Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – April 03, 2018

This is the birthday of Washington Irving, an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but he also wrote several biographies and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846.

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Seed for Security, LLC is having a Special Anniversary Sale. Please join them in celebrating 10 years of their growing business! In appreciation of all their loyal customers they are now offering 15% of ALL of their products. This offer is for a limited time.

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Don’t forget that Ready Made Resources is having a great sale on PVS-14 Autogated 3rd gen white phosphor night vision monocular/wepon sights with a 10 year warranty. It you’ve been waiting for the right time to pick one up, this is an excellent opportunity.

Round 75 Non-Fiction Writing Contest Winners Announced!

We’ve come to the end of Round 75 and these are the editors picks for the winners. If you are one of these winners, please make sure you have sent in your UPS and USPS addresses to SurvivalBlog so that the prizes can be shipped. Any article submitted but not published will be automatically rolled over to Round 75 of the contest.

 

First Prize:

First prize goes to J.M. for “Perspectives on Patrolling-Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, and “Part 5”, published on March 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2018. He will receive the following prizes:

  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:

Second prize goes to Rector for “Preparing for the Inevitable American Gun Ban- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, published on February 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2018. He will receive the following prizes:

  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 Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 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:

Third prize goes to Grey Woman for “A Few Hard-Learned Lessons- Part 1” and “Part 2”, published on March 24th and 25th, 2018. She will receive the following prizes:

  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).

Honorable Mention

Honorable mention prizes ($30 Amazon.com gift certificates via e-mail) have been awarded to the writers of these fine articles:

Rights vs Duties, by A Modern Stoic

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“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” – 2 Timothy 4:3, the Bible, New International Version

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.” – The Second Coming, William Yeats

It seems that human history evolves in continuous cycles of birth, growth, decay and destruction. And the seed of the next society emerges from the ashes of the last. As western civilization dives deeper into the cycle of decay, the mechanisms of propaganda are in full force, as competing tribes increasingly and blatantly use emotional manipulation to drive the populace in the direction they want. As the volume and vitriol rises, polarization increases until there is no longer a center, and even the possibility of dialog and debate is inconceivable.

Rights Debated

In such times where “rights” are increasingly debated and used as clubs against opposing tribes and viewpoints, I must remind myself that “rights” are a fiction. Regardless of how universal they are touted, rights have no meaning outside of the society that has granted them and that has the means and will to provide and enforce them.

Continue reading“Rights vs Duties, by A Modern Stoic”

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 Rajneesh Movement of the 1980s, headquartered near Antelope, Oregon. (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

Idaho

At The Wall Street Journal: Why Pay in Idaho Is Rising at the Fastest Rate in the Nation

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SurvivalBlog readers may not be aware that the same family that owns Naturally Cozy (one of our long time writing contest prize donors) also operates North Idaho Heat, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. They are now the exclusive dealer for the 509 Optimum stove in north Idaho. This model looks a lot like a like a wood stove, but it has more in common with a pellet stove. What makes it truly different is that it only burns compressed logs – which are also made in northern Idaho.

Here is a KXLY television news report that was recently done on the 509 Optimum stove.

The stove was invented by a gent from Hayden, and it is being produced in Post Falls. If SurvivalBlog readers want to order one, they just need to call Jeff at North Idaho Heat. Phone: (208) 946-3651

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Redoubt News reports: Scotchman Peak Opposition Grows

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Also at Redoubt News, there is this from Rep. Heather Scott: 2018 Idaho Legislature Recap-Report

 

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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”. The expected South Africa violence is starting.

