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, a special examination of pending gun ownership restriction legislation at the State and Federal levels.

House Democrats are Fast-Tracking Gun Legislation

CNBC: House Democrats look to pass gun control legislation by early June.

Rep. Scalise: Red Flag Laws Are ‘Unconstitutional’

Over at the Townhall web site: Representative Steve Scalise: Red Flag Laws Are ‘Unconstitutional’. JWR’s Comment: Since Scalise just barely recovered from the bullet wounds of a politically-motivated attack by a mentally unstable man in 2017, I believe that when he urges legislative restraint, he is particularly well-qualified. For him to issue this warning to his fellow congressmen says a lot. His counterparts on the Democrat side of the aisle should listen to him, dispassionately.  Please mention Scalise’s stance on Red Flag/ERPO laws when you contact other congress members.

Rep. Matt Gaetz Calls Out Red Flag Law Proponents

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Matt Gaetz Drops the Mic!

House Panel Advances Gun Bill After Recent Mass Shootings

From U.S. News & World Reports: House Panel Advances Gun Bill After Recent Mass Shootings.

N.Y. Democrats Ramrod Multiple Anti-Gun Bills

The NRA-ILA reports: New York: Gun Control Package Passed By Albany Democrats.

Republicans Team Up with Dems to Pass Gun Laws

Rep. Toomey sells out, again! Republicans Team Up with Democrats to Pass Gun Control Laws.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors … even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?” – Gina Carano

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 8, 2022

On June 8th, 1776, the forces of Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities of the Patriots, and Colonel Benedict Arnold wrote, “Let us quit and secure our own country before it is too late.”

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We are continuing our summer sale, at Elk Creek Company. We’ve reduced the prices on all of our percussion replica guns, and nearly all of our pre-1899 cartridge guns. With the recent dip in the spot price of silver, this is a great time to buy. Note that we have our prices listed in both pre-1965 silver coinage and in current rapidly-inflating Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs.) The last day of the sale will be Monday, June 20th. Our small inventory is selling rapidly, so order soon!

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Today’s feature article was written by Brandon Smith and was first published by Birch Gold Group.

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We are running low on entries to post for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction nonfiction writing contest. Please share your knowledge with the SurvivalBlog readership.  A 1,500+ word entry will qualify you for the judging to win some valuable and very useful prizes!

Inflation Will Price Many Americans Into Homelessness, by Brandon Smith

One of the most detrimental aspects of an inflationary or stagflationary crisis is that, in most cases, housing costs tend to rise while home sales fall.

It might seem counterintuitive; one would assume that as sales fall so should prices, but this is the upside-down world of inflation. Certain commodities and products, usually necessities, almost always skyrocket in price, ultimately driving most American families out of the market completely.

One of the only exceptions to this rule is when the government institutes rent or price controls. In Weimar Germany, for example, the government enforced strict regulatory controls on landlords, fixing rent at a rate that made profits impossible.

Biden’s housing crisis

Now, this might sound familiar – during the height of the Covid pandemic the Biden administration established a lengthy moratorium on evictions, which made it impossible for many property owners to collect rent payments they were owed. Owners couldn’t replace delinquent tenants with those willing to pay on time, leading to massive financial burden on property owners across America.

The effects of this were detrimental to both the U.S. economy and especially the rental market.

How? The moratorium awakened property owners to the reality that they could be unilaterally restricted from their own business. They could be stopped from collecting rent payments owed by tenants under contract while still being forced to pay taxes and maintenance expenses on those same properties.

The entire rental market became a zero-sum game. In response, landlords began selling their extra properties in droves instead of renting them out.

As you might expect, this has led to a shortage of rentals in many parts of the country. When supply is constrained, what does basic economics tell us must happen? The eviction moratorium led directly to much higher prices on the limited rentals that still remain.

But it wasn’t just a reduction in supply that caused prices to rise.

