John Galt for President

2012-01-29T09:49:00.001+01:00

Hollow shell of defense.

2012-01-27T21:02:00.002+01:00

The Army, Marines, and Air Force might be getting hammered with the new proposed Pentagon budget, but the Navy avoids the hammer. The Army will cut 80,000 men and the Marines 20,000; the Air Forces is proposing to cut seven squadrons. But the Navy? The U.S. fleet keeps its 11 aircraft carriers as well as its 10 air wings. About a third of the fleet of 22 cruisers — seven ships — will be decommissioned early. A number of shipbuilding programs or hulls will be pushed back, but not — apparently — killed. And there was no mention of reductions in any Navy aviation program.

All in all, as expected, no Navy program suffered a severe blow from the Pentagon’s 2013 budget-cutting ax.

Meanwhile one out of ever 7 Infantrymen is getting the boot. This, after fighting the massive balance of the last ten years of war, while the Navy did comparatively little.

Why? Oh, union contracts of course. You see, union workers build ships and airplanes, we can't fire them. Fire the grunts who do the fighting instead, and let them go back to 22 month deployments.

Of course we need the Navy strong for power projection. But if you look at the recent conflicts–Iraq, Afghanistan, and even Libya, the role of the Navy was relatively limited. It was the Army, Marines, and Air Force that did most of the heavy lifting. It’s great to be able to get somewhere, but what if you don’t have the resources to fight once you arrive?

You can keep a lot of soldiers in the armed services if you retire just one Navy aircraft carrier. A Nimitz aircraft carrier costs $4.5 billion to build, and it requires a mid-life overhaul of $2.3 billion and associated other costs. You basically need an armada of other ships to protect the carrier as well, so there are even more savings with cutting just one of the eleven battle groups. It’s time to give up a carrier. I’d rather give up one carrier and keep a bunch of grunts any day. The grunts have done 90% of the fighting the last ten years, so it only makes sense... unless you're trying to satisfy your union thug bosses that is.

Food Stamp President

2012-01-27T20:54:00.004+01:00

I enjoyed the frenzy Liberal Progressives went into when Obama was accused of being the "Food Stamp President." It fits so well. Predictably Progressives are blaming Bush which is their stock response when their policy predictably fails miserably like it constantly does.

Well bad news Libs, here are the numbers.

Food Stamp Party with a food stamp President. Boom.

Reason Number 321 that I subscribe to Jenna Marbles Channel.

2012-01-27T20:10:00.001+01:00

This video.

2012-01-25T15:06:00.002+01:00

Gingrich is a liberal.

2012-01-25T04:51:00.003+01:00

On the eve of Newt Gingrich's landslide victory in the South Carolina primary, I've had a chance to reflect on his performance.

Newt said in an after debate interview:

"I think there's something going on here that's very deep," Gingrich said. "People want a leader who's forceful. ... Part of it is, you know, if I'd said 'The color is blue!'- it's the forcefulness. ... That delivery, that clearness is as important as the specific topic," he explained.

I've never heard a better explanation for the former speaker's ability to cloud conservative's minds. How, after all, did a man who's the very model of a Beltway-consensus influence-peddler convince Tea Party voters he represents "real change"? It's the "forcefulness," stupid!

Unfortunately, what's going on here is not "very deep." Gingrich's rise represents the triumph of rhetorical style over substance. In a way, it's the ultimate tribute to Barack Obama.

What are Newt Gingrich's "big ideas?" I'm at a loss to name even one. It seems his biggest idea is whooping Barack Obama in a debate.

Gingrich has an enviable rep as a one-man think tank, but in his wilderness years, he made a sweet living as a "forceful" pitchman for utterly conventional, center-left policies: Medicaid expansion, the individual mandate, cap and trade, "clean energy" subsidies, and the like. Newt does a great impression of a red-state firebrand, but when it comes to policy, "the color is blue."

That's not to say that Gingrich has never had an unconventional idea. This is a guy who bragged in a 2005 GQ interview that "I first talked about [saving civilization] in August of 1958"—when he was a rising sophomore in high school.

Some of Gingrich's big ideas are charmingly batty. Given his worries about global warming, Newt has probably abandoned his 1984 plan for "a mirror system in space" that "could affect the earth's climate by increasing the amount of sunlight."

