Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $1,050. The auction is for a large mixed lot that includes:

A.) 15 brand new 30 round M16/M4/AR-15 magazines from JWR‘s personal collection. These include four scarce and desirable brand new HK steel “Maritime Finish” magazines, and 11 new USGI alloy magazines made by Center Industries. (Note that most of these were made during the 1994-2004 Federal ban, so most of them have restriction markings, but those became null and void after the ban sunsetted.) Even if you don’t own an AR-15, these magazines are great to keep on hand for barter. (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.) In today’s frenzied market, these magazines have a retail value of at least $460..

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

C.) An assortment of loose leaf teas, a box of Bellagio hot chocolate (25 individual packs), and your choice of $50 worth of ground or whole bean roasted coffee. (A combined retail value of more than $150), all courtesy of CMeBrew.com.

D.) A case of 24 cans of canned storage butter, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $110 retail value).

E.) A carton of 10 rolls of Hydrion fuel test strips, (with a retail value of $85), donated by UR-2B-Prepared.com.

F.) “Alone in the Wilderness” book and 2 DVD Value Set on the life of Richard Proenneke (a retail value of $51.95) courtesy of Camping Survival.com

G.) An EVAC Easy Roll Stretcher kit, (a retail value of $49.95), donated by FrostCPR.com.

This auction ends on December 15th. Please e-mail us your bid for the entire mixed lot.

Letter Re: Food Storage Versus Expecting Manna Falling from Heaven

Dear Sir,
Thank you so much for your insightful and educational blog. I highly respect your opinion and I am e-mailing you today to ask for your advice.
My husband and I are both conservative Christians who are totally committed to being prepared. Our problem is that we have encountered other conservative Christians who believe that manna will literally fall from Heaven if famine comes upon the land. I was personally told by my former pastor that I was “stupid” for storing food and owning guns. He also told me that by being prepared I was demonstrating a “lack of faith in God”. He told me that God would provide for me in the form of manna falling from Heaven if disaster ever struck. This story, unfortunately, is extremely common within the conservative Christian church. My husband and I have come across people like this over and over again. Other than telling these people that manna falling from Heaven was a one time event, quoting Scripture like Proverbs14:8, and reminding them that even Noah prepared for disaster by building the ark – how do my husband and I deal with people like this from a Christian perspective? Prayer seems to be the only answer. Can you recommend any other solutions in addition to prayer? Thank you for your time and attention. In Christ, – Heather M.

JWR Replies: I often get e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers, asking about how I can justify active preparedness in light of my Christian faith. Some cite the “Lilies of the Field” passage in Matthew 6:25-34:
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.”

In my view, people are misinterpreting these verses. These are verses about worry, not about work or preparedness. Never does the Bible teach that we should laze about and not provide for our families. Earning our daily bread is the Godly way to live. We are taught not to be lazy or dependent on others. Yes, we are to trust in God’s providence, but nowhere do the scriptures absolve us of the responsibility to work or to save up for lean times. Consider these four verses from the book of Proverbs:

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain [persons is] void of understanding.. Proverbs 12:11, KJV

In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to penury.(Poverty.) Proverbs 14:23, KJV

The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. Proverbs 21:25, KJV

The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to want. Proverbs 21:5, KJV

Food Storage

The Bible encourages storing food. Look at Gen. 41:47-49 (KJV): “And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which [was] round about every city, laid he up in the same.And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for [it was] without number.” And then see Gen. 41:53-57: “And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the famine was [so] sore in all lands.”

The preceding is a good example that illustrates the need for food storage. As I write this in 2008, a growing portion of the world is already experiencing famine. You should recognize that famine could just a well come to stalk America, Europe, the British Isles, and Australia. (The regions with the largest SurvivalBlog readership.) It is prudent and Biblically supported to stock up during good times in anticipation of lean times.

Prov. 6:6-15 (KJV): “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a forward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Forwardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.”

The lessons from scripture are clear: Don’t be lazy and lax. Store up in good times for future lean times. Consider this: “[There is] treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.” – Prov. 21:20 (KJV)

And ponder this Old Testament passage: Psalm 34:9-10 (KJV): “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.Psa 34:10 (KJV) “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good [thing].” And then look at this New Testament passage:, from 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV): “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

One of the many names of God is Jehovah Jireh, which means God Who Provides. As a Christian, I believe that God will provide for his covenant people. I believe that one of the many gifts that the God has provided is a conviction, by the Holy Spirit, to be well prepared. I realize that we are only on Earth for about 80 trips around the sun, and that is just the twinkling of an eye versus eternity. Where we end up after this brief life is far, far more important in the grand scheme of things. We will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell. But how we spend our +/-80 year life on Earth is up to us. (And the most important thing that we do in the is life is make ourselves right with God, though his Grace, to accepting eternal life in heaven. But stepping back to this temporal world: The Bible makes it very clear that we are to be good stewards of the blessings that God provides us. I therefore feel strongly convicted to not just share the gospel of Christ, but also to physically prepare for my own family, and store extra to dispense as charity. The bottom line: I can’t continue to share the gospel if I starve to the point of achieving room temperature!

