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, the market fallout from the recent  Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes.

Precious Metals:

Price pressure on gold, silver amid rising U.S. bond yields.

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Chinese Gold Imports Hit Highest Level Since 2018.

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Robert Kiyosaki says that gold and silver are ‘real’ and ‘global’ money, the dollar is ‘fake’ and the American Empire is at its ‘end’.

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Reader S.O. wrote to ask:

“Just a quick question about precious metal depositories.  I have been researching some of these organizations and they appear to be a little bit safer than a bank, in that I would be the sole owner of whatever I put in there, versus the bank which actually co-owns what I have in their system.  However, I am having a hard time overcoming my ‘trust no one’ mantra.”

JWR’s Reply:

“You’re mantra is a good and safe one. I do not trust most warehousing-type precious metals businesses. When they go belly-up or when they get raided by the IRS, invariably somebody comes up short.

But you might consider a private safe deposit company. The last I heard, there are a couple of them in Las Vegas. They are just like a bank safe deposit box (with two keys), but they are outside the reach of the FDIC and other regulators, in the event of a national banking crisis.
More to the point: Why not  bury them at home, or put them in a hidden wall cache, and let a couple of trusted adult relatives know the exact location, in case you meet an unexpected demise?”

Economy & Finance:

Fed’s James Bullard pushes for faster rate hikes, sees ‘good shot’ at beating inflation. JWR’s Comments:  No, beating inflation would require raising interest rates to somewhere north of 12% for more than a year.  I really doubt that the Fed will have the intestinal fortitude to do so. They will pivot back to lower rates long before that — leaving the American economy in stagflation.

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Fed minutes, Stellantis payout, Nvidia earnings – what’s moving markets.

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’10 years left’: This famed geopolitical analyst says China is going to collapse in the next decade — here are 3 key numbers that could support his contrarian forecast.

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The “stag” part of stagflation is developing: Economy grew at slower 2.7% pace at end of 2022, GDP shows, as consumers trimmed spending.

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SEC Charges The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Its Investment Management Company for Disclosure Failures and Misstated Filings.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 23, 2023

February 23 1685 was the birthday of composer George Frideric Handel, a leading figure of late Baroque music.

February 23 is the day that six Marines from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima.

Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836).

February 23rd is also the birthday of Captain Isaac Davis (February 23, 1745 – April 19, 1775), a militia officer and gunsmith who commanded a Minute Company in Acton, Massachusetts during the Battle of Concord.

Reader Poll Results: Suggested SurvivalBlog Feature Topics

The results are in. Recently, I asked our readers: What topics would you like to see covered in SurvivalBlog feature articles, in the coming months?

The intent was to give folks ideas for SurvivalBlog writing contest topics. None of the following listed topics are in any way reserved. Anyone can plunge in and share their experience on any of them.

Update: As articles are submitted, I will mark up the following list with strikethroughs for topics that are addressed.

We started with this brainstorming list:

  • Herbs — Medicinal and Cooking
  • Wildcrafting with plants and trees
  • Foraging and recipes with wild edibles
  • Assembling a set of ham radio shack equipment
  • Ham radio antenna trimming
  • Home Gunsmithing
  • How to restore kerosene lamps
  • Basic DIY veterinary science
  • Horse hoof trimming
  • Basic home carpentry projects
  • Dry-pack canning

And here are the feature article ideas that were sent in by readers, greatly expanding that list:

