Friday, October 30, 2009

A few thought on Government

This country has a great and wise document to direct the people on the operation of the Republic as it was. We no longer have a Republic but a Democracy, something that was dreaded by all founders of this nation. The document I refer to is the Constitution. The Constitution tells the government what it may do. In modern parlance that's a permissive code i.e. it tells what you may do. If it's not in the list you may NOT do it. In this particular code, rights not given to the government are reserved to the States or the People.
One right that the Constitution recognizes is the right to form a new government. In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence it states...
"That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or 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."
Here's what Abrahan Lincoln said in his first inaugural address about that particular right.
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it"
Lincoln also stated..."any people whatever have a right to abolish the existing government and form a new one that suits them better."
Of course a few years later he completely ignored the Constitution and his statements and went to war against a portion of the country that did exactly as Lincoln said they could.
Noted columnist of the time, Horace Greeley, said "...when a section of our Union resolves to go out, we shall resist any coercive acts to keep it in. We hope to never live in a Republic where one section is pinned to the other section by bayonets."

Daniel Webster, wordmaster of the time, said in his Capon Springs speech in 1851... "The Union is a Union of States founded upon Compact. How is it to be supposed that when different parties enter into a compact for certain purposes either can disregard one provision of it and expect others to observe the rest?...A bargain broken on one side is broken on all sides."
Webster also had this to say in the U. S. Senate..."If the Union was formed by the accession of the States then the Union may be dissolved by the succession of the States."

That gives you an idea of the sentiments that went into the Constitution and the sentiment of the day. For decades we have had Government that tries to wring any possible meaning out of the words instead of just operating as it is written. Working in that manner we have gotten ourselves to a point where the Republic that was guaranteed by the Constitution has been shredded and cast out with yesterdays trash and replaced with the scourge of all free men, a Democracy. We have a population of government benefit recipients that can't see any other way of life other that the monthly check from Uncle Sam. To top it off we have a whole class of politicians that are willing to give them whatever they ask for.

"Jefferson Davis said in his 1861 Farewell Address to the US. Senate...
"Then, Senators, we recur to the compact which binds us together; we recur to the principles upon which our government was founded; and when you deny them, and when you deny to us the right to withdraw from a government, which, thus perverted, threatens to be destructive of our rights, we but tread in the path of our fathers when we proclaim our independence, and take the hazard. This is done, not in hostility to others-not to injure any section of the country-not even for our pecuniary benefit; but from the high and solemn motive of defending and protecting the rights we inherited, and which it is our duty to transmit unshorn to our children."

We have a government that has interfered in private industry, interfered in gun ownership and interfered in our freedom of speech. They have imposed harsh laws and rulings on industry and private citizen. We have an alphabet soup of beauracracy to monitor and restrict our every move. And we the People have allowed it to happen for decades. We watch football, baseball, soap operas and we can recite statistics of the millionaire ballplayers yet we don't have the knowledge to know when our rights are being usurped, when we are being used as the cash machine for a crew of thugs, liars and convicts and thieves. We have judges that have used their bench to create law, judges that have broken out the lemon squeezer to evaluate a Constitutional right or phrase. Educate yourself by reading the Constitution and educate your family and friends by giving them a copy too.
Get a pocket size copy of the Constitution from https://secure.heritage.org/PocketConstitutions/?src=first

Remember, Thomas Jefferson said in 1823..."On every question of construction(of the Constitution) let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one which it was passed."

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Firearms training

I completely forgot to to include some great information in my post about XD pistols. Training! If you are looking for some first class firearms training check out http://www.frontsite.com/ . Take the course and get an XD free. FREE. Free is good. While at their site check the box to receive the weekly reports they provide. Another place to get outstanding training is from http://www.gunsite.com/
This facility was started by noted gun guru Jeff Cooper. Mr. Cooper is no longer with us but his fine instruction continues at Gunsite.
For you folks in flyover country i.e. the Midwest check out http://www.midwesttraininggroup.net/contact.htm

Before you spend a considerable amount of your hard earned dollars at any training facility make sure of what your getting. Ask for references and check with those references 'cause training of this kind ain't cheap.

A quick perusal of your local phone book or an Internet search will turn up firearms training closer to home and cheaper on your budget. If you are anywhere close to Utah check out http://www.madogre.com/ for contact information to inquire about his training of all sorts.
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It's rainin' again. Oh, well.

The town I live in is being overrun with squirrels. I mean it's dangerous for a man to go outside. So the city leaders have hired a team of crack troops to deal with these terroristic tree rats. Here's the results of their first raid on a den of the little devils. Score One for the good guys!














Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Springfield Armory XD pistols


I have been a 1911 shooter for many years and have depended on JMB's creation for fun, and defense of family and home. At the urging of my Glock shooting son I entered the modern world and bought a polymer framed high capacity handgun in the form of the Springfield Armory XD 45 Tactical. I got a great deal on the slightly used gun, all the XD gear (poly holster, poly double mag carrier and mag loader) in the case, a spare recoil spring and guide rod and 6 magazines.

My first impression was that the grip angle is similar to that of the 1911. A trip to to the range showed flawless performance and decent 15 yard accuracy. I would like to upgrade the sight from the stock 3 dot set to a set of tritium sights or even a set of adjustables to make the most of the 5 inch barrel of the Tactical model.

For a 1911 fan the safety in the trigger took some getting used to. I mean putting your finger on the trigger to access the safety violates a lifetime of gun safety training. After a few hundred rounds I'm very pleased with this full size shooter.

Here is some information about the XD family of firearms. The XD's are made in Croatia by the HS Products Company. In it's XD form it is known in Croatia as the HS2000.

The XD won the Firearm of the Year award from both the NRA and the Academy of Firearms Excellence. The XD's are polymer framed and striker fired. Magazine capacity ranges from 9-16 depending on the model. The XD45 of mine has a capacity of 13 rounds. The safety as mentioned before, is similar to that of the Glocks in that the main safety is part of the trigger. The XD goes an extra step and includes a grip safety. It is possible order an XD with a frame mounted safety also. The sights are dovetailed front and rear and are windage adjustable only. These guns have a loaded chamber indicator also. The poly frame has an abbreviated accessory rail with two notches. The newest form of XD, the XDM has a different grip and includes interchangeable grip inserts to custom fit it to you hand as well as a more rounded slide profile.

If you're concerned about the color of your handgun the XD has it covered for you. You can get them in Black, OD Green, Dark Earth, Stainless and Black, Stainless and OD Green and of course Stainless and Dark Earth.

Depending on the model you can have barrels that are 3, 4 or 5 inches in length. Chamberings include, 9mm, 40 S&W, 357 SIG, 45 GAP and 45 ACP.

The take down procedure is similar to that of the Sig Sauer's. Remove the magazine, ensure the chamber is empty. Make sure again, that the chamber is empty then point the gun in a safe direction and pull the trigger to uncock the hammer. Next, move the slide rearward to align the take down notch with the take down lever. Swing the lever upward and the move the slide forward and off the frame. To remove the barrel, compress the recoil spring to the front of the slide and lift the barrel from the frame. That's all there is to field stripping the gun. Assemble in in the reverse order. I say this again, before disassembling the gun make sure it is EMPTY.

Take a look at these fine, dependable arms at http://www.springfieldarmory.com/ . Then go to your local gun range and try one out or buy one new or used. I gotta say again, coming from the 1911 guns the 13 plus one capacity is GREAT. In carry form I have 2, 13 round mags in the double carrier and one 13 round mag in the gun and well as one in the chamber for a whopping total of 40 rounds! I don't need to carry this many but I find the double set of loaded mags counters the weight of the pistol.

Monday, October 26, 2009

The stuff I like. Oh, yeah that's what I like

I made my 4 week report to the authorities(unemployment office) this morning. If you get up at a decent time you can beat all the slackers and be in and out lickety split. November 21 will be an anniversary for me. It will be officially 1 year of unemployment. What a sucky anniversary.
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I spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon getting the outside stuff done so let the cold blow and the snow fly. I put the grill away, picked up my "I'll put it away later" stuff, and stored away miscellaneous things in their proper places. Tomorrow I'll see about getting the Wheel Horse project undercover.
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I have a wide array of interests and have had several hobbies until I had to trim the hobbies down to spare the budget. Here's some of my interests:
Guns
1911's
antique auto pistols (I've had my eye on some Savages lately)
side by side shotguns, old, new, plain or fancy I like 'em all
22 rifles (I have more than a few)

Motor Vehicles
El Camino's ( I'm on my 4th)
Corvettes ( I had a hard time choosing between a new Harley and a used "Vette)
Harley Davidson's (the Harley won the coin toss. Literally)
Any other motorcycle
old lawn tractors
big lifted 4 wheel drives (oh how I wish I had that '79 Bronco back)

Stuff
Knives of all sorts but especially auto's
flashlights, just ask my wife
blackjacks, if they have a provenance in law enforcement
old guns with a story

Activities
hunting ( for many years all my substantial vaca time was used for hunting)
fishing(one hobby that had to go)
motorcycling
driving way over the speed limit (ask me about the 100MPH summer)
watching women
reading (nearly anything)
carpentry
welding and fabrication
camping
ammo reloading
gun shows

Does any of this stuff interest any of you? Want me to write about any of it? Any way, a while back on Day One I told you who I am, now I told you what I like.