Self Defense
 Other readers question how I can justify owning guns for self-defense. Some Mennonites, for example, eschew all means self defense and decry even the willingness to defend oneself or one’s loved ones. That, in my opinion is taking “turning the other cheek” (Luke 6:29) to an extreme that is not scripturally founded.

Exodus 22:2 provides Biblical justification for killing someone if he intends to forcibly rob or kill another man: ” If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, [there shall] no blood [be shed] for him.” Exodus 22:2 (KJV)

And Jesus teaches that it is wise to be armed, in Luke 22:35-36 (KJV): “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take [it], and likewise [his] scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”

In an article titled: What Does The Bible Say About Gun Control? Larry Pratt keenly observed the difference between self-defense and vengeance:

Resisting an attack is not to be confused with taking vengeance which is the exclusive domain of God (Rom. 12:19). This has been delegated to the civil magistrate, who, as we read in Romans 13:4, “. . . is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”

Private vengeance means one would stalk down a criminal after one’s life is no longer in danger as opposed to defending oneself during an attack. It is this very point that has been confused by Christian pacifists who would take the passage in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek (which prohibits private vengeance) into a command to falter before the wicked.

Let us consider also that the Sixth Commandment tells us: “Thou shall not murder.” In the chapters following, God gave to Moses many of the situations which require a death penalty. God clearly has not told us never to kill. He has told us not to murder, which means we are not to take an innocent life. Consider also that the civil magistrate is to be a terror to those who practice evil. This passage does not in any way imply that the role of law enforcement is to prevent crimes or to protect individuals from criminals. The magistrate is a minister to serve as “an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Rom. 13:4).

Jesus taught both to turn the other cheek and to be well-armed to defend oneself. The important factor is having the wisdom to know when to employ either approach depending on the circumstances. I pray, for wisdom, discernment, and discretion, daily. I don’t seek out trouble, and in fact I have moved my family to a remote, lightly populated region in good part to avoid trouble. But if unavoidable trouble comes my way, I want to have the option of resisting force with force. And I only have that option if I am armed and trained.

Some critics of armed preparedness cite Matthew 26:52-54 (KJV), which descries how Jesus responded when Peter cut off the ear of a high priest’s servant, using a sword: “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

In context, Jesus is telling Peter that it would be suicidal to fight in that particular situation, since they were quite outnumbered. And of course Jesus knew it was in God’s plan for him to be arrested, tried, crucified, and resurrected. Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its place –which was back in his belt. Jesus was telling Peter in effect that “there is a time to fight, and this, my friend, isn’t it.” He didn’t command him to “throw that sword away”, or “surrender it”, or to “stop carrying it”. After all, according to Luke, Jesus had just recently ordered the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was obviously to protect their own lives when traveling–not to protect His own life, which He intended to sacrifice, to pay for our sins, once and for all.

The Old testament teaches both to be armed, and to be trained. We read in Psalm 144:1:

Blessed [be] the LORD my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war,
[and] my fingers to fight:

Yes, as Christians our battles are mainly spiritual, but we must also be prepared to defend our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, against evildoers.

Charity

Charity–both in time of plenty and in times of disaster–is a Christian responsibility with its roots in the Old Testament tradition of Tzedaka. This responsibility–particularly for the support of widows and orphans–was repeated in the New Testament, such as in Acts 11:27-30: “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.”

The Biblical approach to survivalism is to avoid trouble, but to be ready for it nonetheless. And when trouble does come, have extra stores on hand, so that you can dispense copious charity. Give until it hurts!

In closing, I’ll leave you with a key verse: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” – Proverbs 22:3 (KJV)

Note: I’ve updated my original response to include all cites from the KJV translation.

Letter Re: Montana Bound–Recommended Sidearm for Rural Living?

Mr. Rawles,
I was able to buy 20 acres in Montana, and wanted to get your advice on a sidearm to carry while out on the property. I have a S&W K19 .357 Magnum revolver, SIG Sauer P220 in .400 Cor-bon, and a Beretta 96 in .40 S&W. I am sure that the .40 S&W is not enough to stop any large animal unless the shot is perfect. The same probably goes for both other rounds. I would prefer a semi-auto over a revolver, and wanted to get your thoughts on a Glock 20 with a barrel in 9 x 25 Dillon. I am thinking that this is clearly the better stopper, but am not sure about the bullets feeding correctly. Perhaps I would be better getting something like a Kimber in .45 ACP and buying the better springs for .45 Super or .460 Rowland. Any help you can give would be appreciated. Regards, – J.M.R

JWR Replies: I frankly think that you’d be better off with either a Glock 21 or a Springfield Armory XD chambered in .45 ACP. This is because .45 ammo is ubiquitous compared to the non-standard and downright exotic calibers that you mentioned (10mm, 9×25 Dillon, .45 Super and .460 Rowland). Yes, there are a few cartridges like those that are marginally better than .45 ACP ballistically, but I like the wide availability and relatively low cost of .45 ACP. Less expensive ammo allows more frequent practice. And, of course, .45 ACP is also far more likely to be available When The Schumer Hits the Fan (WTSHTF). FWIW, I also live in bear country (mostly black bear, but some grizzlies), and The Memsahib and I both carry stainless Colt M1911s in .45 ACP, normally loaded with 230 grain Federal Hydra Shok ammo.

