The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 27, 2022

Today is the birthday of Emory Upton (August 27, 1839 – March 15, 1881). He was a United States Army General and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the American Civil War, but he also excelled at artillery and cavalry assignments. His work, The Military Policy of the United States, which analyzed American military policies and practices and presented the first systematic examination of the nation’s military history, had a tremendous effect on the orgnaization and modernization of the U.S. Army when it was published posthumously in 1904. He has rightly been called “The father of the modern U.S. Army.”

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August 27, 1917 was the birthday of American gun designer Robert Hillberg, best known as the designer of the C.O.P. four-barrel derringer, Winchester’s Liberator shotguns, the graceful Whitney Wolverine, and the Wildey .44 Magnum gas-operated pistol. He died in 2012.

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Today we present a guest article by John Whitehead and Nisha Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute. It is reposted with permission.

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We are urgently seeling entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

Weaponizing the Bureaucracy: Who Will Protect Us?, by John and Nisha Whitehead

“A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.”—James Madison

The IRS has stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition in recent years, including 621 shotguns, 539 long-barrel rifles and 15 submachine guns.

The Veterans Administration (VA) purchased 11 million rounds of ammunition (equivalent to 2,800 rounds for each of their officers), along with camouflage uniforms, riot helmets and shields, specialized image enhancement devices and tactical lighting.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) acquired 4 million rounds of ammunition, in addition to 1,300 guns, including five submachine guns and 189 automatic firearms for its Office of Inspector General.

According to an in-depth report on “The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies,” the Social Security Administration secured 800,000 rounds of ammunition for their special agents, as well as armor and guns.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) owns 600 guns. And the Smithsonian now employs 620-armed “special agents.”

This is how it begins.

We have what the founders feared most: a “standing” or permanent army on American soil.

This de facto standing army is made up of weaponized, militarized, civilian forces which look like, dress like, and act like the military; are armed with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment; are authorized to make arrests; and are trained in military tactics.

Mind you, this de facto standing army of bureaucratic, administrative, non-military, paper-pushing, non-traditional law enforcement agencies may look and act like the military, but they are not the military.Continue reading“Weaponizing the Bureaucracy: Who Will Protect Us?, by John and Nisha Whitehead”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a quite unproductive week, working around the ranch, because of an injury. I had an accident while working on insulating our workshop. I blame this on fatigue and lack of attention. I was doing this work while exhausted following a long morning of cutting firewood. Whilst cutting a piece of 2-inch thick blue styrofoam board along a steel straightedge with a box cutter, my left hand slipped and I cut the tips off of two of my fingers — just the tips of my fingers, forward of the fingernails. This left flat, disc-shaped wounds. The larger one of these was 3/8ths of an inch in diameter.  This was not a serious injury, but painful. (And not likely one to be repeated. Experiences like this teach me to slow down and concentrate on my work.)

So my hand mobility will be limited for the next couple of weeks. Since I’m now limited to just minor chores, I will be concentrating on writing and editing for a while. The firewood project and the shop project will have to wait…

Now, over to Lily.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. 

Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” – Psalm 80 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 26, 2022

August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s pointedly satirical novel “Animal Farm.”

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August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some of which are described in the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hardcore of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

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Today’s feature article is an update to a piece from the early days of the SurvivalBlog archives.

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We are still in need of articles for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)

Note:  This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in September of 2005.  I found that many of the included links had expired, so I have updated them. I’ve also added some important details.

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Back in the 18th century, game wardens in Scotland were engaged in an occasionally deadly game of cat and mouse with poachers. These wardens–called “ghillies” in the local parlance of the day were experts in field craft. To catch a poacher was difficult, so the ghillies would cut tree or bush limbs and cover themselves with them as camouflage while laying in wait. This was laborious but worked well. Then a warden whose name is lost in history came up with a clever idea: A camouflage body suit that was made of shredded rags in dull earth-tone and foliage-toned colors. From any distance, the man wearing it resembled a bush, and could not be easily recognized. Thus was born the Ghillie Suit.

The first use of ghillie suits by military organizations recorded by historians was during WWI, when Scottish ghillies serving with Lord Lovat’s Scouts brought their camouflage suits with them for the fighting in the fields of France. The ghillies in the Lovat Scouts shared their expertise in stalking, long-range shooting, and camouflage, which spread to other British Commonwealth armies.

