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”.

Bailing Out of New Jersey

This was an interesting read: People Are Leaving New Jersey In Insanely High Numbers. (Thanks to DSV for the link.)

A Ghostgunner Can Now Also Mill Polymer 80 Frames

Defense Distributed just announced that they’ve released the jigs and software for completing Polymer 80 Glock 19 clone pistol frames on a Ghostgunner compact CNC milling machine. This makes a Ghostgunner even more versatile. I expect that still more software and jigs will be added for completing other Polymer 80 variants in the months to come. And then later, who knows?  Perhaps a jig and software for SIG P320 80% trigger groups. That would be a dream come true.

Learn Hog Butchering in Georgia

On the first Saturday in February each year, the Old South Farm Museum in Woodland, Georgia puts on a live, old fashioned  “Hog Killin” and butchering demonstration that also includes classes on curing and smoking meat.  Vendors also cook traditional southern recipes that use pork and pork products, using only wood fires and cast iron cauldrons.

People from all over Georgia and surrounding states come to see this demonstration each year.  It’s an invaluable source of information that can be used to become more self-sufficient on a small farm or homestead. Here is a map, showing the event location. And here is a link to a video. (Editor’s Note on the video: “Viewer Discretion Advised.”)  Thanks to reader Tim J. for the information.

Private 58 Acre Deer Farm with Bunker in Kentucky

I just heard about this captivating new list at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off web site: Private Deer Farm in Kentucky. Log home on 58 acres with barn and bunker.  Here is a quote:  “Location for Privacy! Handcrafted super insulated log home with 2 finished bedrooms, loft and roughed in 3rd bedroom with utilities for an additional bathroom. This farm boasts 58 + surveyed acres with nice concrete floored barn with roughed in apt. or office. High speed internet in house & barn. Bunker also has phone jack, electric & septic…”

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Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio

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“One gorgeous folder” aptly describes the Cold Steel Storm Cloud. It is one tough, but lightweight folding knife. It is one that you might want to add to your collection.

When new knives come to my attention, and I think it is something our readers will really like, I request a sample. This folder from Cold Steel Knives, the Storm Cloud, really caught my eye when I first saw it. Only “bad” thing with many Cold Steel products is, supply seems to outstrip supply – and folks have to wait.

I put in a request for the Storm Cloud, as soon as I spied it on the Cold Steel web site, only to learn that it was out of stock. So, the months rolled by, and still no Storm Cloud from Cold Steel. Did my buddy, Lynn Thompson, forget about me and my request? Nah, not likely – he passed my request along to someone who was supposed to handle this sort of thing, and that person never sent me the sample. That person is no longer with Cold Steel for other reasons. As soon as I alerted Mr. Thompson to the fact that I hadn’t received the Storm Cloud, he looked into it, and let me know one was on the way.

Specifications

Let’s take a real close look at the Storm Cloud. First of all, it has a 3.5-inch blade made out of one of the hi-tech stainless steels called CPM20CV, and the blade’s thickness is 3mm – a bit thinner than some similar Cold Steel folders I’ve tested, but stay with me on this. The knife only weighs 3.6-oz – we are talking very light-weight, for a knife of this size. The handle is a little more than four and a half inches in length, and the handle scales are made out of G10, with a Carbon Fiber overlay. Wait? What did I just say? Yeah, you read that right – it is two hi-tech materials, laminated together. G10 is known to be almost bullet proof – and Carbon Fiber is also tough, but known for its beauty as well. No matter how hard I looked at these two materials, laminated into one, I could not see where they were joined together. Wow!

Continue reading“Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Potato Cream Soup

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Introductory Notes:

This is a favorite recipe for winter-time. I often pick out a basic recipe and then adapt it to what I want and like.  I am not an exact science person when it comes to cooking and definitive measurements of anything. So I will do my best when giving you approximate measurements for the ingredients I use.  Please feel free to adapt all of my recipes to your own taste.

I have included a concluding note about food intolerances, as optional reading.

 

Ingredients

3 quarts of Beef Bone Broth (Prepared in advance, see below.)