But the Trekkie zeal remains, judging by one of my favorite recent headlines: "Gingrich Said Freddie Mac Could Be Good Model for Mars Travel"

Some of Gingrich's other fancies are less charming. The candidate who's warned of a "gay and secular fascism" sweeping the country has an impressive authoritarian streak of his own.

In 1996, Gingrich had the "big idea" of instituting the death penalty for anyone who brought more than 2 ounces of marijuana into the United States.

Today, Gingrich condemns the Stop Online Piracy Act as censorship (and it is), but in 2006 he supported empowering "federal judges who've served in combat" to shut down websites he didn't like.

This December, he advocated sending U.S. marshals to arrest activist judges who rule against religious displays in public schools (maybe combat-hardened jurists will get a pass).

Say what you will about Gingrichian authoritarianism- at least it won't be "gay and secular"!

I endorse not voting.

2012-01-25T00:48:00.010+01:00

When you look past the fact that Newt Gingrich is a great speaker, as in Reagan great... you find a guy who has been so wrong, so often that he is totally unacceptable. This guy supports the economically suicidal Cap and Trade. He supports government forcing people to buy the insurance he thinks they need. He thinks Capitalism needs to be "reformed." He thinks the Executive branch should have power over a co-equal branch of government when he determines they aren't following the will of the American People. Never mind they are there precisely to do just that. Last but not least, this is a guy who supported every bail out the Federal Government has done in the last 30 years, and never mind if he was a lobbyist or not... he thought enough of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac to work for them. One of his primary attacks against Romney, is Romney's experience in business... a blatant capitalization on anti-business sentiment more often heard on the left. Last, Newt supports expanding Big Government limiting numerous individual rights in the name of war... far more than George Bush's moderate approach ever dreamed of... just like Newt's favorite President FDR did. Newt Gingrich is a guy who can articulate the exact wrong ideas perfectly. He's a snake oil salesman.

In light of this... I will never vote for him. Ever.

Then you have Mitt Romney. This is a guy who has been for it before he was against it and against it before he was for it on every issue from abortion to gun control. He like Newt supports Cap and Trade, and not only supported government run health care but put it into place in his home state. Gingrich is right what he says about Mitt, he is a guy who has been running for President for six years who is so desperate he will say anything and do anything to be elected. If he's that dishonest to get the job, how honest do you think he'll be on the job? Yeah, not very.

In light of this... I will never vote for him. Ever.

Third we have Rick Santorum. Santorum is a Democrat who loves Jesus. He has supported such programs as Medicare Part D along with Newt and Romney. He supported bail outs, he voted for them. Beyond that, if his campaign is any indication he is not organized to present Obama with a meaningful challenge. Also in many ways he is the anti-Gingrich. Gingrich can say the wrong thing wonderfully while Santorum can say the right thing in such a boring monotone you'll end up sleeping through it. The best thing you can say about Santorum, is if you liked a George W. Bush Presidency you'll love a Santorum administration. I did not like the Big Government knee jerk of George Bush, and will not appreciate it coming from an equally bad public speaker.

In light of this... I will never vote for him. Ever.

Last is Ron Paul. Ron Paul is exactly right on every domestic issue. From monetary policy to limited government Ron has been a staunch and sometimes lone voice in the fight for limited government and individual freedom. I also support a majority of his foreign policy. I too often wonder why U.S. tax payers are forced to subsidize the defense of countries like Korea, Japan, and Germany even as their citizens ungratefully protest our presence there. Our military budget is quite bloated with pork, often to the determent of the actual fighting man. Too many fat cats eat up Defense funds while infantrymen can't get bullets to practice with their weapons. Someone is needed with the guts to take on the defense contractors and their allies in Congress, and Ron Paul certainly has that courage on that and every other issue. That must be why Paul has received more endorsements and campaign funds from active duty military than any other candidate in both the 2008 and so far this election. I can't think of anyone who has more integrity and consistency than Ron Paul. I don't always agree with him, but at least I can respect him.

However.

Where we disconnect is his total blindness to the threat posed by radical Islam. Ron Paul thinks you can reason with the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran's Mullahs. You cannot. Anyone who would be Commander in Chief has to understand this, and Paul does not.

Therefore, I will not vote for him. Ever.