Thanks for reading and please visit my advertisers.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Let's see...haircut, trimmed my beard(which I had grown to a nice length), showered, shaved, dressed nicely. All ready for a job prescreening yesterday promptly at 1:00pm'ish. This was a mass screening, 50 or so people at this one, some of who didn't understand the written instructions in the letter that was sent out. Instructions like..be there promptly at 1:00, bring all of the indicated paperwork with you, you know the basics like that. Anyway, while waiting for copies to be made of our "papers" the rest of our day was explained to us. Take this test and this test and test. De Ja Vue! I explained that I had taken those tests months ago and asked if those were applicable to this situation. Yes they are, just step into the hall and fill out this application please and thanks for coming today. Over a thousand people have applied for these 3 positions.
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Worked on Cherry's car today. I found out that the problem wasn't really brakes but a busted sway bar causing the issue. So that's another problem to deal with. Have I mentioned that I really appreciate the visits to the advertisers on this site? If enough of you keep visiting the various adverts I may one day get a little check from them. So keep up the good work, THANKS and click on.
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So there's a congress critter that wants a tax exemption for your pets. That's right your pets. Hey, the way I see it they get the same care that we gave our son. Food, water, a home, medical treatment. They just aren't as obnoxious as a teenager. What are your thought on this?
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You should see the maple tree in front of our house this year. Folks are stopping to take pictures of it's gorgeous mass of flaming orange leaves. Since they have started to fall we now have an orange carpet over the yard.
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The .gov wants everyone to take an H1N1 shot or spray. I guess they can't count because there aren't enough vaccines for the folks that actually WANT the stuff let alone for the entire population. So much for that example of government health care.
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There has been so much good stuff come up at the local garage sales and auctions but we don't have the funds to buy them. Tools, generators, home furnishings, real estate, homes. It's terrible to see what people are divesting themselves of to try and make a little cash. I don't see to many deals on firearms though. Huhh, who woulda thought. I'm seeing more and more houses in this area with no lights and no evidence of habitation. The mainstream news finally made the announcement that the commercial real estate sector will be the next big failure to rear it's ugly head. The blogosphere has been talking about this for a couple of months.

Friday, October 23, 2009

My dream home.

On 2 occasions my wife and I have had 5 year plans to be out of this old house and into a different house. Economics always interfered with these plans as they required INCOME. So given those two plans I have put a lot of thought into what I want in a home.
The first requirement will be an all brick ranch style structure with a full undeveloped basement. An attached garage and a detached garage/barn all sitting on 2-15 acres of land with room to plant some large gardens and raise some small stock.
The unfinished basement will get a concrete gun vault poured into one corner and one end will be walled off for storage purposes. A concrete stairwell will be constructed with steel doors at top and bottom. The basement will get a small kitchen and bathroom installed and will be set up to accommodate several people if need be. I want all the bedrooms located at one end of the home with a central hallway leading to them and the restrooms and stairwell to the basement. All windows will have a security film applied to them and functional shutters will be hung.
A standby generator will be installed and solar panels will supplement everyday power needs.
All of these things are not readily available on the local real estate market but I can come close. Everything that is missing I can add myself.
Each end of the house will have small walled "gardens" and a spanish style courtyard would be constructed at the rear of the home.
Of course, after this last job loss I found my ideal home. Located on 15 acres on a hilltop surrounded on 4 sides by timber and bordered on two side by a creek. The house had an all brick lower level and a wooden second story all sitting on a full basement. This whole package was less than 145,000 dollars. A beautiful place a few miles out of town. And me with no job. I'll keep looking, keep drawing homes and have hope that one day thing will turn around.
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A few days ago our neighbor told me his dog was loaded with fleas. Great. A couple days later our dogs started itching and biting. Today I washed them with Miracle II soap and the little dog was LOADED. The soap killed the fleas, then I applied some Front Line to both dogs. I also applied a permethrin based insecticide to the yard and sprayed their kennel with a permethrin kennel spray. As a precaution, I salted the carpets too. Tip...fleas in your carpet will eat the salt and die, just vacuum a couple day later and reapply the salt and vac again a couple days later. All their blankets and towels are in the wash with more Miracle II soap. What a pain in the ass this has been. Hey, I discovered last night that Dollar General has salt 3 for a dollar. Great for storage and it never goes bad. Check out Miracle II soap. I use it for soap, shampoo, dog soap. and occasional laundry use.
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For this weeks preparedness updates I want to buy 2 blue 5 gallon kerosene cans and fill them and store them for use in the lanterns and lamps as well as the kerosene heater. That'll give us a little over 15 gallons of kerosene. The heater will run all day on about 2 gallons. If you just use it in the evenings it will give 3-4 evenings of heat on 2 gallons. I also want to get some replacement chimneys for our lamps. We have 3 lamps and one Dietz lantern for emergency light as well as a case of long burning candles and a couple of L.E.D. lanterns.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hot stuff.

