Odds ‘n Sods:

B.H. in Spokane mentioned that VCI paper desiccant rifle barrel protective tubes are now available commercially, under the brand name “Barrel Guard.”. (Any of you that ever bought a M1 Garand from the CMP–or from its DCM predecessor–will remember these, which are inserted in a rifle’s bore.) Barrel Guards are ideal to use as an adjunct to (but not a substitute for) Rust Inhibitive Grease (RIG) and silica gel desiccant packets for long term firearms storage or caching.

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A demographic milestone: City dwellers are poised to take over the world. This adds more credence to my assertion that our modern word–with tremendouse infrastructural and technological complexity, long chains of supply, power grid dependency, and a small percentage of farmers and fishermen feeding the world–will make the next global economic depression far different than the Great Depression of the 1930s. The next time round, the metropolitan regions may very well tip over into Mad Max-ish TEOTWAWKI. Here is a brief snippet from the article: “London, some 200 years ago, became the first city since ancient Rome to reach a million inhabitants: now, there are more than 200 such cities. About 20 of these are”megacities” exceeding 10 million, and one, Tokyo, has become a “metacity”, with more than 20 million.”

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I just heard that Kurt Wilson of Survival Enterprises bought an entire 40 foot cargo container load of nitrogen packed long term storage foods from a cannery that is going out of business. (More than 5,000 cans!) These foods were nearly all packaged in the last 18 months, and will be sold in full case lots only. The prices should be fantastic. They will be available for ordering within two weeks. For any of you that live in the greater Spokane/Coeur d’ Alene area, these case lots will also be available for pickup at their storefront location. (Please identify yourself as a SurvivalBlog reader when you make your purchase.)

Quote of the Day

“We had strayed a great distance from our Founding Fathers’ vision of America. They regarded the central government’s responsibility as that of providing national security, protecting our democratic freedoms, and limiting the government’s intrusion in our lives — in sum, the protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They never envisioned vast agencies in Washington telling our farmers what to plant, our teachers what to teach, our industries what to build. The Constitution they wrote established sovereign states, not mere administrative districts for the federal government. They believed in keeping government as close as possible to the people.” – Ronald Wilson Reagan

Note From JWR:

The first letter presented today is from the enigmatic”Commander Zero.” Both he and his bride-to-be are preparedness minded, expert shooters, amateur radio enthusiasts, and dedicated bloggers.

Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales–Former Microwave Sites?

James:
Here is some info from someone who actually did go to look at one of these things with a preparedness mindset. The one that we looked at was near Whitehall, Montana. If you have a copy of Google Earth you can view it at (46.081522°,-112.115643° … and be sure to change the 3-D angle of view so you can see the terrific commanding view the place has.) The building itself had 8″ thick concrete walls. Over these walls was 4″ of foam insulation and then a layer of stucco. There were no windows but there were vents covered with steel louvers. Set off about two feet from the vents was a wall as high as the building. I’m guessing this was to break up blast waves before they hit the vents. All metal in the building (frames, jams, etc, etc.) were hot galvanized and grounded. The original blueprints were mounted on the wall, explaining many of the requirements for the building (which I recall had been built about 1960s and upgraded in the 1970s.) The electrical panels were enormous. There were several of them and they were all as tall as me. The building had originally come with a buried 3000 gallon diesel tank but that had been removed for environmental reasons prior to sale. The hole, however, was still there. The interior ceilings were 14′ high and although I cant recall the exact square footage it was certainly as much as the average house. There was a 75′ tower next to the building with a platform that probably measured 25’x25′ at the top. Since the building was on a hill 500′ above the road, the tower added to the unbelievable view. We were about 15 miles down a road from the interstate and we could see the entire length of that road all the way to the interchange. A person with a good range finder, spotter, and a .50 BMG rifle would easily have owned anything within a two mile circle. Access to the building was through a pair of steel double doors and ‘airlock’. The frames and doors were thick steel and I eyed them from the point of view of someone wanting to get in. Nothing short of power tools was going to get in. Bullet resistance of the building would have been about as good as you can get. The facility was on an ‘island’ of land about 1.3 acres large and surrounded by a huge ranch and some National Forest. The people who were selling it were making progress in making the site more livable. They had poured a new floor inside, painted, add room dividers and nice lighting. They also installed a kitchen and bathroom but hadn’t yet finished the hookups for septic.
Drawbacks: the place was designed as a remote, unmanned facility. There was an outhouse and absolutely no water. A cistern may have been an option for some people but unless there’s water on site I felt we’d have to give it a pass. Too bad. The place did give me a newfound respect for all-concrete construction though. There was also no provision for heating/cooling although the incredible thermal mass of the place would have made either task fairly easy. Last I saw the place was being used as a data transmission point for local wireless internet providers due to its commanding view. “K.” and I took a zillion pictures of every detail of the place. As soon as I can get her to tell me which gallery she buried them in, I’d be happy to provide hem so you can see what one of these places looks like up close. – Commander Zero

