Preparedness Notes for Thursday – April 19, 2018

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April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (Britain King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our USA right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up to an oppressive, controlling government (England). Without the sacrifice by those few Patriots, we could very well still be “British subjects” rather than independent citizens. Note that due to corporate bureaucracy, the celebration has generally been moved to the third Monday in April to facility a postal/banking holiday.

It also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943, the BATF’s costly raid on the Branch Davidian Church in Waco, the gun turret explosion on the USS Iowa in 1989, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber in 2013, and very sadly also the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

April 19th is also the birthday of novelist Ralph Peters. Coincidentally, Ralph and JWR both have the same literary agent, Robert Gottlieb.

I’m pleased to see that Basics of Resistance: The Practical Freedomista, Book I, by Claire Wolfe and Kit Perez is selling quite well, on release day. (April 19, 2018.) It was ranked around #2,400 on Kindle and  4,500 in print books. It is ranked #1 in a couple of sub-categories! Get a copy!

 

America’s Gun Grabbers Have Accelerated the Mass Exodus to The American Redoubt

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Do you live in The American Redoubt? Be aware that you have some friends arriving soon. The great Redoubt Exodus has begun!

For the past two months the newspapers and electronic media all around the country have been filled with headlines such as these:

Voting With Their Feet

The anti-gun rhetoric and legislation is almost certain to accelerate the already vigorous exodus to The American Redoubt. The political and social differences between the liberal coastal States and the conservative interior States are becoming more and more stark. These differences are now so great that traditional God-fearing and gun loving folks are no longer just considering  relocating. Rather, they are making firm plans, reserving their U-Haul and Ryder trucks, and counting the days until their planned escape. This trend is particularly pronounced in Northern California.

From some anecdotal indications related to me by my friends, relatives, and consulting clients, the local buzz is: It is the liberal coastal Californians are planning to move to Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. But it is mostly the conservative inland ones who are planning to move to Idaho and Montana. A gun owner fleeing California’s civilian disarmament laws is not likely to flee to place like Colorado, which is becoming more restrictive. And a liberal one is not going to place that the liberal mass media has warned them is “hostile” to liberals, like Idaho. (Even though in truth it isn’t.)

This is all just common sense demographic settling–round pegs fitting in round holes, and square ones in square holes. For several years, it has become apparent that the American Redoubt internal migration movement has been catching on. But now the Redoubt Exodus will be getting into full swing. As the old saying goes: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

Continue reading“America’s Gun Grabbers Have Accelerated the Mass Exodus to The American Redoubt”

Letter: HF 3002: Welcome to The People’s Republic of Minnesota

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Hugh,

They Never Stop. And they never will. The latest bid to punish the innocent for arms abuse by the guilty— but really to make sure that no sheep-dogs remains protectively collared when the left later disposes of the sheep—is arising in MN. And it’s a doozy:

HF 3022 is now in the Legislature.

  • Permit required to own a gun
  • Permit required to buy a gun
  • Permit required to sell a gun
  • Local law enforcement gets to deny all types of gun permits
  • Local law enforcement gets to deny permits to carry
  • Personal medical information must be shared with law enforcement
  • All firearm transfers must be reported
  • All guns must be registered (fees set by local law enforcement)
  • Registration must be renewed annually
  • Local law enforcement may conduct warrantless “safety inspections” of gun owner’s homes

Continue reading“Letter: HF 3002: Welcome to The People’s Republic of Minnesota”

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”.

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Sadly, due to a freak accident, I’ve temporarily lost the use of my left hand for couple of days. I’ve been reduced to hunt-and-peck typing! Lets just say that anyone who tells you that they fear a firearm more than a knife in close quarters has no idea what they are talking about. The accident was self inflicted during work on the garden irrigation system, but the number of sutures required to repair the damage caused by a simple box cutter is terrifying. With that in mind, I’m just going to list some articles that SurvivalBlog and it’s readers readers found interesting. Hopefully, in a couple of days, the swelling will have gone down enough to allow for the fine motor control required by typing.

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What Hyperinflation In Venezuela Really Looks Like

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“I, Sylvanus Wood, of Woburn, in the county of Middlesex, and commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy-four years, do testify and say that on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, I was an inhabitant of Woburn, living with Deacon Obadiah Kendall; that about an hour before the break of day on said morning, I heard the Lexington bell ring, and fearing there was difficulty there, I immediately arose, took my gun and, with Robert Douglass, went in haste to Lexington, which was about three miles distant.

When I arrived there, I inquired of Captain Parker, the commander of the Lexington company, what was the news. Parker told me he did not know what to believe, for a man had come up about half an hour before and informed him that the British troops were not on the road. But while we were talking, a messenger came up and told the captain that the British troops were within half a mile. Parker immediately turned to his drummer, William Diman, and ordered him to beat to arms, which was done. Captain Parker then asked me if I would parade with his company. I told him I would. Parker then asked me if the young man with me would parade. I spoke to Douglass, and he said he would follow the captain and me.

