Keep It Simple Survival

Bump...

2011-05-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

I guess my link down below gets ignored... K.I.S.S. has moved:

http://keepitsimplesurvival.wordpress.com/

Calling All Advertisers

2011-04-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

If I can get enough advertising revenue here, I'll go back to dealing with Blogger's shortcomings. I still get over 500 hits per day here, even though I'm no longer posting. That's down from 1,500 hits per day before I switched to Wordpress. To those who've offered to advertise before, I'll give you first dibs. All I ask is a sample for my review, and a modest fee. E-mail me if you're interested...

Making The Switch

2011-03-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

I got started over on Wordpress. Here be the link: http://keepitsimplesurvival.wordpress.com/

That's IT!!

2011-03-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

Blogger has eaten my last post. It has drove me ape shit with it's last glitch. I am SICK of wasting my time, having my posts eaten, being hit with "conflicting edits" error messages, giving me that "cookies disabled" bullshit, and not even trying to work with my Opera browser.

I tried four times to post something tonight, just to have my pictures disappear every time. I'm sick of Blogger, their glitches, and lack of concern for them. I know this is a "free" service, but it has come to the point where "free" is costing too much. Tomorrow, I'm going to start over on Wordpress. Blogger has got on my last nerve...

Plum Wore Out

2011-03-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

I spent all damn day working on that shed. Heh, silly me thought a metal shed would go together right quick...

This is one labor intensive freakin' little building! I bet I drove 1,000 screws today, after kicking, cussing, and generally forcing all the holes to align. It wern't no "tab A into slot B" kinda thing, that's for sure.

And I ain't done yet... I got the four walls done, and the gables on. The roof beams are assembled, but I ran out of daylight.

I never thought it would take a solid weekend to put this damn thing together. Hell, I probably coulda built something out of wood a whole lot faster. Probably not cheaper, but definitely faster. At any rate, it's almost done, and I can fill it up with all the crap that's been laying around here annoying me. I despise clutter...

One thing I didn't do was to buy plywood for the floor. The shed is sitting on concrete underneath the house, so I didn't bother. But I will get 4 pallets to throw in there, to keep stuff off the floor. It could get wet if it rains hard, and stuff needs to be kept off the ground. Otherwise, it should be pretty dry in there.

My warped brain almost instantly envisioned a cot, port-a-crapper, table with Coleman stove, and another with a wash basin. And some shelves for food, clothing, etc. With some insulation and a couple windows, this thing could make for some right snug shelter. At the whopping price of $298. Say $500 with all the "amenities" I listed. Oh it sets the mind to wandering...

But I'm a simple guy with simple needs. Not too many folks out there could even imagine living in such a thing. I'd be tickled pink. But then again, I read "Robinson Crusoe" and got jealous. "Call of the Wild" was another one that tickled my fancy. As did "My Side of the Mountain". Yeah, I'm not "normal". And I'm glad...

Karma

2011-03-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

I believe in karma. It might be slow to work, but work it does. Just ask Teddy Kennedy (oh wait, you can't)...

I was settling down to some ice cold beer after my day's adventures. Then the phone rang. My wife found one of our kiddie's friend's Dad sitting beside the road with a dead vehicle. So I hopped in the truck and headed out to investigate.

Sure enough, his Tahoe was dead as a door nail. I had him switch on the key, and I didn't hear the fuel pump come on. So I popped open my tool box, retrieved my tow strap, and hooked him up. When we got to his house, I flipped the truck around to jump his battery. Lo and behold, the fuel pump kicked in, and his truck fired right up. A case of what we in the Navy called "PFM". Pure Fucking Magic. Heh heh...

With the truck running, I couldn't troubleshoot any further. But I suspect his fuel pump relay has gone wonky. Anyhoo, I done my good deed for the day. Always good to keep karma flowin' your way...

My Little World

2011-03-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

So much is going on around me, and there is so little I can do about it. Given that fact, I'm just doing what I need to do to keep my family's heads above water. I know I'm not alone in this scenario...

I did it. I sold the escape pod today. Within 20 minutes of posting it on Craigslist, I had four phone calls. Damn, I should have priced it higher! Oh well, I listed it for what I thought was a fair price. Needless to say, I got full price (two more people called on it while the buyer was looking at it).

The only reason I sold it is because I don't really need it anymore. When I bought the 'pod, I was basically on my own. Down here in hurricane country... I bought it specifically as emergency shelter, and if we could manage to use it for camping, so much the better. Well, we didn't use it for camping. Finances and work schedules precluded that use. And now that I have a bug out location, the 'pod really had no practical application anymore.

The proceeds will go to good use, of course. Little is wasted around here... I did go against my grain just a bit, and bought a storage shed. With the 'pod gone, I had a lot of prep items that no longer had dry storage. Plus, I'm sick and tired of looking at all the crap laying around in our screen room downstairs. The shed will provide storage for all this stuff, something which we really needed.

What's left will go toward the garden, my boat project, and additional food storage (which the shed will help with).

Critical supplies will be stored in plastic totes, for ease of retrieval and loading into the truck come bug out time. My stored food is already in totes, and I'm going to add more. You can never have enough, especially with a family. And hurricane season approacheth...

But I think hurricanes are the least of my worries. There's a financial hurricane brewing, which will make Katrina look like a walk in the park. There is a natural disaster component to this financial mess as well, I do believe. It could even be the prime mover. That which undoes the shaky foundation. And we are on a shaky foundation, there's no doubt in my mind.

I am reminded of words which moved me many years ago. Words which helped propel me into the blogosphere. Words which resonated with my very core. They were the very first words posted by Selous Scout, and they ring even truer today than they did when he first wrote them in April 2008...

It is almost palpable, this feeling of dread. It builds each day making me want to scream out loud.

The evil grows, like a noxious weed, feeding on the human spirit. It wants to devour us; its hunger is unsated by the death and destruction that it unleashes. It controls our leaders and their minions, and to an extent, the masses of sheeple surrounding us.

It is borne on the wind, howling ominously in the trees, voicing its disdain for our wellbeing. It thirsts for our tears as it seeks sadness and woe, spreading gloom and despair in its wake.

The wickedness takes on new forms as well as old; poverty, plague, starvation, disease, climate change, drought, addiction, predation, rioting, oppression, wars and sudden death from acts of violence.

Children attack their peers, laughingly, thinking it great sport to inflict pain and suffering. Parents, wrapped up in the daily struggle of consumerism, pay scant heed to their own children until the wickedness washes over them like a black tide, spilling darkness into their lives and choking off the light.

Yes, the wickedness.

It is here now.

It has come.

It's The Little Things...

2011-03-24T18:53:00.000-05:00

That piss me off. Because there's so damned many of them!

CBO: Taxing mileage a 'practical option' for revenue enhancement

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this week released a report that said taxing people based on how many miles they drive is a possible option for raising new revenues and that these taxes could be used to offset the costs of highway maintenance at a time when federal funds are short.

The report discussed the proposal in great detail, including the development of technology that would allow total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to be tracked, reported and taxed, as well as the pros and cons of mandating the installation of this technology in all vehicles...

Thank you sir, may I have another?!

Suttle unrolls toilet paper tax

Mayor Jim Suttle went to Washington Tuesday flush with ideas for how federal officials could help cities like Omaha pay for multibillion-dollar sewer projects.

Among the items on his brainstorming list: a proposal for a 10-cent federal tax on every roll of toilet paper you buy.

Based on the four-pack price for Charmin double rolls Tuesday at a midtown Hy-Vee, such a tax would add more than 10 percent to the per-roll price, pushing it over a buck.

The idea came from a failed 2009 House measure by an Oregon congressman to help cities and the environment.

“I heard about it and said, ‘Well, this is simple. Let's put it on the table,'” said Suttle. “It doesn't mean I endorse it.”

The mayor says Omaha needs help with the metro area's $1.7 billion bill for federally mandated sewer improvements. The work must be done by 2024...

A shitty idea if there ever was one...

I'm so sick and tired of these miserable bastards coming up with new ways to screw us over. Is that all they got? Seriously? How pathetic...

Go Galt, that's all I got to say. Which is 100% better than feeding these idiot monkeys.

Shake Your Foundations...

2011-03-24T17:54:00.000-05:00

Go read this over at Half Past Human. It's long. But it's worth the read.

Hat tip to Bill.

In other news, I pretty much finished clearing out stuff from my old shop. Whatever is left over at the old place is the next sucker's problem.

Since I won't be getting any boat money out of the old house, I decided to go ahead and bring the building jig I started on quite some time ago over to the new place.

I'll have to level out the base, and reinstall the forms.

But what the hell, it'll give me something to do that at least is working toward getting on the water.

I am going to simplify the design a bit. It was meant to have two lapstrakes, which I am going to eliminate. That'll make the build easier. I will laminate a second piece of plywood maybe six inches wide along the sheer (the top edge of the hull) to give it a bit of a lapstrake look and a little rigidity though.

But it will be built "down and dirty". No expensive marine plywood. And I'm not going to fiberglass the chines (where the sides meet the bottom) as is specified. I'm gonna slap it together with wood screws and caulk the hell out of the joints, slap some porch paint on it and call it good. With a little luck I'll find a cheap 20 horse outboard, and a reasonably priced trailer. If I do, posting here will get pretty thin, because I'll be gone fishin'. Or crabbing. Or clamming. Or shrimping...

I'm even considering selling the escape pod. Don't really need it anymore, since my folks bought the farmstead. I've got a place to bug out to. We don't use it for a camper. Other than a small amount of storage that it provides for SHTF gear, it's just taking up space. I might put up an ad just to see if it generates any interest. Now is the perfect time...

DHS Is REALLY Starting To Piss Me Off

2011-03-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

DHS is a frequent visitor to my blog, me being a "domestic terrorist" and all...

I know they've installed a keystroke logger on my 'puter, because my comment posting now goes slower than my "hunt and peck" typing these days. It didn't until a few months ago. Sometimes I wait a full minute for it to catch up.

And my trojan removal program, which used to work fantastic, won't even open now. Gimme a break DHS goons. I know the bull dike runs roughshod over y'all, but cut a little guy some slack. Better yet, wake up and tell Big Sis she can suck your maleness. Stand up and defend your oath. But you'll never do it, because you have no male organ. You turned it over when you signed up to work for the bull dike. Or is it "dyke". I don't know, nor do I give a shit one way or the other. Just butt the hell out of my business...

Too Perfect

2011-03-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

I just couldn't resist...

Awesome Basic SHTF Kit

2011-03-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

If you were wondering what one looked like, well Hermit Jim found it! Some enterprising individual should start selling these...

$5 Gas: Here It Comes

2011-03-23T16:39:00.000-05:00

Oil closes above $105, highest level since Aug 2008...

Bomb explodes near Jerusalem bus, dozens hurt...

Gaza rockets hit deep into Israel, minister sees war...

Camp Lejeune Marines to Libya...

And just for grins...

OBAMA: No ground troops, no matter what happens... (Right. I'll buy that for a dollar...)

The middle east is going to hell in a hand basket in a hell of a hurry, which is a great excuse for traders to run oil prices through the roof. Last time they just did it for shits and grins, I suppose. So this time they'll be "justified" in their screwing us over.

Now, for the inevitable Euro-twit who will comment here telling me to "suck it up, they've been paying umpteen euros per drop for decades", I say this: That's your own damn fault for letting your government tax the living crap out of it. Your ridiculous fuel prices are mostly TAX, so take that lame argument and go pound sand...

I don't need to preach to the choir here about what this all means. But in case you've just stumbled across this blog, or the whole prepping/survival thing in general, it means that everything is about to get more expensive. Which should then tell you that this economic (non) recovery is about to do a prompt about-face. In other words, the recession (which has not ended yet, not by a long shot) could very well drop into depression.

Do a little research, and you will find that government unemployment numbers are bogus. They cook the books, finagle words, and basically put lipstick on the proverbial pig, in order to paint a rosier picture. Same goes for inflation numbers, because they conveniently leave out your two biggest expenses (besides mortgage robbery), which are food and fuel/energy.

Don't wind up like this guy, waiting for the anvil to crack him over the head. Things are about to get dicey...

Two Definite Maybes, and Sellathon

2011-03-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

I could possibly, maybe hitch an occasional ride on one of these two boats. If the stars align, the regular deck hand gets sick/hung over, and it coincides with a day off for me, I'm on "the list" to go out with my buddy who runs this crew boat...

Or, I could possibly get to run with an old skipper of mine on this "little" 38 foot beauty.

Either way is fine by me, so long as I get a good salt soaking. I'd really like to ride the crew boat, because I've never done that before. But the sport fisherman will do!

Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to crash Craigslist. Got a bunch of stuff for sale, sold one thing already, and have three more set to go tomorrow. Clearing out the last of the stuff from the old house before "D-Day" (foreclosure) on April 5th. Hopefully I'll get rid of it all by Friday. If so, I'll be able to finish up my raised beds and get some vittles in the ground.

I found a source of "truckload" garden soil (20 bucks!), and I'd like to get a load before they run out. If everything sells for asking price, I'll have two Benjamins and a Grant. That'll get the garden going nicely, and then some...

Bye Bye Miss American Pie

2011-03-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

Got notice today that the foreclosure sale on our house will be April 5th. After six months on the market, the best offer we had was $90k, and they wanted us to pay $4,500 in closing costs! We paid $87,700 for the house in 2001...

Fuck it, let the bankers have it back. Buying that house was the second biggest mistake I ever made in my life, a mistake which I will never repeat.

At least I know my American ~~Dream~~ Nightmare is finally coming to an end. Good riddance to it, the stress will not be missed.

So tomorrow I'll go over there and clear out the last of the stuff I want to keep, and put a few things up on Craigslist for sale. I guess I'll bring my boat jig over here. If nothing else, the base will make a good raised bed garden.

The first big mistake of my life brought me to this point, and rest assured, I'll never make that mistake again either. Ten wasted years. That's too damned much time to blow off and ignore...

BTW, how's that "recovery" working out for ya?

World War III

2011-03-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

I truly believe that Pandora's Box has just been opened. The United States of America has started World War III...

Illinois National Guard Heads to Libya

PUTIN: UN RESOLUTION RESEMBLES MEDIEVAL CALLS FOR CRUSADES...

Condemns 'trend' of US military intervention...

Our military is spread pretty thin as it is, but the peace loving Dimocrat Lord Obammy has seen fit to attack a third country... We're going to run short on warm bodies to send to the slaughter house.

Why We Need Universal Service

Rep. Charles Rangel

Representative from the 15th Congressional District in New York

Posted: March 18, 2011 05:29 PM

Today, March 19, 2011, marks the 8th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. The question of whether we need a draft will always be important as long as this country is placing thousands of its young men and women in harm's way.

Based on false pretenses of weapons of mass destruction and involvement in the 9/11 attacks, the unfunded war in Iraq has cost our nation not only $800 billion dollars, but the lives of more than 4,400 brave American patriots. Over 32,000 U.S. soldiers have also been seriously wounded in the war we should not have been in the first place...

...Having a draft does not necessarily mean that everyone called to duty would be required to serve in the Armed forces. Whether that service to our country is in our military, in our schools, in our hospitals, or in our airports, the Universal National Service act would require young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 to commit themselves to two years of national service....

So... This idiot, criminal CONgress cockroach, who thinks we shouldn't have gone to war, wants to bring back the draft so they can keep shipping warm bodies to the slaughter house. Orwellian doublespeak as it gets there Chuck. Your motives are not hidden behind that thin veil of "Bush lied, people died". You are just as much a war monger as the rest of the criminal CONgress.

Better get ready folks, they're coming for your kids. The middle east is on fire, because we lit the match. Russia and China are not happy with us, and for good reason. This stuff is about to explode...

Hard Times On The Water

2011-03-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

I got in touch with a few of my boat drivin' friends, trolling for for a little side job (I'm on vacation this week). The news they had was not good. Thanks to Lord Obammy's drilling ban in the Gulf, one skipper is laid off. Another one might be laid off soon. A third is hanging on to his job, but high fuel prices keep his boat down to running only 5 days a week. Another one is running fishing charters, but it's hit or miss.

Not a good time to be looking for a boat ride... I could possibly get called to deck hand on the crew boat my friend runs (the 5 day a week boat), and he said he's keep his ears open for me. But it's not looking good for me this week, especially with the weather. It's full bore spring time down here, which translates to "windy as hell". Probably not too many boats headed offshore.

The buoy is showing five foot seas at six second intervals. Which means it's really snotty out there. Not much fun. I don't mind it myself, but I've watched many a 40 foot sport fisherman turn around at the end of the jetties when the seas are like that.

Anyhoo, the wonderful, glorious economic non-recovery is rolling right along. Guess I'll have to sniff around elsewhere for a little "side money"...

Sentimental Journey

2011-03-20T16:19:00.001-05:00

Yes I'm going off on a tangent. It's my blog an' I'll do what I wanna : )

I used to work on this boat, which we lovingly referred to as the "Barf Cat". Her actual name is "Wharf Cat", and she runs out of Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas. I loved sitting at the helm of that boat, running offshore to the fishing grounds. Many a mile I piloted her while the skipper caught a snooze after a long day...