The "woozey" bottles I ordered finally arrived, so I took the habanero sauce out of cold storage and packaged it after heating and sterilizing everything. I then made some crappy hand made labels for them. I put a bottle in the next box to be sent to our son. I think when his mouth recovers he'll like it. The 2 gallons of stuff I started with made 5, 5 ounce bottles of sauce.

It has rained all freakin' day here, 2 inches so far and they're calling for light rain until 7:00 AM tommorrow. Our hard maple tree has just turned a gorgeous, fiery orange but all the rain is stripping the leaves off. The burning bushes look like, well they're on fire and they are faring better than the maple in the rain.

If I ever get a job I think the wife will be a little disappointed in some ways. When she got home today I had a pork loin roast, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans with onions, peppers and brown sugar and hot buttery corn bread waiting for her. Oh, and fresh sweet tea.

I'm going Saturday for a prescreening session for a position at the local power utility company. I'm sure it'll be a mad house. Probably 2-300 people will show up for 1 freaking position. And yes, I have my "papers" in order.

Cherry Pie has surprised me by desiring to get her concealed carry permit. She is not, has not been a shooter. So Sunday we are going to her brothers place to start on the basics like safety, familiarity and function, sights and operational drills. Then we'll move to the fun stuff, gongs, spinners, tin cans and clay pigeons. Then some work on actual targets. I'll be taking 3 different .22 pistols, a Ruger Mk II with the 51/2 inch bull barrel, a Smith model 422 and a Taurus PT-22 and "her" Smith model 36. We'll eventually move up to the B-27 target that Missouri specs for their shooting test. Interesting times ahead I can see. If she likes the pistols, maybe I can get her on a 10-22 and move on to Bushmaster AR later. We just have to get over the recoil avoidance issue she has. I don't think she has realized that guns mean shopping. Shopping for a new gun, ammo, holsters and other carry devices, grips, etc, etc.

The politicians are going blah, blah, blah and the world leaders are saying blah, blah, blah and the world people are saying ho hum, ho hum. That's the news in summary. Really, take a look at the news lately, there must be some big stuff getting ready to happen because all the news outlets are reporting even less than usual and airing more pseudo news. I mean even FOX had as a leader this morning a house fire in California. Whoopdy freakin' do. How about reporting on the states that are asserting 10 amendment rights? How about reporting on the court that's allowing an Obama citizenship trial to go forth? There's all kinds of news being made and every one is ignoring the main stuff and concentrating on the "entertaining" stuff.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Home Security

A long time ago our house was broken into. This occurred while we were at work, most of our neighbors were at work and the big, bad Rhodesian Ridgeback dog was in the kennel. As a result of piss poor home security I lost several firearms and an extensive collection of switchblade knives. Not to mention a couple of nice old law enforcement issued black jacks. The front door was damaged but not opened, the side door was broken open. All in all it was a 10,000 dollar episode in our life. You want to know what we did different? NOTHING. We have been relying on the law of averages to keep us out of that game again. I have been looking at our lack of home security lately and really want to do something about it. My plan is to install a steel entry door at the front with extended double turn deadbolts as well as deadbolts in the foyer door and a steel door at the deck to replace the all glass door and full glass side lite. Think of a glass panel 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide facing homes that are empty during the day. Cherry doesn't like this plan. To many dollars and she likes all the light that comes into the dining room from that big expanse of glass. Our old home has a plethora of tall, wide windows all over the house. Perfect for any size of burglar to make entry through. After taking the time to replace everything that was stolen and with all the preparedness supplies we are laying in we can't go unprotected any longer. After looking at all the options I came up with this information.