So who does JGFP endorse in the Republican Primary? Answer: No one. In fact, I am not voting. The Republican Party has failed. It has failed to offer a viable alternative to Barack Obama. The Republican Party is a sham, it presents itself as a bastion of core beliefs and principles. It follows none of these. It is only concerned with gaining and holding power for it's own sake. It doesn't wish to change Washington D.C., but to control it and abuse it, or in the case of Paul lead it down a suicidal path that will lead ironically to world war. It is not only not reflective of my Libertarian views, but the views of it's Conservative rank and file.

Unlike many who are dazzled by the great oratory of Newt Gingrich, JGFP is not. Obama too was a great speaker... and for that matter so was Adolph Hitler. It's not enough to win a debate or get a great sound bite, you have to be right on policy. Policy is what counts, not debate wins. JGFP will not be Jedi Mind Tricked by a speech.

Further, I have become so dissatisfied with the Republican Party for it's continued failure and more so because it works tirelessly to crush any agents of governmental change- that I now hate it. It has consistently been against more Libertarian and Conservative movements such as the Tea Party, or anyone such as Paul who challenge their hypocrisy. Because it has not only failed but worse seeks to defeat those who would succeed, I am declaring war on the Republican Party. I will donate my money, and my time to see that it looses the 2012 election and every election there after until it is dead, dead, dead. It deserves no less.

I predict many feel as I do, and on election day will choose the Democrat party, or stay home. The Republican Party will loose it's majority in the House of Representatives, loose ground in the Senate, and in the coming years liberal Supreme Court Justices nominated by Barack Obama will be confirmed by this majority. All because the Republican Party failed to respond to its voters and chose personal power over the good of the country.

The argument is that the nation is truly in peril from the Socialist agenda pushed by the Democrats, therefore I should hold my nose for the good of the country. Well, choosing between Socialism Lite and full blown Progressivism is no choice at all. I reject both. My strategy is simple. The Democrats cannot be reformed. They are the Labor Party of America today, exactly mimicking their counterparts in Europe from whom they take their cues. European Libertarians for the past 50 years have "Held their noses" and voted consistently for the Socialism Lite... and in the end got radical Socialism by degree. I will not participate in that process. I hope the Republican Party is destroyed, and the sooner the better. The power gap in our two party system can then be filled by the 50% of Americans who do not want the crushing Socialism of the European Union or the Scandinavian countries. Make no mistake, that is the end result of both party platforms... or in the case of Ron Paul a smoldering ruin, world war or both. I have learned from Europe's history and so should Republicans. Abandon Ship Now.

Only then can Washington D.C. be reformed and America "saved."

Oh Terminal Lance how could you?

2012-01-22T23:06:00.009+01:00

In case you live on Mars or you're a dirty civilian you should know the 0352 in Free0352 means Oh-Three-Fifty-two. As in TOW gunner, which was my first MOS coming into the Marine Corps.

For the record, I'm also OJT'ed as an 0331 (Machine gunner, which he points out in the cartoon's blog post is very common ) AND as an 0351... Terminal Lance's MOS. I also whet to SOI waaaaaay back when everyone did the 0311 package (Unlike Terminal Lance) and so I'm also an 0311 (Rifleman.)

Why bring this up, after all I'm not even in the USMC anymore? Well, TOWs are loyal to one another because it's true... we take a lot of shit from the other MOS'. The reason I think deep down, is because we're independent operators... and we have our own Humvee. You see, your average grunt takes orders and follows them, where the TOWS and the 0331's in the CAAT platoon are out on their own doing their own thing and working pretty much directly with the Battalion Commander. No digging stupid fighting holes, or going on security patrols. As a TOW you get to work with scout snipers or doing route recon scouting on your own in small teams. That is what you're doing when you're not doing your traditional job. That of hunting tanks in small groups with an outdated missile system and a machine gun in a thin skinned Humvee striped down for maximum speed. Many a grunt has resented it when they had to sit in the defense and dig while we took off at 65 MPH on some mobile scouting mission or to insert snipers or flank the "enemy" and cause havoc behind enemy lines. TOWs are naturally independent because they have to be, and traditional Infantry is suspicious of individuals.

The other reason they hate us is we're the nerds of the USMC Infantry. 0351 Assaultmen have the second highest GT (A measure of intelligence) requirement in the Infantry behind RECON and.... TOWS who tie RECON. We TOWs assume then we are smarter, and that pisses 0351s off and frightens 0311 Riflemen because often they can't spell their own names and thinking hurts their brains.

