THE NRA
The boys and girls of the NRA are hot to defeat Obama. They are also crowing about the Heller decision by the Supreme Court. I listened to some of the verbal arguments by the pro-gun lawyers at that hearing and I considered them to be a disgrace. If the court was listening for the intensity of the desire for freedom to bear arms, they never heard it. Such weak speaking lawyers. I was ashamed. My friend Mike Kemp could have done a better job of stating the case. But, the case is over and the fight marches on in the pursuit of freedom. I say we have a right to hunt and shoot and protect our friends and family. Over in Illinois they have a MAJOR anti gun mayor up in Chicago and he is bitterly steadfast in his course of action. I pity him. Of course, he has armed protection around him all the time, paid for by the tax payers whom he denies the right to have guns. Talk about hypocrisy. But it gives the NRA a reason to continue on as an organization and collect dues and pay fancy salaries and make headlines. It's sort of a mandated economic guarantee.
OBAMA
Obama is a slick guy from Illinois. He is a Socialist, almost a communist. He constantly talks about CHANGE but it never is clear just what it is that he wants to change. Ergo, he is running a shuck. He is running a campaign of lies and half truths. His change will be for the ill of us. He can spend money like water flowing over Niagara Falls. Of course, with Bush in there we have plenty of experience with living up next to deficits. Obama will be worse. He just does not have a clue about the human nature. He is a social engineering advocate from the word go. I do not know where the democrats get these creatures the run for president. It's amazing how stupid they all are.
THE TREASURY AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE
Our main financial people in this country, sworn to uphold the constitution and defend us against all enemies both foreign and domestic, are simply working for the banks and Wall Street. We sit-in-sins, uh, I mean citizens can go piss up a down spot. We don't have the clout to warrant the entire federal government coming to protect us. Makes me kinda wonder who they are protecting. All the trillions of dollars out there in the so called investment market can't belong to Americans. We ain't got it. I think it belongs to foreign nationals and sovereign nation funds. The Arabs and the Chinese must have a lot of money parked here for safe keeping. But we don't have it. Our grocery costs have gone up through the roof. As have our energy costs. We are losing our homes to foreclosure at an horrendous rate. We haven't had a raise in pay since pay raises were invented. Any extra money you are given is eaten up by inflation. So we have come to nationalization of losses and privatization of profits. Pretty slick trick if you ask me. And our financial guys are in there going at the nationalization of profits like a biting sow. By golly, they figure to have all this junk transferred to my and your backs while they go Scot free. And they are gonna get it done and we ain't got nothin' to say about it but maybe a slight whimper.
RETAIL PRICES
What we pay at the stores these days is ridiculous. Milk is running about $4 a gallon here in my area. We are gonna buy a share of a cow and get our milk a lot cheaper. The government can't tell you that you can't drink the whole milk from your own cow. At least not yet. I have received a post that said they CAN stop you from drinking it in Maryland and they, in fact, have a guy with a staff who does that very thing. Them boys must use Armored Personnel Carriers and lots of body armor in their daily walk through life. It just would not work here in the Hoosier State.
PREPPNG VERSUS SURVIVALISM
I caught some flack for calling a fella a survivalist yesterday. He insists he is a prepper instead. And that is fine with me. I will, for the benefit of those who have not done the mental work, tell you that prepping denotes acquisition. You acquire though you may not use immediately. Survival is more akin to utilization. You may store up guns and ammo but you do not use them unless you are about to shoot something, or someone. You drive your car and "acquire" the knowledge that you are about to hit something via your eyesight. That is prepping. Then you take you foot and press on the brakes and try to avoid a collision. Putting on the brakes is survival. If you live with the mindset that you intend to live through most any calamitous event then whatever steps you take before hand are called preparations. Using up your preparations would be acting in a survival mode. I use the terms interchangeably. Maybe I shouldn't but I do.
STOP THE WARS
If we could get these crazy neo-cons to halt the wars and bring our troops home from ALL foreign nations we would be so far ahead in the game of life that it would be amazing. The money saved would be a national dividend of gigantic proportions. We might even go back to being a creditor nation instead of the world biggest debtor. We would have all those troops on our own soil spending their pay on American products and spending at American businesses. Think of that little boost. We would also make some friends instead of making more enemies, which we now have in super abundance. We could protect our borders. And truth be known, we could probably get rid of a few hundred thousand troops and return them to civilian life. We would not have big defense companies getting non-competitive bids for supplies, like Haliburton does now. And Haliburton is not alone. A bunch of the sleazy devils are on the government dole right now. Then our House of Representatives would have no excuse for not keeping track of the nation's money.
But it won't happen. There is too much money to be made for the blood suckers to quit bleeding us dry. So we will have to wait until something happens that will free us from this bondage. And I believe it is coming. Too many people out there hate us and one or more of them will get the chance to hurt us and they will use it. Give an ape a rock and he will throw it.
Stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
WE'RE GETTING READY FOR W_H_A_T?
It's been quite a reading session this morning. I have added a couple of new sites to my list of morning reads. The first is a lady at http://wildflowers-survive.blogspot.com/. She is pretty cool and thinks ahead. She needs to have a weapon to defend herself. She also needs to get the hell out of town. I might get her a place to stay down South if she is interested. I have a friend who needs some help running his survival retreat. He is a crack shot and can defend. It's out in the country and there are good fields of fire.
I also added http://faolbushcraft.blogspot.com/. Seems to be a reasonable fella. He is a outdoors kind of survivalist but he has nothing against preppers.
While nosing around this morning I read a letter from some guy over on Rawles page and didn't like the guy at all. Seemed like he had been smoking left handed cigarettes for too long. Out of touch with reality. Lives in Tasmania and invited us all down.
