Free Republic

Store food and water. Avoid debt. Build up savings. Sound like a plan for these tough economic times? It's actually the longtime teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "For many years the church has taught the principle of provident living and self-reliance," said Bruce Priday, president of the Lenexa Stake and Mormon church spokesman for the Kansas City, Mo., area. "With growing unemployment, this is becoming increasingly important," he said. "I have visited several families who lost work and were able to get through months of unemployment without having to go to the government or agencies...

CAMP GONSALVES, Okinawa (June 5, 2009) -- May 10, 5:30 a.m. - Bivouac site 2A. I arrived at the bivouac site as the Marines and sailors of 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, were setting up their campsite. They didn't realize this was just temporary and there wouldn't be tents where they were going. After the campsite was set up, the students played cards, ate MRE's and joined in on a game with a hacky sack I made from a shirt, pebbles and electrical tape. This will be our last night with cigarettes, dip and more importantly, food. I...

When the manure hits the fan it makes quite a mess, but every sticky situation can be handled with a cool head and a toolbag of survival equipment. There are certain "always" rules to off-roading-always stay on the trail, always go off-roading with a buddy or two, always tell someone where you are going, and always scout the trail ahead to see what's over the next hill or around the next curve. But "always" doesn't always happen, and sometimes "always" is ignored completely. Then you might just end up sleeping in the rain, at the bottom of a hill, with...

TAMPA - Brenda Derby is a born fighter— 20 years in the army, retired. She remembers when Hurricane Charley hit. Back surgery put her out, unable to prepare, she was alone. Then came Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. She promised herself never again would be she be unprepared. Now hurricane season is here again. "I love, it enjoy it. That pyschs me up," Derby said. "I'm a survivalist. That's my time." {Cut} It's not just food either. Derby keeps a fully stocked first aid kit, dozens of lifejackets, with whistles attached, Maglites for everyone. She's the woman you want to know...

Missourians are rushing to arm themselves with concealed weapons at a record pace so far this year. Criminologists and law enforcement officials say the increase may be driven by fear of increased crime due to the recession and the perception of potential loss of gun rights from a new Democratic president. "People just don't feel safe, whether it's with the political structure or the economic situation," said Noelle Fearn, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Louis University. In the St. Louis area, the surge is most marked in St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln and Jefferson counties, where applications...

Growing your own food is for everyone not just people that want “organic” fruit and vegetables. Every day I get into my car and do a podcast on self sufficiency during my morning commute called The Survival Podcast. Over past few months I have dedicated a great deal of time to the subjects of Agriculture and Permaculture for a very simple reason. While the “prepper” community is of course very big on food storage there is a finite limit to how much food any individual or family can store. Once you stored food runs out in a true long term...

PORTLAND, Ore. – Becky Lerner is hungry - but determined. She is trying to live off “wild” food for a week in Portland, foraging the parks, yards, open spaces and even sidewalks for edibles as a way to not only connect with the land but to learn a valuable survival skill. “Should the trappings of modernity become unavailable to us one day, knowing how to find food without grocery stores or even farms will surely come in handy,” the 26-year-old Northeast Portland woman said. She is not allowing herself to Dumpster dive or feed off gardens during her week-long challenge,...

(CNN) -- Young and old, poor and prosperous, sick and healthy -- residents of Pakistan's Swat Valley continue to flee the violence that has erupted there as the military clashes with the Taliban. {Cut} Khan, who estimates his age at between 65 and 70, told CNN life around Mingora was so desperate, he cannot put it into words. Both he and the 50-year-old man said no food or water remain besides what has been stockpiled. There is no power, and all land lines and cell phones have jammed, and citizens have been confined to their homes by military curfews.

The H1N1 virus continues to spread with 5,469 confirmed cases in 48 states, and 56 cases in Colorado as of May 19. So far, no H1N1 cases have been found in Grand County. Though H1N1 is currently mild, the CDC and health care providers around the country worry the virus could hit hard during the fall flu season. Preparing for pandemic flu since 2006, Grand County Public Health took advantage of the H1N1 outbreak to test its procedures. “As soon as we got the alert about H1N1, we began following our procedures and everything worked like clockwork,” said Gail Van...

He uses two bullets for hunting, one for his elk and the other for his deer. The other 998 rounds he fires each year are for pleasure - and to become a better shooter. "I shoot over 1,000 rounds a year," said Pete Hinckley, an avid gun owner and a long-time member of the National Rifle Association. "We have the right to bear arms, but it depends on which administration is in power." Ever since President Obama took office, Montana gun retailers have seen a run on several products that include ammunition, gunpowder, semi-automatic rifles, and large-caliber pistols. As a...

