Notes from JWR:

Congrats to LP, the winner of the latest round of the SurvivalBlog nonfiction writing contest. His article “Preparedness While on Business Travel –What to Pack” wins the grand prize: four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!)

Second prize goes to Paul B. for his article “Building a Scout Rifle on a Budget”. His prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing.

Honorable Mention awards go to “Jerry the Generator Guy” for his article “Home/Retreat Power Generator Noise Reduction” and to Nathaniel for his article “Homeschooling During the Crunch”. They will both receive complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse.”

Note to the prize winners: Please send me an e-mail to let me know the snail mail addresses where you’d like your prizes sent.

Round 14 of the writing contest begins today, and ends on January 31st. The following is the first article that will be considered in the judging for Round 14:

Western Washington — A Retreat Potential and Disaster Assessment, by B.H.

I am writing to you at length today about Western Washington and its retreat potential and Assessment of disaster scenarios. Last year I made a career move that required us to move to Western Washington from Eastern Washington. We moved into what is considered the South Sound area of Western Washington (WWA) this area includes the State capital of Olympia and its bedroom communities of Tumwater and Lacey. Lacey and South East Olympia border the “Argonne Forest” of Fort Lewis. On a side note the 3rd Stryker Brigade is starting to rotate back home—Great job to you all and were glad to have you home on American soil!

Let me take a moment to describe some important geographic details about WWA. Imagine a vertical strip of land 60 miles wide and bordered along the north/south axis by ocean and mountains. The entire WWA is riddled with rivers running East to West from the Cascade Mountains into Puget Sound or directly into the Pacific Ocean. Starting in King County the population center expands outward to the North and South with heavy concentrations in Pierce(South) and Snohomish (North) and East into the cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland and Issaquah. Interstate 90 runs directly through these cities and stops directly next to Qwest Stadium (Seahawks). Running North/South directly through WWA is Interstate 5 (“I-5”) which at times is 8 lanes wide to just two lanes in Lewis and Cowlitz Counties.
I have spent one year driving almost all of WWA for my job and I am convinced that WWA is not in anyway viable for retreat potential and at best would be a death trap during any Disaster. The main two reasons are 1) Population/Culture and 2) Nodes of Transportation/Infrastructure. I have found it best to describe and discuss these blended topics rather than individual subjects. I’m sure what I’m about to discuss may be quite redundant to most SurvivalBlog readers but what is new information is the application to the specific region called WWA or Puget Sound.

The first point of concern is and always should be size of population and without being too redundant you can imagine the jar of marbles exercise being applied to Seattle area and it’s obvious that no truly rural area truly exists in Western Washington. The golden horde numbers well over 2 million people just in the Puget Sound area. The greatest concern is that the majority of these people are left-wing big government liberals. The Seattle or “West-Side” culture as called by the Eastern Washington (Eastsiders) is very decadent or metropolitan lifestyle. The average Sounder relies heavily upon morning lattes, delivered sushi for lunch and fast food for dinner so the kids can get to soccer practice. It’s a decadent lifestyle but frail and unsustainable. This coastal community relies heavily upon government interference and actually tends to vote socialist in every election. In fact, I predict the socialist’s will kill gun shows in Washington in the 2008 legislative session since they control both houses and the governor’s mansion. They may also ban .50 caliber rifles if they push hard enough.

When you drive the I-5 corridor you get to notice lots of similarities in the average driver. The average Seattleite drives a Subaru and/or hybrid auto. Most cars have bumper stickers that reflect the overall socialist thread of the population. The most predominate are “Free Tibet”, “Al Gore for President” and the usual “Bush-hating, anti-war, I’m a coward let’s give up- why can’t we just group hug” bumper stickers. The most appalling I’ve seen is one pledging allegiance to the UN. It took a lot of effort not to run that guy off the road and hang him as a traitor.

If I had to summarize the culture of the average West-sider I would have to say they are socialist, nanny-stators who think it is they’re duty and obligation to use government to force people into living their lives the way the liberal sees fit. No property rights, no gun rights just what is best for the collective good. They won’t be happy until we are all walking or riding bikes and digging for grubs so “Mother Earth” won’t be plagued with the human parasite.

