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
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
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
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.
"There are only two things more beautiful than a good gun — a Swiss watch and a woman from anywhere." – John Ireland as Cherry Valance in Red River, 1948
Jim,
I stumbled across your Survival Blog today. Wonderful service you provide! Read some of archives…excellent! Question: It looks like the SurvivalBlog archives start in August of 2005 but cut off in April of 2006. Are there any more recent posts that I can access? Thank you. – J.U., COL, US Army (Ret.)
JWR Replies: Welcome! Yes, all of the posts that are more recent are now fully searchable by key word, or can be browsed by categories, or can be browsed in monthly Archives. (See the categories, monthly archive links, and Search window, down under the ads, in the right hand scrolling bar.) Our long term goal its to eventually duplicate all of the earlier posts into Movable Type, so that the entire site contents will be searchable.
Dear Jim:
What do you think of the [Springfield Armory] TRP Pro [clone of the Colt M1911 .45 ACP pistol]? I want a .45 pistol as reliable as a Glock but with a more comfortable grip. Thanks, – Frank in Hawaii
JWR Replies: I have only test fired a Springfield Armory TRP Operator 1911, and Springfield’s XD 9mm. (But not yet the .45 version) Both had their merits. I’m biased in favor of 1911s, but I must admit that the XD pointed and functioned very well. I like the feel of the grip better then a Glock 20 or 21. From memory, it felt more like a grip-reduced Glock to me. (But I didn’t have all three side-by side to compare. I wish that I had.) And again, I’ve never had my hands on a .45 XD in captivity.) I’ve noticed that the TRP-Pro is a bit over-priced, owing to the FBI mystique.(Since these are currently being issued by the Bureau, after their brief flirtation with 10mm S&W pistols.) The TRP Stainless retails for about $800 less than a TRP Pro, yet they are functionally quite similar. That $800 will buy you a lot of spare magazines and ammo. If you like the functionality of a Glock, then you might prefer the polymer frame XD. I recommend that you find an indoor range that rents both types of guns and shoot 100 rounds through each. (By “both ” I mean both the XD-45 and one of the TRP series 1911s.)
As I’ve previously stated, another option is to get a Glock Model 21 (and/or a Model 30) and have their grips re-contoured. These Glock “grip reductions” were pioneered by T. Mark Graham of Arizona Response Systems. They are also now done by several other gunsmithing firms such as Robar.
OBTW, if you are going for the TRP, then I’d recommend getting one of the stainless steel models, given the very humid climate you have in Hawaii.
James:
For the folks using the Kenwood MURS radios [such as those sold by our advertiser MURS Radios] or Ham gear, upgrading the stock antenna can make a world of difference in performance.
I highly recommend the extended rubber duck and especially the large 1/2 wave telescoping antennas from Smiley Antennas in San Diego. They cost $20-25, and can dramatically improve their useful range.
My little Yaesu walkie-talkie can hit maybe two repeaters with the stock antenna from my house. Using the large telescoping Smiley, I can get at least six more. Folded up, these aren’t that much larger than the stock units.
If you call or e-mail them, they are happy to make custom antennas for a specific frequency (i.e. MURS or GMRS) and with the proper connector for your radio. – JN
Dear Jim:
Nothing beats living at your retreat, but there is one burglar repelling device that can actually stops a burglary in process (without an alarm or monitoring): Pepper Spray Alarms – either trip wired or set off by electronic sensor. These can fill a room with pepper spray in seconds. You can even get one that can fire up to four times in sequence!
I have used them (and tripped them accidentally). They really work – and it only takes about an hour of ventilation to get back in the room comfortably. As an added bonus you get to either increase your attentiveness, or increase your resistance to pepper spray every so often! 😉 I recommend them 100% for gun safes, safe rooms, access doors/hallways, occupied and unoccupied buildings. They that say it is dangerous to put them in a vehicle, but an RV trailer should work. A lot safer and ethical than the old shotgun booby trap. Regards, – OSOM
"As long as law-abiding citizens assume no personal responsibility for combating crime, liberal and conservative programs will fail to contain it." – Jeffrey Snyder, A Nation of Cowards
Mr. Rawles,
Thank you for putting so much effort into your blog and your writings. I bought your novel “Patriots” a few years back, dog eared it, and passed it around. To my wife’s consternation (and my to the consternation of my brothers’ wives), you’ve started to make a difference in how we look at life. Your blog is a daily “must read.”
Since I live 200 miles from my brothers in Iowa (my most likely doubling-up partners) I have to consider a retreat farther north in Wisconsin. There are large tracts of federal, state, and county forest, plus the rivers up that way are spawning grounds for the salmon in the Great Lakes. One concern I have is that many of the hunting lots and vacation homes up that way are owned by Illinoisans (Ill and Annoyings) or from southeast Wisconsin (the Milwaukee area). When the balloon goes up, I would expect refugees with cars and trucks loaded to the gunwales, headed to their property to hunker down. It’s not a case of refugees wandering aimlessly; it’s people returning to their own property, however ill-prepared. (“Hurry up and pack…yes, dear, I know there’s no cable up there…At least we can shoot some deer and eat. Where’s my flashlight? Showers? I suppose that somebody will have a working well.”)
I guess my message to the community of “retreaters” is to make sure you know who owns that 40 up the road that was just sold “to the doctor from Illinois.” Use the county [Recorder’s Office] records to track down the owner and send a welcome note. It is better to understand his philosophy and belief system now, than when he shows up with a SUV load of kids, a big-screen television, and his wine collection. Godspeed, and Merry Christmas! – B.H.
