The markets were really boring today. Oil went up $2 a barrel in overnight trading but then leveled off. Silver, Gold, and the DJIA were not very interesting either. So we wait for the next day's trading. Reading the financial blogs today left me with the idea that there was no way out of the Great Dismalness. We shall see. I got a letter in the mail today that said I would get my stimulus check by Saturday. My wife has agreed that I may go to the Dairy Queen and gorge myself. I won't, but it is tempting. But I owe her $125 and after I pay that off I will have $175 to spend on preps. I ought to be able to get SOMETHING with that much funny money. Maybe some more medical preps. Maybe a few more tools. Some .308? You just never can tell. Lots of thoughts will head my way between now and then. But I don't believe I will be buying gasoline with the money. To hell with giving my money to the oil companies. I don't have a job and I don't have to drive. Life is a little restricted according to my past behavior but I can deal with it.
Supper tonight was a bowl of good Black Beans and a slab of Mush and a Purslane Salad. It just doesn't get much better than that for nutrition. I really enjoy being able to say that. Simple and relatively inexpensive but really good for you. Like eating at a health spa.
One thing I intend to do with the funny money is get some various kinds of rope. Mayberry got me going on that so I think I better get on with it. I am supposed to be able to get Paracord at the local Army Surplus store. Any other kind can be bought where I find it. The Handmaiden says I have a cold beer in the fridge. I now have one less! I told my son this week I had drank only two beers in January and none since and he said, "Really?" Hah! He knows full well of my love for the brew. He can't drink much cause it gives him bad hangovers the next day. The old timers used to talk about the curse of the drunkard. The curse was they DIDN'T get hangovers. I know nothing of that type of condition. You let me drink a couple of tankards of wine with the Handmaiden and I will guarantee you a headache in the morning. Can't handle the stuff. I can take the brew or leave the brew. Leaving it and using it for barter makes a lot of sense. There is a thing about oral gratification in the human family that says that you have to take certain things into your anatomy or you are not a success. Food, booze, cigarettes, things like that. If you want to relax then you have to have your oral gratification, if you are built that way. Just part of the human family.
All kinds of articles in the news this morning saying that speculators are NOT responsible for oil shortages. The articles are saying that demand from growing economies such as China and India are to blame. Okay. Have Dubya add their names to his list, right after Iran. But we are not to worry. There are major oil fields being brought online in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It will be a year or three before they are ready but we are supposed to wait. I ain't waiting. I turn off my engine and don't burn the fuel. It doesn't get more economical than that. Living out in the country makes you schedule your appearances in town. You no longer drive for casual errands. It costs too damn much. You plan your visits and make them pay off. You hit as many places you shop as you can remember. We have a country store that sells pretty reasonable, close by. It's half the distance to town. The country store also sells the cheapest gas. And people WILL drive on in to town for 2 cents less on the gallon. That gasoline has become pretty precious stuff.
The more I think about it the more I feel that little reminder that my stimulus check was coming was to get me prepared to spend it as fast I can. I am supposed to come into heat now and not feel satisfied until I have spent my money. Maybe I'll just wait a while before I spend it just to piss 'em of. The letter reminded me of the mainstream media and it's habit of putting up a picture on the articles it wished you to read on line. Earth shaking news will be in micro-print tucked away in a column of microprint. But the latest pimp-and-whore news will have nice color photos. The story they are featuring will have the biggest picture. That is how they get us masses attention. That is how they create "stars" out of people who have done nothing noteworthy except maybe show their private parts in public. But America loves it so we have it. The media is a bunch of liars. They swindle the public into thinking that what they say and show is important. Couldn't be any further from the truth. I actually read the blogs more than the mainstream media any more. You will generally get sounder reasoning and greater factual data from the blogs than anywhere else. The newspapers are crying the blues about the loss of advertising dollars these days. People working for big newspapers are getting laid off. Tough shit, guys. Your product isn't too good anymore. Journalism used to be a highly thought of profession. But not any more. Too many times they have been proven to be wrong or even worse, liars. So you find your niche, your comfort zone, among the people you feel will give you the best shot at arriving at the truth. I find my comfort zone amongst the survival bloggers. And they are growing in number. They are growing by leaps and bounds. We may actually become the next big thing if this trend keeps up! Hope so! Guys like Rawls and Dakin and others have devoted a lot of time and energy to keeping people informed on what is going on and how to deal with it. And the list is growing and I am proud of that. Keep reading these guys. They are the country's best bet right now.
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Monday, June 30, 2008
IS THIS WEEK THE START OF IT ALL?
I have a bad feeling about this week. Bad as in bad for America. The price of oil went up over $2 overnight. The dollar dropped. Seymour Hirsch dropped the bomb on Bush and his covert war in Iran. The movers and shakers are considering war in the Middle East to be a pretty sure thing. Iran is digging graves for enemy soldiers. Even if Bush backs down, which he won't do, there is going to be a helluva mess to clean up. We, that is the American people, do not matter to Bush anymore. He can't get re-elected and consequently the voters don't count in the general scheme of things.
I was going to put up an article about Bush MAYBE trying to finish the work of his Grandfather, the one who wanted to set up a Fascist regime in the early 30's. Prescott Bush, who later became an US Senator, was in a group of men who tried to talk a Marine General named Butler to head up a rebellion and take over the District of Criminals and set up a dictatorship. Butler refused. The plot was broken. The conspirators were not prosecuted in return for their promise to not fight any of FDR's New Deal programs. We eventually went to war against Japan, Italy , and Germany and got out of the depression with a war economy. Things won't be so easy this time.
This country has enough Wheat in storage to bake everyone a half of a loaf of bread. Don't it make you proud? All those people out there believing all the lies the government and the media tell them are facing starvation. That's all the good, normal citizens. There is this nasty bunch who call themselves survivalists that have food stored to keep themselves from going hungry. And they have the guns and ammo to keep hold of it too! I'm thinking about a song. "One generation got old. One generation got sold. This generation got no destination to hold." All this generation gets is the garbage of the last bunch that had power. Perhaps we should include ream after ream of paper in our preps. We could use it to write the story of what really happened and leave it for our kids and grandkids. Let them know the truth! No government will ever tell it to them! No one will ever write the truth of how the strongest country in the world got brought to it's knees by enemies within it's own borders. But maybe WE can! And we are going to pay a helluva price for the right to write it. Maybe it will get done and maybe it won't. I can't say. But it would be a hell of an accomplishment. What a story! So keep an eye on the market this week. It may have a very interesting tale to tell.
My corn down in the garden is still looking puny and a little pale. I am going to take a whole quart of fish emulsion and mix it with three quarts of water and spray it on the crop. I gotta get the Nitrogen level up there! And I don't want to go to commercial fertilizer. I want to raise some clean food. The beans are doing okay. But they put Nitrogen INTO the soil. Beans need more trace elements than they do Nitrogen.
I'm still thinking about those $1.60 a pound Pinto Beans. People can't afford that kind of stuff, especially for a darned old bag of beans.
*
Back from the garden and the spraying of the corn. England is losing a ton of it's garden crop. Try this at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture . That is the story. Big Ag strikes again!
*
I had some stuff come in from Charli Gribble from down in Alabama. Some timely recipes.
Behold!
In your food preps I keep seeing the basic things like
corn, beans, etc., but remember it takes more than
the basics to make a meal. You need to have the
rest of the stuff to make things like crackers, wheat thins,
marshmallows, and the other things that make life worth
living! More recipes to come..............
SODA CRACKERS
(saltines)
Preheat oven to 375`
Combine in bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
Cut in:
2 TBsp. butter
Stir in:
2/3 cup sour milk
Round dough into ball and knead a few strokes.
Divide dough into several pieces and roll out very
thin on floured board. Lay sheets of dough on
flat baking pans. Sprinkle with salt. Prick or cut
into squares. Bake till browned, 10-12 min.
You can also add garlic salt instead of reg. salt.
To make 'sour milk' : add 1 TBsp. vinegar or lemon juice.
__________________________________________________
WHEAT WAFERS
Preheat oven to: 350`dgr
2 cups sifted whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 TBsp. oil
1/2 cup water
Sift flour and salt again. Blend
with oil and cold water. Pour over flour.
Mix into a soft ball. Knead a few minutes.
Roll out thin. Mark off in 1 inch sq.
Bake till golden brown.
COOKED MAYONNAISE
Combine in saucepan:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
Add:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.Remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.
Add:
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 whole egg
1/3 cup oil
Chill before serving. Boiled dressings can not be frozen, however,they can be preserved. They must be refrigerated unless packed as below.
To preserve:Pack Boiled Dressing in sterilized, air-tight containers,seal and store.
3 MINUTE MAYO
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
speck of cayenne
1 tsp. sugar
1 TBsp. lemon juice
1 TBsp. vinegar
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup veg.oil
Add lemon juice and vinegar to dry ingredients; Mix. Add egg and 1/3 of the oil, beat with rotary beater until mixture begins to thicken.Add another 1/3 cup oil, beat 1 minute.Add rest of the oil and beat 1 Minute more.
MARSHMALLOWS
2 envelops unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
speck of salt
confectioners (powdered) sugar
Soak gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water 6 minutes.
Cook sugar and 3/4 cup water in saucepan until
it threads, pour onto dissolved gelatin, let stand
until partially cooled. Add salt and if desired, a
few drops of oil of peppermint or wintergreen and a little green or red food coloring. Beat until light and thick. Pour into pan thickly dusted with confectioners sugar, put in a cool place to set.Turn out, cut into squares and roll in confectioners sugar.
PICKLED EGGS
2 parts vinegar
1 part water
2 bay leaves
2 minced garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pack hard boiled eggs in sterile jar.Bring vinegar/water mix to boil.Add to eggs, seal.
RICOTTA CHEESE
1-2 gal. milk (preferably goat milk)
Heat to 202....almost boiling
Add about 1/4 cup vinegar or juice of 2 lemons
pour into cheesecloth and drain, about 10 minutes
Add
3 TBsp. butter and
1/2 tsp. baking soda.
Can be frozen.
And on that note we ask you to stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I was going to put up an article about Bush MAYBE trying to finish the work of his Grandfather, the one who wanted to set up a Fascist regime in the early 30's. Prescott Bush, who later became an US Senator, was in a group of men who tried to talk a Marine General named Butler to head up a rebellion and take over the District of Criminals and set up a dictatorship. Butler refused. The plot was broken. The conspirators were not prosecuted in return for their promise to not fight any of FDR's New Deal programs. We eventually went to war against Japan, Italy , and Germany and got out of the depression with a war economy. Things won't be so easy this time.
This country has enough Wheat in storage to bake everyone a half of a loaf of bread. Don't it make you proud? All those people out there believing all the lies the government and the media tell them are facing starvation. That's all the good, normal citizens. There is this nasty bunch who call themselves survivalists that have food stored to keep themselves from going hungry. And they have the guns and ammo to keep hold of it too! I'm thinking about a song. "One generation got old. One generation got sold. This generation got no destination to hold." All this generation gets is the garbage of the last bunch that had power. Perhaps we should include ream after ream of paper in our preps. We could use it to write the story of what really happened and leave it for our kids and grandkids. Let them know the truth! No government will ever tell it to them! No one will ever write the truth of how the strongest country in the world got brought to it's knees by enemies within it's own borders. But maybe WE can! And we are going to pay a helluva price for the right to write it. Maybe it will get done and maybe it won't. I can't say. But it would be a hell of an accomplishment. What a story! So keep an eye on the market this week. It may have a very interesting tale to tell.
My corn down in the garden is still looking puny and a little pale. I am going to take a whole quart of fish emulsion and mix it with three quarts of water and spray it on the crop. I gotta get the Nitrogen level up there! And I don't want to go to commercial fertilizer. I want to raise some clean food. The beans are doing okay. But they put Nitrogen INTO the soil. Beans need more trace elements than they do Nitrogen.
I'm still thinking about those $1.60 a pound Pinto Beans. People can't afford that kind of stuff, especially for a darned old bag of beans.
*
Back from the garden and the spraying of the corn. England is losing a ton of it's garden crop. Try this at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture . That is the story. Big Ag strikes again!
*
I had some stuff come in from Charli Gribble from down in Alabama. Some timely recipes.
Behold!
In your food preps I keep seeing the basic things like
corn, beans, etc., but remember it takes more than
the basics to make a meal. You need to have the
rest of the stuff to make things like crackers, wheat thins,
marshmallows, and the other things that make life worth
living! More recipes to come..............
SODA CRACKERS
(saltines)
Preheat oven to 375`
Combine in bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
Cut in:
2 TBsp. butter
Stir in:
2/3 cup sour milk
Round dough into ball and knead a few strokes.
Divide dough into several pieces and roll out very
thin on floured board. Lay sheets of dough on
flat baking pans. Sprinkle with salt. Prick or cut
into squares. Bake till browned, 10-12 min.
You can also add garlic salt instead of reg. salt.
To make 'sour milk' : add 1 TBsp. vinegar or lemon juice.
__________________________________________________
WHEAT WAFERS
Preheat oven to: 350`dgr
2 cups sifted whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 TBsp. oil
1/2 cup water
Sift flour and salt again. Blend
with oil and cold water. Pour over flour.
Mix into a soft ball. Knead a few minutes.
Roll out thin. Mark off in 1 inch sq.
Bake till golden brown.
COOKED MAYONNAISE
Combine in saucepan:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
Add:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.Remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.
Add:
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 whole egg
1/3 cup oil
Chill before serving. Boiled dressings can not be frozen, however,they can be preserved. They must be refrigerated unless packed as below.
To preserve:Pack Boiled Dressing in sterilized, air-tight containers,seal and store.
3 MINUTE MAYO
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
speck of cayenne
1 tsp. sugar
1 TBsp. lemon juice
1 TBsp. vinegar
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup veg.oil
Add lemon juice and vinegar to dry ingredients; Mix. Add egg and 1/3 of the oil, beat with rotary beater until mixture begins to thicken.Add another 1/3 cup oil, beat 1 minute.Add rest of the oil and beat 1 Minute more.
MARSHMALLOWS
2 envelops unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
speck of salt
confectioners (powdered) sugar
Soak gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water 6 minutes.
Cook sugar and 3/4 cup water in saucepan until
it threads, pour onto dissolved gelatin, let stand
until partially cooled. Add salt and if desired, a
few drops of oil of peppermint or wintergreen and a little green or red food coloring. Beat until light and thick. Pour into pan thickly dusted with confectioners sugar, put in a cool place to set.Turn out, cut into squares and roll in confectioners sugar.
PICKLED EGGS
2 parts vinegar
1 part water
2 bay leaves
2 minced garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pack hard boiled eggs in sterile jar.Bring vinegar/water mix to boil.Add to eggs, seal.
RICOTTA CHEESE
1-2 gal. milk (preferably goat milk)
Heat to 202....almost boiling
Add about 1/4 cup vinegar or juice of 2 lemons
pour into cheesecloth and drain, about 10 minutes
Add
3 TBsp. butter and
1/2 tsp. baking soda.
Can be frozen.
And on that note we ask you to stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Sunday, June 29, 2008
PREPARING THE BATTLEFIELD
[How much you want to bet that oil prices rise this week? How much do you think the insanity we call our government will be affected by our high prices? Not much? Well,they haven't felt much pain so far!]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has launched a "significant escalation" of covert operations in Iran, sending U.S. commandos to spy on the country's nuclear facilities and undermine the Islamic republic's government, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
White House, CIA and State Department officials declined comment on Hersh's report, which appears in this week's issue of The New Yorker.
Hersh told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that Congress has authorized up to $400 million to fund the secret campaign, which involves U.S. special operations troops and Iranian dissidents.
