Jewish Preppers

Right Wing? Left Wing? Try joining the Accurate Wing

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:42:00 +0000

From YidWithLid .... quoting Barry Rubin

By Barry Rubin

I ran into an older, retired Israeli colleague who is a fine scholar in his field. We hadn’t met for 25 years and agreed to have coffee in a nearby Tel Aviv cafe. In the ensuing conversation I learned some key things about why current intellectual and political discussion is such a wreck.

The retired professor has read nothing I’ve written. He is on the left-wing politically, in the historic non-Communist sense, but his work has always been first-rate and untouched by any political slant. In addition, he has worked amicably with people of different views.

And that’s why I was dismayed by his first question: “Are you left-wing or right-wing?”

I sighed, partly because I hate this starting point of dividing people into two categories. A more appropriate question would have been: “what do you think of … ?” To classify someone is to decide in advance to agree or disagree with whatever they say. To ask someone their view makes it possible to listen and think about the quality of their ideas.

A scholar or analyst, whatever his personal views, should do work that is beyond politics.

Many years ago I wrote a scholarly article on American radical professors of the 1930s and 1940s. I was almost unable to find a single case in which anyone had even been accused of politicizing their academic work or classroom teaching. They viewed such behavior as inappropriate, and perhaps some were worried about how being outspoken might hurt their careers. At any rate, even during the McCarthy era people were pursued for their organizational memberships and not their classroom behavior.

Today, all those old issues of professional ethics have vanished. Professors may spend most of their time being propagandists: throw away scholarly standards and energetically persecute dissenters.

Back to my cafe meeting: if one puts people into a box, all that follows will either be banal agreement or total argument. If this encounter had been in an American context, the next hour or so might have been spent on endless consensus on how great or terrible Obama is. Alternatively, the discussion would have been characterized by a heated argument in which each person would not concede that the other had a single valid point to make. Either way, nobody probably would have learned anything new or need to exercise their brain.

So I gave my standard response:

The international issues I deal with have no “left” or “right” wing aspect to them. The important question is how one analyzes situations, issues, and events. They should be approached as objectively as possible with an honest attempt to be accurate, to produce evidence proving one’s assertions, and to follow where the facts lead.

Perhaps because he is a pre-politically correct person on the left, he completely understood my response and he correctly added an additional point: “And not to conceal things that don’t coincide with your thesis.”

A generation ago, this is how people thought.

You could hold totally different political views, but how you wrote history or taught about works of literature was something else entirely. Not everything people said was predictable, because they actually thought about things rather than merely apply a preexisting political standpoint. Academics across the political spectrum respected what some call the “scientific method” — I prefer “Enlightenment values.”

I continued:

Figuring out whether or not, say, the Muslim Brotherhoodis a radical organization is not a matter of political viewpoint. One’s politics should be expressed by what one wants to achieve, not in one’s analysis of the situation.

Although I didn’t say so, an example I had in mind was this: I would like to see a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That puts me left-of-center in Israel. But my good-faith assessment of the Palestinian political scene (leadership, ideology, groups, public opinion, options) and of the regional situation is that overwhelming evidence claims this is impossible to achieve at this time. The evidence — and there is hardly any actual evidence — offered by those who argue otherwise is not persuasive.

Consequently, I draw policy conclusions from that analysis. No two-state solution is possible at this time. I then go on — I won’t go into this right now — to develop my view of the best policy response to the situation.

Instead, I asked him how he saw this methodological problem in which one’s politics determined whether the Brotherhood was radical or moderate. Here’s approximately what he said:

People on the right slant the facts to fit their political views while people on the left don’t.

After I questioned this, he altered his statement to “most people” in either case. I then asked for examples. He gave two and I will take them one at a time.

He continued:

Rightists say that [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad is so extreme that you cannot talk to him. He is eager for war to wipe out Israel. You can’t talk to him so therefore war with Iran is necessary.

That’s a fascinating mixture of points from which I think we can learn a lot. Let’s dissect.

The opening point — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is so extreme that you cannot talk to him — is clearly correct, not wrong at all. What is needed, though, is to separate analysis from policy proposals and always to look for alternatives.

I think these are the two points that people don’t understand, and they are destroying any productive discussion of intellectual or political issues at present. So let me repeat them:
Analysis should be separate from policy. If people conflate the idea that the Iranian regime is extremely radical, intransigent, and dangerous and thus no deal can be made — the perception of reality — with what should be done about it, people will reject the correct analysis because they don’t agree with the proposed response. Example: We must lie about Palestinian politics or we will damage the cause of peace; we must lie about revolutionary Islamism or we will provoke a war. Of course, lying is most likely to hurt peace or to lead to creating a crisis that will end in war.
When moving from analysis to policy, one should think creatively and not just give a knee-jerk response. There are many alternatives to going to war with Iran. But an accurate assessment of the threat’s existence must be the starting point. Examine each issue and the needed policy response on an individual basis rather than impose an ideological template on it.

To prove how the above two points apply, let me go to his second example, which precisely paralleled the one on Iran:

The right-wing says that the Muslim Brotherhood is radical. Egypt is an enemy. Hence, the only response is a major military buildup.

Here we see the same two points. The Muslim Brotherhood is indeed radical. But that doesn’t make Egypt an enemy, at least certainly not right now. Equally, it does not foreclose other policy responses and a more sophisticated third alternative between pretending all is fine (even worse, supporting the Brotherhood!) and going to war next week.

But before answering how one should deal with these two specific issues, let me explain how ludicrous is this line of argument — we must lie rather than admit the “right-wing nuts” are right — which currently governs our discourse. Consider this:

We are on a ship. Some of the crew says that the ship has sprung a big leak. Some passengers and crew are yelling that the ship will sink and everyone is going to die.

That is a horrible situation that I don’t want to believe. Personally I don’t like the individuals who are crying out warnings. And I don’t believe everyone will inevitably die.

So therefore I will respond: The ship is just fine. Those who say the ship is sinking are right-wing extremists and should be ignored.

Or a historical example:

(This is completely hypothetical and does not correspond with historical reality) 1941: any analyst who suggests that Japan might attack the United States is a warmongering right-wing racist who is more likely to get the United States into a war with Japan. We must insist that no such war is possible because we don’t want war.

(There was, however, a real-life parallel to that one: Stalin punished any Soviet analysts or intelligence agents who warned that Germany might attack the USSR. Yes, that’s how debate is conducted in a dictatorship, but shouldn’t be the method adopted by a democracy).

Here’s an example closer to home:

There are those who say that the U.S. government has a huge deficit that’s only growing. Entitlements are unsustainable. Tax increases won’t even begin to cover it. But I don’t want to admit that is true (especially because conservatives are saying it and I hate those people!). So I will instead insist that everything is fine, we don’t really have to make any major changes, and all we have to do is raise taxes on the rich.

And that’s what’s killed historic moderate liberalism — which would have tried to come up with some solution to a real problem — and empowered radicalism, which ignores reality and just calls the other side nasty names. If you deny the problem exists at all because you don’t like your rivals’ proposed solution, then you are doomed, baby.

My central point: We should agree on what is real using proper and honest methods of analysis.

Then we can discuss what to do about it in a rational fashion. But disagreeing with someone else’s analysis because you don’t like their proposed policy amounts merely to lying deliberately, or to making a fool of yourself by denying what is obviously true and being totally unprepared to deal with the resulting crisis.

What about alternative solutions? I am against attacking Iran militarily at this time. Iran’s firing of nuclear weapons is not inevitable. Covert methods, sanctions, building alliances, supporting the opposition, containment, and other methods offer a way to counter the Iranian threat. Moreover, the ultimate strategy is that if there is a clear and present danger of Iran firing nuclear weapons, it can be attacked at that time. And the interim period can be used to prepare for such a possible operation.

Regarding Egypt, the armed forces pose one force constraining the Islamists. The election of a non-Islamist president (Amr Moussa) in June is another one. There are many things that can — in some cases are — being done to deal with this threat. Unfortunately, the U.S. government isn’t doing them and in fact is helping the “bad guys.”

In conclusion, let me lay down some proposed rules:

Forget about your political view or the view of the writer/speaker. Is their description of reality accurate? Does it take the facts into account and provide evidence? Does it ignore or conceal evidence that undermines their thesis? Is the argument persuasive? Does it successfully answer criticisms of the claims being made? If so, then that person is right. You may then proceed to draw some conclusion about the proper response.

Is the policy response proposed merely a knee-jerk one based on a preexisting ideology, or does it make sense? Is it creative? Does it deal with the nuances of the problem? What aspects of the problem wouldn’t it solve? Would it make things worse in some ways, including unintended consequences?

In other words, don’t ignore reality because you don’t like others’ proposed solutions. Even worse, don’t ignore reality because it conflicts with your preexisting ideological assumptions. If necessary, change your assumptions. [to paraphrase Ayn Rand: You can ignore reality, but not the consequences of ignoring reality-- David]

(If you are interested: after laying things out this way to my colleague, we had a useful discussion and found that we could agree on a lot of things that didn’t fit narrow stereotypes of how people think nowadays.)

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His book, Israel: An Introduction, will be published by Yale University Press in January. Latest books include The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). The website of the GLORIA Center is at http://www.gloria-center.org and of his blog, Rubin Reports,http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com

Prepper Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Book Review - The Unthinkable - by Amanda Ripley

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Review: Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Review: Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener

See: http://www.wickededgeusa.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=82. There is a lot of good information there, plus a forum of users.

Being somewhat geeky, I recently purchased the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener, “Pro-Pack” along with an additional sets of 800/100 diamond ‘stones’ and a set of ceramic ‘stones’ for curved blades for an embarrassingly large amount of money, even on sale. But hey, I have bought some expensive knives and if added up, there is far more money invested in the knives than the sharpener. Rationalization is a wonderful tool.

The adage, “Cry once, buy once” that fits this purchase. I have a few sharpening systems, among others the Spyderco crocksticks and a DMT, both for well under $100. They both put a nice edge on a knife, but nothing eye-popping amazing. What is nice about those systems is that they are small and easily thrown in knapsack or bag. The WEPS is definitely a base-camp or home unit.

The WEPS puts on a beyond professional sharpened edge on my knives. Amazing results on both a functional level and an esthetic level; elegant.

There is a learning curve but it is a gentle curve; the first knife I sharpened came out sharper and better looking than any previous attempt on other systems. I’ve done about 10 knives so far and the results keep improving and the thrill is just beginning. I’m pestering friends to sharpen their knives.

