Preparing for Tyranny

Chicken House Update

2012-01-28T12:55:00.007-05:00

In preparation for the carpenter to begin work on Monday, moving crap from one half of the garage to the other became a 2 hour all-hands evolution. That doesn't mean the 5 grand-kids enjoyed it (although the 20-month-old did and actually tried to help) but moving empty and full 55 gallon drums, kids' bicycles, sweeping out years' accumulation of leaves and salvaging wood from an old dog pen required everyones' help. Notice the hole in the wall...that was covered by the dog pen, and will now become the pop door for the chickens.

This is a work in progress because as one half is cleared and takes shape, the other becomes a mess. The carpenter will divide the building into 2 parts, frame the dog door opening and repair the roof, sliding and personnel doors. More to come!

"Utilize Your Resources!"

2012-01-22T09:23:00.008-05:00

One of the first things I learned when I went to Chief Petty Officer School was to utilize my resources. A CPO is expected to have the answers to all the questions asked by his/her CO, XO and Petty Officers.

The improvements to transition half of the garage to a chicken coop will cost approximately $2,500. To minimize other costs and to seize the opportunity, we have used Craigslist and Freecycle to obtain various items we will require for the chickens.

Our first Craigslist experience involved the purchase of the brooder, heat lamp, small roll of hardware cloth, a chick feeder, 2 chick waterers, 1 chicken feeder and 2 chicken waterers, empty egg cartons and a partial bag of chicken feed for $50 from a family that was moving.

Our next Craigslist experience was 50 feet of fence and metal posts for and 8 tomato cages for $30 from another family what was moving.
Other Craigslist purchases involved 50 more feet of wire fencing ($50) and finally that blue, plastic 55 gallon drum ($25) which was fitted with 2 valves for watering and the lid replaced by a fine mesh screen to keep out bugs, leaves and debris while recovering rainwater from a downspout. We managed to obtain a 12 x 12 foot sheet of linoleum to cover part of the coo floor for free.

A target of opportunity at Freecycle was a camo winter jacket for one of the grandsons.

While electric power, fuel and many other necessities aren't free, resources such as these can help save homesteaders, preppers or hardcore survivalists money that could be used elsewhere.

Chicken House

2012-01-21T15:40:00.011-05:00

It was decided that raising our own chickens (for eggs and meat) would be another step towards long term self-sufficiency. Our plans rapidly evolved from a chicken tractor (what we required would have cost $1,000 to buy since I have negative handyman skills!) to renovating the detached garage/shed behind the house for under $2,500.

We lost power to that structure almost 20 years ago but I wasn't concerned because it was used for storing yard tools, the snow blower, etc. For $875 an electrician determined the splice in the cable from the house had failed, exchanged the ancient fuse box for a circuit breaker panel (with 4 of 6 available circuits populated) and 3 ceiling light bulb sockets to replace the old fluorescent lights. The remainder of the $2,000 will be for a carpenter to repair part of the roof and build a wall separating the chickens from the rest of the space. A door will be built in this wall to give access for people to the chicken coop from the inside of the building. A permanent improvement to an out building is always a more valuable investment.

One circuit would be dedicated to the heat lamp, another for the bird bath heater in the winter which keeps the chickens' drinking water from freezing. During the summer, a fan will replace the bird bath heater and a conventional lamp will be used to extend their laying hours. The electrician reused the conduit that ran around the side opposite the chicken area and back and added a wall switch for the 3 overhead lights. Once cleaned and reclaimed the old workbench and my tool cabinet will have power for tools and lighting.

The building once had a dog run on the side. The opening, which the carpenter will frame and install both a screened and security door, is still visible in this pic. A ramp to the rear corner on this side will also be built to lead the birds out to a fenced-in yard area. The side window will be screened to provide additional summer ventilation.

I am waiting to see how many predators (raccoons, skunks, foxes, hawks, owls, feral dogs & cats) will be attracted by the 2 dozen chickens. The carpenter will fix the 2 sliding doors to the coop so they move with greater ease as well as the double doors to the other part. This will allow the birds to be segregated while one uses the storage/work area of the building.

Our choice of chickens was dependant on several factors; cold/heat tolerability, dual purpose egg/meat birds, egg size, and egg color. We want "easter basket eggs", therefore we chose either brown, blue, green, or terracotta egg layers. We have ordered 3 of each of the following: Speckled Sussex, Ameracaunna, Easter Eggers (these lay the blue and green, and possibly pink eggs), Plymouth Barred Rock (ok we ordered this because the abbreviation is PBR), Black Copper Marans (terracotta eggs), Wellsummers (terracotta eggs), Silver Laced Wynadottes, Buff Orpingtons. An amazing amount of information about raising chickens at home is available at http://www.backyardchickens.com/ .

WTF?!?!

2012-01-18T20:57:00.003-05:00

Mysterious Sounds Continue to be Recorded Throughout the World

.....The sounds range in description from “bizarre and creepy” to “industrial and mechanical.”

The sounds appear to be omni-directional and seem to have no single traced source of origin or horizontal source of degree graduation- leaving one with the impression they are coming from directly overhead or directly underneath the earth......

Must See TV!!!

2012-01-13T09:15:00.009-05:00

Next on NCIS:

Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said he had asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to “pull together a team of their very best agents and immediately assign them responsibility to thoroughly investigate every aspect of the filmed event.” He also said he would assign a Marine general and a senior attorney to conduct a parallel inquiry.

video platform video management video solutions video player

The next scandal could be Marines placing strips of bacon on the corpses of Taliban terrorists! Today’s cadre of politically correct pussy officers could never have dealt with GIs cutting off and collecting the ears of dead Viet Cong!!!

Absolute Freedom vs. Surveillance

2012-01-10T11:54:00.005-05:00

Jeff Monson: Anarchy is America's solution

Homeland Security monitors journalists

Freedom of speech might allow journalists to get away with a lot in America, but the Department of Homeland Security is on the ready to make sure that the government is keeping dibs on who is saying what.

Under the National Operations Center (NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative that came out of DHS headquarters in November, Washington has the written permission to retain data on users of social media and online networking platforms.

Specifically, the DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) can collect personal information from news anchors, journalists, reporters or anyone who may use “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s own definition of personal identifiable information, or PII, such data could consist of any intellect “that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual.” Previously established guidelines within the administration say that data could only be collected under authorization set forth by written code, but the new provisions in the NOC’s write-up means that any reporter, whether someone along the lines of Walter Cronkite or a budding blogger, can be victimized by the agency.

Also included in the roster of those subjected to the spying are government officials, domestic or not, who make public statements, private sector employees that do the same and “persons known to have been involved in major crimes of Homeland Security interest,” which to itself opens up the possibilities even wider.

The department says that they will only scour publically-made info available while retaining data, but it doesn’t help but raise suspicion as to why the government is going out of their way to spend time, money and resources on watching over those that helped bring news to the masses....

.....The website Fast Company reports that the intel collected by the Department of Homeland Security under the NOC Monitoring Initiative has been happening since as early as 2010 and the data is being shared with both private sector businesses and international third parties.

The Phases of Surrender

2012-01-10T10:49:00.002-05:00

""Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing,
great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of
honor and good sense"....Winston Churchill, Oct 29, 1941

I do not know the author of the following article but he has a point.
Surrender is not an option and this article make a good case for that
position.

The Phases of Surrender

The first phase of surrender is failing to be armed, trained and committed
to fight. We are prepared to surrender when we are unprepared to resist.

The second phase of surrender is failing to be alert. You must see trouble
coming in order to have time to respond. The warning may be less than one
second but it will be there and it must be recognized and acted upon
immediately.

The Third phase of surrender is giving up your weapons.

The last phase of surrender is up to the monsters who have taken control of
your life and perhaps the lives of your loved ones. The last phase of
surrender is out of your hands.

Surrender during war

During the American Revolution 12,000 Colonists captured by the British died
in captivity on prison ships, while only 8,000 died in battle. Had the
12,000 who surrendered continued to fight many would have survived and they
could have done great damage to the British and likely shortened the war.
Civil War prisoners were treated so badly that some 50,000 died in
captivity. More Americans have been killed by Americans than by any foreign
army in any war. Six hundred eighteen thousand (618,000) Americans died in
the Civil War.

As many as 18,000 captured American and Filipino prisoners died or were
murdered at the hands of the Japanese during the six days of the "Bataan
Death March. Had most of these soldiers slipped into the jungle and fought
as guerrillas they could have tied up elements of the Japanese Army for
months or years and perhaps more of them would have survived the war.

Of the Americans who actually reached Japanese prison camps during the war,
nearly 50,000 died in captivity. That is more than 10 percent of all the
American military deaths in the entire war in both the Pacific and European
theaters combined.

In addition to the 50,000 captured Americans who died in Japanese prison
camps an additional 20,000 were murdered before reaching a prison camp. If
those 70,000 Americans had continued to fight, they could have provided time
for the United States to build and maneuver its forces, perhaps shortening
the war and saving even more lives. Some of them would have likely survived
the war. If they had all died in battle their fate would have been no worse.

During the early stages of the Battle of the Bulge American soldiers were
massacred by the German troops who captured them.

During the Vietnam conflict many American Prisoners Of War were tortured
daily for years by the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans died
during the process. Only Officers (Aviators) held in North Vietnam were ever
repatriated. Enlisted Americans captured in South Viet Nam were routinely
tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Communists. As a combat soldier and
knowing my fate should I be captured, I was committed to fighting to the
death. I made specific plans to force the enemy to kill me rather than allow
myself to be captured.

In recent years, American troops captured by Islamic terrorists groups have
virtually all been tortured and murdered in gruesome fashion. If I were
fighting in the Middle East, I would make a similar vow and plan to fight to
the death. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be captured by our
Islamic enemies.

Death by Government

R.J. Rummel, who wrote the book, "Death by Government" states that prior to
the 20th Century; 170 million civilians were murdered by their own
governments. Historians tell us that during the 20th Century perhaps as many
as 200 million civilians were murdered by their own governments.

Some of the Nations where the mass murder of civilians occurred during the
20th Century include Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The
Congo, Uganda, Armenia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, China, Cuba,
Manchuria, Iraq, Iran, Biafra, Rwanda and many others. The slaughter of
civilians by governments appears to be as common as not.

Most of these slaughters were only made possible by disarming the victims
before killing them. Had these people resisted, their fate would have been
no worse and perhaps better. Resistance is much more difficult after the
government has already taken the means of resistance away from the people.
Planned genocide has been the primary reason for weapon confiscation
throughout history.

Jews and others who surrendered to the Nazis were murdered in slave labor
camps by the millions. Had all the Jews in Europe resisted when the Nazis
started rounding them up they could have made the Nazis pay an enormous
price for the holocaust. The fact that Hitler confiscated guns in 1936 made
resistance far less feasible.

Had the Jews in Germany resisted, the outcome may have been the same but the
world would have learned about the holocaust years earlier and may have
intervened. Most people would prefer to die fighting and trying to kill
their oppressor, than be taken off to a death camp and starved to death or
murdered in a gas chamber.

William Ayers, former leader of the Terrorist organization The Weather
Underground, and close friend of Barack Obama, told his followers in the
Weather Underground, "When we (Communist Revolutionaries) take over the
United States, we will have to kill 25 million Americans." He was referring
to those who would never submit to a Communist takeover. Those who would
refuse to deny and reject the Constitution would have to be murdered. If
this sounds impossible, remember that Genocide by Government was the leading
cause of death in the last Century.

Surrendering to Criminals

The Onion Field Murder in California was a wake up call to Law Enforcement
Officers everywhere. On March 9, 1963, two Los Angeles Police Department
officers were taken prisoner by two criminals. The Officers submitted to
capture and gave up their weapons. They were driven to an onion field outside of Bakersfield.

One Officer was murdered while the other Officer managed to escape in a hail
of gunfire. The surviving Officer suffered serious psychological case,
having been unable to save his partner. As a result of this incident, the
LAPD policy became, "You will fight no matter how bad things are." "You will
never ever surrender your weapons or yourself to a criminal."

Consider the Ogden, Utah record store murders. Read the book if you do not
know the story. The manner in which the criminals murdered their young
victims cannot be described here. Resistance might have been futile.
Compliance was definitely and absolutely futile.

The courts in this country have ruled that the police have no legal
obligation to protect anyone. Why do Law Enforcement Officials always tell
civilians not to resist a criminal, while they tell their Officers to always
resist and never surrender? Police administrators fear being sued by a
civilian victim who gets hurt resisting. Furthermore, the police, like all
government agencies derive their power by fostering dependence.

According to Professor John Lott's study on the relationship between guns
and crime, a victim who resists with a firearm is less likely to be hurt or
killed than a victim who cooperates with his attacker. His book is titled
"More Guns, Less Crime."

The Doctor and his family in Connecticut complied and cooperated, meeting
every demand of the home invasion robbers to whom they had surrendered. The
Doctors wife and daughters were tortured, raped, doused with gasoline and
burned alive. How did surrender and cooperation work out for them?

In another home invasion robbery, a kindly couple with 9 "adopted, special
needs children," surrendered to the robbers. The victims opened their safe
and did not resist in any way. When the robbers where finished ransacking
the home and terrifying the children, they shot both parents in the head
several times before leaving. How did surrender and complete cooperation
work out for them?

Handing over your life by surrendering to someone who is in the process of
committing a violent crime against you is a form of suicide. Some survive
but many do not. The monster gets to decide for you.

We have heard brutalized victims say, "The robber said that he would not
hurt us if we cooperated." Why would you believe anything that someone who
is committing a crime against you says? He will be lying if he speaks. As we
say in law enforcement, "If a criminal's lips are moving while he is
speaking, he is lying." Criminals by definition are dishonest and should
never be trusted or believed.

You have no doubt heard friends say, I would not resist a criminal, after
all why would he kill me? This is stupid and naive. In law enforcement, we
call these people "Victims by Choice" (VBC). There could be a long list of
reasons why a criminal would kill you despite your cooperation.

You may be of a different race, thus a different tribe. Only members of his
tribe are actually human in his mind. He may feel hatred toward you because
you have more than he does. Gratification from being in a position of total
power is reason enough for some.

Criminals are sometimes members of a Satanic Cult who worship death such as
the "Night Stalker" in California. Eliminating a potential witness is often
cited as a reason to kill a victim. Sometimes criminals simply enjoy causing
suffering and death. There are people who are in fact, pure evil. I have
heard criminals say, "I killed her just to watch her die."

A victim who begs for mercy can give his attacker a tremendous feeling of
power which many criminals seem to enjoy. You cannot expect mercy from
someone who does not know what mercy is. Resist!

We each have a duty to ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, our
community, our city, our state and our country to resist criminals.
Reasoning with a thug who believes that his failures are because of people
just like you is not likely to be helpful. Pleading with a terrorist who has
been taught from birth that his salvation depends on murdering people like
you is a doomed plan. Resist!

Resist! His gun may not be real. After you are tied up it will not matter.
His gun may not be loaded. After you are tied up it will not matter. He may
not know how to operate his gun. After you are tied up it will not matter.
Resist!

Statistically if you run and your assailant shoots at you he will miss.
Statistically if you run and he shoots and hits you, you will not die. Bad
guys shooting at the police miss 90 percent of the time. The odds are on
your side. Better to die fighting in place than to be tied up, doused with
gasoline and burned alive. There are things worse than death. Surrender to a
criminal or a terrorist and you will learn what they are. Resist!

If you resist with a commitment to win you may well prevail, especially if
you are armed and trained. If you lose it is still better to die fighting in
place than to be taken prisoner and have your head cut off with a dull knife
while your screams gurgle through your own blood as we have witnessed on
numerous videos from the Middle East, brought to us by the "Islamic
practitioners of peace."

Some who have refused to surrender.

History is filled with brave people who refused to surrender. Some of these
men and woman have won their battles despite what seemed to be
insurmountable odds. Others have gone down fighting and avoided being
tortured to death. Some fought to the death to help or save others. Many
have fought to the death for an idea or a belief.

When General Santa Ana (also the President of Mexico at the time) ordered
180 "Texicans" to surrender the Alamo, Col. Travis answered with "a cannon
shot and a rebel yell." Eventually General Santa Ana was able to build his
troop strength to ten thousand. The Mexicans then swarmed the defenders and
killed them all.

The battle of the Alamo delayed the Mexican Army long enough for Sam Houston
to build his Texican Army, which met and defeated the Mexican Army and
captured General Santa Ana. General Santa Ana traded Texas for his life and
the sacrifices of the Alamo defenders changed history.

Frank Luke was a heroic aviator in WWI. Shot down and wounded he refused to
surrender when confronted by a German patrol. He killed 4 German soldiers
with his 1911 Pistol before being killed. Luke was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor.

When his unit was pinned down by German Machine Guns and all of the Officers
and non commissioned officers in his company were killed or wounded, Alvin
York never considered surrendering. Instead, he attacked hundreds of German
soldiers killing about 25 with his rifle and pistol and then captured 132
others by himself!

Most of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto (Poland) surrendered to the German
Army. They were taken off to death camps and murdered. Between 400 and 1,000
Jews refused to surrender and armed with only a few pistols, revolvers and
rifles, they held off the German Army for three months before dying in
battle.

During the "Battle of the Bulge," the 101st Airborne was surrounded by the
German Army and ordered to surrender. Faced with overwhelming odds, the
Commanding Officer of the 101st sent this reply to the Germans. "Nuts." The
Americans refused to surrender and they stopped the German advance. Most of
the Americans troops survived.

On Sept 2, 2010, 40 armed criminals took over and robbed a train in India.
Some of the robbers had guns, others used knives and clubs. When they began
to disrobe an 18 year old girl for the purpose of gang raping her, one of
the passengers decided to fight. He was a 35 year old retired Gurkha
soldier. He drew his Khukasri knife and attacked the 40 robbers. He killed
three of the robbers and wounded 8 more despite his being wounded in this 20
minute fight. The remaining criminals fled for their lives leaving their
stolen loot and eleven comrades dead or wounded on the floor of the train.
The eight wounded robbers were arrested.

