The Countrywide Bailout and the Macroeconomic Picture

As I mentioned a few days ago, Bank of America (BofA) is buying out troubled Countrywide Financial (a home mortgage lender) for more than $4 Billion, and taxpayers are going to help them finance the buyout. This is good news for Countrywide (whose CEO is being given a ludicrous $110 million going away present), but bad news for the economy as a whole, and for taxpayers.

I should mention that it has been rumored that BofA felt obliged to acquire Countrywide, because the two firms had some large derivatives contracts, and if Countrywide had folded, BofA would have to write-off some very large dollar figures–perhaps enough to wipe out BofA. But by buying out Countrywide, BofA now holds both sides of the derivative transaction (they are in effect both party and counter party) so they can just zero out those derivative contracts. I expect that regardless of whether or not they are able to offset their derivatives exposure, buying out Countrywide may still be disastrous for BofA. One of the longest standing legal precepts in mergers and acquisitions is: “When you buy a company, you also buy its liabilities.” The full downside risk at Countrywide is enormous. If the default rate spikes in the nascent recession, Countrywide’s mountain of bad paper could very well take BofA down with it. I think that A.P. Giannini (the founder of the Bank of Italy, which later became the Bank of America), is probably rolling in his grave right now.

What does the Countrywide experience portend for the larger economy? I believe that the credit collapse will eventually spawn numerous taxpayer-funded bailouts of financial institutions, some of them measuring in the hundreds of billions of dollars. In essence, the credit collapse is just getting started. The bad news that is presently being trumpeted about subprime mortgages, will soon apply to the entire mortgage credit market. There are so many institutions–banks, hedge funds, mutual funds with financial stock holdings, and more–that have direct or indirect subprime exposure, that once the dominos start to tumble there will be many billions if not trillions wiped out. So much debt has been re-packaged in so many different ways that nobody can tell who owns what debts, and exactly what property is backing those debts. (There are now a dizzying array of Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs), Convertible Contingent Debt Securities (CODEs), Enhanced Equity-Linked Debt Securities (ELKs), Mandatorily Exchangeable Debt Securities (MEDs), Stock Return Income Debt Securities (STRIDEs), Structured Investment Vehicle (SIVs), and even “Super SIVs”–SIVs that aggregate other SIVs.)

It is the bankers’ inability to assign risk that inspired the summer of Aught Seven credit collapse. Liquidity has dried up worldwide because bankers are terrified of issuing loans if they cannot evaluate risk. With all of the repackaging within repackaging, it is nigh on impossible to identify risk. The term “marked to market” has become meaningless. With so much debt marked to mystery (my term), we are in uncharted waters. In my estimation, anyone that isn’t apprehensive about the economy is a Pollyanna.

While much of the credit market is going through a meltdown, the credit rating agencies like Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s are of no help because it has now been revealed some of them were in on the sub-prime scam–artificially boosting credit ratings in exchange for bribes. (You can look for this scandal to be one of the biggest financial news stories of 2008, potentially much bigger than the Enron scandal ever was.). Any further turmoil in the financial markets–and I expect that there will be plenty–will surely depress stock prices and the value of the US dollar. The dollar is already in deep, deep Schumer. There is a significant chance of a full scale collapse of the US Dollar in 2008.

Knowing the way that things work in Washington, DC, I conclude that bailing out the bankers will eventually mean both higher marginal tax rates, and a higher capital gains rate. As previously mentioned, this is just one more reason to shelter most of your assets in tangibles. For the most part, tangibles are not taxed until after you sell them and realize a profit. And, as I also recently mentioned, here in the US, land and houses are not taxed by the Federal government(at least not yet.) I don’t expect the mortgage tax deduction to go away anytime soon, but I would not be surprised if once they feel the squeeze, the Federal government ups the size and number of unfunded mandates on cities, counties, and states, forcing them to increase property taxes.



Snap Shooting Skills, By Robert R.