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.
"They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program," Hersh said.
The new article, "Preparing the Battlefield," is the latest in a series of articles accusing the Bush administration of preparing for war with Iran. He based the report on accounts from current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources.
"As usual with his quarterly pieces, we'll decline to comment," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told CNN.
"The CIA, as a rule, does not comment on allegations regarding covert operations," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, denied U.S. raids were being launched from Iraq, where American commanders believe Iran is stoking sectarian warfare and fomenting attacks on U.S. troops.
"I can tell you flatly that U.S. forces are not operating across the Iraqi border into Iran, in the south or anywhere else," Crocker said.
Hersh said U.S. efforts were staged from Afghanistan, which also shares a border with Iran.
He said the program resulted in "a dramatic increase in kinetic events and chaos" inside Iran, including attacks by Kurdish separatists in the country's north and a May attack on a mosque in Shiraz that killed 13 people.
The United States has said it is trying to isolate Iran diplomatically in order to get it to come clean about its nuclear ambitions. But Bush has said "all options" are open in dealing with the issue.
Iran insists its nuclear program is aimed at providing civilian electric power, and refuses to comply with U.N. Security Council demands that it halt uranium enrichment work.
U.N. nuclear inspectors say Tehran held back critical information that could determine whether it is trying to make nuclear weapons.
Israel, which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal, conducted a military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean in early June involving dozens of warplanes and aerial tankers.
The distance involved in the exercise was roughly the same as would be involved in a possible strike on the Iranian nuclear fuel plant at Natanz, Iran, a U.S. military official said.
In 1981, Israeli warplanes destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor.
Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned other countries against moves that would "cost them heavily." In comments that appeared in the semi-official Mehr news agency Sunday, an Iranian general said his troops were digging more than 320,000 graves to bury troops from any invading force with "the respect they deserve."
"Under the law of war and armed conflict, necessary preparations must be made for the burial of soldiers of aggressor nations," said Maj. Gen. Mirfaisal Baqerzadeh, an Iranian officer in charge of identifying soldiers missing in action.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has launched a "significant escalation" of covert operations in Iran, sending U.S. commandos to spy on the country's nuclear facilities and undermine the Islamic republic's government, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
White House, CIA and State Department officials declined comment on Hersh's report, which appears in this week's issue of The New Yorker.
Hersh told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that Congress has authorized up to $400 million to fund the secret campaign, which involves U.S. special operations troops and Iranian dissidents.
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.
"They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program," Hersh said.
The new article, "Preparing the Battlefield," is the latest in a series of articles accusing the Bush administration of preparing for war with Iran. He based the report on accounts from current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources.
"As usual with his quarterly pieces, we'll decline to comment," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told CNN.
"The CIA, as a rule, does not comment on allegations regarding covert operations," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, denied U.S. raids were being launched from Iraq, where American commanders believe Iran is stoking sectarian warfare and fomenting attacks on U.S. troops.
"I can tell you flatly that U.S. forces are not operating across the Iraqi border into Iran, in the south or anywhere else," Crocker said.
Hersh said U.S. efforts were staged from Afghanistan, which also shares a border with Iran.
He said the program resulted in "a dramatic increase in kinetic events and chaos" inside Iran, including attacks by Kurdish separatists in the country's north and a May attack on a mosque in Shiraz that killed 13 people.
The United States has said it is trying to isolate Iran diplomatically in order to get it to come clean about its nuclear ambitions. But Bush has said "all options" are open in dealing with the issue.
Iran insists its nuclear program is aimed at providing civilian electric power, and refuses to comply with U.N. Security Council demands that it halt uranium enrichment work.
U.N. nuclear inspectors say Tehran held back critical information that could determine whether it is trying to make nuclear weapons.
Israel, which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal, conducted a military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean in early June involving dozens of warplanes and aerial tankers.
The distance involved in the exercise was roughly the same as would be involved in a possible strike on the Iranian nuclear fuel plant at Natanz, Iran, a U.S. military official said.
In 1981, Israeli warplanes destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor.
Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned other countries against moves that would "cost them heavily." In comments that appeared in the semi-official Mehr news agency Sunday, an Iranian general said his troops were digging more than 320,000 graves to bury troops from any invading force with "the respect they deserve."
"Under the law of war and armed conflict, necessary preparations must be made for the burial of soldiers of aggressor nations," said Maj. Gen. Mirfaisal Baqerzadeh, an Iranian officer in charge of identifying soldiers missing in action.
THINKING ABOUT THINGS
I have been wondering about preps and such. You go reading the women preppers and they have a bunch of things they want for the food supply that they say is needed and I never thought of. But that is why God gave them the ability to run a keyboard and communicate with the rest of us, we need to be told of these things. I have been reading about canned butter. Yep. You can stock up on your butter that same as you do tomatoes. And butter is a nice thing to have, especially when the stores are closed or out of everything. We get ours from the Amish but they could run out. It would be good to can a few pints or quarts of butter while it is still feasible. Lasts two years with no refrigeration.
The wife is getting plastic 5 gallon buckets from the Amish with lids for them. Cheap price and we can store lesser amounts of the grains we want than 35 gallon cans. I go for the 35 gallon cans. Once they are full you have the job DONE and I like to have the job finished and over with so I can go on to something else. I think she is looking at corn storage and flour storage right at the moment. Beans will got into large plastic bags, resealable, 3 for a $1, and get put into a larger 35 gallon can. And Pinto beans at our local cut-rate grocery were $1.60 a pound Friday. That is amazing. I will grow beans as best I can. Believe it. But I look for necessary food items to go sky high pretty soon. As if $1.60 a pound AIN'T sky high? But maybe I haven't imagined the soaring costs of the future.
I am thinking about spices. You know what I mean. Those little cans and shaker jars that come home in the grocery bags all the time. If you are in there nosing around looking for goodies you habitually push them aside so you can go on for better things. But did you ever have Chili with no spices in it? Hamburger and bean soup, anyone? Ain't nothin' like a good bowl of Chili! And my wife can make a damn fine pot of Chili. Gonna have to look into growing spices of all sorts. You can get into appetite fatigue if your food ain't varied enough. Kids especially. You gotta try and keep them interested in eating so they will keep strong and healthy. And I want MY kids and grand kids to be strong and healthy. Makes me think that while we ponder the necessaries of protein and vitamins, we better have some fun in there for the kids. I would especially stress having goodies and great tasting menus the first three days of a hard time. Someone, I can't remember who, said that the first three days of an emergency were the most stressful and food was the best way to combat the stress. So ladies, when the SHTF, get the food to the table and try to make it taste good. If rationing is going to be a reality then wait until day 4. Hopefully, most folks of your association will have more than 4 days of food on hand. If they don't, you have a problem.
If you like salad dressing on your salad, and I do, then you had better store up some cooking oils for your wife to make the dressing with. The Handmaiden tells me that buying the ingredients is cheap compared to buying the finished product. And along with canned butter you can put up soft cheese also, if you like a cheese based salad dressing. There are canning methods for soft cheese on the Internet. But hard cheese will keep for a long time if it ain't exposed to air much.
There area so many things to amass preps for. I was reading Mayberrry this morning and I got reminded that I need some different kinds of rope on hand. SURVIVAL TOPICS says I ought to get Paracord along with my other stuff. SURVIVAL TOPICS is an excellent data base for essentials and you can learn how to get them on your on, too. I have waterproof matches right in front of me that the Handmaiden made from the recipe on SURVIVAL TOPICS. And they work every time! She has since made up some more of the little gems but I cannot tell you how many there are. I do know that I bought 10 boxes of strike anywhere matches for safe keeping. SURVIVAL TOPICS also has Fire Steels from Sweden and they are supposed to be the best in the world. I gotta get a couple of those little jewels too! Plus there is a recipe for a firehole set up that will really help cook a meal or dry some meat or whatever. Like I said: It is a storehouse of essentials. http://www.survivaltopics.com/ will take you to the site.
We are happy to announce that we got mentioned on Survival Blog by Mr. Jim Rawles this morning. I read him every day and he has inspired me to go on a lot of times. You will find his URL on the opening page of my blog. I call him the Godfather of Survival Blogs. He has a lot of great info up and can help you in many ways.
Have a good Sunday night and may God bless you and help you stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
The wife is getting plastic 5 gallon buckets from the Amish with lids for them. Cheap price and we can store lesser amounts of the grains we want than 35 gallon cans. I go for the 35 gallon cans. Once they are full you have the job DONE and I like to have the job finished and over with so I can go on to something else. I think she is looking at corn storage and flour storage right at the moment. Beans will got into large plastic bags, resealable, 3 for a $1, and get put into a larger 35 gallon can. And Pinto beans at our local cut-rate grocery were $1.60 a pound Friday. That is amazing. I will grow beans as best I can. Believe it. But I look for necessary food items to go sky high pretty soon. As if $1.60 a pound AIN'T sky high? But maybe I haven't imagined the soaring costs of the future.
I am thinking about spices. You know what I mean. Those little cans and shaker jars that come home in the grocery bags all the time. If you are in there nosing around looking for goodies you habitually push them aside so you can go on for better things. But did you ever have Chili with no spices in it? Hamburger and bean soup, anyone? Ain't nothin' like a good bowl of Chili! And my wife can make a damn fine pot of Chili. Gonna have to look into growing spices of all sorts. You can get into appetite fatigue if your food ain't varied enough. Kids especially. You gotta try and keep them interested in eating so they will keep strong and healthy. And I want MY kids and grand kids to be strong and healthy. Makes me think that while we ponder the necessaries of protein and vitamins, we better have some fun in there for the kids. I would especially stress having goodies and great tasting menus the first three days of a hard time. Someone, I can't remember who, said that the first three days of an emergency were the most stressful and food was the best way to combat the stress. So ladies, when the SHTF, get the food to the table and try to make it taste good. If rationing is going to be a reality then wait until day 4. Hopefully, most folks of your association will have more than 4 days of food on hand. If they don't, you have a problem.
If you like salad dressing on your salad, and I do, then you had better store up some cooking oils for your wife to make the dressing with. The Handmaiden tells me that buying the ingredients is cheap compared to buying the finished product. And along with canned butter you can put up soft cheese also, if you like a cheese based salad dressing. There are canning methods for soft cheese on the Internet. But hard cheese will keep for a long time if it ain't exposed to air much.
There area so many things to amass preps for. I was reading Mayberrry this morning and I got reminded that I need some different kinds of rope on hand. SURVIVAL TOPICS says I ought to get Paracord along with my other stuff. SURVIVAL TOPICS is an excellent data base for essentials and you can learn how to get them on your on, too. I have waterproof matches right in front of me that the Handmaiden made from the recipe on SURVIVAL TOPICS. And they work every time! She has since made up some more of the little gems but I cannot tell you how many there are. I do know that I bought 10 boxes of strike anywhere matches for safe keeping. SURVIVAL TOPICS also has Fire Steels from Sweden and they are supposed to be the best in the world. I gotta get a couple of those little jewels too! Plus there is a recipe for a firehole set up that will really help cook a meal or dry some meat or whatever. Like I said: It is a storehouse of essentials. http://www.survivaltopics.com/ will take you to the site.
We are happy to announce that we got mentioned on Survival Blog by Mr. Jim Rawles this morning. I read him every day and he has inspired me to go on a lot of times. You will find his URL on the opening page of my blog. I call him the Godfather of Survival Blogs. He has a lot of great info up and can help you in many ways.
Have a good Sunday night and may God bless you and help you stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
BEAUTIFUL, COOL, SUNDAY MORNING
It was supposed to get to 72 degrees here in God's country this lovely day but they have settled for 78. I hope this pleases the global warming prophets to no end. It's damn near July and we are getting days in the 70's? It is supposed to be 74 tomorrow. I guess we will have to take salt pills to keep from sweating all the salt from our bodies. On a more important note our posting of Mike Kemp's analysis of the Heller gun decision garnered a mention on http://www.survivalblog.com/. That is a big vote of appreciation for Mr. Kemp. He is a tireless proponent of the right to keep and bear arms. He is turning into a tireless garden grower down there in Mississippi. He has good instincts and he uses them.
The funniest post of the morning is awarded to Dragon at http://circleoftheoroborous-dragon.blogspot.com/. His lead-in to his post is hilarious. A good way to start the day.
Live from his home on Mt. Doom. Heeeeere's Dragon! Thankyew, Thankyew very much. Cracked me up.
All of the Doomers are having a good time today. Jim Dakin over at http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/ has a double blog today, thanks to the good offices of the Wolverine. And really, all the Brethren that posted today have good things to offer. I long ago book marked about 30 survival blogs and click on them every morning. If you can't find them with a search, just use the blog sites most guys have at the side of their blogs. If you like them, then bookmark them.
I am still prepping and enjoying it more and more. I can see a measure of success as the Handmaiden and I watch our food supply grow to something capable of taking care of us for a while. Nothing like being able to eat regular. Who knows? Maybe several people will be able to eat from our savings! Hope so.
The blogs are full of details on fuel prices, food prices, and the loss of credit. It seems that credit card companies are lowering credit limits with no warning. You most likely learn of it when your card is refused by a vendor. And some of these people have always paid and never missed and blah, blah, blah. It is supposed to be being done for the protection of the card issuing company. I say it is because there ain't all that much money at there any more. All that good cash from overseas investors funneling money into our mortgage system has dried up and gone elsewhere. I think that is what they call a bubble being burst. And our good fedgov is out there competing for those foreign dollars to use to finance our wars. So, money has gotten a little tight. What the banks have not pissed away the fedgov is borrowing. Now do you wonder why the Crown Prince of Abu Dubai is doing staying at Camp David? Being entertained by the President, of course. Ol' Dubya is putting the ol' arm on the oil barons for a little money! Dubya wants to borrow some cash! And if the American consumer suffers because of it, well, tough shit. Dubya's war comes first, don't ya' know.
My wife says our corn needs Nitrogen. We can go buy tomato food which has 90% Nitrogen or we can save our urine and pour that on the dirt around the corn plants. Gotta think about this. I do not want organic food to become a suicide pact. I want the crop. Gotta put on the thinking cap here and talk with some knowledgeable people. That crop and the resulting seed will be nice for the Winter food stash and next years planting. Might be pretty important, really. Has anyone got any experience with putting urine on their corn crop? Let me know!
Stay Alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
The funniest post of the morning is awarded to Dragon at http://circleoftheoroborous-dragon.blogspot.com/. His lead-in to his post is hilarious. A good way to start the day.
Live from his home on Mt. Doom. Heeeeere's Dragon! Thankyew, Thankyew very much. Cracked me up.
All of the Doomers are having a good time today. Jim Dakin over at http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/ has a double blog today, thanks to the good offices of the Wolverine. And really, all the Brethren that posted today have good things to offer. I long ago book marked about 30 survival blogs and click on them every morning. If you can't find them with a search, just use the blog sites most guys have at the side of their blogs. If you like them, then bookmark them.
I am still prepping and enjoying it more and more. I can see a measure of success as the Handmaiden and I watch our food supply grow to something capable of taking care of us for a while. Nothing like being able to eat regular. Who knows? Maybe several people will be able to eat from our savings! Hope so.
