Philosophy of Hunting

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have encountered a number of people who have "issues" with my hunting and discussing hunting. To be fair, SOME of them have problems with my raising livestock as well, but not all of them. Those are the ones that really blow my mind. For example, they say it is fine that I raise livestock for food, but if I want to hunt for wild animals for food, that's bad. HUH?

Now, I mentioned that I have my own philisophical reasons for hunting. And I will be sharing those with you... right about now.

I have lived in suburban and rural areas. I have known those that live in truly urban environments. Those in the urban environs don't have as many problems as those of us who live outside of the city lights, for the most part. But where I am and have been, it is not an unusual occurance to see deer, raccoon, groundhog, possum, etc on the side of the road where they end up after being hit by a car. This is damaging to both the vehicles and the humans driving them, but also to the animals since there is a large chance of a not clean kill. Let me make this point very clear... Animal Suffering = BAD!

On top of the suffering and damage that occurs, there is also the major problem that those like my wife and I face. We plant a garden to feed us and our families. We don't plant it to feed the animals, but that doesn't mean that they don't look at our garden and our yard as a smorgasboard of delectable treats just for them. Rabbits and deer both love the yummy veggies that we plant. When I was a young child, my family had 5-6 evergreen bushes that lined one side of the driveway, and every winter, these bushes grew more and more bare. First along the middle, say 3-4 feet high, then higher and lower. When there was snow on the ground, you could see the deer tracks coming and going from the bushes. A neighbor up the hill had two chestnut trees, and when the chestnut balls fell, the deer would congregate to break them open and eat the treat inside. (as a side note, if you don't know about chestnut trees, when they drop their balls, they are spike balls between 4-6 inches in diameter. These hurt when you run around in bare feet as I do.) The deer don't remove the spike balls, they just break them open, so I was constantly finding pieces of them... by stepping on them.

These are just some of the problems that wild animals can cause. I am not going to go into detail about raccoons and garbage cans, bears and dumpsters, or the danger that these can pose to family, friends, pets, and livestock. However, we need to realize WHY we see these problems. Trust me, deer are not hanging out by the side of the road because their parents just don't understand.

The first reason that they are doing these things because humans are encroaching on their habitats. Now, before you go off on me and call me some sort of greenie weenie, I am not saying that their habitats are sacred, but you do have to realize that if you tear down 50-100 acres of woodlands, the animals that lived there have to go someplace. If a piece of forest can support 50 deer, and you cut that land in half without removing half of the herd, what do you think will happen? They look at the gardens and lawns to get food, since there isn't enough for everyone in that area anymore.

Secondly, we as humans want to protect ourselves and our familes, no? Well, that means we clear out and kill many of the predators near where we live. Makes sense, right? Well, now these animals that used to lose the sick and elderly to their predators, are living longer and are becoming overpopulated beacause Nature's balancing mechanism is broken. And we broke it. Therefore, it is up to us to take the place of the predators that we took out of the picture. Take my previous example and say you have a piece of land that supports 50 deer. Well, those deer give birth each year and the herd would grow, but they lose members of the herd each year to the mountain lion/coyote/wolf/etc. But we put up some houses outside of that area and we kill the predators to keep our children safe. Now, they deer herd is not thinned each year and quickly grows from 50 to 75 or 100. Now, we start seeing the same problems as removing their homelands.

In both of these instances, since the food supply is not enough to support the number of animals that live on the land, they have to look farther and farther afield to get their food. If there just isn't enough, the herds get sick, the heartiest animals get the illnesses of the weaker animals since they don't have enough food to keep themselves healthy. They get sick, they can't provide/protect the weaker members, and so on and so forth. It's a very vicious cycle.

For these reasons, I believe in animal hunting. But I want to make another point. I believe in hunting for the well-being of the herd of animals being hunted and for the food/leather/products that can be gained by taking the animal. They say we have a hunger problem in America. Well, I say that we should teach more people to go out hunting and they will have more food to eat. I believe in using as much of each animal as possible. Waste Not, Want Not.

