late thoughts on WH ‘scandals’

SO, yet again, the Benghazi hearings are overshadowed by scandal: each time, there is such a hoorah about somebody doinking someone they shouldn’t be, or, this time around, how another internal agency has used its power to manipulate, coerce, intimidate, and basically use Mobster tactics to gain or restrict power to other entities. Wha?!!?!?! A Government Agency using its position to steer the ship of politics? Say it ain’t so! Whodathunk? Benevolent government being oppressive? Nevah!

Even so, what I see is another decrepit elephant trying to manipulate the entire event into political capitol for their benefit instead of doing what really needs done: Reform the Tax code to a truly fair and SIMPLE point so that we can 1: reduce the effects of O-care and other entitlement spending, and 2: get our economy back under control (by reducing the size of what the Criminals have to spend)

Hell, I am a realist, I KNOW that none of that will happen. If anything, this is only going to do two things 1: Help those on the hill, kick the can down the road a little longer 2: Shift the balance of power to the GOP so that they are the ones holding the reins when it does fail (What better way for the left to say “Told ya so!” with our short attention span society)(on that last note, I blame both sides all around as they are both complicit in the dismantling of our country and its freedoms. Empty promises to keep power are to blame just as much as those that willingly fell for the hype and rhetoric in a passion of greed.)

 

Ya gotta watch these people. Think about this. The microscope was on The core group of the Administration, they needed to shift focus, so they leaked the IRS shit out. Yeah, it still comes back on them, but there are so many more people in the SGS that can be blamed and rolled under the bus, that they can make the hit they are going to take that much softer. They care not one whit about the ‘little people’ or who takes the fall along the way as long as they are the ones standing at the end. (and you can tell they NEVER did military time as they will leave their comrades bleeding out on the field EVERY TIME, without batting an eye.) SO Benghazigate is heating up, shift focus enough that the media isn’t burying them with it and get the ‘People’ shifted to a different course. One that can be manipulated into a different political clout in time.

Yes, I think these people are that sleazy in their planning. I really do believe they would sell their mothers down the river to the barbarians if it meant they could keep breathing today. These people would sell YOUR kidney to line their coffers if they thought they could get away with it. (oh, they do get away with it; you need only look at your FICA and other forced deductions to see that.)

Here’s another way to look at this. Watch not WHAT the media is screaming and gnashing its teeth about today, look at what they are studiously ignoring. Like the fall in the gold markets (as predicted by some) What about Kid Korea, no word on that now, so either he came to his senses or there was some payoff somewhere (I think the latter) that we will never know about. I know I don’t need to say it, as we all know that the MSM’s are bought, lock stock and hide now. They are the fourth estate of power in the shell game of world politics. The real question become who is really in power, who controls how that money, that makes up the currents of power in the political ocean, is gained or trickled out? I think we can say with all honesty, that it is NOT our government. My personal opinion is that our Government is just another cut out ‘company’ that is used like the machine it is, as a control mechanism and only so long as it is still useful to the real power base. That time is coming to an end and we may well see a shift in WHO controls these shores. And it will be ugly, bloody, and bone shattering when it happens. We do see, now, internal conflicts within the machine as sides are being chosen, and internal conflicts are coming to light. “A house divided”? Yes, it is. Not just within the people that make up the ‘power’ but those that have that power in their hands.

 

And it is the same old story as the last 300 failed empires. The only thing left standing, holding the bag, in the end, are the very people that make up the power to begin with: US. Never(rarely) those that manipulated it all. Even at the end, those that control the reins of power have the same ends available to them. A bullet to the head or a noose in a tree. The only difference is how much they do before it all catches up to them. (like the saying goes, after the first one, the rest are all free. They can only kill you once.) Even then, those that remain, retain the bill for the damage done: there is always a bill to be paid, in currency or sweat equity (but I repeat myself.)

 

another glimpse into my thoughts (no, T’ain’t ded, just thinking,)

We have all heard the terms “Wolf in sheep’s clothing” “Watchdog” “etc etc. All about power mongers, conservative independents, Progressives, libertarians of both the large ‘L’ and small ‘l’ types, and the list can be pretty intimidating at times. Especially to someone just waking up and not sure where they stand.

Well, I have some good news for all of you. Yup, good news, even amongst the daily deluge of bad news.

 

THERE IS NOT ONE NEW THING

HAPPENING UNDER THE SUN OR MOON

THIS GO ‘ROUND!

 

Nope, in 4000 years of recorded history, the only thing that has really changed is the technology that we live and die by. The actual human nature is the very same that it was in the times of Moses, Mohamed, and Locke. Even now, looking back into history, (and I have been doing a lot of that of late.) one can see that there is always some group that wants to be left alone, some other group that wants to be in control, and quite a few groups in the middle without a clue either way. The only real difference being the methods we use to get our food, cook our food, and kill our enemies. The same daily questions are there, as are the same needs and (basic) desires. Even in the board rooms, and on the battle fields, the root concepts are the EXACT same as they were in high level ‘negotiations’ back in the days of Caesars’.

 

So how is that good news you ask? Pretty simply, that we are on known ground, only the path we choose is in question at this stage. As much as we ‘get to choose’ I should say, some of this is unavoidable now. Even there, the paths are fairly well mapped out, one need only study the past and you can use supposition to come up with some pretty good predictions. Of all of those predictions, I don’t see my having any say in the choice of direction (on the grand scheme, personal level is completely different) so I can’t let them get me depressed. I can’t fix human nature, nor do I have any desire to do so. To ‘fix’ a non-problem, is to become a progressive and I have no desire to be such. Yes, I stated that Human nature is a ‘non-problem’. It is hard wired into us. Prove positive is the fact that even after 4000+ years, it hasn’t changed one lick. Even in the animal kingdom that still follows closely the rules of evolution, changes happen. But our nature has not. Why is that? Because that nature is what put us at the top of the food chain in this world. It IS the peak of our evolution, no longer subject to (permanent) change. IT is flexible, on small scale, as needed for survival of the whole, but on the whole, as solid and resolute as if written in stone. Progressives can say that we need to change our nature for whatever cause is afflicting them this month, but fact is, they are playing by the very nature they claim needs changed.

Well, I can see some readers shaking their heads in disagreement. That’s fine; This really isn’t up for debate in my world. I am convinced of this. We haven’t changed. And personally, I think that someone trying to say we are better (?) than say, Christian Romans, or the Musselman, or the Goths, or even 1930′s Reich, is delusional. The only difference between us and them is time and our personal beliefs and choices. Generally speaking that is. I am sure there are other differences, but to pick nits on this subject wastes time and breath.

 

SO, several groups. One that wants to be left alone, one that wants control (even total control in some instances) and many in the middle without a clue. Yup, we’re there. Heck, you could even divvy it up into several groups that want to be left alone, several groups with power in their eyes, and huge numbers of the clueless (careless) in the middle. Nothing new, except the technology of the time.

 

Now, lets talk about freedom. Not liberties, those are granted privileges; Freedom. What is freedom TO YOU? I know what it means to me, and interestingly enough, it looks a whole lot like a whole lot of work. And it is. But that is the freedom I choose, if I am to choose any. I like working on things, making things, repairing things. That is what I find as liberating, and invigorating to my soul. Some people would say that is not freedom, and in their world, they would be right. I want the freedom to be able to do it without having to give away all I work for to do it, or have to gain someone’s approval to do it. Rouge living for sure.

No matter what your definition of freedom, I have a little secret to let you in on. IT IS WORK! You will have to work for it. You will have to struggle for it. You may even have to kill for it, or die for it? That is what defines freedom: your willingness to die for it. You could even apply that to other things, like love or religious belief. Are YOU willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom?

More specifically, are you willing to make someone else pay the ultimate price to KEEP your freedom?

