The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We are the party that adheres to the Constitution. We will not let the liberals tread on the Second Amendment! We will fight to defend the entire Bill of Rights. We will stand up against excessive government power wherever we see it. We cannot and will not allow any President to act as if he were a king. We will not let any President use executive orders to impinge on the Second Amendment.” – Senator Rand Paul. from the Tea Party Response to 2013 State of the Union Address  February 12, 2013

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 06, 2018

March 6th was the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This U.S. Air Force pilot and astronaut was aboard Mercury 9 and Gemini 5. Cooper had his exploits well documented in Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff, and in the well-done film of the same name. Cooper died at age 77 from heart failure at his home in Ventura, California, on October 4, 2004.

Coincidentally, this is also the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937), a Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman in space (aboard Vostok 6). She was born in Maslennikovo, USSR.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 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 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:

  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 75 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.

The Invisible Prepper, by Grey Woman

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I am the invisible prepper. I am, on the surface, a caricature of everything that most SurvivalBlog readers seem to deplore. On the surface, I am a caricature of what the non-prepper community expects me to be– completely average in every way.

Who I Am

I am a twice divorced middle-aged woman, a committed democrat, a sincere atheist, a successful product of public schools, and what you would likely call a coastal liberal elite. If you met me, you would probably ignore me, scoff under your breath, and label me as sheeple or a snowflake.

What You Would Not Know

That’s perfect! What you would not know is what follows.

Home

Moving my home to the “country” was less about lower property taxes, empty nest syndrome, and proximity to wineries than about avoiding more populated areas and enabling greater security in the event of a major event. Adding a fence and planting lots of blackberry, raspberry, and rose bushes around the perimeter of my property was less about “curb appeal” than about slowing down potential intruders.

Continue reading“The Invisible Prepper, by Grey Woman”

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 patterns of migration into the American Redoubt, based on IRS statistics. It is interesting to see where the newcomers are originating. I’ll provide some details on the three core Redoubt States. (But I’ll skip Oregon and Washington, because their statistics are skewed by inflows to their populous western halves.)

Region-Wide (Migration Into The American Redoubt):

The growing popularity of the American Redoubt Movement is undeniable. With the exception of chilly Wyoming, in-migration from other states of the Union is now booming. To begin, I want to make it clear that I don’t take credit for any of the success of the Redoubt movement. In fact the movement had begun long before I put a name to it, and before I articulated the prevailing goals and the mindset of the freedom-loving newcomers. But I am glad to see so-called Red States turning a deeper shade of red.

I am also quite pleased to see that the Citizens of the eastern half of Washington are making progress in constitutionally partitioning to become the State of Liberty. (A state boundary hasn’t been officially redrawn in the United States since West Virginia was Constitutionally partitioned from Virginia back in 1863. But the Liberty State movement is proceeding apace.) I hope that a similar effort gains steam, to partition eastern Oregon.

Conservatives and their Libertarian allies are developing legislative majorities in several state capitols. Precinct by precinct, American Redoubt adherents are gaining the helms of Republican Party committees. Slates of quite conservative Republican candidates are winning at the county and State levels to displace the RINO Old Guard. Ditto for school boards, city councils, and county commissions. Outspokenly pro-gun and pro-life folks are getting elected as county sheriffs.

Fiscal responsibility is gradually being returned to State budgets. Laws confirming our rights to home schooling, home birthing, home churching, freedom from forced vaccination, and Constitutional Carry (concealed carry of firearms without a permit), are steadily being enacted. Time and gradual demographic changes are on our side. The continuing in-flow of conservative and liberty-loving Christians and Jews from other states is unstoppable. We are winning, folks! 

Voting With Our Feet

All of this has been achieved by an informal movement with no meetings, no written platform, and no formal leadership. It is just an osmotic gathering of like-minded people who are fed up and voting with their feet. It is just that simple.

We are already making a difference, but there is more to be done. Be vocal. Write letters to newspaper editors. Show up for “public comment” meetings, and let your voice be heard. Speak out against government over-reach, injustices, and racism. Help to stop expansion of zoning and building permits. Speak out to check any expansion of Federal power, bureaucracy, and taxation. Show up at BLM, Fish & Game, and U.S. Forest Service public meetings. Remind your elected representatives that they swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, and remind them about who they work for. Write and phone them often.

Please support liberty-minded and fiscally conservative candidates. If you feel convicted to do so, then run for office. I encourage Redoubters to get involved politically at the city, county, party precinct, and state levels. This is truly a grassroots movement. I encourage you to become a solid root in the sturdy sod of the American Redoubt!