To take that a step farther, I don't necessarily believe in trophy hunting. I say necessarily because there are some trophy hunters would donate the meat that they take to the hungry in the area where the animal was taken. There are not always enough hunters in an area to keep the animal population under control, and if Johnny Hunter wants to come and take out a XXXXXXX animal, and donate the food, then go for it. But just to hunt for a trophy for the wall? Nah, don't think so.

I don't know if I am going to convince anyone that hunting is good that doesn't already lean that way, and I don't know if I am going to turn anyone away from hunters. I just wanted to put my thoughts out there and see what some of you think.

Cash/credit/layaway...

Every day another story, more of the same. Wall Street crumbles, falls, topples, drops, blah blah blah. People are being foreclosed on in rising numbers, bankruptcy filings are going through the roof... the companies that are failing the most? Credit companies. Credit cards, lenders, etc. When did credit become such a huge, can't-live-without-it deal in this country?

The mentality of so many people now-a-days is that they want something, are entitled to it, and want it NOW! They know can buy something with credit and pay it back later. Then they run into problems and have trouble paying it then, so they put it on the card. This snowballs in to a massive amount of debt and they pay and pay and pay. But what happens if you have a hiccup and can't put it on your card? Or when you start having trouble paying your cards? Then the problems grow even faster.

Now, I don't like credit cards, but this is a new turn for me. I have credit card debt that I am paying off.... what a surprise, eh? But I have since learned of the problems with credit and have changed my ways. I pay as much as I possibly can with cash. The look that I got when I paid my car payment in cash was priceless! The woman had to ask if I had a checking account or if I wanted to open one with them. She couldn't understand why I wanted to pay cash.

Now, to the main reason for this post. K-mart has re-instituted their layaway plan. That is, you take item(s) to the layaway counter, put a down payment on them, keep making payments until it is payed off and then you can take it home with you. The exact opposite of credit-cards that let you get the item now and pay for it later. I know that there are other smaller shops that do this for their customers as well.

What an interesting concept... paying for something before you get to take it home... Make sure you really want/need it. I'm not saying that you shouldn't use a credit card. I don't know your situation. But I am going to say that if you can get out and/or stay out of credit card debt, just imagine if you put the money that you are paying them and put it into the bank each month, how soon you would have enough to buy things with cash! Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about debt and credit card bills and car payments and someday even not worrying about a mortgage!?!?!

Think about it, and if it makes sense to you... Do It!

What is the "Middle Class"?

Ok, I was poking around on the White House website, just looking at what is going on. Looking to see if there was anything new upm, etc. So I see a bit about the new Middle Class Task Force. Hmmm, ok, let's take a look.

Run by Vice-President Joe Bidet... oh um, I mean Biden. The goals of this task force are:

*Expanding education and lifelong training opportunities
*Improving work and family balance
*Restoring labor standards, including workplace safety
*Helping to protect middle-class and working-family incomes
*Protecting retirement security

Hmmm, I guess this sounds ok. (Not really, but hey, I will go with it to get to my point).
Now, this is to help the Middle Class. Riddle me this... Who Are The Middle Class????

Look it up online, there is no set definition for this. For salaries it can range from 25,000/year to over 100,000/year. Now, I've never made 100k a year, but I have made 25-30k per year. I wouldn't have considered myself middle-class. I knew I wasn't poor (I was doing computer work for a free care clinic, so I got to see the truly poor), but I didn't feel like middle-class. Of course, I wasn't thinking about labels either! Now, I can imagine how much 100k/year would be. If I compared the two, I would have to say that they aren't in the same league, but we are being told that they are both the Middle Class. Ok, even if I swallowed that... Can you tell me how something that would help the person making 25k/year is going to help the 100k/year person? If they are making 100k/year they might just be doing a teeny bit better financially. But then again, the 100k/year person is paying a significantly higher amount of their income in TAXES!!! hmmm, maybe that "evens things out"..

I would have to say salary is not exactly a good indicator of social standing, but for the "average" person, I guess it works ok. I say this because as a homesteading and self-sufficiency seeking family, I can see having NO DEBT at all, and working a part time job making 25k to pay for toys and extras, but having the necessities covered. This works at the bottom and the top ends of this range.