Snap shooting is something I learned a few years ago that can make one well trained, aggressive shooter, able to defeat many lesser-trained opponents. The idea of snap shooting is to present as small a target as possible while quickly peeking out and delivering accurate fire, and then returning to your cover.

In the movies you always see the bad guy will put his back against a corner, using it for cover. He then turns the corner, exposing his entire body, raises his weapon to take aim, and is promptly shot dead by the good guy. Snap shooting aims to correct all the mistakes of this very poor example of how to exchange gunfire with someone who aims to shoot you.

When someone is shooting at you, you obviously want to expose as little of yourself as possible, for as short a duration as possible, to minimize the chance of being hit. At the same time, you have to deliver accurate fire when you do expose yourself to make the risk worth something.

The first thing to know about snap shooting is how to properly use cover. Ideally you will have some decent cover to use (something that can stop incoming rounds and provide concealment) In our movie example, the bad guy puts his back up against the corner and then turns the corner and exposes his entire body to make his shot. In doing this, he has limited his visibility of what is going on, by facing away from the target, and as he presents himself, does so in a way that maximizes the enemy’s likelihood of hitting him. At the same time, because his weapon is not raised, he must expose himself for a longer period of time to aim his weapon and fire.

Stand, or crouch behind your cover, facing towards the enemy. You want to put yourself far enough off your cover so that you can pre-aim your weapon, and also be mobile enough to quickly move to other pieces of cover, or move to flank and continue engaging your target. Raise your weapon and get proper sight alignment towards where you believe your enemy to be. This will save you the time of doing later outside of cover.

Now that you have your weapon raised and ready to fire, quickly peek out with only your barrel and eyes, putting your weight on your right foot (left foot if peeking from the left side of cover) and bending at the torso. Only expose what is absolutely necessary to get an accurate shot off. Fire as many shots as you feel you can safely and accurately, and then return to your previous position behind cover. (This should just mean bending back to cover from the torso.)

In the space of a second you can peek out, exposing only your barrel and eyes, shoot off a couple of well placed shots, and bend back into cover. This technique should be used to fight your way into a position of better cover, more advantageous shooting positions, or for flanking your enemy if working within a team. That is not to say that this is only good for aggressive movement, but is also fantastic for defending a fixed position or close quarter battle. With practice you can become very fast and remain deadly accurate, while only exposing a very small target for your enemy.

Being “backed off” from your cover so that you can peek around also allows you to have greater situational awareness. Greater situation awareness can win the battle, and often does. Also be sure to peek out from different positions so that you do not become predictable. You can peek out standing, crouching, on the left or right side. Just keep things mixed up to throw off your enemy. Here is a good example of some snap shooting being done by a paintball player. [JWR Adds: I consider paintball a useful adjunct to tactical firearms training. Just beware that paintball competitors have a tendency to start subconsciously thinking of concealment as cover (since paint balls have minimal penetration), and they also develop a “60 yard mindset” wherein they feel safe to maneuver if they are more than 60 yards from their opponent(s). Modern centerfire rifles of course have 400+ yard effective range!]

One might say this is something paintballers use and doubt its effectiveness, but its effectiveness in paintball translates into the real world as well. So practice snap shooting the next time you go out to shoot and see just how fast you can engage targets with accurate fire from cover. One very skilled snap shooter can defend very well against many untrained shooters. I spoke with a friend of mine who is an Army Ranger and got through most of Green Beret training before suffering an injury that put him out of training. He never trained in this style of shooting! It is somewhat surprising that something people who play paintball use all the time and is extremely effective is unknown to nearly all combat forces. Make sure you have the edge and train to snap shoot!

I recommend the AR-15 with a 16″ barrel for this, or another short rifle, because the AR-15 rifle is lightweight, light recoiling, and accurate. It lends itself well to snap shooting. The .223 is not and will never be a .308, but will allow you to carry more ammunition for suppressive fire when working in a team of two or more, so you can cover one another and out flank your enemy for killing shots if you cant score them from your current piece of cover. Good luck and train hard.