London’s Murder Rate

For the first time in over a century, London’s murder rate has overtaken New York City’s. The rise in murders is mostly due to an upswing in knife attacks. While both cities have severe gun control (and have had it for a very long time), it is interesting to note that New York’s is a local ban while London’s is a nation-wide ban. You can still obtain a firearm by driving a short distance in New York (legal issues aside). Also of note is that while firearms are considered the great equalizer when it comes to size and power of opponents, knifes favor the larger more powerful opponent. In essence, gun control has failed miserably in both locations, but London is now considering severe knife controls. Since we all know that only law abiding citizens, by definition, obey the law, criminals will now have a further advantage over their victims in London. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

South Africa Update

As predicted, the violence in South Africa is ratcheting up. A police station was torched in Zwelihle and the police are struggling to maintain order. President Cyril Ramaphosa is holding firm on his drive to expropriate land from whites without compensation. It should be noted that it is not the disafected whites that are driving the violence, but the blacks who are attempting to engage in a violent land invasion. President Ramaphosa promised this wouldn’t happen, but like usual, libtards are out of touch with reality. Thanks to S.M for the links.

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

Zero Tolerance 0920, by Pat Cascio

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If you want a custom-quality, harsh-use knife, then the ZT0920 that is under review today, should catch your attention. It is made by Zero Tolerance.

Zero Tolerance Knives

Zero Tolerance (ZT) knives is a division of Kershaw Knives, and they’re made right here in Oregon in the same plant where many Kershaw products are manufactured. Every ZT knife is only made in America. They claim their knives are over-built, and I’m sure not going to argue with ZT about this. We are talking about custom-quality knives that are every bit as well-made as any custom knives I’ve seen. I used to collect custom-made/hand-made knives, so I have something to compare the ZT line to.

Military and Law Enforcement

Those in the military and in law enforcement, who are looking for a knife that will never let them down, look to ZT knives to serve their needs. We are talking about hard-use knives that you can’t afford to have fail you; this pretty much sums up Zero Tolerance knives. However, savvy civilian knife users are also many of the customers that ZT serves.

Continue reading“Zero Tolerance 0920, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Caramel Baked Apples by Grey Woman

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This is one of my favorite ways to use the last of the fall apples once spring comes. You know, these are the ones that have been in storage long enough to be a little too spongy to eat plain but still too good to feed to the critters.

Ingredients:

Baked Apples:

  • 6 Large apples – I prefer Honey Crisp, but go with what you love
  • ¼ lb + 2 Tbsp salted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup chopped nuts – I prefer pecans, but, again, go with what you love
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 2 Tbsp grated orange peel (if using dehydrated orange peel, soak first in apple cider)
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 cup apple cider (you can use water, but cider is yummier)

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Caramel Baked Apples by Grey Woman”

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 investing in M1 Garand rifles. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)

Precious Metals:

The Gold-Silver Ratio Is Not ‘Subject To Any Kind Of Cap’ — ICBC.   JWR’s Comment:  Spot silver is now almost laughably low versus other tangibles. I’m actively buying silver.  Selling Bitcoin on days when it is over $8,000 USD, and then buying physical silver when it is under $16.50 per Troy ounce is just common sense.  And if you can get a coin dealer to sell you silver directly for Bitcoin, then all the better. Three precious metals companies that accept Bitcoin are: APMEX (a long-time SurvivalBlog advertiser), JMBullion, and SilverGoldBull.com. Buy low and sell high, folks.

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Get Ready: ‘Big Breakout For Gold’ Is Coming — Bloomberg Intelligence

Commodities:

New Oilfield Capex To Surpass $800 Billion By 2025

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China’s yuan-denominated oil futures – what took you so long? (From the perspective of a mainland Chinese reporter.)

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Each workman would receive two or three important parts and would affix them together and pass them on to the next who would add a part and pass the growing article to another who would do the same … until the complete arm is put together.” – Samuel Colt

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – April 01, 2018

April 1st is  Molly Ivins Day which refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died 15 July 1952 and was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Soverignty of God, that first convinced JWR of the truth of the doctrine of Election.

Proposing a U.S. Sovereign Cryptocurrency and Free Trade Zone

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In February 2018, there was a small news item that didn’t get near the attention that is deserved. It described how The Marshall Islands–formerly  a U.S. Territory, but now an independent sovereign nation–plans to launch it own cryptocurrency, called the SOV and use it as legal tender. This will be the world’s second sovereign cryptocurrency.  (Venezuela has announced pre-sale of a national crypto that is backed by oil. But the Marshall Islands SOV is a much more legitmate venture.)

