The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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 “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at a new SARS-like virus contagion.

Geographic Evidence that Gun Deaths are Cultural

Regular link contributor H.L. sent us this fascinating set of maps, over that Jim Quinn’s blog: Geographic Evidence that Gun Deaths are Cultural. JWR’s Comment:  Beware, whenever you see the term “gun deaths” used by mass media news sources!

How Scalia Botched Heller

How Scalia Botched Heller and Let the Left Undermine the 2nd Amendment. A quote:

“Perhaps the most grievous error Scalia committed was his failure to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Miller, the only prior case dealing with the individual right to possess a gun.  Miller, decided in 1939, was a flawed precedent.  It upheld the National Firearms Act of 1934, which placed severe restrictions and punitive taxes upon machine guns, suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and destructive devices “in interstate commerce.”  The Miller court ruled that these items were not “in common use” by the militia, thus not protected for individual ownership.”

SARS-Like Virus Spreads Outside China

Mystery SARS-Like Virus Spreads as First Confirmed Case Emerges Outside China. Here is the article’s introduction:

“A new virus from the same family as the deadly SARS disease has spread beyond China’s borders for the first time with a case emerging in Thailand, UN and Thai officials said on Monday.

Thai doctors diagnosed a Chinese traveller with mild pneumonia on January 8 later confirmed to have been caused by the so-called novel coronavirus – which has already given rise to 41 pneumonia-like cases and one death in China.

The outbreak has caused alarm because of the link with SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong in 2002-2003.”

Man Builds Bulletproof Stormtrooper Suit

Reader H.L. sent us this: Man builds bulletproof stormtrooper suit with 3-D printer

Buried down in the article was this clarification of the hyped headline:

“The helmet, one shin guard, and the back plate are bulletproof. It would have been too expensive to bulletproof the whole suit.

When tested, the bulletproof helmet did its job, but it took a real beating on the firing range. So, Rasmusson cut a slice out of the face with a water jet in order to see how it had performed on the inside.

For the most part, it did a great job with the exception of the eye guard, which was not bulletproof to start off with.”

Americans Want Everything Delivered

Americans want everything delivered, and it’s causing problems

Study: Intermittent Fasting to Live Longer

Reader DSV sent us this: People on the intermittent fasting diet live longer: study. The intro to this New York Post piece reads:

“A new study points to one that’s been especially trendy, especially among those who hope to live long, healthy lives. Intermittent fasting, which commonly means fasting for 18 hours or more a day, can help people lose weight, live longer and fight diseases, a Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientist suggests in a new paper.”

Virginia Increasing Prison Budget: Readying for Gun Grabs

Reader H.L. sent us this: Report: Virginia increases corrections budget in preparation for arrests of gun owners, police.

Virginia Governor to Declare State of Emergency

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Gun Rights Under Fire: Virginia Governor to Declare State of Emergency

A Warning on “Christian” Colleges

G.P. sent us this: Don’t Assume Because A College Is Christian It’s A Safe Place For Your Kid.

You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) Thanks!




39 Comments

  1. Blaming Americans because the companies can’t deliver as they advertised and promised!?! CEOs make millions to billions a year and if they can’t think their way into solutions maybe they are the issue not The People.
    Quit saying you’ll deliver everything everywhere if you can’t. That’s your failure not the customers. Typical news reporting too blaming the common folks while protecting the rich.

  2. Re: Miller decision and VA prison budget:

    The writer for the American Thinker forgets one thing about the courts- they decide the case in front of them and with the facts of the case.

    The firearm used by Miller was a sawed off shotgun. Hence the court ONLY ruled on the issue of the legality of Sawed off shotguns. I think it would be very easy to show that AR15 style rifles are in common use.
    Something else that could be argued is that Full Autos were in common use BEFORE THE NFA was passed. Hence why it was passed in the first place. The only issue that will probably be up-held is the ability of the Federal Government to collect the tax on NFA style weapons. Miller could be over-turn with a challenged to the machine gun “ban” verses the quest ion of sawed off shotguns was already added by the court.