Letter Re: Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed

Dear Jim,
I want to endorse Flashlight Outlet who has provided great products, prices and customer service. Larry helped me track a missing package I sent to Hawaii, and offered to replace it if it didn’t show up (it did).
My new acquisition is the OLight T20. I wanted something as bright as my Surefire, but to be able to dial it down when I didn’t need quite that much light. The OLight T20 is even brighter than the Surefire [when set] at max, 160 lumens, with four times the battery life with the same C123s (90 minutes vs 20 for the 120 lumen Surefires), 70 hours at 10 lumens, and has a memory function so it recalls the last set brightness.
In addition, it has a strobe function that can make it a devastating defense weapon. I tried it on myself, and the strobing 160 lumens completely disoriented me, even in indoor light, and left me dazzled for about two minutes. It would make a great addition to any hand to hand encounter with a bad guy.
The price is reasonable, and includes a lanyard, holster and spare gaskets. The electronics are a minor concern for potential failure or EMP damage, though I suspect it would default to max brightness. I’ll still be keeping my Surefires as weapon lights and backup, of course.- Michael Z. Williamson



Odds ‘n Sods:

Novovirus reaches epidemic levels in England. I strongly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers prepare themselves for when this virus flares up in the US and Canada, especially if you have any infant, elderly, or otherwise “at risk” folks living under your roof. Stock up, be ready to self-quarantine, and if you must go out to work and to shop, then be prepared to decontaminate yourself.each time that you re-enter your home. If nothing else, practicing with these measures will leave you well-prepared for any eventual influenza pandemic that is spread by casual contact.

   o o o

I noticed that yesterday spot gold in London got briefly over $912 USD per ounce before closing in New York around $902. A lot of the speculators are saying that $1,000 gold is not far away. If you can’t afford to invest in gold, then silver is “The working man’s gold.” And if you can’t afford to invest in silver, I posit that US nickels (five cent pieces) will be “the poor man’s silver.” They are presently available for face value, but their nickel and silver content are already worth 6.22 cents each. Someday you can regale your grandchildren with stories about how you bought roll after roll of nickels at banks and casinos while the rest of our citizenry was somnambulant.

   o o o

The Nanny State run amok: California wants to control home thermostats. The only way that I’m ever moving back to California is in a pine box, bound for the family plot in Boonville.

   o o o

Thanks to Paul D. for this Science News story link about Ug99 Wheat Rust: Wheat Warning—New Rust Could Spread Like Wildfire. And speaking of wheat: Soaring Grain Prices Prompt Wheat Thefts



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by precedent, by implication, by erosion, by default, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other – until the day when they are suddenly declared to be the country’s official ideology.” – Ayn Rand



Note from JWR:

There are just two days left in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The bidding is now at $390. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth approximately $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. This auction ends on January 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.



Book Review: Michael Z. Williamson’s “Better to Beg Forgiveness”

I just finished reading my review copy of Michael Z. Williamson’s latest science fiction novel “Better to Beg Forgiveness“. This fast-paced novel is set a couple of centuries in the future and follows the adventures of a band of mercenaries sent to guard a national president on a war-torn backwater colony planet. The story has some obvious analogies to the current use of “contractors” in Iraq. And it is obvious that in creating the fictional “Ripple Creek” off-world mercenary company, Williamson drew heavily on the real-life experiences of a few Blackwater types in researching this story. This adds an unmistakable air of realism to a fictional tale, making it quite fun to read.

I must admit that my reading of the book was sporadic–not because of any fault of the novel but rather because of the interruptions of elk and deer hunting season, and then holiday travel. But the recent heavy snowfall here at the ranch curtailed most of my outdoor chores and got me into into one of those cozy-by-the-woodstove book reading moods, so I was finally able to finish it.

