Toward Federal Decentralization: A Long Term Plan for the GOP

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Decades ago the leadership of the Republican Party began to succumb to Hyper-Federalism — the centralization of regulation, taxation, and sheer power in the Federal government. This gradual change crept up first on the Democrat Party and then the GOP. These shifts were so subtle and gradual that the Generally Dumb Public (GDP) hardly noticed. The end result has been the diminution and subservience of the State governments to the Federal government, gross over-taxation, and over-regulation.  The Republican leadership of the early 1960s would hardly recognize the form of government that has emerged in the early 21st Century. Vast Federal bureaucracies now lord over nearly every aspect of our lives. And the GOP leadership came to embrace a socialist, statist, corporatist, and hyper-Federalist outlook that is now to well to the left of where the Democrat Party once stood!  (If John F. Kennedy were alive today, he would be categorized as an “ultraconservative.”) It may sound hard to believe, but it is the Republican Party leadership that is now dragging its feet on removing Federal socialized medicine program. This is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

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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 the Pendleton Round Up. (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

 

Region-Wide:

Video: When the Inland Northwest’s fall colors are expected to peak

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Old Farmer’s Almanac: 2019 Long Range Weather Forecast for Intermountain West

 

Idaho

Fleming Creek Fire: Handled the Right Way

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Fighting a ‘monster’. The article begins: “Neighbors call it the “monster” that has terrorized their views and navigation paths for the past three years on Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Everwell Bay. They created a website called ‘Mistake on the Lake’ to rally more support for opposing the two-story, four-bay boat garage owned by Brian Kenworthy.”  JWR’s Comment: Don’t like it?  Tough Transoms. Go buy yourself a piece of land with a private lake, or perhaps a parcel surrounding a bay on a larger lake where you control your entire line of sight. Otherwise, stop whining!

 

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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”. Today’s edition contains an interesting article on post 9/11 America.

Hurricane Preparedness

For those who are in the path of Hurricane Florence, Valley Food Storage has created an Emergency Kit Checklist that you might want to take a look at. These are things that you will find a need for whether you shelter in place or evacuate. The list is broken down into several sections that cover Food and medicine, Safety items, personal care items and an emergency car kit. These are also just good all around fast preps that will help you get through any temporary crises.

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Rob Moffet also posted a video on line that details 12 hurricane prep items that work for him. Of course,number one on his list is water. A plastic water jug is only about $10 and by just having a few on hand, you are ahead of about 90% of other hurricane survivors in the aftermath. The rest of the list is made up of things that Rob has found necessary as he has weathered hurricanes in his home state.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Something is wrong. We are in a rapid descent… we are all over the place. … I see water. I see buildings. We are flying low. We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low. … Oh my God, we are way too low… Oh my God, we’re –” – Flight Attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney, in the final words of her phone call to a supervisor describing the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11, on September 11, 2001

Preparedness Notes for Monday – September 10, 2018

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On September 10, 1776, George Washington asked for a spy volunteer. Nathan Hale stepped up to the challenge of an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City. Unfortunately, the British captured and executed him. He is probably best known for his last words before being hanged: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” He has long been considered an American hero, and in 1985, was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut. It is good for us to remember that every American patriot and hero from the times leading up to and during the American Revolutionary War would have been considered traitors to the crown and would have suffered much the same fate as Hale had America not won her independence.

CRKT Goken Folder, by Pat Cascio

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Designed by an award-winning Black Belt martial artist and someone who walks the walk and talks the talk, the CRKT Goken folder is under review. In my opinion, it is a winner in all respects.

James Williams, Knife Designer and Martial Artist

Having spent more than 35 years in the martial arts myself and earning Black Belt rank in five different disciplines, I was more than interested in some of the knives designed by James Williams for CRKT. To be sure, CRKT has been producing several of Williams’ designs for some years now, and I believe I’ve tested them all. They’re all winners, in my book. I also design knives on a very part-time basis, and I know what is involved in producing a design that flows. All of Williams’ knives have a certain symmetry about them, every last one.

I did some research on James Williams for this article. In my research, I discovered he is a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, as a weapons instructor. He has also been involved in the martial arts since 1960 and teaching since 1975. He is well known throughout the world for his skills. The list of his various martial arts training is too lengthy to list in this article, but rest assured the man is revered for his skills. The list of military and law enforcement agencies Williams has taught span the world, not just in the USA. That says a lot about the man. It is nice to hear about a genuine martial artist, like Williams and his many accomplishments. He’s the real deal!

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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 Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. (See the Stocks section.)