I have been thinking this morning about Y2K. It just seems to me that an Electro-Mechanical- Pulse would put us all in Y2K in a major hurry. What does everybody think a EMP is for? Anything that uses electronics will be renderd useless unless it is in a Faraday Cage. And are we going to wrap the country in a huge Faraday Cage? Not in your lifetime, my friend, or in your grandchildrens life time either. All these fancy radios everyone wants to be able to talk around the country or the neighborhood are going to be deader than a stone. Everything that was looked upon with horror at the thought of Y2K will happen with EMP. Your computer, your electricity, your phone, your coffee maker, and on and on, will go out. Your electric range and your freezer will still work but they have no juice to run them so get ready to turn the freezer into a worm bed. The catastrophe of Y2K was just postponed, not ended or cured.
In scanning http://www.wildflowers-survive.blogspot.com/ I noticed a stove of some sort. Looked to be powered by Kerosene or some sort of gas. And it looked like it had the power to do something. There was a big ol' burner and heavy duty up-rights to hold a sizable grill. It would only last as long as you had fuel but it might get you started on the road to recovery from a calamitous event. REMEMBER: THE FIRST 72 HOURS OF A STRESSFUL SITUATION OR NATURAL DISASTER ARE THE HARDEST. HAVE THE WOMEN FOLK ALL PREPARED TO FEED OUT LIKE CRAZY FOR THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS. I have big cans of Hormel Chili and cans of fruit and I am getting some hot chocolate mix and other goodies for just this reason. Don't have any tortillas but I have six and a half pounds of cheese dip. Just remember to get what floats your boat. I also have chicken for making chicken salad. Tuna to be used for much the same purpose. You have to give people a chance to acclimate themselves and get to moving.
Don't push folks to do too much these first 3 days, unless it is time to start shooting. And chances are it will not be time to start shooting, but it will not hurt to post a guard detail on a 24 hour basis.
Over on Mickey Creekmore's blog he had a guest writer who had the audacity to say that our country was swamped with morons and degenerates. Couldn't have put it any better if I tried. My only question is how come so many of them got elected to public office? Now do you understand why taxes will raise in the event of a national calamity? Now can you understand why the continuity of government act was passed? The degenerates and the morons want to survive too! Only they want to survive on YOUR back. This will only be stopped by the sound of something going CLACK, Click. This sound is for the benefit of Ye Olde Tax Collector. And remember another thing kids. Just like back in the days when you were a Boy or Girl Scout, always bury your trash. But if we have a complete monetary collapse then the tax guy won't be around. He'll be reporting to his local FEMA camp so he can plant a huge garden for the powers that be up the ladder from him. What goes around comes around, or so they say.
There are many people with many individual plans for surviving. Some are going for making through the BIG BLAST time. And I say that is a good thought and probably the cornerstone of survival. We all know it's coming so why not face it now while we have the chance to prepare. But until the bombs are dropped there is no reason to man the guns at the door, for the most part. We gotta have gangs of roving Freebooters or gangbangers before we get that serious. But if it gets to that point, well, we are called survivors, aren't we? And we have preached and posted and written letters to the editor until our fingers were numb and it has done no good. We have not been able to reform the system. So why worry about the folks who believe in it? Let them cling to their own rock of safety, where ever the hell that is. I am starting to get hardened to the cries and wailing of people who do not see and prepare. Hell. Even the fedgov says to have two weeks of food on hand in case of an emergency. I said before that they are off 50 weeks shy of the mark and I hold to that. We need a year's supply of food, not two weeks. They ain't gonna fix anything for us in two weeks. Who the hell are they trying to kid?
As one writer this morning said, the only legal option we have is to prepare. So prepare we will. Someone has to be ready to continue some sort of moral and character fiber on this planet after the apes get through trying to destroy it. It is too nice a place to turn back into weeds and rubbish. Our forefathers worked long years to prepare us a place to live and to be free. We have lost the freedom part but we have retained the will to live. We'll get the freedom part back one way or another, God willing. Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I also added http://faolbushcraft.blogspot.com/. Seems to be a reasonable fella. He is a outdoors kind of survivalist but he has nothing against preppers.
While nosing around this morning I read a letter from some guy over on Rawles page and didn't like the guy at all. Seemed like he had been smoking left handed cigarettes for too long. Out of touch with reality. Lives in Tasmania and invited us all down.
I have been thinking this morning about Y2K. It just seems to me that an Electro-Mechanical- Pulse would put us all in Y2K in a major hurry. What does everybody think a EMP is for? Anything that uses electronics will be renderd useless unless it is in a Faraday Cage. And are we going to wrap the country in a huge Faraday Cage? Not in your lifetime, my friend, or in your grandchildrens life time either. All these fancy radios everyone wants to be able to talk around the country or the neighborhood are going to be deader than a stone. Everything that was looked upon with horror at the thought of Y2K will happen with EMP. Your computer, your electricity, your phone, your coffee maker, and on and on, will go out. Your electric range and your freezer will still work but they have no juice to run them so get ready to turn the freezer into a worm bed. The catastrophe of Y2K was just postponed, not ended or cured.
In scanning http://www.wildflowers-survive.blogspot.com/ I noticed a stove of some sort. Looked to be powered by Kerosene or some sort of gas. And it looked like it had the power to do something. There was a big ol' burner and heavy duty up-rights to hold a sizable grill. It would only last as long as you had fuel but it might get you started on the road to recovery from a calamitous event. REMEMBER: THE FIRST 72 HOURS OF A STRESSFUL SITUATION OR NATURAL DISASTER ARE THE HARDEST. HAVE THE WOMEN FOLK ALL PREPARED TO FEED OUT LIKE CRAZY FOR THOSE FIRST FEW DAYS. I have big cans of Hormel Chili and cans of fruit and I am getting some hot chocolate mix and other goodies for just this reason. Don't have any tortillas but I have six and a half pounds of cheese dip. Just remember to get what floats your boat. I also have chicken for making chicken salad. Tuna to be used for much the same purpose. You have to give people a chance to acclimate themselves and get to moving.
Don't push folks to do too much these first 3 days, unless it is time to start shooting. And chances are it will not be time to start shooting, but it will not hurt to post a guard detail on a 24 hour basis.
