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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The 2nd Amendment Explained





Amendment II: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. December 15, 1791


Easy enough, right? Okay you're right, apparently not... but when broken down it becomes much easier to understand and to explain to others.

When you talk about the Second Amendment most tend to get caught up in the arguments of today. Hardly anyone ever puts it into context with what was going on when it was written. There was a war just being wrapped up in which a tyrannical government had become scared of its subjects and had tried to ban the rifles that it feared. That didn't work out so well for them as I don't think they really thought the decision to go to war completely through.

After the scourge had been ousted and things were settling down the forefathers figured they had better put something into writing to keep this from ever happening again. What they came up with was this: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

So if we look at it in terms of what was going on those days and if we clarify the commonly misunderstood terms used it becomes much clearer and you get what I like to call the modern language second amendment.

The first term that gets people is "Regulated" and when used in today's world means something very different than it did many years ago when this was written. When the amendment was written regulated meant "outfitted or equipped." So we end up with a "well equipped militia" and that brings us to the second term that confounds folks.

A militia 220 years ago was the ONLY defensive force the young United States had. A militia is simply the civilian fighting force of the state or country. Now one must bear in mind again that this was the ONLY force we had. A military is a standing force... they never go home unlike militia that returns home after serving their duty. Think of a militia as a reserve type army that is only activated as needed. When the forefathers wrote the amendment the militia was all we had and therefore the terms militia and military are interchangeable.

The next misinterpreted part is the phrase "security of a free state" because people tend to again use the wrong definition of the word "state." People tend to think of a state... a state such as Virginia or Delaware. In this context they are talking about a "state of being", specifically a state of being free. Remember, the Constitution was a federal document, not a state document. Had they been referring to something other than a state of being, they'd have written "security of a free country."

The next one that is misunderstood is "people" because people tend to bunch everyone together in a collective group. When we talk about people today it simply means just that, but back then you had a different sets of persons. We had the Brits, the government, the militia, and the citizens. Only ONE of these groups was ever referred to as "the people" in 1791, and that was the CITIZENS which were NOT the militia, or the government, and certainly not the Brits!

Keep and bear... well, what can I say? Lots of people tend to overlook this and it is really the very heart and soul of the amendment. The right to have arms in your home and not in a government controlled armory someplace and to BEAR those same arms as needed is just that. Why would they feel it needed to write it in there that you can keep them in your home? Simple, because if the government knows where they are, and especially if they are all in one place such as an armory, it makes it rather easy to pull all the tiger's teeth.

Why write in that they have the right to bear arms? Isn't it a given? No. Remember that no one could have arms in old England except as permitted by the King. There is a reason those people were called SUBJECTS and that is it. Too, they were NOT referring to bearing arms to go hunting. Heck, everyone had to go hunting. If they didn't they would have starved! Hunting was a given, bearing arms wasn't. And you don't "bear arms" against a deer... Just sayin!

The last one is commonly misunderstood is the word "infringed" which modern folk tend to somehow interchange with "impede" but that term was well defined in 1791. It meant "not mucked with in any fashion" and while I told myself this was going to be a completely non-political post, I find it necessary to toss in one point here: Limiting magazine capacity, or the type of ammunition, or restricting sales in any way IS infringing.

Therefore...

If we replace the terms that everyone seems to get confused and put it into today's words, I think it really clears it up:

Because a well equipped military is necessary to maintain freedom from tyrannical governments that might misuse that military, the right of the citizens to also keep their own arms and to bear those arms as necessary, shall not be mucked with!


Also, if you take a second to read over the Third Amendment, you notice right away that this one ALSO deals with limiting the power of the government and the military.... The right to be free from quartering soldiers. Basically having a soldier looking over your shoulder every minute of every day while you had to feed and care for him out of your food stocks and coffers.

Last point I want to make is this: With all the liberals that are spewing that the people don't need military type arms, I feel it necessary to remind you that if push comes to shove the people will be fighting armies equipped with tanks and airplanes. Do you really want to further handicap yourself by going after guys with machine guns while you are equipped with a blunderbuss? If they really want to limit everyone to a single shot shotgun, that's fine... remove all the military's machine guns and also equip them with single shot shotguns. (Okay, cool your jets fellas... nobody in their right mind will ever disarm the military... except a conquering military, or a fully retarded government.) 



                           



Thursday, March 21, 2013

Are You Ready?



So, are you ready?  You do have a Family Emergency Preparedness Plan, right?  A plan for what kind of emergency you ask?  None and any kind all at the same time.  Well, that just doesn't make any sense you say, but really it does.  Really.  Think about it.  One of the hallmarks of a really good plan is that it fits almost every situation without any kind of modification.

Because you and your family may not all be together when a situation arises it is imperative that you plan ahead and that you and your family know and understand the plan and how to set it into action in a moments notice and without help.  Where will you go?  How will you make contact with the other members and how will you get together?  These things are all parts of a good Family Emergency Preparedness Plan.

What should you put into your plan?  Well, every plan has almost the same basic criteria to be a good plan.
1. A nearby meeting place such as the church just down the street.
2. A meeting place that is not so nearby such as the county fairgrounds five miles away.
3. A method of reconnecting such as having everyone contact a specific aunt that lives two states away.
4. And lastly, shelter and supplies to last for however long you have to wait.

1.  A nearby meeting place is just that, a place that is close by and that everyone can find easily in any situation.  It should be a public property in case you have to hang around for a while.

2.  A not so nearby meeting place is for when the emergency is a bit larger and you have to leave the neighborhood.  Is should also be a public place and even more friendly to having to sit around.  A camp ground is a good example of this type of meeting place.  It should also have restrooms and water because you may be here for a while.

3.  A method of reconnecting.  Sounds like this should be a no brainer, right?  But what is you lost your cell phone and can't call your spouse to say to meet at the campground at the river?  You could still pick up a pay phone (assuming they still are functional) and call Aunt Sally and tell her you are heading to the campground and she can pass that message to all the others as they call in.  Get it?  You should also have a pre-designated area to report to for events in which the telephones are all dead.

4.  Shelter and supplies to help you wait.  Wouldn't want to sit in the rain and be hungry and thirsty for ten hours while waiting on your husband to walk the fifteen miles to meet you all would you?  Easy enough.

These are just the bullet points on developing a good plan.  There are many plans out there that you can follow and many are free if you just look for them.  There are also many great instructional sites out there too that will provide you with more case-by-case specific plans if you just put in a bit of effort looking... matter of fact, all the effort required today is clicking this link:  Emergency Preparedness Plans

You should also have a plan in place for you and your coworkers at your workplace, you and your family at your favorite grocery store, and even just you and your spouse at Walmart.  You should always have a plan!  And a good plan is adaptable to every situation.  And good plans are FREE because they just require, well, planning... but they are worth a million bucks when they are needed!  

One last thing... have a plan even if you are alone walking down a seemingly deserted street.  It could be the difference between happiness and tragedy for your family.



                            

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Vehicle Tool Kits

Okay, someone asked me a while back what they should put in a tool kit for their problematic vehicle.  After some thought, what I have come up with is this:  Buy everything you can fit in the largest tool box you can fit into whatever you drive.  Also include an extra of everything that could break on your vehicle.  There you go!  Have a good weekend and be watching for my next post!

Alright, so that was a pretty lame response. Back to the topic with all kidding aside this time...



For putting together a tool kit for your vehicle you need to assess your vehicle and be realistic about what you intend to accomplish with it.  Every person needs at least the most basic of tool kits in their car or truck (hence forth ALL vehicles will be referred to as cars in this post for simplicity's sake) regardless of your mechanical prowess.  Why?  Because even if you have no idea what is wrong or how to fix it, sooner or later some helpful soul may happen by and say "Well that'd be an easy fix if only I had a ______" and if you have one... no tow truck bill or cold walk home for you!

The most very basic of tool kits for any vehicle should include: a 1/4 x 4 inch flat head screwdriver, a # 2 x 4 Phillips head screwdriver, a 10" adjustable wrench, a set of lineman's pliers, a 10" Channellock pliers, and a 10" Vise-grip pliers.  It should also include a roll of electrical tape, a roll of duct tape, a small ball-peen hammer, and extra fuses.

While I am on the subject of fuses... go by Advanced Auto and get an assortment pack of the type fuses your car uses.  When a fuse blows, replace it with the same size fuse.  If it blows again soon after, you will need to get it checked out by a mechanic.  However, don't assume that you are looking a a trip to the mechanic just because you blew a fuse... sometimes they just go.  If you should happen to find that you do not have the correct size fuse, go up to the next size (larger number) you have, but remember to replace it with the correct size when you can.

After you have put together the basic kit above, start adding to it as you can.  Next in should be two more screwdrivers- the #1 x 4 Phillips and the 3/16 x 4 flat head, an 8" adjustable wrench, a set of needle nose pliers, and a set of diagonal cutters.  Also toss in about a three foot piece of 14 gauge wire.

Additionally, the next time you take your car to get serviced, have the belt replaced regardless of whether or not it needs it "right now" and have them take the old belt and put it into the new belt box wrap and toss your spare into the kit.  You never know when your fancy serpentine belt will go and if it does and you are in the middle of nowhere, you are screwed, even if someone handy happens by and knows how to replace it...UNLESS you have a spare!

Two other items I'd advise you to put in your kit would be a bottle of Slime tire sealant, and a small cigarette lighter plug type compressor.  The slime will come with a valve removal tool.  You simply unscrew the valve from the center of the valve stem, squirt the entire bottle of slime into the tire, then replace the valve and add air.  Drive it for a few miles and then stop and top off your air.  Your tire repair guy will hate you for it, but that's what he gets paid for!  (And for what it's worth, I do every tire on every ATV or mower I own.  Barring a massive failure of the tire, I have NEVER had a flat since starting this practice over eight years ago.  I have actually worn a set of ATV tires out and never put a single plug in them.  Upon removal of the old tires and inspecting the inside I found NUMEROUS mesquite thorns, wire pieces, and nails inside them. NO JOKE, Slime WORKS!)

The last things you'll want to add to have a pretty complete tool kit would be a set of combination wrenches in both metric and standard, a set of Allen wrenches in metric and standard, and a set of Torx bits and a driver.  If you look around at different suppliers you can find a ratcheting driver set with Torx, Allen, both types of  screwdriver bits, and some driver bits, all in one nifty little box.  These are great, but known for failing when you need them.  I'd recommend getting a good set that costs more, or a direct drive (non-ratcheting) set.

So now you have a nice basic kit, but let's say for a minute that you want to go all in on a good vehicle kit and not piece it together.  What now?  Well, it actually gets pretty easy from here.  Simply buy a GOOD, high quality pre-made tool kit.  One with a lifetime warranty and MADE IN THE USA!  Most folks would be amazed to learn that most all quality hand tools are made by one of about three tool makers.  So skip all the rhetoric and get what you can afford as long as it fits the above description.

As an experiment, back in 2001 some friends and I performed a COMPLETE ENGINE SWAP on a front wheel drive, police package Taurus using nothing but a Cresent tool kit purchased at Costco for $79.00.  The only other "tool" we used was an engine hoist, but I don't think that is very practical in an emergency tool kit for your car... but if it'll fit!!!

If you go the pre-made tool kit route you will still want the compressor and Slime, the two types of tape, the wire, the belt, and the hammer. Also toss in a decent tow strap, a good four-way lug wrench, a D-cell LED Maglite, a good set of jumper cables, a tire gauge, and some road flares too.

If nothing else, when you can't fix it, you'll be able to beat on it with your hammer!



                            

Friday, March 15, 2013

Security Dogs

What's a security dog?  (AKA: Watch dawg.)  Would that be a little dog hanging out in a little house at the end of the driveway with a walkie-talkie and a flashlight?  Nooo.  I'm talking about a dog that will help take care of your "stuff" while you aren't around, or even when you are around and just need a hand.  There are many different levels of "security" that should be considered, starting with the simplest form to the purpose built "professional" dogs.

Let me preface this post by telling you that I am not a dog expert, but I have worked with many working dogs of different types and have taken my bite.  Only one... that was enough.  I am not going to go into the "professional" classes of dogs here.  I am talking about things to think about when you select your next general purpose dog.

So what makes a good security dog?  Well, I guess that would really depend on who you are and what exactly you are trying to secure.  A junkyard?  A good fence and any dog that'll chase and bite might be an option.  How about your home?  That would depend on your circumstances.  Are you a single guy with a little stuff that lives in a marginal area of town?  What if you are a single lady living in that same area?  Do you really need security, an alarm, or both?  What if all you really just want a buddy to hang out and watch TV with; but one that'll make a bad guy think twice?  With a little compromise and a bit of consideration there are many that can fit that bill.

Things you want to consider are breed temperament and disposition as well as what you are really trying to accomplish.  If you are simply trying to deter a burglar you might want to consider a "yapper".  Any good yapper will make a great alarm system and burglar deterrent but you need a selective yapper... not one that barks at every bird that flies by the window.

No burglar wants to try to sneak into your suburban home with a chihuahua going nuts right inside a window.  Another bonus is that when the burglar actually gets through your "high security" sliding glass door in less than fifteen seconds your chihuahua will stay just out of reach and bark three thousand times a minute... and no burglar wants that.  They are trying to be sneaky.  So with this type dog you'll want to look for alertness coupled with wariness.  He'll need to be paying attention, but not go running over to any person that tries to pet him.

The next option would be the "barker" that barks four or five times and then waits for another noise and barks a bit more while waiting for you to get up and go investigate.  Burglars are usually wary of these types because they are a bit bigger and hard to predict if they are a threat or not.  Things to consider are that they are typically a bit more social and might go make friends with the burglar when he gets inside.  A good barker type dog would be most of the terrier, spaniel, and collie breeds such are the Cocker Spaniel, Jack Russell Terrier, and Border Collies.  These are the ones that let you know when someone comes to visit but then welcomes them into your home.  

The next type would be the "big friendly guy" that would leave "big dog" signs around but not have a lot to say.  Those are great if you want a burglar step in poo and then track it all through your house. You know the ones... the lab and retriever types.  They are friends with everyone.  Have you seen the movie "UP"? That's pretty typical behavior.  (Although, let one get bit by a bat and turn into Cujo and see what happens...)  

The next type are the "defensive lineman" and "century" types.  They'll stand between you and what ails you.  The ones that first introduce themselves via growling through the front door and have to be put away in another room before friends get to know them.  These guys are not intimidated by anything.  Before you bring one of these guys into your home or yard you MUST consider the risk of bites first and foremost.  These guys are the biters that send you to get a tetanus shot at the doctor's office if you aren't careful.  They take a few minutes to settle down and can then be brought in and introduced around.  Before you know it he'll be in your company's lap with his favorite basketball chew toy.  Good examples of this type would be your German Shepherds and your American Bulldogs.  This is the upper limit of "buddy type" dogs.

