Why I Left Amazon — And How You Can Help Starve The Beast

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(Updated, July, 2023.)

I feel clean, leaving the brown-tinged waters of the Amazon behind.

Let me begin by explaining that I joined the Amazon Associates program in 2007. At that time, Amazon’s corporate management was already liberal, but their politics didn’t influence the way that Amazon.com was operated to any great extent. And Amazon was not yet a provider of web/cloud computing services. I found Amazon to be a handy place to shop for books, DVDs, and various merchandise. They offered commission-earning links that never expired. By becoming an Amazon Associate, I earned an average of about 7% on any items that SurvivalBlog readers ordered, by clicking through from any of our links. Because I have so many readers, that equated to about $60,000 in income for the blog, in the first few years.

Then, in March of 2017, Amazon reduced their commissions by an average of 40%. And then, in April of 2020, they made a further reduction.  That brought my Amazon Associates income down to about $30,000 per year. But it was still worth the time and trouble to create Amazon product links.

Fast forward to January of 2021: Amazon.com became very heavily involved in providing web storage space  — controlling around 45% of the international market. And, in fact, the largest single portion of their revenue comes from web services—even more than from selling their books, bangles, and yoga pants. They now had huge server farms, hidden all over the country that are used for hosting Amazon Prime movies and leased out to a huge variety of corporate and government customers.

Starting in 2019, Amazon began censoring books and documentary films that were critical of vaccination. That was followed by bans on books that were critical of face mask mandates. They even had the temerity to censor the “Killing Free Speech” documentary about censorship. So much “Freedom of Press.” And it is also noteworthy that Amazon has mistreated outside vendors that sell through their Amazon store. Amazon’s management refers to them as “internal competitors.”

After the November presidential election, but before the January 20th inauguration, Amazon let loose their inner “political activist.” In conspiracy with Apple and Google, Amazon actively targeted the conservative social media service Parler–booting them off of their cloud servers. Because they had used some proprietary Amazon Web Services software, it took weeks for Parler to get fully back in business. In my opinion, Amazon’s takedown of Parler was a reprehensible form of censorship and prior restraint on alternative media that depends on free access to social media platforms. I considered this the “last straw”. I could no longer in good conscience ally myself in any way with Amazon.com.

In addition to quitting the Amazon Associates program, I canceled my own Amazon Prime membership in January 2021 I canceled my Amazon account, and stopped making any new blog links to Amazon products. (We now have more than 37,700 archived articles, columns, and letters.)

Instead of $30 Amazon gift cards, winners of Honorable Mention prizes in our nonfiction writing contest now receive $100 purchase credits for my spin-off sideline business, Elk Creek Company. Continue reading“Why I Left Amazon — And How You Can Help Starve The Beast”

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, we focus on an ancient grizzly bear.   (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Taking a Stand: Sheriffs, Local Officials, and Rule of Law VS. Covid Dictators.  And here is a report on the same sheriff from the left-wing propagandists at Spokane’s major newspaper: New Kootenai County sheriff latest law enforcement leader to refuse to enforce mask mandate as cases and deaths mount

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‘I can’t afford to live here’: People moving to North Idaho see increasing housing prices

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Farragut focus of logging concerns

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 25, 2021

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Today is the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert “Bobby” Burns. He was born on January 25, 1759.

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An USB stick update: There has been a technical glitch, because we have so much bonus material and almost 40,000 posts and columns lined up for our waterproof 2005-2015 Special 15th Anniversary Archive USB stick. It looks like it might have to be a 32 GB stick!

We should have a pre-order announcement by about February 5th. Thanks for your patience.

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Fellow blogger Commander Zero of the great Notes From The Bunker blog posted news that his namesake, Edén Pastora — the original Commander Zero, passed away in Managua, at age 83.
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It is our pleasure today, to present another review by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Only One Gun?, by Pat Cascio

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I get a lot of questions asked of me, all the time, but many of them are really one in the same question, just phrased a little differently. Over my lifetime, I’ve been asked, literally hundreds of times: “What is your favorite gun…?” or, “If you could only own one gun, what would it be…?” and other similar questions from those seeking a truth or “the” truth about firearms. And, I can’t give a pat answer to these questions and no one else can, either. I can only reply based on my own experiences, the facts and my finding over a lifetime of being a gun owner.

