Odds ‘n Sods:

Wayne V. mentioned a piece in The Financial Times: Central banks float rescue ideas. Here it comes folks! This is the “Mother Of All Bailouts” (MOAB) that I warned you about. It may cost literally trillions of dollars. This will be very, very expensive for those of us that pay Federal taxes. If the US Treasury can’t raise enough funds through taxation, they’ll monetize the new debt. That will generate lots of inflation, which is, of course, a hidden form of taxation.

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SF in Hawaii suggested this blog post: Seven of the Most Important Economic Events of the Last Seven Years: Collapsing the Economy in the Buildup to World War III

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Mark from Michigan sent us a video clip link to a very clever Glock pistol adaptation. Too bad that its just a prototype. This is enough to give a liberal politician like Chuck Schumer apoplexy.

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HPF suggested a great video clip of an interview with legendary investor Jimmy Rogers. He predicts mass inflation, a collapsing dollar, and a continuing bull market in commodities. He also predicts trouble with Fannie Mae, and that US interest rates will eventually have to be jacked up to 20% again (a la the late 1970s). Citing the Japanese experience of the 1990s, Rogers correctly opines “It costs you more to prevent a recession than it does to have a recession. Recessions are a good thing. They clean out the excesses so you can start over.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Fear them not therefore; for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the housetops" – Jesus, in Matthew 10:26, 27

Letter Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security–Planning for Rules of Engagement and Levels of Force

James,

I finished my copy of the [post-nuke novel] “Malevil” [by Robert Merle.] One scene that was particularly well done was when the looter/vandals start destroying the wheat planting. I could see myself paralyzed by the dilemma: If they completely destroy my garden,then my family’s survival becomes less–perhaps very much less–probable. When I start shooting them their probability of survival drops to zero.

From my understanding of decision making, especially decision making under stress, it is very important to have crystal clear, absolutely unambiguous triggers or “switches”. Pull that trigger or switch and the pre-made decision is implemented.

Triggers need to be revisited as circumstances change. Rowdies pilfering pears from the tree in your yard should elicit a different response today than it would after TSHTF.
I can make the case that anybody who does not demonstrate absolute respect for another’s private property will imperil other’s lives post TSHTF. Post TSHTF, the margin for error will be very much less. The margin between a child surviving until the next harvest, or not surviving, could easily be as small as 25 pounds of corn or wheat. Under a “Malevil” or “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” scenario I think I would have few qualms about shooting. However, circumstances that are less absolute would be very difficult for me.

I suspect that you have given the topic substantial thought. Is there a short list of questions to “test” a circumstance-a short list that would be of use to the SurvivalBlog community? Thank You, – Joe and Ellen

JWR: Replies: One important yet sadly under-emphasized aspect of preparedness is access to less-than-lethal weaponry.

Having less-than-lethal weapons available to supplement your firearms is important for two reasons: 1.) To show restraint and respect for human life, and 2.) To keep you out of jail for reckless endangerment, assault, attempted murder, or murder. I cannot overstate the point that the chances of a full-blown multigenerational societal collapse are very small, Thus, the odds are that you will still have contact with functioning police and sheriff departments, and might end up answering to the criminal justice system if you use unjustifiable or disproportionate force in self defense.

Of course if someone is shooting at you, you have the right and duty to defend yourself and your family. (As a Christian, I found this piece by Brandon Staggs, and this Crusader Knight piece helped me resolve this issue with certainty.)

Do not endanger yourself unnecessarily just for the sake of employing less than lethal weapons. There could very well be a situation where you think that you are dealing with an unarmed intruder, only to have them then produce a concealed weapon. If that happens, it could easily get you killed. For that reason, I recommend concentrating on less-than-lethal weapons that you can employ from a distance. Anything “up close and personal” has multiple risks. One of the principles that is stressed again and again when training police officers and prison guards is that proximity increases risk. If you can maintain distance form your opponent, you will minimize your risk of being overpowered or killed. This also meshes nicely with the “defense in depth” approach that I stress with my consulting clients. By placing multiple barriers between your family and the bad guys, you will greatly increases your chances of avoiding harm.

Sometimes a display of force will be enough to discourage looters to go find easier pickings. One of my consulting clients is rancher in the intermountain west that has large a 3/4″-thick steel plate hung up on chains above his perimeter fence gate, which is 250 yards from his house. (He has a typical western ranch entry gate with a very high, stout crosspiece.) He’s told me is that his intention is that if miscreants stop and show signs of forcing his gate, he will used a scoped FAL rifle to apply several rapid shots to that steel plate. He calls it his “Go away” bell. Hearing that “bell” will be a clear message to the malo hombres: “You have 250 yards of open ground to traverse to get to my house. Do you feel lucky, or bulletproof?”

In hours of darkness, in genuinely Schumeresque times, it is likely that a semi-auto burst of tracers fired over the heads of a gang of looters might have a similar effect. One of my readers also suggested placing Tannerite targets in prominent positions around a retreat perimeter. Depending on the circumstances, that might be a good technique for getting ruffians to leave.