The blogs are full of details on fuel prices, food prices, and the loss of credit. It seems that credit card companies are lowering credit limits with no warning. You most likely learn of it when your card is refused by a vendor. And some of these people have always paid and never missed and blah, blah, blah. It is supposed to be being done for the protection of the card issuing company. I say it is because there ain't all that much money at there any more. All that good cash from overseas investors funneling money into our mortgage system has dried up and gone elsewhere. I think that is what they call a bubble being burst. And our good fedgov is out there competing for those foreign dollars to use to finance our wars. So, money has gotten a little tight. What the banks have not pissed away the fedgov is borrowing. Now do you wonder why the Crown Prince of Abu Dubai is doing staying at Camp David? Being entertained by the President, of course. Ol' Dubya is putting the ol' arm on the oil barons for a little money! Dubya wants to borrow some cash! And if the American consumer suffers because of it, well, tough shit. Dubya's war comes first, don't ya' know.
My wife says our corn needs Nitrogen. We can go buy tomato food which has 90% Nitrogen or we can save our urine and pour that on the dirt around the corn plants. Gotta think about this. I do not want organic food to become a suicide pact. I want the crop. Gotta put on the thinking cap here and talk with some knowledgeable people. That crop and the resulting seed will be nice for the Winter food stash and next years planting. Might be pretty important, really. Has anyone got any experience with putting urine on their corn crop? Let me know!
Stay Alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Saturday, June 28, 2008
THE HEEBIE JEEBIES
Things are getting down to the brass tacks and we are all getting a dose of "what if". Well, I can answer that. It ain't "what if" any more, it's "when." And that is a big statement to make and I know it. But in reading the Natural Bible, which is just the things that are going on, it certainly looks like the Galactic Hand is reaching for the Cosmic Handle on the Commode of Infinity and the present distress is about to get flushed away. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.
I am not alarmed about food and water and guns and ammo. I believe I have enough of that stuff to make it with the Handmaiden. My worst fear right now is a proclamation of martial law. And don't kid your self. It is already written up and sitting on the shelf. The treacherous news media is ready, able, and willing to broadcast it across the country and across the globe. Just think! America the Beautiful is about to become America the Gulag. Sick thing! So we must be ready to avoid the traps and pit falls of this ugly set of circumstances. We must be ready to hang on to what we have, and that at all costs.
Have you ever gone to your retreat and looked around as if you were planning to defend it? Have you ever figured out where a potential enemy will be coming and where you might stop him? Is there potential for blocking roads? Can you protect your water source? Is there a safe piece of dirt where you can stash the wife and kids? Do you have an escape route figured out? All very serious propositions and life insuring. I have brought it up to my brothers to look at the road into our valley and make their own estimate of where we might defend our home to the best advantage. Don't know if any have done it but I damn sure have! I am a man who takes responsibility for my wife and friends seriously. I try in my own weak human nature to think ahead and plan accordingly. I hope God is with me in this. I am not the most agile, fast guy on the block anymore. So I have to know where I am going and how to get there the quickest and easiest way. And I do. I know what I want to do and how to get there. Of course the military boys will tell you that when the SHTF all plans go out the door and you start from square one. If that is the case you better get your plan in early or be left out of the melee. And you don't want to be left out of the action. You have paid a helluva price to go to this party and I would not let anything keep me from going in the door.
You must have read Wolverines rant of a few weeks ago about how he is clearing his fields of fire. This is for you to pick up on how to defend your retreat! You stand on that ground and you figure out how they are going to come at you and you make sure you have an easy shot to announce that you will not go quietly into that dark night. You prep your defensive area the same as you prep your food and medicine! Get out there and camp on it. Walk around on it. Hunt on it. And THINK about it. Life does not cease to have problems once you attain your retreat. Yeah, it gives you more safety and security, but it does not make the worlds problems go away. Getting to the retreat is the first thing you have to do. You get the wife and kids out of town and out in the country. But your mission is only starting at that point. Once there you must be ready to defend. And don't be like me and wish you had a couple tons of high explosives to sorta help things along. It would be nice but it is not all that attainable. And a lot of it is downright illegal. You have to deal with this subject on a very discreet level. In other words, "Keep your big mouth shut!"
We probably still have some time left to get things one on the retreat land. You could get a cistern dug or an outhouse hole. You could get a deep spot dug in a creek for emergency water in case of a drought. But you have to walk the land and THINK. He who thinks now won't have to do as much later.
Stay Alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I am not alarmed about food and water and guns and ammo. I believe I have enough of that stuff to make it with the Handmaiden. My worst fear right now is a proclamation of martial law. And don't kid your self. It is already written up and sitting on the shelf. The treacherous news media is ready, able, and willing to broadcast it across the country and across the globe. Just think! America the Beautiful is about to become America the Gulag. Sick thing! So we must be ready to avoid the traps and pit falls of this ugly set of circumstances. We must be ready to hang on to what we have, and that at all costs.
Have you ever gone to your retreat and looked around as if you were planning to defend it? Have you ever figured out where a potential enemy will be coming and where you might stop him? Is there potential for blocking roads? Can you protect your water source? Is there a safe piece of dirt where you can stash the wife and kids? Do you have an escape route figured out? All very serious propositions and life insuring. I have brought it up to my brothers to look at the road into our valley and make their own estimate of where we might defend our home to the best advantage. Don't know if any have done it but I damn sure have! I am a man who takes responsibility for my wife and friends seriously. I try in my own weak human nature to think ahead and plan accordingly. I hope God is with me in this. I am not the most agile, fast guy on the block anymore. So I have to know where I am going and how to get there the quickest and easiest way. And I do. I know what I want to do and how to get there. Of course the military boys will tell you that when the SHTF all plans go out the door and you start from square one. If that is the case you better get your plan in early or be left out of the melee. And you don't want to be left out of the action. You have paid a helluva price to go to this party and I would not let anything keep me from going in the door.
You must have read Wolverines rant of a few weeks ago about how he is clearing his fields of fire. This is for you to pick up on how to defend your retreat! You stand on that ground and you figure out how they are going to come at you and you make sure you have an easy shot to announce that you will not go quietly into that dark night. You prep your defensive area the same as you prep your food and medicine! Get out there and camp on it. Walk around on it. Hunt on it. And THINK about it. Life does not cease to have problems once you attain your retreat. Yeah, it gives you more safety and security, but it does not make the worlds problems go away. Getting to the retreat is the first thing you have to do. You get the wife and kids out of town and out in the country. But your mission is only starting at that point. Once there you must be ready to defend. And don't be like me and wish you had a couple tons of high explosives to sorta help things along. It would be nice but it is not all that attainable. And a lot of it is downright illegal. You have to deal with this subject on a very discreet level. In other words, "Keep your big mouth shut!"
We probably still have some time left to get things one on the retreat land. You could get a cistern dug or an outhouse hole. You could get a deep spot dug in a creek for emergency water in case of a drought. But you have to walk the land and THINK. He who thinks now won't have to do as much later.
Stay Alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Friday, June 27, 2008
THE NORTH POLE?
I got this bit of news that the North Pole is not going to have any ice or snow this Summer. I had a tendency to disbelieve this because I knew of no blogger who was checking this story out. Then I ran across http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html over on whatreallyhappened and I got my very own look at the North Pole. And it IS cold up there. Global warming is an Al Gore hustle. It will make the Gore family fortune very attractive but it won't do much for the rest of us. Al Gore used to campaign at the family farm with his bib overalls on and his pig boots. But not any more! Big Al jets around in a private plane and goes where he pleases and to hell with the warming of the globe. The media says his electric bill has gone up this last year but I haven't seen any pictures of past bills so I can't vouch for that. But I have seen the little con artist taking off and landing in his jet plane. Al always did want to be one of the beautiful people. Genetics prevented that, of course.
I have a half gallon of Fish Emulsion on hand, as soon as the Handmaiden gets home from town. She has a quart in her car and a quart to buy and that ought to do it for the Summer. I am very happy with my homemade cormeal mush the Handmaidn creates here in her kitchen. I really do enjoy it. And I ground that meal myself. Makes the food twice as good. Vlad sent me a post that said that I can grind up hard beans and add them to the mush for my protein fix. There is a creation awaiting me that some call Hamburger Rocks and I can add them to the corn and bean mush for a huge protein boost. Gott get with it on the Hamburger Rocks. There is so much to do and so much money to spend and I am just one poor person and must do what I can with very little. But any victory is sweet and I take 'em gladly! I might run out of butter if the SHTF but I can make it for a year, I reckon. The Handmaiden has seeds for sprouting in the Winter and the rest of the year we have foraging to help us. Wonderfull!
The stock market has been going down this day. I'll check it just to be sure. Yep. The marlet is behaving as it should be. The DJIA is down 140 points. Gold is up to $929+. Silver is up to $17.62 and rising. Crude oil is at $141.54 a barrel and apparently rising. Some sonovbitch is forecasting $170 a barrel crude by the end of this Summer. Don't know that it will affect me much at all. The Handmaiden will not be going down to the Amish nearly as much and buying milk to do her lacto-fermentation trip. This does not affect my self and thus I would not mourn, but she might. She likes that stuff. The texture is enough to gag a maggot but my opinion doesn't matter in this instance. Sally Fallon and some others have conspired against me and I must retire from the field, yielding to their arguments. But if it keeps her healthy, then lets have it!
The sharecropper is getting ready to plant beans in the bottom land across the road from us. Too late to plant corn. Just too damn wet to do anything until now. I sorta wish them good fortune, though I don't like their farming practices. But they pay a good price to farm the land and we need the money to pay the land taxes, so the bottom line rules. Oops. I just looked out the window and there are raindrops falling from the sky. The computer God has been saying it was going to rain and I guess he got one right for a change. The planting is not going to proceed this afternoon, I think. That field will turn into a quagmire very shortly. Looks like a July planting now! Too much rain. Just checking the corn and soybean futures October market shows corn going for $7.86 a bushel and soybeans going for $15.61. Nice price for soybeans but you don't et as much yield as you do with corn. It's a crap shoot. But with a July planting, the choice of crop is pre-determined. It's gonna be beans. A further check of the market shows the DJIA and the rest of it to be in decline. It's gonna hurt but it is nothing to shock or amaze anyone. We have been telling folks about this for months, some of us for YEARS, and there is no excuse for not being ready. But you still have some time. Get to buying your food and ammo! Get some non-hybrid seed! Get right with God! Do SOMETHING constructive!
A NOTE: The Handmaiden today went to a cut rate supermarket and Black Bean prices had risen to $1.40 a pound and Pinto Beans were $1.60 a pound. That price for Pinto Beans is unheard of in these parts. Horrible!
And most important, stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I have a half gallon of Fish Emulsion on hand, as soon as the Handmaiden gets home from town. She has a quart in her car and a quart to buy and that ought to do it for the Summer. I am very happy with my homemade cormeal mush the Handmaidn creates here in her kitchen. I really do enjoy it. And I ground that meal myself. Makes the food twice as good. Vlad sent me a post that said that I can grind up hard beans and add them to the mush for my protein fix. There is a creation awaiting me that some call Hamburger Rocks and I can add them to the corn and bean mush for a huge protein boost. Gott get with it on the Hamburger Rocks. There is so much to do and so much money to spend and I am just one poor person and must do what I can with very little. But any victory is sweet and I take 'em gladly! I might run out of butter if the SHTF but I can make it for a year, I reckon. The Handmaiden has seeds for sprouting in the Winter and the rest of the year we have foraging to help us. Wonderfull!
The stock market has been going down this day. I'll check it just to be sure. Yep. The marlet is behaving as it should be. The DJIA is down 140 points. Gold is up to $929+. Silver is up to $17.62 and rising. Crude oil is at $141.54 a barrel and apparently rising. Some sonovbitch is forecasting $170 a barrel crude by the end of this Summer. Don't know that it will affect me much at all. The Handmaiden will not be going down to the Amish nearly as much and buying milk to do her lacto-fermentation trip. This does not affect my self and thus I would not mourn, but she might. She likes that stuff. The texture is enough to gag a maggot but my opinion doesn't matter in this instance. Sally Fallon and some others have conspired against me and I must retire from the field, yielding to their arguments. But if it keeps her healthy, then lets have it!
The sharecropper is getting ready to plant beans in the bottom land across the road from us. Too late to plant corn. Just too damn wet to do anything until now. I sorta wish them good fortune, though I don't like their farming practices. But they pay a good price to farm the land and we need the money to pay the land taxes, so the bottom line rules. Oops. I just looked out the window and there are raindrops falling from the sky. The computer God has been saying it was going to rain and I guess he got one right for a change. The planting is not going to proceed this afternoon, I think. That field will turn into a quagmire very shortly. Looks like a July planting now! Too much rain. Just checking the corn and soybean futures October market shows corn going for $7.86 a bushel and soybeans going for $15.61. Nice price for soybeans but you don't et as much yield as you do with corn. It's a crap shoot. But with a July planting, the choice of crop is pre-determined. It's gonna be beans. A further check of the market shows the DJIA and the rest of it to be in decline. It's gonna hurt but it is nothing to shock or amaze anyone. We have been telling folks about this for months, some of us for YEARS, and there is no excuse for not being ready. But you still have some time. Get to buying your food and ammo! Get some non-hybrid seed! Get right with God! Do SOMETHING constructive!
A NOTE: The Handmaiden today went to a cut rate supermarket and Black Bean prices had risen to $1.40 a pound and Pinto Beans were $1.60 a pound. That price for Pinto Beans is unheard of in these parts. Horrible!
And most important, stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Thursday, June 26, 2008
WHICH WAY IS UP?
I have been reading Bison Survival Blog, the Bear Ridge Project, and Mayberry. And who can do that and tell which way is up? This country is in the sickest mess imaginable. If the banks start folding, it is all over for the economy. And the banks are gonna fold, if you listen to Dakin. And I feel like he is on to something. The domino's are lining up and I think they may fall this time. In the past it has always been war that got the populace stirred. War doesn't seem to matter that much, as long as financing can be found.
Sitting out on the porch in the dark I remembered my grandfather saying that the Depression of 1929 and onward was caused by the rich man taking his money and going home. This one will be caused by the rich man buying everything and consolidating his wealth to unbelievable extremes. A few will own it all. They will own the banks and the big buildings and the insurance companies and the utilities and whatever the hell they want. They have the money and they will be protected by the powers that be. We will be put in the position of the groveling peon, begging the master for a crust of bread and a chance to feed our family. Are you ready for this America? Can you handle this kind of pressure? Will you fight or will you collapse and go to the camps like good little peons?
There are those that say to bug out now, while there is still time and the roads are open. And I am not saying they are wrong. I do not know. God has not told me, nor anyone of my knowledge. And that is what we lack. We lack a word of knowledge from God. We can either get warned or we can watch and wait and try to see where the shots ring out first. I live at my retreat and I am damned glad of it. I have friends who will pick up fast once the ball starts rolling. I keep remembering the people of Jerusalem being told to pray that the horrific trouble headed their way did not come in Winter. Winter makes everything twice as hard. Cold takes it out of you. Cold is something you don't want the kids to experience. And cold is only four months from now. July, August September, October and then good old November comes upon us, capable of busting our butts with cold and snow. And then you have to have heat. Not being able to keep warm is a really big drag on the human psyche.
