A Little Lexicon of Liberty and Freedom Terms

The following is just a brief summary of some legal terminology.  A serious legal scholar would do a deep dive and end up with a 50,000-word treatise. But that is not my intent here, so I will keep it brief:

One book that I’ve often referred to over the years is Black’s Law Dictionary. Mine is a 6th Edition, printed in 1991. I also have an e-book copy of the classic Bouvier’s Law Dictionary from 1856. It is interesting to see how some definitions of terms have morphed, over time.

People often use the terms Freedom and Liberty synonymously. However, to semantics experts, freedom is an expansive, all-encompassing term, whereas liberty is a more restrictive and limited term. In essence, Freedom is the ability to act however one chooses, whereas Liberty describes a release or emancipation from slavery or governmental control. I like to think of the disparity this way: Freedom is something that you’re supposed to have, while Liberty is something that you actually have. Or, another way of looking at it is that Freedom is God-given, but Liberty can be either government-granted or it can be seized, (individually or by groups) to restore freedom.Continue reading“A Little Lexicon of Liberty and Freedom Terms”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We had more than two inches of rain this week, here on the valley floor.  Meanwhile, up on the peaks, I suspect that at least two feet of fresh snow fell.

Once the weather improves, I’ll be doing my springtime fence repairs and I’ll start in on firewood cutting.

I’ve been helping Lily tend to the latest batch of baby chicks.

We defrosted one of our two propane chest freezers.

We also did manure hauling from the barn threshold and in the milking parlor.  Next week, we’ll move on the Dairy sheep pens.

With our big sale running, I shipped several more Elk Creek Company orders this week.  Since spot silver hit $34.44 on Thursday morning,  I raised our silver barter divisor to 25.1 times face value. That is the most that we’ve ever offered for silver in trade on our guns, bayonets, and knives.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,

And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,

And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.

And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,

And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.” – Deuteronomy 34 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 28, 2025

On March 28, 1566, the foundation stone was laid for the new city of La Valletta in Malta by Knights Hospitaller Grand Master Jean de Valette.

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March 28, 1774: Britain passed the Coercive Act against Massachusetts.

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Just three days left! We are continuing our big one-week sale at Elk Creek Company. We’ve put all of our pre-1899 Mauser and Carcano sporters as well as all of our Pietta percussion revolvers on sale. This sale will end on Monday, March 31st. Also, take note that I’ve boosted our pre-1965 silver divisor to 25.1 times face value, if you’d like to pay in pre-1965 junk silver.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

 

A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Reference Material

Another useful function that computers do really well is store, manage, and interact with information. No one can remember everything, and there are a lot of sources of free or low-cost eBooks, articles, documents, manuals, etc. on the Internet that can be extremely useful for a post-disaster world. I created a folder on the 1TB microSD card on my disaster laptop named ‘Reference Material’, and here are some of the things I’ve collected and stored there:

SurvivalBlog Archive – ($33) An obvious choice for SurvivalBlog readers. [JWR Adds: It also includes dozens of bonus medical reference books, how-to books, cookbooks, and military manuals.]

User Manuals – (Free) I have downloaded digital copies of the user and maintenance manuals and other documentation for every device and software product that I own or use, including vehicles, firearms, electronics, tools, etc.

Backwoods Home Magazine USB Anthology – ($45) Provides 28 years worth of articles.

Mother Earth News Archive – ($50) Includes all editions from 1970-2024.

Make Magazine – ($50) A 1-year digital subscription gives you access to all back issues.

TACDA Magazine – (Free) Create a free membership to get access to all back issues. They also have a Resources’ page with links to a lot of other great sources of information.

Survivalist Boards Download Library – (Free) Requires a free membership to get access.Continue reading“A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 3, by J.M.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, a closer look at the volatile precious metals markets. Pictured above is the Chicago Board of Trade, pre-2015. About 90% of the open outcry “pit” trading has since migrated to office computer screens.

Precious Metals:

On March 21st, I had a consulting client ask me about the spot silver market. He asked if I thought that $37 per ounce was a realistic short-term target. My answer: I don’t foresee a jump from $33-ish to $37.  I anticipate a jump from $33 to $60 per Troy ounce. To explain: Because the silver market is thin and it has been consistently sold short, the price swings can be enormous. The LBMA is now being bled dry of physical silver.  Roughly half of their physical silver supply has been taken in delivery over the past three months. I predict that once gold reaches +/-$3,100, the general public will realize that they “missed the gold boat”, and they’ll pile into buying physical silver and platinum. That is when a big run-up in price will occur. Once silver rises above $40 per Troy ounce, that will almost surely trigger a full-scale Short Squeeze, with predictable results. At that point, there will be nothing to stop silver from quickly going past $60 per ounce. And here is a reminder: In the long term, a silver-to-gold price ratio of 20-to-1 is likely. Thus, when gold eventually hits $4,000, silver could reach $200 per ounce. Stack it deep, folks. – JWR

o  o  o

Alex Pollock, at Mises Wire: The Price of Gold: A Woefully Outmoded Law Needs Updating.

Economy & Finance:

From Fortune: The Cuban Missile Crisis has a lesson for today’s stock market as the next Trump tariffs could fuel a huge rebound, top Wall Street forecaster says.

o  o  o

These are the top places for ‘Gold Visas’ around the world. JWR’s Comment: From my perspective,  any American Citizen can say that they won the World’s Grand Lottery, just by being born or naturalized as a citizen here. The United States population represents just 4.22% of the world population.

o  o  o

Rep. Jason Smith: Extending Trump Tax Cuts Is Vital to Rebuilding Economy Damaged by Bidenomics.

o  o  o

Treasury Yield Curve Re-Inverts with Sag in the Middle, as Government Swats Down 10-Year Yield. But Mortgage Rates Don’t Follow all the Way, Spread Widens.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: US Stock Futures Surge On Hopes Trump April 2 Tariffs Will Be “Targeted”.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 27, 2025

On March 27, 1351: The Battle of the Thirty: 30 English and 30 Breton knights and squires squared off using swords, maces, lances, and daggers. It was considered one of the most chivalrous battles in history

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March 27,1855: Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner patented kerosene.