  • Prescription drug preparedness. More than just animal antibiotics, we’d appreciate some detailed recommendations by a medical professional, including some warnings on drug interactions.
  • Cautionary tales – true stories of people who embarked on big prepper, survival, homestead ventures and quickly bailed for one reason or another.
  • Small construction projects/advice
  • Jerry-rigging solutions to remote plumbing and electrical problems.
  • Weather-related considerations for safety, costs, food, other.
  • Small engine maintenance and repair.
  • Accurate butchering cuts.
  • Aging in place in remote locales – hacks, helps, advice.
  • Clever building designs (and those that did not work) for dealing with cold holes, storage, water wells, etc, heat/cooling, etc.
  • Best purchases in this/that category.  Biggest money wasters in this/that category.
  • Assisting birth of mammals, including human people.
  • The humble power of human touch.
  • Mobility without petroleum or electricity.
  • How to get prescription medicine without a prescription, and what alternative medicines can I use in a disaster, such as veterinary antibiotics.
  • Details on how to repurpose a DC motor or a car alternator, to make a pedal-powered DC generator.
  • How to, make do, think outside of the box articles could be helpful as well as more emphasis on where to find supplies outside of the traditional stores. “We need to reject the ‘I can’t’ a replace it with the ‘how can I?’ mentally. We can’t always have the best, most efficient way but we can still achieve the goal as we can update to better more efficient ways.”
  • How to properly clean antique firearms.
  • Using manure tea for aquaponic gardening.
  • Foraging for wild edibles.
  • Home security.
  • Communications in SHTF.
  • Precious Metals – how to invest, stocks in silver/gold mining, how to securely store physical metals, e.g.- is a bank safe deposit safe?
  • Basics on communications.  “From my view there is the ‘classic’ ham approach which works well but in an emergency situation some additional ‘tactical’ methods and styles may be very useful.”
  • An article on interpersonal skills. Someone should cover “basics on how to have a meeting that is structured and not just a get-together session or how to develop and pass on community information.  Just thinking out loud but a ‘town square’ posting idea for messages and the like should be discussed.”
  • How to build structures from green wood
  • How to reuse old technology. to make new things.
  • Goat and sheep hoof trimming.
  • Survival food strategies and storage, to include types, how much, cost-effectiveness, a breakdown by date, use, and storage life.
  • Articles on homeschooling, especially the nuts and bolts of the daily implementation of a home classroom.
  • Traversing terrain in rural, suburban, and urban landscapes would be of interest. Not just navigation, but rather things to do and avoid when moving over the ground in each environment.
  • Spinning fibers
  • Dyeing fibers with natural vegetable dyes
  • Knitting
  • Basic sewing
  • Whittling
  • Making cleaning agents for fabrics
  • Soap-making (re-batch or lye-based)
  • Storing grains against insects
  • Keeping books (and other ephemera) safe.
  • Basics on musical instruments.
  • Step-by-step butchering all different kinds of wild game.
  • Home pantry building and organization tips.
  • Off-grid power systems will be increasingly important. An article needs to address whether new battery technology (lithium) may or may not be compatible with older charge controllers and inverters.
  • Many published wild food suggestions are for leaves to make tea or for items that can be used as an additive to combine with other food. But often berries must be combined with sugar (perhaps lots of it) to make jelly. In other cases some wild food item must be fried in oil, but this means you must have the oil—and oil may contain most of the calories in the final preparation.  We can’t live on tea or wild food additives to flavor regular food unless we also have the regular food itself.
  • We used inexpensive kitchen sprayer units to make bidets for our toilets. The sprayer hangs in the wall next to the commode. We don’t need as much toilet tissue as we used to. Perhaps someone could include this idea in a longer article on grid-down sanitation.
  • Prepping Regrets and Failures.  (This could include: What you broke and why you broke it. How something didn’t live up to expectations. How your plans utterly failed once they came into contact with “the enemy” (or just reality.) What didn’t work in your garden, shop, pasture, garage, chicken coop, and so forth.
  • An article on “aging out” of being an active prepper. “Things that sounded so doable 20 years ago are no longer possible for us. Looking at TEOTWAWKI from closer to 80 than 50 is a whole different kettle of fish.”
  • An article with a calendar of the homesteading year (chores that should be done at different times of the year, times to start seedlings, firewood, livestock activities, etc.) — especially in the American Redoubt.
  • Raising chickens for eggs and meat. A lot of cities now allow it. That would be very timely, given the recent jump in egg and butchered chicken.
  • Home hydroelectric systems — including set up, water requirements, maintenance, etc.
  • Articles for women’s ‘stuff’
  • How to bake in a solar oven – it’s different!
  • How to convert an electric sewing machine to work using a battery-powered drill or a treadle base
  • How to avoid redundancy by careful selection of tools
  • Preparing give-away bags for wanderers.
  • Using mail instead of phones, typewriter instead of computer (can’t be easily compromised).
  • Sourcing various fats and oils — and safe storage of same.
  • Mobile ham radio equipment (mainly batteries/power and antennae (especially concealable).
  • Homestead defense (alarms/notification and obstacles).
  • An article with a realistic and practical list of hand tools and garden tools to keep on hand.
  • More about restoring old cast iron frying pans.  Perhaps this topic could be expanded to old cookware.
  • How to hide a trail camera.
  • Electronic perimeter security.
  • Implementing an Integrated home/farm/ranch security plan.
  • More about practical ham radio. Is HF really useful?
  • Traditional recipes and cooking techniques.
  • Foods used during the Great Depression.
  • Home dairying and cheese making.
  • Using/repairing old tractors and setting up implements for farming.
  • Lost crafts — weaving, shoe making, clothing making, spinning wool, wood carving, making a chair, spoons and cooking utensils, etc.
  • Experiences building underground: Cellars/Bunkers/Walk-in Coolers/etc.
  • Experiences building a Nuclear Fallout Shelter.
  • Knowledge on what are the key staple foods to grow after a collapse: planting/growing/harvesting/storing/preparing/nutrition.
  • Protein from plants versus meat: pros/cons/personal conclusions.
  • Experiences with Harvest Right Freeze Drying machine: costs/food prep/storage/nutrition yields/etc.
  • Thoughtful commentary on Biblical Prophecy versus Current Events, and commentary on The Chosen.
  • Anything having to do with herbs, wild harvesting, herbal medicine, etc.
  • Gardening, especially growing animal food and alternative sources of food, such as banana stalks.
  • Farrier work at home.
  • Do-It-Yourself veterinary.
  • Lactic Fermentation for human and animal consumption.
  • Water management: How to manage rainwater in a very wet environment or a very dry environment. (Example: raised beds versus sunken beds)
  • Gunsmithing.
  • Lathe and mill work.
  • How to recycle things (trash) into very useful things to survive.
  • How to harden our homes, and farm/retreat/home security. Specifically breaking it down to a few things like hardening doors, security screens, and various window coverings of different levels, as well as surveillance of approaches to homes.