So let's take some time, and think about what this means. Until we have a definition of terms like these, whenever the government tosses out things like the "Middle Class Task Force" can be used for whatever they want and they will just shove more into the "Middle Class". Let's make sure we are all on the same page here, folks.

Money, its a gas...

So I just finished reading The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey. First off, this book is Awesome, and I highly recommend it for everyone. The primary and only focus in this book is how to build wealth by removing DEBT. His goal is to help everyone who reads his book (or hears his radio show) to get rid of all debt and to live debt free! His process makes a lot of sense to me, but he had a couple points that I want to discuss today.

First point. Debt is bad. Period. End of sentence. I have read many many many financial books on buying rental properties, real estate, etc. The one big thing that every one that I read had in common is that they advocate the use of Other People's Money (OPM). Dave will explain that yes this could work, but this could also seriously backfire too. (Trust me, he explains it a whole lot better!)

The big point that I wanted to talk about because he lays it out in a page, and I think that this really needs to be talked about right now. Gold is not the answer. We are all aware of the new "stimulus" ... *ahem* ... bill that is waiting on the presidents desk to be signed right now. (If you are not, do the research!!!) This bill could sound the death knell for the American economy. I hope not, I pray not, but ... Now if the economy collapses, what do you want to have? Common wisdom says to invest in gold and precious metals because they have always been the foundation for economies. While that may be true, it won't help you right off the bat. Someone who has TONS of extra food saved may accept your gold, but most people won't because it won't be worth diddly. Dave states that a "black market barter system" is what will emerge. Heck, we know this in our heart of hearts, and we know it because the barter system is alive and well in rural America.

Barter... if things really go downhill, what are the most important things to have to be able to barter, if need be. Skills, first and foremost, you can always trade for things by being able to do jobs and projects that need to be done. Many people don't have these skills anymore, so the more skills you have, the more in demand you will be. Next, FOOD. Yes, I said food... If you have food stored up and saved for a rainy day, those that don't have any will try to beg, plead, steal, or borrow to get food for themselves and their family. The more you have, the more options you have. Another huge category? Things that would currently be "black market". This includes tobacco, beer, wine, hard-core distilled liquor(!!!!), ammo, weapons, etc.

Don't get me wrong, if you have the cash to buy some gold, DO IT! Just don't expect it to be the complete salvation of your family IF the economy collapses. However, depending on how long it takes to get a new economy set up, you could live long enough to have that gold make you rich in the new economy. So again, it is good to be prepared for that situation, BUT make sure you are prepared for the others as well.

Read the book, think about it, make your decision, and Do It!

*title from Pink Floyd's Dark side of the Moon track entitled Money.

States Rights vs. Federal Rights

The United States of America. Greatest nation on Earth. One of the most misunderstood structure in the world.

The Constitution of the US clearly delimits the rights that the Federal government has. These are clearly delimited and defined. The rights of the States are EVERYTHING ELSE!

James Madison wrote in the Federalist paper #45:

The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and
defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.
The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and
foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected.
The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary
course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal
order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.

Now, I can see that people may say that the Federalist papers were not actual legal or governmental documents. Fair enough. So let's take a look at some governmental documents.

The Constitution of the United States of America outlines the rights and responsibilities of each branch of the federal government. These are specifically designated to each branch to create the checks and balances system. Ok, well, what does it say about States Rights? Not a darned thing!

The Bill of Rights was created because:

The conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the
Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its
powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added.
(added emphasis is mine)

However, the Bill of Rights states in Amendment 10:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

What does all this mean to you? Well, what I take from all of this is that a lot of what the government is trying to do is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! That's right, its not constitutional. Has that stopped them for the past 80 years? Nope, but we need to make sure that people are aware of this.

Some states have been making strides to remind the federal government about this fact. They are not trying to seceed or take power from the government, but they are trying to remind the federal government and warning it to watch it's step.

Follow the trail of information, and after the links that outline this, I am including the list of links to each state that has a resolution or bill regarding this. If you know of any state that I have not included, please let me know and post it in the comments! Thanks to everyone who did the research and brought this forward to my attention!

The Republic of Dave
WorldNet Daily
In Jennifer's Head

Missouri
Arizona
Michigan
New Hampshire
Washington
Oklahoma

Take a minute, think about this and I encourage everyone to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights because these are the heart and soul of this country. They are the founding documents and the rules that everying in America was based on.