The second point of concern is node of transportation/infrastructure. Most people think of rain when they think of Seattle. Rain and runoff go hand in hand. As moist pacific air moves inland the Cascade mountain range forces the clouds up which squeezes the rain out of the clouds. This is the reason Seattle gets so much precipitation and Eastern Washington is dry and arid. All the rain runs down and drains back into Puget Sound or the Ocean via dozens of rivers. You can’t drive more than 20 minutes going North or South on I-5 without having to cross a bridge. There is water everywhere. This leads to concentrated traffic flow on all North South arterials and since the Mountains only allow a few East-West passages through mountain passes. All traffic flow in Western Washington is overly concentrated.

Also added into the equation is the state politics over the last two decades. Liberal democrats have obstructed common sense growth and infrastructure planning and building. The result is growth management bordering on the criminal when it came to adding on new infrastructure and roadwork projects. No new lanes have been added to the I-5 corridor in over 10 years. Some projects to add additional lanes are nearly complete but it is too little, too late. The population growth due to Microsoft, Boeing and a blockbuster economy similar to Silicon Valley has put the carrying capacity of current roads way below what is necessary. Not to mention the cost of living is 20% higher than Eastern Washington and real estate over inflated to double the cost of Eastern Washington.

The results are catastrophic even on most average of days. I have seen traffic at a dead stop at 2 PM on a Tuesday because someone got a flat tire and had pulled over to change the flat. Our Northbound traffic had slowed to a stop and Southbound traffic was slowed to a crawl just because people wanted to see what was going on—which was absolutely nothing. I don’t think a vehicle with a full tank of gas would make it 100 miles during an evacuation scenario or crises. I fill up when leaving the South Sound and it takes me almost two hours to go North to I-90 just to get started going East.

In closing, I could go on for days with examples of how bad it is. But the only conclusion is that Western Washington is a death trap when it comes to evacuating. I would like to hear from some readers about potential enclaves in the “rural” parts of the Olympic Peninsula or far southwestern sections about potential retreat locations. I will concede that the heavy timber growth and easy access to water and wildlife could lead to favorable retreat locations but only if road access is cut-off or the population is on foot and not in vehicles.

The year that I have spent here has convinced me to move back to the Intermountain West and commute to WWA for work only. Which means I am now forced to set up alternate evac routes and caches to get over the Cascades and to home/retreat in case of an emergency. Time to go re-check my Bug Out Bag.

Jim, thank you again for the opportunity to add to the discussion on your blog. I have been a long time reader; 10 Cent Challenge subscriber, and [content] contributor and I look forward to many more years of learning from you and your readers.

JWR Adds: Any SurvivalBlog readers that live in Western Washington and that have plans to “Get Out of Dodge ” to a retreat in the eastern half of the state (or beyond, to northern Idaho or western Montana) should make several alternate route plans, and practice driving them. Crossing the Cascades in winter can be dicey, even in “normal” times. Roughly 26,000 vehicles a day travel the Snoqualmie Pass route. But during a crisis, the Snoqualmie Pass bottleneck may very well turn into a death trap. Without a lot of study, here are some tentative suggestions:

Plan A, for the sake of speed and simplicity should be I-90, assuming good weather and that you can get on the road ahead of the Golden Horde. Plan B might be to drive south and parallel the Columbia River Gorge, on the north shore. Plan C would be to take one of the smaller pass roads (such as White Pass and Stevens Pass), assuming good weather. Many of these are closed during winter months. Plan D might be to take surface roads, a car/passenger ferry, or a privately owned boat north, then make your way east by 4WD pickup or SUV through lightly-populated British Columbia and Alberta, and then drop back down into the States once you are safely far enough east. Because of Canada’s restrictive gun laws, this would only be an option if you have nearly all of your guns, ammo, and gear pre-positioned at your retreat. You might be able to carry a flare gun, edged weapons, impact weapons (such as a baseball bat) and road flares (when lit, these make great “stay away” intimidators), but probably not much more. (OBTW, as I often tell my consulting clients, in the event of a search, “dual use” items must be found in appropriate context by law enforcement officials. For example, your flare gun and flare cartridges should be stored in the same dufflebag as your nautical charts and tide tables. And your baseball bat should be carried with a baseball mitt looped around one end, and stowed alongside a couple of softballs.) Traveling lightly-armed would be a calculated risk. But if it is winter the Snoqualmie Pass is jammed, and the other passes are closed for the season, then it might be worth the risk.

Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Targets in the United States

The recent post [on nuclear targets] that mentioned the prevailing winds reminded me that Weather Underground posts graphs of historical weather data, including wind direction. Because the chart is for the calendar year, the seasonality of the wind in a different region can be determined. For instance, compare the hot south summer winds in Dallas, with the summer ocean winds in Los Angeles, and the northwest fury in Missoula, Montana. Even Eugene, Oregon and Boise, Idaho, despite being close to the same latitude, have different wind trends.

OBTW, if you know the local airport code, you can just alter the URL after the ‘k’ prefix. Regards, – Brian

Letter Re: Security for Unattended Retreats

Technology has so advanced that we are now on the threshold of a new era in security. Off-the-shelf wireless burglar alarms are getting so sophisticated that you no longer need the services of a security company. If your retreat is in an area that has cell phone service, you can get a system that requires no hard line. Look for a GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications] Wireless Security System. GSM is the newer cell phone that uses a card. You don’t have to sign up for service at your retreat location and pay a monthly charge. Simply buy a prepaid card and there is never a cost except those (hopefully) few times that the system calls you. Of course you can typically program these systems to call any or all of six different phone numbers. Some of them have other features, such as a connection to a loudspeaker whereby you can talk directly to any intruder. They accept numerous inputs from motion detectors, temperature sensors, etc. Some of them are capable of running on battery backup power. This means that you can set up a system at a retreat with no phone service, and no electricity, and still be fully protected. These systems are commonly available on eBay for $300 or less, and can be purchased from local security equipment dealers. – K.L. in Alaska

JWR Replies: Thanks for that suggestion. OBTW, I anticipate that even the remote Rawles Ranch will be inside of cellular coverage in less than 10 years.

Letter Re: Reactions to Preparedness Course

Jim:
What a coincidence. I’m quite certain, that the amazing e-mail that you received from HH happens to be from my very good friend and colleague. HH is a good man that care’s for his family and friends. He cares so much, that he often risks the ridicule and accusations as he mentioned, to try and help inform and consequently protect his loved ones with the gift of information.

People are waking up, and I am one of those people. I was the guy that listened to the wisdom HH was resonating, much of that information came from the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course.

I remember talking with him one night in the parking lot as we were leaving work. We were having a good conversation about preparing for potential hardships that our country may soon be facing. I noticed a backpack in his vehicle’s trunk, as well as some shoes and what looked like a change in clothing. It made me chuckle at first as I didn’t understand what it was for, but I had noticed it there on several occasions before. I thought perhaps it was his “emergency” pack in the event of a melt down with his wife… hehehe.

He explained to me that it was part of preparedness plan. I was curious but, admittedly, I thought he might be just a little paranoid or crazy.

A transformation has happened as my eyes have opened to what’s occurring around us. I became curious about the pack and the reason for it.

HH led me to SurvivalBlog.com and to the “Rawles Gets You Ready” course. I borrowed it over the Thanksgiving holiday. After perusing the materials, I certainly felt like I had another thing the be thankful for this year.

I purchased the course for myself last night and took advantage of the great offer. I really owe this enlightenment to my great friend HH, I’m truly grateful to have such a selfless friend with so much knowledge.

I pray that I will never need to utilize this information, but that won’t stop me from absorbing it and getting prepared. Considering the increasingly complex world we live in, with all of the unrest over wars, economic failure, volatile weather patterns, and increasing pressure on our natural resources, one cannot afford to ignore the signs. I felt that at the very least, I needed to start preparing for the possible troubles we’ve brought upon ourselves.

Thanks for providing this great wisdom for those of us that want to be ready for the challenges of our current times. – Todd H.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Bruce A. found this article about Tamiflu for us: Panel Seeks New Warning on Flu Drug

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Frequent contributor Eric S. sent us this from The Australian: Chinese tiger has nothing in tank. The piece begins: “China is running out of fuel. Police are guarding petrol stations in several inland provinces to prevent fights, as shortages of petrol and diesel are causing huge queues of trucks, buses and cars.”