JWR Replies: You are correct that most owners of vacation property have the idea kicking around in a dusty corner of their mind that they could use that property as a retreat in the event of an emergency. If we enter an era of deep drama, the legal status of “squatters” versus deeded landholders will be worlds apart: Squatters could and probably will be forced from public or private holdings by your local sheriff’s department or by the BLM or US Forest Service. But for those that occupy land that they legally own–regardless of how poorly provisioned they are–there would be no recourse for the sheriff’s deputies unless or until the newcomers actually started committing thefts or robberies. This is one of the reasons that I place strong emphasis on A.) Storing extra to dispense in charity, and B.) Getting to know all of your neighbors. The latter includes making the effort to introduce yourself to absentee owners that are only there seasonally. (Or, “deer seasonally”–as is the case of one of ours that that has an undeveloped parcel just three miles away. (That is considered practically “next door” by local standards. ) Please make it clear to those folks where you stand. Tell them forthrightly that it takes more than just venison to survive and mention there are just a few folks that are prepared to dispense charity. I suggest that you be intentionally vague about the depth of your own larder. You should strongly and in no uncertain terms encourage them to pre-position food, heating/cooking fuel, foul weather clothing, gardening tools, fencing materials, and so forth if they are considering “bugging out” to their seasonal cabin in the event of a disaster. Yes, I know that this won’t register with some dimwits, but at least you will have a clear conscience, knowing that you warned them. If they don’t have a clue about disaster preparedness, then at least warn them that side roads can become impassable with snow for “many weeks” in a hard winter and that long term power outages are not uncommon in the area. Don’t overlook telling them how many cords of firewood it takes to heat a home for a winter in the area, given your climate. Be sure to say: “Even if there is just the outside chance that you might have to come out here in an emergency, then you must be properly provisioned with an honest one year food and fuel supply.”
In some vacation/resort locales there are people that have nothing more than a RV hookup at their property and a “building site” that they never do anything with. For folks like those—with no on-site storage space–you might even offer to let them leave a 20-foot or 30-foot CONEX on your land for you to “keep an eye on” for them, if they give you their assurance that it will be well-stocked so that they won’t become a burden. Also, think in terms of standardizing logistics. (“Oh, by the way, we nearly all shoot .308 Winchester around here, so it would be in your best interest if you own a rifle in that caliber.”) Also, make provision to coordinate security with them. For example by purchasing a spare military surplus field telephones and a couple of “doughnuts” of WD-1 commo wire.) Don’t underestimate the impact of of “landed refugees.” The good news is that if they can afford to own a vacation cabin, then they can probably also afford to stock it properly. But the bad news is that if they don’t stock their cabins then they will become charity cases at best, or potentially even confrontational armed looters in a “worst case.”
Mr. Rawles:
I recently purchased one of these units from Laurus Systems. Upon opening the package, imagine my pleasant surprise to find that this piece of electronic gear was made in Finland, not communist China! While a bit pricey at $375, it is definitely a piece of lab quality gear, but rugged enough for field use. Clean, compact, easy to read LED display. Pocket clip, audible alarm and powered by a standard AAA alkaline battery.
Specifications:
Radiation detected: Gamma and X-Ray
Measurement range: Dose: 1 uSv – 9.99 Sv or 0.1 mrem – 999 rem
Dose Rate: 5 uSv/h – 3 Sv/h or 0.5 mrem/h – 300 rem/h
Calibration: Better than + or – 5% (Cs-137, 662 keV at 2 mSv/h), Hp(10)
Dose rate linearity: Better than + or – 15% up to 3 Sv/h (300 rem/h)
Audible alarms: Seven separate alarms, sound level typically better than 85 dBA at 30 cm
* integrated dose
* dose rate
* dose overflow
* dose rate overflow at 3 Sv/h or 300 rem/h
* low battery 1 and 2
* defect
Alarm thresholds: Six preset values each for integrated dose and dose rate-push button selection
Power supply: One triple A alkaline cell, typical life is 1800 hours in background (dose mode)
Reader : Infrared communication via bottom of the dosimeter
Temperature range: -20 – + 50¬?C operational, humidity up to 90% RH, non-condensed -20 – + 70¬?C storing
Dimensions: 78 x 67 x 22 mm
Weight: 80 g –including battery
– Dutch in Wyoming
Dear Jim,
I’m leery of the “House Gun” that you linked to. First, the flared muzzle of a blunderbuss was for ease in loading, especially with improvised pellets. It had little effect on accuracy.
As to the barrel on the house gun, I first notice it is mounted so the cone points slightly upward. This means it blocks any sights and will shoot high. Given that most people tend to shoot higher than they should at close range anyway, that’s a pending problem. Attempting to sight over the barrel will mean shooting low.
I don’t believe the spread will be as great as they suggest. While the muzzle does look intimidating, its main effect will be to waste most muzzle velocity in a large flash. As they specify that it will reduce velocity to avoid penetrating walls, that seems to be confirmed. The penetration tests at www.theboxotruth.com and others, as well as police testimony, suggest that full power buckshot is necessary to stop attackers–not bird shot, and not reduced power loads.
Also, in event of a hostage, a shotgun at close range can still effectively be aimed at the perpetrator and miss the victim…not with that thing.
At best, it looks interesting and intimidating. At worst, I see no real advantage, several flaws, and it might not be taken seriously as it doesn’t look like a weapon so much as a fire extinguisher bell.
Looking at their other products, they seem to be going for gimmick factor rather than practicality.
Of course, I may be wrong, but I’d like to see a test fire before I buy. – Michael Z. Williamson
Reader “MP” mentioned this one: Another water purification solution?
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From Reuters: Fake snow in Alps, Moscow blooms: green Christmas?
"The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms has justly been considered the palladium of the liberties of the republic, since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of the rulers, and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them." – Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story, 1833