New Civil War 2.0 Weather Report From John Wilder

John has a new Civil War 2.0 Weather Report up at his Wilder Wealthy & Wise blog.  It is based on various stats and numbers from November 2025. He writes:

I have maintained the Clock O’Doom at 9. [opposing sides develop governing/war structures, just in case], given the open support of assassination and criminality by the GloboLeft and the increase in violence as well as direct interference with ICE and the insertion of the military into law enforcement.  Beware: the number can climb quickly.   

Because John is such a big fan of the metric system his clock only goes to 10, and that is "Open War". I would note that for the longest time he kept the clock at 7 or 8. It's only gone to 9 recently as the Left has gotten more supportive of political violence. 

The Realist: Ozark Trails Stocking-Stuffer Knives

This is a guest post by The Realist:

 "Ozark Trails Stocking-Stuffer Knives" by The Realist: 

Ozark Trail knife and multitool display at my local Walmart.

 Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this article were purchased by myself. I did not receive samples, evaluation models, or other compensation from any manufacturer or retailer. I have no formal relationship with any manufacturer or retailer mentioned in this article - I have only been an arms-length customer. All brand names and product names used in this review are the trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. This article reflects my unique circumstances and subjective opinions with regard to performance and other characteristics of the products being discussed. Your mileage may vary.

    My local Walmart finally got around to putting out their seasonal cardboard display loaded with inexpensive stocking-stuffer knives and multitools. I have been watching for several weeks for this display to be put out, and it finally appeared in their sporting goods department.

    However, these knives and multitools are no longer five dollars, they are now seven dollars ($6.97). And, they are now made in Vietnam, not China.

    The display has several varieties of pocket knives, including folding and fixed blade knives. Surprisingly, all of the knives have a plain edge - no partially serrated blades. There is only the one style of 12-in-1 multitool, looking very similar to prior years' offerings, with various paint treatments to the handles.

 Ozark Trail #6123 (top) and #6128 (bottom) pocket knives.

    I like simple locking blade pocket knives with a plain edge. My attention focused on two models in the display. First, the Ozark Trails #6123 whose packaging stated it had a "ball bearing open" for its pivot and a "rubberized handle." And second, the Ozark Trails #6128 whose blade style I liked better, and whose packaging also stated it had a "ball bearing open" for its pivot.

    Years ago, I purchased a CRKT knife with a ball bearing pivot. It opened smoothly with very little effort - perfect for one hand opening. The ball bearing pivot is the reason I was interested in these two Ozark Trails knives. Their ball bearing pivot is not as good as the one in the CRKT knife, but they open easier than a pocket knife without one.

    The blade is made of stainless steel, but there is no mention of the type or formulation. The blades come with a tolerable edge, but they could use some touching up. Both knives utilize a liner lock to lock the blade open while in use. Both knives come with an attached pocket clip, and it appears the pocket clip can be reversed on the #6128, but not the #6123. Both knives are 7.5 inches long when opened, and both knives have a 3.25 inch blade. The blades can be opened with one hand.

    The "rubberized handle" of the #6123 knife is indeed rubberized, with it being a thin sprayed-on rubbery coating like that found on many products. It should remain rubbery for several years before the coating deteriorates and becomes sticky.

    The fit and finish of both knives are good, but not perfect - much better than what I would normally expect for seven dollars. There are no burrs that could hang on clothing or cause injury while handling the knife. For both knives, when the blade is opened and locked, there is no wiggling - no side-to-side wiggle, and no looseness in the locking mechanism.

    For the past few years, I have been adding some of these inexpensive pocket knives to my backup and barter inventory. These knives are good enough in quality that I would not be worried about using one myself, putting one in a 72-hour kit, or giving one to someone else. These knives do not feel cheap - their look and feel is on par with the appearance and feel of more costly mass-market knives. In contrast, the Ozark Trails multitool also for sale in this seasonal knife display looks and feels cheap.

VIDEO: Removing A Broken Key From A Lock

 A video that shows a technique to remove a broken key from a tubular lock.  

 VIDEO: "99% of people don’t know how easy it is to remove a broken key from a lock!"
Mr. Hacker (4 min.)

