Survival Together
Monday, November 23, 2009
Holder for gun registration
This article documents it and warns of the danger.
http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m11d21-Holder-tells-Senate-committee-Justice-Department-supports-more-gun-control
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Famine Ahead
Crop scientists fear the Ug99 fungus could wipe out more than 80 percent of worldwide wheat crops as it spreads from its home base in eastern Africa. It has jumped the Red Sea and traveled as far as Iran. Experts say it is poised to enter the breadbasket of northern India and Pakistan, and the wind inevitably will carry it to Russia, China and even North America — if it doesn't hitch a ride with people first. Read more here
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Appellate court upholds Chicago gun ban
This seems to be specious legal reasoning to me. The Constitution specifically states that any matters not covered by it were to be left to the states. That obviously does not include the Second Amendment. If the Constitution is indeed the law of the land, it would seem to me that it would supersede state and municipal laws. Based on the judge's way of thinking, Los Angeles or Detroit could legalize slavery or coin their own money without running afoul of the feds.
John Adams, founding father and Sons of Liberty
We need to read and reread the original sources of our history. I’m reading the life of John Adams. In my opinion, he was the most profound intellectual stimulus in the American Revolution.
The following is an excerpt from the book John Adams, by Page smith, from vol.1 pages 110 and 111.
The entire quote is in red below. Please excuse any typos.
Take note of the informal creed they affirmed with their toasts, and the song they sang. Both of these cemented into their hearts and minds the need to be willing to fight for their freedoms. This all happened close to a decade before the actual war of the revolution took place.
The author is describing the events along with John Adam’s opinion of them.
There was no sign that the crisis with England would soon be dissipated. Rather, there was every indication that common action in behalf of colonial liberties would be a continued necessity. Such action must be guided and directed, must be turned from meaningless violence to restrained and orderly protest; a feeling of solidarity must be created and a temper that would, if worst came to worst, dare the utmost. This spirit must be forged and the day of testing anticipated. On the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Sons of Liberty, three hundred and fifty Sons gathered at Robinson’s Liberty Tree Tavern in Dorchester. Two large tables were laid in the open field beside a barn with an awning of sailcloth stretched overhead. A little “Tory” rain fell on the patriots but not enough to dampen their spirits. Philemon Dickinson, brother of the famous Philadelphia lawyer, John Dickinson, who had written an eloquent attack on the Townshend duties under the title of “Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer,” was guest of the Sons along with Joseph Reed of New Jersey.
After a dinner washed down with generous quantities of cider came the toasts. These were the central feature of the patriotic festivals. They usually numbered forty-five in honor of the forty-fifth issue of the North Briton, the paper of John Wilkes, enemy of tyranny and advocate of the colonial cause. Forty-five gave the toastmaster a good deal to work with and considerably elevated the temper of the company. On this occasion as on most others, the toasts started with one to the King and then to the Queen, the Prince of Wales, Pitt, Conway, Barre and other “friends to colonial liberties,” to John Wilkes himself, to the thirteen sister colonies, to Runnymede and Magna Carta, to trial by jury and the classic inventory of an Englishman’s rights, and finally to “the speedy removal of all task-masters, and the redress of all grievances…the abolition of all craft and low cunning in Church and State,” and threateningly, “strong halters, firm blocks, and sharp axes, to such as deserve either,” followed by the discharge of a small cannon and three loud, if ragged cheers.
The toasts at such gatherings served as a kind of creedal statement. They were educational (in case some lately recruited patriots were slightly muddled about the principles of liberty) and inspiring, as they served to fix in men’s minds the main points at issue between the Mother Country and the colonies.
After the toasts there was other entertainment. John Balch, famous as a mimic, diverted the company with “The Lawyer’s Head” and “The Hunting of a Bitch Fox.” Then came the Liberty Song, written by John Dickinson and set to the tune of an old English drinking ballad:
Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
And rouse your bold hearts at fair liberty’s call.
No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just fame,
Or stain with dis
honor America’s name.
Then the chorus …
In freedom we’re born and in freedom we’ll live,
Our right arms are ready,
Steady, men, steady.
Not as slaves but as freemen, our lives we will give.
Eat the Weeds
A week or two ago I came across this web page called "Eat the Weeds". The author has multiple videos on Youtube showing what plants are good to eat and how to prepare them. As time allows I would like to copy and save many of these on CD (I'll never remember all this stuff).
Started my garden last weekend
We have about an acre of ground but half of it is woods, so without major clearing of trees we have a very small area for the garden. I picked the spot that gets the most sun. Last year I cut about 8 trees to expand the yard and now that has created a good spot.