Better to Beg Forgiveness” is a well-told tale. It has plenty of the elements that Williamson fans love: action, great technical detail, believable characters, accurate tactics, vivid imagery of distant worlds, and some compellingly deep drama. Mike Williamson is prior military service, and his experience definitely shows. Unlike most of the schlock military science fiction genre novels that crowd the market, Mike’s books are technically and tactically correct. That is a real rarity!

Without spoiling the plot, I can safely say that the story has plenty of interesting turns. Williamson is well-versed at weaving technical details into a story without bogging it down. (As a fellow novelist, I can assure you this is very difficult.) He is also a master at blending, action, drama, and character conflicts. In this particular story, he describes inter-agency, and inter-governmental conflicts exceptionally well, without making the story drag. Again, this adds texture and realism to the tale. In all, I thought that the storyline was plausible, the characters were believable, and the action was compelling. This is a book that is well worth reading. Just one proviso: because of some adult situations and copious battlefield violence this book is definitely not for children!

I got my review copy early, but I’ve noticed that “Better to Beg Forgiveness” is now available from Amazon.com.



Two Letters Re: Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed

Mr. Rawles:
In regards to the Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed post.
This is a YouTube video that plays a 911 recording of a lady [in Indiana] who was at home alone when a guy whom she had dated a couple of times and then after she broke up from him, he started stalking her. He came to her house one night and she called 911.

Fortunately she had a weapon and was willing to use it.

Near the end after he broke into her bedroom he tried choking her, she shot him three times, one of the shots is muffled because she had the pistol pressed against him.
This needs to be shared with every woman you know. This proves the old adage that police investigate crimes and are unable to stop most of them. They would not been able to protect her. Yes she had court orders in place to “protect” her, they didn’t do any good either. When seconds count, 911 is [still] minutes away. – Eric B. in Southern Idaho

 

Jim,
Like you, I am also not a fan of red dot sights for “at night” use. Some time ago I investigated the different available night time systems available. Below is what I discovered:
1. Red dot sight– okay during the day but at night– not good! Because of the brightness it causes pupil constriction, and due to the “consensual eye reflex” (CER) the other pupil constricts as well it was dark before, now it’s really dark, i.e. it blinds you ! (until the rodopsin recovers).
In trying to turn the red dot site down to a level that doesn’t cause this, it makes it very difficult to reliably see the red dot!

2. Night vision mounted as a scope on a rifle– same as above– better have a buddy with you to watch your back who has natural night vision unimpaired while yours recovers.
A headset is better but you’re kinda stuck in tunnel vision as you don’t have peripheral vision with these. (See note above about having a buddy.) Better to keep them on until in an area of safety.

3. OEG (occluded eye gun site) works off tritium (and fiber optic during the day). Oddly this seems to adjust to the needed level automatically without stimulating pupil constriction. I am not sure why, maybe it’s a different wavelength of red that doesn’t stimulate CER. The problem with this site is that it does take some training to use though as you don’t look into it as your do past it. I think the best thing is the Trijicon ACOG as it works in a very similar way.
With this site you can actually look into it, it offers magnification, and again adjusts to ambient light levels to prevent CER. The drawback is of course price.

4. The plain, good ol’ tritiums sights, as you recommended, are the low buck choice. These as well do not seem to stimulate CER as they are usually far out enough from the eye (arms length) to not be too bright. I prefer the ones from TruGlo for pistols that are fiber optic as well and XS Systems for rifles and shotguns. Well, I hope you find this helpful. Yours in Freedom, – DH



Letter Re: Switchgrass for Ethanol Production

Dear Jim,
I just discovered SurvivalBlog.com in November 2007. I have bought two of your books so far. We are working on our lists, in the meantime I am building FIFO shelving for the canned part of our provisions. We thank God for you, your great work, and The Memsahib’s support of this.