One strong proviso: The use of “warning shots” could be misconstrued. State laws on this vary widely. In some states, this is often considered justifiable, but it in others it is a potential felony. I would only recommend doing this in the midst of a true “worst case” societal collapse, only from a long distance (firing from cover), and only if no law enforcement were available to call. Do not do this in present day circumstances or you will risk getting sued or prosecuted!

Please don’t mistake any of the foregoing as sure solutions. Merely scaring off looters might not be sufficient. Certainly don’t use displays of force more than once, per customer. The first time should be their only warning. Be prepared, if need be, to follow it up with a genuine dose of RBC if they persist and thereby demonstrate that they plan to do you in.

Here are some other non-lethal weapon options:

Pepper Spray Alarms – either trip wired or set off by electronic sensor. These can fill a room with pepper spray in seconds. One variant fires up to four times in sequence. A friend of mine has one of these mounted in the vented bottom of a mailbox on his porch. It is wired for activation (on command) from inside the house.

“Ferret” 12 gauge shells (These are shotgun shells, that instead of lead pellets contain large capsules of CS tear gas or OC powder. They form an irritant dust cloud, on impact. These are not very effective outdoors, but they are very effective in enclosed spaces. Say, for example, you saw an intruder enter your garden shed, but would feel endangered if you left your house to approach the shed to confront him. Two or three Ferret rounds fired into the shed would probably do the trick. (Passing through a sheet of plywood, in fact, is the best way to get full dispersal from a Ferret round.

CS riot control grenades. These are similar to a smoke grenade, but issue forth huge clouds of CS smoke. I see a few of these at gun shows, including some that were marketed by Smith & Wesson. They can be thrown, but also could also be rigged to be set off by pulling a cable or lanyard, from a considerable distance. Since most of these these are pyrotechnic, be forewarned that there is a fire hazard. Some of the latest ones use CO2 to propel a vapor.

Rubber bullets and beanbag rounds. These are deigned to bruise rather than penetrate. (This ammo was originally designed for riot control.) Be careful to aim fairly low to void any pellets striking you opponent in the face.

Speaking of these, I’ve heard of rubber bullets being used on moose and bear in residential areas. These critters often become destructive, typically tearing apart people’s fruit and nut trees. Rubber bullets and 12 gauge beanbags are a non-lethal solution.

Pepper gas and CS (liquid stream or fog) dispensers. These are risky because they requite proximity. But at least the dispensers are small and can be kept close at hand. Here at the Rawles Ranch we have occasional ursine visitors, so except in winter (when bears are denned up) all of the members of our family habitually go armed whenever we step more than a few yards away from our house. Before they were old enough to carry handguns, our children usually carried large 15% pepper spray (OC) canisters.

Tasers. These could be practical, but again, they are only useful with about 15 feet. I don’t recommend them unless you live in a gun-deprived locality.

Stun guns. Even worse than a Taser, these require direct contact. I don’t recommend them

Impact weapons (Batons, kubatons, walking sticks, et cetera) These are at the bottom of my list because they require immediate contact. They also require considerable training and practice. Their application in subduing someone is practically a martial art form, and is much, much more difficult than portrayed in movies and television. Too little force can merely be antagonistic or possibly result in a miscreant disarming you and use the weapon on you. . Too much force can be crippling, disfiguring, or lethal. (Any blows to the neck or head, for example, are potentially lethal, and if you use them, in the eyes of the law it would not be much different than pulling the trigger of a gun.)

You might also find some other weapon possibilities at the Less-Lethal.org web site.

Without having non-lethal weapons available, your only other choice would be attempting to use a lethal weapon in a less than lethal manner (typically, with warning shots.) Do not consider using a firearm with the intent to wound an opponent. By doing so, at the very least you will create an adversary that will most likely seek vengeance whenever and wherever he can get it: There is nothing quite like a vendetta, particularly during a period of lawlessness. He may later ambush you. He may snipe at your retreat from long distance. He may poison your well. He may burn your grain fields. He may even wait and later meet you in court, where he will have some nasty scars to display. I regularly get letters from readers, asking about using bird shot or the proverbial “shotgun loaded with rock salt”. Those are both likely to either get you killed, or get you sued out of all of your worldly possessions. In short: don’t consider using any intentionally maiming weapon.

Whenever you use amy weapon, you need to think through the implications. Even what looks like a “worst case” situation might suddenly and unexpectedly end. When order is restored, you could be facing your opponent in the most dangerous arena of all: the courtroom.

Think Through Anticipated Levels of Force

When police officers train, they typically learn force escalation. An officer doesn’t doesn’t use his service automatic on an unruly drunk. That would be considered grossly disproportionate force. Law enforcement officers have detailed rules of proportionate force and force escalation drilled into them from Day One at the academy. Civilians are not held to quite the same standards, but proportionate force and reciprocal escalation of force are both long-standing precepts used by the court system in judging guilt or innocence.