The modern ghillie suit, re-popularized in the late 20th century in the British and U.S. armies is now standard wear for sniper teams in most western armies. These modern ghillie suits use the same concept, providing four key attributes: they look like plant foliage, they occupy three dimensions (unlike camouflage printed cloth), they break up a soldier’s distinctive silhouette, and they muffle noise. There are two common designs:

  • A full ghillie suit, which is usually made by sewing ghillie garnish (typically strips/bundles of dyed burlap, jute, and/or hemp) to a set of green mechanic’s overalls or to a BDU shirt and trousers
  • A ghillie cape, which is draped over the head and shoulders like a poncho.

I prefer the latter, especially in warm climates. Both designs are almost always used in conjunction with a camouflage face veil and a boonie-type hat with similar ghillie material garnish.  Weapons can also be lightly festooned with ghillie garnish. Just be careful not to block your view of optics and/or impede operating a weapon’s action or impede changing magazines.  So most of the garnish should go on the barrel and on the sides and bottom of the buttstock. Use it very sparingly, elsewhere.Continue reading“The Ghillie Suit: The Ultimate in Camouflage (Updated)”

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the spike in natural gas prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

The Most Inflation-Resistant Money the World Has Ever Known.

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieroń: 2022 Doesn’t Have to Be Like 1980 for Gold.

Economy & Finance:

Half of US companies preparing to cut jobs, survey shows.

o  o  o

Home sales fell nearly 6% in July as housing market slides into a recession.

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A 10-minute Video: China’s Economic Crisis Is About To Get Much Worse — Housing Collapse Explained

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The “Big Short” Michael Burry Liquidates Entire Portfolio, Holds Just One Stock At End Of Q2.

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Reader C.B. sent us this news from the UK: Massive strike expected to fray already fragile supply chain.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 25, 2022

August 25th is the 84th birthday of novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938 – pictured above.) Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others.

This birthday is shared by humorist Bret Harte (born 1836), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933). McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor.

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Today we present a guest article by Brandon Smith, that first appeared at his Alt-Market.us site.

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We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

Should Red States Block Federal Agencies From Operating With Impunity?, by Brandon Smith

The concept of “sanctuary cities” has long been implemented within predominantly leftist states in America. It’s not anything new. Any operations by DHS and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) within blue states to arrest and deport illegal immigrants are often met with aggressive resistance by Democrat-run city governments.

Keep in mind that foreign individuals have no right under the constitution to reside in the US without first gaining citizenship. Leftists say they don’t care and are happy to welcome millions of illegals into the country with open arms in direct violation of laws protecting our borders as well as the stability of our economy and society. They do this not because they are naively humanitarian; rather, they see it as a means to import a massive voting block that will give leftists whatever they want because they believe they will get citizenship in exchange.

If they didn’t want millions of illegal votes, then Democrats would not be constantly attempting to block voter ID laws.

Obviously, the political left is openly hostile to federal agencies when those agencies happen to obstruct their agenda. Though it’s rare these days for blue states and the feds to be at odds, it does happen. ICE and other agencies might try to find ways around sanctuary status, but there is never any question of “treason” or “insurrection.” Blue state politicians don’t get raided or arrested as national enemies.Continue reading“Should Red States Block Federal Agencies From Operating With Impunity?, by Brandon Smith”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we look at the rising risk of extreme solar flares.

NASA Says Huge Solar Eruptions Ahead

Fox News: Huge solar eruptions will likely cause problems on Earth, NASA says. (Thanks to reader D.S.V. for the link.)  The article begins:

“The sun has been very active lately, which could cause a few problems for us here on Earth, according to NASA.

The space agency said the solar cycle is not yet at its peak and has already surpassed expectations.

At 7:09 p.m. last Sunday, satellites detected an explosion on the sun and a “long-lasting eruption of a C9.3-class solar flare,” according to professional astronomer and science writer Tony Phillips‘s website Spaceweather.com, which monitors solar activity.

‘The intensity is probably an underestimate because it was partially eclipsed by the edge of the Sun. Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory saw hot debris flying away from the blast site,’ the site reported on Monday. ‘Earth is not in the line of fire. The explosion is significant because it may herald an active region set to emerge over the sun’s northeastern limb later this week. A new sunspot group could bring an end to weeks of relative quiet.'”

U.S. Companies Bringing Home Record Number of Overseas Jobs

Reader C.B. found this, in The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Companies on Pace to Bring Home Record Number of Overseas Jobs.

Families Flee Blue Cities as Crime Ravages Even the Suburbs

At Trending Politics: Families Flee Blue Cities as Crime Ravages Even the Suburbs.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, O LORD, thou knowest.”  – A.W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 24, 2022

On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the known world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy.

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We are seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. If you’ve been working on an article, please finish it, and send it in. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

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Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR.