Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 14, 2020

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During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on June 14th, 1777, stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag– a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also had 13 red and white stripes.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 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 (an $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, which 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 89 ends on July 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.

An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 4, by Rocket J. Squirrel

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(Continued from Part 3. This installment concludes the article.)

Other PREPPING SUBJECTs

Fitness: I have managed to keep my body weight about the same as it was when I finished high school. I try to maintain my aerobic fitness. I have done a reasonably good job. The fitness routine includes running and I have commuted to work on my bicycle at various times over the years. Southern California roads were much friendlier to bicyclists compared to my new home. I need to be more consistent with my work-outs since I am not bicycling lately. Although my body weight is the same as when I was young, I am certain that my muscle mass has dropped. I need to get back to consistent strength training as well.

Vehicles: Our current vehicles are a 4-door sedan and an all-wheel-drive SUV. On my wish list is a Dodge 4X4 crew cab with a Cummins diesel engine. As Hank Williams Jr. sings, “I got a shotgun, a rifle and a 4-wheel drive, and a country boy can survive…” At this point, I just want to be a Country Boy. The diesel engine vehicle will give me fuel diversity.

We keep each vehicle stocked with various supplies: headlamp with extra batteries, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, Leatherman, assorted small tools, tire plug/repair kit, the larger cans of Fix-A-Flat, blanket, space blankets, cash, hats, bandanas, golf umbrellas, pocket-size copy of SAS Survival Guide, truck gun (unloaded, but with side saddles filled and a full grab-and-go), drinking water, rain jacket, DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer of appropriate states, FAA Sectional Charts (the maps that pilots use) covering the same area, Mainstay and SOS food bars, leather gloves waterproofed with SnoSeal, a 12VDC-to-120VAC inverter. Tire chains and a shovel are added during the winter or when planning travel over mountain passes. I carry a manual bicycle pump on long journeys – slow but effective. I keep a trigger lock which I apply to the truck gun before dropping the vehicle for service and remove the lock after service. At other times, locking of the vehicle is the firearm security. The firearm is always stored out of sight.

Should abandoning our home become a reality the SUV is equipped with roof racks and Class 3 hitch receiver. There is a Yakima roof-top cargo box to mount on the roof racks for carrying supplies. The to-do list includes purchasing a basket-style hitch cargo carrier in which four GI fuel cans 20 liter would be carried. I did a little research and decided to purchase new fuel cans, not surplus. New is more expensive than surplus, but I did not want to end up with a leaky fuel can. I purchased the cans at www.jerrycan.com.

There is a fuel transfer hand pump (sort of like a small bicycle pump but specifically designed for gasoline and with suction/discharge hoses) with which I could remove gasoline from the sedan and place in the fuel cans to provide extended range for the SUV. The specific fuel transfer hand pump I purchased doesn’t seem to be available any more. Make certain that any pump you purchase for this purpose is rated specifically for gasoline. I see similar pumps currently available on Amazon from Cole-Parmer and Koehler Enterprises.Continue reading“An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 4, by Rocket J. Squirrel”

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 tension between police and rioters.

Poll: Most Reject Defunding Police

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Rasmussen Poll: Most Reject Calls for Defunding Police.

Siri and Alexa “Updated” to Promote Black Lives Matter

Another from Whatfinger: Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant have been updated to express support for Black Lives Matter. JWR’s Comments: While confirming that, ask Alexa its definitions of the words: “Socialism”, “Marriage”, and “Militia”.  My advice: Get these spy/propaganda devices out of your home, and use them for target practice.

The Journalists’ Purge of 2020

Peter sent us the link to this troubling piece, in The Wall Street Journal: Cancel Culture Journalism. This article begins:

“The purge of senior editors at progressive newspapers this weekend is no cause for cheering. Their resignations are another milestone in the march of identity politics and cancel culture through our liberal institutions, and American journalism and democracy will be worse for it.

The long-time editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who’d seen the publication through difficult times, was pushed out over a headline, “Buildings Matter, Too.” It was atop a piece by architecture critic Inga Saffron, who worried that buildings damaged by violence could “leave a gaping hole in the heart of Philadelphia.” Staff members deemed the headline an offense to Black Lives Matter. They protested, and no amount of apologizing or changes to the headline were enough. Editor Stan Wischnowski didn’t last the week.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

3

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” – Matt. 11: 1-15(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 13, 2020

7

On June 13, 1983, after more than a decade in space, Pioneer 10– the world’s first outer-planetary probe– left the solar system. The next day, it radioed back its first scientific data on interstellar space.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 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 (an $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, which 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 89 ends on July 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.