The last type I am going to talk about are the "gladiator" types that tend to be over-protective, bearing in mind we are talking about dogs that you want for a buddy with security benefits.   This type dog would be your Dobermans and Rottweilers.  These are the guys that you would never have someone not known to the dog to drop by and check on your place for you while you are out.  You probably wouldn't want your buddy's two year old to wrestle with these either.  It also makes it hard for him to be a buddy if he can't be in the same room with company.  Anything in this group will need to be well monitored with any interaction with anyone outside the their "pack" and well trained to know their limits or you are asking for trouble.  These boys are biters!  Count on stitches if you or your company aren't careful.

There are a couple more classes above these, but without proper training for him AND you, you're asking for serious trouble.... I mean lawsuit type trouble.  Don't do that to yourself.  Anyone that buys a protection, attack, or guard dog without proper training and equipment is simply being irresponsible and when you are irresponsible, you are liable.  You'll lose that lawsuit.  These boys are serious biters, and I'm not talking about him accidentally nipping you while you are playing tug-o-war.  I mean "dingoes ate my baby" biters.  Dogs in this class aren't typically available at a pet store of at the pound.  If someone is getting rid of one of these they are resold by the breeder usually.  Examples of these class dogs are the Cane Corsos, Boerboels, and Presa Canarios.



But there is one type of dog that I have talked about, but have not mentioned.  They fall into the slot between big friendly guy and the defensive linemen types.  These are the guys that I call "sleeper" dogs.  That is a old drag racing term for an old beat up grandma's car with a huge engine with a blower on it and nitrous.  The ones that the young punk with the hotrod Firebird pulls up to at the red light, revs the motor at, and then gets left in a cloud of tire smoke wondering what the heck just happened.  The old "don't judge a book by its cover" trick.

These are the perfect types for our situation of living in town and wanting a buddy type dog that can go running in the park with the ladies or can hang out and watch a softball game with you, but without scaring the piss out of everyone within a quarter mile.  The ones that will get between you and trouble in a flash and will give you that extra five seconds to get the 9mm out when you get caught off guard.

Imagine this scenario: You and your 95 pound rottweiler want to go for a run, you accidentally drop the lease and he runs into a playground and tries to play with a five year old little girl.  Now, no joke, this guy is the biggest teddy bear EVER.  Today he accidentally knocks this little girl over and tries to lick her face to soothe her.  But alas, she comes from family that has taught her fear of "scary" dogs and not respect of dogs and she is crying like something, in particular your loving rotty, is trying to kill her.  Her mom and dad come running.  Mom is already on the phone with 911 and cops are on the way to take care of the rottweiler that is killing a beautiful five year old in the park... what now?

Now imagine THIS scenario:  You and your Great Pyrenees Mountain dog want to go for a run, you accidentally drop the lease and he runs into a playground and tries to play with a five year old little girl.  Today he accidentally knocks this little girl over and tries to lick her face to soothe her.  However, she isn't scared of this 125 pound furry yellow lab... her parents come running over and grab your leash for you as you apologize.  They tell you not to worry and you are back off running.

What changed?

Only the appearance of the dog... a Great Pyrenees is by all knowledgeable accounts a better security dog and protection dog for you, your spouse, and your kids than most rotts, dobies, or shepherds   Another that fits this category is a Rhodesian Ridgeback... a large redbone hound dog (Where the Red Fern Grows) looking pup with a funny stripe of hair going the wrong way up his back... that was bred to hunt lions.  Point is, nobody looks twice at these pups except the bad guy trying not get eaten alive after he tried to take your five year old from the yard.

Oh yeah, and get a "Beware of Dog" sign even if you don't have a dog... that's your very first step to making a bad guy think twice... and you don't have to feed it.


                                                                         

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Liberty?

What is Liberty?

Liberty is defined as-  The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life.

The state of being free.... within society.... from oppressive restrictions.... imposed by authority.... on one's way of life.

Now my college professor always stressed that the root of the sentence is all that IS the sentence.   The rest are only clarifiers, adjectives or adverbs and although there to help the sentence they sometime tend to muddy the waters.

I say that the very simplest of sentences is always the simplest to understand and to comprehend. 

Liberty is- The state of being free from oppressive restrictions on ones way of life.

Nahh... simpler still.

Liberty is-  THE STATE OF BEING FREE.
Did you know that the basis of liberty comes from the feudal systems of our neighbors to the east?  A "liberty" was a parcel of land that while still being inside the kingdom, was free from the rule of the king.  That's pretty easy to understand, right?  Brings new meaning to the phase "sweet land of liberty" doesn't it?   

So why then is it so hard for our government to understand this very simplest of concepts?



Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Original S.O.E. Gear

Ok, gear check time!  What kinda nonsense are you trusting your life to?  One of the easiest tests you can perform on your duty, GOOD, Bailout bag, or downrange gear is this... look at the "Made in" tag.  If it says anything other the "USA" then it's crap.  Give it to your sister's kid to play G.I. Joe with... or whatever kids are playing these days.  If he's from California maybe he can put all his Barbies in it.

Seriously though, where can you get good gear?  I mean REALLY good gear?  Yes, the cop shops like GALLS and GT Distributers sells some decent stuff, but it is marked up decently too.  Hey, they gotta make a living too.  Why not cut out the middle man and go with some great gear from a small town company in middle Tennessee.  I'll even go out on a limb and say he probably isn't even a Vols fan... as I haven't seen ANYTHING in that gaudy orange color.

John Willis is the guy that makes this all happen.  He is the owner... and has a significant influence in the manufacturing from my understanding.  Also, it you are headed downrange and NEED something now, your order will get special treatment and you'll get it ASA freakin' P!  Too, if you have questions, comments, or concers who do you think will answer those?  You got it... John Willis.

He built his company from the ground up by using the best available materials to make the very best of gear that money can buy.  About the only thing he doesn't make is ballistic underwear, but I bet if you really needed them, he'd do his best!  So put on your big boy britches, and don't whine about the tag... this ain't gear for your six year old.  Check out all his products at:   www.OriginalSOEgear.com

A word of warning though... Don't order something then not pay for it!  He will dime you out by NAME on his page!  Nothing like having all your buddies knowing you welched... cheapskate.

Oh yeah, did I say it was ALL handmade custom gear from Camden, Tennessee?

Check out his shop at this shop walk through on YouTube!!!



Original S.O.E. Gear's Combat Cock!


Child Safety!

Ever hear the saying "You can tell a lot about a man by looking into his garage."?  I firmly believe that to be true!  When you look into my garage, you will see lots of stuff: welder, tablesaw, reloading equipment, weight bench, snowshoes, and lots of ongoing projects.  What would that tell you about me?  That I stay busy?  That I am "handy" with tools?  That I work out?  How about all the above but probably not to the extent needed to master any!  My point is, that simply by looking you can perceive a lot about me, right?

Why would you not look into your child's "garage" and see what you can perceive about him or her?  You think that would violate their 4th Amendment rights or something?  He or she is YOUR CHILD, that have no rights to privacy that you don't give them!  Would you rather make them mad for a few hours or have them die in one fashion or another because of their "right to privacy" that you gave them.  You are a parent, not their best friend.  YOU are responsible for their safety!  


A friend of mine that happens to be a principle posted this and I re-post it here with her permission:


"I know you are given lots of advice over the years so I would like to add my little food for thought your way! Please check your child's backpack often, remove any clothing, broken pencils, chewed gum, spitwad shooters, the erasers that have been broken to put in said spitwad shooter, any dead creatures (just kidding on that one), open any wadded paper because it is more than likely something they didn't want you to see and while in the process, if your child runs frantically to remove something from his/her notebook - MAKE SURE you immediately ask for what that was.... We had operation backpack clean out last night and I am embarrassed, still in shock and mortified of what all I removed from that "little sack". My next advice - NO MORE BACKPACK!! If it can't fit in the notebook and you can't carry it then perhaps it is not a necessary part of your education!! Before you say it - YES I am an educator, even a school principal and we all need to be humbly reminded!"


I have no idea what she found in her child's backpack.  One, it's none of my business and I won't ask.  Two, it's irrelevant.  I applaud her for taking the time to look!

Recently a child died, alone at home after school because she wanted to get high.  She had heard about huffing the coolant gas from her house's A/C unit.  She went and filled a trash bag with R-22 refrigerant and went to her bedroom.  She took a big breath of it and then, holding it.... she passed out.... then died.

(Background info: R-22 is the refrigerant gas Freon used in home A/C units.  Kids are following a trend of "huffing" this gas because of the perception of getting high.  This is a false high as R-22 will not get one high.  What it causes is the displacement of the oxygen in the lungs and the perceived high is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.  The coolant is much heavier than air and will stay in the lungs much longer than other inhalants used by kids to get high.  This also happens with helium, however helium is much lighter than air and will rapidly evacuate itself from the lungs.)

Afterwards, as the investigator was looking through her stuff looking for indications as to what had transpired, he found her pack.  Looking inside he discovered several notes talking about "bagging" and how it is accomplished.  There was even a picture on her phone from another kid showing her where to get the gas from the A/C unit.  By all accounts this was her first time trying it, but she had been discussing it via notes and texts for several weeks or months.  When asked, her mother said that she had never seen them and would never violate her daughter's privacy... Well, congratulations.  You now have a dead daughter.  The rest of her existence on earth will be very private from now on.

Be a responsible parent.  Do not try to be your child's best buddy. Check your child's backpack, telephone, computer, and if allowed by the school, check his or her locker!  Be involved in your kid's LIFE and they will have one!  You can be his or her best friend when they are grown, but while growing up, please, be a parent.


Inhalants are abused by 1 in 5 kids before completing high school.  35% of inhalant deaths were caused by Freon.    25% of those deaths were first time users.  88% of American homes have A/C with Freon.