I ordered mine through a distributor, oldawan.com. Nice easy transaction and fast delivery. Wicked Edge was having some delays but may soon be up to date .

The WEPS is elegant, it has the look, feel and function of a precision instrument. It is. You have a few choices for the base to mount the clamp. I regret not spending a few more (fiat) dollars and getting one of the heavy granite ones. The clamp, now secured on the base, is the backbone of the system. It doesn’t move. You can pick up the the whole thing by lifting the handle of the knife. Impressive.

The clamp is similar to the Lansky and other systems, just beefier and more precise. Place the blade in (more on this later), snug up the top screw, then tighten the lower screw. The hardened aluminum clamp holds the blade nicely. If the spine part of the blade is not 90*, the clamps often have a hard time tight and some sort of insert needs to placed between the knife and the vise arms. Many use foamy double sided tape or chamois cloth to take up the space between the right angles of the vise arms and the angled spine.

Some attention needs to used to properly center the blade fore and aft; my first few knives were clamped too close to the heel of the knife which resulted in a wider bevel along the curved portion of the knife as compared to the straight part. Alignment stayed true. It is more of an aesthetic issue than functional.

Underneath the vise part of the base are two symmetric arms that jut out and are inscribed in 1 degree hash marks labeled from 15 to 30 degrees. There are little divots in the sides of the stationary arms to screw the operating rods in tight.These are just estimations as mounting the blade higher or lower in the clamp will change the angle a bit. This is why you see folks on the Wicked Edge forum talking about the ‘Angle Cube” readings -- some (yeah, me too) measure the actual angle verses the indicated angle.

Now we talk about the rods, the parts I think ‘make’ the WEPS. At this point take a break and watch a few youtube videos on the sharpener sent in by happy users with more technological prowess than I. But then, I can hit their video camera at 500 yards with my 308, so there. The rods pivot across the blade and the stones move up and down. This elegant set up keeps the stone at the same angle along the edge. Its like comparing a straight line drawn with a ruler versus freehand. Additionally, you do a stroke on the right side, then the left side, keeping things even. Try doing this with a Lansky or freehand! Or you can do 5 or 10 strokes on one side to check burr development on the other. No comparison. End of story.

The basic system comes with 2 pairs of stones, each pair has 2 grits. 100, 200, the other 400 and 600. These let you reprofile an edge (eg: a 20* angel from the manufacturer and you take it down to 15*) and take it to more than adequate sharpness. It doesn’t quite take you to the mirror edge I love to see (and use), so I got the Pro System which includes 800 and 1000 grit stones and leather strops (5/3.5 micron (flippin’ microns!) and paste. Using all the stones (not the strops) puts a glowing edge on knives and using the lower angles, will slice through paper using only the weight of the blade. The strops add some sharpness but for me, its the aesthetic of a truly mirror finish. Place the edge on a printed page, you can read the letters. Cool.

The sharpening process is best viewed on youtube or the Wicked Edge site. The instructions are also available under “Instructions” under “Resources”. Basically, place the blade in the clamp on the depth guide with the alignment guide in place, and tighten. If this makes no sense to you, you didn’t read the instructions! What I do then, I learned from the Wicked Edge site. I take a magic marker and draw it down the existing edge, essentially painting the bevel. I lightly run a stone across the now painted edge and see where the marker is removed. This allows a good visual check on how the stones remove the metal along the curved portion of the blade so that you don’t develop an much wider bevel along the curve. See “Finding the Sweet Spot - Positioning Your Knife Front to Back” under Directions under Resources on their web site. It also allows you to visually determine you’ve developed a burr.

To fully benefit from the WEPS, you may need to brush up on your knife sharpening theory. Google “Experiments on Knife Sharpening John D. Verhoeven Emeritus Professor Department of Materials Science and Engineering Iowa State University Ames, IA” -- electron micrographs!! And also look at the less high-brow http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/. The bottom line, the sharper, the less durable and the more durable, the less sharp. You will need to make compromises, a 15* angle on a little pocket knife is fine, but such an acute angle does not belong a camping knife that you baton the occasional log or use like a machete. If you’re going to drop the fiat $$$ on this system, read the two. You may also be interested in taking a look at http://sharpeningtechniques.blogspot.com/ (by the developer of the WEPS). If these don’t hold your interest, then the WEPS may not be for you.

The advantages of the WEPS is found in their name -- precision. Add on sharpening both sides simultaneously (less time) and the ability to get as fancy as you want. Great customer service (I stripped a bolt as I often do, and at first they sent a replacement screw, then I got a letter that they thought that perhaps the arm threading caused the problem and sent a replacement arm with its screw, both completely free of charge.

Disadvantages. Hmmm. It’s not easily taken when camping. But then, I knew that. At best, it’s a base camp item rather than back packing item. Big deal. The knives sharpened with the WEPS holds their edge very, very well and any touch ups needed should be taken care of by a smaller, more portable system.

Is it right for you? A few hundred dollars for a sharpener? Either a waste of money or a bargain depending on your likes. I like a sharp knife and no system I’ve used has come close. It’s a pleasure to use. It’s a pleasure to look at the results. I just don’t like the bald spots on my arms where I test the edge.... If you enjoyed the paper Experiments on Knife Sharpening, then I think it will be money well-spent.

For pics of the WEPS system, please go to their site and to youtube.

Mirror edge on a cheap ChiCom knife

Tit for Tat

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:37:00 +0000

You can't be multiculturist with a monoculturist....

From: http://www.citizenwarrior.com/

TIT FOR TAT

In the 1970's the political scientist Robert Axelrod created a computer "world" using the famous Prisoner's Dilemma as a game computer programs could play against each other. He wanted to find out which computer program would succeed the best.

The Prisoner's Dilemma is a hypothetical situation used to test whether someone will cooperate or compete, and how well the strategies work in the long run.

The game is played by two people. If one cooperates and the other competes, the one who cooperated will lose and the competitive one (the selfish one) will win. If they both compete, they both lose, but not as badly.

If they both cooperate, they both win. That's how the game is set up.

If you were one of the prisoners, what would you do? That's the dilemma. How much can you count on the cooperative nature of the other person?

The game is often played repeatedly with the same two people, each of them choosing to cooperate or take advantage of the other through successive rounds of the game.

The Prisoner's Dilemma game is designed to parallel real life. If two people in real life cooperate with each other, it very often works to their mutual advantage. But if one person cooperates and the other takes advantage, it often works out very well for the selfish one and very poorly for the cooperative one.

On the other hand, if you go around preempting people — trying to take advantage of them before they take advantage of you — you will miss out on the advantages of cooperation, people will resent you, and you might get people working against you.

What is the best long-term strategy? This is the dilemma we are faced with every day, personally as well as culturally.

Robert Axelrod, the man who created the computer world, invited computer programmers to create a program to play the Prisoner's Dilemma with other programs. The question is, which program would succeed the best?

In a game that resembles the real dilemma we all face, what strategy is the most effective?

The program that proved the best was named TIT FOR TAT. It was designed by Anatol Rapoport and it was one of the simplest programs submitted. For the first interaction, it would cooperate. After that, it would repay in kind whatever the other did. That was the whole strategy.

If the other cooperated, TIT FOR TAT benefited. So did the other. If the other took advantage, TIT FOR TAT cut its losses immediately.

As the game went on, TIT FOR TAT gained more (and lost less) than any other program. In The Moral Animal, Robert Wright wrote, "More than the steadily mean, more than the steadily nice, and more than various 'clever' programs whose elaborate rules made them hard for other programs to read, the straightforwardly conditional TIT FOR TAT was, in the long run, self-serving."

And it's the most fair to everyone involved.

I suggest we in the West use the same program when dealing with other countries and other cultures. We should begin with tolerance and cooperation, and then be as tolerant and cooperative as the other is from that point on.

We would be fools to tolerate intolerance— even if that intolerance is hiding behind a cloak of religion. An intolerant culture should be the exception to the principle of universal multicultural tolerance.

For example, if orthodox Islam does not tolerate other religions, it should not be tolerated itself.

Tolerance and cooperation are definitely the best way to go, but only if the other side is tolerant and cooperative also. If they prove to be otherwise, intolerance and competitively cutting our losses is a sane response.

********************

Fool me once, shame one you; fool me twice, shame on me, fool me a third time, I'm a government official.

And recent preps here ....

I purchased a second Glock Model 30 (45 caliber) and put some nice tritium night sites on it. Despite some visual differences in the machining of the barrel, the parts are completely compatible with my other Glock Model 30 that I bought about 10 years ago. No logistic problems with different magazines or caliber. And if parts are not available, I can use cannibalize one to keep the other up and running. This is the same logic why I bought two Springfield 1911's (Champion), also in 45 cal.

I would love to do this with my rifles but costs would be out of hand for the moment.

I've been a bit too busy to write the review and take the microphotgraphs of the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpening system. It is phenomenal! Nothing short of incredible. It took a short time to learn how to get a frighteningly sharp edge on a knife that was aesthetically perfect ....Yeah, you got to be into sharpening a bit to drop some real money into a system that performs so elegantly. I sharpened my Zero Tolerance folder last night, putting an 18 degree angle (why 18 degrees? To Life!). The weight of the blade alone cuts through paper. If you like sharpening, and I do, it will be money well spent (cry once, buy once). See their site at wickededgeusa.com. See lots of comments on knifeforum. Lots of vids on youtube.

And it's cold out there. I packed some winter gear in an older knapsack and tossed it in the car. Some insulated bibs, shirts to layer, balaclava, and some gloves. Just in case I need to change a tire at in freezing weather in the middle of the night.

More From Across the Pond on the Religion of Peace

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:06:00 +0000

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2077658/The-Arabic-textbooks-children-chop-hands-feet-Sharia-law.html

The Arabic school textbooks which show children how to chop off hands and feet under Sharia law

By LEON WATSON

Last updated at 10:26 AM on 23rd December 2011

Barbaric textbooks handed out in Saudi Arabian schools teach children how to cut off a thief's hands and feet under Sharia law, it has emerged.

The shocking books, paid for and printed by the Saudi government, also tell teenagers that Jews need to be exterminated and homosexuals should be 'put to death'.

Recent editions were obtained by the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, D.C., which says they should raise fears in the West over the use of jihadist language.