  • Try to avoid regular routines. This is really hard if you have a job
  • Op/Sec, operational security. Don't discuss your vacation plans, daily schedules or possessions with strangers or casual acquaintances.
  • Work with all your neighbors to create an "overwatch" of all homes that are vacant during holidays, vacations, hospital stays, etc.
  • Install exterior lighting. Flood lights that turn the night into day will scare away the night time predators.
  • If this works for you home layout, build simple door blockers using simple wooden devices
  • Get a monitored alarm system. It must be monitored as a ringing bell will only draw attention in oh, about 20 minutes or so. Enough time for your valuables to walk away.
  • Install good dead bolt locks on all exterior doors. Get ones with the longest throw possible and make sure they are double turn and require keys on both sides.
  • Get a safe and use it. Keep all the valuables possible in it as well as legal papers, identity papers and spare keys. We got a nice older safe off of craigs list for about 300 dollars.
  • Keep firearms in a gun safe.
  • If you have the space and dollars, build a vault room and keep ALL you valuables in there.
  • If you depend on a dog for home security then let it do its job. Let in run in a fenced yard, not in a pen. Better yet, keep it inside. The Rhodesian we had was so attached to us we had to put him in a kennel as he would destroy the house trying to get out to be with us. The German Shepherd we have now is much better inside alone.
  • Don't grow bushes near anything a burglar could use for an entrance. If you want bushes keep them trimmed low, no more than 18 inches high.
  • Install security film on your windows. I priced the DIY stuff and it will cost over 88o dollars to do all the first floor windows. The training material and install kit are extra.
  • Here's a big, easy one, don't leave potential burglary tools outside. Keep those ladders secured, keep all hand and yard tools in the garage or basement. Put all bricks and building material in the garage or basement.

Most of this stuff is very basic and most people can afford to do them. The steel doors, window coatings and monitored alarms will require budgeting or borrowing. Why buy all the stuff in the firt place if your don't plan to keep it?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Yesterday we, that is, Cherry and I, insulated the floor of the utility room. While doing that I was unloading some stuff from the truck that went into the utility room basement. Afterwards Cherry did some dishes and then I dirtied some dishes making some habanero hot sauce. Then Cherry cleaned the kitchen and I dirtied it making fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. We did managed to get in some visiting and relaxing during all the activity.
Now about that hot sauce....WOW! I used a mix of habaneros, jalapenos, serranos and cayenne's for the heat. Then I added onions, chopped apple, some pureed tomatoes, and a few spices. Cooked it for hours and hours then strained all the seeds and fibers out to leave a sauce. Man, it's good and hot. If it goes over well with the folks I'm going to give it to I will see about standardizing the recipe and marketing this stuff. For this batch I have little glass bottles coming in so I can package them right. I'm working on a name for the sauce now.
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As a firearms owner and user and a Constitutionalist I have strong feeling about government restriction of firearms. When viewed from the original intent of the founding fathers any restriction on gun ownership is unconstitutional as the intent was to prevent an overly strong government. I say restriction instead of regulation because in the words of the original guys regulate meant to make regular or to drill or train. In the instance of our current government regulate actually means to restrict. Hence my use of the word restrict. So while perusing gun links and stuff of that nature I ran across this 3 part article pertaining to the history of the ATF and why the "F" should be removed from that acronym. Take some time to read the article and put some thought into it afterwards.
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Now I'm off to get a new tire and an alignment. Later!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Saturday Musings.

Hey did you hear, a little boy that hitched a ride or not on a homemade saucer shaped balloon? Or not. Or hid in the attic. Or took part in a made for TV scenario. Or something. How could you not have heard about it, it's all that's been on the "news".

Forget the news, forget the economy, take a walk, go to a range, practice your 1st and 2nd amendment rights, read the Constitution, rotate your stored food, do something that is relevant and not sitting on your ass watching the "news".

