not the kind of preparedness one generally reads about on sites such as this but I think for many, this is the most realistic. Should the worst happen, we will be prepared to ride it out with friends and neighbors, bonded together with common purpose and presenting a united front. – Kathy Harrison



Letter Re: Mobs of Young Beggars on the Streets of Baghdad

Jim
I definitely look forward to reading your blog every morning as I begin my day here in Baghdad. I wanted to share some perspective on what I see on a daily basis as an American GI patrolling the streets of Baghdad on the topic of begging. I think your readers might eventually come face to face with this type of behavior and it might not be pleasant for them if not dealt with correctly. When my team stops at a project site or we conduct patrols throughout the various neighborhoods of Baghdad, we are besieged by Iraqi children asking us for items such as candy, pencils, pens, and soccer balls. There are two ways these scenarios usually play out. One, if soldiers hand out any items, the floodgates open and more children appear as word spreads that items are being given away. A mob typically surrounds the soldier and/or vehicle. Even if those children get that which they ask for, they do not leave. Rather, they continue to ask for more. Fights typically break out amongst the throng of children as they fight over what is given out. When we ask our interpreters why the children are not happy with what they’ve been given, we are told that because they are poor (but no longer starving, mind you, since the USA put an end to the UN Food For Oil scandal and Saddam’s reign of terror) and the Americans are perceived as being rich. Another way this is dealt with is the children are told “Mako Shay” which in Arabic means “I Have Nothing”. If said soldier stands firm and refuses to give in to the pleas of the beggars, they usually dissipate and go on to other soldiers to beg from or go on to playing with their friends. The key here is to stand firm and tell them that you have nothing to give them. I see strong parallels between this daily occurrence here in Iraq and that which could occur should the [American] populace flees their homes in search of food and shelter.

Just some food for thought, should the SHTF. Regards, – The Survivalist



Letter Re: The Weekly Bank Failure Hit Parade

Greetings!
Three more down, and waaaay too many more to go, most likely.

SurvivalBlog readers and everybody else ought to keep looking at The Weiss Research ratings regularly – – just to keep tabs on their own bank, investments, insurance companies, etc. I’ve gone from checking once a month, to once a week, to a couple times a week now -all in the span of a year! – Bob M.

JWR Replies: The situation in the banking world has become so fluid that the ratings from Marty Weiss, et al may not be timely enough to be of great value. Their ratings are based on monthly and in some cases quarterly filings. So, in addition to watching the TheSteet.com ratings, I recommend that you watch the stock price for your bank, assuming that it is publicly traded.



Odds ‘n Sods:

B.R.H. sent an item from The Guardian that I suspect was inspired by the remake of the series “Survivors”, (which the BBC aired last Fall): Life after the apocalypse. The article begins: “What if the doomsayers are right … what if society, as we know it, really is about to collapse? Do you have what it takes to make it in a world without electricity and running water? Tanya Gold offers an essential survival guide.” There is a fairly lengthy accompanying video clip of the reporter getting trained. B.R.H. commented: “A member of the ‘Golden Horde’ gets a taste of ‘roughing it’. This is not hardcore survivalism, but a puff piece that includes some bushcraft local to the English countryside.”

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I noticed Mike Vanderboegh’s review the move “Defiance, posted over at the WRSA site. He makes some important points.

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Chris D. found this one: Oklahoma woman freezes to death in remote Montana cabin. Gee, how many common sense basic preparedness rules did they violate? Only an absolute newcomers to that latitude would think they could get by without laying in several cords of firewood. The story reminds me of a line from my novel: “That winter, they ate the dogs.” (And these newbies didn’t even have the sense to do that.) Common sense, it seems, is all too uncommon. To earn the title “survivalist”, one needs to demonstrate some common sense.

