Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Unlike other nations, American identity is not based on ethnicity or geography. It’s based on a moral proposition. This proposition comes straight from the faded and yellowed document: The Declaration Of Independence.” – Chuck Colson

Note From JWR:

My sincere thanks to the just 1/2 of 1% of SurvivalBlog readers that have signed up for 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions. You 74 people know who you are. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted.

Letter Re: Advice on Affordable Yet Reliable Night Vision Scopes

Jim:

Who makes the best Gen 1 and Gen 2 night vision optics? I am not sure I can afford to purchase Gen 3 for five people at this time. I can afford Gen 1, maybe Gen 2.
Thanks, – Martin

JWR Replies: I’d recommend that you purchase a professionally re-manufactured U.S. military contract Gen 2 scope such as the AN/PVS-2B. Beware the many “kitchen table” re-manufacturers out there! Buy a full mil spec scope from a reputable vendor such as Ready Made Resources or STANO Components, that will have a genuine, new, Gen 2 image intensifier tube with a bona fide data sheet.

The following is some guidance and contact information that I included in my newly-released Rawles on Retreat and Relocation book:

Late issue Third Generation (also called or Third Gen or Gen 3) starlight scopes can cost up to $3,000 each. Rebuilt first gen (early 1970s technology) scopes can often be had for as little as $500. Russian-made monoculars (with lousy optics) can be had for under $100. One Russian model that uses a piezoelectric generator instead of batteries is the best of this low-cost breed. These are best used as backups–in case your expensive American made scopes fail. They should not be purchased for use as your primary night vision devices unless you are on a very restrictive budget. (They are better than nothing.) Buy the best starlight scopes, goggles, and monoculars that you can afford. They may be life savers! If you can afford to buy only one, make it a weapon sight such as an AN/PVS-4, with a Gen 2 (or better) tube.(Or the bulkier AN/PVS-2 if you are on tight budget.) Make sure to specify that that the tube is either new or has very “low hours”, that it has a high line pair count, and it that displays minimal scintillation. (My troops used the highly technical term “The Sparklies”to describe the scintillation phenomenon.)

Again, it is important to buy your Starlight gear from a reputable dealer. The market is crowded with rip-off artists and scammers. (A Russian importer who shall remain nameless once offered to supply a U.S. dealer with forged data sheets “at no extra charge” with each starlight scope purchased wholesale. Caveat emptor! As previously mentioned, in addition to Ready Made Resources, another dealer that I trust is Al Glanze (spoken “Glan-zee”) who runs STANO Components in Silver City, Nevada. Contact: STANO Components, P.O. Box STANO, Silver City, Nevada 89428 FAX: 775-246-5211. Phone 775-246-5281/5283 or 1-888-STANO-FX (1-888-782-6639) Or e-mail: NV@night-vision.com

Letter Re: America’s Interstate Highway and Freeway System in Decline

Hello James,
Another indicator of America’s decline: our interstate highway system. [The following was in part excerpted from a Department of Transportation history web page. and from an article at The Tax Foundation web site.] The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorized the first funding specifically for construction of the interstate highway system, but it was only a token amount of $25 million a year for fiscal years (FY) 1954 and 1955. Legislation in 1954 authorized an additional $175 million annually for FY 1956 and 1957.
Under the leadership of President Eisenhower, the question of how to fund the Interstate System was resolved with enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. It served as a catalyst for the System’s development and, ultimately, its completion. Title I of the 1956 Act increased the System’s proposed length to 41,000 miles. It also called for nationwide standards for design of the System, authorized an accelerated program, established a new method for apportioning funds among the States, changed the name to the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, and set the Federal Government’s share of project cost at 90 percent.
Title II of the Act – entitled the Highway Revenue Act of 1956 – created the Highway Trust Fund as a dedicated source for the Interstate System.
Revenue from the Federal gas and other motor-vehicle user taxes was credited to the Highway Trust Fund to pay the Federal share of Interstate and all other Federal-aid highway projects. In this way, the Act guaranteed construction of all segments on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, thus satisfying one of President Eisenhower’s primary requirements, namely that the program be self-financing without contributing to the Federal budget deficit.
However, it was inevitable that politicians (Republican and Democrat) would cast a greedy eye on the highway trust fund.
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968 included the first recorded specifically earmarked highway project, funded through the highway trust fund. The popularity of earmarking projects grew so much that President Ronald Reagan vetoed the 1987 transportation bill because of the largesse of its 152 demonstration projects.
The most recent highway bill, SAFETEA-LU, was passed by large majorities in Congress and signed by President Bush on August 10, 2005. SAFETEA-LU authorized $286.5 billion for transportation programs from fiscal years 2004-2009. The Bush administration insisted that the highway bill should be entirely funded with resources from the Highway Trust Fund. The 2005 transportation bill shattered all earmark records by containing 6,373 separate earmarks worth $24.2 billion.
What sort of spending programs are contained in those earmarks? In the 2005 highway bill, one earmark worth $6 million dollars went toward graffiti elimination in New York, another sent $2.95 million to Alaska for a film about state roads, and nearly $4 million was earmarked for the National Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio, and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

And where are we today? If you travel the interstates, you know the state of disrepair they are in. What do the politicians propose? Why of course!!! Let’s continue to collect the highway use taxes, but in addition, let’s charge a toll for using these roads that the taxpayers paid to build!