Sovereign Cryptocurrency

For any sovereign nation to release a legitimate sovereign cryptocurrency and give it legal tender status is huge news–even if it is done by a tiny nation.

Here are three key quotes from the article:

“The country has capped the SOV supply at 24 million tokens in order to prevent inflation…”

and,

“The Marshall Islands is partnering with Neema, an Israeli financial technology startup, to issue the SOV…”

and,

“[The] SOV is based on what the Marshall Islands government calls the “Yakwe framework”, which requires users to identify themselves on the blockchain, solving the anonymity problem that has plagued bitcoin and precluded its mainstream adoption. Paul said that because bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are anonymous, they are not compatible with the framework of a regulated banking environment.”

The story behind the Marshall Islands SOV is interesting reading, just in itself.

Hmmm… This is all food for thought. The SOV articles helped crystallize in my mind a plan for a sovereign cryptocurrency that I had been considering for several months.

Paying Off THE National Debt

If Donald Trump and senior U.S. Treasury Department officials are paying attention, then they are probably considering a similar cryptocurrency token issue. (Or they should be considering it!)  Here is my prediction: If there is a US Treasury Sovereign crypto token issued and if it is done correctly, then it could literally pay off the U.S. National Debt in less than ten years.  I’m not joking. Here is how this could work:

1.) The U.S. Treasury creates a variant of proven blockchain software and releases a strictly-limited quantity of crypto tokens. I propose that these crypto tokens be called U.S. Eagles or (“US-E”), to distinguish them from fiat US Dollars (USD). These would be strictly limited to a total issue of 100 Million US-E tokens. They’d be released at the rate of 10 Million US-E Tokens per year, over the course of 10 years. This strict token limit would insure that inflation of the US-E cryptocurrency is impossible. Instead, a sustained price deflation is inevitable, most likely at a geometric rate as the US-Eagle gains popularity.

2.) The exchange rate of US-E (“Eagles”) would be free-floating versus all other currencies.

3.) The selling price of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for 10 Million US-E Tokens be set at $100 USD.  But each subsequent annual release will be sold into circulation based solely on its then-current free market exchange rate. If demand is high then they should be sold with priority given to individual buyers who place online buy orders for less than .10 US-E each, to prevent a small group of individuals from amassing most of the tokens thereby allowing them to manipulate the market.

4.) That the US-E have 12 decimal places of divisibility, to give it long term utility, even if it advances to great value versus fiat currencies and other cryptocurrencies. (Most other cryptos only have 9 decimal places,)

5.) That US-E be given legal tender status for paying all debts, public and private in the United States and its territories.

6.) That ES-E be made 100% tax exempt throughout their chain of creation, issuance, use, and re-use. (“No taxes, ever“) This would mean that holders of US-E who sell them, spend them, or earn them would not be subject to any Federal taxes. Thus, US Dollar (USD) earnings and profits would still be taxable, but the US-E would not.

7.) That there be no electronic mining of US-E  sovereign cryptocurrency. Rather, they will be sold or spent into circulation in annual batches as a land-backed currency. By law, 100% of the revenue derived would be used to pay down the National Debt. And after all that debt is extinguished, any additional revenue would then be used to build up a national infrastructure trust fund to build roads, bridges, canals, border fences, and electrical/Internet infrastructure.

8.) For its land backing, the US-E  sovereign cryptocurrency would have perpetual at-will convertibility on demand into Allodial Patent Deeds for almost any BLM land within Owyhee County, in the southwestern corner of Idaho. This Southwest Idaho Free Trade (SWIFT) Zone would be bounded by the Nevada State line (to the south) and the Oregon State line (to the west.)  But it would exclude the already sovereignly-held Duck Valley Indian Reservation. Nearly all of the BLM-administered Federal land inside Owyhee County wodu be eligible to be redeemed with US-E, with the price for each parcel set at auction. These parcels would be allodially-held freeholds in the SWIFT Zone.