How does one man defeat 40? How does he summon the courage to fight such
odds? He utilized all of the Principles of Personal Defense: Alertness,
Decisiveness, Aggressiveness, Speed, Coolness, Ruthlessness, and Surprise.
He was skilled in the use of his weapon. Most importantly, He refused to be
a victim and allow evil to triumph!

If this one inspirational soldier can defeat 40 opponents using his knife,
it would seem that we should all be able to defeat a group of armed
criminals by using our firearms if we are professionally trained as was this
heroic Gurkha soldier.

Final thoughts

How will you respond if you are confronted by evil as some of us have beenin the past and some of us will be in the future? If you have not decidedahead of time what you will do, you will likely do nothing. Those who fightback often win and survive. Those who surrender never win and often die ahorrible death.

Have you made your decision? Remember, no decision is a decision to donothing.

2012-01-07T21:50:00.005-05:00

The Outlook for the New Year

.....This past year has not been a good one for the 99%, and the new year is likely to be even worse. This column deals with the outlook for liberty. The next will deal with the economic outlook.

The outlook for liberty is dismal. Those writers who are critical of Washington’s illegal wars and overthrow of the US Constitution could find themselves in indefinite detainment, because criticism of Washington’s policies can be alleged to be aiding Washington’s enemies, which might include charities that provide aid to bombed Palestinian children and flotillas that attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/24/us-israel-usa-flotilla-idUSTRE75N4A620110624

The Bush/Obama regimes have put the foundation in place for imprisoning critics of the government without due process of law. The First Amendment is being all but restricted to rah-rah Americans who chant USA! USA! USA! Washington has set itself up as world prosecutor, forever berating other countries for human rights violations, while Washington alone bombs half a dozen countries into the stone age and threatens several more with the same treatment, all the while violating US statutory law and the Geneva Conventions by torturing detainees. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/06/18/41514/general-who-probed-abu-ghraib.html

Washington rounds up assorted foreign politicians, whose countries were afflicted with civil wars, and sends them off to be tried as war criminals, while its own war crimes continue to mount. However, if a person exposes Washington’s war crimes, that person is held without charges in conditions that approximate torture....

...Local and state police forces have been militarized not only in their equipment and armament but also in their attitude toward the public. Despite the absence of domestic terror attacks, Homeland Security conducts warrantless searches of cars and trucks on highways and of passengers using public transportation. A uniformed federal service is being trained to systematically violate the constitutional rights of citizens, and citizens are being trained to accept these violations as normal. The young have no memory of being able to board public transportation or use public roadways without intrusive searches or to gather in protest without being brutalized by the police. Liberty is being moved into the realm of myth and legend.

In such a system as is being constructed in public in front of our eyes, there is no freedom, no democracy, and no liberty. What stands before us is naked tyranny....

.....Preventative war, indefinite imprisonment, rendition, torture of people alleged to be “suspects” (an undefined category), and assassination are all draconian punishments that require no evidence. Preventative war is an Orwellian concept. How do you prevent a war by initiating a war? How do we know that a country that did not attack us was going to attack us in the future? Preventative war is like Jeremy Bentham’s concept of preventing crime by locking up those thought by the upper crust to be predisposed to criminal activity before they commit a crime. Punishment without crime is now the American Way.

The concepts that the Bush/Obama regimes have institutionalized are totally foreign to the Anglo-American concepts of law and liberty. In one decade the US has been transformed from a free society into a police state. The American population, to the extent it is aware of what has occurred, has simply accepted the revolution from the top.

Ron Paul is the only American seeking the presidency who opposes the tyranny that has been institutionalized, and he is not leading in the polls.

This tells us all we need to know about the value Americans place on liberty. Americans seem to welcome the era of tyranny into which they are now entering.

Merry Christmas, Scumbag!!!

2012-01-05T20:11:00.002-05:00

Harbinger for 2012?

2011-12-27T13:29:00.004-05:00

Woman's Face Slashed, Man Beaten and Robbed of Air Jordans...

MELEE AT MALL OF AMERICA...

Hundreds of Teens Run Wild After Rumors That Rappers 'Lil Wayne, Drake Are There...

VIDEO: Mayhem, Screams...

Median income for members of Congress triples as average American's income falls...

TSA plans expansion......screenings aren't just for airports anymore

Ron Paul says defense bill assures 'descent into totalitarianism'...

PREDICTIONS: A Doomsday View of 2012...

The Collapse of the European Union

The US : The Recession Returns with a Vengeance (I didn't know it left!)

Militarism Exacerbates the Economic Downturn (As happened to the former USSR!)

Europe: Deeper Austerity and Intensified Class Struggle

The Coming Wars that Ends America “As We Know It”

Conclusion
All indications point to 2012 being a turning point year of unrelenting economic crisis spreading outward from Europe and the US to Asia and its dependencies in Africa and Latin America . The crisis will be truly global. Inter-imperial confrontations and colonial wars will undermine any efforts to ameliorate this crisis. In response, mass movements will emerge moving over time from protests and rebellions, and hopefully to social revolutions and political power.

Arm Up for Christmas!

2011-12-26T20:55:00.004-05:00

Peace on Earth, now buy a gun
Posted: December 09, 20114:23 pm Eastern© 2011 PATRICE LEWIS

As you've doubtless gathered, I normally don't care for Black Friday shopping binges. I dislike the animalistic behavior people exhibit as they trample other shoppers on their way to grab cheap electronics or other unnecessary junk.

But there was one statistic that came out of this year's Black Friday that pleased me immensely: gun sales were up. Way up. Crazily up.

FBI background checks for that day smashed all previous one-day sales by 32 percent. Background checks totaled 129,166 on this year's Black Friday, compared to the next closest record of 97,848 on Black Friday of 2008. And the actual number of firearms sold, let it be known, was even higher for two reasons: one, background checks are not performed during transactions between individuals (i.e. someone buying a surplus gun from a friend); and two, a buyer can purchase multiple firearms under the clearance of a single background check. So altogether as many as a quarter to a half million MORE guns may now be in the hands of private citizens. Whoo-hoo!

These kinds of statistics always bring about a spate of excuses from those who wish people weren't armed. It couldn't possibly be that Americans are awakening to the possibility of anything from higher crime threats to an economic collapse. No, increased gun sales must be due to … lying..........

...........As for the large number of first-time women buying guns, well, it must be due to a (cough) sudden and unprecedented interest in "sport shooting" or "hunting." It certainly couldn't be due to an interest in women protecting themselves. No indeedy.

Speaking from a gun-owning woman's perspective, I can testify that most women don't "suddenly" develop an interest in hunting. Women who hunt usually do so from an early age, not as an abrupt mid-life event. But many, many women develop a "sudden" interest in personal and familial protection, as well as defending their Second Amendment rights. At any age.

What progressive analysts like the Brady Center are reluctant to admit is the Second Amendment is deeply ingrained in the American psyche. Progressives have tried to discourage the relevance of gun ownership, believing that in our civilized age, we don't "need" guns. But when the chips are down, people know what's important. They know they need to protect themselves – not just from the threat of crime, but more importantly from the threat of an unconstitutional government determined to disarm its citizens by whatever means possible.

America has been watching Europe implode. We all know what happened the last time Europe had a financial meltdown. If the euro collapses, it will plunge that continent into an economic depression of massive proportions – with dire consequences here in the United States as well. And what happened during the last time an economic depression hit Europe, specifically Germany?

Economic instability makes governments do funny things. Hitlers aren't hatched under normal and prosperous circumstances.

Most governments can't resist taking advantage of crises to do things they normally wouldn't (or couldn't) do. If an economic crisis hits this nation, what will happen if citizens are not armed?

Repression of our God-given and constitutional right to self-protection is among those things I wouldn't put past federal goons who long for unarmed and compliant citizens. If America is plunged into another economic depression, our government would love to ride to the rescue and "save" us. But saving us will come with a price. I predict we'll be told that as long as we turn over our pesky and unneeded guns, we can get all the food and housing and medical help we need. Won't that be nice?

Americans have been dumbed down for a long time, but as a whole we're not stupid. When the chips are down – and when our own government becomes a threat and a danger – people recall the whole purpose of the Second Amendment. They remember that the Founding Fathers put that critical clause into the very fiber of our nation for a reason – because once a people are disarmed, they are vulnerable to any and every atrocity a government can conceive. We need only look at the genocide statistics of the last hundred years to understand what happens to an unarmed society......

........So our government looks for ways to disarm us. They can't move too fast or we'll dig in our heels and resist. Instead, they look for subtle, back-door ways to get us to lay down our arms. They teach our children in schools about how bad guns are. They harass and burden gun dealers with endless bureaucracy. They set up sting operations. They lay down so many laws and regulations that ordinary law-abiding citizens are classified as domestic terrorists.

So when firearms sales spike in anticipation of our annual celebration of peace on earth and goodwill toward men, I find nothing in the slightest bit contradictory in that concept. An armed society, as they say, is a polite society. But more than that, an armed society is a peaceful society. A nation whose citizens are armed stays relatively peaceful. It will never turn into a tyranny.

Remember, a free man cannot be defeated. He can only be killed. That becomes much easier if you've disarmed him first.

So to maintain peace on earth and goodwill toward men, I urge you to buy a firearm this Christmas and learn how to use it. Support the Second Amendment. Keep peace on earth … or at least in our country.

Official Consensus on EMP Threat Ignored by New York Times

2011-12-22T14:05:00.002-05:00

Official Consensus on EMP Threat Ignored by New York Times

My comments are listed as those of "BSMeter".

Best Defense Survival on Demand

2011-12-08T14:02:00.001-05:00

Best Defense Survival

Reality vs. Denial

2011-12-08T08:04:00.001-05:00

Terrorists said to be infiltrating military

Al Qaeda and other terrorists are trying to infiltrate the U.S. armed forces, which makes military facilities in the U.S. dangerous for American troops, lawmakers said Wednesday.

“The Department of Defense considers the U.S. homeland the most dangerous place for a G.I. outside of foreign war zones — and the top threat they face here is from violent Islamist extremists,” Rep. Peter T. King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said during a special joint House-Senate hearing.

Military officials testified about the homegrown terrorist threat at U.S. military bases in the wake of several attacks, including the November 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 41, has been charged in the killing of 13 people and wounding of 29 others in the worst shootings ever to take place on an American military base.

“The Fort Hood attack was not an anomaly,” said Mr. King, New York Republican. “It was part of al Qaeda’s two-decade success at infiltrating the U.S. military for terrorism — an effort that is increasing in scope and threat.”…….

Lawmakers Blast Administration For Calling Fort Hood Massacre 'Workplace Violence'

Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation's Armed Forces at home.

During a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, the Maine Republican referenced a letter from the Defense Department depicting the Fort Hood shootings as workplace violence. She criticized the Obama administration for failing to identify the threat as radical Islam……

We Live in Interesting Times!

2011-12-07T21:48:00.004-05:00

Mass Graves Being Prepared In Houston, Phoenix And California

Mass graves are being prepared in Houston, Phoenix, California and in other major metropolitan areas across the United States, and nobody seems to know what they are for. The most common cover story is that these mass graves are for burying U.S. military casualties, but is the U.S. military really expecting thousands upon thousands of additional deaths in the near future? Watch the following videos and decide for yourself. Are these mass graves completely innocent in nature, or is there something much more disturbing going on here?

The most recent video of mass graves is out of Houston, Texas. The scope of this project appears to be absolutely massive. What could be the purpose of such a large number of mass graves?.....

Mysterious planet-sized object spotted near Mercury

Is a giant, cloaked spaceship orbiting around Mercury?

That's been the speculation from some corners aftera camera onboard NASA's STEREO spacecraft caught a wave of electronically charged material shooting out from the sun and hitting Mercury.

Theorists have seized on the images captured from the "coronal mass ejection" (CME) last week as suggestive of alien life hanging out in our own cosmic backyard. Specifically, the solar flare washing over Mercury appears to hit another object of comparable size. "It's cylindrical on either side and has a shape in the middle. It definitely looks like a ship to me, and very obviously, it's cloaked," YouTube-user siniXster said in his video commentary on the footage, which has generated hundreds of thousands of views this week. Now, how this user was able to determine that the object was "obviously" a cloaked spaceship with no other natural explanation remains as much a mystery as the object itself......

67th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack

2011-12-07T14:53:00.014-05:00

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - Ronald Reagan

Some Things Never Change!

2011-11-28T10:16:00.005-05:00

Did you ever wonder why neither Democrat nor Republican presidential candidates ever entertain ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as ways to reduce the national debt and save American lives (after all, Saddam and bin Laden have assumed room temperature!) ? War is good business and there aren't enough jobs for civilians let alone returning vets!

"All of us have heard this term "preventive war" since the earliest days of Hitler. ... A preventive war, to my mind, is an impossibility today. How could you have one if one of its features would be several cities lying in ruins, several cities where many, many thousands of people would be dead and injured and mangled, the transportation systems destroyed, sanitation implements and systems all gone? That isn't preventive war; that is war. ... I don't believe there is such a thing; and, frankly, I wouldn't even listen to anyone seriously that came in and talked about such a thing."-- Dwight D. Eisenhower(1890-1969), 34th US President, WWII GeneralSource: 11 August 1954 news conference in response to a question from Ray L. Scherer, NBC: 'Mr. President, there seem to be increasing suggestions that we should embark on a preventive war with the Communist world, some of these suggestions by people in high places. I wonder, sir, if you would care to address yourself to that proposition.'http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Dwight.Eisenhower.Quote.2828

"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so."-- Albert J. Beveridge(1862-1927) American historian, United States Senator from Indianahttp://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Albert.Beveridge.Quote.2707

Eisenhower's Warning: Beware the Military Industrial Complex
You can find the entire speech here: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/ike.htmHere are some key, almost prophetic points that he made:

"Any failure traceable to arrogance or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us a grievous hurt, both at home and abroad."

"Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties."

"...we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations."

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

"As we peer into society's future, we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage."

"Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

"Civilization" is Living on Borrowed Time

2011-11-16T20:31:00.002-05:00

22 Signs That The Thin Veneer Of Civilization That We All Take For Granted Is Starting To Disappear

In order for a society to function, there has to be a certain level of trust. Each day when we leave our homes, we take for granted that most people are not going to attack us for no reason, that there will only be isolated incidents of theft in our community and that rioting and violence are not going to erupt in the streets. Whether we realize it or not, we depend on the fact that the vast majority of the people around us are going to act in a civilized manner. Unfortunately, the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is starting to disappear. When I was growing up, I was taught that challenging times reveal our true character. There are many that believe that the declining economy is causing a lot of the chaos that we are now witnessing, but perhaps what is going on is that these challenging economic times are simply revealing the character that has been there all along. For decades, a "false prosperity" that was fueled by unprecedented amounts of debt has masked a lot of the internal rot that has taken hold in America. But now that our prosperity is crumbling, our lack of values is becoming startlingly clear.........

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/22-signs-that-the-thin-veneer-of-civilization-that-we-all-take-for-granted-is-starting-to-disappear

Apologies, Again

2011-10-27T18:54:00.005-04:00

First, I must again apologize for my absence. Just as I was getting used to living alone, my daughter and her crew (ages 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11) moved back home. She managed to get the local college to purchase her home literally 1 day before the registered mail announcing foreclosure!

As she works 2 evenings a week, I have been busy with care, feeding and homework. Yet I still have been able to observe our country's continuing flat spin to oblivion.

Both Democratic and Republican parties serve the same multi-national corporate masters and only tell their true believers exactly what they want to hear. The Tea Party, while well-meaning, is a front for restoring the laissez-faire doctrine towards banks, investment houses, Wall Street and Mahogany Row. The Occupy movement has the potential to turn into multiple incidents of the 1932 Bonus Army as local police departments use force to evict them (the media uses the PC term "evacuate" as if LEOs are protecting them from some danger). The media is corrupting and discrediting their message by linking them to Socialists and anarchists.

Ron Paul has been a perennial presidential candidate which I believe may hurt is chances. Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself! Herman Cain's quote, "Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself!" really pissed me off since my son was laid off 2 years ago, has applied for countless jobs ("Why are you willing to take such a large cut in salary?", "Why aren't you willing to take a lesser salary?", "Why have you been unemployed so long?" and resume scrubbing software that eliminates candidates before HR can read their resumes!) and is consulting within his field to augment the family income. BTW, I chose my 25 year, 9 month career with the feds (DoD for all but 1 year), my 24 years with the USNR and my current 12 year employment with the state, not to get rich but for public service! Apparently he is just another candidate for the office of Chief Corporate Overseer!

When I vote in the primary it will be for Ron Paul, if he is on my state's ballot. Then I will return to prepping because our country's flat spin continues.

Will This be the Winter of Our Discontent?

2011-09-16T14:54:00.003-04:00

BLOOMBERG WARNS OF RIOTS

..."We have a lot of kids graduating college, can't find jobs," Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show.

"That's what happened in Cairo. That's what happened in Madrid. You don't want those kinds of riots here."...

... Bloomberg's unusually alarmist pronouncement came as President Obama has been pressuring reluctant Republicans to pass his proposed job creation plan.

"The damage to a generation that can't find jobs will go on for many, many years," the normally-measured mayor said....

