Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 20, 2023

On December 20th, 1988, Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, because of a terrorist bombing; in 2003 the government of Libya accepted responsibility for the explosion and in 2004 agreed to compensate the families of the victims. Pictured is the Lockerbie Memorial Garden.

Following Abraham Lincoln‘s election as U.S. president, on On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first U.S. state to secede from the Union.

On December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 2, by Cyclops

(Continued from Part 1.)

FEAR

We are hard-wired to avoid things that ignite fear. This is a central aspect of reward/punishment conditioning that is central to the way humans learn about and adapt to our surroundings. The adrenaline-induced panic that we experience in a fight or flight response is a physical reaction that helps us learn how to survive, and is ingrained in our genes. But this aspect of our biology makes us vulnerable to those who want to manipulate us through fear.

The level of fear that can sway our values and behavior need not be extreme, such as the fear of death. It may be the fear of losing a job, a scholarship, or money. It may involve the fear of losing esteem, social acceptance, or the love of an important person. It might be the fear of being called a unflattering name, such as “racist”, “backward”, or “uncaring”. It may be as simple as losing out on something in which we have invested time or money, or a loss of our own self-esteem. How many types of fear can you identify in the following example.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 2, by Cyclops”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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First up today: US agency will not reinstate $900 million subsidy for SpaceX Starlink unit.  JWR’s Comments:  To me, this news illustrates two things:  First, the ostensibly neutral Federal regulatory agencies have become politicized, if not weaponized. This says more about how leftists dislike Elon Musk for his politics, more than anything else. Second, the FCC is only giving lip service to providing Internet service to families that live in rural areas. Starlink will eventually be able to provide Internet connectivity for everyone living at less than 60 degrees of latitude. It also makes me suspicious that The Powers That Be don’t want Americans living in truly remote areas — places that are already served by Starlink, but that will never be served by cable Internet.

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N.C. Scout’s new book, The Guerilla’s Guide to Signals Intelligence, is now available for ordering.  N.C. Scout is of course one of our text advertisers, and you probably already own his book on Baofeng UV-5R transceivers.

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Reader A.R. wrote this, in response to SaraSue’s most recent snippet about raising pigs:

“In my experience, modern hogs do not have hardly any fat. They usually are so lean that you have to add fat to cook them. This was done because animal fat has been demonized. They have bred fat out of them. The only exception I’ve found is pot-bellied pigs. Someone once gave me three pot-bellied pigs, and they made the best fat, and in large quantities. Also, animals in general use up their fat through the winter, and so if you want fat, it would be best to slaughter in the fall, after they have been eating on lush forage all summer. “

o  o  o

At Politico: White House announces new state-based gun violence initiative. JWR’s Comment: This is a push from the Federal level to the state level, ramrodding legislation. The Bidenistas realized that they couldn’t move their gun-grabbing agenda forward at the Federal level, so they are now “coordinating” it at the State level.  Beware! I warned readers about the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, several months ago. Please keep in close contact with your legislators at all levels, and demand that they hold the line on any new gun restrictions. Please remind them that in light of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, nearly all existing gun laws should actually be repealed. The only gun law I know of that has an analogous pre-1791 law is Kennesaw Georgia’s law requiring gun ownership.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one’s house. A man’s house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well guarded as a prince in his castle.” – James Otis, Against Writs of Assistance, 1761

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 19, 2023

On December 19, 1777, during the War of Independence, General George Washington led 11,000 regulars to take up winter quarters at Valley Forge on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Philadelphia.

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December 19, 1915, French singer and actress Edith Piaf, whose interpretation of the chanson (French ballad) made her internationally famous, was born.  Her song Chanson D’amour became an international hit.  And you may recall that her song Tu Es Partout was prominent in the movie Saving Private Ryan, just before the German attack.

