TSA and Tennesee

So now that all the rumblings over getting a quasi sexual groping to board a plane are quieted, the TSA has now moved to the surface streets. Tennessee has become the first state to start TSA check points on highways. It's not enough that they have to subject every flying passenger to a Fourth Amendment violating search and/or feel up. Now they want to impede your right to travel freely without being subject to illegal warrantless searches. The pictures I've seen also show a couple of very fit men wearing ACU combat fatigue uniforms. Uniforms that have no visible identifying patches or insignia. They are also sporting the ever so popular black wraparound sunglasses to complement their desert sand boots. So the question is... are these Fourth Amendment violation also violating Posse Comitatus too? See for yourself.




See all the nice TSA rat bastards in their blue and black uniforms? See the two military appearing dudes on the left? They appear to be standing "at ease". Feet a shoulder width apart. Hands clasped behind their backs. Where have we seen this pose before other than the Boy Scouts and the Royal Rangers. Who are they? Will they becoming to a "theatre near you" soon? Keep your eyes peeled. If you do a tiny bit of looking online, you can find the video of an actual search that shows one of these mystery men taking part in a vehicle check point.

It's Lookin' Good?

After doing some looking around the good ol' www it seems thing are not looking so great...still.
The One Acting As President has finally decided that he should try and do something about the jobs issue. I mean since it's time for electioneering and all that. So he rolls out a jobs campaign. Then Senate killed the dang thang as there were to many onerous, or should I say, odoriferous parts to it. So the blame game and finger pointing continues.

I see that jobless claims are over 400,000 for the umpteenth month in a row. Supposedly employers have added 72,000 jobs (i don't know where) a month over the last 5 months. The country needs something like 100,000 jobs created every month just to keep up with population growth. So the unemployment still hovers at 9.1 percent.
Then I found that there are over 26 MILLION people that are under employed or actively seeking work. I have seen no numbers for the long term unemployed though I'm sure it's high.
The next thing I found was that the misery index is at it's highest since 1983. How the hell you measure misery , I don't know, but they claim to be able to. Anyway they say it's at 13. What ever.
All I know is that even though I haven't had meaningful employment in 3 years I have enough stuff to keep me busy. We live in a paid for home(it still needs a little work), my truck is paid for, my Harley is paid for, we have food in the pantry and in the basement. My wife works in an industry that seemingly will never fail. We have not always made the best decisions in life but we made the good ones that count at this time. A roof over our head and a deep larder with plenty of beans, bullets and band-aids. And so, we just keep on keepin' on.

The HD Is Up And Runnin'!

FINALLY! My Harley is up and runnin'! I'm going though that ever so dull break-in process right now. The urge to twist the wick is greater every day. But to ensure a good, long life motor I gotta take is easy for the first 500 miles, then I can go a little harder for the next 500 then it it's full on. I can't express how good it is to be back on two wheels. Right now all indications are that it will be a real good engine with a shit load of torque. I believe that next spring I'll make a run to the east coast to see the new grand daughter. Right now though, it's slow and easy. A few more miles every day.
Here's all we did to my ride:

• Bore cases to accept bigger jugs taking it to 88 inches



• Install Truett and Osbourne TorqueMonster flywheels connected with S&S shafts



• Recondition the old rods



• Balance and true the rotating assembly



• Take .o45" off the heads resulting in a compression ratio real close to 10:1



• Install 1.6 inch intake valve



• Install heavy weight valve springs by Isky



• Install an Andrews model 59 cam with .560 inch of lift



• Install an Ultima ignition

Machine work was done by Larson Machine...816-877-1909

Parts from Hyatt's Custom Cycle...816-699-2434

Parts and assembly by KC Cycle Service ...816-591-1731

If you are in the Kansas City region and need work done on your scoot give these folks a call.

Jeep Hope is Closer

Yesterday I had expressed a hope that Chrysler would start building the prototype JT compact truck or the modern version of the Scrambler. Well, last night I got my newest copy of 4wheel and Off Road magazine and while perusing it's pages found a snippet that had a picture of something similar to the JT. Apparently you can use your 4 door Wrangler unlimited or buy one then buy this $5,499 dollar kit to create what Jeep dubs as the JK8. If your not real handy with tools your dealer can perform the transformation. No telling what that would cost. So, shell out 12 to 30 thousand dollars for a used Wrangler Unlimited. Tack on 5,500 for the kit and most likely an astronomical amount for the dealer to install the kit. Woohoo, what a deal. NOT!