I’m not so sure this article will be a fit, but it is good news nevertheless. From Scientific American: Grass Makes Better Ethanol than Corn Does. The USDA and farmers took part in a five-year study of switchgrass, native to North America. They found that switchgrass ethanol can deliver around 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, as opposed to corn ethanol which can only yield around 124 percent. – BCW

JWR Replies: Switchgrass does seem more viable for ethanol production than corn, because of it his high EROEI ratio. I am hopeful that an ethanol production and distribution infrastructure will be assembled in the US in the next three or four years. OBTW, I highly recommend that every SurvivalBlog reader own at least one “Flex Fuel” vehicle that is E85 ethanol compatible. Make that a high priority the next time you buy a new car or truck. Even if there is not yet E85 available in your area, plan ahead for when it will be. Someday, you may be glad that you did.



Odds ‘n Sods:

Thanks to T.C. for sending us this YouTube link: Glenn Beck interviews GAO Comptroller Walker on the Social Security Timebomb–America;’s $53 Trillion Debt.

   o o o

Anyone planning on putting together a 12 VDC power system to energize their small electronics and battery charging trays should first read the low voltage connection basics primer over at the Appropedia. OBTW, for anyone that wants to standardize 12 VDC connectors, I recommend Anderson Power Poles rather than the bulky and unreliable cigarette lighter plugs and jacks. (The latter are not designed to handle high current, and they tend to pop apart unexpectedly.)

   o o o

We have been having fun here at the ranch, going through a reprint of the 1897 Sears Roebuck mail order catalog. It certainly illustrates the devastating effect of long term currency inflation. Can you imagine buying a brand new Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 rifle for $13.98 (add $3 for the takedown model), or $12.95 for a Colt Single Action Army .45 revolver? Or how about 35 cents for a 26″ hand saw, or $1.90 for an entire wooden barrel of cut glass dishes–36 pieces, including a pitcher? (Add 25 cents for up to 500 miles railway freight.) Of course, in those days an average working man made less than $2 per day. See the Inflation Calculator for some comparisons with today’s prices.

   o o o

John T. forwarded us this: BofA’s awesome Countrywide tax break–Brace yourselves, taxpayers of America. You’re going to help Bank of America finance its $4 billion buyout of Countrywide. I anticipate that the credit collapse will eventually spawn numerous taxpayer-funded bailouts, some of them measuring in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Knowing the way that things work in DC, I conclude that this means both higher marginal tax rates, and a higher capital gains rate. This is just one more reason to shelter most of your assets in tangibles. For the most part tangibles are not taxable until you sell them and realize a profit. And, thankfully, land and houses are not taxed by the Federal government.





Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 14 ends on January 31st, so e-mail us your entry soon! Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.



Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled, Elderly, and Infirmed, by Heghduq

Picture this: It is 2:00 a.m. and you are in bed for the night. Things are falling apart due to a local upset of some kind, be it man made or a natural disaster. You are isolated by these events and there is no help to be had as the local Authorities are to busy with damage control in other areas. You are disabled and have little ones to protect. Your spouse is a bit of a worry wart and panics fairly easy. You hear something that is out of place, what do you do? If you have any form of home defense you should consider how best to use them to your advantage. Let’s look at what the possible scenario you would run into if the Bad Guy really wants to get what you have. With the exception of Alaska in the summer, the majority of the world is dark at 2:00 a.m. So we have one ace here to start and that is the darkness around you. This is an advantage and also a disadvantage. If applied properly, darkness can be used to give you the edge in a confrontation with the Bad Guy.

Lighting around your home is one thing that you should consider. In the case of a disabled individual, I would suggest that you consider emergency backlighting of a potential target. One issue that you might want to consider is backlighting a potential target that may be trying to gain entry into your home or apartment. The way this works is that if you hear a bump in the night, you turn off the lights inside of your house and you have a set of emergency lights outside that come on and illuminate the front, rear and sides of your home. That way the intruder [who’s eyes have adjusted to the bright light] is coming into the dark to find you while he’s illuminated from behind. Because you have him backlit, he stands out. Because you’re in the dark somewhere he is at the disadvantage because his eyes must first adjust to the dark and you can see him as a silhouette with the outside lighting. Everything that you do along these lines increases your chances of survival and decreases the intruder’s chances.