See what I mean that things haven’t changed any in all the recorded history? The questions are still the same. Are you willing to kill to stay free, or would you sacrifice your freedom to acquiesce to some group that believes you should do as they say? Or can only own what they approve of? Or pay for something that goes against your beliefs?

Even after 4000+ years, the question remains “Freeman or Slave?”.

I know my answer. Maybe its time to get the hard ones in your head now, where you can work on them while you have the leisure of doing so. Not when they are knocking down your door.

And don’t sweat the answers too much: you have 4000+ years of history for research to reach your decisions. Just make a choice and stick to it when it matters most.

Here we are,,,,

Here we are, and I just don’t know what to say anymore.   While I would love to talk about all the cool things I am doing in my shop, alas, I can’t as I am not doing anything cool in my shop as my shop is currently just a group of layout string on a piece of ripped up ground.   The tools are gathering dust in storage and my mind is spinning in circles with ideas that can’t get out due to all of that.

But where are we?   Where I am sitting, what I see is irrelevant to the actual goings on in the world.  I see that there are some coming awake (finally!) and are pissed off.  I see others settting themselves up for martyrdom, and I just don’t know what to say.

There is so much that divides this country.  I can’t fix that.  I am no longer certain that it can be fixed.   Yeah, I know, pure negativity on my part.

So, here we are.   the shop is not moving forward at this stage, or at least not at a pace that I would prefer, the world continues to eat itself in a feeding frenzy of economic instability, and there are still vast portions of the populace that could care not one cunt hair about it.

Here we are.

Y’all take it easy, if I actually have something positive to note, I will post.  Till then, I am going quiet.

T’ain’t ded, nor accosted by Bad Guys.

Just been busier than hell of late, and while still chasing the almighty dollar in job hunting, have been able to turn a little income without selling plasma or a kidney.

And trying to play catch up on things online when able.   Nothing to note of interest without further reading; don’t want to put my foot in mouth without at least trying to get all the information I can.

Hopin’ y’all are in similar ways, at least for now.   Keep on keepin’ on.

Just some thoughts

We have a problem. Historically speaking, we, as a nation, created this problem from the get-go. Conservatives, (broad and loose terminology here) founded this country while seeking to be left alone, correct? The expansion of the country was also based on those seeking to get away from the encroaching growth of government and seek freedom and new starts, or fortune, or whatever, but not further restrictions for certain. All of this works for growth of country, but it also allows the cancer to grow unchecked, in the areas left behind. Instead of standing ground, Conservatives moved on. Now there is nowhere to run to. Some of the worst areas for socialist ideals are areas that were the birthplace of this country. New York City, Boston, etc. That social idealism also infected other areas on the other coast as time went by. At one time, California was one of the free-est states in the Union.

Part of that last sentence is wherein the problem lies, me thinks. Union. Versus a Confederacy. Not trying to pull the Civil War into this thought-line by using those terms, I am using them in their basest definition. Union specifies common power, where as Confederacy specifies combined power. Think about how I worded that. Would you say, given current affairs, that our States have any recognizable power? Isn’t the “united States” the term meant in the Constitution, not “Unified states”(intentional spelling ‘error’ there. And everyone that has studied any law understands the power of capitalization.)

We see the issues of out of control growth in Government (out of control related to cancer). We see the issues of a willfully ignorant populace, and the brainwashing indoctrination of the young. We see the issues of a ‘Representative Government’ that happily passes laws that either single themselves out from the law or exclude everyone from protection under that law but themselves. We see an economic system that is completely unconstitutional, yet the fact seems to be completely ignored by all, on a daily basis. That same economic system is on the ropes, and yet, so many of the populace will deny that fact even after being shown the facts, repeatedly.

So where does our real problem lay? The fact that Conservatives, time out of mind, just wanting to be

‘Left alone’, never truly address the issue of the control. Of course, we don’t, we don’t want to be controlling, we don’t want to be messed with, and respect others of the same, so don’t mess with them. That is our Achilles heal. There will always some that want to control others. History continually repeats that scene, time and again, with varying levels of atrocities from none to genocide. From Genghis Khan, to Alexander the Great, to modern day, Stalin, Mao, even elected persons in our current world events. Someone will always want control, and that leaves those of us, just wanting to be left alone, fighting a defensive battle, everytime.

Between losing control of our institutions of learning early in the last century, (could be said to go back to mid 1800′s in some cases) and opening up general suffrage to the masses with little to no criterion for that duty (age? Come-on!?!?, I have met full grown adults with the temper of a 4 year old and just about as much common sense, as well as mid-teens with Wisdom of the ages. ) We fight in an arena that has had the rules essentially thrown out. That is why we will NEVER vote our way out of this mess. Voter nullification is what I call it. Mature conservative votes nullified by young socialist votes. Hard working voters nullified by Welfare voters. Husband votes nullified by Wife votes. The PTB (and the PtwB) enjoy knowing that of all the votes, only a very small percentage are not nullified: they need only placate that small percentage to keep in power.

One other area we lose in, is the Corporate News Syndicates(CNS). There is ZERO unbiased news reporting in our current world. I am not counting the bloggers in this because they reach such a small number of the masses in general, and usually only those of like mind to begin with. Whereas, The CNS have the ear of the masses. Even Drudge, which is really only a collimation of headlines doesn’t count as they grab those headlines from the very same CNS. I can’t say that I have ever seen a ‘headline’ on Drudge that linked to a Local Blog reporting on some incident somewhere. (If I am wrong, I would love to be corrected on this. As is, even if it happened once or twice, it still is overshadowed by the quantity of CNS headlines.) Back when our Revolution was happening, there were hundreds of independent newspapers, and they were usually quite biased in opinion individually. The Common Man could choose to read only one opinion, or go the gamut and read several. Either way, he had a set of tools to make ‘educated choices’ about current events. Our current status is shear propaganda, controlled by some persons in power, somewhere (unelected I have reason to believe), to maintain a running thought line in the masses. Persons such as myself, and some others I know, don’t take anything that is reported by our nations sources as gospel on anything, (though we do keep tabs on it to see what is being spewed forth today) Sadly, the majority of the populace is far too lazy to make the effort to get educated on what is really going on, so they do take those reports as the unadulterated truth.(I know this for fact in how my dad reacts when I call BS on some reports on the evening news)

How does one fight that? I recall a recent conversation with a friend: We were discussing the ‘myth’ of power that is prevalent around us about ‘fighting back’ and that you can’t take on tanks or automatic weapons by the stooges of a government out of control. Hell, I have less fear taking on a platoon of goons, than I do in trying to educate people on how to look at how they have been played. At least with the goons, I know they have an agenda to achieve. With the masses,, got me? I know that while taking on certain aspects of our current established para-military state, there are finite physical laws in place. When it comes to the minds of people, not so much. There are far too many variables, lack of concern, faith in the establishment, even ‘patriotic’ contempt for Constitutional ideals. (yes, I said patriotic. Look up the definition of patriot and you will see that patriot could be a definition of Obama as well as yourself. Just different sides to the same coin.) It is for those reasons alone, that I fear what our future holds. Far too many divisions in our current political spectrum, even within the populace as a whole. Too many that are willing to allow a government to steal without regard to how it affects the whole. (entitled syndrome) Too many that just want to go about day to day, without stressing on details of how they lose more and more every year, (going along to get along syndrome) and then the obvious Constitutional patriot, to the Socialist Society Die-hards. And then there are the employees of said Government that will do as told because it’s safer (or so it appears for now)

And all of this has been predicted in the past. Several authors, even going back to the early 1800′s stated where we are was what was going to happen. And here we are.

Do we split up into several Fiefdoms of thought, or do we fracture out into several dependent nations controlled by outside countries? Or,,, who knows what. The future is wide open right now and the only sure thing is that we are a divided nation, and we have lost our foundational structure, through malicious social engineering over time. What is too come can only be speculated on, and only historians in the future will be able to unravel what really happened after the fact. What comes next is not going to be pretty or fun.