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This new listing in Murtaugh, Idaho (near Twin Falls) at SurvivalRealty looks promising for anyone who wants a traditional house for suburban living, but with a fully capable nuclear fallout shelter: Custom 4 Bed/3 Bath Home with Nuclear Fallout Shelter/Bunker.

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December 19th is the birthday physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light.  JWR is related to the Michelsons, by marriage.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 1, by Cyclops

A recent headline read: “Corporate Executive Pays to Deprogram Daughter After Freshman Year”. Years ago, the process of deprogramming might have been reserved for a prisoner of war (POW), or a victim of a cult. Not anymore. A normal adolescent attending any one of the couple thousand colleges or universities in America will be subjected to indoctrination and thought control. In the case of this headline, one parent decided to do something about it.

The sad reality is that anyone living in America today is subjected to a constant onslaught of inputs from someone who wants to influence our mind, adjust our attitude, or control our behavior. In Tucker Carlson’s newly launched streaming website, he reveals that “News coverage in the west has become a tool of repression and control. Journalists act as censors on behalf of entrenched power…they hate the truth.” Institutions we used to rely upon to seek truth, such as schools and media, are now devoted to thought control and propaganda.

We are literally swimming around in a sea of misdirection, misinformation, propaganda, truth-bending, psychological coercion, and mind control. Those who are behind this know that you will eventually succumb; that is, if you haven’t deliberately constructed defensive ramparts in your thinking to protect your mind.

After all that you have invested in preparing your home and family to survive in extreme circumstances, have you given the same level of preparation to protecting your mind? Are you as equipped to recognize and resist the brainwashing to which you are most assuredly being subjected as you are equipped to survive a power outage? If you are vulnerable to someone controlling your mind, all your other preparations are in vain.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 1, by Cyclops”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on a bald eagle poaching prosecuation.  (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

Some serious Eco-LARPers, gone wild, in Idaho, Montana, and the eastern fringe of the Cascades, in Washington: Living Wild: Surviving with the Means of the Stone Age — Survival Documentary.  JWR’s Comments: This was as seen through the eyes of a European film crew. The sight of those avocados and some of the leather and hides that looked like they were mail-ordered from Tandy Leather Company seemed a bit incongruous. The obviously staged scene of them scaling a cliff was hilarious since an inadvertent wide shot revealed a much easier route up the mountain, just nearby. Oh well, I’ll award them an A for Drama, and a D for Authenticity.

o  o  o

Conservationists, tribes say deal with Biden administration is a road map to breach Snake River dams.

o  o  o

Yellowstone opens for winter season.

Idaho

Reader C.B. sent this: The future of nuclear energy will be decided in Idaho.

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Published by Willamette Week — one of Portland, Oregon’s left-wing rags: New Data Shows Red Wave Washing Into Idaho. (Thanks to D.B. for the link.)

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72-year-old woman missing for four days rescued after wrecked car found in Idaho canyon.

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Video from a real estate agent: Why Are End Of World Preppers Moving To North Idaho?

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Terry spotted this news: Prepare for an ‘Animal Style’ grand opening, In-N-Out to open Tuesday. JWR’s Comment: Idaho probably didn’t need more greasy food Californication.

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Another from C.B.: Boise’s contentious new zoning code went live. Here’s what that could mean for you.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” – Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 18, 2023

On this day in 1865, by proclamation of the U.S. Secretary of State, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing slavery, officially entered into force, having been ratified by the requisite states on December 6.  As a footnote, the slaves in Texas only belatedly got the word of their liberation in the middle of the following June — in 1866. Hence, the origin of the annual “Juneteenth” celebrations — recently enshrined as a Federal holiday.

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On December 18, 1737, famed Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari died in Cremona. A rare Stradivarius violin sold for near-record $15.3 million, in 2022.

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December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more than 1,700 hymns.