There might be a situation where uninvited guests are raiding your garden or fruit trees. If it is dark (quite likely), you may not be able to determine if they are armed. In such a situation, it might be better to have alternatives like trip flares or remotely triggered floodlights. Also see some of the recent SurvivalBlog posts on infrared (IR) floodlights and/or IR cyalume trip flares used in conjunction with Starlight technology (light amplification) night vision gear. These will give you a strong advantage and most likely send the ruffians to flight.

Is Mr. Badguy there to siphon the gas out of your vehicle, or steal the vehicle itself? Does he want apples from your orchard, or does he want to kill you and take over your retreat? Is he there to steal a couple of chickens, or to kidnap your daughter? Does a stranger merely want a handout or is he looking for the chance to carry out a home invasion?

How can you determine their intentions? That is a toughie. But there are some red flags to watch for. If a party that is approaching your retreat dwelling is entirely armed men, then odds are that they have murder on their minds. But if a group includes women and children, the threat level is likely much lower. (They probably wouldn’t endanger them if they were expecting lead to soon be flying.) Are they dressed in normal clothes, or in BDUs and war paint?

Is law enforcement help available? If law enforcement evaporates at some point in the future, even people living inside city limits may be in a comparable situation.

There is an old saying: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.” Make the effort to acquire non-lethal weapons. I’d hate to see a SurvivalBlog reader use excessive force, just for lack of a less-than-lethal arrow in his quiver. Use them, when possible, but again only if and when doing so won’t endanger yourself or your family.

Ironically, in many cases it is easier in the US to acquire lethal ammo than it is to buy non-lethal ammo and items like CS gas grenades. (Often, although they are legal to possess in most jurisdictions, because of company sales policies they can only be ordered on law enforcement letterhead.) So finding what you need might take a bit of looking and/or require the aid of sympathetic intermediaries. Two closing proviso: Consult your state and local laws before ordering any weapons, be they lethal, less-than-lethal, or non-lethal. None of the preceding should be considered legal advise. Consult your local laws and, as appropriate, seek qualified legal counsel.

Letter Re: “Ark” Storage Food Buckets as Sam’s Club (and formerly at COSTCO)

Jim,
I think I made a great purchase today. A division of “Inn on the Creek Foods” makes a six 1?2 gallon plastic bucket of instant food. The bucket is called an “ARK” and can be purchased at www.getyourark.com for $119 + $25 shipping and handling. Each bucket has 90 meals inside in 285 individually sealed pouches. The shelf life for this kit is listed as 15 years, and the buckets have a “Store until 2022” label on them. I saw on their web site that Sam’s Club was a sole source distributor of them if you didn’t want to pay for shipping, but only a few participating Sam’s had them. Fortunately one of the Sam’s was here in Tampa . I went down to the store to check them out, and perhaps purchase one or two. Imagine my surprise when I found a pallet of them marked at $19.81 each. A whopping $100 discount per kit! I asked a clerk to scan the item to confirm the price, and she confirmed the price at $19.81 claiming it was a discontinued item that they were no longer going to carry. So, being a Preparedness Oriented Person, and having read your novel twice, I purchased all I could afford which was 36 buckets! I paid $713 for 36 kits. I would have paid $5,184 for them if I had bought them on the Internet. I plan on keeping 12 kits, giving 12 kits away to family and close friends, and selling 12 kits either to friends or co-workers, or on E-bay. So, what do you think, good buy or not?

JWR Replies: This was covered in SurvivalBlog back in August of 2006. This product–or one remarkably like it–was originally marketed as a “three month food supply for one person.” There was at least one lawsuit over their claims– which focused on the number of meals and caloric content. It might be a product worth buying, but realistically, consider each bucket just a 15 to perhaps 20 day food supply for one adult. This product is not some miracle Lembas Bread out of a Tolkien novel. Survival requires calories, and calories require volume. If you were to believe their claims about “X days supply”, you would quickly find that the caloric content per “meal” would put you below the starvation level of the 1940s Nazi death camps. So take the manufacturer’s “Days supply” estimates, and divide by six. Be sure that you re-label the actual number of days supply before you distribute these for charity or for sales.

Letter Re: A Machine That Sorts Pennies by Composition

Sir:
Referring to your comment about sorting pennies in your post about nickels: “At present, sorting pennies simply isn’t worth your time. Although I suppose that if someone were to invent an automated density-measuring penny sorting machine, he could make a fortune. As background: The pre-1983 pennies presently have a base metal value of about $0.0226 each.) Starting in 1983, the mint switched to 97.5% zinc pennies that are just flashed with copper. Those presently have a base metal value of about $0.0071 each.”