Over on Mickey Creekmore's blog he had a guest writer who had the audacity to say that our country was swamped with morons and degenerates. Couldn't have put it any better if I tried. My only question is how come so many of them got elected to public office? Now do you understand why taxes will raise in the event of a national calamity? Now can you understand why the continuity of government act was passed? The degenerates and the morons want to survive too! Only they want to survive on YOUR back. This will only be stopped by the sound of something going CLACK, Click. This sound is for the benefit of Ye Olde Tax Collector. And remember another thing kids. Just like back in the days when you were a Boy or Girl Scout, always bury your trash. But if we have a complete monetary collapse then the tax guy won't be around. He'll be reporting to his local FEMA camp so he can plant a huge garden for the powers that be up the ladder from him. What goes around comes around, or so they say.
There are many people with many individual plans for surviving. Some are going for making through the BIG BLAST time. And I say that is a good thought and probably the cornerstone of survival. We all know it's coming so why not face it now while we have the chance to prepare. But until the bombs are dropped there is no reason to man the guns at the door, for the most part. We gotta have gangs of roving Freebooters or gangbangers before we get that serious. But if it gets to that point, well, we are called survivors, aren't we? And we have preached and posted and written letters to the editor until our fingers were numb and it has done no good. We have not been able to reform the system. So why worry about the folks who believe in it? Let them cling to their own rock of safety, where ever the hell that is. I am starting to get hardened to the cries and wailing of people who do not see and prepare. Hell. Even the fedgov says to have two weeks of food on hand in case of an emergency. I said before that they are off 50 weeks shy of the mark and I hold to that. We need a year's supply of food, not two weeks. They ain't gonna fix anything for us in two weeks. Who the hell are they trying to kid?
As one writer this morning said, the only legal option we have is to prepare. So prepare we will. Someone has to be ready to continue some sort of moral and character fiber on this planet after the apes get through trying to destroy it. It is too nice a place to turn back into weeds and rubbish. Our forefathers worked long years to prepare us a place to live and to be free. We have lost the freedom part but we have retained the will to live. We'll get the freedom part back one way or another, God willing. Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Monday, August 18, 2008
PREPS AMD MONEY
I am awaiting the completion of our supper. The wife cooked up some homemade tomato sauce this weekend and we are having spaghetti and meatballs tonight. I was asked to taste the sauce when it was done and I can vouch for the skill of the Handmaiden. Delicious. A lot of the ingredients for the sauce came from our garden and the Handmaiden's foraging. Can't beat the price. There ain't a whole lot for me to do at this point so I type at the blog. That is a good use of my time.
The Handmaiden sorted through more beans this afternoon. It was warm and there was a touch of breeze on the porch so she got to it. She does the sorting in a sieve. Works very well. Not many beans failed her inspection and we now have about three pounds of Black Beans freezing their little butts off. They are alongside about ten pounds of our homegrown Horticulture beans, commonly referred to as Cranberry beans. We have forty pounds or so of different beans to go through and it is well worth the effort. After the beans come out of the freezer we put it a dollop of Bay Leaves for extra measure. No more risk taking. We have declared war on the bugs. They will cost us food and money if they are allowed to continue having their way. It is a good thing I pushed for an inventory of our preps. This is how we discovered our predicament. And it is how we came to the solution we are using. Necessity is the mother of all invention. But we have much too much invested in time and money and energy to let this stuff go to hell. I fully believe that we are about to go into a rough time in the lives of ordinary Americans and food will be a nice thing to have around. After all, the fedgov raised their standard to folks needing to have 2 weeks of food on hand instead of a few days. I think they were about 50 weeks short of the mark but that is merely a difference of opinion.
Another item on the food front is the possibility of getting a cow-share going with a local farmer. Good clean cows and tested and all that stuff and you buy a share of a cow and get your milk that way. Lots of cream and good enzymes in that whole milk! And it hasn't been all killed by factory processes. I may partake of this cow-share offer. I have read about it a little bit and I think I might like it. I know I like that cream on my fruit every night. Strawberries. Blueberries, Baked Apples. hummmm, good.
In perusing the financial blogs and pages today I was amazed that people still do not know where to turn. The $100 bill went up 6 cents in value. Crude oil finished flat across the board. The DJIA went down $180.51. These people, with all their power and money, cannot make this economy obey. There are just too many screw-ups in the system for anyone to handle. Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac are looming on the horizon. They are both about fifty billion in the hole, for a one hundred billion dollar failure. No one is even talking about Ginny Mae as yet. The list keeps growing and growing.
The heavy duty economic writers on the blogs and the web pages say that the worst is yet to come. They say there is stuff buried in the accounts of these banks and pension funds that will stagger the imagination. I can remember when the sub-prime mortgages were the problem of banks that played fast and loose and recklessly with the public money. But there were still banks who had not done that, right? Wrong! They all did it. Every last one of the big bastards got in on it. Hide and watch. It will be fun and games for those who are prepared. So get on board the survival train and go for the ride of the century. And write it all down so your grandkids will know what you went though. And stay alive. I'll post this in the morning.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
The Handmaiden sorted through more beans this afternoon. It was warm and there was a touch of breeze on the porch so she got to it. She does the sorting in a sieve. Works very well. Not many beans failed her inspection and we now have about three pounds of Black Beans freezing their little butts off. They are alongside about ten pounds of our homegrown Horticulture beans, commonly referred to as Cranberry beans. We have forty pounds or so of different beans to go through and it is well worth the effort. After the beans come out of the freezer we put it a dollop of Bay Leaves for extra measure. No more risk taking. We have declared war on the bugs. They will cost us food and money if they are allowed to continue having their way. It is a good thing I pushed for an inventory of our preps. This is how we discovered our predicament. And it is how we came to the solution we are using. Necessity is the mother of all invention. But we have much too much invested in time and money and energy to let this stuff go to hell. I fully believe that we are about to go into a rough time in the lives of ordinary Americans and food will be a nice thing to have around. After all, the fedgov raised their standard to folks needing to have 2 weeks of food on hand instead of a few days. I think they were about 50 weeks short of the mark but that is merely a difference of opinion.