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The day’s economic round-up starting with this “must read” piece:: Roubini Sees Global Gloom After Davos Vindication. (Roubini speaks: “The risk of a near-depression shouldn’t be underestimated.”) And from The Economatrix comes these items: US Set For “Big Bang” Financial Clean-UpCaterpillar Sets More Layoffs; Weeks’ Total 22,000 Stocks Stumble on Economy, Earnings WorriesJapan’s Markets Prepare for Horror WeekJobless Rate Full 10% Higher than ReportedUS Economy Sliding Fast; Unsold Goods Piling Up$1 Trillion “Bad Bank” Gains Favor

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The current high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $1,400. This auction, which ends on February 15th, is for a large mixed lot, which includes::

1.) A “be ready to barter” box of 36 full-capacity gun magazines, from my personal collection in JASBORR. This box includes: 12 – Used original Bundeswehr contract HK91 (G3) steel 20 round magazines, 6 – Used original Austrian FN-FAL steel 20 round magazines, with cartridge counter holes, 10 – Used AR-15/M16 USGI (all Colt made!) alloy 20 round magazines, 6 – Excellent condition original Glock Model 19 9mm 15 round pistol magazines (early type, with “U” notch), and 2 – New and very scarce original FN (Belgian-made) US M1/M2 Carbine blued steel 30 round magazines (marked “AYP”) . All 36 of these magazines are of pre-1994 manufacture (and hence legal to possess in New York.) These magazines have a combined value of approximately $710, in today’s market. Note: If you live in a state where full capacity magazines are banned, then you must choose to: refrain from bidding, or designate a recipient in an unrestricted state, or re-donate the magazines for a subsequent auction.

2. ) A brand new-in-box Hot Jaw Bag Sealer and a box of 10 Mylar bags . (Every retreat group should have one these, since they are a tremendous labor saver!) This is a $200 retail value, courtesy of Ready Made Resources.

3.) A huge lot of DVDs, CD-ROMs and hard copy nuclear survival/self-sufficiency references (a $300+ value) donated by Richard Fleetwood of www.SurvivalCD.com

4.) A NukAlert compact radiation detector donated by at KI4U.com (a $160 retail value). 

5.) A gift certificate for $100 worth of books, courtesy of Back 40 Books.

6.) A case of 12 cans of recent production nitrogen-packed storage granola (mixed varieties) This is a $96 retail value, courtesy of CampingSurvival.com.

Thus, this auction has a combined value in excess of $1,565. This auction ends on February 15th. Please e-mail us your bid. Your bid will be for the entire mixed lot.



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It was good to be back in the wilderness again, where everything seems as peace. I was alone — just me and the animals. It was a great feeling — free once more to plan and do as I pleased. Beyond was all around me. My dream was a dream no longer. I suppose I was here because this was something I had to do — not just dream about it but do it. I suppose too I was here to test myself — not that I had never done it before but this time it was to be a more thorough and lasting examination. What was I capable of that I didn’t know yet? Could I really enjoy my own company for an entire year? And was I equal to everything this wild land could throw at me? I had seen its moods in late spring, summer, and early fall but what about the winter? Would I love the isolation then, with its bone-stabbing cold, its ghostly silence? At age 51, I intended to find out.” – Richard Proenneke, Alone in the Wilderness documentary



Note from JWR:

Today we present the final entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 21 begins tomorrow, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.



Building a Low-Cost, Low-Profile Shortwave Dipole Antenna, by Jerry the Generator Guy

First, you decided to get your own shortwave receiver. You wanted to be able to listen to unfiltered worldwide news. Applause, and a pat on the back, for taking a positive step. However, an unexpected problem may soon surface. Any internal ferrite or wand/rod antenna, like what the radio came with, will only effectively receive strong signals. Unfortunately, it can’t do a good job on weak signals.

The obvious solution is to add an external antenna. But it may be spotted by the neighborhood or local “whiners” may complain that your obnoxious visible antenna is interfering with their television or radio reception. The fact that you are only receiving won’t stop their perception that it’s your fault. A second issue is that the “typical" outdoor antenna may not survive severe weather. It may fail in high wind/snow/ice.

Another negative is that any antenna wire in the wind will pick up static charges when dust hits the antenna. This dust hitting the antenna is what causes the “pop” sound in the audio during a storm. This electrostatic discharge (ESD) travels down the lead in wire and may weaken or damage the front end [electronic section] of the receiver. If you have an outside antenna a good antenna discharge unit is strongly recommended.

Is there a satisfactory solution for these problems? Yes! First determine what lengths of wire would be needed for a tuned dipole antenna to receive each desired frequency. Many Ham or Shortwave books either tell you how to calculate the desired dipole wire length or provide a suggested length data table for you. If you are fortunate the manual with the receiver may provide these parameters.