You'll Own Nothing And Be Happy: Wall Street Betting On Rentals

This article is from about a year ago, and seems to explain why our money overlords are so convinced that we (commoners) will own nothing and be happy. The article is "Wall Street Is Betting Billions on Rental Homes as Ownership Slips Out of Reach." It begins by relating the story of a woman who was happy that, even though she couldn't afford a house, was able to rent a nice home. The article then goes on:

     AvalonBay is part of a rush of institutional investors and private-equity firms pouring into the build-to-rent market, a subsector where developers construct neighborhoods of single-family homes for the sole purpose of leasing them to tenants, rather than selling them to prospective homeowners.

    They are aiming to capitalize on a growing cohort of people who felt they would become homeowners as they move to the next stage of life and start a family but are increasingly viewing renting as a more affordable long-term option.

    From 2021 to 2023, the share of build-to-rent housing starts doubled to 10% of overall single-family housing, according to the National Association of Realtors’ analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

    Blackstone, Invitation Homes and Pretium Partners are among the big Wall Street firms expanding their build-to-rent portfolios as demand for rental housing balloons.

     For the first time in more than two years, the growth of the U.S. renter pool has outpaced that of homeowner households for the past four quarters, according to a Redfin analysis of U.S. census data. In the third quarter, the formation of renter households increased 2.7%, three times faster than homeowner households and the second fastest rate for renters since 2015.

    The rapidly expanding renter pool is a direct response to the widening gap between how expensive it is to rent versus own a home in the U.S., especially as mortgage rates stay heated at nearly 7% with no immediate signs of cooling.

[snip]

    But some economists say that the build-to-rent movement is shifting developers’ attention away from the home-buying market where more supply is needed to normalize prices.

    In the Sunbelt, for example, instead of new housing supply “coming onto the open market,” it is “being diverted” for build-to-rent activities, Moody’s director of economic research Ermengarde Jabir said.

[snip]

     Birenbaum of AvalonBay said build-to-rent developments don’t come at the cost of for-sale supply because the firm isn’t acquiring rentals that an individual homeowner would have otherwise purchased.

    “We are not competing with individuals trying to buy individual homes in the private market,” he said.

That is a disingenuous statement. They may not be purchasing homes that were on the open market, but they are diverting contractors and suppliers away from building homes that would have gone on to the open market and instead are building homes for these investment firms. Thus, it lowers the supply of homes further driving up the prices.  

VIDEO: KazTac Wrapid Loader Tutorial

The KazTac Wrapid Loader is a revolver speed loader that can be flattened out to fit into a carrier (and thus easier to carry concealed, like a speed strip) but rolls up under spring pressure when withdrawn allowing it to be used like a speed loader. I have one of these that I tried and was worried that I might have damaged because it would often seem to stick on the last round. For that reason, I just stuck it away and haven't done anything with it for months. But this tutorial seems to indicate that this can be normal and is the result of being too careful with it--it needs to be briskly pulled to release all the cartridges.

 VIDEO: "KazTac Wrapid Loader Tutorial"
EDC Gear Guy (8 min.)

Pre-Columbian Syphilis Confirmed

From Science Alert: "Study Confirms: Syphilis Was Active in The Americas Long Before Columbus." An excerpt:

    It seems syphilis became more virulent at some point before Columbus arrived – and then at the end of the 15th century, as settlers started returning to Europe, it set off the so-called Great Pox explosion of the disease that swept across the continent and left widespread death and disfigurement in its wake.

    "The data clearly support a root in the Americas for syphilis and its known relatives, and their introduction to Europe starting in the late 15th century is most consistent with the data," says Bos.

    Together with the related yaws, pinta, and bejel, syphilis is in a small group of conditions known as treponemal diseases. This research backs up the idea that these diseases are the modern-day results of ancient pathogens circulating in the Americas.

Flashback: Why Police States Are Bad For Cybersecurity

"This Week In Security: National Backdoors, Web3 Backdoors, And Nearest Neighbor WiFi"--Hackaday (12/6/2024).  The article begins:

     Maybe those backdoors weren’t such a great idea. Several US Telecom networks have been compromised by a foreign actor, likely China’s Salt Typhoon, and it looks like one of the vectors of compromise is the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) systems that allow for automatic wiretapping at government request.