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Pete D. sent us a link to a downright scary article on Credit Default Swaps from the Sudden Debt Blog: CDS: Phantom Menace

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The extended 33% off sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course ends Monday. Be sure to place your order online or have it postmarked by midnight Monday, December 3rd.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In six days–less than a week–the world turned upside down. San Francisco became a war zone. Do you know what people do when you tell them they no longer have rights? That an individual is
powerless? They fight. It was ludicrous to think mankind would just roll on its back and comply. I saw my neighbors–people I’ve known for years–become bloodthirsty savages. Infected, uninfected, it didn’t matter. We were all driven mad. The survival instinct went ballistic. Food, guns, medicine, blood–it all became priceless. Worth killing for. Those who had became the targets of the had nots.
A city of five million people. Within a month more than half were dead. Six weeks later, about ten thousand like me. AB Negatives. We were all determined to live. But we didn’t gather together. There was no unity. It was every man for himself. Trust had been abolished. By the end of the year, it was me. Just me.” – Mark Protosevich –from an early draft of the “I Am Legend” Screenplay

Notes from JWR:

By popular demand, the 33% off sale price for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course has been extended until Monday night (December 3rd.) Be sure to place your order online (or have it postmarked) before midnight, Monday.

Today’s first article is from the SurvivalBlog archives. I wrote it back in August of 2005. For the sake of the many newbies, I am re-posting it:

The Pre-Test and the Ultimate Test

There may come a day when you have to put all of your training and preparations to use. That will be ultimate test of whether or not you have a true survival mindset. Do you think that you are ready for WTSHTF, physically and mentally? Assuming that you live in the suburbs, try a weekend “grid down” test with your family. This will test both your mental preparedness and how well you have prepared for the basics. Here is how it is done: Some Friday evening, unannounced, turn off your main circuit breaker and shut the valves the gas main and the water main. Leave them off until Monday morning. You might be surprised how the weekend goes. One thing that I can guarantee you: Some of the most accurate lists of logistics that you will ever compose are those written by candlelight.

Now, assuming that your weekend test goes well, extrapolate to a situation where your entire community is in the same circumstances. Then add to that some turmoil: bullets are flying and perhaps there is even the occasional stray mortar round. The recent civil wars in Kosovo and Macedonia are good points of reference.

Letter Re: Security for Unattended Retreats

Hello Jim,
Todd’s article [on Friday, November 23rd] was a good discussion on the all encompassing aspects of your retreat. It has been some time since security has been discussed on the blog, namely security systems. Here are some things that could, (should) alert you to a detrimental event at your intended retreat when you do not live there.
Have a security system wired into you future retreat, motor home, CONEX, outbuilding, etc… I would venture a cost range from $300-to-$2,000 to cover your structure from basic to very well covered. Monitoring varies and will likely run around a Dollar a day.

There are countless options that provide “extra sets of eyes and ears” at your retreat during life as we know it. There are many companies that will give you support so you can install your own system. They will likely cash sale you the necessary wire and components. Then you can have them come out and connect it to a monitoring service that will call anyone you decide either before or after calling the authorities, it is customizable. If you would like it to call a trusted neighbor, your pager, or your own phone, it is possible.

If your retreat is already built, you can go with wireless sensors that have great range and extremely simple to install. A huge piece of mind can be offered by adding moisture sensors and temperature sensors to your system that will along with fire, contact you and the monitoring service can tell you that your heat source has failed, smoke is detected, water is detected, and so forth. All without having to compromise a key to your retreat and the password to your alarm.

You can add different user passwords so you can tell whom has been there and when. It is amazing what is available. Don’t forget the weakest link which is the hard-line to the property. Vandal proof it, or better yet, discuss underground thru foundation service. This is available, you just have to ask and possibly bear the risk of having to pay the phone companies technicians to come in and troubleshoot future line problems rather than it be on their dime when the demark point is outside the structure. If you don’t want the possibility of having the technician inside your structure, then harden the wire with stout metal pipe where it is above ground, possibly make a hardened sheet that protects the demark point from impact or bolt cutters. Details will have to be worked out with your utility company. At the very least this will add considerable work and noise to attempt to terminate your phone line.

If you have multiple structures on your property, don’t forget to bury an underground high speed Cat 5 telephone line and it’s a good idea to throw in a low voltage and coax line in the trench for interconnectivity of your buildings. This will allow you to monitor the structures with only one system, (if large enough), and only pay one monitoring fee. If someone attempts to break in to your garage, you can have the sensor chirp in your home so you can investigate on your own rather than wait for the authorities should you deem it necessary and safe to do so.
As a last reassurance, add a set of security cameras. Many companies offer cameras that only tape when motion or heat is detected. Get with your local “techie” and ask him how to view your property real time and/or review your recording device over the Internet so you can look for odd or awkward behavior. At least you have the opportunity to apprehend the bad guys and possibly recover some of your stuff should you choose to do so. Or, at least you can know who or whom you can trust if you decide to “keep quiet” about your loss.
Peace of mind for about the cost of a nice rifle and magazines. I think that it is worth it. – The Wanderer

Letter Re: Reactions to Preparedness Course

Jim:

Your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course is an amazing tome of information and I refer to it quite often. I’m thankful to have found it and I’m grateful that there are folks out there, like you and Jim, who are willing to devote serious amounts of time and effort sharing (well, okay, selling for a reasonable price) their knowledge. Hats off to you!