Those owners still willing to rent properties under the eviction moratorium had to increase their prices to compensate them for the additional risks they were taking in a market where the rules suddenly changed. By placing the moratorium on rent, Biden made an existing housing crisis far worse.Continue reading“Inflation Will Price Many Americans Into Homelessness, by Brandon Smith”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

The latest from Ian McCollum: SIG M5 Spear Deep Dive: Is This a Good US Army Rifle?

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Deadly secret: Electronic warfare shapes Russia-Ukraine war.

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Mike in Alaska recommended this very portable and very versatile HF dipole antenna: Chameleon Six Band No Tuner Portable HF Antenna. These are great for Field Day or for hams with compact QRP rigs. Don’t miss the review video link that is linked amongst the still photos at the bottom of the web page.

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The Top 10 Creepiest & Most Dystopian Things Pushed By The World Economic Forum.

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Reader A.K. suggested a new video from a familiar face, Dr. John Campbell: Famine in 2022. JWR’s Comments: This will surely have global consequences. Do you remember “Arab Spring”? That uprising, with more than one subsequent regime change, was triggered by a shortage of wheat flour and baked bread. This predicted famine could literally lead to a Third World War.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 7, 2022

On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence.

June 7th, 1967 is also the day of Jerusalem’s redemption from foreign governments in the Six Day War, placing it back under Israeli sovereign control after having been occupied for over 2,500 years. This was in accord with the UN General Assembly’s vote in 1948.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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

Lessons From a Fire, by R.M.

I wish to share with you my pitfalls, follies, and other lessons learned from a small fire in my yard.

I wake up around the same time every night, thanks to nocturia. However, last night was different. I saw a red hue cast was over my backyard. I wondered what it could be. Was it a neighbor with a car in it’s backyard, some unusual atmospheric phenomenon, alien invasion? The lights weren’t flashing so it wasn’t first responders. My stomach felt like a rock dropped in it. I was thinking: “Please don’t be what I think it is.” I got closer to the window and saw what nobody wants to see at 2:30 in the morning. Flames. The flames were 10 feet high, shooting out of what was formerly known as my compost bin. And I knew instantly that it was my fault.

The evening before, I had emptied our backyard firepit of ash that filled it from a fun family hot dog roast that marked the end of a long cold winter and the beginning of spring. (At least locally.) The ashes were over 24 hours old and I figured that they were dead enough. Apparently, I was very wrong. We hadn’t had a wet winter, and the compost must have been drier than I thought. I had a little thought when I dumped it was to wet down the ash, just in case. But I didn’t want to drag the hose out of its winter storage.

I woke up my wife and told her to call 911 as I threw on my bathrobe and stuffed my feet into the pair of running shoes I keep by my bed. I must have looked quite comical in that get up but I needed to keep the fire from spreading. We had a fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink. I yanked open the cabinet and searched for it. Where was it? There’s no fire extinguisher in here! Oh, there it is, buried in the back corner. I flew out the door my robe. I ran to the fire, fumbling as I prepared the extinguisher. That small kitchen firefighting tool knocked down a few flames, but as it ran out I realized that I had been outclassed in the first round. I needed the garden hose.

I ran to the shed. I stared at the lock on the door I cursed my paranoia and ran back inside to find the key. I had one on both my key ring and my wife’s key ring. Reaching into the key bowl to feel nothing, I remember I left my keys on my dresser to help me get ready early in the morning. Grabbing the key ring and returning to the shed I opened it and searched for the long coil that hopefully might assist me in conquering the blaze.

Attaching the hose to the hose bib was fun in the dark with a wild dose of panic and adrenaline pumping through me as my heart thumped away at 200 beats per minute. I did my best firefighter impression as I twisted the knob and ran with the hose across the yard. With each step I was praying in my heart, ‘Please be long enough, please be long enough”’

I made it and opened the brass fitting on the end of the hose and waited an eternity for the water to rush down the hose. It was only about 5 seconds but felt like 5 years. Then the water finally started to flow and a blast of liquid shot out. As I sprayed down my mistake I began to regain ground in the battle. Soon, I had beaten down the flames and then took on the coals. As soon as there were no more orange showed I left the hose emptying into the pile of muck. I realized that I didn’t want the fire department to knock down my gate when they got here, so I unlocked it. Firefighters don’t hesitate to destroy stuff. I got a shovel out of the shed to go stir the ashes and make sure everything got thoroughly saturated.Continue reading“Lessons From a Fire, by R.M.”