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. Today’s focus is on ancient tool technologies and building technologies. But to begin, here is an update on pending gun legislation:

Congress Reeling From Trump’s About-Face on Gun Rights

Last week’s madcap unscripted biparitsan meeting on gun issues bewildered conservatives in the House and Senate. This session made Senator-For-Life Diane Feinstein gleefullly gesticulate like an old crone. Either President Trump had caved in, or perhaps he was cleverly attempting to overload the proposed omnibus legislation package with poison pills. (Some have suggested that he wanted a repeat of the doomed DACA Bill.)

Please contact your congressman, and encourage him (or her) to make “Poison Pill” amendments to any “gun control” law packages, as they make their way through congress. By adding legislation that Democrats can’t stomach, it is almost certain to cause a bill to  fail, in its final vote. In particular, please ask your congressman to add four pieces of legislation:  A.) A bill that would authorize all school teachers and administrators to be armed on campus, B.) The Hearing Protection Act, that would legalize un-taxed suppressors (“silencers”), C. National Reciprocity for Concealed Carry, and D.)  Either a complete overturn of the Hughes Amendment or a six-month amnesty on machinegun registrations.

Please, please please contact your State and Federal legislators, frequently. Don’t give up on this legislative fight, or our rights will get trampled.  Tell your representatives that they MUST oppose any new gun laws.  And remember:  the phrase “universal background checks” is just statist code for a “ban on private party sales.” This sort of unconstitutional law would destroy the privacy of our gun purchases, paving the way for nationwide registration. Don’t fall for it!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The [Second Amendment’s] prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give to Congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under some general pretense by a state legislature. But if in any blind pursuit of inordinate power, either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both.” – William Rawle

Preparedness Notes for Monday – March 05, 2018

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Today is the birthday of Momofuku Ando (born 1910), the Taiwanese-Japanese inventor of instant noodles and Cup-O-Noodles, born in Wu Baifu, Taiwan. (He died in 2007.) His inventions have saved counted thousands of American college students from starvation.

This is also the birthday of Howard Pyle (1853-1911) an influential American book illustrator, painter, and author. He was the mentor of many great American artists including Thornton Oakley, Frank E. Schoonover, Allen Tupper True, and of course N.C. Wyeth.

Remington 1911 R1, Carry, by Pat Cascio

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We’re taking a very close look at the new Remington 1911 R1 Carry handgun today. It is quite a piece of workmanship.

Remington’s Track Record

Over the past several years, the Remington group, or the group that owns Remington, haven’t had a very good track record with new firearms. As a matter of fact, it has been one failure after another, in my humble opinion. We had the Remington REM380, and it had a lot of problems. Then, there was the R51, and I’m not totally convinced they have worked out all the bugs in this one just yet. And Remington took over manufacturing Bushmaster AR-15 style rifles. I had an early Remington “Bushmaster”, and it wouldn’t group at 25 yards; it patterned like a shotgun, no matter what ammo was used. Then the grand ol’ 1911, that was one Remington used to make during WW2. The early, new model guns were a failure. They would shoot loose inside of a couple hundred rounds. I kid you not.

Still, Remington is our oldest gun maker, and I’m not giving up on them just yet. I understand some of the newer guns had some bugs that kept them from working 100% of the time. However, the 1911s they were making and that were shooting loose inside of a few hundred rounds are not a good thing, if you ask me. Truth be told, I’ve read a number of reports lately that stated that Remington might be on the ropes financially and could close their doors. I sure hope not.

Continue reading“Remington 1911 R1, Carry, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Hearty Queso Cheese Dip, by Mrs. Latimer

This one hits the spot for family gatherings or even gathering around to watch movies or sports events on television. It’s a little heartier and tastier than the basic recipe. Another variation we sometimes make is to substitute a can of meat/beef chili for the sausage and salsa/milk. However, we prefer this version best.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cooked turkey sausage crumbles
  • 1 lb Velveeta cheese or Velveeta cheese substitute
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and chile, undrained
  • 3 Tbsp salsa or 2 Tbsp milk, depending on heat preference

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Hearty Queso Cheese Dip, by Mrs. Latimer”

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 the differences between numismatic and bullion coins. See the Precious Metals section and well as the Tangibles Investing section.

