SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the Montana Legislature’s Vote To Ban TikTok. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Reader Dave B.  sent us the link to this biased left-wing Dutch television news report from 2022: AMERICAN REDOUBT: Ultra Conservatives Taking Over Idaho.  Take note that Nieuwsuur is co-produced by two state-run broadcasters in Holland — their equivalents of PBS or NPR. They of course reflexively dredged up the 30+ year-old history of a handful of Idaho neo-nazis, in an attempt to discredit the American Redoubt movement.  And hearing Sandpoint’s hard-left Democrat mayor of Sandpoint refer to us as “The American Taliban” made me laugh out loud.  That was ironic, coming from someone who tried to severely lock down his city during the recent pandemic.

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Week one of the Lori Vallow Daybell trial comes to an end.

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How could Idaho’s firing squad law affect Bryan Kohberger? Idaho’s history offers clues.

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Runners take on the snow and ice during the 45th Race to Robie Creek.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity — unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.” – Henry Clay

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 17, 2023

On April 17, 1982, the Canada Act, also known as the Constitution Act, took effect. The Canada Act established certain individual rights, preserving parliamentary supremacy, and making Canada a wholly independent, fully sovereign state.  Sadly, since then, individual liberty in Canada has been deeply degraded by the growth of the bureaucratic, Ottawa-centric, and increasingly socialistic Nanny State.

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Today’s feature article was penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Ruger 10/22 Carbine, by Thomas Christianson

I recently began evaluating a rifle chambered in .22LR. In my notes and in my thoughts, I kept comparing the rifle to the Ruger 10/22. After a while, I thought, “I really should write about the Ruger 10/22 first. That would provide a baseline for future reviews of other rifles chambered in .22LR. In many ways, the Ruger 10/22 is the standard against which other  rifles are measured.”

The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rifle or carbine chambered in .22LR. It comes from the factory with a detachable rotary box magazine that holds 10 rounds. It has an aluminum receiver and a cross-bolt safety at the front of the trigger guard. Depending on the wood density of the stock, it weighs about five pounds.

A Good “First Gun”

The best first gun for any individual varies greatly depending on their background and experience, current situation, desired use, personal preferences, and economic situation. For example, for a man who grew up duck hunting with his father, and who is looking for a firearm for home defense, I might recommend a shotgun as his first gun. For someone who desires to carry a firearm on a daily basis, I might recommend a handgun. For someone in a rural area who has feral pigs raiding their garden, I might recommend a centerfire rifle. But for someone who has no firearms background or experience at all and who wants to cautiously dip their toe into the waters of firearm ownership, I would recommend the Ruger 10/22. I would recommend the 10/22 for a number of reasons.Continue reading“Ruger 10/22 Carbine, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

The following recipe for Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies is from reader Cathy D.  She notes: “The egg helps hold the dough together. Don’t skip it, or you’ll have crumbly mess.”

This recipe makes one dozen cookies.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup peanut butter. Typical commercial peanut butter brands (like Skippy or Jif) work better than the “natural/organic” brands.
  • 1 cup of white sugar.
  • 1 egg
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Mix peanut butter, white sugar, and egg in a medium bowl until smooth.
  4. Roll mixture into 1-inch dough balls and place 1.5 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet
  5. Flatten each dough ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are just barely brown on the bottoms, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  7. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Ootionlly, sprinkle with sugar or powdered sugar.
SERVING

Serve warm or cold. With milk, of course!

STORAGE

If you’d like, the uncooked dough balls can be frozen.  Thaw before baking.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the baby bull in precious metals.

Precious Metals:

Silver has been steadily climbing, in recent weeks. Despite some profit-taking on Friday (April 14), spot silver closed at $25.61 per Troy ounce!  It now costs $26,900+ to buy a $1,000 face value bag of pre-1965 US. “junk” silver from a reliable “low mark-up” dealer. Some dealers are demanding more than $30,450! If you want to buy silver in any coin or bar form, then it pays to shop around for the lowest premiums.  But, of course, only buy from reputable dealers.

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Charted: 30 Years of Central Bank Gold Demand.

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A little chartism from Morris Hubbartt, At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold & Silver: A Thunderous Rally.

Economy & Finance:

From all reports, American banks are still hemorrhaging deposits, as their customers seek both the safety and higher rates of return found in U.S. Treasury paper. I can foresee that the banking crisis will worsen in the coming months, especially if the FOMC keeps raising interest rates. So… Keep your deposits small and diverse. If you have all your deposits in just one bank, then you are trodding on dangerous ground. Here is a piece that might prove helpful to you: Which Banks Are in Danger of Failing or Collapse? And I must repeat my guidance: Avoid banks with large derivatives exposure. – JWR

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Jobless Claims Deterioration Across US States Indicates Impending Recession.

