Our Trying Modern Times – Part 1, by Steve Vandiver

Editor’s Introductory Note: Reader Pam B. wrote to mention that the author has just recently been reported to have passed away. At l;east that is what I’m assuming, since his obituary matches several things he referenced in the article. If so, then we have lost a great patriot. Our condolences to his family.

“You are blind like us. Your hurt no man designed,
And no man claimed the conquest of your land.
But gropers both through fields of thought confined
We stumble and we do not understand.
You only saw your future bigly planned,
And we, the tapering paths of our own mind,
And in each other’s dearest ways we stand,
And hiss and hate. And the blind fight the blind.

When it is peace, then we may view again
With new worn eyes each other’s truer form and wonder.
Grown men more loving-kind and warm.
We’ll grasp firm hands and laugh at the old pain,
When it is peace,

But until peace the storm,
The darkness and the thunder and the rain.”
– Charles Hamilton Sorley

Where has Courage Gone?

That we live in a time of acrimony and political hatred unseen since the times of our Revolution against England and the U.S. Civil War is not news. Although this does not bode well for the future of the Republic, ample opportunity for peaceful political reconciliation remains. Recent census demographics indicate that a population shift from some nanny states to conservative states is occurring that will affect the political constitution of the electoral college and congressional representation.

“These are the times that try men’s souls”, Thomas Payne famously penned during the hard winter of 1776. He observed, ‘Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Many have inherited this our government of the people, by the people, and for the people by birthright only without sacrifice whatsoever. Should it be any wonder, the privilege and duty of franchise is so easily neglected?”

Ever since Cain slew Abel in a fit of envy, this world has been a dangerous place. A carving over the inside portcullis of a MacDonald castle in Scotland vaguely echoes 1 Peter 5:8: “Be Ye Vigilant.” It proclaims to all leaving the safety of strong walls. Words for the ages – words to live by, then and now.

Modern governments have more social and technological capability for the repression of their citizenry than at any other time in history. During the last century there have been many horrible examples of repressive government, and a few very good if not even great examples of enlightened government.Continue reading“Our Trying Modern Times – Part 1, by Steve Vandiver”

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’m still in California, where my brother, sister, and I are working together to clear out our late mother’s suburban home, to prepare it for sale.

As we’ve been working our way through the house, we have seen much evidence that our mom was a dedicated prepper. She was a widow with a limited budget, so her preps were by necessity on a modest scale. She was of the “Howard J. Ruff School” of 1970s-style preparedness. The key portions of her preps included 400 pounds of stored wheat, a wheat grinder, a water filter, numerous canned goods, a water bath canner, several 5-gallon buckets of rice, more than a dozen cases of NeoLife long-term storage foods, dozens of 2-liter bottles of chlorinated water, kerosene lamps and lanterns, 10 gallons of kerosene, two charcoal barbeques and several bags of charcoal briquettes, a solar oven, more than 50 pounds of assorted candles, a down sleeping bag, two rolls of Visqueen, two 30-watt PV panels, a Trace inverter, a compact 12 VDC refrigerator, a gun vault that was built in 1985 by Hall’s Safes, two Baygen radios, four Baygen flashlights, a half-dozen standard flashlights, a “Russian Pumper” flashlight, and a Sony ICF-7600 multiband radio. That was an admirable level of preparedness for a woman living alone, widowed at the age of 54. Even after she qualified for Social Security, her income after the death of my father never exceeded $30,000 a year. She had 20% of her liquid net worth in precious metals–mostly silver–and all stored in her home vault. Thankfully, she lived in a house that was sheltered from all but very gradual tax rate increases by California’s Proposition 13. Otherwise, she might have been gradually bankrupted by property taxes.

My mother died peacefully at home with two of her children at her bedside. She owned her home without a mortgage. She had no debts, whatsoever. She never had to utilize any of her preps. I suppose that is every prepper’s fondest dream.

Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! – Psalm 8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 22, 2021

This is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945).

It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952), who had unforgettable roles in Buckaroo Banzai and the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films.

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Today, because of out-of-state travel to attend a memorial service, we won’t be posting an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th.  We are currently running low on entries to post for the writing contest, so we’d greatly appreciate it if you would 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. – JWR

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 rising spot and futures prices for silver in U.S. Dollar terms. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Precious Metals Rise; Silver Scores 5-Week High. A pericope:

“Silver for December delivery surged 61.9 cents, or 2.7%, to close at $23.883 an ounce. The settlement was the highest since Sept. 14.”

JWR’s Comments: The rally has continued since then. By Friday morning, silver was up to $24.91 per Troy ounce on the spot market. Methinks we’ve seen the bottom, and this is the beginning of a big silver rally.

o  o  o

Shocking Numbers Show Government Crowding Out Real Economy.

