Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – December 12, 2017

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On December 12, 1989, the Queen of Mean was sentenced to four years in prison, 750 hours of community service, and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine in New York. Leona Helmsley, nicknamed the “Queen of Mean” by the press, became the object of loathing and disgust when she quipped that “only the little people pay taxes.” Helmsley died in August 2007 at age 87. She famously left $12 million to her dog, Trouble.

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Start Now, While You Can, Because You Can, by Old Bobbert

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These short published blog articles, these pieces of myself, of ourselves, concerning preparedness, survivalism, self awareness, and personal readiness are created to help the reader to start taking action and learn to fight ignorance and greed. From my side of these entries, I do not promote myself as an expert; I’m just another concerned guy who wants to help others and perhaps showcase my personal opinions. Not even a little of the real me has ever shown completely through these prepper pages, these pieces of our lives,.

Prepper Achievement Judged

Moving on, there’s a well justified question begging to be given a platform on which our communal characters can be examined, and therein be prepper achievement judged. Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of our total human family, a family now in great danger, now deep in materialistic self mutilation of our very souls, a family of families now in perilous danger. We few can be the catalyst and positive-oriented answer, if we will only allow ourselves to be all we can be.

That’s a quote from somewhere. Oh, yeah. I remember now. I did four years in the regular army from 1958 to 1962. And that’s really a long long time go. I received $33 monthly and three hots and a cot. Roll-call was at O-dark-30, except Sunday. Imagine being seventeen years old and sent to serve two years in Oahu, Hawaii, where there was no snow and it was not yet a state!

Standing For Values

Some of us have often stood for better values and strived mightily to add even a small measure of individualistic strength of character to the counter forces of goodness and love of country and love of principle. And these efforts have proven to be well timed and very meaningful, especially in the face of political and financial irresponsibility and massive self appeasement. All of these low level vices of our modernistic and usually very self-centered blot of bigotry of digital self enhancement are usually well hidden. They are deadly and growing in strength.

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SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on realtor Todd Savage, who was profiled in the recent American Redoubt article series.

Region-Wide (Todd Savage)

The huge Southern California wildfires had been raging for so many days that the local fire crew were at the point of exhaustion. So late last week the call for help went out, and fire departments from throughout the western United States responded. I’m proud to report that many of the volunteer departments that responded were from American Redoubt. It has been reported that  “fire crews from Boise, Meridian, Kuna, and Star left Thursday morning for California to help provide assistance in any way they can.” Ditto for Montana. Ditto for Oregon. May God bless them, protect them, keep their families at home safe in their absence, and bring them all home safely!

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The fifth (and presumably final) installment of the American Redoubt article series at The Sandpoint Reader has been posted. It focuses on Redoubt realtor and retreat consultant Todd Savage: Profiles of the Redoubt: The Redoubt Realtor.  JWR’s Comments:  Before this series began, I warned SurvivalBlog readers that it would probably show bias. But in retrospect, I can now see that the series showed very little bias, and that is commendable. So I hereby apologize for my presumptive warning. It was good to see at least one group of journalists set their biases aside and just focus on the facts.

I have known Todd Savage for 14 years.  We’ve worked together on a few projects, helping relocation clients. Over the years we’ve referred a lot of business to each other.  I never have any hesitation about sending folks to Todd Savage and his ventures. As a Former Marine, he really knows his stuff about retreat security. Todd has also served as a volunteer fireman, so he has first hand knowledge on how to protect retreat properties from fire. And he has a strong background in  real estate in general and the Redoubt Region in particular. I highly recommend him.

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The Sandpoint Reader also had this companion piece: The American Redoubt Series: Location, location, location.

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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 “HJL”. President Trump’s immigration policies get yet another boost due to yet another NYC bomber yesterday.

Another NYC Bomber

Chain migration led to yet another person entering the U.S. who has acted upon wishes of harm. The suicide bomber accidentally set off his device at the wrong moment at the nation’s busiest bus terminal. He had strapped the device inside his pants with Velcro and zip ties, but it went off in a subway corridor and didn’t kill anyone, including the bomber. In typical lame stream media fashion, most reported that despite the bomber claiming ISIS as inspiration (some mention that ISIS claims him), “Details on possible motive were unclear”.

The bombing happened just before 7:30AM and was covered as breaking news by Fox, but CNN and MSNBC, who often claim Fox ignores breaking news that might harm the president, chose instead to cover President Trumps Diet Coke habit instead of the bombing until nearly 9am. Even though the bomber failed to complete his intended mission, he won’t be having children anytime soon due to the location on his body that he carried the bomb.

Second Amendment

Reader G.P. shared this news story that the BATF will be taking another look at “bump stocks”. Congress lost the impetus it started with in it’s quest to ban them and despite having ruled that they only assist in shooting technique rather than modify the firearm, they now want to classify them as a full-auto modification. I’m wondering if you will now have to pay a $200 tax and file paperwork with the BATF if you have opposable thumbs and wear pants with belt loops. The article also continues the short sighted view of the shooting. It was not the “worst mass shooting spree in US history”. I believe the “Wounded Knee Massacre” holds that distinction. It’s worth noting that that one was perpetrated by the U.S. government over Second Amendment issues.

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Kershaw Knives, Fraxion, by Pat Cascio

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Today’s knife under review is called the “Fraxion” and is from Kershaw Knives in my home state of Oregon. Kershaw Knives has come a long, long way in a very short period of time, and is a leader in the cutlery field.

