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!
Ancient Tools
Backwoods Home: Build a Stone Wall
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Archaeologists discover ancient tools built with material from space
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From Angkor Wat to Stonehenge: How Ancient People Moved Mountains
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Video: Hand Splitting Granite Fieldstone
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A Bargain Remote Retreat in Montana
Real estate agent Theresa Mondale recently added this new listing at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off web site: Off-Grid Cabin Near Helmville, Montana. This 20 acre property with a rough cabin is listed at just $90,000, and the owners will carry a note. The current owners have been developing the property as their sustainable homestead over the last 12 years. The property is truly remote, with only snowmobile/snowcat access during winter months.
Trevor Baylis of BayGen Fame Has Passed Away
Sad News: Trevor Baylis, the Inventor of the BayGen wind-up radio has passed away at age 80. (Our thanks to James C. for spotting this news.)
SFPD: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
The folks at Zero Hedge posted this: SFPD Probes How Cops Fired 65 Shots At Murder Suspect… And Missed 65 Times. This article underscores just how poor police retraining and re-qualification can be, these days. Our thanks to reader H.L., for sending the link.
Ibuprofen Alters Human Testicular Physiology to Produce a State of Compensated Hypogonadism
Reader S.O.M. forwarded us this PNAS article titled: Ibuprofen Alters Human Testicular Physiology to Produce a State of Compensated Hypogonadism. The first paragraph reads: “Concern has been raised over declining male reproductive health in humans. Our study addresses this issue by extending data showing antiandrogen effects of analgesics and suggests that such compounds may be involved in adult male reproductive problems. Using a unique combination of a randomized, controlled clinical trial and ex vivo and in vitro approaches, we report a univocal depression of important aspects of testicular function, including testosterone production, after use of over-the-counter ibuprofen. The study shows that ibuprofen use results in selective transcriptional repression of endocrine cells in the human testis. This repression results in the elevation of the stimulatory pituitary hormones, resulting in a state of compensated hypogonadism, a disorder associated with adverse reproductive and physical health disorders.”
The Gun Free Utopia
Reid Henrichs of the Valor Ridge firearms training organization recently released this brief and pointed lecture video: The Gun Free Utopia.
Report: Parkland Shooter Did Not Use High-Capacity Magazines
The National Review recently posted: Report: Parkland Shooter Did Not Use High-Capacity Magazines. Their article begins: “The Parkland shooter did not use magazines larger than 10 rounds, but gun-reform lobbyists are calling on lawmakers to ban higher-capacity magazines after the Valentine’s Day tragedy.
The 19-year-old school shooter who killed 17 in Florida on Valentine’s Day had 150 rounds of ammunition in 10-round magazines. Larger ones would not fit in his bag, Florida state senator Lauren Book revealed.”
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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Was gerrymandered out of any representation years ago. Can’t sell property(or rent to cover expenses)due to goverment policies. Voting is a joke(the better of two bad choices is no choice) and the lawyers(all politicians have to be in the private club)run it anyways.
We need term limits on all senators and representatives NOW! That one thing would help this country out of this downward spiral.
You do realize that we have term limits right now, right? Voting is a sure fire way of removing long term people from office. The only challenge is that you have to convince people to do it. Automatic term limits won’t fix anything.
Maybe if elected officials knew they had only four or eight years to represent us, they wouldn’t turn their public service into a career.
That, to me is what creates the “swamp”.
Politicians know they can broker a lifetime of lavish income and stay in power to boot. There is no accountability, only behind door backscratching for elitists and the well connected.
And we’re not part of the club.
The problem is we think every other Congress person is bad but ours.
@TexasScout – I would agree – but then the problem isn’t really term limits. It’s voter education (or perhaps getting them to care about anything other than promised free stuff.)
The problem with term limits is that you may end up loosing a good representative of the people and replace that person with just another politician who wants to stay forever. I think we need to do away with politician’s government paid retirements. It’s not a job after all. We also need to insist that their campaign war chests be turned over to the Treasury at the end of each election cycle. As of now, when they retire, their war chests can be converted to their personal property. They end up with tens of millions of dollars in gifts from the very people they are supposed to be regulating. Drain the Swamp.
OH NO! I live in Oregon and all of them, except Greg Walden (sometimes DeFazio) are bad.
You are right Hugh. Term limits just allow the sheep to go back to sleep. The intention of term limits is good but the intended results will not happen. It is the culture that must change and that just ain’t happening. Another political issue that keeps the sheep in the pen is “non-partisan”. This is just a way for the left to hide and people fall for it. Everyone is “partisan” and adding “non” to it is a ruse.
Yes, but, who has to vote in term limits? Congress critters!
Ain’t gonna happen!
When politicians play Santa Claus they have a job for life.
A constitutional amendment would be necessary to place term limits on Congress.
Hugh is right. The ballot box is an excellent tool for limiting time in Congress.
One of the unintended consequences of term limits is that politicians can blithely pass laws and incur debt without any concern for being around to face the music later. They can “kick the can down the road,” knowing that they won’t be in Washington to bear the public’s wrath.
Few years back 2 NYPD officers fired 38 rounds at a suspect. Missed him completely but managed to wound 9 innocent bystanders. Suspect then shot himself, I think it was his attempt at getting the cops to stop shooting everyone else. Of course they are never held accountable for the rounds they fire but let you a lowly citizen accidentally scratch someone and it’s off to the gulag, no “I was in fear for my life” get out of jail and get a paid vacation card for you.
Q: What is that machine at the top of the article? I’m familiar with many things, but that one stumps me. (also, maybe because there is only a partial picture of it. a pulled back view might be educational)
Thanks
I live in Mt. Buying property “off the grid” can be risky! You should always be positive of where your property boundaries are. I would strongly(!) suggest that you have the property surveyed.
Yes a survey is always needed. I know of Realtors who have sold the the wrong lot and a home was built. Talking about not knowing what you are selling and the title company nor mortgage company caught the mistake. The real owner stepped up from out of state to tell the so-called new owners “thanks for the new home”. It all got resolved eventually. Buyer beware!