Its weird, I’ve shown the course to several people and several ridiculed me for having spent such a sum of money on 220 pages of information relating to some guy’s shopping spree at a big box store. They simply failed to understand the importance of the information contained. Their reactions were what I’d expected but, surprisingly, three of the seven or eight folks I showed the course to found it to be as interesting and important as I did, and one of them is planning on buying the course this week. People are waking up.

I don’t want to ramble on for too long, but suffice it to say that an incredibly tiny amount of people truly understand the predicament our country is in and the precarious nature of how food and goods are made available to them.

I’ve tried to explain the situation in simple, straightforward terms and backed my word by countless sources of reliable information, only to be met with either apathy or accusations of fear-mongering. I pray I never have to rely on my preparations, but even a Boy Scout knows better than to rely on hope alone. And I certainly didn’t hear my family complaining as they gobbled up my fresh whole-wheat dinner rolls at Thanksgiving, made from grain that I had milled the night before.

A hundred bucks for this course? You could double that price and I’d have still made the purchase. I’m going to buy another copy on Friday, as a Christmas gift to a friend. I hope I can slip my order in before the deadline ends. Thanks. Keep fighting the good fight. – H.H.H.

Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

We have seen the first significant snowfall in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana which from the scuttlebutt around town has sent sellers into a panic, in which they rightly should be. Although some folks around my locale understand the engineered crash of the Dollar, most are still of the opinion that pulling their property off the market and waiting until spring will yield them either a better price (good luck) or a faster sale at that time (maybe so, with a plethora of SurvivalBloggers arriving?). This makes for more detailed work for your agent as they now must search the recently expired, withdrawn and canceled listings in your locale of choice, as much as the active listings for sale to find your retreat.

The other issue is that most sellers, if the property remains on the market into winter, either fail to realize or just don’t want to admit that the value of their property may be drastically reduced very soon and you’ll need to be careful making too low of an offer as not to insult them. Many folks in the country are stubborn enough to walk away from a sale because of their pride, so be careful with low ball offers. It may be better to offer them more than you want to pay than to come back with an addendum lowering the price after the home inspection is done–and you have some ammo for your price drop. If they do not agree then you simply cancel the purchase, get your earnest money back and find another property.

Speaking of other properties the key is to have you back up property ready to write an offer on. And, you must be ready to walk away from your first choice if you don’t get it for your pre-determined price. Do not get emotional about any property unless you are willing to pay the sellers asking price, period! If you can’t walk away from a deal for $1 then your going to get run around with counter offers until your blue in the face.

You’ll need to gather your facts about your primary and secondary retreat choices that you’ll be making offers on. If retreat #1 has the ultimate gravity fed spring water (or a shallow well) and #2 is a very deep well but the most tactically sound property you have ever seen, recall what I said in my WSREMU of 10-26 where I wrote about the importance of prioritizing your retreat characteristics while shopping, the first being water in the acronym W.A.L.L.S. (Water, Access, Location, Light). You can always defend a property, it just may take more resources, but having gravity fed spring water like we do here at the Savage Retreat is like gold. So you’ll need to raise the bar for your #1 choice since the benefits of fresh water 100% of the time even in a grid down situation outweighs the risk of paying a little (or allot) more than you wanted or felt the property was worth. One can always buy a TNW 1919A4 in order to defend a less than tactical retreat than to magically have a gravity fed spring appear on the property!
Another consideration may be that you have narrowed your search down to two properties, one that has a house that backs up to a hillside and is very wooded with no tillable land and just enough room and sun exposure for a small garden that may feed your family if you can everything you grow for the winter. The second is a nice older farmhouse on a nice plot of tillable acreage but it is very exposed to everyone around. Depending upon your idea of when the TSHTF you may consider that having the tillable land for growing barter items and for wider fields of fire and may be more beneficial. In such a case I would look into obtaining a wholesale license to save money, and purchase a mixture of Poplar for higher concealment (which certain varieties can grow up to 8 ft per year and top out at 80 ft) and Evergreens for lower concealment and plant them around the perimeter of the property. Tillable land is more valuable in the long term than tactical land since again, defensibility is merely a matter of resources. This makes getting to know your neighbors as important as the specific property in order to determine who will be a help and who may be a hinder (target) in times of peril, especially if you plan to quietly form a “security cooperative” during peace time that will turn into your outer warning ring when TSHTF.