Kershaw Knives

It was just back in 1974 when Pete Kershaw left another major knife company in Oregon that he started Kershaw Knives. His products were, and still are, a big hit with the knife-loving public. Just a few short years after starting Kershaw Knives, Pete Kershaw sold out to the KAI Corporation from Japan, and they continue to carry on his name and legacy in the cutlery field.

I have toured the Kershaw factory here in Oregon several times, from their humble beginnings when they only had a dozen or so people actually working on the floor manufacturing knives until their move to a new plant, a much bigger plant, in 2003 that they have already expanded to meet demand for their products. The new plant is huge, too. The shipping department alone and warehouse are big enough to get turned around in and get lost in short order. Unlike some companies, who operate on a “just-in-time” philosophy, Kershaw Knives tries to keep every product in-stock whenever possible. Congrats to them on this!

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Recipe of the Week: Chicken Olé, by G.T.

Ingredients:

  • 12 tortillas, cut into 6 or 8 pieces each
  • 4 cups of coarsely chopped cooked chicken or turkey
  • 1 (10 3/4 oz) can of condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 (10 3/4 oz) can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 (7 oz) can of green chili salsa
  • 1 cup dairy sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp grated onion
  • 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a Crockpot.
  2. In separate bowl, mix together undiluted soups, salsa, sour cream, and onion.
  3. Inside Crockpot, arrange alternating layers of tortillas, chicken, and soup mixture.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
  5. Sprinkle with cheese and cook on low another 15 or 20 minutes.

Serve with orange and avocado salad, plus additional warm tortillas.

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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on economist–and dedicated survivalist–Brandon Smith.

Precious Metals:

Dollar rise pushes gold toward biggest weekly fall since May

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James Howard Kunstler: BTC is Gold’s Proxy in Sounding Fiat Alarm

Stock Markets:

Dow posts first 8-quarter win streak in 20 years. (Has auto-start video.)

 

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“But let it not be said that we did nothing. Let not those who love the power of the welfare/warfare state label the dissenters of authoritarianism as unpatriotic or uncaring. Patriotism is more closely linked to dissent than it is to conformity and a blind desire for safety and security. Understanding the magnificent rewards of a free society makes us unbashful in its promotion, fully realizing that maximum wealth is created and the greatest chance for peace comes from a society respectful of individual liberty.’ Former Congressman Dr. Ron Paul

The Survival Community’s Dirty Little Secrets

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It’s no secret that the survival community has seen some hard times in recent months. During the last few years of the Obama administration, he was seen by many as the best firearms salesman ever. NICS background checks set record after record, especially after the anti-gun measures called for by the Democratic party.

A Cycle of Slump and Recovery

After President Trump’s election, the firearms industry suffered from a terrible slump in sales, as many felt a bit of relief from the doomsday predictions and the resulting oversupply of weapons on the market. The survival community as a whole tracked this same record with amazing correlation. Of course, any survivalist/prepper worth their salt understands that this isn’t a time to slack off on preps, but it’s time to pick up the pace because our Dollar goes further and we can snap up sweet deals on our equipment. We saw the same thing back around the turn of the century. In December of 1999, you were hard pressed to find a generator anywhere on the market. but in January of 2000, you could pick them up for a song as people had second thoughts about ownership and then flooded the market with “never-used” hardware.

Spikes in Survival/Prepper Market

Prior to both of these spikes in the survival/prepper market, it was nothing more than a niche market with a few die-hards keeping it alive. There were few companies that specialized in sales to us, and most of us were looked at as “crazy” by friends and neighbors. Once the general public picked up and ran with the idea though, things changed radically. Now, with the war drums beating with North Korea, the escalated conflict in the Middle East that Obama left as his legacy, and the growing domestic unrest here at home, the industry is picking up again as the economy starts to come to life under Trump.

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Letter: California’s December Wildfires

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Hello Hugh,

As I write this, the Thomas Fire is still ravaging Ventura County, California. Three lessons need to be taken away:

  1. Gather your own intel,
  2. Be ready to go if it gets close, even if the threat seems remote; and,
  3. Live miles away from brushy or forested areas at risk of fire.

This gives people more time to evacuate with more of their possessions, or at least have better comfort about the fire. The more information that is available allows people to make better decisions in real time, rather than wait until the water is so high they need to crawl on the roof.

I believe that many more members of the public could have been informed and evacuated their homes with more than the clothes on their backs if the fire fighters communicated early concerns about the foothills of Ventura being threatened hours before it happened. It’s not so much the information; it’s the urgency, how it’s said. Reverse 911 is often treated as the boy who called wolf. People roll their eyes until the strike team arrives in the cul-de-sac, the deputies beat on the door, and the bushes in the back yard start to smoke.

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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 “HJL”. My blood is boiling today over the jury verdict in the Arizona shooting. Another incident of the thin blue line abuse.

Skynet

Reader H.L. sent in this article on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used to design and build more AI. Apparently, the child AI that results is better at performing the designated test tasks than other AI. Some seem to be okay with this development and others not so much. As the article states: “If we didn’t design it, how can we be sure that there aren’t unintended consequences?” How can you be sure that you can control it?

Moderate Islam?

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged to promote a “more moderate Islam” within Saudi Arabia. Now, however, Turkey’s president Erdogan claims there is no such thing as moderate Islam. Erdogan has been the typical Islamist power monger since he came to power nearly 15 years ago and has strained relations with the rest of the NATO alliance due to his radical behavior. While pushing the limits of what is acceptable inside NATO, he has at least been honest in his intentions, often stating them publicly. This statement is not a departure, but a clarification of his past stance. Note that in 2010, he famously declared that there was no Islamic terror.

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