Now I was also an 0351 section leader, which is the boss of every Assaultman in a USMC Rifle Company. Being an Assaultman (0351) a serious job, and an important one. In fact, it is the most similar to being a TOW and that is why I was assigned to their section as it's leader and later became the Weapons Platoon Sergeant - in charge of all the heavy weapon guys. That is including the Mortarmen whose job is so baffling with it's whiz wheels, level bubbles and aiming stakes that most grunts just avoid them even more than TOWs - me included. I have every heavy weapon MOS... except Mortarman. I can call that shit (mortar fire) in as good as any forward observer but how they actually work is still a mystery to me after all this time. When I was platoon sergeant for the Weapons Platoon I mostly let the mortar section do whatever it wanted and prayed they didn't get me arrested.

So why this post again Free? Like you care about military MOS politics? Well guys, I guess even though I haven't been a TOW gunner since 2003, and never actually fired a TOW in combat... TOWs are still loyal to one another. So fuck you Terminal oh three fifty one Lance, I hope your gay ass, C-4 toting wana be anti-armor self gets mouth aids and face herpes. Ok not really, I'm too old to really care and the MOS rivalry in the Corps is mostly friendly... but old ways die hard.

It's kinda fun to give the civilians a glimpse into our strange and often childishly competitive Infantry culture. And now at least you all know where the number in my screen name comes from- and the pride behind that number.

Why I'm for immigration reform.

2012-01-22T03:35:00.004+01:00

A lot of people wonder why I don't share Conservative conviction on the immigration issue. I suppose I could go on till I'm blue in the face explaining, I've certainly tried. I think I'll make this easier for you to understand.

This guy was an "anchor baby."

I've had a chance to work with many such "anchor babies" in the Marines and Army myself, and while I don't think anyone can possibly live up to MSG Benavidez's example; I've known a lot of people Conservatives -if they had their way- would not allow to be Americans. People who have done more for America than those Conservatives will ever do or would even try to do.

People like MSG Ben.

Drip, drip, drip.

2012-01-17T01:52:00.009+01:00

I'm reposting Lcpl Max Uriarte's cartoon and post from his website and cartoon Terminal Lance. I can't really say it any better myself - so why bother trying.

Well it happened again, folks. It was only a matter of time before someone outdid the efforts of LCpl. Motari with his infamous puppy-toss video. I’m sure you’re all aware of the recent video that surfaced online of the Marines in Afghanistan that are peeing on (what we assume anyway) a few dead Taliban combatants. It’s been all over the news, I actually found out about it last night watching the local Bay Area news on TV.

My initial reaction to the video was something along the lines of, “What? How stupid do you have to be to film something like this and put it up online?” Many people are reeling in disgust, the very idea that someone could do such a thing to another human being is outrageous to most Americans. But then again, most Americans have never stepped foot in a combat zone, let alone killed anyone.

My question for the average person then is what is the line? The powers of the United States government have given Marines not only a license, but a mission to kill the enemy overseas in brutal combat. You can’t simultaneously praise the legal killing of other human beings and then be angered when you see the reality of it. When it’s all said and done, what difference does it actually make? The Marine Corps isn’t upset that these Marines relieved themselves on a dead enemy, they’re upset they got caught.

I guess I look at it the same way I look at why I don’t give a shit about eating free-range chickens and grass-fed cows. These animals are being raised to be slaughtered and eaten, regardless of how good or bad their lives are. In the end, does it really make you feel better if the animal had a good life and then found its way onto your plate?

If there is a line, it is a line of ethereal and subjective principle, not fact.

I’m not saying it’s in any way right, or that I would have done it myself; but to condemn these Marines for this is somewhat of a moot point considering the reality of it.

I myself as a leader am a real stickler these last few years for professionalism and self discipline, but that wasn't always the case. Once upon a time I was that young kid - much like those in the video. Would I have done something like this? Yeah, probably back when I was 20 years old... yes. War can really twist your way of thinking. I'm 32 years old and I enlisted when I was 17. I spent a lot of years in between building up my maturity and discipline. I didn't have the benefits of that experience when I was 20 years old - the way these kids lack it now. War is a powerful force, one that can easily overwhelm the minds of younger, less mature Soldiers and Marines. That after all, is why the military puts me in leadership positions. To first teach and train young Soldiers to navigate the ethical maze war can present the combatant with. Second, to set the example of mature behavior, and last to put a stop to events like the one in the infamous Marine video before they end up on CNN.

