Letter Re: Why Survivalists Should Buy Local Organic Food

Mr. Rawles–please accept my apologies for replying so delinquently. I just found your “blog” and have to say it is quite good. Thanks for all your work.

Though I will admit to being an organic gardener for 20 odd years now I would like to reply to a few things L.D.M. said against organic gardening and in “praise” of commercial/chemical agriculture. My reply is from a “survivalist” perspective.

First..yes, American[-origin] natural gas is the basis for fertilizer not Middle Eastern oil. However…in a catastrophe of any type when you can’t get food how exactly are you planning on getting Inorganic fertilizers and bug sprays to continue to grow what you need to eat? If your soil is not built up with organic matter (humus) you are and will be completely dependent on having that “stuff”. Disregarding my aversion to poisons. Chemical agriculture used by a survivalist is like assuming you can buy cartridges in a store after everything goes down hill. Just not possible, and leaves you in a very poor position to actually survive.

Secondly, I would have thought that survivalist would be as updated on how Monsanto, chemical companies and the Bill Gates foundation spend millions (and millions) of dollars each year trying to convince people and countries that chemical fertilizers, bug poisons, and GMO products work. GMOs (as one example) which in turn require extensive inorganic fertilizers and chemical bug sprays, have many “lone wilderness voices” declaring they do not work—however they are drowned out by the advertising dollars spent by these large companies who try and encourage those who do not fully comprehend the problems to believe in or to buy their products again or instead of their open pollinated/organic seeds and supplies. It sounds like L.D.M. has bought their lies lock stock and barrel.

There are many farmers and farming organizations now coming out telling the stories of how organic is actually giving them a better yield for less work too. But of course they aren’t heard as much because as individuals they can’t compete with Bill Gates ability to yell louder. Yes, they have to be able to spend about three years to improve their soil but each one that does says it is worth it and finds that he/she is able to produce as well or more —especially under adverse weather conditions compared to plants and soil dependent on chemicals. That is because soil microbes and structure are destroyed by chemical over use leaving the plants like addicts and unable to grow healthy and well without their “fix”.

Lastly…commercial farming is a scam. I have to admit I was surprised to see that he felt it wasn’t [a scam]. To believe otherwise is silly. The only reason that most commercial farming works is because of large government subsidies—in the U.S and foreign countries. Also…they are allowed to get away with things we as individuals would have government knocking on our door and suing us over: polluted rivers/lakes and streams, feces left in huge open pits (better to use it to make power through methane digestion), animals that are sickly are sent through without thought as to whether they carry disease transferable to humans (through various vectors/paths) which makes our food supply suspect, in my opinion. It doesn’t take much to read up on some of these things to realize that we, as individuals, don’t actually get to buy cheap corn when we go to the store. We subsidize cheap corn —it cost us much more than we realize. Unless your not paying taxes of course. Otherwise you are supporting the commercial farms and not a local person who you can develop a relationship with and who may someday help you out.

So, to sum up my points. I do raise my own meat, milk and veggies and I know how to do it without spending a dime on anyone’s products. Yes, I do occasionally buy some organic soil amendments to resupply my soil—personal choice though and I don’t absolutely need them. This is mostly because my property was badly cared for by the previous owner. As each year passes I buy less and less amendments as my soil improves through the common sense care I give it—just as nature meant for it to be. Some of my property has never had any amendments accept lime and managed intensive grazing of livestock and looks 100 times better than when I first purchased it (check out stockman grassfarmer—every survivalist should understand how to raise quality livestock with grass
only because not every crummy situation may be unacceptable to raising livestock).

If the SHTF, I can keep on growing better and better, with guaranteed vitamin and mineral content, each year because I know how to do it, without being reliant on any companies claims or inputs. Even without manure from my livestock. No reliance on others products—isn’t that self sufficiency? And isn’t that what this is all about? – Monica D.

Economics and Investing:

D.S. flagged this:Why There will be no other Bubble to Save us from this 40 Year Financial Bubble: From Manufacturing, Technology, and Financial Services. Real Estate Bubble. Drop in Corporate Tax Receipts

D.S. also recommended an Op-Ed piece by Paul Krugman in The New York Times: Green Shoots and Glimmers

Kern County, California unemployment jumps to 15.9 percent. (Thanks to JWP for the link.)

Krys in Idaho sent us this article. US regulators close American Sterling Bank. Krys’s comment: “In case anyone’s counting, that’s an average of almost 1.5 banks closed every week so far this year. It is only April, yet we’ve already almost reached 2008’s tally of 25 bank closures for the year.” And reader Sparkey mentioned: “…you may note that it is headquartered in Elko, {Nevada] the center of the gold mining industry. The fact that the local economy is booming did not keep this bank afloat.”

Items from The Economatrix:

The American Mood: is the Angst Over the Economy Bottoming Out?

The International Monetary System Breakdown Underway

Citigroup Beats Forecasts as Sales Rise 99% “Today’s positive headline figure, however, strips out losses on bad debts and the huge costs of paying dividends to preferred shareholders. With these numbers included, the bank [had] a $966 million loss.” [Emphasis added.]

IMF Predicts Long, Deep Global Recession JWR’s comment: IMHO, “Long, Deep and Global” would be better characterized as a depression, not a recession

Sony Ericsson, Toshiba to Cut Nearly 6,000 Jobs

Obamarket Update #60, 61 & 62: You want me to eat what? “The full court propaganda press has the Dow back up over 8,100 today but as you shall see, this is on very shaky ground going into options expiration and our lives, our future is akin to riding a pogo stick in a minefield; we’re one bounce away from ‘KABLOOEY’ but the spinmeisters insist that they have found a clear path through the troubles (of course they did, they took a helicopter at tax payer expense).”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Warning: Don’t exhale, folks! The new and improved Obama-era EPA has declared carbon dioxide a “greenhouse gas”. Next, I suppose they’ll declare dihydrogen monoxide “a powerful unregulated universal chemical solvent.”

