The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.

And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” – Ezekiel 47: 8-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 9, 2020

5

On this day in 1995, saboteurs tinkered with a stretch of railroad track in Arizona. An Amtrak train derailed killing one and injuring a hundred.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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:

  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 91 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.

Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by A.D.

4

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Putting it all together

In this section I’d like to distill all the preceding information into what it might look like in terms of an actual week of fitness. I will also show what a couple weeks in succession could look like, to give you an idea of proper progression.

I mentioned in the anaerobic section the analogy of your fitness attributes like the many sliding dials on a DJ’s sound mixing table. For the purposes of this example, let’s say this person is just starting out and has decided to prioritize their aerobic development, while trying to just maintain strength and higher intensity conditioning.

Example Avatar: 45 y/o male with some athletic history, and no current injuries. Played high school sports and pickup games of basketball in his 20s, but has not engaged in structured routine for the past 7 years. Current activities include some manual labor at home, occasional walking, and a hike every month. He is seeking to get in better shape to get off blood pressure meds and help set the example for his family.Continue reading“Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by A.D.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

16

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 how the anticipation of inflation breeds inflation. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start today’s column with this piece posted in late August by Arkadiusz Sieron: Will U.S. Elections Impact The Gold Rally?

o  o  o

Gold price action ‘agnostic’ to who wins the election: TD Securities

Economy & Finance:

Powered by Stimulus & Rent/Mortgage Payments “Not Made,” US Trade Deficit Hits Record Worst Terrible Level Ever

o  o  o

UK recession expected to continue until spring amid Covid-19 surge

o  o  o

What’s Behind the Fed’s Project to Send Free Money to People Directly? A pericope:

“There is a lot of discussion suddenly about a Federal Reserve project to make direct payments to households during an economic crisis. In March, legislation was proposed in the House and in the Senate to authorize the Fed to do this.

At the beginning of August, two former Fed officials floated a trial balloon of this type of operation with some specifics as to how it would work and how it would be accounted for on the Fed’s balance sheet.”

o  o  o

Another at Wolf Street: Commercial Real Estate Office Sector Crushed by Work-from-Home, Tsunami of Supply in Q3: Manhattan, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Los AngelesContinue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 8, 2020

2

On October 8, 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis recorded “Great Balls Of Fire” in Memphis, Tennessee.

October 8th is also the birthday of economist and libertarian commentator J. Orlin Grabbe. (Born, 1947, died March 15, 2008.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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:

  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 91 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.

A Rawles Book Pre-Release Announcement

3

I’m pleased to make this book pre-release announcement:

Survival Retreats and Relocation is now available for pre-order. This illustrated book is a greatly expanded and completely updated edition of my 2006 book, “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.” The book’s primary author is my son Jonathan Rawles. Since 2009, Jonathan has operated SurvivalRealty.com.

The following is excerpted from the book ordering web page :

Why You Need This Book

Families and individuals across the country are seeking refuge from the Covid panic and social disintegration. The remote work revolution coupled with the massive economic flux has driven thousands to finally to pull up roots and look for a more secure and sustainable location.

In this environment, we want to equip you to make the best decision and an effective plan for your family’s long-term flourishing. This is your guidebook to relocating and building a resilient homestead and lifestyle anywhere in the US.

Contents:

Part 1: Principles

1. Retreat Theories
2. Threat Mitigation
3. Survivability Factors
4. Isolation and Self-Sufficiency

Part 2: Retreat Locales

5. Regional Analysis
6. States
7. Retreats Areas

Part 3: Relocation

8. Property Search and Purchase
9. The Land
10. The Home and Improvements

Part 4: The Retreat

11. Setting Up the Retreat
12. Stocking Up
13. Next Steps

Appendices

Rawlesian Precepts of Survival
The American Redoubt
Nuclear Targets
International Options
Retreat Owner Profiles

If you visit the book ordering page, you can get Chapter 4 delivered right to your inbox, free of charge. That will give you a taste of what the book is like.

How This Book Will Help You

In these challenging times it is imperative to select an area that will provide liberty, security, natural resources, favorable climate, food production, productivity, and a resilient community. Co-authored by survivalist author and lecturer James Wesley, Rawles, Survival Retreats and Relocation is your guidebook to relocating for your family’s future wellbeing.

The end goal is to establish a secure and productive homestead wherever you are located. The book is packed with tips and strategies for finding, selecting, and purchasing rural property. Additional insight is provided on improving and developing a property, whether turn-key, fixer-upper, or bare land.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today

Paperback

Survival Retreats and Relocation
$19 PRE-ORDER SALE PRICE

Large format (8.5″ x 11″) paperback
Illustrated with maps and charts
200+ B&W pages

Pre-order your copy of Survival Retreats and Relocation now!
Ships on or before November 23rd.  An e-book edition will also be available.

