Storing Coal for Home Heating at Your Retreat

James;
One thing I haven’t seen discussed at SurvivalBlog is coal. It is an excellent survival fuel. I would recommend purchasing ten tons of coal for your survival retreat. When the SHTF, you would basically have over a three year supply of energy, with no trees to chop. Best of all, there are no storage problems. You can leave it in a pile, or bury it in a hole. It will keep and will not degrade.
Coal is very cheap. If possible, get a low sulfur anthracite coal. However, if your budget is tight, you can get a higher sulfur coal. The concern would be corrosion in your stove pipe. But even if you use high sulfur, a 3 year run shouldn’t be a problem. If you want something real cheap, try to get hold of petroleum coke. It used to sell for $5/ton. Great for heating, but it will be high in sulfur. A lower sulfur form is called needle coke or anode grade coke. You might attract some suspicion ordering a large load, so you might want to stress the farmer approach. Also, coal is used as a filtering media, so you can claim you are using it for bio-diesel production. Claim it absorbs the glycerin. Or just purchase smaller lots. Filter grade anthracite is readily available in 1-ton super sacks. This will cost a little more though.
Regards, – J.D.P.

JWR Replies: We have indeed mentioned coal in the blog, but not in quite a while. For any of our readers that have never burned coal, keep in mind that coal burns very hot and hence a typical woodstove grate may burn out when you switch to coal, which could put your stove’s firebox at risk. Make sure that your stove has a cast iron grate that is compatible with coal. (Talk to your local stove dealer if you aren’t sure.) OBTW, if you own a home without a coal bin, you can sometimes order coal for delivery in pallet boxes. (Often this is a bit less expensive than bagged coal, and the boxes are easier to store in bulk quantities if you don’t have a basement that is already set up for coal delivery and storage, or if your planned coal storage exceeds your existing bin’s capacity. A few of these big pallet boxes stacked two-high in your barn is an investment in peace of mind, since coal stores indefinitely. Ironically, even though there is more coal mined in the western U.S. than in the east, home heating coal seems to be more expensive west of Ohio, and coal for the consumer (home heating) market is downright hard to find in some western states. (And what we have here is nearly all low sulfur lignite or sub-bituminous coal, since that is what is principally mined in the west.) I know one gent in Nebraska that insists on burning only Anthracite, and he mail orders it from Lehman’s in Ohio. But that is a “spendy:” way to buy coal. For some background and practical “how to” on heating your home with coal, see the Anthracite Coal Forum.

Lastly, I should mention that if you plan to have a home blacksmithing forge, you should lay in a supply of coal and coke, even if you don’t plan on heating your home with coal. Here is one handy resource on home blacksmiths.

