In today's column, we look at the current dock workers strike.

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at the current dock workers strike.

East and Gulf Coast Ports Strike, Stranding Billions in Trade

Over at left-leaning CNBC: East and Gulf coast ports strike, with ILA longshoremen walking off job from New England to Texas, stranding billions in trade. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

FEMA Seizing Donated Relief Supplies

SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson forwarded this X/Twitter post link: This is why Appalachians don’t trust the government. This is why we don’t want TEMA FEMA here. They show up after 5 days to only cause problems. Mike says:

“There are lots of reports like this, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Neighbors and churches will help you. The government will provide bureaucracy.”

Some Californians Face Having No Home Insurance

Homeowners in blue state face having no home insurance as State Farm issues grim warning. The article begins:

“California‘s biggest insurer has issued a bleak update for homeowners and businesses amid a growing crisis in the state.

State Farm says its fund used to cover claims in California will run dry by 2028 unless it can charge as much as 52 percent more to insure properties.

That would mean the company would not be able to pay for repairs in the event of another wildfire in the state like those in recent years. In fact, the company says such an event would bankrupt it.

The bleak warning came in filings submitted to the California Department of Insurance on September 10, as part of a standoff between State Farm and the regulator. State Farm insures 3.1 million homes there.

Earlier in the summer, State Farm bosses gave the department an ultimatum – let them raise home insurance rates for millions of citizens, or they will ax cover entirely.

Given State Farm writes a fifth of policies, this would be a huge blow. It is not simply a case of Californians moving to a new supplier – rivals are making the same moves.”

Hillary Clinton Wants Criminal Charges for Free Speech “Propaganda”

Reader H.L. sent us this: Hillary Clinton Calls for Americans to Be ‘Criminally Charged’ for Free Speech that Sounds Like ‘Russian Propaganda’.

Americans Can’t Hide From Nuclear War, Moscow Warns

Americans Can’t Hide From Nuclear War, Moscow Warns As West Mulls Escalation. The article begins:

“The Kremlin has issued yet more warnings following reports that the Biden administration could soon greenlight long-range attacks by Kiev forces on Russian territory using US-supplied arms.

Both the UK and Canada are on board, we reported earlier, and British Prime Minister Ken Starmer is visiting Washington where he’s directly lobbying Biden to jump on board and grant Zelensky’s urgent request to lift all restrictions on Western weaponry.

However, The New York Times suggests that saner minds are prevailing at this point. “President Biden’s deliberations with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain about whether to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with long-range Western weapons were fresh evidence that the president remains deeply fearful of setting off a dangerous, wider conflict,” the publication writes.”

Lessons From Ancient Rome’s Death By Mass Migration

Brad F. sent this: What America can learn from ancient Rome’s death by mass migration.

State Lawmakers Have a New Gun Control Scheme

Reader C.B. sent this from the leftist/statist MSN: State Lawmakers Have A New Strategy For Gun Reform. An excerpt:

“A group of state legislators, local politicians and nonprofits on Tuesday launched a national coalition that hopes to circumvent the congressional stalemate on gun reform by pressing for violence prevention efforts at the local level.

The coalition, Legislators for Safer Communities, aims to capitalize on the shifting politics of gun reform by focusing more attention on state legislatures, where violence prevention advocates have scored their biggest wins in recent years.

Part incubator of best practices and part national coordination committee, the coalition strives to rack up more wins while strategizing how to tailor policy goals to local realities. It supports ambitious but politically challenging reforms like banning assault-style weapons and mandating universal background checks for firearm purchases, but also sees opportunities to push lighter-lift measures that typically get less attention, like safe gun storage laws and funding community violence intervention programs.”