A penny sorting machine has been developed by a member of the Gold Is Money information community. He goes by the name Ryedale. This machine automatically sorts the pennies into two piles according to composition. [It sorts out the earlier pre-1982 [95%] copper pennies from the newer copper-flashed zinc pennies.] It is exceedingly accurate and the cost isn’t too bad. It can process 3000 pennies in 10 minutes.

There is also another machine out there than can do hundreds of thousands of pennies at a time (from giant hoppers) in a very short span of time, but it is a commercial machine and costs about $10,000 apiece. Contact another member of Gold Is Money (member name SLV) if interested in learning more. – Ramsey

JWR Replies: Unfortunately, it is presently illegal to melt pennies for scrap. But I suspect that now that it has been more than 25 years since they were last minted, the restriction on melting copper pennies might be lifted.

Even with pre-1982 pennies now worth nearly 2.4 cents, it is still not very economical to launch a business sorting and re-selling pennies. Just to pay for the cost of a coin sorting machine, you would have to sort out and sell more than 1,800 rolls of all copper pennies. Once the value of the dollar drops to the pont that pennies are worth more than four times their face value, then this might become a profitable venture for someone with a good strong back and plenty of secure storage space. Keep in mind that just one $50 bag of copper pennies (5,000 pieces) weighs just a hair over 34 pounds. A $50 bag of the newer debased zinc pennies weighs just over 30 pounds. Ideally, someone could take advantage of the US Mail’s “Flat Rate Box” available for Priority Mail. These have no weight limit! So it is conceivable that someone could use sturdy canvas bags inside these boxes, and some stout tape reinforcement on the outside of the box, and have 34 pounds of pennies mailed anywhere in the US for under $10!

Again, it is not currently very economical to sort copper pennies with the intent to re-sell them. However, if you can acquire some full rolls of copper pennies at or near face value, then it is certainly worthwhile to set them aside.

OBTW, if any readers would care to send their voluntary 10 Cent Challenge SurvivalBlog subscription payments in the form of either US pre-1982 pennies, or in US nickels (of any mint date), it would be greatly appreciated. Using a Flat Rate Box would be the most economical method. Thanks!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mr. Yankee suggested an editorial by Greg Evensen posted over at News With Views: The Implosion is Accelerating, Prepare While You Can. Mr. Yankee’s comment: “I don’t know this writer but the piece sounds like [it was written by] a SurvivalBlog reader.”

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Chester mentioned that Jim Willie has some interesting comments on the Bear Stearns debacle, posted over at Kitco.

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This piece by Daniel Amerman is a must read: The Subprime Crisis Is Just Starting. (A hat tip to Kurt for sending us the link.)

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Thanks to Robert B. for spotting this: Researcher: [Ethanol Bacteria] Discovery could end energy crisis

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Men are expendable; women and children are not. A tribe or a nation can lose a high percentage of its men and still pick up the pieces and go on… as long as the women and children are saved. But if you fail to save the women and children, you’ve had it, you’re done, you’re through! You join Tyrannosaurus Rex, one more breed that bilged its final test.” – Robert A. Heinlein, “The Pragmatics of Patriotism” address at the U.S. Naval Academy, April 5, 1973, later published in the book “Expanded Universe” (1980)

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction lot is now at $210. This auction is for four items: a MURS Alert Base station, a MURS Alert Hand-held transceiver, an earbud, and a Kaito KA-1102 AM/FM/Shortwave. These radios were kindly donated by the owner of Affordable Shortwaves and MURS Radios. The three radios have a retail value of $210, plus shipping. The auction ends on April 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Using Natural Caves on Private Property

Sir:
My friend has a piece of property that has a cave. The initial opening to the cave is circular, about four feet in diameter. Inside the cave is a large room with a 20 foot tall ceiling and an approximately 70 foot long floor. We have been inside three additional smaller [side] rooms. Also, we have found a source of water deep in the cave. We spent the night in the cave about two weeks ago. It got cool at night, but no bats or other animals joined us.

The biggest potential problem I can think of is the relatively small opening. However, due to its small size, my friend and his wife walked by the cave hundreds of times before they realized it was an opening.

Would this make a good retreat when the stuff hits the fan?- Linda H.

JWR Replies: Caves do have their uses, particularly as expedient fallout shelters. Finding a cave with an unobtrusive entrance on a piece of privately-owned land that is under your control is very fortunate. I’m surprised that it wasn’t mentioned by the previous owners at the time that your friend bought the property. Keep in mind that caves are far from vermin proof, so you would need to store anything inside in sturdy, waterproof containers. Many caves are seasonally wet, so waterproof containers put up on at least 4×4 wooden blocks are also a must.