Barbaric: These textbooks handed out in Saudi Arabian schools teach children how to cut off a thief's hands and feet under Sharia law

The books were published and handed out to 9th and 10th-graders despite Saudi Arabia's promises to clean up textbooks in the kingdom.

Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, told Fox News: 'This is where terrorism starts, in the education system.

'They show students how to cut (the) hand and the feet of a thief,' he said.

More...

The textbooks were printed for the 2010-2011 academic year and translated from Arabic by the institute.

In one, for ninth-graders, students are taught the annihilation of the Jewish people is imperative.

One text reads in part: 'The hour (of judgment) will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. There is a Jew behind me come and kill him.' [emphasis mine]

School prayers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where children learn how to chop off the hands and feet of thieves, it is claimed

According to the translations, women are described as weak and irresponsible.

Mr Al-Ahmed said the textbooks also call for homosexuals to be put to death 'because they pose a danger at society, as the Saudi school books teaches'.

Mr Al-Ahmed said: 'If you teach six million children in these important years of their lives, if you install that in their brain, no wonder we have so many Saudi suicide bombers.'

The Saudi Embassy in Washington D.C. was approached for comment, but there was no immediate response.

Saudi school children playing football on an artifical pitch in the evening to avoid the heat in Jeddah

From Across the Pond...

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:36:00 +0000

Stocking up for Doomsday: As economists predict meltdown, meet the families ready for the worst

By TOM RAWSTORNE

Last updated at 1:49 AM on 17th December 2011

Picture the scene: It’s the end of January 2012 and already it is clear the year to come will make that which has just passed seem something of a picnic. The last strains of Auld Lang Syne had barely faded before Greece defaulted on its debts. Over the next few weeks, Italy and Spain will follow.

Across Britain and the Continent, bank after bank goes down, a domino effect exacerbated by panicking customers desperately withdrawing their savings. Where three years ago the giants of High Street banking were seen as too big too fail, now they are too big and too many for any Government to save.

Panic ensues. Within hours, the cashpoints are empty of money and the supermarket shelves stripped bare.

Siege mentality: George and Karen Shaw have enough food to last them a year

To make matters worse the country is hit by freezing weather. As temperatures plummet and snow falls, the road network stalls to a grinding halt, while large swathes of the country are hit by electricity blackouts.

The warning by economists that Britain is just ‘nine meals from anarchy’ is brutally borne out. Unlike last summer, the rioters on the streets aren’t looking for trainers and flat-screen TVs — just food.

An absurd fantasy? Perhaps so, but in an increasingly uncertain world, such a scenario can no longer be dismissed out of hand. And strange as it may seem, it’s one that many believe is worth preparing for.

More...

Across the country, steps are being taken to cope with such a situation. But not by central or local government. Their contingency planning for such an emergency is focused on the most important and most vulnerable in society.

Instead it is ordinary people who are taking action: stockpiling their larders with non-perishable food, buying water-purifying pumps and camping stoves.

While five years ago such behaviour might have been dismissed as the activities of ‘end-of-the-world’ eccentrics, those doing so today are professionals from every walk of life.

Preparing for the worst: Ordinary people are stockpiling their larders with non-perishable food, buying water-purifying pumps and camping stoves

Bulk buying: Is stockipiling food and water a wise precaution or over-reaction?

Companies selling freeze-dried food rations, sealed in giant air-tight multi-serving tins and with a shelf-life of 25 years, have seen sales soar in recent months — increasing ten-fold compared to previous years.

Most popular are the packs of instant meals that will keep a family of four going for three months once water is added. At around £1,500 they are not cheap. But many of those buying these emergency rations see them as a wise investment — and they are well-placed to make such a judgment.

‘It is not “crazies” buying this,’ says James Blake, whose company Emergency Food Storage specialises in freeze-dried foods. ‘We get a lot of high-powered business people as customers. Most people buy insurance for their health, their house or their life — this is food insurance.

‘Of course, we hope it never happens, but if there is a major catastrophe, then money is not going to be worth much after a couple of days. It will be food that becomes the most needed thing.’

Dave Hannah and his company B-Prep sell similar products. He says a number of his customers are bankers. Their average spend is £3,000.

‘It makes you think: “What do they know?” ’ says Hannah. ‘When we’ve talked on the phone, they’ve told me: “This whole thing is going to go down.” ’

Fears for the future: The Shaws (pictured) are not the only ones taking precautions

Of course, that might just be sales talk: stoking paranoia to boost company profits.

But there’s no doubt some families are stocking up in preparation for harsh times ahead. Among them is 51-year-old Lynda Mayall from Poole in Dorset.

The divorced mother-of-four — she has 17-year-old twin girls and boys aged 18 and 19 — has suffered since the credit crunch took hold.

She was forced to close her domestic cleaning company and now teaches English as a foreign language and helps to train counsellors.

Her work is intermittent — while she had a two-month contract in the summer she is currently surviving on a few hours’ work a week. As a result, she has become acutely aware of how important it is to have sufficient food stored to feed her family.

As well as buying several hundred pounds worth of freeze-dried ‘survival’ meals, her cupboards contain more than 100 tins of beans, fish, soup and vegetables. She also has stocks of pasta and rice.

‘I think I have about a six-month supply of food in the house,’ she says. ‘The freeze-dried tins are great because they take up so much less space. It is something we can fall back on if times are tough. It is my security blanket.’ Miss Mayall says her stockpiling instinct has been sharpened by the way in which the European crisis is unfolding.

‘I think there is every possibility that we could see problems around the availability of food,’ she says.

‘We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m not totally pessimistic and I do have faith in the Government, but I have more faith in my store cupboard. I know we’ll have food in times of trouble.’

A wise precaution or an over- reaction? Either way, in recent years, a series of events have served to highlight the fragility of the infrastructure of developed First World countries in the 21st century.

Take the fuel strikes of 2000. Lorry drivers, fed up with high diesel prices, blockaded the refineries. Almost immediately they exposed the frailties of a society that feeds itself via a just-in-time supply chain.

Within days, shelves were bare and supermarket bosses were warning civil servants in Whitehall that there were just three days of food left.

Then there was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Within days, residents of the richest country in the world were looting to feed themselves and their families.

Next came the credit crunch and that day in September 2008 when the Royal Bank of Scotland almost folded. It would subsequently emerge that its cash machines were only hours away from running out of money.

You may have money in the bank, but what if you can’t get to it, and food shops — fearful of a major bank defaulting — refuse to take anything except cash?

Reserves: The Shaws have enough food and water to last them a year, stored in their garage

And, finally, who can forget the shattering blows suffered by Japan this year? First, an earthquake and tsunami and then a nuclear disaster.

Of course, many will dismiss these as freak events that happen once in a blue moon. But they all demonstrate how after decades of plenty, modern man has never been less prepared for the unexpected.

With food and oil prices rising, and countries struggling to cope with crippling debt, few predict anything but instability in the years to come.

Mr Blake set up Emergency Food Storage in Leeds in 2009. He took his lead from the U.S., where the idea of ‘self-preparedness’ is mainstream.

‘The American attitude is very different and the government there encourages people to be prepared,’ he says. ‘They see that civil unrest could follow a major disaster. If they encourage people to have food and water it will stave off that civil unrest while they put the infrastructure back on line.’

But in Britain, he says, people remain worryingly blasé about the ease with which they can get food and no longer feel the need to stockpile even basic supplies.

‘Think what’s in your cupboards and imagine if for six weeks you couldn’t get food — it might be due to snow or whatever — how would you survive?’ he says. ‘The vast majority of people will find they have only enough to last a week. Be a little more prepared is what we are saying.’

People remain worryingly blasé about the ease with which they can get food and no longer feel the need to stockpile even basic supplies

While the simplest way to do this has been to stock up on canned and dried produce, freeze-dried foods are increasingly popular. The major player in the industry is a company called Mountain House, a U.S. brand that started manufacturing in Britain five years ago.

In the past year alone, sales of its tins of food with a 25-year shelf-life have increased by 350 per cent. The contents of these tins are similar to the sachets of foods that mountaineers and other outward-bounds types might be familiar with. But because they are in cans, rather than packets, they last for 25 years, rather than five.

They are created by cooking a normal meal, such as spaghetti bolognaise, and then freezing it rapidly. Finally, the water content is extracted under pressure, a process known as sublimation.

Freeze-drying preserves the taste of the food as well as up to 97 per cent of its nutritional value. It also massively reduces its weight and bulk. For example, 1,000kg of strawberries reduces to 100kg of freeze-dried fruit. The meals are returned to near-enough their original state by adding water (preferably hot, but cold will do).

But because the process is energy-intensive, the food is not cheap.

EFS is selling 72 tins of Mountain House food for £2,199.95. This is billed as a deluxe 12-month survival pack of 450 meals.

The pack includes spaghetti bolognaise, chicken tikka with rice, chilli con carne, tinned diced chicken, tinned peas, tinned shrimp and tinned rice.

Smaller quantities are available, as is water-purifying equipment.

B-Prep, a London-based company, has experienced similar levels of demand, with orders tripling in the past year. Its founder, Dave Hannah, stresses that he does not foresee some ‘apocalyptic annihilation’ befalling Britain, but that stockpiling enough food for between three days and a month is a sensible way to prepare for a possible crisis.

Shortages: Canned foods are among the items being stockpiled

‘Two generations ago, people would have had that supply in their larders anyway,’ he says. ‘It’s just going back to that. It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.’

That’s certainly the view taken by 54-year-old George Shaw, a company director. He lives in East Sussex with his wife Karen, 47, and their two sons, aged 13 and 11. He estimates he has enough food stored to last a year. ‘I have a large shed and keep different types of canned food,’ says Mr Shaw. ‘We buy baked beans and tinned tomatoes in trays of 24 from a cut-price trade warehouse. I’ve no idea exactly how many cans I have in there, but there must be hundreds.

‘In the kitchen, we have a large freezer that’s full to the brim, and two large fridges. I buy at least four cartons of milk at a time and freeze them. It gives me a feeling of safety to know we could live for a year on our stockpile.’

His instinct to stock up is, in part, inspired by a desire to economise by bulk buying. But, he says, recent world events have also made him more cautious. ‘I think the last recession in 2008 did make many people more aware that the supermarket stocks might not last for ever, though I think it’s more likely that our food supplies would be affected by a terrorist attack,’ he says.