    [Jeff Greene], a government official with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has advised that end-user encryption is the way to maintain safe communications. This moment should forever be the touchstone we call upon when discussing ideas like mandated encryption backdoors and even the entire idea of automated wiretapping systems like CALEA. He went on to make a rather startling statement:

    I think it would be impossible for us to predict a time frame on when we’ll have full eviction

    There are obviously lots of unanswered questions, but with statements like this from CISA, this seems to be an extremely serious compromise. CALEA has been extended to Internet data, and earlier reports suggest that attackers have access to Internet traffic as a result. This leaves the US telecom infrastructure in a precarious position where any given telephone call, text message, or data packet may be intercepted by an overseas attacker. And the FCC isn’t exactly inspiring us with confidence as to its “decisive steps” to fix things.

Gun & Prepping News #58

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:  

• James Reeves at The Firearm Blog has posted a video (16 min.) going over the Glock Gen 6 pistols. At this point it appears that there are three models: the G47 (the replacement for the G17), the G19, and the G45. The reason for the replacement for the G17 is that it will use the shorter recoil rod and spring of the G19. Also, Glock is going back to a single recoil spring rather than the dual captured spring system. All three models appeared to have optic cuts in the slide, which optic cuts are designed to accept various models of optics. Other mechanical changes include changes to the extractor to eliminate potential interference with someone using too long of a screw to mount an optic; and, of course, it is incorporating the changes from the V models which for a day or two prevented someone adding a Glock switch to the weapons. There are substantial changes to the grips, as well, which now are more rounded--they have palm swells--a higher cut behind the slide to allow a higher hold on the weapon, different texturing, and some other changes. 
• "Weaponizing Fire"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz takes a look at incidents where criminals have set victims on fire or tried to do so. He also has some tips on responding to such attacks.
• "Gun Grab Attempt Washington SRO Deputy"--Tactical Professor. The author begins: "Every time a POlice [sic] officer is attacked in a gun grab, it’s a reminder that Open Carry is not necessarily a deterrent. It may be to a rational criminal but many folks are irrational." In fact, he points out, in this case the openly carried gun was seen by the criminal as an opportunity. 
• "Holster Selection"--SP Wenger's Defensive Use of Firearms.  This is undoubtedly the most detailed discussion of this topic I've ever seen.
• "Squib Loads: What Are They?"--Tactical Hyve. From the article:

    A squib load, also known as squib rounds or just a squib, is when there is insufficient force behind a bullet to exit a barrel.

    This type of malfunction can happen for many reasons, such as fouling in the barrel, loading with too light of a charge, i.e., low powder load, or an improperly seated projectile. The most common causes are improper primer ignition or lack of gunpowder.

    A squib round is extremely dangerous. It can cause severe injury to a shooter and catastrophic failure of one’s firearm, so it is important to learn about them. 

• "The Side-by-Side Shotgun"--Guns Magazine.  A history of the side-by-side shotgun--its development, explosion in popularity, and subsequent decline after inexpensive pump-action rifles were introduced. The author writes:

    ... to my knowledge, currently the only production American-made side-by-side shotgun is by Connecticut Shotgun Co. If you want one of their least expensive Christian Hunter 20-gauge with 28” barrels and screw-in chokes, be ready to write a check for about $13,000 plus tax.

    However, if you just want a good quality SxS without worrying about its country of origin, there are a number of currently available SxS from manufacturers such as Weatherby (Orion), CZ (Sharptail, Bobwhite, and others), Tristar (Bristol & Phoenix), and Stoeger (Uplander and Coach Gun). Stoeger also makes the Double Defense “tactical” SxS, which I covet in the worst way. It might not be as practical as my 870 or Mossberg 590 for home intruders, but I’m sure John Wayne would approve. 