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Reader KAF flagged this: A cure for [honeybee] colony collapse–New research has proposed both a concrete cause for bee colony collapse disorder, as well as a cure

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KAF also sent a link to the latest commentary by political pundit Victor Davis Hanson: President of the World–The globe is hearing a deeply pessimistic view of what America was and is.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"With the exception only of the period of the gold standard, practically all governments of history have used their exclusive power to issue money to defraud and plunder the people." – Friedrich A. Hayek

Notes from JWR:

Wow! We are approaching eight million unique visits. Not bad for “an obscure niche blog.” Please keep spreading the word. Thanks!

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Today we present another entry for Round 22 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: 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 22 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Preparing Your Family for “Interesting” Times: A Covenantal Christian Perspective, by Jim B.

Discerning believers have sensed a decisive change coming for several years. If history truly repeats itself, we are heading into a season of judgment and serious difficulty which may last beyond our current generation. Whether judgment and difficulties are reflected in the current economic crisis, ongoing terrorist attacks, unrighteous leaders or a host of other combined circumstances, many believe we are on the threshold of very perilous times (II Timothy 3).

Our family ministry has done significant travel throughout the country over the past ten years, and we never fail to be in awe of the Great Shepherd’s faithfulness toward His people, regardless of denominational labels or minor doctrinal differences. As His people return to ancient paths, seeking truth rather than traditions of men, He speaks faithfully to His sheep, warning them of coming danger and teaching them to prepare. The same Almighty One who warned Joseph precisely how much grain to store, gave Noah dimensions for the ark, and walked through the fires of persecution with the three Hebrew children loves us passionately, instructs us clearly, and warns us faithfully of impending danger. As He is our perfect example of a prudent, loving Father, aren’t we also responsible to equip our own children for the days ahead?

This responsibility is not one that can be swept under the rug or ignored in ostrich-like fashion. Either our children will have strong spiritual foundations, proficient life skills, and Rock solid character, or they will perish in the days ahead. This is not a popular message. It is not being declared by most pulpits or keynote speakers. But ignoring the urgency will not lessen the need. It only wastes valuable time.

Many years ago, we revaluated the priorities in the education of our nine children. Our emphasis stopped being compliance with national test standards. We actually relocated to a state with few requirements and this allowed us to proceed with great liberty. If you find yourself jumping through extensive hoops of state oversight now, just wait a short while. I guarantee it will not improve in the future. Relocation is not the worst thing that can happen to your family. Ask the Father where He wants you to be. If He says stay, be content; if He says go, trust Him to make a way.
Upon relocation, we left behind our small scale experiments in urban homesteading and began a quest for rural self-sufficiency and a faith based on the simple truths of Scripture. This is an ongoing journey for us, with more to learn each day. Our adventures have helped us transition from two clueless young married city novices to a family team that includes nine children who are proficient in raising crops, building log homes, handling livestock, outdoorsmanship, ministry, and discerning truth from error. Over the years we refined our priorities into a form of education which will see our children, and hopefully many others, through whatever comes in their future.

Our primary priority in education is Spiritual Preparedness. This is foundational as we are told to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (our daily needs) will be added unto us.” The very first thing we do on a school day is to read and study Scripture. We are currently working through the writings of the Old Covenant prophets. We read a few chapters each day together, in addition to the personal reading and prayer we encourage each person to do in the morning and evening. One thing that has revolutionized our lives and doctrine has been the memorization of large passages and entire chapters of Scripture, rather than “memory verses”. The Word warns us of great apostasy and deception increasing in the last days; therefore we find it imperative to teach children not to isolate verses from their surrounding context. Verses are far too easily twisted and misapplied by dishonorable or biblically ignorant leaders and teachers. Even Peter warned of the tendency in his day to twist the words of Paul to justify lawlessness (II Peter 2, 3:14-17). Even the littlest child can be taught to memorize by adding a line per day, using rhythms, body motions, anything that makes it fresh for your children. And by all means, use real Bibles with children! The verbal rhythms and vocabulary of a KJV are not as hard for children to master as you might think. As they become older, continue memorization and add word studies from the Hebrew and Greek. Help them study and understand the Hebrew culture which places Scripture in its context. The important thing is that His Word must be hidden in their hearts to discern truth from error, right from wrong, and life from death. Our children must possess spiritual weapons which are sharp and well practiced to avoid the abundance of deception and confusion they will no doubt meet in the future.

The next priority under Spiritual Preparedness would be thorough instruction in the doctrine followed by the apostles and the earliest believer in our Savior (Acts 2:42). It has become increasingly clear to us that the roots of our faith are not in Rome, Geneva, Tulsa, Azusa Street, Lancaster County, or Brownsville. The roots of the faith go back to Jerusalem, and the Hebrew foundations of the earliest believers, prior to the hybridization which occurred after Constantine. We want our children to value and esteem truth above traditions of men or sensational experiences (even “signs and wonders”) which may directly conflict with Scripture; one of the warnings we have is that in the “last days” doctrines of demons will be rampant and even the elect will be vulnerable to deception. If our children are to be firmly grounded in truth, we must stop clinging to the words of man as if they were Scripture. Calvin was a man, Luther was a man, Menno Simons was a man, and Wesley was a man.