_{All of this is just my opinion mind you.}

_{Only time will tell how things really pan out and I could be wrong , and I really wish someone would prove me wrong.}

Thursday instead of Friday update

Saturday:Personal Compromises: We have all had to make personal compromises, time and again. We hate doing them, as there reaches a point where we start to feel ‘nickle and dimed to death’. Part of those personal compromises tends to be fitting within society. Just getting along in society can take a toll on how one lives, or would choose to live. I have mentioned my situation here on occasion. The fact that my dad and I still butt heads over how I wish to build shows that I am not really backing off of my convictions. I have attempted some compromise with him, but my end goal remains the same: Shop, then house, both of adequate size for my needs. My house is of the ‘shack’ nature according to societal standards, but considering the size of the ‘house’ I live in now, will feel like the Taj-Mahal to me. I want 15′X20′ for the house and the RV is 7 ½’ X 18′ inside. More than doubling my living arrangements. In addition, I will have that shop (15′X25′) for all of my tools and a few things that I have been storing within my living quarters, I gain in several areas by separating the two functions. I will also be able to place my battery bank in a location that I won’t have to take apart part of the house to enable access to it. (currently it resides under a ‘bench’ and I have to remove the table and chair to get to them. A real pain the butt to deal with.) To be blunt, I am impatient as hell about getting this ball rolling, so that I can stretch out and actually start getting things accomplished. Maybe even start producing some items that I can sell online. (of course, all of of that is dependent upon where our future leads us.)

So where are the personal compromises that I mentioned, you ask? I am starting to look for alternative building methods to accomplish my end goals. Mostly due to the fact that I am without a steady income at this stage, AND the fact that I feel definitively, that our economy is really tanking out and swirling the toilet bowl. I am looking for ways of building, using what I have available, (trees and rocks) that will allow me to at least start construction on the shop so that I can have that alternative to producing income. While it may not be a complete machine shop, it is far better than nothing, and even if I only produce a couple of items, so long as they sell, I can start working towards building that house as well. One area I refuse to compromise on (and where my dad and I really butt heads) is getting a loan for construction. I will do this one 2X4 at a time if I have to, but I will own, outright, each and every stick and screw that goes into that construction. When the final touches are laid down, I don’t want one piece to be on loan or credit. (this is much easier to deal with seeing as “I gotz no job”; who the hell would give me a loan, even if(!) I were interested in that route.)

“ While it may not be a complete machine shop, it is far better than nothing” is the sticking point here. That machine shop is packed up in storage right now. Machines on furniture dollies, tools packed into hard cases or tool chests for protection, all of it stacked and piled in a tight little package to minimize space. Not a whole lot that can be done with it in this case, except look at it on occasion, or get to the lathes and oil the beds so that they don’t rust. It really irks me that it is all there, just begging to be used, but unable to be utilized until such time as they can be installed in a permanent manner. That is where my impatience is the strongest. To boot, my mind never stops working on ideas, and many of those ideas are little more than paper notes at this stage as I can’t even begin thinking about working on anything until such time as I have that shop up and somewhere to bring paper ideas to life.

So, here is what I have. Currently, I have enough sheet metal roofing to do both house and shop. I have 6-6”X6”x8′ beams. I have a plethora of white oak trees that are straight, fairly limb free for 20′ and tempting me. I have oodles of rock and stone, from the size of a walnut to the size of a VW Beetle. (granted, that is not a usable size, just describing them) and I have time. Currently, LOTS of time. What I don’t have is the other third of that holy trinity, MONEY. Time space or money, I has the time, I has the space, I ain’t gotz the mullah. Funny too, once I am working, that time factor will be taken away to some extent as well; I just need to find the balance of making money and maintaining some of the time, so that I can get things done. I may end up working 20 hour days to get things done, but get them done, I will.

Speaking of those white oaks. I thought seriously about taking them down, cutting out the sections to to take to the saw mill (more money) but the idea of trying to get screws or nails into that stuff for building is intimidating. I have dealt with that in some houses in Cincy (renovations) and that stuff doesn’t get any easier to work with in time, quite the opposite. It gets damned hard over time. Three of those trees are going to come down no matter what. Lumber or firewood, but they will come down. They are where I want to put the wind genny. (oh, and as for materials, all that barn wood I recovered two years ago? That is long gone thanks to my running around the country looking for work and patriots. Someone decided that it looked better in their possession than mine and came and took it, not knowing (or ignoring) the fact that it was stacked neatly on someones property. Had I been here, I would still have several thousand board feet of rough cut lumber to use and some of this discussion would not be taking place.)

Yup! I am in over my head again. Seems that is where I am most comfortable, LOL. And I know me: I will get all of this finished and have to tackle something even bigger and more intimidating. I am a glutton like that. I may back off my hurdles, but I never quit: I just find another route to the same goal. Some personal compromises are in order, to get there.

Later that same day; Alright, gotz no monies, So what. This is a all part of the dream and that dream can’t become a reality without solid ideas behind it. ​​​​​Como se come un elefante? Un pequeño mordisco a le vez! How do you eat an elephant? One little bite at a time. The shop, after much dickering around, and trying to figure the most cost effective way of building, has flexed around several different sizes. I started out with the idea of 20X30, then cut that down to 15X20 to cut costs in my estimates. I laid out the outline of the foundation today and realized that, despite my wanting to cut costs, I am not going to be comfortable with a smaller shop. Even if I went that route, I would be expanding within the first few months, so bite the bullet and plan for the beast outright. Even with the larger layout, I may end up having to expand, just not a soon as with the smaller shop. The advantage of the larger shop bears to the placement of vehicles under repair as much as room to stretch my elbows while working. I hate working on cars and trucks exposed to weather and unknown ground conditions where small tools, nuts and bolts and other things find wormholes to fall through. In addition, having that extra space (and it will be at first) means that larger projects can take place indoors, without having to totally rearrange things. The tower truss could even be built inside where I have better control over what the torch is doing during the brazing. That also will mean, more power needed for lighting, among other things that will need more power but that is just one more aspect that I will have to account for when the money does start to flow. (am I in denial that we are in a depression? Hell no, just trying to give myself a goal, and start working towards it. If we end up in war or whatnot with whomever wants to steal our freedoms, so be it, Dream gets put on hold indefinitely until such time as I can get back to it, OR they plant my determined ass in the ground and its a moot point anyway.)

Sunday: Fabrication day. Made the frame to hold the Gas engine and the alternator. Both are mounted, but I need a pulley for the engine shaft, and a belt. Now is one of those times where I wish the shop were up and at least functional, I would cast and machine that pulley myself, instead of having to go and hopefully find what I need. I much prefer being able to make the parts I need, instead of praying that I can find them (not to mention, I hate spending money on stuff I am completely capable of making myself.) Tomorrow, while on the hunt for income, I will see what I can find. Shouldn’t be that hard to find at a tractor place or co-op, and we do have those ’round here. One real plus out of all this, I have acquired a 5 hp horizontal shaft engine. That can be made to do a lot of work in many ways in a shop: one idea that keeps coming to mind is the line-shaft idea of old. One engine running a long shaft of pulleys (these would be built of laminated wood that bolt to the shaft or cast in metal with the same principal of mounting.) and belts to drive various machines. Gas to mechanical straight up, is a lot more efficient than gas/mechanical/electric/mechanical. And the engine could be housed in a separate area to itself so that noise in the shop is minimal. (emergency stop switches hard wired into to each station of course.) Of course, this is just a thought at this stage. No matter what happens, that engine will find use in some way; it runs far too well to just let it sit idle on a shelf waiting to become something useful.