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/09/16/2011-09-16_mayor_bloomberg_predicts_riots_in_the_streets_if_economy_doesnt_create_more_jobs.html#ixzz1Y8fTE1f4

EMPACT America Updates

2011-09-08T14:51:00.002-04:00

EMPACT America, Inc.
PPC#06 Mat Stein on EMPact Radio's Preparedness Podcast - Sep 08,2011
Mat Stein is an environmentalist, bestselling author, MIT trained engineer, and green builder. As an inspiring speaker and visionary thinker, he is dedicated to helping people wake up and unite to shift our collective course from collapse to global renaissance. On the practical side of things, as an expert at self-reliance, emergency prep, and survival, his writings and work help people prepare to weather the storms we are facing due to
Source: EMPact Radio Forum
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
Huge solar flare ... but no big scare - msnbc.com (blog)
Fox News Huge solar flare ... but no big scare msnbc.com (blog) This flare was associated with a coronal mass ejection, an eruption of a giant cloud of solar material. If such an ejection hits our planet's magnetic field just wrong, it can disrupt electrical grids and satellites. Fortunately, most of the material ... X2.1 Solar Flare and CMENASA Solar Flare Eruptions Hotting UpThe Epoch Times Moderate Labor Day solar flare eruptionPhysOrg.com Universe Today -International Business Times -Fox
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
PPC#05 James Wesley Rawles - Part IV - Sep 07,2011
James Wesley Rawles knows that it would only take one unthinkable event to disrupt our way of life – whether an EMP, terrorist attack, a global pandemic, or sharp currency devaluation–you and your family may be forced to fend for yourself in ways you’ve never imagined. Survivalist expert James Wesley, Rawles, author of How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain
Source: EMPact Radio Forum
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
Sun Unleashes Two Massive X-Class Solar Flares - Fox News
Fox News Sun Unleashes Two Massive X-Class Solar Flares Fox News "This CME is not expected to cause significant geomagnetic storm activity, and further analysis is currently underway to better refine the CME timing and magnitude," officials at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center wrote in an update Tuesday. ... Earth directed M-class solar flare erupts from the Sun todayThe Weather Space all 93 news articles » More...
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
Ultrafast substorm aurorae explained - Astronomy Magazine
Universe Today Ultrafast substorm aurorae explained Astronomy Magazine Earth's magnetic field is continuously buffeted by clouds of energetic, electrically charged particles — mainly electrons and protons — that are carried in the solar wind or released during huge explosions on the Sun, known as coronal mass ejections. ... Exploring Geomagnetic SubstormsUniverse Today all 2 news articles » More...
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
Strong Solar Blackout to Cause Radio Disruptions On Earth September 9-10 - ForexTV.co
ForexTV.com Strong Solar Blackout to Cause Radio Disruptions On Earth September 9-10 ForexTV.com Until more data come in, we won't know if there is potential for additional Geomagnetic Storm activity from this event to add to the G1 (Minor) storming already predicted for September 9-10. Continue to watch this space for updates. ... More...
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-09-08 04:22:32 GMT

EMPACT America, Inc.
Sun Erupts with Spectacular Prominence - Universe Today
Space.com Sun Erupts with Spectacular Prominence Universe Today In this video, you'll see almost everything the Sun can throw at us: a solar flare, a coronal wave, a filament eruption, coronal rain and a coronal mass ejection, just to name a few. There will be more info on this eruption as scientists from the Solar ... Sun Unleashes Two Massive X-Class Solar FlaresFox News all 8 news articles » More...
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-09-07 14:59:27 GMT

Concealed Carry Works!!!

2011-09-07T12:55:00.001-04:00

Police: Temple Student Shot During Botched Robbery: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Londonesque Riots Soon?

2011-08-30T20:27:00.005-04:00

Flash Mob Robs 7-11

http://youtu.be/bHyug2PvpB8

This says it all: “police waited until the mob left the store before responding.” Cops won’t respond when outnumbered, period. Too great a chance of them getting hurt or having a bad PR day because a rioter got hurt. This “flash mob” phenomenon is nothing more than an orderly riot.

The Law views property as being replaceable and theft does not warrant lethal response. Using the “logic” of the law, this locust-like hoard could invade your home and systematically strip you of all possessions…food, clothing, cash, electronics, jewelry, vehicles, emergency supplies, heirlooms…and because they were unarmed, you could not mount a physical defense. That would be like having a CCW and being unable to fire upon 3 muggers because they were unarmed, even though they would not let you pass or retreat without handing over your valuables. Encountering superior numbers involved in criminal activity, regardless how minor the infraction is, should allow the victim more latitude in his defense. But what good is it for the store owner to lock the door and stand there with a shotgun holding the flash mob if the cops are too pussified to respond and make arrests? This is death by a thousand misdemeanors! It seems the LEO community learned much about "responding" from the Columbine shooting!

New Video Surfaces Showing Unprovoked Attack by Philadelphia Teens

Philadelphia – A new video has surfaced showing a group of teen girls attacking a worker outside City Hall in Philadelphia, myfoxphilly.com reports.

The video, shot in May, shows a woman being attacked in broad daylight. The video shows the woman walking outside City Hall when a pack of teenage girls appears from behind her and slams her into the ground, hitting her repeatedly.....

Teens Target Cyclists In ‘Knockout’ Game « CBS St. Louis http://www.browserdefender.com/getdomain/stlouis.cbslocal.com

Just as with the flash mob's looting of the Stop & Rob, the cops will arrive after the bicyclist ass has been kicked! Safer that way!

So much for street thugs. Now for the thugs on Mahogany Row!:

A Tip for Joe the Machinist: Watch Your Back

The Harvard Business School, Booz, the government et all are attempting to eliminate the middle class by drastically reducing workers’ wages and outsourcing to the Turd World. I saw something on the news this morning that said Part-time workers: More now fine without full-time jobs because it improved the life/work balance in their lives or they have learned to live on less money since being unemployed. I see this as conditioning people to continue doing more with less and to expect less from their Bernie Madeoff corporate masters who won’t provide health care or retirement for part-timers!

Must See TV!

2011-08-16T13:01:00.001-04:00

Some Brits Found Some Balls!

2011-08-11T22:03:00.004-04:00

Vigilante groups protect London streets

…Online retailer Amazon has reported a massive spike in the sales of baseball bats and batons as Britons prepare to protect themselves….

…In Ealing, an affluent west London suburb which was hit hard by rampaging gangs of youths on Monday evening, locals have been encouraged to come out in defiance of the rioters.
Flyers posted through the doors of homes in the area on Tuesday implored residents to "stand together to protect our streets."

"If you see any trouble, please sound your car horn," they demanded. "The aim of this is to show these despicable thugs that we will not be terrorized."….

Above, people angry about looting protested on the streets of Eltham, southeast London, August 9, 2011, vowing to protect their area

Note the cop in the photo, making sure these “vigilantes” (you know the Politically Correct media HAS to use that word when people defend themselves!) don’t get out of line. I wonder if the Bobbies will rush in to arrest citizens when they fight back, much as the LAPD confiscated the weapons of Korean neighborhood businessmen when they fought off the looters during the Rodney King Riots?

…One local, who gave his name as Nick, told CNN: "We're out here looking after our town. We're all trying to do it, and yet the police are more interested in pushing us back -- it's not on. We want to look after our town."…

Time to tow the PC line:

…But the Metropolitan Police has warned against vigilantism, calling on members of the public not to put themselves in harm's way, after several incidents where those who tried to step in found themselves under attack from the looters.

In Ealing, a man was left with critical head injuries after he tried to remonstrate with a gang of young rioters who had set bins on fire, and was attacked.

"These are testing times and I urge the public to remain vigilant and report any information you have to police," said Ealing Borough Commander Andy Rowell.

"If you do experience further disorder, I urge you to contact police and not take steps to try and intervene yourselves, this will put you and others in danger - please allow the police to tackle these crimes."….

…And others have taken a practical stand, rolling up their sleeves to join in clean-up operations across London and in Birmingham and Manchester….

Yes, sheeple, self defense isn’t practical but cleaning up the mess someone made of your property is!

British PM: Police waited too long to act

….However they choose to go about it, it seems the British public is only too happy to join in with what Prime Minister David Cameron has called the "fightback" against the rioters.

"We will not allow a culture of fear to exist on our streets," Cameron said.

Coming to USA, Inc.

2011-08-08T19:16:00.007-04:00

Prisonplanet.com is not my preferred source of information but pollster Pat Caddell below draws a seemingly valid conclusion. If he’s right, so much for the Posse Comitatus Act!

Closing at $1,693 per ounce today, it is not the time to buy gold although I heard on the news that quite a few individuals are selling to reap great profits. Expensive as it may be, it is still not too late to add to your supplies of bullets, beans and bandages.

I no longer believe we will face a single enemy. More than looters, criminals, the legions of pitifully unprepared, I can foresee Officer Friendly and his digital camo-clad partner riding in a patrol vehicle near you! England and other European countries have endured riots for at least the past 5 years and that has not gone unnoticed by TPTB in DC.

Pollster: Americans Are “Pre-Revolutionary”
Just 17 per cent believe U.S. government has consent of the governed
Paul Joseph WatsonInfowars.comMonday, August 8, 2011

Amidst riots in central Europe that have now spread to London and a debt downgrade that threatens to plunge the United States into a double-dip recession, Americans’ lack of confidence in their leadership is so crippled that they are now “pre-revolutionary,” according to pollster Pat Caddell.

A new Rasmussen poll shows that just 17 per cent of Americans believe that the U.S. government has the consent of the governed, an all time low. This dovetails with a record low for Congress’ approval rating, which stands at a paltry 6 per cent, while 46 per cent of Americans think most members of Congress are corrupt, with just 29% believing otherwise.

“The number of voters who feel the government has the consent of the governed – a foundational principle, contained in the Declaration of Independence – is down from 23% in early May and has fallen to its lowest level measured yet,” according to Rasmussen.

The poll was conducted before Friday’s U.S. debt downgrade, indicating that the figures could be even more dire in the aftermath of what some analysts believe is a precursor to a new great depression.

The results of this survey indicate that Americans are now “pre-revolutionary” says pollster Pat Caddell, who described the outcome of the poll as “unprecedented”.

This conclusion follows Caddell’s observation last November that “a sea of anger is churning” amongst Americans who “want to take their country back” and that the nation stood on the brink of a “pre-revolutionary moment”.....

....Back in early 2008, before the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the start of the financial crisis, we warned that inflation and economic uncertainty would cause a massive social dislocation, which would lead to riots globally. Gerald Celente and others repeated the warning in late 2008. Over the last 18 months, we have now witnessed such scenes across the Middle East and in France, Spain, Greece, Italy and most recently London.

Indeed, the only major western country not to experience significant social unrest since the economic collapse is America, although anecdotal evidence of rising crime and thefts suggests a turning point could be just around the corner.

Should violence plague American streets as a result of a deepening economic crisis, U.S. troops have already been prepared to deal with such a crisis.

As we reported three years ago, U.S. troops returning from Iraq were being re-allocated to occupy America, running checkpoints and training to deal with “civil unrest and crowd control” under the auspices of a Northcom program that revolved around deploying 20,000 active duty troops inside America to “help” state and local officials during times of emergency.

The date set for the completion of this program was 2011, just in time to deal with the “pre-revolutionary” fervor that many fear will now manifest itself in Greece-like mayhem as a result of the fallout from the debt downgrade and America’s slide towards economic collapse.
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show.

Latest CME

2011-08-05T20:18:00.001-04:00

Space Weather News for August 5, 2011
http://spaceweather.com
CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on August 5th around 1800 UT, setting the stage for possible geomagnetic storms on August 5th and 6th. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab report that the impact may have compressed Earth's magnetosphere enough to directly expose some satellites in geosynchronous orbit to solar wind plasma. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras after nightfall. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.
DON'T MISS THE STORM: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms are in progress? Storm alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).
You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com.
New subscribers may sign up for free space weather alerts at http://spaceweather.com/services/ .

Dilbert's Lack of OPSEC :-)

2011-08-03T20:48:00.004-04:00

The End is Near

2011-07-27T19:29:00.004-04:00

The American Revolution did not go far enough. The French Revolution had the right idea: storm where their leaders were, drag them outside, crank up the guillotine and place their heads on pikes!!!
Americans' debt rage boils over
WASHINGTON -- Americans are fed up, and they're letting Congress have it.
Furious over the bipartisan foot-dragging on the nation's debt crisis, the US public yesterday unleashed a massive barrage of phone calls, e-mails and even a nasty Twitter campaign, #F- -kYouWashington, to vent their fury over DC's dithering.

The deluge was unleashed after President Obama called on Americans Monday night to phone their representatives and urge them to compromise on a deal that would raise the federal debt level and stave off the first US default in history.

The Capitol switchboard yesterday sent out an alert, warning of the heavy volume of calls that put the telephone system "near capacity" and suggesting that lawmakers use alternate lines as a backup....

...But the White House did little to usher in a spirit of compromise yesterday, warning that Obama would veto Boehner's debt plan, which calls for a short-term debt hike of $1 trillion along with $1.2 trillion in spending cuts -- forcing lawmakers to raise the cap again next year......

DETROIT TO RATION CITY SERVICES BASED ON CONDITION OF N'HOODS...
DETROIT - Detroit neighborhoods with more people and a better chance of survival will receive different levels of city services than more blighted areas under a plan unveiled Wednesday that some residents fear may pit them against each other for scarce resources.
Mayor Dave Bing released details from his Detroit Works Project, calling the changes a "short-term intervention" necessary because the city, with limited financial resources, a $155 million budget deficit and a dwindling population, was spread dangerously thin......

REPORT: Russia tied to blast at U.S. embassy...
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in a classified report late last year that Russia’s military intelligence was responsible for a bomb blast that occurred at an exterior wall of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, in September.

The highly classified report about the Sept. 22 incident was described to The Washington Times by two U.S. officials who have read it. They said the report supports the findings of the Georgian Interior Ministry, which traced the bombing to a Russian military intelligence officer......

SHOCK POLL: 46% Think Most in Congress Corrupt...
Voters are more convinced than ever that most congressmen are crooks.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters now view most members of Congress as corrupt. That’s up seven points from June and the highest finding yet recorded. Just 29% think most members are not corrupt, and another 25% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Similarly, a whopping 85% of voters think most members of Congress are more interested in helping their own careers than in helping other people. That’s a record high for surveys stretching back to early November 2006. Only seven percent (7%) believe most of the legislators are more interested in helping others.

These findings come at a time when voter approval of the job Congress is doing has fallen to a new low. Just six percent (6%) of voters now rate Congress' performance as good or excellent. Sixty-one percent (61%) think the national legislators are doing a poor job.....

REPORT: Congressional members net worth up 3,669%...

....Many have had the sneaking suspicion that our elected “leaders” in Congress are not going to Washington D.C. to represent us but for their own personal gain. This video may just validate that assessment! Using the net worth data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics we found a disturbing trend. The analysis of the information in this video has not been seen by anyone; not on Fox News and not on CNN. You have not read about this in the Wall Street Journal. To see if your elected representative is on the list, please go to

Government Gone Wild

Broke! 10 Facts About The Financial Condition Of American Families
That Will Blow Your Mind
By Michael Snyder By Michael Snyder

The crumbling U.S. economy is putting an extraordinary amount of financial stress on American families. For many Americans, “flat broke” has become a permanent condition. Today, over half of all American families live paycheck to paycheck. Unemployment is rampant and those that do actually have jobs are finding that their wages are rising much more slowly than prices are. The financial condition of average American families continues to decline and this is showing up in all of the recent surveys. For example, according to a new Gallup poll, “lack of money/low wages” is the number one financial concern for American families. To make ends meet, many American families are going into even more debt and more American families than ever are turning to government assistance. Right now, more Americans than at any other point since World War II are flat broke and have lost hope. Until this changes, the frustration level in this country is going to continue to grow.
The following are 10 facts about the financial condition of American families that will blow your mind…..
#1 Only 58 percent of Americans have a job right now.
#2 Only 56 percent of Americans are currently covered by employer-provided health insurance.
(My son, daughter and others I know are in their thirties and forties, unemployed, under-employed or working 50+ hours a week without health care.)
#3 The median yearly wage in the United States is $26,261.
#5 Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
#6 At this point, American families are approximately 7.7 trillion dollars poorer than they were back in early 2007.
#7 The poorest 50% of all Americans now own just 2.5% of all the wealth in the United States.
#8 According to one study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States were living below the poverty line in 2010. (Because my daughter’s salary (they won’t give her full time or benefits as a CNA) and her husband's are so low, their 5 kids qualify for WIC, food stamps, etc. She has a home, is on unemployment for now (they did not offer her another home care client when hers went into a full time care facility), pays a mortgage, has no health care and the two of them are the definition of “working poor”.)
#9 Today, there are more than 44 million Americans on food stamps, and nearly half of them are children.
#10 According to Newsweek, close to 20 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 54 do not have a job at the moment. (Other than some sporadic consultant gigs, my 34 year old son has been unemployed over 1 ½ years. The true enemployment rate: U-6: Includes the unemployed, marginally attached workers, and part-time workers. This calculation is considered the real unemployment rate because it includes the general populations idea of unemployment. The U-6 “all in” unemployment rate (including those working part time who want a full time job) rose from 15.8% to 16.2% for June 2011.)

So what is causing all of this?

Where in the world did all of the good jobs go?

Well, the truth is that millions of them have been shipped overseas.

Our politicians promised us that merging our economy with the economies of other nations where it is legal to pay slave labor wages to workers would not create more unemployment inside America.

They were dead wrong.

Now we are being told that we just need to accept a lower standard of living.
For example, billionaire Howard Marks says that it is time for all of us to just accept that the standard of living of American workers is inevitably going to decline to the level of the rest of the world….

“In addition to balancing the budget and growing the economy, I think we have to accept that the coming decades are likely to see U.S. standards of living decline relative to the rest of the world. Unless our goods offer a better cost/benefit bargain, there’s no reason why American workers should continue to enjoy the same lifestyle advantage over workers in other countries. I just don’t expect to hear many politicians own up to this reality on the stump.”

Are you willing to accept that?

Well, most Americans appear to be willing to accept this “new reality” because they keep sending most of the exact same bozos back to Washington D.C.

Meanwhile, the job losses continue to get worse. As I wrote about the other day, as the U.S. economy has started to slow down again we are starting to see another huge wave of layoffs all over America.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where all of our jobs are going. But unfortunately, most Americans don’t understand what is happening because neither the mainstream media nor our politicians are telling them the truth......

Wake Up and Smell the Carnage!!!

2011-07-26T12:25:00.003-04:00

The price of being too "civilized":

Unarmed cops needed 'authorization' to retrieve guns...

Unsettling Wariness in Norway, Where Police Are Rarely ArmedBy MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ
OSLO — When a man dressed in a police uniform began slaughtering young people at a Norwegian summer camp last week, one of the first to be killed was a real police officer named Trond Berntsen, who for years had worked in security at the camp.

Whether Officer Berntsen tried to stop the gunman is still being debated. But facing a man carrying multiple guns and ample ammunition, there was little he could do. Like most other police officers here, he had no weapon.