It is healthy for children to be familiar with the stories of heroes of the faith and movements in church history. It is sad that we have applied so much attention to the lives of the “Founding Fathers”, while neglecting to familiarize our children with Tyndale, Jan Hus, the Waldensians and others who surround us as “the great cloud of witnesses”. Preparedness for suffering for the sake of the Gospel comes from seeing our Father’s faithfulness and abundant grace toward those who have suffered before us. World history and geography come together when viewed through biographies of great men and women of the faith. However, while great men of the faith can challenge us and encourage us by their example, our doctrine must be firmly founded on the whole Word of YHWH, Genesis through Revelation, nothing added, nothing taken away.

Our second priority area in preparing our children for perilous times is mental/character preparedness. This can only be a building block laid securely on the solid foundation of spiritual preparedness. Developing attitudes conducive to sacrifice, rather than “survival of the fittest” is in direct opposition to the tendency of the flesh. A child who will not yield his favorite toy to his little sister will not share half of his last piece of bread when he is truly hungry and she cries for his mercy. These are not small issues of childishness to be ignored. Our children must be confronted with the ugly selfishness of their flesh, be led to full repentance, and taught to respond automatically with actions consistent with Kingdom living. In perilous times the ungodly and the superficially religious lose all courtesy and true believers become a candle in the darkness. Our children must understand that our provision is not dependent on selfishness, but the One who gave manna in the wilderness.

In addition to building relationship with the Almighty who provides manna, multiplies loaves and fishes, and turns water into wine, our children must cultivate an attitude of sober-mindedness, control of the tongue, and the ability to work cheerfully. Joking, impulsive speech, gossip, laziness, and quick over-familiarity are fleshly tendencies which may prove to be hazardous in the coming days if not kept in check. Healthy humor is part of the nature of our Creator, but He has no tolerance for mischief and foolishness and neither should we.

With the great increase in physical labor our children will likely face shortly, it is to our benefit and theirs’ to spend a significant portion of six work days in physically productive labor. However, without the ability to work cheerfully, maintaining a steady attitude of joy and peace even under great pressure, your home will become a breeding ground for resentment, rebellion, and outright resistance. Children can either be positively included in our work, or driven to exhaustion by manual drudgery. It’s all a matter of attitude, ours’ first, then theirs’. If we see ongoing financial hardship or disruption of services due to a change in the availability of fuel, our children will be needed to work alongside of us, rather than spending a great deal of time on recreational reading, running around to events, and other more self-oriented activities.

They will need to make fun out of real life accomplishments, rather than escaping to fiction on the screen or between pages. This is a good habit to instill now. Our children should be exposed to great and worthy books, given sparing time to appreciate the privilege of reading, and expected to serve others during the most productive hours of the day. By reading excellent literature, well written biographies, and doctrinal works the development of communication skills (writing, speech, etc.) will be a simple transition, rather than an artificial exercise in sentence diagramming. These communications skills will be of multiplied importance in the lives and futures of our children, as they will certainly be called upon to defend the faith as it was once delivered to the saints.

Children should be given thought provoking, open ended discussion questions, and then be challenged to defend their position from Scripture. They should not learn to simply parrot what we or any denomination teaches with out question. Their writing should become less like story-telling and more doctrinally apologetic, to prepare them to live in an increasingly antagonistic, openly pagan society. Surprisingly, most children of this generation have an inner sense that they will need these skills and disciplines; instead of becoming bored or overwhelmed, they rise beautifully to the challenge and shine as lights among their peers.

Our third and final emphasis in proactive preparedness education is upon life skills vs. storage of massive quantities of “stuff”. We certainly encourage all families to seek the Scriptures and His Voice of council in this matter. We have determined that skills are far more important than material storage, which can be lost to theft, impoundment (likely in a martial law scenario), or spoilage. One of the loud lessons we exhibit by massive storage is that problems are solved by throwing cash at them. It can be a false security, when not kept in practical balance. We can avoid the hard work of life changes and character improvement, by insulating ourselves from any imagined future discomfort. We are not against storage for a short term solution, but life skills such as finding food and water in wild places, making fishing equipment, gardening, or constructing shelters will be of far greater long term benefit and they cannot be taken away once learned.

Experience nature until it is a comfort zone. For special occasions, consider the gift of tools rather than toys. Equip the individual gift and interest of each child; take these interests seriously. Allow them to become very proficient until their skill is marketable, even in a barter economy. They may experience seasons in life where buying is not possible, but trading is.

This generation is the most likely to experience extreme hardship in our lifetime and has the fewest skills to successfully cope, thanks to our full acceptance of modernization and rejection of the simple agricultural and primitive life skills that served each generation prior to WWII. We have much catching up to do; our children need to be able to do simple things like start an outdoor fire and cook on it, navigate accurately on foot in wild places, and avoid evil people or deadly diseases. They have no time for paper plate puppet projects or baseball unit studies.

For the health care needs of your family, help your children become proficient in first aid procedures, natural and herbal remedies, and sound nutrition. Even if there are no major disastrous events in the lifetime of your children (which looks increasingly unlikely), the corruption of the current medical system is widespread and ominous. We have seen a “Christian” (denominational) hospital conduct workshops to teach medical professionals to “read auras, channel healing energies, and use shamanism” without the permission of their patients as part of treatment. This is occurring all around the world. Even the immunization issue is in most cases a controversial violation of Scriptural principles of separating the clean and unclean; there is no precedent in Scripture for purposeful contamination of our blood. It is time for our children to seek healing of their bodies by the Great Physician and learn how to practically use resources He has clearly given for comfort, disinfection, and promotion of health.
After learning “front-line” top priority emergency skills, secondary skills should become proficient. As in recent examples brought on by fuel price escalations, transportation and shipping are not issues to take lightly in a crisis. A failure in food supply transport can mean serious discomfort and even total chaos. With the increase of imported foods from countries with low environmental standards, antibiotic and hormone contamination of meat, and the rise in genetically modified “Frankenfoods”, it is prudent to decrease dependency upon the grocery store. Activities such as non-hybrid gardening, seed saving, hunting, livestock care, butchering should include children as they have been included throughout the history of mankind. These highly educational activities are far more practical than textbook science. Ten years ago, our then ten year old naturalist son learned anatomy by dissecting (butchering) a mammal specimen (deer). He checked out butchering and anatomy books from the library; following the “dissection’ of his second deer he was able to correctly identify most organs, muscles, bones, and types of joints. All the while, we laughed and talked of pioneer history, and the faithfulness of the Creator’s provision.