Big Bear was writing yesterday about the police and the utility companies working together and evicting people for having their electricity disconnected. Some folks with nice houses are having to make decisions like paying their electricity or buying food. They disconnect the electricity and buy food. No big deal. They can cook in their back yard, the weather is fine, and food will keep you going better than trying to eat electricity. Maybe the "keeping up with the Joneses" is leaving us. Maybe keeping each other fed is starting to have a greater priority. But whatever the reason, the decision to cut off the electricity is being made. And the utility companies are fighting back. There are ordinances about keeping power to your house. If your house does not have electricity then it is not a safe and hospitable environment. And the utility company gets it condemned as unfit. And they call the police who come with a sign to hang on your door. And the sign says the house is not fit for habitation. And you are barred from living there. And if you do live there then you will be arrested and be hauled into court. You then have a choice of either getting your electricity turned back on or having your ass put on the street. How's that for a modern debtors prison? No survival moves for you, Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia! That electricity has got to be turned on! No feeding the kids before feeding the electric kitty. Somehow or another, things have been turned around here in this once fair land of ours. And don't even ask me where the electric company got the standing to have you evicted by law. Someone has lost their marbles and allowed a company to assume jurisdiction in civil process. This is one of the most disgusting practices I have ever heard of. The police should be met by a well armed mob of neighbors and told to get the fuck out of the area. There is no trouble and they are not needed. But that is not going to happen, yet. But it will. Never doubt it. When it gets down to the brass tacks of survival the area will be cleared of police. There won't be any money to pay the fellas anyway. Tax collection will just be pardoned and forgotten about. There won't be any money and there won't be any value to it if there was. Firemen will be the same way, and that will be a drag because firemen do some really good things. Medical services will be all but forgotten. Who will pay for it? No one will have the money. I am cross posting an article from Survival Acres.
*
Electricity and natural gas shutoffs are up at least 15% in several states compared with last year. Totals for some utilities have more than doubled.
“We’re seeing a record number of shutoffs,” says Mark Wolfe, head of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, which represents programs that subsidize energy bills.
An NEADA survey this month shows 8% of four-member households earning $33,500 to $55,500 have had their power turned off for non-payment. “It’s hitting people in the suburbs with two cars and two kids,” Wolfe says.
*
So there are your numbers. The utility companies are at war with their customers. Not an old practice here in America. At least not in these percentages.
And there are other points of contention within our system. Many of them as a matter of fact. And the list will grow as time passes. Our form of government has been altered beyond belief. It is nothing like it was. How did it happen? Well, I reckon the populace thought it could never happen here. But it has happened and it is here. Deal with it.
The reviews of the gun decision of yesterday are pretty much in and most find it unacceptable. The NRA is crying up a victory and most thinker on the blogs are saying it is a piece of shit. I will have to go along with the blogs. The Supremes did nothing for us. We already knew it was a right and not a privilege. So what else is new? I can only tell you to prepare like mad. And if you are not at your retreat site I admonish you to be ready to skedaddle at the drop of a hat. It is about to get rough, I am afraid. Get your beans and band aids and bullets where they need to be. And as I always say, have some non-hybrid seed for growing food there also. And thus you might stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Sitting out on the porch in the dark I remembered my grandfather saying that the Depression of 1929 and onward was caused by the rich man taking his money and going home. This one will be caused by the rich man buying everything and consolidating his wealth to unbelievable extremes. A few will own it all. They will own the banks and the big buildings and the insurance companies and the utilities and whatever the hell they want. They have the money and they will be protected by the powers that be. We will be put in the position of the groveling peon, begging the master for a crust of bread and a chance to feed our family. Are you ready for this America? Can you handle this kind of pressure? Will you fight or will you collapse and go to the camps like good little peons?
There are those that say to bug out now, while there is still time and the roads are open. And I am not saying they are wrong. I do not know. God has not told me, nor anyone of my knowledge. And that is what we lack. We lack a word of knowledge from God. We can either get warned or we can watch and wait and try to see where the shots ring out first. I live at my retreat and I am damned glad of it. I have friends who will pick up fast once the ball starts rolling. I keep remembering the people of Jerusalem being told to pray that the horrific trouble headed their way did not come in Winter. Winter makes everything twice as hard. Cold takes it out of you. Cold is something you don't want the kids to experience. And cold is only four months from now. July, August September, October and then good old November comes upon us, capable of busting our butts with cold and snow. And then you have to have heat. Not being able to keep warm is a really big drag on the human psyche.
Big Bear was writing yesterday about the police and the utility companies working together and evicting people for having their electricity disconnected. Some folks with nice houses are having to make decisions like paying their electricity or buying food. They disconnect the electricity and buy food. No big deal. They can cook in their back yard, the weather is fine, and food will keep you going better than trying to eat electricity. Maybe the "keeping up with the Joneses" is leaving us. Maybe keeping each other fed is starting to have a greater priority. But whatever the reason, the decision to cut off the electricity is being made. And the utility companies are fighting back. There are ordinances about keeping power to your house. If your house does not have electricity then it is not a safe and hospitable environment. And the utility company gets it condemned as unfit. And they call the police who come with a sign to hang on your door. And the sign says the house is not fit for habitation. And you are barred from living there. And if you do live there then you will be arrested and be hauled into court. You then have a choice of either getting your electricity turned back on or having your ass put on the street. How's that for a modern debtors prison? No survival moves for you, Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia! That electricity has got to be turned on! No feeding the kids before feeding the electric kitty. Somehow or another, things have been turned around here in this once fair land of ours. And don't even ask me where the electric company got the standing to have you evicted by law. Someone has lost their marbles and allowed a company to assume jurisdiction in civil process. This is one of the most disgusting practices I have ever heard of. The police should be met by a well armed mob of neighbors and told to get the fuck out of the area. There is no trouble and they are not needed. But that is not going to happen, yet. But it will. Never doubt it. When it gets down to the brass tacks of survival the area will be cleared of police. There won't be any money to pay the fellas anyway. Tax collection will just be pardoned and forgotten about. There won't be any money and there won't be any value to it if there was. Firemen will be the same way, and that will be a drag because firemen do some really good things. Medical services will be all but forgotten. Who will pay for it? No one will have the money. I am cross posting an article from Survival Acres.
*
Electricity and natural gas shutoffs are up at least 15% in several states compared with last year. Totals for some utilities have more than doubled.
“We’re seeing a record number of shutoffs,” says Mark Wolfe, head of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, which represents programs that subsidize energy bills.
An NEADA survey this month shows 8% of four-member households earning $33,500 to $55,500 have had their power turned off for non-payment. “It’s hitting people in the suburbs with two cars and two kids,” Wolfe says.
*
So there are your numbers. The utility companies are at war with their customers. Not an old practice here in America. At least not in these percentages.
And there are other points of contention within our system. Many of them as a matter of fact. And the list will grow as time passes. Our form of government has been altered beyond belief. It is nothing like it was. How did it happen? Well, I reckon the populace thought it could never happen here. But it has happened and it is here. Deal with it.
The reviews of the gun decision of yesterday are pretty much in and most find it unacceptable. The NRA is crying up a victory and most thinker on the blogs are saying it is a piece of shit. I will have to go along with the blogs. The Supremes did nothing for us. We already knew it was a right and not a privilege. So what else is new? I can only tell you to prepare like mad. And if you are not at your retreat site I admonish you to be ready to skedaddle at the drop of a hat. It is about to get rough, I am afraid. Get your beans and band aids and bullets where they need to be. And as I always say, have some non-hybrid seed for growing food there also. And thus you might stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
GOING TO THE GARDEN
Getting ready to go to the garden. I actually think the Handmaiden and I have enough food for ourselves this next 9 months but you can't never tell about other folks. A person may have to feed others in the coming times ahead. And that is fine, as long as the food holds out. But while they are getting fed they have to work. "He that won't work, neither shall he eat." That is from the New Testament. In the new day tongue it would be "If the hand is not lifted the mouth is not fed." So maybe we work for others for a while. I can think of worse fates. But the course of events will sort everything out pretty quick. Let things get bad enough and you will have help and help a plenty. And then it will be "Many hands make light work." Another scripture, I think. I have never said this before but the Communist Manifesto was written from the new testiment scriptures, except God was left OUT of the communist writings. They just had to re-word some things to make it all go down aethistic. What a bunch of lame brains.
But group survival will become apparent to most folks as time passes. The loner will fall by the wayside. He builds no village. He contributes not to any furtherance of civilization. He instills no moral values in childen or anyone else. If he got a nugget from beyond the regular understanding of mankind it would be lost, trampled in the dirt of self destruction. No dog can avoid the collective hunt. It takes a nest of some sort to raise the young. It takes an orderized society. We cannot all leave what we are doing and go loot and pillage up and down the coast, for we would lose our children, and our wives. A compromise was seen thousands of years ago in this area. If you want continuity, if you want your children to make it, then you have to have a nest. And having a nest requires a group effort to handle all areas. All men of understanding have come to grips with this issue. It is pretty much settled. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." It is pretty well marked on the map that you have to look out for your friends. You have no friends? Then you had better get some.
And now I have to stop and go to the garden. The bean plants are calling and the corn needs another shot of fish emulsison. No rest for the wicked. Besides, the Handmaiden is already down there. Can't let HER have all the glory! HAH!
*
Done with gardening for the day. Here is Mike Kemp's anaysis of latest Supreme COurt ruling on firearms. It is not for the faint hearted.
> http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf
> Held:
> 1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a
> firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for
> traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
> Pp. 253.
My, my. I have most carefully read the 2nd and nowhere in it do I find
the word 'firearm' or 'gun'. What I find is the word 'arms'. That is
an all-inclusive term. It means anything from a rock in hand to.....
whatever. Any weapon. ANY weapon. ALL weapons. I will point out that
the redcoats of General Gage in Boston were seeking CREW SERVED
WEAPONS-- cannon-- when they made their foray to Concord on April 19,
1775.
> (a) The Amendment's prefatory clause announces a purpose, but
> does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative
> clause. The operative clause's text and history demonstrate that it
> connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms. Pp. 222.
...being necessary to the security of a free state-- and what
interferes with a 'free state'? A meddlesome government...
Kindly notice that for all the lawyer talk, all the barnyard byproduct
legalese, the wording used in the 2nd is all positive and 'mandatory'
and inclusive for the citizenry, and precisely the opposite for
government. Government is utterly forbidden any ability to meddle,
while the citizenry is utterly empowered and made free of government
interference.
NECESSARY to the security of a free state....
... the RIGHT of the people--. inherent personal prerogative immune to
government meddling
...to keep and bear ARMS-- no restriction; any and all weaponry
SHALL NOT be infringed-- plain, positive, inclusive. Government, thou shalt not
> (b) The prefatory clause comports with the Court's interpretation
> of the operative clause. The "militia" comprised all males physically
> capable of acting in concert for the common defense. The Antifederal-
> ists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in
> order to disable this citizens' militia, enabling a politicized standing
> army or a select militia to rule. The response was to deny Congress
> power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear
> arms, so that the ideal of a citizens' militia would be preserved.
> Pp. 2228.
I suppose they hope that no one notices that this completely
invalidates most of the other 'findings' of the 'opinion'. That is,
(b) above points out that GOVERNMENT is the likely enemy and likely
target of any true employment of the purpose, the 'prefatory clause',
of the Amendment. Now, like a cat having defecated on linoleum, the
'honorable justices' set out to cover that 'inconvenient fact'.
> (c) The Court's interpretation is confirmed by analogous arms-
> bearing rights in state constitutions that preceded and immediately
> followed the Second Amendment. Pp. 2830.
> (d) The Second Amendment's drafting history, while of dubious
> interpretive worth, reveals three state Second Amendment proposals
> that unequivocally referred to an individual right to bear arms.
> Pp. 3032.
'Dubious interpretative worth'? They mean, the part where the Founders
clearly meant for the citizens to be armed and capable of overthrowing
the government when necessary?
> (e) Interpretation of the Second Amendment by scholars, courts
> and legislators, from immediately after its ratification through the
> late 19th century also supports the Court's conclusion. Pp. 3247.
Once upon a time, in the lifetime of my father and grandfather, if you
wanted a weapon-- ANY weapon, ALL weapons, you simply went and bought
it. Artillery, explosives, auto weapons, short barreled anything, it
mattered not. If you wanted it and had the cash (gold and silver
coin), you found a willing seller and bought it. And who gives a bit
of care to what 'scholars, courts, and legislators' think about
something which is declared out of bounds to any restriction? The 2nd,
as written, precludes any and all effort to restrict weaponry or the
citizens' access to weaponry of their choice.
> (f) None of the Court's precedents forecloses the Court's interpre-
> tation. Neither United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553, nor
> Presser v. Illinois, 116 U. S. 252, 264265, refutes the individual-
> rights interpretation. United States v. Miller, 307 U. S. 174, does not
> limit the right to keep and bear arms to militia purposes, but rather
> limits the type of weapon to which the right applies to those used by
> the militia, i.e., those in common use for lawful purposes. Pp. 4754.
Here comes the barnyard byproduct. Here is the effort to remove and
hide the actual purpose of the 2nd-- that is, to hold a weapon at the
head of government. Here is the effort to 'allow' the criminals of
government to 'define' what 'type' of weapon the criminals are going
to 'allow'. And further, to declare 'for lawful purposes'-- that is,
what government SAYS is 'lawful'... and shooting politicians and their
'enforcers' for attempting to infringe on the 'security' of our 'free
state' will certainly not be considered a 'lawful purpose'. And
certainly not after having 70-odd years to freely restrict citizens'
access and employment of arms of the CITIZENS' choice.
I would ask-- what 'lawful purpose' did the armed citizenry of
Lexington and Concord Massachusetts and their environs pursue? Please
note that the 'lawful government' which would have been providing the
definition of 'lawful purpose' was the object of the exercise-- that
is, the redcoat enforcers of King George III.
> 2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited.
> It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any
> manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, con-
> cealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment
> or state analogues. The Court's opinion should not be taken to cast
> doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by
> felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of fire-
> arms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or
> laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of
> arms. Miller's holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those
> "in common use at the time" finds support in the historical tradition
> of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons.
> Pp. 5456.
So now they bless and allow 70-odd years of meddling to stand. Piss on
the Court. Whether or not the 'average gun owner' can read their
jumbled up and contradictory statements with comprehension, _I_ can.
And I see this as an unqualified victory for the tyrant. Government
infringement upon our RIGHT is clearly blessed by this 'honorable
court'.
> 3. The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to
> self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The District's total ban
> on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an
> entire class of "arms" that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the
> lawful purpose of self-defense. Under any of the standards of scru-
> tiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this
> prohibition—in the place where the importance of the lawful defense
> of self, family, and property is most acute—would fail constitutional
> muster.
Do please note that the discussion has wheeled about and now the TRUE
purpose of the 2nd, to guarantee the citizenry the ability to resist
tyranny, is swept under the judicial floor covering of barnyard
byproduct. '(L)awful defense of self, family, and property'
conveniently conceals the fact that the citizens' weaponry is to
RESIST GOVERNMENT TYRANNY.
> Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the
'lawful firearm'? How does 'right to keep and bear arms' get morphed
into the concept of 'lawful firearm'? The intended target of the
weapons is now given the ability to DEFINE what is a 'lawful weapon'?
They can line up and kiss my unreconstructed rebel ass.
> home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible
> for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and
'Core purpose of self defense'? Only when viewed in the larger sense
of 'self protection against GOVERNMENT'.
> is hence unconstitutional. Because Heller conceded at oral argument
> that the D. C. licensing law is permissible if it is not enforced arbi-
> trarily and capriciously, the Court assumes that a license will satisfy
> his prayer for relief and does not address the licensing requirement.
Oh, how sweet for Unca Sham. They hereby explicitly bless licensing.
And somehow 'shall not be infringed' is made moot. In many, many other
decisions, it is explicitly stated that a right cannot be made subject
to taxation nor licensing IN ANY FORM.
Nice try, black robed whores. Go try to peddle your barnyard byproduct
to someone who cannot see through your legal legerdemain.
> Assuming he is not disqualified from exercising Second Amendment
> rights, the District must permit Heller to register his handgun and
> must issue him a license to carry it in the home. Pp. 5664.
> 478 F. 3d 370, affirmed.