By law, Norwegian police officers must have authorization from their chief to gain access to a firearm, but they have rarely needed to ask, until recently. Violent crime has been steadily increasing, jolting a society used to leaving doors unlocked and children to play without fear. Coupled with growing criticism over the police’s slow response time to the attacks and confusion about the death toll, which was lowered Monday to 76 from 93, there are growing questions about whether the police are equipped to deal with the challenges.

“Criminals are now carrying weapons, so some people now think that police officers should have weapons as well,” said Gry Jorunn Holmen, a spokeswoman for the Norwegian police union. Though she said it was too early to make any assessments, Ms. Holmen said the union had formed a commission to explore the issue. For the police, she said, “it’s getting tougher.”

It took police SWAT units more than an hour to reach the camp, on Utoya Island, after reports of the shooting came in. Officers had to drive to the shore across from the site of the shooting attack, and use boats to get to the island. A police helicopter was unable to get off the ground; news crews that reached the island by air could only watch as the gunman continued the massacre.

Anne Holt, Norway’s former justice minister, told the BBC: “That makes him a person that killed one person every minute. If the police had actually been there just a half an hour earlier, then 30 young lives would have been saved.”

Officer Berntsen, 51, who was the stepbrother of Norway’s crown princess, was remembered in a service on Monday. It was among the first of dozens of memorial services and funerals expected in the coming days after the rampage. The man identified by the police as the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, most likely shot more rounds in the hourlong rampage than most Norwegian officers typically fire in a career.

Norway is internationally renowned for its low rates of violent crime, a fact that is a point of pride for many Norwegians. Murders, when they do occur, are front-page news here. In 2009, the last date for which official statistics were available, there were 29 murders in this country of 4.6 million. In Oslo, the capital, high-ranking officials rarely even bother with a security detail.....

....Currently, only beat police officers in patrol cars have immediate access to weapons. By law, however, they have to remain unloaded and locked in a box in the car unless authorization is given.

Some experts worry that arming police officers all the time will only lead to an escalation of violence as criminals arm themselves in response. For many, though, resistance to the idea has more to do with national pride.

“I would prefer to live in a society where police normally work unarmed,” said Johannes Knutsson, a professor of police research at the Norwegian Police University College. “It is a very forceful and symbolic sign to the citizens that this is a peaceful society.”

Elisa Mala contributed reporting.

Slowly Learning:
Democrats Oppose Obama-U.N. Gun Control Treaty
By Paul Bedard

Posted: July 26, 2011

Twelve Democratic senators have joined 45 Republicans in a fast growing movement to halt progress on an Obama-backed United Nations effort that could bring international gun control into the United States and slap America's gun owners with severe restrictions.

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester's office today provided Whispers with their letter, signed by 11 other Democrats, urging the president to press for significant changes in the treaty. Their major concern: that domestic manufacture, possession, and sales of firearms and ammo will be included, thereby giving an international authority the right to regulate arms sales already protected by the Second Amendment. They also said any move for an international gun registry would be a non-starter.

A Republican letter circulated by Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran has 45 signatures.

Ratification requires two-thirds of the Senate. So far 57 senators have said they would vote against the treaty, expected to be wrapped up next year.

In his letter, Moran wrote, "Our country's sovereignty and the Second Amendment rights of American citizens must not be infringed upon by the United Nations," Moran wrote in the letter. "Today, the Senate sends a powerful message to the Obama Administration: an Arms Trade Treaty that does not protect ownership of civilian firearms will fail in the Senate. Our firearm freedoms are not negotiable."

The emergence of strong Democratic resistance comes as the president is trying to deal with fallout from liberal Democrats upset that he has opened the door to major changes in Social Security and Medicare as part of the debt ceiling crisis.

The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which the Bush administration had opposed, would regulate with the international trade of arms. It would cover the trading of conventional firearms likes those used by collectors and sportsmen and women.

The goal of the treaty is to come up with internationally recognized rules governing the trade of guns and ammo. The United States is the world's largest exporter of arms......

Much Overdue in USA, Inc.

2011-07-23T11:25:00.003-04:00

Witnesses describe scene of terror at Norway camp

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/26020203

SUNDVOLLEN, Norway (AP) — The man in the police uniform shouted for the campers to come closer. When they did, he killed them.

The gunman who killed at least 80 people at an island youth camp northwest of Oslo used his disguise to lure in his victims, then shot them twice to make sure they were dead, survivors said in the village of Sundvollen, where they were taken after the massacre.

"I saw many dead people," said 15-year old Elise, whose father, Vidar Myhre, didn't want her to disclose her last name. She just feet away from the gunman when he opened fire in the camp on Utoya island.

Elise said she had just come out from an information meeting in a nearby building when she heard gunshots. She saw a police officer and thought she was safe, but then he started shooting.

"He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water," she said.

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

In panic, the girl phoned her parents, whispering to them what was going on.

"They told me not to panic and that everything would be OK." Her parents also told her to get rid of a brightly colored jacket she was wearing to not draw attention to herself.

She said it was impossible to say how many minutes passed while she was waiting for him to stop....

...Several victims "had pretended as if they were dead to survive," the 21-year-old said. But after shooting the victims with one gun, the gunman shot them again in the head with a shotgun, he said....

Newest Tool

2011-07-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

Already the happy owner of a Taurus PT-92C (a compact Beretta M9 clone), I picked up a new carry piece from the family gun dealer. It is a slightly used Taurus Millineum PT-111 in 9mm. The purchase included 2 spare 10-round mags and a fitted leather holster, all for $300. It shot well with milspec 9mm ammo but I preferred Wolf 115 gr. FMJ. It's not as convenient as slipping the KelTec 9mm in my waistband (a hook for that purpose was added) but the holster makes for a neater, more reliable carry.

EMPACT America News

2011-07-20T20:04:00.001-04:00

EMPACT America, Inc.Today on EMPact Radio, Dr. Pry and Prof. Ayers talk with our guest Bronius Cikotas about a recent op-ed published on The Atlantic web site about EMP. You can listen to the show live on Wednesdays or listen to the recorded show any time. Here's the link to this episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empact-radio/2011/07/20/pvp58-bronius-cikotas-returns-to-empact-radio

PVP#59 Special 30-Minute Episode - Jul 27,2011
Dr. Peter Vincent Pry is President of EMPACT America. He has served: on the Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States established by the U.S. Congress; as Director of the United States Nuclear Strategy Forum, an advisory body to Congress on policies to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction; on the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack; as Professional Staff on the...
Source: EMPact Radio

NASA Video Shows Spectacular Solar Eruption - Irish Weather Online
Irish Weather Online NASA Video Shows Spectacular Solar Eruption Irish Weather Online The videos shows the Sun unleashing an M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare with a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME). The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area ... More...
Source: Solar EMP Info
Published: 2011-07-17 19:10:37 GMT

Finally, Must See TV!

2011-07-06T19:23:00.002-04:00

Season 3, Survival, is on the Outdoor Channel. The current episode included a segment about field dentistry by Medical Corps.

MidwayUSA's The Best Defense: About The Show

MidwayUSA’s The Best Defense is an exciting new show that teaches self defense through knowledge, preparation and awareness for men and women alike. The show features defense methods that involve: firearms, unarmed defensive situations, and self-defense product reviews. Every episode includes practical tips and techniques for self defense.

The series travels the United States, visiting law enforcement academies and military training facilities where guest hosts and experts, including veteran law enforcement trainers and published personal defense authors, will demonstrate life-saving techniques for self-defense in the home, at the office, on a plane or even when lost in the woods.

Official Site: http://www.bestdefense.tv/

GREAT NEWS!!!

2011-06-29T06:14:00.002-04:00

First of all, thank you for your condolences upon the passing of my wife...

Corbett signs bill to expand 'castle doctrine'
Associated Press The Sentinel - cumberlink.com Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 2:56 pm (0)

HARRISBURG - Gov. Tom Corbett has signed a bill to widen the right to use deadly force in self-defense in Pennsylvania....

...The bill, which the Senate enacted last week, would expand the state's "castle doctrine" to allow the right to use a gun or other deadly force in self-defense in situations outside a person's home or business.

Currently, the use of deadly force is not justifiable if the person can safely retreat, except when the threat is made inside his or her home or business.

The legislation also limits certain civil liability in some cases for people who act within the guidelines.

This is great news for law-abiding armed citizens who had to be on the defensive of criminals as well as the criminal "justice" system that could (with political motivations) come after them after a righteous self-defense shooting. However, a local TV station interviewed a twenty-something twinkie and her metrosexual boyfriend at a state park who were afraid that gunfire would erupt in that "family friendly" setting. If wilderness areas such as state parks and forests are so safe, why are the rangers armed?

Apologies

2011-06-15T19:17:00.001-04:00

I must apologize for not posting for the past 2 weeks. My wife of almost 36 years passed away suddenly on 05 JUN due to a pulmonary embolism while being treated in the ER for pneumonia and sepsis. It was quick and I would like to think that I was the last thing she saw.

Kevlar Safe Room

2011-06-02T20:09:00.002-04:00

$5K to $15K isn't a bad investment and the 12' x 12' model should provide room for basic supplies as well as people!
Kevlar Bunker Provides Safe House for Tornado Survivor

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/01/kevlar-bunker-provides-safehouse-tornado-survivor/#ixzz1OAQ5Qupq

...She says that minutes before the twister hit, she ran into the 4 foot by 4 foot shelter that was bolted to her concrete garage floor made of Kevlar.

"I grabbed my weather radio, my flashlight and my cat and went into my shelter. And then in about 10 minutes that storm hit."

Swenson said her shelter, made by the Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Co., didn't budge, even as the twister blew a hole in the garage ceiling above....

In the wake of a string of deadly storms in the Southeast and Midwest, survival stories like these are garnering a lot of attention. Those who sell the DuPont shelter, and those sold by other manufacturers, say they are a lifesaver.

The prices for the DuPont storm rooms with Kevlar are set by the local distributors and range from about $5,750 for a 4 foot by 4 foot shelter and up to $15,000 for a 12 foot by 12 foot shelter.

Marty Strough, owner of Storm Solutions in Berryville, Ark., said he's gotten more calls about DuPont's shelter in the last few days than he had in the preceding few months. He's installed more than 100 since 2007, but has taken several dozen calls about the product just this week.

"These storm rooms are made by DuPont; they contain Kevlar, the same life-saving technology that saves people from bullets. The same technology that can stop a bullet. DuPont engineers have made a wall and ceiling panel that can stop the dangerous forces of tornadoes," Strough says.

"This product can go inside of your home. We have to be on concrete; we can become a room of your home. And they are rated for the largest tornadoes such as the one that went through here."

In the spring of 2010, FEMA sponsored post-event tornado investigations in the Southeast that found in some areas, pre-fabricated safe rooms have been installed through federally supported grant programs for less than $5,000 each.

Ernst Kiesling, executive director of the National Storm Shelter Association, a trade group, said shelter companies typically see increased demand during a busy tornado season....

Never Forget, Memorial Day

2011-05-26T21:18:00.001-04:00

Never Forget, Memorial Day

“The path we have chosen for the present, is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” - John F. Kennedy..

The Bleating of the Sheeple

2011-05-23T13:16:00.003-04:00

Why was one willing to spend $140,000 to prepare to die?

While another spent much to prepare to survive?

Saturday 21 MAY 2011

2011-05-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

Hedge Farm

2011-05-20T10:10:00.001-04:00

Doomsday Food Price Scenario Turning Hedge Fund Managers into Survivalists...

Read the entire article and check out the comments! http://www.observer.com/hedge-funds-running-farms-05172011?page=1

…So the logic is that not only is the dollar worth far less than we think it is, but everything is more expensive and will only move further in that direction. Especially food, the value of which may have risen due to population increases, especially in places like China, where a consumer-happy middle class has finally started to emerge.

There is, of course, a slightly more sinister reason to develop a sudden interest in agriculture. Last year, Marc Faber recommended to anyone: "Stock up on a farm in northern Norway and learn to drive a tractor." He sees a "dirty war" on the horizon, playing on fears of a biological attack poisoning food supplies. Those sort of fears drive capital into everything from gold (recently at an all-time high and a long-time safe haven for investors with currency concerns) to survivalist accoutrements. In this particular case, one might buy the farm in order to avoid buying the farm.

That may seem extreme, but even the lesser scenarios are frightening to some. When asked if this is an end-of-the-world situation, the hedge fund manager replied: "It really is. I tell my fiancée this from time to time, and I've stopped telling her this, because it's not the most pleasant thought." He pauses for a moment. "We just can't keep living the way we're living. It'll end within our lifetime. We're just going to run out of certain things. We'll just have to learn how to adjust."

No News is Bad News

2011-05-13T20:53:00.003-04:00

Deadly Silence on Fukushima

...I have been following the Fukushima story very closely since the earthquake and devastating tsunami. I have asked scientists I know, nuclear physicists and others about where they find real information. I have also watched as the news has virtually disappeared. There is something extremely disturbing going on, and having lived through the (Chernobyl) media blackout in France back in April and early May 1986, and speaking to doctors who are deeply concerned by the dramatic increase in cancers appearing at very young ages, it is obvious that information is being held back. We are still told not to eat mushrooms and truffles from parts of Europe, not wild boar and reindeer from Germany and Finland 25 years later....

Shadow Government Bunkers: Security Heightened at Underground Storage Facilities

As we’ve noted before on a number of occasions, the US government is preparing for Unlikely Events Like War, Catastrophic Collapse of Society, and Even Asteroids and the Pentagon and Military are Actively War Gaming ‘Large Scale Economic Breakdown’ and ‘Civil Unrest’. In addition to security and law enforcement implications, it doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to come to the conclusion that war gaming these scenarios takes into account continuity of government directives, which means that elite members of reserve government elements need a place to go if the SHTF.

The fact that bunkers exist is no secret, and as was pointed out in the aforementioned articles, there are many of them around the country. Rumor has it that the government has built literal underground cities spanning hundreds of thousands of square feet, complete with everything from nuclear power generation to facilities capable of manufacturing just about any modern day product. The idea is that in the event of a global cataclysm, the human race would be able to survive and thrive, without losing the technological advancements achieved over the last couple of centuries....

Believing in the Silicon Gods

2011-05-10T21:50:00.004-04:00

I believe the husband struck out on his own with a GPS unit and has not been seen since:

The video below shows hot the sheeple, even police, call him a "hero" although his actions did not bring aid to his family and resulted in his own demise.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2243886n

Emergency Essentials Mixer

2011-05-09T21:39:00.001-04:00

ELENIN / Nibiru / Planet X (What's Going to Happen?) - April 26, 2011 Update

2011-05-09T20:47:00.000-04:00

Cash or Plastic?

2011-05-07T06:44:00.000-04:00

Saving or simply putting some money aside for anything is difficult. I have used the credit card to charge survival preps although I know that I shouldn’t have done so.

At lunch recently I think I noticed why so man of the sheeple are entrapped into our society of consumerism. It was payday and my lunch was just over $10. I gave the waitress a $10 and a $5 bill and left a tip of $2 plus change. The two female coworkers presented their check cards. One mentioned that her husband looked at the bank statements and realized over a period of several months they spent $700 on sit-down dinners for their family of four! Yes, they could well afford the $700 but they decided there were better uses for that money than expensive dinners. In the 3 months since that discovery, they have only made an occasional trip to a fast food restaurant or pizza joint.

I mentioned that I use cash whenever possible for gasoline purchases and always for groceries. I go as far as to put paper clips and sticky notes on cash destined to be used for fuel for each vehicle, ammo, supplies, etc. The other woman was surprised that I used cash for groceries and said she didn’t like to carry money. My grocery money stays home and most of the gas money is gone when I fuel the vehicles.

Because of this, I always know how much money is in my wallet. I have never used the debit card and with two people drawing on the same checking account, there are bound to be problems. I write paper checks for most but not all of our bills. It is simply easier to manage cash flow when there is a tangible flow through my hands! Swiping plastic, whether for a planned purchase or on a whim, is so much more convenient.

Obfuscator-in-Chief

2011-05-04T18:55:00.006-04:00

I attempt to avoid conspiracy theories because the truth is elusive and confusing enough. "Birthers" claimed the O-Man wasn't a U.S. citizen. The O-Man claimed this issue was "silliness". So why did he wait until he was in office 27 months to present a document I was required to present while in the military or to obtain a lousy part time job because of Homeland Security?

Now the O-Man refuses to release photos of Osama bin Terminated because they could be "incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool". A fictional book or a cartoon character is enough to incite the radical ragheads to violence, jihad and fatwa.

We have pics of Mussolini hanging from a meat hook in the town square during WWII and cell phone video of Saddam Huessein's hanging, not as trophies but as documentation.

Our Obfuscator-in-Chief is either an extremely slow learner or Michelle has his balls tucked away securely in her purse. It is better to present the truth, up front than to spend years ignoring, then doing damage control while allowing frauds and conspiracy theorists to run wild. A real leader knows that!

Curdled Milk of Human Kindness

2011-04-29T21:28:00.010-04:00

I am beginning to differ from my 10 APR post, Poll Results, as I see a new kind of American appearing on the scene. They don't give a rat's ass about our military and its 2 1/2 front wars because they have nothing to lose. There's no draft so their slacker sons and vapid daughters aren't at risk for death, mutilation or discipline. They seem to actually have a dislike for the military because it sometimes is an inconvenience for them or they perceive their tax dollars are being wasted. View the articles and the comments:

Pennsylvania National Guard helicopters annoy Cumberland County neighbors

The Pennsylvania National Guard won a bid to provide all the training for the Lakotas, which are the Army’s newest helicopters and will be used for search-and-rescue missions, medical evacuations, counter-drug work, disaster relief and other noncombat uses.

"them Nat Guard Pilots are really burnin' up the high-priced av gas"

"China, North Korea, and Iran are all free. They are self-governing."

Military helicopters fly over Cumberland County

"Forget the noise, what about the cost? If people knew the per hour cost in fuel and maintenance for operating one of these helicopters, their heads would explode. Forget about the millions we spent buying them and training the pilots. We can't get any of that back. But cut back on the flying. Nobody is going to attack us. And if you haven't noticed, the price of fuel is nearing all-time highs."

"What war have we waged "for our freedom" since the commercial production of helicopters began? I'm sure you also believe we need to have hundreds of US military bases on foreign soil. For "Defense.""

