Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The right of self-defense is the first law of nature; in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest possible limits. … and [when] the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, [then] liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction." – St. George Tucker, Judge of the Virginia Supreme Court 1803

Note from JWR:

Today, I’m covering Louisiana, the seventh of 19 states in my rankings of states by their retreat potential. Note that I wrote the following a year ago–long before Hurricane Katrina arrived. I certainly was right when I warned “Coastal Louisiana and +/- 50 miles inland is in the hurricane zone”–but I didn’t need to be any sort of sage with arcane knowledge to figure that out…

State By State – Louisiana

Louisiana:
Population: 4.5 million.
Population Density: 94.2 per square mile (Rank 2 of JWR’s top 19 states).
Area: 47,751 square miles (rank 8 of 50).
Average car insurance cost: $928/yr. (rank 30 of 50).
Average home insurance cost: $721/yr. (rank 2 of 50)
Crime Safety Ranking: 50 of 50.
Boston T. Party’s State Firearms Laws Ranking: 94%.
Per capita income: $23,090 (rank 45 of 50).
ACT & SAT Scores Ranking: 34 of 50.
Plusses: Mild climate. Low property taxes. Firearms freedom.
Minuses: Coastal Louisiana and +/- 50 miles inland is in the hurricane zone.
Very high population density (by western U.S. standards.) Louisiana has the lowest crime safety ranking the U.S.! (New Orleans is ranked one of the least safe cities in the country: It is ranked #13 in the “Top 20 Most Dangerous Metropolitan Areas.) The second least well-educated population of any state–ranked 49 of 50. Very high car insurance rates. Extremely high home insurance rates. (Average of $721 per year. Ranks #2 in the country!) In a true TEOTWAWKI situation, folks in some rural areas may see non-Cajuns as expendable “outsiders.” High humidity (over 60% in the southern half of the state.) Low wages.
Some northern portions of the state are recommended, with strong reservations.
Note: I probably should have given Louisiana higher ranking, due to its favorable gun and tax laws and favorable climate–at least in the northern half of the state. However, its extremely high crime rate and high insurance costs pushed it far down the list.
JWR’s Combined Retreat Potential Ranking: 18 of 19.

Zimbabwe’s Tragedy Continues

If you want to see a full scale “slow slide” economic collapse in action–one that rivals the severity of what I portrayed in my novel Patriots–then just look at modern day Zimbabwe. Comrade Mugabe and his ZANU-PF cronies have absolutely ruined a once prosperous nation. Please take the time to read the August and September letters archives at the Cathy Buckles web site. IMHO, Zimbabwe needs our prayers, and a vigorous counter-revolution!

From David in Israel Re: Survival Psychology and Stress Reduction

In my days as EMS system director I had to do quite a bit of psych and stress management on my firefighters and medics. We were living the survivalist lifestyle where every day was TEOTWAWKI for the people we responded to when we were on shift. Humans and animals share a common bond deep in our nervous system. Deep below out intellect and ego we
have two basic modes fight/flight or rest/digest. We live our whole life sliding in between these two areas. When you feel stress form being shot at by terrorists or worrying about your credit card bill the same processes take affect the sympathetic nervous tone increases adrenaline release increases, blood pressure, pulse and breathing rates all rise, pupils dilate blood flows from the digestive organs and rush to the skeletal muscles and brain. Long term living in stress causes a weakened immune system, lack of proper rest, chronic cardiac issues, digestive problems, and increased fat retention or loss. While I have had to deal with crew members who suffered from the opposite of the fight/flight symptoms it was often due to emotional stresses which lead to a chemical/neurological condition known as depression this is in my opinion the most likely problem on this end of the scale. Throwing away all feelings of bravado and coach inspired speeches depression becomes a real medical issue which the patient cannot just “snap out of” in stressful situations. Patients can endanger their teams safety by having lack of mental clarity, disregard for personal or team safety, and sometimes suicidal intentions. There are times when a person may swing between the two extremes of high and low this is known as bi-polar. The patient may seek stressful or dangerous situations and these “adrenaline junkies” if lacking basic responsibility can endanger their team.