Shot placement is more crucial than foot pounds of stopping power. With a double stack autoloader you’d have a few more rounds to depend on than my wife and I have. (Although we do carry 10 round magazines when out hiking or trail riding). Those last few rounds might be fired with muzzle shoved inside Mr. Bear’s mouth.

OBTW, our standard joke when out huckleberry picking is that when folks find our bodies, they’ll at least see a lot of brass scattered around and know that we put up a good fight.

Letter Re: South Dakota as a Retreat Locale

My spouse and I lived in South Dakota for about 18 months in the Sioux Falls area. People might be interested to know that there is only one place other than New York City where the United Nations flag flies on US soil and that is at the EROS Data Center just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They might also like to know that not everyone in South Dakota welcomes “outsiders” as folks are called who are not of pioneering stock to the area — of either Norwegian or German ancestry. Once when I was in the checkout line at the local grocery store and minding my own business, a woman two persons behind me observed that I had an out-of-state driver’s license. She snipped something about “… if all these outsiders would stopping moving in…”. Around our farm land, however, the neighbors were very nice. Not everyone adjusts well to the frequent tornado sirens that would go off. One of our friends moved in from Colorado (he had been an unemployed programmer and got a job in South Dakota) — his wife couldn’t handle the stress. The marriage fell apart she was so terrified of tornados and she returned to Colorado with their children.
The climate was extremely cold, short growing season, and humid. Lots of bugs and more ticks than I have ever encountered in my life. In less than three months time we removed 190 ticks from our pets and those that just seemed to blow into the house. Tick control treatments made our cats very sick. Also there are major problems with a lack of building codes/standards.

Additionally, farming can be difficult in the Dakotas because genetically-modified (GM) crops seem to get special treatments in the courts there. If the GM seeds land on within your crops — the GM growers apparently gets to block you from selling your entire harvest. – A Former South Dakota Resident

Odds ‘n Sods:

Sean M. spotted a New York Times article on the recent theft of solar panels. Sean’s comment: “With the economy the way it is, crime will increase.” JWR Adds: If your retreat is unoccupied for long stretches of time then your photovoltaic (PV) panels should be dismounted and either locked up securely or hidden in a secret room or cache. If your panels are roof mounted, then I should mention a clever option that was revealed to me by one of my consulting clients in Arizona: camouflaging PV panels underneath well-aged black plastic pipe solar hot water panels. The latter are often available free for the asking, if you call around to solar hot water and spa vendors. Just tell them that you want “some old leaker tube panels”. No self-respecting burglar would give these panels a second glance, but beneath them could be thousands of dollars worth of PV panels. If your PV panels are mounted on a tracker stand (where camouflaging is not much of an option), then at least upgrade their hardware to tamper proof 6mm stainless nuts and bolts. These require a special socket head for removal.

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Reader OTG mentioned that the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s acclaimed novel The Road is scheduled for release tomorrow. Ah yes, the ubiquitous two-wheeled garden cart. Seeing that should evoke a few images for those of you that have read my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.

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The latest economic news and commentary gathered by our volunteer Economic Editor. But the first item was suggested by both her and by seven other SurvivalBlog readers: US Pledges Up to $7.7 Trillion to Ease Frozen Credit — Stocks Jump on Government Bailout of Citibank — Bailout for Bank of Ireland — GM Weighing Bankruptcy Option — Only Drastic Action Now Will Save Us, Says Gordon Brown — lastly, from economic guru Jim Sinclair: What Must Be Done to Avoid Financial Destruction. In this piece, Sinclair warns: “This is it, and it is now. Now it is out of control. Now we enter the Collapse of Confidence period. Then we begin the Weimar Experience. It has all hit the fan, and still the absolute majority have no clue.”

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Jean in England mentioned this Daily Mail article: Regular Blackouts to hit Britain within three years because there is a shortage of new power stations, study claims

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Robert S., Steve D., and Todd S. all mentioned this article about an unexpectedly huge turnout when a Colorado farmer made an announcement about gleanings available at his farm.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Our currency’s fiat status is old news; it’s been completely unfettered from the discipline of the gold standard for nearly forty years. A gold standard is one of the things that keep governments in check. Without it, governments tend to do really evil and stupid things…like setting up a central bank that creates “money” at will, simultaneously destroying the savings of the citizenry and subsidizing unproductive businesses, practices and people. Okay, now this really is starting to sound familiar

The bad news: Our currency is probably going to collapse completely and we are probably seeing the very first days of a very long, very severe economic depression. These things happen. They happen because people think that there is something magical about voting, that it can repeal the laws of physics and that despite the old adage, one really can get something for nothing. Or at least one can simply vote what’s in a neighbor’s pocket into one’s own. It’s like magic.