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. This week, with warmer weather, we focus on some upcoming events and outdoor activities.

Region-Wide

101 things to do in the Inland Northwest this summer.

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In case you missed this when it first aired in 2021: Conservatives Are Buying Up the Most Remote Property in the US — VICE on SHOWTIME. (This appears to be a clip from a longer VICE documentary, available on Showtime.)

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Inland NW Race, Ride, & Event Guide 2022.

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The upcoming Iron Riders events will be worth seeing. Please pray for their safety and success.

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US wildlife agency to consider protecting Yellowstone bison.

Idaho

The New York Times recently ran this article: A Fracture in Idaho’s G.O.P. as the Far Right Seeks Control. JWR’s Comment: I heard from someone I trust who attended that event in Bonners Ferry that there were two reporters from The New York Times who attended, and identified themselves as such, when asking questions. It is noteworthy that a major eastern newspaper would dispatch two reporters to a small-town pre-election event, 2,500 miles away, only to file a brief article. Obviously, The Powers That Be are perturbed that genuine freedom-loving conservatives are gaining control of Idaho Republican Party politics. By the way, it seems that anyone to the right of John McCain is considered “Far Right”, according to the editors of The New York Times.

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Coeur d’Alene ranked in top 10 of hottest places to live.

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Next top Must-Attend Events in Idaho.

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Wolves kill more than 100 sheep near Boise.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 6, 2022

Today is the birthday of American gun designer Hugo Borchardt. (June 6, 1844 – May 8, 1924). He was born in Germany. He is best known as the designer of the odd-looking recoil-operated Model 1893 pistol that bears his name. It was the world’s first mass-produced semi-automatic pistol.

The 6th of June is also remembered for the D-Day invasion, which eventually pushed German forces out of occupied France and the rest of western Europe.

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Today, we are beginning a two-week-long pre-summer sale, at Elk Creek Company. We’ve reduced the prices on all of our percussion replica guns, and nearly all of our pre-1899 cartridge guns. With the recent dip in the spot price of silver, this is a great time to buy. Note that we have our prices listed in both pre-1965 silver coinage and in current rapidly-inflating Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs.) The last day of the sale will be Monday, June 20th. Order soon!

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I just read through the text of H.R. 7910, aka the “Protecting Our Kids Act” — the Democrat’s gun control dream bill package. It includes a ban on making unserialized guns, raises the minimum gun purchase age on most semi-auto rifles and many shotguns to 21, codifies Trump’s bumpstock ban, and has the requirement to keep guns locked up at home at all times unless you are actually carrying them. (With $500 fines for each gun that is found unsecured.) Buried at the end of the package is a ban on the sale or manufacture of any magazines for centerfires that can hold more than 10 rounds. This ban includes a grandfather clause but with no sunset clause. Understanding how Federal law works, this means that the magazine ban will be in effect for generations!  This is a HORRIBLE package of legislation that must be stopped. A Senate version of the same package will soon be announced. There is also a renewal of the 1994-2004 semi-auto ban in the works, as well as a “Universal Background Checks” bill. The latter would outlaw private party intrastate sales of used guns by non-licensees, in a gross overreach of Federal power. Please repeatedly contact both your House and Senate legislators and tell them that this legislation is absolutely unacceptable and to stand firm and to not compromise!  Apparently, some RINO Senate and House members have expressed willingness to go along with this civilian disarmament, so this is a very serious situation!