An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 3, by Rocket J. Squirrel

17

(Continued from Part 2.)

For my rifles, I stocked up on 10-round detachable magazines, stripper clips, and en bloc clips. For those of you still oppressed in Kalifornia, and if you missed the opportunity during “Freedom Week” in March/April 2019 to legally purchase 30-round standard capacity magazines then here is an idea to consider – I purchased magazine parts kits. All they do is remove the floor plate from standard magazines. If bad things happened, I could assemble the kits and load the standard capacity magazines. Based on reliability reviews of various magazine brands, I selected 20 round magazine kits for both the M1A (M14, GI surplus) and Mini-14 (ProMag).

Another idea that might be less expensive than a parts kit is to purchase full capacity magazines and have them shipped to someone you know out of state. On your next visit out-of-state, disassemble the magazines then take the parts home. MagPul 30-round PMAGs go on sale for $8 each with free shipping every once in a while at Palmetto State Armory. (Thank you again, Mr. Rawles, for all of your deal tips in the blog.) I stocked up on PMAGs now that I have escaped Kalifornia.

I purchased ammunition to feed the firearms. I even purchased some additional 9mm and .45 ACP for barter. Each firearm has some type of web gear for the loaded magazines or en bloc clips. Olongapo Outfitters has some great grab-and-go gear as well as side saddles for the M1 Garand, shotgun and magazine-fed platforms. Some Garand cartridge belts are on the wish list. The web gear and magazines/clips for each firearm need to be better organized by firearm for quick access. For the budget conscious, you can purchase surplus World War I grenade carriers, Chinese chest rigs and replica cartridge belts that have appropriate size pockets for your magazines or loaded clips. But it seems that the prices of surplus have risen and are now on par with newly manufactured items.Continue reading“An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 3, by Rocket J. Squirrel”

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:

I had a fairly quiet week, traveling out of state. Here,  I’m helping an elderly relative, and gathering antique gun inventory.  This week, I was able to procure only two antique revolvers. The pickings are slim. Watching some recent auctions, it is almost frightening to see prices escalate. The law of supply and demand is inescapable. The supply of pre-1899 guns is frozen (and in fact declining, with wear and tear), yet there are constantly more new collectors and shooters who reach the age of majority. Thus, demand is increasing. My new inventory will be listed at Elk Creek Company around July 1st, to coincide with my return to the Rawles Ranch, and re-opening my biz. Note that ordering with the Shopping Cart system will be turned off until July 1st, but you can still add guns to your wish list, or e-mail me to reserve any particular gun, in your name.

I finished my SUV bumper re-painting project.  It was time-consuming, but satisfying to see the end result.

I’ve found the time for plenty of exercise. Apart from my regular Bible reading, I’ve been delving into the biographical book Revolver — on the life of Samuel Colt.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!” – Habukkuk 2:1-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 12, 2020

4

On June 12, 1987, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 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 (an $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, which 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 89 ends on July 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.

An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 2, by Rocket J. Squirrel

17

(Continued from Part 1.)

There is a DeWalt 6 kW generator with a Honda gasoline engine that was purchased used. The local Stihl dealer gave it a tune up. Spare spark plugs are kept in the tool box. I have very limited gasoline storage but do have a tri-fuel kit. The tri-fuel kit from www.uscarb.com enables the generator to use gasoline, propane, or natural gas for fuel. Make certain you buy the kit which matches your specific engine model. I need to get the kit installed as well as the natural gas fittings for our current home. Natural gas may have better availability than gasoline in a longer term grid down situation. This would be especially true for a localized power outage due to a short-term disaster such as a wind storm or hurricane. This is because most natural gas transmission pipelines now use gas turbine-driven compressors fueled by the natural gas in the pipeline rather than electric motor drivers.