Also: If you have a child coming into "That stage" in life... or if you have some in your neighborhood...

R-22 Refrigerant Cap Locks




Tuesday, March 12, 2013

SEQUESTRATION!


Some of you may know how I feel at the way our government spends our money.  The term drunken fool comes to mind rather handily.  Of higher concern than the spending is their logic in making decisions.  ANY decision.  I am amazed that these people can function independently and aren't required to wear helmets.

Take for example their version of "spending cuts".  They believe, and it makes sense to them that if don't spend what was projected that it is a spending cut.  That makes sense right?  "We were budgeted for 300 billion this month and we only spent 285 billion... SUCCESS!"  This is perfectly logical to them because it is LESS than they plan to spend NEXT month, therefore it is a spending cut!  "This month we have cut our spending to only 700 million more than we spent last month!"

How about the logic of the current gun bans?  It didn't work the last time we tried it, but they believe we need to try it again?  Gun free school zones?  Awesome idea!  Just need to figure out how to get an insane murderer to obey a SIGN.  Ammunition restrictions?  Seriously?  You want to ban hollow point ammo because it is more deadly, and want to go back to full metal jackets.  So then in a legal shooting, the FMJ will pass through the intended bad guy and strikes an innocent bystander in the face.  Then while you try to reload your seven round magazine while you wait on the bad guy to slowly... ever so slowly... bleed out from the seven holes you poked through him, he comes over and beats you to death with a pipe.  Three deaths.

But these guys are only human, right?  I mean we all make mistakes.  Take for example all of us falling into the trap of blaming ALL of congress for the sequestration.  I started falling for it too.  No one wants to be seen as rubbing someone's nose in it that they screwed up.  So when the democrats started whining about the mess their president created they started right in with "It's both party's fault!"  No it ain't.  Bull.  I'll call B.S. all day long on that one.

You see, Bronco Bama came up with this idea as a threat to republicans a couple years ago.  The republicans fell for it that time and gave him his tax increases for the promise of spending cuts... those didn't happen.  Matter of fact, spending increased!  This time he has started off with what a doomsday this will create.  Then when he saw that the republicans weren't falling for it again, he had to talk it down as not being that bad.  Why?  Because he OWNS it.  He cannot even try to deny it.  All he can do is then try to shift the blame for the plan he owns onto the congress.  The democrats there can't disown it either, so they try to rope everyone into it by blaming it on the republicans refusing to work with them.  Really?  After the JOKE of a budget Team Bronco submitted in December?

Most folks don't realize that for the three years prior the republicans have submitted a budget that the democrats pretended wasn't there.  This year the republicans were tired of the games and told Team Bronco that since he had shot down every budget that had submitted they would bend the rules and let his people prepare a budget and then they would vote on it.  He submitted a complete JOKE!  Three parts to his budget: Raise taxes across the board, complete removal of the debt ceiling, and another stimulus.

Let's see... Another stimulus?  Great idea!  Spend more money that you don't have on things we don't need.  Ohhh... Raise taxes across the board?  Awesome idea!  Except that that only raises taxes on Mitt Romney's 53% that everyone hates... you know, those that actually PAY taxes.  But that is a wonderful idea.  That would also give you more money for your stimulus!  And what was that other one?  Oh, right... complete removal of the debt ceiling.  Seriously?  You want a Chinese credit card with NO LIMIT on it?  With your credit score of about 115?  Fannnnntastic! We'll do that!

Wrong.  When voted on by 100 senators it was 99 against, and 1 for.  So 98% of the democrats and 100% of the republicans thought your budget was a joke!

So, if even the democrats were against an idea that anyone with two living brain cells would have voted against, why is everyone so quick to blame republicans?  Because like I have already stated, the republicans don't want to be perceived as rubbing their noses in it.  So when the democratic populace says "Everyone of them is to blame!" we start to fall for it.  Not me!  I applaud the republicans for refusing to back down when faced with Team Bronco's Chicago styled "bully politics" and keeping a travesty of a budget like the one above from passing!

Would you have passed that budget?
Don't you agree that republicans are not to blame for Obama's self-created sequestration?



Monday, March 11, 2013

BACON... Everyone's favorite

So everyone loves bacon right?  Sadly, the possibility that you can't run down to the store and get a pound may one day happen.  Then what?  Suffer in a baconless world?  I think not!  Make your own!

Now, the hardest part is getting the pork belly.  If you live in any state in the southeast, you have feral pigs to hunt.  If you live other places, you may be able to get them by purchase or trade from a farmer.  Many places actually have Russian boar that you could also hunt.  You can otherwise just buy it at the meat market.  Once you get your uncured and uncut pork belly (in modern times have the butcher cut the skin off... it's a real pain otherwise.) you will need to prepare your ingredients for making it into bacon.