Precious Metals (Numismatic and Bullion Coins):

Anyone new to precious metals must learn the differences between numismatic and bullion coins. Both have their purposes, for investors and for preppers. The values of bullion coins are based almost entirely on their precious metals content. Their melt value is tracked in real time in the global markets, all in terms of troy ounces. In contrast, numismatic coins have both melt value and collector’s value. Judging the market value of bullion coins is simple arithmetic. But the prices numismatics are far more difficult to gauge. This takes study of rarity and relative values, study of the science of coin grading, study of standard annual references, and consultation of current rare coin market prices in detailed publications such as the Grey Sheet and Blue Sheet. There are many complexities that I won’t delve into here in this brief essay. Just suffice it to say, the word complex is an understatement. My general advice is that unless you are willing to do considerable study, then skip rare coins altogether, and only buy bullion coins or pre-1965 non-numismatic “junk” U.S. circulated silver coins.

I’m a believer bullion silver, in part because of its utility for barter. Secondarily, I’m a proponent of silver because it is presently undervalued versus gold. In the long term I am confident that silver will outperform gold. Its only drawback is its relatively high weight and bulk, per Dollar invested.

I also generally shy away from mint state (MS) numismatic coins, but I do own a few. And nearly all of those are graded only MS60 and MS61–which do not sell at large premiums above their melt value.  I’ll leave the higher grades (MS-65 and above) to the advanced collectors.  There, they might indeed find great gain, but such investments also carry substantial risk, since the rare coin market is notoriously fickle.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – March 04, 2018

Today is the birthday of James Ellroy (born in 1948), an American noir novelist. He authored L.A. Confidential, which later became a popular film.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 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 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:

  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 75 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.

Speak Easy, by LRV

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The emergency management meeting is moving right along. A special “thank you” was given to a retiring officer who had done a superb job. New action plans were presented and deliberated. While you may have had ideas, information, and experiences on the topics, all which were worthy of sharing, you remained silent. Perhaps you thought that after the meeting you would speak to just one person and contribute your ideas then.

Public Speaking Is Challenge For Many

Public speaking is a challenge for many people and pushes them way beyond their comfort zone. Many people are more afraid of speaking in public than they are of death. As the comedian Jerry Seinfeld quipped, “People at a funeral would rather be in the casket than standing over it giving the eulogy.” Aside from an innate shyness, most of the pressure associated with public speaking is a lack of training or perhaps, poor training.

People will often look back with resentment or embarrassment at the times that, as preschoolers, they had to repeat a poem for company. Or, in the early school years, having to do “show and tell” when it seemed as though the child before you always had a fantastic item to show. Then, of course, there were all the years that followed where you memorized a two-minute speech. Never however, were students taught how to prepare a speech or how to make a spontaneous speech.

Continue reading“Speak Easy, by LRV”

Letter: South Africa and Public Opinion

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Hi Hugh,

I noticed that the recent Odds and Sods mentioned the crisis that White South African Farmers are faced with.

The new president of South Africa has publicly stated that white South African farmers will have their land seized without compensation. This means zero money given to them for their taken land. Many of those farmers have been on their land for six generations or more.

The South African government has recently passed a motion, by a three to one margin, to allow this will happen and they have called for an amendment to their Constitution. This resolution will occur by August 30th, 2018.

This is clearly Racism, yet the mainstream media have given this zero coverage. If there were Black Farmers lands being seized, I believe we would hear an uproar in the so called “major” news.

I can imagine that this will result in real Bloodshed upon the White Farmers, because many of the 73 percent South African Farm owners being classified as White, will be cornered into fighting for was once considered their land.

Continue reading“Letter: South Africa and Public Opinion”

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 video on South African farmland is a must see. This is a country in a serious crises.

Active Shooter Training

Have you ever wondered what you would do in an active shooter situation? Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large sent in this short active shooter training video he ran across on YouTube. It gives you a taste of training and some scenarios to think about. thinks are radically different that what you see and hear on TV. In real life, gun fire does not sound like it does on TV. Shooters do not act like they do on TV and not every bad person is stupid or makes stupid mistakes. If you are in a public situation, you need to know what your capabilities are beforehand and you need to have the proper frame of mind to act quickly and decisively. Watch this video and make the decision as to whether you need to seek further training.

Gun Free Utopia

Reid Henrichs, another one of my favorite vloggers, has a video out explaining the gun free utopia that the progressive left so desires. In this utopia, only the authorized representatives of the government have access to firearms and all people live in peace. so what is the reality of that utopia? Parkland. In that situation, a “bad guy” came on scene and only an authorized representative of the government had a firearm where he could respond effectively. He didn’t have a vested interest in protecting those kids as the authority to carry that weapon was only a “job” to him and he allowed the massacre to continue without getting involved. So now you know. What is the true gun free utopia? It’s simple a victim rich location. thanks to T.J. for the link.

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