God Bless America.

Misconceptions - Unalienable Rights

The teacher has just made the statement, "The basis of all morality is duty, a concept with the same relation to group that self-interest has to individual." He goes on to say, "a human being has no natural rights of any nature."

. . . . Somebody took the bait. "Sir? How about 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?"

"Ah, yes, the 'unalienable rights.' Each year {in class} someone quotes that magnificent poetry. Life? What 'right to life' has a man who is drowning in the Pacific? The ocean will not hearken to his cries. What 'right' to life has a man who must die if he is to save his children? If he chooses to save his own life, does he do so as a matter of 'right'? If two men are starving and cannibalism is the only alternative to death, which man's right is 'unalienable'? And is it 'right'? As to liberty, the heroes who signed the great document pledged themselves to buy liberty with their lives. Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost."

"The third 'right'? --- the 'pursuit of happiness'? It is indeed unalienable, but it is not a right; it is simply a universal condition which tyrants cannot take away nor patriots restore. Cast me into a dungeon, burn me at the stake, crown me king of kings, I can 'pursue happiness' as long as my brain lives --- but neither gods nor saints, wise men nor subtle drugs, can insure that I will catch it."

----Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers"


I was catching up on some news, that is, I had the radio on and was looking at some news websites. This is a not uncommon occurence for me, but I started to put some of these thoughts together again and decided to share. I know that this might upset some people, might offend others, and some may agree. If you want to share your point of view, leave me a comment, please. All I ask is that before jumping down my throat, you read the whole entry and think about it before yelling at me, OK? Ok, thanks... and awayyyy we go...

But I was thinking about this book and looking at some of the headlines. These are some headlines that we, as Americans, could see and hear about every day if we look at the national news. Its almost a constant. Civil Rights are being violated here or there, this group is fighting for their rights, Civil Rights, workers rights, gay rights, whatever it happens to be. Every group in America seems to think that they deserve or are entitled to have their own special rights. I know that many people have discussed this or similar topics in the past, but as I was writing the last post about Cultural Oxymorons, it got me thinking about this quote and boom, Bob's your uncle, and you have this post.

So many of these groups fought tooth and nail to be included in the mainstream of American culture, but now that they are there, they want to have special rights. "Seperate but Equal" was a bad thing when it was imposed from the outside, but now that they are doing it to themselves, its ok. The problem is, a lot of the "rights" that they want, are not equal. They are concessions to that group in particular.

In my opinion, if you want to segregate yourself, that's fine. But don't ask me to give you special permissions or leeway to do something that you want that I can't do either. Also, don't be udset if I decide to segregate myself as well. You want to have BET, and black student unions, and hispanic student unions, etc. Don't be made when I want to have a whites only group. Granted, I don't really care, but if you have the right to do that, then I should have the same right.

Remember, "All men are created Equal"... this is all of us, not, we are all created equal but some are more equal than others. We all should have the same rights. No matter how many or how few, they should all be the same.

Violence

"My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly. "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that."

"Anyone who clings to the historically untrue — and thoroughly immoral — doctrine that "violence never solves anything" I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms."
---Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers"

Ok, for now, I think this third quote from this book is enough. I'll finish this up and then move on to something else.

Violence. Its a fundamental part of nature, a part of this world we live in. It can be a volcano that destroys an entire city (e.g. Pompeii) to a human act that destroys an entire city (e.g. Nagasaki, Hiroshima). What's the difference? Either way an entire city is gone. Exactly, as referenced in the beginning of this quote, the same as Carthage.

The way I interpret this quote may be strange, but I don't believe that the author is saying that violence should be the first attempt. Maybe not even the third. But the problem is that when you get down to it, diplomacy has very rarely worked, and violence is what resolves the matter, eventually and definitively.

I would further add, that it is not just violence, but as much violence as needed. Look at the situation in Israel. They have defeated Palestine a number of times throughout the years. However, they keep bowing to the pressure of the "world community" and keep stopping short of completely solving the matter.