Stress and associated adrenaline release is not caused strictly by an immediate threat in humans but can be caused by fear or dwelling on perceived future threats. One of the most powerful chronic stressors is the worry of things that the stressed person feels they have no control over. In some survival situations the loss of radio, Internet, cellular, and normal social networks is a sudden shock. Since you have no idea what is happening away from your direct area of observation the stress can be quite acute. Hindsight 20/20 will also be cause for a stress, replaying a personal failure during an incident or just the priceless item you forgot that only cost a few dollars can cause sleepless nights, you cannot relive the past, analyze for learning purposes and then drop it. In many people stress and the associated symptoms can be mediated with a proper diet including green vegetables and fiber as well as a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic rate exercise daily.

The ideal candidate for stress resistance. Studies show that people who have the following traits will be more resistant to stress disorders and depression following traumatic events. Having a functional relationship with a loving spouse and family is very important. A religious faith which recognizes the creator as having ultimate control for the best of his creatures gives meaning to the temporary suffering we may feel or see. Sense for mission and a clear purpose motivates a team even if they are not sure of all the details for tactical reasons. A healthy body supports a healthy mind. Get a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic level exercise (that means hard enough you can’t sing but easy enough that you can talk), a proper diet including green vegetables and fiber avoidance of relying on refined sugar and starch, saturated or animal fats, and processed foods to meet your energy and nutritional needs. Junk food is bad for you and will make surviving harder. Proper amounts sleep and exposure to bright light during the day keep your somatic system in check.
Kol Tov, David

Letter Re: Leatherman Wave Pocket Tools

James,
I noticed that you asked for some input on knives. Well, I just wanted to tell you that I have been using a Leatherman Wave tool since they came out…what, six years or so?….And the last year it has been used everyday on my job as a Handyman. I just don’t know what I would do without it. It is a fine tool and knife, that will stand up to some hard use. Though I have always tried to use it within reason, and not abuse it to much (the day I tried to make it work as a small hammer, maybe was a bit over the top) it really seems to stand up to a lot of hard use. BTW, I now own two Waves and one of the new Ti Charge models, which comes with all the changeable bits. IMHO in a SHTF type situation, they will be worth their weight in gold. Now I do not care for Tim Leatherman’s politics, (he endorsed Kerry) but he does make a fine product. – Gung Ho

Letter Re: Feral Dogs, Pre- and Post-TEOTWAWKI

Hello,
This link is to a newspaper story from Johnson County, Iowa, regarding a huge pack of feral dogs that is terrorizing a small town, West Liberty, about 15 miles southeast of us. Iowa City, the “capitol” of Johnson County is an extremely anti-gun, liberal town and this is an interesting battle about wild dogs, self protection, property rights etc. Thank you for everything that you write and promote.See: http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050909/NEWS01/509090313/1079

Letter Re: Concealable Handguns

Jim
It has occurred to me that someone staying in a zone where authorities are going to harass gun toting survivors ought to consider having at least one or more covert sidearms. If a survivor has to step out in a no-gun carrying zone,they can still be armed. I currently own one J frame Model 36 Chief’s Special and may well seek out another. This might possibly be one of those new Scandium 357 snubbies. A couple of five-shot snubs hidden in matching pocket holsters are better than a full-size service pistol that cops will hassle you over. It seems to be an acceptable alternative for someone who has to step out from their home to collect food or make repairs. They would be good enough to fight ones way back to the serious guns secured at home. – L.K.

JWR Replies: I concur that there is a need for compact/concealable handguns for some circumstances. Since my primary handguns are .45 ACPs, I personally prefer the AMT Backup .45 ACP. (A very compact .45 ACP automatic pistol, with a 5 round magazine.) It is a lot of gun in a small package. It is no larger than many .380 ACPs yet is chambered in a fairly potent caliber. Its sights (actually just a “sight rail” inlet) are marginal but the gun was hardly designed for long range shooting, anyway.

If you are going to opt for a snubbie revolver, make it a .357 Magnum. (Since .38 Special snubbie is a marginal stopper, at best .) But do keep in mind that a .357 magnum with a 1.5″ barrel generates a muzzle velocity that is roughly comparable only to a .38 Special with a 6″ barrel! “Sound and Fury…”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can’t get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods.” – H.L. Mencken

Notes From JWR:

Thanks to the graphics talent of my #1 Son (age 13 and home schooled, naturlich), you can now order SurvivalBlog logo T-shirts, sweat shirts, hats, mugs, tote bags, and bumper stickers. This serves two purposes: Showing our URL will help spread the word about preparedness, and it generates a little cash to pay for the site bandwidth. Wearing a SurvivalBlog T-shirt is a great conversation starter and is the height of fashion at the range, at gun shows, or anywhere on the Gulf Coast! Tacking up a SurvivalBlog bumper sticker in your cubicle is sure to make your liberal co-workers squirm. (And it just might attract like-minded co-workers that you never knew existed.)