Monday: Whooo-boy! What a kick start to a week. Picked up the pulley for the alternator setup, checked Drudge, and watched the world fall apart as the Gold Bubble started freefall, taking a lot of other commodities, and stocks right down with it. Spent some time conversing with others over it, and feel that, yes, it is a panic run, BUT, just like every other bubble in history, there is something behind it. Yeah, Cyprus, but I am talking more along those that will ride this out, and gain lots more gold than they had prior. I truly believe that there is a lot of manipulation going on while this run is in progress. I don’t really care what the mark on that commodity is, it is what it is: IE, a standard. In this world, it will always have value, no matter what currency it is attached to or exchanged with. Our dollar may become mere toilet paper (are we there yet?) but GOLD or Silver or any other tangible, will have a value to someone somewhere. (Gold is the cash of Kings, Silver is the cash of the common man)

While having that conversation, I made comment that the job hunt is going to take a downturn in probability with the economy just now getting a swift kick to the ‘nads with the Gold rush(out). I even went so far as saying that there may be similar odds to hitting the lottery as there is to getting a job beyond fry-guy at McD’s. SO, Laughingly, I went out today, ran some apps out at places that I hadn’t hit yet, including a machine shop that seems to actually be doing something around here (piece work for Cat? Ho-shit! That ain’t small potatoes around here!) I hadn’t known about this place until talking to the owner of the company I have been fabricating for. I then, on the way home, spent $2 for a lottery ticket.

I look at this way: If Universe has a sense of humor (And I have every reason to believe it does) I will either have a job or too much money soon. LOL Either would work towards achieving my goals.

But, the way things are going, I ain’t holdin’ my breath for either: I continue to keep lookin’.

Tuesday: an epiphany

Ok, 24 hour news cycle completed since yesterday; gold plummets taking nearly every other commodity and stock down with it in some aspect. Who-o, scary stuff. Bomber of questionable intent or origin blows two crude IED’s at the Boston Marathon. Supposedly a suspect was quickly detained, but obviously (or so I am reading as I don’t have TV or any of that fun stuff) Prez Oblammy-o-boy jumped on the news frenzy to ease the horrid thoughts of terrorist activity or sumpin like that to some extent or nudder. (don’t know, didn’t see, nor really care what that puppet says.)

Here is the epiphany. This goes back to a conversation of ghostly proportions. How do you herd Cattle? Not by getting behind them and pushing them, that is the visual aspect. The actual method is by inducing fear, but not too much fear. If the herd appears to be ready to stampede from one fear, you shift their attention to another fear. Keep the two (or more) fears moving around, just out of the danger zone, and the cattle move in whatever direction you choose, AWAY from the fears.

What is going on in the news? Think for yourself. Are these things real? Yes, maybe, dunno. Real enough of course. Are they staged events? Couldn’t say, but the PtwB will happily use them for the same ends, staged or not (let no crisis go to waste) What I did see is that the herd was moving at an alarming rate due to the Gold Slide. Then miraculously (leads me to believe a staged event) a bomber attacks a major sport event and everybody and their brother gets mobilized to have a say in it, or even talk about how ‘this wouldn’t have happened if we had higher taxes’ or some such horseshit. This morning, that Gold Slide was reversing course. (up $40 from the $100 downturn) Hmmm? Stampede averted? Now, a new fear is in place to guide the herd forward until such time as they need a change in direction. Korea next? Or Iran? Oh, I know; some wild and crazy dingbat conspiracy theory nut goes out and commits some random act of green terrorism, and DHS gets to play with all the new toys to try and find him. Yeah, that’ll keep the herd moving towards the fiscal cliff of economic prosperity by increasing debt and spending, and they will BEG for the tightening of the noose. Yeah, Sounds like a great plan.

To them (the PtwB)

(and all of this is a smoke to cover up the hypocrisy on the left by the Pro-choice horrors being exposed in court even as we speak. I have my opinion, I leave you to yours as well. As well as there being several key bills coming to vote this week, from more gun control among others, and the SCOTUS having some key Federal issues to work over.,,, Smoke and mirrors baby, )

Keep on keepin’ on. NEXT!

Claire asks another question, and one I have oft thought about.

Actually, I have done this, just not the full Jeremiah Johnson aspect that others have. I have always thought about just striking out, with nothing more than what I could carry on my back. Several of my books, including a series of books, are about doing just that, or the skills that would be needed to do so. This actually started long, long long before I struck out on for my own world upon becoming an adult. I still have one book that I keep around to remind me of those days (ok, so there are some nostalgic aspects I squash like bugs when they show up) Battered and bruised that it is, it still lights a fire under me to keep learning, and reminds me, that it all really comes back to what you are and what you know, not where you are, and definitely, not who you know or how much money you produce.

Having lived the crush of touring audio engineer/production manager, I can say, traveling is easy for me. I don’t have roots per se, and even when I settle in, I always feel that pull of the world tides. The siren song of the road. I know that I would not do well hoofing it around the country, only because I like my tools. I like having tools to work with and you sure as hell aren’t going to be carrying a full set of Snap-on tools, a southbend lathe and a MIG welder in a backpack. (technically, the RV is just a very large tent on wheels, does that count? LOL) It has been discussed/mentioned (here or in meat-space, I can’t recall,,,) that I should build a trailer with a full complement shop in it. Some pieces able to be pulled out and set up outside of it, and a motorcycle for transportation when parked. Tow the whole bloody thing behind the Beast. Great idea, again, that money issue rose up and kills the idea. (a dream, maybe, I kind of like being on Terra firma too. ‘Sides, the registration of vehicles guts the idea of the travel notion as freedom. True freedom wouldn’t need ‘permission’.)

For me now, the freedom I seek is a foundation, in an area with as little regulation as possible. Here, I can build without having to ‘get permission’. The only inspection is for a septic system and electric tie-in. I can eliminate the second inspection quickly by not tying into the grid. The first can be eliminated with a composting system, but that is more work than I want to involve myself in with all the other work I have planned. The ability to set up shop, without having to run the gamut of coding, community permissions, or federal blessing is equally important to me. Here, that is possible. There are other issues at hand that discourage me from pursuing that, but that is not a subject for this forum. The choice, due to finances and other factors lean towards this as the final ground for me. Only time will tell how that pans out.

So, Going Jeremiah Johnson? No, I may fall out of the blogging scene, but out of our society as a whole? Not likely. If I were, it would be under similar situation of that of JJ, or Jose Wales (myth, but some facts behind that) If I were to go that route, it would literally be with nothing but a pack on my back and a direction and nothing more. No dog, no tools, nothing. Just enough to get me to somewhere else or even nowhere else, just gone. It would require a hefty sacrifice to make me choose that route at this stage.

Wednesday: Just opened an email from a long lost someone I used to know. From back during my personal TEOTWAWKI. Sometimes, there are things that are best left lying in the gutter. This day proves that point to me. Details not forthcoming, just saying, if you find that you must walk away, burn the bridge too. Less pain later down the road.

Another Friday thought dump (long winded, sorry)

Again, I am just dumping a lot of thoughts out there.  Random, scattered and likely useless to many people.    Hey, the DHS is more than happy to get a psych profile off this and I could really care less about their opinion of me or my actions anylonger.    Read if you please, disagree or not, just spilling my mind for the world to see.

There are some thoughts I have, that I hold very close to my chest. Anxiousness about the time lines we are seeing develop in front of our very eyes, and how they apply to my dreams for one. I am a realist, I know that at some point, my dreams will go the wayside and I will have to do things of a nature I was trained in long ago, and I may not come back to my plot of land and my dreams. I know this, I don’t have to like it. There are reasons I continue to have and continue to maintain a bug out bag even though I am no longer traveling. It isn’t to bug out to a location so much as my Gig bag for whatever is coming. Knowing my knees have seen 40+ years of hard use, I try to keep that bag fully functional AND below the 50# mark. I can’t be humping 100# of gear around the hills and valleys with the knees I am left with. They complain now just hauling my 185# around walking a dog in the woods. I still do several miles a day, and not just on the flats, but I pay for that in the evenings. I keep this in mind when I think about what duty may lay before me.

