Note from JWR:

The re-launch of SurvivalRealty.com (our spin-off web site) is now in progress. If you are looking for retreat property, then check it out! OBTW, if you know of anyone that has a retreat-worthy property for sale, please let them know that free ads are available for the first month, and thereafter, they will cost just $1 per day! Both real estate agents and “For Sale By Owner” advertisers are welcome.

Letter Re: Help With a Non-Preparedness Minded Spouse

Dear Jim and Memsahib,
I have been discussing preparedness lately with several of my close friends. One of the things that has aided me in winning friends over to being preparedness minded is your book. Usually, once loaned to a guy, the fellow sees how plausible something like that really is and they begin to prepare. The problem is this; overwhelmingly we find have trouble with our wives. My wife, for example, says please don’t talk to me about that stuff; just tell me to get in the car when its time to go and I’ll go. She tolerates my extra purchases and the buckets in various stages of filling, but she doesn’t like to talk about preparedness. I even present it all as a message of hope, as an idea of peace in the midst of the storm from a God given common sense to prepare (Proverbs 6:6). I tell her that I do this so that we can be okay and help others. She still doesn’t want to talk about it. Several of my other friends have had similar experiences. I have been wondering what we can do. No offense, but they generally have little or no interest in reading your book, partly because it is overwhelmingly male in its tone (thanks for that). But the tactical speak, and all of the military acronyms drive the cover shut in my experience.

So, my request is that the Memsahib writes or has ghost written, a book on preparedness and survivalism from a woman’s point of view. You know, something to bring out that prepared mother instinct in these ladies. Please help before we are all sleeping on stacks of buckets!

Thanks for the consideration, – Trevor

The Memsahib Replies: First, you need to be thankful that your wife trusts you and trusts your judgment about the state of the world. Many people are in complete denial. Many people contend that our nation will always be a super power and we will always be able to give our children a better life than we had. She probably has family members and friends that are telling her that your belief in the fragility of society is silly or downright whacko. Be thankful your wife is willing to trust your judgment even if it goes against her parents, her siblings, and her best friends.

Be thankful that your wife trusts your judgment so much that “she tolerates my extra purchases and the buckets in various stages of filling.” Many other preppers are married to spouses who resent any part of the family budget being spent on storage food or tactical gear.

Your chief complaint is that your wife “doesn’t want to talk about it.” Let me explain why she and many other wives don’t want to talk about it. Your wife’s greatest drive is for the happiness and prospering of her children. When you talk survival as a man you are thinking in terms of the big picture. It is a challenge and you will prove your manhood by surviving. But, when you talk of survival to your wife. She is thinking specifically how your dark future is going to impact her babies! She has dreams for her babies for a hope and a future. How is the storybook wedding that she dreams of for her daughter going to happen in TEOTWAWKI? How are her sons going to find sweet Christian brides when you all are living in a bunker?! What about her fantasy of a family vacation with all her grandchildren to Hawaii? Will there even be commercial flights in your vision of the future? When you talk of survivalism you are dashing all her cherished dreams for the future. She might follow your headship to prepare for the gritty life you envision. But, she would rather not talk about it. She must live in her hope that the future for her darlings won’t be the struggle to survive that you foretell.

You say, “I even present it all as a message of hope, as an idea of peace in the midst of the storm from a God given common sense to prepare.” And she thinks “how can there be hope and peace in your survivalist future?” She knows Jesus said, “For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.” (Luke 23:29). No, she cannot see any hope and peace for her beloved children in the days that you say are coming.

Trevor, the bottom line is: She is not a man and if you keep expecting her to react like a man you will do one of two things. You will either drive her into a state of depression, or you will so alienate her that she will completely reject all preparations.

Thank your wife for trusting your judgment, and get some male friends talk “gloom and doom” and “Ain’t it awful” with! Sincerely, – The Memsahib

Letter Re: The Five Minute Bank Run

Dear Mr. Rawles:
I wanted to tell you a personal experience I just had at the bank that scares me to death. If you think a bank can last a few days during a bank run, then you will be very surprised by my story.