‘After 9/11, I stocked up on water, just in case someone had the bright idea of bombing our reservoirs. I think in the New Year people in general may become more thrifty and buy in bulk, just as we do. It makes economic sense, and it means you won’t be caught out if the economy suddenly shrinks.’

Of course, with the cost of food rising dramatically every year, buying now and storing for later makes financial sense. And at the same time it need not cost a fortune.

For the past 18 months, Chris James, a 40-year-old business consultant from Manchester, has bought an extra can of baked beans and one litre of water every time he goes to the supermarket.

‘I think there is a chance, a remote chance, that the supply chain will break down badly,’ he says.

‘For less than £1 a week I’m able to fill my garage with baked beans and water. It’s a tiny outlay for what could be a great benefit.

‘To be honest, I don’t particularly like beans, so I hope I never have to eat them. But they are nutritious and if it comes to the point that I do, I guess I’ll be grateful for anything.’

Having a sense of perspective on the potential risks is something emphasised by Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London. The highly respected academic says that while the danger of widespread food shortages should not be exaggerated, he was not surprised that people are starting to prepare for that eventuality.

‘This is a sign of the times — the tectonic plates of capitalism are wobbling pretty seriously,’ he says.

‘The general attitude in the country is: “Oh my goodness, this is not about others, it is about us, too.” People are feeling agitated and threatened and nervous.

‘There is a mass psychology of insecurity at the moment and I think that is worrying. Quietly, but inexorably, the problem of food security has entered into the mass consciousness.’

Economic toubles...

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:36:00 +0000

With a grain of salt I read about the 'poverty level' which doesn't measure poverty the way I think of poverty and is more a political hashmark than anything else. Just some very 'interesting' numbers. For your viewing pleasure:

From the Ecopnomic Collapse Blog:

The following are 50 economic numbers from 2011 that are almost too crazy to believe....

#1 A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be "low income" or are living in poverty.

#2 Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be "low income" or impoverished.

#3 If the number of Americans that "wanted jobs" was the same today as it was back in 2007, the "official" unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.

#4 The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States is now over 40 weeks.

#5 One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers.

#6 There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today than there were back in 2000even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.

#7 Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% once you account for inflation.

#8 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006. Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.

#9 A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that approximately one out of every fiveAmericans that do have a job consider themselves to be underemployed.

#10 According to author Paul Osterman, about 20 percent of all U.S. adults are currently working jobs that pay poverty-level wages.

#11 Back in 1980, less than 30% of all jobs in the United States were low income jobs. Today, more than 40% of all jobs in the United States are low income jobs.

#12 Back in 1969, 95 percent of all men between the ages of 25 and 54 had a job. In July, only 81.2 percent of men in that age group had a job.

#13 One recent survey found that one out of every three Americans would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month if they suddenly lost their current job.

#14 The Federal Reserve recently announced that the total net worth of U.S. households declined by 4.1 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone.

#15 According to a recent study conducted by the BlackRock Investment Institute, the ratio of household debt to personal income in the United States is now 154 percent.

#16 As the economy has slowed down, so has the number of marriages. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.

#17 The U.S. Postal Service has lost more than 5 billion dollars over the past year.

#18 In Stockton, California home prices have declined 64 percent from where they were at when the housing market peaked.

#19 Nevada has had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation for 59 months in a row.

#20 If you can believe it, the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.

#21 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida are sitting vacant. That figure is 63 percent larger than it was just ten years ago.

#22 New home construction in the United States is on pace to set a brand new all-time record low in 2011.

#23 As I have written about previously, 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 are now living with their parents.

#24 Electricity bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of inflationfor five years in a row.

#25 According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, health care costs accounted for just 9.5% of all personal consumption back in 1980. Today they account for approximately16.3%.

#26 One study found that approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

#27 If you can believe it, one out of every seven Americans has at least 10 credit cards.

#28 The United States spends about 4 dollars on goods and services from China for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States.

#29 It is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.

#30 The retirement crisis in the United States just continues to get worse. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 46 percent of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and 29 percent of all American workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement.

#31 Today, one out of every six elderly Americans lives below the federal poverty line.

#32 According to a study that was just released, CEO pay at America's biggest companies rose by 36.5% in just one recent 12 month period.

#33 Today, the "too big to fail" banks are larger than ever. The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.

#34 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal to the bottom 30 percent of all Americans combined.

#35 According to an analysis of Census Bureau data done by the Pew Research Center, the median net worth for households led by someone 65 years of age or older is 47 times greater than the median net worth for households led by someone under the age of 35.

#36 If you can believe it, 37 percent of all U.S. households that are led by someone under the age of 35 have a net worth of zero or less than zero.

#37 A higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty (6.7%) than has ever been measured before.

#38 Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007.

#39 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.

#40 Sadly, child poverty is absolutely exploding all over America. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4% of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1% of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6% of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6% of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.

#41 Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every fourAmerican children is on food stamps.

#42 In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income. Today, government transfer payments account for more than 18 percent of all income.

#43 A staggering 48.5% of all Americans live in a household that receives some form of government benefits. Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.

#44 Right now, spending by the federal government accounts for about 24 percent of GDP. Back in 2001, it accounted for just 18 percent.

#45 For fiscal year 2011, the U.S. federal government had a budget deficit of nearly 1.3 trillion dollars. That was the third year in a row that our budget deficit has topped one trillion dollars.

#46 If Bill Gates gave every single penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit for about 15 days.

#47 Amazingly, the U.S. government has now accumulated a total debt of 15 trillion dollars. When Barack Obama first took office the national debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars.

#48 If the federal government began right at this moment to repay the U.S. national debt at a rate of one dollar per second, it would take over 440,000 years to pay off the national debt.

#49 The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.

#50 During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.

EMP could wipe on 2/3 of our population in a year!

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:22:00 +0000

EMP could wipe on 2/3 of our population in a year! Anyone remember the Biblical plague of Darkness in Egypt where 80% of the Jews (and many Egyptians) perished?

Without the Rule Of Law, again

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:57:00 +0000

By Bob Beauprez and Christopher Jaarda

The New York Times is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin conducting a review of all deportation cases in the immigration courts with the goal of “halting” the deportation “of many illegal immigrants with no criminal record.“ In other words, this is a back door amnesty by a President desperate to score political points with a constituency critical to his reelection.

“Many immigration offenses, including being present in the United States without legal status, are civil violations; they are not crimes,” wrote the NY Times citing communications from John Morton, Director of Immigration and Enforcement Services (ICE) at the Department of Homeland Security. That is simply not true. At a minimum, someone in the U.S. illegally has committed a criminal misdemeanor; in a great many cases, felony statutes of federal law have been violated.

Regrettably, the announcement by DHS is the latest in a long list of government inaction when it comes to enforcing America’s immigration and criminal laws. This form of selective enforcement also ignores the harm illegal immigration poses on citizens and legal immigrants alike.

First, it should be pointed out that under federal law, by virtue of being unlawfully present in the U.S., an illegal alien is committing (at a minimum) a misdemeanor crime. DHS is choosing to ignore the fact that all illegal aliens are actively committing a crime under federal law.

Second, consider that each year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) compiles a “no match” list for paycheck withholdings remitted to the government by employers in cases where the employee’s name and social security number reported by the employer do not match. Now admittedly, some of these “no match” discrepancies are a result of typographical errors but the majority of those are the result of withholdings from wages of illegal aliens.

Any individual who uses a social security number that was not issued to them is committing a felony. In cases involving the use of a number that has never been issued by SSA, the felony is identity fraud. In cases where the number has been issued to someone else, the felony is one of identity theft. Both instances are 5-year felonies under federal law.

An illegal alien who enters the U.S. illegally is not work authorized and, therefore, is ineligible to receive a social security number. The same is true for aliens who have entered the U.S. on a non-work visa and overstayed that visa. It is a felony under federal law for either classification of illegal aliens to provide their employers with a social security number in order to obtain work.

This form of identity theft or identity fraud is not a victimless crime. Citizens and legal immigrants are hurt every day by this crime. If you talk to one of the victims of these crimes and hear directly how their lives have been turned upside down, you would never, ever view illegal immigration the same again.

It should be troubling that the federal government knows exactly where most of these, as of yet un-convicted, felons are working but that SSA is doing nothing to share this information with law enforcement.

Third, it should also be troubling that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is not demanding this information from SSA as part of an effort to prosecute identity thieves.

When DHS says they are halting the deportation of non-criminal illegal aliens, this inaction by the federal government comes after:

(1) SSA has turned its back on victims of identity theft in order to protect the perpetrators of the crime;

(2) DOJ has failed to bring charges against illegal aliens who commit identity theft even though American citizens and legal immigrants are daily harmed by these crimes; and

(3) DHS has ignored the fact that the illegal alien’s presence in the U.S. currently constitutes the commission of a crime under federal law.

It is no wonder the American people are so frustrated by illegal immigration. Their government is daily ignoring the law and the harm illegal immigration is posing on the country.

### And this Administration's cronyism, Fast and Furious, support for OWS (along with David Duke), Sharia-compliance, Arab Spring, and ..... ad nauseum.

Double Standards, or Living Without the Rule of Law

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:07:00 +0000

From http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2011/11/where_is_janet.php#more

Where Is Janet Napolitano When It Comes To The "Domestic Terrorist Threat" Posed By The Occupy Wall Street Protestors?

Topics: Moonbats, Political News and commentaries

When back at the beginning of the "Tea Party" movement, regular folk, many of whom had never been involved in the political process before, became involved in the protests against Obama's disastrous policies ruining this nation: His socialist inspired "Big Government" profligate spending bankrupting the country; his intrusive asinine "Regulations Gone Wild" killing small businesses and choking our economy in this worst of recessions; and his Administration's increasing encroachment and "Big Brother" intrusion into every facet of our personal daily lives - even the micromanaging by Federal fiat of how much salt and or sugar Michelle Obama deems appropriate we should all ingest, and or what and how much we all should, or should not, eat, drink, and or smoke; a hand-wringing, alarmed, Janet Napolitano issued memos warning law enforcement agencies all across the nation, about the"possible domestic terrorist threat" posed by those stay at home moms carrying toddlers to the Tea Party protests, the blue collar fathers carrying their kids on their shoulders in attendance, WWII veterans proudly parading with their medals, people dressed up as Continental soldiers playing the iconic 1776 "Fife and Drums" of our Independence, members of our Armed forces returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, and by those aging retirees sitting in lawn chairs and waving American flags at the events! All of whom Napolitano and her Department of Homeland Security categorized as potential "Timothy McVeigh types" and potential domestic terrorist threats! Oh my God! You know, let's raise the Homeland Security Advisory System threat level to "YELLOW" since grandma is such a "danger" to Obama, and his 60's radicals now in power in Washington, with that knitting needle!