My low cost recommended solution follows:
I bought some 4 -conductor telephone cable and some 50 ohm TV coax cable at the local Home Depot. The 50 ohm cable is routed from the receiver to the center of the antenna. Cut the telephone wire at the center of the total length. Strip the insulation back slightly on all of the center wires. Solder [using electrical – not plumber type solder] the center conductor to one of the wire groups. Solder the coax shield to the other set of wires. Measure the desired distance from the center to the desired endpoint for a specific dipole. Carefully slit the outer cover of the phone cable at that location. Cut and remove the balance of an individual colored wire. Cutting the dipole for the lowest frequency first [ longest length ] will make removing the extra wire lengths easier. Measure, cut and repeat the same steps at the other side of the antenna. Note: Some books will suggest reducing the length of the antenna wire elements by 5%. This reduction is to compensate for the “close” distance to the other dipoles. Precise tune lengths are needed for transmitting but may not be necessary if the antenna is used for an entire shortwave band. The generic “rule of thumb” for most receiving antennas is the more wire available for signal pickup the better. Repeat this process for the other three wires. Cover the soldered connections with electrical tape. Fasten the antenna in a straight line along the cornice or eave of the house. Paint or stain to match the color nearby and it looks like it has been there forever.

Note:
If four tuned lengths aren’t enough – then the same approach could be done with 8-conductor unshielded computer network cable.

You now have a good antenna to pick up those weaker signals. In addition, the house now protects the antenna from any severe weather effects. If a nosey “snooper” comes by all that they will see is a “telephone” wire.



Letter Re: Advice on AR-10 Rifles (Updated)

Mr. Rawles:
I’m thinking about buying a Bushmaster AR-10 type rifle that comes with with one clip. What features should I look for, especially these days? Are the magazines an issue? Thanks, – C. in Oregon

JWR Replies: Let me start with a pet peeve. The terms clip and magazine are not synonymous. A clip holds cartridges only at one end, whereas a magazine complete surrounds a cartridge. In the context of modern detachable magazine battle rifles, a clip is what is used to fill a magazine. Please do not call a magazine a clip, especially around children. They are impressionable, and I ‘d hate to see another generation growing up to use faulty nomenclature.

In today’s frantic market the over-riding concern for AR-10 buyers is interchangeability of magazines. Some brands of AR-10s will accept inexpensive metric FN-FAL magazines, while others will accept only purpose-built AR-10 magazines. Let me explain:

Only a few brands of AR-10s take the plentiful FN-FAL magazines. The brands that can accept FAL magazines are American Spirit, Bushmaster, and Rock River Arms (RRA) . (BTW the new RRA LAR-8 will take metric FAL mags and “inch pattern” L1A1 magazines, with the large forward locking lug.) FAL magazines are still fairly inexpensive–as little as $14 each. I recommend that you buy 25+ of them. Someday, you’ll be glad that you did.

The Armalite, Knight Armament (KAC), and DPMS brand AR-10s take only purpose-made AR-10 magazines. As reader “Mr. Smith” pointed out, the KAC and DPMS can use magazines interchangeably but the Armalite lower uses a magazine that is not compatible with the other two. M14 magazines can be converted, but only to fit the Armalite AR-10.

Mr. Smith also mentioned that CMMG is about to produce AR-10 lowers that will take very inexpensive German Army surplus G3 magazines! These are compatible with DPMS upper receivers. For anyone that plans to build a new AR-10, this is the lower to use! It is noteworthy that CMMG also makes a lower that is compatible with DPMS-type AR-10 magazines.

MagPul Industries announced 7.62×51 polymer magazines for the KAC and DPMS AR-10s at the 2009 SHOT Show. Based on the track record of their polymer 5.56 magazines, these should be great. They key question is: Will they make it into production before a new Federal; ban is enacted?

The going rate for 20 round Armalite, KAC, and DPMS steel AR-10 magazines is $65 to $75 each, and climbing. That means buying 20 spare magazines will nearly double the acquisition cost of a rifle. Yikes! If you know anyone that owns those brands of AR-10, tell them to buy plenty of spare mags, soon. After the upcoming ban, they will be $200+ each. I’m not kidding.