There is another way of doing a JT/Scrambler build. Cough up around 13,000 bucks for a Brute kit that actually lengthens the frame of the vehicle. So once again we are looking a very expensive conversion. Using it though, you or your fabricator can end up with something like this.

I like the Brute kit better but it does take a lot more fabrication skills than most people posses. Using purchased skilled labor will send the cost through the roof and that goes for the JK8 too. So, we are back to spending what today amounts to a small fortune to create a compact 2 door 4x4 truck.
If there is enough demand for these kits, both the JK8 and the Brute, isn't that enough demand for Chrysler/Jeep to bring the JT to fruition and deliver a factory made fully warranted vehicle?

Vacations. On who's Dime?

After a lawsuit to get the information we now know that the First Ladies trip to Africa cost over 432,000 dollars. She listed her children as senior staff. With her mother and their rest of her entourage, 21 people went to Africa on our dime. The 432, 000 is only the cost of the plane and bulk food bought for the trip.
You and I can scarcely leave town yet She can take her kids to freakin' Africa, make couple of speeches and then take a safari. And we have to pay for this? Hey, do you remember that infamous date night when Obungler took his wife to New York via Air Force One? Did they ever reimburse us for that jaunt? I don't remember the past president and wives taking as many trips as these two do. Maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe the Press is reporting it more...right we know how the press treats this couple. Look at all the concerts that have been held at the White House, add up all the trips. WE are paying for this! This reminds me, we have republican Presidential Candidate that refuses to take part in the congressional retirement program. Do you think he and his wife would abuse the tax payers the way the First Couple are doing?

These Times

So now that I have my rant over with, on with the show.
I just read that Jiff brand peanut butter is going to hike the price of peanut butter by 30 percent. Smuckers announced a 4 percent increase in the cost of their jellies. Will the other makers follow with their own price hikes? This one of the cheapest ways to feed a family, start your food storage with or take care of sudden influx of your children's friends. PB&J is always good at our house. Who hasn't sat with a jar of peanut butter eating it right out the jar with a spoon? Hmmm? I know I've done it many times, how 'bout you? The modest increase of the jelly isn't so bad. Four percent? We can live with that but adding a buck or more to the PB is a wee bit much. So, stock up now before November gets here and these increases take effect.

Daddy Made Me Do It

It took my fathers prompting me to get on the computer and update this blog. I have not had the desire or energy to do anything that resembles creative. I am sick of being poorer than I have ever been in my entire life. I'm sick of not being able to secure work with an outstanding resume. I am tired of hurtin all the f'n time. I am tired of this poor excuse of a democratic government that has taken the place of the proud republic we once had. At least I've got a lot of guns, ammo and food. Hey, I've got a functional Harley sitting in the garage! It's sitting 'cause I don't have the 75-100 bucks to get a new battery to give it the required voltage. Maybe next week I'll be able to swing that.



Speaking of the Harley, I did some trading for the final parts to get it put together and I got a little cash to boot. Then I had to turn around and hand that cash to a guy I ran into the day before. CRAP! The funny thing about though is the guy knows most of the maternal side of my family, has met my brother, ran around with my sisters husband years ago AND dated my aunt for a while. It's a small world after all, eh? I've got insurance BUT, my wallet was stolen the week before and I hadn't replaced my drivers license or insurance card. So I didn't want the cops involved. The other party didn't want them there either. I don't know what his reason was. So in the end it was a cash deal.



I do have hope though. I hope the Chrysler Corporation makes these:

This vehicle is a one off by Chrysler's R&D team known as the SkunkWerks. They used all off the shelf parts to build this capable little truck. Dana 44 axles, 4.10 gears, locking diff's, a 3.8 V6 under the hood, and an OD auto tranny are stuffed into this beast. Dubbed the JT, it never made it to production. With the downfall of the economy and the concurrent downfall of the auto industry maybe this is the time to introduce an all new compact truck. As other manufacturers are selling fewer compact trucks and leaning more toward full size or even giant size trucks is this the time to bring this gem to market? This exercise was done in 2007 so maybe it's a futile hope. But still, hope springs eternal as they say. If you're a Jeep fan or even just a fan of compact trucks, contact Chrysler about the need for this beauty to enter the market at and a reasonable price too.

I have another hope. I hope, if this truck does come out, I can afford one.

Hey, while I'm hopin' and all that I can hope that GM builds a modern El Camino based on the current style Monte Carlo. Now that would be something to hope for.