Another problem we have is deer. The nuts who live all around me seem to love feeding the deer. The result is that it is not unusual for me to see 10 - 15 deer within a half mile from my house. The deer are skinny and sickly looking because of overpopulation. They eat everything under six feet high. The result is that even though we live in a wooded area, I can see 200 yards through the woods because there is no vegetation left. To solve the problem of the deer eating the garden I am putting up a fence. I am fencing in an area that is 12 feet wide and 26 feet long. Unfortunately, this is costing me something, but if we are to have a garden it has to be done. The fence system coat me about $125. I put 4x4 treated posts in the corners and a few steel fence posts in between. The fence is 5 feet tall.
Now the soil was another problem. Our ground is mostly rock with a thin skim layer of dirt. Since I don't have a tiller and the ground was going to need massive improvement, I decided to go with raised beds. For these I bought 2x6 boards. I had a few laying around already and bought ten more for a cost of around $60.
What to do for soil. O how I wish I had a truck! But I do have a 5 x 10 utility trailer which I pull with my 98 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. The car will pull a full ton, no problem, but it has a big problem stopping anything over about 1000 lbs. (that's another story). I had to pay $30 for a one yard scoop of mulched topsoil at the garden center. Man do I hate paying for dirt! My favorite way to by dirt is to have a title in my hand at the end. But it was pretty nice dirt even if it was very wet and clumpy.
One yard of dirt would not even fill a quarter of my garden and I couldn't afford to pay for more but thank God for Craigslist. I found someone giving away horse manure about 30 minutes from my home. I drove down last Saturday and shoveled about three yards into my trailer. It was free and it was nice stuff! It is about two years old, the horses had been well fed with hay, and they had been bedded with sawdust. This made for a beautiful mulched compost dirt as the picture shows. There was almost no smell to it at all, but my bulldog knew what it was as was thrilled to root through it with his snout. If anyone in NEPA is interested in some free horse manure compost, let me know and I'll give you the contact info.
So now I've got my tomatoes, peppers, yellow string beans, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, and even pumpkins for the kids all started. I still plan to put in corn, a few potatoes, cucumbers, peas, onions, radishes, and more if there is room. O, the size of the raise beds is two at 4'x10' and four at 2' x 10'. That gives me 120 square feet of raised bed garden.
As the garden grows I'll post more pics and information.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Food Crisis coming
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Electromagnetic pulse.
Excellent video teaching difference between Democracy and Republic
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wattage list for home generator
Household appliance Wattage
Air conditioners
Central 5,000
Room 1,000
Clock radio 10
Coffeemaker 1,050
Clothes washer 425
Clothes dryer (electric) 3,400
Dishwasher 1,800
Dehumidifier 785
Electric blanket 80
Fans
Ceiling 120
Window 150
Furnace 750
Whole house 500
Freezer (stand-alone) 600
Hair dryer 1,600
Heating
central, gas furnace 400
central, oil furnace 1500
electric, portable 1125
Clothes iron 1,400
Light bulbs
Incandescent 100
Compact fluorescent 25
Microwave oven 925
Personal computer
CPU & Monitor 125
Laptop 25
Stereo 250
Range (electric) 4,500
Refrigerator 725
Sump pump 600
Televisions (color)
20-inch (LCD) 65
26-inch (LCD) 110
36- to 42-inch (Plasma) 250
50- to 60-inch (Plasma) 340
Misc
Toaster 1,100
Toaster oven 1,225
VCR/DVD 25
Vacuum cleaner 1,225
Water heater (electric, 40-gallon) 5,000
Well pump (deep well) 700
Lights In Sky Prompt Flood Of Calls In Md., Va., N.C.
BALTIMORE -- The National Weather Service said Monday there is no evidence of any naturally occurring phenomenon to explain bright lights in the eastern sky that prompted hundreds of calls to the service and emergency officials.
Forum: Did You See Anything?E-Mail: Did You Take A Photo? Send It To Us
Callers from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina described brilliant, streaking lights followed by an explosion-like sound at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday.
One 11 News viewer in Carroll County e-mailed to say she "spotted a large fireball in the western sky. It started out being about star brightness, then increasingly got brighter and greener. As it got green, it had an orange sparkling tail...We saw it go almost all the way to the ground before losing sight of it in the trees."