I'm the good lookin' dude there on the left : )

The thing I loved most about it was that the crew was a tight knit bunch. We worked together, and we played together. Captains Danny and Marvin were awesome. Great folks to work for...

If it were up to me, I'd have my captain's license, and I'd be running this boat, or some other. I love the camaraderie of a small crew, and being at sea. Sure, there can and will be a few who don't fit, but they eventually leave. You can't have friction on a small vessel, because it will quickly explode into something much bigger, and bring things to a halt. Fortunately, most folks recognize where they're not wanted and go work elsewhere. It's just like that in the maritime trades. Cohesion is critical, and people know it. Not to mention the fact that a crew can make life a living hell for someone who doesn't fit in : )

I think I'm going to change tacks as far as my "career" goes. The half dozen boat trips I get per year at work just isn't cutting it. I want to be on the water. I was born to be on the water. And I'm going to get there come hell or high water...

Drummin' Up Bid'ness

2011-03-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

New post over at Galt's Gulch: Go On Strike.

Sunday Morning Fun

2011-03-20T10:27:00.000-05:00

There's absolutely no symbolism in this video. Nope. Not a bit. Heh heh heh...

Better Late Than Never

2011-03-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

I was ~~broke~~ ~~bummed~~ pissed off on St. Patty's Day. No beer. And if you can imagine that, I found a perfect song to suit the mood. It's by an Aussie, but there's lots of Micks down in Oz...

What the hell, this one goes along nicely...

Done Deal

2011-03-19T12:59:00.001-05:00

I created the blog. Galt's Gulch: Go On Strike...

And as TL Davis suggested, I made the flyer available for download and distribution. Yes, it's a picture file (long story, let's just say Computersaurus Rex was being a bit cantankerous). In the end, I liked the effect of scanning the thing. Click to make more bigger...

Kicking An Idea Around

2011-03-19T08:53:00.003-05:00

As y'all are well aware, I'm rather disgusted by society as a whole. While sitting around flinging mental arrows at all the idiots I'd like to go away, an idea started to form...

Not an original idea, but a metamorphosis of an old idea.

As you know, I am essentially "on Strike", ala John Galt. I stay "under-employed" in order to starve the monkeys. I moved in to rental property and ditched the mortgage. I only buy what I need, and I try to buy used whenever possible. Trade and barter is even better. The only real obstacle is finding like minded folks to do business with.

Two things came together this morning, and fertilized this idea of mine. The original idea of Galt's Gulch (which I realize isn't possible today), and Alex Jones's recent "V" poster campaign.

What came from the morphing of these two ideas was pretty simple. I could kick myself for not thinking of this years ago... Basically, I'm thinking of a kind of "V" campaign, where I'll post flyers around town, with those little "tear off strips" that have a website address on them. The web addy will be for another blog, which will be a sort of "networking" hub for like minded local folks to go and hook up, ala Texas Prepper's Network and APN.

I know they're out there. And I think they're like me, feeling isolated and alone. It's one thing to find folks of a like mind on the internet, but it's quite another to find them in the flesh. Maybe this will help bring us together, and allow us to collaborate in our efforts to starve the monkeys. What the hell, the worst that can happen is that it will flop miserably. Or, as I hope, I may be pleasantly surprised with a good response...

Put On A Happy Face

2011-03-18T17:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, there isn't a rock big enough for me to hide under... No matter where I go or what I do, I am barraged with monkey shit from every angle.

I am a news junkie. Just can't ignore it, because there's too much crap going on. The pace of decline keeps accelerating, and ignoring it won't make it go away. Ignoring it makes you just another shit flinging monkey. Taking a wee break is fine, but only possible if you head to a mountain top or out to sea. So it seems anyway. I walk into the corner store and the first thing that grabs my attention is the headline on the local mullet wrapper. There's "news" on the radio. Someone says something to me. I catch a blurb from the TV talking heads, and I just have to go down the rabbit hole.

I can't ignore it... More and more, I feel like Will Smith in that zombie flick, one man fighting off a horde of diseased (brain dead) monkeys who will stop at nothing. Who's sole aim is to bleed me dry, then toss my withered carcass onto the mountainous pile of withered carcasses that fell before me.

Why does anyone think I am financially liable for things that were done before I was ever born? Why does anyone think my children should be liable for things done today in which they had no say? Why am I expected to pay for wars to which I morally object? Why am I liable for another's livelihood? Why am I taxed for public "art"? Why am I charged for city water, while it is against city "code" for me to drill a well?

There are a thousand more things for which a bunch of self righteous hypocrites impose taxes and regulation on the rest of us here in the "land of the free", at the behest of corporations and "special interest groups". And I'm fucking sick of it all.

This is not "the land of the free". It is the land of whoever has the biggest mouth and/or wallet getting their way at the expense of everyone else. It is the land of the noodle spined dimwit who doesn't have the sense or the balls to stand up for himself. It is the land of the complacent slave, who is content with his "rewards" for playing by the crooked rules of a rigged game.

I can't afford enough beer to keep me engaged in this hell called America, or the world. Every day brings me closer to stealing a sailboat and taking my chances. I really am at that point. Because I am so sickened by what I see day in and day out. Nothing but a throng of ignoramuses, rampantly consuming everything they possibly can. Like a swarm of locust, they descend on those who actually work for a living, and leave nothing but the stripped clean bones behind. Their every thought is centered on where the next dollar will come from, and what ridiculous bullshit they might spend it on.

These gelatinous blobs of stupidity are absolutely repulsive to me. Every day, they reinforce my long held belief that 99% of the people on this rock aren't even worth their value as fertilizer. "Humanity" is a fucking joke. Especially when "humanity" is willing to take what belongs to another at the point of a gun, for "the sake of humanity". Sorry if the truth hurts, but I'm not playing nice anymore. I don't give a damn who I "offend", piss off, piss on, or cause to suffer "mental anguish". Because those who hold the "victim" mentality, and demand they be compensated off the backs of those who work for a living, are the very cause of everything that is wrong in the world today.

I've worked all my life, and I'll continue to do so until I drop dead. All I ask for is to be left the hell alone and keep what I earn. I pay for what I use, but I'll be damned if I pay for what I don't use or want. For those who have a problem with that, I've got two words for you, and I bet you can guess what they are.

I'm not playing nice anymore. I'm not playing by the rules anymore. And I'll be dipped in sheep shit if I care what anyone else thinks about it...

I Still Don't Care, But This PISSED ME OFF

2011-03-16T21:59:00.002-05:00

Here's where the real "I don't care" comes in. I'll not "watch my language". I'll not be "civil". If you don't like it, don't read. Because this fucking shit has gotten WAY out of hand, and I'll be God damned it I'll stand by and let this kind of Nazi fucking bullshit go unchallenged...

No refusal weeks going year-round, district attorney says

CORPUS CHRISTI — The stepped-up enforcement against drunken driving this weekwon't end when spring break is over.

Police and the Nueces County District Attorney's Office are beginning to adopt the no refusal philosophy year-round.

No refusal periods started Halloween weekend in 2008. The district attorney's office had judges on standby ready to sign search warrants in case people suspected of drunken driving wouldn't willingly give a breath or blood sample.

They also paid to have phlebotomists ready to take blood samples. With the search warrant, police can force the driver to give a blood sample and test it for alcohol content.

Numbers released from the district attorney's office on Wednesday show how much Corpus Christi police have stepped up that enforcement, even when it's not a holiday or heavy-drinking event designated for special enforcement.
"It's really no refusal all the time," District Attorney Mark Skurka said...

My e-mail reply to this piece of jackbooted fucking cow shit Skurka:

"I'll be damned if I let you stick me for blood because some cop "thinks" I might be impaired. Have you ever heard of the Fourth Amendment? Have you ever heard of the right to be secure in your person and papers/possessions?

This city is quickly turning into Nazi Germany with your unconstitutional checkpoints, your Gestapo police force, and your propaganda campaigns.

I got three words for you: Kiss My Ass. You better go back and read the Constitution asshole. You better read up on the Founders, who sought to keep tyranny of the majority at bay, so that We the People wouldn't be subjected to totalitarian BULLSHIT like this.

I will not stand for it. And I'll do everything I can to put your ass on unemployment next time you come around for election. Seig heil you Nazi fuck..."

That's that. Going back under my rock now...

When You Just Don't Care Anymore...

2011-03-15T18:32:00.003-05:00

All I want is a little camper, a little boat, and a little peace. I'm sick of struggle, drama, and OPBS. That's "other people's bullshit", as my friend Sunfighter puts it.

Sorry to say it, but I think I'm done here... I just don't seem to care anymore. About anything. I've tried these last few weeks, but there's nothing left in me. Nothing moves me. Nothing ignites a fire in me like it used to.

I'm not giving up or giving in, I'm just tired of this. Tired of watching the world go to hell, tired of following it's demise, and tired of writing about it. Tired of thinking about it. I'm just.... tired. A hiatus is in order, because I'm just not into this anymore. Everything from the last few weeks has been hollow. I deleted my last three attempted posts because they sucked. Just more of the same crap.

Hobo explains it better than I can...

Pier Pressure

2011-03-13T18:43:00.002-05:00

The Mayberry Munchkins and I took a walk over to the fishin' pier this morning to wet some lines. I love that sentence, we walked from the house to the pier. Less than ten minutes, and that's because we took the road. We could have walked to the end of our street, then walked the shoreline. It would have been a bit shorter, but my ankle is still a little tender and I didn't want to tweak it on the rip rap.

It was a wee bit breezy, blowing 25 and gusting to 30 plus, but that's just springtime on the coast in south Texas. Unfortunately, this turns the water into chocolate milk, and makes fishing tough. You damn near have to knock a fish over the head with your lure to catch one.

A few weeks ago, this was gin clear. That's about two feet of water, and the bottom would be clearly visible. Not today. Probably not 'til June! If the brown tide doesn't come back, that is. Brown tide is a brown algae bloom caused by too much nutrients in the water (from fertilizer runoff).

Looking toward Padre Island. That little dot in the center is a guy on a kayak. Tough paddling into that wind...

Catch of the day. One really nice, really ornery blue crab. Methinks we might head back next time with chicken necks and string! A dozen of those will make some mean crab cakes...

Good Tune For A Saturday Night

2011-03-12T19:52:00.001-06:00

Some local yokels with a song that fits my mood this evening...

Earthquake Highlights Stupidity Of "Modern" Man

2011-03-12T08:42:00.002-06:00

Japan, whether they realize it or not, is reaping the rewards of rampant CONsumerism. Their supposed "best and brightest" built nuclear power plants, on the coast, in an area highly prone to earthquakes and tsunami.

There was a reason why Japanese homes were constructed of light lumber and paper. It won't crush you when it gets shaken apart, plus it's easily and cheaply repaired or rebuilt.

Ancient wisdom was lost on the "educated", supposedly superior man of today, and now millions of people are paying the price for man's arrogance.

Look around you. What will happen to the place where you live if something like an earthquake were to happen? Or any other large natural disaster?

My number one concern is hurricanes. I'll take those over earthquake, because we can see them coming, and get out of the way. But right here on the Texas Gulf coast, we have another prime example of man's arrogant stupidity. Just a few miles from the Gulf sits the South Texas Nuclear Project, a short distance from Houston, and right smack in the most hurricane prone (historically speaking) part of the coast.

Then we have a "bioterror" lab on Galveston freakin' island. Pure genius. Because Galveston never gets hit by hurricanes.

Here in Corpus Christi, there are a bunch of oil refineries sitting right on the ship channel. The Houston area has ten times as many, also right on the water. Remember the gasoline shortages in the southeast following Hurricane Katrina? A direct hit by a large storm on Houston's refinery row would make that look like nothing. Plus (not that the Houston are isn't already a toxic cesspool), the environmental destruction would render a large swath of land (and sea) uninhabitable.

So what's around you? Chemical plants, or storage facilities? Fuel terminals? Hazardous waste handling/storage facilities? Are you downstream of a dam? Could your home be crushed by a land slide? Would a tsunami wash you away? Are you near a fault line? If you don't know your area, it's time to get acquainted. And it's time to make a plan. Mother earth is stretching her legs, and she ain't done yet. This year will be very active where seismic events are concerned, according to a variety of sources I keep watch on. Keep your ear to the ground, and your wits about...

"Threeper" No More

2011-03-11T20:36:00.003-06:00

There is no "Three Percent". If there was, we'd have been Free long ago. There will be no Liberty in my time, I've come to realize that. There will be no awakening, no mass realization that we are all slaves. Most people are too comfortable in their servitude, and are unwilling to risk a bit of inconvenience in exchange for the exhilarating experience of true Freedom.

I'm beginning to think that prepping is a waste of time and money. What am I prepping for? A minuscule extension of this miserable existence? Honestly, that's all I can hope to achieve. That's all any of us "peons" can hope to achieve...

We will hold out for as long as we can when SHTF, but then what? When the cans of food run out, the water filters are spent, the fuel is all gone... What then?

When all your Chinese junk is broken and useless, then what? When the local warlord runs you off your retreat, then what?

We are wasting our time and our resources. Unless we clan up and start our own new societies, all that we do is an exercise in futility.

But nobody is willing to take a chance. Nobody has the fortitude to step off the train, even though they can see there's a bridge out ahead. Myself included, because one man can't stand alone. Sure, I could chuck it all and quit, if I didn't mind living in a cardboard box or standing in soup lines.

I'm partial to eating a couple times a day, warm beds, dry shelter and such. Things which are no longer possible unless one is a slave to the system. Sure, I could get a tent, bug out to the BLM, and live off the land. Until I got caught.

I could get a boat and sail away, but you've got to go ashore sometime. What would happen to me if I landed somewhere without a passport? If I didn't clear customs? Jail is not for me, sorry.

There is no Freedom, and apparently there never will be. I was born 300 years too late...

"Light and Transient Causes"

2011-03-10T18:35:00.007-06:00

These words, from the Declaration of Independence, hold great meaning...

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

I do not rail against our government for "light and transient causes". In fact, it's a "long train of usurpations" which brings me to my state of complete intolerance toward any form of government under which I find myself imprisoned by tyranny of the majority.

On the federal end, I'm forced to pay for bloated, crooked, and completely ineffectual programs, most of which are completely against my personal beliefs. Such as foreign "aid" (arming and supporting "friendly" psychopaths who kill their own kind), illegal wars of aggression (Iraq, Afghanistan, and the inevitable Libyan "police action", not to mention past wars such as Viet Nam and Korea...), the completely disgusting "planned parenthood" infanticide, "public broadcasting" (propaganda), and all the alphabet soup agencies which supposedly keep us "safe". Like the twisted thieving jackboots of the Testicle Squeezer Association, The Drug Enabling Agency, and the Bureau of Assholes Taking our Firearms...

The states (under federal coercion) stick us productive folks for fraud ridden "welfare" programs and "medicaid", amongst other things. Personally, I'm through paying for caps on kids' teeth, who's mothers put Dr. Pepper in freakin' baby bottles for their little illegitimate rats to suck on. I'm sick of watching people buy steak and shrimp on their "Lone Star" card (food stamps) while I'm eating rice, beans, and shit in a can.

I've had it with being raped by the county for those eternal money pit failures: county fairgrounds. And why the hell is it my responsibility to pay for drainage because some idiot bought land in a swamp?! Why am I maintaining county roads that see ONE VEHICLE per day? That vehicle being a freakin' COMBINE! If a farmer wants easy access to his fields, then the FARMER can build his own damn road. They used to do that before they discovered the power of milking the public...

Then there's the city. I don't give a damn about your "art", and I take exception with being taxed for it. I don't care about your pie in the sky pipe dreams that will "bring prosperity" (for a select few city council members and their extended family via contracts). Why the hell don't you get the students to pay for your damned community college? I don't want or need it, but you're sure as hell taxing me for it! I'm taxed for a "hospital district", so why the hell do I need health insurance? I'm taxed at the gas pump for roads, and also at the DMV, so why am I being taxed for road maintenance (which isn't being done!!)? Why am I forced to use city water? Which I am encouraged to conserve, then charged more when usage drops!! Why do city ordinances prevent me from installing solar panels and wind generators unless I have more than one acre, and install a prohibitively expensive grid interface? Why will you fine me if my (forced to use) robo-truck compliant garbage can is left out by the street too long past pick up day?

Folks, these are not trivial things. The statist cheerleaders scream for compliance, because it's "good for us". Well there is no "us" in Individual Liberty, which was clearly the intent of the Founders of this country. We as a country have fallen to a level of tyranny which King George could only dream of. His piddly tea tax, and jacking around with the colonies' representation is absolutely nothing compared to all that is happening in America today, much less what's gone on for the last 100 years and more.

Very few people have the slightest concept of what Liberty really is, because they've been taught from day one that the State is supreme. That the collective good outweighs their own needs. Do you believe that shit? I don't! My life, and my family's lives come first. Beyond that, it's every man for himself. That's natural. That's life. Nobody is going to represent your own best interest but yourself. Believing anything else is an exercise in futility, and setting yourself up for grave disappointment at best.

Sure, it feels all warm and fuzzy to believe that there is some magic safety net, some group of warm, caring folks who will catch you when you fall. But the stark reality is that there are exponentially more people out there who will strip you to the bone without a second thought. When they say "it's a jungle out there", they ain't lying. Lions await at every turn. Better pack a big bore weapon, and a more than healthy dose of skepticism/cynicism, because each and every one of us is a "mark" to somebody. Especially to those in government and "law" enforcement. We are tits just waiting to be milked. If you let 'em...

