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 Sales Tax Holidays.

Texas: Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday

Texas has announced an Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday that will run April 22-24, 2023.

And for folks living in other states: Sales Tax Holidays.

Tax holidays represent a good time to stock up. Under Texas law, these emergency preparation supplies qualify for tax exemption during the holiday:

  • Less than $3000
    • Portable generators.
  • Less than $300
    • Emergency ladders.
    • Hurricane shutters.
  • Less than $75
    • Axes.
    • Batteries, single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt).
    • Can openers – nonelectric.
    • Carbon monoxide detectors.
    • Coolers and ice chests for food storage – nonelectric.
    • Fire extinguishers.
    • First aid kits.
    • Fuel containers.
    • Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits.
    • Hatchets.
    • Ice products – reusable and artificial.
    • Light sources – portable self-powered (including battery operated).
      • Examples of items include: candles, flashlights and lanterns.
    • Mobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers.
    • Radios – portable self-powered (including battery operated) – includes two-way and weather band radios.
    • Smoke detectors.
    • Tarps and other plastic sheeting.

Bank Accounts of Murder Victims Drained Via Facial Recognition Tech

This piece at Fox News comes to us courtesy of blog reader C.B.: Bank accounts of New York ‘roofie murder’ victims drained via facial recognition technology.

A New Form of Keyless Car Theft

Peter sent this: There’s a new form of keyless car theft that works in under 2 minutes.

Life in America, 2023: Flagrant Abuse of Federal Judicial Power

Reader D.S.V. spotted this, over at Reason: Trump Commuted His Sentence. Now the Justice Department Is Going To Prosecute Him Again. JWR’s Comment: This article illustrates how incredibly lawless the Federal “justice” system has become, under the Bidenistas. Here is a brief pericope:

“In a move that defies historical precedent, the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden is using a legal loophole to reprosecute Esformes’ case—raising grave questions about double jeopardy, the absolute power of the clemency process, and the weaponization of the criminal legal system against politically expedient targets.”

Amish Farmer: I Do Not Need an FFL

Amish Farmer Tells ATF He Does Not Need an FFL to Sell Long Guns and It’s Off to Court They Go.

Swiss Officials No Longer Recommend Covid Vax

The official announcement from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health: Coronavirus: Vaccination. “In principle, no COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for spring/summer 2023. People at especially high risk can receive a vaccination following an individual consultation with their doctor.” (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.)

Government Is Marketing Censorship Tools To Big Tech

Recently posted, over at The Federalist: Government Is Marketing Censorship Tools To Big Tech To Gag Conservatives.

Political Split: Suburbs and Rural America

An Urban’s Rural View: The Suburbs and Rural America Part Company Politically. Here is a quote:

“Today more than half of the Democrats’ votes come from the suburbs. They still win big in big cities but where they’re picking up votes is the suburbs.

Where they’ve lost ground, big time, is in rural America. By one count, Bill Clinton won 1,100 rural counties in 1996, Barack Obama won 455 in 2008 and Joe Biden won only 200 in 2020. The number of rural Democrats in Congress fell from 61 in 1992 to 11 in 2016.

Donald Trump won the rural vote by a 32-point margin in 2020, up from 25 points in 2016. He lost the suburban vote by an 11-point margin, up from two points in 2016.”

Oregon Suffers Population Decline

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Editorial: Oregon is dealt a blow. JWR’s Comment:  Even the editors of a liberal mainstream newspaper recognize that something has gone horribly wrong in Democrat-ruled Oregon.  Not surprisingly, most of the population losses are from the Grand-Cultural-Experiment-Gone-Wrong: Portland.

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