A WBALTV.com visitor who was in Durham, N.C., wrote the following: "I remember seeing something greenish and changing colors. It was leaving a trail (not sure of the color). I never saw it hit the ground either because it faded, got covered by trees, or burnt out."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saving food
Monday, March 23, 2009
Food Preservation
Thomas Paine is back
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Chinese spy who defected tells all
I include it secondly because I've read on a number of occasions that oppressive governments hate the truly heart committed Christians because they are one of the only groups that they can not eventually brainwash or terrorize into submission. America is full of half hearted religious people and they would never endure much persecution, but there is also a much smaller remnant of hard core believers. History teaches that they will be persecuted, but will not bow.
A veteran Chinese intelligence officer who defected to the United
States says that his country's civilian spy service spends most of its time
trying to steal secrets overseas but also works to bolster Beijing's Communist
Party rule by repressing religious and political dissent internally.
Read the rest...
Is this the end of America?
The title of this entry is the title of an article in the National post. Excellent piece. Read it here.
Here are a couple paragraphs from it.
Reform of health care, environmental policy, education, energy, banking,
regulation — every nook and cranny of the U.S. economy has been put on alert for
major change. Expansion of government spending, plunging the U.S. into
unprecedented deficits, is without parallel. In economic policy, through
regulation and control of energy output, financial services and monetary
expansion, the U.S. government has embarked on a fundamental reshaping of
America. It is designed, in short, to bring on the end of America.
For the rest of the world, however, the worry is that America is at risk of
becoming the fountainhead of a new inflationary outburst. The U.S. dollar is now
in decline, gold is moving sharply higher, and new global currency turmoil is on
the horizon. It may not happen. A paper just published by the Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis, source of the chart above, says that the Fed will have to be
prepared to absorb all the excess money it has poured into the U.S. economy. It
will be a technical and political challenge unlike any central bank has ever
undertaken. The future of America is at stake.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bill HR875 looks like a real freedom buster
Read it here or go to the link above for a more clear copy.
Attack on Your Right to Garden!!!
Looking more into HR875For those who think gardens and small farms are safe under this bill, you need to keep reading deeper into the bill....They've purposely made it so long and boring, that you miss the important parts. Therefore, I've taken out just one small but very important part for you to read.
First of all, "food production facilities" ARE regulated. Sure, Food production facilities are excluded from the same regulation as Food establishments, but fall under separate regulation under section 206. Now, as in the definitions: food production facility' means **any** farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. That is so broad that it could include hobby farms and even gardens. Let's say you have a couple rows of grapes. Can that be a vineyard under their definition? Lets say you have 5 goats and a horse on a 5 acre piece of land. can that be considered a farm? Now go to section 206 Here is just a small part of it. This is where it gets scary....I've highlighted my comments in Blue
SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
(a) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to—(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries (overstepping their bounds a little eh?)to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;2) review food safety records (are you good at record keeping?) as required to bekept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;(3) set good practice standards to protect thepublic and animal health and promote food safety;***Notice this part***(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.
(b) INSPECTION OF RECORDS.—A food productionfacility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment (Look at this one, I highlighted it in Green, these guys are so STUPID that they are intermingling 2 different defined terms "food establishment" and "food production facility" taking it into context I'm assuming they are talking about a food production facility) in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator— (You want government prying in your personal life more than they already are?)
Plus there's tons more very restrictive legislation. This is an evil bill Co-sponsored by the wife of someone who works for Monsanto.
Not to mention, even if it did specifically exclude gardens, hobby farms and organic farms, which it does not, the cost would be so enormous that our already high food prices would go through the roof....
If Monsanto favors this bill, it cant be good. Now, there are those people out there that think this is a good bill because it "protects us", or those that feel small farms and gardens are safe. But some of the problems are 1) They appoint industry leaders as experts. Who do you think will get to be the "expert" a small organic farmer or the CEO of a major corporate farm? 2) The wording is so broad that it's open to interpretation. 3) They appoint "food police" to enforce these regulations. Now, when the food police come to your "farm" and fine you. You know what they will say? "Sorry, I don't interpret the law, I enforce the law" Can you afford an uphill legal battle to protect your farm, garden, vineyard, orchard, or livestock?
Here's The petition to fight this billHR875 PetitionSign, copy and email this petition to everyone you know. Drop a comment and let the world know you've done your part.
Here's my personal declaration to fight this bill http://americanpreppersnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/hr-875.html
**Note, Please copy and forward this article to everyone you know and re-post it to your own websites, just make sure there is a link back to this site so we can get more people involved in fighting this bill
Thank you, Tom
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Are we really headed for trouble?
Martenson has made a three hour video, for free, explaining why it is impossible for our world to continue past about twenty years without some kind of major crisis. You might not agree with all that he says, but I think you'll have to admit, he makes some really good points. The video is divided into about twenty segments. Watch the first three or four and you have good idea if the rest is something you are interested in. Personally I think this is must view material!