"dont forget about your home value being ruined because of the intrusions..... "

NEW CUMBERLAND ARMY DEPOT HELICOPTERS

"Can't wait for dusk - last night two helicopters, one tailing the other - noise was unreal; forget sleeping. What the H are they doing? - hope they soon get their 'papers' [mobilization orders]- go fight the loonies - something productive for our tax dollars."

Even more amazing were a few who emailed the local TV station complaining about an hour of non-stop, live weather coverage showing Doppler Radar as 3 tornadoes were on the ground! These tornadoes were spawned by the same front that caused hundreds of deaths in Alabama and other places in the deep south but, since their trailer park wasn't obliterated or their McMansion still had its roof, they were annoyed that the sports or shaggy dog story was not broadcast. Hell, there was a wedding about to happen in London! These are probably the same people who cannot wait to see live team coverage of the butter sculpture at the annual Farm Show and the dozen car shows this area has in 6 months!:

3 twisters touch down in midstate area, weather service says 8:52 PM

People complaining about tornado warnings

"Exactly how much coverage do you think the storms need? It happened, it was reported on. Today the wedding is the news. Don't worry, they'll follow up on the storm news, they always do."

I realize these cretins are in the extreme minority, judging by the number of opposing comments. But there were many more negative comments about the helo pilots training for non-combat missions to aid our own civilian population than the tornado coverage.

This shows that there is a small but virulent chunk of our population who have not prepared, will not prepare, do not want our government to "waste" money (their tax dollars) to prepare and don't want you to have the knowledge and ability to do so yourself.

Hence, the change in my own answers to the poll. Other than perhaps a child, I would not bring anyone else inside unless I knew that person had assets (a doctor, supplies, ammo, medical training, technical skill, etc.) that we could use. This is the Internet age, a world of smart cars, smart phones and dumber than dirt, self-absorbed people. If they cannot figure it out now, fuck them after TSHTF! Knock on my door and you will probably be ignored. Attempt to force your way in and, just as our snipers do in Iraq, your bloated corpse will be left where it fell to serve as a warning and as food for the scavengers!

Out of Control

2011-04-27T21:33:00.004-04:00

This family is extremely fortunate that they invited the judge to dinner otherwise this would have been just another incident that would have been swept under the LEO rug! When law enforcement has an "Us vs. Them" mentality, it permeates encounters as simple as a sidewalk encounter and as potentially deadly as this incident. I get it about officer safety. But in the age of armed home invasions and with the homeowner being warmed about a burglar in the immediate area, tapping on a window with a gun could result in a face full of buckshot! Black, brown, red, yellow or white, this incident could happen to any of us.

Police Confront Broward Judge at Gunpoint
Confusion on Easter Sunday leads BSO to wrong house

… The call to police said there might be a burglar inside 235 Southwest 4th Street. But there is no 235. Only 236 and 230.

Arriving police outside spotted someone inside 230 – Neville Scarlett was in the kitchen cleaning up the Easter dinner plates - and thought he might be the burglar.

He was not.

Moments earlier, the same person who called police also called the Scarlett’s to warn them about a possible burglar outside. Fearful, Carmita lowered the kitchen window shade. That’s when she heard someone hit the window with something metallic. She says she saw a gun pointed directly at her.

"There's a man with a gun and he's going to shoot me!!" yelled Carmita. “I thought it was the robber!" Her sister, Judge Holmes, came running to the kitchen. The judge carries a legal firearm and immediately pulled it out and held it in her hand.

"She said ‘Who are you!? What are you doing?!’ He said ‘this is BSO.’ She said, ‘this is Circuit Court Judge Ilona Holmes!!’” Carmita said.

"'I'm the owner of this home. I'm Carmita Scarlett. Why are you at my home?’ I kept saying that. They said ‘put your hands up and come outside,'" she said.

Judge Holmes, perhaps borrowing from real life conflict she sees in her own courtroom, immediately cautioned deputies that she was armed so there’d be no misunderstanding.

"They said, ‘Come out with your hands up!’ She said, ‘I am Circuit Court Judge Ilona Holmes. I am armed.'"

They all slowly went out through a side door. “She was putting the gun down. They yelled, ‘put the gun down! Put the gun down!’ Right there, the cop had his gun pointed at her.”

Judge Holmes, surrounded by deputies with guns drawn, slowly put the gun on the grass, announcing it as she went. She was holding a cell phone in the other hand. When she began to place that on the ground, police began yelling.

"When she went to put that down, they yelled, ‘Get away from the gun!’ She said ‘everybody calm down. I'm putting my cell phone down’."

At that point, a higher-ranking deputy recognized her and called on his team to lower their guns, according to Carmita.

“The one that first recognized her, he picked the gun up, opened it up, took the bullets out, he started giving her a speech: ‘Judge Holmes, you know, these guys may not know who you are. I know who you are. This could have been so different.’ And my sister said, ‘everyone of ya'll know me. Ya'll been before me’.”

Oh my, what an Easter Sunday Carmita had. She and her husband and granddaughter have seen stuff like this on TV and never believed it. "There's no way that cops would really - because I've never had a run in with the cops - really go in and do stuff like that," she said.

And now what does Carmita believe?

"Oh God.” She buries her face in her hands.

It was a communication meltdown from the beginning. The neighbor across the street originally called police to say she thought there was a burglar in the home of Pastor Brown across the street because the caller thought she saw lights going on and off. Instead, police went to the house next door, the Scarlett's home.

Judge Holmes, one of the very few black judges in Broward County, saw justice from a whole new perspective. Tuesday night she was in her courtroom conducting a late–running trial and would not comment.

Judge Holmes has hired former U.S. Attorney and old friend Kendall Coffey, who says they're concerned about what happened but won't say whether she is considering legal action. He cautioned against reading too much into the fact that she brought him in to represent her and field questions while she’s in trial.

A BSO spokesman wouldn't comment Tuesday night but did confirm the timeline, address and original burglary call. Police in South Florida often say they routinely must make certain people are who they say they are before lowering their weapons.

But Carmita was downright angry. Remember the man outside her kitchen window who pointed a gun at her? Still wearing her pajamas and footies, she approached him afterward. “I said ‘you had a gun pointed at me!’ He said ‘because I felt threatened.’ I said ‘threatened how?'"

She said other officers explained to her that they have families too and they want to make it home alive each night. But she says they did so in a condescending way, lecturing her as if she’d done something wrong.

“I know no one apologized, OK? And, to me, if you want to make amends for something, you want to make peace, you apologize, you shake, you leave, you say ‘I'm sorry,’" she said. "And, you know, the cop that had his gun on me, he said ‘well, I was fearing for my life.’ I said ‘really! You were fearing for your life? Really?’ He said ‘forget it - I'm out of here.'"

Carmita says she just wanted someone that night to apologize.

Reporter Elgin Jones of the South Florida Times assisted with this story.

Weapons Dependency: All Fighting is Fighting - HUMAN EVENTS

2011-04-26T10:24:00.003-04:00

Weapons Dependency: All Fighting is Fighting - HUMAN EVENTS

...In today's modern technologically dependent society someone has invented something for just about every need. And because of this we feel hindered or even helpless when we don't have one of those gadgets or inventions to accomplish a given task. We are raising and our society is creating a population of young men and women who are governed by a technological dependence. A dependence that says, "we can't do our job if we don't have the technological helper to do it."...

...The young teenagers that are now filling the ranks of police academies and basic training are the same teenagers that have never been alive without a house full of computers, internet, Nintendo, x-boxes and all the other wonderful gadgets we've grown to depend on as "necessary" items to our day to day existence....

...I believe that it is absolutely vital to our vitality both as a nation and as a military power that we teach our children to be self sufficient, to be independent thinkers, to learn to do their best with what they have at hand - even if it is nothing. Our children should know how to build a fire, to read a map, to know how to find water, and build a shelter. Hell, build a house for that matter. They should know simple electronics, how to fix a motor or engine, how to fish, how to hunt, how to treat an injury and to never feel helpless or hopeless. They should play team sports and learn how to work within the framework of a team. they should learn how it feels to lose and come back to try and win next time. They should learn to take failure in stride and not be devastated by it. On that note, I believe there is real self-esteem and false self-esteem. Real self-esteem is learned and earned by competing, failing and then improving so that you actually know who you are, what you're made of and how good you realistically are in any endeavor....

..."Son, you can go on trying to clear your weapon while this guy stoves your head in with a pipe or you can use your weapon to pistol whip him into submission."... Notice that he said to pistol whip, not throw the gun and run!

...Let's get down to basics. You are the fighter. You are the warrior. You are the weapon. Everything else you possess just makes your job a little easier....

...The real mental stance you should have is this; "F...k with me and you're screwed. If my weapon malfunctions you're screwed. If I lose a weapon, you're still screwed, because I will kill you if you try to harm me. It doesn't matter if I have a gun, a club, a knife, a rock or just my bare hands. I am the weapon, everything else just helps me do the job a little easier....

Do We Still Have Constitutional Rights?

2011-04-25T09:28:00.001-04:00

Do We Still Have Constitutional Rights?

Welcome to the Turd World!

2011-04-20T16:15:00.007-04:00

Even during "normal" times, the lack of water can make civilization grind to a halt. Factor in the water pressure required to service high-rise buildings (for human consumption, waste removal and fire suppression)and tens of thousands of state employees & the lack of maintenance or upgrades and it's hilarious to think less than 2 dozen porta-potties will suffice! Our crumbling, even collapsing infrastructure is doing what terrorists have been unable to do!

Capitol, HACC in Harrisburg closed because of water issues; businesses and residents asked to conserve

By The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 8:37AM
A tear in a water line related to Sunday night's damage was found early this morning. Repairs are being done today. The city remains under a boil-water advisory.

Harrisburg restaurants make the best of water problem; few close

By SUE GLEITER, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 11:45AM
If you're planning to go to a city restaurant or business today, it’s probably a good idea to call first.

Harrisburg workers await parts to fix broken water pipe that has closed Capitol, HACC

By The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 12:55PM
A boil-water advisory will be in effect in parts of the city until at least Thursday

Harrisburg water-pipe damage was 'discovered in stages'

By The Associated Press The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 3:19PM
Contractor caused damage that has closed state and city offices, HACC

Crews will work through night on Harrisburg water problems; schools close for Wednesday

By CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 10:07PM
Harrisburg public works crews will work through the night to try to bypass a ruptured water line that has virtually closed the Capitol Complex and left the city operating on a crisis footing this week. If all goes well, the breach off Cameron Street - the initially-undetected result of a contracting accident on Harsco-owned property - could be sealed by...

Harrisburg crews hope to have water bypass system installed midday; water pressure may drop again

By SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 20, 2011, 9:04AM
Much of the city remains under a boil-water advisory. Schools are closed but most businesses are open. Water-pressure in the city remains a problem.

Harrisburg residents, businesses deal with low water pressure, must boil water

By The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 20, 2011, 10:36AM
People with business in the city should check the status before heading into town. Most companies are operating, but not all.

Portable toilets brought in for state workers at Capitol complex in Harrisburg By JANET PICKEL, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News April 20, 2011, 11:37AM State employees in the Capitol complex started on a two-hour delay this morning after being off yesterday and going home early on Monday.

Pennsylvania officials expected Harrisburg water pressure to be fixed before employees showed up

Low water pressure can affect sprinkler operation, but the state is not required to have ...

Clueless "Leadership"

Commentary: Where's Mayor Linda Thompson during Harrisburg's water crisis?

By Laura Vecsey The Patriot-News
April 19, 2011, 11:00PM
For two days, Harrisburg’s water pressure and water quality tanked because of a water main break that required emergency parts to be shipped from New Jersey. But where was Mayor Linda Thompson?

Harrisburg declares water-line bypass a success; water flows not restored yet

By CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 20, 2011, 10:40AM
Many Harrisburg residents and businesses do not have normal water pressure yet and remain under a boil-water advisory.

Mayor Thompson: Harrisburg turns corner in water emergency
By CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
April 20, 2011, 11:25AM
'We are now estimating that the water pressure will rise and the system will begin to return to normal levels within an hour or so,' mayor says.

Medical Corps: KI03 and Classes

2011-04-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

Medical Corps is again taking orders for cases. We have restocked our distributors and now have a substantial reserve of tens-of-thousands of bottles. Case sales will be done on an individual basis. A case is 100 bottles and will be shipped FedEx ground, only within the United States. Please do not call. Email us chuck@medicalcorps.org with the subject: KIO3 Case. Chuck Fenwick, Director, Medical Corps

Notice to all those interested in our class: 'Medical Response in Hostile Environments' Our two classes scheduled for March and June of 2011 are now Full. Prospective students on the our Alert List are always contacted before we post the next class. To be notified please email; chuck@medicalcorps.org www.medicalcorps.org

Yellowstone Supervolcano Bigger Than Thought

2011-04-12T21:40:00.005-04:00

Yellowstone Supervolcano Bigger Than Thought OurAmazingPlanet Staff, LiveScience.com Ouramazingplanet Staff, livescience.com – Mon Apr 11, 4:50 pm ET The gigantic underground plume of partly molten rock that feeds the Yellowstone supervolcano might be bigger than previously thought, a new image suggests. The study says nothing about the chances of a cataclysmic eruption at Yellowstone, but it provides scientists with a valuable new perspective on the vast and deep reservoir of fiery material that feeds such eruptions, the last of which occurred more than 600,000 years ago. [Related: Infographic - The Geology of Yellowstone.] Earlier measurements of the plume were produced by using seismic waves — the waves generated by earthquakes — to create a picture of the underground region. The new picture was produced by examining the Yellowstone plume's electrical conductivity, which is generated by molten silicate rocks and hot briny water that is naturally present and mixed in with partly molten rock.... ...Ancient eruptions Almost 17 million years ago, the deep plume of partly molten rock known as the Yellowstone hot spot first breached the surface in an eruption near what is now the Oregon-Idaho-Nevada border. As North America drifted slowly southwest over the hot spot, there were more than 140 gargantuan caldera eruptions — the largest kind of eruption on Earth — along a northeast-trending path that is now Idaho's Snake River Plain. The hot spot finally reached Yellowstone about 2 million years ago, yielding three huge caldera eruptions about 2 million, 1.3 million and 642,000 years ago. Two of the eruptions blanketed half of North America with volcanic ash, producing 2,500 times and 1,000 times more ash than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Smaller eruptions occurred at Yellowstone in between the big blasts and as recently as 70,000 years ago....

Poll Results

2011-04-10T20:40:00.005-04:00

With less than 4 hours to go, the results of my poll are as follows. Only 41% had a target of opportunity bucket list for after TSHTF while 58% did not. I do not think this should give the Powers That Be (PTB) cause to feel safe and secure because they could be viewed either as the cause of the problems or not having done enough to avoid the problems.

Results of whom to assist after TSHTF proved even more interesting. A child/children and adult(s) with children were tied at 34% while 31% of respondents would hide and observe only. No one chose to help an adult couple or mixed group. While unscientific, factor these results into your survival plans. Do not expect help should you have to hoof it back from work after an EMP event so you should check on your work or vehicle Bug Out Bag (BOB).

As far as adding a refugee with skills to your group, 84% said yes, 3% said no and 2%had not considered it before. It doesn’t hurt to put a little extra food away should you encounter a nurse with kid in tow!

Elites Protecting Their Own...

2011-04-09T13:16:00.004-04:00

...or do as we say, not as we do!

Kalifornia Assembly OKS concealed guns four for legislators Assembly Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Ronald Pane has given four legislators permission to carry concealed weapons in the state Capitol, according to two senior Senate staff members who have been informed of the decision.

State law prohibits carrying loaded firearms and deadly weapons in public buildings, except under limited conditions. A 2010 bill by Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, tightened the law, requiring that most holders of concealed weapons permits or other gun licenses get permission from the sergeants-at-arms of the state Assembly or the state Senate in order to bring their gun in the Capitol or legislative office buildings. Peace officers are exempt from the restrictions.

No such approval has been given in the Senate, where the Rules Committee has established a no-guns policy. Senate Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Tony Beard said while he respects the Assembly's judgment to establish its own security practices to best protect its members, it would take an "extraordinary situation" for him to give a member the OK to carry a concealed weapon in the building. He said his focus has been on how existing safety protocol and systems can be used to respond to threats and protect all members, staff and visitors....

...As the Sacramento Bee reported this week, sergeants for the lower house have recently started carrying concealed weapons full-time while on duty.

Pane and a spokeswoman for Pérez, who directed the change in policy, said the move was intended to create continuity and enhance safety for members, staff and the public as a whole.

The measures, which come in the wake of the January shooting of Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, are in addition to existing security present at the Capitol, including armed California Highway Patrol officers and metal detectors and security stationed at building entrances. Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/04/assembly-gives-four-legislator.html#ixzz1J30VNfrP

Polls

2011-04-02T13:41:00.009-04:00

1. Do you have a "bucket list", a list of people, not things, you would like to do after TSHTF? I do not mean plotting then going off in search of the person(s) on your list but strictly as targets of opportunity and you could realistically get away with it. The subjects of this dark fantasy could be your ex, boss, politico, neighbor, coworker, Waffen SS wannabe cop...indulge yourself!

2. During an after TSHTF scenario, which of those listed would you be more inclined to help with some water and a bit of food and send on their way? Would it be the moral thing to do or would it compromise your security?

3. Assuming you had adequate supplies, would you consider adding a refugee to your family/group if that person possessed the right skills (doctor, nurse, EMT, carpenter, mechanic, etc.)?

2011-04-01T19:19:00.002-04:00

You Might Be a Survivalist If…

Feds Program to "program" Local LEO's

Raghead Prophesy

2011-03-28T21:11:00.002-04:00

IRANIAN VIDEO: ISLAMIC MESSIAH IS 'NEAR'

You Decide

2011-03-20T10:52:00.002-04:00

Conspiracy theories aside, this fault erupted once and it will again. While most Americans will respond as we always have during disasters, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina showed the ugliness that can surface. We cannot hide in our basement shelters or move to the second floor of our homes to avoid an earthquake nor will we have several days notice. An infrastructure collapse (power, water, sewer, distribution) will not only affect us as individuals and families but could negatively impact nuke plants. Stand by.