I wanted to withdraw $10,000 from a JP Morgan Chase Bank branch in a local Houston [, Texas] suburb. Chase is the second largest bank in the US and Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. I went in and said: “Can I please have my money?” The teller disappeared for 10 minutes and then came back, and told me to my surprise that “We don’t carry that much cash on hand”. I was shocked. I said: “Are you kidding me?” She went on to explain that, even though this was a payday weekend at the end of the month (which means they have more cash on hand than usual), if I took that amount from them, they would be completely out of cash in a few hours. They suggested that I travel seven miles to a larger local Chase branch and ask them.

So, I drove over to the larger Chase branch. When I got there, they had only one teller working (now think about the implications of one teller working during a bank run with hundreds of people in line). After waiting in line for 10 minutes, I walked up to the teller and asked her for the amount. She then told me that she would have to go into the vault to see if they had enough money there! Now this is getting scary because I was starting to think that I might not get my cash – and this isn’t even a bank run! She came back with the cash and gave it to me, but then told me that I need to call ahead next time for that amount. Hmmm… $10,000 just isn’t that great an amount and now I need to call ahead?

I wanted to tell you this story because the implications are very scary: the second largest bank in the USA in the fourth largest metropolitan area only has enough cash on hand to allow one depositor to empty his/her account. A bank run in the USA would only last five minutes because only a handful of people will be able to get their money out [in cash].

Needless to say, I am getting all my money out, ASAP. – W.D.in Texas

Letter Re: The US Tax Giveaway Economic Stimulus Charade

Mr. Rawles,
On June 27, 2008 the following Associated Press headline was on Yahoo Finance: After-tax incomes and spending show big gains. “The millions of economic stimulus payments gave a massive jolt to household finanances (sic) in May, sending after-tax incomes up by the largest amount in 33 years.”

Q: Does borrowing money from the next two generations, while saddling our grandkids with principal and interest repayment obligations to foreign countries really now count as “after tax income”?

A: Not to regular SurvivalBlog readers.

Regards, – Kevin A.

JWR Replies: Those with the Big Government mindset would answer: “Oh, but we just owe it to ourselves!” Or as J. Wellington Wimpy, from the Popeye comic strip would say: “”I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!”

FWIW, I’m planning to spend my IRS “stimulus” check on some more full capacity magazines (aka “high capacity” in the liberal lexicon) and some .45 ACP ammunition, while they are still somewhat affordable.

Letter Re: Victory in the DC v. Heller US Supreme Court Decision–With Some Reservations

Hi Jim,
I was just reading your very excellent SurvivalBlog [post on the Heller decision] this morning. A great site you have.

Regarding Mr. Gura, don’t be too hard on him because he appeared to throw machine guns under the bus at oral argument. I believe that Gura made a tactical decision not to discuss machine guns because he knew that, for now, the machine gun issue was a loser of an argument, and would distract from a more important first step: getting the Second Amendment declared as an individual right. Now that the court has declared (as those of us who can read plain English have known all along) that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, we can work toward machine guns and carrying weapons for self-defense outside the home.

Besides, if you look at what Gura actually argued (quoted in your post), Gura does not say that constitutional protections don’t apply to machine guns, he merely repeats what US v. Miller has already stated, that if weapons are show to be not normally in use by the Militia, then we might not have a right to these. But machine guns are in use by militia members. Just go to Knob Creek every Fall and check out the action at the Machine Gun Shoot. Moreover, as you noted, government can’t illegally ban a class of weapons, wait 70 years, and then make the absurd claim that such weapons are not permitted under the Second Amendment because they aren’t in common use at the time the case is finally litigated 70 years later.

Remember that the reason why we got a ruling like the one we got in Miller is because the defendant did not show up and present evidence that sawed-off shotguns were in common use at the time. This leaves ample room for future litigants to demonstrate common use of machine guns, SBRs, SBSs, and suppressed weapons. I don’t think we’ve lost anything here.

I believe that restoring the Second Amendment to its rightful place alongside our other Constitutional rights will be the “new” civil rights movement for the next generation. Gradually we will chip away at laws intended to burden the lawful use of firearms, just as activists in the 1950s and 1960s chipped away at laws intended to oppress minorities and women. The Second Amendment recognizes an important right for citizens who intend on self-governance. I look forward to seeing it restored to esteem equal to that with which our society regards the First and Fourth Amendments. Best to you, – A.L., Esq.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers mentioned this “must read” article from England: ‘The Archers’ brings the idea of a self-sufficient community to the fore

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My brother sent me this link: Something May be Wrong with the Sun–and the Weather Could Get COLDER

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Hawaiian K. and Steve spotted this over at the Kitco forums: US meltdown within weeks?