We have a limited and rare opportunity to focus on practical, significant, and intensely indispensable education for the sake of our children and our families’ survival. By fearlessly teaching these lessons to our children, we equip them to grasp their future as overcomers and Kingdom citizens. Nothing frightens a child more than uncertainty. By giving them tools to stand with us, we alleviate fear and give them hope for tomorrow. It’s high time we stop home schooling, with all its bells and whistles and game playing, and turn our focus toward home discipleship. This model is what we are commanded to accomplish in Deuteronomy 6, and will prepare our children to occupy until He comes. Our children’s physical and eternal lives depend on it. – Jim B.

Letter Re: Canadian Gun Shows–Behind The Power Curve

James,
Just sending this letter as a quick update to the situation with ammunition and “black guns” or defensive weapons in Canada. Contrary to what many people think, Canada does allow citizens to get licensed and own firearms of most types. Basically anything except full auto weapons unless you previously owned one years ago and were grandfathered after that particular portion of Nazi legislation was implemented.

This last weekend I was fortunate to attend Canada’s largest gun show in western Canada located in Cow Town, Calgary, Alberta. This gun show is nothing compared to the big shows across many of the US States (about 500 tables) however, none the less, it is an opportunity to meet with all the big vendors from across the country and pick up ammo and supplies with cash for OPSEC reasons, while you still can.

Its interesting to note that like the USA, supplies are rapidly drying up as far as defensive firearms, loaded ammo and reloading components but not yet reaching the levels of devastation as seen in the USA., yet. What we are seeing is this, because of the lag time with bureaucratic red tape processing of ammunition and firearms coming into Canada from the USA, there are a number of good-sized stockpiles of ammo and firearms that are still trickling through Canada Customs and into the local guns shops six months after the orders were placed which was about the time the supply runs began in the USA. I fear however that this will very soon no longer be the case due to the supply issues south of the border. For those in the know, we recognize that our window of opportunity to purchase such items is rapidly coming to a close. Massive supply runs have not yet begun, however supplies are drying up rapidly as preppers and those ahead of the ball are consuming the majority of the common calibers and associated reloading components.

Also very interesting: The vast majority of gun shop owners and vendors up here are completely asleep at the wheel where the supply issues are concerned. Many of them actually think that the delivery trucks will always be there to bring stock for their shelves. I’ve actually heard comments from such people as this “The government will not allow this to happen as it will hurt the firearms industry”. What have they been smoking? When I was at the show in Calgary this last weekend, it was rather humorous to approach many of the vendors who had the only significant quantities of the major calibers of ammo at this show (.45 ACP, .40 S&W , 9mm , .223, etc) and simply walk up to them, ask them how much for case lots of ammunition and then actually haggle with them and eventually purchase it at a much lower price than they were originally asking. If these folks knew that their supply was near complete extinction they wouldn’t even be selling it or would at least jack the price in accordance with the principles of supply and demand. But it was great for me, though. No complaints.

It was a good show where Canada was concerned, mainly because we mopped up what the golden horde was willing to trade for soon to be useless paper dollars (big laughs over that) and we were able to get the supplies that we know will soon be gone. We have reason to believe that the last of those cross-border ammunition imports might be done and over with and we will shortly see panic hit the regular gun crowd in Canada who will be left to fight over the odd box of shotgun slugs and pistol rounds at best.

Thanks for all you do. I hope this information is of interest to fellow Canadian SurvivalBlog readers. – Luke Duke

Economics and Investing:

Craig W. recommended this Don McAlvany address, in MP3 format: The Global State of Emergency Made Local

Reader G.G. sent this: Capital One sounds alert over surge in credit card loss rates

D.S. flagged this: A Thought for Tax Day: The Real Fiscal Crisis Is Yet to Come. The numbers cited are staggering!

Items from The Economatrix:

A “Copper Standard” For The World’s Currency? “China has woken up. The West is a black hole with all this money being printed. The Chinese are buying raw materials because it is a much better way to use their $1.9 trillion of reserves.” JWR’s comment: This is captivating but a true “standard” in copper is very unlikely, since copper is a base (non-precious) metal that can be mined in massive quantities on several continents. But this news does make me feel better about my recommendation to stock up on nickels (U.S. five cent pieces.) There is deflation now, but inflation coming, folks!

US Economy Goes Back to 1955 as Deflation Returns

US Housing Data Puts Obama’s Hopes On Hold “The fledgling recovery in the US housing market appears to have stalled, reducing the chance of President Barack Obama’s “glimmers of hope” turning into green shoots any time soon.”

US Walks Tightrope Over Bank Stress Tests The way the data is handled could spark a run on banks if done incorrectly.

White House Ties to Wall Street Doom Rescue

Low Inflation Likely to Last in Weak Economy

Recession’s Grip Tight On Jobs, Housing Market

March Housing Construction Drops 10.8%

Thrift Stores’ Business Booms Across US

Is Commercial Real Estate a Time Bomb?