Uncommon Valor

2011-03-15T21:57:00.001-04:00

Handful of 'heroes' battles to keep nuclear plant under control

Tokyo (CNN) -- After three explosions and a fire in four days, the situation at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant grew more serious Tuesday, chasing all but a handful of workers from the site and raising fears of a far more dangerous radiation threat.
The latest incidents, an explosion Tuesday at the plant's No. 2 reactor and a fire in a cooling pond used for nuclear fuel at the No. 4 reactor, briefly pushed radiation levels at the plant to about 167 times the average annual dose of radiation, according to details released by the International Atomic Energy Agency....

...Those who remained behind continued a seesaw, last-ditch effort to flood reactors with seawater to keep them cool and prevent a wider environmental and public health catastrophe.
The beleagured crew had to abandon the plant control room Tuesday night because of high radiation levels, Kyodo News reported, citing plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Company. They were monitoring data from a remote site, Kyodo reported.

"Their situation is not great," said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University. "It's pretty clear that they will be getting very high doses of radiation. There's certainly the potential for lethal doses of radiation. They know it, and I think you have to call these people heroes."...

...Although the plant's three functioning reactors shut down automatically when they detected the quake, the tsunami that followed swamped the diesel generators that provided backup power to the reactor cooling systems....

...Still, concerns about hot radioactive fuel boiling off cooling water and catching on fire continued into Wednesday, with plant operators and government officials considering a plan to use helicopters to drop water into the cooling pond through the damaged roof of the reactor building, according to a Kyodo News report.

And as if the suddenly minimal crew at the plant did not already have enough to worry about, Edano said, cooling systems at two other reactors, No. 5 and No. 6, now were "not functioning well."

Tuesday's announcement "points to something different, something more serious" after the explosion at the No. 2 reactor, CNN analyst James Walsh said. "But we don't have the definitive evidence yet."

Edano said earlier that he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at all three troubled reactors at the plant....

More Bad News?

2011-03-13T12:54:00.007-04:00

Animated Pacific Jetstream Map (for next 180hrs: 7.5 days)

US Mega-Quake Coming Warn Russian Scientists

Posted by Real News Reporter on March 12th, 2011

A new report released today in the Kremlin prepared for Prime Minister Putin by the Institute of Physics of the Earth, in Moscow, is warning that the America’s are in danger of suffering a mega-quake of catastrophic proportions during the next fortnight (14 days) with a specific emphasis being placed on the United States, Mexico, Central America and South American west coast regions along with the New Madrid Fault Zone region.

This report further warns that catastrophic earthquakes in Asia and the sub-continent are, also, “more than likely to occur” with the 7.3 magnitude quake in Japan today being “one of at least 4 of this intensity” to occur during this same time period.

Raising the concerns of a mega-quake occurring, this report says, are the increasing subtle electromagnetic signals that are being detected in the Earth’s upper atmosphere over many regions of the World, with the most intense being over the US Western coastal and Midwest regions.

Important to note are that Russian and British scientists are at the forefront of predicting earthquakes based on these subtle electromagnetic signals and have joined in an effort to put satellites in space to detect more of them.

More ominously in this report are Russian scientists confirming the independent analysis of New Zealand mathematician and long-range weather forecaster, Ken Ring, who predicted the deadly Christchurch quake and this week issued another warning of a quake to hit on or about March 20th......

MARCH 11-23 EVENT?! Signs and Evidence

2011-03-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

TEOTWAWKI Videos

2011-03-12T12:27:00.004-05:00

The 3rd video is the most gut-wrenching. Just the scale of the moving devastation was nauseating. This is an example of how a natural disaster can cascade into man-made disasters as reactor plants, the power grid as well as other critical infrastructure fail.

Raw video: Smoke pours from Japan nuclear plant

IWAKI, Japan – An explosion shattered a building housing a nuclear reactor Saturday, amid fears of a meltdown, while across wide swaths of northeastern Japan officials searched for thousands of people missing more than a day after a devastating earthquake and tsunami...

...an explosion caused by vented hydrogen gas destroyed the exterior walls of the building where the reactor is, but not the actual metal housing enveloping the reactor....

Coronal Mass Ejection

2011-03-09T19:44:00.002-05:00

Explosion from the Sun aimed at Earth is fastest CME since 2005
March 9, 2011 9:50 am PT

(TheWeatherSpace.com) -- Cameras monitoring our Sun discovered a giant explosion from Sunspot 1164 during the later hours of March 7th.

It blew away from the sun at over 2,200 km per second. This is the fastest CME since September of 2005.

A movie from the Naval Research Lab shows a possibly substantial Earth-directed component.

Because it was Earth directed, a geomagnetic storm is expected on March 8th or 9th.

2011-03-09T10:08:00.002-05:00

Warning Of 'Food Price Riots In The UK'
10:23pm UK, Tuesday March 08, 2011
Peter Hoskins, senior business producer
A senior economist at the worldwide bank HSBC has warned of civil unrest in Britain if food
prices continue to soar.

Speaking on Jeff Randall Live, senior global economist Karen Ward cautioned that the UK could experience the kind of food riots seen in other countries.

"Even in the developed world I think we have very, very low wage growth, so people aren't getting more in their pay packet to compensate them for food and energy, and I think we could see social unrest certainly in parts of the developed world and the UK as well."

She went on to highlight the link between high food prices and the escalating cost of crude oil.

"More and more we are seeing that some of these foodstuffs are actually substitutes for energy itself, particularly biofuels. So I think the energy markets are a significant contributor to these food price gains."

The comments come as the United Nations warned the cost of food is now at the highest level for 21 years and set to rise further……

NK EMP Bomb?

2011-03-09T10:03:00.002-05:00

North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb

Various

2011-03-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

Military commissions cheetah, humanoid robots

Gas Prices See Biggest One Week Increase Since Hurricane Katrina...

Agent killed at border shot beanbags at armed illegals...

Obama: No Arming of U.S. Agents in Mexico...

Utah Considers Return to Gold, Silver Coins...

24 States Look to Enact Arizona Immigration Law...

USA, Inc. Next?

2011-02-28T20:29:00.003-05:00

ANALYSIS-After the crisis, a worldwide rise in unrest?

Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:12pm GMT

* In authoritarian states, protesters want more freedom

* Financial adjustments bring anger in Western economies

* Vicious cycle of inflation and unrest

By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - With the Middle East in turmoil, other authoritarian states jumpy and post-crisis economic pain prompting protest in western Europe and elsewhere, some suspect a systemic rise in worldwide unrest might just be beginning.

Instability in the already volatile oil-producing Middle East could produce a feedback loop where unrest pushes up energy prices, fuelling inflation and deepening discontent both in the region and around the world.

In most countries, the so-called "misery index" -- an aggregation of unemployment and inflation long seen as a warning of protest and instability -- is pushing higher.

"After an extended period of economic growth and political apathy across the developed and emerging worlds, we may have reached a new political cycle -- one where populations take out their grievances on their leaders and their associates," wrote Citi political analyst Tina Fordham. "This won't be limited to the emerging world."...

...Some also see a wider anti-establishment backlash to the global financial crisis, with anger directed not just at politicians of ruling parties but also whole systems of government and wider economic and market structures.

In the United States, analysts say that sense of disillusion is also clear and manifesting itself in different ways. Some turn to the right-wing populist "Tea Party", arguing too much government intervention is the problem.

As individual U.S. states move to cut spending to stave off bankruptcy, some see occasional signs of the kind of backlash seen in Europe -- including recent protests against union reform in Wisconsin as it tries to push through its austerity package.

"The crisis is the connective tissue that binds these events together, particularly in the West," said Jonathan Wood, global issues analyst for Control Risks. "In North Africa, what we're seeing I think has more to do with the recent spike in food and commodity prices -- although you can also link that to the loose monetary and fiscal policies we have seen since the crisis."...

...Certainly, the ability to guarantee food has long been core to regime survival and many analysts see governments ramping up purchases since Tunisia's revolt, again pushing prices higher.

"Food hoarding may continue as the general public and governments try to build inventories to protect against future shortages due to political upheaval or even a war," said Ana Armstrong, chair of fund manager Distinction Asset Management, warning that this could also cut growth and leave policymakers with difficult choices over what to do with interest rates.

In Western democracies, few see unrest ousting whole systems -- but it could bring down governments, make structural economic reforms impossible and drive populist policies.

In others, as in Egypt can Tunisia, if attempts to placate with handouts and increased openness fail, it may come down to how harshly security forces are willing to crackdown.

In either case, predicting outcomes is far from easy.

"This is indeed a Year of Living Dangerously," said Citi's Fordham. (Editing by Jon Boyle)

EMP???

2011-02-17T12:43:00.003-05:00

Huge solar flare jams radio, satellite signals: NASA
Feb 17 07:45 AM US/Eastern

A powerful solar eruption that triggered a huge geomagnetic storm has disturbed radio communications and could disrupt electrical power grids, radio and satellite communication in the next days, NASA said.

A strong wave of charged plasma particles emanating from the Jupiter-sized sun spot, the most powerful seen in four years, has already disrupted radio communication in southern China.

The Class X flash -- the largest such category -- erupted at 0156 GMT Tuesday, according to the US space agency.

"X-class flares are the most powerful of all solar events that can trigger radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms," disturbing telecommunications and electric grids, NASA said Wednesday.

Geomagnetic storms usually last 24 to 48 hours -- but some could last for many days, read a statement from the US National Weather Service.

"Ground to air, ship to shore, short-wave broadcast and amateur radio are vulnerable to disruption during geomagnetic storms. Navigation systems like GPS can also be adversely affected."

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said it saw a large coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with the flash blasting toward Earth at about 560 miles per second (900 kilometers per second)....

...."Three CMEs are enroute, all a part of the Radio Blackout events on February 13, 14, and 15 (UTC). The last of the three seems to be the fastest and may catch both of the forerunners about mid to late ... February 17."

The China Meteorological Administration reported that the solar flare caused "sudden ionospheric disturbances" in the atmosphere above China and jammed short-wave radio communications in the southern part of the country.

The CMA warned there was a high probability that large solar flares would appear over the next three days, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said meanwhile that the solar storm would result in spectacular Northern Lights displays starting Thursday.

One coronal mass ejection reached Earth on February 14, "sparking Valentine's Day displays of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) further south than usual."

"Two CMEs are expected to arrive in the next 24-48 hours and further... displays are possible some time over the next two nights if skies are clear," it said....

..."Life increasingly depends on technologies that didn't exist when the magnetic recordings began," said Alan Thomson, BGS head of geomagnetism.

"Studying the records will tell us what we have to plan and prepare for to make sure systems can resist solar storms," he said.

A 2009 report by a panel of scientists assembled by NASA said that a sustained and powerful solar flare outbreak could overwhelm high-voltage transformers with electrical currents and short-circuit energy grids.

The report, titled "Severe Space Weather Events -- Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts" warned that such a catastrophic event could cost the United States alone up to two trillion dollars in repairs in the first year -- and it could take up to 10 years to fully recover

Mogadishu on the Susquehanna

2011-02-14T21:02:00.008-05:00

Crowd gathers in downtown Harrisburg calling for Mayor Linda Thompson to quit

A week after Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was driven from office by angry citizens, some residents of Harrisburg, the capital of PA, held a non-violent rally urging their psychobitch mayor to resign. Her Marie Antionette-esque demeanor show the mayor doesn't have enough sense not to taunt a crowd. She should be thankful that she lives in USA, Inc. rather than in some Turd World shithole where snowballs don't exist but RPGs are plentiful!

Taste Test

2011-02-14T19:59:00.009-05:00

Having purchased more #10 cans of dehydrated food from Emergency Essentials, my wife suggested we actually try some of the product. The old saying of "eat what you store and store what you eat" is well known to me but I tend to store more than eat.

Provident Pantry's Rotini with Beef Patty Crumbles & Tomato Sauce (20 servings for $25.99) was excellent. It was nasty looking powder from the can but a cup of it mixed with hot water was outstanding after 10 minutes.

The Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix ($13.95) made a dozen large, moist muffins that put store brand mixes to shame.

It's nice to know that emergency provisions can be a treat during the good times and something comforting during a crisis.

Coincidence???

2011-02-10T19:26:00.003-05:00

Or are we about to have something blow up or fall down...again?

House Fails to Extend Parts of Patriot Act in Surprise Vote

The U.S. House of Representatives has failed to approve an extension of expiring parts of the USA Patriot Act late Tuesday. In a vote that surprised analysts, a number of Republicans supported by the Tea Party voted with a number of Democrats to block the two-thirds majority needed for extension. ...

Napolitano: Terror threat 'heightened'

Washington (CNN) -- The terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland has continued to "evolve" and may now "be at its most heightened state" since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told members of Congress on Wednesday....

Snow Hike

2011-02-06T13:23:00.006-05:00

It was cold (mid-30s), crisp and partly sunny when I began my walk this morning. I was hoping to complete the entire 3.5 mile course despite what I thought would be manageable snow. WRONG!!! A month or more of 2-3 times a week winter precipitation left me with two walking choices: ice or frozen snow.

The ice was where most had traveled and was the result of refreeze and was extremely slick. The top of the snow had thawed, refrozen and had some freezing rain, sleet, etc. added but it provided for much more traction than the ice. As I walked, I sank, but never beyond the tops of my "Cop shoes" (Magnum oxfords) which did well.

It required 15 minutes to travel the approximately 1/3 of a mile to the underpass which takes only 5 minutes on a trail without ice or snow. It also seemed to require 3 times the physical effort! It was great exercise in a fraction of the time!

BTW, it is impossible to be stealthy once snow has thawed and refrozen. Every step resulted in loud crunching sounds which seemed to carry forever. It is also impossible to move quickly. Both are important to remember for both offense and defense in a tactical situation!

Broken by Design

2011-01-31T10:13:00.002-05:00

George Carlin - Who Really Controls America

John Baer: See all that political reform going on? You do? Please show me.

Could It Happen in USA, Inc.?

2011-01-30T19:47:00.009-05:00

It seems some of the demonstrators in Egypt have taken the opportunity to become rioters, looting museums as well as more traditional targets of opportunity. Other groups have set up ad hoc checkpoints, stopping cars in search of looters and other criminals. Thousands of prisoners have escaped. Since there is no opposition candidate or leader, much of the rage seems to lack focus other than disgust with the status quo.

While revolution can be desirable* it can devolve into anarchy.

* "God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts
they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,
it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as
to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost
in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."

Fighter Jets Deployed Over Cairo as Demands for Hosni Mubarak's Ouster Spread

Egyptian Protesters Defy Curfew, Military Deployment, To Remain In The Streets
Antigovernment demonstrators in Egypt defied a nationwide curfew and remained on the streets in the thousands overnight to press their demand that President Hosni Mubarak step down. ...

Civility is Grossly Over-Rated!!!

2011-01-29T06:17:00.006-05:00

Our Hypocrite-in-Chief says:

"Surely, there will be difficult days to come, but the United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future that is more just, more free and more hopeful," Obama said.

When the ballot box, jury box and soap box fail.....

Egypt Shows How Easily Internet Can Be Silenced

The move by Egyptian authorities to seal off the country almost entirely from the Internet shows how easily a state can isolate its people when telecoms providers are few and compliant.

In an attempt to stop the frenzied online spread of dissent against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, not only Facebook and Twitter but the entire Internet was shut down overnight, leaving some 20 million users stranded….

…The world's biggest social network Facebook, and Twitter with its real-time mini-blog posts, have proved extraordinarily effective in gathering large numbers of people together and helping them to be nimble in dodging the authorities.

Lynn St Amour, president of the Internet Society, says they could have made revolutionaries of many who had not seen themselves as activists, thanks to the ease of signing up to groups or sending messages of support while sitting at home.

But the danger of depending on such services is that they can be blocked simply by targeting their IP addresses, since they are centralized on a single site - as witnessed in Iran and Tunisia….

…Jim Cowie, chief technology officer of U.S.-based Internet monitoring firm Renesys wrote on the company blog, "In the United States you have every global carrier available to you, you have multiple cable landing points ...you have a country that effectively can't be taken off the Internet," he told Reuters.

Police members remove uniforms -- join protests!

…Tanks began deploying around Cairo, Alexandria and Suez, the official MENA news agency reported, after a day of violent clashes between police and protesters demanding an end to Mubarak's rule.

"According to what some provinces witnessed in terms of riots, lawlessness, looting, destruction, attack and burning of public and private property including attacks on banks and hotels, President Mubarak decreed a curfew as a military ruler," a state TV announcer said.

Shortly after announcing the curfew, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo on Friday night, the state TV confirmed.

NDP branch offices in several other cities around the country were also set on fire or attacked during the day, witnesses said.

Five protesters have been killed and some 870 others were wounded in demonstrations across greater Cairo on Friday, some in a serious condition with bullet wounds, medical sources said….

A number of police members removed their suits and joined protests against the regime, according to Al Arabiya….

…Egypt's four main Internet service providers (ISPs) cut off international access to their customers in a near simultaneous and unprecedented move, an Internet monitoring company said.

"Virtually all of Egypt's Internet addresses are now unreachable, worldwide," said James Cowie of Renesys, a New Hampshire-based firm which monitors Internet routing data in real-time.

"In an action unprecedented in Internet history, the Egyptian government appears to have ordered service providers to shut down all international connections to the Internet," Cowie said in a blog post.

"But every Egyptian provider, every business, bank, Internet cafe, website, school, embassy, and government office that relied on the big four Egyptian ISPs for their Internet connectivity is now cut off from the rest of the world," Cowie said….

…Young protesters want an end to Mubarak's authoritarian rule that has used heavy-handed security to crush dissenters who complain about unemployment, inflation and corruption which have created a huge gap between rich and poor.

The same complaints about corruption and poverty can be heard across the region and have prompted protests in countries like Algeria and Yemen.

"Inflation has exhausted people. Prices of food, fuel, electricity, sugar are rising ... The rich get richer and the poor poorer," said a taxi driver, declining to be named.

"God knows what will happen today. After Tunisia anything is possible."….

The Internet via Egyptian servers was blocked across the country shortly after midnight, closing a key tool for activists relying on social media networks.