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The yield curve in the U.S. has now been inverted for three months. This is the deepest inversion since 1981. Historically, the 2-year/10-year yield curve has inverted for 6 to 24 months preceding each recession since 1955. If this situation continues, then it does not bode well, particularly for equities. The general economy could now easily tip over into recession. Meanwhile, the real estate crash — both residential and commercial — is just getting started. Plan accordingly.

o  o  o

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site:

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Strictly speaking, it probably is not “necessary” for the federal government to tax anyone directly; it could simply print the money it needs. However, that would be too bold a stroke, for it would then be obvious to all what kind of counterfeiting operation the government is running. The present system combining taxation and inflation is akin to watering the milk; too much water and the people catch on.” – Congressman Ron Paul

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Administration and character of Eutropius, A.D. 395-399:

The first events of the reign of Arcadius and Honorius are so intimately connected, that the rebellion of the Goths and the fall of Rufinus have already claimed a place in the history of the West. It has already been observed that Eutropius, one of the principal eunuchs of the palace of Constantinople, succeeded the haughty minister whose ruin he had accomplished and whose vices he soon imitated. Every order of the state bowed to the new favourite; and their tame and obsequious submission encouraged him to insult the laws, and, what is still more difficult and dangerous, the manners of his country. Under the weakest of the predecessors of Arcadius the reign of the eunuchs had been secret and almost invisible. They insinuated themselves into the confidence of the prince but their ostensible functions were confined to the menial service of the wardrobe and Imperial bedchamber. They might direct in a whisper the public counsels, and blast by their malicious suggestions the fame and fortunes of the most illustrious citizens; but they never presumed to stand forward in the front of empire, or to profane the public honours of the state. Eutropius was the first of his artificial sex who dared to assume the character of a Roman magistrate and general. Sometimes, in the presence of the blushing senate, he ascended the tribunal to pronounce judgment or to repeat elaborate harangues; and sometimes appeared on horseback, at the head of his troops, in the dress and armour of a hero. The disregard of custom and decency always betrays a weak and ill-regulated mind; nor does Eutropius seem to have compensated for the folly of the design by any superior merit or ability in the execution. His former habits of life had not introduced him to the study of the laws or the exercises of the field; his awkward and unsuccessful attempts provoked the secret contempt of the spectators; the Goths expressed their wish that such a general might always command the armies of Rome; and the name of the minister was branded with ridicule, more pernicious, perhaps, than hatred to a public character. The subjects of Arcadius were exasperated by the recollection that this deformed and decrepit eunuch, who so perversely mimicked the actions of a man, was born in the most abject conditions of servitude; that before he entered the Imperial palace he had been successively sold and purchased by an hundred masters, who had exhausted his youthful strength in every mean and infamous office, and at length dismissed him in his old age to freedom and poverty. While these disgraceful stories were circulated, and perhaps exaggerated, in private conversations, the vanity of the favourite was flattered with the most extraordinary honours. In the senate, in the capital, in the provinces, the statues of Eutropius were erected, in brass or marble, decorated with the symbols of his civil and military virtues, and inscribed with the pompous title of the third founder of Constantinople. He was promoted to the rank of patrician, which began to signify, in a popular and even legal acceptation, the father of the emperor: and the last year of the fourth century was polluted by the consulship of an eunuch and a slave. This strange and inexpiable prodigy awakened, however, the prejudices of the Romans. The effeminate consul was rejected by the West as an indelible stain to the annals of the republic; and without invoking the shades of Brutus and Camillus, the colleague of Eutropius, a learned and respectable magistrate, sufficiently represented the different maxims of the two administrations.”  – Edward Gibbon, The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, Chapter 32

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 16, 2023

April 16th is the birthday of two notable novelists– the late J. Neil Schulman (pictured) and Samuel Youd.

Agorist-Libertarian activist J. Neil Schulman (born April 16, 1953, died 2019) was best known as author of the novel Alongside Night.

The late Samuel Youd (born 1922, died February 3, 2012) was the British novelist who was best known for his science fiction writings under the pseudonym John Christopher, including the survivalist novel Death of Grass (titled No Blade of Grass, in the American edition) as well as the Tripods Series of young adult sci-fi novel series. A fascinating man, Youd wrote prolifically, using eight pen names. He was a good friend of sci-fi novelist John Wyndham, and both of them were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes”.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Government Decline: The Next Big Thing, by Michael X.