Today, I’m covering Kansas, the sixth of 19 states in my rankings of states by their retreat potential.

State By State – Kansas

Kansas:
Population: 2.6 million.
Population Density: 31.7 per square mile (Rank 10 of JWR’s top 19 states).
Area: 82,000 square miles (rank 14 of 50).
Average car insurance cost: $688/yr. (rank 36 of 50).
Average home insurance cost: $593/yr. (rank 8 of 50).
Crime Safety Ranking: 23 of 50.
Boston T. Party’s State Firearms Laws Ranking: 68%.
Per capita income: $27,374 (rank 27 of 50).
ACT & SAT Scores Ranking: 4 of 50.
Plusses:
Minuses: Little crop diversity. Few local firewood sources. Tornado prone (ranked #2 out of top 20 States). High car insurance rates. High home insurance rates. The flat terrain is difficult to defend. (Because there are too many avenues of approach.)
JWR’s Combined Retreat Potential Ranking: 12 of 19.

 

A “Must Read” Piece on Gun Confiscation in New Orleans (SA: Disaster Preparedness, Gun Control)

Don’t miss David Kopel’s editorial “Defenseless on the Bayou” –about how the Mayor of New Orleans, has grossly exceeded legal authority by ordering both forced evacuations and gun confiscation for the few remaining residents of the city. Can you spell lawsuit, boys and girls?

Letter Re: Knife Selection

In the area of knives: I carry a Swiss Army Knife with me at all times, along with a Gerber Multi-tool. When I go into the field (Hunting, camping, whatever) I carry a fixed blade knife from Anza Knives. I’ve owned a lot of knives and used even more and I have sold every sheath-knife I owned and bought Anza’s. These things are sharp as razors, tough as nails, and as easy to sharpen as any knife I’ve ever had, and at $60 or less for each of them they are on of the best bargains I’ve ever run across as well. The one problem I have with them is the high-carbon steel starts to rust if it rains on television. I’m getting DuraCoat ( http://www.lauerweaponry.com/ ) applied to all of them shortly which will cure this problem, and I’ve talked to the owner of Anza and he is considering providing it as an option. DuraCoat is my second choice for refinishing as I prefer hard black Chrome, but the Anza knives have wooden handles which are stuck on with a space-age glue that simply cannot be removed, the DuraCoat can be applied over the metal and the wood and needs no heat curing.
Keep up the good work and I’ll keep reading. – W.

JWR’s Reply: I have heard good things about Anza knives from other sources. I appreciate hearing recommendations about other brands of both fixed blade and folding knives from SurvivalBlog readers who have first hand field carry experience. OBTW, be sure to bead blast or otherwise remove all of the oxidation before you apply a finish. Most people don’t realize that rust can continue to do damage underneath a protective finish!

Letter Re: G.O.O.D. Gear

Mr. Rawles, do you have a list of gear that we should all have say on our persons or in our cars at all times? I finished your book, and more recently Boston [T. Party]’s Molon Labe and with what is happing down South, I need to prepare.

JWR’s Reply: I think a workable baseline is the list that is recounted in my novel Patriots, where the Doug Carlton character appears for the first time, and he is searched. I encourage readers of this blog to e-mail me their suggested G.O.O.D. Kit / Bug Out Bag (B.O.B.) packing lists. I think that by working together, we can come up with a combined list that is far more comprehensive than one that is based on just my individual experience. Engage synergy mode, folks! OBTW, the letter below has a link that is another good point of departure.

Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics

Here is a hot topic. I’m not sure how a person is to post it on the blog with the liability issues. (Please don’t mention my name)

Disclaimer: The following is for veterinary use only.
See: http://lambriarvet.com/Antibiotics.php This company had the best prices I have found for antibiotics, the last time that I checked. These are the most useful for human use. They don’t sell the really expensive cipros or i.v. antibiotics to mere mortals like us.

During the three years before we moved we were on a microscopic budget and without insurance. Using veterinary antibiotics saved my wife three times: once from a kidney infection and twice from bladder infections. The Merck Manual has all the info you need for dose, etc.
OBTW, I seem to remember you mention the fish medications in your novel [Patriots]. – U.G.