By this time many of the company had gathered around the captain at the hearing of the drum, where we stood, which was about half way between the meetinghouse and Buckman’s tavern. Parker says to his men, ‘Every man of you, who is equipped, follow me; and those of you who are not equipped, go into the meeting-house and furnish yourselves from the magazine, and immediately join the company.’ Parker led those of us who were equipped to the north end of Lexington Common, near the Bedford Road, and formed us in single file. I was stationed about in the centre of the company. While we were standing, I left my place and went from one end of the company to the other and counted every man who was paraded, and the whole number was thirty-eight, and no more.

Just as I had finished and got back to my place, I perceived the British troops had arrived on the spot between the meeting-house and Bucknian’s, near where Captain Parker stood when he first led off his men. The British troops immediately wheeled so as to cut off those who had gone into the meeting-house. The British troops approached us rapidly in platoons, with a general officer on horseback at their head. The officer came up to within about two rods of the centre of the company, where I stood, the first platoon being about three rods distant. They there halted. The officer then swung his sword, and said, ‘Lay down your arms, you damned rebels, or you are all dead men. Fire!’ Some guns were fired by the British at us from the first platoon, but no person was killed or hurt, being probably charged only with powder.

Just at this time, Captain Parker ordered every man to take care of himself. The company immediately dispersed; and while the company was dispersing and leaping over the wall, the second platoon of the British fired and killed some of our men. There was not a gun fired by anv of Captain Parker’s company, within my knowledge. I was so situated that I must have known it, had any thing of the kind taken place before a total dispersion of our company. I have been intimately acquainted with the inhabitants of Lexington, and particularly with those of Captain Parker’s company, and, with one exception, I have never heard any of them say or pretend that there was any firing at the British from Parker’s company, or any individual in it until within a year or two. One member of the company told me, many years since, that, after Parker’s company had dispersed, and he was at some distance, he gave them ‘the guts of his gun.’ ” – Sylvanus Wood, Member of the Lexington Militia. (He was 23 years old in 1775.) As quoted in The Spirit Of Seventy-six: The Story Of The American Revolution As Told By Participants by Henry Steele Commager and Richard B. Morris (1958)

 

DPMS Versus DPMS, by Pat Cascio

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Two popular AR-style rifles are put to the test. We’re looking at a standard AP4 Carbine and Lite 16-A3 from DPMS today, in a side-by-side comparison.

A Rare Side-By-Side Test

I receive requests all the time from many of our readers to do a side-by-side test of various firearms. I rarely do these types of articles for one very good reason– no matter how fair I try to be, or unbiased, human nature takes over, and I’ll like one firearm better than the other. I could test a 1911 .45ACP from the XYZ company and a version of the same gun from the ABC company, and in the end no matter how fair of a test I might do I’ll end up picking one 1911 over the other. They might perform equally in my testing, too. So, with this in mind, you’ll rarely see me testing one gun against another.

The Main Difference– The Barrel

One of our readers suggested I test two AR-15 style rifles from the same company against one another, with the main difference being that one has a standard M4 style barrel with the “step” and the other having a “pencil” barrel, meaning it is skinny. The stocks are different, too. One has a standard M4 style telescoping stock; the other has a telescoping stock that only DPMS manufactures. Both guns have a 16” Bbl, and both are made by DPMS www.dpmsinc.com. Their stock/inventory is always changing with new and improved versions. Both guns were equipped with a removable carry handle “iron” sight, and both had an M- oval shaped handguard. They both had a flash suppressor as well.

Continue reading“DPMS Versus DPMS, by Pat Cascio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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 the Syrian War Market Effects. (See the Precious Metals and Commodities sections.)

Precious Metals (Syrian War Market Effects):

War Drums over Syria Jolt Oil & Gold Markets

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Stocks:

At The Street: What Trump’s Missile Strikes on Syria Reveal About the Stock Market

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on the book New Day of Small Beginnings, by French Calvinist Theologian Pierre Courthial.

Books:

A reminder that Claire Wolfe’s new book is being released tomorrow–Patriot’s Day (April 19th, 2018): Basics of Resistance: The Practical Freedomista, Book I.This nonfiction book was co-authored by Kit Perez. It is available both as an e-book and as a Print On Demand (POD) paperback.

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To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration

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A New Day of Small Beginnings, by Pierre Courthial. This is a new English translation of a great 1996 book by a French Calvinist theologian. Here is a description: “In A New Day of Small Beginnings, Pierre Courthial paints on an expansive canvas the truths and history of Christianity from creation to the present. His interpretation of history is written from the perspective of a sovereign and personal God overseeing His covenantal plan-a design that remains unthwarted through the ages. From a heavenly panorama, he presents a clear image of history from antiquity to the deification of the modern state.”

Movies:

The Millionaires’ Unit. A fascinating documentary about World War I aviators from the Yale Flying Club, on DVD. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

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Cartel Land. A great documentary about the struggle between Mexico’s drug mafia, and an armed citizenry. Available on DVD. Also available for free download for Amazon Prime members.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – April 17, 2018

On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware that they knew, and that the CIA did not inform president Kennedy.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 76 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. 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 76 ends on May 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.

