The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“All States are governed by a ruling class that is a minority of the population, and which subsists as a parasitic and exploitative burden upon the rest of society. Since its rule is exploitative and parasitic, the State must purchase the alliance of a group of “Court Intellectuals,” whose task is to bamboozle the public into accepting and celebrating the rule of its particular State. The Court Intellectuals have their work cut out for them. In exchange for their continuing work of apologetics and bamboozlement, the Court Intellectuals win their place as junior partners in the power, prestige, and loot extracted by the State apparatus from the deluded public. The noble task of Revisionism is to de-bamboozle: to penetrate the fog of lies and deception of the State and its Court Intellectuals, and to present to the public the true history of the motivation, the nature, and the consequences of State activity. By working past the fog of State deception to penetrate to the truth, to the reality behind the false appearances, the Revisionist works to delegitimize, to desanctify, the State in the eyes of the previously deceived public.” – Murray N. Rothbard

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 16, 2019

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December 16th is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, in 1773.

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And December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of Philip K. Dick, who died March 2, 1982. He penned a remarkable number of sci-fi novels and novellas that have been adapted into movies, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor, Minority Report, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and The Adjustment Bureau. Though he had a troubled personal life (with drug use and several failed marriages), his captivating books certainly had a knack for envisioning potential futures.

Group Industries Uzi 9mm Carbine, by Pat Cascio

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The Uzi submachinegun has a very long history, and you can read all you want about this outstanding sub machine gun, on the ‘net – be advised, there is a lot of history behind this gun, and worldwide usage as well. However, I’ll give some background on the Uzi submachinegun, for our readers, and then some history on civilian semi-auto versions on the Uzi – both licensed and unlicensed copies.

The Uzi was designed in the late 1940s by Captain (later Major) Uziel “Uzi” Gal.  As was noted in the blog,  yesterday was his birthday. He was born December 15, 1923, in Weimar, Germany. He would be 93, if he were still living, but he passed away of 2002. His birth name was Gotthard Glas. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 his family moved first to England and later, in 1936, to Kibbutz Yagur in the British Mandate of Palestine, where he changed his name to Uziel Gal.

Most readers are familiar with the Uzi SMG, as it has been seen in many movies, and because of its use in conflicts in Israel and around the world. Make no mistake, the Uzi sub gun was designed to be a military weapon. It is build tank tough, and it can take a beating. However, many police departments adopted the Uzi over the years, even though it is heavy, coming it at 7.7 pounds, on average. But the original Uzi was full auto and designed for war, plain and simple.

The first prototype Uzi SMG came out in 1950. It was officially adopted by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in 1954. Initially it was only issued to their Special Forces groups. Later, the Uzi was general issue, and mainly issued to rear echelon military personnel – much like our own M1 Carbine was, during WW2. The original Uzi was made by IMI – Israeli Military Industries, and anyone the least bit familiar with IMI will know they are famous for turning out some of the best military weapons in the world.

The 9mm Uzi SMG is no longer general issue in Israel, because of the advent of more recent designs that are lighter in weight. Israel has also followed the trend away from pistol caliber carbines and SMGs, and toward small, high velocity rifle cartridges, for their versatility. However, the Uzi is still being used in the IDF for certain missions, and there are hundreds of thousands of them still held as war reserves.

Since the inception of the Uzi SMG, it has been adopted by at least 90 countries throughout the world. Our own US Secret Service used to carry them in either shoulder holsters, or concealed in specially designed brief cases, so they could protect the President of the USA.  You may recall, when (then) President Ronald Reagan was shot, that there was a photo of a Secret Service Agent, who had his Uzi in-hand in a split second.Continue reading“Group Industries Uzi 9mm Carbine, by Pat Cascio”

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 crude oil demand. (See the Commodities section.)