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Today we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

Consider Your Socks, by Pat Cascio

Everyone has a sock drawer! Most of us don’t give any thought to socks – for the most part. We just reach in and grab whatever is in our hand, and put those socks on for the day. As I’ve stated in the past, when it comes to footwear, I’m very particular about the kinds of shoes and boots I wear. I mainly wear boots. Matter of fact, the only pair of shoes I own came from the Salvation Army. Bought those used shoes to go to out oldest daughter’s college graduation – I wore a suit. I still have those dress shoes, and haven’t worn them since.

Today, it seems like the fashion for some men, is wearing shoes without any socks at all – I don’t even try to figure this stuff out. Socks are meant to protect your feet from getting blisters and hot spots from the friction of wear shoes and boots. Secondly, socks absorb the moisture from your feet sweating. Experts say that, we lose about a pint or more of sweat through our feet, daily. If you’re not wearing socks with your shoes, then your shoes pick up that moisture and in short order, your shoes will stink – plain and simple.

For the longest time, women wore either silk or Nylon stockings or pantyhose, and they liked the look of their legs with those stockings. The trend now, are for women to not wear any long stockings with their dresses or skirts. I personally don’t like the look.

I’m going to cover several different types of socks in this article, and maybe shed some light on why there are so many different types of materials used in socks. First up are men’s dress socks, and they are usually a combination of Nylon and cotton – and they are very thin, to say the least. Now, while these socks might work when you are dress-up and going to the office or to church, they don’t really provide your feet with much protection from the elements. And, odds are, those socks then tend to slip down below your ankle. When I was in my teen years, I wore similar socks. However I opted for the socks that went over the calf, so they didn’t slide down to my ankle. There are also dress socks made out of wool – at least partially made out of wool.Continue reading“Consider Your Socks, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Trailside Spaghetti With Tuna

The following recipe for a Seasoned Trailside Spaghetti With Tuna — intended for fellow backpackers or for campers — was sent to us by Tammy D. This recipe makes two servings.

Ingredients
  • 1 8-ounce package of dried angel hair pasta
  • 1 6-ounce retort pouch or can of tuna in oil. (Bring a key-ring can opener!)
  • 8 dried tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 cups of water, filtered.
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Dry Mix Making Directions — At Home
  1. Mix the basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
  2. Place this mixture in two thicknesses of ziplock bags.
  3. Store this mixture packet in a cool, dry place or in your refrigerator until just before your backpacking trip. Store the other ingredients separately.
Cooking Directions — At The TrailSIDE
  1. Soak the dried tomato slices in 4 cups of water for at least 10 minutes or until fully rehydrated.
  2. Remove the tomato slices from water and set them aside.
  3. Bring water to a boil.
  4. Break the angel hair pasta into palm-lengths and add to the boiling water.
  5. Cook the pasta until soft.
  6. Drain the water–well away from your camp if you are in bear country.
  7. Leave noodles in the pot and add tuna the tomato slices
  8. Add the contents of the cheese and spice bag.
  9. Stir well.
  10. Serve while still hot.

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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. 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 rising interest rates and their nascent effect on the housing market.

Precious Metals:

Gold SWOT: Gold Is Headed For The Longest Run Of Gains In More Than A Month.

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Metals shortages ahead, net-zero targets at risk — BofA.

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Is global ‘slavery’ coming? Gold guards against ‘total control’ – Bob Moriarty.

Economy & Finance:

UCLA: Global, domestic impediments will slow economy, but no recession yet.

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At Fortune: Don’t get too excited about the stock market’s recent rally. Some Wall Street experts say it could be a trap—and the bear market will still wreak havoc.

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Costco membership price hike: ‘It’s not a question of if,’ analyst explains.

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Reuters: Peak interest rates may be lower than expected as growth slowdown looms.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The third group is the largest, in my view, and these are the ones who see and detest the vile fruit that this revolution is generating, but to date have shown no awareness of their own ongoing complicity in the whole thing. This post is primarily for this third group, and particularly for members of this group who are starting to radicalize, but without repentance. […] That is where our real problem is. They are very angry with school board officials in charge of a secular school system, and why? They are angry with the officials of a secular school system because they have governed it as though it really were a secular school system.” – Pastor Doug Wilson