A generator and / or solar
At first I was all about getting a big generator that would power my whole house if a storm knocked out power for a week or two. But then I saw the prices and read the reviews and my brain finally kicked in.
There are several reasons to stay away from a large 5000 watt plus generator. First, they are expensive. Second, the are expensive to operate. The bigger the engine, the more fuel they use. Third, dependability. It is very likely that this beast will sit unused for long periods of time. I don't want to spend a significant amount of money on something that doesn't work when I really need it. Going big on wattage will most likely mean cutting back on quality. I want an engine that will start reliably. Fourth, portability. If for some reason I decide to bug out, it would be nice to take this baby with me. Big generators weigh hundreds of pounds and are not easy to move.
So my criteria for a generator seem to something close to this: 1) It needs to be big enough to run my well pump. If it will do that, it will do everything else too. 2) It needs to be of fairly decent quality. I'm willing to pay a little more for that, but it has to stay within my anticipated budget. 3) It needs to be portable. I don't want to carry it around with me, but I would like to be able to get it into the back of the family van.
I'm still researching and looking for the right machine. However, another idea has entered my mind and that is the use of solar energy combined with a generator.
Solar has the potential of being useful everyday cutting my monthly electric bill, thus saving me money and helping me pay for the system. Solar would need to be combined with a generator. This has opened up an entire new avenue of study for me: watts, amps, volts, inverters, controllers, tie- ins, etc. Wow. It is a good thing I enjoy reading and learning, because there is a whole lot to learn.
I'll keep posting on this topic as I learn more and finally make my decision and drop the big bucks on something.
Preparing food for long term storage
As soon as I began looking into this it became clear that it could be a relatively cheap project or a very expensive one. It seems that there are all kinds of whiz bang food storage programs out there for the person with a few thousand dollars to spare. Like this place .
Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong the that company and they probably have great deals. I might even buy some smaller amounts for freeze dried food from them, but I can't go out and stock pile one year of food for all five people in my family all at once. That would be almost $4000. Ouch. I'm not saying that we don't eat that much in food, we do, but I need to buy cheaper and do more myself.
I've been looking for information about how to put up my own food. USA Emergency Supply is an excellent resource. This page explains in good detail how to use dry ice to preserve food in five gallon pails. This could save a lot of money.
Added to the fact that you can prepare and store the food yourself, some foods can be purchased much more economically on your own. I've even heard of some people getting bulk grains straight from mills. This is still new to me and I've got a lot to learn, but it is getting interesting.
When pricing dehydrated food you might think that they are awful expensive, I sure did. But this article explains that it is actually cheaper than buying canned goods right off the shelf. The whole article is very helpful in explaining dehydrated foods.
For an idea about what dehydrated fruits and veggies cost look here.
Or for buying grains look here.
Finally, here are a few other good links to food storage. Here, and here.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Radio Communication in Disaster
If an earth shaking catastrophe takes place, will you be able to communicate with your family? What will you do if you are on your way home from work, only ten miles from your doorstep, but you are unable to get there because of backed up traffic, closed roads, flooding, civil unrest, etc? Your family may be scared and worried but they can't get in touch with you because cell phone communication has been altered. This might be a time when you wish you had prepared by having some sort of radio backup system, say, CB radios, or ham radios. This blog gives some great introductory info about radio communication. A good place to get started.
Very scary bill taking your freedom to raise food
Again, I'm a little late to catch the News. But I'm going to give my rant
about this too.Establishment of a Food Safety Administration. HR875....Now
we are going to have Food Police!!!This is a very long bill, I've read it, and
it does pretty much everything that Alex Jones suggests it does. Check this link
for a summary
http://www.prisonplanet.com/bill-to-ban-organic-farming.htmlThe way that
this bill is worded, how broad it is, and all the powers it gives to the new
bureaucracy, could very easily criminalize every farmer and home gardener in
this country! It could basically require you to comply with the regulations, to
catalog, track and keep records on all livestock and food that you produce or
grow.This Bill Must NOT get passed! It could very well be the single most
destructive bill to our freedom that our government has ever introduced! This by
far dwarfs the Keto ruling and any gun law that has been or is in the works.
This affects our right to Eat!!!
Big Brother, You have thrown down the
gauntlet on this one and I accept your Challenge!
YOU WILL NOT REGULATE WHAT
I EAT!!!! PERIOD!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Urban Warfare Drills Linked To Coming Economic Rage
Friday, March 13, 2009
Money saving tips for preperation
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
How bad will it Get? Are You Ready?
Here is a video clip of Glen Beck (a real nut ... like me) talking about the potential trouble to come.