    As to Virginia increasing its prison budget- really by $250,000? This isn’t enough to even house but a few prisoner a year. Propaganda

    1. I would have thought the words of the second would be sufficient to defeat the NFA in the first place.
      “Shall not be infringed”.
      Plain english, clearly stated, to the point with no wiggle room included.
      Look at the “similar” words:
      in·fringe
      /inˈfrinj/
      Learn to pronounce
      verb
      past tense: infringed; past participle: infringed
      actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.).
      “making an unauthorized copy would infringe copyright”
      Similar:
      contravene
      violate
      transgress
      break
      breach
      commit a breach of
      disobey
      defy
      flout
      fly in the face of
      ride roughshod over
      kick against
      fail to comply with
      fail to observe
      disregard
      take no notice of
      ignore
      neglect
      go beyond
      overstep
      exceed
      infract
      cock a snook at
      Opposite:
      obey
      comply with
      act so as to limit or undermine (something); encroach on.
      “his legal rights were being infringed”
      Similar:
      undermine
      erode
      diminish
      weaken
      impair
      damage
      compromise

    2. It would have been pretty easy to disprove the “not in common use” argument for the purposes of short barreled shotguns, since many were still in the Army’s armories from use in the trenches of WWI. Sadly, Mr. Miller disappeared and his attorney had no motivation nor funds to travel to Washington D.C. to fight the case at the Supreme Court. The ridiculous, bald-face lies used as arguments by the government in front of the Justices of the Supreme Court went entirely unopposed, and we have had to live with the consequences of that unjust and erroneous ruling ever since.

      1. Miller wasn’t represented by counsel at the Supreme Court hearings, so no one presented his case. It is true that short barreled shotguns were very effective in trench warfare, so effective that the Germans protested their use. And the Justices certainly knew this as about a third were Great War veterans.

        But since no lawyer presented this evidence in court, the Supremes used the polite fiction of “no Judicial notice” to ignore the facts.

    3. One must think of the time period in which this ‘act’ was passed. 1934?- Consider that some in this very country were quoted as saying ‘the nazi party is the wave of the future’ and seen as ‘a great bulwark against the Bolsheviks’. The tax part is all about Revenue Nazism, of course. Bigger and better government as a Control Apparatus. With the current events in Virginia, we are seeing the amalgamation of nazi/communist socialism taking control of the government for its own means. Regretfully, the 2A is the only true end-all for this usurpation.
      Preparedness continues.

    4. Miller was actually never argued as he was destitute and could not afford to present the case(still common practice to litigate defendants to financial exhaustion with their own tax dollars). The Supremes heard the government and ruled.

  3. Ref:Americans wanting everything delivered.
    How in the world is this even news worthy? There are many truly important issues that require our attention and consideration.

  4. Any comment on the relevance of the Star Wars Bullet Proof Suit would require using words that some would consider unkind and uncivil.We know that’s not allowed.

  5. Re. Situation in Richmond tomorrow (Jan. 20)

    I will try to fairly summarize the sound advice from Stewart Rhodes, Founder of Oath Keepers and Matt Bracken.

    The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) has chosen to ask 10,000 gun owners disarm and go inside Northam’s sheep pen/slave pen. That is precisely what Governor Northam wants us to do. This is a tragic BLUNDER, a recipe for disaster.

    Patriots must let the bad guys be the clear aggressors. This is what our Founders did. They did not go to Boston and engage the British Crown. Patriots waited until the British were finally forced to send troops out in to the country, where they were weak and the patriots were strong.

    Oath Keepers will be on the ground tomorrow and they will ARMED. But they will be in the rally in the streets of Richmond, VA. They will NOT be in Gov. Northam’s absurd disarmed slave pen.