How do I deal with the strong and complex emotions of combat? I don't humanize the enemy, I completely dehumanize them in my mind. To me they aren't feeling, thinking human beings, they are simply targets. I feel the same about them as I do the pieces of cardboard we shoot on the range. To think of them otherwise, at least in my mind, is to invite anger (or fear) into the equation of battle. Anger (or more accurately rage) clouds judgement. It can make you use bad tactics or no tactics at all, exhausts the body and mind, and might just cause you to do something stupid. Things like beat a detainee, shoot a civilian or yes... piss on the body of the mother fucker who tried to kill you.

However, no one with the maturity to understand this exercised the moral courage to stop these Marines from doing a stupid thing. Might I add this was not a criminal thing, simply a stupid one. One that will likely ruin their careers, which is a shame. Obviously they were skilled enough to locate the enemy and destroy them - no easy feat in Afghanistan. I think their careers are salvageable and should be because of that fact. But out of political correctness these kids are going to be crucified. They'll be lucky to get kicked out of the Marines with bad conduct discharges after NJP, and not do any jail time after a courts martial. This in a sensible world would be considered insane, but we in the military no longer live in a sane world. Ask yourself this; would General George Patton or Chesty Puller give a rats ass if this had occurred? You know the answer.

My first thoughts after seeing the video were that of a story my Grandfather told me about WWII. He had gone into a cave on Saipan to clear it. In the dark, a Japanese Soldier fired his rifle at my Grandfather, thinking he'd stepped around a corner inside the bunker. He was wrong, my grandfather had only stuck his rifle around, and the shot missed him. While the enemy Soldier cycled the bolt on his old Mauzer style rifle my Grandfather threw a grenade. The concussion nearly knocked him out, and he staggered out of the cave with his ears bleeding. The next day his squad returned, and found the Japanese Soldier who had tried to kill my Grandfather dead outside the cave. They were sure it was him, as his arm had been blown off by the grenade and his copious blood trail led back to the spot my Grandfather had thrown it. My Grandfather felt a rage well up in him that only a combat veteran can know. He began to kick the body in the mouth, dislodging the corpses many gold teeth which he collected. He took another grenade from his web belt, pulled the pin and having collected the gold teeth, stuffed it under the corpse of the Japanese Soldier. It blew him to pieces. 60 years later my Grandfather, veteran of Guadalcanal and Saipan wondered at how war could make him do such a thing. Years later he could barely summon the blood lust to kill a fish. He fed stray animals, and never hurt anything again. The moral of this story, is even the most peaceful person can be twisted by combat, even for a little while. It's an assault on your emotions, and can drive you to do things you wouldn't think you were capable of. Everyone hears this when veterans speak... only now glimpses of this escape the war in the Middle East and make their way back the States where Americans who never see the horror of war can view it. Take it out of context, and not understand it. Thank god there was no YouTube in 1942.

As for the hyperventilation on the part of the media and the left, it's funny how they can ignore this or their fellow leftists pissing on an American flag... but urinating on the bodies of the people trying to kill you is a war crime.

Remember the Black Soldier.

2012-01-16T19:39:00.004+01:00

Since it's MLK Day and I, being a government drone have the day off, I guess I should do a post on the most influential civil rights leader of the 20th century with perhaps the exception of his mentor Gandhi.

I'll come right out and say this, I don't think MLK was as big a deal historically as many give him credit for. That is not to say his accomplishments and the accomplishments of many other Black leaders during the early 1960s were not significant, both in a personal and a historical sense. They were. However I would argue that it was not MLK who did most of the work to bring equal rights to Blacks. Like many things it was not the protester or the activist, but the Soldier who gave Blacks Freedom. Freedom won on the battlefields of WWII.

I'm positive throughout American history following the Civil War there were many Black leaders as visionary and charismatic as Martin Luther King. Certainly Fredrick Douglas was one example... and yet they failed where MLK succeeded. Why?

I think the answer lies not in Blacks, but in Whites. Blacks did not take their freedom with force, it was given to them by Whites. This is not a politically correct statement, but it is a true statement. Freedom and equal rights were denied to Blacks by Whites, and during the 1960s White Americans reversed this position and decided to oppress Blacks no longer; beginning the process of racial equality that lasted into the 1980s, and is for the most part complete today.

So the question for me is: Why did Whites change their minds?

