Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 high lumber prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Brett Owens, at Forbes: Inflation Is Coming. Here’s How I’m Getting Ready

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The Reddit Revolution” – Key Battle Tactics

o  o  o

Goldman Sachs sees silver price rising to $33 an ounce, Reddit squeeze was doomed to fail

Economy & Finance:

Bloomberg: Ultra-Low Interest Rates Are Here to Stay: 2021 Central Bank Guide

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The US Federal Reserve is caught in a trap of its own making

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At Zero Hedge: U.S. Billionaire Wealth Rises 40%, Up $1.1 Trillion, Since March 2020

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CBO projects U.S. economy will return to pre-COVID-19 level this year

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At Wolf Street: The Year of the Plague in Charts: Weirdest Economy Ever

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 4, 2021

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On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College. This was repeated again on this same day in 1792. Because of the way the early American voting procedure worked, the electors cast two votes with no distinction for president or vice president. Washington was chosen by all of the electors and is considered to have been unanimously elected. Of the others on the ballots, Adams had the most votes and thus became the vice president.
—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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 93 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Gear Review: Permanent Metal Match, by The Novice

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The ability to start a fire is foundational for survival. For quite a while now, my primary fire-starting method has been a ferrocerium rod igniting cotton balls dabbed with petroleum jelly. My secondary method has been waterproof matches. I have been searching for a durable and reliable tool/process to be my tertiary fire-starting method. I wrote a little about this search in an article published on SurvivalBlog on January 10, 2021. This article is an update about the next stage in that search process.

For Christmas this year, my wife gave me a permanent metal match. These are also known as forever matches, reusable matches, or immortal lighters. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes from a host of vendors. By the way, if SurvivalBlog readers are aware of any permanent metal match that is manufactured in the United States, I would be interested in knowing about it. As with many other products, the vast majority of metal matches are manufactured in China.

A permanent metal match consists of two major parts: a metal rod and a fuel reservoir. The metal rod has a striker surrounded by wick material on one end and a threaded cap with a rubber o-ring on the other end. The fuel reservoir has a threaded opening that corresponds to the threads on the cap of the rod. The reservoir also has a ferrocerium rod embedded along its side. When the metal rod is unscrewed and removed from the reservoir, the striker can be run down the ferrocerium rod, creating sparks which in turn ignite the fuel infusing the wick material. Since the cap screws on tightly, it prevents fuel evaporation when the unit is not in use.Continue reading“Gear Review: Permanent Metal Match, by The Novice”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 recent FBI shoutout in Florida.

Two FBI Agents Die in Florida Shootout

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site is this odd news: Two FBI agents killed and three agents injured in shootout in Sunrise, Florida. And here is another news story from a Miami newspaper that provides some more details. JWR’s Comments:  With two agents dead and three injured, I suspect that there may have been some fratricide involved. (“Friendly fire”.) Something seems fishy about this incident, at least from my reading of the first day’s reporting.

A side note: The frightening thing about search warrants that are based on “IP address evidence” is that a neighbor can “leech” access to a wireless Internet router. So the real kiddie porn guy could conceivably have been the next-door neighbor.  And even worse, pornography can be planted in someone’s hard drive, remotely, by any skilled hacker.

And, for some historical context, from 35 years ago: The FBI’s track record in Florida shootouts is not good.

Perhaps the “SWAT stack” raid formation should be re-examined.

Lastly, I expect the Democrats in Congress to use the FBI’s most-recent tactical failure as an excuse for more restrictions on the gun rights of law-abiding citizens. (More of their usual: “Blame the evil black gun…”)

New Listing: Massive Log Home Near Sandpoint, Idaho

The latest from Survival Realty Brokerage Services: 10 acres, 4,300 sq. ft. log home, outside of Sandpoint. This property is not on the Idaho MLS. The location and details to be disclosed to qualified buyers only.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 3, 2021

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This is the birthday of writer James Michener (1907–1997), known for his very well-researched epic novels, such as Centennial.

And this is also the birthday of painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894–1978.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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 93 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

TEOTWAWKI Clothes-Washing System, by St. Funogas

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One thing we take for granted in this day and age is the ability to throw our clothes into a machine, forget about ‘em for an hour, then come back have them all nice and clean.

When I was born, my military family was so poor my mother washed diapers for two babies in the bathtub. Not only was it hard on her knees but also on her petite hands as she wrung out all those diapers before hanging them on the line. The day my dad made third class he borrowed a crow (third-class insignia) and wore it home. When my mother saw it she was crying, dancing around the room, and screaming all at the same time, “We’re rich! We’re rich!” His pay had skyrocketed to $190/month. They ran right out before my dad even got his next check and bought a washing machine on payments of $8 a month.

Washing in the sink or bathtub is fine for emergencies but my mother, rest her soul, and lots of other folks will testify that it’s not something you want to do for the long haul.

While living overseas, I washed all my clothes in a concrete laundry sink behind the house using my hands as an agitator, a scrub brush for the tough spots, and wringing everything by hand.

In my quest for self-reliance I knew a manual off-grid clothes-washing system was going to be desirable and in a TEOTWAWKI world, necessary. I also knew I didn’t want to be hand wringing them as my mother had done.

A kindly neighbor gave me a never-used concrete laundry sink that had been sitting in the grass behind his shop since forever so I gladly accepted it. After some research, I decided on a better system and turned the laundry sink into an outdoor sink for washing up after an especially dirty job, and also for cleaning garden produce before taking it into the house. But it still functions as a backup.Continue reading“TEOTWAWKI Clothes-Washing System, by St. Funogas”

Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are our Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers.  Many of these come from our readers. We try to emphasize small companies that make hand-crafted goods, in the United States and Canada.