  6. It is not surprising that someone who believes in fasting and has practiced it for 25 years finds evidence that it makes you live longer. But I thought it was veganism or vegetarianism that made you live longer.

    1. One doesn’t exclude the other. Besides just think of fasting as prepping that way when/if food gets tight you will be in better shape (mentally & physically) then others.

      1. And that is fine as long as you aren’t trying to claim that somehow fasting makes you live longer. As long as it is a simple choice like drinking a beer or not eating artichokes no one cares. But when you make big claims you must provide big proof to back it up.

  7. The civil war will begin in Virginia, and will be start over gun rights and the 2nd Amendment. No sane person wants it to happen, but the left keeps pushing for it. When will it begin ? That is up to the communists in Virginia.

    1. No, no Sane person wants it to happen. But then, do you consider the leftists to be sane? (I certainly do Not!) As has been stated so very well- Liberalism is a mental disorder.

  8. Intermittent fasting– basic rules of eating:

    1. Absolutely NO snacking between scheduled meals. Water-fast. Snacking disrupts the digestive process, lengthening the time required to process stomach contents, resulting in putrifaction of the food, and fatigue to the digestive organs.
    2. After eating, it takes about 4 hours for the stomach to process a meal. Then it needs to rest. Therefore, there should be a minimum of 5 hours from the end of one meal to the beginning of the next meal.
    3. The stomach should be empty by bedtime. A light supper should be at least 3 hours before bed, a heavier meal 4-5 hours before bedtime.

    The Pharisee bragged, “I fast twice in the week.” Luke 18:12. Most likely, it actually did help his health a bit. Whether this was skipping one meal, or both, I’m not sure. In general, skipping the second meal of the day is easiest, although it may be helpful to alternate.

    In Biblical times, it seems that the main meal was eaten late-morning, followed by a lighter meal in the evening.

    Overall, it seems that Hebrew custom in the time of Christ was quite in harmony with the laws of physiology.

  9. The situation in Virginia is difficult and dangerous on many levels — for the people who will be in attendance, and for all of us. Radical leftists simply don’t play “fair” or according to the rules, or in the traditions of truth and civility. I would agree with Montana Guy that what we see before us has the potential to be a disaster in the making. Also with Nathan-H who observed the Left’s insanity and push for what could become a kinetic Civil War. We pray in earnest that there will be no violence, and that there remains a viable political or judicial solution that can restore and preserve the Constitution including 2A rights as written and intended by the Founders.

  10. Re: Christian Colleges. Lots of things I can say about this but I will summarize: In the same way that red states have gotten blue legislators, people have not been alert. Time and time again in the scriptures we have been warned to keep watch, constantly, for evil will sneak in and break down the protective standards we once had. We were warned but we slept.

    1. Not only are we to keep watch , we are to perform the role of the watchman… we are to warn when we see danger / trouble … Ezekiel chapter 3 and 33 are very plain… we have to get in the battle as Paul instructs in Ephesians 6 … STAND FAST !!!

  11. In the age of world travel made easy, the risk of rapid disease transmission involving a new and unfamilar “agent” is a cause for concern — alongside, of course, the possibility of mutation that makes an infective organism more virulent or more readily transmittable. Precautionary measures are prudent. These efforts are wise not only in the face of 2019-nCoV, but also when confronting the risk of typical flu (ubiquitous and potentially more dangerous than most people imagine or understand). Stay well. Be safe everyone!

  12. It seems that the conclusions reached in the study “Geographical evidence that gun deaths are cultural” are understood by the left socialist democratic party. The demographics of black homicides and poor white suicides would tend to vote democrat. It is similar to the open southern border being left open because that demographic tends to vote democrat. It tends to explain why the democrats are for a gun ban and open borders. It is largely their democrat constituency that they want to perpetuate and protect for the votes.