Continue reading“Reader Poll Results: Suggested SurvivalBlog Feature Topics”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, news of more saber-rattling over the Ukraine War.

Putin Abandons Nuclear Arms Treaty

Over at WorldNetDaily: Putin abandons landmark nuclear arms treaty with U.S. after Biden visits Ukraine.

Decision on Sending F-16s to Ukraine is Imminent

Carl F. sent this: Sen. Graham: Decision on Sending F-16s to Ukraine ‘Will Be Imminent’.

“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is among the 30 U.S. senators and dozens of House lawmakers who attended the Munich Security Conference this past weekend, where Russia’s war in Ukraine was among the top security concerns addressed by participants.

Graham told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday there was ‘virtually unanimous belief’ among attendees that the United States ‘should be training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 today so they can get the jets as soon as possible.'”

High Egg Prices Have Cities Allowing Backyard Chickens

At a website for CPAs: Shell Shock: High Egg Prices Have Cities Allowing Backyard Chickens. A quote:

“In recent months, backyard chicken advocates like Baile have been winning victories around the country. Prompted in part by the sky-high price of supermarket eggs, city councils from Arizona to Florida to Oklahoma have approved ordinances allowing people to welcome hens into their yards, and one legislature, Texas, is even considering a statewide law.”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 22, 2023

February 22, 1857 was the birthday of Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist who was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves and helped to invent radar technology.

On this day in 1943, Sophie Scholl was executed by beheading for organizing the White Rose group–a student resistance to the Hitler regime. She had been convicted of high treason, after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) with her brother, Hans. She was 21 years old.