Do I advocate violence for everything, or as a first resort? Not at all. Do I feel that it can be justified when it is used correctly? Absolutely.

Well, there ya go... now don't hit me!

Cultural Oxymoron

{The teacher} then turned to {Johnny Rico}. "I told you that 'juvenile delinquent' is a contradiction in terms. 'Delinquent' means 'failing in duty.' But duty is an adult virtue - indeed, a juvenile becomes an adult when, and only when, he acquires a knowledge of duty and embraces it as dearer than the self-love he was born with. There never was, there cannot be, a 'juvenile delinquent.' But for every juvenile criminal, there are always one or more adult delinquents - people of mature years who either do not know their duty, or who, knowing it, fail."

"And that was the soft spot which destroyed what was in many ways an admirable culture. The junior hoodlums who roamed their streets were symptoms of a greater sickness; their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights' . . . and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure."
-- Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers"


Today we are going to talk about the phrase discussed above. Juvenile Delinquent. I think the quote above breaks this down pretty well.

Juvenile: reflecting physiological or intellectual immaturity.
Delinquent: offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law.
(thanks, Merriam-Webster)

I'm not going to go on and on. I think the quote speaks will in and of itself, I just want everyone to think. Think about people you know, people on TV or on the radio or that you read about. Think about yourself, your friends and your family. How many of them recognize the duties and responsibilities of being an American and embrace them? How many are truly still a juvenile, regardless of age? How many have accepted their duty and are delinquent? Now think about how many are Diligent Adults?

Just think about it.

The Case for Self-Sufficiency

With wildly fluctuating prices and the future appearing unstable and unsure, now is the time to worry about self-sufficiency (well, the real time is past, but soonest started soonest progress). Once again, you may or may not agree, but please take the time to read through and think about what I am saying. Comment and let me know what you think! Also note, that this is my opinion, you may read somewhere else a different definition or interpretation of what I am saying, and while these are mine, I do not want to have everyone follow my ideas blindly. I would just like to share my ideas.

Self-sufficiency is the ideal that one can survive without anything from outside of oneself. No, not in some wierd way that you don't need to eat or drink or have shelter anymore. More that you can support yourself/your family without needing anything that anyone else can provide. There are various levels on the path of self-sufficiency. One can range anywhere from being a totally self-contained purist, to one who is just beginning and is learning or only doing a small part to ease their burden. There are no musts or goals or requirements to be on this path other than a willingness to learn and to try. To a purist that means no job, nothing that one cannot produce alone and with what is on hand. This is an extremely difficult ideal in today's world because of our dependence on oil and gasoline and things that we do not produce ourselves. I am not saying that this is impossible because it is possible to grow corn and other vegetables that would enable the creation of a bio-diesel product to run vehicles, etc. I merely mean that this is very difficult and beyond what many/most people are interested in. On the other end of the spectrum are the smallest changes that are made. Growing a tomato plant or a small garden. Learning to knit, crochet, or sew. These are some examples of the small changes that can be made, but the list is nigh on endless.

Now, the reasons that people have for being interested in self-sufficiency are as varied as the people themselves. Some people do it for the sense of freedom and accomplishment that they get from doing something and knowing that they did it. Its a sense of pride. Others look at the cost of food and know that it will cost them less money (though more time and effort) to do it on their own. Still others are worried about the planet and the environment and man's impact on them. Some people just enjoy learning and working with their hands. Some do it to be prepared for when the Revolution comes. Finally, probably the most notable and prominent reason right now would be the American economy.

The price of gas has been up and down, and gas affects the price of everything else. There are many people who are asking to know what they can do to help the economy and their own pocket books. The ability to grow your own food and reduce your monthly bills helps us all. Honestly, who wouldn't want some extra cash each month?

Well, it may take some time and effort on you part, but it can be done. In my mind, its more a matter of changing your habits and tastes from store bought, overly sweetened, food to a simpler more healthful version.

Just think, no learning is ever wasted!