Think about red dot sights or maybe even when and how to use lasers to your advantage. So there you are: You’re hidden by the darkness with a gun with a red dot sight that does not give away your location. You have a suspect standing across the room from you who can’t see but is a perfect target for you, if you need to shoot. I won’t guarantee a 100% first shot effectiveness but I would be amazed if this approach didn’t work out for you.

Another thing that I would do: contact your local NRA regional counselor or local NRA firearms instructor. This is the sort of situation that these great people live for! They’ll come to your place, look it over and make suggestions to help you out. They’ll explore all sorts of options with you and study ways to help make your life more secure and safe. Since you have a computer, go to the NRA’s web site and contact them if you think it is appropriate. You can also call them. I would start with 877-NRA-2000. Explain your situation and see if they can forward your call to people who have worked with other disabled or infirmed people. I’d bet a month’s pay that you will not be the first person with a disability to call them.

Another thing that can be of use to you in this situation would be some form of intruder alert system that would not require utility (120 VAC) electric power. In a grid-down scenario you will have no power to run your expensive home alarm system if you have the luxury of affording such a system. The back lighting can be accomplished with solar powered lawn lights and good placement. If the Bad Guy is smart enough to kill your diesel generator you still have a backup on the back lighting.

For those of us who have children this project can be great fun. That and your camouflage you home brewed alarm system that you string across your windows and seldom used doors. Using 550 Para cord and old soup, vegetable or coffee cans [with a few small rocks or bits of hardware inside to act as “clappers”], a hammer and a good sized nail along with some craft paint and brushes you can create a cheap alarm system that for all intents and purposes could scare the bad guy away and alert you to an uninvited guest if they are determined to enter your home. Using the hammer and nail punch holes into the upper part of each can so you can run the Para-cord through each can. After you have done this the family can sit down and paint the cans with the craft paint to dress them up a bit. Be creative and make this a family project. Once decorated and the paint is dry string the Para-cord through the holes and secure them to the window frame and door jams in a manner that allows them to clank together if someone tries to get past them. In the case of the doors I would recommend that you only string them up at night and in a manner that if the door is opened the cans would fall off of the door frame and clatter to the floor. If you have little ones who have gotten a hold of several cans you can’t believe how much noise those things make when tossed about on the floor even carpeted floor. If asked about the cans hanging in your windows by those people who are not onboard with the prepping and security issues when TSHTF you can just explain it as a family art project and your kids were so proud of their little art masterpieces that you wanted to show the world how talented you kids are. (Some people might think you were a bit of a whacko if you told them the cans were used as and intruder alarm. Sheeple tend to forget that in the event of a grid-down scenario that their fancy ultra high tech alarms won’t be working.)

