OPSEC Problems for Preppers, by The Lone Canadian

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The Problem

The biggest problem that I see for preppers is that we talk a good game, and we know what needs to be done, but it goes against our basic nature. Now, before you all jump on me, hear me out. I’m not talking about stockpiling “The Three Bs” (Beans, Bullets, and Band-Aids.)

We all know that in the event that TEOTWAWKI comes to pass that we will need to band together in groups for survival. The “lone wolf” has been much written about, but we all know that it’s not possible for one person, or even a couple, to make it on their own. They simply cannot amass all of the skills required for a long-term survival situation. I think we all know this, given that we are here on SurvivalBlog. I’m assuming that we have read JWR’s books, and found something in them that appealed to us, and it led us here. In all of his books we see groups of people that have come together. Most have known each other for years and share common thoughts and beliefs. All have the responsibilities divided amongst the group, with different people being in charge of logistics, intel, etc. Even recruiting!

Now what do I find when I come on this forum? I find a lot of people just like me. People that tend to be independent, self-sufficient, and to a certain extent loners. It’s in our basic nature. Part of being independent and self-sufficient means that you make up your own mind, and don’t necessarily follow that crowd, which tends to make us……loners. Now, that’s not to say that we don’t have good, close friends, or belong to groups (the PTA, or the Shriners, or a group that’s part of our church) but we don’t seem to congregate with other preppers. At least I don’t seem to, and I know others are the same, because of questions I’ve seen posted on other forums.

Every Saturday I check in at SurvivalBlog for an update on what JWR and Avalanche Lily have been up to. Many of us share what we’ve been up to for the week. What our latest preps are. Problems we’ve encountered, solutions we have found and plans for the near future. But I don’t remember ever reading a post about, “got together with my prepper group for our weekly/monthly meeting.” Now, maybe I’m wrong, and there have been posts like that, but I just don’t remember seeing them. Or maybe OPSEC keeps people from making a post like that. I just don’t know, but I suspect there are a lot more people out there like me than there are like Todd and Mary Gray.Continue reading“OPSEC Problems for Preppers, by The Lone Canadian”

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 a Montana bear attack.   (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Idaho now ranked #2: Middle Class Top 10 Magnets

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I heard that Redoubt Surplus & Tactical (in Bonners Ferry, Idaho) has Sopakco MRE cases, 14 meals to a case with heaters for $69.95 per case.  (Or two or more for $59.95 a case. ) They also have Dutch Army surplus woodland camouflage combat vests with pouches for $49.95 each. In addition to sales at their storefront in Bonners Ferry, they also do some mail/phone orders, by credit card. Phone: (208) 772 – 4007 for details.

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Judge says Idaho couple to face trial together over missing kids

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 2, 2020

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On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submitted a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland known as the Balfour Declaration. While Arab hostilities and the outbreak of World War II delayed the desired outcome, the Nation of Israel was eventually re-established in 1948.

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Today we are featuring a round-up review on wristwatches written by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Six Wristwatches for Survivalists, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always been a real stickler for being on-time, for everything – and I’ve been wearing a watch since I was a child. I believe I can count on one hand, the number of times I’ve ever been late for work, and at that, there was usually a good reason for being late. At that, my tardiness was only a few minutes being late from my scheduled starting time, with one exception. Back in 1976, I was briefly driving a dump truck for a living. The prior evening, some buddies and I went out drinking – I stopped drinking shortly after this and haven’t touched a drop since then. Anyway, we tied on a good one and I overslept, and it wasn’t until my boss called and woke me up – I was late that morning by more than an hour.

With reference to the above, I became a born again Christian, on August 17, 1977, and I stopped drinking immediately that very day – and never looked back. I didn’t have to go through any rehab programs or anything like that – it was simply the power of the Lord, that gave me the strength to stop drinking. My short testimony, if you will.

I couldn’t tell you the number of different watches I’ve owned over the years. However some were cheap models, and some – some of my current watches – are more expensive versions. Back in the say, I often wore a Timex – the old television commercials would say: “They take a lickin’ and keep on tickin…” And, to be sure, there were and still are decent watches.

If you’ll look at the photo at the top of this article, you will six different watches pictured. They are: Casio (no relation and spelled differently than my family name) a Pro Trek, followed by a Luminox, Seiko, another Casio, Swiss Army and lastly, an old no-name military-style watch. Prices range from $400 down to $10 – depends on what your bank account can handle and your needs.Continue reading“Six Wristwatches for Survivalists, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Broiled Venison Steak

The following recipe for Broiled Venison Steak 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 sale in the third week of January, 2021. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so place a reminder in your calendar, if you want one.