It cannot be said enough folks, elections have consequences and we're living those consequences right now. It is those liberals that putt a liar, a thug, and a deceiver in the Oval Office. The liberals who installed this fool thought that once in, the world "could be as one," to quote a line from one of the stupidest songs ever puked up, yet this has failed to happen. Also failing to happen was that the rise of the oceans would halt, global cooling or global heating, depending on the day of the week, would stop, Michelle Obambi's bulbous butt would...

Americans are concerned with the accuracy of the news they digest on a daily basis. And most Americans believe the media in general is biased toward the left. One of the more interesting questions is the extent to which the “drive-by media” (as they are referred to by Rush Limbaugh) are what I call “prisoners of history”. This refers to ideas which become fixed in the reptilian brain of media folks to the point that no amount of fact, logic or evidence can dislodge them. One such idea is that Republicans, particularly “conservatives”, are obsessed with missile defense. Immediately after...

Memorial Day is that special day we set aside every year to honor those who fought and died in our country’s wars. This holiday was established shortly after the Civil War to reflect on the hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers who perished during the conflict. Today, we tend to focus on those soldiers from WW II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. But shouldn’t we also remember those patriots who fought in the American Revolution? In 1775 North Andover and Andover were both part of the town called Andover. There was the North Parish, which later became North...

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. - Hurricane season begins June 1. To be ready for a hurricane, or any other disaster, the Mobile County Health Department recommends that people collect and store these 10 essential items: 1. Water: Have one gallon per person per day to use for drinking, hygiene and cleaning as needed. Purchased bottled water has an indefinite shelf life as long as the seal has not been broken. If purity is uncertain, treat water with either of these methods: Boil at a rolling boil for 3-5 minutes. Let cool before drinking. To improve the taste, pour from one clean...

When I heard President Obama's speech yesterday in which he practically accused the former administration of war crimes, I had to go out into my yard and walk off my anger. The new president assessed all previous efforts to prevent terrorism against U.S. targets either a waste of time or a criminal enterprise that should cause all Americans to hang their heads in shame. One wonders if our new president has yet realized who it was he was referring to. Although he no doubt intended to attack the previous administration, imagine how it must sound to the family of some...

Everything You Do Should Improve Your Position in Life Even If Nothing Goes Wrong The survivalist community is often perceived as a bunch of gloom and doom types sitting on a pile of MREs, ammunition and guns in some far out corner of the North West. Of course the survivalist is also typecast as expecting TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) to occur any day now, in fact he is actually hoping for it. Honestly it is time for this stereotype to die a deserving death. Modern survivalists are many things but very few are actually...

FLORENCE - Every day, Darren Newsom's three Bitterroot Valley Ammunition facilities crank out 300,000 rounds of ammunition. It's not nearly enough. “I'm going about 100,000 rounds in the wrong direction every day,” Newsom said. “We probably have about six months of back orders right now.” Newsom has been in the ammunition manufacturing business for more than 20 years and he's never seen demand this high. Fearful of the Obama administration's potential to tighten gun control laws, people from all over the country are stocking up on guns and ammunition. “I went through the Clinton years and there was a bit...

In my survivalist novel "Patriots", I included lots of descriptions of firearms used in various situations in order to illustrate that there is no single "perfect survival gun." Different situations are best handled by using different firearms. There are several requirements that must be considered in selecting guns for use on a farm, ranch, or survival retreat. First, and foremost, they must be versatile. A single gun might be pressed into service for shooting crows or starlings at 10 yards, rabbits or coyotes at 100 yards, or rattlesnakes at five feet. While there is no single gun that can handle...

Scouts can earn activity badges for skills from skateboarding to global conservation, but the new chief scout could herald the prospect of members tackling some slightly trickier future pursuits – such as eating snakes and climbing Mount Everest. Bear Grylls, 34, the former SAS man and survivalist who, as television viewers will know, long ago earned his stripes for both the above, said he would be encouraging more adults to volunteer so that 33,000 youngsters on waiting lists could join scout groups. Grylls will become the youngest chief scout in the organisation's 102-year history later this year when he replaces...

I've had enough of this stupid idiotic thing in my house. Wife bought it at a garage sale for $0.25. I first found it in my truck and coundn't believe my eyes. Threw it away and the next day saw it in the kitchen. Threw it away again then found it in the middle of a flower arrangement. Threw it away again then found the stupid thing with a candle in it on my my table by my chair. Wife says it's a piece of art made from Hawaii lava. I say it's a piece of junk. She says most...