Bankrupt Polaroid Draws $88.1 Million Top Bid from Patriarch

Odds ‘n Sods:

Layoffs begin at ammo plant. This article illustrates the inherent boneheaded stupidity of central planning. This decision was made four years ago.But now, with both civilian and military demand for ammunition soaring, they are closing a plant. (A tip of the hat to Florida Guy, for the link.)

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California: High-Capacity Magazines in the Crosshairs! Senate Bill 776, sponsored by Democrat State Senator Loni Hancock, has been introduced in Sacramento. “The bill has been assigned to the Senate Public Safety Committee and could be heard on Tuesday, April 21 or Tuesday, April 28. Simply put, SB776 would mandate the registration of all magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. The possession of unregistered magazines would be a crime and punishable up to a year in prison. It is critical that California gun owners voice their opposition to SB776.” Apparently, the existing law (that prohibited Californians from acquiring 11+ round magazines after December 31, 1999.) What do you want to be that the California legislature is going to mandate a 2-inch long bar-coded sticker on each magazine or “feeding device”, and a fee to register each item?. And, BTW, don’t bother trying to explain disintegrating link ammunition belts to these pointed-headed no-nothing do-gooders. (Yes, in California, a belt assembled from more that 10 links is considered a “high capacity feeding device.”)

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Jay Sekulow speaks out about pro-life groups being whitewashed as extremists and and potential terrorists in the leaked DHS report:: “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment“. That report, that I flagged as gray propaganda, back on April 13th, also tarnished the image of Constitutionalists, gun owners, and returning war veterans.

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Here is the latest publishing news on my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”: Amazon com currently has 13,000 copies on order, to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is ordering another 10,000 copies to be ready for a special “front of the store table” promotion, around Father’s Day. By April 28th–only three weeks after formal release–there will be 40,000 copies of the Ulysses Press edition in print! (The most recent print order was for another 20,000 copies.) And lastly, it looks like a major New York publishing firm will soon be inking a deal for two sequel novels. Many thanks to everyone for making “Patriots” such a huge success!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Icelanders discovered that trading bits of paper isn’t a productive enterprise. A handful of guys, who fancied themselves as financial experts, were taking out tens of billions of dollars in short term loans from abroad. They were then re-lending this money to themselves and their friends to buy assets, such as soccer teams, cars, homes, etc. Since the entire world’s assets were rising; thanks to people of like mentality paying crazy prices for everything, the Icelanders appeared to be making money. One non-Icelandic fund manager said that its like, “You have a dog and I have a cat. We agree that they are each worth a billion dollars. You sell me the dog for a billion, and I sell you the cat for a billion. Now, we are no longer pet owners, but Icelandic banks with a billion dollars in new assets. They created fake capital by trading assets amongst themselves at inflated values.” Doesn’t that sound like the rest of the world’s financial geniuses?” – Don Stott of Colorado Gold, posted in the Whiskey and Gunpowder e-newsletter

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 22 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: 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 22 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Cooper’s Color Codes and Bugging Out Before the SHTF, by H.I.C.

Colonel Jeff Cooper once wrote that he was born in another country. Born and raised in the US before the Great Depression, the country of his youth was no longer. It had been hijacked by pointy headed socialists with academic degrees and not a trace of common sense. At 50 years of age I not only agree, but maintain that the “New America” based upon a globalized economy, Federalized powers, and an Urban-centered society is dying. Our great country is dying and our great cities will burn in the funeral pyre.

Most Americans know that survival in our great cities, deserts, and marginal climate areas of the US would not be possible without continued delivery of basic Supplies (food and gasoline), Services (water, electrical power, natural gas), and Civil Order (rule of law, generally accepted currency). What they may not know is that these great cities have no great food warehouses, no great fuel tank farms, few electrical power plants, few water storage reservoirs, and they have disarmed the law abiding public at every turn. These supplies are transported by thousands of semi trucks, ships, barges, and trains every single day. If a sudden crisis disrupts transportation, if we lose the use of our interstate highways or the diesel fuel to transport supplies, everyone in these cities will either have to leave or they will die.

Recent hurricanes, recessions, and terrorist events are reminders that our modern society is fragile and that critical supplies, services, and civil order will likely be interrupted by any major event. Look at what happened to New Orleans (population 480,000) during Hurricane Katrina. More than half the population left early, but when the storm hit, tens of thousands either would not or could not leave. Now imagine these barbaric conditions in a city like Phoenix (population 2 million) or Los Angeles (population 10 million). Now imagine it happening all across the US if our oil refineries are either destroyed or the world runs out of crude oil.

Transportation in the US is totally dependent on crude oil and most of this oil comes from folks who hate us. The supplies underground and our ability to find new supplies are diminishing and no one knows how much is left. Even without the potential for a renewed terrorist attack using WMDs, or the long dreaded west coast mega-quake, our cities will not be sustainable without some new technology. Renewable power sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal can produce electricity but do not effectively power transportation. Hopefully most Americans can be sufficiently motivated to move out the cities with their families, but those who will not listen must feel.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I think it is a common belief by newly awaken survivalist that they can keep living in a big city until the stuff actually hits the fan and then bug out with their vehicle and all of the survival gear and prepared food. I am curious, have any of you actually tried this? Have you taken the time and effort to load your vehicle with thousands of pounds of guns, ammo, survival gear, and freeze dried food? Have you then driven through a major city, a long distance interstate trip, stopped for the night, or had car trouble? And what if you are forced to bug out without shelter and a considerable amount of food, have you really improved your chances for survival?