• "Fudd Friday: Parker Hale Classic Hunting Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. Back in the day when England still manufactured firearms, Parker Hale was a major producer and exporter of Mauser style bolt action rifles to the United States, even producing them for sale to department stores like J.C. Penny. The article goes over the history of the company, how they got into producing rifles after World War II, the author's experience with hunting rifles from the company. An excerpt:

    Parker Hale’s post-war exports were based on two main product lines: remanufactured military rifles and new-manufacture Mauser-pattern rifles.

    The military rifles were mostly Lee-Enfields, since that’s what the Brits used in the war, although Parker Hale also remanufactured P14 rifles and even used reconditioned Mauser actions as the basis of early sporter builds. They shipped these rifles under various names, and in various grades of refinement, all over the world but particularly to Commonwealth countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

[snip]

     ... While it’s probably best-known for its Lee-Enfield conversions, Parker Hale sold a lot of Mauser-action rifles (built off surplus actions, and then new actions from Zastava or Santa Barbara). These rifles were chambered in then-new .243 and .308 short-action rounds, as well as .30-06, .270 and other long-action calibers. They had options in .300 Magnum, 7mm Magnum and .308 Norma Magnum; they even offered rifles in .375 H&H Magnum, .404 Jeffery and .458 Win Mag for the safari market.

• "Everything You Need to Know About Gun Protection Accessories"--The Range 702. A look at hearing and eye protection. 
• "Testing Gideon Optics: Affordable Glass That Performs"--The Truth About Guns. I've started seeing favorable reviews of Chinese optics. Reminds me of when Holosun first came out--good products for a low price because most shooters assumed they would be junk. Not the case anymore. Perhaps these telescopic sights will take the same course. 
• "Beretta 20X vs 21A Bobcat: The Tip Up Showdown"--Guns America. As you may know, the 21A Bobcat was a DA/SA pocket .22 pistol produced by Beretta for ages. But like a lot of other Beretta designs dating back to the 1970s and '80s, Beretta has updated this design--a firearm they are calling the 20X. This article compares the two against each other. While the 20X has better sights and was more reliable than the older model, it is also larger (thicker). Making a pocket pistol larger is a bold strategy--we'll see if it pays off. 
• "Reloading the .223 Rem.: Great .223 Handloads for Bolt and Gas Guns"--Shooting Times. A long discussion about the cartridge--the history, twist rates and bullet weights, primers, different bullets for different uses, etc.--and then some tables with different loading data. I use Accurate 2230 powder, but strangely did not see it listed. However, Hodgdon, which manufactures the powder, has an online "Reloading Center" with reloading data for their powders. I wish the author had gone a bit into case preparation. I will note that the two biggest things to note with .223/5.56 is to make sure about your case length as the neck seems to be longer on 5.56 than on .223; and check for cracks at the base of the neck. 
• "Shooting Practice: How to Train for Hunting"--Rifle Shooter Magazine. We are all generally familiar with practical shooting for handguns and tactical shooting, but this article discusses tips on practical training/practice for hunting. This is particularly important for hunters in the West that involve a lot of stalking (some states--Idaho for instance--ban any type of feeding to lure in deer or using blinds). 

... Western hunters are more accustomed to moving, glassing and stalking. Out there, shots at game are often dictated by terrain, so it’s essential to be versatile. You make do with what you have, from natural rests to carry-along shooting aids to the good old basic NRA shooting positions.

• "Tactical First Aid Skills Every Armed Citizen Needs"--Gun Digest. Lessons from a tactical first aid class taught by Greg Ellifritz. It discusses the MARCH protocol and five things to keep in your trauma kit. The "M" stands for "massive bleeding." The article explains:

 Why begin with bleeding? Battlefield data reveals that hemorrhage from extremity wounds causes 60 percent of preventable deaths, far more than airway issues. Blood loss kills faster than almost anything else.