Letter Re: Ammunition Handloading Basics

Jim,
I just got an order I sent for a couple days ago. 240gr. .44 cast bullets. It is my first time dealing there, but they look great, everything they are supposed to be. I got them from http://www.prettygoodbullets.com/ They also have .38, .40, and .45. I have been reloading for years, mostly pistol calibers. A good way for a newbie to start would be with a [hand held] Lee Loader. It is low-tech, and slow, but quality ammo can be made this way. All that is required besides the components, (primers, powder, and projectiles) is a soft mallet, and a sturdy workbench, and maybe some case-lube. The directions that comes with the loader set includes information on powder selection for specific bullet type/weight. No scale required, they include a small dipper that is calibrated to the caliber and powder required for the bullet selected. it really is an ingenious little set-up. All that for just under $22.00! Like the ad says, this pays for itself in a couple hours.
If one wants to get into other loads, then it is wise to invest in a good scale. I is not a bad idea to do so anyway, if you want precision ammo. For general plinking, the lee loader is adequate. Probably good for man-sized targets out to 200 yards for rifles, YMMV, depending on ability. As with anything, consistency is the key. The more uniform you can repeat the process, the more accurate your final product will be.
So, a pound of powder, about $20.00 or less, (I haven’t bought any for a while), a brick of primers, also around $20.00, I think, and your selected bullets, of which the cast bullet is the most economical, and will make just as big a hole as the more expensive copper jacket type, especially at pistol velocities. I got a beautiful 185 lb 11 point whitetail that scored 172 6/8 with my .44 mag, using a Keith style wadcutter, at about 75 yards. I can hit clay pigeons off a fence pretty consistently at that distance, with that bullet.
A word about primer selection; I know of a few who say they use magnum primers for all loads. Not a good thing. If you are loading a magnum round, then OK, but it is best to stick with what is called for. A good reloading manual can be very valuable if you want to start experimenting.
It is NOT wise to think you can do things like add a ‘bit’ more powder to a load, as a ‘bit’ more can increase pressures by several times the original load.
It is also wise to avoid drinking or smoking while reloading, for obvious reasons. A double charge in a case will make your favorite weapon into a hand grenade!
I have a block with 50 holes in it, and I charge the cases in it, and then visually look into each before I start seating bullets, just to be sure they all look the same. Safety first is very important. Another rule to keep in mind, is never have more than one type powder open at a time, and always use the original container, so it doesn’t get confusing.
Reloading is a very rewarding past-time, and it could extend your ammo supply as long as your components hold out. Cases can last pretty good if you follow reasonable levels of pressure.
One little trick I have learned, it is wise to clean the primer pockets of residue, after ‘decapping’ the cases. I use my cordless drill with a short piece of multi-strand electrical wire that just fits the pocket. It cleans it out, and doesn’t hurt the brass case. If you skip that step, you could end up with a ‘high primer’, which could possibly cause a ‘slam fire’ in a semi-automatic, or maybe drag on the face of the frame on a revolver.
I have reloaded thousands of rounds so far, and have yet to have a ‘dud’.
There are many out there who have developed a favorite load for each firearm they own that will out-shoot (in terms of accuracy) factory ammo. Each firearm is an individual, and what is a perfect load for one will not work quite as well in another. Now we are talking 1/2″ groups @ 100 yards and like that. That takes a good bit of experimenting, but can be fun, and will keep you in practice.
While talking about each firearm being an individual, as an example, I have a .22 pistol that will shoot any ammo I put in it, except Federal. It will jam several times with each magazine. A friend has one just like it, and those are his favorite ammo. It is always wise to try each of whatever is available to see what works best in your particular firearm. They can be particular.
There is much more to reloading, like cases stretching over several uses, but that comes from ‘hot’ loads’, but can become a factor over time even from reasonable loads. Come to think of it, I have never needed to trim any of my .44 brass, and I do not load them light. I do find a split one, once in a while. It is good to have a quality firearm, my Ruger Super Blackhawk takes that okay, and I don’t even know when one splits, till I am reloading and notice it while inspecting cases before I start. You can’t be too careful. – Sid, near Niagara Falls

Odds ‘n Sods:

“Its called a cricothyrotomy not a tracheotomy…” I’ve noticed the new Jericho television series has sparked some interesting threads of conversation at The FAL Files, AR-15.com, and many other Internet forums. SurvivalBlog’s frequent content contributor Rourke has even started a Jericho-dedicated Yahoo discussion group. Check it out. OBTW, we don’t own a television here at the Rawles Ranch, so don’t ask me my opinion about the series, or anything else on television for that matter. (We only watch “Elk-evision”, from our porch.)

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The Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper published a recent “scare tactics” article by Tom Paulson that begins: “Hundreds of undocumented chickens live in Seattle, a clucking time bomb planted right in the urban core that poses just as great a risk for deadly bird flu as any rural chicken should the severe Asian strain of avian influenza…” I fail to see how “hundreds” of domestic chickens constitute any significant threat compared to the hundreds of thousands of migratory and resident wild birds in the city. By both weight and volume there is far more duck, goose, and pigeon poop than there is chicken poop in Seattle.