The bottom line: In today’s market, unless you are absurdly wealthy, you should buy only AR-10s that can accept standard metric FN-FAL magazines, or HK G3 magazines!



Four Letters Re: More Predictions for 2009, by Roger Wiegand

Mr. Rawles-
In response to “More predictions for 2009”, reader Jeff K writes, “There has never, ever been hyperinflation with deflating real estate prices.”. This is simply false, and a surprisingly common misperception. Zimbabwe is hardly a ‘red hot’ market for residential (or commercial) real estate, yet that country is an example of extreme hyperinflation. When Turkey went through its period of massive inflation it too suffered declining real estate values. South America, plagued with inflation during much of the past century was also a black hole for real estate investment. Ditto for [much of] Africa. Weimar Germany, a famous example of hyperinflation in a modern, western state was, similarly, anything but an appreciating property market.

What one may observe during a hyperinflationary event is the dramatically increasing cost of assets denominated in the hyperinflating currency. The real value of the domestic assets (such as real estate), however, is not increasing but rather decreasing as assets are constantly being revalued in terms of the inflating currency’s loss of value. This loss, counterintuitively, manifests as a “gain” in the form of more zeros on the notes. Similarly, real estate deflates in periods of hyperinflation even as its price “rises”. This is why super- or hyperinflation fails to attract real estate investors in states suffering such economic mismanagement. – Steven L

 

Dear J.R.,
A recent article from Bloomberg “Attali Warns of a’ Worldwide Weimar’ as Governments Print Money” will explain to your readers of how inflation and even hyperinflation can develop from a deflationary collapse.

As shortages of goods/supplies/services begin happening after manufacturing, transportation and supply systems break down in deflation; and with the abnormally increased money supply suddenly thrust into our economy working it’s out into the broader economy- the conditions for inflation begin. – M.M.

Hello Jim,
With regard to Jeff K.’s reply, calling Roger Wiegand a “huckster”, I’d like to point out some issues I have with his claims. Wiegand did correctly call the crash of the US Equity Markets, as Jeff states, but I could not readily locate anything about Wiegand being wrong on hyperinflation, since he isn’t calling for it until late 2009. As for a decoupling, Wiegand, again to the best of my knowledge, has spoken only (or at least, primarily) of a decoupling of gold from the Dow. No other decoupling mentioned. Foreign equities? Show me where Wiegand has suffered a “big flop” here. Same with commodities, where he continues to support gold, which is a long-term position and one with which I wholeheartedly concur as having huge upside potential, even more so for silver. And is Jeff K. investing in the S & P? He’s a braver soul than me, since I wouldn’t touch the S & P with a
26 1/2 ft. pole, nor any other Dollar-denominated asset.

Jeff K. says “FYI, there has never, ever been hyperinflation with deflating real estate prices. There has never, ever been hyperinflation when one’s debt is denominated in their own currency” Again, Wiegand hasn’t called for price hyperinflation until later and I think perhaps Wiegand’s timing could be off, but only the timing, not the inevitable event, since there is no example in recorded human history of a continually successful fiat currency, as they all eventually end, some catastrophically. Monetary supply increases are [presently] in full swing.

How did Jeff K. determine that Rodgers, Schiff and Wiegand have been wrong for thirty years? How can anyone be wrong for thirty years and maintain a growing number of satisfied clients? (Sure, some got burned, no one is perfect).Is he basing this on the fact that hyperinflation hasn’t arrived yet? While it may not be hyper, is a 98% loss in the purchasing power of the Dollar and Wiegand’s claim that it will get much worse, not enough to satisfy Jeff? Congressman Ron Paul, probably the most educated Congressman on the economy, with several related books written on the subject, also claims that inflation is all but guaranteed in our future and I cannot rationally consider Paul a “huckster”. The [same] amount of money that the Fed created from 1913 to Sept. 2008 has been created in the last 16 weeks. This is off-the-hook, unprecedented (at least in the US) monetary inflation
and will potentially have a devastating effect on price inflation within 1-2 years’ time. Worse, there are no plans to slow down and, in fact, the Fed continues to smoke the bearings off the presses like there’s no tomorrow. (And there may not be, for the Dollar!).