Precious Metals:

Hedgers Move To Net Long Position

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Gold And Money, Honey

Stocks:

File under: “Cheech & Chong & Musk (or under: “Up In Smoke”): Tesla shares plunge SIX PERCENT- wiping $3.1BILLION off the company value – after Elon Musk’s wild pot-smoking, whiskey-drinking rambling podcast and company’s top accountant quits

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This timeline charts Elon Musk’s dramatic rise to internet fame (or descent into internet infamy)

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Stock Market News For Jul 9, 2018

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Money is different from all other commodities: other things being equal, more shoes, or more discoveries of oil or copper benefit society, since they help alleviate natural scarcity. But once a commodity is established as a money on the market, no more money at all is needed. Since the only use of money is for exchange and reckoning, more dollars or pounds or marks in circulation cannot confer a social benefit: they will simply dilute the exchange value of every existing dollar or pound or mark. So it is a great boon that gold or silver are scarce and are costly to increase in supply.

But if government manages to establish paper tickets or bank credit as money, as equivalent to gold grams or ounces, then the government, as dominant money-supplier, becomes free to create money costlessly and at will. As a result, this ‘inflation’ of the money supply destroys the value of the dollar or pound, drives up prices, cripples economic calculation, and hobbles and seriously damages the workings of the market economy.” – Murray Rothbard in “Taking Money Back”, in The Freeman (September – October 1995).

Guest Article: Are Multiple "Failed Coups" Leading To The Engineered Fall Of America?, by Brandon Smith

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There has been a lot of talk about “coups” the past two years, not just in the U.S. but around the globe. As I have noted in recent articles, failed coups in particular have been very popular as a way for certain governments to solidify power and assert dictatorial changes. In some cases, there has been no concrete evidence presented that the coup ever really existed.

In Turkey in 2016, Recep Erdogan claimed “success” in stopping a potential coup involving numerous government employees and military personnel which included active combat around major government sites such as the presidential palace and Turkish parliament. Erdogen argues that the coup was a part of the “Gulen Movement,” a political opposition movement surrounding Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogen who has resided in the U.S. since 1999 and had a falling out with the Turkish president in 2013 after criticisms of Erdogen’s corruption.

So far, evidence of actual “combat” with coup forces is thin to the point that it is questionable whether a coup ever really happened. Most reports cite fire from tanks and planes, as well as nearly 300 people killed. Video footage shows random firing, some explosions in civilian areas as well as Turkish citizens mobbing aimlessly around tanks. With tens of thousands of government employees imprisoned or dismissed after the event, the amount of kinetic conflict seems rather limited and tame.

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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”. Political correctness strikes once again, this time attacking the heros of the Alamo.

Another Wrongful Death

In a nearly unbelievable story coming out of Dallas, a police officer shot and killed a man in his own apartment. The police officer entered her apartment only to find another man there. Alarmed, she drew her weapon and shot him. The problem is that she had entered the wrong apartment. The apartment actually belonged to the man she shot. The Dallas Police initially investigated it as just another officer involved in a shooting, but as the facts started appearing, they asked the Texas rangers to participate in the investigation to avoid any conflict of interest. The officer is being tested for drug/alcohol and a manslaughter warrant was being sought.

You Should Know the Difference

A Connecticut woman accidentally blew her hand off and was hospitalized. Apparently, there was a power outage and the family didn’t have any backup source of light. They even tried to visit the giant orange big box store, but it was already closed. That’s when the family realized that the prior owners of the house had left a couple of candles in their basement. Upon retrieving one of the “candles” and lighting it, the woman discovered that they weren’t candles the hard way. I’ve never seen a candle that resembled a stick of dynamite, but I guess there is a first time for everything. Thankfully no one else was hurt. There is another comment buried in this article that is also disturbing. “Surrounding homes in the area were also searched as a precaution.” Wait, you mean if my neighbor does something stupid, they have the right to search my home too? I think not!

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:10-13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – September 08, 2018

On September 8, 1565, the first permanent settlement in what would become the United States of America was formed. (St Augustine, Florida)

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JRH Enterprises is having a sale on new White Phosphor Photonis AN/PVS-14s, with the base model Commercial Spec grade tube running as low as $2,495.00. The PVS-14 Photonis White Phosphor unit with the higher specification ECHO spec tube is also on sale. These are all new autogated White Phosphor tube units with warranty. Limited time sale, move quick!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 78 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 transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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, and
  6. 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).

Round 78 ends on September 30th, 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.

Survival Fitness and Health- Part 4, by JBH

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This article is about physical fitness, because I believe it is most important for those who want to survive some of the potentially devastating and even not so devastating situations that one can encounter today. I’m not an athlete but have been involved in fitness training for decades and done quite a bit of research as well. As an introduction to the concept of fitness, I identified its components– muscular strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and body composition. I also have gone over the first and most of the second of the four principles/variables applicable to all fitness activities: specificity, intensity, duration, and frequency. We already covered cardiovascular intensity, but will now look at the correct intensity for strength work, though it is hard to define. Earlier, I said that the correct intensity is roughly 70% to 80% effort with very occasional short forays into 90% plus ranges. Let’s begin there and a word of caution.

This essay series is for informational purposes only. Fitness concepts are discussed that the reader may find informative, however the reader is advised to visit their health care provider and obtain medical clearance prior to embarking on any exercise program. The author is not a health care professional and assumes no responsibility for injuries or detrimental health effects the reader may sustain from performing any fitness regimen.

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