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There are now just three days left in BulletProofME.com’s special sale on Interceptor Body Armor and Kevlar helmets, just for SurvivalBlog readers.

Letter Re: Kudos for the WRSA’s Medical Training

James,
I would like to recommend to anyone looking for medical training in grid down austere environments to attend the 2-1/2 day course offered by Western Rifle Shooter’s Association (WRSA). My wife and I recently attended their course in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho this past weekend, and found the course informative and thought provoking, considering ing the times ahead of us. Hands-on training in suturing, wound triage, and trauma wounds were a plus to our animal husbandry skills. Another great aspect is [meeting] the like-minded people that attended this event.

The Western Rifle Shooter’s Association is scheduling more clinics this summer, so look for their ads. BTW, I also recommend their rifleman classes. – Kepha in Idaho

Letter Re: Lessons From Grandpa–Firewood Cutting for Seasonal Employment

Good morning, Mr. Rawles.
Thank you for your good work. I have reciprocated by being a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber from a while ago.

I wish to correct an item from today’s SurvivalBlog entry – while otherwise a very, very nice article – Lessons From Grandpa–Firewood Cutting for Seasonal Employment, by JSW

The author says “a Pickeroon [a.k.a. “Peavey” or “Cant Hook”] which is glaringly incorrect; they are three separate and unique tools. A pickeroon is a short-handled hookeroon – which is a single straight pick about six inches long set at a 90 degree angle from the end of the tool handle. A pickeroon has about a 14 to 16 inch straight axe-type handle and a hookeroon has about a 24 to 28 inch straight axe-type handle. Either tool is used in conjunction with a pulp hook in reaching for, moving and tossing cord-sized wood up to 4 feet long. Think of a pickeroon as a hatchet-sized hookeroon. All three were very popular in the pulp-wood industry.
A pulp hook, by the way, looks like a farmer’s hay hook only much more substantial.

A Peavey is a river-driver’s tool much like a cant-hook. Typical Peavey handles are 48 inches long and round-shafted; some Peavey handles may be up to six feet long. Like a cant hook, they have a free-swinging J-shaped hook suspended from a steel collar on the working end of the tool, but unlike a cant-hook [they] have a straight spike from 4 to 8 inches long jutting straight from the working end and secured by the same steel collar. While a Peavey is okay for rolling logs on the ground, its primary purpose is turning and pushing loose logs in water. Many a logjam has been corrected with good Peavey men working with others with pike poles.

A cant hook is built just like a Peavey but with a shorter handle seldom more than 4 feet long. It has the same or similar steel collar and suspended J-hook, but instead of a straight spike has a smaller steel hook or double hook bent 90 degrees from the collar in the downward direction of the suspended J-hook. The primary purpose of a cant hook is indeed turning logs on the ground, which with practice works slightly better than using a Peavey for the same purpose. Unlike use on the river, cant hooks were used most on landings, decks and in the mill yard.

The “Peavey” is named after a New England man from the 1850s whose last name was Peavey.

Sorry to nit-pick, but as these tools are becoming more common it would be wise for others to use correct terminology. A good reference is Bernard S. Mason’s The Book for Junior Woodsmen from A.S. Barnes Co., New York published in 1945 and long out-of-print. Others may find copies in the usual venues for old books. I highly recommend it for those exploring new ways to use old woodsmen tools. Two other excellent books are Spiked Boots and Tall Timber and Tough Men, both by Robert S. Pike. They were recently re-printed by The Countryman Press in Vermont .

I am a long-time soon to retire rural law enforcement officer with many years experience in a timber-industry and logging background. Our family has lived in the same county for approaching 400 years now and we know a bit about farming and logging. Regards, – Ancient Woodsman

JWR Replies: Thanks for setting me straight on the tool terminology. The error was mine, not the author’s, since I was the one that added the mention of the other tools in brackets.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader KT mentioned that Mike Kemp’s analysis of the Heller Second Amendment supreme court ruling has been posted at the Staying Alive blog.

