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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Survival Planning - The Argument Against Precious Metals

Starting to get a "back and forth" on Precious Metals whether or not this is an essential item for the well prepared survivor. Anonymous has left this new comment" "I didn't sink all my available liquidity into gold and silver. I suppose I could have just left it there. My point was that for 20 years I could not make a profit with it and in fact since those were to 20 go-go years of the stock market I probably could have turned all that into a million dollars. So I don't have a problem with some PMs but keep in mind the silver you buy today for $38 may drop like a rock and not reach that price again in your lifetime. I don't like to gamble and PM investing is gambling. Yes it is a viable way to prepare for an economic collapse but hopefully you have other plans as well. Today I am PM free but I am a prepper never the less. When TSHTF I my well sell you some food for gold and silver."

UrbanMan replies: Nor did I sink anything but what I could afford to spend on Gold and Silver,...mostly Silver. I don't think the word "profit" should even in the equation when it comes to talking about the validity of having Gold sand Silver in case of a major collapse.....again, the lifeline purpose as opposed to investment.

Sure there are many investors who think the coming collapse, as bad as it may be, will also be fairly short and the Country will come out of it on the good end and those with Gold and Silver will be the new rich people. This is what George Soros and many others are doing and that is ensuring they have a lot of Gold and Silver so they can ensure they will be among the riches when this Country comes out of a major collapse.

I have been talking to a friend of a friend, who is a local investment advisor from a national chain. Aside from the fact that he is very close to having to find another line of work because of the downturn in investing and returns, he recognizes the probability of a collapse. With two small children under 6 years old, he is very scared. Even this guy who made his living helping people with financial planning and investing has now bought some physical Silver as a lifeline......as well as stockpiled some food and bought a handgun to supplement his hunting firearms.

Without a doubt there are Preppers, and I know some of them, that refuse to buy PM's, even coins for Silver melt value, because they believe they won't be able to buy enough to make a difference. I think that's just crazy. If you didn't have a firearm, would you not buy one even though you couldn't afford a high end AR? To me this is the same line of thinking.

I have never placed PM's in a priority position unless all of your other needs are met. Everyone has to determine what that is on their own. In fact, I would consider many other items more essential than Gold or Silver. Those items would be: firearms and ammunition; food and more food; water purification means (in depth meaning many systems); seeds; tools; radios, flashlights, batteries and recharging systems to include solar panels; good clothing and footwear and other personal survival gear. There should not a major issue with one getting better in all areas at the same time to include purchasing PMs even if you only can afford one Silver ound at a time.

I won't be using Gold or Silver to buy food, firearms, ammunition, batteries, seeds, clothes as I have enough of those items already,...at least for the short term.

I have PM's in case I need something I forgot, or maybe a fuel purchase or just about anything that cannot be foreseen, hence stocked.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Urban Survival - The Chinese Invasion

I received an e-mail from Bill regarding Chinese companies establishing factories here in the United States , Bill writes: ”Have you seen this? As I understand the concept, this will be an independent Chinese community. And, the models built in China have exploded in population. But, the independence is what bothers me...along with the provision of special immigration status and the proximity to an airport. Perhaps I'm reading more into this than I should but I can envision this and any other similar zones established in the US to become outposts for Chinese military and intelligence operations that would pose a significant security risk or, in the event of a catastrophic event of some sort, the means for "invasion". Is my thinking off the wall?...Thanks...Bill”

What Bill is talking about comes from an article from December in the Idaho Statesman

Apparently a Chinese national company is interested in developing a 10,000- to 30,000-acre technology zone for industry, retail centers and homes south of the Boise Airport. Officials of the China National Machinery Industry Corp. have broached the idea — based on a concept popular in China today — to city and state leaders. They are also interested in helping build and finance a fertilizer plant near American Falls, an idea company officials returned to Idaho this month to pursue.

This ambitious, long-term proposal would start with a manufacturing and warehouse zone tied to the airport, and could signify a shift in the economic relationship between the two superpowers — a relationship once defined by U.S. companies like the J.R. Simplot Co., Hewlett-Packard and Morrison-Knudsen that would head to China to build and develop.

Public comment over the concept of a Chinese company getting the red carpet treatment have promoted a lot of anti-chinese comments and some of that obviously is frustration with the direction the U.S. economy is going. In fact, following Wall Streets six week slide and the U.S. Government’s inability to fix the budget and national debt issues, the head of a top Chinese rating agency, Guan Jianzhong, president of Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. Ltd., claims it's too late……that the U.S. has as already defaulted by letting the U.S. dollar weaken. "In our opinion, the United States has already been defaulting," Guan was quoted as saying.

I guess it just isn't bad enough that China has to fund most of our foreign debt, the fact that States are kowtowing to Chinese and foreign firms because our economic leverage in the world is decaying rapidly is the most dangerous thing in my mind.