Philosophy of Work

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Robert A. Heinlein, “Time Enough For Love”

Isn't it interesting as we look out on the world and today's societies, how few of these any one person can do. So many people have given up the ability to be self-reliant and to do for themselves what they can pay someone else to do. How many of you know someone who can't, not doesn't, but can't change their own oil in their car? Unstop a toilet? Build a fire? Clean a sink trap? Change a light switch? Change a doorknob? Change a tire? Now, I am not saying plumbers and auto mechanics are bad jobs, and that people shouldn't call them for help. BUT, what happens when you are stuck on a road with no cell service (yes, such places do still exist) and you have a flat tire? What do you do when the garbage disposal under your sink blows up and starts pouring water on your floor after midnight? Pay the exhorbitant fees to get a 24 hour plumber, or know how to shut off your own water can call the next day?

With as bad as everyone is saying the economy is right now, why would you want to pay someone else all that money to do a job that would take you a few hours? I don't know how bad the economy could really be when I still need to wait an hour to get into restaurants, but that's another story... Think of all the money that could be saved if you were able to do all of this work yourself. Yeah, it may take you a bit longer but the money saved can be put towards things that would be of more value.

Now, in many ways I blame parents for this situation. Many of my fondest memories of my childhood are working beside one parent or another doing something around the house. My father always had time to let me sit and “help” when he did an oil change or brake job or barbeque-ing or whatever the current project was. My mother and grandmother both tolerated me in the kitchen teaching me to cook and bake. I have been teased in the past because as a man, I know how to sew, knit, cook, bake, and do my own laundry, but I have been told that this is quite an attractive trait to many women of the opposite sex. Not one of the reasons I learned, but it never hurts! You know what, I can mend a tear in a pair of pants or a shirt or a sock and not have to spend the money to buy new. I can cook anything that I want without having to go out to get a meal. I can also do any work on my car that is needed, and I am able to do pretty much any work on the house that I want.

Finally, with the abundance of knowledge today and the ease of access to it with the Internet, if there is something that you don't know but are interested in learning, you can most likely find someone online who can teach you, or else they will point you to a resource that will get you started. Lack of knowledge and information is no longer a viable excuse.

Let me tell you, there are very few feelings in this world, than the true and right pride of being able to point to something and say “I did that”. The knowledge of looking at a problem or a project and knowing, not thinking, KNOWING that YOU CAN DO THAT. That is true self-respect and true self-worth.


Until next time, remember:
You can't succeed, until you try.

Also,
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." -Red Green

For when the Revolution comes...

Ok, I just saw the wife use my line as a comment to someone else's blog. Be warned, I use this line quite a bit. To be fair though, I am not completely serious about it. Kinda, sorta, maybe, but not.

Ok, let me state this right here, right now. I am NOT, in any way, shape, or form, advocating rebellion against the American government or any affiliated government. I am an American and still proud, yes, mighty proud to say it! I do believe that this is still the best country in the world, bar none.

That is not to say that America is perfect. There is wayyyyy too much government involvement in the daily lives of Americans and in the daily business of corporations. There are crooked politicians and power-drunk bureaucrats. There are spoiled lazy people that sit at home and live off of the tax dollars of others. Still others living on credit with no way, means, or intention of paying it back.

Now, that being said... There are hardworking men and women in this country that are the lifeblood of this nation. There are soldiers... VOLUNTEER soldiers, ready, willing, and able to put their body on the line every day so that we as Americans have the Freedoms that we do. There are good, solid, honest people willing to stop and help a stranger change a tire, people willing to help a neighbor jumpstart the car, bring covered dishes to the house when someone passes, etc. I could go on for hours about what I believe are the majority of people in this country, but I need to get back to my main point.

The Revolution.

There is no Revolution that I know about. However, I believe, like many of us, that the need is upon us to be prepared for whatever may come. Saving food, learning survival skills, craft skills, learning to be self-sufficient, to feed ourselves, etc. These are vitally important things, now more than ever. This is my stated reason for stocking up food, and firewood, and lamp oil, etc. Its not the real reason, well, not completely. Its a reason that based in humor, but a scary edge of humor.

With a government caused economic problem, with government meddling in the once-and-hopefully-future Free Market exacerbating the problems, who knows what is in store for us all... but I, for one, will not let my family suffer. I will do whatever it takes to get my family through this, safe, secure, and stronger.

We will survive.