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Hawaiian K. recommend a web site with some tips on survival cooking.

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I ‘ve discussed cartridge and shotshell adapters several times in SurvivalBlog. Henry sent me a link to the web site for a maker of some high quality shotshell adapters: Gaugemate. They make them with integral extractors, and more simple (and less expensive) “push out” models.

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Kevin A. flagged this article for us: Commodities rally driven by fundamentals, not speculators. Here is a key quote: “In sum, our research suggests that loose monetary policy has played a much more important role than speculators in the recent commodity price rally.”

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is at $370. This auction is for two cases (12 cans) of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans donated by Ready Made Resources, valued at $260, a course certificate for a four-day Bushcraft & Survival Course valued at $550, 25 pounds of green (un-roasted) Colombian Supremo coffee courtesy of www.cmebrew.com valued at $88.75, and a set of 1,600 U.S. Military Manuals, Government Manuals, and Civil Defense Manuals, Firearm Manuals on two CD-ROM disks, valued at $20. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Advice on Getting Started in Precious Metals Investing

Dear Jim, I would like to build up a moderate sized collection of precious metals as a hedge against inflation and also in case of an Argentina like economic melt down. I do not have a whole lot of cash to spend and want small denominations so silver is what I am looking for. I got into the links section and found Eastern Numismatics but from there it got confusing. Different coins had different values which makes sense but I just want to get some “junk silver” so the difference between x coin and z coin is of no concern to me (should it be?) as long as both have the amount of silver.

Also, since I will be purchasing in small amounts of a couple coins a month. It will not add up fast but it is feasible. It would be nice to be able to go to a local store instead of saving up and making a mail order/ internet order from time to time and not get hosed, is this realistic? I know different coins have different amounts of silver and (aside from collectors value) should thus have different prices. It would be great to know what older U.S. coins are worth so I can be an informed consumer.
All advice would be real helpful. Thanks. – TheOtherRyan

JWR Replies: First and foremost, I’ll begin with the caveat that SurvivalBlog readers should not invest anything in precious metals until after they have an honest year one year food supply set aside, and they already have all of the other requisite essentials for their family’s preparedness (Water filtration, first aid, commo gear, guns, ammo, and so forth.)

I often stress in my writings and in my conversations with consulting clients that the precious metals emphasis for preparedness-minded families should be on common date pre-1965 US 90% silver bullion coins. Leave the numismatic coins to the collectors. For barter purposes, you strictly want the most bullion value for your dollar. Pre-1965 US coins are widely recognized here in the US, and hence will be the most useful for barter transactions. Outside of the US, other coins will doubtless be preferable. In Mexico, it will likely be either be silver Pesos, or perhaps silver “Libertad” Onza de Plata coins. In Canada, it would be pre-1968 (80% silver) quarters, and in Australia it would be pre-1954 silver Australian shilling coinage or perhaps the handsome new .999 fine silver Kookaburras.

Many people buy one-ounce .999 fine silver “trade dollars.” They do have their merits–most notably that they are minted in precise ounce increments–unlike 90% “junk” silver U.S. coinage minted in or before 1964. If you already have some one once rounds, keep them, but do so with the realization that they are not nearly as readily recognizable and trusted by the general public for barter purposes, and hence they may not be trusted in a post-collapse economy. (The question you can expect to hear is “How do I know this is real?” That will only rarely be an issue with pre-’65 US coinage.) Also, since most of these have no hardeners added, (they are pure silver) they will begin to wear quickly if a barter economy carries on for an extended period of time. If that ever happens, then through trade you should gradually get rid of your silver “rounds” and “medallions”, and replace them with pre-1965 quarter and half dollars.

It doesn’t make much difference if you buy 90% silver dimes, quarters, or half dollars. However, it has been suggested that silver dimes might be the inferior choice, only because they tended to be more heavily circulated and hence suffered the most from surface wear–to the point that they noticeably started to lose weight. (If you are offered a bag ($1,000 face value) or a half bag ($500 face value) of dimes, take a look and see if it contains a high percentage of heavily-worn Mercury dimes. If that is the case, then you might want to pass. (A heavily-worn Mercury dime can be shy as much as 7% of its original weight–and hence you aren’t getting full value for your money.)