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: QE Or Not QE? Here Is The Market’s Answer In One Simple Chart. Here is a an excerpt:

“The upshot to this attempt to mislead the market what it is doing according to Bank of America, is that:

  1. the Fed is continuing to “ease” even though rate cuts are now on hold, which is supportive of growth, higher interest rates and higher equities, and
  2. the Fed is loosening financial conditions by increasing the availability of, and lowering the cost of, leverage, which broadly supports asset prices potentially at the cost of increasing systemic financial risk.

And while we have repeatedly argued why we think that, stripped of all its semantic veneer, the Fed’s latest asset purchase program is, in fact, QE, BofA effectively confirmed why we are right.

Which brings up a tangential, if just as important question: Why is the Fed so concerned about not signaling QE, and why are so many Fed fanboys desperate to parrot whatever Powell is saying day after day? Simply said, there are several reasons why the Fed is making a great effort to let the world know that its security purchases are not QE and are not reflective of any change in monetary policy stance.”

o  o  o

And t Wolf Street: Another Negative-Interest-Rate Central Bank Laments What Negative Interest Rates Have Wrought

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Recipe of the Week: Vitality Soup

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This week’s recipe is for Vitality Soup. It should appeal to lacto-vegetarians who consume milk and butter. It is a recipe excerpted from the scarce book Nine Hundred Successful Recipes, by Lulu Thompson Silvernail. This book, from my own book collection, was published in 1923. A recent change in U.S. copyright law now puts most pre-1925 books in the public domain. This entire recipe book will be just part of the more than 4,000 pages of bonus content that is being added to the SurvivalBlog archive waterproof USB stick that will be offered in January, 2020.

Ingredients
  • 1 large potato, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 celery heart or equal to it
  • 1 cup cabbage, chopped
  • 1 Iarge turnip, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons rice
  • 3 tablespoons barley
  • 1 can of peas
  • 2 cups rlch milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • SaIt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
Directions
  1. In a large stew pot, boil all the ingredients except the milk and butter together until mushy, keeping just enough water on them to keep from burning.
  2. When this is cooked down thick, strain through a colander.
  3. Return the strained mixture to your stew pot.
  4. Combine with the milk and butter.
  5. Return to stove to boil for 3 minutes.

SERVING

Serve hot.

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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!

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 15, 2019

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The 15th of December, 1923, was the birthday of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas). According to Wikipedia, he was “…born in Weimar, Germany. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 he moved first to England and later, in 1936, to Kibbutz Yagur in the British Mandate of Palestine where he changed his name to Uziel Gal. In 1943, he was arrested for illegally carrying a gun and sentenced to six years in prison. However, he was pardoned and released in 1946, serving less than half of his sentence.” He is, of course, remembered as the inventor of the famous Uzi submachine gun and the short-lived Ruger MP9 (an improvement to the Uzi).

Uziel Gal is not to be confused with Israel Galili, the chief weapons designer for Israeli Military Industries (IMI), who along with Yaacov Lior designed the Galil improvement to the AK-47.

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December 15th is also Bill of Rights Day. (The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia.) We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud.  Another way to celebrate Bill of Rights Day: Go buy another battle rifle. Preferably one without any paper trail. Pay cash. Bring it home. Zero it. Clean it. Lube it. And find a good dry, well-hidden place to tuck it away. Odds are, you’ll need to make use of it before the year 2030.

Frederic Bastiat’s The Law – Part 6

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(Part 6 of 6. Please be sure to share this lengthy essay with your children, nieces, and nephews. Thanks. – JWR)

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The Enormous Power of Government

As long as these ideas prevail, it is clear that the responsibility of government is enormous. Good fortune and bad fortune, wealth and destitution, equality and inequality, virtue and vice—all then depend upon political administration. It is burdened with everything, it undertakes everything, it does everything; therefore it is responsible for everything.

If we are fortunate, then government has a claim to our gratitude; but if we are unfortunate, then government must bear the blame. For are not our persons and property now at the disposal of government? Is not the law omnipotent?