In January, 2021 we quit the Amazon Associates program because of Amazon’s censorship. So we are no longer placing any new links to products via Amazon.com.

Please shop with our paid (banner) advertisers first. If they don’t have what you need then take a look at SurvivalBlog’s many Affiliate Advertisers.

Books:

We recently became an affiliate of www.BooksAMillion.com (BAM). We’d appreciate it if you did most of your book and music ordering there. (SurvivalBlog will earn a modest commission on all BAM sales, if you use our link.)

o  o  o

As another source for books, reader C.H. suggested Half Price Books.

o  o  o

Several readers wrote to recommend Abe Books, but then others chimed in to mention that Abe Books is now owned by the Amazon beast. Arrrgh!

o  o  o

Reader A.G. wrote:

“A while back you recommended Strauss and Howe’s book, The Fourth Turning. At that time I acquired the book through your link to Amazon and recently re-read it. It is eerily clear that Strauss and Howe were correct and we are solidly in the Fourth Turning right now. They predicted a climax around 2020 and we’re right on target. They predict the crisis to be resolved by 2026-2028 and it can’t come quick enough. It is a great resource for anyone interested in ‘how the world turns’ and how we manage to repeat our successes and failures over time.
The book is available directly from the authors’ website.
A quick synopsis on the past and current Turnings can be found here.”

o  o  o

Reader T.C. wrote:

“Two more books to add to my recommendations:

Family Favorites From Our Kitchen cookbook. It’s an Amish cookbook that one of my Amish neighbors loaned me. I loved it so much that I asked them how to get a copy for myself. To get a copy I mailed $10 plus estimated shipping to:

Lizzie Keim
N. 8240 Cty. Rd. O
Greenwood, WI 54437
They were more than happy to send me a copy. All proceeds go towards the income of one of their Amish Aunts who is blind.”

Continue reading“Recommendations of the Week:”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 2, 2021

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February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905), died – March 6, 1982) She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 93 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 93 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Writing Contest Winners Announced: Round 92

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We’ve completed the judging for Round 92 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize-winning authors are:

First Prize:

First Prize is awarded to Steve A. for: Simple Heat Treating for a High Carbon Steel Knife Blade — posted in two parts on January 19th and 20th, 2021.  Links:  (Part 1)  (Part 2)

He will receive:

  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 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:

Second prize is awarded to J.M. for Surviving the Disaster Golden Hour, which ran in five parts between  January 5th and January 9th, 2020. Links:  (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)

He will receive:

  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:

Third prize is awarded to Tunnel Rabbit for his article Pirate Radio for Sea and Land, which ran on January 24th,  2021.

He will receive:

  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!

Honorable Mention Prizes:

15 Honorable Mention prize winners have been awarded transferable $50 Elk Creek Company purchase credits. The Honorable Mention prize-winning articles are:

Round 92 ends on January 31, 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.

Biden Our Time: Surviving Four Years of Leftist-Democrat Domination

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I’ll begin this essay with a headline over at the left-leaning Quartz news outlet: Biden has a $1.9 trillion economic recovery plan—and a path to achieve it.

In some ways, Biden is a lot like Trump. He is willing to vastly expand the debt burden of future generations, in exchange for short-term benefit. Beware. This may just be the beginning of a lot more over-spending.

Former Senator Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20, 2021. Alongside him was the new Vice President, former California Senator Kamala Harris. Comrade Harris has a far left-wing voting history in the Senate. It is frightening to think that she is now President of the Senate, and the tie-breaker on any 50-50 split votes.

You’ve doubtless heard the news reports about Joe Biden’s senile mental lapses. Some of his gaffes, halting speech, and general confusion have become almost legendary. It is all too clear that because of his mental deterioration he is very likely to step down before he serves his full four-year term. At that juncture, we would then have Comrade Harris as our President. Her politics can be pegged on the political spectrum somewhere between those of Vladimir Lenin and Mao Tse Tung.

Even if Joe Biden serves his full term in office, we will surely be confronted with a raft of hard-left Democrat policies. Many of them will come via executive orders. These will very likely include:

  • Amnesty for illegal aliens.
  • Harsh environmental regulations paired with social sanctions.  (The Biden team considers climate change a “racial justice” issue.)
  • A weak, compromised, and vacillating foreign policy that will closely resemble that of the Obama administration.
  • Violations of our Second Amendment rights.
  • Violations of our First Amendment rights including censorship of “unreliable” news outlets.
  • Un-even foreign trade deals. (Read: China wins.)
  • A renewal of Obama’s Iran-appeasing “nuclear deal.”
  • A huge variety of “social justice” schemes.
  • Absurd COVID masking mandates, in cooperation with the CDC.
  • Vaccination mandates, and “Immunization Passports.”
  • Back-stabbing of many of our traditional allies, including Israel, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
  • Punitive tax audits, FBI probes, ATF raids, and EPA fines for anyone identified as a Trump supporter, or conservative Christian, or gun rights advocate.

Continue reading“Biden Our Time: Surviving Four Years of Leftist-Democrat Domination”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a news story about increasing eagle populations. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Idaho Senate Republicans introduce new resolution to cancel Gov. Little’s public health order. JWR’s Comments:  The Old Guard in Boise is trying to brand this as a “power grab”, but what is really transpiring is a return of lawmaking from the state’s executive branch back to the rightful lawmakers.

o  o  o

Man dies after falling through ice while fishing at Blue Lake in Harrison

o  o  o

Hearing set for motions to dismiss or change venue in Vallow-Daybell case

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally, his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it. He moves well, using his senses fully. He is not preoccupied with irrelevancies. He’s not thinking about his job or his image or his income tax. He is putting first things first, principally his physical security. Do likewise.” – Col. Jeff Cooper