Before you know it, every humble republic gives way to a society of freeloaders, nannies, connivers and bums. One set of folks makes lifelong careers out of telling independent adults what to do with the fruits of their labor. And each person in the populace expects to get at least a few things at the expense of some other portion of the populace: Housing, healthcare, food… And they don’t stop at trying to pick each other’s pockets either. At fairly regular intervals a nation will cast a covetous eye abroad at another nation’s bounty.

It’s entirely natural for people to want more than they currently have…but actually believing one can have as much as one wants is a fantasy for children…actually trying to take as much as one wants is the province of criminals. Governments by their nature result from and promote this sort of infantile banditry.That’s why we love gold so much…and why we hate taxes. Gold enforces a rigorous standard. Gold keeps governments from quietly stealing from individuals through inflation…and what they can’t steal they can’t use to finance invasions and land grabs. And what they don’t tax they can’t idiotically redistribute.” – Gary Gibson, writing in a recent issue of the highly-recommended Whiskey & Gunpowder e-newsletter.

Letter Re: A Vehicular Bug-Out Kit

One thing that I have not seen properly addressed anywhere online is an appropriate kit for the bug out vehicle.
You folks in snow country can reply to this with some recommendations for that scenario. Please do.
I survived five hurricanes , one of them in the Virgin Islands, over the years so I consider myself an advanced student of the Bug Out Vehicle.

First and foremost.
Cars are useless without fuel. They make a decent shelter but they’re tough to carry with you. I haven’t seen a backpack that would hold one.
Get yourself as many large cans as you can fit reasonably in (or on) the vehicle and keep them full at all times. [Because of fire hazard in the event of a collision, if your car has a gas engine, these cans should normally kept at home, in an outbuilding. Consult your local fire code.] Rotate your fuel. Fill the car and cans one week and the next time you need gas, then empty some of the cans (say 2 out of 4 six gallon cans) and refill them immediately. My kit includes 5, six-gallon cans of diesel and one full of water in case of radiator problems and to provide drinking water. I have a roof rack so they’re a non-issue.

Cars are very hard to drive on flat tires. I recall after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 the chaos at any store that had anything in stock. There was no electricity for weeks so no gas available, for the most part…or much else.Oh, and remember that no electricity = no credit cards. Got your cash stashed ?
Having all of my supplies already (always have-always will) only saw a need for one very important thing that I had overlooked.
Nobody else saw it since they were focusing on food, water, plywood,Coleman goodies etc. They looked at me like I was nuts when I got to the checkout.
What was the one thing ? Tire repair equipment ! Yep. I bought two cases of Fix-a-Flat, a radial plug kit and about 50 plugs.
Glass, metal, roofing nails, wood, you name it was everywhere on the roadways. I used that all up and more over the following month. Get some!

Cars with automatic transmissions can not be push-started. Even if your battery is fairly new, go buy yourself a top notch, deep cycle battery and install it. The other one will make a good spare.You can also carry it with you and use the deep cycle battery [at home] at night, running an inverter, to watch a television, use a computer or whatever. One of my cabins runs all night (8-10 hours) with television, VCR, and 3-to-4 Compact fluorescent bulbs on a deep cycle battery that is solar-charged.

Belts. Repeat the above scenario and make sure you have tools in the car at all times to change belts. If you don’t know how and what tools you need , then hire a mechanic to teach you. Don’t forget the jumper cables .

These are the basics. My kit is more extensive but I live in the middle of nowhere in Central America (I’ve already bugged out) so I cant raid a junkyard in case of an “event”. Oh, and don’t forget the guns. Pura Vida! – Mr. Tico in Costa Rica

Letter Re: South Dakota as a Retreat Locale

I read your statistics. They are pretty accurate for West River (west of the Missouri), but not so accurate for East River. East River has a steady population growth, especially south of Sioux Falls. This is mostly due to the explosive growth of the medical industry. Much of it is zone 5 for growing, with some zone 6 (and zone 4) microclimates. They have excellent rainfall, lesser amounts of snow and more moderate seasons. Winter nights rarely reach -20 F. There is a cold period usually in January that lasts about three weeks. At this time, temps can reach the -20 F range for a few days, and highs can be 0 to 10 above. This is usually mitigated quickly by southern air flow. Some of the smaller, family-held farms grow peaches and even a cold-hardy variety of almonds. There is abundant game, due in part to the large tracts of corn, soybeans and alfalfa.

East River has more tornadoes than West River, on average, but all South Dakota tornadoes tend to be smaller (EF3 or less) and shorter-lived than those further south in Tornado Alley. As a storm chaser myself, South Dakota is rarely in my prime target area during chase season.