8 medium potatoes, chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 heaping Tablespoon of ground garlic

1 Can (13-Ounce) of Coconut Milk (I use Native Forest brand)

Himalayan salt, to taste

Pepper, only if desired

 

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Potato Cream Soup”

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Antique Barometers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Wow!  On Friday morning, spot gold spiked to near $1,300 USD per Troy ounce:  Gold Solidly Up, At Session High, As USDX Hits Daily Low. Gold closed at $1302.60 on Friday.  All eyes will be on spot gold, on Monday morning.

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Palladium Is Now The Most Valuable Precious Metal

 

Global Economy:

Big Exporters are Losing It: US Manufacturing Gains. Germany, Japan, China not so Lucky

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Next, at Wolf Street: Record Defaults by Chinese Companies: Fake “Cash” & Fake Accounting

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As Investors Flee Australia’s Housing Bust, Sales of New Houses Plunge to Record Low.  JWR’s Comment: Many markets in the English-speaking world tend to move in harmony. Consider yourself warned.

 

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Something must be done, and that speedily, to bridge the widening chasm between the Executive and the Congress. Our experience with President Wilson has demonstrated this. As a self-centered autocrat, confident of himself and suspicious of others, hostile to advice or discussion, he became the absolute master of the Congress while his party was in the majority. The Congress, instead of being a co-ordinate branch, was really in session only to accept, adopt and put into laws the imperious will of the president. When, however, the majority changed, there being no confidence between the executive and the legislative branch of the government, the necessary procedure was almost paralyzed. The president was unyielding and the Congress insisted upon the recognition of its constitutional rights. Even if the president is, as McKinley was, in close and frequent touch with the Senate and the House of Representatives, the relation is temporary and unequal, and not what it out to be, automatic. Happily we have started a budget system; but the Cabinet should have seats on the floor of the Houses, and authority to answer questions and participate in debates.” – Senator Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834 – April 5, 1928), My Memories of Eighty Years

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – January 27, 2019

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Today is the birthday of singer-songwriter Kate Wolf (born 1942, died December 10, 1986.)  Her untimely death at age 44 of leukemia cut short an amazing career and deprived America of a great songwriting talent.

This is also the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006). She was a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho.

January 27th is also commemorated at International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

Retreat Down Time, by K. R.

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Dreary Days

There will be days, depending on where you live, where you will experience days of rain, snow, or other weather phenomena that will relegate you and your family to being inside the house. You could spend this retreat down time time mending clothes, sharpening tools, canning, or planning for when the weather allows you back outside. If you have children, this indoor time could elevate the stresses they may be feeling due to the dramatic changes in their lives. Life without electricity, without a cellphone signal, and without an Internet connection. This will be especially hard for children learning to live a tech-free life. What are your plans for these dreary days?

Mini-Library

Often overlooked survival items are the things that allow us to enjoy down time with the family. Everyone needs a break now and then. If yours is a family of readers, a nice library can be accumulated for very little money. Garage sales usually have a wide variety of books for all age groups. While you are there to buy blankets, clothing, and tools, pick up a few books to read. You can also get them cheap at Amazon and at many online discount book sites. Here are some quick online sources:

Note:  Always look below the main listed book price on Amazon for other sellers offering used copies at discount prices.

Amazon Prime ships for free and many discounters offers prices low enough to acquire several books for minimal cost. Personally, I will also always have a Bible nearby. If you will be able to power a Kindle or your laptop, you can download e-books inexpensively or for free. Just holding a Kindle might be the methadone type of treatment your kids need as they wake up to their new post-cell-phone world.

Continue reading“Retreat Down Time, by K. R.”

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”. Today, there is an emphasis on anti-gun legislation at the state level. Whilst fighting gun legislation at the federal level, don’t  lose track of the attacks at the state level!  The following is just a sampling. Mikey Bloomberg has unleashed his war chest. Keep a close eye on legislation in your own state, and write your legislators –both State and Federal–frequently!