Another item on the food front is the possibility of getting a cow-share going with a local farmer. Good clean cows and tested and all that stuff and you buy a share of a cow and get your milk that way. Lots of cream and good enzymes in that whole milk! And it hasn't been all killed by factory processes. I may partake of this cow-share offer. I have read about it a little bit and I think I might like it. I know I like that cream on my fruit every night. Strawberries. Blueberries, Baked Apples. hummmm, good.
In perusing the financial blogs and pages today I was amazed that people still do not know where to turn. The $100 bill went up 6 cents in value. Crude oil finished flat across the board. The DJIA went down $180.51. These people, with all their power and money, cannot make this economy obey. There are just too many screw-ups in the system for anyone to handle. Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac are looming on the horizon. They are both about fifty billion in the hole, for a one hundred billion dollar failure. No one is even talking about Ginny Mae as yet. The list keeps growing and growing.
The heavy duty economic writers on the blogs and the web pages say that the worst is yet to come. They say there is stuff buried in the accounts of these banks and pension funds that will stagger the imagination. I can remember when the sub-prime mortgages were the problem of banks that played fast and loose and recklessly with the public money. But there were still banks who had not done that, right? Wrong! They all did it. Every last one of the big bastards got in on it. Hide and watch. It will be fun and games for those who are prepared. So get on board the survival train and go for the ride of the century. And write it all down so your grandkids will know what you went though. And stay alive. I'll post this in the morning.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
BASIC PREMISES
Basic Premises
by Charley Reese
Found on Lew Rockwell.com
What follows are a few of the basic premises on which I base my thinking. You might or might not agree with them, but may I suggest that you make a list of your own basic premises. It will help you clarify your thinking.
Government is inherently incompetent, and no matter what task it is assigned, it will do that task in the most expensive and inefficient way possible.
The American government is corrupt from top to bottom.
If you rely on the mass media to inform you about your community, state and nation, you will, with rare exceptions, be woefully ignorant of what is really going on.
The universal franchise is a bad idea. The notion that the destiny of the nation should be put in the hands of ignoramuses, parasites, boobs, party hacks and idiots is absurd on its face.
Public education in America is a failure and is so flawed it cannot be reformed.
Not much has changed in the past 5,000 years of human history.
All of that might sound cynical, but it really isn't. True conservatives have argued for years that government, even a benign one, is like a clumsy, retarded giant, and therefore you have to be careful to limit what tasks you assign it.
You can make a career out of just criticizing obvious bloopers committed by the various departments of government, because they all commit them. The Romans built roads that are still around, but states today continue to build roads that will pothole and crack within a year, sometimes sooner. Look at the federal airport-security people. They take nail trimmers away from grandmothers but allow real weapons to get through. And so on and so on.
As for the news media, since most media companies are now controlled by a handful of corporations whose sole interest is in maintaining a high profit margin, you are getting mostly fluff instead of hard news. Hard news is labor-intensive. It is cheaper to go with the fluff.
Thomas Jefferson's theoretical belief in a free press soon foundered on the reality, and he came to despise it. He advised one young man never to read newspapers, since it was better to be ignorant than misinformed.
As for government corruption, it's all around us. Sure, there are honest public officials, but the system itself is corrupt. It now requires so much money to run for office that the field is narrowed to bored millionaires and office-seekers willing to take as much money as they can from anywhere they can get it. That's why Congress pays no attention to the people. It pays attention to the suppliers of campaign funds – not to mention junkets, fancy vacations and off-the-radar business deals.
As for the universal franchise, the problem with that is obvious. People who wish to vote should at least be required to pass the same test given to immigrants who want to become citizens. A lot of voters are not even sure what state they live in – or what century, for that matter. How can people who are ignorant of history, economics and basic science make an intelligent choice for a national leader? They can't. They will go with the demagogue.
And, of course, it is public education that is mass-producing these ignoramuses. Imagine people completing 16 years of formal education and not knowing how to spell, punctuate or use their native language correctly. Imagine college graduates who know virtually nothing about their country's history or geography.
As for the final premise, it is simply a reminder to utopians: Human beings are selfish, flawed and fallible animals. They always have been, they are now, and they always will be. Therefore, any human institution, public or private, will reflect those flaws. If you want perfection, plant a rosebush.
Charley Reese August 18, 2008
by Charley Reese
Found on Lew Rockwell.com
What follows are a few of the basic premises on which I base my thinking. You might or might not agree with them, but may I suggest that you make a list of your own basic premises. It will help you clarify your thinking.
Government is inherently incompetent, and no matter what task it is assigned, it will do that task in the most expensive and inefficient way possible.
The American government is corrupt from top to bottom.
If you rely on the mass media to inform you about your community, state and nation, you will, with rare exceptions, be woefully ignorant of what is really going on.
The universal franchise is a bad idea. The notion that the destiny of the nation should be put in the hands of ignoramuses, parasites, boobs, party hacks and idiots is absurd on its face.
Public education in America is a failure and is so flawed it cannot be reformed.
Not much has changed in the past 5,000 years of human history.
All of that might sound cynical, but it really isn't. True conservatives have argued for years that government, even a benign one, is like a clumsy, retarded giant, and therefore you have to be careful to limit what tasks you assign it.
You can make a career out of just criticizing obvious bloopers committed by the various departments of government, because they all commit them. The Romans built roads that are still around, but states today continue to build roads that will pothole and crack within a year, sometimes sooner. Look at the federal airport-security people. They take nail trimmers away from grandmothers but allow real weapons to get through. And so on and so on.
As for the news media, since most media companies are now controlled by a handful of corporations whose sole interest is in maintaining a high profit margin, you are getting mostly fluff instead of hard news. Hard news is labor-intensive. It is cheaper to go with the fluff.
Thomas Jefferson's theoretical belief in a free press soon foundered on the reality, and he came to despise it. He advised one young man never to read newspapers, since it was better to be ignorant than misinformed.