MRE (Meals Ready to Eat)
Army Survival Guide
Why, you ask? Well there is a ton of great information in there. Most if it might not apply to you, but there could be a few tid bits that save your life some day -- how to make a fire, how to build an emergency shelter, how to set a broken bone, etc.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Excellent Disaster prep page
Good Disaster Prep Info
Update of water barells and water filters
2. Water Filters. I think we have 4 people interested in buying the water filters at the discounted rate of $130. (We need at least 4 to get the discount.) If you are interested you need to contact me soon because once we order you won't get the discount until we order 4 more.
HAM Radio
Link 1 - practice questions for exam, Link 2- technical manual for studying to take exam
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Info on Steve's Water filter
Below is info from another company web page.
Remember, there is a blog entry from yesterday informing you that we can get a group discount of $130 each if we buy four or more.
American Berkefeld LP-5 HDPE Gravity Filter System
World renowned Doulton® ceramic filter technology with over 150 years of quality manufacturing For use on municipal or natural water sources Ideal for camping, emergency relief, everyday use Saves money over expensive bottled water Total capacity 7 US Gallons Filters out: -Pathogenic bacteria (cholera, typhoid, salmonella, E coli, etc.) -Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and other parasites -All types of particle contamination down to 0.5 Micron Portable, lightweight, durable and high capacity filter Easy to use, simple to maintain. Filters can be cleaned up to 100 times Pour untreated water in the top and get clean, filtered water from the tap No power required
*ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTED FILTERS ELEMENTS AVAILABLE AFTER YOU PUT ITEM ABOVE INTO YOUR SHOPPING CART
Applications:
Camping, Emergency situations and everyday use The LP-5 gravity filter unit is designed for use where pressurized and/or suitable potable water is not readily available. The LP-5 System uses gravity to filter the water from the upper chamber through Doulton® Super- Sterasyl™filter candles to supply clean, safe filtered drinking water from most any water source, which is stored in the lower chamber ready for use. Manufactured from FDA approved, high-density polypropylene (HDPE) the LP-5 is extremely durable, lightweight, portable and self contained drinking water system. The system can accommodate up to 5 Imperial size filter elements to provide ample drinking water for any situation.
Specifications:
• Absolute rating: 0.5 Micron
• Nominal rating: 0.2 to 0.8 Micron
• Pathogenic bacteria: >99.999% (100% cryptosporidium)
• Inorganics Removal: >95%
• Turbidity (NSF Std 53): >98%
• Filter capacity: Up to 5—Imperial 7” filters
• Dimensions (collapsed): 11.25” W x 16.75” T
• Dimensions (assembled): 11.25” W x 28.5” T
Filtration efficiencies are based upon testing of components to NSF Standard 53 and other International water testing standards.
• The LP-5 can accommodate up to 5 Doulton® filter candles* depending on the amount of water needed (more candles = more water) * Imperial or Slimline filters can be used
• Maximum output for the unit is as follows: Slimline SuperSterasyl™ candles—10 GPD for each filter candle Imperial SuperSterasyl™ candles—14 GPD for each filter candle
• The LP-5 comes with a base to raise the lower chamber for easy access to the tap
• The holes which are not in use are filled with removable rubber plugs (provided) for versatility
• The LP-5 unit should only be fitted with genuine Doulton® Sterasyl™or SuperSterasyl™ candles
• For ease of transport, the upper chamber nests inside the lower chamber to save space
• The total capacity of the LP-5 is 7 US Gallons (3.5 upper and 3.5 lower)
Does not contain BPA (Bisphenol A)
http://ecosystemsintl.net/waterfiltershop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=280
55 Gallon Water barrels
I have two and would recommend at least two. Here is Steve's message:
The closed top barrels have the bung holes.
Otherwise, the barrels with removable lids and ring clamps have solid lids-no bungs.
I have this pricing and its based on me putting in a order of 20 barrels minimum. :
55 gallon Food Grade plastic Barrels; closed top with 2 bung holes included : 17.00 each. Bulk Delivery to our church at Marshalls Creek.
55 gallon Food Grade plastic Barrels; solid top lids with ring clamps included : 20.00
each. Bulk Delivery to our church at Marshalls Creek.
I will accept orders with pre-payment ( cash only ) and once I get orders for 20 or more, i can place the order and delivery is approx. 1 week after i place the order....
Any questions, please call steve miller cell phone 908-328-7078.
Thanks, STeve
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Valve for water barrels
Generators
Military surplus generator 2cyl gas Hercules engine5Kw
Military surplus generator 3Kw 28v 4cyl chrysler engine