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A reminder that Mountain Brook Foods of Tracy, California is running a special one month sale just for SurvivalBlog readers. Until the end of October, the following discounts will be available for in-stock items only:
20% off Orders of $100 to $249
30% off Orders of $250 to $499.99
40% off Orders over $500, not to exceed $2,500.
To place your order go to www.mountainbrookfoods.com. There you will see there full line of storage foods and books. Note, however, that their web site lists only their standard pricing. To get the SurvivalBlog October special pricing, enter “SurvivalBlog” as the coupon discount code. If you have any questions about this special offer or any their products you can contact Mountain Brook at: support@mountainbrookfoods.com or call toll free: (877) 668-6826.

Note From JWR:

Today’s first article is a forwarded piece, penned by John Farnham, a well-respected firearms instructor in the U.S. His school is just one of a handful that I consider qualified to teach truly. practical firearms shooting. (Based upon personal experience my favorite is Front Sight. I haven’t yet attended any of Farnham’s training, but I’ve heard that it is great.)

What If?, by John Farnham

What if? Here is the “What if?” question that is silently circulating among federal agencies: Israel is currently fighting, as far as it is concerned, for its very national existence. Few in Israel don’t believe that every, last Israeli ( man, woman, child) in the entire county will be casually massacred, in place, when Iran/Hezbollah successfully invades.
When that happens, all of Western Europe will do little more than scratch itself! Israel has not a friend in the world, save the USA, and the UK. Curious that the same people who don’t think the United States should be fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, wildly cheer Israel for doing the identical thing in Lebanon! I guess it is okay for them, but not for us, eh?
It is widely believed Israel has an arsenal of deliverable, nuclear weapons . In fact, there is little doubt that is true. Iran will have something along that line soon, and we all know Hezbollah to be simply the “provisional branch” of the Iranian armed forces. Of course, Russia and China have operational, nuclear arsenals too, as do, to a lesser extent, India, and Pakistan. In addition, there is a considerable amount of fissionable material, left over from the Cold War, that is completely unaccounted for. Heaven knows where it is!
So, there is a high probability, getting higher with each passing day, that an above-ground nuke will go off, on purpose, somewhere in the world before the current crisis subsides (if it ever does). There well may be more than just one!
When that happens, this is what we can look forward to here in the USA:
Life, for us, will change forever.
Airports will shut down immediately. In fact, all travel, save walking, will be extremely restricted. Plan on being treated like a criminal no matter where you go. Plan on not getting anywhere fast. Those caught away from home will be stranded for weeks or months. For Americans vacationing in foreign countries, even Mexico and Canada, reentry will be all but impossible.
“Martial Law,” or some version of it, will be imposed in every place. That means curfews, endless checkpoints, and mass detention centers, everywhere.
Television and radio will be offline. Hard, reliable news will be difficult to come by. Wild rumors will circulate, unchecked.
Communication via telephone, cell phone, and computer will be cut off immediately. The whole system will melt down. Restoration will be slow an d tedious. It may be weeks before you know the status of separated friends and family.
All sales of guns and ammunition will be stopped immediately, along with sales of liquor, fuel, and some drugs.
Military mobilization, on a national level, will commence in earnest. Most roads, mass transit, heavy vehicles, busses, aircraft, and ships will be immediately commandeered for military use.
Politicians, at all levels, will take extreme measures to protect themselves. The rest of us will be the recipients of little more than lip service. We’ll see paranoid mayors, like [Mayor] Nagin in New Orleans, send their police house to house confiscating legally-owned firearms, ammunition, even food (you’ll be accused of “hoarding”) from good and decent people who are unlikely to resist violently. The indecency of such public criminality will never even occur to them.
As we saw in New Orleans, violent criminals, individually and in gangs, will commit burglaries, robberies, arson, rape, and murder, largely unhindered by police (who will be completely overwhelmed). Those caught unprepared will, as always, make useful victims.
There will be chronic shortages of everything you can imagine. Cash will become worthless. Until some universal faith in government is earned and eventually restored, the new currency will be food, ammunition, and batteries.
Decent people, entire neighborhoods, will have to band together for protection. Large sections of urban areas will be considered too dangerous to enter, even by police. In France, this is the case now!
Delivery of basic, infrastructure services, like water, gas, and electricity, will become intermittent and unreliable.
I promise you, liberal, anti-gun snobs will be the first ones at your doorstep sheepishly begging to borrow one of yours!
Many among the naive and unprepared will not live through it. Individual preparedness, including reserves of food, water, guns, ammunition, personal competence and resolve, et al, will see you through it. My advice is to ge t prepared now, while you still can. “What if?” is, in fact, the wrong question. “What when?” is the right one! – John Farnham Defense Training International, Inc.