The next system was created by my mother who is 65 and lives alone with her 10 cats. She hates computers and technology in general so she had to be creative in her home defense measures. Her weapon of choice is a 2 foot long wooden stout stick and a can of RAVE #4 hair spray. An eye full of that stuff and it can be as effective as pepper spray. Believe me I walked in to her room one day to ask a question right when she was spraying her hair. I think it took me about a week to gain full use of my left eye after she inadvertently hit me with the stuff. Talk about pain that stuff knocked to the floor as soon as it hit my eye. Even flushing immediately did little to help. Being hair spray the stuff sticks real good to anything it hits. I got my first lesson in unorthodox defensive weaponry that day. I didn’t give it much thought until years later when my mom got an uninvited guest trying to get into the house. One of the transient bums from the homeless shelter down the street though my mom would be an easy target. He was drunk and determined. The rattling cans didn’t deter him he just shoved them aside but that was enough to alert my mom. She grabbed her RAVE hair spray and went to investigate. To her surprise the perp was opening her bedroom door as she was about to go see what all the noise in the dining room was. He of course was at the disadvantage because mom had surprise on her side. The perp was probably not expecting this little old lady with a determined look on her face to be ready to defend herself. As soon as he opened the door he got a face full of RAVE. This of course had the desired effect. The perp nearly broke his neck trying to get out of my mom’s house. One little thing my mom did to prevent cat escapes was to place a 2×4 across the entrance hall leaving enough room for the front door to open and to keep cats from making a mad dash for the door without hitting the 2×4. Well Mr. Bad Guy in his mad scramble to get out did not see this board and proceeded to trip over it on his way out the front door. This of course produced some rather anecdotal commentary from my mom when she told me what had happened. So with no fancy Alarm system and no Gun my mom managed to rid herself of an unwanted guest. It turns out that after mom filed the police report the perp was picked up a few hours later in the emergency room of the local hospital. It seems he was having vision issues and a bit of a bump on the head from his tumble out the front door of my mom’s house. It turned out this guy was bad news there had been a string of break-ins in the area and he was generally very unpleasant to the home owners if they confronted him. Most of the confrontations did not end well for the home owners.

In most of the cases they were elderly and unprepared for an intruder. In two of the cases the home owners had security systems but didn’t activate them. My mom’s security alarm did not require a security code or any form of activation. It is passive 24×7 protection. The cops involved in the investigation actually got quite a kick out of my mom and her little security system and defensive measures. For someone living on a fixed income with little to no resources to protect he home from the bad guys she managed to do something that others with the means and resources could not do. I will say if you can afford it having a good quality security system is always the best means of protecting you and yours but in the end it is your wits and a little pre-planning that will make the difference in anything you prepare for. We, as humans, tend to depend on technology more than we should and in some cases the convenience makes us lax and we lose to some degree the edge we will need in a SHTF scenario. My mom is not rich by any stretch but she has common sense and a severe dislike for high tech gadgets. Having those nice toys would be cool but in the end it won’t be the technology that keeps us alive it will be our own determination and hard work that keeps us alive. A dose of practical skills–not technology based–will be the difference between living or dying in the face of a world turned upside down, be it man’s own self destructive behavior or the wrath of nature. The few who think “outside the box” will be the ones who make it after the fall of civilization as we know it today.

JWR Adds: Readers should beware of using any chemical weapon that could cause permanent eye injury, such as lye or insect repellent. Even using hair spray might be misinterpreted as criminal intent to maim an opponent. In our litigious society, that could result in a lawsuit that could leave you without a home, and penniless. In localities where it is legal, I recommend large volume pepper spray dispensers. These are marketed primarily as bear repellent, with brand names like “Guard Alaska“, “Bear Guard”, and “17% Streetwise.” If they are legal in your jurisdiction, then buy several of the big one-pound dispensers, first making sure that they are at least a 12% OC formulation. Leave them concealed but quickly accessible in several parts of your home. You should keep one by your bedside, one near each exterior door, and one in your bathroom. (The latter, keeping in mind that criminals might break in at the most inopportune times!) Now that all of our kids have been properly trained with firearms, we take the same approach with keeping loaded guns handy. Here in the hinterboonies, it is four-legged rather than two-legged predators that are our main concern, but many of the same principles apply–such as maintaining at least Condition Yellow vigilance and keeping weapons close at hand.

Many of the major firearms training schools such as Front Sight, Gunsite, and Thunder Ranch make special accommodation for handicapped shooters. I highly recommend getting the best training available. Having a gun and knowing how to handle it confidently and competently is a tremendous equalizer. Even an 90 pound elderly woman can be a match for a 220 pound man in his 20s that is on steroids–but only if she has a gun handy and knows how to use it. Burglars: Beware of Granny with a Glock. FWIW, I’ve heard that wheelchair-bound students at Front Sight have received tremendous support and praise from their fellow students and instructors.