More Cool Graphics

2011-03-09T22:18:00.003-06:00

Here's another good one from Richard.

The Lava Cools...

2011-03-08T20:43:00.002-06:00

Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again. This here blog often serves as a relief valve for me. Over a period of time the pressure builds, then the valve pops. I look like Yosemite Sam with steam comin' out his ears for a bit, then I settle down and feel so much better.

As my Lil' Sis noted, I come by it rightfully:

I, more than any of your readers, realize that we come from a hot-headed, short-tempered family. If we choose not to control it, it will control us!

Well, that's part of this blog. I blow off here so that I don't blow off on my family. I get things out of my system, so that I don't dwell on them, and eat myself up inside. It is my method of controlling my anger, and it works fairly well. I rant, I vent, and I put it behind me. Otherwise, I'd bottle it up until I really blew a head gasket...

I still do blow a gasket from time to time, but there's no avoiding that. It's just my nature. I can only take so much before I have to let go. Tools get thrown, expletives are hurled... And then it's done. Pressure relieved. Back to the task at hand. It's just my method of coping with all the things that are beyond my control.

"Polite society" is uncomfortable with displays of anger. Which is too bad, because there'd be a lot less violence in the world I think, if folks didn't feel compelled to keep their emotions bottled up. "PC" dictates that we hide our anger, which is contradictory to our natural state. Once again, people's fear keeps us from being able to be what we naturally are. Someone is scared of another who throws a hammer across the workshop in frustration, so we're not "allowed" to throw hammers. Even though the throwing of the hammer is the relief valve for the frustration, and will put an end to it. The hammer is thrown, and the thrower feels much better for it. He is now able to pick up the hammer and go back to whatever task it was in which he was engaged.

That's a true story by the way... I was pissed off at work one day, because nobody ever puts tools away. I couldn't find whatever tool it was that I needed, got pissed off, and flung a hammer across the shop. My boss happened to see it, and got bent out of shape. Even though I felt better after throwing the hammer, and went on to finish the job without whatever tool it was that I couldn't find. But he was freaked out by what I did, even though it was aimed at no one.

Personally, I would laugh at (with) someone who did something like that. But there are those out there who are intimidated by their own shadows. They are scared of anything that's not "calm, cool, and collected".

Well once in a while the lava flows for some of us. The cool thing is, once the lava cools, new land is formed...

Phuck It

2011-03-07T16:54:00.008-06:00

My previous post should have been my last, but I needed one more chance to blow a head gasket...

That piece of crap dishwasher, a MAYTAG, that's right, MAYTAG is GARBAGE, crapped out again. Piece of freakin' JUNK. I tore it apart AGAIN, and repeated the fix AGAIN, yet the piece of MAYTAG GARBAGE won't work. MAYTAG is JUNK. Just like 99% or the garbage for sale in this country today. JUNK.

Yes, I'm pissed off. I'm sick and tired of everything. I've had it with trying to keep GARBAGE running! I've replaced two pulleys on my truck and there's STILL something squealing under the hood. My floor jack crapped out, leaking hydraulic fluid all over the floor. It never ends! This God damned "global economy" is designed to send us all into the poor house!

I've had it with trying to convince other people to see their world collapsing. I can't even get my own family to see it, so who the fuck am I kidding?

My truck needs tires. It's leaking oil all over the place. It's about to roll over 200,000 miles... Still runs good, just can't keep it's fluids where they're supposed to be. And there's a snowball's chance in hell of me being able to make any major repairs; not due to lack of skill, but due to lack of money and time. Because everything has skyrocketed in price, but my salary remains flat, and will for the next two years.

Our house hasn't sold, and it doesn't look too promising. In this "economic recovery", I get a bunch of lowballing bastards who only offer 75% of the appraised value (which is just a shade over what I paid ten years ago), and want ME to pay the closing costs! Fuck that, I'll let it go back to the criminal bankers before I give it away. It would cost me more to remove the rest of the junk over there than I would make, so fuck it. I ain't working for free...

I've had it with illustrating all the ways in which this country is FUCKED, and I'm tired of hearing all the ridicule and lame assed excuses from the apologists and state cheerleaders.

This ain't about a God damned dishwasher, it's about a whole country that's gone to SHIT. It's about a bunch of lazy assed slouches who've let things go this far. It's about a bunch of sackless wonders who've rolled over to have their tummys scratched instead of standing up for what's right.

All I got to say now is "Phuck It".

I give up. I quit. It just ain't worth it anymore. I've absolutely fucking had it, and I got no patience to wait around for a bunch of lilly livered asshats to finally decide they've had enough of this bullshit. Off into the sunset I go. This "army of one" bullshit has gotten really old. I ain't got time to try to whap idiots over the head with the proverbial frying pan, trying to knock sense into them.

Over, finished, gone, done, out.... Phuck it. I will eventually be pulled over for expired "permission" to drive, I'll tell "officer friendly" to go fuck himself, he'll attempt to arrest me, I'll shoot the fucker, then an army of "blue boys" will hunt me down, kill me, and go to bed satisfied that they "done good".

Four years of trying to open folks' eyes to the tyranny they've lived under is enough. Fuck that, fuck you, good night...

The Gallows Or The Guillotine?

2011-03-07T12:30:00.005-06:00

Once again, Bill's musings set my mind to ponderin', and planted the seed for another post...

Now is the time for a great deal of personal reflection, and for taking stock of just what it is that we as individuals truly believe in.

Due to a growing number of factors, The United States of America is no longer the country it was intended to be. Even the Hamiltonian Federalists would be appalled at what they would see today, never mind the Jeffersonian camp.

There are a great many "Oath Keepers", "Patriots" "Threepers", and the like, who's views and opinions are as numerous as the people who hold them. Which is all well and good. But I believe they are setting themselves up for some real disappointment, because every one of them believes that they will somehow fix the very system which consumes them, or take it down by force after some arbitrary line has been crossed (personally, I think that line was crossed a couple hundred years ago).

If one is to be completely honest with themselves, as I said in this post, it is fear which keeps us subservient to those who are devouring us. We know what's happening, yet we are afraid to do something about it...

We're afraid because we know that as individuals, we will be imprisoned, fined, or killed if we resist. The lamestream media puppets are quick to show SWAT teams descending on a hapless tax protester. We saw what happened at Waco and Ruby Ridge. Watch any episode of Cops to see what awaits you when you fail to toe the line. The media has done a fine job of scaring the shit out of regular folks, keeping them in line. A line of lemmings headed for the cliff.

We have seen, time and time again, the PTB abusing their power, with the monkey collective cheering them on all the while. There are a few critical words in the Declaration of Independence, "consent of the governed". Which means that you as an individual grant your consent to be governed. When that government no longer represents you, it is your right, your moral obligation to withdraw your consent. It is our right to alter or abolish it.

I hold these truths to be self evident:

"That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present (and past) Presidents and CONgress is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states."

That our government no longer represents the rights or the needs of the individual. Collectivism has replaced Individual Liberty, which can be demonstrated by such things as "eminent domain", abusive taxes stolen by force, "redistribution" of wealth, mandates of various and sundry form, and many other usurpations by the federal, state, and local governments.

These words I do not put forth lightly. They are not just a passing rant, nor idle chatter; they form the very core of everything I've ever believed in and stood for. They are the foundation upon which my moral compass is anchored, and no force on earth could change that.

To the best of my ability, I have lived my life accordingly. And now, I have unchained myself as much as possible, given current circumstances, from that which I can no longer abide.

I have wanted to chuck it all, get a sailboat, and leave this place. I could have easily stolen one and been gone with it, but I won't, because I know it is wrong to steal. Fear of being caught doesn't hold me back. I won't do it because it is WRONG. I could ditch my family, who doesn't see things the way I do, but I don't because it would be WRONG.

Morality has left the American conscience, which is clearly evident. The monkey collective has discovered that it can subsist on the labors of others. Furthermore, they've discovered that if they gain positions of power, they can MANDATE that others give up the fruits of their labor. Which is something I find unconscionable, morally reprehensible, completely criminal, and any other term for fucked up that you might think of.

I have WITHDRAWN my consent. I am "underemployed" and will stay that way. I pay zero federal income tax. I no longer "own" (rent from the bank, city, and county) a home. I only drive where I need to go, and I have the title to my truck. I buy used, or online to avoid sales taxes. I will NOT be renewing my driver's "license" (tax), nor submitting to "Real ID" (which will be implemented in Texas by 2013, you BASTARDS!). I will not be raped and pillaged any more. And I am justified in my resistance. My rights will not be infringed, "consequences" be damned to hell.

So, will you choose the gallows or the guillotine? Because individually, that is the choice we face. Unless we all band together and stand up as one, an army of Free individuals, we are doomed. Or, you can sit on the sidelines and hope that everything will just fall into your lap. You can shit in one hand, hope in the other, and see which one fills up first. You can argue over petty differences and semantics. Or you can take the bull by the horns. The choice is yours. I've made mine...

The Best Damn Quote I Ever Read

2011-03-06T16:05:00.001-06:00

If the Nazis had had to physically carry each Jew, dead or alive, to the gas chambers or crematoriums, the level of murder would have been dramatically lower. If every slave sold into bondage had refused to work, there would soon have been no slave trade. If the IRS had to calculate the tax due and then directly take it from each "taxpayer," there would be no more federal "taxation." In short, if the victims of authoritarian extortion, harassment, surveillance assault, kidnapping, and murder simply stopped assisting in their own oppression, tyranny would crumble.

Larken Rose, The Most Dangerous Superstition

H/T to the Underground Carpenter

Book Review: Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat

2011-03-05T18:11:00.003-06:00

M.D. Creekmore was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book, Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat, for my review.

I knew I would enjoy this book before I even got it for two reasons:

One, because I've always been partial to the idea of full time RV living. It's a relatively cheap way to live compared to stick and brick homes, with easy mobility tossed in as an added bonus.

Two, because I've read M.D.'s blog for years now, and I know that he's actually lived this way for a long time.

It's a short book at only 79 pages, but it's packed with practical, real world tips and information on a variety of survival topics.

M.D. begins with a bit of his personal story, and how he came to live in his travel trailer on a piece of "junk" land. Next he covers how to acquire land and points out a number of pitfalls to avoid. Then he talks about travel trailers, what to look for, what to avoid, and how to set one up on your land. My personal favorite part follows: his off grid power system, how it's set up, and good practical info on how he used his system. Water and waste management follows, also filled with practical real world tips and info. The remainder of the book concentrates on security, and stockpiling food and supplies. Prepper stuff!

If you're contemplating a different lifestyle, one disconnected from the system, one which offers as much Freedom as is possible in this "modern" world, then this book is an excellent primer. M.D. shows not only that it can be done, but that it can be enjoyable and rewarding as well. If you're looking to set up a retreat on the cheap, well that's what this book was meant to help you do.

Straight forward, no nonsense, practical information. Well done M.D.!

One Small Step

2011-03-04T23:11:00.004-06:00

Simpson files anti-body-scanner bill

A freshman Representative filed a bill to penalize airport body scanner operators: Including TSA agents.

Can they do that to a federal agent? Bill author Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview) thinks so. And he's not alone, with 18 co-sponsors from both parties (see list below) and a few organizations.

The bill, HB 1938, makes it a civil penalty for anyone working in a locally owned airport to install or operate whole-body imaging equipment -- "including a device that uses backscatter x-rays or millimeter waves, that creates a visual image of a person's unclothed body and is intended to detect concealed objects," the bill read.

The penalty is capped at $1,000 per day per violation...

I think the penalty should be public hanging, but that's just me. While I don't hold my breath for this bill's passage, it is at least somewhat encouraging to know that there's a few folks in Texas legislature who have some sort of understanding of what's right and wrong. Or they could simply be "riding the train" for their own political gain. Cynical me says it's the latter. My other half hopes that these folks are real Texans, fiercely independent and madder than hell. Though the "R" after the name doesn't exactly instill a lot of confidence.

But he is bucking the "R" stance on Big Brother "security". Perhaps his scarlet R is one of convenience, as Ron Paul has adopted. Oh hell, I just set off the DHS blog monitoring software again : )

Meh, if they were real Texans they'd be for public hanging too... Oh well, it's a token gesture in the right direction. They might learn yet...

The Most Idiotic Thing I've Ever Seen

2011-03-03T22:35:00.002-06:00

Damn this Computersaurus Rex, I kept getting an "error" when I tried to post a comment to this idiot's post...

Here was my intended reply:

"That's just plain ignorant. I grew a tremendous garden, for the first time last year. Never planted a thing before in my life. Corn, squash, zuchinni, okra, beans, cucumbers, and a lot of other stuff. I think NOT stocking seeds is silly..."

I guess this guy is one of those assholes who thinks he will come to my garden, guns a-blazin', and take my food. Guess again dumbass... Good God, when there's dumbasses in the survivalist community, that's when you know we're really screwed...

Repugnicans Are Not Your Savior

2011-03-03T21:37:00.002-06:00

House Republicans attempt to revive Real ID

If you're a resident of one of at least 24 states including Arizona, Georgia, and Washington, your driver's license may no longer be valid for boarding an airplane or entering federal buildings as of May 11, 2011.

That's the deadline that senior House Republicans are calling on the Obama administration to impose, saying states must be required to comply with so-called Real ID rules creating a standardized digital identity card that critics have likened to a national ID...

Those miserable statist cockroaches are right back to the crap that got them shit canned. Not that I'm surprised. Just another example of how ALL these fedgov pricks are nothing but pure EVIL. I don't give a damn what party they're from, they all want us as SLAVES. Soon, if you don't take the mark of the beast, you'll not be able to do anything. Want to drive a truck? Gotta have a TWIC card. Want to go anywhere? Gotta show your "papers", get nuked and fondled by the TSA Gestappo. Want to take a fucking walk down the street? Better have your "real I.D."

I'm about sick and tired of pointing this Nazi bullshit out. If you don't get it by now, you never will. YOU ARE A SLAVE. Good night, and God bless. You need it...

Late To The Party

2011-03-03T19:49:00.002-06:00

Well the lamestream media finally decided to chime in on "Project Gunwalker"... Not that Mike Vanderboegh, David Codrea, and a slew of others haven't been posting on this for months now...

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358389n&tag=watchnow

Got Food?

2011-03-03T18:49:00.002-06:00

Mountain House Suspends Further Can Sales

Mountain House has suspended all further can sales for all dealers. This is also still true for public sales, no can sales will now be allowed.

No more can orders or food units with cans will be allowed until further notice (several months is the present estimate).

Mountain House cans have been removed from the website until further notice.
All existing can orders will still be filled. Please, no existing customer panic on this topic, nothing has changed for your order. Existing can orders will be filled from current production runs and capacity.

Please be patient, we are doing everything we possibly can to accommodate everyone...

Hmmmm.... Could that have something to do with this? Nah, couldn't be...

Going Down

2011-03-03T15:34:00.002-06:00

TL Davis inspired this one. Read this first...

Things have spiralled downward very rapidly. As TL is experiencing, busting your ass and risking everything in the process is an exercise in futility. All that's accomplished is the lining of someone else's pockets: be it bankers, government, or mega corporations. They're all like piranha, stripping us down to the bone. Then they move on to their next victim.

Being on the "razor's edge" as it is, I'm very sensitive to the perilous position many people now find themselves in, or soon will. Our monthly expenses were greatly reduced when we ditched our old house (and mortgage). The monthly "rent" (mortgage) on the old house had climbed to an unaffordable amount due to taxes and insurance. Our new place is significantly cheaper. The electric bill here is much less.

But those savings of several hundred bucks per month are quickly evaporating... The city raised utility rates last year, and are poised to raise them again. Effectively, they have raised them this year already, since they implemented "recycling" and cut our garbage pickup down to once a week from twice. Recycling is every other week. Plus, there's a recycling surcharge. So we're paying more for half the service.

We've all seen how quickly groceries are rising in price, and that was before oil started shooting skyward again. I got sticker shock when I bought engine oil to service my truck. Nearly five bucks a quart for good quality conventional oil (I use Castrol). Synthetic oil didn't cost that much a few years ago!

And now Legislature is set to raise my health insurance by several hundred dollars per month, on top of the $394.60 I'm already paying. Either that, or they'll raise the out of pocket costs from $1,000 to $3,000. Doesn't matter which, I can't afford either one.

So I've already made drastic changes in lifestyle in order to keep our heads above water, yet the monkeys keep throwing more water on us. Very soon, we'll be down to the point of "nothing left to lose". Many are already there, and there's a whole lot more not too far behind.

One thing is for certain, to me anyway, and that is the fact that the cost of "staying in the game" is about to exceed my earnings once again. If I turned the entire yard into garden, it wouldn't be enough. Can't have a rabbit ranch here on rented property. There's not enough hours in the day for me to go to work, do all the chores around here that need done, and go fishing for sustenance...

It's going downhill very fast, and we'll soon be faced with the stark reality that we can't go on like this any longer. We as in my family, and we as a people. I've already pared down to the bare basics, our only splurge being cable TV for my trio of boob toob junkies, and this internet connection. No loans, no credit cards, no car payments, nothing but the basics. And the "basics" are eating us alive. Which pretty much accounts for my rosy outlook on the future...