Letter Re: A Positive Experience at Front Sight

Mr. Rawles:
I just got back from a Two Day Defensive Handgun course from Front Sight. I contacted them after reading about their school at your blog, and they said that their best advertising was by ‘word of mouth’ , and if I was interested, they would give me a free two day course, so naturally there was no way I could refuse. I attended from 6 to 8 Oct. and was awed by their professionalism. A truly unique experience. I have nothing but great comments for the school. Thank you for the info. Please feel free to quote me anytime. Sincerely, – P.R.M.

Letter Re: Field Gear for Kids

Dear Jim,
Our family camps quite a bit for re-enactments, so the kids are used to fairly rough conditions. They have appropriate gear for most eras from Viking to US Civil War.
However, my daughter went on her first Brownie campout this weekend. She has sleeping bag, backpack (which was a full load for her at 20 lbs), spare clothes, first aid kit, Surefire and pocket light, walkie talkies and teddy bear. She also always insists on taking a couple of bottles of water. (She selected all this stuff. I’m very proud of my 8 year old.)
It would be nice, and I’m going to research, something children can use akin to web gear for carrying canteens, first aid kits and accessories.
Small 1.5″ Web belts and US issue compass pouches come to mind, with flashlight sheaths and other small accessories. Any advice is welcomed. – Michael Z. Williamson

Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my recent web searches turned up this interesting site: Owl’s Nest Plantation–a supplier of herbs and spices, in bulk quantities.

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Administration Iraq Study Group considers a partitioned Iraq. Don’t they remember what happened when Pakistan was partitioned from India?

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Reader D.W. sent us a link regarding the collapse of the Amaranth Advisors derivatives trading firm: A $6 billion gamble gone bad. Here is a quote from the article: “The hedge fund Amaranth Advisors, which is preparing to shut down after losing more than $6 billion because of bad energy trades, expects to cut about 60 percent of its work force within a week. As many as 250 of Amaranth’s 420 workers will be dismissed, said Charlie Winkler, the company’s chief operating officer… …The firm said it is seeking an orderly process to sell about $3 billion of remaining assets and return proceeds to investors.”

See my recent article on derivatives for some background about the wider implications of hedge trading.

Note from JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser: Inirgee, a low voltage lighting mail order firm in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. You may wonder what 12 VDC Christmas lights have to do with survival. But think this through: Using part or all of a string of LED lights is ideal for survival lighting with a minimal power source. Just one small photovoltaic panel and a pair of 6 VDC golf cart (deep cycle) batteries can provide you with lighting, communications gear, a police scanner, and a small battery charging tray. This sort of setup is ideal for either someone that is on a tight budget, or someone that needs a mobile system that they can quickly disassemble and carry in the trunk of a car. A small photovoltaic (PV) power and lighting system is better than no system. Lets face it: For many of us, a small system is all that we can afford. Even without a PV panel, you can just a use a car battery to provide shelter lighting for short term grid-down situations. Regardless of the scale of system that you choose, concentrate first on components that have minimal current loads. Also consider this: If you buy a LED disaster lighting system that can be switched between strings of red and white LEDs, by switching to the red LEDs you can preserve your night vision before emerging from your shelter for tactical situations. Think of the possibilities. OBTW, be sure to use the coupon code survival to get the special SurvivalBlog readers’ 10% discount on all regularly priced merchandise in the Inirgee online store. (They have more than 400 different items.)