I like a sweet and smokey, black pepper bacon so that will be the recipe I will give here.  It is a recipe for two pounds, but you can easily half or double it for whatever amount of pork belly you can acquire.  You will need a pan or container large enough to hold the pork belly with a couple inches all around the sides and a couple inches deeper than the belly is thick.  I think the disposable aluminum roasting pans work great.  You will also need coarse ground... Haahaa hahaha... recipe calls for Kosher salt... think about it for  a second.  Yeah....  Anyway, two pounds of pork belly, two cups coarse salt of your choice, two cups of packed DARK brown sugar, two tablespoons of fresh coarsely ground black pepper (and if you are a bit pressed for time, two teaspoons of Liquid Smoke, otherwise see the second step below).  The recipe of twos... should be easy enough to remember right?

Okay, so now you have all your stuff you can get started.  Right off the bat you need to take the Liquid Smoke and without diluting it rub the pork belly down with it.  Really massage it in there... and wear gloves unless you want to have hands that smell like a campfire for the rest of the week.  Do this IF and ONLY if you plan to take the easy way out and not smoke it yourself.

Now, mix all the dry stuff together and divide it into two parts.  Use one half to lay a good bed down in the pan.  Place your pork belly in the pan and cover with the other half of the mixture.  Refrigerate at about 38 degrees uncovered for seven days then flip it and back in the fridge for another seven days... two weeks.  Coincidence? (If you like less flavor from your bacon stop the cure after the first week.

Next weekend rolls around... remove the BACON from the curing mix.  Yep, it's now bacon and ready to eat at this point in time.  Rinse it WELL with cool water and then pat dry.  Nahh... rinse it again... unless you like it salty.  (Hint: cut a small piece and cook it... still too salty?  Soak the bacon for two hours in cold water.)  Usually simply washing it really well will make it suit most peoples tastes.

So now you can slice it and cook it up, or you can go advanced bacon master maker on it and smoke it... if you didn't use the Liquid Smoke up above.  From there, just seal it in a Ziplok bag and use it as needed.  It will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer... make sure you get all the air out or you'll have freezer burnt bacon.

Other things you can try are using maple sugar instead of brown sugar, or adding a fat pinch of chipotle or red pepper for some jazz!  

Now for you adventurous types!  Break out the grill or smoker!  I'll go with a grill since most people have that and many fewer have a smoker.  Whichever you have, just remember LOW and INDIRECT heat.  If you are using a grill that means a pile of charcoals on one side and the bacon as far away as possible.  We are shooting for no more than 160 degrees in the center, but at least 150 degrees!  More than 160 and we are actually cooking the bacon and not smoking.  Looking for a grill/smoker temp around 175 degrees.  More on why we use these temps in a minute.  Now, I like to use a bed of dying coals to get my wet wood chips smoking, but you do it how you like.  Another thing to remember is wood type is important here.  With a sweet, sugar cured bacon (like this recipe) you want to use a sweet wood like maple.  With a salty cure, use something like hickory.  Now, get that grill going!

Once your are ready to make smoke, toss the bacon on there and let it have it!  Add your smoking chips and it will gradually bring the temp up.  When you hit 175 in the grill, let it roll for about 45 minutes keeping check on the 160 core temperature.  As soon as you hit it, kill the heat and let it smoke down for another hour or two.  You absolutely MUST hit 150 degrees!  At 150 degrees for five minutes it will be safe to eat as soon as you can handle it.  Too, it is going to look like a beautifully smoked ham and you are gonna want to try it NOW.  Go ahead!  If for some reason you didn't make it to 150, enjoy it anyway... just remember to cook it first!

Now, enjoy your apocalypse with BACON!

Anyone else have ideas for "survival" foods?




Saturday, March 9, 2013

NYC Hit & Run Murderer


Remember that fatal hit-and-run that killed the mother in labor and the father last week? 

The one in which the baby was cut out of the mother on scene to save it's life? The one where the baby later died? The one where the driver of a BMW fled the scene?

Yes, that one....turns out he is ILLEGALLY in the U.S. and had been ordered deported long ago. 


What does that mean? Well, for starters, he was arrested two weeks ago for drunk driving. His release occurred in NEW YORK CITY which is a sanctuary city which refuses to hold convicted illegals for immigration officials to come deport.
  He was at the time of the triple murder a FUGITIVE!!!  New York was harboring him from ICE who was actively seeking him to deport him!  Had this been a city that obeys the law, he would not have been out on the street to MURDER that family.


This family's death rests firmly on the government of New York for allowing him to return to the street and drive. Had this been Atlanta, Georgia he would have been held and deported back to the Dominican Republic and never allowed to return to murdering families. Oh, yeah, did I mention this isn't the first death at his hands?

I hope this poor family's relatives SUES New York for 16 trillion dollars.

Read on...


Judicial Review- Julio Amezquito-Acevedo is illegally in U.S.

Friday, March 8, 2013

PTSD

Seriously, I don't get it....

Dianne Feinstein believes that ALL our troops and Marines have PTSD and that this is a mental disorder that should bar them from being allowed to purchase or own weapons.  Well, I do believe that there is a mental disorder afoot here... in her little goofy liberal brain!

