The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Despite the best guesses of participants, and movement profiles in newspapers of record, no one knows how many individuals should be identified with the migration. But if millions of hits on survivalblog.com are any indication, or if the achievement of New York TImes bestseller status is any kind of clue, the widespread consumption of the very idea of the Redoubt, and its representation in popular culture, may be as significant as its lived experience. The media of the Redoubt creates a virtual ‘imagined community’ that large numbers of its participants find compelling.” – Crawford Gribben, Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America, p. 18

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 13, 2021

April 13, 1743  was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. (He died on July 4, 1826 just a few hours before the death of John Adams. How patriotic of both of them to pass away on the Fourth of July.)

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Today, I’m posting an article written by my #1 Son, Jonathan Edwards Rawles, who owns and operates SurvivalRealty.com.

 

 

An Update on the Redoubt Land Rush, by Jonathan Rawles

A Year for Relocation

The events of 2020 were enough to motivate many to relocate out of cities and towards a more sustainable rural lifestyle. At SurvivalRealty.com, we’ve seen a marked increase in inquiries from patriots relocating to rural areas across the United States. This is driven by a multitude of reasons, but a few headlines will be illustrative:

This movement is also matched by high rates of inbound moves to the southeast and southwest, while California and the northeast have the highest rates of outbound moves, as documented by North American Moving Services 2020 Migration Report. This cannot simply be reduced to political and cultural factors, although they are certainly significant. Also relevant to many choosing to relocate are lower cost of living, more favorable tax rate, or better job markets, climate, and lifestyle.

A Challenging Market

We are also in the midst of a very challenging real estate market, in the form of a very strong seller’s market. Demand and prices for rural property are high, but the availability has remained low. This has made finding a home in the Redoubt and similar areas increasingly challenging. As the Wall Street Journal described it in an April 3 article title “The Housing Market Is Crazier Than It’s Been Since 2006“:

The past year has been the hottest for sales activity in 14 years. Home values are rising in practically every corner of the U.S., and median sale prices in dozens of metro areas have posted double-digit percentage increases from a year ago, according to Zillow Group Inc. In Boise, Idaho, the median sale price rose almost 25% in January from a year earlier, while in Stamford, Conn., it rose 19%.

Many families are currently finding themselves priced out of the market, and put their purchase plans on hold, hoping to wait out the market and hoping for a downturn. This excess demand seems to indicate that it will take a major national correction to see prices fall significantly.

On the upside for those selling their current property, it’s not just rural areas that have seen rising prices. Outside of some metro areas like San Francisco, urban and suburban markets are still active, perhaps propped up by former renters taking advantage of low interest rates.

Decreased Buying Power

These high prices nationwide have contributed to push up prices in what were once affordable rural areas. The gap between big city and small town prices has shrunk significantly over the last decade. This comes as a major shock to many arriving in the American Redoubt and elsewhere.

For some illustration, we will look at the property listings on the Coeur d’Alene MLS in Idaho’s northern panhandle. A search for 3 bedroom homes on 5 acres in North Idaho returns 7 active listings, priced from $650,000 to $1,200,000, with a median asking price of $775,000. For a 3 bedroom home on 40 acres there is only one result priced below $1.2 million. A search for 10 acre bare land parcels in North Idaho returns 30 active listings, priced between $92,500 to $695,000. (Bear in mind that the lower end of this price range is for the most rugged and inaccessible acreage.) The median price for these 10 acre parcels is $25,000 per acre.

First, we will grant that north Idaho is an extremely desirable area. There are other portions of the Redoubt and of the U.S. that are more affordable. However, the example is illustrative of the increasing cost of rural land and the reduced gap between urban, suburban, and rural land prices. Also notable, prices for remote and offgrid properties are not markedly lower than for more accessible properties with full amenities. With the increasing percentage of telecommuters, faster rural Internet infrastructure, and increasing commute distances, the price influence of small cities has affected rural property prices within a one-hour driving radius or more.

How You Can Help

The number of available listings on our retreat property marketplace is currently dwarfed by the demand, and we’re receiving numerous daily inquiries from folks looking to relocate. We are now working to build a network of patriotic real estate agents across the U.S. to help meet this need. Our goal is to refer these relocatees to experienced and like-minded agents who can support their real estate needs.

We need your recommendations for real estate agents and brokers who are:

  • experienced in rural and remote real estate
  • hard-working and professional
  • eager to work with preparedness-minded and patriotic clients

If you know of someone that fits this description (or are an agent yourself) please let us know at info@survivalrealty.com. We have an immediate need for brokers in Wyoming, eastern Oregon and Washington, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas, but appreciate contacts in any rural area of the U.S.