The bottom line and the lesson I feel we should take away from these so-called “hucksters” is that government intervention in the markets is the root of almost all our economic woes. Inflation is real and growing, regardless of timing, and is likely to get much worse. (The exact call on dates means very little to me) and that bickering over these details of who is wrong and who is right is absurdly pointless in light of what is unfolding. Understanding the degree of manipulation, the vulnerability of our JIT infrastructure, the fact that we import most of our food, fuel and goods…it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize the potential for a very dangerous situation to unfold unnervingly quickly and for which a staggering number are, sadly, completely unprepared, thanks to an ignorant / complicit mainstream media and a breathtakingly corrupt Fractional Reserve Banking System.

Additional note: I contacted Euro Pacific Capital in the wake of the related Shedlock article and received the following reply on Monday, January 26, 2009:

“Thanks for your e-mail. Yes we are aware of the Shedlock article, and we are disappointed that he would choose to market his firm by bashing ours. On many
levels his critique is distortive and unfair. We will address this in upcoming podcasts.
Thanks,

Andrew Schiff
Euro Pacific Capital, Inc.”

Lastly, who does Jeff K. suggest we should entrust with economic insight? Bernanke? Geithner? If he says Larry Kudlow, my opinion of his observations will have been thoroughly confirmed. Some people will stand square in the tracks and argue over a loose railroad spike, even as the speeding train bears down on them. Sincerely and God Bless, – H.H.

 

Hi Jim,
Jeff K. slams Jim Rodgers, Peter Schiff, and Roger Wiegand in error as he does not appreciate the long term and conservative (read safe) old fashioned investment strategies, strategies safe enough for “widows and orphan” as they say. One should keep their eyes on the big picture, the macro economics and think in terms of years, and not in terms of a day trader and more nimble risk taking ‘investors’ who can make money in the short term and yet loose in the end. Few gamblers always call it right and most eventually loose. One cannot compare these two very different classes of investing on the success or failure of a chosen year or two.

This appears be the greatest financial meltdown in history, and as you say, we are in “terra incognita”. The fundamentals continue to justify a conservative approach and playing the macro trends while ignoring the market noise. While Schiff did missed this nasty deflationary phase, he may yet prove to be a winner and Rodgers always mentions that he has the worst timing. Clearly they have gotten the big picture right, it is now a matter of whether it becomes be a deflationary scenario, some level of high inflation or the worst, hyper inflationary. IMHO, hyper inflation is likely. Unfortunately I can’t speak about Wiegand. Fortunately I believe I’ve followed the best advice, the most conservative of all and invested in tangibles, lots and lots of tangibles. – E.L.



Odds ‘n Sods:

In Texas, they wouldn’t call this a “weapons cache”, rather they’d describe it as a “a good start at a gun collection”: Weapons Cache Found Near Home of Former N.J. Cop (A tip of the hat to Hawaiian K. for the link.)

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Florida Guy sent us this bit of anticipated news: Zimbabwe abandons its currency. So it seems that that via hyperinflation, Comrade Mugabe and his cronies have effectively fleeced the entire life savings of virtually everyone in that once-prosperous nation. The only value the Zimbabwean dollar now has is as a novelty item for currency collectors. (A crisp new Z$100 Trillion note might fetch a few US Dollars on eBay. But on the streets of Harare, a Z$100 Trillion bill might buy a few cigarettes.) The nation has plunged into utter hopelessness.and despair.

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In case you missed the announcement, the WRSA is offering their excellent yet inexpensive Grid-Down Medical Course again this year. Classes are scheduled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania – (February 7-8), and Peyton, Colorado (February 27-March 1)

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Camping Survival (one of our advertisers) is having a big seasonal Blowout Sale. Check out the many bargains, including one of my favorites, Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap!