This country is in collapse, right here, right now. And it's picking up speed. Hold on for the ride folks...

One Little Finger

2011-03-02T11:12:00.004-06:00

First, go read here.

Okay, here's the deal.... I've said it before, a hundred times over, and I'll say it again....

YOU DON'T NEED A "LEADER"...

Your leader is inside you. YOU hold the keys to your own life, regardless of what anyone tells you. No county commissioner, no mayor, no state "representative", no governor, no CONgress cockroach, or el presidente can make you do a damned thing you don't want to do.

Think on that. Chew on it a bit. Roll it over. Digest it...

YOU ARE A SOVEREIGN INDIVIDUAL. No city, county, state, or country has any fucking right to lord over you. Period. End of story.

You are "ruled over" because you've given your consent. But that does not give you the right to impose your will on another. Those of us who understand Liberty have the option of withdrawing our consent, and it's high time we exercise that right.

Freedom is within your grasp, so long as you reach for it. Those of us who long for it are waiting for you to grab it. We can't do it alone. The longer you wait, the more we suffer...

Refuse to renew your driver's "license". Tell the .govs to pound sand on exhorbitant taxes. Plant what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, smoke what you want. The power is yours. Use it.

One little finger leads to Freedom. No guns required. Personal nullification is the key to victory over the dictators. Ignore them. Render them obsolete. And reap the rewards of Liberty.

Thank A Union?

2011-03-01T22:08:00.003-06:00

I figgered it was about time I weighed in on this, just for shits and grins.

The whole union thing being thrust into the spotlight last week sent me to ponderin'... One thing I keep seeing is folks telling me I should thank a union for 40 hour work weeks, bennies, and such.

Sorry folks, I call bullshit. I don't need a damn union, sucking off my hard work, to get what I want. Why does anyone? Are folks so weak minded as to think they need some organization to tell them what to do?

If some asshole boss wants you to work 100 hours a week for peanuts, YOU have the power to tell him to fuck off! You don't need some union to do it for you! I sure as hell don't!

There's great power in two little words: I quit. But most folks are afraid to say those two words, because they're completely dependent on their job for survival. Hell, even Johnny Paycheck was afraid to say "Take this job and shove it", even though he had nothing left to work for.

That's the power of this system which holds us all as slaves. And I hold union membership as just another layer of slavery, on top of all the rest. They're just another bunch of parasites, sucking your life blood for their own sustenance. There is no need for unions if we as individuals stood up for our rights. And $30 per hour plus cush bennies and a sweet retirement package is not a "right" for Bob the floor sweeper. Sorry dude, but I don't even think Bill the lug nut installer is worth $30 per hour plus cush bennies and a sweet retirement package...

GM and Chrysler dug their own grave, as did the UAW. There's a Toyota plant in San Antonio, which is non-union, and the guys on the line don't make $30 per hour plus cush bennies and a sweet retirement package. They make in the $20 per hour range (last time I looked), have 401k's, and your usual bennies. Not too shabby for being a human robot. And I'm sure that Jim the floor sweeper is making far less than $30 per hour. Probably less than half that much.

Guess what? Jim shouldn't be making $5 per hour. How much skill does sweeping the floor take? Not much. George the electrician should make decent money, because he keeps things humming, and it takes considerable skill to do so. But $30 per hour? I don't think so. Unless George and his employer agree to such an amount.

There is such an entitlement mentality out there today, where everyone thinks they're gold plated and their shit don't stink.

If you invent the flux capacitor, you deserve millions. Floor sweepers, not so much...

Too much emphasis is placed on companies screwing employees versus government screwing us all. If the free market were allowed to be free, companies wouldn't be screwing anyone, because we could shut them down. But since we've all chosen to be dependent solely on the fruits of our employment, we've put ourselves in a position to let companies lord over us. We've become too "micro-specialized", and sacrificed our independence in the process.

The union is just another enabler for the weak. Sorry, but that's the way I see it. Because if you really didn't like the conditions under which you are working, and you weren't totally dependent on said job for your very existence, you'd be singing a slightly modified version of this tune, as I have done before:

Secession In The Air?

2011-03-01T15:31:00.003-06:00

While the thought gives me a Chris Matthews tingle, I'm not holding my breath...

LINE IN THE SAND RALLY

MARCH 5th, 2011

1:00PM to 4:00PM

on the South Steps of the Capital in Austin, Texas!

Fellow Texans, here is the final schedule and details for the Line In The Sand Rally in Austin on the 5th of March. The Texas Nationalist Movement has decided to focus all our efforts on the rally and activities after the rally.
Gerry Donaldson will be the MC and a speaker at this rally and asks his loyal listeners to make the trip to tell this legislature and our governor that we are drawing a HARD LINE against violations of our sovereignty, infringements of our rights, and our government acting outside the boundaries of our Constitution.

Our goal is to get the attention of the Governor and the legislators by our numbers in attendance so that they will file the bill on a referendum vote by the people of Texas on Texas Independence. To accomplish that we must get the actual bill into the hands of as many legislators as possible on that day....

There has been secession movements in Texas for a long time, and none of them gained much traction. I don't expect this one will either. Folks are too brainwashed and lazy to reclaim their Freedom, so this movement will most likely die an agonizing death, drowning in a sea of apathy.

If nothing else, maybe it will open a few more eyes. It will be interesting to see the lack of media attention this receives...

What A Beautiful Day!

2011-02-28T17:37:00.004-06:00

Today has been one of those days that makes life worth living! Sunshine, clear skies, and a nice northwest breeze. Here is the view from my deck. Ain't that beautiful? Man, I wish every day could be like this...

Today was relaxing day, after my seven day stretch at work. I'm recharged, and ready to get after my garden tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be a little cooler with a high of 67, but sunny and clear with a gentle breeze. Perfect weather for playin' in the dirt.

Since I'm late on getting the garden going, I think I'm going to "cheat" and get some plants from the nursery. It's too late to start seeds down here. Whatever came up would get fried come June and July. I'll have to save my seed for the fall garden, which I'll start mid-August. September can be pretty hot yet, but winter's first chill usually comes around December 1. So things need to be growing by September.

July and August are just too scorching hot to grow much of anything, but that's the trade off for two growing seasons. I'll just spend those two months fishing, if at all possible! I WILL do some fishing this year...

Maytag Repairman

2011-02-28T13:53:00.002-06:00

Just for grins, I did a little research on our dead dishwasher. It's a Maytag "Quiet" (something, I already data dumped) 300. And apparently, it's a problematic piece of shit...

Maytag used to be top of the line stuff. These days, it seems that bored Maytag repairman is a busy feller. I found numerous websites filled with pissed off people having mostly the same problems with this dishwasher. It's got a snazzy touch panel with lots of pretty LED lights, and it is the root of all the problems with this unit.

After digging around for a while, I came upon a simple fix for the scrambled "brain" of the damned machine. Someone figured out that the circuit ribbon which connects the touch panel to the control processor was the culprit. After tearing into the thing, I can see why...

This processor resides inside the dishwasher door. And it's completely freakin' exposed! All it has is a plastic cover over the works, which is not sealed in any way, shape, or form. Sooooo.... All that nice steamy stuff migrates through the door, and damn, if it don't find it's way into that control box. (Mayberry bangs his head against the wall) Imagine that!

A third grader can tell you that water and electronics don't mix! But this is news to Maytag engineers, apparently. Anyhoo, as the feller suggested, I shut off the power to the dishwasher. Pulled a dozen screws which hold the door together. Popped open the useless cover over the control board, and pulled the circuit ribbon off. Wiped it clean with a soft towel, reassembled, and presto. The dishwasher works again, the wife will be happy, and a tiny fraction of peace will return to Casa de Mayberry.

So folks, when you start building stuff again after the economy collapses, remember one thing. Electronics and water don't mix. When they must, there's this thing called "potting". Like the power pack on an outboard boat engine. The electronics are sealed in some clear-ish rubbery stuff. Water can't get to it. Maybe Maytag should take a few tips from the folks at Evinrude, they've mixed 'trons and water for over 40 years. Successfully, I might add...

SPROING!

2011-02-28T10:56:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago there was ice on the palm trees. Today we have this!

Spring has officially sproinged. Gotta love south Texas weather...

Before It's Wiped From The Web

2011-02-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

This article disappeared from Drudge and Alex Jones. I have no doubt of it's validity, given the rapid expansion of Big Sis's TSA goons' "authority"...

Genetic Patdown

This is a "photo", so I can't post any text here. Mysteriously, the "real" article I read on this earlier today seems to have vanished. Anyhoo, if you'd like the "picture", I can e-mail it to you. Because it seems likely this will disappear as well...

When Misery Comes To Call...

2011-02-26T18:37:00.004-06:00

I had several good ideas for posts during the course of my work day, but they all fell by the wayside. Tired and sore after day six, I just didn't "feel" them anymore.

But the cause lies much deeper, something I've known inside for a long time. It's not just work that runs me down. It's life in general...

I thrive on work, when it's satisfying. Spent many a hot, humid south Texas afternoon engaged in on of the most miserable pursuits known to man: grinding fiberglass. In a Tyvek suit, respirator, nitrile gloves under canvas work gloves. Sweating like a pig. And loving every minute of it! Because I was working on my own terms. And because when I finished, I could step back to admire my work. Where once was a tired, broken boat, now stood a beautifully repaired and refinished one.

That was one of my personal boats. A 1968 Starcraft, which started it's life as one of those covered bow runabouts with a windshield. I ripped the top cap off, shaved six inches of freeboard, and built the front and rear decks. The center console came from another boat (Ski Barge, I believe). I cut six inches out of it lengthwise, and narrowed it to suit this boat. Sure do miss that little bugger, she was fun. Had to sell her to keep the lights on, get new tires, etc...

My heart belongs to the water. Ever since I was a young boy. And there's nothing I wouldn't do to get back on the water... Given that I have a family, I suppose that makes me a "bad person". But the drive in me runs so deep. It's undeniable.

Dutifully, I pay the rent, keep the lights on, the boob toob pumping out the propaganda... All the while, my mind is out to sea. I get to look at the water from my front porch, but I'm no longer able to be ON the water.

It's a "catch 22" if there ever was one. My heart yearns to be afloat, but my mind holds me to my responsibilities. Unfortunately, the two don't mesh because my family doesn't hold the same passion as I.

While they are content to sit on the beach, and play in the breakers, I stare longingly out into the Gulf. Going to the beach is an exercise in self torture for me. Especially when I see a boat headed offshore, it brings me down to depths no man should experience...

Ah, don't mind me. Spring approaches, and it sends me into melancholy every year. Spring was the time when my thoughts turned toward the offshore fishing trips soon to come, SCUBA diving, and living my life the way I wanted to. Good times, too long gone.

Even as my boats shrunk in size, and my excursions became less frequent, I still looked forward to sunny days and clear water. Fresh fish, and sunburned hide. I come to life on a heaving deck, and that's all there is to it.

The world today keeps me as a slave. There is no decent living to be had on the water in America today; too damned many rules and regulations make it impossible. And the decay of our Ponzi scheme economy continues to drive it all to the depths.

That's when misery sets in, especially given my occupation. I raise fish, to put back into the water, for an increasingly shrinking bunch of fishermen. Haven't been fishing myself in nearly two years. Which really makes me sink into a funk, when I think about it.

I know, I'm "whining". Kiss my ass...

As each day goes by, I sink down lower, or so it seems. There are many days when I ask myself "What the hell is the point in going on?"

Everything pulls me away from what I really love deep down inside. The water calls me. That is the one place I am truly happy! The feel of a helm in my hands, the feeling of complete control over my course... That is life to me! The water is the only place where I feel truly Free. No speed limits. No limitations. Just me, my vessel, and my wits against the full force of Mother Nature.

Deprived of that Freedom is when misery comes to call. I kick myself in the ass for selling my little sailboat. The wife and kids were afraid of it, so I sold it. Myself, I was an eagle, soaring high above the world when I had her heeled over and running fast. It was an exhilarating! A high no pothead could ever imagine.

Alas, mine is a passion not shared by the other 75% of my family. My folks loved to be out on the water, as did I. But mine do not. And so I am damned to misery...

Friday Night And Two Days To Go Yet...

2011-02-25T21:32:00.003-06:00

Working seven days straight sucks. Especially when it's mostly mundane, routine drudgery. Meh, I'm fried... Crack a cold one, veg, and enjoy.

Small Victory

2011-02-24T20:24:00.002-06:00

My uncle "Mad Dog" gave us a Compaq Presario. He had set it up with Windows Vista, but it decided that it was somehow an "illegitimate copy", even though he had the CD he bought, in the original package. It wouldn't let us do anything...

Habeeb in India from Microsoft "support" said it is an "OEM copy", had already been installed on another computer, and we could basically go pound sand. I wanted to tell Habeeb to kiss my ass, and I should have. But I'm a nice guy, heh heh heh.

Anyhoo, I managed to get in to "safe mode" on Vista, from which I installed Ubuntu, which I set to wipe out Windows as it installed. Up yours Billy Gates.

So far, I'm liking Ubuntu. It's pretty easy to navigate, does everything I want it to do, and best of all it's FREE!

Haven't gone online with it yet (uses Firefox browser), as I have to figger out how to get both these 'puters going through the same cable modem. Which is my next stop after finishing up here.

Never been a 'puter whiz, but I'm feeling pretty good now, having circumvented Microsoft. If everything works out well, I'll nuke this computer and install Ubuntu here as well.

I'd backed up all my files on two flash drives, and I downloaded them onto the laptop, so now I've got double backup. Time to give Computersaurus Rex a lobotomy, just as soon as I can get the laptop online.

A little victory, but it sure feels good. One more small step toward starving the monkeys...

$3.09

2011-02-23T22:17:00.002-06:00

That is the price of gas today, up 14 cents from yesterday. Got preps? Got food? We will look back fondly on the summer of $4 gas a couple years ago. This year will be much worse. Get ready, it's coming...

Psy-Ops Is A Two Way Street

2011-02-22T20:39:00.002-06:00

Bill inspired this post, which is a continuation of the comment I left there.

You know, the "criminal element" found out a long time ago that they can't be controlled by anyone. Sure, some of them get busted from time to time, but even those folks usually go right back to doing whatever "illegal activity" it was they were doing. They don't let rules and laws stand in the way of their endeavours. Many of them inhabit the halls of CONgress, by the way...

Then there's the slave class, AKA the "middle class". Those shlubs who bust their ass to "make it", being looted all the while by corporate tycoons and government. They steadfastly follow the rules to the letter. Maybe they mutter under their breath once in a while about taxes and such, but they still fork it over when the time comes. They dot their Is and cross their Ts, performing an enormous amount of work to stay in "compliance", while their rulers circumvent or outright ignore the very rules they impose on us mundanes.

Our "rulers" are a bunch of self righteous egomaniacs. As I said in my comment to Bill, the worst thing one can do to an egomaniac is to show them their irrelevance. Just ignore them. It drives them batshit crazy...

Of course, that makes one "in contempt" when one dares to defy a black robed "judge". Or it comes under some "criminal" charge when it's an officially costumed member of the PO-lice. Well those "judges" have no idea the contempt I hold for them, and the PO-lice can pound sand as far as I'm concerned. They do nothing for me but fleece me of my earnings for non-crimes.

Those two groups especially thrive on power and control. The worst thing one could possibly do to them is to expose their irrelevance. To highlight the voluntary nature of our subservience to them. This scares the loving shit out of them, because they know full well that their "power" is derived from nothing more than an illusion. And they will stop at nothing to maintain and "enforce" that illusion. Hence the over the top "security" in courthouses today, and the militarization of those who "protect and serve".

The boys in blue were originally hired by the people to protect our interests. But now, they work for the city, county, or state. Their focus has changed from protecting the people, to fleecing the people for the benefit of the entity which employs them. They are revenue generators first and foremost, and enforcers of their masters' wishes next.

Their masters are the servants of corporate interests, not those of private individuals. Yet the public has been brainwashed into believing that those corporate interests are their own. A psy-op of epic proportions if there ever was one.

Well that is a two way street, if you care to make the U-turn. If nothing else, it's great fun scaring the living shit out of mindless statist zombies. Keeps the blood pumping...

Loco Gato Weighs In On The Pirates

2011-02-22T19:42:00.001-06:00

Some good stuff from Loco Gato. But why any sane person would go a-sailin' 'round those parts is beyond me...

http://californiaprepper.blogspot.com/

This Country Has Gone To Shit (Rant)

2011-02-21T20:14:00.004-06:00

It used to be, when I was a kid, that stuff still lasted a long time. We had one of those old Kelvinator refrigerators at our cabin that must've been made in the '50s or early '60s, this in the early '80s.

Well my experience with "modern" appliances has been that they are nothing but way overpriced shit. Our 8 year old, $800 Hotpoint 'fridge has been nothing but a pile of disintegrating crap. Our Whirlpool dishwasher shit the bed twice before I said to hell with it. The sorry ass Kenmore washing machine has decided to die on me twice. And now in this new house, the fancy electronified piece of shit dishwasher (brand unknown, and I don't really give a damn) decided to go tits up. "Technology"' can kiss my ass, the old "ancient" stuff from the '50s and earlier seems to be the last of the good quality stuff produced on this rock. Produced in AMERICA...

