Kurt Saxon

Kurt Saxon (born Don Sisco on March 6, 1932) is a survivalist and the author of The Poor Man's James Bond, a series of books on improvised weapons and munitions.

History

During the 1960s, Saxon drifted into and out of several political organizations and new religious movements, including the American Nazi Party, the John Birch Society, the Minutemen, the Church of Scientology, and the Church of Satan. In August 1970, he appeared before a Senate Investigations subcommittee holding hearings on bombings and terrorism. According to newspaper accounts, he suggested police and "concerned citizens" use bombs to wipe out "leftists," and recommended that student demonstrators be machine-gunned in the streets.^[1]

By the early 1970s he came to reject the political and religious groups of the 1960s, and began writing on homesteading and preparedness issues. He claims to have coined the term "survivalism"^[2] to refer to making preparations for a future collapse of society and/or a major disaster.^[3]

Saxon claimed that David Letterman had once invited him to appear on his show to demonstrate recipes from his book Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Chemistry, but later cancelled Saxon's appearance after a rehearsal went badly.^[4]

In the early 1990s, Saxon had a shortwave radio program over WRNO, New Orleans, Louisiana.^[5]

Books and periodicals

Saxon is the author, under his birth name "Don Sisco," of The Militant's Formulary. After his legal name change to Kurt Saxon, he authored the biker book Wheels of Rage, a partially fictitious, but mostly factual account of the San Fernando, California based Iron Cross MC, an Outlaw motorcycle club; the Poor Man's James Bond series of books on improvised weaponry; and Granddad's Wonderful Book of Chemistry as well as Granddad's Wonderful Book of Electricity, which are compilations of several out of print hobbyist booklets on home brew chemistry and electronics projects.

In 1975 he began publishing the newsletter, The Survivor, which combined Saxon's articles with reprints of articles on 19th century technology of interest to the survivalist movement. The Survivor is also the name of a series of books he compiled on this material. During the early 1990s when the militia movement was at its peak in the United States, Saxon published a short-lived magazine called U.S. Militia.

Saxon also wrote at least one article for Mel Tappan's P.S. Letter.^[6]

Beliefs

Saxon is fond of describing contemporary society as a "Disneyland for Dummies" and predicts civilization's imminent collapse. When that occurs, only those who are prepared and rooted in practical knowledge—as opposed to any particular political or religious ideology—will survive. Saxon sees his mission as collecting and disseminating such knowledge and thereby ensuring the survival of the "best of our species."

Despite joining with the political American right on many issues, Saxon has often announced his support for abortion and often spoke about his atheistic views.

Recently Saxon wrote several scathing attacks on Islam, which he outspokenly denounced as a primitive and barbaric religion and an enemy of civilization. Saxon derides Muslims as people of low intelligence with a violent agenda towards all outsiders.

Until recently Saxon continued writing and posting his articles on a web page maintained by an assistant, but he no longer teaches or speaks. He owns a house in Alpena, Arkansas where he resided until his age and declining health forced him to enter an assisted care facility.

Bibliography

These books are listed in the catalog of the Library of Congress. Only one carries a valid ISBN (see list below); it is published in El Dorado, Arkansas by Desert Publications. The other volumes were all published by "Atlan Formularies" in Eureka, California, and later in Harrison, Arkansas.

• Bar Drinks and Booze Like Granddad Used to Make (1976)
• Fireworks & Explosives Like Granddad Used to Make (1975)
• Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Chemistry (1987)
• How to Cut Your Food Bill by Half or More; City Survival During the Famine to Come 2nd ed. (1973)
• The Instant Who’s Who in the Bible (1974)
• Keeping Score on Modern Prophets (1974)
• Medicines Like Granddad Used to Make (1976) [Reprint of the Medical department section of Dr. Chase’s recipes; or, Information for everybody, by A. W. Chase, and of selections from Dick’s encyclopaedia of practical receipts and processes, W. B. Dick, published in 1872 by Dick & Fitzgerald, New York; with a new foreword by K. Saxon.]
• The New Improved Poor Man’s James Bond Revised ed., corr. and enl. (1988)
• The Poor Man’s James Bond; the complete "militant’s formulary" and much, much more (1972)
• The Poor Man’s James Bond 4th ed. (1974?)
• The Poor Man’s James Bond Revised ed. (1991) ISBN 0-87947-226-X
• The Survivor (1987-1988)
• Wheels of Rage; the Story of the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club (1974)
• "Root Rot" (1981) Critique of Alex Haley's book and TV series Roots

Other book titles mentioned at his web site:

• Classic Ghosts and Vampires
• Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Electricity
• Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Magic
• Granddad’s Wonderful Book of Toys
• The Survivor (Volumes 1 through 10)

Published under the pseudonym "George Carpenter":

• Street Fighting: America's Martial Art (1979); Desert Publications, Cornville, Arizona; ISBN 0-87947-428-9

See also

• Retreat (survivalism)
• Survivalism
• James Wesley Rawles

References

External links

• The Survivor Vol. 1-4
• The Poor Man's James Bond Volumes I-V
• Video Tape Special Volume 1
• Video Tape Special Volume 2
• The Poor Man's James Bond Greets the Russians
• The Poor Man's James Bond Strikes Again!
• 50 episodes of Kurt Saxon's shortwave radio show
• Kurt Saxon's commercial website (no longer under his ownership)
• Kurtsaxon.com archived website.
• Survivalplus.com archived website.
• Manual for Mayhem: How One Man Tried to Teach Everyday People to Make Anti-Tank Missiles
• POLICE FIND EXPLOSIVE LIQUID IN HOME OF MILITIA AUTHOR KURT SAXON
• ‘Bomb’ taken from Alpena house