My brother and I got that little roof job done and now one of the neighbors wants a "mudroom" built onto his house. Great! This was a good day, sold some stuff, got paid for some work, got paid for some other work and spent the day with Cherry Pie. I guess that's money, money, money, Honey. They way things are going, extra money is good and Honey is always better.
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Take a gander at this post at the bisonsurvivalblog about a middle of the road food storage plan. This is for all of us that can't afford the megadollar expenditure for all the prepacked, freeze dried, retort packed goodies and must rely on the local Sam's Club, Costco or even Wal-Mart to get our storage foods. This is a very simple plan that allows you to tailor it to your tastes. As it should be. Like the author states, buy a little at a time and it won't make a big dent in your wallet.
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This is for all the punks out there, don't even think about jackin' some old person. Depending on what age they are they have been in one war or another and have seen and done some stuff that would scare even the toughest of P.A.B. The old geezer sitting in Mickey D's might have been an infantryman in WWII or Korea. The middle aged guy in line at the cash machine might have been a tunnel rat in Vietnam. These P.A.B. didn't think about that.
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Here's a good thing to do. Make a list of all your firearms and all their accessories. Now make 2 copies of that list. Put one in the safe, one in the safe deposit box and one in a trusted friends home safe. There. This list can be hand written on paper, entered into a "bound book", or put on disk. Which ever way your boat floats, just get that list in 3 different locations. If you have an expensive knife collection or any other type of collection do the same for them. Now if your house is broken into and all your goodies stolen you have an accurate list to work from. This would never happen to you, right. Riiiight.
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I want to upgrade my 1/2 ton two wheel drive truck to a 3/4 ton or 1 ton 4x4 or even a 4x4 Tahoe. But without a j.o.b. it's hard to do. I think if I can squirrel away some cash, get the major stuff done on the truck, I can sell it outright and then get the truck I want. I looked at trading and of course the good ole dealer wanted to put the screws to me right away. I left, right away

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Another cool rainy day. Said once, said again...what's up with that globull warming theory? The weather liars are calling for a rainy morning also. It looks like we'll be finishing that roof project in the rain.
I came home Tuesday evening cold and hurtin'. After a HOT shower and a hotpad on my shoulder I put some Sombra cream on my shoulders, knees and wrists. I felt much better in the morning.
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The stock market is up and so is gold. What's up with that. I'm no economist but it seems like an indication that the stock market price is not here for long. But what do I know?
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The largest GM dealer in town, which is one of the biggest in Kansas City is having ....a used car sale. I guess they're trying to reclaim some of the market from the smaller used car dealers that are selling the lions share of cars in this town and others. This should be interesting as they have never had reasonable used car prices.
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I gave up on listening to any news over the last few days. I do read all my favorite bloggers though. Maybe I'm "newsed out" which is bad as I'm kind of a news junky. I can barely stand to hear all the insinuations and outright lies put forth by the news outlets. Contrary to what the White House says FOX News ain't bad but they carry the same information on every show all day and night.
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This really pisses me off. I understand the flag ban has been lifted but it should not have been enacted in the first place. I have been told that the BP station in this town will turn off the pumps if a serviceman in uniform tries to get gas. I can't wait for my son to come home the next time. I'll be sure to have him bring his uniform and we'll try to get some gas. Can you guess who owns this particular station? Let's just say his speech has a definite Mideastern accent.
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That's all for today.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Kalifornia Ammo Regulations or Arnold screwed the pooch

I don't know, maybe I've had it to easy here in the Midwest. Just walk in to any outlet that sells ammunition, make my selection, pay for it and carry it home. So simple and so easy. To bad the Californians aren't going to have it that easy now that Ahnold has signed a bill that will require fingerprints to purchase ammo. And they can forget about ordering over the internet and getting home delivery. Those orders have to be delivered to an FFL holder and then picked up by the original sucker, I mean customer. Oh, don't forget to leave your fingerprints when picking up that "internet" order. The good folks of Kalifornia wish to thank the Austrian ruler. Come to think of it, didn't some other overbearing, pretentious asshole come from Austria? You remember, that Hitler guy. People, vote with your feet. If you move away from that sunny cesspool you'll find the prices are cheaper, the people are nicer and soon you'll forget about the Mexican Annex called Kalifornia.
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Working on this little roof job is bring back some diminished skills. Like they say..use it or lose it. If you think about it, that goes for any skill. Hunting, shooting, cooking, sewing, you name it. You have to keep up on any skill you have. Practice, practice, practise.
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Now, I'm sore and tired so...see ya!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

TEOTWAWKI review and a retreat property

Last night some of Cherry Pie's family came over to celebrate her Fathers birthday. Her sister made lasagna, her brother brought salad, we provided brownies, apple crisp and ice cream. Dinner was great and desert was excellent. Several of them had wine or beer and some of us stuck to ice tea. A good time was had by all. It's nice to get together once in a while.
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Sunday cool and cloudy. We actually fired up the furnace for the company last night. In the middle of the night the furnace was shut off. We slept much better after that. Worked on my old Cub Cadet and still no luck. I will try again later this week. I put a new solenoid on this morning and that did not cure the no starting issue. Next is the ignition switch.
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I've been trying to buy some ammo cans to start building small emergency kits to place in vehicles but all the government auctions I've been tracking end up with the cans costing over a thousand dollars. Now the cost per unit isn't much but the overall cost is what I can't afford. then we have to stock the kits. More expense. I'll keep my eyes open for some deals though.
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I received my copy of James Wesley, Rawles new book "How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It". If you are not a regular reader of his www.survivalblog.com website then this is a very good book to add to your preparedness library. The ideas presented are sound and Rawles is living them as proof positive. I do consider myself to be a Rawlesian prepper but unless you have a very good income this is a tough nut to crack. Even if you have a modest income though, you can utilize the information in this book by reducing the amounts and variety and stretching the time frame as far as you think prudent. He does give some excellent advise on getting trained in various disciplines. Overall it is an great guide for someone new to the preparedness game. Get a copy on the cheap at www.amazon.com .
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If you like the Ozarks and want a piece of land to establish a retreat on this is a pretty good piece of property. Add a well and you've got a nice place to build a hardened cabin and enough ground to raise some food on. The State Forest being 500-600 feet away is nice also. If it was available though I'd prefer parcel B.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