Ingredients
  • Venison steak
  • Salt
  • Paprika
  • Butter or butter substitute
  • Currant jelly
  • Possibly olive oil and lemon-juice
Directions
  1. Clean the meat carefully.
  2. This requires about three minutes more time for broiling than beefsteak.
  3. If strong meat, then marinate in olive oil and lemon-juice for two hours before cooking.
  4. Drain without wiping.
  5. Broil over clear, hot coals, turning often to avoid scorching.
SERVING

Serve on a very hot platter. Sprinkle with salt and paprika and spread both sides with a mixture of butter or butter substitute and currant jelly, allowing hall as much jelly as fat.

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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 presidential election’s effects on the markets.

Precious Metals:

Central Banks Sell Gold for First Time in a Decade

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Gold Price Forecast: Next Surge To Follow US Election

Budgets & Public Debt:

Reader H.L. sent us this: The Fed’s Balance Sheet May Be Headed to $40–$50 Trillion

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In The Wall Street Journal: U.S. States Face Biggest Cash Crisis Since the Great Depression

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Charting America’s Debt: $27 Trillion and Counting

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Von Greyerz: “Get Ready For The Biggest Collapse In Human History”

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Hotels: Occupancy Rate Declined 31.7% Year-over-year

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At Wolf Street: High Times in the Plague Year: Booze & Cannabis Retailers Shine

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — November 1, 2020

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Today is the 101st birthday of Canadian test pilot Russell Bannock. (Pictured at left.)

After entering the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Bannock received his pilot’s wings in 1940 and was appointed as an instructor at Trenton, Ontario. Later he was posted to Royal Air Force Ferry Command from June to August 1942. In September 1942, Bannock became chief instructor with the Flying Instructor School at Arnprior in Ontario. Bannock’s request for overseas service was granted in 1944 and he joined 60 OTU based in RAF High Ercall, England.

In June 1944, Bannock was then transferred to No. 418 Squadron RCAF, flying intruder missions over Europe with the de Havilland Mosquito Mk. VI fighter-bomber. He quickly proved adept at this type of operation and achieved his first victories. In October 1944, he was promoted to Wing Commander and took command of the squadron. Bannock also flew ‘Diver’ operations against the German V-1 “flying bombs” launched against London and southern England. On one mission he shot down four V-1s in one hour. A bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was added for his missions against the V-1s.

Bannock was transferred to No. 406 Squadron RCAF in November 1944 as commanding officer, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). By April 1945, Bannock had destroyed 11 enemy aircraft (including 2 on the ground), 4 damaged in the air and 19.5 V-1s destroyed. Bannock became Director of Operations, RCAF Overseas Headquarters, in London in May 1945 until September 1945 when he attended the Royal Air Force Staff College. Retiring from the RCAF in 1946, Bannock joined the de Havilland Canada Aircraft Company as chief test pilot, flying prototypes like the Beaver and various short take-off and landing aircraft. In 1950 Bannock became Director of Military Sales and later Vice President and President from 1976 to 1978. In 1968 he formed his own consulting business, Bannock Aerospace Ltd.

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November 1st, 1923 was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes.

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I just heard that actor Sean Connery passed away, at 90 years of age. He was quite a guy. Most folks remember him as James Bond, but I most enjoyed his role in The Man Who Would Be King, and his Oscar-winning role in The Untouchables.  I loved that “The Chicago Way” speech.

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Today we present the monthly precious metals market analysis, written by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins.  I may not have pointed this out before, but I can vouch that is a firm with a solid reputation for customer service, prompt shipments, and competitive pricing. I recommend them.

October 2020 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

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Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in October?

Gold was range-bound between $1,890 and $1,930 in October, until it suffered big COVID-related losses the last three days of the month. Spot gold fell from an October 27 close of $1,907 to an $1,867 close on the 29th. Even this $40 drop did not move the average spot gold price in October more than a dollar, from $1,902 to $1,901 an ounce.
Silver moved in a two-dollar range between $23 and $25 (as of October 29), averaging $24.19 an ounce.
Stimulus talks between Nancy Pelosi and the White House were the lever that moved all markets this month. When markets thought a stimulus deal was near, stocks and gold rose, and the dollar weakened. When talks broke down, markets moved in the opposite direction.
Stocks and gold mostly ignored rising COVID infections until the end of the month. Sharply spiking cases and hospitals rapidly running out of ICU rooms hit both US and European markets at the same time. The massive selloff on Wall St saw gold prices plummet, as traders sold bullion to cover margin calls on short positions.
The first estimate of third quarter GDP came in at 33.1%, compared to the -31.7% drop in the second quarter. This news reversed early losses in the stock market, and sent the dollar sharply higher. The combination pushed gold solidly into negative territory for the month.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

STIMULUS
The on-again, off-again stimulus talks between Nancy Pelosi and the White House were the major factor moving all markets until the explosion of COVID cases in the last week of the month. Corporate America would of course love more bailouts, so a second stimulus bill would be good for stocks.
A new stimulus deal would require more deficit spending. This would require the government to sell more Treasury bonds, which would push yields higher, and deepen negative real interest rates. This would improve the attractiveness of gold. More deficit spending would also weaken the dollar, which helps gold prices internationally.