As for government corruption, it's all around us. Sure, there are honest public officials, but the system itself is corrupt. It now requires so much money to run for office that the field is narrowed to bored millionaires and office-seekers willing to take as much money as they can from anywhere they can get it. That's why Congress pays no attention to the people. It pays attention to the suppliers of campaign funds – not to mention junkets, fancy vacations and off-the-radar business deals.
As for the universal franchise, the problem with that is obvious. People who wish to vote should at least be required to pass the same test given to immigrants who want to become citizens. A lot of voters are not even sure what state they live in – or what century, for that matter. How can people who are ignorant of history, economics and basic science make an intelligent choice for a national leader? They can't. They will go with the demagogue.
And, of course, it is public education that is mass-producing these ignoramuses. Imagine people completing 16 years of formal education and not knowing how to spell, punctuate or use their native language correctly. Imagine college graduates who know virtually nothing about their country's history or geography.
As for the final premise, it is simply a reminder to utopians: Human beings are selfish, flawed and fallible animals. They always have been, they are now, and they always will be. Therefore, any human institution, public or private, will reflect those flaws. If you want perfection, plant a rosebush.
Charley Reese August 18, 2008
A SURVIVAL SUMMARY
I have read where Spain has called it's people back from vacation early this year. Their economy is collapsing and they need to get busy and try to stop the slide into the pit. And the last time I checked Spain had the 10th largest economy in the world. They hit the ball pretty hard over there. You might check the CIA fact book for the actual numbers. But Germany has lost it's boom and France and England are failing like crazy, so Spain won't be too far behind. I think Spain is the number one producer of Olives in the world. Most of your Italian Olive Oil is from Spanish Olives. And speaking of Olive Oil, I aim to get me a supply of that good stuff. I believe I told you I found a good supply at a decent price. I will be going for that pretty soon. I need to have more oils in my preps. Oils are essential to most everything. Lard, Olive Oil, even the nasty commercial stuff. You really need it for a decent diet. If you are prepping try to stay with Lard and Olive Oil if possible. Get some of the other stuff if you must, but the Lard and the Olive Oil are the ones you want to have is possible. Don't forget your ASS. That stands for Anchovies, Sardines, and Salmon. Most excellent sources of Omega-3 fats. Keeps you healthy!
My food inventory has been very helpful for future planning. I know where I am strong and where I am weak. I'll try to make up the weaknesses as fast as I can. I really need to inventory tools and ammo also. A clothing inventory might not be a bad idea. We are so very strongly accustomed to our instant gratification at the various stores we frequent that we may lose our edge in keeping track of what we have. And you had better keep track of what of have, my friends. Denver had it's coldest August 16th in 118 years of record keeping. It never got above 58 degrees. Beat the old record of 63 by 5 degrees. Not even close.
Things are supposed to be getting cheaper at the stores but I will believe that when I see it. They can say whatever they wish on the corporate media, but I am the guy who has to pull his wallet out when the buy is made.
The federal government is not slowing it's spending down one iota. If they don't have enough cash they just print some more. Too bad they are about 5 years too late. I have studied some of these economic bubbles the world has experienced back through history and they never came back. Once they died, they were over and done with. I would say that this group of bubbles will not be back either. The world has gotten wise to our game and they will not fall for it again.
Our banks are just about cooked the final degree. I even read a post by a reasonable economist that was speculating on just what big banks would make it through the financial swamp over to dry land. There were some big names that were questionable. General Motors is on the ropes and floundering about like a fish out of water. Low miles-per-gallon got 'em. All those expensive SUVs finally made them lose fifteen billion dollars in one quarter. I guess they couldn't read the handwriting on the wall. Buying cars, flipping houses, investing in the stock market. All things of history as far as the working man is concerned. I remember working at General Motors 45 years ago and the big thought out on the floor of the plants was that they might get too much of the automobile market share and the fedgov would come at them with anti-trust lawsuits. They pay pensions out of this world. Wonder how long that will hold up? Pensions are not too popular these days. The big funds that back them up are involved in stocks and bundled mortgages. Not good. Your pension could disappear in a flash, as all the executives leave the country for safer climates. But that safer climate might get pretty damn crowded what with the international group that will be seeking to join them. Politicians will be numbered in this exodus also. They will be one step ahead of the howling mob. Of course, they will get good protection all the way to the airport. They will bum rides from the big corporate leaders.
So, with all the doom and gloom in mind, I will prepare as best I can. My wallet ain't fat enough to leave and my heart would not be in it, so I had better be ready to make it through the hard times. My wife stands with me and we intend to go for it whatever the God of heaven has in mind for us to go through. So take your inventories and check yourself out. Get what you ain't got and prepare for a cold Winter. It could be a humdinger. I'll let you know of anything I run up on and don't you forget to comment to me! I never have said I know everything!
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
My food inventory has been very helpful for future planning. I know where I am strong and where I am weak. I'll try to make up the weaknesses as fast as I can. I really need to inventory tools and ammo also. A clothing inventory might not be a bad idea. We are so very strongly accustomed to our instant gratification at the various stores we frequent that we may lose our edge in keeping track of what we have. And you had better keep track of what of have, my friends. Denver had it's coldest August 16th in 118 years of record keeping. It never got above 58 degrees. Beat the old record of 63 by 5 degrees. Not even close.
Things are supposed to be getting cheaper at the stores but I will believe that when I see it. They can say whatever they wish on the corporate media, but I am the guy who has to pull his wallet out when the buy is made.
The federal government is not slowing it's spending down one iota. If they don't have enough cash they just print some more. Too bad they are about 5 years too late. I have studied some of these economic bubbles the world has experienced back through history and they never came back. Once they died, they were over and done with. I would say that this group of bubbles will not be back either. The world has gotten wise to our game and they will not fall for it again.