America is still based on the best foundation in the world, and we will rise again. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I believe, I HAVE to believe, that the good, honest, hard-working Americans will triumph and raise this country up again.

May God Bless America

and

May God Bless You.

A man's a man for a' that

One time, many years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine and I don't remember what tape was in the tape deck, but he pointed something out that has stuck with me ever since. It was a heavy metal/speed metal group and he had to point out that when bands like that get playing so far over 200 bpm many of these drummers can't keep up so all they do is bang on the snare. Rat*tat*tat*tat*tat*tat*tat*tat on and on ad nauseum. I never noticed it on my own and then once I had it pointed out to me, its all I hear on these bands! Over and over in my ears without being able to hear the rest of the music. The same thing is going on with TV and movies only in this case its my eyes that can't get over being assaulted by the same imagery, again and again and again.

Men are no longer portrayed as men. How many tv shows can you point to that have a strong, capable Man? Now, I don't watch much TV, but it seems that every time I turn the tube on, this is what I see. Looking at these shows, the guy is bumbling, incompetent, lazy, idiotic, etc. Look at commercials, guy gets sick and is a whiny little wuss. I remember growing up and watching movies and TV shows with strong, capable, MANLY men. Heck, even cartoons showed men this way (Popeye anyone?), and the whiny characters were comic relief (Wimpy). Is it any wonder that so many boys today don't know how to be a man? They don't know any better! The lack of good, strong, moral Men as role models is able to be seen in today's society.

I hear on the radio and TV all the time about “deadbeat dads” and males abandoning their families or their children. These are a product of how they were raised and the lack of strong Man models. They may have male role models, but they are not good ones. But then these males get in trouble for being the way they were raised and told to Man Up and take responsibility for their actions. How are they supposed to do this when they have never been shown how?

Now I am not saying that there are no good Men anymore. I am saying that there is a lack of them being portrayed by the mass media. I know for a fact there are good Men out there, but so many people are unable to see this. Those who are actually good Men that embody what it means to be a Man have to put up with the media and others telling them that they are wrong for being the way they are. Those that are not that way but that would be interested are told that it is wrong to be that way.

We need to make room for a real Men to come back into American society.
We need to work to help encourage the next generation to be real Men.

Until next time...

*title poem is "A man's a man for a' that" by Robert Burns.

Vehicular Transportation

Call me crazy. Go ahead, won't be the first time! But when it comes to my vehicular transportation, I have my preferences (don't we all!), and they are a bit out of the ordinary from today's "norm". I can't always get what I want, but I was thinking about this and I wanted to share. See what other people preferred and why.

My personal preference is 4x4 (RWD at a MINIMUM), carbureted, with a manual transmission and preferably a V8 (an Inline 6 is good too). Obviously the easiest of these to find are trucks, but older Jeeps, and even the old AMC Eagle work too. Why, you may ask, are these my preferences? Thank you for asking, so I'll tell you!

4x4 - This should be obvious, I live in a semi-rural area where we get snow! There are a lot of benefits to having 4wd rather than anything else. You don't get stuck as easy in the snow, you are able to pull heavier weights (including other vehicles, tractors, fallen trees) without worrying about digging up the front yard or burying yourself in dirt. While there are more moving parts than a straight FWD or RWD, that's Front or Rear Wheel Drive for those who don't know, they really are no more complicated and the increased suspension height that they come with allow easier access to get underneath and work on them!

RWD over FWD - If I can't have 4wd, I would rather have RWD. Even though a lot of people, even some "experts" say that FWD is safer for you, I have never found this to be true. RWD allows you to add sand bags for extra traction and then remove them for better gas mileage when the weather gets nice. Can't do that in a FWD... what are you going to do, strap the sandbags to the hood and obscure your windshield? Don't think so, scooter. Plus, it is easier to work on a driveshaft and a transmission than a transaxle because you can pull them down in seperate pieces rather than dropping the entire thing to work on one bearing.