All this foreign bullshit we get these days is pure GARBAGE. And the throngs of idiot sheeple "CONNEDsumers" are just fine and dandy with it. Freakin' morons! "It's cheap." Well the old saying still rings true: "You get what you pay for".

I am more than willing to pay for something that will last, because I'm sick and fucking tired of dealing with CRAP that doesn't last for more than a few years (if I'm lucky).

Good Lord, don't the monkeys see how they're being nickled and dimed to DEATH? Sure, that widget might be "cheap", but it's gonna shit the bed on you in short order.

It's all part and parcel of the great Ponzi scheme which is the "global economy". Some faceless bastard corporation imports a bunch of Chinese SHIT, knowing full well it is SHIT, and that you'll have to buy their SHIT again in a year or two! Too bad we don't have local mom and pop stores anymore, selling good quality stuff from an AMERICAN manufacturer. Because those folks knew that if they sold you a turd, you'd be back to throw it through their fucking window! Kinda hard to nail a window in China from here!

Dammit, I am so sick and freakin' tired of dealing with this CRAP. There ain't enough hours in the day to do what I need to do without having to deal with a bunch of BROKE DICK GARBAGE. I just had to toss my floor jack yesterday, because it shit it's guts all over my driveway. MADE IN FUCKING CHINA. When the hell will we finally stand up and demand that we don't get SCREWED?!

Start making things folks. I'd gladly pay three times Chinamart prices to a local manufacturer for something that won't fucking break when I look at it crosseyed. Something I can still use 30 years from now, like it used to be...

Night At The Movies

2011-02-20T21:16:00.001-06:00

Check out Pete for a great movie giveaway!

Damn You Anal Retentiveness!

2011-02-20T19:43:00.002-06:00

So I head out to work on my raised beds this morning, after going to the old house to fetch my saw horses. The grass needed mowed in the spot I picked, so out came the lawn mower. And since I had the mower going, I went ahead and mowed the whole lawn. Since I mowed the whole lawn, I just had to trim and edge. Since I trimmed and edged, I surely had to sweep up...

Two and a half hours later, I started working on the beds. Got things laid out, marked, made some cuts. Then I started to feel sick. It was lunch time, hadn't eaten any breakfast (I usually don't), and only had a light dinner the night before. So I went in to get something to eat. Right about then, my wife got home from church, and announced that she wanted to go look for a new couch (I promised her one, because our old one was a sectional; too big for this house, was a hand me down, and pretty grubby from kids and critters).

Sooooo... Away went my tools, and we went looking for a couch. All I got to say is good God... Those damn things are expensive! I was thinking more along the lines of something off Craigslist for a couple hundred bucks, but the Mrs. had other ideas. Oh hell, a promise is a promise.

She did find one she likes for $369, but alas, I had only $300. I knew that with government extortion added on, it would be over four bills. At the end of the month, that ain't happenin'.

Anyhoo, by the time we got back it was getting on supper time, and I got roped into grillin' (which is not too hard to get me to do). So I'll have to work on things a little at a time after work this week. Oh well, I can't get dirt 'til the first of the month anyway. But I could have been done with it today if it wasn't for that lawn mower and anal retentiveness...

Paging Captain Numbnuts...

2011-02-20T11:32:00.003-06:00

What do you get when you mix a half million dollar boat, a fifth of Wild Turkey, and a moron? STUCK! A little Sunday morning break for ya...

Slowly But Surely

2011-02-19T17:08:00.003-06:00

I finally got the old swing set/playhouse tore apart. I built that sucker sturdy, which made disassembly a bit challenging. But there it is, a decent stack of lumber to build my raised beds, which I will work on tomorrow. The long 4x4s are 10 foot. It's enough to make a 10'x20' bed, 8 inches deep. Which is a far cry from the 40'x150' garden the Terrorist Farmer and I had last year, but it will have to do.

That pile of 2x4s will become a pair of 5'x5' beds. They will go in the front yard, wherever I can find a sunny spot amongst all the trees...

The only place to put it is along the back fence. Not the ideal location, but it'll have to do.

I've got two of these. Their frost-bitten inhabitants will be ditched in favor of something edible.

All this will cost me is a little electricity for sawing, drilling, and driving screws (all of which were salvaged from the swing set). And some dirt...

The Last Hurrah

2011-02-19T11:00:00.002-06:00

Had the house to myself last night, so I took the opportunity to have one last hurrah. I went to the grocery store, damn near choked on the $8 price tag for a half ass decent ribeye steak, and threw it on the grill. Wrapped up a 'tater in foil and threw it on the coals beforehand.

I ate my dinner, then went to the bar down the street. A couple old buddies were there, so I hung out and shot the bull with 'em for a couple hours.

That will most likely be the last time I ever get to do such a thing... I was shocked... maybe horrified is a better term, by the price increases at the store. Not that I didn't know it was coming, but it still made me feel ill to see it. Nearly two bucks for a lousy avocado...

Today it's assholes and elbows. I went to the old house and loaded up the wooden swing set I built for my kids years ago, and brought it home. I'm in the process of tearing it apart, and the lumber will now become a raised bed garden. I've also got two wooden half barrels, who's former occupants were killed by the freeze, which will now be used for container gardening. Several other pots around the yard will be used as well.

Break time is over. Now it's double-down prep time...

Self Respect

2011-02-18T19:20:00.003-06:00

It occurred to me that this could be at the root of our problems. Specifically, the lack of self respect that I find to be frighteningly prevalent amongst the monkeys out there.

We all know at least one: the blatant ass-kisser. These are among the lowest forms of life on earth, down there with amoeba and lawyers. It has always stunned me when witnessing a grown adult tossing all self respect aside to kiss the ass of some "superior", in hopes of some bread crumb being cast down to them...

At a previous job, the big wigs would gather occasionally to give each other high fives and plot their next looting campaign. The plant manager would cater in pastries, fruit, and shit like that for the "higher ups". Later in the morning, when the "anointed ones" had had their fill, they would cast the left overs to us "underlings". I never touched a crumb. In fact, I really wanted to piss on the remnants, then throw it back at them. Valuing my job at the time, I didn't. But I felt like a monkey had just flung it's shit at me.

There were plenty of ass kissers though, who knelt before their masters, and gave a hearty "thank you sir!" for their crumbs. Those people I found repulsive, and became physically ill having to watch their pathetic grovelling. For the life of me, I still can't imagine how one could sink so low in self loathing as to stroke the ego of some self important prick, for nothing more than worthless money.

As I watch the events of this week, the same revulsion overwhelms me. Those in Wisconsin, and now other states; wailing for their crumbs before their masters in legislature, make me sick. They haven't got a clue as to how pathetic they really look, and I seriously doubt they care. No, they've been conditioned to be subservient; to a union, to the government... They are mere parrots, repeating that which they've been trained to repeat. Not for their own benefit, but for that of their controllers.

They have no self respect. Instead, they've been trained that their lives as individuals are worthless. In order for them to scratch out some sort of "comfortable" existence, they must set aside self respect. They must lick the hand of those who feed them, and do it with a cheerful smile. Otherwise, they are told, the golden chalice will pass them by.

Perhaps I'm a bit warped ("conventional wisdom" will certainly say that I am), but I could not sleep at night if I kissed someone's ass. I couldn't look myself in the mirror without regurgitating...

Yes, I've been canned for failing to suck up. I'm not "successful" ("success" being measured in dollars only). But I sleep very soundly at night, knowing that I have stuck to my principles.

Perhaps this country wouldn't be in the shape it's in if more people valued themselves more than a dollar. If they'd concentrate on living more than whoring themselves out to some soulless corporation. If they'd reclaim their dignity from those government cockroaches who stole it away from them.

We are told that pride is a "sin". I didn't see that anywhere in the Ten Commandments, so I call bullshit. Pride is the very thing that will set us free. Pride and self respect are one and the same. Get some...

This Is Why We're Screwed...

2011-02-17T18:36:00.002-06:00

While the middle east seems to have had an awakening, and the people have risen up in opposition to the totalitarian regimes which have held them captive for decades, the squishy Americant is protesting the potential loss of his government gravy...

Wis. lawmakers flee state to block anti-union bill

MADISON, Wis. – A group of Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers blocked passage of a sweeping anti-union bill Thursday, refusing to show up for a vote and then abruptly leaving the state in an effort to force Republicans to the negotiating table.

As ever-growing throngs of protesters filled the Capitol for a third day, the 14 Democrats disappeared around noon, just as the Senate was about to begin debating the measure, which would end a half-century of collective bargaining rights for most public employees...

...In addition to eliminating collective-bargaining rights, the legislation also would make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage — increases Walker calls "modest" compared with those in the private sector...

First, let me say this. As most of y'all know, I am an employee of the State of Texas. Being such, I still don't sympathize with these people who are whining about having to put up with what the rest of the working folks in this country have been dealing with for years... I pay a big chunk of my health insurance, about the same as the chunk I paid when in the private sector. I pay into my retirement, again, about as much as I did before. My pay is nothing to crow about. The only real perk is paid time off, which surpasses that of any other job I've ever had, save for the military.

But here we see the only thing which today's Americant will get upset enough about to take to the streets: their gravy train potentially being derailed.

I don't sympathize with their collective bargaining "rights" either, especially since their "rights" are forced on those who might not want to be a union member. This is nothing more than union thuggery. It is not Freedom.

This is what the Americant is willing to fight for. Not against despicable laws which destroy Liberty, not against police state brutality, not against the theft of our personal property via taxation... Not even against criminal acts perpetrated by those very "law makers" who hand down their edicts from on high, while blatantly ignoring it all themselves.

Nope, the Americant fights for... more slavery. That's why we're screwed. And that's why I could care less about any of them...

Shoot Me Now Please...

2011-02-16T19:48:00.002-06:00

I've been silent on this topic for a long while now, but as Popeye the Sailor used to say: "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"

Females. Piss. Me. Off... At least the three in this house do.

I have zero tolerance for Peyton Place bullshit, and those three are full of it. My two darling chirruns don't know when to keep their traps shut, and seem to delight in making all five foot nothing of my wife break out in octaves and decibel levels which seem impossible to emanate from such a small frame. The dog runs tuck-tailed. The cat scurries frantically for her hiding place. And I get that "fight or flight" instinct rushing to the forefront...

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, my teeth clench, heart races, and head starts pounding. I don't want to hear it... In my mind, I'm knocking all three of their heads together as I retreat to some remote corner outside for a smoke and a beer. Unfortunately, I have excellent hearing. The hollering permeates the walls, and reverberates off the neighbors' houses, causing me to seek out the nearest set of ear plugs I can find.

My protests don't make it through the bitchfest, the three of them are busy concentrating on dragging the horror out for as long as they can. They seem to thrive on that shit.

No, Dad is that lovable goofball who pays the rent, keeps the lights on, and the boob toob loaded with even more Peyton Place garbage. This fuels them, and for that, they are eternally grateful. But there is where my usefulness ends. After all, the TV tells them that Dad is just an irrelevant doofus, so surely my feeble requests for peace and order must certainly be nothing more than the incoherent ramblings of a first rate moron.

I could break out the belt and go disciplinary ninja on them, but jail does not suit me, nor does being tonight's ten o'clock news story. The standoff would be short lived, and quite bloody...

So what is an irrelevant lovable doofus to do? Well, this one quietly prepares for what he knows is coming. He reads a lot, and pecks away at his computer in what surely must be a vain attempt to find a little sanity in an insane world. And he makes good use of the medicinal effects of malted barley and hops...

On The Border

2011-02-15T22:17:00.003-06:00

From a reader in Brownsville TX:

Just in case you didn't hear about it, about two days ago a mexican truck full of Mexican soldiers crossed over to U.S. territory at one of our bridges here, they stopped a vehicle and then released it, just imagine if it had been the other way around.

Not too long ago, a Mexican helicopter was in Texas air space, with armed soldiers aboard. The shit is getting deep on the Tex-Mex border...

**UPDATE**

http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Possible-Mexican-Military-Incursion-On-U-S-Soil/x_-oXhrE3Um61ytja1xnKg.cspx

Response To My Last Post

2011-02-15T20:39:00.002-06:00

This is from the reader who e-mailed me, and got me rolling on my previous post:

You have new post. I cannot get this to post either. Might I suggest a real blog instead of Blogger? The character count is causing problems, even though my efforts are way below the so-called 4,096 limit.

To my comment (your latest post):

The freedom you advocate does not exist anymore, not even within peoples minds. Even your grandfather did not have this freedom.

You're own ideas of what this freedom is cannot be entirely accurate, having never once had this freedom or experienced it. So we are really talking about an ideal here, held up for all of its perceived virtues, but we're unable to conceptualize all of its drawbacks.

Freedom requires a "doing". Americans have fallen for the deception that their freedom is found through abundance. The only "doing" Americans are willing to engage in is the kind that creates more abundance, not less, and by any means possible. They are then therefore, particularly unsuited for real freedom. Morevoer, they are blind to this fact, having accepted that words replace actions, and abundance equates to liberty.

You advocate less and at the same time, much, much more. No group of several hundred thousand actually stands a chance anymore of "being free" in your idealized version. And we all know this, through and through. There are many, many groups and individuals that have tried, all have failed, most have been disbanded, arrested, imprisoned and discouraged.

There is a common misconception that goes like this: "if only more of us.... then we could....". Fill in the blanks with whatever you want. It is all a misconception, a failure to realize the stark truth.

More of you will not gain your freedom back. It is very simple. An enclave, a free state, a region or any such entity cannot be tolerated by everyone else anymore, and therefore, is not and will not be tolerated. Look at any indigenous group in the world today, they have the closest living examples to the freedom you advocated. But they are never left alone and suffer the daily onslaught of everything from genocidal occupation and eradication, to land grabs, injustice, imprisonment and death.

A westerner then, stands no chance at all at this level of freedom, because he himself lacks both the understanding and the methods by which to live free. Your guns won't help you and they are not what you need anyway. You are outmatched, outgunned, outnumbered on every level, even if a hundred thousand of you banded together, because you are virtually surrounded, 24/7 by those who live in chains, and a global apparatus of "checks and balances".

This is the police-state of course, but it's much more then that. It is also the economy, and the means by which people exist today (wage slavery) to buy the things that they need because they have forgotten how to live without those things, and importantly, have categorically refused to live without them. They have no clear idea how to meet their own needs except on a very tiny scale, but by no means, is this sufficient. Nor would they even tolerate YOU to be self-sufficient and without they same chains that they bear (never forget that, I have just identified the real enemy).

Real freedom would require total self-sufficiency, exempt entirely from the production of the State and the citizenry. It would need nothing and provide nothing to anyone else except your own group.

This type of freedom is not tolerated anymore as history and the present day still show. The permits, licenses, permission slips, authorizations, regulations, oversight and such like are specifically in place to prevent the so-called "free man" from even experiencing this kind of freedom anymore. Anyone who does step out of line is swiftly turned in by the "do-gooders" of our own society, who think they are doing us all a favor by reporting the "violators". That is how deep the brainwashing now goes.

So – you will not find Americans that will a) be totally self-sufficient; b) abandon all ties to the outside world; c) be left alone to do the above; d) abandon materialism and comfort in exchange for an ideal; e) do all that it takes to realize any of this; f) receive the required blessing of the State and all of its entities to live in peace.

You also will not find any Americans that would truly defend this idealized existence either. They don't do it now - what makes anybody think they're going to do it then?

What you will find is what you have already discovered, apathy, indifference, keyboard commandoes and empty words, rhetoric by the bucket load, discouragement and wacked out idealist who haven’t a real clue of what they are talking about.

This not the land for freedom. Not anymore and quite probably, not ever again. The reality of what it really is here is quite obvious now. We are a culture of indifferent, callous and apathetic people who are only interested in material consumption by any and all means, including the death of others. You will not find freedom here, ever.

Got A Great E-Mail The Other Day

2011-02-14T18:59:00.004-06:00

It was in response to my "Resistance Is Dying" post...

I'll not reproduce it in it's entirety, but I will give you the general theme.

I chewed on it for a couple days, as well as the responses I got to that post. Now comes the part where I'll probably piss a lot of people off...

It boils down to this: NO ACTION... Personally, I have taken action (or strategic inaction, as the case may be). I am starving the monkeys. My federal tax this year was ZERO, because I have purposefully remained "underemployed". Texas has no state income tax. I (finally) ditched the last debt payment I had, which was the mortgage (extenuating circumstances, not the way I wanted it to go down, but the end result is the same). Still indirectly paying property tax via rent, but I can ditch this house at any time, with nothing to lose but a security deposit. No credit cards. Small local bank, buy used whenever possible, deal in cash or trade...

I know a lot of folks are doing this, and I know y'all are prepping. This is wonderful. But the fact remains that it's not enough...

The way I see it, there are two camps in the prepper/survivalist/Patriot movement: Those who think they can have their cake and eat it too (still live the "good" life while working within a broken system), and those who understand that the system is irreparably broken, and life as we knew it will not continue. I am from the former camp, because I've studied things extensively over the course of four years, and can come to no other logical conclusion.

