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 wandering grizzly bears. (See the Montana and Wyoming sections.)


Idaho

First up: Pocatello man pleads not guilty to lighting fireworks that burned home

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Jack Bannon, CDA resident and actor, dies at 77. JWR’s Comment: As a scenic resort area, Coeur D’Alene has a large number of celebrity retirees and celebrity vacation homes.

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Cops: Idaho woman intentionally drove off cliff with 3 kids

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Giant sequoia doing well four months after Idaho uprooting

 

Montana (Grizzly Bears)

Central and Eastern Montana: Prepare for long period of snow, cold

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Montana man kills grizzly that broke into garage

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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 Knockout Game rears its ugly head again this week.

Knockout Game

It appears that the knockout game is making a comeback. If you are not familiar with this “game” You need to be. It’s where players walk up to a stranger and sucker punch them in an attempt to get a one-punch knockout. With at least two high-profile incidents in the last week, residents in New York and Pennsylvania fear that this cruel prank is here again. Thanks to T.J. for the link.

Concealed Carry

What a difference one generation can make. In 1987 crime was out of control and on the rise. While most people (and state governments) felt that more gun control was the answer, nine states took a different route – “Shall Issue” permits were put in place making it possible for non-felons to apply for a concealed carry license and the government was obliged to grant it. Forty states had “May Issue” laws which typically resulted in a denial of the request and only one state didn’t require a permit at all. Now only seven states retain the “May Issue” laws and the ranks of those not requiring a permit is on the rise. There has not been “blood in the streets” as the pundits predicted and crime is on a downward trend. Heinlein was right. An armed society is a polite society.

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Preparedness Notes for Monday – October 30, 2017

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Tomorrow, October 31st, 2017, is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In the last 1700 years, the reformation had initially attempted to reform the wayward Roman Catholic Church but was unsuccessful at moving the leviathan from its perch, and the movement eventually moved to founding alternatives. While Martin Luther is considered the father of the movement, it is important to remember that there are others who preceded him and many others who followed him that had even greater impact on the formation of western thinking. John Calvin, the Puritans, the Huguenots, and the Presbyterians all played prominently in the settlement of America and in the molding of colonial beliefs and values.

Still, like all great revivals, the reformation had its share of problems as well. Considering the magnitude of effect that the reformation had on the future of the entire world, it is an event well worth remembering. The Price of Liberty Blog has an excellent writeup on both the positive and negative effects of this momentous event.

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Kahr S9, by Pat Cascio

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Always looking to improve and upgrade their handguns, Kahr Arms  just released their latest compact 9mm, the S9, and that is under review today.

Kahr’s Rep of “Rolls Royce” of Trigger Pulls

Many years ago, I remember reading about Kahr 9mm handguns, and how all the gun writers raved about their DAO (Double Action Only) trigger pull. The writers claimed it was the Rolls Royce of DAO trigger pulls. Having been a writer for more than 25 years in the gun, knife, and survival fields, I took it with a grain of salt, knowing how some gun writers hype things in their articles. I don’t! I don’t need to. It was quite some time, after reading those many articles about the Kahr 9mm handguns that I actually ran across a used one and was sold on the spot. The DAO trigger pull is that good; it’s super slick, super smooth!

Owning My Kahr Handguns

Since owning my first Kahr handgun, quite a few have come into my hands over the years for testing. I even own more than a few. The hype just isn’t there. They are what they are, which is some of the best of the best when it comes to trigger pulls. Plus, you can have your Kahr is several different calibers– 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP, the most popular self-defense rounds available. And, you can even shoot some +P ammo through ‘em, but I don’t recommend a steady diet of +P ammo. The guns aren’t made for that, nor is your shooting hand. There’s plenty of recoil there, so you will limit yourself to shooting much +P ammo through these guns.

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Recipe of the Week: Vegetable Soup, by OkieRanchWife

Hello!

Recently I was fortunate to find a great deal on potatoes. 50 pounds for $5.55. I bought 100 pounds. I have been blanching the slices that I cut on my mandolin so I could dehydrate them. After blanching enough to fill nine trays in the dehydrator, a very nice potato stock was left. I set aside 3½ cups to make pumpernickel rye bread. I still had about two quarts left. Ah ha! Vegetable soup. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts potato stock
  • 2 ½ quarts chicken stock (I used my homemade stock made from leftover frozen chicken bones from previous meals.)
  • 1 bag (32 ozs) cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot mix. (I found this on quick sale for half price.)
  • ¼ head white cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 8 ozs mushroom, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
  • Garlic and onion powder, to taste
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. In a large stockpot, add all ingredients; bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce to a simmer.
  3. Cook for about two hours.

You can also add any vegetable you have in the fridge. I also put half a bunch of sliced kale. The cabbage and mushrooms that I used were fresh; however, I do have both those ingredient as dried veggies. This soup is wonderful on a chilly day. I pair it with the pumpernickel bread that I mentioned. Enjoy.