So THIS is a 'victory' for the RIGHT to KEEP AND BEAR ARMS?
Sorry, folks, I can read plain English, and I know what was just done
to us. And that is, precisely what I have been predicting would
happen, all along.
William Michael Kemp
Liberty, Mississippi
> SCALIA, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which ROBERTS,
> C. J., and KENNEDY, THOMAS, and ALITO, JJ., joined. STEVENS, J., filed a
> dissenting opinion, in which SOUTER, GINSBURG, and BREYER, JJ.,
> joined. BREYER, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which STEVENS,
> SOUTER, and GINSBURG, JJ., joined.
But group survival will become apparent to most folks as time passes. The loner will fall by the wayside. He builds no village. He contributes not to any furtherance of civilization. He instills no moral values in childen or anyone else. If he got a nugget from beyond the regular understanding of mankind it would be lost, trampled in the dirt of self destruction. No dog can avoid the collective hunt. It takes a nest of some sort to raise the young. It takes an orderized society. We cannot all leave what we are doing and go loot and pillage up and down the coast, for we would lose our children, and our wives. A compromise was seen thousands of years ago in this area. If you want continuity, if you want your children to make it, then you have to have a nest. And having a nest requires a group effort to handle all areas. All men of understanding have come to grips with this issue. It is pretty much settled. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." It is pretty well marked on the map that you have to look out for your friends. You have no friends? Then you had better get some.
And now I have to stop and go to the garden. The bean plants are calling and the corn needs another shot of fish emulsison. No rest for the wicked. Besides, the Handmaiden is already down there. Can't let HER have all the glory! HAH!
*
Done with gardening for the day. Here is Mike Kemp's anaysis of latest Supreme COurt ruling on firearms. It is not for the faint hearted.
> http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf
> Held:
> 1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a
> firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for
> traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.
> Pp. 253.
My, my. I have most carefully read the 2nd and nowhere in it do I find
the word 'firearm' or 'gun'. What I find is the word 'arms'. That is
an all-inclusive term. It means anything from a rock in hand to.....
whatever. Any weapon. ANY weapon. ALL weapons. I will point out that
the redcoats of General Gage in Boston were seeking CREW SERVED
WEAPONS-- cannon-- when they made their foray to Concord on April 19,
1775.
> (a) The Amendment's prefatory clause announces a purpose, but
> does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative
> clause. The operative clause's text and history demonstrate that it
> connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms. Pp. 222.
...being necessary to the security of a free state-- and what
interferes with a 'free state'? A meddlesome government...
Kindly notice that for all the lawyer talk, all the barnyard byproduct
legalese, the wording used in the 2nd is all positive and 'mandatory'
and inclusive for the citizenry, and precisely the opposite for
government. Government is utterly forbidden any ability to meddle,
while the citizenry is utterly empowered and made free of government
interference.
NECESSARY to the security of a free state....
... the RIGHT of the people--. inherent personal prerogative immune to
government meddling
...to keep and bear ARMS-- no restriction; any and all weaponry
SHALL NOT be infringed-- plain, positive, inclusive. Government, thou shalt not
> (b) The prefatory clause comports with the Court's interpretation
> of the operative clause. The "militia" comprised all males physically
> capable of acting in concert for the common defense. The Antifederal-
> ists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in
> order to disable this citizens' militia, enabling a politicized standing
> army or a select militia to rule. The response was to deny Congress
> power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear
> arms, so that the ideal of a citizens' militia would be preserved.
> Pp. 2228.
I suppose they hope that no one notices that this completely
invalidates most of the other 'findings' of the 'opinion'. That is,
(b) above points out that GOVERNMENT is the likely enemy and likely
target of any true employment of the purpose, the 'prefatory clause',
of the Amendment. Now, like a cat having defecated on linoleum, the
'honorable justices' set out to cover that 'inconvenient fact'.
> (c) The Court's interpretation is confirmed by analogous arms-
> bearing rights in state constitutions that preceded and immediately
> followed the Second Amendment. Pp. 2830.
> (d) The Second Amendment's drafting history, while of dubious
> interpretive worth, reveals three state Second Amendment proposals
> that unequivocally referred to an individual right to bear arms.
> Pp. 3032.
'Dubious interpretative worth'? They mean, the part where the Founders
clearly meant for the citizens to be armed and capable of overthrowing
the government when necessary?
> (e) Interpretation of the Second Amendment by scholars, courts
> and legislators, from immediately after its ratification through the
> late 19th century also supports the Court's conclusion. Pp. 3247.
Once upon a time, in the lifetime of my father and grandfather, if you
wanted a weapon-- ANY weapon, ALL weapons, you simply went and bought
it. Artillery, explosives, auto weapons, short barreled anything, it
mattered not. If you wanted it and had the cash (gold and silver
coin), you found a willing seller and bought it. And who gives a bit
of care to what 'scholars, courts, and legislators' think about
something which is declared out of bounds to any restriction? The 2nd,
as written, precludes any and all effort to restrict weaponry or the
citizens' access to weaponry of their choice.
> (f) None of the Court's precedents forecloses the Court's interpre-
> tation. Neither United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553, nor
> Presser v. Illinois, 116 U. S. 252, 264265, refutes the individual-
> rights interpretation. United States v. Miller, 307 U. S. 174, does not
> limit the right to keep and bear arms to militia purposes, but rather
> limits the type of weapon to which the right applies to those used by
> the militia, i.e., those in common use for lawful purposes. Pp. 4754.
Here comes the barnyard byproduct. Here is the effort to remove and
hide the actual purpose of the 2nd-- that is, to hold a weapon at the
head of government. Here is the effort to 'allow' the criminals of
government to 'define' what 'type' of weapon the criminals are going
to 'allow'. And further, to declare 'for lawful purposes'-- that is,
what government SAYS is 'lawful'... and shooting politicians and their
'enforcers' for attempting to infringe on the 'security' of our 'free
state' will certainly not be considered a 'lawful purpose'. And
certainly not after having 70-odd years to freely restrict citizens'
access and employment of arms of the CITIZENS' choice.
I would ask-- what 'lawful purpose' did the armed citizenry of
Lexington and Concord Massachusetts and their environs pursue? Please
note that the 'lawful government' which would have been providing the
definition of 'lawful purpose' was the object of the exercise-- that
is, the redcoat enforcers of King George III.
> 2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited.
> It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any
> manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, con-
> cealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment
> or state analogues. The Court's opinion should not be taken to cast
> doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by
> felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of fire-
> arms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or
> laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of
> arms. Miller's holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those
> "in common use at the time" finds support in the historical tradition
> of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons.
> Pp. 5456.
So now they bless and allow 70-odd years of meddling to stand. Piss on
the Court. Whether or not the 'average gun owner' can read their
jumbled up and contradictory statements with comprehension, _I_ can.
And I see this as an unqualified victory for the tyrant. Government
infringement upon our RIGHT is clearly blessed by this 'honorable
court'.
> 3. The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to
> self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The District's total ban
> on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an
> entire class of "arms" that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the
> lawful purpose of self-defense. Under any of the standards of scru-
> tiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this
> prohibition—in the place where the importance of the lawful defense
> of self, family, and property is most acute—would fail constitutional
> muster.
Do please note that the discussion has wheeled about and now the TRUE
purpose of the 2nd, to guarantee the citizenry the ability to resist
tyranny, is swept under the judicial floor covering of barnyard
byproduct. '(L)awful defense of self, family, and property'
conveniently conceals the fact that the citizens' weaponry is to
RESIST GOVERNMENT TYRANNY.
> Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the
'lawful firearm'? How does 'right to keep and bear arms' get morphed
into the concept of 'lawful firearm'? The intended target of the
weapons is now given the ability to DEFINE what is a 'lawful weapon'?
They can line up and kiss my unreconstructed rebel ass.
> home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible
> for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and
'Core purpose of self defense'? Only when viewed in the larger sense
of 'self protection against GOVERNMENT'.
> is hence unconstitutional. Because Heller conceded at oral argument
> that the D. C. licensing law is permissible if it is not enforced arbi-
> trarily and capriciously, the Court assumes that a license will satisfy
> his prayer for relief and does not address the licensing requirement.
Oh, how sweet for Unca Sham. They hereby explicitly bless licensing.
And somehow 'shall not be infringed' is made moot. In many, many other
decisions, it is explicitly stated that a right cannot be made subject
to taxation nor licensing IN ANY FORM.
Nice try, black robed whores. Go try to peddle your barnyard byproduct
to someone who cannot see through your legal legerdemain.
> Assuming he is not disqualified from exercising Second Amendment
> rights, the District must permit Heller to register his handgun and
> must issue him a license to carry it in the home. Pp. 5664.
> 478 F. 3d 370, affirmed.
So THIS is a 'victory' for the RIGHT to KEEP AND BEAR ARMS?
Sorry, folks, I can read plain English, and I know what was just done
to us. And that is, precisely what I have been predicting would
happen, all along.
William Michael Kemp
Liberty, Mississippi
> SCALIA, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which ROBERTS,
> C. J., and KENNEDY, THOMAS, and ALITO, JJ., joined. STEVENS, J., filed a
> dissenting opinion, in which SOUTER, GINSBURG, and BREYER, JJ.,
> joined. BREYER, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which STEVENS,
> SOUTER, and GINSBURG, JJ., joined.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A JOKE
Got this funny one in from James Cox down Kentucky way:
Subject: SURGEONS
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best
patients to operate on.
The first surgeon from New York says, 'I like to see accountants on
my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside
is numbered.'
The second, from Chicago responds,'Yeah, but you should try
electricians! Everything inside them is color coded.'
The third surgeon from Dallas says, 'No, I really think librarians
are the best. Everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'
The fourth surgeon from Los Angeles chime, in 'You know, I like
construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a
few parts left over.'
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington , DC shut them all up when he
observed, 'You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate
on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and
the head and the ass are interchangeable. '
Subject: SURGEONS
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best
patients to operate on.
The first surgeon from New York says, 'I like to see accountants on
my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside
is numbered.'
The second, from Chicago responds,'Yeah, but you should try
electricians! Everything inside them is color coded.'
The third surgeon from Dallas says, 'No, I really think librarians
are the best. Everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'
The fourth surgeon from Los Angeles chime, in 'You know, I like
construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a
few parts left over.'
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington , DC shut them all up when he
observed, 'You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate
on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and
the head and the ass are interchangeable. '
THE NEWS AIN'T
I've been watching the market this afternoon and oil dropped $4 a barrel but it is slowly inching it's way back up. Wondermous. The news is full of stories about the meeting of the U.S. Defense Chief of Staff meeting with his Iraeli counterpart. This will cause a furor in war conpiracies and the price will go right back up. Neither the US nor the Iraeli government likes calm in the world. Keep the turmoil level high and keep those oil prices up there!
I got a hilarious website today. Naturally, it initially came from whatreallyhappended.com. It is a video about Priest Off! It's at http://www.nationalbanana.com/#154-154. Short and to the point. Just my style. Enjoy.
Just checked the market again and the price of crude oil has gained back $2 of the $4 it lost earlier in trading. Way to go, Israel! After all, the price is oil is no problem to the fedgov. They can print all they wish!
But one thing all this teaches me is to remain an advocate of group survival and living out on the land. Somebody ought to get it together down there in Texas. Too many dedicated preppers for them not to have a nice size piece of land to congregate upon. Water and defenseability come first and then soil condition. Park your trailers and build your cabins. Get ready for the hard times to come. There are enough of you to make it work. No cry babies! Get to it!
*
Some news on the medical front.
The Letter (and Spirit) of Drug Import LawsIt's illegal (nudge, nudge) to buy prescriptions drugs (wink, wink) from other countries.
By Neil Osterweil WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith
Let's make this very clear. It's absolutely, unequivocally, without question illegal to reimport into the U.S. prescription drugs that have been exported to other countries, or to bring in substances that are banned under U.S. law, for any reason, except when you've got a prescription and the FDA or customs agents say it's OK, or decide to look the other way.Get it?
Neither do we.The old adage that "those who love the law and sausages should never watch either one being made" certainly applies to drug policy. But neither the FDA nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are necessarily to blame for the confusion.Burdened by skyrocketing health care costs, consumers, employers, and insurers are looking for ways to save, and one of the most obvious targets is drug costs. Because Canada and most other industrialized nations impose price restrictions and limit what pharmacies can charge for drugs, the cost of a brand-name medication sold in Toronto can be as much as 55% less than what the identical drug is sold for just across Lake Ontario in Rochester, N.Y.
While the practice of reimporting drugs from Canada, Mexico, or other countries is still technically illegal (with the possible exceptions noted below), it is increasingly becoming a custom more honored in the breach than in the observance. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed three versions of bills that would allow consumers to import legal drugs for personal use. A similar measure, known as the Dorgan-Snowe Drug Importation bill, is currently before the Senate.
In the meantime, the mission of the FDA, as always, is to promote and protect the health of Americans. The mission of the U.S. Customs service is to enforce Federal laws and regulations as they pertain to imported substances such as drugs. And here's where the law gets kind of squishy.
Current law says that if Granny decides she can get her heart medications more cheaply in Alberta than in Alabama, she could be busted for either bringing it over the border or having it delivered to her. Does that mean that dear Granny is likely to do a stretch in solitary? Hardly, experts say, because nobody wants to be seen putting the cuffs on elderly pensioners.
Also, they'd have to arrest the governments of the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Vermont, as well as many city governments and private employers who have turned north for lower-cost prescription drugs.
Next: Guidance From the FDA
Don't Ask, Don't TellWhen it comes to the importation of drugs from foreign countries, the FDA acts a bit like Captain Renault in Casablanca who tells Rick that "I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" as he gambles in Rick's club.
Here's how the FDA puts it in a consumer advisory on its web site:"Don't purchase from foreign web sites at this time because generally it will be illegal to import the drugs bought from these sites, the risks are greater, and there is very little the U.S. government can do if you get ripped off."And there's the rub: the words "generally" and "at this time." Under current law, stated in an FDA "guidance" paper titled "Coverage of Personal Importations," the importation or interstate shipment of unapproved new drugs is prohibited. The definition of "unapproved" includes "foreign-made versions of U.S. approved drugs that have not received FDA approval to demonstrate they meet the federal requirements for safety and effectiveness. It is the importer's obligation to demonstrate to the FDA that any drugs offered for importation have been approved by FDA."Under those Rules, it appears to be illegal to import into the U.S. the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor purchased in Canada, even though the drug is made in Ireland for shipment to both the U.S. and Canada. To make things even more confusing, the FDA guidance cites "circumstances in which FDA may consider exercising enforcement discretion and refrain from taking legal action against illegally imported drugs.
"These extenuating circumstances include importing an unapproved drug for a serious condition for which there may be no effective treatment available in the U.S. But the drug can't be marketed to U.S. citizens by distributors of the drug in question, the product can't be considered to "represent an unreasonable risk," and the patient doing the importing has to be ready to affirm in writing that the drug is for his/her own use. The patient also has to be willing to furnish contact details for a physician in the U.S., or provide "evidence that the product is for the continuation of a treatment begun in a foreign country."To hedge its bets, the FDA cautions that "even if all of the factors noted in the guidance are present, the drugs remain illegal and the FDA may decide that such drugs should be refused entry or seized. The guidance represents the FDA's current thinking regarding the issues of personal importation and is intended only to provide operating guidance for FDA personnel. The guidance does not create any legally enforceable rights for the public; nor does it operate to bind the FDA or the public.