It is unsafe and illegal in many jurisdictions to connect your portable generator to your house circuitry without a transfer switch. The transfer switch disconnects the wiring in your house from the utility distribution system. This is to avoid electrocuting/killing the power company linemen during a power outage. Yes, your little portable generator could do that. Without the transfer switch you will have long cords running to your refrigerator from the generator which needs to be located outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning of your family. I recently ran across an elegant, significantly lower cost solution compared to a traditional transfer switch set-up. Installing a GenerLink Meter Mounted Transfer Switch (includes a 20’ cord) is now on the to-do list. Home Depot has the lowest price ($650) I have found. I will have to get permission from the utility company to install it since the meter seal has to be broken for installation. Hire an electrician to do the installation. If you live in the Great White North, a generator with transfer switch will enable you to run the fan on your furnace during a power outage if you do not have a wood stove for heat. You obviously still need natural gas or propane to run your furnace in addition to the power for the fan.Continue reading“An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 2, by Rocket J. Squirrel”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

21

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 recent stock market rallies. Be warned: These stock market rallies are irrationally exuberant. (See the Equities section.)

Precious Metals:

Summer doldrums? Precious Metals Sector Correction Starts As Risk On And Seasonal Factors Weigh

o  o  o

Money managers hike bullish silver positioning but scale back in gold

Economy & Finance:

In the WSJ: U.S. Economy Faces Long Recovery From Coronavirus Effects, Experts Say

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: California Faces “Financial Collapse” As It Moves To Allow Businesses To Walk Away From Commercial Leases

o  o  o

Neil Irwin, in The New York Times: Don’t Lose the Thread. The Economy Is Experiencing an Epic Collapse of Demand.

o  o  o

Why People Are Hoarding Cash in the Coronavirus Panic

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Rents in the Most Expensive Cities Drop. Oil Patch Gets Hit Too. But Massive Gains in Other Cities

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 11, 2020

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John Wayne, the iconic American film actor, died on June 11th, 1979. While John Wayne is probably best known for his westerns like True Grit, The Shootist, and Fort Apache, we remember him most for his roles in The Alamo and The Green Berets, both of which reflected his patriotic, conservative leanings.

—

The Theater of the Absurd in Seattle, Washington is morphing, daily.  The latest news is that a 7-block district has been declared the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). The Seattle Police Department meekly and obligingly evacuated and abandoned a precinct police station, leaving these communist hooligans to strut around by themselves. I suspect that this will end a lot like the Occupy Wall Street protests, but the undertones are clear and the precedent-setting implications are considerable. I’m calling out these revolutionaries for what they are: Petulant, spoiled, Maoist Man-Children that have Delusions of Adequacy. And I have coined a name for them: CHAZanistas.  Watch closely, folks. This is Seattle Tragicomedy, at its finest.

I should also mention that these socialist shenanigans illustrate just how divided Western Washington is, culturally and politically from those who live East of The Cascades. The CHAZ is just one more reason for Eastern Washington to partition to become the State of Liberty. Now that would be a legitimate geographic delineation!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 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 (an $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, which 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 89 ends on July 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.

An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 1, by Rocket J. Squirrel

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What prompted me to begin preparing? I am not certain if there was one specific trigger. I’d like to share my journey to becoming “more” prepared? If you have recently realized that you need to be prepared to take care of your family, your community and your country in the event that really bad things happen, then hopefully my journey will encourage you. Maybe not, since it has taken me so long. I am still on the journey, still learning, still implementing new things about which I learn. My perspective continues to change.

My beautiful bride and I are not retreat owners, we live in the suburbs. I have accepted that I need to be ready where I am, as we presently have no place to which we can bug out. As Mr. Rawles points out, bugging out is far from the ideal scenario as it will be filled with potential dangers. I look forward to the day when we can move away from the crowds to the mountains that we love so much; maybe the Sierra Nevada Mountains, maybe the Rocky Mountains, or maybe a property will become available on The Unnamed River. Until that day, I will do my best, here in this part of God’s Country.

One purpose in my writing is to share the choices that I have made with those who may be just starting on your preparedness journey. This is a summary of many complex subjects. There are so many choices to make when you start preparing, and so many conflicting opinions about which is the best option. Some think they have to get everything done now, once the preparedness floodgates have been opened. This can be overwhelming.

What should be the first priority – other than everything? What is the best solution for water storage, ammunition caliber, etc.? Implementing only the “best” solution can be a roadblock to action. Know that making a reasonable choice and implementing that choice is better than endless research and a lack of action. Accept the fact that as you learn more, your opinion on what you have implemented may change. It is okay to change your mind. If you change your mind then adjust your plans, your equipment and your training as you see fit.Continue reading“An Old Boy Scout’s Journey – Part 1, by Rocket J. Squirrel”