I don’t have a “favorite” gun, if I do, it would be whatever I’m carrying at the time. And, when it comes down to owning one gun, to what end are you referring to? I look at things differently than most people, and heaven forbid that we ever have to make a decision about owning just one gun. Of course, it also depends on where you are standing at the time. If I were living in Alaska, out in the bush, then I’d elect to have some kind of .44 Magnum revolver – since there are some dangerous four-legged creatures living then. I’d pick a handgun over a rifle for the fact, that it is more easily carried regularly, compared to a rifle of some type.

There are so many different scenarios that one can play out in their minds, that it will drive you crazy, just trying to pick one gun for all your needs. I tend to look at things through the eyes of a Prepper, and towards the end of the world scenarios, and make my choices based on that. For many, many years, my choice for a one and only firearm was a .357 Magnum revolver of some sort, with a 4-inch barrel, made out of stainless steel – to help prevent rust and weather conditions from taking a toll on the gun. And, of course, you can load a .357 Magnum with a large variety of ammo, including .38 Special ammo, or the heaviest .357 Mag loads for dangerous times, or added penetration. Add a nice holster and several speed loaders, and you would be good to go. However, these days, the world is much different than it was when I made that choice.

I’m a life-long fan of the grand old 1911 handgun, in .45 ACP and it served our military for a lot of years, and even now, some Special Ops Units still carry a full-sized Government Model 1911 in .45 ACP for some missions. No doubt about it, the .45 ACP will get the job done – very quickly. Still, I had to rethink this choice not too long ago. I don’t feel that a magazine holding 7 or 8 rounds in a single stack form, is enough ammo on-hand, to take care of things, these days.Continue reading“Only One Gun?, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Hash

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The following recipe for chicken hash 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 will be one of the many bonus items included in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This special 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for pre-order on or about February 5, 2021. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so place a reminder in your calendar, if you want one.

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cup chopped chicken
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 1 cup diced boiled potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 cup stock or water
Directions

Mix the chicken and the potatoes lightly together. Melt the butter or butter substitute in the blazer, add lhe potato and meat, parsley, seasoning, and stock, and cook until heated, browning if desired. Heat directly over the flame.

If desired, one-fourth cup of chopped green peppers may be added.

This recipe will serve four to six persons.

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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

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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 the ups and downs of the classic car market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

First up is this, over at Zero Hedge: Massive Silver Bets as Treasury Wants More Trillions

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Erik Lytikainen: The Gold Bull Market Is Just Getting Started

Economy & Finance:

National debt grew 39 percent under Trump

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Yellen Gets Wall Street Buzzing About 50-Year U.S. Treasuries. JWR’s Comment: Seriously, does anyone not recognize that the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar will decline by at least 70% in the next 50 years? Anyone who buys a 50-year bond is an idiotic contrapreneur.

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Why Biden Wants to Win the Fight for $15

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An in related news: CBO: Biden’s $15 minimum wage could kill 3.7 million jobs

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Video: Ron Paul on the next economic collapse, America’s future, and universal basic income (Pt. 1/2)

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Inflation Is Spreading Broadly into the Economy. Amid Surging Costs, Companies Raise Prices, and Customers Pay them, Despite Weak Economy, 10 Million Missing Jobs

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Liberalism is really piecemeal socialism, and socialism always attacks three basic social institutions: religion, the family, and private property. Religion, because it offers a rival authority to the state; the family, because it means a rival loyalty to the state; and property, because it means material independence of the state.” – Joseph Sobran

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 24, 2021

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January 24th is the birthday of René Barjavel (born 1911, died November 24, 1985). This prescient French science fiction author wrote several books with survivalist themes, including Ravage, which was titled Ashes, Ashes in its English translation. It is also the birthday of Tamara K., the editor of the long-running View From The Porch blog.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 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.

Pirate Radio for Sea and Land, by Tunnel Rabbit

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following lengthy article is being posted in one piece, for the sake of continuity.  I recommend printing a hard copy for your radio reference binder. Note that some of the methods described are illegal outside of disaster situations, and are presented for educational purposes only.

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If our country ever becomes Balkanized or collapsed, boat owners could at some point just sail away to calmer waters, sandy beaches, and palm trees. In a WROL situation, they could use their VHF and HF Marine transceiver sets to good effect, much like how Amateur Radio operators can use their equipment. In international waters, the rules are different. And in foreign waters, the consequences for breaking their laws could be severe.