Americans are too fractured, too self absorbed, and devoid of moral character to reclaim anything resembling our former Republic. All the warnings we were given have been totally ignored, and now we're swimming in the cesspool of our own creation.

I have tried and tried to get people to think, and to listen over these last four years. Tried to get not only the people at large, but those within our own community to see what needs to be done to preserve our Liberty. But it seems that survival itself has taken precedence over life. I've heard from so many about how they're living, they're happy in spite of what's happening, and the only word I can come up with is bullshit.

We. Are. Not. Free... We may be "freer" than, say, Venezuela. But does that make it good? Hell no it doesn't! It means we're willing to settle for third rate! Why the hell do you want to settle for mediocre?

The answer is clear if you've the courage to confront it: you are willing to sacrifice your beliefs, your Freedom, for false "security". Well I am not willing to sacrifice, nor should I be compelled. I was born a sovereign individual by the grace of God, and there's no man who has the right to take that away from me.

You people are still wrapped up in money, which I've come to know IS the source of all evil. It enslaves and corrupts everyone it touches. Look at the depths to which we have fallen over it! Shiny baubles, which hold no value for life itself, are the driving force behind virtually every human being on this rock. Were it not for money, and the "comforts" it brings, I believe there would have been revolution in this country long ago.

Everybody wants "solutions". Well I've spelled out the solutions here on this blog time and time again. But I'll put them out there again in simplest terms:

One- Starving the monkeys only goes so far, because there's just too damned many of them. So lose your fear, band together, start your own Free society, and secede from this damned criminal empire! We can not regain our Freedom separately and alone... How do you do it? There's lots of open land (BLM, etc.). Grab a patch of it, set up camp, and hold on for dear life. I'm in, but "an army of one" hasn't got a prayer.

Two-Defy "authority". Once again, this is not something we can do alone! One man will get the Ruby Ridge treatment. A small group will get "Waco'd". But a large group will be able to not only defend itself, it will be able to maintain a public presence, preventing the Waco treatment. Break your brainwashing folks! You have a right to exist, without somebody ruling over you! Without fear of someone coming to take what's yours! It's high time we stand up for that right! It's the only one that really matters!

Those two things are the path to Liberty. Those are the things which our ancestors came here for, but we've long since lost. And this is what I find so God damned frustrating, that NOBODY seems to be willing to stand the hell up to seize what's rightfully theirs! YOUR inaction is what keeps the rest of us enslaved!

I am forced to carry a "permission slip" to drive MY truck, because YOU allow it. I am forced to pay social "security" and medicare against my will because YOU allow it. I am forced to work within a system which I DESPISE, because YOU allow it.

There's nowhere else for me to go, no new frontier, yet some people will tell me "if you don't like it, leave!" Well screw you, I thought this was the "land of the free". It's not. It's the Land of the FEE, and the Home of the SLAVE. I was born here, a Free Individual, and I'll die here as a Free Individual. If that's a problem for you, then I submit that it is YOU who's a fucked up unit.

You'll tell me "you don't have to live in the system if you don't want to."

Really? The only folks I know who aren't in the "system" are called HOMELESS. So you're telling me I can be free if I go live in a fucking box. Thank you. And screw you. I'm not going to go live on some damn mountain top, always watching for "the man" to come run me off, just so I can have what is my natural born right, and to hell with you who would tell me that's where I should go.

I have the right to live anywhere I damn well please, do what I damn well want to, and be left the fuck alone. I don't need your bastard rules, because I know what's right and wrong. You do not have the right to impose your will on MY life because some other asshole can't live and let live. THAT is what guns were made for. You steal from me, I shoot your ass. You harm my family, I shoot your ass. Otherwise, I could give a shit about you, go about your business in peace. You'll have no bother by me. That is the law I live by, don't need any other. That, my friends, is called Freedom. Something which the vast majority of you don't seem to want...

No "tea party" is going to fix this. No politician scum will return us to sanity. No rally, no protest, no"free state project", no letter writing campaign, or any such bullshit will return us to Freedom. We must stand up and snatch it from the claws of those who keep it from us. Lose the fear. Gain your Freedom...

If You Haven't Been By...

2011-02-13T20:35:00.001-06:00

Give this a look. Some great work going on over there...

www.injusticeeverywhere.com/

The Resistance Is Dying

2011-02-12T22:28:00.002-06:00

To me anyway... My inspiration, Michael Boone threw in the towel last year. The Texas Preppers Network is fairly dead these days. The Elder Dragon has essentially packed it up. My friend Tony passed away. Big Bear is hibernating I guess. Many other blogs I used to enjoy have vanished...

It brings me down. I've spoken with Michael since he went "off the air", and I understand his reasons why. But it doesn't make me miss his insight any less. Nor the postings of any of the others who've vanished from the blogosphere. My "daily reads" list has shrunk quite a bit in the last year.

There are others who've come around lately, such as The Bonnie Blue Blog, Green Mountains Homesteading, The Arctic Patriot, The Cliffs of Insanity, and a few others. I like what they're doing, but I still miss those who've gone away. It seems like the replacements are lagging behind the number that have closed down.

Given the relatively small number of Freedom related bloggers there was to begin with, it seems to me that the resistance is dying. Maybe I'm wrong? I hope so. If you know of any good blogs I don't have linked on my side bar, let me know. I sure could use some reinforcements...

Just Fer Grins

2011-02-12T20:38:00.001-06:00

A couple of scenes from one of my favorite movies... Doc Holliday VS. Johnny Ringo is another awesome clip you can watch when this one finishes. If'n ya like. Me, I like...

Contemplating The Garden

2011-02-12T18:35:00.003-06:00

For the last several days, my thoughts have been gravitating toward a garden. February 15 is our supposed final frost (though you could have fooled me this year!), and even though our high today was only in the high 50s, after a week of freezing weather, I've been planning on the garden.

My new back yard has south-western exposure, and I've picked out a spot along the back fence where I will put in a raised bed, about 20' by 10'. I also have a couple "half barrels", and a few other things for some container gardening. I decided against tilling up the yard, since this is rental property. Also, I didn't want the hassle. There's a lot of trees, and I suspect the roots would cause me problems.

Got some 4x4 lumber at the old house yet, along with some other wood, which will make for a nice raised bed. It will pretty much be a "salad garden"; tomatoes, lettuce, cukes, peppers, okra, onions, squash, beans, and such. Nothing like the monstrosity which the Terrorist Farmer and I put in last year. $4 gasoline will prevent me from collaborating with him this year, I'm afraid. Hell, the current $3 gas is enough to make me loathe twisting the ignition on my old truck. I put $63 in it just today, which made me cringe (yes, shame on me, I let it fall to 1/8 tank).

Anyhoo, next week it's supposed to warm into the 70s (here comes the morning fog), and the days are getting slightly longer. It's 6:51 right now, and the last glimmer of dusk is fading to black, so I'll have a couple hours of light after work. Time to get hot, before it gets too hot!

Sad, In A Funny Sort Of Way

2011-02-12T16:17:00.002-06:00

Flipping through the radio stations yesterday, I caught about five minutes of Sean Hannity (which is four minutes and thirty seconds more than I can stand)...

Predictably, he was spewing the neocon statist's narrow viewpoint on the goings on in Egypt. All wound up in an Islamophobic tizzy, he bemoaned the loss of our government's puppet in charge over there, and went off about how radical Islam is going to take over, etc. etc. Blah blah blah. Naturally, he had to go on about poor Israel's impending doom, and how life itself would cease to exist (yes, I'm exaggerating, but so was he) in the US.

The bile began climbing up my throat, I called him a jackass, and turned the radio off.

It's really laughable to me, all the hysteria which the monkeys can generate. Whether Egyptians establish a democratic government, or go for Sharia law matters not to me. If that's what they want, then more power to 'em. It'll be on their asses, not mine. And Israel? Shit, them are some badass Hebrews, and they have enough American hardware to annihilate the whole middle east ten times over. I ain't too worried about them.

And then there's the Islamo-doomers over here... Yes, I've gotten that e-mail (a hundred times) that says they breed like rabbits, they'll outnumber us ten to one in 20 years....

Camels can't swim the Atlantic, Texas lies between Mexico and y'all up yonder (trust me, we'll swat 'em down before their turbans dry after crossing the river)... I guess occupied Kalifornia is just screwed, ha ha.

And we all know damn well that there's tens of millions of rifle totin' beer bellied Bubbas around, whose response to "convert or die" will be "the hell you say!"

I ain't worried about nutso Islamic radicals taking over the place. I'm even less worried about them blowing stuff up here, now that we know it's "game on". Unlike the PC government agencies, you and I are not encumbered with idiotic mandates against profiling. If I see a shifty lookin' middle eastern dude somewhere he don't belong (or ANYONE, for that matter), my hand will be on my pistol, believe you me. I don't need those DHS MO-rons, I can take care of myself, thank you.

It's all distracting window dressing folks. Our real enemy is our very own government. Quite honestly, the Islamic terrorists have won. They got what they wanted, if what they wanted was to bring an end to our way of life. Osammy Bin Rottin is laughing in his grave. Ten years after 9/11, having not a single similar event since, we are living in fear under a police state, the likes of which was never imagined by even Stalin or Hitler. The DHSS reigns supreme, and their power grows by the day. Because we let it happen. Because Americants don't have the sense or the balls to stand up to the tyrants who stole our Liberty.

We just got schooled by an "inferior" country. Lil' ol' Egypt showed us how to get things done. This country was founded on a government of the People, by the People, and FOR the People, but we gave it away because we are lazy. We, the PEOPLE, have the power. We just need to learn how to use it again.

Aren't We Forgetting Something?

2011-02-12T09:06:00.002-06:00

While our "fearless leaders" are occupied with international chess games, diddling their lobbyists, and generally screwing the public, there's a little problem down south that's being completely ignored...

From an e-mail I received yesterday:

I reside about half a mile from the border across from Matamoros and at times I can hear the gunfire and explosions. I always keep my mini and glock out at night just to be on the safe side.

Ain't our government wonderful? They sure make me feel all safe 'n' cozy warm. Definitely worth the 25% of my paycheck that disappears before I ever get it...

Why Do You Fear?

2011-02-11T16:58:00.002-06:00

I am not afraid of the PTB. Mostly because I don't have much in the way of wealth to lose. And I'm not afraid to die for what I believe in. In fact, I prefer death over a life of slavery.

I never could understand why war prisoners allowed themselves to be taken if they could avoid it. Don't know why anyone would live as a slave. Didn't the black slaves realize that they outnumbered their captors by a wide margin? Pick up a rock, man! A stick, or whatever! I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees...

The day is fast approaching (I'd argue it's long past) that we will be forced to decide just what it is we are living for, and how much we're willing to take. Then we will need to make a decision. Probably a very quick decision, when confronted with body armored JBTs breaking down the door. Is a life lived in fear worth living?

Americans are afraid. Have you ever known anyone who cheerfully pays taxes? I'd expect not. Yet everyone pays them, in spite of complaining about them. They look for every deduction they can possibly find. Even lie and cheat to reduce what they "owe". But they still file and pay, for the most part. Only because they fear the IRS, and what might happen if they fail to ante up.

I'm sure we all get that sick feeling when a cop pulls us over, right? I know I do, because the probability of me losing a large chunk of money I can't afford to lose is fairly high.

Let's say your in court (frightening enough on it's own), and you think the "judge" is full of shit. Would you tell him so? Probably not. Not because you're being "polite" or "respectful", but because you fear being tossed in jail for "contempt". Because us mundanes are not allowed to point out the flaws of our rulers...

Fear is the tool used by tyrants to keep you in line. Whether it's forcing you to pay, or comply with some draconian measure, it's always the same. Fear the cops. Fear the judge. Fear the government. That's what they want, and we readily comply, while telling ourselves we're "free".

I am not afraid, because I have withdrawn my consent to be governed by tyrants, which is expanded upon in the post below...

Consent

2011-02-11T16:22:00.002-06:00

Egypt has taught us a valuable lesson, which, sadly, will be lost on 99% of the monkeys here in America. That lesson is, that one can only rule over another if that person gives his consent. Egyptians finally withdrew their consent. Eighteen days later, their former dictator quietly left the capitol and relinquished control...

There was no "revolution". No war. Very little bloodshed. The Egyptian people simply stood up and said the words I so long to hear: No More. That's it. They said "no more". And then they stood their ground. They refused to fold, they refused to compromise. They just said NO MORE. Those two words brought down a dictator of thirty years in a matter of weeks.

I know that most of my own countrymen will not say those two words, because their greed supersedes their honor and integrity. They will readily admit that our government is corrupt. They freely acknowledge the infringements on Liberty, though they "justify" them in the name of "security". They curse the very corporate masters they serve, and understand that they're in league with the government. They see the thievery all around them, but fail to act against it, hoping they might catch a wayward crumb.

So those of us who recognize the very perilous position we're all in are left with no choice but to prepare for the inevitable crash. Because that is precisely what will happen, and what needs to happen to jar people awake. When the soccer moms awake to find their vehicle being towed by the repo man, the sheriff knocking on the door with an eviction notice, after getting laid off from their $100k paper shuffler job, and find their assets seized by a cadre of scum sucking bureaucrats and lawyers, they just might begin to realize just how stupid they've been. But of course, it's too late by then.

Two words could have preserved much of what they've worked for. But they're afraid to say them...

"Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces." ~Étienne de la Boetie

Starve the monkeys...

Walk Like An Egyptian

2011-02-10T20:13:00.005-06:00

I guess I have me a case of the "I don't give a shits". Maybe it's the weather. I dunno. There's certainly enough crapola out there that would normally get me off and running. Like the Infernal Rectum Stuffers going after TL Davis.

But I know that TL will be left to his own devices in his IRS confrontation, just like me, or any other blogger will be hung out to dry when things get dicey. Oh, there might be some token donations to his legal fund or some such bullshit, but the fact remains that I have virtually zero faith in a mass demonstration of any kind materializing, much less a full on assault.

You see, I am a student of the human condition. And that condition is basically boiled down to "as long as my shit is okay I ain't doin' NUTHIN'!" Sure, we're content to take a little hit here and there, so long as we still have beer and cable TV, a microwave pizza or two in the freezer, and money left over for Wrestlemania tickets (or whatever entertainment tickles your fancy).

I'm also perfectly aware of the fact that the PTB has arranged it so. Most of us peons are hanging on by a thread, loaded with debt, and a few paychecks away from a cardboard box. Even those who "own" their place free and clear are still beholden to the county tax thief at the very least, utility companies, grocery stores, oil companies, and Asian slave labor outlets for clothing, etc.

To stand up for what you believe in, much less make a stand for someone else, is to put our fragile little world at risk. As TL Davis has shown us. Along with scores of tax protesters, the Branch Davidians, the Yearning for Zion folks, the Weavers at Ruby Ridge... They were all left to hang by a scared and brainwashed population, unwilling to risk their pittance and their "security". Apparently a mortgage and a car payment are more valuable than Freedom to most folks, which is why I don't really give a shit about 99.9% of the morons who inhabit the remnants of this Republic. Yes, I think III% is wishful thinking.

The monkey collective has been programmed to accept only tax paying "patriots" with a house and an SUV as "normal". Anything outside of that programmed norm is viewed with suspicion and hatred. The media lies are swallowed, horrendous acts of government tyranny are overlooked with a yawn, and the very principles of this country's founding are tossed by the wayside. It was a bunch of outcasts who came here so long ago, to escape tyranny. But we seem to have forgotten that little tidbit of history, and embraced the very same attitudes which our ancestors fought against, and immigrants fled here to escape from.

The time to "walk like an Egyptian" in America was in 1913 when the "federal" reserve act was forced down our throats by the criminal bankers. It was in 1914, when those bankers cashed in on WW I, playing both sides. And in 1941, when those same bankers again cashed in on WW II, and our government here in the "land of the free" interned Americans of German and Japanese descent for no other reason than their nation of origin. Or in 1950 when we entered the Korean war, during which our country was not threatened, but bankers' interests were. Again during Viet Nam (though some activists did stand up, and were beaten down by police and the sheeple public). The Gulf War. The Iraq War. Afghanistan. For nearly 100 years, the American people have been brainwashed and asleep. How many have died because of it? Millions...

Millions have died because a small group of spoiled brats wish to continue looting the world, and a large group of spoiled brats want to feed off the spoils. Both groups say "to hell with everyone else". It's all "me me me". Well "me" is gonna learn pretty soon that he doesn't amount to a hill of beans as far as his masters are concerned. "Me" is just one more body to be raped and cast onto the pile of whithered corpses. "Me" means absolutely nothing. But "we", now that's a powerful force. Just ask an Egyptian.

Say what you want about the Egyptian protests. Parrot the fear mongering which right wing talking heads are babbling about the "Muslim Brotherhood", etc... The fact is that the right wingers are statist mouthpieces just as much (or worse) as the left. They want total control of the world (so they can rape it in peace), by any means possible. Especially by war, they make bundles of cash off of mundanes' blood. It's high time those miserable pricks shed some of their blood (money). That's why the Egyptians are in the streets: they decided they've been screwed long and hard enough. Do you want to fall to third world status before you decide you've had enough? Apparently so.