Whether moving across the country, or just looking for a more secure option locally, this book offers the resources to make a well-informed decision and effective plan.

Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by A.D.

2

(Continued from Part 1.)

Anaerobic (non-oxidative) Conditioning

In the last 20 years with the popularity of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), CrossFit™, Bootcamps, and similar approaches, the anaerobic system has prominently been featured center stage in the world of exercise. While certainly meriting training and attention, this trend has in my opinion pushed the needle a little too far that direction. The Anaerobic system (comprised of many subsystems likely beyond the scope of the current audience’s interest, but if not resources will be listed!) is responsible for rapidly creating cellular energy to fuel high octane tasks. Throwing a baseball, lifting a heavy weight, sprinting 50-to-400 meters, are all tasks that primarily lie within the anaerobic domain.

When training in the anaerobic domain, the key is to find methods with which one can exert maximal and near maximum effort safely. Overly complex and technical movements are not your best bet here, because the skill to perform sed task will likely succumb to fatigue before we get to an optimum systemic stimulus.

My favorite methods include:

  • Hill Sprints (possibly the all-time number 1)
  • Sled Drags and pushes. (Limitless options for very inexpensive homemade variations!)
  • Burpee Intervals
  • Air Bike/Rower Sprints/Intervals
  • Sprints (Be mindful of First completing a thorough warm-up)

There are countless methods and tools available, and many when used properly can create an absolute specimen of a human. The question in my mind is the learning curve and potential for maximal output. The above methods are simple, effective, and relatively safe. If I was working with someone who just wanted to be competent across the fitness domains and didn’t need excessive novelty in training, this is where I’d invest my time.

When it comes to the dose of anaerobic training again we have a massive window of variability depending on individual needs.

Some considerations would be:

  • Aerobic fitness: If this is low, build it first, maybe adding in a single session of higher intensity work every other week
  • Age: Anaerobic work is brutally taxing to recover from, the more an athlete ages the less I need them pushing into the red.
  • Goals, at the time: Think of fitness like a DJ’s sound mixing table. The adjustment knobs can never ALL be at maximal, nor should all be at the bottom. We never want a knob (a specific fitness attribute) to be at zero, but there will be an ebb and flow depending on what is a current focal point, if an area is deemed higher priority (for example a lifelong runner may want to prioritize strength training in order to achieve a more balanced overall fitness profile). More on this in the “Putting it all together section.”

 

Again as a flexible rule 1-2 sessions per week ONCE you have established a minimum of 2-3 months of aerobic build up would more than cover your bases in this regard. Even for a high level performer, I’d rarely advise more than 3 sessions per week of maximal anaerobic work, unless they were peaking for some kind of event.Continue reading“Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by A.D.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

90

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 worsening commercial ammunition shortage in the United States.

The San Francisco Exodus is Accelerating

Reader Greg S.  suggested this article: Zillow Exposes Dramatic Exodus Out Of San Francisco Real Estate. A snippet:

“Zillow shows a dramatic exodus out of San Francisco city real estate in favor of Bay area suburbs all the way up to Lake Tahoe (where real estate is pretty much on fire). Home prices in the city are down 4.9% year to date and inventory jumped 96%.”

JWR’s Comment:  The law of supply and demand dictates that house prices will plunge, in “Sodom By The Sea.”

Ammunition Shortage May Last Until 2021

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this at The Daily Wire: Ammunition Makers Facing Massive Order Backlog, Shortage May Last Until 2021

Here is a quote:

“Bearing Arms reports that at least one Arizona ammunition manufacturer, the Scottsdale, Arizona, based Ammo Incorporated, is “facing an $80.1 million backlog amid record demand for ammunition.”

“We’re working right now seven days a week, 24 hours a day in all the manufacturing plants,” the company’s CEO told media.

The demand has forced Ammo International to expand its industrial operation, adding millions of dollars in machinery and expanding their production.”

The Feral Pig Population Explosion

H.L. sent this: “Out Of Control” Super-Pig Population Is Spreading Rapidly Across US 

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, and active, the brave.” – Patrick Henry, at the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 7, 2020

26

The Battle of Lepanto (on 7 October 1571) was a naval engagement wherein a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V and led by Spanish admiral Don Juan of Austria, decisively defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire on the northern edge of the Gulf of Corinth, off western Greece.