Letter Re: Advice on Small-Scale Grain Growing, Harvesting, and Processing

Sir:
Friday’s letter on grains was very good. I have acquired myriad of 19th century farm tools at what are called Threshermen’s Shows in Wisconsin. These are shows for Hit and Miss [stationary] engines, Steam engines and the tools from late 19th Century to early 20th Century Farming. There is usually a flea market as well. I have picked up a scythe in reasonable condition for $20.00. I had to spend about an hour carefully sharpening it, but I got it sharp enough to cut my thumb pretty well. After a visit to my first aid station I took it over to mt neighbors barley field and cut about a 4 foot by 100 foot swath in 20 minutes. It is back-breaking, hard work.

I would look for those shows in your home area, stay away from antique stores. I have also found that buying from Lehmans.com. for a new tool is sometimes wiser than buying an antique. I bought an antique jar and paddle type butter churn for $50. It quickly fell apart under a load. The new Amish-made one from Lehman’s works great. – Carl R.

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning antique tractor and stationary engine enthusiast meetings. In the western U.S., these are often held in conjunction with annual county fairs. The folks that attend these meets are primarily interested in engine-powered equipment. If they have something in their collections that cannot be powered by their engines, (such hand mills, presses, and agricultural implements) they will often sell them to someone that promises to put them to good use for quite reasonable prices. From my conversations with these gents, they rightfully have deep disdain for people that buy a piece of old equipment simply to use as a decorator item. If you make it clear to them that you are a hobbyist that plans to regularly use a piece of equipment for its originally intended purpose, their eyes will light up. If nothing else, they they gladly share their knowledge with you.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric Fry, co-editor of the free e-mail newsletter The Rude Awakening comments: “The [U.S.] dollar fell sharply in 2006 against every major world currency and against most major global commodities. In short, it lost a lot of value against almost everything. A rebound, therefore, should be in order. But fleeting short-term strength would not compensate for the greenback’s inexorable long-term weakness.”

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Colorado and Kansas Digging Out From Blizzard

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Simon in England e-mailed me to mention that the new 33-chapter expanded edition of my novel “Patriots” is now available through a variety of Internet booksellers in the UK for between £13 GBP and £16 GBP.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Isn’t our choice really not one of left or right, but of up or down? Down through the welfare state to statism, to more and more government largesse accompanied always by more government authority, less individual liberty, and ultimately, totalitarianism, always advanced as for our own good. The alternative is the dream conceived by our Founding Fathers, up to the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with an orderly society. We don’t celebrate dependence day on the Fourth of July. We celebrate Independence Day.” – Ronald Reagan (1984)

Note From JWR:

Happy New Year! Many thanks to both the SurvivalBlog readers and advertisers for making the blog such a tremendous success. Since SurvivalBlog is updated daily, please consider making it your web browser’s home page. Thanks!

Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales–Former Microwave Sites?