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Just as I warned you, more hedge fund redemption suspensions: Fortress Blocks Redemptions as Shareholders Lose 96% Since IPO. (A hat tip to Scott N. for that link.) In other economic news, Bank Bailout Could Cost Up to $4 Trillion. And, naturlich, Cheryl sent us another big stack of links: Stocks Extend Slump as Investors Fear Worsening EconomyJapanese Economy Hit by the “Perfect Storm”Honda Shuts UK Factory for Four MonthsToyota Posts First Net Loss Since 1963A Professional Run on Banks has BegunBrown Warns of Void Left by Collapse of Global Financial SystemGold Rally Fills Vaults with Bullion as Bank Stimulus IncreasesSome Credit Card Companies are Financially Profiling their Customers



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I figured out when I was a little kid that it was better to be a pessimist than an optimist. You see, when you’re an optimist, the best that happens is that things go as you planned, and half the time you’re bitterly disappointed. But when you’re a pessimist, the worst that ever happens is that things to exactly the way you were prepared for them to go, and half the time you’re pleasantly surprised.” – Massad Ayoob , January 1, 2009



Note from JWR:

Because we phased out our old Earthlink e-mail address, we’ve had to update our PayPal account. Our new PayPal account address is: james@rawles.to

Please use this new PayPal address for any 10 Cent Challenge voluntary subscription payments or advertising payments. (I’ve updated the relevant links.) As I’ve mentioned before, I strongly prefer AlertPay or GearPay because they don’t share PayPal’s anti-gun political agenda.
Our AlertPay address is: rawles@usa.net

Our GearPay address is: rawles@usa.net

We are also gradually transitioning to our Tonga (.to) domain for our primary e-mail address: james@rawles.to. Please update your address books. Thanks!



The New Washington, DC Paradigm Does Not Bode Well for Economic Recovery or Gun Ownership

Wednesday’s news of passage of the “supplementary” TARP II $900 billion stimulus and bailout legislative package in the House of Representatives is noteworthy. The fact that it passed with hardly a whimper is evidence that Congress cannot be trusted to show any fiscal restraint. According to the Wall Street Journal only about 12 cents of every dollar appropriated in that legislation will go for something that can be considered a growth stimulus, yet there was no lengthy or substantive debate on the bill. The floodgates of the Treasury have been opened! The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) is now sure to further expand, to heretofore unimagined proportions. Henceforth, each time that there is a new “crisis” or “emergency”, or a “threat” to a vital industry, Uncle Sugar will dump veritable truckloads of magically-created money on the problem. What will be deemed a “vital” industry? Car makers have already been deemed vital. So why not truck and heavy equipment manufacturers? And the steel mills? And the airlines? And the aircraft makers? Ship builders? Why not yacht builders? The newspapers? (“They’re really hurting, so let’s just print more money!) Despite the fact that every Republican congressman voted against it, the bill was passed by the Democratic majority.

The passage of this bill is an ominous sign, and it is a dangerous precedent, especially when we consider the other legislation that the Obama-Reid-Pelosi cabal may have in mind. I suspect that they have plans for a panoply of socialist programs including universal (taxpayer-funded) health coverage, the so-called Fairness Doctrine, expatriation controls, enormous welfare and public works programs, and, of course new civilian disarmament (“gun control”) legislation. Perhaps our only hope on the latter is expansion of the Heller and Lopez Supreme Court precedents, in new court decisions that affirm the Second Amendment as both and individual right and a collective right, and that further constrain Federal jurisdiction on firearms manufacture and sales. In light of Heller, any law, agency directive (or “interpretation”), or executive order that infringes on the Second Amendment will quickly be stricken down. (But then there is the nagging issue of Federal court packing by the BHO administration. This is possible, depending on how many SCOTUS justices retire in the next four to eight years.)

Getting back to the economic morass, the key point again is that the floodgates have been opened. There is now no limit to the MOAB. Rather than allow the natural market cycle to work malinvestment out of the economy, the Federal government and the Federal Reserve banking cartel will do their best to reliquify and and re-inflate the Big Bubble. What will come of this is anyone’s guess, since this is truly Terra Incognita. A liquidity crisis this enormous is without precedent. Will the deflationary spiral be unstoppable? Will mass inflation emerge? Stay tuned. But don’t look to me for answers. I didn’t write the script. Or then again, maybe I did.