Letter Re: Advice on Ammunition and Precious Metals for Barter?

Mr. Rawles,
I recently read your post about your attending a coin show in California. What are your recommendations for getting started in collecting a few gold coins in case the monetary system collapses (I don’t have the foggiest idea how to begin)? How much should I purchase, what types, and in what quantities? I assume that having a couple extra cases of shotgun shells and a few boxes of .22 [rimfire] rounds will also go a long way in a barter environment (not to mention a water filter or two.) Any advice or direction that you can share would be greatly appreciated! – Sean

JWR Replies: As mentioned in my novel “Patriots”, I think that common caliber ammunition is preferable to precious metals for barter. In the U.S., I recommend stocking up on extra .308, .223, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 12 gauge (2-3/4″ only), and .22 Long Rifle rimfire. You might also lay in a smaller supply of the two or three most popular big game hunting calibers in your region. (They do vary quite a bit. Ask at your local sporting goods store which are the most popular. Where I live, it is.30-06. But in other parts of the country it might be .30-30 or .243 Winchester. I’ve read that in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, the venerable .303 British cartridge is still quite popular )

If you decide that you want to supplement your supply of “ballistic wampum” barterables, then I recommend buying silver rather than gold coins.Gold is just too compact a store of wealth for most barter transactions. If and when you want to buy (via barter) a gallon of kerosene, a box of ammunition, or a can of beans, then gold is inappropriate. How would someone make “change” for a transaction that is priced at 1/100th of the value of a one ounce American Eagle or one ounce Krugerrand gold coin? With a cold chisel? But pre-1965 (90% silver) dimes should work just fine. These are nice small, readily recognizable silver coins for barter. Parenthetically, as I have mentioned in the SurvivalBlog Investing sub-page, I recommend that you get your key logistics (“beans, bullets, and band-aids”) squared away before you consider investing anything extra in precious metals–either for barter or as a long term inflation hedge.

The Ultralight Bug-Out Bag, by Hawaiian K.

Editor’s Note: The following article presents a distinctly different approach to packs than that recently recommended by FDG in his two part article. While FDG recommended a lightweight approach, “Hawaiian K.” recommends and “ultralight” approach. Both approaches have their merits. What you select may depend on the severity /duration of your anticipated scenario(s) as well as the distance to your intended retreat or back-up retreat. Another variable is your fitness/health in general, and the condition of your back in particular. As they say in the car commercials: “Your mileage my vary.” (YMMV.)