Apparently We the Sheeple are content to cling to a life ring while the ship sinks beneath us. Apparently we are happy to let our fellow men be eaten by the sharks, so long as we're "safely" packed in the middle of the floating herd. We'll leave our fellow man hung out to dry in a vain attempt to preserve our Chinese trinkets from confiscation.

And that is why, "Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn"....

And to think, I originally titled this post "Dry Spell". I usually title my posts before I start peckin'...

Misery...

2011-02-09T19:12:00.003-06:00

I knew it was gonna be one of those days when I left for work this morning. The instant I set foot out the door, it started raining. Hard...

Then (oh joy) a "blue norther" blew in before lunch. Coming back from lunch, I must have picked up a nail in my tire, because at least three people told me I had a flat.

Sooo... After work, I had to freeze my ass off while fixing the tire. For the life of me, I couldn't get the damn plug shoved in. Reamed the hole out several more times, filled the tire to full pressure, then finally got the plug in (with much difficulty).

Chilled to the bone, I went home. I still can't get warm! Got the heater on, and an electric space heater about one foot away from me cranking full blast. Three shirts, jeans, thermals, and I'm still cold. Deep down cold.

My joints all ache, my sprained ankle aches... Good God, when will spring arrive...

Sorry, but all the life is sucked out of me. All I want to do is take a hot shower, then crawl under the quilt and go to sleep. The only reason I hesitate is because I'll be up at 3 A.M. if I sack out this early.

Battle Fatigue

2011-02-08T21:42:00.003-06:00

I don't give a crap about the world's happenings today. Maybe I'm a bit tired of it all. Or maybe an old flame was sparked by the hot rod the guy down the street is building....

My first love was a '55 Chevy. Wanted one since I was 14 years old. I never did get one, mostly because they were way out of my price range way back when. Even the beaters brought a pretty penny back in the late '80s, and today they're downright impossible for an average Joe.

I did get me a '57 Chevy 210 sedan some years back, but I never did get too far with it. Work, babies, and my aquatic pursuits put the old rust bucket on the back burner. I did accumulate some parts for it, replaced the front springs and ball joints, and that was about it. But my heart still yearned for a '55...

If I had the time, money, and shop space, I'd have a fleet of classics. There's a '55 Chevy pickup here in the 'Bluff that's been for sale for quite some time now, and I'd love to have it. I'd yank the 6.0 out of my Silverado and slap it in that '55, that would make one hell of a great truck!

Nowadays, I've "regressed" even further. The apple of my eye is the old hot rods from the '50s. I'd just about saw my left arm off with a dull butter knife for one of these:

A '32 Ford roadster. Man I love those things! Though I'd want mine with a flathead V-8, Offenhauser heads, and a pair of Stromberg 97 carbs on a high rise intake. And "lake pipes" on the sides. Gotta have those! Some tuck 'n' roll upholstery, and a rumble seat. Yes, I was born 30 years too late...

Cutting Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

2011-02-07T15:57:00.003-06:00

Diogenes of the Rifle got me rolling on this one with his post today.

I had to laugh. Government idiots excel at cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

When I lost my "good" job (which blew donkeys, but paid well), I did what I could to get by. Which included building a workshop in my back yard, for the "princely" sum of $3,500, which included concrete and electrical. I never got a permission slip (building "permit"), nobody inspected the structure, and (God forbid!) I wired it all myself. Me, an un-licensed mundane who surely must not be "qualified" to do such things, not having pretty certificates from the various trades. I know, I'm a real hazard to "society"...

Seven years, several major storms, etc. later, the shop still stands. The electrical system hasn't shorted out or burned down the neighborhood.

Even worse, I performed "light industrial" work in a place not zoned for it! THE HORROR!!! Why did I do it? So I could pay all the parasites their extortion money for my "privilege" to exist. Had I followed their asinine rules, I'd have been living in a box in short order. But I blew them off, and scraped by.

Nobody died in the process. No endangered species vanished from the earth. No property was damaged in any way. No one's civil rights were infringed. And I'm still here. So I reckon it was an all around success! Imagine that, little old me was able to build something, wire it, and work in it, all without some God damned bureaucrat being involved in any way, shape, or form! I know, I'm still amazed myself...

Beyond that, I was actually able to serve customers at a reduced rate, do quality work, make them happy, and pay my bills! Astounding isn't it? Surely I could have met a horrible fate without the EPA, the IRS, OSHA, city code inspectors, or whatever alphabet agencies might have claimed jurisdiction over my "illegal" operation, but I survived. Guess I'm one lucky sumbitch. Whew! That was a close one.

By the way; for all the work I did, I had only one job come back to me. I fixed it, and did many more jobs for the same customer, who still brags on me to this day. Too bad the monkey collective made me give up in disgust. I wonder how many more folks have "gone Galt"...

The Stupor Bowl and the New World Order

2011-02-06T11:29:00.002-06:00

I have yet to see a more perfect example of just how far gone this Republic really is...

Homeland Security Secretary Inspects Super Bowl Site, Says Fans Have ‘Shared Responsibility’ for Security at Game and Across the Country

(CNSNews.com) – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to Dallas earlier this week to personally inspect the massive security operation surrounding the 45th Super Bowl game and to announce the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign.

“We are partnering this year with the NFL on our ‘If You See Something, Say Something’ campaign and launching that NFL partnership right here at the Super Bowl,” Napolitano said during a press conference on Monday at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas where Sunday’s game will be played...

...Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, told CNN that millions of dollars were spent to make the stadium secure, including perches for snipers and surveillance cameras to cover every corner of the venue.

Fans both inside the stadium and those watching it outside on big-screen telecasts will be subject to security screenings similar to those at airports.

The NFL, which will pick up half the tab, estimates it cost $10 million to secure the game, according to CNN’s report...

Perches for SNIPERS! $10 million for "security"?! And don't forget, the Testicle Squeezer Association will be juggling your balls and groping your boobs as a condition of entry to the great circus. I feel better already, don't you?

Well, Big Sis wants us to say something if we see something. I've seen something, and now I'm saying this: Never in my life have I seen such a colossal waste (save for Obammy's overseas junkets). Or such a flagrant display of totalitarianism. Jeez, Orwell is rolling in his grave.

I wonder if they'll show the snipers on TV. Probably so, to get you used to seeing them around. Enjoy the circus...

Turtle Truckin'

2011-02-05T20:45:00.003-06:00

Spent the day truckin' it down to Brownsville. There's over 300 cold stunned Green sea turtles down there, and a little caravan from my place of employment went down to pick some up to bring back for rehab.

That guy's shell is close to three feet long...

This one's shell is over three feet. Weighed about a hundred pounds. And let me tell ya, when those fins go to flappin', they can beat the shit out of you.

We brought around 40 or 50 of 'em back with us today. They'll get warmed up, fed, tagged, vet care, then released when it's warm enough.

The pictures suck, but I was a bit on the busy side loading these guys up. And dammit, I didn't get a pic of the black rhino that came up to the gate to see what all the hub bub was about (was at the Gladys Porter Zoo).

Sure beats the hell out of slaving in a cubicle...

Mayberry's Grub

2011-02-04T20:40:00.002-06:00

Given the nasty conditions, the lack of "normal" food in this house, and my reluctance to go grocery shopping, I made a "storage food dinner" tonight. It turned out so damn good I thought I'd share it.

I started off with a half pound of ground beef. A little salt, pepper, seasonall, and garlic. Browned the meat. In a big pot, I dumped in two cans of okra/corn/tomato, a can of "veg-all" (potatoes, corn, green beans, peas), and a can of tomato paste. Added the beef and some water to make a soup. You could leave out the water for a more stew like concoction. I know, not an earth shattering recipe, but it was damn good to me on this chilly night! And except for the burger meat, it all came from my food storage. Rabbit might be a good substitute for the burger, or any other critter you might come across. Anyhoo, I had me three bowls of it, and the wife and kids didn't turn green, so it was good stuff!

Smoke And Mirrors

2011-02-04T16:30:00.003-06:00

Oh hell, Mayberry's going all philosophical again. Strap in, and hold on tight...

What if I told you that everything you hold dear is all an illusion? Brace yourself: it is an illusion. These United States, the government that runs them, they're all an illusion. It's all nothing more than ideas floating around in the mass of brain cells contained in your skull. It's years of programming by outside influences, who by repetition and subliminal trickery have fooled your brain into thinking they have some kind of hold over you. There only exists a United States within the grey squash between your ears. The same goes for most everything else of human concoction, across the globe.

We as individuals are only beholden to that which we choose. We may sit around and complain (as I often do) about things "beyond our control", but honestly, there is nothing beyond our control. Each of us is an individual being, fully capable of manipulating our immediate surroundings in any way we choose. Which means that our world is what we make of it.

Granted, the actions (or inaction) of other beings in our proximity have real and (sometimes) lasting effects on our existence, but in the end it boils down to what we as individuals do, or don't do. We alone control our lives, regardless of what some manipulative shysters might try to convince us of.

We've all been led to believe that we must act within a set of rules imposed by others, without question as to why, or what effect it may have on ourselves. We as a species have been mushed into some kind of collective goo, even though every other being on this rock has but one singular purpose: to survive. We've been told that it is somehow "more evolved" to think beyond that singular purpose; that somehow we are obligated to a teeming mass above our own selves. To me, this comes down to a question I ask quite frequently about a number of things: Why?

There are many uniquely human thoughts and emotions related to that question, most of which have been cultivated by generations of "leadership" figures, for whom control of the "underlings" is their number one priority. And for some reason, equal generations of "underlings" have found it within their comfort zone to submit to such control.

Throughout history, there has always been a tiny minority who have rejected such notions. And throughout history, said minority has been ostracized, vilified, demonized, or any other exclusionary term one might come up with. Which astounds me, because our primal instincts are geared toward survival. How is it that the human mind can be so warped as to ignore the very basic of instincts, which lie in the forefront of every other creature's thoughts and actions?

Are we as a species so far removed from our primal instinct to survive? And how could such a basic drive be overridden so easily?

We know not to jump off of a cliff. We know not to dive into a volcano. We know we will drown in the sea eventually. But we don't know that our survival is threatened by those who manipulate us, and the horrid things they are doing to our environment. We've lost that connection to our natural surroundings, and have become entombed in concrete, asphalt, and false "leadership". Many "alpha males" are subservient to betas, merely because of some "title" which is given arbitrarily by yet more betas to some figure they've chosen to rule above others. Is that the "order" under which we want to live? Where emasculated betas rule over the alphas, because of some mental trickery? It boggles my mind, how so many alphas can be dominated by a pack of virtual eunuchs, merely because some collection of other peoples' mental masturbation "prevents" them from ruling over themselves.

Our associations are voluntary. There is no reason why we, as free thinking individuals, need to render ourselves subservient to inferior intellects. To those who would ride on our backs as if we were beasts of burden. It is time that we reclaim our inheritance, which is our right to be. Our right to exist as living beings, rather than as facets of some collective mass of biologic ooze. That is where we are as a species today. "Evolution" has failed us. Cro Magnon lived together in a cooperative effort to survive. Homo Sapiens live to feed off of each other in a never ending struggle for domination. So who's more evolved?

Calling All Techies

2011-02-04T15:01:00.002-06:00

This is really starting to piss me off... I know Computersaurus Rex was essentially obsolete about five years ago. Hell, I'm running Windows ME (stop laughing). Up to last year, I've been able to keep things humming by "lobotomizing" ol' Rex about once a year (re-formatting and re-installing Windows), but I can't do that anymore because I can't get the updates.

Of course, virtually no modern software or hardware works with Rex, but I've figured out some work-arounds. But now I'm having even more problems...

I have to run IE6, which of course is out dated. I did get a version of the Opera browser that works, but now I'm having problems with it as well, specifically with Blogger. I can't log in to Blogger from Opera, it keeps telling me "cookies" are disabled, which they are not. IE6 does the same thing, but I can just log in again and it works. Not so with Opera. It was working, but now it's not. Also, if I try to comment anonymously on a blog through Opera (which I only do because I can't log in), the word verifications don't show up. I tried uninstalling Opera and reinstalling, but no dice.

Another problem, with IE6 it's becoming increasingly impossible to view other blogs. Quite a few of them will give me a "run time error", then shut Internet Explorer down.

I am "technically challenged" where 'puters are concerned, and my patience wears thin pretty quick when jacking with the internal workins'. Folks have told me to switch to Linux, etc., but I don't want to mess with things, then have the whole works bind up on me. Like I said, I can't go back to square one anymore with this thing.

Soooo.... Any ideas? Anyone had similar issues and fixed them? Any input would be appreciated!

Nobody Told Me I Needed A Hard Hat...

2011-02-04T13:02:00.004-06:00

Okay, I know... All you eskeemos from the frozen north are making fun of me. But this is a bit of a novelty down here in the land of the burning sun, so bear with me.

It's raining ice! The wind picked up, and now all that pretty (miserable!) ice is falling from the trees and the roof. The back yard has turned into a bombing range, not fit for man nor beast. It's dangerous out there!

Some of the chunks are pretty damn big.

Frozen palm tree. Something I hope I'll never see again...

I get the shivers just looking at that...

Icicles on my truck. Hey, I said it's a novelty! Just had to get a pic of that...

It was "ice capades" at work this morning. Curiously, the asphalt was merely wet when I got there just before sunrise. Half an hour later, all that wet turned to ice. I got edumacated on "black ice" this morning. Amazing how you just can't see the stuff... Being the gimp, I tread very lightly, and after a while I tread not at all. No way was I going to risk re-torquing my ankle on that stuff. Good thing too, because the boss man ate it twice. Looks like I'll have to add me some ice cleats and a hard hat to my preps. Not that I'll need it for another 20 years (at least... I hope).

If nothing else, this experience has been "educational". I've learned a few lessons that won't soon be forgotten.

Tales From The Frozen Deep South...

2011-02-03T18:34:00.002-06:00

Went back to work today. The ankle isn't functioning 100% normally, but at least I could hobble around pain (and crutch) free. It was (is) colder than a witch's tit in a brass brazier. Never rose above freezing. Now it's starting to sleet, and they're calling for a couple inches of snow before 6 A.M.

There have been rolling blackouts across Texas, something that has never happened before. They are blaming it on power plants being down for maintenance, which is complete bullshit. I was a plant operator for 5 years, and we did not shut down for maintenance until March or April. This time of year is a "peak" time, when all plants strive to be on line. Unless a generator crapped out, we, and every other plant, were on line. We are being lied to (what a surprise)... The real truth is that the utilities have not made any significant investments in the transmission system for decades. There is plenty of generation capacity, but the grid is unable to transmit it all. In fact, the plant next to my place of employment was only running two out of three units today...

Meanwhile, this freeze will have major, and lasting effects on us down here. Like the freezes in the '80s, we will have fish kills. Cold stunned sea turtles have been pouring into the ARK in Port Aransas, the Texas State Aquarium here in Corpus, and tonight to the facility I work at. I will be on call this weekend to transport turtles, and Monday will most likely find me on the water, patrolling for turtles and fish kills. Something I do NOT look forward to.

Fishing has been suspended in areas of deep water (where fish will take refuge) until Saturday, and barge traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway has been voluntarily suspended. This is a seriously bad event down here. This is a semi-tropical environment, and life in general is not adapted to these conditions.

The sheep flooded the grocery stores and stripped the shelves. I also heard that stores were stripped clean of warm clothing. One guy at work said he couldn't find any "ski caps" anywhere. Me, I was ready with my heavy Carhart coat with hood, thermal undies, gloves, and extra shirts. The only thing I lack is wool socks, and my feet were cold today. This will be remedied shortly. But the rest of me was warm enough, though I wasn't outside for any great length of time.

Anyhoo, tomorrow will prove interesting. It has started to sleet, and we're supposed to get a couple inches of snow overnight. The roads will be icy in the morning, and we're not equipped to handle that down here. Bridges will be closed later this evening. Schools have been closed since this morning. City and county services are suspended. Public transportation ceased at 5 P.M., and won't resume 'til 10 A.M. tomorrow at the earliest. Yessir, this should be one hell of a wakeup call for the sheep, but I doubt it will be remembered once spring arrives. Just like the panic buying of plywood and water every time a hurricane comes near, this lesson will be lost on the morons who inhabit this patch of ground. Me, I'll be even more prepared.

South Texas Freeze

2011-02-02T21:12:00.002-06:00

It's very rare to get freezing temps down here, especially on the lower coast. We haven't had a "hard freeze" here, that I can remember, since 1989. It has dipped below freezing for a day or two here and there, but no prolonged freezes have occurred since then. Certainly not where the daytime high didn't break the freezing mark.

Well that's what we have in store tomorrow, a high of 32. Tomorrow night we're expecting a mix of sleet and snow. The last time it snowed here was Christmas Eve 2004, and the next day it was in the 60s. The previous snow was 100 years prior. So yes, freezing weather is a rarity here.

Until today, it wasn't too big of a deal. But today, for the first time ever (as far as I know), there were rolling electric blackouts in Texas. Most homes in south Texas have electric heat, which became a glaring liability to a lot of folks, given the blackouts. Kerosene is not sold around here as it is up north, but propane is readily available. Wood stoves are rare as hen's teeth, and most fireplaces are metal inserts for "ambiance" only. So I expect there will be a run on propane heaters, and probably many news stories about folks who killed themselves with them...