Although I am a giant believer in States Rights, the State of Idaho has no statutory authority to grant ANY immigration status let alone a special one. Bill has a point that this and other Chinese businesses, which are owned by the Chinese Government, whose end state is the destruction of the U.S. as a world class economic and military power, would have a foot hold in which to conduct economic sabotage, possible have control over elements of industry and certainly use the business to bring in intelligence operatives for espionage against the U.S. Government and U.S. industry.

Having control over an airport doesn’t do you any overt good since you would still have to fly airplanes into the U.S. airspace and through the National Air Defense network. What good it would do for the Chinese is for direct flights to land where Chinese could easily develop protocols to circumvent U.S. Customs bringing in basically anything they wanted to include chemical and biological agents, nuclear devices and personnel.

So Bill, I don’t think your thinking is too far off the wall at all.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Urban Survival Planning - American Survival Redoubt Re-visited

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received a comment from Anonymous on the article.... Urban Survival comments on Rawles' American Redoubt....."We are in a bad recession possibly even a depression. Our leaders seem clueless and will not do what it takes to get us out of it. But that's about it. Nothing I see now or on the horizon that indicates I should run for the hills. I'm sorry to have to say that I seriously question the wisdom and even sanity of anyone who would advise such a "

"Sure if it's already in your heart to move to the country then why not move to someplace where you can be self-sufficient and defend your land. But if you have a job and a family for crying out loud don't go running to the hills. And certainly don't buy this myth that the mountains of Montana or Idaho is going to be safe while everywhere else will be Armageddon. This is ludicrous and naive. Of course if I lived in Detroit I would be looking for a way out but most of the country is as safe as any of the country is. Let's not go off the deep end here......"


UrbanMan replies: If you were in Detroit, there would be alot of competition on the roads leading out of town. It is rapidly becoming a ghost town with a reported 50% of the urban schools now empty.

Anyway, let's say for sake of the argument that this double dip recession leads to hyper inflation with the dollar collapsing. With the resultant skyrocketing of commodities and fuel prices and the availability of those items declining, heading for the hills ain't going to make things better. Safer maybe from two legged threats, but unless you go into a community that is self sufficient then this is not an option and certainly not an option for the majority of Americans.

The sad fact is that things are probably not going to get better. I do not see Congress getting the big recession under control. I see the U.S. credit and bond rating falling taking the U.S. dollar out of World reserve currency status which will of course lead to hyper inflation and rising prices of commodities and fuels. Food is going to be expensive and less available. Fuel the same. No matter where you are at, you are going to have to consider what these threats mean to you. A lot of people are going to be layed off. The 50 million or so people on food stamps and other government assistance will not be able to live off of what the government gives them anymore, creating a pool of people, actually 1/6th of our population hungry and mad.

People will have to resort to family and community gardens just to provide some of what they need to eat. This of course if best done outside of Urban Areas. Best course of action fr people who are not familial restricted or bound to a certain geographical area is to re-locate to outside a small farming or other rural, agricultural based area. Maybe you are a Diesel Mechanic, EMT-Paramedic, Nurse, Doctor or have some other skills that would fit in to the community needs in order to turn a small paycheck and be within that support group,......survival is a team sport. Do you know just how much land it would take you to grow the crops to feed your family for a year, assuming you had the ability and materials to can goods?

I am not planning on getting out of the urban/suburban area I am presently in, unless a job opened up in a rural place I would like to go. I would have to intentionally leave the support system I have so carefully built over the years here. So I am not planning on heading to Mr Rawles' American Survival Redoubt area,....most of it is too cold for my tastes anyway and growing food year round would be very hard to do without having some large heated greenhouses.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Winchester Ammunition Re-Call

From Winchester, an expanded recall of RA223R2. The recall of RA223R2, 64-grain Power Point, has been expanded to include date codes: DM70, DM80, DM90, DM01, DM11, and DM21.

Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling twelve (12) lots of its RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® (PP) centerfire rifle ammunition (Symbol Number RA223R2).

Lot Numbers (last four characters): DM70, DM80, DM90, DM01, DM11, and DM21
Lot Numbers (last four characters): DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51

Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lots of RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired.

DO NOT USE WINCHESTER® RANGER .223 REMINGTON 64 GRAIN POWER-POINT® AMMUNITION THAT HAS A LOT NUMBER ENDING IN DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, DK51, DM70, DM80, DM90, DM01, DM11 or DM21. The ammunition Lot Number is ink stamped inside the right tuck flap of the 20-round carton, as indicated here:

To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Lot Number. If the last four characters of the Lot Number are DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, DK51, DM70, DM80, DM90, DM01, DM11 or DM21 immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 866-423-5224 to arrange for replacement ammunition and free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition.

This notice applies only to RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® centerfire rifle ammunition with lot numbers ending in DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, DK51, DM70, DM80, DM90, DM01, DM11 and DM21. Other Symbol Numbers or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.

If you have any questions concerning this RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition recall please call toll-free 866-423-5224, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: RA223R2 Recall), or visit our website at www.winchester.com.