One of the most common topics of conversation when survivalists get together is each individual’s take on the BOB (bug-out bag). We all have our own approach but some of us haven’t thought it completely through. I have a friend, for instance, who’d had the contents of his BOB gathering in his front closet for years. When I dared him to actually put it all together and weigh it, it topped out at a back-breaking 92 pounds! Needless to say, he was stunned and determined to trim it down to the bare bones. When he weighed it again, it was 64 pounds, which he felt was “doable”. I challenged him and a couple of pals to a weekend hike, each of us carrying the full contents of our BOBs.
I’ve had a serious back problem for many years and was overjoyed when I started reading about “ultralight” hiking. Everything you carry is weighed and the goal is keep your entire pack under 20 pounds. There are numerous advantages to doing so, for example, at the end of the day you’re not exhausted from carrying 60+ pounds! Heavy packs also throw off your center of balance, particularly when you’re trying to make it up a steep incline. A couple of the guys in our party ended up taking falls because of this, one of them resulting in a nasty wrist compression (it might’ve been a good deal worse). You also can’t travel as quickly when you’re dragging that anchor around. When we made camp that night I ended up eating alone as the dead-tired “freight-haulers” were out cold and snoring before they could get a fire going.
The average pair of “waffle stomper” style boots weigh in at about four pounds, while the ankle-high running shoes that I wear are less than 2 pounds. For every mile you walk in heavy boots, you’re lifting about a ton of weight (literally, 2000 pounds) more than you’d be hoisting in lighter shoes, and it all adds up! A heavy-duty combat style backpack can weigh 7 pounds empty, while the pack I carry is less than a pound. By the way, if you want to travel light, you’ll need to become familiar with a fabric called “silnylon” which is nylon treated with silicon (waterproof and featherweight). It’s a miracle to camp with but be *very* careful with flame (don’t get it near the stuff). Rather than travel with a 10 pound tent in your pack, try a silnylon tarp/poncho overhead and a bivy sack (which is a waterproof cover for your sleeping bag) which, combined, weigh well less than a pound. Some budget ultralight hikers use a 6’x8′ sheet of Tyvek as a ground cloth or tarp (weighs next to nothing). You get the idea?
Rather than invest in a Camelback-type rig for carrying water, I carry 2 liter soda bottles (which are free, weigh nothing and don’t develop that “funky” taste that the bladders get after a while). We weighed the canteen that one of the guys was carrying and it was a couple of pounds, empty! In lieu of a stove, the same guy carried a 4 pound ax (to gather “firewood”), while I carried a “Coke can” stove ( http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html ) that, along with it’s fuel (denatured alcohol) weighs less than 3 ounces! The poor guy was hungry (no dinner the night before) and it took him almost an hour to gather his wood, split it and get a good fire going before he could start breakfast. I think it goes without saying that if we’d been “bugging out”, the time taken and the tell-tale smoke from the fire would’ve been unacceptable. That’s another aspect of ultralight hiking that works for survivalists, “leave no trace of your visit” to give away your position or make it easy to be tracked.
We felt it prudent to leave our rifles at home and stick with concealed carry (people get spooked seeing armed men marching in the woods out of hunting season). Keeping with the light BOB idea, I had my Glock 30 along with 2-10 round magazines (the idea is to make every shot count, if need be, and to travel so quietly as to be unseen and untargeted) and my favorite knife for this kind of hike, a CRKT M16- which is a skeletonized folder that thinks it’s a fixed blade knife (even has a true hilt) and weighs in at 5.6 ounces. True to the intent of this trip, I also wore my IIA [body armor] vest, being sure to wear a synthetic material tee-shirt under it. When you hike for any distance, the last material you’ll want against your skin is cotton, which will absorb sweat and make you miserable no matter if the weather is hot or cold. Though the hike was in the Summer in Vermont, we were all carrying everything we’d need, even in the dead of Winter. Clothing-wise, I carry synthetic underwear- long and short, Merino wool shirt and pants (which are convertible to shorts), a synthetic fleece jacket, a light insulated parka, and breathable rain gear. I also carry waterproof gaiters, vapor barrier socks, several pairs of technical, Merino wool socks, one pair saved for use only when sleeping (and therefore, always dry, a real treat after a day of hiking) and two pairs of gloves (one fits over the other) It pays to have either a synthetic balaclava or a “Buff” (a multipurpose head/neck wrap) along and I always carry my Tilley’s hat for shade, the only cotton piece in my kit. For light, I stick to tiny LEDs as a normal flashlight with 2 D cells weighs in at half a pound. I also try to utilize dried and freeze dried foods as much as possible to lighten the load.
The trick is to constantly look for places where you can cut weight. For example, most people don’t really need a full length pad to sleep on, so you trim the pad to 3/4 and you save a few ounces. You wear light layers rather than carry an entire wardrobe for each season. There are people who even go so far as to cut off any labels or trim that they deem unnecessary, trying to pare down another ounce. You also want to try to carry things that are “multi-purposed” so that you carry fewer items. Some things, like a one ounce mosquito head net, are worth their weight in gold and you’d be foolish to travel the back country without them. By the end of the second day of this trip, these ideas were starting to make sense to my fellow hikers. The ax carrier was starting to understand that twigs made more sense than logs for the fires he was making and all of them were cursing the weight (and unneeded items) they were carrying. They were converts by the time we got home again and each of them has completely reworked their BOB, thanks to the on the ground lessons we all learned. Even if the idea of an ultralight BOB doesn’t appeal to you, you owe it to yourself (and those who depend on you) to give your own BOB a “real world” trial, to see if it lives up to your needs and is actually as “haul-able” as you think it is.- Hawaiian K.