• This is the type of thing that will lead to vigilantism: "Portland jury clears black man of assault because white man he stabbed had said the n-word"--The Daily Mail. The leftist fetishizing of blacks goes to a whole new level. In this case, a black homeless man knifed a white guy and then claimed he did so out of "self-defense" because the victim supposedly used the "n-word"--not before the attack, but after the attack! Not only does calling someone a name not justify using lethal force, but the alleged slur wasn't even the motivation for the knifing coming, as it did, after the attack. 
• "SELCO: The Truth About SNIPERS and How to Survive Them"--The Organic Prepper. He's not talking about the military sniper looking to take out a high value target, but harassing fire at civilians for the purpose of causing fear and hopelessness. An excerpt:

 Untrained people got shot from snipers mostly because :

•  They failed to understand how urban environment works in the fields of vision for snipers
•  They failed to understand how urban environment CHANGED because of SHTF
•  They failed to appreciate the difference between cover and concealment.

• "How to Escape a Sinking Car: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide"--Survival Life. Good advice here. As the author notes, "[y]ou have under one minute to escape a sinking car. In fact, most vehicles stay afloat for only 30 to 60 seconds before water pressure locks the doors and shuts down the power. Every second counts, and every move you make determines your chances of survival." 
• "Mother Nature’s Best Home Remedies"--Homesteading. Discusses the 10 best medicinal plants to grow including Great Burdock, Marsh Mallow, and Aloe Vera; 10 common "weeds" that have medicinal uses; and a few essential oils that can be used for medicinal purposes. 
• You might want to print these up: "Common Knife Sharpening Angles Chart (From Major Knife Manufacturers)"--Modern Survival Blog. An excerpt:

The best knife sharpening angle depends on the knife’s purpose, but most blades fall between 15° and 22° per side (DPS).

• 15–16° DPS → razor-sharp, thinner edges (Asian kitchen knives, fillet knives)
• 18–20° DPS → balanced sharpness and durability (most pocket and everyday carry knives)
• 20–22° DPS → stronger working edges (hunting, outdoor, and Western kitchen knives)
• 25–30° DPS → heavy-duty or tactical blades that prioritize toughness over razor sharpness

If you’re unsure of your knife’s factory angle, match the existing bevel. Maintaining the original geometry gives the best combination of sharpness, durability, and edge life.   

VIDEO: How Japan Ended Violent Crime

 This video should really be titled "how Democrats enable violent crime in the U.S." Long time readers know that I lived in Japan for a couple years when I was younger as a missionary for my church. From my observations there, I concluded that the primary reason that there was a low crime rate in Japan was because of the extreme cultural and racial homogeneity. The producer of the video below, however, believes it is because the Japanese are very good at identifying and locking up the 1% or so of the people that are responsible for 50% of the violent crime, and making prison very tough and unpleasant. This in comparison with the U.S. where liberal laws and policies pushed by Democrats make it hard to obtain and use confessions and take the side of the criminals over that of victims or the public at large.  

 VIDEO: "How Japan Ended Violent Crime"
Peter St Onge, Ph.D. (4 min.)

VIDEO: Why The M7 Is A Bad Idea

 Ian from Forgotten Weapons discusses why the M7 is a bad idea. Not just from the perspective of the equipment, but the whole philosophy of its deployment, ignoring nearly a century's worth of experience (including the current Russian-Ukraine War) showing that the majority of engagements are at less than 300 yards (and, in fact, most of the time a soldier would not even be able to see an enemy combatant at 300 yards). Moreover, he raises a couple good points that point to the M7 already being obsolete. First, one of the main reasons for adopting the weapon was to allow troops to engage an enemy firing from long distances, but this is already better handled through explosive drones. Second, the ability to penetrate body armor--the second excuse for this system--can be accomplished by different bullet designs and materials without needing a large cartridge and high barrel pressures. My oldest son, who follows these things, notes that there are YouTubers who have demonstrated that brass bullets (not even something exotic) can easily penetrate body armor. 

    What the M7 does is prove that the old saying about generals always prepare to fight the last war still runs true. I rather suspect, myself, that the purpose of the program isn't so much to give soldiers better rifles as it is to churn and burn through money with the knowledge that the whole thing will have to be scrapped in the end and billions more spent on a replacement. There just isn't enough money to be made in supporting the established M16/M4 family and a large stockpile of ammunition already sitting in ammunition dumps.

 VIDEO: "Why the M7 and 6.8x51mm are Bad Ideas: Welcome to my TED Talk"
Forgotten Weapons (20 min.)