Starve-The-Beast Recommendations, by Bear

Here are some recommendations sent to us by SurvivalBlog reader “Bear” on some smaller businesses to patronize, to help Starve The Amazon Beast.  They include:

The Darn Tough brand socks are great. Pricey but made in the USA by a family-owned company and come with a literal lifetime guarantee. I have a scientist relative who purchased a couple of pairs a decade-plus ago for field work, and only recently has she had to return them for an exchange. I live in mine (these and my Carhartts), and I recently purchased another 30 pair for my children to wear now and to grow into later. Plus, the company gives a TWENTY percent discount to active duty, veterans, first responders, medical personnel, and teachers!

Culture of Life clothing promotes and supports the pro-life mission. I have not personally purchased from them, because I wouldn’t know “fashion” if it hit me upside the head with a Chanel handbag, and I prefer practical over decorative. But others may wish to check them out, for themselves or for gift-giving.

City Threads kids’ clothes, made in the USA. The company is based in LA and seems a bit mask-obsessed (which is lucrative right now I guess), but they make a solid product. We have some items from them and they are soft and sturdy. I’ll probably purchase more, especially for the child who has trouble manipulating most fasteners due to his CP.

Carhartt workwear, most made in the USA. I recently purchased a bunch of different socks and some double-front work pants (and a phone holster as a gift for my husband, but he hasn’t used it yet). The socks are very sturdy and comfortable and I liked the pants so much I went back and ordered two additional pair. I would caution to check the details on EACH specific product page though, and maybe be cautious if a product is listed as “imported”: when all of my socks arrived, I saw that the steel-toed boot ones were made in China. Bummer.

USALovelist.com — A collection of lists of companies and their products, made in the USA.

Lehman’s has been mentioned in SurvivalBlog (an  blog comments) before, which is how I found out about it. Many items made in the USA. Recently made a purchase and was very satisfied with their service. (Have not yet assembled and used the washing machine so cannot comment specifically on that yet, although the reviews on the site are excellent.) Of particular note, in their books section, are the little Storey Country Wisdom Bulletins, which are a mere $2.95 apiece if 5 or more are purchased. Full of invaluable information, especially for us newbies, that is clear and direct to read. I have only looked at some of mine so far because I can’t pry them away from the 7yo’s fascinated eyeballs!

Pleasant Hill Grain — storage food, endless kitchen gear and tools for processing food of all kinds, seeds, emergency supplies, books. I have received one of my buckets so far (the rest are on back order), and two fascinating cookbooks (Flour Water Salt Yeast and Bean by Bean). Before ordering, I asked the Homesteading group I belong to about people’s experiences with them, and everyone who had purchased there was pleased. The site notes, “All of Pleasant Hill Grain’s grain products are natural (non-GMO). Also, PHG does not sell any grains, beans, lentils, pulses or seeds sourced from China.” For example:  https://pleasanthillgrain.com/buy-organic-pearl-barley-grain-for-sale-bulk

FreezeDryingSupplies.com — A family-owned company. Recently purchased tray corner stackers, an anti-siphon kit for the drain hose, and some oxygen absorbers, and was pleased. Also has a YouTube channel where I have learned about things such as how to use the “test” feature of the freeze dryer to vacuum seal Ball jars!

Solar Low Tech Magazine  — Fascinating site, lots of “low-tech” solutions and completely self-hosted on solar power! (Not sure where exactly I first heard about it so my apologies for the duplication if it was already a recent link from SB.)

HymnSite.com — for spiritual encouragement. I think this is a great ministry for musicians and music-lovers. The site host has gone through the old Methodist hymnal, selected the ones that are no longer subject to copyright, and personally arranged them to make both audio and printed versions available in many different formats, completely free! I have been using them several times a month, when I prepare my music for the worship service that I accompany.

One anti-recommendation:

Sadly, Home Depot appears to have gone full woke.

I also clicked through to the “resource hub” to see for myself and it wasn’t long before my eyes were bleeding. Good grief, great googly-wokespeak-moogly Batman.

And, just for fun…

1) I first learned from Claire Wolfe about a satire news site out of Colorado called Rocky Mountain Oyster. You might already know it. The articles are longer and decidedly…umm, sharper…than the Babylon Bee. For example:

Denver Dog Mom Regrets Voting for Wolf Reintroduction

and,

Confusion Over Drag Race at Bandimere Speedway

2) If I had been of a mind to play an April Fool’s prank on your readers, you could have linked to this utter ridiculousness: 18 best face mask accessories of 2021.  A faux-pearl “mask chain” — are they kidding me?! The only item on here worth “adding to [my] arsenal” is the 3M command hooks, but NOT to hold my face mask accessories! – Bear

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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. Don’t miss today’s link to Paul Joseph Watson’s piece on vaccine passports.