I have and the whole process was a pain in the . I hooked up my one ton pickup to my 5th wheel trailer, filled it with the guns, ammo, tools, extra fuel, and food storage, and the rig grossed at 18,000 lbs. Let me tell you this was not bugging out, this was crawling out. Even powered by a Cummins Diesel, nothing weighing 9 tons moves quickly or escapes over steep or narrow roads. I also tried towing an open trailer filled with a tractor and tools cross country and learned about road trash puncturing trailer tires and criminals loitering at rest stops and RV parks. Fortunately, these problems surfaced during normal times when the highways are open, fuel is available, and I was the only one freaking out. My experience is telling me that the best response is to move away from the cities before an event. Move to a more secure area now. Preposition your survival tools and food storage at a secure site before the stuff really hits the fan. Then find a way to move there your self.
I have read all the government’s emergency preparedness books talking about folks pulling together, one big nation singing Kumbaya. But I have also read the postings from folks who were late evacuating New Orleans. Many of them were threatened, robbed, and assaulted by their neighbors simply because they were better prepared. I do not know if this entitlement mentality is really that widespread, but experience suggests that Americans will get scared and will act like animals.

Deciding When to Leave; Cooper’s Colors for a Social Crisis.
Jeff Cooper also devised a series of situational awareness colors to allow his self defense students to make proper decisions and know when to use deadly force to protect their lives and family. Borrowing Cooper’s Colors for a social crisis I suggest the following:

Condition White) Circa 1981-1988: Following the Vietnam war, Watergate, and the Iran hostage crisis, the US was ready for a positive change. During the Reagan years we challenged the Soviet Union and emerged as the world’s lone supper power. Despite some evidence to the contrary, we felt that we had no reason to be concerned by terrorism. Paul Volcker tamed inflation by inducing a severe recession. We all shared the economic pain, then we shared the rewards of a growing and stable economy combined with low inflation. Social changes were being made slowly and with participation from the general public. The Government rarely took violent actions against protesters. Crime was random and quickly dealt with by law enforcement.
Tough times, but the US government was working for the People.

Condition Yellow) Circa 1989-1998: The US is struck repeatedly by terrorists at home and abroad. The Government treats this as a criminal manner. The economy fluctuates but appears to correct itself rapidly and without visible government interference. The US starts pursuing free trade and globalization treaties. Manufacturing, agricultural, and finally high wage jobs are being outsourced. High risk mortgages and investments are legalized and encouraged. Presidents Bush (I) and Clinton start talking about and building a “New World Order”. Social changes are being made to protect and benefit the people in power, without participation from the general public. The Government begins to track, infiltrate, and take deadly action against small religious groups and grass roots militias. Law abiding citizens are blamed for violent crime and gun ownership is highly regulated. The only bright spot during this decade is the results of the 1994 midterm election and the subsequent Contract with America.
A break of trust between the US Government and the People. Citizens should store guns, ammo, food, and fuel. Prepare financially, physically, and mentally for change.

Condition Orange) Circa 1999-2006: The US is struck repeatedly by terrorists at home and abroad. The Government responds by aggressive military action designed to change the conditions in countries hosting terrorists. The economy fluctuates between extremes of growth and recession, as if no one knows the true worth of these commodities and major corporations. The Government begins to spend massive amounts of money on the war and hides this spending off budget. Price increases affect the availability of food and fuel. Social changes are being made without participation of the citizens or even the US Congress. The most offensive of these changes are rammed down the throat of a disbelieving public by the courts and petty bureaucrats. The heavy handed tactics of the State and Federal Government begin expanding the number and boldness of protest groups, well ahead of their attempts to control them. Crime is increasingly organized by gangs, carried out by minors and illegal aliens, and is funded by illegal drugs. Law enforcement is not effective against this and many believe the problem is intractable.
A second break of trust. Citizens should liquidate their financial assets, purchase and store critical supplies and solar panels, and move to safer locations.

Condition Red) Circa 2007 – ????: High risk loans, derivatives, and credit default swaps cause huge financial losses and trigger irrational stimulus spending. The US Treasury and US Federal Reserve start taking up major ownership stakes in US corporations, then use this position to control the means of production. They announce plans to create a Federal domestic police force. This may be used to enforce new requirements for domestic passports, travel restrictions, and to deal with any visible protests. The Obama Administration is full of folks committed to new laws regulating guns ownership and banning the sale of effective defensive weapons, ammo, and reloading components. Large scale energy, income, and sales tax increases are planned. I believe that Americans will again be deprived from owning real [precious metals] money. Our currency will be devalued by perhaps 80% to offset the massive Federal spending. Price controls and rationing of food and fuel will be introduced by executive order. During the Great Depression, FDR banned the private holding of gold and foreign currency. US dollars (gold certificates) were replaced by Federal Reserve Notes. Many banks were closed without returning deposits to account holders and what little cash was left in the hands of the people was devalued by the Treasury by 40%.

Many folks are moving out of large cities. They are buying rural land and planting a garden. They are buying and hoarding guns, ammo, food, fuel, and looking to buy gold and silver. While economic conditions appear bad, the break of trust between the Government and the People is more reminiscent of the Civil War than the Great Depression.

Can You Make an Orderly Transition?
a) Moving Out of the City but Keeping Your Job.
Many folks simply can not leave their big city job and feel trapped. For them, moving your family out of the city and keeping your present job, and commuting back and forth may be the best interim solution. You might look at public transportation in your area and see if you could buy a home near this. Also consider owning a Jeep or a pickup that can contain survival tools, food storage, hiking boots, even a mountain bike and commute using that vehicle when you feel that a crisis could be imminent. You need to practice for this occasionally to find out how to drive home without using freeways, or clogged intersections, or having to refill your gas tank. If you plan on biking home, why not try it once a month. Find out now if it is a viable alternative.

b) Career Changes that Improve Your Preparedness.
Some friends of mine recently underwent a significant career change. They left their research position at a US government lab in California to take a college professorship in a small Midwestern town. There are many opportunities for folks to change careers and significantly improving their preparedness level without losing their career and every thing they have built. Creating a portable small business, building a farm or ranch, taking a related job in small town America are all good ways to improve your position without the big and scary step of quitting and living off your savings.

c) Transfers and Early Retirement.
I moved out of Los Angeles 25 years ago, to a small desert town three hours away. I soon plan to retire and move even further away from California and its enormous insatiable and unsustainable cities and their outrageous politics. Often times these transitional changes take years of planning and savings to carry out successfully. For me, the years of planning and savings are worth it. If you are just a few years away from retirement, you might want to find out the rules and calculate how to retire early and how much such a change would cost you in the long run.