Yet for all that the Obama-lapdogs at the Mainstream Media, the Democrats, and the left, vilified and ridiculed the Tea Party, falsely portrayed the movement as "racist", called them "domestic and economic terrorists" and characterized Tea Partiers as "violent","unhinged", "unsophisticated Rednecks", and "ignorant Clod-hoppers"; to the chagrin of their detractors, the Tea Partiers have generally proven to be peaceful, civil, have been exceptionally well behaved and respectful of local laws and city ordinances where they have rallied, and picked up after themselves after the events - not leaving a mess behind to be cleaned up by cities and municipalities at taxpayer's expense.

They did not incite anyone to violence, did not call for the violent overthrow of Obama, and or the government; for the most part have just voiced peacefully their desire for smaller government, less taxes, and less government intrusion into our daily lives, and voiced their love and pride in America (Oh my God, the humanity!) - which is probably one of the salient points that most irritates the "multiculturalist", Marxist inspired ideologues, leftist, hate-America crowd, about the Tea Party!

Now however, when unruly and often violent "Occupy Wall Street" protestors, comprised of Obama supporters, leftists, 60's radicals, anarchists, communists, social malcontents, criminals, and other Democrats - many of them recruited, sponsored, and paid to protest, by the SEIU and other Labor Unions, and by many openly communist and anarchist organizations funded by MoveOn.org and Soros money; riot: slashing at police with knives, throwing Molotov Cocktails, setting things on fire, and wantonly defacing and destroying property; raping women with impunity - even a 14 year-old in Zuccotti Park, indulging in violence; and publicly binging on booze, drugs, and other illegal substances - to the point three protesters have already been found dead in their tents of drug overdoses in various cities; you don't hear a "peep" from our otherwise overly concerned (when it comes to Tea Partiers) Janet Napolitano or her department!

Where is Napolitano's overwhelming concern when it comes to the Occupy wall Street protestors, such as the one she had about grandmothers, knitting, sitting in lawn chairs at Tea Parties, and veterans parading with American flags?

How come "Big Sis" Napolitano (as Richard calls her) seems not to be as distraught about these rowdy revolutionaries and anarchists in our streets, who attack our police with knives, throw bottles, rocks, and Molotov Cocktails at them; set tires, dumpsters, and buildings on fire; and openly call for "Revolution" and the violent overthrow of America?

May it be perhaps be, even though the Occupy Wall Street crowd are violent, rioting, raping, destroying and burning things, and are a very real threat to public safety, as well as a health hazard and a public nuisance to our communities, that the reason why Miss Napolitano does not consider them a "threat to our national security" in the same breadth as she perceived the Tea Party to have been one, is because these leftists miscreants and malcontents grudgingly vote "Democrat" for lack of a Stalin, Mao, or Fidel, on the ballot, and thus politically, as a liberal, she shares in their ideology and objectives?

I mean, after all, the Occupy Wall Street protestors certainly have been praised by president Obama - who has made of inciting "class warfare" and "racial divisiveness" the hallmark of his presidency. And by the Democrats who promptly sided with these radicals and anarchists as some sort of leftist "Tea Party" they hoped to capitalize on politically.

Or by the Obama-lapping media, that has praised the protests by these doped-up leftist loons as an exemplary "civil exercise in democracy", while calling those who participated in the Tea Parties - even children who went along with their parents and grandparents to indeed learn to participate in our democratic process: "tea-baggers" - derogatorily ascribing to them an obscene homosexual practice as a mocking insult with which to belittle them and demean their conservative views on homosexuality and on the gay activism gone wild in our nation!

Can you imagine the outcry in the Obama-servile media had one NRA Second-Amendment-supporting Tea Partier, just one, have had the audacity to throw but a single "water balloon" at someone at a Tea party rally? I am sure that Janet Napolitano would have deemed that a "credible act of aggression" and "domestic terrorism", and as a result would've started rounding up all those "terrorist" Tea Partiers! But hell, if it's the "lefty" Occupy Wall Street radicals who are burning up Oakland? Then, that's ok!

These commie radicals who have taken over our parks and public spaces for over a month now; posing a public safety threat to our communities which have been forced to divert police and emergency resources away from other vital areas to babysat these social malcontents and Marxist "useful idiots"; which have disrupted commerce - bankrupting local businesses, and whose interminable protests are stretching many local city and municipal budgets already in the red, even further; which poses a significant health hazard and the spread of diseases because of the prevalent unsanitary, crowded, conditions, and has become but a breeding ground for all sorts of STDs and other communicable diseases, such as hepatitis, spreading - especially given the wanton promiscuity and drug use in these tent camps; pose more of a threat to our immediate public safety and to our Republic, than did any Tea Partier , whom Janet Napolitano perceived as so great a threat!

Hell, as far as I know not even one of those knitting grandmothers waving American flags from their lawn chairs suffered a heart attack while at a Tea Party rally; while, as I pointed out above, three of these doped-up losers at the Occupy Wall Street protests unfortunately have already died of drug overdoses...and counting!

Is there any comparison between the civil and orderly "Tea Party" rallies and these violent, chaotic, riots taking place in our cities under the "Occupy Wall Street" banner, except in asinine, sick, liberal, minds, such as that of Janet Napolitano?

As the colloquial saying goes, her thinking "is gay"...no pun intended.

Laughing as I post this -- just heard that Ubama is hard at work in Hawaii ... on his golf game again.

FBI Spying on Prepppers?

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:51:00 +0000

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/08/10/7769/

Oath Keepers Exclusive: An FBI Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force handout being distributed to Colorado military surplus store owners lists the purchase of popular preparedness items and firearms accessories as “suspicious” and “potential indicators of terrorist activities,” instructing store owners to keep records on and report people who:

“Make bulk purchase of items to include:

Weatherproofed ammunition or match containers

Meals Ready to Eat

Night Vision Devices; night flashlights; gas masks

High capacity magazines

Bi-pods or tri-pods for rifles”

The FBI handout, entitled “Communities Against Terrorism: Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Military Surplus Stores” also instructs surplus store owners to:

“Require valid ID from all new customers.

Keep records of purchases.

Talk to customers, ask questions, and

listen to and observe their responses.

Watch for people and actions that are out of place.

Make note of suspicious statements, people, and /or vehicles.

If something seems wrong, notify law enforcement authorities.”

The handout also instructs surplus store owners to consider as “suspicious” anyone who “demands identity ‘privacy’” or anyone who expresses “extreme religious statements” and those who “make suspicious comments regarding anti-US, [or] radical theology.”

The “Communities Against Terrorism” flyer closes by stating:

Preventing terrorism is a community effort. By learning what to look for, you can make a positive contribution in the fight against terrorism. The partnership between the community and law enforcement is essential to the success of anti -terrorism efforts.

Some of the activities, taken individually, could be innocent and must be examined by law enforcement professionals in a larger context to determine whether there is a basis to investigate. The activities outlined on this handout are by no means all-inclusive but have been compiled from a review of terrorist events over several years.

The handout encourages surplus store owners and employees to provide information on “suspicious” customers by calling the Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force or the Colorado Information Analysis Center. This handout is very nearly identical to one issued by the FBI to gun stores from Connecticut to Utah: PDF

This new handout expands the absurdity by now also targeting customers of military surplus stores, and by specifically targeting the purchasing of very common, and very popular, preparedness items such as Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s) as “potential indicators of terrorist activities.”

While this particular handout is being given to military surplus store owners in Colorado, it is nearly certain that similar versions are being handed out by Joint Terrorism Task Forces in other states. Anyone who has seen such a handout, or who has a copy of one, please contact us at tips@oathkeepers.org. You know, “if you see something, say something!” It may be a potential indicator of government terrorist (tyranny and chilling of speech) activities. Remember, combating tyranny is a community effort and you can make a difference! – Oath Keepers

FULL PDF OF HANDOUT

Word Version

NOTE FROM STEWART RHODES, FOUNDER OF OATH KEEPERS:

Islamist terrorists are not known to hang out in local Army-Navy surplus stores, stocking up on MRE’s, high capacity magazines and bi-pods for their long range rifles. As Brandon Smith, over at Alt-market.com notes, “These are very common purchases, not for terrorists, but for Preppers and Survivalists, who are obviously the targets of the FBI profile, not secret Al-Qaeda agents.” Spot on. Obviously the current crop of FBI “leadership” considers anyone who wants to be self-sufficient and prepared to be a “threat” that should be relentlessly tracked and reported.

So if you take preparedness seriously enough to buy a few cases of MREs, or if you see the wisdom in having spare “high capacity” (i.e. full capacity*) magazines for your rifles or pistols, if you don’t want your matches to get wet, if you want to be able to see in the dark, or if you want to be able to shoot more accurately by using a bipod, “you might be a terrorist” (like a bizarre Jeff Foxworthy joke), and the FBI wants your neighborhood Army Surplus Store to play the role of government informant and snitch, like something out of East Germany. As Brandon Smith put it, the FBI handout “even instructs store owners to subtly interrogate their customers in order to draw a fuller profile. THIS IS CALLED CITIZEN SPYING. Period.” Spot on again. That’s exactly what it is – a preparedness focused “see something, say something” snitch program to help track and locate Americans who exhibit such dangerous “prepper” tendencies.

How far we have come from the Founder’s ideal of a “well regulated” (well equipped and well trained) citizen militia where ALL able bodied citizens were expected to keep and bear their own weapons, ammunition, field gear, and other supplies essential to personal military capability and competence. And the Founders expected us to keep that military gear at home and to actually train together in its use so we would “be prepared” for anything, you know, like the Boy Scouts motto. That motto is a sad remnant of the Founders’ ideal of a prepared citizenry. As the Boy Scouts website still notes:

“Be Prepared.”

That’s the motto of the Boy Scouts.

“Be prepared for what?” someone once asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting,

“Why, for any old thing.” said Baden-Powell.