The civilized world is in decline. The decline is definitely affecting the once-great United States. Most people know we are in trouble. Many do not like the current course of our government. Unfortunately, many of those people still believe we can make some adjustments (vote ‘em out!!) and “get back to normal”. This belief keeps them from making the changes and the preparations that may help them in the future. It is time for a realistic review of the situation and the beginning of an effort to decide what is wrong, what if anything can be done to fix it, and how to proceed.

You are reading this because you are a prepper or interested in prepping. What are you prepping for? An EMP? Earthquake? An epidemic? Cyber attack? All these are good reasons to prep. But there seems to be a tendency to look right past the elephant in the room. It is something we are so familiar with that we don’t recognize it as a risk, and due to normalcy bias may refuse to accept it.

To prepare, a person needs a specific problem to focus the preparation on. The issues should be looked at in the correct order of probability. While an EMP is certainly a possibility, a current crisis is already here. It is time for a reality check, to assess this situation, understand where you are, what the full details of the problem are, what options for action are available for that problem.

Look at the current state of the United States federal government. Consider the following questions: As it declines, is there any realistic way to change its course, legally? Can the United States Government be restored to its original place and intent, a country run by the people? Can it be adjusted back to the original intent of states’ rights? There is a way in theory – by voting in new individuals to do that very thing.

The United States government’s decline is the next great (and current) event.Continue reading“Government Decline: The Next Big Thing, by Michael X.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Go Woke, Lose $5 Billion in Stock Valuation

Shares… Low… …er

News Links:

Anheuser-Busch loses more than $5 billion in value amid Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light controversy

JWR’s Comment:

The transvestite ad campaign and Bud Light can logo fiasco were dreamed up by Anheuser-Busch Marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid. Just imagine how will this look on her resume, under “Accomplishments”…

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” – 1 Timothy 2: 1-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 15, 2023

Today, April 15, 2023 is the 20th Blogiversary of Commander Zero’s Notes From The Bunker blog. Congratulations, Z.!

April 15th is traditionally Tax Day, but I prefer to remember its as musician Roy Clark’s birthday. He was born April 15, 1933.

April 15th, 1912, is also the anniversary of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. 1,517 people lost their lives on the maiden voyage.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Commo for Family, Group, or Community – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.)

There is a serious weakness in the Baofeng UV-5R and several other similar radios, since there is no off-the-shelf charger made to charge these radios from a standard 12vdc source. Fortunately, we can make our own 12vdc step-down charger power supply by putting together the parts that I list below. It can charge up to four Baofeng UV5R radios, or any brand handheld radios, and even some Kenwood and Midland radios (transceivers), or any radio that requires 9vdc  to 10vdc at its charger base. It can charge more than 4 handhelds at a time. However, with four transceivers charging, the charge times would be extended to a point that is impractical for most typical use.

The 5.5mm barrel connector, or appropriate connector fits many charging docks. The converter provides up to 2 amps, and 9.14vdc that the Baofeng charging base then steps down to 8.3vdc as a maximum allowed voltage. This duplicates factory performance and allows the factory circuitry to regulate the charging process, and avoids overcharging.

Solar Direct Charging
If we can charge radios “solar direct”, then we have eliminated the need for a battery bank and charge controller. Charging solar direct is roughly 30 percent more efficient if a PWM charge controller is eliminated.  We avoid the loss of power during the conversion into a chemical form as when a storage battery is used –with the loss of power when the chemical process is reversed to transfer power.
As tested with a constant 5aH 19.5 vdc power supply, the converter steps down the voltage to 9.22 volts instead of the previously mentioned 9.14vdc, and the charging base limits the maximum charging voltage to 8.3 vdc as it does when the original power source is between 12 and 13 vdc, the voltage of a typical lead acid battery.
This test at 19.5vdc simulates the level of power that would be supplied by a nominal 12vdc 100-watt PV panel at VOC that the maximum voltage during peak production as occurs during bright sunny conditions in very cold weather. Therefore, I estimate  that this step-down conversion device can be used to charge 1 to 4 handheld radios in the same time period that the manufacturer expects when directly connected to a single 40-watt panel as minimum during ideal solar conditions.  Or to a 400-watt 12vdc panel during cloudy conditions, or during ideal conditions.

Continue reading“Commo for Family, Group, or Community – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

For half of the past week, I was still down with a cold.  But now I’m back to a nearly normal pace of activity. The snow is quickly melting, and our pastures are starting to green up. (Quite late, this year!)

I’ve been making just a bit of progress on remodeling our workshop.

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”