Our banks are just about cooked the final degree. I even read a post by a reasonable economist that was speculating on just what big banks would make it through the financial swamp over to dry land. There were some big names that were questionable. General Motors is on the ropes and floundering about like a fish out of water. Low miles-per-gallon got 'em. All those expensive SUVs finally made them lose fifteen billion dollars in one quarter. I guess they couldn't read the handwriting on the wall. Buying cars, flipping houses, investing in the stock market. All things of history as far as the working man is concerned. I remember working at General Motors 45 years ago and the big thought out on the floor of the plants was that they might get too much of the automobile market share and the fedgov would come at them with anti-trust lawsuits. They pay pensions out of this world. Wonder how long that will hold up? Pensions are not too popular these days. The big funds that back them up are involved in stocks and bundled mortgages. Not good. Your pension could disappear in a flash, as all the executives leave the country for safer climates. But that safer climate might get pretty damn crowded what with the international group that will be seeking to join them. Politicians will be numbered in this exodus also. They will be one step ahead of the howling mob. Of course, they will get good protection all the way to the airport. They will bum rides from the big corporate leaders.
So, with all the doom and gloom in mind, I will prepare as best I can. My wallet ain't fat enough to leave and my heart would not be in it, so I had better be ready to make it through the hard times. My wife stands with me and we intend to go for it whatever the God of heaven has in mind for us to go through. So take your inventories and check yourself out. Get what you ain't got and prepare for a cold Winter. It could be a humdinger. I'll let you know of anything I run up on and don't you forget to comment to me! I never have said I know everything!
Stay alive.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Sunday, August 17, 2008
ANOTHER PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY
It's Sunday morning once again. The cats are waiting on the Handmaiden for breakfast and I am the same. Love that breakfast. I really ought to by some powdered eggs for my preps. I could at least have scrambled eggs as I watched the country collapse. I have a little bit of canned ham and that could do for breakfast meat just fine, for a while anyway.
I have been emailing with the Urban Survivalist and I like him. He's sorta quietly tough and that is to be admired. He knows more than he lets on in his blog. He is a bit conservative but that keeps him from jumping out there and making a fool of himself. You gotta give a guy credit where credit is due. He IS looking around for a quiet little place in the countryside. He just doesn't want it to be a long way off and I can't say as I blame him. But if he can get his act together as he would like to do it, then I think he will be okay. He ain't scared.
I was emailing with a friend and had a good laugh. He is growing some Okra in his garden and it is prolific as all get out. He is getting tons of it! And he doesn't like it! Can't stand the stuff. He grew it for his daughter-in-law and got a big surprise in his yield. No good deed will go unpunished.
It is 56 degrees outside as the myth of global warming continues. There are places in the South where it is hot but not here in Indiana. Generally low 80's during the day and mid to low 50's at night. I think we are going to have a VERY cold Winter. Our cats are really chowing down on their food ration, especially the older male. I think he knows something is up and wants to be ready for it. The older male and the young kitten get two cans of cat food every day, with dry food constantly available. The older male is getting right after it!
The urban folks are still beating their chests and saying what a great thing it is to live in the cities and the 'burbs. I think their words will change soon enough. My thought is I hope we can find a place to put them when the time comes. We will do the best we can, though. I reckon that if they can work for food and raiment then everything will work out. Folks need the opportunity to get their food and water and have a place to live. Their kids need to go to school. But we will work all of that out when the time comes. Never fear, the people of God will come together and survive.
Florida is supposed to get some rain from Tropical Storm Fay pretty soon. The weather guys are not looking for too big of an event down there, just plenty of rain. Maybe Georgia will be getting a good dose. I hear they need it.
The Handmaiden found some cold-pressed, extra virgin, olive oil down at the Amish store for $8. It is a liter. I think I have found my source for getting my oil stash built up. The woman tells me that the oil would probably cost double in a local grocery. That would seem to me to indicate that stores are gouging a bit on olive oil. What gets me is that this is the Yuppie ideal of great cooking oil and the Amish are selling it cheap. The Yuppies don't have the sense to shop out on the Amish farms! And unless they read this blog they will never find out about the great deals they are missing.
And this brings me to the subject of Nouriel Roubini. He is a blogger, though I fail to have his URL to give you. Let me Google this first. Aha! You might start checking him out at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/06/nouriel-roubini-warns-of-another-broker.html . He is an interesting fellow and very erudite. And he calls a spade a spade. No cry-babies in Roubini's world. But he says we are headed for a merry ride down the slippery slope of a trillion dollar bank default in this country. And now a lot of mainstream guys are getting on his bandwagon. We really do have something to look forward to experiencing. I remember back in the day, say the early 70's, when we had to eat green beans and potatoes twice a day to get us all fed. Two weeks we had to do that. There was some bitching of course, but we made it and survived and went on with life. But I have never seen the result of a nation wide bank failure. That could go on for a year or two. And you talk about some hostile voters! If we retain the right to vote that is. More than likely we will be under martial law at that point. The fedgov will be going crazy trying to control the population centers. I think the country folks can avoid most of this crap. Let us hope so. Let us hope we stay alive, also.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
I have been emailing with the Urban Survivalist and I like him. He's sorta quietly tough and that is to be admired. He knows more than he lets on in his blog. He is a bit conservative but that keeps him from jumping out there and making a fool of himself. You gotta give a guy credit where credit is due. He IS looking around for a quiet little place in the countryside. He just doesn't want it to be a long way off and I can't say as I blame him. But if he can get his act together as he would like to do it, then I think he will be okay. He ain't scared.
I was emailing with a friend and had a good laugh. He is growing some Okra in his garden and it is prolific as all get out. He is getting tons of it! And he doesn't like it! Can't stand the stuff. He grew it for his daughter-in-law and got a big surprise in his yield. No good deed will go unpunished.
It is 56 degrees outside as the myth of global warming continues. There are places in the South where it is hot but not here in Indiana. Generally low 80's during the day and mid to low 50's at night. I think we are going to have a VERY cold Winter. Our cats are really chowing down on their food ration, especially the older male. I think he knows something is up and wants to be ready for it. The older male and the young kitten get two cans of cat food every day, with dry food constantly available. The older male is getting right after it!