The existence of caves is often widely known by locals, so don’t consider anything you store there truly secure. It might be worth your time to make a “rock” door to camouflage the entrance. Start with a wooden framework of 2x2s, covered by doped fiberglass with a highly irregular “hilly” shape. Then prime, coat, and seal it to match any nearby rock outcroppings. There are now some amazing rock texture paints—pioneered by Zolotone–that look quite natural. One of the popular brands is “Roller Rock”, made by Daich Coatings. When applied with a rough-textured roller, these coatings can be very natural looking. These paints can be custom tinted. It is probably best to bring a sample of the local rock to the paint store, and have them match the color)

Before storing anything of value in the cave, leave your camouflaging “rock” door in place for at least a full year, using a telltale. (A twig wedged into the doorjamb–if it has fallen you’ll know that the door was disturbed.) Storing anything in the cave without taking that precaution is an invitation to theft. You might want to set up a Dakota Alert (or similar passive IR intrusion detection system) to see if anyone goes near the cave entrance. If you have welding skills, or you have a trustworthy friend that knows how to weld, then you might want to install a locking steel security door or barred gate back behind your “rock camouflaged” door. Just keep in mind that given enough time, a determined burglar can reduce nearly any barrier. (At this juncture I should mention that I get one or two e-mails a year from readers that have had their CONEXes broken into by thieves with bolt cutters or cutting torches.) But at the very least a locked security door will slow burglars down. It will also tremendously reduce your risk of an attractive nuisance lawsuit.

Getting it All Together, Or, The Worst Pencil is Better than the Best Memory, by Sled238

If you are even moderately past the first stage of becoming prepared, you have (or will have) the experience of finding things you had forgotten you had bought. Yeah, Christmas! I thought, until it occurred to me that if I had needed that item really, really badly, I would have just screwed up, big time. Cancel Christmas.

After the third – or was it sixth? – time reading “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”, it occurred to me there was one thing I wish had made it into the book: the Gray’s notebook. Their preps notebook, to be more specific. Only thing I remember is the lists on the chipboard

Jim has been kind enough to share an abundance of gifts. In my opinion, one of the greatest of these gifts is the List of Lists.

What I had, was a pile of papers, which is not really useful at all. So, I just got a bunch of clean paper, some pens, three-ring binders, and here is what I did, and how it got done:
Print out the Rawles List of Lists, writing the title of each at the top of a sheet of paper.
This page will be the rough draft page, and the info put on it will be used on a separate template with the same name.

Lay out each rough draft paper where you can see it (I had the entire dining room table, couch, and coffee table covered).
Go through your giant pile of disorganized papers, placing each article, story, list, clipping, on the appropriate sheet, being sure not to cover the heading.

(Some files are really big (Flu pandemic PDF files come to mind); set these aside to be put in a reference binder – but make a note that you have this reference On the page with the heading.)

Now, for those of you with awesome PC skills, format a template page as follows (if no PC skills, pencil and ruler for you! LOL):

Heading, bold capital letters at top. WATER, for example.
Under this, make a section about one third of the sheet of paper (this section is called info/notes/goals). Leave space for hand written notes, and make a horizontal line at the bottom of this (again, this is about one third the way down the page).

Below this, the remaining two thirds of the page has two columns:
On the left: next steps, with a numbered list below.
On the right, three sections one atop the other:
Short term, with room for a few listed items;
medium term, with room for a few listed items;
long term. with room for a few listed items.

Something like this:
WATER
==================================
Info/ notes goals

==================================
Next steps short term
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 Medium term
5 1
6 2
7 3
8 Long term
9 1
10 2
11 3

(With a vertical line between the two columns.)

Print one of these forms for each list subject heading.

The real work begins.
We have a rough draft sheet with WATER written on it in pen, and also a template with WATER in the heading.
I took the rough draft page, and really quickly, listed every thought I had about water as it concerns my preps. Something like …I have about 8 big water cooler bottles in the basement; have two hand water filters, one is not made anymore, the other I can still get filters for; have a base camp filter, do not remember what type of replacement filters it takes; want a big berky filter, need to find best price; can you drink swimming pool water? I need to stock more bleach, can you use dry bleach as well?…

This is your rough draft page, questions page, and brainstorming page.
Do this with every heading.

So, now, on my fancy template, in the first section, is info about drops of bleach per two liter bottles for purifying. Also, is a reference to a PDF form about sand water filter construction, kept in a bigger, separate binder called Reference.

In the bottom right section, under short term, I have listed the amount of water I have on hand or have immediate access to.

Under Medium term (middle box), I have my various filters listed with prices for replacement filters.

Under Long term, I need info on a manual pump for my well, possibly a solar powered setup, if feasible.

Move to the left, to next steps.
I know I have to rotate the stored water, so I write “Enter water rotation date on master yearly calendar list”. I also know I need a little more bleach, so I note that. I might put in a note to price filters, and one more to see how much power my well requires to pull up water, so as to further develop or drop the solar power train of thought.

Now, do this with every heading.

With a new sheet of paper, flip through the notebook, taking at least two next steps from each heading, and make a quick and dirty “Next Steps” list. This will not be pretty, because you will, I am sure, be crossing off the next steps in a lively and methodical fashion. Those of you in the know will understand how this list can become a “thickly padded clipboard”. (An inside joke, if you have not yet read “Patriots“.)