"As for the consequences, FDA associate commissioner for planning and policy William Hubbard told the Wall Street Journal in March 2003 that "any party participating in" an import plan in which a health insurer or claims processor helps arrange a purchase in Canada "does so at its own legal risk." The article also quotes Hubbard as saying that "our highest enforcement priority would not be actions against consumers.
"The agency doesn't go after individuals, per se," says Tom McGinnis, PharmD, director of pharmacy affairs for the FDA. "The agency has tended to focus its priorities on people making money from this illegal activity.
"McGinnis tells WebMD that the personal importation policy "has been in existence for a long time, probably since the '50s, and that if you read it carefully, only deals with things that are not available in the U.S." McGinnis says that the policy was intended to allow patients with serious, life-threatening conditions who have exhausted all available alternatives in the U.S. to try, under the guidance of their physicians, alternative therapies approved for the condition in other countries.
Next: Getting Prescription Drugs Through U.S. Customs
Anything to Declare?U.S. Customs, for its part, warns travelers not to assume that medications approved abroad are also legal in the U.S., or that the labeled uses for which a drug is approved elsewhere hold true in the United States. The Customs service also cautions that:Some medications available only by prescription in the U.S. may be sold over the counter in foreign countries. They could be dangerous to use without medical supervision. Some drugs that appear to be made in the U.S. may be counterfeits. It may be a violation of federal or state law to be in possession of some drugs without a prescription from a U.S. physician. All imported medications must be properly declared to U.S. Customs.
The Customs service warns that "when the type of drug, the quantity, or the combination of various drugs arouse suspicions, U.S. Customs inspectors will ordinarily contact the nearest FDA or DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] office for advice and will then make a final determination about whether to release or detain the article."And if all of the above makes perfect sense to you, we'd like to know what you've been taking -- we'd like some, too.
Published Sept. 17, 2004.
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I got a hilarious website today. Naturally, it initially came from whatreallyhappended.com. It is a video about Priest Off! It's at http://www.nationalbanana.com/#154-154. Short and to the point. Just my style. Enjoy.
Just checked the market again and the price of crude oil has gained back $2 of the $4 it lost earlier in trading. Way to go, Israel! After all, the price is oil is no problem to the fedgov. They can print all they wish!
But one thing all this teaches me is to remain an advocate of group survival and living out on the land. Somebody ought to get it together down there in Texas. Too many dedicated preppers for them not to have a nice size piece of land to congregate upon. Water and defenseability come first and then soil condition. Park your trailers and build your cabins. Get ready for the hard times to come. There are enough of you to make it work. No cry babies! Get to it!
*
Some news on the medical front.
The Letter (and Spirit) of Drug Import LawsIt's illegal (nudge, nudge) to buy prescriptions drugs (wink, wink) from other countries.
By Neil Osterweil WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith
Let's make this very clear. It's absolutely, unequivocally, without question illegal to reimport into the U.S. prescription drugs that have been exported to other countries, or to bring in substances that are banned under U.S. law, for any reason, except when you've got a prescription and the FDA or customs agents say it's OK, or decide to look the other way.Get it?
Neither do we.The old adage that "those who love the law and sausages should never watch either one being made" certainly applies to drug policy. But neither the FDA nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are necessarily to blame for the confusion.Burdened by skyrocketing health care costs, consumers, employers, and insurers are looking for ways to save, and one of the most obvious targets is drug costs. Because Canada and most other industrialized nations impose price restrictions and limit what pharmacies can charge for drugs, the cost of a brand-name medication sold in Toronto can be as much as 55% less than what the identical drug is sold for just across Lake Ontario in Rochester, N.Y.
While the practice of reimporting drugs from Canada, Mexico, or other countries is still technically illegal (with the possible exceptions noted below), it is increasingly becoming a custom more honored in the breach than in the observance. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed three versions of bills that would allow consumers to import legal drugs for personal use. A similar measure, known as the Dorgan-Snowe Drug Importation bill, is currently before the Senate.
In the meantime, the mission of the FDA, as always, is to promote and protect the health of Americans. The mission of the U.S. Customs service is to enforce Federal laws and regulations as they pertain to imported substances such as drugs. And here's where the law gets kind of squishy.
Current law says that if Granny decides she can get her heart medications more cheaply in Alberta than in Alabama, she could be busted for either bringing it over the border or having it delivered to her. Does that mean that dear Granny is likely to do a stretch in solitary? Hardly, experts say, because nobody wants to be seen putting the cuffs on elderly pensioners.
Also, they'd have to arrest the governments of the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Vermont, as well as many city governments and private employers who have turned north for lower-cost prescription drugs.
Next: Guidance From the FDA
Don't Ask, Don't TellWhen it comes to the importation of drugs from foreign countries, the FDA acts a bit like Captain Renault in Casablanca who tells Rick that "I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" as he gambles in Rick's club.
Here's how the FDA puts it in a consumer advisory on its web site:"Don't purchase from foreign web sites at this time because generally it will be illegal to import the drugs bought from these sites, the risks are greater, and there is very little the U.S. government can do if you get ripped off."And there's the rub: the words "generally" and "at this time." Under current law, stated in an FDA "guidance" paper titled "Coverage of Personal Importations," the importation or interstate shipment of unapproved new drugs is prohibited. The definition of "unapproved" includes "foreign-made versions of U.S. approved drugs that have not received FDA approval to demonstrate they meet the federal requirements for safety and effectiveness. It is the importer's obligation to demonstrate to the FDA that any drugs offered for importation have been approved by FDA."Under those Rules, it appears to be illegal to import into the U.S. the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor purchased in Canada, even though the drug is made in Ireland for shipment to both the U.S. and Canada. To make things even more confusing, the FDA guidance cites "circumstances in which FDA may consider exercising enforcement discretion and refrain from taking legal action against illegally imported drugs.
"These extenuating circumstances include importing an unapproved drug for a serious condition for which there may be no effective treatment available in the U.S. But the drug can't be marketed to U.S. citizens by distributors of the drug in question, the product can't be considered to "represent an unreasonable risk," and the patient doing the importing has to be ready to affirm in writing that the drug is for his/her own use. The patient also has to be willing to furnish contact details for a physician in the U.S., or provide "evidence that the product is for the continuation of a treatment begun in a foreign country."To hedge its bets, the FDA cautions that "even if all of the factors noted in the guidance are present, the drugs remain illegal and the FDA may decide that such drugs should be refused entry or seized. The guidance represents the FDA's current thinking regarding the issues of personal importation and is intended only to provide operating guidance for FDA personnel. The guidance does not create any legally enforceable rights for the public; nor does it operate to bind the FDA or the public.
"As for the consequences, FDA associate commissioner for planning and policy William Hubbard told the Wall Street Journal in March 2003 that "any party participating in" an import plan in which a health insurer or claims processor helps arrange a purchase in Canada "does so at its own legal risk." The article also quotes Hubbard as saying that "our highest enforcement priority would not be actions against consumers.
"The agency doesn't go after individuals, per se," says Tom McGinnis, PharmD, director of pharmacy affairs for the FDA. "The agency has tended to focus its priorities on people making money from this illegal activity.
"McGinnis tells WebMD that the personal importation policy "has been in existence for a long time, probably since the '50s, and that if you read it carefully, only deals with things that are not available in the U.S." McGinnis says that the policy was intended to allow patients with serious, life-threatening conditions who have exhausted all available alternatives in the U.S. to try, under the guidance of their physicians, alternative therapies approved for the condition in other countries.
Next: Getting Prescription Drugs Through U.S. Customs
Anything to Declare?U.S. Customs, for its part, warns travelers not to assume that medications approved abroad are also legal in the U.S., or that the labeled uses for which a drug is approved elsewhere hold true in the United States. The Customs service also cautions that:Some medications available only by prescription in the U.S. may be sold over the counter in foreign countries. They could be dangerous to use without medical supervision. Some drugs that appear to be made in the U.S. may be counterfeits. It may be a violation of federal or state law to be in possession of some drugs without a prescription from a U.S. physician. All imported medications must be properly declared to U.S. Customs.
The Customs service warns that "when the type of drug, the quantity, or the combination of various drugs arouse suspicions, U.S. Customs inspectors will ordinarily contact the nearest FDA or DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] office for advice and will then make a final determination about whether to release or detain the article."And if all of the above makes perfect sense to you, we'd like to know what you've been taking -- we'd like some, too.
Published Sept. 17, 2004.
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
WEDNESDAY
I never liked the way they spell Wednesday and I still don't. Must be some archaic piece of foreign religion still clinging to us. Humans get into the worst pridicaments.
Nothing much going on today. My local granddaughter is coming for a visit. It's an annual occurence. The child is sharp as a tack and very good sized. She must be about 3 years old and is going to be tall. She will rule her mother. Can't be helped.
I got some good comments on my medical preps. A lot of folks seem to feel that having preps in that area is a good thing. It's too early in the day to check the market so I haven't. But things are not looking good. There is no steadiness to the market. Up and done and around. And that is okay with me. As much trouble as the money men hsve caused, it does not warrant any prayers for their continued existance from ME. I am merely waiting for my next infusion of money from my Social Security check. I have plenty of time to plan and a big garden to take care of so I will not be plagued with idleness.
I have read FerFal's blog about the death of Mr. Mata. Whoooeee! Argentina must be a real place to live. I am taking it as a sign that it is how it is going to be in the cities and suburbs here in America. I cannot tell you enough to get out of there.
I just got a great e-mail from Mike Paige. Here it is.
*
“My problem is I don't know what to eat for good vegetables in the Winter.”
Sprouts. You’re talking 30%+ protein, amino acids and the ability to grow in the dark.
I’ve dealt with these people. They’re fair, informative and fast.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/
*
Now how is that for service! Ask and ye shall receive. My wife does sprouts all the time and I never looked upon them as Winter vegetables. Helluva deal. Another key to staying alive. You gotta store seed for your garden so you may as well store enough to sprout and eat!
************
An article from the news.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/24/business/exurbs.php
Life on the fringes of U.S. suburbia becomes untenable with rising gas costs
By Peter S. Goodman
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
ELIZABETH, Colorado: Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the outer edges of metropolitan areas.
Just off Singing Hills Road, in one of hundreds of two-story homes dotting a former cattle ranch beyond the southern fringes of Denver, Phil Boyle and his family openly wonder if they will have to move close to town to get some relief.
They still revel in the space and quiet that has drawn a steady exodus from U.S. cities toward places like this for more than half a century. Their living room ceiling soars two stories high. A swing-set sways in the breeze in their backyard. Their wrap-around porch looks out over the flat scrub of the high plains to the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
But life on the distant fringes of suburbia is beginning to feel untenable. Boyle and his wife must drive nearly an hour to their jobs in the high-tech corridor of southern Denver. With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon, Boyle recently paid $121 to fill his pickup truck with diesel. The price of propane to heat their spacious house has more than doubled in recent years.
Though Boyle finds city life unappealing, it's now up for reconsideration.
"Living closer in, in a smaller space, where you don't have that commute," he said. "It's definitely something we talk about. Before it was, 'We spend too much time driving.' Now, it's, 'We spend too much time and money driving."'
As the realization takes hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a restructuring with lasting consequences, the high cost of fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs.
In Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minneapolis, homes beyond the urban core have been falling in value faster than those within, according to analysis by Moody's Economy.com.
In Denver, housing prices in the urban core rose steadily from 2003 until late last year compared with previous years, before dipping nearly 5 percent in the past three months of last year, according to Economy.com. But house prices in the suburbs began falling earlier, in the middle of 2006, and then accelerated, dropping by 7 percent the past three months of the year.
Many factors have propelled the unraveling of U.S. real estate, from the mortgage crisis to a staggering excess of home construction, making it hard to pinpoint the impact of any single force. But economists and real estate agents are growing convinced that the rising cost of energy is a primary factor pushing home prices down in the suburbs - particularly in the outer rings.
More than three-fourths of prospective homebuyers are more inclined to live in an urban area because of fuel prices, according to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents with Coldwell Banker, a national brokerage.
Some proclaim the unfolding demise of suburbia.
"Many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and '70s - slums characterized by poverty, crime and decay," said Christopher Leinberger, an urban land use expert, in a recent essay in the Atlantic Monthly.
Most experts do not share such apocalyptic visions, seeing instead a gradual reordering.
"It's like an ebbing of this suburban tide," said Joe Cortright, an economist at the consulting group Impresa in Portland, Oregon. "There's going to be this kind of reversal of desirability. Typically, Americans have felt the periphery was most desirable, and now there's going to be a reversion to the center."
In a recent study, Cortright found that house prices in the urban centers of Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Portland and Tampa have fared significantly better than those in the suburbs. So-called exurbs - communities sprouting on the distant edges of metropolitan areas - have suffered worst of all, Cortright found.
Basic household arithmetic appears to be furthering the trend: In 2003, the average suburban household spent $1,422 a year on gasoline, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By April of this year - when gas prices were about $3.60 a gallon - the same household was buying gas at a rate of $3,196 a year, more than doubling consumption in dollar terms in less than five years.
In March, Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles on public roads than in the same month the previous year, a 4.3 percent decrease. It was the sharpest one-month drop since the Federal Highway Administration began keeping records in 1942.
Long before the recent spike in the price of energy, environmentalists decried suburban sprawl as a waste of land, energy, and tax dollars: Governments from Virginia to California have in recent decades lavished resources on building roads and schools for new subdivisions in the outer rings of development while skimping on maintaining facilities closer in. Many governments now focus on reviving their downtowns.
In Denver - a classic American city with snarling freeway traffic across a vast acreage of strip malls, ranch houses and office parks - the city has seen an urban renaissance over the past decade.
A planned $6.1 billion commuter rail system has been going in over the past four years, drawing people downtown without cars, while crystallizing swift sales of densely clustered condos near stations.
Coors Field, the intimate, brick-fronted baseball stadium for the Colorado Rockies, has transformed the surrounding area from a desolate area into trendy Lower Downtown, a neighborhood of restaurants and microbreweries in restored warehouses. Along the Platte River, new condos set on a park strip offer an arresting tableau of glass, steel, and futuristic geometry, attracting throngs of buyers at rising prices.
"This is a city where it's fun to be in the center," said Tim Burleigh, 56, who sold his house in the suburbs and now walks to Rockies games from his downtown condo.
To Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper, $4 gasoline offers a useful push forward on such plans.
"It can be an accelerator," he said during an interview inside the imposing, column-fronted City Hall. "It's not going to be the dagger in the heart of suburban sprawl, but there's a certain inclination, a certain momentum back toward downtown."
Elizabeth is the archetype of a once-rural community sucked into the orbit of the expanding metropolis, its ranchlands given over to porches, picket fences and two-car garages.
Megan Werner, 39, a mother of three, moved here five years ago from a suburb closer to Denver, where the houses were packed together. She and her husband bought a home set on a 1.5 acre, or 0.61 hectare, lot in the Deer Creek Farm subdivision. The space justified her husband's 40-minute commute.
"We wanted more than a postage stamp," she said, as her 5-year-old daughter walked barefoot across the driveway.
It used to cost her about $30 to fill her Honda minivan with gas. Now, it's more like $50, and she coordinates her trips - shopping in town, combined with dance lessons for her kids. But she has no thoughts of leaving.
"I can open up my door, and my kids can play," Werner said.
For others, though, new math is altering the choice of where to live. Houses are sitting on the market longer than years past. "The pool of buyers is diminishing," said Jace Glick, a realtor with Re/Max Alliance in Parker, next to Elizabeth.
Juanita Johnson and her husband, both retired Denver school teachers, moved here last August, after three decades in the city and a few years in the mountains. They bought a four-bedroom house for $415,000.
Last winter, they spent $3,000 just on propane to heat the place, she said. Suddenly, this seems like a place to flee.