West River is quite a bit drier and has a much lower water table. However, south central South Dakota is on the northern edge of the Oglala Aquifer, which has excellent water at around 180 feet (or less, depending on the lay of the land). Again, smaller ranches have grown and managed tree rows, not only for protection from winter winds but also as a continual source of firewood.

Game is abundant in West River areas, too. Turkey, mule deer, whitetail deer, pheasants, and even elk are found on the plains. There are cougars, coyotes and lynx too, so it is prudent to guard livestock.

There is a big difference in various areas of South Dakota, and it is worth checking out places south of I-90 and west of the Missouri River. North of I-90 is cold and dry, and some areas have problems with shifting topsoil, especially around the Pierre area. However, a well-managed retreat could easily and comfortably farm small areas to produce enough food for their group and still have leftovers to barter. Numerous windmills make irrigation of small areas simple. The water does contain a lot of minerals, but this is a plus. It dramatically reduces the mineral requirements (vitamin supplements) for livestock and humans. And the extremely low human population makes it very attractive.

There are numerous small “canyons” and buttes in which to create housing that commands a view of the area, but is hidden to all but the most astute observers. People are courteous and helpful to their neighbors, but will close ranks on obnoxious “outsiders” and tourists. Most are competent with firearms, many are veterans, and virtually all ascribe to basic Christian values. There is also a huge homeschooling base and an availability of competent midwives (although their practice is still illegal in the state).

I’d say South Dakota should be a tad higher on the list. – Bobbi from South Dakota

JWR Replies: Thanks for those observations. I will append them to the state-level description at my “Recommended Retreat Areas” web page. OBTW, similar comments from residents of other states are welcome. I’ll be happy to post them.

Letter Re: Some Technologies for Retreat Security

JWR:
In regards to reader Erik’s setup of his “trap” gun: This setup is very very risky business [and an invitation] for a lot of very bad litigation. I am a law student at a top ten law school (yes, there are some of us who are not so elitist to think government will solve everything!) and know for a fact that trap setups are highly illegal [in most jurisdictions] and will subject you to 100% liability even if the injured of deceased trespasser was in the process of committing a felony–even murder! Traps cannot be used as recourse for a self-defense argument in any court in this country! Criminally, you can be charged with a multitude of very serious crimes–and as an afterthought, I really believe all of us “preppers” have a responsibility to not give our mentality of preparation a bad rap. I realize that in a post-TEOTWAWKI situation courts may not matter much. That being said, only utilize any trap setup when not a court exists in the land! Just thought I’d add that caveat to the letter. Thanks for your site! – J.B.

JWR Replies: I wholeheartedly agree. This bears re-emphasizing: The fact that a gun is remotely fired rather than set as a “trap gun” won’t mean much in the eyes of a jury. (Since Erik is in in Nevada, see: Nevada Statute NRS 202.255 “Setting spring gun or other deadly weapon:”) Most states have similar laws.

The average American jury will see it as vile, despicable, and perhaps nothing short of pre-meditated murder. Someone that lived through Rhodesia’s Bush War in the 1970s would probably consider a remotely-fired gun “clever”, and “a prudent precaution.” So would an Army or Marine Corps veteran that has recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan. But unfortunately, your neighbors (and future jury members) will probably not be Rhodesian ex-pats, or prior service grunts that had an 11-series MOS. They’ll probably be just run-of-the-mill 21st Century American civilian suburbanites. These are people that have always led pampered if not downright sheltered lives. Most Americans have never been the victim of a truly violent crime nor have they ever seen combat. Many have never even seen a dead body, much less handled one, or God forbid created one. Oh, but they’ve seen thousands of actors “killed” on television, all very neatly killed, with hardly any blood or feces splattered about, no agonized screaming, no ringing ears,. (Some of of you are nodding your heads–you’ve been there and seen death and smelled it. I worked at a hospital emergency room and I can testify–violent death is remembered not just by sight of it, but also by sounds and smells. Have you ever smelled death in a nightmare? I have.) Some of you have probably just been offended by my words. See the difference? Keep this dichotomy in mind when making your preparations. The bottom line: Don’t break out the razor wire and tear gas grenades until times get really, really bad, and such defensive measures have become the norm. We live in an incredibly litigious society. Don’t do anything that will prompt someone to sue you. The last thing that you want to see is a plaintiff in a wheelchair, eyeballing you from the other side of the courtroom aisle. Living in these times in this country, such a lawsuit could leave you absolutely penniless. My readers in the suburbs of Mexico City who have presently have razor wire and rows of broken bottles jutting from the tops of their masonry courtyard walls are probably laughing at this discourse. But let me assure you: Things are different up here. You can get successfully sued for millions, for nothing more than having a slippery sidewalk.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Inyokern flagged this: Pandemic Planning Reveals 30-Day Power Plant Coal Supply

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I recently updated our Affiliate Advertisers page. Please shop with our our paid advertisers first. (See the scrolling ads in the right hand bar of the main blog page.) But if they don’t have what you are looking for, then please shop with our affiliate advertisers here in the U.S. as well as in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK. (When you shop with our affiliate advertisers, SurvivalBlog will receive a small commission on each purchase.)