Economy & Finance:

Fed says it could begin ‘gradual tapering process’ by mid-November. JWR’s Comments: Promises, promises… They’ve been dropping hints for many moons. I’ll believe it when I see it.

o  o  o

The World’s Rich and Powerful Are Stashing $500 Billion in This Tax Haven.

o  o  o

The Shorter Work Week Really Worked in Iceland. Here’s How.

o  o  o

At Seeking Alpha: Markets will face a ‘rates shock’ in 2022 – BofA.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 21, 2021

I just heard from reader “Jimbo” that Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet and other young adult adventures, has died at age 82. He will be missed! Jimbo noted:

“Hearing this news reminded me of an interview I heard with him. He said there was a news story about a pre-teen boy lost in the woods.  When asked if he was worried, his dad said casually, ‘I’m not worried.  We have read Gary Paulson’s book Hatchet several times together and I’m confident he will do fine.'”

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 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!

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 ends on November 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.

Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62×39, by The Novice

I recently tested the Ruger American Ranch Rifle, chambered in 7.62×39. I found it to be suprisingly accurate while shooting inexpensive steel-cased ammo. The only major change I recommend for the design is to make it available with an AK-compatible magazine well.

The Ammo Backstory

In the early summer, I contacted Ruger to see if I could borrow one of their American Ranch Rifles chambered in 7.62×39 for testing and evaluation. I was interested in the rifle for several reasons.

Firstly, the 7.62×39 cartridge produces less recoil than many other calibers suitable for taking deer-sized game. That would make it attractive to smaller or older hunters who may prefer a little less recoil.

Secondly, during the various disruptions of the last year and a half, 7.62×39 ammo was often available when other calibers were out of stock. Having a rifle in a caliber with readily available ammo would be an advantage in difficult times.

Thirdly, 7.62×39 ammo was generally less expensive than other calibers suitable for taking deer-
sized game. In early August of 2021, 7.62×39 ammo could be readily purchased for as low as $.27 a round, while most other calibers were costing more than $1 a round.

All good things come to an end. About the time that I received notification that Ruger was sending me a rifle for testing, Mr. Biden banned the import of Russian firearms and ammunition. The availability of inexpensive Russian imports was one of the major factors contributing to the low price of 7.62×39 ammo. When I went out to buy ammo for my testing, it was sold out at one store, and cost twice as much as it would have cost a few weeks earlier at another store.

In the days that followed, the price continued to rise, and availability continued to decline even more. Eventually, the initial panic began to recede. Ammo became more available, and prices began to come back down. But at the time of this writing, 7.62×39 ammo still costs roughly twice as much as it did before the Biden import ban.

In spite of these caveats, 7.62×39 ammo is still available, and at this point it is still cheaper than other calibers suitable for taking deer-sized game.Continue reading“Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62×39, by The Novice”

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 American weapons in the hands of teh Afghan Taliban.

US-Supplied Weapons Now in Afghan Gun Shops

For sale now: US-supplied weapons in Afghan gun shops. Here is an excerpt:

“American M4 carbines sell for about $4,000, the dealers said, especially if equipped with a laser sight or under-barrel grenade launcher. In contrast, a Kalashnikov rifle sells for about $900, the dealers said, and a Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launcher for about $1,100. Pistols that NATO forces supplied to Afghan police officers sell for about $350. Almost all their transactions are in Pakistani rupees, and in cash, the dealers said.”

Modern-Day Living Off The Land

Avalanche Lily stumbled into a videoblogging couple that is striving toward food self-sufficiency: Six Months of Only Eating what we Catch, Grow or Raise.

Garland Weaponized the Department of Injustice

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this at Gen Z Conservative: Garland Weaponized the Department of Injustice.

System Collapse and Shortages of Everything?

Over at G. Edward Griffith’s Need to Know: Global Supply-Chain Workers Warn of System Collapse and Shortages of Everything.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 20, 2021

Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading.

And it is the birthday of the late Tom Petty. (Born October 20, 1950, died October 2, 2017). He was a great singer-songwriter and a passable actor.

October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road.

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Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare a feature article for today, as I’m traveling out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Since the State necessarily lives by the compulsory confiscation of private capital, and since its expansion necessarily involves ever-greater incursions on private individuals and private enterprise, we must assert that the state is profoundly and inherently anti-capitalist.” – Murray Rothbard

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 19, 2021

October 19th marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling; the “Green Leader” cross-border raid in which Rhodesia attacked ZIPRA (Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army) in retaliation for ZIPRA shooting down a scheduled passenger flight, Air Rhodesia flight 825, during the Rhodesian Bush War. Rhodesia suffered only minor casualties in the raid. But they claimed to have killed 1,500 ZIPRA personnel as well as some Cuban instructors. Other sources claim that those killed were refugees camped near the border. Sadly, history does not seem to remember the two airliners shot down by Zimbabwe along with the innocent civilians killed on them, but emphasizes the retributory Rhodesian strikes.

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19 October is the birthday of three notables – the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec.

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Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare feature article for today, as I’m traveling out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Congress may carry on the most wicked and pernicious of schemes under the dark veil of secrecy. The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” – Patrick Henry