Here is a wire service news story that ran on Sunday, December 17, 2006:
Indiana leased its 157 miles of interstate toll road for the next 75 years to a foreign consortium. In return, the state received $3.8 billion up front. That’s right, $3.8 billion.
Commuters in Minneapolis and San Diego are paying to drive in a fast lane, while others creep along nearby. The trip in the so-called Lexus can cost from $2 to $8, depending on traffic, and the charges can be paid with a credit card.
Wyoming has had some tentative public discussion about the benefits of making Interstate 80 an old-fashioned toll road. Travelers might pay $12 to $15 to drive the entire 400-mile section across southern Wyoming, or about 3 cents a mile, according to Wyoming state Sen. Michael Von Flatern.
Nebraska leaders haven’t started that kind of discussion, yet, but retiring state Sen. Tom Baker of Trenton thinks they ought to.
It would be interesting to put together a committee with people from Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, and Wyoming, said Baker, chairman of the Nebraska Legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. I-80 tolls would generate some revenue, primarily from folks who are passing through, said Baker, who leaves office in January. – Dutch in Wyoming

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Remember that if the opportunities for great deeds should never come, the opportunities for good deeds are renewed day by day. The thing for us to long for is the goodness, not the glory." – F.W. Faber

Letter Re: MURS Alert Intrusion Detection System Product Review

Jim,
I received my MURS Alert intrusion detection system last week, and have given it a good preliminary test. So far, so good. I am very impressed with this unit. All I had to do was turn a couple of dials to tune it to the channel and sub-code that I wanted it on, and it was good to go. Although I did disable the red “walk test” light, because with it turned on, it looked like a one eyed beast at nighttime when it tripped. The only other thing I did and that I highly recommend is that you put a small desiccant [packet] inside the unit before you deploy it. What is really nice about this system is that [because it is wireless] you can easily move it around to suit your needs. During the day, I have it stations in the front of my house to warn me if someone approaches. And during the night, I have been pointing it at the door to my “safe room” (a reinforced outbuilding beside my home) and keeping the radio beside my bed. The range on the unit also seems to be very good. I live on the edge of a small town, and I drove into town a little over a mile. I then called my wife and had her walk in front of the unit. My radio responded clear as a bell…”ALERT ZONE ONE, ALERT ZONE ONE, ALERT ZONE ONE’ in a clear “five by five” signal level. The unit has not false alarmed one time, and has alarmed every time it should have. You can’t ask for more. As I noted in a previous post, it is very important to “terminate” the “beam” on an object within its range. This is needed to give the infrared detector a good reference. Problems start to occur with this type of detector when the beam is hitting nothing but air.
Then they may false alarm, or not go into alarm at all. I now intend to purchase three more of these detectors (as they can be set to report four different zones) and use them to secure a perimeter around my campsite the next time I go looking for Bigfoot up in the Pacific Northwest. – Actually, it is always nice to know if a bear is snooping around close by in the middle of the night.
Last night we had a big storm roll in off the Pacific coast. The rain came down sideways as the wind gusted to over 50 MPH. This is very hard for any passive infrared (PIR)-based detector (like the MURS Alert) to deal with. However, the system came through with flying colors. It did not false alarm one time. And to make sure it would still alert under these extreme conditions, I put on my rain coat and walked into the sensing area. When I came back inside, the wife told me that it had indeed tripped as it should have. Man, am I ever sold on these things! – Gung Ho

JWR Replies: Thanks for that review. As previously mentioned, the MURS Alert intrusion detection system uses frequencies that can be programmed into MURS band walkie talkies, (such as the slightly used surplus Kenwoods sold by MURS Radios–one of our advertisers.) A transceiver than you can carry on your belt tis a very handy way to keep informed of perimeter intrusions. Best of all, it can be used a long range walkie talkie and it can also be programmed to receive 2 Meter and Weather Radio (“WX”) frequencies. I’d classify that approach as a huge “win-win.”