The urban folks are still beating their chests and saying what a great thing it is to live in the cities and the 'burbs. I think their words will change soon enough. My thought is I hope we can find a place to put them when the time comes. We will do the best we can, though. I reckon that if they can work for food and raiment then everything will work out. Folks need the opportunity to get their food and water and have a place to live. Their kids need to go to school. But we will work all of that out when the time comes. Never fear, the people of God will come together and survive.
Florida is supposed to get some rain from Tropical Storm Fay pretty soon. The weather guys are not looking for too big of an event down there, just plenty of rain. Maybe Georgia will be getting a good dose. I hear they need it.
The Handmaiden found some cold-pressed, extra virgin, olive oil down at the Amish store for $8. It is a liter. I think I have found my source for getting my oil stash built up. The woman tells me that the oil would probably cost double in a local grocery. That would seem to me to indicate that stores are gouging a bit on olive oil. What gets me is that this is the Yuppie ideal of great cooking oil and the Amish are selling it cheap. The Yuppies don't have the sense to shop out on the Amish farms! And unless they read this blog they will never find out about the great deals they are missing.
And this brings me to the subject of Nouriel Roubini. He is a blogger, though I fail to have his URL to give you. Let me Google this first. Aha! You might start checking him out at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/06/nouriel-roubini-warns-of-another-broker.html . He is an interesting fellow and very erudite. And he calls a spade a spade. No cry-babies in Roubini's world. But he says we are headed for a merry ride down the slippery slope of a trillion dollar bank default in this country. And now a lot of mainstream guys are getting on his bandwagon. We really do have something to look forward to experiencing. I remember back in the day, say the early 70's, when we had to eat green beans and potatoes twice a day to get us all fed. Two weeks we had to do that. There was some bitching of course, but we made it and survived and went on with life. But I have never seen the result of a nation wide bank failure. That could go on for a year or two. And you talk about some hostile voters! If we retain the right to vote that is. More than likely we will be under martial law at that point. The fedgov will be going crazy trying to control the population centers. I think the country folks can avoid most of this crap. Let us hope so. Let us hope we stay alive, also.
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Saturday, August 16, 2008
WHAT IS GOING ON?
From the Free Market News Network
Last week, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had just announced record losses, and so had most reporting corporations. Unemployment was mounting, the foreclosure crisis was deepening, state budgets were in shambles, and massive bailouts were everywhere. Investors had every reason to expect the dollar and the stock market to plummet, and gold and oil to shoot up. Strangely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300 points, the dollar strengthened, and gold and oil were crushed. What happened?
It hardly took psychic powers to see that the Plunge Protection Team had come to the rescue. Formally known as the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, the PPT was once concealed and its very existence denied as if it were a matter of strict national security. But the PPT has now come out of the closet. What was once a legally questionable “manipulator” of markets has become a sanctioned stabilizer and protector of markets. The new tone was set in January 2008, when global markets took their worst tumble since September 11, 2001. Senator Hillary Clinton said in a statement reported by the State News Service:
“I think it’s imperative that the following step be taken. The President should have already and should do so very quickly, convene the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. That’s something that he can ask the Secretary of the Treasury to do. . . . This has to be coordinated across markets with the regulators here and obviously with regulators and central banks around the world.”
The mystery over what was going on with the dollar the first week in August was solved by James Turk, founder of GoldMoney, who wrote on August 7:
“[T]he banking problems in the United States continue to mount, while the federal government’s deficit continues to soar out of control. . . . So what happened to cause the dollar to rally over the past three weeks? In a word, intervention. Central banks have propped up the dollar, and here’s the proof.
“When central banks intervene in the currency markets, they exchange their currency for dollars. Central banks then use the dollars they acquire to buy US government debt instruments so that they can earn interest on their money. The debt instruments central banks acquire are held in custody for them at the Federal Reserve, which reports this amount weekly."
“On July 16, 2008 . . . , the Federal Reserve reported holding $2,349 billion of US government paper in custody for central banks. In its report released today, this amount had grown over the past three weeks to $2,401 billion, a 38.4% annual rate of growth. . . . So central banks were accumulating dollars over the past three weeks at a rate far above what one would expect as a result of the US trade deficit. The logical conclusion is that they were intervening in currency markets. They were buying dollars for the purpose of propping it up, to keep the dollar from falling off the edge of the cliff and doing so ignited a short covering rally, which is not too difficult to do given the leverage employed in the markets these days by hedge funds and others.”
Just as central banks manipulate currencies in concert, so gold can be manipulated by massive selling of central bank reserves. Oil and any other market can be manipulated as well. But markets can be manipulated by only so much and for only so long without fixing the underlying problem. There is more bad news coming down the pike, news of such magnitude that no amount of ordinary manipulation is liable to conceal it.
For one thing, roughly $400 billion in ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) have or will reset between March and October of this year. Assuming 3 to 6 months for strapped debtors to actually hit the wall with their payments, a huge wave of defaults is about to strike, continuing through March 2009 – just in time for the next huge wave of resets, in option ARMs. Option ARMs are loans with the option to pay even less than just the interest on the loan monthly, increasing the loan balance until the loan reaches a certain amount (typically 110% to 125% of the original loan balance), when it resets. The $800 billion credit line recently opened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be not only tapped but tapped out, at taxpayer expense. The underlying problem is little discussed but impossible to repair – a one quadrillion dollar derivatives scheme that is now imploding. Banks everywhere are facing massive write offs, putting the whole banking system on the brink of collapse. Only public bailouts will save it, but they could bankrupt the nation.
What to do? War and threats of war have been used historically to distract the population and deflect public scrutiny from economic calamity. As the scheme was summed up in the trailer to the 1997 movie “Wag the Dog” --
Michael sez: And the article goes on to say that there is a war being started that can cover up this mess we are about to inherit. I know that some of you have been watching the so called recovery this last couple of weeks and maybe are scratching your heads in wonder. Well, nothing has changed and it still looks like hard times are going to come upon us. The fedgov is trying like crazy to cover the mess but the mess is still there, only maybe with a little perfume poured on it so it doesn't stink so badly.