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Mike McD. was the first of several readers to send us the link to this article: Perth Mint suspends orders amid rush to buy bullion

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Charley S. recommended this dissection of Wall Street’s demise: The End by Michael Lewis

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I found this linked over a Matt Drudge’s site: Worst of financial crisis yet to come: IMF chief economist

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“People who object to [privately-owned] weapons aren’t abolishing violence, they’re begging for rule by brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically ‘right.’ Guns ended that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work.” – L. Neil Smith

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 19 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 19 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Intellectually Self-Reliant Children: From Homeschooling to College, by “Hermeneutics”

Home schooling teaches kids an important virtue, intellectual self-reliance. Home schooling, well done, permits a child to “learn to learn” as well as learn to learn … by himself. A home schooled child, for example, does not learn in peer groups, a common practice in schools today. Rather, by himself, the home school child reads a text, sorts through conflicting facts and information, and makes judgments that ring true to his experience and understanding. A home schooled child struggles intellectually without turning to peers, teachers or authority figures. In short, he thinks for himself.

Critics of home schooling often claim that home schooled children are less socially adept than kids in same-age classrooms. This may be true. But social suspiciousness and reticence to engage in typical kid behavior, verbiage and antics should be seen as a strength, not a weakness. For when home schooled kids don’t think like the herd, they’re intellectually self-reliant.

As an Ivy-educated professor as well as a mother of three home-schooled kids, I’d like to share some observations and offer some practical advice to home schooling parents who want their children to attend good colleges and universities.
Primary school goals and methods are different than that of older children so I’ll discuss home schooling younger children first.
Primary school kids have one overwhelming goal – to read. Once he’s reading, you need to introduce your child to increasingly interesting (and difficult) books. This is a natural trajectory. Your child will want to read more interesting books because the simple ones are boring. During these young years, roughly to age thirteen, here is some unvarnished advice on reading:

1. Make home schooling fit into your schedule and life — do not make home schooling your life. Teaching your child to read is not difficult and can be done whenever convenient for you. When you take a break from your daily grind, pull your child in your lap and read together while sipping tea. Home schooling can be seamlessly sewn into the fabric of daily life. Make it so.
2. There are oodles of books on teaching reading. Ignore them. In them, you’ll discover a pedagogical war between supporters of phonics and those of “look-say.” Do both! As you read with your child, sound out the words and point out other words that act the same. That’s phonics. Remember, though, that about sixty percent of words in English do not follow spelling and sounding rules. Memorizing, then, must happen. As your child reads, he will become familiar with new, odd words and eventually remember them.
3. Put books on end tables, next to beds, in shelves and, of course, in the bathroom. Make books visible, like art. Books should be seen, not heard, that is, you shouldn’t talk about reading, but do it.

The other major goal for a primary child is math. Unfortunately, teaching math isn’t as intuitive as reading. Flash cards are a good way to start. After the facts are learned, buy or make sheets of problems and get a timer. By eight to ten years of age, a child should be able to do 100 math problems in five, three and finally two minutes. Some advice:

1. Math will not fit into your schedule as easily as reading. You’ll have to make time for it.
2. The grand pedagogical debate in math, which parallels that of reading, is whether math should be taught as facts or as theory. The trend, today, is to teach your child how to think about math, and only afterward, to actually do math. Teachers and curricula spoon-feed the thinking behind the problems. In contrast, in the past, the goal of math was solving problems. The child was expected to figure out the patterns and connections in these problems by herself. In my opinion, the old ways of teaching math are better. As your child learns how to do math, she will see the wonderful way math works. That “aha moment” should be discovered, not taught. Please don’t take away that glorious moment when the logic of math becomes clear. Math trains the mind to be orderly and systematic. So let your child think. Don’t think for her. This fosters intellectual self-reliance.
3. Regarding curriculum: I’ve used Saxon in the past, and eventually ditched it. Curriculum does, though, offer a structure if needed. Again, be flexible. There are times in your life when you’ll need structure and other times when your child zooms along without it. Go with the flow.
4. Here’s a simple ordering of the math your younger child needs to learn:
Counting to twenty, then one hundred
Counting backward from twenty
Addition facts to 12
Subtraction facts to 12
Adding two, then many digit numbers
Subtracting two, then many digit numbers
Multiplication facts to 12
Division facts
Multiplication of many digit numbers
Long division.
Fundamental idea of fractions
Adding and subtracting fractions
Multiplying and dividing fractions
Fractions as decimals
Adding and subtracting decimals
Multiplying and dividing decimals
Fractions to decimals to percentages
Negative numbers
Adding and subtracting negative numbers
Multiplying and dividing negative numbers
Negative decimals, fractions and percentages

5. When your child understands the above, he is ready for algebra and will need a more structured environment. I recommend this textbook: Algebra 1 by Ron Larson, Laurie Boswell, Timothy Kanold and Lee Stiff; written in 2004 and published by McDougal Littell. The Geometry and Algebra 2 books in this series are also good.