How Can You Bug Out Safely?

d) What are you Bugging Out From.
This may be the most important question. I believe that you must know what you fear before you can plan what to do, and ultimately where to go. What could convince you that you must leave your current home? Are you worried about a natural disaster such as a hurricane, an earthquake, or a tsunami. Perhaps you are concerned about a 1930s type depression, a renewed terrorist strike, or a combination of events that teardown the rule of law and allow rioting and conflict on a nationwide scale. If you are just worried about keep yourself employed in our current economic mess, you might consider mobility and job skills more important than bugging out. But if you have come to the conclusion that the American society will fracture when subjected to enough stress and that the inevitable reaction to almost any sudden crisis will be rioting and nationwide loss of the rule of law, you might want to consider moving to an area where you fit in and are accepted by the community.

e) Selecting the best route and location.
Leaving your “Big City” job and moving back to your home town is a pretty popular idea right now, perhaps even smarter than trying to start a new life in a new and strange part of the country. I grew up on a small farm in the Midwest and am planning to move back to a small farm. When I talk to my new neighbors I find that I actually have more in common with them culturally that the folks I have worked with here in California for over 25 years. Truth is I am still a farm boy who is more concerned with my farm and livestock than I am with a Lexus or a wide screen entertainment system. No one seems to be much impressed about my “Big City” job but every one is stoked that I am a qualified gunsmith and can trap beaver out of the creek.

Some good friends of mine moved back to their home town of Sandpoint, Idaho about 12 years ago. Northern Idaho seems like a nice enough place when I visited a back then, but even a couple of local boys with engineering degrees had a hard time landing a full time job. Perhaps moving where you can actually find a job and where you can still afford some nice farm land would make more sense than moving to someone else’s idea of an ideal location, (Sorry, James).

The same applies to your route selection. Staying away from the inner city areas that always seem to be the flash points for social unrest seems obvious. But perhaps moving out of the big city early is more important than planning the best escape route and waiting too long. If you must wait until the last minute you should consider finding a bug out location that is within a very short drive, say only a few hours away. Another advantage of have a “local” bug out location is using as a vacation spot on long weekends. Suddenly, taking a week off and driving out of the city is more of a regular occurrence. If you practice it often, it is more likely to work under the added stress of a real crisis event. [JWR Adds: The drawback to this is that if your retreat is in close proximity for you, then it is also in close proximity for The Golden Horde. A three hour drive out of Los Angeles, is just about where most refugees will be running out of fuel. Choose your retreat locale wisely, well-away from exit corridors and natural lines of drift.]

f) What to Carry, What to Pre-position.
Even if you have a very secure location to preposition or cache goods and equipment, I believe that you need to store the primary means of survival at your home and be prepared to carry it with you. I define the primary means of survival as food, water, shelter, clothing, and protection from immediate harm. Secondary stuff would be the means to sustain life beyond the immediate threat, i.e. productive land to grow food, livestock, tractors and farm equipment, means of producing electrical power, reload ammunition, trade goods, gold and silver. I recommend that you keep the primary stuff at home and have the means of transporting it to safety at a moment’s notice. You may choose to store the secondary stuff at your retreat location (and take the risk of theft) or at home (depending upon your ability to transport it). In practice, I would suggest that the heaviest and most bulky secondary items should be pre-positioned or cached at the retreat location.

g) Selecting a Bug Out Vehicle.
If you plan to–or fear you may have to–make a lengthy bug out trip with a loaded vehicle during crisis conditions you might consider the fuel range and load capacity as the most important considerations. While recently designed gasoline vehicles tend to be very reliable and more fuel efficient than trucks built in the 1970s, their fuel mileage is still much lower than an equivalent turbo diesel with a manual transmission. Plus it is easier to add significant auxiliary fuel storage tanks to a diesel. My number one recommendation for a bug out vehicle is a 1994 thru 1997 Dodge Cummins one ton pickup with a 5 speed manual transmission and 3.54 rear end. Add a 90 gal Aux. fuel/tool box combo for 1,900 mile range without stopping to refuel.

What If You Leave Too Early?

h) Leaving When You Should.
Human nature is a funny thing. Through out history folks have remained in very dangerous conditions, literally losing their own life, because they are afraid of public ridicule for running away. This was particularly true with the Jews in 1930s Germany. While leaving may have been difficult and even prohibited by the Nazis, it was possible. So why did so many folks bow to social pressure to remain. Who cares what the sheeple think, learn to run like a scared little rabbit. If you can not move to a safe area permanently, then find a way to move there temporarily. Look for an opportunity to take a sabbatical, or take time off to care for an aging parent, or to work part time. Look for anything that allows you to leave the most dangerous area at the first hint of a crisis. Yes, your friends may harass you for bugging out too early and slinking back a couple of weeks later. Just remember who they are and invite only those folks who seem to understand the risks we appear to be facing.