Of all the things I do keep as gear, the only truly technical piece is the bangstick. For all the technical toys I so love to play with, from my laptop, to my smart phone, when it comes time to ruck-up and roll, those things are going to be remaining behind. I won’t have a need for them then, and they could be a liability if taken with. Nope, when that time comes, the techno toy I will need is what resides between my ears and the ability to reach out. The rest is basic stuff, food, shelter, fire and water., and of course, ammo and first aid.

Part of that mentality boils down to a simple fact. If we don’t correct course, or cause such course to be corrected, all of my dreams will be frivolous anyway. If I can’t build a shop in the woods due to economic collapse, or monumentous regulations enforced by automatons, then I will have to help in correcting that issue.

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Saturday: Listening to the radio this mornin’, lots of the usual death and destruction that only the news seems to be able to provide: troops killed the ‘Stan, troops fighting in Syria (we have troops there now?) Kid Korea and his hot button spooking the known world and threatening the US in particular. I began thinking along parallel lines in history; specifically, the Roman and English Empires. Both had similar land mass in the home country, both established Empires that covered much of the world (or at least known world at each time) Even further back, you see the Empires of Persia, Alexander, etc. All failed. Failed in several different manners, but all failed. Some imploded, causing great strife world wide, in the case of the English Empire, it became fractured and dissolved over time from the inside out. The news I am hearing might have been reports during those times in those empires. Trouble at the borders, natives taking control of areas and holding them, troop moral at all time lows, currency inflation via debasement, Leaders superseding senates by decree, etc, etc. (I know, preaching to the choir again) The tune is the same, the tempo only increased. Or is it? I am not so sure any longer. If anything, it seems to me that this is the norm cyclic events that history has shown before. It makes me wonder if the Human Race is EVER going to learn. We can see the past, and yet, it seems that there are always those that think “this time is different, just throw more money at it”. Never really understanding that ‘money’ is just a tangible and agreed upon instrument that represents Sweat Equity. There is only so much of that sweat equity to go around, only so much that any one person can produce in a lifetime. Debasing currency will achieve short term effects through the illusion that people are receiving more for their efforts. When the ‘more’ is buying less (as we see daily now) then the confidence in the instrument becomes very fragile, and therefore, the confidence in the power of creation of that instrument wavers. (short version, The money ain’t worth shit, and the Jerks that print it are about to get hung!) This time around, we have the ‘benefit’ of electronic transactions. Being able to give a group a supply of ones and zeros, that they can’t see or hold except as a printed figure, than allow them to use those ones and zeros to purchase real tangible goods, fogs the illusion of value to the purchaser. The producer will also be fogged for a short time, but eventually, those prices will have to go up as they are no longer providing the same level of return that they once were. The push and shove of our system as established 100 years ago, is creative, only in how it pulls the same con game that the Caesars of Rome did by debasing the alloy in the coins. The Roman citizens liked all the new coins every year, but in the end, couldn’t use them for much more than Poker chips except in the capitol. The confidence fell, and the hoards approached, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie, but no one wanted to be accountable for the aftermath. Enter the dark ages. Many of the legionnaires stayed on post, and blended with the locals, as a result, many aspects of The Roman Empire continued life in local law and traditions and language.

Enter the English Empire, conquest of French and Germanic lands, territories throughout the world (the sun never set on the English empire, was not just a saying, it was a fact at one time) Fractured from within by tyranny, and the birth mother of the Land of the Free, to include our language and only the rudiments of the rest. The English had strongholds throughout the world, South Africa, Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, China, The West Indies, (the birth place of the Pirate legends as taught to Americans) etc. Each of these areas became autonomous over time, fractured away from ‘the mother land’, and similar fates attended those that lived there , far from the homeland. They incorporated into the local society, retaining some of what they brought with them of the society they left behind.

Here we are. We don’t have territories, like England had, but more conquests such as Rome had. While it is not sold as such to the American public, make no mistake about it, The rest of the world DOES see it as such. We have bases throughout the world, we have troops stationed far past those bases into combat zones. I know that there are some that have served in the past, that fell in love with other countries while serving on bases overseas. They returned to those countries after leaving the military and reside there even now. Similar to the legionnaires of Rome after a fashion. What is to say that this trend will not continue when the economy fails and those troops now at station, are given the choice of staying, or finding their own way home? (think it can’t happen? I wouldn’t hold my breath on that bet)

Ah, but enough of that thought, Who knows what the our future or the future of the world holds for us. We may be splattered by a comet next year, or some catastrophic world changing event could take place, and all of the human intervention in the world would be for naught to counter-act it. Maybe Kid Korea is mad enough to hit the hot button and escalate a 60 year ceasefire into WWIII. Fact is, we can only make a guess at what our future holds and pray it was the right one. One can speculate all the Doom and Gloom til they are blue in the face, and not be right at the end of the day. We just don’t know. History can only show us potential runs, based upon the fact that the Human Race just doesn’t learn hard lessons very well. (individually, yes, at large, meh, not so much) And to be honest, we are in territory that is completely uncharted when it comes to current economic and political aspects. The numbers are far larger than most can contemplate, and the political realm is not that of Kings and Queens anymore. The two opposing factions of thought are that of Self Reliance and Statist dependence. (yes, if you generalize enough, that is where it is. Or you could even go the religious bent of it and say good and evil, choose your side.)

I don’t see any of this ending well for either side, no matter how it pans out. And it is coming, I just don’t know when. (and i am getting damned tired of saying it as I have been saying it since before the “One” was put in power.) So we prep. Some prep food, some prep weapons and ammo, some prep all of the above, some prep area to defend, and some, like myself, prep for the dark ages. I prep knowledge, and skills above all other preps so that later, I hope, I can pass these things on for the next generation to dig our dumb butts out of the hole we have created as a species. And I take that gathering of knowledge past what is, to what was and how it came to be. At least that way, there is a solid foundation on that knowledge past “do this and this happens” to “Do this and this is the why of what happens.” That preparation has taken many turns over the last 8 years. Many I never saw coming and yet, all of it ties together quite nicely. One path leads to another, and all the paths lead towards the future. (I see now, why the universities of the Renaissance were so functional, or as Heinlein would say “Specialization is for insects”.)

Our world has been built on the shoulders of Giants, and destroyed time and again by lust for power. Each stage brings about another growth in thought, I would like to think this round is no different. And sadly, I will likely not survive long enough to see that next stage begin. (these growths tend to be long, bloody and horribly chaotic.) Even so, I plan on trying to feed the generation that will see it or at least start the process with the knowledge they will need to build something of substance, and not some ethereal castle of sand. And so My library will continue to grow as does my knowledge and skill.

Another prep is power. How to harness the world around us to generate power that can be useful. We have been doing this as a species since before written history. Even if that power were mechanical in nature y harnessing the beasts around us, we have been doing it. We have harnessed wind and water for centuries. We have harnessed stored solar energy for a couple of centuries now. (coal and oil) I want to harness them as well,

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Sunday: All You Zombies: Heinlein wrote a short many years ago with that title. In the story, the character becomes his own father, grandfather, mother, and kidnapper. Impossible you say? And you would be correct. The story demands that you apply willing suspension of disbelief to achieve its ends. (and no, I am not going to tell you the story, find it and read it for yourself, its an interesting one to say the least and one you can read in about an hour) I find that the willing suspension of disbelief is a common enough thread in our world now: Its the only logical conclusion I can arrive at watching the news and seeing how so many are repeating the words of the media as if It were the gospel. The lies are obvious, and yet, so many find them easier to swallow than the truth. The signs that the economy is in collapse are everywhere, but to be able to say “unemployment is improving” (in itself, an empty statement) is much easier than trying to figure out how you are going to get through the next hardship coming your way, or even admitting that there are hardships coming your way. And the Media continues the Big Lie, daily. Enough so that even showing someone a video clip to disprove something they stated, only brings about complete denial and accusations of your being a conspiracy nut. (yes, it happened to me today showing a clip from the Sandyhook shooting aftermath, to prove a point)

I know the world isn’t completely full of ‘Zombies’, but there are days where I do think the Thinkers are far outnumbered by the zombies.