Pretty simple, I know.
I would say “The end”, but we all know we are just now entering the beginning.

Now, go and execute your next steps. – Sled238

Odds ‘n Sods:

The recent dip in precious metals prices is a buying opportunity for those of you that thought that you had “missed the boat.” Market analyst Adam Hewison suggests that there might be further pullbacks on the spot price of gold to $855 or perhaps even $750. My reaction? Great! A “full Fib” retracement presents a great short term buying opportunity in what will otherwise be a long term bull market.

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Two months ago, a few readers chided me for being too harsh in my criticism of gadget-oriented “Mall Ninja” survivalists. This auction listing shows exactly what I was talking about: (Thanks to Mike Williamson for spotting the auction for this monstrosity.)

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From Matt Drudge’s news site: British authorities try to quell damaging financial rumors

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Reader K.A.F. asks: Is CIT the next domino to fall on Wall Street? CIT Group draws on $7.3 billion of bank lines

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The militia is the natural defense of a free country against sudden foreign invasions, domestic insurrections, and domestic usurpation of power by rulers. The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally … enable the people to resist and triumph over them." – Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, "Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States", Vol. 3, pp. 746-7, 1833

Flawed Oral Arguments in DC v. Heller

The press has been heralding the apparent agreement by the majority of supreme court justices in the recent oral arguments to DC v. Heller. that the Second Amendment confirms an individual right to keep and bear arms. This is good news, but I think that at least two crucial points were missed in the oral arguments.

The arguments made by Mr. Gura, in my opinion, were a disservice to American gun owners and “the militia at large”. (Which consists of all male citizens age 17 to 45, per US Code Title 10, Section 311.) Gura discounts any Second Amendment protection for machineguns, because he claims that the Second Amendments protects only those guns “in common use” as suitable for individuals to bring from their homes, for their personal use in service with the militia. Gura stated:
“They wished to preserve the ability of people to act as militia, and so there was certainly no plan for, say, a technical obsolescence. However, the fact is that [US v.] Miller spoke very strongly about the fact that people were expected to bring arms supplied by themselves of the kind in common use at the time. So if in this time people do not have, or are not recognized by any court to have, a common application for, say, a machine gun or a rocket launcher or some other sort of …”

That was a specious argument. What he overlooked is the fact that machineguns are not presently “in common use” only because 74 years ago, Congress effectively banned them, by placing a confiscatory tax and onerous fingerprinting and background check requirements upon purchasers. It is a tax of $200 per machinegun transfer. That might not sound “confiscatory” these days, but in 1934, $200 was nearly two months wages for the average working man! For comparison purposes, in 1934 that same $200 was more than the purchase price of a used Thompson submachinegun, 10 times the purchase price of a used M1911 pistol, and 20 times the purchase price of a used M1898 Krag service rifle. Clearly, only the very wealthy could afford to pay this tax. Hence, the potential market share and large scale production (“economies of scale”) of privately owned machineguns was never allowed to develop. This was a glaring error that should have been caught by the court justices. Granted, shoulder-fired machine guns were fairly expensive in 1933 since they were a fairly recent technological development, but they became prohibitively expensive in 1934, after enactment of the National Firearms Act (NFA). The bottom line is that in 1933 your grandfather could have walked into your local gun store or hardware store and bought (or had them place special order) a Thompson submachinegun, and walk out with it, sans any paperwork. But in 1934 that became impossible. Hence, shoulder-fired machineguns were never allowed to come into “common use” by civilians.

In my opinion, Gura also stumbled badly when he stated: “At the time that — even at the time Miller was decided, the civilian arms were pretty much the sort that were used in the military. However, it’s hard to imagine how a machine gun could be a “lineal descendent,” to use the D.C. Circuit’s wording, of anything that existed back in 1791, if we want to look to the framing era.”

I beg to differ! The US Springfield Armory designed and produced nearly all of the shoulder-fired arms for the US infantry from 1777 to the 1950s. You can follow the “lineal descent” of those rifles directly from flintlock muskets, to caplock rifles, to the Trapdoor Springfield, to the M1898 Krag, to the M1903 Springfield, to the M1 Garand, (semi-auto) and finally to the M14. Each of these iterations display some quite distinctive design features that are carried on from its immediate predecessor. Some design features are almost continuously-used (such as bayonet lugs and butt traps for cleaning equipment), but others (like stacking swivels) were eventually dropped, as military doctrine changed. It is notable that the pinnacle of this unbroken lineal descent was the M14 and it is fully automatic! The only distinct “lineal break” came when Defense Secretary Robert McNamara forced adoption of the Colt M16. But, again, the selective-fire (semi-auto and full auto) M14 pre-dated that lineal break. And, coincidentally, M14 rifles (now equipped with plastic stocks) are still in service with the US Army in limited numbers in the present day, as designated marksman’s rifles.