Dear Mr. & Mrs Rawles,
I want to thank both of you for what you are doing and for SurvivalBlog.com. I’m a 55 year old US-born male currently living in Mexico. I came back here a little over a year ago thinking that I would be here ’til further notice. The last 12 months have changed that and for a number of reasons, the majority of which are how things are changing here, have me seriously considering either moving back to the US or much further south.
Survival and self sufficiency are qualities I admire and know a little about. I’ve crossed both the Atlantic and the Pacific on my own and others’ boats, small to medium sized sailboats. At sea as in the wilderness, you d better prepare because help can be a long way off. For that matter you d better prepare anywhere you live, ocean, city or rural. Most people don’t.
Among my other hobbies, I’m an amateur radio operator. I also am a Christian and a conservative.
Back just after 2000 when AT&T sold off most of its surface microwave sites, there was an article in the ARRL magazine about buying one of these places for a perfect ham home. I probably looked at 100 of these sites at that time and ended up not buying any of them. I even looked at one of the underground cable sites in South Georgia but that one had too many environmental problems for me.
In any case due to a lot of things, most notably the inability to own a firearm here without a lot of complication, plus the complications of property ownership, I am again considering some of the AT&T microwave stations for a retreat and for that matter a permanent residence. The underground sites for the most part are too large to be practical. The smaller above ground sites generally range from around 1,000 to 3,000 square feet (the range I’m looking in) with of course some of the sites getting a whole lot bigger. I like these types of buildings and sites for a number of reasons….the structures are poured concrete walls and roofs around 1 foot thick. They did have a number of concrete block sites which I am not considering. The sites I’m interested in are in higher elevations (all are on higher than surrounding terrain which means they are more defensible) and have short towers, anywhere from 60 feet to 180 feet tall. Some of these sites have really large towers but I stay away from those due to the necessity of lighting any that are over 200′ AGL. The majority of the sites are designed to be blast resistant in varying degrees, operate under positive pressure which makes NBC filtering of air easier, have well constructed electrical systems that are semi hardened against NBC, diesel generators, and parcels of land of varying sizes attached. Another nice part of these locations is that they are structurally sound enough where with some tarpaper,tar, and a front end loader you could bury one of the sites without too much work. Additional radiation and blast protection. I also am aware that after the fuel runs out and it eventually will, if you have not made a serious move to change the internal systems to be more off the grid, that all you will have is an unusual cave with some interesting toys.
This letter is to ask what you think about this approach to a retreat, the idea of using one of these sites. Another thing that makes them attractive to me is they are for the most part cheap raging in price from $20,000 up, depending on location and size. I am by no means wealthy. I currently am learning to trade futures. Whether I do this before things fall apart remains to be seen. My education is in Electrical Engineering, electronics and computers.
Currently I’m considering sites in both North and South Texas, Northwestern Arkansas, Montana, Iowa, New Mexico, Oregon, Mississippi (north and central), Kansas and Nebraska.
Any comments would be deeply appreciated. Anything I can tell you about where I live in Mexico or what the general feelings are in my community at least, please feel free to ask.
Again many thanks for your blog and your work. God Bless and a Blessed New Year to you and your family. – CMC

JWR Replies: Good luck with your move. I’d recommend being very selective and deliberate in choosing a retreat. The former microwave long haul sites have their merits. With these, you are certainly buying some very stout pre-existing infrastructure for very little money! However, many of them in the western states are in locations where it would be difficult to drill a well. (Since they are mainly on hilltops or ridges.) If you could find one that already had a well drilled and it was not right next to a highway, then it would definitely get my vote. Of the states that you listed, my preference would be Montana or Oregon, but of course I’m admittedly biased toward retreats in the western states. (I equate low population density with higher odds of survival when the Schumer hits the fan.) My full rationale on retreat locale selection, as well as my top picks in 19 western states are detailed in my recently released non-fiction book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.