Regarding night shooting, I second your motion on backlighting. Short of using lethal force, you might also consider strobes or other dazzling lights or sirens that can be activated remotely. (Not in the same room that you are in!) That will be enough to “buffalo” most nighttime intruders. Used photographer’s strobes can often be found on eBay or on Craig’s List for very reasonable prices. Rigging a remote control switch is child’s play. And in a long term grid-down situation, a rechargeable boater’s compressed air horn might serve the same purpose as an electric siren. (See BoatersWorld item #367340023.)

I generally prefer tritium sights rather than Red Dot electronic sights. Red Dot sights are battery dependent and hence require regular inspection and maintenance, but tritium sights are always “on”. Tritium is a radioactive isotope gas that has an 11.2-year half-life, so that in 11 years they will still be half as bright as they were when bought “fresh”. Since in my experience most tritium sights are too bright when new, they effectively have a 22+ year useful life. No muss, no fuss, and no batteries to go dead.



Letter Re: Burning Soft Maple Wood as a Primary Home Heat Source

Jim:
A few comments about the article discussing soft maple as a “softwood” firewood. Technically, Soft Maple is not [classified as] a softwood, it is a hardwood. That being said, yes it is a fine firewood – sometimes better that hard maple because it dries faster. I’ve heated my farm house and barn 100% with wood for many years. I also own several 100 acre-plus stands for “hard” and “soft” maples.
A softwood is a needle-bearing conifer and a hardwood is a broadleaf deciduous tree. Some softwood trees have harder and stronger wood then many hardwood trees. Yellow Pine is a prime example of a very strong softwood. Basswood and Poplar are examples of very soft hardwoods.

When it comes to wood burning – all wood has the same basic heat energy per pound. However, woods vary in density and natural water content. Denser woods also take longer to dry which can be a factor in burning wood that has not had a lot of time to lose that moisture.

Soft maple weighs less by volume as hard maple, but dries faster and splits easier. Some hard woods, like Ash, have very low moisture content before drying. Hard maple, once dried properly has more heat energy per volume and will hold a fire longer in a woodstove or furnace with finite storage space for wood.
The main danger with burning true “softwoods” is the resin most carry that plugs chimneys. Most “hardwoods” don’t have the resins. Another potential danger with softwoods is – when dry they can burn very hot. We’ve used softwoods for years for heating up a fire quick when boiling maple sap to make syrup. When using a woodstove inside a house – that is normally
fired with hardwoods – a bunch of dry softwood thrown in can make it flare up fast – and ignite a chimney wall if coated with creosote.

One more comment about the maples. The generic names e.g. “soft maple” , “swamp maple”, etc. can mean different things in different places. In my area of New York, “soft maple” connotes Red Maple, and “swamp maple” is usually a reference to Silver Maple. Hard Maple usually means just the sugar maple, but is also applied to Black Maple. They all make good firewood – and – for making maple syrup – they all work to some degree. Red maple has less sugar content and therefore takes more boiling, making the best sugar producers Sugar and Black Maple.

For reference:
A dry cord of Basswood weighs 1,980 lbs. with 13,800 BTUs per cord. Hardwood
A dry cord of Soft Maple weighs 2,752 lbs. with 19,000 BTUs per cord. Hardwood
A dry cord of Soft Maple weighs 3,680 lbs. with 25,500 BTUs per cord Hardwood
A dry cord of White Pine weighs 2,250 lbs. with 15,600 BTUs per cord Softwood
– John in Central New York



Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric S. found this Reuters article: Prepare for big flu pandemic economic hit, UN says

   o o o

RBS sent this one: Dengue Fever Is A Potential Threat To US Public Health, Experts Say. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read my advice on preparing for pandemics. In particular, see the details on oral rehydration solutions. Stock up, or be prepared to make your own.

   o o o

Hardly a news flash: As housing slumps, realtors quit

   o o o

Uncle Sam seems to have made a successful “end run” at implementing a National ID Card: New Security Rules for US Driver’s Licenses