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Wagstaff sent this: Biden stimulus checks spark historic surge in gun sales, especially AR-15s.

Wagstaff’s Comment: “I find this ironic and amusing… in my case, I used my stimulus check to buy parts, lowers, uppers, mags, bullet molds, etc.”

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S.F. in Oregon had this comment for Serena (the author of the recent SurvivalBlog feature article Demonetizing Precious Metals):

“Serena, great history lesson and good points…
Bottom line, EVERYTHING is, or seems FAKE today! Fake fiat, fake health, fake news, fake elections, fake emotions, fake genders, fake religions, fake CGI movies, fake plastic bodies and hormones, fake websites, fake politicians, fake emojis, fake weather, fake laws and fake economics…so, are we the “weird ones” for holding, storing and appreciating REAL MONEY and PMs?! Not! They are tangible, lasting and beautiful!”

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The latest video from Paul Joseph Watson: The Truth About ‘Vaccine Passports’.

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Another comment on Serena’s article, from Just-A-Dad:

“Serena is correct with her take on the monetary situation currently in play. While as she says, her take is brief, it is one of the most honest ones I have seen in close to a decade.

Even as a relatively “poor” person, my strategy to combat this is quite simple.
Food / 3 stages / short term or fresh is 2 weeks to a month (self grow an added 50-60% intake) – medium term or canned and frozen is 3 -4 months – long term is 3-4 months
Monetary is even simpler / cash on hand between 20 and 200 at all times (again poor) – silver on hand, 10-20 ounces always – and lastly, some credit available but not used unless absolutely needed
Again, this article was amazing!”

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SaraSue sent this suggestion:

“Although I don’t agree with the philosophies, giving/charities, or Amazon affiliation of this company, it’s a starting point to find products NOT MADE IN CHINA:  China Never.  I wouldn’t follow the links on this site, per se, but make note of the lists of products.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the rapidly-growing Second Amendment (2A) Sanctuary Movement. Note that here is model legislation widely available to recommend to your own county commissioners.

Region-Wide

Somehow, a link to the racist Northwest Territorial Imperative wiki page keeps getting added to the “Related Pages”  list at the bottom of The American Redoubt Wikipedia page. This keeps happening even though there is NO CONNECTION between the two movements, and despite the fact that The American Redoubt movement is quite anti-racist. So I’d appreciate it if someone who watches Wikipedia could zap that Northwest Territorial Imperative link, and keep zapping it, whenever it pops up again. Thanks!

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By way of Redoubt News, here is John Jacob Schmidt on Radio Free Redoubt: The Coming War in America.

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The new book Survival And Resistance In Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction In The Pacific Northwest seems to have some popularity. It is ranked in the Top 100 in the History of Religion & Politics category at Amazon.com. But please don’t feed the Amazon beast! Instead, please order all your books from BooksAMillion (BAM). Thanks!

Idaho

Idaho 2A Sanctuary Counties Map Update

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News Update From Idaho Rep. Heather Scott: The Coming Avalanche

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Idaho Republican leadership raises questions about state collection of vaccine data

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Parents and students protest CDA schools mask requirements

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Police: Suspect in early-morning stabbing at Boise apartment complex found dead by ‘self-inflicted wounds’

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Reader D.M. sent us an Idaho legislative update:

“Idaho gun owners may soon receive additional protections against unconstitutional federal executive orders. A bill called H. 300 The Small Arms Protection Act has been introduced in the Idaho legislature. H. 300 would prohibit any “official, agent, or employee of the state of Idaho, or a political subdivision thereof” from assisting in federal firearm-related confiscation or other enforcement actions that are contrary to Idaho law or the state constitution.

The idea behind the Small Arms Protection Act is that the Second Amendment sets only a lower limit on our freedoms, and that Idaho (or any other state) can provide greater protections. Other states have enacted additional protections for free speech, searches and seizures, and (after the Supreme Court’s Kelo decision) private property rights. Enacting additional protections for firearm owners is the next step in the Second Amendment sanctuary movement.

The Small Arms Protection Act has not yet been introduced in the Idaho Senate, but three senators reportedly are interested. There’s not much time to get it enacted. Idaho’s legislative session ends April 24th. Remember, the White House’s press release last week said, ominously, that these were only “initial actions.” We should expect more soon.

Idaho residents should contact their legislators and urge them to support the Small Arms Protection Act. Here’s a link to determine who your state legislator is.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If every person has the right to defend–even by force–his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly.” – Frederick Bastiat, The Law

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 12, 2021

April 12th is the birthday of the late novelist Tom Clancy. (Born 1947, died October 1, 2013). It was Clancy who almost single-handedly created the modern techno-thriller genre, with his first novel, The Hunt For Red October. Coincidentally, Tom Clancy’s first literary agent is now my agent, Robert Gottlieb.