Carbureted - Ok, now I know this is where I will butt heads with some people because the fuel economy on a fuel injected vehicle tends to be better and there are less issues with cold weather than with a carburetor. The problem in my mind is that once you start fuel injecting vehicles, you have to start adding computer controls and monitors and sensors and wiring all over the place! Those little sensors can get pretty expensive, pretty quick! Plus trying to track down a sensor failure can be a real pain. With a carb, you unbolt it, pull it off, clean it up with some time and carb cleaner, put it back together, adjust the choke and the fuel mixture and you are good to go! Carbs allow loads of adjustment opportunities as well. You can change the jets to get more fuel, you can adjust the jets for high or low altitudes, you can modify them for steep inclines and declines, etc. I know, this is all taken care of for you in fuel injected vehicles, but 1) How do you KNOW it's right and 2) isn't it more fun and rewarding to do it yourself?

Manual transmission - Ok, now with today's advancements in automatic transmissions some of these reasons are not quite so true anymore, but here they are. You have more control of the vehicle. If you are hauling a heavy load, or towing a vehicle, you can put it in second or third and cruise, rather than having the auto decide its going to play the gear changing game. You get better gas mileage. This is one of those that new automatic transmissions are very good at this, but the older ones.. yeah, not so much. I can fix a manual transmission at my house. Automatic transmissions are more difficult, if you can even deal with it without specialized equipment. Last, but not least... Its FUN!! To me it helps me pay more attention to what I am doing late at night or on long trips. And its just fun to me to switch gears... helps me feel in more control of the vehicle and more in tune with it.

V8 - More power, obviously! Ok, so they aren't the best on gas, and in today's market that is a big concern. Unless you need the power. A full load of firewood is not light! Towing a tractor or another car, you need power. Want to pull a stump? Tie the chains on! Carry enough shingles for 20 square? No problem!

I6 - Ok, since the V8 is going to be more expensive and eat more gas than we need all the time, my next choice is for an I6 instead of a V6. Why? What's the difference? Well, the way an inline engine is designed, it makes much better torque than a V6. The V6 might give you higher horsepower, but when it comes to a working vehicle. Torque is King!

Thanks for reading through, have a comment or question? Let me know! I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts preferences on the vehicles that we like and use. But I think that's about enough for now.

Until Later...

Black Coffee

Whatever happened to coffee being the staple drink of people? On top of that, whatever happened to black coffee? All you hear about is Mocha this and whipped that with caramel and sprinkles on top. Stinkin' fancy pants coffee houses.

Within the last month or two, I have switched myself over from putting cream and sugar into my coffe, to drinking it black. Every once in a great while, I want to put some cream and sugar in to my cup (especially if its REALLY bad coffee), but for the most part, I drink it straight from the pot. It is really interesting to see what new flavors you find when you drink it this way instead of covering it up with all the other misc. crud that people dump in to their mugs.

Thinking about it, people on the prairie and in pioneer days drank their coffee black because sugar was scarce. You might have some milk or cream if you had a cow or some goats, but sugar? Good luck with that. Maybe for Christmas or some other really special occaision, but every day, multiple times a day? I don't think so, scooter!

Now to show how odd my mind works, you take all these people ingesting sugar in coffee and pop every day, all day, and what do you get? That's right, an overly obese population! Caffiene is one of the best metabolism boosters, LEGAL boosters, on the market today. It increases metabolism, increases mental focus, and it increases the body's functioning capabilities by increasing blood flow. Why do you think all of the diet pills feature it so prominently? But when you pile sugar and fat on top of it, you lose any benefit that you might have gained. Even that high fat, low carb diet (you know which one) offers you the choice to drink coffee in the morning because they knew it would increase your metabolism and promote weight loss. And I'm not even going to touch on the fake chemicals that some people put in their coffee (and pop and tea and and and...!). At least sugar occurs naturally in nature.

Since I have started drinking my coffee black, I can't count the number of strange looks that I have gotten at restaurants, gas stations, etc when I just take it black. "Cream and sugar with that?" they ask. "No thank you" I reply. Warning, nutso, cuckoo, etc. You can see it through their eyes. To be fair, not everyone looks at me funny, but many have.

So as I sit here, back from my mornin' chorin' and drinking my first cup of hot black coffee, these are the thoughts that run through my brain. Have a good morning and I'm sure I'll touch base a little later after we run out and do some of the errands we have on our list for today.

Until Later....