Two Letters Re: Survivalism and Personality Types–Pessimists and Optimists

Dear James:
Here is a link to an outstanding essay that I’m sure you and your wife will enjoy. It is a perfect corollary to your wife’s essay. Print it out and pass it around to your friends.
Here is the host site in case you are interested: http://www.textfiles.com/ Best Regards, – Donald

 

Memsahib:
There is another kind of personality-at least in these parts: people who think it’s a sin to prepare. They think God will provide for their needs (Matt.6). When the subject comes up-the only thing that I can counter with, is that I know deep down, that I’m supposed to be getting ready for something and point to the wise and foolish virgins parable (Matt 25). I don’t argue when it comes to person’s faith. – Lynne B.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf." – Thomas Paine

Letter Re: Laser Pointer Pistol Sights Versus Tritium Sights

Shalom Jim:
Recently I’ve been doing some research on laser sighting systems (primarily for pistols). Two of the companies I have looked at are Crimson Trace and LaserMax.
1.) Do you like or recommend laser sights for pistols? If so, which is your favorite company or system?

2.) How do laser sights compare to tritium sights? Are there any significant advantages to either?

BTW I am planning on attending an Appleseed shoot sponsored by the RWVA in March of ’07. Have you ever attended one of these shoots? What is your opinion?
Thanx for your most excellent input. – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies: I do not recommend laser pointer “sights”–aside for a few very specialized applications, such as nighttime pest shooting and nighttime building entry/clearing. (The latter is not usually a concern for preppers like us.) Most laser pointer sights are essentially useless in daylight, since they are often too dim to be seen in full daylight unless the target is in a shadow. Under typical circumstances, waiting to acquire the dot on a target in daylight at average combat distances is slower than lining up iron sights. I have observed from combat training that laser pointer sights subconsciously prevent the shooter from pulling the trigger until after the dot is acquired, even if the shooter has proper iron sight alignment. Frantically searching for the red dot, some shooters will ignore their iron sights under combat stress. Odds are that Mr. Badguy will pull his trigger first. Your mileage may vary, but IMHO, in most cases laser pointer sights are a bad idea. You should train the way you plan to fight, and that training should not involve a battery operated gadget. Under stress, you wil revert to your training. If that means looking for a red dot before you pull the trigger, that could be a very bad thing. Especially if the lighting is wrong (i.e. glaring daylight), or your laser is broken, or you don’t have any charged batteries.
I much prefer tritium sights. No muss, no fuss, no batteries, and they are good for 25+ years. (The half life of tritium is about 11 years.) I have Trijicon brand tritium sight sets on four of my Model 1911 .45 ACPs that were installed in 1994. These sights have only just now mellowed to about the right level of brightness. (They were much too bright when they were first installed.)

I haven’t personally attended an Appleseed shoot, but everyone that I’ve talked to that has positively raves about them. They are are a fantastic training opportunity at very low cost.

From #1 Son: Farm Bill Comment Deadline

Today is the last day before the comment period form the Farm Bill closes. Please put your comments, particularly anti-NAIS ones, in right away! Something like this would probably be good:

I am in opposition to the National Animal Identification System. It should not be forced on small farms and individuals, just to create more profits for large companies. If there is to be any NAIS-like program, it should be a truly voluntary system. Currently it is worded to allow for changes if necessary, and its goals include 100% participation. It would be “necessary” to make the system mandatory to achieve these goals. I request that the NAIS be stopped and have its funding removed until it can be made clear that the National Animal Identification System is truly voluntary, and will remain so, in perpetuity.

This is a great oppurtunity to contact the people that are making important decisions. It would also good to submit letters to your congressmen as well.

NoNAIS.org also has an article on the bill, along with some informations on other issues.

Letter Re: Doubling Up on a SurvivalBlog 10 Cent Challenge Subscription

Jim,
I’m enjoying the blog so much that I want to double my contribution. How would I do that? An additional PayPal subscription? I wish that more folks would join on.
Best Regards, – MP in Seattle

JWR Replies: I’m glad to hear that you find the blog useful and informative. A double subscription would be greatly appreciated, but that would be above and beyond the call of duty. The easiest method is simply to start a second subscription, via the link at our Ten Cent Challenge page. A second subscription won’t cause any paperwork confusion, since I don’t send out any renewal reminders. (The $3 monthly PayPal subscription system is set up on a “subscribed until cancelled” basis.)

Subscriptions are of course entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted. Your offer of two subscriptions is above and beyond my expectations. Many thanks for the extra support.
May God Bless You and Yours in the New Year!