9.) The minimum size parcel for subdivision would be five acres. Owyhee County measures 7,665 square miles (4,905,600 acres.)  That is about three times the size of Delaware. But it has a population of less than 12,000. So there is plenty of vacant BLM land to redeem there. (Since it is likely that the free market  price of land inside the SWIFT Zone would soon exceed 300 US-E per acre, the entirety of the BLM land inside the zone would never be redeemed.)

10.) Any land that is already privately owned in Owyhee County would automatically become allodially-held freeholds, at no charge. Any currently-held mining claims would be converted to patented allodial freeheld claims, at no charge. And currently-held BLM cattle grazing permits inside the SWIFT Zone would end, but the holders of those permits would be reimbursed by free allodial grants of smaller parcels of BLM land, of their choice. The holders of US-E  sovereign cryptocurrency could redeem their choice of any BLM land inside the SWIFT Zone, with the exception of land set aside for road right-of-ways, shooting ranges, water reclamation sites, a few small riparian parks, public landfills, and airports.

11.) All land inside of the SWIFT Zone would be entirely exempt from any property taxes (Federal, State, or Local), in perpetuity. But with more billionaires per capita that any other US county, there will be no shortage of donations for scholarships to private schools and to build and maintain roads. Further, all land inside the SWIFT Zone would also be exempt from all Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms laws. And even better, the holders of these parcels would be exempt from Federal income tax for any income generated by their business ventures located inside the SWIFT Zone. To clarify: Any business venture, trust, or individual, located inside the SWIFT Zone would be fully exempt from all Federal taxes including all duties, tariffs, corporate taxes, excise taxes, income taxes, estates taxes, the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET), NFA taxes, or capital gains taxes, forever.

Conclusion:

If this new US-Eagle sovereign cryptocurrency and SWIFT Zone are created as I have outlined, then I predict that they would immediately flourish with unprecedented abundance. Each successive annual US-E token issue would jump in value in relation to all other currencies. By the time that the Eighth Round of US-E tokens is issued, the value of US-E  sovereign cryptocurrency put into circulation would pay off the current $21 trillion National Debt. (It will probably be at least $23 trillion by the time this plan could be implemented.) And by the time that the 10th Round is issued, it will have built up an Infrastructure Trust Fund so large that it would last the nation for generations.

Pay attention, President Trump. This US-Eagle sovereign cryptocurrency can fly. This is your opportunity to go down in history as America’s Greatest President. Ever. – JWR

Note: Permission is granted for re-posting of this entire article, but only if done so in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and only if the included links are preserved.)

 

 

 

 

Letter: Colin Wilson and the Dominant Man Theory

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Hi Hugh,

A long time ago I came across a book called The Outsider. It was written by a man from England whose name was Colin Wilson. He joined the RAF at a young age, did some manual labor; and set about writing books. This was his first book published when he was only 24. He wrote the book sleeping on hills near his local library, where he researched.. The book became a New York Times bestseller. He later bought a house, and wrote about another 200 books that were published. He Raised a family; and led a respectable life in my opinion.

He has some exciting titles like The Criminal History of Mankind and Religion and the Rebel. The book, The Outsider was about how the major writers and artists of his time were so full of pessimism. He noticed a pattern that for the most part ,”crushed the human spirit.”

Continue reading“Letter: Colin Wilson and the Dominant Man Theory”

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”. More Social Media news today.

Social Media

Reader S.M. sent in this article on how the State Department has unveiled new rules that require most visitors or immigrants to the United States to turn over their recent social media histories. This is part of President Trumps “extreme vetting” national security enhancements. Given that social media is a primary means of communication among radicals, this is certainly a step in the right direction. Also encouraging is the mandate that visitors from countries who practice female genital mutilation will be directed to information sources that ensure that they know the practice is illegal in the United States.

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Do you know of people who announce that they are going on vacation on their social media accounts? I know of several families who have teenagers that regular post their current location along with photos, especially when they are traveling with their families. Note in this story that the house was robbed and the car stolen due to the social media presence of the family. We hate social media, but also understand that there are many who must use it. If you have to, at least use good OPSEC practices and don’t mention that you aren’t home, inviting burglars to visit you.

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