"We'd sell if we could, but we'd lose our shirt," Johnson said. On a recent walk, she counted 15 "For Sale" signs. A similar home nearby is listed below $400,000.
"I was so glad to get out of the city, the pollution the traffic, the crime," she said. Now, the suburbs seem mean. "I wouldn't do this again."
Michael sez:
They have moved to the country and taken the city with them. Where do these people get off thinking they can achieve this "perfection" in their lives with opposing factors? Nothing stays the same. Life is changing. All I can say is that if you have enough land to grow your own food then you are ahead of the game. Water, food, defendable. Nice things to have.
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Nothing much going on today. My local granddaughter is coming for a visit. It's an annual occurence. The child is sharp as a tack and very good sized. She must be about 3 years old and is going to be tall. She will rule her mother. Can't be helped.
I got some good comments on my medical preps. A lot of folks seem to feel that having preps in that area is a good thing. It's too early in the day to check the market so I haven't. But things are not looking good. There is no steadiness to the market. Up and done and around. And that is okay with me. As much trouble as the money men hsve caused, it does not warrant any prayers for their continued existance from ME. I am merely waiting for my next infusion of money from my Social Security check. I have plenty of time to plan and a big garden to take care of so I will not be plagued with idleness.
I have read FerFal's blog about the death of Mr. Mata. Whoooeee! Argentina must be a real place to live. I am taking it as a sign that it is how it is going to be in the cities and suburbs here in America. I cannot tell you enough to get out of there.
I just got a great e-mail from Mike Paige. Here it is.
*
“My problem is I don't know what to eat for good vegetables in the Winter.”
Sprouts. You’re talking 30%+ protein, amino acids and the ability to grow in the dark.
I’ve dealt with these people. They’re fair, informative and fast.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/
*
Now how is that for service! Ask and ye shall receive. My wife does sprouts all the time and I never looked upon them as Winter vegetables. Helluva deal. Another key to staying alive. You gotta store seed for your garden so you may as well store enough to sprout and eat!
************
An article from the news.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/24/business/exurbs.php
Life on the fringes of U.S. suburbia becomes untenable with rising gas costs
By Peter S. Goodman
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
ELIZABETH, Colorado: Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the outer edges of metropolitan areas.
Just off Singing Hills Road, in one of hundreds of two-story homes dotting a former cattle ranch beyond the southern fringes of Denver, Phil Boyle and his family openly wonder if they will have to move close to town to get some relief.
They still revel in the space and quiet that has drawn a steady exodus from U.S. cities toward places like this for more than half a century. Their living room ceiling soars two stories high. A swing-set sways in the breeze in their backyard. Their wrap-around porch looks out over the flat scrub of the high plains to the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
But life on the distant fringes of suburbia is beginning to feel untenable. Boyle and his wife must drive nearly an hour to their jobs in the high-tech corridor of southern Denver. With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon, Boyle recently paid $121 to fill his pickup truck with diesel. The price of propane to heat their spacious house has more than doubled in recent years.
Though Boyle finds city life unappealing, it's now up for reconsideration.
"Living closer in, in a smaller space, where you don't have that commute," he said. "It's definitely something we talk about. Before it was, 'We spend too much time driving.' Now, it's, 'We spend too much time and money driving."'
As the realization takes hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a restructuring with lasting consequences, the high cost of fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs.
In Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minneapolis, homes beyond the urban core have been falling in value faster than those within, according to analysis by Moody's Economy.com.
In Denver, housing prices in the urban core rose steadily from 2003 until late last year compared with previous years, before dipping nearly 5 percent in the past three months of last year, according to Economy.com. But house prices in the suburbs began falling earlier, in the middle of 2006, and then accelerated, dropping by 7 percent the past three months of the year.
Many factors have propelled the unraveling of U.S. real estate, from the mortgage crisis to a staggering excess of home construction, making it hard to pinpoint the impact of any single force. But economists and real estate agents are growing convinced that the rising cost of energy is a primary factor pushing home prices down in the suburbs - particularly in the outer rings.
More than three-fourths of prospective homebuyers are more inclined to live in an urban area because of fuel prices, according to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents with Coldwell Banker, a national brokerage.
Some proclaim the unfolding demise of suburbia.
"Many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and '70s - slums characterized by poverty, crime and decay," said Christopher Leinberger, an urban land use expert, in a recent essay in the Atlantic Monthly.
Most experts do not share such apocalyptic visions, seeing instead a gradual reordering.
"It's like an ebbing of this suburban tide," said Joe Cortright, an economist at the consulting group Impresa in Portland, Oregon. "There's going to be this kind of reversal of desirability. Typically, Americans have felt the periphery was most desirable, and now there's going to be a reversion to the center."
In a recent study, Cortright found that house prices in the urban centers of Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Portland and Tampa have fared significantly better than those in the suburbs. So-called exurbs - communities sprouting on the distant edges of metropolitan areas - have suffered worst of all, Cortright found.
Basic household arithmetic appears to be furthering the trend: In 2003, the average suburban household spent $1,422 a year on gasoline, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By April of this year - when gas prices were about $3.60 a gallon - the same household was buying gas at a rate of $3,196 a year, more than doubling consumption in dollar terms in less than five years.
In March, Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles on public roads than in the same month the previous year, a 4.3 percent decrease. It was the sharpest one-month drop since the Federal Highway Administration began keeping records in 1942.
Long before the recent spike in the price of energy, environmentalists decried suburban sprawl as a waste of land, energy, and tax dollars: Governments from Virginia to California have in recent decades lavished resources on building roads and schools for new subdivisions in the outer rings of development while skimping on maintaining facilities closer in. Many governments now focus on reviving their downtowns.
In Denver - a classic American city with snarling freeway traffic across a vast acreage of strip malls, ranch houses and office parks - the city has seen an urban renaissance over the past decade.
A planned $6.1 billion commuter rail system has been going in over the past four years, drawing people downtown without cars, while crystallizing swift sales of densely clustered condos near stations.
Coors Field, the intimate, brick-fronted baseball stadium for the Colorado Rockies, has transformed the surrounding area from a desolate area into trendy Lower Downtown, a neighborhood of restaurants and microbreweries in restored warehouses. Along the Platte River, new condos set on a park strip offer an arresting tableau of glass, steel, and futuristic geometry, attracting throngs of buyers at rising prices.
"This is a city where it's fun to be in the center," said Tim Burleigh, 56, who sold his house in the suburbs and now walks to Rockies games from his downtown condo.
To Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper, $4 gasoline offers a useful push forward on such plans.
"It can be an accelerator," he said during an interview inside the imposing, column-fronted City Hall. "It's not going to be the dagger in the heart of suburban sprawl, but there's a certain inclination, a certain momentum back toward downtown."
Elizabeth is the archetype of a once-rural community sucked into the orbit of the expanding metropolis, its ranchlands given over to porches, picket fences and two-car garages.
Megan Werner, 39, a mother of three, moved here five years ago from a suburb closer to Denver, where the houses were packed together. She and her husband bought a home set on a 1.5 acre, or 0.61 hectare, lot in the Deer Creek Farm subdivision. The space justified her husband's 40-minute commute.
"We wanted more than a postage stamp," she said, as her 5-year-old daughter walked barefoot across the driveway.
It used to cost her about $30 to fill her Honda minivan with gas. Now, it's more like $50, and she coordinates her trips - shopping in town, combined with dance lessons for her kids. But she has no thoughts of leaving.
"I can open up my door, and my kids can play," Werner said.
For others, though, new math is altering the choice of where to live. Houses are sitting on the market longer than years past. "The pool of buyers is diminishing," said Jace Glick, a realtor with Re/Max Alliance in Parker, next to Elizabeth.
Juanita Johnson and her husband, both retired Denver school teachers, moved here last August, after three decades in the city and a few years in the mountains. They bought a four-bedroom house for $415,000.
Last winter, they spent $3,000 just on propane to heat the place, she said. Suddenly, this seems like a place to flee.
"We'd sell if we could, but we'd lose our shirt," Johnson said. On a recent walk, she counted 15 "For Sale" signs. A similar home nearby is listed below $400,000.
"I was so glad to get out of the city, the pollution the traffic, the crime," she said. Now, the suburbs seem mean. "I wouldn't do this again."
Michael sez:
They have moved to the country and taken the city with them. Where do these people get off thinking they can achieve this "perfection" in their lives with opposing factors? Nothing stays the same. Life is changing. All I can say is that if you have enough land to grow your own food then you are ahead of the game. Water, food, defendable. Nice things to have.
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
THINGS ARE LOOKING BAD
As per usual, I have read the news this morning. Nothing is going right. The stock market has started down again and so has the dollar. Crude oil is, of course, up. Gold and silver are up but they need it to take care of the losses of yesterday. Politicians in cities around the country are saying that they have never seen problems with food like they are seeing right now. How can that be? We have been telling people to by food stores for months! You mean they haven't paid attention? Hah! Of course they haven't. The brain-washed, brain-dead inhabitants of this country couldn't get it right if they had to. The morons thing that some politician will step up to the plate and hit a home run and everything will be peaches and cream again. I don't think so, folks. I think it is time to prepare. I think it is time to stock up on food. I think it is time to get the fuck out of the cities. And I also think that August will see a major outbreak of violence in this country. That is a pretty big statement but that is the way I feel. I have told all of my friends in bad situations to get to me and I will do what I can to help them survive. Some folks are thinking about it. I need to get off this post and get to the garden. That food is more important than this post. Besides, most of you have already heard this kind of rap before. If you need to know more just read my achieves. I'll stop now and get to the crops.
Back from the garden wars. Shot the corn with fish emulsion. The wife is covering the last few rows with plastic and she is going to use a tiller for free to do the last 10 rows of beans. I am as happy as I have a right to be, I reckon. More fish emulsion Thursday. I also got word that I will be receiving a free bottle of fish emulsion. The lady who bought it says it burnt her plants. What is one man's poison is another man's food. I'll get that corn looking like it is on steroids yet! It ain't really all that bad. It is supposed to be knee high by the 4th of July and I got that made in the shade. Rain coming tomorrow and everything will get a good drink. Water is nice for plants in hot weather.
I am thinking about "weeds". These are super plants that you can't seem to get rid of. You can't kill them off. They are genetically suited to survive. Our plants in the garden are not that way. They must be handled with kid gloves. The soil is made very nutritious for them to eat and grow. Worms and bugs eat them at the first opportunity. And they are delicate. If anything goes wrong they are headed for the compost pile. Have we been fed a line of bullshit about what to grow in a garden? Does anyone know that Purslane was a garden crop in this country 150 years ago? Now we have it growing wild. Super food. There is so much nutrition out there that is free for the picking that it is insane to let it go to waste. So the Handmaiden and I eat it daily. Yeah, we don't raise any meat, but we could if we had the money to invest. My problem is I don't know what to eat for good vegetables in the Winter. All I know is saving things like beans and rice. Is that the route we are to take? Must we forever weed and spray crops to eat? It can be done, so far. But I have my doubts about the future.
The Daily Reckoning said to expect a drop in gasoline prices and food prices. Whoopee shit. My electric rate is going to go up 30%. I guess I will have to go off the grid. The wife has a laptop with wireless capability and maybe I can blog occasionally and have her post it for me. My e-mail promptness may fall a bit, however. But there is not much I can do about these things. I am growing food and amassing supplies. I do this as well as I can. A lot of thinking goes on before the dollars go out to buy. But that is how it is on a fixed income in America of today. And I have no mortgage or rent to pay. What in the hell are people with these expenses going to do? But the soulless, steel hearted beast of profiteering goes on it's dedicated path. If the gasoline and food prices go down, then the sheeple will be drawn right back into the stores and kept on the same old path of being cows in a stanchion. They will fail to realize that a let up in pressure is their opportunity to make an advancement in another area. I weary of the fight. The battle seems long and rigorous in the future. But I have a God and he is all powerful and I might get a break in that area. I can certainly use a break.
The Handmaiden just handed me a letter. It was from the State of Indiana's Secretary of State. I started a company about 3 years ago. Paid my $90 to the state and was going to start a lucrative log fumigation business. I had the resource, the land, and the backer. No problem. Except the fedgov people would not come to my place to inspect my fumigation practices and sign off on them. And if they don't sign off on the process, you are out to lunch.. Your stuff is no good and will not go into a foreign country as safe from disease. Before I got the idea to do this, the only fumigation points were on the coasts. You freighted your logs to a fumigation point and they shipped them to the port when your logs were finished. I had Mike Kemp here at the time and he was going to be my chief fumigator. He passed all the tests with flying colors. He IS a graduate Chemist from Tulane University and they were not going to throw much at him that he could not handle. But the fedgov refused to come check my operation out. And like I said, if they don't okay your process then you are up a creek with no paddle. So I gave up on the deal. And a few months later a couple guys with money to buy people opened up fumigation points in our area. The game is not always played on a level playing field. So now they want a report of what my business is doing. I guess they have been reading my blog. I hope they get an eye full!
Stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Back from the garden wars. Shot the corn with fish emulsion. The wife is covering the last few rows with plastic and she is going to use a tiller for free to do the last 10 rows of beans. I am as happy as I have a right to be, I reckon. More fish emulsion Thursday. I also got word that I will be receiving a free bottle of fish emulsion. The lady who bought it says it burnt her plants. What is one man's poison is another man's food. I'll get that corn looking like it is on steroids yet! It ain't really all that bad. It is supposed to be knee high by the 4th of July and I got that made in the shade. Rain coming tomorrow and everything will get a good drink. Water is nice for plants in hot weather.
I am thinking about "weeds". These are super plants that you can't seem to get rid of. You can't kill them off. They are genetically suited to survive. Our plants in the garden are not that way. They must be handled with kid gloves. The soil is made very nutritious for them to eat and grow. Worms and bugs eat them at the first opportunity. And they are delicate. If anything goes wrong they are headed for the compost pile. Have we been fed a line of bullshit about what to grow in a garden? Does anyone know that Purslane was a garden crop in this country 150 years ago? Now we have it growing wild. Super food. There is so much nutrition out there that is free for the picking that it is insane to let it go to waste. So the Handmaiden and I eat it daily. Yeah, we don't raise any meat, but we could if we had the money to invest. My problem is I don't know what to eat for good vegetables in the Winter. All I know is saving things like beans and rice. Is that the route we are to take? Must we forever weed and spray crops to eat? It can be done, so far. But I have my doubts about the future.
The Daily Reckoning said to expect a drop in gasoline prices and food prices. Whoopee shit. My electric rate is going to go up 30%. I guess I will have to go off the grid. The wife has a laptop with wireless capability and maybe I can blog occasionally and have her post it for me. My e-mail promptness may fall a bit, however. But there is not much I can do about these things. I am growing food and amassing supplies. I do this as well as I can. A lot of thinking goes on before the dollars go out to buy. But that is how it is on a fixed income in America of today. And I have no mortgage or rent to pay. What in the hell are people with these expenses going to do? But the soulless, steel hearted beast of profiteering goes on it's dedicated path. If the gasoline and food prices go down, then the sheeple will be drawn right back into the stores and kept on the same old path of being cows in a stanchion. They will fail to realize that a let up in pressure is their opportunity to make an advancement in another area. I weary of the fight. The battle seems long and rigorous in the future. But I have a God and he is all powerful and I might get a break in that area. I can certainly use a break.
