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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Oregon’s tough voter-approved gun limits that ban large capacity magazines ruled constitutional. JWR’s Comment: Judge Karin Immergut (a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law and a Democrat who turned RINO in 2003) has stood the “history, text, and tradition” Bruen test on its head. She will surely get slapped down for her decision, on appeal. She claims “…the nation’s history and tradition of regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons and firearms to protect public safety…” That is utter nonsense, or what is often called in courtrooms: “pure cant”. To clarify: The Bruen test requires proof of the enactment of a comparable firearms law that predates 1791. In 1791, it was perfectly legal for civilians to possess hand grenades, mortars, and cannon. And there were no laws limiting the size, the rapidiity of fire, features, or other characteristics of firearms. Most of the “gun laws” on the books circa 1790 were restrictions on gun ownership or carry of guns by American Indians or freed slaves. And any of those laws were of course negated by the 14th and 15th Amendments. Show me the pre-1791 law “regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons”, Judge Immergut! No such law exists!
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The latest from the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel: I Bought an Abandoned Off-Grid Cabin in Alaska (Full of Abandoned Treasures!) JWR’s Comment: With so much dead-standing timber, he should seriously consider creating a corduroy road on all of the boggy stretches of his road. And that could be built wide enough to accommodate a jeep.
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News and analysis from Louisiana: Plaquemine plant explosions, fire: What is ethylene glycol? What happens when antifreeze burns?
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SaraSue sent this update:
“I want to thank my SurvivalBlog friends who sent in tips about my various issues. I do love this community. This is the busiest time of year and I look forward to it all year, but then groan under the heat and humidity that assails us here in the South.
My heifer was bred via A.I. this past week; I decided to wait another month on one of my cows, and plan to breed another one end of next week. The vet is scheduled to come out to palpate my sweet Jersey who was with a bull earlier to confirm pregnancy. The steer calf is scheduled for the butcher in the Fall. The “Cowlander” looks pretty overwhelming for calves next Spring. The piglets are doing well, as are the meat birds. The hens are laying, the barn kitties and guard dogs are doing their jobs. Otherwise, no new deaths on the homestead.
There is one planned murder. One of my very big roosters came up behind me while I was feeding piglets and ruthlessly attacked me. I will have a couple of scars, but the bruises will heal. This is one of the reasons I wear heavy jeans and boots when working outside no matter how hot it is. He will be dispatched as soon as I can work up the gumption to do it. I whacked him over the head with a feed scooper to get him off me and then continued to chase him and whack him. He’s keeping his distance currently, but he has it coming. (Yes, I’ve treated the puncture wounds to prevent infection). He attacked me last year too, so I should have done it then. Honestly, roosters do not deserve a second change.
I’m in process of putting up tons of tomatoes and corn (not mine – purchased from local farmers). I froze 5 gallons of blackberries – I do so love blackberry pie! Soon I will put up zucchini, cherries, apricots, nectarines, and hopefully, peaches. I came to the conclusion that I don’t really enjoy milking more than one cow at a time. LOL. But, I do so enjoy the bounty. I made 7 lbs. of butter last week and try to stay on a butter and cheese-making schedule if at all possible. Sometimes it’s not possible. I’m still selling milk to neighbors, and clabber excess milk for the chickens and pigs. The milk feeds the animals, my family, and the neighbors – so valuable.
I was thinking recently that it would be nice to take a break from the farm! That won’t/can’t happen for at least a year, so we’ll see. I agree with Lily, we need to keep prepping. I was so angry this past week to hear of U.S. troops being positioned to go to war. I cried, stressed, and prayed, then got to work. Keep going y’all.”
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Reader Tim J. suggested this video: Small Bushcraft and Survival Kit.
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A recent essay by Leo Hohmann: Fighting back against Smart Cities: From San Diego to North Idaho to Wyoming, residents are getting fed up with the growing surveillance network modeled after that of Communist China.
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Tim J. also recommended this video: Underground Dipole – the collapse of my ideas of Ham Antennas.
“Help me to understand. I planned this test as a joke, but it turned out serious. Successful QSOs on an antenna that is invisible and buried in the sand!! And this – on the day with bad propagation because of magnetic storm. To get an SWR 1.4 on 14.200 MHz I had to shorten the antenna in half! And it worked still well even with DX Stations from Siberia. Dear hams, how is this possible?”
JWR’s Comment: I can only wonder what the VSWR would be if the soil was fully saturated with rainwater.
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And lastly, there is this, over at The Federalist: If You Were A Sheep During Covid, Admit You Were Wrong And Do Better Next Time.
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