Under the logic of this most recent handout, the Boy Scouts should be reported as “suspicious.” I can just hear the people at Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who likely helped write this handout, screeching “Someone report Baden-Powell to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force! He’s advocating an extremist, paranoid “prepper” ideology! Oh, wait …he’s dead? Well then, report anyone who quotes him! Such as that subversive remnant of American reactionary radicalization of the youth, the Boy Scouts! That’s a hotbed for extremist radicalization. Why haven’t they been shut down yet?! Someone get Cass Sunstein and Holder on the phone!”

The Founders would have wanted all of us, every one, to “be prepared” for “any old thing.” They would have wanted us to have night vision, gas masks (which come in handy in many situations), “high-capacity” magazines – and the powerful military pattern rifles that use them – bi-pods so we can shoot accurately at long distance, and plenty of ammunition in “weatherproofed” containers (also known as surplus ammo cans). They would have wanted us to have plenty of MRE’s for handy field use, and even “night flashlights.” I suppose “day flashlights” are OK with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, but those dangerous “night flashlights” are verboten, and anyone who buys one must be reported! I certainly hope it wasn’t actually someone at the FBI who wrote that.**

This absurd list sounds like it was compiled by someone at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) or by someone at the Brady Center. I’m shocked it doesn’t also list purchase of “those shoulder things that go up” as a potential indicator of terrorist activity. And it may well have been written by the SPLC. As Oath Keepers exposed in October of 2010, the CEO of Southern Poverty Law Center now sits on the DHS “Working Group on Countering Violent Extremism,” which is tasked with designing training initiatives that reach right down to the local community level (as in “communities against terrorism”), to include training local police, social workers, teachers, “child protective services” personnel, and mental health professionals on how to use their power and influence to “counter violent extremism.”

I don’t have to tell you who SPLC likes to label “extremist.” You already know. Just look in the mirror. If you dare to quote the Founding Fathers, if you still believe in the self evident truths and principles of liberty espoused in the Declaration of Independence, if you advocate strict obedience of the Constitution, if you dare to take your oath seriously, and encourage others to do likewise, you are a radical “extremist” according to the SPLC and their “Hate Watch” website, and they will lump you in with neo-Nazis, skinheads, cop-killers and terrorists. And likewise if you support Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, or Michelle Bachmann, or if you watch Judge Andrew Napolitano’s Freedom Watch show or like Glenn Beck, since all of them are considered “enablers” of extremism by the SPLC. And of course, Oath Keepers has been a target of their smear campaigns from the day of its founding. I consider it a badge of honor. You know you’re over the target when Mark Potok starts screeching about you on national TV.

And now, as part of the DHS “team,” SPLC is doing their very best to turn the full power of government on you at every level, right down to your local “Mayberry” Police Department. And that’s where handouts like this one come in, encouraging the whole community to be out there monitoring, tracking, compiling dossiers, and investigating anyone who advocates or holds the views and ideals of the Founders or who is actually trying to fulfill their civic duties by practicing those ideals – such as the ideals of preparedness, competence at arms, and being well equipped and well trained.

Funny thing is, who exactly do the authors of these handouts think they are talking to when they ask gun store and military surplus store owners and staff to spy on their customers and serve as a network of government snitches? These stores are usually owned and staffed by veterans, who are also very preparedness minded – in other words, just like the customers the government wants them to inform on. That’s like handing the MIAC report to Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters and asking them to keep an eye on those pesky, subversive, and potentially dangerous Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters. It’s absurd.

in fact, asking military surplus store owners and staff to keep an eye out for people who like to stock up on MREs, high capacity magazines, flashlights, and weatherproofed ammo and match containers is like asking a shoe store to keep an eye out for people who take footwear seriously.

And when a store owner gets this list of “potential indicators of terrorist activities” and sees the items he stocks listed there, what is that saying about him? If he is intentionally stocking MRE,s, “night flashlights,” weatherproof ammunition or match containers, or any of the other common-sense, useful items on this list, that makes him an “enabler” and supplier of potential terrorists – at least in the eyes of the authors of this handout.

If the powers that be, and the authors of this silly handout are worried about customers of military surplus stores, I can only imagine what they think of readers of www.survivalblog.com or of the listeners and readers of Preparedness Podcast (http://thepreparednesspodcast.com/).

And they are probably on the verge of having strokes over Oath Keepers recently announced Operation Sleeping Giant (www.operationsleepinggiant.com) where we openly urge all veterans to be prepared and to take a leadership role in getting their communities prepared for anything by focusing on four key areas:

1. Food storage, fuel storage, emergency medical, and communications security and independence (and general preparedness). Since food is the hardest thing to improvise, it comes first, so we advocate doing as the Mormons do, by taking food storage seriously [including some MREs!]

2. Physical security and Independence – to include neighborhood watches; mutual aid associations; a volunteer sheriff’s posse (under direct command of the sheriff); and county militias established by county ordinances but staffed by self-supplied and self-funded volunteers (as is done in volunteer fire departments all over this nation); state defense forces under command of the governor; and ultimately, a true state militia, established by state statute, and capable of “repelling invasions” [just imagine Mark Potok reading that!].

3. Economic security and independence – as individuals and communities, including barter networks, use of silver and gold as real money, and sound money bills at the county and state levels (as Utah just passed). See www.alt-market.com for details.

4. State sovereignty and nullification of unconstitutional federal laws and actions. The focus here is on restoring the Republic from the bottom up, by voting out oath breakers and voting in constitutionalists, till we have sheriffs, local and state legislators, and governors who have the knowledge, courage, and integrity to keep their oaths, up to and including being willing to defend the Constitution and the powers reserved to the states and to the people (see the Tenth Amendment) by supporting state sovereignty resolutions and nullification of unconstitutional laws.

[Go to www.operationsleepinggiant.com for more details on that program, and please get involved!]

When the government distributes handouts encouraging gun stores and military surplus stores to track, monitor, and snitch on their customers, you know we are in trouble. But the answer is not to hide, afraid to train and practice preparedness. The answer is for everyone to become a “prepper”, as in all the rebellious gladiators yelling out “I am Spartacus!” when the Roman General demanded to know where Spartacus was. The proper spirit of response it be like Founding Father John Hancock saying “here, let me write my name nice and big, so King George can easily read it.”

That attitude is also expressed in Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!

The answer to the government’s silly lists is to make the lists so damn long they end up including every able bodied American (who is supposed to be the militia anyway), and thus the damnable lists become useless. Each of us should, rather than being afraid of buying preparedness gear, step up and go shopping, and encourage others to do the same, online, in person, wherever. Give preparedness items as birthday presents and Christmas gifts. Make them a badge of honor, like the Founding generation proudly wearing home-spun. Make the lists so big they become useless.

When the beast is in your face, trying to crush and stamp out the last remnants of your heritage, trying to chill your speech and make you afraid to fulfill your civic duties, afraid to keep your oath by stepping up and getting your community ready for hard times ahead – when the beast is trying to “nudge” you into sitting down, shutting up, and being a dependent, unprepared, scared, and cowardly serf, the answer is to step right up and answer the call. “Here I am. Send me!” should be the battle cry of every one of you.

I recently responded to the Police Chief of Quartzsite Arizona, who likes to make references to “domestic terrorism” when discussing upstart Tea Party people, Oath Keepers and Sons of Liberty Riders, by saying hey, “we’re your huckleberries, Chief.” (and we’ll be marching in Quartzsite on August 27th in support of the Quartzsite Ten!).

Same goes for this nonsense. If the FBI and DHS wants to openly target preparedness minded folks as “suspicious” and worthy of being reported to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, for simply doing what the Founders expected us to do, and what we veterans are duty bound by our oaths to do, and what every American, if they wish to be worthy of being called “citizen” is duty bound to do, well then, Robert and Janet, we’re your huckleberries too! Get in line.

Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito (Latin: Do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it)

Stewart Rhodes,

Founder of Oath Keepers

* Hat tip to James Wesley, Rawles of Survival Blog who encourages the use of the term “full capacity” magazines rather than the anti-gunner term “high capacity” since the magazines in question were designed to carry that many rounds.

** We have heard, through the gape-vine, that many current serving FBI field agents are in agreement with us and support what we are doing here at Oath Keepers. They are not happy at all with the politicization of the FBI, but the “leaders” in Washington DC are another matter entirely, and have expressed an intent to use the FBI, along with DHS, BATF, etc., as a weapon against conservatives and constitutionalists. Will be interesting to see how that tension is resolved.

This would be bad

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:40:00 +0000

NOAA Warns of Monster Solar Storm Region Facing Earth for Next Two Weeks; Fully Capable of Producing X-Class Flares

Mac Slavo
November 8th, 2011
SHTFplan.com

Comments (134)

Last Thursday the sun produced an X1.9 rated solar flare that narrowly missed Earth. Although it wasn’t aimed directly at us, about 45 minutes after leaving the sun it was still powerful enough to disrupt radio communications.

Now, that same area responsible for producing the X-class flare may pose a direct threat to Earth.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center says that the region on the sun known as AR11339 and affectionately called the “Benevolent Monster” will set its sights on Earth. It will move into a position that poses the largest risk to our planet around November 9th, 2011 and remain on a direct line of sight with earth for the following two (2) weeks as it rotates:

Scientists at the federal Space Weather Prediction Center say that area is the most active part of the sun since 2005. It has dozens of sunspots, including one that is the size of 17 Earths.
…
“It’s still growing. The size is what blows me away.”
Thursday’s flare wasn’t aimed at Earth. However, this active region is now slowly turning toward Earth, and scientists say it will be directly facing Earth in about five days.
That storm region will only affect Earth if it shoots off flares and they hit our planet, which doesn’t always happen with stormy areas, said prediction center space scientist Joe Kunches.
The region will be facing Earth for about two weeks as it rotates, he said.
Solar flares send out bursts of electromagnetic energy that can occasionally disrupt communications and electrical systems.
Sourced Via The Intel Hub

We’ll be facing the monster starting sometime this evening into tomorrow. Considering that it has just recently ejected an X-class flare towards Earth and another towards Venus, we should consider the region to be active and fully capable of affecting our planet.