Which brings me to the question that was brought up, repeatedly, during a recent conversation with a non-zombie: “what do we do now?” Ultimately, the problem is of a multi-fold pattern. First up is education. The masses have been indoctrinated to a certain degree to follow with blind obedience a not so benevolent Government/Media. (and yes, I am see them as extensions of each other now.) Not all took that indoctrination, and those that didn’t are being scapegoated on a national stage as terrorists, or insane. The CDC has even been given funds to find out what mental impairments Firearms owners suffer from that make them want to own weapons. (I keep saying, they are not going to come at us directly, that they are going to find ways to hit us obliquely and quietly.) I watch the obvious disconnect from reality that the Media spins on Gun Control and the need for such, while I see the guns flying off shelves and ammo going through the roof in price due to demand and lack of supply. I don’t see anymore people at ranges than usual, so that means these weapons are being stored. BUT, the Media never reports the connection that there are many in this country that don’t side with their version of gun control. They continue to report tilted and biased polls, trying to further shame the remainder into submission.

Zombies.

And its working, in part, in certain areas of the country. The fact that Bloomberg/Cuomo were able to get such Draconian laws passed in NY while the state of NY is actually pretty rural and full of hunters says volumes. The fact that there were similar results in CO even with public outcry at the time of voting, so obnoxious and loud that it drove workers home with headaches.

Another aspect is gleaning those that are not sucked into the indoctrination, and see it for the lies it is. They may not be able to see the whole picture, but they know they are lied to, and are sick of it, yet have no idea what they can do. I have stated that I won’t seek them out anymore. They need to come to me. IF they are serious about wanting things to change, they are likely already trying to figure those parts out. But it is a big issue to tackle and can frustrate many into giving up, giving in, whatever. I can’t go seeking them out as I have fallen so behind in preparing myself, that I may never recover what I have lost due to trying to pull things together over the past year. They have to come to me (or this website) and from there, forward. Or find others local (better suggestion) that can do what needs done.

{I stated earlier that there are really only two thought lines in our world. The Self-Reliant and the Statist Dependent. The disconnect is rapidly growing. I didn’t mention that there is actually a third line, The banker Elite. That is the real threat. They play the first two thought lines against each other, partly as distraction of their doings, and also to keep us from gaining the ground needed to fight the Elite. Yeah, I know, sounds crazy. And 10 years ago, I would have agreed it was crazy. I am not so sure any more, actually pretty convinced that there are powers that are controlling the world stage, aligning factions to fight amongst themselves, so that they can control the real power and direct it towards an ending none of us want.}

Skills: Y’all know how much I push the skills thing on my (three so far)blogs. Little skills all add up to great skills. Knowing how to braze or weld is one. Knowing how to measure and cut is another. Little things, all add up to being able to do large things. How does one eat an elephant? One little bite at a time. Learn one skill well, then learn another one. Eventually, you end up with enough skills that you can achieve large actions.

Example; I want Wind power to supplement my solar power for off grid living. I am not a rich man so I need to think as frugal as possible. My skills for this are going to be cutting pipe, brazing, some welding, electrical wiring, some small amount of electronics for the dump/diverter (the design is already done for me) and some rigging skills I picked up in the entertainment field. I will purchase the blade hub and PMA but the chassis I will weld up, using an old GM wheel hub as the pivot. The tower is going to be made from 1 1/2” pipe that comes in 21′ sections. A total of 180′ of it to be exact. I will cut and notch sections of that to make the cross members and weld up two 1′X21′ triangular truss that will be placed in a vertical position. I will need to rely on the rigging skills to first stand it up, then to anchor it in place. No, I will not be doing this as a solo venture, but the help I will need is actually minimal and more for safety than back muscle. Much of the design I put together counts only on me and my skills to accomplish, or outright purchase. The reason I decided on purchase in this case is cost. I can fabricate the parts, but nowhere near as cheaply as I can purchase the same. The tower on the other hand, I can’t find one under $2000, and the places that supply them INSIST on installing them, of course with a fee attached. Screw that. I can make it for under $1000 in materials and the install is not as rough as some would imagine. (I built stages and roofs using truss all over this country. A 40′ vertical tower is actually pretty easy.)

Ah, but now the argument I am getting from the family: “why not just get power ran in, it will be cheaper than all of that!”. Yeah, initially, a grid tie would be cheaper than going through the process of building and erecting a tower (after I install the Generator on it of course) But the long term I would save no money, and I would have my finances affected by the whims of another entity. I am, and have been pulling as much of that back into my own accountability as I can. Like I said, I am not a rich man, far from it. I don’t like spending money and I especially don’t like having my cash controlled by forces outside of my sphere of influence. I can’t control what the power company charges for juice, I can only control what I use. If I have to use more for whatever reason, I dip into funds that are miniscule at best. At least when I am collecting my own power from sources, I have a better understanding of what I can accomplish without damaging my system, and if I end up needing more, I have options and the cost is immediate, not 30 days later when the bill comes in. One thing I have noticed, and it’s not just me: when one is collecting their own power to use, they become VERY aware of every erg and joule they use. Things suddenly become luxury that before were taken for granted. Power consumption is used much more wisely, and for those things that must be powered, alternatives are sought out, or accommodations made for them. Every book I have read about going off-grid says the same thing pretty much right off the bat. “find out what you can do without, before you figure out what power you will need”. My system for example, Has grown (figuratively) a couple of batteries in the bank and an extra panel since I first started using it. I had to accommodate what I was using, and I also had to upgrade my controller to handle the additional power. As it sits, I am borderline most days, more from lack of sufficient sun(winter and all), than usage. (hence why I want the wind supplement) I also know that when I build my shop, my power needs are going to at least quadruple. I am working on that as well, and it may or may not be solar/wind, but some other sources I am working on. Keeping quiet on that process for now.

The initial cost is what keeps people from going off-grid in many cases. Fact is, in the long run, it is not any cheaper than tying in. The advantage is having more control of your own world, not being dependent upon outside entities for your comfort and health. You are dependent upon the outside forces of sun, wind and rain, but designing the system to cover low times is part of that cost, and part of the fun of it. And it makes for great exercise in the maintenance of the system components. (keep cheap clothes around for battery maintenance, they will get ruined, no matter how careful you are.) And I do enjoy watching what happens when black-outs happen and I still have lights going. Makes the neighbors a little more humble before talking shit about how much work my system is.

Now, some insights for others about the above. LED lighting! Critical for off-grid living. You spend a bunch more in start up, but the energy savings is astounding and the things last a lot longer than an incandescent. Try to set up lighting in 12vdc and keep that separate from other needs. You can control lighting much more than appliances as lighting is obvious if it is in use. And lighting is going to be your biggest usage, in my opinion. Even so, keep alternative lighting sources around. I use kerosene lamps for ambient lighting at night if I am not doing anything special. I prefer better lighting if I am working on something or reading, but if I am using the laptop, All other lights are off. One kerosene lamp uses 4 oz of fuel. I only have to fill up once a week and that stretches that fuel usage quite well. It saves on battery usage as well. Well worth it in my book. It is also comforting in a way I can’t explain properly. I guess it makes the house more homelike, Dunno.