The News. Really?

Hey have you heard...Nobama got a Nobel. I'm getting tired of that "news". As a matter of fact I'm tired of the "news" in general. It seems like a lot of filler with no substance. I know alot of folks say don't focus on the bad stuff, but, it seems like they could focus on the current stuff even if it is bad. Stuff like saying the unemployment levels didn't rise as much as predicted...but it's still in the half million neighborhood. I say focus on the problem to come up with a solution. It seems as if we are collectively pushing the economy to the side and focusing on celebrities, sports, scandal, entertainment, and fantasy more than things like Iran having a couple of nuke sites deep under ground and the US speeding up the development of 20,000 pound Massive Ordinance Bombs that when used one after the other can get to a depth of 200 feet. Hmmmm. Another war brewing? I hate to bring all this bad stuff up but it's here and needs to be addressed. Retail is losing it's ass, auto makers are back to failing after the Cash for Clunkers clunked out, real estate is still dropping like a stone and forecasters are saying the commercial real estate market collapse is coming never mind the 700,000 ghost foreclosures of homes that has yet to materialise.
These things are why I keep stressing the importance of financial freedom, stocking up on food and supplies, getting and keeping firearms and ammo and having a serious plan in place. We are not where we should be given our age and financial background but, given the late stage that we became aware of the frailty of our existence we are in a lot better position that most folks are. Keep your chins up and and keep working to you goal.

Friday, October 9, 2009

News, Views and Stuff

I went to the big Makita clearance sale and found that even at 1/2 price I still couldn't afford a new cordless drill. I know that cordless tools are not necessary but they are sure handy. As the name implies...cordless. You can buy cheaper tools and I looked at some yesterday. I have a cheaper drill that is very powerful and works well but the batteries are short lived and cost more than the drill did when you try to buy replacements. I saw the drill new at Wally World for 69 bucks. To buy a new battery for the one I have it will cost 80 dollars!
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HOLD THE PRESSES! The Chosen One was has been chosen again. He has received a Nobel Peace Prize. For what? When you consider the nominations were conducted when Barry had been in office only 11 day what could he possibly have done? Don't tell me the Nobel organization has been taken under the hope and change spell. I'm starting to think the fix is in. HA HA HA.
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Barry keeps picking some real winners for his cabinet. It has now come out that his Safe Schools Czar is a backer of............NAMBLA! WTF? Now his Muslim Relations Advisor has been on a show in Israel sitting alongside a leader of a group that wants the Western way of life destroyed, endorsing Sharia law. Again, WTF? Can this Administration get any more twisted?
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When 1 in 4 people of the world are Muslim I say "Come on Christians have more babies". We're as guilty as the next as we are a one child family and it's a moot point at this time, but seriously, Christians need to breed like rabbits or we will be a dying breed. Can you believe 1 in 4 over the whole world? I guess when their women are kept in wraps, not allowed to hold a job, rarely go out in public there isn't much to do except have children.
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It rained all freakin' day yesterday and I woke up to sprinkles and drizzle this morning. The forecast calls for rain or even a little snow for Saturday. Am I ever going to get this roof done? Oh well. Take it as it comes I guess.
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I went buy a friends garage yesterday and we got to talking of course about guns and then got around to concealed carry. I got adding up and found I was packing 40 rounds of ammo on me. One 13 round mag in the well and one round in the pipe and two spare 13 round mags. I won. I ask again, what do you carry? Yesterday I was packing the XD45 Tactical 5 inch. How about you?
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Thursday, October 8, 2009

A Confession of sorts

Rain, Rain, Rain. Or...a day off. With working on the roof I'm building and doing all the home stuf I haven't been able to post anything. So ...back to the keyboard.