Mobile phone and text messaging services also appeared to be disabled or working sporadically.

Egyptian Strife Sends Oil Close To $100 On Suez Canal Closure Fears...

Raghead 5th Column

2011-01-27T20:13:00.004-05:00

In their quest for cheap labor for their corporate cronies in the form of employees, housekeepers and home improvement, TPTB seem to have "inadvertently" let in a few potential terrorists. While 3 forms of ID are required to obtain a part-time job at a Stop & Rob and groins are grabbed in airports in the name of Homeland Security, thousands of miles of Canadian and Mexican border are wide open!

Mystery on the Border as 'Bomber' Book Found

EXCLUSIVE: A book celebrating suicide bombers has been found in the Arizona desert just north of the U.S.- Mexican border, authorities tell Fox News.

The book, "In Memory of Our Martyrs," was spotted Tuesday by a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was patrolling a route known for smuggling illegal immigrants and drugs.

Published in Iran, it consists of short biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died carrying out attacks.

According to internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection documents, "The book also includes letters from suicide attackers to their families, as well as some of their last wills and testaments." Each biographical page contains "the terrorist's name, date of death, and how they died."

Agents also say that the book appears to have been exposed to weather in the desert "for at least several days or weeks."…

…Statements from U.S. officials, including FBI director Robert Mueller, have raised serious concerns in recent years over "OTMs" -- or illegal immigrants other than Mexicans -- who have crossed the southwest border at alarming rates.

Mueller testified before the House Appropriations Committee in March 2005 that "there are individuals from countries with known Al Qaeda connections who are changing their Islamic surnames to Hispanic-sounding names and obtaining false Hispanic identities, learning to speak Spanish and pretending to be Hispanic."

Just last year, the Department of Homeland Security had in custody thousands of detainees from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. U.S. Border Patrol statistics indicate that there were 108,025 OTMs detained in 2006, compared to 165,178 in 2005 and 44,614 in 2004……

Report: Muslim Cleric Busted by Border

SAN DIEGO – The Los Angeles Times reports a Muslim cleric who was deported from Canada to Tunisia has been arrested near San Diego after allegedly sneaking across the border from Mexico and hiding in the trunk of a BMW.

Said Jaziri is a material witness in a case against two men charged with immigrant smuggling earlier this month.

The newspaper reported Wednesday that Jaziri is the 43-year-old former imam of a Montreal congregation who unsuccessfully fought his deportation three years ago, fearing he would be tortured in Tunisia.

A federal complaint says Jaziri told authorities he flew from Tunisia to Chetumal, Mexico, near the Belize border, then took a bus to Tijuana. He said he agreed to pay $5,000 to be smuggled to the United States…..

USA, Inc. is Overdue

2011-01-25T20:28:00.004-05:00

As long as the bell-ringers of the Stock Market keep grinning at closing time, the economic "experts" continue to talk about "optimism" and the government and pundits are concerned only with last week's unemployed this country runs the risk of similar unrest.

Ripple protests could topple U.S. allies

Alexandria, Egypt (CNN) -- Tunisia has brought a blast of reality to Mideast politics. Aging autocrats have been put on notice they can no longer count on docile citizens….

…Beyond doubt, those winds are blowing. Across the region they are being driven by the same social and economic factors, including high unemployment, a booming birth rate, and exploding food prices….

The Crumbling of America

2011-01-16T13:29:00.004-05:00

This broadcast makes one wonder what have our taxes and utility payments have been used for over the past 50 years. Piss poor planing, hurry up & get it done (on the cheap) and the lack of proper maintenance have allowed the infrastructure of USA, Inc. to begin collapsing, a precursor of the fall of other once-great civilizations.

The Crumbling of America DVD

Throughout world history, great civilizations have survived and extended their rule through dependence on great infrastructures. Rome had its roads and aqueducts. The Mayans had their pyramids and palaces. But what happens when society neglects its infrastructure? Right now, the U.S. infrastructure is collapsing and it impacts every single person in this country. In the first half of the 20th century, our bridges, highways, tunnels, dams, levees, ports, water and gas pipelines were built during the greatest age of construction the world had ever seen. But now these steel and concrete achievements are deteriorating. More than 70,000 of our nation's bridges are rated structurally deficient. Massive grid failures have left millions in the dark. 25,000 miles of commercial navigable waterways and locks have exceeded their 50-year design life. Everything from dilapidated levees to pipelines to railroads is past their expiration date.

Single Point of Failure

2011-01-12T20:15:00.005-05:00

They're hot, sexy, high tech, have lots of applications....and useless if the nearest cell tower has no power from the utility company. To my knowledge, the only cell towers with generators have them to run the anti-collision lights, not the communications gear, because they are in an airport hazard zone.

But a land line that requires VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) requires a PC or cable modem to function still require AC power (house current) to operate regardless of how cheap their rates are. The best and cheapest back-up is an analog POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) line with a hard wired phone (not a portable that requires AC power to its base to transmit) plugged into the wall jack which our grandparents used. The telephone's DC power is provided by the phone company and is independent of the electric grid.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Mobile Prison Guard Towers

2011-01-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

Conditioning the masses...

Even Paranoids Have Enemies

2011-01-06T19:21:00.003-05:00

There have been an increasing number of animal deaths around the globe. And the incident rate has accelerated dramatically within the last week or so.

I don't usually post anything resembling a conspiracy theory but enough strange events have have been happening recently that there must be a relationship. Precursors to natural disasters? Results of clandestine government tests?

More Animal Death Events

Mass Animal Deaths Interactive Map

Bird/Fish Deaths Worldwide

Possible HAARP Implication?

Shake, Rattle & Roll

2011-01-04T18:36:00.004-05:00

Beyond survival, a natural disaster such as this would permit FEMA and Homeland Insecurity to exercise more power without mitigating the Katrina-like misery that would be spread out over several states.

Is The New Madrid Fault Earthquake Zone Coming To Life?

.....The biggest earthquakes in the history of the United States were caused by the New Madrid fault. Now there are fears that the New Madrid fault zone could be coming to life again, and if a "killer earthquake" does strike it could change all of our lives forever.

So exactly what events have happened recently that are causing people to take a close look at the New Madrid fault zone? Well, just consider the following examples of things that have been popping up in the news lately....

*According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 500 measurable earthquakes have been recorded in central Arkansas just since September.

*A magnitude-3.8 earthquake that shook north-central Indiana on December 30th is being called "unprecedented". It was strong enough to actually cause cracks along the ground and it was felt in portions of Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

*More than 3,000 red-wing blackbirds fell out of the sky dead in the Arkansas town of Beebe on New Year's Eve.

*Large numbers of dead birds were also found in Kentucky right around Christmas.

*Approximately 500 dead blackbirds and starlings were also recently discovered in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.

*Approximately 100,000 fish washed up dead on the shores of the Arkansas River just last week.

So could all of these things have some other very simple explanation?

Possibly.

But the fact that they all happened in or around the New Madrid fault zone is starting to raise some eyebrows.......

Got Wood?

2011-01-03T12:49:00.007-05:00

I received a 2 cord load of firewood last week and began stacking it over the New Years Day weekend. I used storage methods, Seymour Stack-It Brackets which I obtained from Lehman's 2 years ago for about $20 and some large, heavy truck pallets I obtained for free.

When it comes down to it, the free pallets actually cost me more in terms of time and labor because each layer of firewood had to laid evenly to support the next layer and prevent the 5 foot stack of firewood from toppling over. Stability is of paramount importance with visiting grandkids!

The Stack-It Brackets allowed me to make the racks 4 feet high x 8 feet long by 18 inches deep which made for stable storage. Adding firewood was quick and simple as they tend to stack nicely and securely.

I wanted to obtain another set of the Stack-It Brackets but Lehman's no longer sells them. Instead they offer an Adjustable Log Rack Kit but the single review states, “Too narrow and thus prone to tipping. Dangerous design; much inferior to log rack kit offered here previously.”

The original Stack-It Brackets can be located with an Internet search from various suppliers for as low as $12.75. They are worth the effort to locate them.

Another Reason to Revolt

2010-12-28T20:45:00.003-05:00

2011: A Brave New Dystopia

By Chris Hedges

December 27, 2010 "Truth Dig" -- The two greatest visions of a future dystopia were George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." The debate, between those who watched our descent towards corporate totalitarianism, was who was right. Would we be, as Orwell wrote, dominated by a repressive surveillance and security state that used crude and violent forms of control? Or would we be, as Huxley envisioned, entranced by entertainment and spectacle, captivated by technology and seduced by profligate consumption to embrace our own oppression? It turns out Orwell and Huxley were both right. Huxley saw the first stage of our enslavement. Orwell saw the second.

We have been gradually disempowered by a corporate state that, as Huxley foresaw, seduced and manipulated us through sensual gratification, cheap mass-produced goods, boundless credit, political theater and amusement. While we were entertained, the regulations that once kept predatory corporate power in check were dismantled, the laws that once protected us were rewritten and we were impoverished. Now that credit is drying up, good jobs for the working class are gone forever and mass-produced goods are unaffordable, we find ourselves transported from "Brave New World" to "1984." The state, crippled by massive deficits, endless war and corporate malfeasance, is sliding toward bankruptcy. It is time for Big Brother to take over from Huxley's feelies, the orgy-porgy and the centrifugal bumble-puppy. We are moving from a society where we are skillfully manipulated by lies and illusions to one where we are overtly controlled.

Orwell warned of a world where books were banned. Huxley warned of a world where no one wanted to read books. Orwell warned of a state of permanent war and fear. Huxley warned of a culture diverted by mindless pleasure. Orwell warned of a state where every conversation and thought was monitored and dissent was brutally punished. Huxley warned of a state where a population, preoccupied by trivia and gossip, no longer cared about truth or information. Orwell saw us frightened into submission. Huxley saw us seduced into submission. But Huxley, we are discovering, was merely the prelude to Orwell. Huxley understood the process by which we would be complicit in our own enslavement. Orwell understood the enslavement. Now that the corporate coup is over, we stand naked and defenseless. We are beginning to understand, as Karl Marx knew, that unfettered and unregulated capitalism is a brutal and revolutionary force that exploits human beings and the natural world until exhaustion or collapse.

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake," Orwell wrote in "1984." "We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from all the oligarchies of the past, in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power."

The political philosopher Sheldon Wolin uses the term "inverted totalitarianism" in his book "Democracy Incorporated" to describe our political system. It is a term that would make sense to Huxley. In inverted totalitarianism, the sophisticated technologies of corporate control, intimidation and mass manipulation, which far surpass those employed by previous totalitarian states, are effectively masked by the glitter, noise and abundance of a consumer society. Political participation and civil liberties are gradually surrendered. The corporation state, hiding behind the smokescreen of the public relations industry, the entertainment industry and the tawdry materialism of a consumer society, devours us from the inside out. It owes no allegiance to us or the nation. It feasts upon our carcass.

The corporate state does not find its expression in a demagogue or charismatic leader. It is defined by the anonymity and facelessness of the corporation. Corporations, who hire attractive spokespeople like Barack Obama, control the uses of science, technology, education and mass communication. They control the messages in movies and television. And, as in "Brave New World," they use these tools of communication to bolster tyranny. Our systems of mass communication, as Wolin writes, "block out, eliminate whatever might introduce qualification, ambiguity, or dialogue, anything that might weaken or complicate the holistic force of their creation, to its total impression."

The result is a monochromatic system of information. Celebrity courtiers, masquerading as journalists, experts and specialists, identify our problems and patiently explain the parameters. All those who argue outside the imposed parameters are dismissed as irrelevant cranks, extremists or members of a radical left. Prescient social critics, from Ralph Nader to Noam Chomsky, are banished. Acceptable opinions have a range of A to B. The culture, under the tutelage of these corporate courtiers, becomes, as Huxley noted, a world of cheerful conformity, as well as an endless and finally fatal optimism. We busy ourselves buying products that promise to change our lives, make us more beautiful, confident or successful as we are steadily stripped of rights, money and influence. All messages we receive through these systems of communication, whether on the nightly news or talk shows like "Oprah," promise a brighter, happier tomorrow. And this, as Wolin points out, is "the same ideology that invites corporate executives to exaggerate profits and conceal losses, but always with a sunny face." We have been entranced, as Wolin writes, by "continuous technological advances" that "encourage elaborate fantasies of individual prowess, eternal youthfulness, beauty through surgery, actions measured in nanoseconds: a dream-laden culture of ever-expanding control and possibility, whose denizens are prone to fantasies because the vast majority have imagination but little scientific knowledge."

Our manufacturing base has been dismantled. Speculators and swindlers have looted the U.S. Treasury and stolen billions from small shareholders who had set aside money for retirement or college. Civil liberties, including habeas corpus and protection from warrantless wiretapping, have been taken away. Basic services, including public education and health care, have been handed over to the corporations to exploit for profit. The few who raise voices of dissent, who refuse to engage in the corporate happy talk, are derided by the corporate establishment as freaks.

Attitudes and temperament have been cleverly engineered by the corporate state, as with Huxley's pliant characters in "Brave New World." The book's protagonist, Bernard Marx, turns in frustration to his girlfriend Lenina:

"Don't you wish you were free, Lenina?" he asks.

"I don't know that you mean. I am free, free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays."

He laughed, "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We have been giving the children that at five. But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example; not in everybody else's way."

"I don't know what you mean," she repeated.

The façade is crumbling. And as more and more people realize that they have been used and robbed, we will move swiftly from Huxley's "Brave New World" to Orwell's "1984." The public, at some point, will have to face some very unpleasant truths. The good-paying jobs are not coming back. The largest deficits in human history mean that we are trapped in a debt peonage system that will be used by the corporate state to eradicate the last vestiges of social protection for citizens, including Social Security. The state has devolved from a capitalist democracy to neo-feudalism. And when these truths become apparent, anger will replace the corporate-imposed cheerful conformity. The bleakness of our post-industrial pockets, where some 40 million Americans live in a state of poverty and tens of millions in a category called "near poverty," coupled with the lack of credit to save families from foreclosures, bank repossessions and bankruptcy from medical bills, means that inverted totalitarianism will no longer work......

....The noose is tightening. The era of amusement is being replaced by the era of repression. Tens of millions of citizens have had their e-mails and phone records turned over to the government. We are the most monitored and spied-on citizenry in human history. Many of us have our daily routine caught on dozens of security cameras. Our proclivities and habits are recorded on the Internet. Our profiles are electronically generated. Our bodies are patted down at airports and filmed by scanners. And public service announcements, car inspection stickers, and public transportation posters constantly urge us to report suspicious activity. The enemy is everywhere.

Those who do not comply with the dictates of the war on terror, a war which, as Orwell noted, is endless, are brutally silenced. The draconian security measures used to cripple protests at the G-20 gatherings in Pittsburgh and Toronto were wildly disproportionate for the level of street activity. But they sent a clear message-DO NOT TRY THIS. The FBI's targeting of antiwar and Palestinian activists, which in late September saw agents raid homes in Minneapolis and Chicago, is a harbinger of what is to come for all who dare defy the state's official Newspeak. The agents-our Thought Police-seized phones, computers, documents and other personal belongings. Subpoenas to appear before a grand jury have since been served on 26 people. The subpoenas cite federal law prohibiting "providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations." Terror, even for those who have nothing to do with terror, becomes the blunt instrument used by Big Brother to protect us from ourselves.

"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating?" Orwell wrote. "It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself."

WE NEED ANOTHER AMERICAN REVOLUTION...NOW!!!

2010-12-27T18:23:00.005-05:00

What is needed is a 21st Century version of the 1932 Bonus Marchers, to include vets returning from Iraq/Afghanistan who cannot find jobs as well as unemployed civilians. Probably 99% of Americans have never heard of this incident!

Our country, our freedoms, our future has been sold to the highest bidders on Wall Street and in China. We are no longer governed by statesmen or even politicians but elected corporate handlers.

We have run out of time as a country and a people, to reclaim our country, our freedoms and our future. Brute force seems to be the only way because elections are meaningless when both parties represent the same thing: serfdom! Letters and emails to our corporate handlers result in form letter responses. They are out of touch with working Americans but not with the perks and bribes associated with their offices.

The economic outrage of 2010: Cowardly leaders failed to help working people -- and coddled the rich

…With one of six Americans who would like a full-time job still not able to get one, with more than 40% of those unemployed being without a job for more than six months - a level not seen since such records were kept - but with the bankers who caused the whole mess receiving the same megabonuses as before the crisis as if nothing had happened, no wonder the anger within the country is palpable.

The bankers had used their money and political influence first to buy deregulation, then to get a massive bailout and finally, this year, to prevent effective reregulation….

…Some of the pain felt by the middle class could have been averted if our politicians had gotten up the gumption to pass a second round of stimulus.

Contrary to what you may have heard, the first round worked: But for the $800 billion stimulus passed in February 2009, unemployment would have peaked in excess of 12%. It just wasn't big enough, and wasn't well enough designed, to get unemployment down to an acceptable level.

Instead, Congress has now passed a tax cut, much of the benefit of which will go to the richest Americans - including the bankers responsible for the crisis. They will receive quintuple benefits: lower payroll taxes, lower income tax rates, low taxes on capital gains, lower taxes on dividends and lower taxes on the money they pass on to their heirs. The national debt will be larger and the stimulus will be limited….

…And what is the logic that says that Americans who work for a living should be taxed at twice the rate faced by speculators, who strive to bring down whole economies and have repeatedly succeeded in creating havoc around the world? Yet that is what the Republicans insisted, as the price for a one-year reduction in the payroll tax paid by workers and a two-year extension of the minuscule middle-income tax cut….

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/12/22/2010-12-22_the_economic_outrage_of_2010_cowardly_leaders_failed_to_help_working_people__and.html#ixzz19L6UxwBQ

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T23:16:00.002-05:00

Nativity Scene
by ~dashinvaine

Rationed Health Care Here Already!