Letter Re: Glock Grip Reductions and Replacement Frames

Dear Jim:
A very attractive option to make your Glock pistol point like a M1911 (and reduce the grip size) on your Glock is the CCF Race Frame.
This is an aluminum, titanium and stainless steel replacement for your Glock polymer frame that can keep the traditional Glock grip angle, or change it to 1911 angles and reduce the grip size. Plus they have tweaked the frame for many other ergonomic upgrades, plus an alloy frame gives a crisper trigger pull. (See the website.)
Alas, they aren’t out for the .45 caliber Glock, but they are “studying the G21 market.” We can only hope. 🙂
A major caveat is consistency. Don’t switch one Glock to 1911 angles, and leave your “other” carry gun unchanged, i.e., keep all the grip angles on all of your carry pistols the same A consistent grip angle for consistent muscle memory to point the pistol the same every time, is crucial.
E.g., If you carry a 9mm Glock 19, I would not convert your full-size 9mm until they have the compact Glock 19 compact frame out. They don’t plan to handle the tiny sub-compact models, such as the G26, G27, G30 or G36, so if that’s your main carry gun, you’re out of luck.
The big question for multiple Glock owners is – do you want to drop ~ $300 per Glock to convert?
The final caveat is that you have to buy these replacement frames from or through an FFL dealer, as the frame is treated just like a complete pistol. If you bought privately, you may not want to now endear yourself to the gun owner databases being (illegally) collected!
If you only own one or two Glocks, bought from an FFL – I’d go for it just as soon as it has been around long enough to demonstrate that it doesn’t reduce any of the legendary Glock reliability.
Would anyone be so kind as to get one, test it for 1,000 rounds, and be a guinea pig for the rest of us? 🙂 Regards, OSOM – “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Ron Holland recently penned some prescient commentary on the fate of the U.S. Dollar, as quoted in the Sovereign Society Offshore A-Letter, under the heading Sacrificing Your Dollars for the Housing Market:.”Most Americans could care less about the value of the dollar. But with the 2008 Presidential Election coming up, the public will be closely following their real estate values, so you can expect the Fed to hold or lower rates. This almost guarantees a far weaker dollar. But when the other central bankers really switch more of their dollar holdings to the other major currencies, expect a major collapse in the dollar.” Unless the european central bankers raise their rates sharply in the next couple of years, I think that history will prove Mr. Holland’s prediction to be correct.

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Ben L. recommended some handy little items from the A.G. Russell catalog: Boker® SnacPac – Black and Buck Metro LED

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Pacific Northwest Storm Leaves 1.5 Million in the Dark  (Except for SurvivalBlog readers, whom I am confident were well prepared with alternative energy backup systems.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Terrorists aren’t interested in guilt or innocence, or whether it’s Iraqi or American blood they spill. They’re just out to kill, maim and destroy. Anybody. The purpose is to instill fear and create the kind of chaos in which their kind prospers — a power vacuum they can fill.” – Paul Greenberg

Note From JWR:

We were recently invited to a friend’s Christmas party. The hosts have a nice sturdy log house, heated entirely by a wood stove and lit entirely by propane mantle lamps. When some of the refreshments were accidentally spilled on the carpet, one of the host’s kids went outside to power up the generator so that they could run the vacuum cleaner. I gather that their generator is reserved only for such “emergencies.” Something tells me that if and when TEOTWAWKI occurs, it won’t be much of a life-changing event for that family.

Letter Re: Robert A. Heinlein Didn’t Just Talk and Write About Preparedness

Dear Jim,
I’m not sure if you have covered Robert A. Heinlein’s shelter that featured in his novel, “Farnham’s Freehold.” This site describes the house that Heinlein built in Colorado Springs before NORAD moved into the area

And here’s an archived link of the shelter underneath, which included both air bottles and ventilation, escape routes, and antenna mounts.- Michael Z. Williamson

Letter Re: Total Tax Burdens of States as a Determining Factor in Relocation

James:
I noted the snippet [from the recently released book Rawles on Retreat and Relocation] about tax burden by state recently on SurvivalBlog. This is a topic that has always confused me. You can find this kind of information in several places online, but it is often contradictory and it is very difficult to figure out how they come up with the numbers. I have lived most of my life in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. In Wyoming, we had no state income tax, limited sales tax (5% state and a max of 1% local, if I recall correctly), and property taxes were 1/3 to 1/2 of what we paid in
Colorado, based on property value. Wyoming seemed much cheaper to live in, as far as cost of government, than Colorado, yet Colorado is often listed as being a very advantageous state to live in as far as total tax burden. Both Wyoming and Colorado generate a lot of severance tax income on natural resources; probably far more per capita in Wyoming. Are these or other corporate taxes figured in somewhere? Where does this disparity come from? Dang it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not an economist! – Simple Country Doctor