The Handmaiden just handed me a letter. It was from the State of Indiana's Secretary of State. I started a company about 3 years ago. Paid my $90 to the state and was going to start a lucrative log fumigation business. I had the resource, the land, and the backer. No problem. Except the fedgov people would not come to my place to inspect my fumigation practices and sign off on them. And if they don't sign off on the process, you are out to lunch.. Your stuff is no good and will not go into a foreign country as safe from disease. Before I got the idea to do this, the only fumigation points were on the coasts. You freighted your logs to a fumigation point and they shipped them to the port when your logs were finished. I had Mike Kemp here at the time and he was going to be my chief fumigator. He passed all the tests with flying colors. He IS a graduate Chemist from Tulane University and they were not going to throw much at him that he could not handle. But the fedgov refused to come check my operation out. And like I said, if they don't okay your process then you are up a creek with no paddle. So I gave up on the deal. And a few months later a couple guys with money to buy people opened up fumigation points in our area. The game is not always played on a level playing field. So now they want a report of what my business is doing. I guess they have been reading my blog. I hope they get an eye full!
Stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Monday, June 23, 2008
HELLUVA DAY
Well, Monday is just about in the can. A done day unless something unexpected comes along. I had a helluva time getting a simple cultivator tool on the push plow. But it is now ready to go. And plenty of work awaits me. I did not get the fish emulsion on my corn today but I may get to it tomorrow. It really ought to be easy. We have running water at the garden an that is all I need to make grow juice for my corn. It is 1800 hours and dinner is cooking. I can eat right now! Ain't had anything since breakfast. It won't hurt if I miss a meal anyhow. My fat ass can afford to lose the weight. Yep.
The Handmaiden went shopping for medical supplies today and I was absolutely delighted with what she got. She went over budget because she bought a fancy zippered bag to hold all the stuff but she is a prepper too and wanted to contribute. Nice gal to have around. But for $30 and some judicious shopping we scored rather well, I think. We got:
10 each gauze pads 2" x 3"
1 each Ace bandage
12 each gauze bandages 2" x 2"
10 each gauze bandages 3" x 3"
2 each boxes of bandaids regular and large
1 box of cotton swabs
1 box of Epsom salts
1 roll of cloth first aid tape
1 bottle Isopropyl alcohol
1 box of moistened towelettes
1 box single edge razor blades
1 box assoted size Safety pins
1 bottle, small, mercurochrome
1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
1 tube triple antibiotic ointment
1 box antiacid tablets
1 box antidiarrheal tablets
1 box antihistamine tablets
1 bottle of Ibuprofin tablets
1 tube of anti itching cream
1 bottle of pain reliever-aspirin
1 jar of petroleum jelly
1 fancy gym bag
3 large plastic resealable storage bags
1 emergency blanket
1 container of sewing needles
1 half gallon of antibacterial soap(already in stock)
So, we have the ball rolling on our medical supplies. It is not complete by any means. But it ain't bad and it is probably better than most folks. The Handmaiden said to not go to Sam's Club to get medical supplies unless you are planning to buy lots of any single item. Too much volume for a poor, cash starved, prepper. She ended up going to the Dollar Store and to ChinaMart for the stuff. The Dollar Store had really CHEAP medical supplies. It's a good place to buy stuff that does not have an expiration date. Who cares how old a roll of gauze is, if the seal isn't broke? "Not I", said the Michael. So we have added some more to our list of things to do and have not increased our income. At this point you either increase your income or start sorting out priorities. It looks like we will be sorting our priorities. Sam's Club had a price of $25 on 50 pound bags of rice. No thanks, Sam. I have plenty and a chance of a lot more beans to bag up and put in the big cans. Think what a bushel of beans would do for your prep stash!
Just got up from the supper table and the Handmaiden out did herself. Country Ribs, apple slices cooked with the ribs, a small serving of baked potato, and a knock-you-out foraged salad with ranch dressing. It had some store bought tomato in it but it was very good. It just doesn't get any better than tonight.
All that talk of the oil supply being increased caused the price to go up a dollar a barrel today. The stock market went up a few dollars but stayed pretty much where it was at Friday's closing. The DJIA is almost 11,900. The dollar went up 35 hundredths of a cent. Whoopee shit, boys.
Amahdinajad, or however you spell his name, says there is no shortage of oil on the global market. About what the King of Saudi Arabia said 2 or 3 weeks ago. The Man from Iran said the oil price as up because of market manipulation and because the dollar ain't worth the paper it's printed on. Old George the Inflationer has really laid one on us. Sorry fuck.
There was a rumble today up in Milwaukee, I think, over emergency food stamps. Don't hold me to the town, but the rumble was real.
I became a grandfather for the third time today. A new little granddaughter out in Las Vegas. And welcome to the family, little girl. You have a mean-ass grandfather that will protect you if you can get here. He'll feed you, too. Hope you like simple country foods.
The price of gasoline is where the avergage American touches base with reality. They get sticker shock becuse of the price per gallon but they soon drive off into their fantasy again. Suck it up, fools. And the likely candidates we have coming on the scene, McCain and Obama, are both a couple of screwballs. Either one will inherit a mess they are incapable of cleaning up. I say we get Ron Paul in there when no one is looking. Sorta sneak him in to the Oval Office and turn him loose. Won't really matter though. I seen the needle and the damage done.
Stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
The Handmaiden went shopping for medical supplies today and I was absolutely delighted with what she got. She went over budget because she bought a fancy zippered bag to hold all the stuff but she is a prepper too and wanted to contribute. Nice gal to have around. But for $30 and some judicious shopping we scored rather well, I think. We got:
10 each gauze pads 2" x 3"
1 each Ace bandage
12 each gauze bandages 2" x 2"
10 each gauze bandages 3" x 3"
2 each boxes of bandaids regular and large
1 box of cotton swabs
1 box of Epsom salts
1 roll of cloth first aid tape
1 bottle Isopropyl alcohol
1 box of moistened towelettes
1 box single edge razor blades
1 box assoted size Safety pins
1 bottle, small, mercurochrome
1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
1 tube triple antibiotic ointment
1 box antiacid tablets
1 box antidiarrheal tablets
1 box antihistamine tablets
1 bottle of Ibuprofin tablets
1 tube of anti itching cream
1 bottle of pain reliever-aspirin
1 jar of petroleum jelly
1 fancy gym bag
3 large plastic resealable storage bags
1 emergency blanket
1 container of sewing needles
1 half gallon of antibacterial soap(already in stock)
So, we have the ball rolling on our medical supplies. It is not complete by any means. But it ain't bad and it is probably better than most folks. The Handmaiden said to not go to Sam's Club to get medical supplies unless you are planning to buy lots of any single item. Too much volume for a poor, cash starved, prepper. She ended up going to the Dollar Store and to ChinaMart for the stuff. The Dollar Store had really CHEAP medical supplies. It's a good place to buy stuff that does not have an expiration date. Who cares how old a roll of gauze is, if the seal isn't broke? "Not I", said the Michael. So we have added some more to our list of things to do and have not increased our income. At this point you either increase your income or start sorting out priorities. It looks like we will be sorting our priorities. Sam's Club had a price of $25 on 50 pound bags of rice. No thanks, Sam. I have plenty and a chance of a lot more beans to bag up and put in the big cans. Think what a bushel of beans would do for your prep stash!
Just got up from the supper table and the Handmaiden out did herself. Country Ribs, apple slices cooked with the ribs, a small serving of baked potato, and a knock-you-out foraged salad with ranch dressing. It had some store bought tomato in it but it was very good. It just doesn't get any better than tonight.
All that talk of the oil supply being increased caused the price to go up a dollar a barrel today. The stock market went up a few dollars but stayed pretty much where it was at Friday's closing. The DJIA is almost 11,900. The dollar went up 35 hundredths of a cent. Whoopee shit, boys.
Amahdinajad, or however you spell his name, says there is no shortage of oil on the global market. About what the King of Saudi Arabia said 2 or 3 weeks ago. The Man from Iran said the oil price as up because of market manipulation and because the dollar ain't worth the paper it's printed on. Old George the Inflationer has really laid one on us. Sorry fuck.
There was a rumble today up in Milwaukee, I think, over emergency food stamps. Don't hold me to the town, but the rumble was real.
I became a grandfather for the third time today. A new little granddaughter out in Las Vegas. And welcome to the family, little girl. You have a mean-ass grandfather that will protect you if you can get here. He'll feed you, too. Hope you like simple country foods.
The price of gasoline is where the avergage American touches base with reality. They get sticker shock becuse of the price per gallon but they soon drive off into their fantasy again. Suck it up, fools. And the likely candidates we have coming on the scene, McCain and Obama, are both a couple of screwballs. Either one will inherit a mess they are incapable of cleaning up. I say we get Ron Paul in there when no one is looking. Sorta sneak him in to the Oval Office and turn him loose. Won't really matter though. I seen the needle and the damage done.
Stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
THIS AND THAT, AGAIN
The Handmaiden is going to the big town of Bloomington this morning. She has an appointment with a service customer to do some bookwork. No big deal. But while she is up there I want her to do some shopping for me. I am amassing medical supplies and Sam's Club might be a very good place to start. I am on my second large container of rice and beans and I don't feel pressed in that area. Time for medical supplies. She made out a long list of stuff to choose from, according to her money supply. It looked like a good starting point to me. Medical problems have a very bad sense of timing. They always seem to happen when you are not ready. So, being a prepper, I am going to try to get ready in advance. Wish me luck.
My daughter out in Nevada is supposed to have her second child today. I have heard it is going to be a girl. My son on the East coast asked that I "think" about her today. I told him I would. And so I went out on the porch and thought about her. I felt no danger or any apprehension in my being. I think she will be alright. It is rather humorous to ponder what can go on around our globe. It is amazing how much goes on that we cannot control at all. Mankind thinks that all things can be fixed by the mind of man. I'm here to tell you that it isn't true. There is only one being in the entire creation that can handle the whole deal. Stick with him and you will be taking your best shot.
I am going to the garden again today. I want to get some fish emulsion on the corn and I want to get some weeds cultivated. By hand, for chrissake. I'll put that cultivator tool on the push plow and take a run at it. This weeding will be under control pretty soon. Just a little more to go with the plastic and we will have it all covered.
The Handmaiden has been asked to write an article on feminine hygien and she did and here it is for the benefit of one and all.
What to Do about Aunt Ruth from Red Creek: Monthly Periods
By the Handmaiden
Believe it or not, a survivalist gentleman poster asked me to write about this, and so I shall, blunt and to the point. If you’re squeamish about women’s monthly blood, then don’t bother reading this.
A caveat, I am past the age where I have to worry about my period (THANK YOU LORD!). Been through menopause with the gracious aid of black cohosh and evening primrose oil and wild yam cream. Done with the hot flashes (almost) and all the assorted crazy emotional crap. So, even though I’m past the age, here’s what I think about this recurring event and how to deal with it.
The Memsahhib on Survival Blog has dealt with this topic with characteristic Rawlsian logic and intelligence, with some links to washable pads. Washable pads are a damn good idea.
In the meantime, it goes without saying, store lots of tampons and pads. Lots of them. Besides their usual use, tampons can be a great aid as tinder for fire-starting, I understand. But store as many as you can for as many women are in your group. Tampons are a great convenience, but if you store and use them, do be aware of the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome. I haven’t heard anything about this rare syndrome in a long time, but it pays to be aware of it nonetheless.
Another good idea would be to look into the reusable menstrual cups, called the Diva cup or The Keeper. This device is slipped into the vagina, up against the cervix, and removed and emptied when it is full of blood. If I still needed to use something, this is what I would use. From what I read, these cups can be used up to 10 years. The only problem may be taking them out to empty and replace in a public bathroom--but this won’t be an issue post-TEOTWAWKI.
But sooner or later, women will have to go back to using rags, washing them, reusing them. This is simple common sense, right? For that matter, nearly everything will be reused over and over again. No more disposable world. And that will be a blessing.
As for PMS and the problems of menopause, there are many herbs that can help with the irritability, cramps, bloating and other symptoms. Here is a good article on many of those herbs. For menopause, I found black cohosh and evening primrose oil to be very beneficial. At the time, I didn’t know the plants grew locally or I would have harvested them as they grow right in our valley. I purchased capsules at the local health food store and they worked fine.
Menustruation is a special time for women--problematic and often a curse. I like how women of the ancients and Native Americans handled it by going off alone (or with other women having their periods) to a separate tent or building and living alone for a few days. Think what a blessing that would be--getting away from the aggravations of daily life, a time to relax and enjoy other women’s company without men or children around. It is an idea whose time may come around again.
For those of you who love a good laugh, please read this! It’s hilarious and on topic!
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
My daughter out in Nevada is supposed to have her second child today. I have heard it is going to be a girl. My son on the East coast asked that I "think" about her today. I told him I would. And so I went out on the porch and thought about her. I felt no danger or any apprehension in my being. I think she will be alright. It is rather humorous to ponder what can go on around our globe. It is amazing how much goes on that we cannot control at all. Mankind thinks that all things can be fixed by the mind of man. I'm here to tell you that it isn't true. There is only one being in the entire creation that can handle the whole deal. Stick with him and you will be taking your best shot.
I am going to the garden again today. I want to get some fish emulsion on the corn and I want to get some weeds cultivated. By hand, for chrissake. I'll put that cultivator tool on the push plow and take a run at it. This weeding will be under control pretty soon. Just a little more to go with the plastic and we will have it all covered.
The Handmaiden has been asked to write an article on feminine hygien and she did and here it is for the benefit of one and all.
What to Do about Aunt Ruth from Red Creek: Monthly Periods
By the Handmaiden
Believe it or not, a survivalist gentleman poster asked me to write about this, and so I shall, blunt and to the point. If you’re squeamish about women’s monthly blood, then don’t bother reading this.
A caveat, I am past the age where I have to worry about my period (THANK YOU LORD!). Been through menopause with the gracious aid of black cohosh and evening primrose oil and wild yam cream. Done with the hot flashes (almost) and all the assorted crazy emotional crap. So, even though I’m past the age, here’s what I think about this recurring event and how to deal with it.
The Memsahhib on Survival Blog has dealt with this topic with characteristic Rawlsian logic and intelligence, with some links to washable pads. Washable pads are a damn good idea.
In the meantime, it goes without saying, store lots of tampons and pads. Lots of them. Besides their usual use, tampons can be a great aid as tinder for fire-starting, I understand. But store as many as you can for as many women are in your group. Tampons are a great convenience, but if you store and use them, do be aware of the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome. I haven’t heard anything about this rare syndrome in a long time, but it pays to be aware of it nonetheless.
Another good idea would be to look into the reusable menstrual cups, called the Diva cup or The Keeper. This device is slipped into the vagina, up against the cervix, and removed and emptied when it is full of blood. If I still needed to use something, this is what I would use. From what I read, these cups can be used up to 10 years. The only problem may be taking them out to empty and replace in a public bathroom--but this won’t be an issue post-TEOTWAWKI.
But sooner or later, women will have to go back to using rags, washing them, reusing them. This is simple common sense, right? For that matter, nearly everything will be reused over and over again. No more disposable world. And that will be a blessing.
As for PMS and the problems of menopause, there are many herbs that can help with the irritability, cramps, bloating and other symptoms. Here is a good article on many of those herbs. For menopause, I found black cohosh and evening primrose oil to be very beneficial. At the time, I didn’t know the plants grew locally or I would have harvested them as they grow right in our valley. I purchased capsules at the local health food store and they worked fine.
Menustruation is a special time for women--problematic and often a curse. I like how women of the ancients and Native Americans handled it by going off alone (or with other women having their periods) to a separate tent or building and living alone for a few days. Think what a blessing that would be--getting away from the aggravations of daily life, a time to relax and enjoy other women’s company without men or children around. It is an idea whose time may come around again.
For those of you who love a good laugh, please read this! It’s hilarious and on topic!
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
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