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Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944.) He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of others before the house was set on fire and he was shot attempting to escape the flames.” His exploits were dramatized in the movie Flame and Citron.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.
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We are seeking entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt, by Thomas Christianson

Looking more like a work of art than a highly functional firearm, the Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt is an elegant combination of both art and function. With a distinctive brass receiver, a 20-inch octagonal barrel, walnut furniture, a tubular magazine capable of holding 12 rounds, and a smoothly operating lever action, the Uberti Yellowboy Short Rifle is a fitting tribute to the very first Winchester rifle, of which it is a replica. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $1,329 it is not the cheapest rifle on the market, but it is one of the prettiest.

Background

A little more than a year ago, I acquired a black powder Pietta M1858 .44 Remington replica from Elk Creek Company. I also acquired a Howell Arms .45 Colt conversion cylinder for the revolver. Having the option to use either black powder or .45 Colt presented a certain degree of logistic flexibility throughout the vagaries of an uncertain future.

Having a handgun chambered in .45 Colt made me think about the potential advantages of owning both a handgun and a rifle chambered for the same cartridge. So when I recently ran across the Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt, I wanted to try it out. I contacted Uberti, and they were kind enough to agree to loan me a sample for testing and evaluation. Just two days later, the rifle arrived at my local FFL’s place of business.Continue reading“Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt, by Thomas Christianson”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” – Samuel Adams, Article in the Boston Gazette, October 14, 1771

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 17, 2023

December 17th, 1905, was the birthday of Simo Häyhä, who was the world’s most successful sniper. Using an iron-sighted Mosin–Nagant in Finland’s Winter War, he had an astounding 505 confirmed sniper kills. He died April 1, 2002.

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And speaking of Finns, on December 17, 1939, Finnish runner Taisto Mäki ran 10,000 meters in less than 30 minutes for the first time in recorded history. He broke his previous record by running the distance in 29 minutes 52 seconds.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value)
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

My Experiment in Small-Scale Pig Farming, by SaraSue

It was a fluke, sort of, that I got a breeding group of pigs.  I had obtained two “feeder pigs” to see if I could raise them for the freezer.  I spoiled them, named them, and they had the run of the farm because they could get under the gates quite easily.  I didn’t really mind.  They were cute and would follow me everywhere.  The closer we got to their butcher date, the more they earned their new names: “the terrorists”.  I started calling them that because their love of food outweighed everything else.  They would get in the chicken run, go up the ramp into the hen house, and eat all the chicken feed.  They would find and eat the cats’ or dogs’ food.  They would take grain from the milk cows if they could find a way to.  They found their way under multiple fences and even into the garage if I accidentally left a door open.  The garage is where I keep feed containers for all the animals.  I also keep buckets of “clabber”.  Clabber is fermented milk (excess cow’s milk) that I would feed to the pigs and chickens.  More than once I had to empty the garage and power wash it to clean up their messes.  They even greeted me at the front gate after I had run errands in town, and as soon as I opened the gate to drive in, they were off and running down to the road.  They easily came back once I called them, but can you imagine chasing pigs down a country road?

Before they became “terrorists”, and in speaking with the family I got the feeder pigs from, I agreed to purchase the family’s breeding stock.  They told me they were moving to the American Redoubt and would only be taking their cattle with them.  I thought that I could give raising pigs a try.  I knew that I needed a whole bunch of electric fencing and I got to work on that before I got the breeding group.  Everything I had read, and videos I had watched, about Idaho Pasture Pigs was impressive.  They don’t root up your pasture, they can graze with the cattle, they don’t need much feed – just 4 pounds a day, friendly and non-aggressive, smaller in size, etc.  And their meat was purported to be dark and rich rather than the pale pork in the grocery store.  I have an “organic” farm, in that I don’t use hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, or GMO feed.  I thought it might be a good idea to raise this wholesome pork for the freezer, and sell the excess.Continue reading“My Experiment in Small-Scale Pig Farming, by SaraSue”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR, based on meme text suggested by reader S.F.:

Meme Text:
Surround yourself with a blanket of fond memories, but beware that it may be set on fire by your local leftists.

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3 (KJV)