In creating a monopoly of education, the government must answer to the hopes of the fathers of families who have thus been deprived of their liberty; and if these hopes are shattered, whose fault is it?

In regulating industry, the government has contracted to make it prosper; otherwise it is absurd to deprive industry of its liberty. And if industry now suffers, whose fault is it?

In meddling with the balance of trade by playing with tariffs, the government thereby contracts to make trade prosper; and if this results in destruction instead of prosperity, whose fault is it?

In giving protection instead of liberty to the industries for defense, the government has contracted to make them profitable; and if they become a burden to the taxpayers, whose fault is it?

Thus there is not a grievance in the nation for which the government does not voluntarily make itself responsible. Is it surprising, then, that every failure increases the threat of another revolution in France?

And what remedy is proposed for this? To extend indefinitely the domain of the law; that is, the responsibility of government.

But if the government undertakes to control and to raise wages, and cannot do it; if the government undertakes to care for all who may be in want, and cannot do it; if the government undertakes to support all unemployed workers, and cannot do it; if the government undertakes to lend interest-free money to all borrowers, and cannot do it; if, in these words that we regret to say escaped from the pen of Mr. de Lamartine, “The state considers that its purpose is to enlighten, to develop, to enlarge, to strengthen, to spiritualize, and to sanctify the soul of the people”—and if the government cannot do all of these things, what then? Is it not certain that after every government failure—which, alas! is more than probable—there will be an equally inevitable revolution?Continue reading“Frederic Bastiat’s The Law – Part 6”

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 Biometric Scanning.

DHS Backs Off on Mandatory Face Scans

R.J. sent this: DHS Wanted To Add US Citizens To The Long List Of People Subjected To Mandatory Face Scans At Airports… But Has Backed Down For Now. The article begins:

“We knew the DHS would get to this point eventually. Since the beginning of its biometric scanning program rollout, the DHS has planned on adding US citizens to the list of people forced to trade their faces for air travel privileges. So far, the program has been limited to suspicious foreigners (which is all of them, including those here on visas), but a recent filing — caught by Zack Whittaker at TechCrunch — says flying in the United States would soon require adding yourself to the government’s facial recognition databases.”

Tesla in Autopilot Mode Strikes Again

State police cruiser struck by Tesla in autopilot mode on I-95 in Norwalk

Here is a quote:

“A state police cruiser was struck by a Tesla in autopilot mode Saturday morning on I-95 in Norwalk, said police.

Police say the crash happened in the early morning hours just north of Exit 15.

Troopers out of Troop G responded to a disabled vehicle in the left center lane of the highway, officials said.

Police say the troopers had their emergency lights activated and flares behind the cruisers.

As the troopers were waiting for a tow truck for the disabled vehicle a Tesla Model 3 crashed into the back of one of the cruisers.

The Tesla also hit the disabled vehicle.

The driver of the Tesla told police his car was in autopilot while he was checking on his dog in the back seat just before the crash.

Police say the driver was given a misdemeanor summons for Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangerment.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.

And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” – Mark 7:14-37 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 14, 2019

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December 14th is the birthday of the late John Warren Wadleigh (born 1927, died September 24, 2013). Wadleigh was better known to many SurvivalBlog readers by his pen name– Oliver Lange. He was the author of the best-selling resistance warfare novel Vandenberg.

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This is also the birthday of Air Force General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, who died September 27, 1993.

Frederic Bastiat’s The Law – Part 5

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(Part 5 of 6)

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What Is Liberty?

Actually, what is the political struggle that we witness? It is the instinctive struggle of all people toward liberty. And what is this liberty, whose very name makes the heart beat faster and shakes the world? Is it not the union of all liberties—liberty of conscience, of education, of association, of the press, of travel, of labor, of trade? In short, is not liberty the freedom of every person to make full use of his faculties, so long as he does not harm other persons while doing so? Is not liberty the destruction of all despotism—including, of course, legal despotism? Finally, is not liberty the restricting of the law only to its rational sphere of organizing the right of the individual to lawful self- defense; of punishing injustice?