Prior to 1945 the United States had a deep commitment to racism and White superiority. This is made clear by law and national attitude at the time. The height of White superiority came during the early 1920s with the reformation of the Klu Klux Klan and it's infiltration into government and especially law enforcement. One need only watch 1919's Birth of a Nation to see first hand White Racism on morbid display. America was at least as oppressive to the Black minority as South Africa ever war - perhaps worse.

And then out of nowhere seemingly, things changed. Why? It certainly wasn't because of MLK. Had Martin Luther King attempted the 1960s civil rights movement during the 1920s or 30s you'd have never known his name. He would have died swinging from a tree in a lynching. Today this is a very politically incorrect statement - and yet it is a true one.

So if MLK could not have accomplished his work with the help of thousands of civil rights activists during the 30s, how was he successful just 30 years later? The answer is the Black Soldier and Black Factory Worker.

White society prior to WWII was far more segregated than today - a fact we are familiar with. Even in the North where segregation didn't carry the force of law, it was enforced in the dark outside the law. Many Whites didn't know any Blacks, didn't want to know any Blacks, and possibly had never met a Black person. In that vacuum of ignorance, a lot of prejudice and ignorant ideas about race were preached and with no data to base counter conclusions on, most Whites accepted what society taught them.

And then war came.

It was hard for even the most virulent racist to hold on to bigotry when his life was saved by Tuskegee Airman, or a driver for the Eightball Express, or any of the many other segregated Black combat units who fought in WWII with great distinction. And White women who poured into factories to arm the arsenal of Democracy while the men were away fighting were able to view first hand Blacks doing things as well as Whites did while both toiled to support the war effort back home. It was the performance of Black Soldiers in WWII that lead to desegregation of the Military, allowing another generation of Soldiers to fight along side and bond with fellow Soldiers who happened to be of African decent during the Korean War.

With this in mind, we can see why during the 1960s when the ugly reality of Jim Crow and segregation and voter disenfranchisement was beamed into the televisions of of Americans during the 1960s White Americans when told the status quo was correct spoke up and said "You know, this does not reflect my experience with Blacks during the war and they don't deserve to be bombed, lynched, hit with fire hoses and beaten by police. This is wrong. They aren't all that different from us. Why shouldn't they have basic civil rights?"

And so a White majority voluntarily surrendered it's superior status. Sure there was strong resistance. A policy over one hundred years old (and predated by even more atrocious chattel slavery) is sure to create that. WWII did not end bigotry. It however caused enough Whites to convert to a more rational way of thinking that when a young, charismatic leader like MLK came along for the first time in history he wasn't lynched... instead people listened.

So remember MLK, that's fine and proper to do so. But today I would rather remember the people who made him possible. Black Soldiers. Much of the credit belongs to them and the respect they earned in battle with their blood.

This is what it's like to work for government.

2012-01-16T12:26:00.014+01:00

I've done it for a combined 13 years now. I've worked for a County Government and its as true at that level as it is at the Federal Level where I've worked as well. What's true you ask? The Government is a bloated, pointless, meaningless paper pushing nightmare.

If you enjoy working for the Government and think it's a challenging and meaningful job, you're probably a douche bag. In real life, even the military is a vast bureaucratic machine. A proud cog in the participatory wheel of the most pointless, meaningless paper pushing you can imagine. Look, if I died tomorrow it wouldn't make the slightest difference to the Army. If the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army died tomorrow or anyone in between us died it wouldn't make a bit of difference. We are all senseless cogs in a bloated, wasteful, senseless wheel.

At some point at least in the military and maybe law enforcement you get to do something that really matters. I got to fight in some battles, perhaps I saved a life or two? I don't know. Perhaps Iraq is better off today... probably. But if I hadn't participated or stayed back here in the States and pushed paper it wouldn't have changed very much. And no matter how idealistic and raring to go you are when you come into the military, I have bad news. You get about five or six years to actually carry a gun, and then after that you become a paper shoving bureaucrat that the actual Warfighters have to win in spite of, not because you helped them accomplish their mission. The military has a lot of problems, and the longer you stay, the more part of the problem you inevitably become and less a part of the solution. If you refuse to tote the line and buy into the B.S. you don't get promoted and you get thrown out for telling the truth.

You're lucky if you can avoid being a yes man past the company level. Hell, anymore the squad level.