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Monday: reading the blogs, Remus was right, You want to see what a collapse looks like while it happens, LOOK AROUND. This is it people. The fall is going on around us, and of course, a vast majority continue on, struggling, but in near full denial that things are bad and getting worse. The fact that I have family that is normally very conservative and self sufficient, going to a local church to get food to supplement what they can purchase tells me that things are very much worse than they are willing to admit. It is time to get back into some soil and grow a garden: it is the only logical route into our future, one where the government will control, not just the guns, but the food as well. There are only two routes this country can take at this stage: Either the people rise up and throw off a rapidly tyrannical Government, or that Government becomes the monster that the people of this country have fought against all over the world over the past 230+ years. Yes, it is that simple in theory. Of course, in practice, things get much more personal and dangerous, but that is the nature of the beast in politics and its extension, war. Are we going to rise up? Yes, but will it be organized and effective or just a swarm of gnats on a warm summers evening? That is anyone’s guess at this stage. Even the Government is guessing, but they have the means to gather up the hardcore preps to fight off that swarm, where we can only get our liberty teeth, and even then, struggle to feed those teeth. Feeding rifles will be the least of our worries if we can’t feed ourselves. Think about it.

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Had some side work this week, not much but enough to keep things rolling forward.     And just watching what the world is doing.    There are some truly disturbing silences out there right now.    Pay attention to what is NOT being discussed, like certain SCOTUS actions right now, Kid Korea is dangerous, but I think that he is really nothing more than a smoke screen for some other actions taking place.        I will try to put up something a tad less long winded next week.

Alex publishes another one.

Staying Home

This is the Sequel, or should I call it an Addendum, to his previous book?  Either way, this one is parallel to the previous book of Getting Home.

I am re-reading it and again, the opening lines explain that this is not a End all-Be All bible of “Bugging In”.    This is a guideline to ease the learning curve for those that are just now waking up to the fact that the “Big Lie” is about to come crashing down around our ears.   Some of the material is simplistic, and needs to be.   There are levels and attributes to ‘prepping’ , so much so, that I feel anyone claiming ‘Perfection in Prepping’ is a lying anal lipped fool.    Even those that have made big bucks in the process of educating prepology over the years don’t have it all down pat.   (how can we when there are so many variables against us, and NO ONE knows exactly what the future  hold.)

Alex did  fine job on this run.   I love all the links in the Kindle version.   I would highly recommend having a wi-fi connection if you are reading this book as there are many great sources of information in it.  Sources that even the more experienced of us can glean some new knowledge.    The wealth of information available to us with the nets is so vast, its easy to miss things.   Alex may not have gathered it all (impossible), but he did get enough that someone serious, could get over that hump of a learning curve without feeling totally overwhelmed.   That alone is worth the price of admission for someone just starting out.

The downside, and this is not against Alex in anyway.   I am not sure we have enough time to be able to get even 1/3rd of that info started, if someone were to start today.   There is so much that needs done to become, if not self sufficient, at least disaster resilient, that starting today, you are at least a year behind the 8-ball.  Even so, not trying is definitely dying, so no excuses are permitted.

Good read, informative, a tad on the dry side, but this isn’t meant to be entertaining reading.   4 stars from me.

Friday town run

I am going to try something a bit new for my site. Not out of curiosity, but due to time constraints on myself. I can only make it to the library once a week now, and I don’t have an internet connection that I can rely on at the homestead. I have been writing by hand more of late to keep my battery usage down (and dealing with writers cramp again sucks) and when I can (usually during or immediately after) a sunny day, I transcribe those ‘notes’ to wordpad or Libreoffice. I will then post them on Fridays or sooner if I can. Fair warning, future posts are likely to be long, scattered about and likely not all that relevant to the world affairs we see, but very relevant to my world I directly interact with it. I will also try to keep y’all abreast of any projects I have going on, which at this time, are being superseded by my job hunt. I need a certain amount of cash to get the shop built, so that I can then entertain you with my fumbles and failures yet again. Until then, I will try to entertain you with glimpses into my thoughts of my current world and my efforts at moving forward in a very depressed economic area, while the world economy collapses. (Gah! Sounds horrible! Like tilting at windmills!) (and for some that think I don’t write like you are about to read, there are people that have met me that can attest that this is ‘my normal’, yes, I have serious moments of deep introspection on a daily basis)

>Transcribed from Dio’s notebook April 3, 2013<

While it saddens me, I am not at all surprised, especially seeing as to the character of the person that these “truths” were spoken by. -thought inspired by a conversation with a local-

While Appalachia has been a depressed area pretty much its entire history, the people of it were always stoic die-hards, and fairly self sufficient. They had to be! Accessing many parts of these hills was problematic in good weather and downright nightmarish in in-climate weather. There is a lot of American history in these hills: Patriotic history, Blood-feud history, Rebellious Whiskey born history, even history of Tyranny. There are also many traditions, many of which are dying quiet deaths as time continues its forward march and the encroachment of the modern world. Some of these traditions may never die, such as Family influence in community, yet others will be lost in time only represented by written word in the Firefox series and other books on history. It is evolution for such to happen. Sadly that evolution is being influence by very powerful negative forces that paint a rosy picture while the truth underlying is a path to serfdom, if not outright slavery. Such aspects have come and gone in this area in the past, represented by the ‘Company Store’ among others, and I am seeing them returning on a larger, more omnipotent scale. And I see people buying into the lies, nearly begging for the chains that they do not understand as such. The generations that fought ‘the Company’ are long gone. The “Rednecks” that stood ground and traded lead with the Company in the effort to Unionize the mines are long gone.(not that I condone unions: they had a place and time but I see them as instruments of the state and a tool towards socialism now) The now grown grandchildren of that generation have no recollection of the real hardships that they experienced. They have no idea what it was like for a miner to have to work without pay for a week to remove stone to access the paying coal. They have no idea what it was like to be indebted to the Company Store, nor realize that an injury removing a man from work could be a death sentence to the entire family.

No, they don’t recall these things. If they are aware of them, it is usually as ‘ancient history’ or those ‘funny stories tha Pappy use’ta talk’bout’. Many that would remember those times are now retiring, usually after having fled the area for better work/pay when young. They are not taken seriously by many of the young. What the young of today are now seeing, is, as the Romans would say, Bread and Circuses: Food Stamps and Broadcast Television in modern parlance. There are so many handouts and ‘freebies’ available around here that is inconvenient to strive for a better status in life. Much simpler and happier to run the hills ‘lookin for root’ or slippery elm bark and collect a check at the beginning of the month and have that EBT card to pay for all the bug juice and junk that one can drink or eat. Just one other aspect of that I have seen is that the yard garden is going the wayside as well. Why grow all of that when you can just go to store and grab it off the shelf? Heck, there used to be gardens in near every yard big enough for one and a chicken or two running ’round as well. Now, there might only be one family ‘in the hollar’ with a garden or chickens.

All of these thoughts bring me around to some personal experiences; both recent and those of being a child. My Dad was one of those that fled this area for better work/pay conditions when ‘he turned legal’, or the age of 18. (mod 1950′s) The promise of decent money NOT working in the mines was a temptation that sang loud and clear to many. (as an example, the number of recruits in the armed forces from this area is fairly high. That one would rather face a war environment over a mine says volumes about the industry.) He is just one of many that did such. Some left and stayed gone, others returned after making enough to buy their own place. There are any number of variations on how that played out. My dad was one such that ‘stayed gone’ until he retired, at which time, he ‘returned home’. (and that is a whole ‘nother post in and of itself. You can’t ever go ‘home’.) But I digress. When I was growing up, there was an underlying “Hidden Embarrassment” in being ‘Hillbilly’. We were not restricted from watching shows like Beverly Hillbillies or HeeHaw, but there was always a negative comment about it from Dad. I also don’t recall hearing much about his history here as I was growing up. It was just never spoken of. We didn’t visit that much, maybe once a year or so, and never for very long. And always there was negative commentary about how backwards things were. Growing up, I didn’t have enough experience to see the pro’s or con’s of much of anything, I just took the spoonfed thoughts as gospel.

Later, since his retirement and my moving here with the tune of cheap junk land, I have learned far more about this area than I ever imagined. I have heard some stories about my fathers childhood, and how rough he had it as a kid (and partly explains some of his drive for his children.) What I finally realize is that the “shame” is a bill of goods that was sold to many in these parts, a bill of goods that is in actuality, an ideology, a load of horseshit. “Being resourceful is for po’white trash.” Things like, that little shack in the woods is not a sign of being money wise, but sign that you are flat broke. (and there is just enough truth attached to these signs around here to convince many of fact in the sell.)