The failure to pass a stimulus bill pushes stock prices lower as companies lose money and lay off workers. The government wouldn’t have to sell more Treasuries, which would promote a stronger dollar.
This dynamic has had gold moving the same direction as the stock market.
Political games eventually killed any hope for a stimulus bill before the election. Since the stock market was doing so well, neither side saw a stimulus bill as necessary, especially if it made the other party look good ahead of the election.Continue reading“October 2020 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. –  Matthew 17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 31, 2020

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As Christians, our family does not celebrate the pagan Halloween. Since October 31st is also Reformation Day, that is what we celebrate, here at the Rawles Ranch.

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The Clock is Ticking: The big Pre-Election Sale at Elk Creek Company will end in just three days. Consider this: Pre-1899 guns are the last bastion of firearms ownership privacy, since they are entirely outside of Federal jurisdiction. These are guns that you can buy and that you can later simply hand to your children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or whomever, across state lines, with no paperwork whatsoever. (Whether it is a gift, sale, or trade.) Most of the guns in our inventory are both collectible and practical shooters. If the Democrats prevail, then the current rush of sales will probably turn into absolute panic buying. So, don’t hesitate. Order soon!

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Amazon.com is now advertising that they will have another batch of my latest book The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide on or about November 14th. (They’ve been sold out since October 21st.) They are now taking orders for their second batch of the First Printing. This may be their last batch until the Second Printing arrives January or February, so don’t hesitate to place an order for your gift copies.

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Round 91 of our nonfiction writing contest 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.

Guest Post: The Tripwire, by D. van Oort & J.F.A. Davidson

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following essay on censorship was posted nearly 20 years ago, in The Resister. I miss that site. This article is re-posted with permission.  – JWR

“How we burned in the prison camps later thinking: What would things have been like if every security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive?”– Alexander Solzhenitzyn, The Gulag Archipelago

What would be the tripwire resulting in open rebellion? Examining the Bill of Rights, and considering existing laws only, and not failed attempts, you will find that every clause has been violated to one degree or another.

Documenting those violations would fill volumes, and it is important to remember that only government can violate the exercise of unalienable individual rights and claim immunity from retribution. We omit martial law or public suspension of the Constitution as a tripwire. The overnight installation of dictatorship obviously would qualify as “the tripwire,” but is not likely to occur. What has occurred, what is occurring, is the implementation of every aspect of such dictatorship without an overt declaration. The Constitution is being killed by attrition. The Communist Manifesto is being installed by accretion. Any suggestion that martial law is the tripwire leads us to the question: what aspect of martial law justifies the first shot?

For much the same reason, we will leave out mass executions of the Waco variety. For one thing, they are composite abuses of numerous individual rights. Yet, among those abuses, the real tripwire may exist. For another, those events are shrouded in a fog of obfuscation and outright lies. Any rebellion must be based on extremely hard and known facts. Similarly, no rebellion will succeed if its fundamental reasons for occurring are not explicitly identified. Those reasons cannot be explicitly identified if, in place of their identification, we simply point to a composite such as Waco and say, “See, that’s why; figure it out.” Any suggestion that more Wacos, in and of themselves, would be the tripwire, simply leads us back again to the question: what aspect of them justifies rebellion?

For the same reasons, we leave out a detailed account of Ayn Rand’s identification of the four essential characteristics of tyranny. She identified them quite correctly, but together they are just another composite from which we must choose precipitating causes. These characteristics are: one-party rule, executions without trial for political offenses, expropriation or nationalization of private property, and “above all,” censorship.Continue reading“Guest Post: The Tripwire, by D. van Oort & J.F.A. Davidson”

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 past week we harvested one deer. It is now hanging in the barn. I prefer to let a deer season for about a week if the temperature stays below 50 degrees, before butchering them.  But this week, I had to wait for the temperature to rise above freezing for a few days!

We spent a couple of days helping a friend and his family move, to begin a long-term caretaking position at a large retreat. Each round trip was five hours of driving.  Our fully-enclosed three-horse trailer has once again proven its versatility and worth. The weather was fairly cooperative. But my back is really feeling the wear and tear. This sort of thing was so much easier when I was 30, than it is now, at 60 years of age.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”