But the game is on and we are all in the game together except for some obscenely rich folks who could just care less. And if we had a 10,000 acre farm and a company of Blackwater guards as our security staff, and a hundred million ounces of silver and other goodies we not not care much either. Unless of course we really did give a damn about our fellow man.
So the game is on. How do we play and what are the stakes? We play by going along with the system, however it runs. We prep and stock up and get ready for the disaster. The best player will not have any cash money on the day of the crash. He will have converted all of his money to TANGIBLES. He is the guy who gets out with all that is possible. Let other folks go to the store with wheel barrows full of cash to buy a loaf of bread. You just drop a load of hard Wheat into your grinder and crank it a while. You'll have bread shortly and you won't have to make that awful trip.
The stakes in this are your life and the lives of your loved ones. They may eat if you have done your job well. They may starve or be relocated to labor camps if you haven't. They might be protected from harm by an independent and fully armed man and his friends, or they could become the victims of marauders and freebooters. This is the stakes of the game. Play well, my friends, play well. And stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Last week, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had just announced record losses, and so had most reporting corporations. Unemployment was mounting, the foreclosure crisis was deepening, state budgets were in shambles, and massive bailouts were everywhere. Investors had every reason to expect the dollar and the stock market to plummet, and gold and oil to shoot up. Strangely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300 points, the dollar strengthened, and gold and oil were crushed. What happened?
It hardly took psychic powers to see that the Plunge Protection Team had come to the rescue. Formally known as the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, the PPT was once concealed and its very existence denied as if it were a matter of strict national security. But the PPT has now come out of the closet. What was once a legally questionable “manipulator” of markets has become a sanctioned stabilizer and protector of markets. The new tone was set in January 2008, when global markets took their worst tumble since September 11, 2001. Senator Hillary Clinton said in a statement reported by the State News Service:
“I think it’s imperative that the following step be taken. The President should have already and should do so very quickly, convene the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. That’s something that he can ask the Secretary of the Treasury to do. . . . This has to be coordinated across markets with the regulators here and obviously with regulators and central banks around the world.”
The mystery over what was going on with the dollar the first week in August was solved by James Turk, founder of GoldMoney, who wrote on August 7:
“[T]he banking problems in the United States continue to mount, while the federal government’s deficit continues to soar out of control. . . . So what happened to cause the dollar to rally over the past three weeks? In a word, intervention. Central banks have propped up the dollar, and here’s the proof.
“When central banks intervene in the currency markets, they exchange their currency for dollars. Central banks then use the dollars they acquire to buy US government debt instruments so that they can earn interest on their money. The debt instruments central banks acquire are held in custody for them at the Federal Reserve, which reports this amount weekly."
“On July 16, 2008 . . . , the Federal Reserve reported holding $2,349 billion of US government paper in custody for central banks. In its report released today, this amount had grown over the past three weeks to $2,401 billion, a 38.4% annual rate of growth. . . . So central banks were accumulating dollars over the past three weeks at a rate far above what one would expect as a result of the US trade deficit. The logical conclusion is that they were intervening in currency markets. They were buying dollars for the purpose of propping it up, to keep the dollar from falling off the edge of the cliff and doing so ignited a short covering rally, which is not too difficult to do given the leverage employed in the markets these days by hedge funds and others.”
Just as central banks manipulate currencies in concert, so gold can be manipulated by massive selling of central bank reserves. Oil and any other market can be manipulated as well. But markets can be manipulated by only so much and for only so long without fixing the underlying problem. There is more bad news coming down the pike, news of such magnitude that no amount of ordinary manipulation is liable to conceal it.
For one thing, roughly $400 billion in ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) have or will reset between March and October of this year. Assuming 3 to 6 months for strapped debtors to actually hit the wall with their payments, a huge wave of defaults is about to strike, continuing through March 2009 – just in time for the next huge wave of resets, in option ARMs. Option ARMs are loans with the option to pay even less than just the interest on the loan monthly, increasing the loan balance until the loan reaches a certain amount (typically 110% to 125% of the original loan balance), when it resets. The $800 billion credit line recently opened to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be not only tapped but tapped out, at taxpayer expense. The underlying problem is little discussed but impossible to repair – a one quadrillion dollar derivatives scheme that is now imploding. Banks everywhere are facing massive write offs, putting the whole banking system on the brink of collapse. Only public bailouts will save it, but they could bankrupt the nation.
What to do? War and threats of war have been used historically to distract the population and deflect public scrutiny from economic calamity. As the scheme was summed up in the trailer to the 1997 movie “Wag the Dog” --
Michael sez: And the article goes on to say that there is a war being started that can cover up this mess we are about to inherit. I know that some of you have been watching the so called recovery this last couple of weeks and maybe are scratching your heads in wonder. Well, nothing has changed and it still looks like hard times are going to come upon us. The fedgov is trying like crazy to cover the mess but the mess is still there, only maybe with a little perfume poured on it so it doesn't stink so badly.
But the game is on and we are all in the game together except for some obscenely rich folks who could just care less. And if we had a 10,000 acre farm and a company of Blackwater guards as our security staff, and a hundred million ounces of silver and other goodies we not not care much either. Unless of course we really did give a damn about our fellow man.
So the game is on. How do we play and what are the stakes? We play by going along with the system, however it runs. We prep and stock up and get ready for the disaster. The best player will not have any cash money on the day of the crash. He will have converted all of his money to TANGIBLES. He is the guy who gets out with all that is possible. Let other folks go to the store with wheel barrows full of cash to buy a loaf of bread. You just drop a load of hard Wheat into your grinder and crank it a while. You'll have bread shortly and you won't have to make that awful trip.
The stakes in this are your life and the lives of your loved ones. They may eat if you have done your job well. They may starve or be relocated to labor camps if you haven't. They might be protected from harm by an independent and fully armed man and his friends, or they could become the victims of marauders and freebooters. This is the stakes of the game. Play well, my friends, play well. And stay alive!
Michael
mboone@rtccom.net
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