And I feel that this was one of the first attacks on this area by the Progressives. Institutionalized Public Education and abundant welfare programs have lead to the final act on this stage.

An Act I happen to be present to witness as it plays out, with the current world economic events.

I am the oddity here. I really don’t fit in. First off, while I am a family member, I was not born here nor raised here. That family influence thing helps, some, but I stand out like a glowing beacon in the fog due to my speech and other things. Second off, I graduated high school, and not just graduated, but graduated able to read. I am a voracious reader, and what I read is not pulp fiction or harlequin rags. That leads to my using some words that others have never heard in these parts. Not out of trying to brag my intelligence (which hurts in a job hunt surprisingly) but out of habit within my own thoughts. There are some that hold that part of me in respect, but a majority see me as a threat to them in some way, or just don’t trust me and see me as “an outsider”.

In addition, my desire for that ‘shack in the woods’ is extremely strange to them. I don’t think they realize that “little shack” is the only logical choice in my life. No extended family, low cost, more efficient to heat and cool, and less temptation to fill the unneeded spaces with ‘stuff’ as it will have no unneeded spaces. They see my desire for a shop twice the size of my house as even odder. Maybe its that whole “why would you want to work when there is so much free stuff being given away’ thing, I can’t say as I usually don’t discuss it past immediate family in my area. I just know that I am the odd thumb on the hand in this area.

And maybe there is some of that indoctrination from my childhood carrying forward to today. I see what could be in this area, the resourcefulness that people used to have, and I am saddened to see it fading away. I don’t think people are ‘backwards’ for being self reliant, quite the opposite, but I do see some of that backwardness that my dad was always going on about as well. It seems most manifest in the welfare types, the ones that are becoming prevalent around here.

Don’t take this wrong, I see many that are working towards an improved life, either through hard work, or business savvy, but there are more that are leeching the life out of the area by sucking on the teat of NannyGov.

And maybe that is just a mirror of the rest of this country now. The only difference is that here, it is homogenous, where in larger cities/metropolises, the cancer is contained in areas, virtually segregated by neighborhoods.

And even in these thoughts, I have hope that Ameri-CAN is still alive and well. We may fall out of the League of Nations as the Primary leader, but we will never be conquered by foreign powers. And I think, given time, we will claw our way back up to the top. Our desire for freedom is still there, even if bloated and lazy right now.

Using myself as an example: I want my little house and shop in the hills. I still don’t have a job, though that search continues. I have managed to get the land cleared and leveled, and I have laid out the places where my foundations will be. I am removing the rocks (!) from the soil where the buildings will not be, and prepare the ground for a garden, and I do this Because this is MY Future, not because of some entitlement mentality. I am ‘entitled’ only to the sweat of my brow and the fruits of my labor.

When the remainder of America wakes up and realizes that our future is dependent upon our efforts, not the empty words from empty suits with illusions of power, She will get busy again too. I can only hope that the seed for that could come from areas such as I am in now.

At least, this is my hope for her. As such, I will attempt to teach any and all that come calling in whatever area they need educated. I can no longer seek them out, my time is too short, and the years only grow shorter. But my hope for this country is not fading, no matter what the headlines of the day read. Merely saddened to watch history moving on, and ‘the old ways’ being figuratively lost.

 

April 4, 2013

Kid Korea, what a joke. Sounds to me like the Military/Industrial complex is being geared up to distract from the Keynesian Economic failure that is being unleashed upon the world. Side note, what better way for our GOV to implement Cypriot seizures on our bank accounts and be able to justify such: “It’s for the war efforts!”. Not that I expect that to pan out that way, but lets face it, we have seen far stranger things happen in the economic world since 2008. enough said on that for now.

One thing I am fearful of is a downturn in welfare funds. I know, it sounds strange coming from me, after going on and on about the entitlement mentality issue that faces our country. The real reason I am concerned is that a rapid downturn in those funds going out, will lead to the civil unrest that DHS is gearing up for. Far quicker than if they went out and started rounding up gun-owners first. I do believe that they will attempt to neutralize the gun-owner threat here soon, but that is not the first fear I have: Food riots are. Hungry people will do desperate things when the hungry days are non-stop. And that opens up all kinds of doors for general breakdown to happen. Looting, general lawlessness, etc. And those with the guns may or may not be able to keep the peace when such times begin. Don’t count on the local police to be able to handle it either. Many of those police are going to be more worried about protecting their own when it comes down to brass tacks. DHS is going to be the ‘velvet covered fist’ that our government will rely on to keep order, and we have seen just how heavy that fist is getting with all the toys of the military making their way into its hands. Hope y’all got HP and SP rounds; that ball stuff is great for paper, but ain’t all that when it comes to stopping the baddies. Just ask Big Sis, all of that HP that they picked up sure as shit ain’t for target practice.,,,,,,

Hmph, just another crazy day during the Crazy Years. Heinlein was right. And we ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

(later that same day) I just looked at an email detailing further encroachment on liberties in America. Basically, State legislatures putting forth amendments to allow SS to arrest or detain any Sheriffs (the only Constitutional LEO’s BTW) that choose to not enforce Federal Law.

Allow me a moment to consider a point here. Each of these bills has a group of names attached to it. Those names are the writers of (or at least those that claim such) and are therefor, Complicit in the further dismantling of the rules this country was founded on. Any that would vote for these bills are just as complicit. They write their own warrants, so to speak. I am reminded of a statement at the Woodpile report, that this time around, there are solid records of guilt attached to all those that would choose a masterful approach in the future. When the Trials begin, there won’t be near the same issues that surrounded the Nuremberg trials. And at that time, as before, “I was just following orders” will bear zero defense.

 

More Next week.

Weekend of GrRRR!!!!!

been working on the Encryption thing with another Patriot, working out the bugs that reared their ugly heads.    I will be updating that page as soon as we get some successful communications going.   One of the biggest issues that we happened upon is the 32bit vs: 64bit processor.    Some items function just fine in 32bit, but are completely useless or nonexistent in 64bit.  That makes things interesting in how you can actually use the system, or how to actually receive and decrypt messages.

I am taking lots of notes and will get something a little more usable up as soon as I can.

Another aspect of that weekend of GrRRRRR: 7 days without direct sunlight makes ones battery bank weak.     I had one battery completely crap out and start pulling the entire bank down, even running the genny, I was watching the voltage drop.   Luckily, I was able to pull the battery and get it prorated.  It was only two years old and the replacement only cost $25.   Now things are starting to look normal, for lack of sunlight kind of normal.     I still want to set up a gas engine powered alternator.   That will be much more fuel efficient to charge the battery bank than running a generator for 120VAC to run a battery charger.   It seems like there are too many conversion inefficiencies in that latter process.

Ah, but a weekend of GrRRR followed by some damned fine country cooking on Easter Sunday?  Makes it a bit more bearable.

And all of this is just more water under the bridge of Prepevolution, par for the course in Prepology.     Of course, solar really is better in the southern climes, I know this so am looking into some other alternative sources.   I am going to have a large need of electric power in the future and I need something I can rely on: And I don’t want a Grid tie at all.   Still looking at adding wind to the mix and keeping the solar of course, but I would like to add microhydro in as well as we have lots of  moving water around these parts.   Not a prime location for it where I am at, but there are others near’bouts, that would do.   Maybe go into joint effort with a neighbor with a better layout for that.   On the down note there, part of the problem with the solar IS all that moving water: because this area is nearly Rainforest in nature.

Anywhos, I just keep on keeping on, as best I can and take the hits and roll with ‘em.    Time may not be on my side, but I wont let that little issue slow or stop me.    Keepin’ on.   Talk laters.