With teens, home schooling becomes more challenging … and fun.
As a professor, I’ve seen many public and private schooled students woefully unable to think, write and study. Though your home schooled child will be far better prepared than most students, don’t expect college admissions staffers to understand intellectual self-reliance. Admissions staffers need a bit of hand-holding and appeasing. This is your responsibility, not your child’s. You are responsible for getting your child into college: your child is responsible for learning.
So, starting from around age fourteen, you’ve need to think ahead. These are crucial years. You must assume that admissions staffers will judge home educated kids harshly. Thus, you’ll need to be wise and clever to combat their bias and bigotry.
Now that he’s a teen, your child should have one goal – getting into college. Though it is your responsibility to get him into college, it is still his goal. He needs to understand that the days of leisurely learning, sadly, are over.
During the early teen years, you’ll have many, heart-to-heart talks with your teen about her goals, interests and expectations. Even teens unsure of what they want to do with their life understand that, at some point, they’ll need to make a choice. At least, come up with a short list. With her, imagine life as a teacher, business owner, homemaker, farmer, lawyer … whatever. Realistically discuss what it takes to achieve that life.
Take a four-pronged approach to getting into college: taking community college classes; scoring high on an ACT or SAT; finding compelling references; writing great essays. Here’s some advice:

1. Don’t even bother to come up with a transcript or grades. Admissions won’t believe your grades anyway, so why bother? In lieu of grades, I suggest keeping a list of books read including completed textbooks.
2. As soon as your children are ready, enroll them in a community college distance learning class, around age 15 or 16. These are graded classes, taken for credit. But before your daughter takes college classes, you must sit her down and read her the riot act. Tell her that from now on, there is neither mercy nor second chances. Tell her that every grade goes on a permanent transcript that will follow her for the rest of her academic career. Tell her that learning has to be purposeful and grade oriented. In short, tell her she needs to strive for “A’s.” Holding her to this standard doesn’t make you a slave driver but a truth-teller – so feel guiltless. The reason you enroll your child in a distance learning class is so you can help. This is a huge step for your child. Be there.
3. The sad truth is that learning, suddenly, is not the goal. Grades are the goal. He needs good grades. Part of preparing your child for self-sufficiency is showing him the bar that he needs to get over. At this point, the bar is a high GPA. Your son, then, needs to find his own way to reach that bar. This is a worthy lesson in itself for life has hurdles that must be overcome even when he finds them distasteful or unimportant. To put it bluntly, there are times when he’s got to suck up to reach his goals.
4. College testing, even if not required, will be important as a marker of accomplishment and potential. Take this seriously. I do not think expensive classes are worth the cost because relatively cheap software is almost as effective. Note: It is easier to raise a math score than a verbal score. The verbal score is more of a proxy of intelligence as well as a marker of an avid reader, which is why it is so important to instill a passion for reading in young children.
5. References are tricky. You have to find referees who the admissions staff will respect. This isn’t about you and your values but rather about the college and its expectations. If your daughter wants to be an engineer, for example, a reference from an engineering professor or successful engineer (on letterhead) will go a long way. Unless your child is going to a Christian college, avoid references from pastors and youth leaders. If your child volunteered, try to get a reference from the leader of that organization. Remember, assume that admissions staffers are secular and biased against home schooling, and choose your references accordingly. Another helpful reference could come from the community college that your child attends. Working as a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) or lab assistant is good both as experience and as a source for references. Try to get academic references.
6. Essays, the final step, can make or break an application. I’ve heard that admissions staffers are finding more and more ghost-written essays. Thus, to make your child’s essay believable, he’s got to include personal, anecdotal information. Here is where a savvy applicant can sneak in information about home schooling. Home schooling obviously sets an applicant apart from the crowd. If made to sound exciting, then the admissions counselor will think your kid is eccentric and interesting. My kids emphasized their travel (which was a big part of their home schooling experience) and the bizarre places and things in their past. It worked. They disguised their faith in the application, choosing to emphasize other aspects of their upbringing that the admissions counselor would be expected to appreciate. In short, give them what they want to hear and set your child apart from the herd.

As parents, we’re raising the best kids in the nation. Our kids are self-reliant and grounded in positive, moral values. For some, Christian faith undergirds morality – it does for me. But as Christians or seculars, it is incredibly important that the best kids are trained to survive and succeed. The two-to-three percent of the nation’s kids who are home schooled will lead tomorrow’s nation, and perhaps save it. Thus, getting those paper credentials from name-brand colleges and universities is a small step toward returning our country from a culture of dependence and weakness to that of individualism and self-reliance.

Two Letters Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?