Bill Ayers said WHAT! A confession? Or just a good dose of chain yankin'? While passing through DC's Reagan Airport, blogger Anne Leary encountered the unrepentent terrorist in a coffee shop. During their conversation Ayers spontaneously admitted? to writing Obama's book entitled "Dreams From My Father". What's Bill up to? Who knows with this wack job.
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All the weather liars are calling for a COLD winter. Will they be right this time? Based on this model and that model we have blank chance of possible rain or other precipitation in the next 24 hours but this model say the system will go to the southeastwesterly direction and soak the greater megapolis region. I shoulda went to college and became a weather prognosticator. I mean you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right every day. And if the odds go the wrong way...Hey, it's mother nature at work.
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I'm off to the local lumber yard who is having a clearance sale on all Makita tools at 50 percent off. This is to make way for the new line of DeWalt tools they are now carrying. I really need a new cordless drill/driver. That's a term you don't hear very often anymore...lumber yard. It's all home improvement center now. Well I'm goin' to a real live lumber yard.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Colt Mustang -vs- SIG P238

For years I have wanted a Colt Mustang but have never been able to justify the cost for these attractive tiny 1911 pattern 380 pistols. Then SIG announced they were introducing the P238. Oh joy! A new version of the Mustang made by those precision fabricators from Switzerland. Advertised pre-production prices were in the 4-500 dollar range. Great! a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a used Colt. I guess the intro of the new copy has driven the cost of the originals down a bit. While perusing Gunbroker, I found that the two guns are now in the same price range. Oh, there a few examples of the Colt in the 900-1000 dollar range but by and large the costs for both subjects is in the 500-600 dollar range with the Colts edging to the lower price. While the SIG has a certain something about it, I think with the prices comparable I would opt for an original Mustang.
Both pistols are chambered for the .380 cartridge and both are pattered after the 1911 Colt. Both have the identical reduced dimensions and both are dependable, quality firearms. With the advent of high performance 380 ammo from today's cartridge manufacturers, the 380 is a viable pocket size carry gun. Here's a detraction to both pistols...they both need a "melt job" to really blend into a pocket. Other than that they are both beautiful examples of pocket size handguns.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Well, we survived the swap meet. We made very little money. Minus expenses we both made a whopping 2.80 an hour. We will NOT be going back Sunday. Now for the pluses... Cherry Pie bought 2 genuine Pampered Chef baking stones. New, never used. Retail 65-70 bucks. Swap meet price .75 each. Seventy Five cents each! I scored, as my preparedness inventory update, A one time used Coleman lantern full of fuel with 2 new mantles installed and a case for 10 bucks.
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You've doubtless heard all the stories about the farmers daughter. Well don't try any funny business with this farmers daughter. She doesn't play nice but she does play correctly with assholes of the terroristic sort.
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Federal Regulators shut down 3 more banks Friday at end of business. That makes 98 this year. Take a good hard look at your bank. Does it pass the smell test?
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We had a very late lunch and knew we'd be hungry later but too late for a meal. So I made a couple of saucers of Antipasto type snacks. Kalamata olives, 3 types of cheese, pepperoni, sweet pickles, crackers and tiny little rolls of turkey and ham. It sure hit the spot!

Friday, October 2, 2009

I've got a busy day planned. First off...finish this Fantastic breakfast burrito I made. Then, Go to the health store and get 4 gallons of Kangen Water. Then I'm off to Home Depot to order the material for the roof I start on Monday.Next is a trip t0 my Dad's to get my tools so I can start the roof on Monday. Back home to unload the truck then off to the storage unit to load all the STUFF for the swap meet this weekend. The customer and Home Depot is about a 60 or so mile trip, going to my Dads from the HD is about an 80 mile round trip. Going back to the storage unit is another 14 or so. And sometime in there I need to speak to someone about my lawn tractor that still won't start. ARGHHH!!!! Oh, that burrito had spicy sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, onions, bell peppers, cheese and salsa. mmm, good.
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I'm glad to play a part in this. James' new book is only out ranked by Sarah Palins' new, unpublished venture, Glen Becks' book and Dan Browns' newest tome. It ranks as number ONE in several categories. If you didn't order it on the book bomb day get it now as sales are so brisk Amazon has lowered the price.
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I'd like to come across some good usable stuff at the swap meet. Stuff like a generator, an Aladdin lamp, tools or maybe one of those every popular, ever loved, guns.
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As busy as I've been I haven't been able to to do any shooting. Took the day off yesterday to to do housework, work on the mower and start gathering up stuff for the swap. What a day off right? What are you doing this week end? Any thing good, or intersting?