Illinois: State Gun Dealer Licensing

Reader DSV suggested this: Illinois Governor Pritzker Signs Gun Dealer Licensing Bill.  This is a horrible legislation that will drive most of the few remaining Mom and Pop dealers out of business. I recommend that freedom-loving folks living in the Land of Lincoln make plans to bail out of that state, soon!Oregon

More Proposed Gun Laws in Oregon

Here is a summary of what is happening Oregon: Gun control bills up for debate in Oregon’s 2019 legislative session. Not content with New Jersey’s precedent of tightening the screws down from 15 rounds to 10 rounds, in Oregon, the Democrats are demanding a magazine limit of 5 rounds!

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Here is a full list of the pending bills, at the Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF) web site: 2019 Firearms Legislation. By the way, I strongly encourage all SurvivalBlog readers who live in Oregon to join the OFF.  

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.” – Acts 15:1-21 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – January 26, 2019

January 26th, 1945 is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet Army. Established in 1941, Auschwitz was composed of a group of three large camps and 40 smaller camps used for slave labor, unethical medical experiments, and monstrous killing grounds where prisoners were gassed and cremated. As the Soviets headed for Auschwitz, the German Gestapo began a murder spree and began destroying the facility in an attempt to hide the evidence of their crimes. When the Soviets arrived, they encountered 648 corpses and more than 7,000 starving camp survivors along with storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of dresses, suits, and shoes that the Germans did not have time to burn.

Guest Post: Will Globalists Sacrifice the Dollar to Get Their ‘New World Order’?, by Brandon Smith

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following article original appeared at the excellent Alt-Market blog, and is re-posted with permission. Brandon Smith’s economic and geopolitical analysis is usually spot on. I recommend bookmarking his site and checking it often. – JWR

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Trade is a fundamental element of human survival. No one person can produce every single product or service necessary for a comfortable life, no matter how Spartan their attitude. Unless your goal is to desperately scratch an existence from your local terrain with no chance of progress in the future, you are going to need a network of other producers. For most of the history of human civilization, production was the basis for economy. All other elements were secondary.

At some point, as trade grows and thrives, a society is going to start looking for a store of value; something that represents the man-hours and effort and ingenuity a person put into their day. Something that is universally accepted within barter networks, something highly prized, that is tangible, that can be held in our hands and is impossible to replicate artificially. Enter precious metals.

Thus, the concept of “money” was born, and for the most part it functioned quite well for thousands of years. Unfortunately, there are people in our world that see economy as a tool for control rather than a vital process that should be left alone to develop naturally.

The idea of “fiat money”, money which has no tangibility and that can be created on a whim by a central source or authority, is rather new in the grand scheme of things. It is a bastardization of the original and much more stable money system that existed before that was anchored in hard commodities. While it claims to offer a more “liquid” store of value, the truth is that it is no store of value at all.

Purveyors of fiat, central banks and globalists, use ever increasing debt as a means to feed fiat, not to mention the hidden tax of price inflation. When central bankers get a hold of money, it is no longer a representation of work or value, but a system of enslavement that crushes our ability to produce effectively and to receive fair returns for our labor.

There are many people today in the liberty movement that understand this dynamic, but even in alternative economic circles there are some that do not understand the full picture when it comes to central banks and fiat mechanisms. There is a false notion that paper currencies are the life blood of the establishment and that they will seek to protect these currencies at all costs. This might have been true 20 years ago or more, but it is not true today. Things change.

The king of this delusion is the US dollar. As the world reserve currency it is thought by some to be “untouchable”, a pillar of the globalist structure that will be defended for many decades to come. The reality, however, is that the dollar is nothing more than another con game on paper to the globalists; a farce that they are happy to sacrifice in order to further their goals of complete centralization of world trade and therefore the complete centralization of control over human survival.

That is to say, the dollar is a stepping stone for them, nothing more.

The real goal of the globalists is an economic system in which they can monitor every transaction no matter how small; a system in which there is eventually only one currency, a currency that can be tracked, granted or taken away at a moment’s notice. Imagine a world in which your “store of value” is subject to constant scrutiny by a bureaucratic monstrosity, and there is no way to hide from them by using private trade as a backstop. Imagine a world in which you cannot hold your money in your hand, and access to your money can be denied with the push of a button if you step out of line. This is what the globalists really desire.