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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

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 a recent Radical Personal Finance podcast interview on tangible assets allocation, with JWR. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

To begin, we read: Gold rises on safe-haven appeal after Catalonia declares independence

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Asian Metals Market Update: October-27-2017

Stocks:

Nikkei hits 21-year high as banks, tech stocks firm

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Tech Stocks Roar Again in Faint Echo of 2000

 

Commodities:

Michael Seery: The Corn Chart Looks Interesting

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Guns for Bugging Out, by N.B.

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My Situation Is Likely Not Yours

First off, my situation is not yours. What works for me may not necessarily work for you. Seeing as that I am yet another guy on the Internet with an opinion, I strongly recommend you read what I have written and then make an informed decision about whether this information applies to your circumstances. If it does not, please disregard it. If it does, I am glad I could be of service.

Intro To Bug Out Firearms and Ammunition

This essay refers to the firearms and ammunition load I would take along with me if my wife and I were to bug out. I am personally not a fan of the bug out philosophy. If you leave with nowhere to go, you are a refugee and will have a slim chance of survival. If you already have a retreat, you are either close enough to it where you could live there full time (with considerable inconvenience perhaps), or it is so far away that you would be unlikely to reach it before someone else does. In my opinion, the vast majority of the time a bug-in strategy is more suitable.

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Letter: Question on Race

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Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

A lot of emphasis lately has been put on race. Who cares really? As long as you survive. That’s the bottom line really. It’s only up to your sons and daughters, whose race they will wed with.

The truth is, you have been given the concept of Free Will; Which you can act upon. This means questioning authority to which you know, whether it is left, or right. As long as you do the good thing.

Would you choose a side that believes in War, or who chooses Peace, What if Peace meant your Sons Daughters would be subject to the Ruling Class? If I was a Person living around Others, firstly, I would trust those that believed in what I believe in,: Truth, Liberty, And Justice, For All; Even if my neighbor was white, yellow, red, brown or black.

That’s my opinion, what do you think? – Sheepdog

HJL’s Comment:

Race is not the issue – culture is. As the famous saying goes, race is only skin deep (technically not true, but you get the idea.) You can easily look past a person’s skin color and, in fact, if you are paying attention to the person, you don’t even notice the skin color. What does matter is “culture” which is often confused with “race”.

A person from a radically different culture will be difficult to get used to. If the cultures don’t merge or if one person’s culture doesn’t blend into the culture as a whole, there will be friction. This is not necessarily a bad thing. This refusal to blend is why the Jews maintained their identity for over two thousand years without a homeland and yet were able to  have their own homeland again in 1948. It is also one of the prime reasons they suffered so much persecution as well.

As SurvivalBlog has often said, find and associate with people who are like-minded to you and the culture issue fades into the background. Their race/color make no difference at all. Multiculturalism is a lie that is tearing the U.S. apart.

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”. We get to feature an article from one of our favorite blogs today on the lost art of How to Write a Letter.

You Must Love Me!

Reader D.S. sent in this link on how UK police are defining “Hate Crimes”. The law has guidelines that dictate that hate crimes must be driven by “hostility” without defining what that word means. UK police declined to define it upon being contacted and instead referred to the “dictionary definition” which includes words like “unfriendliness” and “dislike”. When queried about that definition, they confirmed that those words could be used in determining hate crimes. So if you say something (or write it on social media) and it appears that you are unfriendly or you dislike someone, you are now guilty of a hate crime. Several UK police departments agreed that that is entirely possible.

Second Amendment

The United States Court of Appeals has refused to grant a review of Wren v. D.C. and Grace v. D.C. This effectively makes the District of Columbia a “shall issue” jurisdition for concealed carry permits. The law took effect on October 6th, 2017 with the court issuing its mandate (without fanfare). There are some provisions where concealed carry is banned in certain areas and a tight interpretation can effectively make D.C. a no carry zone due to overlapping boundaries. Clarification has been requested, but its still unclear at this time.

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Preparedness Notes for Saturday – October 28, 2017

This is the birthday of Eliphalet Remington (October 28, 1793 – August 12, 1861), who designed the Remington rifle and founded what is now known as the Remington Arms Company.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 73 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. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value), and
  8. 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 73 ends on November 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.

Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 5, by R. in NC

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So far, you’ve learned about the FCC and non-FCC license communications devices and equipment that is used with them. I touched on the use of Ham devices in an emergency, if you don’t yet have your Ham license. Now, let’s wrap up by learning how you can obtain your Ham license and move on to establishing and planning your communications.

Getting Your License

Ham radio licenses come in three levels, increasing in complexity of test and allowable frequencies. The FCC does not charge for the license, but your local Ham radio club usually has a $14 fee for giving the exam.

I usually describe the Ham radio licenses in the following way:

  • Technician class: a test on what you can’t do and why you can’t do it, along with an overview on what you are allowed to do and how not to electrocute yourself. After passing it you have access to VHF/UHF/50MHz with limited access to some HF.
  • General class: a test on how things function and an overview of the new things you can do, plus a reminder of how not to electrocute yourself. This includes access to almost all amateur frequencies.
  • Extra class: a test on the theory behind what you are doing, plus a few extra frequencies, oh… and bragging rights.

Continue reading“Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 5, by R. in NC”