i) Leaving Yourself a Way to Return.
Please do not plan to max out your credit cards, pull out of your retirement accounts, or burn bridges with your boss. History is full of folks who thought they knew the end of the world was coming, only to be forced to deal with reality the next day. Did you ever hear of the 1840s religious group, the Millerites? They gave away everything they owned because their leader knew that Christ would return on a particular day. Leave yourself a safe way to return to your old life if you decision to bug out is wrong. While I believe that it is a much better plan to live in a safe area all the time than try to predict the event, I also recognize that many people can not move quickly enough. I believe that the Bible states that the end will arrive like a thief in the night. No notice, no warning, one second every thing is fine and the next second the world has changed radically.

j) Living with Your Mistakes.
It is possible that you will be caught up in a crisis in spite of all your preparations. Perhaps you needed to travel to a big city hospital or take a long range flight on just the wrong day. Perhaps a crisis develops while you are living your life and not really paying any attention. Life is not going to send you any emails telling you that the stuff has hit the fan and you are now on your own. I recommend that you always carry a bug out bag with the basic survival food and equipment, and bring along your knowledge, skills, experience with you. Carry enough gold, silver, and cash to replace some of your preparations and allow you to purchase the means to get home if you are caught taking a long distance flight.

Summary.
There really is not any way to know what they future is going to look like. We could experience a long degrading slide into the dust bin of history (France, Spain, Japan) or in a blinding flash of cataclysm (1917 Russia, 1934 Germany, 2001 Argentina). We could be looking at a repeat of the Great Depression, a World Was over the remaining oil supplies, or a second Civil War. What I do know is that our Government has been corrupted and is responding to the unbridled greed of an elite few and against the needs of the many. Studying our own history and the history of other developed nations under similar shows two clear possible futures: Those that shared the pain recovered, those that spared the elite at the expense of the many suffered from long debilitating economic depressions that often decayed into Civil War, Fascism, or Communism.

I would rather face the future surrounded by like-minded people in an area that can support both my life and a sustainable society. A society that is not dependent on long distance transportation of critical goods, non-renewable energy sources, centralized control and just in time deliveries, or intensive industrialized agriculture. I was born on a small farm in the breadbasket of the world, and I want my country back!

Letter Re: Highly Productive Home Gardens

JWR:
My name is Tom Johns. I just read a letter in your blog that mentioned my company; Territorial Seed Company (TSC). With regards to your reader’s comment about “with the change in management” concerning Territorial Seed Company, he implied that there has been a recent change. The facts are that my wife Julie and I purchased Territorial from Steve in 1985. Steve founded Territorial in 1979, and operated TSC for five years, and Julie and I have had the company for 25 years now.

Also, the reader mentioned that we are decreasing the amount of Open Pollinated or Heirloom seed varieties that we sell. The truth in the matter is that since 1985 we have increased our Open Pollinated offerings by hundreds of varieties. In addition I think it’s important to note that at the time we purchased TSC, Territorial did not have a seed production program, nor did it really need one. But over the years good home garden varieties started to become discontinued from the world’s largest seed houses. This was primarily from consolidation of major seed companies. About 15 years ago in response to this loss of varieties, we started our own seed production program. Today, we have become a much more self-sufficient company, as 25% of all the vegetable seed we sell comes from our own certified organic seed farming operation.

In addition, we now also own Abundant Life Seed. Founded in Port Townsend, Washington this company sells only certified organic seed. For more information about our efforts you can learn more at:

http://www.territorialseed.com and http://www.abundantlifeseeds.com

– Tom Johns President, TSC

JWR Replies: Since that reader made some false assertions, I have removed the original post that Mr Johns mentioned.

Letter Re: Free GPS Topographical Map Software and Adjuncts

JWR,
I read the letter from Grant regarding free topographic maps and I have an even easier method [if you don’t need to download data into a GPS receiver.] You can go to the USGS web site and use the GoogleMap API to find the area that you want a map of. Once you find the area, just click the “MARK POINTS” Radio button and click on the map. The marker that shows up will have the option of ordering paper copies of the map for $6 or free download. You can download your standard 7.5 minute topographic map in PDF format and if you also use the free TerraGo Desktop (the USGS site has a link to it) you can use Adobe’s free reader to compute distance, calculate area, find elevation, find lat/long, compute bearings, etc, all for free.

I’ve downloaded numerous maps and they’re all excellent quality. It’s the best source I can find for free maps and it’s courtesy of the US Taxpayers. – LexNaturalis

Economics and Investing:

From G.G.: Brace For Hyper-Inflation

Spotted in the Drudge Report news links: Magazine Ad Pages Decline Almost 26% in First Quarter

G.G. also sent a link to yesterday’s Dilbert cartoon strip. G.G.’s comment: Dilbert is channeling [economist Gerald] Celente.

Items from The Economatrix:

How Consumers Can Take Smart Advantage of Falling Prices

Fed Finds Faint Signs Economy Starting to Level Off

Ron Paul: Audit the Fed

Art Market Crashes

401(k) Losses Devastate Retirees

Glamour Dims as Hecklers Hit Auto Shows

Gasoline Expected to Remain Cheap this Summer

Food Auctions Thrive During Recession

General Growth, 2nd Largest Mall Owner, Fails Historic real estate failure, more than 200 malls

US Foreclosures Up 24% in 1st Quarter

Another Fairy Tale: JPMorganChase 1Q Beats Expectations

TARP Cash Isn’t Moving Forward “The largest bank recipients of U.S. government aid are offering less credit to businesses and consumers, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, reflecting and exacerbating the tenuous state of the current economic environment.”

Economic Data Contradicts Obama Optimism

Biggest Drop in US Industrial Output Since WWII

Global Demand Hopes Propel Oil Higher

OPEC Sees “Devastating Contraction” in Oil Demand