The advantage of VHF Marine band radio is that they already come programmed and channelized, and are generally very easy to use.  Many of them are also built to be very weather resistant and have handsets that are designed for rugged use. Note that there are repeaters used on some channels, and these channels cannot be used for our purposes.  Choose channels designated for ship-to-ship, inter-ship, noncommercial that are simplex frequencies in the 156 to 157 MHz range.  Marine repeaters talk back to VHF Marine radios in the 160 to 161 MHz range.  Do not use these frequencies unless near a port. However as we might now become pirate radio operators at sea, we should also endeavor to use off the beaten path techniques and frequencies to avoid being captured.

Continue reading“Pirate Radio for Sea and Land, by Tunnel Rabbit”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” – Revelation 14 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 23, 2021

On January 23rd, 1570, the first assassination by firearm occurred when James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was shot in Linlithgow, Scotland. 

January 23, 1855 was the birthday of John Moses Browning. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. A personal side note: Today is also the birthday of my #2 Grandson. His coincidental birthday will ensure that he will inherit a disproportionately large portion of my guns that are Browning designs.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 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.

Keeper of The Fire, by PJGT

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This article is not about cutting wood, nor is it about the best chainsaw or other tools. It is about keeping the fire. About the life and warmth of a fire. If you are thinking about transitioning to wood fire heat, I’m hoping to help avoid some of the frustrations and shorten the learning curve of learning to keep a fire.

I’ve lived in many different parts of the world, and there are different types of forests and wood available. Use what you have. Make it work. That’s my best advice. Getting things together and making it work is what this article is really about.

How did I learn about how to keep the fire? I grew up in a sixty-foot-long house that was only heated by wood on one end located in a deep blue state in the Northeast. We had to combat damp as well as cold. I’ve also lived on the Arctic Circle in a wood-heated log cabin where the temperature dropped to 72 degrees below zero. Only four degrees from the record. Three weeks of 50 degrees below zero turns propane to jelly. So happy to have wood heat. My most recent wood-burning lessons were learned in the American Redoubt high in the Rocky Mountains. I expect there are many ways to make and keep a fire; all tips are welcome in the comments.

Fire starters are essential to daily fire-starting. There are some really good ones for sale or, if you’re like me, you want them for free. Pine cones, especially dipped in wax, work well; however, my go-to is a toilet paper roll stuffed with dryer lint. When I don’t have enough dryer lint of my own, I have friends and family save it for me. I love using what I have especially if it would be thrown away.

How about getting the fire ignited? We are fortunate to have a free daily newspaper, so we use newspaper. We also use torn brown cardboard. Before COVID, I used to go to the recycling center to get boxes. Now that we’re ordering so much online, we have plenty of cardboard. We also have the paper used for packing, but I tend to iron that and use it as wrapping paper. A note of caution here: do not use colored boxes because of the toxins that could be emitted. Inks have improved, but I like to play it safe anyway. Breathing in toxic air just cannot be good for anyone. I store the cardboard and newspaper in a basket near the fireplace. But not too close.Continue reading“Keeper of The Fire, by PJGT”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week was fairly quiet. I’ve been catching up on some blog writing, and doing some last-minute Pre-Biden “Commonsense Gun Safety Executive Orders” purchasing. I also had a half-day of on-site retreat design and improvements site selection consulting with a client who lives nearby. (An explanatory note: Here in the Inland Northwest, “nearby” generally means less than a three-hour drive. Some of my neighbors have been known to drive 1.5 hours each way, just to dine at their favorite steakhouse. And a “day trip” to a gun show can mean: three hours of driving, then three or four hours at the show, and then a three-hour drive home.)

Given the prevailing mood and the understandable angst in the country, orders from my Elk Creek Company customers have been brisk. I’ve noticed that I now have a lot of repeat customers. At least three of them now have a half-dozen antique guns that they’ve bought from me. So I suppose that says a lot about the quality of the guns that I select to sell, and how conservatively I describe them. I also try to include some fun bonus items with each order. Elk Creek Company customers tell me that they are tickled to see their gun arrive in a brand new padded case or in a period holster. And one other quite frequent bonus is the inclusion of one or two 1880s – 1890s publications. (See the accompanying illustration.) These help to provide some entertaining historical context for the guns that they’ve just purchased. Things have changed a lot in America, in the past 125 years. Thanks for your loyal patronage, folks!

And now, over to my lovely, hard-working wife, Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”