On this day in 1732, George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner. An initially loyal British subject, Washington eventually led the Continental Army in the American Revolution and became known as the father of the United States.

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Today, a feature article by SurvivalBlog’s founder and Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (“JWR”).

A Closer Look at the Pivotal Bruen Decision

The U.S. Supreme Court’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen decision (issued June 23, 2022) was a pivotal ruling.  Following up on the District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and the McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) decisions, Bruen reaffirmed private gun rights, quite solidly. Up until those three decisions, the Supreme Court had conspicuously ignored taking up any Second Amendment cases, for more than 50 years. But now, the highest court has made it quite clear that the right to keep and bear arms is nigh-on absolute.

I’ve mentioned the Bruen decision before in SurvivalBlog. But today, I’d like like to examine it more closely.

The majority opinion for Bruen was written by one of my heroes, Justice Clarence Thomas. He had previously lamented that the Second Amendment had been treated as “a disfavored right.”  But in the 2022 decision, Justice Thomas set things write. He forthrightly wrote that the only gun regulations that can be deemed constitutional are ones that don’t infringe on conduct that is plainly covered by the text of the Second Amendment and that are “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition.” This part of Bruen means that any gun law enacted at any level must have a demonstrable parallel in regulations that were in place at the time of the ratification of the Bill of Rights — meaning circa December, 1791. Thus, Bruen sets a very high bar for legislators to hurdle. If lawmakers cannot cite a similar law that existed after the War of Independence but before December, 1791, then any statute pertaining to arms of any description would be unconstitutional!Continue reading“A Closer Look at the Pivotal Bruen Decision”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Reader M.B.R. in Idaho wrote via snail mail to ask:

“Is there any way to maintain my privacy when buying firearms, gun accessories, and ammunition?”

JWR Replies: Thankfully, Idaho is one of the 33+ states where private party gun sales are still perfectly legal. So I advise that you buy your guns used, from private party sellers at gun shows, or via local classified ads in advertising free newspapers. For people living in private party states, the majority of the folks that rent gun show tables don’t have FFLs. Rather, they are private party sellers. If you are at a gun show and see a gun of interest, then your first question should be: “Are you a FFL holder, or are you a fellow private party here in Idaho?”

It is safe to assume that credit card purchases of guns and ammunition are now or will soon be correlated in some big database in the sky.  So, if your goal is true privacy, then buy any ammunition and gun accessories only with cash, at a local gun shop, at a feed or farm and ranch store, or at a gun show.

Yes, you will pay more for all of the aforementioned goods, but sadly that is the price of privacy, whilst living in 21st-century America.

Oh, and if you want to “break the chain” of paperwork on any guns that you’ve previously bought through an FFL after 1968 (with an ATF Form 4473 on permanent file), then the best thing to do is sell them to an FFL, and be certain to retain a copy of the detailed sales receipt, so that you can document that you disposed of those guns. That surely beats attempting to claim a burglary or a “boating accident”, years from now.

I must remind my readers: It is a federal felony to buy a modern gun across state lines, without FFL paperwork. I have some advice for any readers who live in any of the 17-odd states where by law all modern gun purchases must be made through licensed dealers: If you cannot move to a free state, then consider buying at least a few pre-1899 production guns. That way at least part of your collection will not have a trail of federal paperwork.

Bottom Line: The best firearms are those without a paper trail leading to you. As my friend Peter says:  “I like my guns like Democrats like their immigrants…  …undocumented.”

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Tim Pool: New Pandemic, Avian Flu Could Kill 60% Of People, Lab Did Gain Of Function To Make It Infect Mammals.

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Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this news piece posted by Brandon Herrera about a based man arrested in Western Australia: Police discover secret underground bunker with treasure trove of firearms and a shooting range and arrest him because apparently you can’t do that in Australia.

Michael’s Comment: “Not a bad start. But only 1,000 rounds of ammo?”

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Video of truck driver delivering food to massive underground bunker.