Justice Kennedy hit the nail on the head when he stated: “It seems to me that [US v.] Miller, as we’re discussing it now, and the whole idea that the militia clause has a major effect in interpreting the operative clause is both overinclusive and underinclusive. I would have to agree with Justice Ginsburg that a machine gun is probably more related to the militia now than a pistol is. But that — that seems to me to be allowing the militia clause to make no sense out of the operative clause in present-day circumstances.”

Clearly, the Second Amendment secures both an individual right and a collective right. The NFA of 1934 and all subsequent Federal firearms laws should be struck down as unconstitutional!

Meet The Economic Collapse Family, by Will in Wyoming

In recent months, as he described America’s incipient economic peril, Jim Rawles has made references in SurvivalBlog.com to “The Mother of All Bailouts.” To illustrate the extent of the disaster that is awaiting us–I’d like to introduce you to the entire Economic Collapse Family’s cast of characters. This family is so large that I’ll use numerous analogies and, with apologies, some mixed metaphors. To include the full Dramatis Personae I’ll have to borrow from both The Addams Family, and The Munsters. My apologies to anyone that never saw these two TV shows from the 1960s. This will seem like gibberish to you. And if you hate allegorical pieces, just skip reading this. – Will in Wyoming

You are Pugsley Addams. (The American citizenry.) You are a content, pampered, over-fed child. You have indulging but perverse parents. They let you eat all the junk food you’d like (consumerism), and they let you watch as much television (the mass media) as you’d like, to keep you occupied. Their only demand is that you “do your chores” (pay taxes.) You live in a strange sprawling old mansion with extensive grounds and horse stables (America). The mansion doesn’t look like it has been painted or repaired in decades. (Crumbling infrastructure.) You are young and naive, so you don’t really understand all that is going on around you. But you have had a vaguely uneasy feeling for as long as you can remember. You certainly have a lot of strange relatives.

Your father, Gomez Addams, is a banker. (The Federal Reserve.) He always wears a dark suits and he keeps a pocketful of cigars (call loans) handy. Oddly, they are lit, even as he pulls them out of his pocket. On his time off, he likes to play with an elaborate electric toy train set (the economy) with you. It is one of those father and son bonding opportunities. He is always at the controls of the the train. (The train set was very expensive, so you can only watch.) Whenever he sees trouble ahead, instead of hitting the brakes, he takes a puff on his big cigar, and opens the throttle (liquidity) wide open. After all, he has always enjoyed seeing a nice train derailment. Gomez is madly in love with his wife. They are inseparable. (The Federal Reserve’s monopolistic cartel relationship with the US government.)

Your mother, Morticia Addams, is also known as the Mother of All Bailouts. She (the US government) is supported by her husband Gomez, the banker. She makes any problems go away by throwing money at them. Oddly, she always wears black (debt), but it matches her long black hair (the budget deficit). Morticia has a timeless beauty, but you wonder what potions she takes to maintain that beauty. Morticia’s hobby is growing carnivorous plants (stocks and stock mutual funds) that have insatiable appetites. She has an unlimited supply of cash because of her brother, Uncle Fester.

Uncle Fester (the US Treasury) is an inventor of sorts, always experimenting with new things up in the attic. Years ago has invented a nifty high speed printing press, on which he can produce as many $100 bills as he wants. He also has a spare set of plates to produce $100,000 bills.

Lurch. He is the lugubrious house butler (the police). Lurch is seven feet tall and very strong. He obeys the orders of your mother and father without question. Whenever there are any difficulties, you mother and father can ring a bell, and Lurch comes immediately to solve the problem. Whenever he enters the room, he asks in a very deep voice “You rang?”

Cousin Itt. (Social unrest.) Your mom and dad have always given Lurch instructions to keep Cousin Itt locked up in the basement. They’ve warned Lurch that whenever “Itt” gets loose, he starts breaking things. But luckily “Itt” rarely gets out, and for not very long. Without fail, Lurch catches Cousin Itt, and locks him up again. But a lot of your mom’s fine china gets broken each time. She gets angry, but she just takes some of the money from Uncle Fester’s printing press and buys new dishes from the store. You’ve notice that the new dishes are all marked “Made in China.”

Thing. Even more scary than Cousin Itt is the disembodied hand creature called “Thing”. (The US military, warfare.) Thing is powerful, and also breaks some china, but thankfully that is usually in other people’s houses.

Some of your cousins are The Munsters. They live in a big house of their own (much older than your family’s), that is called Europe. They drive a very stylish car. (The Munsters have a great sense of design and style.) Their daughter, Marilyn, is a real babe. She could get work as a model at a Paris fashion show. Her little brother is your cousin, Eddie Munster. He is cool and likes a lot of the same games and TV shows that you do. Their Grandpa (the European Central Bank) is a strange old man that is sort of like Uncle Fester. (He is also in inventor.)