Birth- Part 2, by A.E.

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According to the CDC, about 11,000 babies are born in the U.S. every day. If anyone in your family or group is of childbearing age, you might want to think about preparing for an out-of-hospital birth. Most people have never witnessed a “natural” or med-free birth. Therefore, they have no idea what natural birth looks like or how to prepare for it.

In Part 1, I spoke about the importance of the mother’s psyche in childbirth and also about the sphincter law that applies to childbirth. We began the topic of Preparing for Birth with suggestion for books, such as Ina May Gaskin’s books, Spiritual Midwifery and her Guide to Childbirth. Now, let’s look further at what else is needed.

Build Birth Team

As the second step in your preps, build your birth team. An educated and confident birth team can drastically improve birth outcomes. This means both parents, any aid available (doctor, OB, midwife, nurse, doula, et cetera) and anyone invited into the birth room during labor and delivery need to be on the same page. The birthing woman needs to feel safe and must trust her helpers. She requires encouragement, empathy, and the utmost respect from anyone who is invited into her birth space. You must protect her from anyone who is negative or untrusting of your plan. If she feels threatened or fearful, even before the onset of labor, these feelings can emerge during labor and delivery, possibly hindering labor progression.

A Place Where Calm and Confidence Reign

I encourage you to create a place where calm and confidence reign instead of anxiety and fear. This starts early in pregnancy. Start prepping for birth, including prenatal vitamins, medical gear, nourishing meals, proper clothing, baby items, et cetera. Just knowing that these preparations have been made will eliminate a great number of fears for the birthing woman. Consider packing enough for multiple children and multiple births.

Finally, watch, or download for future reference if the grid goes down, a few natural home births on Youtube. Many of these videos are professionally created by birth photographers and are tastefully made. Once you witness for yourself what natural birth can look like, you will already feel more confident in your preparations.

Continue reading“Birth- Part 2, by A.E.”

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 Boise Gun Company Store Closing Auctions.

Idaho

First off, gun-owning SurvivalBlog readers in Southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon should plan to attend the Boise Gun Company Nampa Store Liquidation Live Auction on Friday, April 20th. This will be the first of a series of live auctions and Internet auctions. The auction goods all come from a well-stocked business with two retail stores that sadly recently closed their doors. As with all other inventory auctions, it is wise to do plenty of research on prices. At the very minimum, bring a few mail order ammo, reloading component, and gun parts catalogs with you–so that you will be a well-informed bidder. They will be auctioning: “1,000’s of Rounds of Factory Ammunition from .50 BMG on Down, Scopes, Reloading Supplies/Powder, Leather Belts, Gun Cases, + Store Fixtures/Cases/Racks.” (You can click to expand any of the photos.) It appears that the store’s gun and magazine inventory will be sold in other auctions–most likely online.

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Many folks have never heard of the little town of Atlanta, Idaho. I recently found a nice drone video showing the town, in late summer. Atlanta is a little former mining town at just over 5,000 foot elevation. It is a 40 miles drive in on winding gravel roads to get there. The population is around 300, but I suspect that figure is lower in the winter. There are still lots of patented mining claim parcels in and around the town. Atlanta town is situated in in Elmore County, Idaho, which has more than 22,000 residents. But right next door is Camas County, measuring 1,079 square miles.(A little more than half the size of Delaware.) That mostly-remote county has only 1,100 residents, 416 of whom live in the county seat of Fairfield!

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Idaho Falls, in southeastern Idaho was recently hit with a damaging hail storm that prompted hundreds of insurance claims for dented cars and house roofs. The hail stones ranged from .75 inches to 1.75 inches!  I found a video clip from a part of that city where the hail was much smaller. Skip forward to the 1:30 minute mark, for the dramatic portion…

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

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”.

Russian Chemical Attack

Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large sent in this information from a DoD contact:

Don’t believe anything you read, and only half of what you see.

The article says that Russia claims that the OPCW’s Swiss lab determined the sample to be the US agent BZ. BZ is not a nerve agent. It is the closest agent to LSD that the US weaponized in quantity, as an incapacitant. Whatever else is true, no way a good analysis could confuse it with any nerve agent. I’d believe the conspiracy theory that it was a false flag operation with western-produced Novichok before I would believe that one. BZ is not even toxic enough to be on Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and it’s only on Schedule 2 because it was weaponized.

Which Penetrating Oil is Best?

Reader J.C. sent in this article that examines penetrating oils and makes a determination of which one is best. While I do not like using such light oils for lubrication of moving parts, there are times when getting just a tiny bit of lubrication into a stuck bolt can mean the difference between successful disassembly and a busted bolt. Occasionally, it can save your child’s ears from hearing those filthy words that seem to slide out of your mouth when you have busted your knuckles up. Something to keep in mind though – As good as penetrating oils are at helping to loosen stuck parts, they do not have long term protection capabilities. Do not depend on them to keep that part from getting stuck.

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