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Inventory is getting low at my Elk Creek Company side business. Federal gun legislation is looming, so get your order in soon. The current sale will end on Friday, April 16th, 2021. – JWR

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Today we are featuring a review article by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Polymer 80 9mm Pistols, by Pat Cascio

No, it’s not a Glock, and many people refer the P80 pistols to a Glock, and we often refer to this fine handgun as a “Not-a-Glock” However, for most purposes, these effectively are Glocks, with a few changes. Polymer 80  has been around a few years now, and they didn’t start out producing complete pistols. P80 was, and still is, producing 80% frames, that have to be completed by the buyer, and once the buyer does this, they can assemble the P80 into a complete firearm, and this was approved by the BATF, however…things have changed, the rules have changed – according to the BATF.

They Started With 80% Frames

Let’s step back in time, just a little bit, and as I stated Polymer 80, was only producing a handgun frame that was not a completed firearm. It was 80% completed, and this was approved by the BATF. It is legal in every state – that I’m aware of – to possess an 80% complete frame or receiver. It wasn’t too long ago, that Polymer 80 started producing complete handguns, and like all firearms, you have to go through an FFL dealer to purchase one. If you’re late to the party, the P80 firearms are “just about” a Glock – 3rd generation, that is. The frame and slide are more attractive, and they feel much better in my hand, than any factory Glock does – really! I like the stippling on the frame, and it makes the gun rock steady under recoil. The slide is much more modern than that of the Glock. It has grasping grooves on the front and rear of the slide – on the sides of the slide. The frame also has four Picatinny rail slots for attaching lights/lasers to it, while the factory Glocks only have one position.Continue reading“Polymer 80 9mm Pistols, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Roast Crown of Lamb or Mutton

The following recipe for Roast Crown of Lamb or Mutton is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book is one of the many bonus items included in the latest edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. The first batch of the 15th Anniversary Edition (2005-2020) USB stick sold out quickly, but a smaller second batch should be available in a few weeks.

Ingredients
  • 1 crown lamb or mutton
  • Green Peas
  • Salt
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Salt-pork cubes
Description and Directions

A crown is composed of two or three sections of the loin containing the rib chops, the ends of the ribs having been scraped as for French chops and the sections sewed together so that the ribs curve upward and outward. These ends should be of the same length. To prevent the ends of the bones from charring while roasting, cap each one with a small cube of salt pork. Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a half cup of water and pour over the roast when in the pan. Roast for about one hour. Remove the cubes of pork and cover the ends of the bones with small frilled paper caps. (In cities, these caps are easily obtainable ready-made.) Fill the center of the crown with mashed potatoes and surround with buttered peas.

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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 Ballistic Wampum. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The battle of wills as inflation rises

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieroń: Will Upcoming Inflation Take Gold With It?

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: How Long Can This Printing-Press-Money-Induced, Lopsided Trade Insanity Last?

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Undeletable Coercive Loan Apps First Hobble Then Shut Down Your Smartphone If You Fall Behind On Repayments

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At Wolf Street: QE During the “Everything Mania”: Fed’s Assets at $7.7 Trillion, up $3.5 Trillion in 13 months

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 11, 2021

April 11th is the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola turned it into a vaguely anti-war commentary laced with references to reincarnation). Milius is my favorite Hollywood writer and director, in part because he stands for everything that Hollywood doesn’t.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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!

Round 94 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Sweater and a Knife, by The Novice

This is my gear review of a German Army Wool Commando Sweater Reproduction and Opinel No. 8 Outdoor Sea-Mountain Knife

I love wool sweaters. For roughly nine months out of the year, I wear one pretty much every day. An inventory of my closet reveals a total of 21 wool sweaters: nine “cold-weather-office” sweaters, five “manual-labor” sweaters, and seven “cool-weather-office” sweaters.

Norwegian Sweaters

My love affair with wool sweaters began in Norway, where I lived for ten years. In Norway, wool sweaters are more than just a practical item of clothing. They are an art form.

My first “Norwegian” sweater was technically not a Norwegian Sweater at all. It was a Chinese knock-off of a Norwegian pattern. To be successfully marketed in Norway though, even a Chinese knock-off has to be pretty good. That sweater became my favorite for many years. After I wore holes in the elbows, I took it to a tailor and had leather elbow patches sewed on. When it developed holes elsewhere, it became one of my manual-labor sweaters. I still enjoy wearing it about one-fifth of the time when I am working outside during the winter.Continue reading“A Sweater and a Knife, by The Novice”