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And on March 27, 1964, Radio Caroline, the first true Pirate Radio station, began broadcasting in England.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1.)

I’ve created a list of the applications that I consider critical for supporting my post-disaster requirements. Where possible I prefer free or low-cost and open source software, but there are a couple of applications that you’re better off paying for. Note that many free or open source projects have the option to donate to their efforts – those folks invest a lot of their personal time writing and maintaining the applications, so if you find it useful please consider making a donation to help support their efforts. While I’m focusing on a Windows solution, most of the software listed here also have MacOS and Linux versions available.

7-Zip (Free) – This is a tool for creating and extracting zip files, which can be necessary when downloading and installing applications, reference material, etc. Newer versions of Windows have some this capability built-in to the File Explorer, but 7-Zip provides a lot more functionality.Continue reading“A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 2, by J.M.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at the Western European Defense Surge.

The European Union’s $11 Trillion Defense Plan

Reader Tim M. sent this: EU slams the door on US in colossal defense plan.

And in related news: EU Commission unveils plan to channel €10 trillion of citizens’ savings into strategic investments. Some key points were buried in this euphemism-laden article:

“Under the Savings and Investments Union, the Commission will address barriers preventing insurers, banks, and pension funds from investing in equity. It will also review the EU’s rules on securitization, ‘focusing on due diligence, transparency, and prudential requirements for banks and insurers, as this will free up resources from banks and allow better support for companies, the Commissioner said.”

JWR’s Comments: Reading between the lines: They now plan to steal bank reserves for their $11  trillion USD defense plan. Whenever you hear a politician talking about an “investment” in a program, beware.  It almost always means dipping into Other People’s Money.  In this case, it is fractional bank reserves, that are nominally there as protection from bank failures and bank runs.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 26, 2025

On March 26, 1790, the US Congress passed the first Naturalization Act, requiring a two-year residency for arriving immigrant “free white persons” before granting them citizenship. The residency requirement was raised to five years in 1795, and 14 years in 1798. This first Nationality Act produced the new legal category of “aliens ineligible for citizenship.”  The 1913 painting above, “Wall Street, 1790” was by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1850-1936.)

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On March 26th, 1812 an earthquake now estimated at 7.7 on the Richter scale destroyed 90% of Caracas, Venezuela. It killed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people.

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We are continuing our big one-week sale at Elk Creek Company. We’ve put all of our pre-1899 Mauser and Carcano sporters as well as all of our Pietta percussion revolvers on sale. This sale will end on Monday, March 31st. Also, take note that I’ve boosted our pre-1965 silver divisor to 24.9 times face value, if you’d like to pay in pre-1965 junk silver.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

 

 

 

 

A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 1, by J.M.

Unless you’re already living completely self-sufficiently and off-grid, when a TEOTWAWKI scenario comes along you’re going to have to quickly adapt your lifestyle and mindset in order to survive long-term. That means bringing all of your preparations to bear, including skills, expertise, information and supplies. While you may have prepared for immediate survival, implementing a major long-term shift in your lifestyle will require an organized approach to keep track of the information, schedules and other activities you’ll need to keep going.

In ‘normal’ times many of us use computers to perform these types of activities, and there’s no reason you can’t continue to leverage those experiences and capabilities in post-disaster scenarios. This article will focus on selecting and configuring a laptop for long-term use after a major disaster has occurred, based on what works best for me. Every person and group is different and there’s no absolute ‘one size fits all’ solution that will work for everyone, but the information should be useful for helping you set up your own system.Continue reading“A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 1, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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The government of France is issuing a 20-page survival preparedness booklet to every citizen, by mail. JWR’s Comments: This “Votre kit d’urgence” advice is all very basic 72-hour kit stuff, including a recommendation to store flashlights and a whopping 6 liters of water, per person. The booklet’s publication was reportedly prompted by concerns over the war in Ukraine widening into a European regional war, with a risk of invasion.  If the French government was serious about the risk of a Russian invasion, then they’d now be busy handing out their 1 million surplus MAS-36 bolt action rifles, 275,000 surplus MAS-49 semi-auto rifles, 350,000 surplus Modèle 1892 revolvers,  and 100,000 surplus MAT-49 submachineguns — sans un bout de papier, naturellement. Those 1.7 million guns might equip some real maquisards. Somehow, I don’t think that just flashlights and bottled water are going to discourage a Russian invasion.

o  o  o

Canada’s Oldest Retailer, Hudson’s Bay, to Begin Liquidating Most Stores on Monday.

o  o  o

Reader D.S.V. suggested this piece on medical ethics at The Federalist: To Die Alone: Never Forget What The Lockdowners Did To Us.

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“You’d have to be very stupid, ill-informed and bigoted not to at least suspect that the global epidemic of autism is related to the untrammelled enthusiasm for repeated mass vaccination of children. I’ve been studying vaccines and vaccine damage longer than most people and it is patently clear that most (if not all) patients alleged to have autism are suffering from brain damage caused by vaccination. Autism, in other words, is a synonym for brain damage and vaccines are the cause of the brain damage. The fact that no one in the medical establishment will even discuss this is proof that it is true. No one will discuss this even as a hypothesis because once accepted as fact the damages will run into trillions of dollars.” – Dr. Vernon Coleman