2010-12-23T20:28:00.009-05:00

As if higher deductibles and co-pays weren’t enough, now sudden and unexplained shortages of drugs that treat cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. What better way to cull the herd than to make it too expensive to obtain medical treatment then make the meds unavailable? “Developing priority trees” means triage, the battlefield practice of determining who receives immediate treatment that can save lives, who is too far gone for treatment and who can wait because of less serious wounds. If you need crash cart meds, you’ve probably had a massive heart attack which will keep you out of work for weeks, months or permanently…removing you as a taxpayer. Some chemo patients can work part time during their treatment regimen. I can see the corporate/government bean counters deciding the man below who spent 15 years managing a rare abdominal cancer is a negative return on investment, a drain on the health care system. Much more to come, no doubt!

Life-Saving Hospital Drugs in Limited Supply

…Most drugs in short supply are known as injectables and include sedation medication such as propofol, the popular blood thinner heparin, and hard-hitting chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin.

"I've been in practice more than 30 years and this is the first time I've encountered shortages that may affect patient care," said Dr. Michael Link, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology

Limited manufacturing, lagging production time, and lack of profits from these drugs are contributing to the shortage…The production cost outweighs the profits for some companies. Since many firms would rather produce cheaper generic drugs, manufacturers are shunning some costly brands.

Doctors at local hospitals are frustrated and many times they're not even informed of the shortage, according to survey results released in September by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Of those surveyed, 85 percent said they were given little to no information on how long the shortages would last….

…"It has caused us to spend a great deal of physician and pharmacy time developing priority trees to allocate available drug if necessary as well as to scour suppliers for drug shipments," Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, pediatric oncologist at University of Miami Medical Center wrote in an email response to ABC News' Medical Unit….

… Mark McKee's doctors have spent 15 years managing his rare abdominal tumor. But in the last year and a half, his tumor grew significantly, so Dr. Craig Howe, McKee's doctor at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., upped his treatment to the more aggressive chemotherapy regimen that included doxorubicin.

The regimen seemed to be working, said McKee, 39, of Minneapolis. But last month, the afternoon before he was scheduled for his routine chemotherapy, McKee was told the hospital did not have enough doxorubicin that he needed for his infusion.

Something may be better than nothing, McKee said Howe told him. McKee received a quarter less than the full dose needed to regulate his tumor….

… His doctor Howe agreed, saying he's not sure whether taking lower doses will be an adequate treatment for McKee's tumor. But then again, Howe said he's not sure about waiting either.

"If I had to [lower the dose] consistently over the course of four to six months, then I think we really are compromising care," said Howe.

Fat Dumb & Happy

2010-12-22T20:11:00.005-05:00

This is the future of USA, Inc.: fat, stupid geeks who can play the Call of Duty video game but have never used a firearm, receive diplomas for having learned nothing and care more about Survival than surviving!

When I took the ASVAB, I thought I flunked because it seemed too easy, much easier than the SAT or exams I took in college!

Nearly 1 in 4 Students Fails U.S. Military Exam

…"Too many of our high school students are not graduating ready to begin college or a career — and many are not eligible to serve in our armed forces," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the AP. "I am deeply troubled by the national security burden created by America's underperforming education system."…

…The report by The Education Trust found that 23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military. Questions are often basic, such as: "If 2 plus x equals 4, what is the value of x?"…

…Kenneth Jackson, 19, of Miami, enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. He said passing the entrance exam is easy for those who paid attention in school, but blamed the education system for why more recruits aren't able to pass the test.

"The classes need to be tougher because people aren't learning enough," Jackson said….

…Even those passing muster on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, usually aren't getting scores high enough to snag the best jobs….

…Recruits must score at least a 31 out of 99 on the first stage of the three-hour test to get into the Army. The Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard recruits need higher scores.
Further tests determine what kind of job the recruit can do with questions on mechanical maintenance, accounting, word comprehension, mathematics and science….

…Retired military leaders say the report's findings are cause for concern.

"The military is a lot more high-tech than in the past," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Norman R. Seip. "I don't care if you're a soldier Marine carrying a backpack or someone sitting in a research laboratory, the things we expect out of our military members requires a very, very well educated force."

A Department of Defense report notes the military must recruit about 15 percent of youth, but only one-third are eligible. More high school graduates are going to college than in earlier decades, and about one-fourth are obese, making them medically ineligible.

In 1980, by comparison, just 5 percent of youth were obese.

Surveillance State

2010-12-20T19:55:00.004-05:00

Houston PD's Surveillance drone

Long but worth reading the entire article!

Monitoring America

Part of the series Top Secret America (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/)

Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.

The system, by far the largest and most technologically sophisticated in the nation's history, collects, stores and analyzes information about thousands of U.S. citizens and residents, many of whom have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The government's goal is to have every state and local law enforcement agency in the country feed information to Washington to buttress the work of the FBI, which is in charge of terrorism investigations in the United States….

…The months-long investigation, based on nearly 100 interviews and 1,000 documents, found that:

* Technologies and techniques honed for use on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan have migrated into the hands of law enforcement agencies in America.

* The FBI is building a database with the names and certain personal information, such as employment history, of thousands of U.S. citizens and residents whom a local police officer or a fellow citizen believed to be acting suspiciously. It is accessible to an increasing number of local law enforcement and military criminal investigators, increasing concerns that it could somehow end up in the public domain….

…The Obama administration heralds this local approach as a much-needed evolution in the way the country confronts terrorism….

…On a recent night in Memphis, a patrol car rolled slowly through a parking lot in a run-down section of town. The military-grade infrared camera on its hood moved robotically from left to right, snapping digital images of one license plate after another and analyzing each almost instantly.

Suddenly, a red light flashed on the car's screen along with the word "warrant."

"Got a live one! Let's do it," an officer called out.

The streets of Memphis are a world away from the streets of Kabul, yet these days, the same types of technologies and techniques are being used in both places to identify and collect information about suspected criminals and terrorists.

The examples go far beyond Memphis.

* Hand-held, wireless fingerprint scanners were carried by U.S. troops during the insurgency in Iraq to register residents of entire neighborhoods. L-1 Identity Solutions is selling the same type of equipment to police departments to check motorists' identities.

* In Arizona, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Facial Recognition Unit, using a type of equipment prevalent in war zones, records 9,000 biometric digital mug shots a month….

* U.S. Customs and Border Protection flies General Atomics' Predator drones along the Mexican and Canadian borders - the same kind of aircraft, equipped with real-time, full-motion video cameras, that has been used in wars in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan to track the enemy…….

Excellent Editorial!!!

2010-12-19T21:04:00.004-05:00

From a small newspaper in Pennsylvania:

Big brother may be watching

Dear Editor:

Well, we see that downtown Carlisle has bought into the scheme of installing high resolution surveillance cameras by taking a $200,000 grant from the federal government who, by the way, is already over $13 trillion in debt. Who's paying that bill?

We might as well have military police standing on the corners of Carlisle's downtown area. Don't we just love being watched? Oh, I'm sorry, it's for our security.

Ben Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." (Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, Tue, Nov. 11, 1755)

Haven't you heard the argument that if you haven't done anything wrong, what's there to hide?

Per the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights) and Article I, Section 8, of the Pennsylvania Constitution (Declaration of Rights) we are to be secured in our person. Just leave us alone.

Privacy is not about hiding a wrong; it's about an inherent, God-given human right and a necessity of maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect. We should not be living in a surveillance society.

Oh, and by the way, did you know that PennDOT has a biometric number of your face? It's used for facial recognition. All an operator of the surveillance camera has to do is take your picture, convert it to biometrics and compare it to PennDOT's database and, bingo, the operator knows who you are, where you live and everything else in the database about you. Let's hope we don't have any bad apples operating the surveillance cameras, be they government employees or contractor personal.

We can thank our Congress for passing the Real ID Act of 2005 and PennDOT's implementation of the Homeland Security's regulations of the act. Did you know that when you applied or renewed your driver's license that PennDOT captured your picture, converted it to a biometric number and included it in the PennDOT database, which also includes everything on the front of your license plus your Social Security number?

In the Security and Prosperity Partnership 2005 Report to Leaders document, members from the United States, Mexico and Canada stated under the biometric section that they will devise a single, integrated global enrollment program for North American trusted traveler programs.

Real ID is that integrated global enrollment program for the United States. Welcome to George Orwell's "1984."

Jim Compton

Boiling Springs

Glenn Beck Warns Of Food Riots, Martial Law & Gun Confiscations

2010-12-12T18:39:00.001-05:00

It makes no difference whether you agree with Glenn Beck or not, what is in this video is inevitable. It is pretty apparent that the government of USA, Inc. views its citizens/tax-payers as a threat. While we have to beware of society's predators (today's criminals and opportunists after any disaster) we must be aware of government's intentions. Plan, prepare, stock up and arm up!

Coming to USA, Inc.

2010-12-09T19:12:00.006-05:00

Student protests in London turn violent...

· 20,000 students and activists lay siege to Westminster
· Three officers seriously injured in scuffles with activists

Thousands of protesters try to break through police barricades at Parliament...

BUT FIRST.......

Oil tipped to bubble over $100 barrel...

REPORT: Iran Placing Medium-Range Missiles in Venezuela; Can Reach US... Remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962?

Food Stamp Rolls Continue to Rise...

UNEMPLOYMENT WEEK: DOWN TO 421,000; REVISED UP LAST WEEK 438,000...

POLL: Most Americans Say They’re Worse Off Under Obama...

Home Values May Drop by $1.7 Trillion This Year...

US Treasuries hit by biggest sell-off since LEHMAN...

Prices Plunge for 2nd Day on Deficit Fears...

RIP USA, Inc.: 1776 - 2025

2010-12-07T09:10:00.003-05:00

A portion of a very long read from the Huffingtoon post but worth it!!!

The Decline and Fall of the American Empire: Four Scenarios for the End of the American Century by 2025

…Despite the aura of omnipotence most empires project, a look at their history should remind us that they are fragile organisms. So delicate is their ecology of power that, when things start to go truly bad, empires regularly unravel with unholy speed: just a year for Portugal, two years for the Soviet Union, eight years for France, 11 years for the Ottomans, 17 years for Great Britain, and, in all likelihood, 22 years for the United States, counting from the crucial year 2003.

Future historians are likely to identify the Bush administration’s rash invasion of Iraq in that year as the start of America's downfall. However, instead of the bloodshed that marked the end of so many past empires, with cities burning and civilians slaughtered, this 21st-century imperial collapse could come relatively quietly through the invisible tendrils of economic collapse or cyberwarfare….

…By 2020, according to current plans, the Pentagon will throw a military Hail Mary pass for a dying empire. It will launch a lethal triple canopy of advanced aerospace robotics that represents Washington's last best hope of retaining global power despite its waning economic influence. By that year, however, China's global network of communications satellites, backed by the world's most powerful supercomputers, will also be fully operational, providing Beijing with an independent platform for the weaponization of space and a powerful communications system for missile- or cyber-strikes into every quadrant of the globe….

…Viewed historically, the question is not whether the United States will lose its unchallenged global power, but just how precipitous and wrenching the decline will be. In place of Washington's wishful thinking, let’s use the National Intelligence Council's own futuristic methodology to suggest four realistic scenarios for how, whether with a bang or a whimper, U.S. global power could reach its end in the 2020s (along with four accompanying assessments of just where we are today). The future scenarios include: economic decline, oil shock, military misadventure, and World War III. While these are hardly the only possibilities when it comes to American decline or even collapse, they offer a window into an onrushing future….

Economic Decline: Present Situation

Economic Decline: Scenario 2020

Oil Shock: Present Situation

Oil Shock: Scenario 2025

Military Misadventure: Present Situation

Military Misadventure: Scenario 2014

World War III: Present Situation

World War III: Scenario 2025

…In a dark, dystopian version of our global future, a coalition of transnational corporations, multilateral forces like NATO, and an international financial elite could conceivably forge a single, possibly unstable, supra-national nexus that would make it no longer meaningful to speak of national empires at all. While denationalized corporations and multinational elites would assumedly rule such a world from secure urban enclaves, the multitudes would be relegated to urban and rural wastelands….

…All of these scenarios extrapolate existing trends into the future on the assumption that Americans, blinded by the arrogance of decades of historically unparalleled power, cannot or will not take steps to manage the unchecked erosion of their global position.

If America's decline is in fact on a 22-year trajectory from 2003 to 2025, then we have already frittered away most of the first decade of that decline with wars that distracted us from long-term problems and, like water tossed onto desert sands, wasted trillions of desperately needed dollars.

If only 15 years remain, the odds of frittering them all away still remain high. Congress and the president are now in gridlock; the American system is flooded with corporate money meant to jam up the works; and there is little suggestion that any issues of significance, including our wars, our bloated national security state, our starved education system, and our antiquated energy supplies, will be addressed with sufficient seriousness to assure the sort of soft landing that might maximize our country's role and prosperity in a changing world.

Europe's empires are gone and America's imperium is going. It seems increasingly doubtful that the United States will have anything like Britain's success in shaping a succeeding world order that protects its interests, preserves its prosperity, and bears the imprint of its best values.

Even Paranoids Have Enemies!

2010-12-05T09:44:00.010-05:00

Thanks to an anonymous commenter on my last post, I have added Sherrie Questioning All to the blogs I follow:

CPS Investigated a Reader - Because he feeds his children Organic Food - Drinks Non- Fluorinated Water and has a Bug Out Bag! Police were standing by!

Is The Govt. trying to Find out, Who has What now? I ask, because - Child Services Interviewed My Child - Wanted to Know if We Had Solar Panels, Exactly Where We Go Camping and Hiking , If have Alternative Energy, If Food Stored, Then Came to my House! Updated Article on 12/3/10 with Video Clips From Interview

...When my child got home, I got a bigger shock! My child told me, child services had come to her school that day and interviewed her! I told her to wait, to tell me anything, as I wanted to put her on speaker phone with her father so she could tell us at the same time, what questions they asked.

My child said, these are the questions they asked " Does your mother have SOLAR PANELS? Where Exactly does your mother take you camping? Where exactly have you gone hiking? Do you hike and then camp? Does anyone else go with you camping? What do you do when you go camping? Does your mother have alternative energy? Does your mother have stored food? Does your mother have any guns? Does your mother saying anything about "The end of the world"? What kind of remodeling has your mother done to your home? Do you have a "safe room", like a bomb shelter in your home?...

...I sat back down with my child and asked her.. "was there anyone else in the room besides the child services people?" My child said "No". I then asked my child "Did they ask, if I have ever hit you, did they ask if I drink, did they ask if I do drugs"? She said "No", they did not ask ANY questions such as that! I was NOW completely confused! How in the heck, is it Child services did NOT ask what I would think would be NORMAL Child Abuse questions that would be abusive to a child! NOT ONE NORMAL CHILD ABUSE QUESTION WAS ASKED!...

Videos of Accusations against me - This goes with the Original Article of "Is the Govt. Checking on Who has What"?

View These Before They Are Removed!!!

2010-12-04T22:44:00.009-05:00

As a rule, I am NOT into conspiracy theories. However, documentation that provides evidence makes one of these theories more probable. This documentation includes executive orders from presidents Reagan (penned by COL Oliver North) through the O-Man this year and contracts to build prisons...uh, residential centers given to Halliburton and KBR. Residential centers that include playgrounds all surrounded by double perimeter fences and razor wire, allegedly for illegal aliens whom we do not arrest.

There is also the surveillance of everyday citizens who, for example, campaign for legitimate candidates such as Ron Paul or expressing "extremist views" and putting them into databases and adding them to watch lists.

If you've watched the new series on TRU TV hosted by former Minnesota Gov. Jessie Ventura called Conspiracy Theory, you may have seen the original airing of the episode titled "Police State". Reruns of that episode have been pulled because of "background pressure".

Watch these three 15 minute segments. Judge for yourself and prepare. I will take the word of a fellow U.S. Navy vet over those lying sacks of shit under ANY crapital dome! The only rules of engagement are that there are no rules of engagement!!!

Unsustainable!

2010-12-02T20:03:00.009-05:00

As unemployment runs out for the able-bodied, desperate for work (my son included):

...Even if both houses of Congress move quickly, there will still be administrative odds and ends that will likely delay checks for at least a few weeks....

...the self-absorbed, narcissistic savages take to the streets.

What will happen when it is food instead of bargains they seek? It is not our job to lift them up. They are exactly that, lost, and not worth the effort. If they will stampede for bargains they will kill for food. INVEST IN LEAD!!!

Arrogance & Elitism

2010-11-27T18:11:00.008-05:00

This evening, as many PA residents watch football, eat Thanksgiving leftovers or Christmas shop, their lame-dick governor took an opportunity for a final cheap shot against their freedoms. Because the police and DA say a shooting was justifiable and that no criminal charges would be filed does not protect one from the civil law suits that may be filed by the family of Joe Scumbag. But that hasn't been the governor's problem for the past 8 years as he had 24x7 coverage by state police at the Governor's mansion and was driven everywhere by state troopers, many times in excess of 100 mph.

Rendell vetoes self-defense bill

...Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed a bill Saturday that would have expanded a citizens' rights to defend themselves when attacked.

The bill would have broadened the so-called "Castle Doctrine," which gives citizens the right to defend themselves without attempting to flee when attacked in the home. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg, would have expanded the law so that it applied outside homes.

In his letter outlining his veto, Rendell said, "I have grave concerns with the expansion included in this legislation."

The governor said that the bill as proposed "encourages the use of deadly force, even when safe retreat is available."

Perry had said that he had heard from many constituents on the issue, and that most favored the expansion of the Castle Doctrine.

"We're talking about the rights of law-abiding, free citizens to defend themselves," Perry told The Patriot-News earlier this month.....

"I do not believe that in a civilized society we should encourage violent and deadly confrontation when the victim can safely protect themselves" through retreat, Rendell wrote in his veto message released Saturday. "As keepers of the public trust, we have the solemn duty to protect our citizenry, not put them in harm's way, and to protect the sanctity of human life."

Hey Governor, if we lived in a "civilized" society you would not have the need to be surrounded by armed state troopers 24x7! Victims are already in harm's way, placed there by the criminal. Running or complying may result in the victim being shot in the back.

EMP as TEOTWAWKI

2010-11-21T20:50:00.005-05:00

EMP as a natural phenomenon in history

EMP as a first strike weapon

Are the next 2 videos actually dry runs to test the feasibility of an off-shore launched EMP missile launch?