Forming your “security cooperative” will take time. It will require genuine effort and a warm attitude as the ‘new’ folks are always under the microscope for am minimum of one year in the country. You won’t be able to walk right out and make trusted friends, especially if your a city slicker like I was when I got to my locale. You should do a quick meet and greet during your inspection period and make sure that the banjo dueling neighbors aren’t child molesters as well, or worse tax collectors. Once you have established your cooperative they can serve as a watchful eye on your retreat if it will not be a year round residence for a spell. During times of peril they can serve as your outer warning ring but most likely will not fall back to your retreat. Remember, friends are friends and business is business and your ultimate priority is securing the safety of your family and those in your actual “Group” that will be arriving when the balloon goes up, so unfortunately, it’s merely ‘business’ and they in most cases will serve their purpose. This may sound cold, but it’s reality. Dispense Christian charity and send them on their way. Your children will thank you one day after all returns to normal.

Earlier this year I had a client that asked me to complete a tactical overview on several properties they were considering purchasing. One of the biggest issues was similar to the one above, where the property had required the purchase of several hundred trees in order to close it off from the nosy neighbors prying eyes in order for a an LP/OP to be constructed hidden in plain sight so to speak. My advice was two fold. First, no matter what or where you’ll be doing construction you’ll be better off if you meet with each of your neighbors over a period of a few weeks before construction begins to nonchalantly mention that your having either a wine cellar constructed or the new one I like, a high tech duck or deer blind built. Why? Because as I have said before, either they will see what is going on and actually come onto your property to say “hi” (which you do not want at that time) or they will be part of the construction crew (gravel, concrete, wood supply driver et cetera) and if so they will pay you no mind. I’m sure you’d rather have them talk about you as the “wine connoisseur” than the “survival nut”, right? I guess the only issue would be explaining the tunnel from the house to the “duck bind”, but I’m sure an answer of “I have more money than brains and I like the convenience of being warm all the way there and back” would be sufficient enough to have them roll their eyes and walk away!

As a noteworthy point, always have a home inspection, even if you do not plan to use it to chop the price down you’ll need to know what your going to fix and improve and the $300 or so you’ll spend will be well worth it. If the deal is so good your going to pay cash and close it quick before the seller realizes what is happening, then fine, worry about the rest later but still have the inspection after closing. The best way to find a good inspector is to have your agent recommend one then get into the yellow pages and call around and look for anyone that used to be in any type of analytical or construction field before arriving at being an inspector. If you are worried about something then hire separate licensed contractors to do the inspections, a plumber, electrician et cetera. Always have the septic tank inspected and pumped before close of escrow, it is standard that it is done here but it may not be elsewhere, so be careful.

On a closing note, if you are planning to relocate someday to the northern Idaho or northwestern Montana area I have information on a secure storage facility for those that want to pre-position supplies here until they can buy or build their retreat, but feel more comfortable having to carry only their BOB’s and a rifle to get here and not a unsecured rented trailer. There are several requirements in order to qualify. Also, I can help you with your retreat shopping as we have finally got Freedom Realty open for business and will be featured on the SurvivalRealty.com site soon along with many approved listings being republished. Thanks for your patience. Please contact me if you are interested in any of these opportunities, via e-mail for more information. God bless, T.S. in N. Idaho

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Michael C. mentioned that there is a nice selection of online bushcraft books at the Backyard Bushcraft web site.

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S&P Says Third-Quarter Housing Prices Dropped by Sharpest Rate in Index’s 21-Year History

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Bob M. in Pittsburg sent us this article link: The “Free Money” Credit Card Brawl at KMart. Bob’s comment: “I’m not sure which is more appalling; that people would riot, and behave thusly, or that they think that ‘credit’ is in fact, ‘free’ money!”

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From The Wall Street Journal: Study Warns of Decline In Value of Homes. The article begins: “The property value of U.S. homes will fall by $1.2 trillion, and ‘at least’ 1.4 million homeowners will lose their properties to foreclosure in 2008…”

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 13 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 13 ends tomorrow (November 30th). Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.