Letter Re: Observations on Gun Laws in Europe and Request for Gun Selection Advice

Dear Jim,
It is almost a year since I [started to] read SurvivalBlog. It is a great thing. Thank you for it. I am doing my best to be ready for the moment WTSHTF.

Here in Europe, as you know, we have a problem with the gun control, so the only way to have guns is for hunting purposes (for self defence is almost impossible), and after few difficult tests, that includes psychiatric and medical tests, some law knowledge about guns regulations, safety and laws, and of course, having a clean background (no prison). Of course, there is regulation even about the amount of ammo that you can have at home. I read you store 10.000 cartridges just of .22 [rimfire], and I can’t believe it!!!! Here, the government would take your license, guns and of course, all the ammo plus assess you a nice fine.

Comparing with your great country, it’s a madness. I feel envy of how easy you can buy such tools.

I always want a gun, but feel too lazy to apply for it and pass through all those tests, controls, taxes (did I mention how many local, regional and national taxes must be paid??).
Thanks to SurvivalBlog, finally I decided and encourage myself to get one or two weapons (of course for “hunting purposes”).
After few months, I finally got my permit last week. And now I have my doubts: which models should I buy. What will you recommend for me?

I want a 12 gauge for home defence: My choices are Mossberg 590 or Remington 870 Police. Which one do you believe is better? I am considering the 870.

As a rifle, I really have no idea, so I would appreciate your opinion about this matter. I believe with a 12 gauge I am served for short distances, but for hunting and long distance shooting, what would you recommend? And what about the caliber?

Thank you very much for your blog, which is helpful as nothing else I found in a long long time. I am almost ready with food, location, medicines, and other stocks…. everything but the weapons.

Hopefully nothing will bring us TEOTWAWKI, but I am getting ready, just in case. Good luck. – TL

JWR Replies: I recommend 12 gauge for riotguns. Functionally, I consider the Mossberg 590 or Remington 870 roughly comparable. Both are sturdy and reliable. The Remington 870 has a slight edge on quality over the Mossberg, but in my opinion not enough to justify the higher price. For left-handed shooters, I generally recommend the Mossberg, since their top-of-tang safety is truly ambidextrous. (Whereas the M870 triggerguard-mounted safety is a bit slow for left-handers.) If you opt for the Model 870, I recommend that you replace the fragile black plastic cup shell follower (in the magazine tube) with a Choate Machine and Tool Company solid high density orange plastic follower. These are almost indestructible. There are also steel cup followers made.

For rifles,assuming that semi-autos are probably restricted, I recommend that you buy a “Scout” type bolt action chambered in .308 Winchester. I realize that many European nations restrict civilian ownership of rifles and pistols in “military” calibers. If that is the law where you live, then I recommend getting a .243 Winchester.

Odds ‘n Sods:

A news story of interest to preppers in the Midwest: What to do with all the sandbags? There might be an opportunity later this summer to get hundreds of sandbags that were never contaminated by sewage, free for the asking. (Well, that is, if you are willing to empty them and haul them yourself.)

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Frequent contributor Jack B. found this article: “Darkest Future” for US Commercial Aviation? My comment: It may very well be that the US commercial aviation sector was significantly over-built, based on cheap and plentiful JP-4. Now that those days are gone, it is likely that more than half of the commercial air carriers will go out of business, and the only a fraction of the currently-available flights will be operated, and some air routes will be entirely abandoned. coincidentally, I also predict that the economy of Nevada will be hardest hit of all states, since it is so heavily depended on out-of-state tourism. Since most of those tourist other drive long distances, or fly in to Nevada, the handwriting is on the wall. Nevada’s casinos were already under pressure from the advent of big, splashy Indian Tribal casinos that are more convenient for Californians. Some of those tribal casinos now feature big name entertainers. Sell your Bally’s stock!

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A reminder that the Survival Secrets SAS BBC documentary that I mentioned last year is still available for free download. It has a surprising amount of detail on small unit tactics, hand/arm signals, and field “kit”.

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“Wolf” suggested an article by the ever-cheery Ambrose Evans-Pritchard on a nascent mass inflation (an ugly wage-price spiral): Barclays warns of a financial storm as Federal Reserve’s credibility crumble