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a rarity down here, given our (usually) warm climate, and lack of heating via combustion. Folks just aren't used to it, and are not aware of the danger. A little common sense should come into play here, but that seems to be in short supply these days. Pretty sad.

Anyhoo, the schools are closed for the rest of the week. There is no way for us to deal with icy roads, so things will pretty much grind to a halt. Those that do venture out will no doubt be playing "bumper cars", between the icy roads and non-functioning traffic lights.

This is the first real wake up call to folks around here, telling them that things are no longer the same. There were no blackouts during the freezes in the '80s. We're in uncharted territory now. Better get used to it, because it's all downhill from here...

Oh, This Is RICH...

2011-02-01T22:05:00.002-06:00

Nueces Electric Cooperative urges power conservation in cold snap

To prevent any possible outages, as well as higher electricity bills, the Nueces Electric Cooperative is asking its customers to curb usage through Friday.

That means turning central heating units down to 58 degrees, turning off space heaters and unused lights or appliances.

The cooperative asks customers to limit use during two peak times: Between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

With the anticipated higher demand comes the potential for power outages because of system overloads and planned rolling power outages, a news release stated.

Customers are also asked to limit use of electrically heated water, including using washing machines, bathtubs and dishwashers...

58 degrees?! SERIOUSLY?! Were talking south Texas here, where for six months out of the year, the overnight lows are in the 80s!

"Planned rolling power outages"?! What is this, Kalifornia?!

I'm soooo glad we're getting charged extra for those new "smart" meters, which are supposed to "save" us so much money. Can't wait 'til they force "smart" thermostats on us, so they can turn down the heat or A/C whenever they feel like it. Got "snuggie"? Welcome to the new norm. It's called "living with less". How much do you want to bet those "planned rolling power outages" don't extend into the ritzy parts of town.

Yeah, I'm "crazy" with all this collapse talk. My tinfoil hat must be on too tight. Maybe it's to keep warm, ya reckon?!

How The Hell Can You Yankees Live Like This?!!

2011-02-01T21:18:00.002-06:00

Shit! It's 35 freakin' degrees down here! With a wailin' north wind! It's supposed to get down to 25 tonight! In south Texas!!! Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 39, and Thursday's is 34. Gorebal warming my ass!

This is absolute misery to a sun worshipping outdoorsman who's used to overnight lows in the 80s! Can't you damn Canadians keep your air to yourselves?! ; ) Good Lord, it ain't fit for man nor beast out there. I'm missing my fireplace about now...

This Sticks In My Craw...

2011-02-01T15:11:00.002-06:00

I just called my boss to let him know I need another day off due to my ankle injury. He then tells me to bring a "doctor's note"...

You know, I really hate that shit. Don't treat me like I'm some twelve year old skipping school. I'm an honest fella, and believe me, I'd much rather be going to work than laid up here bored to tears. Besides, I have plenty of sick time and vacation time on the books. Why the hell do they give it to us, then act like we're committing some crime by using it?!

That's what pisses me off about "management", they always think employees are out to screw the company. They're trained to think that way... I know, some people do screw the company. But it's always stuck in my craw, that sick time "abuse" thing. If it's "abuse" to use your sick days, then why the hell have them in the first place?! Especially if they don't accumulate, like most places today. It's "use it or lose it". Mine accumulates, so it behooves me NOT to use it, because it will add time if and when I retire. Yet I'm still treated like some kind of cheat because I'm using my sick leave. Okay fine, I'll hobble into work, injure myself worse, and let them pay for it. Or I'll go in sick as a dog and get everyone else sick. I swear, management types love to cut their noses off to spite their face...

Crap like this is exactly why this country is screwed. It's the "we vs. they" mentality that's invaded every facet of our lives. The government screws us, then gets pissy when we try to screw them back. The rich guy is pissed off because his taxes are too high, and the poor guy is pissed off because the rich guy is rich. Management screws the employees, and wonder why some employees steal.

There was a day when deals were sealed with a hand shake. Then came the lawyers... We've got to rid ourselves of that "we vs. they" mentality, and get back to those handshake days. I agreed to provide my skills and labor in return for the pay and benefit package offered. I've held up my end, and then some. So take your doctor's note and stuff it up your ass...

Ethanol Free Gas

2011-01-31T20:07:00.002-06:00

Hey Texas, reclaim your gas mileage! Ditch the ethanol. Find an ethanol free gas station here:

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TX

Attack On The Internet

2011-01-31T14:44:00.002-06:00

There is a multi-pronged attack on the internet in progress, as most of y'all are aware...

Internet 'Kill Switch' Legislation Back in Play...

As we also saw, Egypt shut down the internet, as well as cell communications when the protests began. Now, behold the corporate answer to internet censorship:

200GB to 25GB: Canada gets first, bitter dose of metered Internet

Metered Internet usage (also called "Usage-Based Billing") is coming to Canada, and it's going to cost Internet users. While an advance guard of Canadians are expressing creative outrage at the prospect of having to pay inflated prices for Internet use charged by the gigabyte, the consequences probably haven't set in for most consumers. Now, however, independent Canadian ISPs are publishing their revised data plans, and they aren't pretty...

...Starting on March 1, Ontario TekSavvy members who subscribed to the 5Mbps plan have a new usage cap of 25GB, "substantially down from the 200GB or unlimited deals TekSavvy was able to offer before the CRTC's decision to impose usage based billing," the message added...

...You need "protection"

Here's the "good" news: TekSavvy users can now buy "insurance," defined as "a recurring subscription fee that provides you with additional monthly usage." For Ontario it's $4.75 for 40GB of additional data (sorry, but the unused data can't be forwarded to the next month).

There are also "usage vault" plans—payments made in advance for extra data. Consumers can buy vault data for $1.90/GB up to 300GB in any month.

Where once TekSavvy consumers could purchase High Speed Internet Premium at a monthly base usage of 200GB for $31.95 a month, now they can get about half of that data (if they buy two units of insurance) at $41.45 a month...

Nothing like getting the shaft, eh? I've no doubt that our "benevolent" dictators are cooking up a similar scheme, probably buried somewhere in the "kill switch" legislation.

Were that to happen here, this blog, and scores of others would be essentially wiped out. I've no idea how many GB I burn per month, but I suspect it's more than 100. So I would be essentially forced to whittle this down to a black and white text document, if I could even carry that...

Folks, it's seriously time to consider post-internet communication. With a tip of my beer can hat to Rick, who sent me this link, I present you with a wealth of information on internet "alternatives":

Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down

You might want to look into other alternatives as well, especially if you don't happen to have a 56k modem laying around (Computersaurus Rex just might redeem himself, he's got one built in!). Things like HAM, CB, SSB, or VHF radio. I have a CB radio (which I need to get off my duff and install in my truck), and have been looking at shortwave radios (receive only) so I can put Pete's slinky antenna to work.

The poo has pretty much hit the atmosphere accelerator as far as I'm concerned. Given the lengths that the PTB have gone to vilify those of us who hold Liberty as a core value, it is readily apparent that they are scared shitless. They have the monopoly on force, and are doing their worst to make use of it. Their greatest fear is people waking up, and realizing that real power lies with the individual. That their monopoly on force only exists so long as We the People allow. As a friend of mine so eloquently stated to me recently:

" Be careful - beyond here there be dragons..."

Hypocrisy On Ice

2011-01-30T22:56:00.002-06:00

This was just too good to pass up...

This Is Great!

2011-01-30T09:58:00.001-06:00

HA! Tell 'em Hank...

Crutches SUCK!

2011-01-29T20:01:00.002-06:00

Okay, I've been gimping around for two days now. My shoulders (which are already half shot) are aching. So is my right leg and butt... The last time I was on crutches (when I broke my ankle), I was 23 years old. Wasn't so bad then, but now it sucks royal.... Well.... You know....

So I was sitting around, contemplating alternatives to the demon crutches, when I remembered a bit of Texas history. Specifically, a character known as "Three Legged Willie".

That got my brain to workin'. It sure would be a hell of a lot easier to get around if I had some sort of "prosthetic" like ol' Willie had. I was eyeballing those crutches, and designing some such thing in my mind. My sore ribs under my armpits would definitely thank me for it! But my practical side took over, and told me that if I screwed up my crutches, I'd be hosed. Well, payday is Tuesday, and I won't be back to work yet, so I just might rig up something then. Having no hands free for beer transportation is putting a major damper on my recovery, as is the tearing up of the rest of my body. This crap needs to end! Looks like I got meself a project...

The Captain Is Back

2011-01-29T15:12:00.002-06:00

After long last (and since I'm laid up!), here's a little Cap'n Jack! From where I last left off... http://mayberry-keepitsimplestupid.blogspot.com/2010/11/safe-harbor.html

...Jonathan returned several minutes later with their drinks. Both Jack and Willie had yet to say a word. They took their drinks, and Jack took a long pull on the fruity rum concoction.

"Well then, what sort of plan do you fellows have in mind?" Jonathan inquired.

Jack and Willie looked at each other, then Willie spoke.

"We really don't have one at this point. We'd hoped Mayaguana would be our refuge, but that didn't work out, as you know. Tell me Jonathan, what makes you think we'll be safe here?"

"Well we're rather off the beaten track out here. There's no real use for our airport as far as the current conflict is concerned. We've a shallow bank to southward which precludes large shipping. There is deep water to the north as I'm sure you're aware, but it's rather exposed, not much in the way of harbors. Few resources, other than salt. These islands are of little value to military operations I'm happy to say, unless one planned on invading Cuba. Our only claim to fame is being very low on the list of former tourist meccas. Fabulous SCUBA diving though, if you're so inclined!"

"That's a relief" Jack said as he reached for his glass.

"What sort of economical arrangement is prevalent?" Willie asked.

"Oh we're mostly a barter economy even in good times" Jonathan answered. "Most transactions are completed in fish, ha ha! Or rum, if you prefer. Rum is equal to gold here. Maybe even more valuable."

"Good to know" Jack thought to himself, and taking mental inventory of the rum he'd stashed aboard First Watch.

"Well I guess we'll blend right in" Willie said.

"Yes" Jonathan started, "but you may want to be cautious at first. The locals will, shall we say, take liberties with you. Give you the shaft, as it were. They know you are unaccustomed to the local market, and they will take advantage, given half the chance. But they'll warm up to you, if you decide to make a go of it. Six months will have you as family. They're really a very warm and welcoming people. At least, they haven't chased me off as of yet, ha ha!"

The three talked for a while longer, then parted ways. Jack and Willie meandered through the crowd, and were greeted warmly by the locals. Great, wide smiles and squinted eyes adorned the mostly black faces. Many hugs and handshakes later, the pair met up with their women, who had been adorned with local skirts, hats, and shell jewelry.

The night grew late, and the crowd began to clean up and disperse. The newcomers helped tidy up as well, then headed back to their boats. Jack helped Linda aboard, tied off the dinghy, then climbed aboard himself. He spent a moment standing there in the cockpit, enjoying the slight breeze, and taking in the sights of his new surroundings. Warm lights glowed from the cottage windows ashore, and starlight danced on the ripples running across tha cove. First Watch swung gently at her anchor, and the shifting reflections gave a surreal feeling of floating in space.

Linda appeared in the companionway, wearing one of Jack's old, threadbare T-shirts. The cabin light from behind silhouetted her shapely figure, and Jack's attention was suddenly drawn away from the starry scene. He followed her down into the cabin. The two embraced, kissing soft and slow as Jack reached for the light...

America: Dictatorship

2011-01-29T10:12:00.002-06:00

We have a whole collection of little dictators running this country, all under one "stealth dictator", el presidente...

TSA shuts door on private airport screening program

Washington (CNN) -- A program that allows airports to replace government screeners with private screeners is being brought to a standstill, just a month after the Transportation Security Administration said it was "neutral" on the program.

TSA chief John Pistole said Friday he has decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports, saying he does not see any advantage to it...

"He has decided". Well kiss my ass... But this is a "democracy", right? Sure it is, when your "leaders" have attitudes like this:

Joe Biden says Egypt's Mubarak no dictator, he shouldn't step down...

...Asked if he would characterize Mubarak as a dictator Biden responded: “Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with – with Israel. … I would not refer to him as a dictator.”...

Right. 30 years under "emergency powers", and he's not a dictator. I guess Joey needs to say that, seeing as how we give them billions in military aid every year. Can't go talking bad about our military assets, now can we? Sickening...

What the hell, while I'm on the subject of TSA dictatorship:

Report of armed man leads to lockdown at Wal-Mart

Kirksville, Mo. —
A report of an armed man acting erratically in the Wal-Mart parking lot Wednesday led to the store being temporarily locked down before Kirksville Police responded to and defused the situation with no injuries.

According to Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes, a passerby stopped a Kirksville Police officer and said they had seen an individual acting erratically in a truck in the Wal-Mart parking lot shortly before 2:30 p.m. The passerby believed the individual had a gun to his head.

"We don't take these things lightly," Hughes said, "especially nowadays."

KPD responded to control the scene and ordered a lockdown of the store both to keep shoppers in and prevent the individual from entering the store.

After identifying the vehicle and person in question, Hughes said a decision was made on the scene for police to attempt contact. They were able to communicate with him and he voluntarily exited the vehicle. No weapon was found and the individual was taken into custody without incident less than 20 minutes after police arrived on scene...

Looks like "Big Sis's" brownshirt brigade claimed their first victim. Better not sit in your vehicle talking on the phone, apparently that is now "suspicious behavior".

But that's okay. It's all for your "safety". Nothing to see here. Move along... Shmucks...

I Broke Myself...

2011-01-28T14:18:00.003-06:00

So I went to let the dog out before going to bed last night. Had to close the gate, so I proceeded to go downstairs As I reach the second to last step, my left ankle decided it didn't want to work any more. My foot rolled over onto it's side (the outside), and my full weight came down on my ankle bone as I went down face first. Thank God I was almost at the bottom.

So after yelling a string of expletives, I got up to walk it off. Which I did, for a little while... By the way, the dog hauled ass back upstairs when I started cussin', so the whole point of that little venture was for naught! F&$#in' mutt...

Anyhoo, I dove into my medical preps, got an ace bandage, and wrapped 'er up. Having had a broken ankle before, I had also added a pair of crutches to the stash. Good thing to, because this morning, I couldn't put any weight at all on that ankle. It was (is!) swelled up pretty good, and I began to worry that I might have broke the sumbitch, so I called the doc to set me up for an x-ray. Fortunately, it ain't broke. Sure as hell feels like it is, but thankfully it's not.

So now, all my plans for the weekend are shot to hell. But at least I'm not looking at thousands in surgical bills.

My left ankle has always had a tendency to "give out" once in a while. I usually stumble a bit, then carry on. But this time it completely let go, and put me on the ground. Not cool... I may have to add an ankle brace to my med gear. The only problem is that I never get any warning, it just goes. I'd have to wear the brace all the time. Sure wish I had one on last night...

Anyhoo, the point in all this is, to try and think way outside of that box when you're contemplating things to squirrel away. Food, guns, ammo, clothing, etc. are always at the top of the list. But consider some of the curve balls life seems so fond of throwing at us. Always when we least expect it. Damn dog... : ) And now all these stairs ain't so cool. Plus, the 'fridge is upstairs, but the 'puter is downstairs! I need a dumbwaiter. Oh, and one of those little food elevator thingies too...

Seriously?!

2011-01-27T21:29:00.003-06:00

H/T to my Uncle "Mad Dog"...

He took these in Port Aransas today. These are pictures of your government flipping you the bird... Both the Coasties, and Texas Parks and Wildlife have these same boats, and they're rigged with twin 300 HP outboards. Oh, but not the fedgov alphabet agencies! This is a Customs boat (DHS). Quad freakin' 300s. That is plum outrageous! Besides being a complete waste of fuel (20 gallons per hour PER engine at wide open throttle), it's a waste of horsepower too. The extra drag from two more engines negates a lot of the excess horsepower. They're burning a hell of a lot more fuel for not much gain in speed. But who gives a shit, it's not their money! It's YOURS. This is nothing more than the feds playing a game of "who's got the bigger dick". Sorry to shock you, but it's the truth. And it pisses me off to no end...

They would probably only lose five knots in speed if they ditched the fourth engine. Maybe 15 if they only had twins. And those boats haul ass with twins, probably 50 knots. There aren't too damn many boats out there that will exceed 50 knots. For those that do, that's what airplanes are for. And I don't give a shit how fast a boat can go, steep six foot seas in the Gulf keeps everyone below 20 knots, unless you know a good chiropractor. The three days we get per year when the seas are calm do not warrant 1,200 freakin' horsepower on this government play toy.

Beyond that, quad engines make this boat a pain in the ass to operate. Trimming and synchronizing four engines takes a while. When you're beating down waves, synchronization probably never occurs, because you're constantly jacking with the throttles. Backing off when atop a crest, and throttling up when in a trough. Again, unless you know a good chiropractor and can take the ever loving snot getting beat out of you. Which is hell on the boat too, by the way. But what do they care, it's not their money...

Anyhoo, please feel free to call the "waste, fraud, and abuse hotline" on this one, because it is all three. Oh, and those engines run about 20 grand a piece, just so you know. The government price is probably 25...