  13. I have read that AntiFA is coming to Richmond. They may or may not come armed. There will be attacks against the lawful gun owners who show up for a peaceful protest. If AntiFA uses physical violence as opposed to violence using guns, and the lawful gun owners defend themselves, it will be the gun owners who get the blame. If AntiFA uses firearms, it will still be reported that it was the lawful gun owners who are at fault.

    Like in Charlottesville, where the AntiFA groups actually initiated the violence, the police and politicians aided and abetted AntiFA, and the alt-right got all the blame for that violence, and the violence by AntiFA was just ignored; the violence in Richmond will be reported as being started by the peaceful, lawful gun owners. The Democrats and their MSM allies (the lying media scum, the LMS), won’t report what actually happens and automatically place the blame on the peaceful, lawful gun owners.

    All too many Republican scumbag politicians will be happy to parrot the LMS in order to seek favor and recognition from that same LMS, Lindsey Graham immediately comes to mind. Even Fox News may misreport what actually happens and who actually starts the fray. Remember former house speaker Paul Ryan, that treasonous a-hole, now sits on the board of directors of Fox Corp, the parent company of Fox News. He has been pushing Fox News personnel to be much less favorable to President Trump. Some of their crew, notably Andrew Napolitano, has been compliant to his wishes, or so it seems.

    The start of violence in Civil War 2.0 may indeed begin in Richmond, Virginia. I pray that it doesn’t. However, if the leftists start a fight, I don’t see the peaceful lawful gun owners standing down (bending over and taking it). It is up to Blackface Northam and his out of control legislature to do the standing down. Sadly, I don’t see that happening either.

    1. The issue is that if SARS or any similarly structured pathogen were to make it out globally then the death toll wouldn’t be 600. You could easily be 600,000 or 6 million. Catching these things early is of absolute importance.

    2. I am just finishing the book Crisis In The Red Zone, suggested here on SB awhile back. It is an excellent read, and I learned a lot. The book is about Ebola but explains how SARS can do the same.

      The Cat 4 viruses I am now aware of, and how the total deaths reported are always less than actual, are eye-opening.

      For example, when Ebola was running wild there were hundreds of ill people which local families refused to send to treatment centers arrayed like ‘FEMA camps’. Those folks then spread the Cat 4 Ebola virus everywhere, hundreds died unreported to the statistics people. And Ebola made it to 3 continents.

      SARS is the same type of Cat 4 virus, which goes through the human population like wildfire.

      Some diseases in the US in the 1800s would wipe out entire railroad work camps of hundreds young,strong, healthy workers within 48 hours of being contaminated. So I heed medical safety.

  14. $250,000?! That is 4 additional state cops or corrections officers. Not significant. This is fear mongering by both sides.
    The SARS warnings are also fear mongering. The flu warnings here are also fear mongering. They seldom match the vaccine to the current flu strain, thus people die who would not have had the proper vaccine been available. But you will not receive protection from an ineffective vaccine.
    What would happen if President Trump sent in Federal Troops to protect the protestors right to assemble? To act as peace keepers and to prevent trigger happy LEO from opening fire on law abiding protestors?

    1. Anyone who has any hope in Trump or political parties at the highest levels doing anything for the 2nd ammendment is going to be sorely disappointed. Trump is following the orders of his globalist masters to the “T”.

      1. I could not disagree more. Trump is being impeached because the globalists and elites do not like him. He has done more for the 2nd amendment than any president in my lifetime and 1000 times more than Hillary would have done.

      2. ‘big’ mike:
        I am waiting to see what Trump will do relating to our right to defend ourselves with our privately owned firearms. He MAY infringe on our rights or he MAY NOT. I am betting that he will not. But YOU do not know yet. None of us does. [We should] admit that.

        1. He is credit card millionaire,all he has is based on loaned money,he has repeatedly bankrupted when his financing got pulled.
          As for the 2nd Amend. what do you expect from a admitted gun hating NYC Democrat oppurtunist egomaniac?

Comments are closed.