While NOAA’s warnings fall short of any imminent ‘end of the world as we know it’ event, the risk over the next two weeks of a Carrington-like event are higher now than at anytime in the last decade. The 1859 Carrington Event, caused by a solar flare, reportedly knocked out telegraph operations around the world. It is believed that such an event, were it to occur today, could potentially take down the U.S. power grid for months or years and paralyze the entire globe:

Physicist Michio Kaku:
It could paralyze the economy of the planet earth. In 1859 we had a gigantic solar storm which knocked out telegraph wires back then, 150 years ago. If that had happened today it would knock out almost all our satellites, knock out power stations, there would be food riots around the country because refrigeration would stop, airplanes would probably crash without radar.
…
And again, this is a once in a century, once in two centuries storm…
We do have them and we have to worry about them.
…
We’d be thrown back 100 years.
Source: Top Physicist Says Solar Flare Would Set Us Back 100 Years

Patrick Geryl of How to Survive 2012 contacted us recently and contributed a short video describing the potential fall out of such an event. The consequences would be devastating and would include everything from power grid failure and food shortages, to savage riots and, eventually, a meltdown of nuclear reactors across the globe.

There would be very little warning, if any, with estimates suggesting that once a solar event is detected it could take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days to impact earth.

StumbleReddit

Author: Mac Slavo
Date: November 8th, 2011
Website: www.SHTFplan.com

Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.

**** Have you read "One Second After"?

The Existential threat of Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Getting Back To It

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:08:00 +0000

Well, I took the plunge, and took a new position in my redoubt State (a different State from those suggested over at SurvivalBlog folks) and have been busy trying to get the bulk of my household belongings delivered from the USAF. Between moving what I had and starting a new position, I've been a bit busy.

Still busy but take a gander at:

From: http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/the-prepper-movement-why-are-millions-of-preppers-preparing-feverishly-for-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it_10262011:

The Prepper Movement: Why Are Millions Of Preppers Preparing Feverishly For The End Of The World As We Know It?

--What's your reason for prepping, or not prepping.

And just read about from http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/ to see what happens when an incredibly sharp mind effectively communicates ideas. Don't read him before your second cup of coffee in the morning, or in my case, the third.

It feels wonderful to be in a State where going to a shooting range or talking about rifles is not seen unusual. Even if I still don't have my Tempurpedic mattress!

Brace yourselves peanut butter lovers -- prices are set to spike

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:29:00 +0000

http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/14/markets/peanut_butter_prices/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Brace yourselves, peanut butter lovers -- prices are set to spike following one of the worst peanut harvest seasons growers have seen in years.

Prices for a ton of runner peanuts, commonly used to make peanut butter, hit nearly $1,200 this week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's up from just $450 per ton a year ago.

It won't be long before consumers see this price increase reflected on store shelves.

Kraft (KFT, Fortune 500) will raise prices for its Planters brand peanut butter by 40% starting Oct. 31, while ConAgra (CAG, Fortune 500) expects increases of more than 20% for its Peter Pan brand.

A spokesperson for Unilever (UL), which makes Skippy, would say only that it's watching the situation "very closely."

Representatives for J.M. Smucker (SJM, Fortune 500), which makes Jif, did not respond to a request for comment, though the Associated Press reported that Jif's wholesale prices are set to rise 30% in November.

What's to blame for this sticky situation? The intense heat and drought that hit the southern U.S. this year, said John Beasley, a professor of crop physiology and management at the University of Georgia.

"It was just unmerciful, and we had a lot of problems setting the crop," he said. "I literally walked some fields that had zero yield."
Safe havens? Gold, the yen and peanut butter

In addition, Beasley said, high prices last year for other crops, such as cotton, corn and soy beans, led farmers who might otherwise have grown peanuts to focus their efforts elsewhere.

Overall, U.S. peanut production will hit 3.6 billion pounds this year, down 13% from last year, according to a Department of Agriculture report released this week.

Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter and consume more than six pounds of peanut products each year, according to The National Peanut Board, a farmer-funded research group.

Sales may not be so smooth during the looming price crunch. In any case, though, a shift in peanut butter consumption shouldn't make a huge difference to the nutritional quality of most Americans' diets, said Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University.

"For the average person in America," she said, "it would be a good idea to eat less of almost everything." To top of page

Question of the Day: Why Are American Jews Pro-Gun Control?

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:20:00 +0000

http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2010/10/robert-farago/question-of-the-day-why-are-americanjews-so-pro-gun-control/comment-page-1/#comment-86129

http://jewishmarksmanship.blogspot.com/2011/07/understanding-jewish-opposition-to-gun.html

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Read about this advertisement that will hopefully be seen in NYC soon at http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/

On a lighter note ...

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Please watch the first 2 or 3 minutes. No coffee in mouth as I will not be held liable for ruined keyboards etc. I respectfully suggest voiding your bladder first to avoid a real "It was so funny I peed my pants."

Hat tip to Ann Barnhardt...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3f_pC0-Oys&feature=player_embedded

Sukkot Weekend II

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:27:00 +0000

The Sukkot weekend is growing its ‘to do list’. I purchased 2 Mosin Nagent rifles and looking forward to familiarizing myself with this ‘oldie but goodie’. I’ve never shot one, always wanted to, a found a set at a great price. Hopefully I’ll be able to zero them in at 300 yards quickly.

Other weapons will be available for all interested to ‘try on’. I’m trying to find the time to buy a box or two of clay pigeons for the shotgunner in all of us.

In addition to a NRA Certified Instructor, there will be hands-on experience for those wishing to learn a bit more about HAM radio and other systems. For those who get into the nitty gritty of things, a sheep or goat will be slaughtered and butchered to provide food during the weekend.

Please visit (or re-visit) the original posting for Sukkot in the archives. Again, there is no cost, kids are welcome, if you are kosher you will need to bring kosher food.

And for the kid in all of us, there are 3 puppies available to play with.

Dilbert on Preppers

noreply@blogger.com (Survivor) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Random Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Waiting for a monolithic federal bureaucracy to make a decision has given me too much time to read the news -which isn't good from the possible imminent Greece default to Turkey's navel convoy of the palestinian Flotilla. But I did get smiles from the Sultan Knish's piece tempered by further despair over the willing blindness of the leftstream media over the Ground Zero mosque.

Please read SK's piece at http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/, which can be summarized as follows: " While the media insists on telling us how much we can learn from Islam-- there is more of goodness, decency and honor to be learned from a dog, than there is from the entire Koran." and here is the short piece from AmericanThinker:

Return to the Article

September 14, 2011

Imam Rauf's World Trade Center Conquest Imagery

Andrew G. Bostom

When Ground Zero Mosque promoter Imam Feisal Rauf's book, What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, was published in Indonesian in 2007, it acquired a modified title - "Seruan Azan Dari Puing WTC: Dakwah Islam di Jantung Amerika Pasca 9/11" i.e., "The Call of Azan from the Rubble of the World Trade Center: Islamic Da'wa in the Heart of America Post-9/11". The Middle East Media Research Institute blog observed August 23, 2010,

The azan is the muezzin's call to prayer. It consists of a number of sentences repeated several times: "Allahu Akbar," the Shahada (la ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasoul Allah - "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger") and the phrase "Gather for prayer." It is noteworthy that, in the period of Muslim conquests in the first centuries of Islam, this call was made from newly conquered sites.

As a striking example of this phenomenon, according to the pious Muslim narrative, after the Muslim forces had conquered Mecca, in January, 630 -- one of the most hallowed occurrences in Islam's history -- Bilal, Muhammad's Ethiopian muezzin, ascended to the top of the Kaaba (a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, considered the most sacred site in Islam) to call the Muslims to prayer -- the first time the azan was heard within Islam's holiest city. This purported event was depicted in the Persian miniature, below:

The recent solemn tenth anniversary of the acts of jihad terrorism on 9/11/2001, juxtaposed to such triumphal Islamic imagery, should remind us forever of Rauf's conquering mentality, notwithstanding his false, if treacly and oft-repeated claims of "ecumenism"

from: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/09/imam_raufs_world_trade_center_conquest_imagery.html at September 14, 2011 - 07:32:04 AM CDT

The Rule of Law

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:36:00 +0000

I often wondered why my thoughts on prepping continuously lead me to the political arena. Prepping makes sense in the same way wearing a seatbelt makes sense. In prepping, the failure could (again) be FEMA. With the recent threat of Irene, it was nice not to have to run to store for anything. The house had food, water and batteries with flashlights and the like. OK, so I used the hurricane to rationalize purchasing a few more rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. So having a few days’ supply of water, batteries, seasonal appropriate clothing and minor first aid in a small bag makes sense in the face of stormy weather, power outages and earthquakes. Or larger bag(s) if you want, with perhaps an analogy to airbags here.

But how does that meld into politics? You prep for a for a foreseeable emergency that is less likely than a normal day but could happen. Like the spare tire in the trunk, you don’t expect to frequently use it but you keep it there. A few days power loss, sure; space alien invasion, not so much. I depend on the rule of law in my life. I do not expect roving bands of marauders nor assaults on my home by gangs next week. But reading the news, I am struck by the loss of sensibilities and by the loss of the rule of law by both private citizens and the government. Pick your headlines. Even the New York Times reported that the Obama administration ignored Federal law regarding shipping oil from the National Strategic Reserve, to pick a recent ‘headline’ as the latest disregard of the rule of law by the administration. Obama’s decision to not deport non-violent illegal aliens is also bereft of law. Put your favorite lapse(s) here. Rule of law is lacking in our political system as is honesty let alone clarity of thought. Remember the bizarre statement from the DNC chair about how (evil) Republicans want to deport ‘undocumented workers’ who broke no law -- forgetting than the Orwellian doublespeak translation of ‘undocumented worker’ is, uhhh, illegal alien? I am sure numerous examples come to your mind, many more come to mine. How many Congresspeople have a decrease in their personal wealth while serving? Well, as far as I can tell, zero. Their investments do far better than the private citizen, imagine that. So when I think prep, I think of possible/probable scenarios, and unfortunately the loss of the Rule of Law has become one of them. Somewhere far closer to power outages than space aliens. No tin hat yet.

Another problem with the government which slowly adds to my fear that the rule of law will be lost, at multiple levels, is any discussion of the cause of whatever the problem on the table is, gets hijacked into a bizarre blame game or name game. The economy in doldrums? Dang earthquake. Evil rich people.Talk about illegal immigration --you must be a racist. Don’t want sharia used in the American legal system - islamophobe. The discussion, often hijacked by progressives, does not address the problem, and thus the policy (or lack thereof) remains unchanged because the strange logic now dictates the policy is a good one except for (place boogeyman here) or that the criticism is irrational (racist) or plain stupidity (AGW). The Congress spending too much? You racist, jet-owning, greedy, not taxed enough bazillionaire! Concerned about wasting money on anthropomorphic global warming? You’re an idiot if you don’t ‘believe’ in it, there’s a scientific consensus agreeing to it, if you exclude scientists that punch holes in the theory. The Green Economy is the solution despite the fact it isn’t as seen in Spain and here. And now Obama not only had a aunt who was an illegal alien here, but now an uncle. Go figure that one out. These issue-skirting arguments are made by elected officials. The arguments by their supporters can be far worse.