Continue reading“Guest Post: Will Globalists Sacrifice the Dollar to Get Their ‘New World Order’?, by Brandon Smith”

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. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

It was a pleasant week at the Rawles Ranch. Between a few snow showers, we had the opportunity to do some hiking and cross country skiing. Late in the week I took a break from writing and did some snow plowing. I even had time to do some snow shoveling, reorganize the garage, and carry a few things down to Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR). Sorry, but no photos of JASBORR–a.k.a. The Fleidermaus Grotte–are available, for OPSEC reasons.

This past week we received another batch of forwarded Snail Mail. There were several envelopes with subscription donations for the Ten Cent Challenge. It was also gratifying to see that more than 500 of the 2005-2018 SurvivalBlog Archive waterproof USB sticks were sold in just the first week of sales. I was told that the first increment of those orders were packaged and mailed out on Friday. By the way, I should mention that the family that is handling order fulfillment for us again this year operates as a home-based business. I think it is great that we can partner with folks who live the same lifestyle. Just like us, they do not want to be tied up in the corporate rat race.

To both the Ten Cent Challenge subscribers and to those who ordered USB sticks, my sincere thanks!

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
This week we did our regular winter home schooling, chores, skiing, hiking and writing. In addition, I watched a whole slew of videos by a young woman with the trail name Dixie. She hiked the three major hiking trails of the United States during the past four years: The Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. Her web site is called Homemade Wanderlust. In her videos she talks about her gear, food, water, itineraries, and experiences of these hikes.  Her photography and advice is excellent, very professional, very authentic, and down to earth.

During my high school and college years I did do some backpacking trips.  I’ve wanted to do them again, but during the past 8 years I have been helping Jim develop our homestead, gardening, harvesting and preserving our produce in the spring and summer, and schooling in the fall and winter. So I haven’t made the time to do anything more than day hikes. I milked cows for the middle six years of the first 8 years of marriage. I’m currently not milking. I’ll explain that in my column next week.

Dixie’s videos inspired me to want to do winter cross country skiing camping and summer backpacking this coming spring and summer.

Watching her videos prompted me to reassess and compare her ultralight style with my survivalist style backpack/Bugout Backpack.  They are definitely two different animals but with some overlap. Perhaps I’ll write an article comparing their differences and similarities.

I went through all of my backpacking gear: sleeping bag, pack, tent, clothes, cooking utensils, boots, food, water filters, and so forth.  I compared that with her gear list, where I live, and what scenarios I would be facing.  I made some changes and a list of a few items that I need to acquire and have ordered them.  Then I began to test my gear out starting with sleeping outside in the winter. I’m first going to work out what is best for me and then continue coaching and finish outfitting the girls. They have much of what they need, but need a few more items. I’ll then wrap it up with Jim.  He did some backpacking in the Sierras as a Boy Scout and as a young man. Currently, he has to work hard on the blog and books these days and doesn’t have much free time.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

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”.

The Rumble of C-46 and C-47 Engines

Fans of old radial engine WWII-vintage transport planes will want to subscribe to this, from Canada: Plane Savers.

You may remember this as the same “air cargo and passengers” airline featured in the popular Ice Pilots television show.

JWR is Accepting Bitcoin

I’m in need of some Bitcoin for an upcoming purchase. Therefore, for at least the next few days, I’m willing to accept Bitcoin for most of the items that I have listed in The SurvivalBlog Classifieds. This is a limited-time offer, and subject to negotiation for a mutually agreed BTC exchange rate. If any of the items that I have listed in the SurvivalBlog Classifieds interest you, then e-mail me to hold that item for you, and for details on making payment to my Bitcoin receiving address. That by the way is: 3GVcXveQGB6V9Py7WKjHN5ZC9KiiavHdgw

Lowered Standards for Special Forces

Reader “DPS Officer” spotted this article: Green Berets Targeted After Anonymous Email Exposed Lowered Standards. JWR’s Comment: Lowering our military readiness for the sake of Political Correctness is nothing short of national suicidal.

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