Sir,
First let me say that I agree with the sentiments of D.O.’s reply to the original post.
However; In a situation even less drastic than another depression, I believe there will be ‘abandoned’ properties everywhere you look due to foreclosures and displaced persons that can no longer find viable employment and have moved in with family or on to ‘greener’ pastures. The homeowners that lived in them, built them, and called them home, will not own them anymore. These homes will still have an owner, that would be the ‘bank’ that held the note, and also in some cases, additionally the tax authority of record that has not been paid by the previous owner nor the bank. But that ‘owner’ will not have any idea what the disposition of most of these properties are. The financial institutions of today are usually far from the local scene and as is evidenced even as of late, they have internal problems of keeping their own doors open and not getting swallowed up by a larger entity. At some point it will become impossible to monitor the homes held on their balance sheets. Municipalities are already starting to experience difficulties in staffing and finances due to property tax payment incomes dropping from peoples inability to keep up with it all and decreasing building permit fees, so this will make it hard for them to police who is living where. Police have bigger fish to fry and that work load will only become worse if we continue to descend into economic chaos.

If we do continue the slide, there will be plenty of empty homes. If things get that tough, who knows when a recovery to ‘normal’ times will happen. One has to mainly look toward surviving at that point. There is a small part of the population that has prepared for these coming times, but even some of these will find themselves separated from their preps due to matters beyond their control. If your retreat is not paid for in full and you have not made provisions to in some way pay property taxes ahead, (and for a lot of people, even the ‘informed’, this will not be possible) all your preparations are in jeopardy and may be forfeit. Secondly, if you do own outright but are met with a force larger and more equipped than you can repel, and you have to ‘abandon ship’ you are now adrift with those that did not prepare. Granted, you will undoubtedly have at least some pre-positioned gear in an offsite cache, but how long will that last? You must have shelter. Especially in more severe climates. Maybe you can re-take ‘your’ residence later and maybe not.

Reading any of the post- apocalyptic novels, one always encounters transients scavenging abandoned houses for whatever might have been left by those that came before. At some point, this becomes survival not looting. Looting would be the taking of someone’s property without their permission (Larceny), and I do not condone this, but that assumes the property owners will at some time return. This is not the case in most [truly] abandoned homes. In Michigan I know of someone who has a business at present, going into foreclosed homes and emptying all the possessions left behind by the previous homeowners who basically loaded up a car with what they could carry and left everything else. Everything is loaded into dumpsters; from big screen televisions and kitchenware to a child’s favorite teddy, and baby clothes. The homes look like aliens had abducted the residents in the middle of the night.

It is heart wrenching, and is a reminder of depression/dust bowl times where you saw transient families carting their ‘worldly’ possessions strapped to the ol’ family sedan, looking for work. If the trend continues, at some point the banks won’t have the revenue to clean out an abandoned home to prepare it for re-sale when no one is buying them. Unfortunately, we may be headed for just those kind of times.

As has been mentioned in your blog and some others; the next depression will not be as ‘peaceful’ as the last one. People are not as close to the land and are more morally ‘disadvantaged’.

I just read novel “Patriots“. Thank you for your wisdom and fortitude Mr. Rawles. It is a help to all that visit your e-institute. – G. P

JWR:
I just got a very sick feeling reading the last e-mail posted by D.O.. You know, I’ve been prepping for 8 years and have never gotten to “that place” that many on survival sites I visit seem to live in. The “kill everyone syndrome, because all that matters is me!” I read the news and see many new stories about how there are tent cities going up everywhere. Now, being a Christian I cannot bring myself to want to kill just because someone is homeless. This is the mentality I see from gangs in the news. You do realize that many people had 20% down and have now lost their jobs? And there will be many many more very soon as I am not near as optimistic as JWR is. Shall we kill them all? What kind of nonsense is this? We are headed in a very scary place to say the least. These people will have no where to go and tent cities are on land owned by someone (I’m assuming public land which is another “forbidden” according to many survival sites.) Therefore when you lose your property it is an instant death sentence? Frankly it sickens me to hear this. No, I don’t expect people to hand over everything they’ve worked for but boy, oh boy, wait until those who think they have covered their backside find themselves in the same scary situation as many of these folks. Lets see, there are people who have worked for many years and saved by putting money in their 401(k)s. Just because the government will seize (that’s what I call it) this savings and spend it just like they have the Social Security money, you believe that this person, responsible or not, should be shot when he finds he can no longer pay the mortgage? Whether he’s paid one payment past his 20% down or 10 years worth, he can still lose his home. And I would like to remind you people that think that you have some great secret to life, the tax man may come knocking and your gold may just be worthless. Read Ezekiel 7:19 “They shall cast their silver in the streets , and their gold shall be removed : their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.”

Yep, I will protect my family and would kill if I saw a true threat to one of them (as the Bible allows), but I’m so very tired of the macho “survivalist” that I see on forums and their most sickening lack of thought to human life. If the building is truly abandoned then kudos to 100 moving in! Get over yourself, let others know that your place is not welcoming to them. But please stop lending no hope to people that while in need today may be your savior tomorrow. Realize that you can prep all you want but the Big Guy upstairs is watching and He is the Judge! – Stephanie B.