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Illinois Hobby Club Believes Pentagon Shot Down Their $12 Pico Balloon.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 21, 2023

February 21st is the birthday of Group Captain Douglas Bader (born 1910, died 5 September 1982). He was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter ace during the Second World War. He lost his legs in a pre-war flying accident, but that didn’t stop him from re-entering the RAF when war broke out. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable, and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. Bader was eventually shot down and became a POW in Germany.  Bader’s autobiography Reach for the Sky is a must for those studying aviation in World War II.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 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. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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. 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)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 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.

It Is Chick Season!, by Hollyberry

I open the mailbox and oh… there it is! Nothing perks me up from the winter blues more than getting the McMurray Hatchery chick catalog or a garden/seed catalog. I spend hours pouring through the pages of the catalogs and planning and plotting where I can add more chickens or growing space! I really don’t need any more birds in my flock but that will not deter me from adding at least 4-5 more this season out of our incubator. The first time I purchased chicks I ordered 50 meat birds and 50 Leghorn layers figuring I would kill at least half, being a newbie at this. Well everyone lived, including the bonus chick from McMurray Hatchery and I used some of the birds for barter for other stuff or services we needed.

The firststep to chicks is to make sure you have a secure coop for the new birds and enough space for the number of birds in your flock. Have the outside coop ready before you get your new chicks. They will be inside your home for several weeks and no matter how clean you try to keep the wood shavings the plain truth is that they stink after a while. Do your homework and read up on different breeds. Do you want layers, meat birds, or dual-purpose birds? What birds are best for your climate? I highly recommend two books from Storey Publishers: Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens and Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. Check out other homesteading books from Storey Publishers. Many of their books occupy space on our bookshelves.Continue reading“It Is Chick Season!, by Hollyberry”

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, a couple of updates on the Moscow college student murders. (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide

A video news segment from The Epoch Times: 30% of Counties Vote to Secede From Oregon.

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Idaho House passed the “Greater Idaho” intrastate discussions bill. From a press release:

The Idaho House of Representatives voted in favor of the “Greater Idaho” bill today. The bill, numbered HJM 1, authorizes Idaho legislators to begin talks with Oregon about relocating the state line they share.

During debate on the floor of the House, proponents of the bill cited the desirability of applying Idaho law to eastern Oregon as a way to push Oregon drug laws farther away from Idaho’s current population. They also cited an economic analysis published last week for the Claremont Institute which shows that rural Oregon counties would be a net benefit to Idaho financially.

A press release on the Greater Idaho movement’s website, greateridaho.org, said, “we are asking Oregon Legislature leaders to give this idea a hearing in Oregon. Unlike any other bill, our Oregon bill SJM 2 is supported by the votes of 11 counties, and a poll a year ago showed that 68% of northwestern Oregonian voters want their officials to look into the idea. Eastern Oregon deserves a chance to present this proposal to Oregon state leaders.”

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Study: Oregon subsidizes eastern & southern Oregon, but Idaho wouldn’t have to.

Idaho

New legislature bill would allow parents to teach Driver’s Ed in Idaho.

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Here’s how much Idaho State Police have spent on the Moscow murders investigation.

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Latah, Kootenai counties enter agreement for defense attorney in Moscow murders case.  The key line in the article:

“The murders of the four University of Idaho students took place in Latah County. Taylor is a public defender in Kootenai County but is qualified to represent suspects in capital cases. Latah County does not have a public defender who is qualified to do so.”

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Idaho lawmakers introduce bill to make it a misdemeanor to administer mRNA vaccines.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world—and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end—is being destroyed.” – Hannah Arendt

Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 20, 2023

Today is the birthday of novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson (1926–2013). He wrote many sci-fi television scripts. His novella I Am Legend later was adapted into three different movies over the course of five decades, and his story Bid Time Return became the charming movie Somewhere In Time.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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A new listing that I spotted over at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty.com website, near Sandpoint, Idaho: Off Grid Custom Home + Cabin on 37.7 Acres With 3 Year-Round Creeks / Borders BLM Land.