JWR Replies: The source on those lists at was The Tax Foundation, based on 1997 data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Sorry that I couldn’t find anything more recent. It is one of the oldest pieces of data in Rawles on Retreat and Relocation.) I agree that some of these list can be highly subjective. For this type of calculation someone must make an assumption about a “typical” state resident’s income, their house and car values, how much gasoline they buy annually, and how much they would spend each year on taxable purchases. Generally taxes on mining and oil wells are not included. (Although there must be indirect “pass though” of taxes, in the form of higher purchase prices.) Nor are corporate taxes factored into these calculations. There are of course individuals that are “corporations.” For example I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that more than half of the doctors and lawyers in the country have incorporated for various reasons

Two Letters Re: Some More Good Things Prompted By SurvivalBlog

Jim,
For a few months now, I’ve been thinking about sending you a note along the lines of Redmist’s recent post. His post inspired me to get off my hands and start typing.
I discovered SurvivalBlog in September of 2005–just a week or two after Katrina knocked the stew out of the Gulf coast. Around the same time I was blessed to work at a relief distribution center in Gulf Port, Mississippi for five days. In March of this year, my wife and I accompanied my son on another five-day trip with the church youth group to do reconstructive work on a storm-surge damaged house in Pass Christian, Mississippi. What I saw on those two trips encouraged me to do something, i.e., to get prepared. SurvivalBlog has provided the needed direction.
Here’s what I’ve accomplished in the last 14 months:
* I’ve invested about a third of my portfolio in silver bullion and an ETF.
* Not wanting my wife to extract my wisdom teeth with a razor blade and flashlight one dark, post-TEOTWAWKI night, I had them removed by a qualified individual in a well lit room
* I acquired a Yugoslavian SKS rifle for myself and just purchased one for my son as a Christmas gift. (I hope he’s not reading this)
* I attended an Appleseed Shoot with my son in June (and we have plans to attend another in January)
* I acquired a pellet rifle and trap so we could practice what we learned at the Appleseed Shoot in our back yard (and we have)
* I had my 12 gauge shotgun barrel reduced to 19″ and acquired some 00 [buckshot] and bird shot
* I acquired a .308 [Winchester] sporting rifle, a second .22 [rimfire] rifle and some ammo for both
* I learned a bunch from reading Patriots, Alas, Babylon, and Lights Out
* I began CERT training (but have not yet completed it)
* I expanded and grew my second vegetable garden, learned a lot and will be expanding it again next year
* I lost more than 20 pounds through responsible eating and regular exercise; the weight loss allowed me to discontinue use of medication to control hypertension and to avoid beginning additional medication to reduce my triglyceride level; I am currently not taking any prescription medication
* I began laying up beans, band aids, and other supplies
* I am actively seeking property with two other families from our church; in fact, we currently have a contract on 16 acres
I fully realize these are baby steps–I have a long way to go. But I’m way ahead of where I was 14 months ago.
Thank you Jim for all you provide directly in the way of valuable information through SurvivalBlog and indirectly through allowing others to contribute and do the same. Since that information is indeed valuable I’ve put my money where my mouth is and have taken the 10 Cent Challenge. I hope more will do the same. Warm Regards, – d’Heat

 

Mr. Rawles:
I stumbled upon your site right at the beginning and have never missed a day since. I just wanted to thank you for what you do. I am not a book reader at all, but read Patriots in five days the first time, and have also read through your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. During this time I have been very pleased to do business with The Pre-1899 Specialist; MURS Radios; Best Price Storable Foods; Walton Feed; The Freeze Dry Guy; Inirgee; and Ready Made Resources. They are all top notch vendors, and I will be doing more business with most, if not all of them. I am also renewing my 10 Cent Challenge pledge. Thank you, – RT in Texas

Odds ‘n Sods:

The true deficit in the Bush administration’s 2006 federal budget is now thought to be an astounding $3.5 trillion in the red, not $248.2 billion as previously reported. Hmmm. That doesn’t sound very “credit worthy” to me. Nay. In fact, it sounds like Uncle Sam needs some credit counseling.

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Mike the Blacksmith pointed us to this interesting article: Scientists from Los Alamos national laboratory are out on the road, giving lectures on H5N1 Asian Avian Influenza

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Reader S.H. flagged this one: Recent action by the U.S. Mint to outlaw the melting down or bulk export of coins. This has come about because the value of the precious metals contained in coins now exceeds their face value. The Mint would rather not have to replace pennies (at a cost of 1.73 cents per) or nickels (at 8.74 cents). The expectation is that Congress will mandate new compositions for some U.S. coins in 2007.