And then the combination of whether or not a state or federal prosecutor wants to prosecute you over the impossibly huge number of laws and regulations out there. About a week ago, I was pulled over for “looking down while driving” as the cop said. Fortunately, I was able to smoothly enter ‘yeah, I was in the Air Force...’ into the conversation. I’m not sure if that or the sheer stupidity of the whole thing (a pretext for those drivers who text while crossing an intersection on a green light - which I wasn’t) or the former Marine cop extending some courtesy to a fellow vet. And I watch the DoJ let the New Black Panther thugs go free after conviction for voter intimidation in Philadelphia; the Fender Guitar makers getting busted; Gunwalker anyone? There are so many rules out there that if you piss off a prosecutor, they’ll find something. And even if they don’t, the cost of defending yourself may bankrupt you. How many citizens have been sacrificed on some prosecutors alter to the re-election god? How many citizens and businesses have been scrutinized by government auditors and agreed to plead guilty because the cost of proving their innocence was too costly?

Or some of the truly bizarre stuff emanating from the current administration. NASA promoting moslem self-worth? You know, after 1400 years of murders, stonings, rape and destruction, they know their worth. So do I. There’s a reason why there are so few Nobel LAureate-moslems. There are less than 10 moslems out of 1.4 billion or so that can use that hyphenated identifyer. Developing hijackings, homicide vests and IEDs doesn’t impress Western civilization. A Department of Education SWAT team breaking down doors in California? TSA not only ‘patting down’ little girls and the Depends-wearing infirm, but scanning high school students before entering a Prom (presumably in a gym, not a jet). And the topper for bizarre: Maxine Waters. Well, actually there’s tremendous competition for the ‘topper’ position in the government. Put your favorite here.

Throw in crony-capitalism/kleptocracy somewhere in this mix , and I begin to doubt the legitimacy of this administration. Too many examples to list or specifically recall. The husband of some environmental administration official was ‘lucky’ enough to get a multi-million dollar grant for his super-duper windows - are they still in business or did the go under like several recipients of these politically-correct but inept application of money taken from you and me through our taxes? GM. Windmills. Solar.

I see the Police, in general, take action where action is easiest. Sure, jam cell phone signals in San Francisco in response to a possible demonstration that possibly could become violent. So much for the Freedom of Speech in the US while Hilary extolls it and decries foreign government shutdowns of the same sort. Respond to mob-robs, not much response there. Restrict law abiding citizens’ means to protect themselves, sure; target thieves with weapons, not so much. I think if I worked for the ATF or similar and given the choice of looking for paper-work errors of a law-abiding citizen and risk a paper-cut versus trying to bust a weapons cache of a gang and risk getting shot, I would chose the paper-cut.

Go visit http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/ which documents police misconduct from stupid stuff (waving their badge to get out of a fender-bender to significant abuses). It is updated daily. What struck me the most, is that the abuses are exactly what mere mortals would do with a bit of extra-authority. Except for the child-porn stuff. And waving guns around. And beating the crap out of innocent citizens -or should it be subjects? Now imagine that the social fabric weaved by the presumption of the rule of law is wearing thin, perhaps in tatters and how that would perhaps further change police behavior.

I have a feeling if I, as a White, non-moslem, employed, heterosexual, USAF veteran, reasonable well-adjusted male started to rant ‘moslems are pigs and we should wipe moslem countries off the map - just nuke them’ on this site, I would get a visit from some Federal three lettered agency; yet many US-based moslem web sites spouting violent action against Jews, Israel and America remain untouched. Same rationale - spouting about protecting the US against white-based terrorism good (and easy), but the other would be a manifestation of islamophobia and imperialism. Apparently the errors of past ideologies need to be atoned (see Holder's remarks re the New Black Panthers) by errors of current ideologies.. If I thought there was more competence than I do within the Federal system, I could justify a seemingly hands off attitude to hide far deeper covert monitoring. Tea Party members equated with terrorists for sitting in lawn chairs to ease the aches of artificial hips , and for God’s sake, ‘militants’ from Gaza murdering civilians in Israel as reported in the New York Times. CAIR still being billed as a grassroots organization rather than a front for the moslem brotherhood -- all far easier than being called islamphobic! And Arab Spring? Language means something, and the message I get is not a good one.

A brand-new favorite quote by Orwell: "In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible." is more true now of both the politicians and the coverage from the media. And the news keeps pouring in as I write this rant: The democrat Representative, Andre Carson, explained the Tea Party’s mission: “ Some of them in Congress right now with this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me ... hanging on a tree,” referring to lynchings. Rep Carson is African-American, so we can’t criticize (see above) for fear of being called a racist. The story was initially suppressed by MSNBC who had one of the reporters sitting at the podium. I guess it’s all part of relative morals. Imagine a Caucasian saying that Black Panthers want to riot and loot White businesses, let alone rape White women. Would that get a similar pass from the lamestream media? The outlets that cover such news, that is news not kowtowing to the progressive party line, to the present administration, nor to Obama, are negatively characterized by the lamestream media and progressive politicians to change the conversation from the facts to an ad hominem attack thus avoiding the issue at hand. As Ayn Rand said, you can ignore reality, but not it’s consequences.

And I haven’t even started on the mess called foreign policy... I am sure the Arab Spring will blossom into more than just murder and mayhem ....

So, by all means, have a ‘get home kit’ at work, have a 72 hour bag at home in case you and your family need to flee a storm, or get stuck in the house from some natural catastrophe. Be prepared for what think is within the realm of possibility for you and your family. What else could go wrong? You mean besides the small (?) chance the government will get caught up in its own doublespeak, have reality interfere with their the blame-game, have cronyism/kleptocracy markedly disrupt the economy and really screw the pooch? Some get more politically involved (the founder of this site is running for public office). Me, I’m prepping a bit deeper in other ways. At least until JW is President!

Please take a look at Sultan Knish's Messiah of Hate http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/

Review: Tactical Tool Roll by CountyComm.com

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:21:00 +0000

Review: Tactical Tool Roll

From CountyComm.com:

The Tactical Tool Roll was designed to carry your necessary tools to your jobsite and then be laid out with everything visible and easy to get at. It can even be hung up over a door knob using it's carry handle. There are 15 heavy gauge, UV resistant vinyl window compartments of various sizes and two exterior fast access YKK brand zippered cocoon pockets. There is also a center seam of elastic to secure cords and loose items. The unrolled kit measures 36" x 14" and rolls up and then secures with hook & loop fasteners and side release buckles for maximum security. The Tactical Roll then features a heavy-duty wrap around carry handle. On the outside of the rolled up pouch there is a 6" x 3" patch of loop fastener for attaching nametapes, contents labels or unit patches.

Some of our staff members are using theirs as display rolls for their knife and watch collections. What will you put in yours?

Introductory Price
$24.50

My take:

I purchased this about 2 weeks ago to keep pistol and rifle cleaning supplies together and easily chosen after trips to the range. I got tired of digging through a small bag looking for things and getting my fingers poked by a bronze brush. The numerous slots are covered by sturdy clear vinyl and are variably sized. There are 15 slots plus a zippered compartment. The smallest measures about 2.5” wide (all but one are about 6” long); the widest measures about 3.5”. One pouch measures 13” by 4” which closes with a hook and loop strip. There is also a zippered compartment about 13” x 2” x 3”. The tactical tool roll allows me to bring a bit of everything in amounts that I choose, usually less than original packaging of the item, for example a 2 inch pile of cotton patches rather than the entire bag. I also bought a few of their syringes which are now filled with either CLP or grease saving some weight. It rolls up, closed by hook and loop strip and straps, and is good to go.

The construction appears to be quite robust but durability is not yet determined - only time will tell and my expectations are high. For my range trips, I pack my cotton swabs in one slot and a syringes of chemical cleaners and lubes in another. Another slot holds my Otis cleaning kit. Other slots easily manage a few tools, Celox and Israeli trauma dressing bandages (both of which should be in every range bag). CountyComm has the bandages at a very competitive price.

In fact, the Tool Roll works so well, I plan to buy a few more. One for my car for small tools and breakdown supplies (some JB Weld, flashlight, space blanket, Celox, Israeli trauma bandage, cash and etc) and one for my GOOD bag which will hold duplicate items of the one I use for the range, plus some other gear like a fire steel, kindling, and other odds and ends. In all uses, the tool role will help organize the necessities for quick access and inventory. The clear vinyl windows let you see what you got.

The Tool Roll rolls up easily and secures with both a hook and loop closure and with quick-release buckled straps. Two convenient carry handles to hold your gear are not padded but get the job done. I was a bit disappointed to see there is no webbing or means to attach to the Molle in my backpack.

CountyComm got the package shipped quickly and it was easily tracked. UPS got it to my doorstep. Ordering via their website was fairly good. Be forewarned: there are lots of tempting goodies and the site is set up for easy browsing. And browse you must as their stock of over-runs quickly changes. In fact, I ended up buying a few more goodies each time I hit their site. A short wave radio, small pry bars (who can resist titanium?), a bag for the radio, and some other goodies. Expect a review of the radio once I can get it to a friend who knows civilian radio quite well.

Also from their web site:

ABOUT COUNTYCOMM

CountyComm designs, manufactures and sells select products to federal, state and local government agencies. Excess inventories are only sold to the public on www.countycomm.com. We specialize in automatic and quartz movement high quality rugged wristwatches with tritium illumination. We carry the complete line of Maratac™ tactical web gear, flashlights and over 100 military style Zulu™ watchbands. Our unique EDC (Every Day Carry) products are known throughout the world.

Earthquakes

noreply@blogger.com (David L) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:22:00 +0000

Earthquakes in CO and DC... perhaps a reminder to soon change your kit to the "winter" version. You do have an emergency kit prepared, right? If not, start surfing here http://readynutrition.com/resources/are-you-ready-series-72-hour-kits_04122009/ among other places. We all got lucky, but then again, there's a hurricane heading to the East Coast. And one fault was declared essentiallt dead by the USGS. Oops.

Got water? Food? Clothes? Meds?