Why would this administration want to bar our greatest fighting force from owning weapons?  Makes one wonder if it is because it scares them to see how thoroughly pissed off America is becoming.

But seriously, what is wrong in Dianne Frankenstein's brain?

I think she has a weevil in there.



                          

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Contacting Your Senator

So, what is the best way to contact your senators and representatives?  I see all these cute little Facebook posters and other postings that says "Contact your state senator today!" and goes on to list an email address or what-not.

Great idea!!!  How much email do you think he or she gets during an average day?  How many form letters do you think he gets?  If he receives 750 emails that all are titled "Gun control is rong!" and "Dont take my clips!" how many of those do you think he will actually read?  I'd wager less than TWO.

So your next option is telephone.  Most officials will first off, not be in the office often and secondly, screen calls when they are.  You need to accept either of those as reality.  You will need to leave your name and number and let him call you when it is convenient to him.  Sometimes the staff will actually call and schedule a time for him to return your call.  However in the case that your phone rings and Senator Rand Paul is on the line you absolutely must have a list of the things you wanted to speak to him about.  Reason being that when he calls and says "Hi, this is Rand Paul... you rang?" your brain is going to respond with "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....."  You need at that time to be able to put hands on your list and have a well thought out question or two to ask and in an organized fashion.  You also need to accept that reality that he is a busy guy and will not have all day to talk about the fishing in Lake Wetwater.  Realistically expect no more than about fifteen minutes.

Your next option is Snail Mail.  This is only a 50/50 proposition at best, but getting a written response of some kind is about the same odds as getting him to call you back.  The biggest difference is that your response may or may not come from the senator and will more than likely be a form letter that reads something like "Thank you for contacting the office of Rand Paul!  He values your thoughts and will endeavor to meet your expectations in the near future!  Have a wonderful day!  ~Rand Paul"  If you send him or her a snail mail sandwich be prepared to be happy with this response.

Your last option is to meet in person in the office.  For this you will need to call ahead and schedule your meeting.  You will also need to prepare for the eventuality that he still may back out at the last minute because he needs to talk about the Constitution for 13 hours and how it violates one's rights to have a drone attack aircraft flown over your house in Oklahoma and a missile shot through your bathroom window while you are dropping the kids off at the pool.  The plus side to this is a face-to-face is a personal encounter and it will make an impression on him.  This is really the only way to know for sure that he has heard what you have to say.  Even a telephone conversation is no assurance that he is listening.  Ever read a news article while talking to someone on the phone?  Exactly.

What ever route you choose, I highly encourage you to contact your congressional enclave.  THEY WORK FOR YOU!



Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Our goals!

Our goal here is to show you and teach you everything you want to know about prepping, survival, and simply being prepared for what you may face in a serious TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it. See already learning something.) situation, or simply an everyday "Ah crap!" situation.

We will be posting videos on our YouTube channel (<----- Link is over there on the side bar) which will show you how to accomplish tasks ranging from simple fire starting, to advanced fire starting, to IMPOSSIBLE fire starting (RIGHT JOSH?).  For those that don't know what impossible fire starting is here's a brief description   When it is 15 below, it is too cold to start a fire with common implements.  Josh and I tried for nearly an hour and in the end we couldn't even get it going with TWO lighters AND lighter fluid... and we aren't talking wet, green wood.  We are talking pine twigs, shaved bark, and dead needles on top of birch bark (like paper) and soaked with Ronsonol (Zippo) lighter fluid.  Forget Bear Grylls... he can go drink his pee somewhere and pretend to light fires.  Let him come up here in January and light one with a stick and a boot lace.  AIN'T HAPPENING!

I'll also be covering windmill generators and gas generators and supply systems for homes.  Wells and how to drive your own.  Food stores, water stores, and medicine stores.  Weapons.  Knives.  Axes.  Keeping them sharpened.  You name it.  Reloading.  Car, truck, and tractor repair.  Recipes.  Canning.  Curing meats.  All that hoopla!

YOU NAME IT!!! Literally!  Tell us what you want to see!

Edit to add:  Yes, I know that The Patriot Undergroun is missing a "D" at the end... apparently they only let you make your title so long and it cuts it off.  Oh well, makes us UNIQUE!  Send me ideas for there too!



                            


                            

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Welcome Aboard!




This website is for the "Original Patriot" type folk that don't believe that Big Brother always has one's best interests in mind. I am not a "gun nut" or "whacko" but in fact just a regular Joe. Many of us are in public service here. Law enforcement, EMS, Firefighters, Military... you name it. There are also quite a few prepper folks running around here!

People are all the time asking me how to set up this or that in regards to prepping, survival, shooting, hunting, tracking, or... you name it. My dad always said he was a "Jack of all trades... master of none." and while I believe that applies to me, I like to believe that I am probably not a master of ALL trades I am a master of more than a few... if nothing more than in my own mind.

I hope that as I get things rolling here that you find yourself visiting here more and more! So, PLEASE!!! By all means, make suggestions!