Your mom once said that the Addams Family and the Munsters are very closely related. She mentioned something about some cousins marrying each other, but never gave you the details. The Munsters always seem to be getting in fights with their neighbors, so occasionally your family has to send Thing over to the Munster’s house and restore order.

Thankfully, circumstances are different in your neighborhood. For as long as you can remember, the Addams Family has had peaceful relations with all of your nearby neighbors (Mexico and Canada), mainly because they are all afraid of your dad’s creepy mansion and all of his money. Starting about 30 years ago, one of your neighbors sent a maid named Maria (uncontrolled American immigration) to help out with the chores at the Addams mansion. You realize that Maria has been having a lot of babies up in her room, but they are quiet, so nobody worries about them.

The Latest Episode:

Your dad dashes into the TV Room. You have been distracted there (with the newer, big screen television with all the extra channels), so you didn’t notice the changes in your dad’s toy train set up. Your dad excitedly tells you “Come to the parlor, son, to see the upgrades that I’ve made to the train!” Among other things, you see that he has switched from the old low-current transformer (precious metals backed currency) to a new, high-current transformer (fiat currency.) This new train set is swell. It isn’t just an old steam locomotive. This one is a shiny streamlined Zephyr. It is very fast. (The post-Greenspan low interest rate economic boom.) Uncle Fester helped design and build it. Instead of just an old fashioned derailment, your dad says that he has a dramatic ending planned, using the “The D Word.” He calls them derivatives, but you recognizes those bundles: They are bundled sticks of dynamite.

“Watch this, son!” The toy train goes speeding down the track, faster and faster. It is barely staying on the tracks. Your mother and Uncles Fester clap their hands in delight. Lurch just stands off to the side patiently, but he moans “Uggggghh” to himself and he rolls his eyes. The expression on his face reveals that he knows that there will soon be a big mess that he will have to clean up. The train passes over the trestle, and just at the precise moment, your dad shoves down the lever on the blasting machine, setting off “The D Word” in a tremendously loud explosion. Things go flying everywhere. Your ears are ringing. There are huge clouds of acrid smoke. Windows, china, light bulbs, and even the big screen television are broken. You father comments drolly: “I guess that I used a bit too much of the D Word.”

Cousin Itt hears the commotion and breaks out of the basement. Lurch chases after him, but Cousin Itt is wild and uncontrollable. He breaks a lot of china. Meanwhile, Maria’s children–it turns out there 27 of them (who knew?)–come running out of their room, shouting. They join Cousin Itt in an orgy of breaking china, tearing the copper wiring out of the walls, and eating up all of the food in the house. It is absolute pandemonium. Lurch can’t control the situation. Cousin Itt and Maria’s kids slip from his grasp and continue wrecking things. There are too many of them. Sadly, “Thing” is no help, because he is currently off working at some other’s peoples house, down the street (Iraq). All of the gadgets in the house seems to be broken beyond repair, except that you still hear Uncle Fester’s printing press running upstairs. (It is reassuring to know that something still works.)

Amidst this confusion, you hear your dad shout at your mom: “Call the Munsters for help!” Your mom objects. “But Gomez!”, she sobs, “The Munsters already have a first and second mortgage on the mansion. This time they’ll demand that we sign over the title o the house and they’ll take Uncle Fester’s printing press. They’ll even send their own maid, cook, and butler to run our house!” You don’t like the sound of that, because you know that the Munster’s butler has a big mean German Shepherd (the United Nations) and their maid Sharia (uncontrolled European immigration) is very scary and speaks a foreign language. You were told that she was originally from North Africa. (But, like Maria, your cousins hired Sharia because she works for practically nothing. And, coincidentally, you’ve heard that Sharia is also having a lot of kids.)

You dad motions you outside. “Let’s have a talk, son.” The sun is setting. In the distance, your hear some nervous whinnying and stomping of the Four Horses out in the stable. Clearly, they have been agitated by the explosion and the continuing sounds of chaos in the house, and you wonder if they are going to get loose. Your dad sits you down and he nervously pulls out another lit cigar. Finally, the truth comes out. “Pugsley, it is time that I told you the truth: Your mother and I are are immortals. We’ve owned this mansion for more than 230 years. Nothing can ever kill us.” He goes on with some details, explaining that as their children have grown up, they just keep raising new ones, to do the chores. Your father also admits that this latest train wreck (economic depression) is one of many that he has orchestrated over the years. He begins proudly, “Son, some of my best train wrecks were in 1819, 1837, 1857 and 1929.” After a pause, he adds, more soberly, “Up until this last one, I’ve always used just the throttle and run the train off the tracks. But this time I made the mistake of using the D Word, and frankly I’m not sure if I can ever fix the train set.” Over in the house, you hear the sounds of Cousin Itt chasing chaos continuing. It is starting to get dark, and the lights in the house aren’t working. You realize will be a very long night, without television! – Will in Wyoming