Business Week recently reported: “New Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is exploring the creation of a government-funded ‘bad bank’ to buy up mortgage-backed securities and other troubled assets from banks in hopes of boosting their capital levels…” This is all aimed at breaking banks out of their fear of lending. Bankers are currently so petrified that the credit market has essentially dried up. Even ostensibly credit-worthy companies can’t get loans. So the MOAB expands, yet again, using taxpayer dollars to buy up the toxic debt. Talk about a losing proposition! Only a government would embark on such a venture. Of course, they’ll be doing what governments do best: spending other people’s money.

The government’s response to the credit collapse could best be described as a “horrible spasm”. (I mean that in the McNamara sense of the term.) The Feds and the Fed are flailing about, throwing money around in gargantuan quantities, hoping that something, anything works to get credit flowing and the economy jump started. They won’t dare admit that they have no idea what they are doing. Parenthetically, do you remember Jim Cramer shouting “He has no idea!”, back in August of ’07? Perhaps that public meltdown on CNBC was a foreshadowing that The Powers That Be still have no idea. Again, we’ve entered Terra Incognita. As I warned in July of ’07 and again in March of ’08, things could get very, very bad before they ge any t better.

To monitor the economic situation, I recommend watching some key figures:

The first is the US Dollar Index. (After testing the critical 72 level, the Dollar has gained strength in foreign exchange. (Not because of any inherent strength, but rather because European banking is even more badly broken than American banking, and the Euro and Pound have taken a beating)

Next is the spot price of gold. (Can you spell “suppression”?)

This Adjusted Monetary Base chart released by the St. Louis regional Federal Reserve Bank sheds further light on the “Big Picture”. (Look closely: Don’t miss the upright spike that is hidden behind the gray bar at the right end of the chart, showing the enormous growth of the monetary base in 2008.)

And lets not forget the bank reserves statistics published by the Federal Reserve.(These show a banking system that was until recently starving for reserves, but is now gorged with reserves that the bankers refuse to lend, out of fear.)

For even greater detail, see Dr. Gary North’s “Charts to Monitor” links.

In conclusion, I must repeat my long-standing advice to SurvivalBlog readers: Get prepared to ride out a lengthy economic depression with accompanying civil strife, massive economic dislocation, and the destruction of the dollar as a currency unit. Self-sufficiency, self-defense, and charity may very well be the bywords of the coming decade.



Letter Re: A Handy Book for Boys

I’ve only recently become a SurvivalBlog reader, but I thought I’d share some info about a book I’ve had sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I’d never really put any thought into its usefulness until lately.
It’s called The American Boy’s Handybook. I first caught sight of it several years ago, way back in Elementary School, when I was just a little cuss, not the full sized cuss I’ve grown up to be.
Like the title says, the book itself is geared toward the younger generation, ages 8 – 18+. But there is a wealth of information that even the oldest of us kids can make use of.
Originally published in 1890, the book is packed, cover to cover, with projects and activities that require no electricity, no high tech spare parts, and perhaps most important, no advanced tools. Nowhere, in the entire book, will you find a single request for a band saw, circular saw, arc welder, hammer drill, or power tool of any sort. I would say that 75% of all the projects inside can be built with a hand saw, hatchet, hammer, and some simple elbow grease.
All four seasons are covered, with different projects (both FUN and FUNctional) appropriate for each. Without my copy to reference (it’s currently on loan) I can’t give a complete rundown of all its contents. Some subjects include, but are far from limited to:
– Spear Fishing
– Small Boat Construction
– Dead Drop Traps
– Build a Kite from scratch
– Make and Use a Bow and Arrow
– Basic Taxidermy
From hunting and trapping, to games and toys to keep the younger members of your family occupied, this book has something for everyone. Kids too little to be out checking the snares with Mom or Dad? Why not have them put together a Shadow Puppet Show for after dinner entertaining? Fresh snow on the ground? Teach them how to build their very own Snow Fortress. Bullets in short supply? (I hope not, but you never know.) Fashion a spear thrower or bola for taking down small game. Always wanted your own fishing boat, but couldn’t justify (or afford) the expense of a special purpose boat? Build your own flat bottom watercraft.
These are just a few of the things I can remember off hand. IMHO, this is one of those books that should be on everyone’s shelf. Even if The Schumer doesn’t Hit The Fan, you can still keep the kids off the couch, learning to do for themselves, like people used to, before we all got our McLobotomies.
Thanks for All You Do, – C.M., Maine