Letter Re: Prospects for the UK after TEOTWAWKI

Jim,
“PJ”s letter concerning rising crime in the UK seems to pin it directly on the poor, the Traveller Community and immigrants. The “Traveller Community” for example, isn’t just made up of “gypsies”, many white, middle class kids are joining it because they regard life in the UK as becoming increasingly twisted due to misplaced priorities (which is hard to argue with). By the way, I just read today that ethnic “gypsies” have asked for recognition of their own holocaust during WWII, something that is conveniently forgotten by people like PJ who need to have a foreign scapegoat to blame the ills of society on.
I also find it interesting that he speaks of “under resourced Police forces” when the U.K. has become the literal manifestation of “Big Brother”, with surveillance cameras everywhere continually peering at it’s disarmed people. I don’t know about you but I don’t want our government to use questionable statistics of rising crime to eliminate our rights to privacy. [Rant snipped.] Be very careful about these scapegoating letters as they’re invariably racist, between the lines or not. Roman immigrants to Israel were responsible for the death of Jesus, yet nowhere in his message is “blame it on the foreigners”…..unless I’ve badly misread the New Testament. Best Regards, – A Reader

JWR Replies: I don’t want this to degenerate into ranting and flame wars, but this issue needs to be addressed, and I intend to do so, with just this one reply. I suppose that if either of us lived in England, we might have a different opinion about crime. Here is a snippet on comparative crime statistics that I just found on the web: “According to Interpol, the number of crimes per 100,000 residents for the UK in 1997 was 8,576.46, for the USA that year it was 4,922.74. For 1998 in the UK it was 9,823.28. Interpol does not have USA data for that year, nor does it have 2000 data for the UK. In 2000, however, the USA saw 4,123 crimes per 100,000 residents. In other words: UK crime rate is twice as high as USA’s and rising. USA crime rate is half the UK’s and falling.” So I can see why the average Englishman might be more fearful of crime than we are. (Although, ironically, the risk of getting murdered here in the US is higher than it is there. But England clearly has higher rates for nearly all other crimes–both violent and non-violent.)

Upon re-reading PJ’s letter, I can see that there are elements of it that could be construed as racist. I’ll withhold any judgment on PJ, but there are indeed some racist tendencies in England, just as there are here in the US. Back in the 1950s England had a low crime rate. But these days it has an unacceptably and uncomfortably high crime rate. But it is criminal individuals, not racial, ethnic, or religious groups that are to blame. We don’t paint with that sort of broad brush on SurvivalBlog.

Odds ‘n Sods:

A nightmare for the intel analysts in Z Division: A defiant North Korea conducts a nuclear bomb test

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North Korea’s bomb ‘would kill 200,000’

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The folks at The Pre-1899 Specialist told us that their recently acquired batch of 8 x 57 pre-1899 Turkish contract Oberndorf Mauser rifles is going fast. This is by far the nicest batch of Turks that they’ve ever had. Since they were all made between 1894 and 1896, they are Federally exempt “antiques” –which means no paperwork required for delivery to most of the 50 States. (They come right to your doorstep, with no pesky 4473 form required!)