It must be admitted that the tendency of the human race toward liberty is largely thwarted, especially in France. This is greatly due to a fatal desire—learned from the teachings of antiquity—that our writers on public affairs have in common: They desire to set themselves above mankind in order to arrange, organize, and regulate it according to their fancy.

Philanthropic Tyranny

While society is struggling toward liberty, these famous men who put themselves at its head are filled with the spirit of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They think only of subjecting mankind to the philanthropic tyranny of their own social inventions. Like Rousseau, they desire to force mankind docilely to bear this yoke of the public welfare that they have dreamed up in their own imaginations.

This was especially true in 1789. No sooner was the old regime destroyed than society was subjected to still other artificial arrangements, always starting from the same point: the omnipotence of the law.

Listen to the ideas of a few of the writers and politicians during that period:

SAINT-JUST: “The legislator commands the future. It is for him to will the good of mankind. It is for him to make men what he wills them to be.”

ROBESPIERRE: “The function of government is to direct the physical and moral powers of the nation toward the end for which the commonwealth has come into being.”

BILLAUD-VARENNES: “A people who are to be returned to liberty must be formed anew. A strong force and vigorous action are necessary to destroy old prejudices, to change old customs, to correct depraved affections, to restrict superfluous wants, and to destroy ingrained vices…. Citizens, the inexible austerity of Lycurgus created the firm foundation of the Spartan republic. The weak and trusting character of Solon plunged Athens into slavery. This parallel embraces the whole science of government.”

LE PELLETIER: “Considering the extent of human degradation, I am convinced that it is necessary to effect a total regeneration and, if I may so express myself, of creating a new people.”

The Socialists Want Dictatorship

Again, it is claimed that persons are nothing but raw material. It is not for them to will their own improvement; they are incapable of it. According to Saint-Just, only the legislator is capable of doing this. Persons are merely to be what the legislator wills them to be. According to Robespierre, who copies Rousseau literally, the legislator begins by decreeing the end for which the commonwealth has come into being. Once this is determined, the government has only to direct the physical and moral forces of the nation toward that end. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the nation are to remain completely passive. And according to the teachings of Billaud- Varennes, the people should have no prejudices, no affections, and no desires except those authorized by the legislator. He even goes so far as to say that the inflexible austerity of one man is the foundation of a republic.Continue reading“Frederic Bastiat’s The Law – Part 5”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week, while traveling, I bought another e-bike, in mountain bike configuration.  I also managed to find another antique rifle, for my mailorder inventory. I’ve also had a LOT of writing and editing to do.

Although I’m essentially pinned down here, helping an elderly relative, I’m making good use of my time. For example, I’m getting plenty of daily exercise.  I’m also writing extra blog posts, to be ready for the end of the year. If I “work ahead” and get the blog written 10 or 12 days in advance, it will give Hugh Latimer enough time to prepare the annual archive early. The goal is to have the waterproof archive USB sticks orderable by the 10th of January.  This year it will have more than 4,000 pages of additional bonus material. These are some pre-1925 books on practical topics that I had professionally scanned.

Update: As of Friday evening, there is now enough snow at the Rawles Ranch to get  back to cross-country skiing!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.

But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.

And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.

Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.

And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.

And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.

My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.

So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.

And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.

And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.

And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;

Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work.

And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.” – 1 Kings 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 13, 2019

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After spending nine months on the run, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured on December 13, 2003. During his 24 years in office, Saddam’s secret police, charged with protecting his power, terrorized the public, ignoring the human rights of the nation’s citizens. While many of his people faced poverty, he lived in incredible luxury, building more than 20 lavish palaces throughout the country. It was fitting that, in the end, he was hiding in nothing more than a hole in the ground covered by plywood.

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December 13th is also the birthday of Sergeant Alvin York.