October 7th is also the day that we remember the 96 American POWs from Wake Island that were executed in 1943 on the orders of the commander of the Japanese garrison on the island, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara. The execution of those American POWs who were blindfolded and shot in cold blood, remains one of the more brutal episodes of the war in the Pacific.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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:

  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 91 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.

Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 1, by A.D.

46

Oftentimes, in the circles of the preparation-minded, the focus centers around guns, grub, and gear. Areas most certainly worthy of attention, but in my opinion, second place to the state of one’s health, fitness, and overall capital in the realm of physical resilience. An individual with the best-prepared resources in the realms of food, water, and security yet neglecting their fitness and health, whether consciously or not, is missing a key component of their preparation program.

My personal definition of fitness is an ability to perform any desired labor or leisure task at any time, with physical competence, and recover from that task in order to handle whatever comes next. Fitness is more than muscle bulk, six pack abdominal muscles, marathon times, and vanity: it is the currency of physical aptitude. Our levels of fitness determine the breadth of our gas tanks, the larger your tank, the more you can handle on every level. Emotional and mental stress as well as the obvious physical stress all drain on that same tank, and a well-rounded base of fitness will ensure that your most important piece of equipment, your body, is prepared just like all other essential considerations of your life.

The copious volume of information currently circulating regarding the fitness and wellness space can be mind numbing and nauseating. There is a program for every goal imaginable, as the purveyors of this information seek to spin, twist, and transform every insecurity into a marketable product. It invokes paralysis by analysis and frustration in even the savviest of consumers. How do you know where to start? How do I know if what I’m doing is working? How to I properly progress? What is the right thing for me to be doing at my level? These questions and endless more are hard to get straight answers for. There are some brilliant minds in the world of fitness out there, but many struggle to get their message to the masses if they don’t have a platform on social media or a network television show because their sound, logical, science-based approaches aren’t as sexy or catchy as the latest trending fad gracing the cover of magazines.

What I will seek to do here is layout some tested, vetted principles and tangible actions that can help those at any level optimize their individual fitness and health regimen. These are principles I have personally seen bring boundless fitness into the lives of clients, friends, family members and myself. At the heart of all this is the desire to identify the correct fit for the individual that will lead to a lifestyle modification rather than a time-restricted window in which one seeks to cram 10 pounds of fitness in a 5-pound bag, in a hugely unsustainable push. Our discussion will focus on the following areas, which together form the synergistic approach to build a fortified human.Continue reading“Physical Resilience for an Uncertain Future – Part 1, by A.D.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

30

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week I’m recommending  the  ATN X-Sight II night vision scope. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

It has been several years since I last mentioned this very useful book for prepping newbies: Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios

o  o  o

Our congrats to Candace Owens. Her latest book is still ranked #2 overall, at Amazon: Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation

o  o  o

Preserving Everything: Can, Culture, Pickle, Freeze, Ferment, Dehydrate, Salt, Smoke, and Store Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Milk, and More (Countryman Know How)

o  o  o

Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording. Note: This popular book was first published in 1999, so used copies can often be found inexpensively on Amazon and eBay.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2
“Between the Restoration and the Glorious Revolution, the Stuart Kings Charles II and James II succeeded in using select militias loyal to them to suppress political dissidents, in part by disarming their opponents. Under the auspices of the 1671 Game Act, for example, the Catholic James II had ordered general disarmaments of regions home to his Protestant enemies. These experiences caused Englishmen to be extremely wary of concentrated military forces run by the state and to be jealous of their arms. They accordingly obtained an assurance from William and Mary, in the Declaration of Right (which was codified as the English Bill of Rights), that Protestants would never be disarmed: “That the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law.” This right has long been understood to be the predecessor to our Second Amendment. It was clearly an individual right, having nothing whatever to do with service in a militia. To be sure, it was an individual right not available to the whole population, given that it was restricted to Protestants, and like all written English rights it was held only against the Crown, not Parliament. But it was secured to them as individuals, according to “libertarian political principles,” not as members of a fighting force.”” – Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Scalia’s Court: A Legacy of Landmark Opinions and Dissents

 

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 6, 2020

15

Today is the birthday of science fiction author David Brin. (born, 1950.) He wrote The Postman, which was very loosely the foundation of a movie by Kevin Costner.

October 6 is also the birthday of Thor Heyerdahl. (Born 1914, died April 18, 2002.) Although his east-to-west theory of Pacific Ocean transmigration was later disproved by genetics studies, his many adventures were still remarkable.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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:

  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 91 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.