No matter what your job is or what you think - I don't care if you're an Special Forces Guru or a Supply Clerk, officer or enlisted, combat arms or pouge you will inevitably become a Power Point slide machine. You'll write memos and reports no one will ever read that are turned into slides no one cares about or will ever bother to pay attention to. If by the grace of God you kiss enough ass over 20 years you might actually sort-of get to be in charge, and if you follow the institutional inertia which is what got you there in the first place you will make pointless policy designed to placate inept, drooling, child like superiors and elected officials instead of supporting readiness and mission accomplishment. You will NOT be ALL YOU CAN BE. Unless all you can be is a butt kissing yes man who holds to the status quo like a crack addict to a rock.

I'm half expecting some automaton 35 Lima cursed to monitor this blog to report this rant to his politically sensitive superiors and complain about me bad mouthing the military. I don't care, I'm about to retire. In six months I'll be able to really say what I think. Just wait.

Look, the public has a perception that the military is this God-Like, efficient, high-tech organization of hard working, intelligent, and focused people. It's not. It's just another bloated government bureaucracy mindlessly staggering into the 21st century. I've worked here for nigh 13 years and I'm not sure anyone is actually running this thing. When that realization hits you- and it will- it's terrifying.

We look at power point slides and attend briefings on integration of homosexuals and sexual harassment prevention courses instead of training to fight and men die as a result. When we do deploy leaders are far more concerned with force protection than killing the enemy, advancing their careers, and toting the line that spews forth from the cursed middle managers who spend most of their time blinding leaders from situational awareness to cover their asses.

The motive for this lack of aggression is to avoid a nasty (and career ending) ass chewing from their out of touch superiors and not angering the general populace of what ever country we're operating in... supposedly so that they won't continue to support our enemies. It's more "Kill em' with kindness" than "Army Strong." Of course the only people who end up dying is that poor, patriotic, sad bastard who hopefully died having not become as cynical as I have. How can you win a war in which casualties have become totally unacceptable? How can we win a war when even senior leads lack authority to give even the most simple orders?

In fact, I would argue the leading cause of death for the American Soldier is bureaucratic ineptitude, careerism, an an over commitment to force protection. Care for an example? Here you are! Make sure you take notes 35 Lemas.

Let me tell you a fairy tale.

Once upon a time a bunch of Soldiers went to this very dangerous place called the Area of Operations - to build a magic wall. They did so, under fire for most of the building. Many Soldiers died or were injured due to this building under fire.

After the wall was built at the cost of many lives and injury to the Soldiers, the Colonel who led the Soldiers told his boss The General that everything was peaceful and quiet in the Area Of Operations... but he was lying to get promoted. He falsified reports to The General to make things look better than they were so his "Master Plan" wouldn't be exposed for the failure it was! The General wanted violence in the Area of Operations to end, and if he found that the Soldiers fought in the Area of Operations with insurgents every day he would be very mad and the Bad Colonel's promotion would be in jeopardy. The Bad Colonel had gone on 60 Minutes and told everyone the Area of Operations was safe... but he was lying to everyone. He was afraid people would find out and he would no longer get to be a Colonel or not be promoted to Brigadier General, which is what he wanted most of all.

Despite the Bad Colonel's lies, eventually they became suspect when some Soldiers died in combat, and the General wanted to know why they were killed by the enemy after the Bad Colonel had told him all the enemy had left. The Colonel said... I'm not kidding... that there was a problem with the wall which was supposed to magically stop terrorists somehow. How the magic wall worked I'm not sure, but the General believed in the power of the wall and that's all that matters in Army Land. The problem with the magic wall wasn't that it didn't work- it wasn't of uniform height! You see, the Colonel had very snazzy Power Point slides which magically put Generals to sleep. In their slumber, they can be easily influenced by wicked Colonels.

Never mind the EARTH isn't of uniform height so making a wall that long is impossible. Never mind the construction of walls built while being shot at is difficult and Iraqi materials are rarely made to uniform standards... the Colonel told the General all he had to do was rebuild the wall so that it was exactly 15 meters tall and the top had a nice smooth surface. This way he told The General, bad terrorists couldn't hide IEDs between the sections of the wall and kill Soldiers. Then all the Soldiers would be safe and the war in the Area of Operations would be won! Or re-won or whatever... the General's attention span isn't that long, so he forgot the first part about Soldiers dying and falsified reports of enemy attacks and why he and the Bad Colonel were in a meeting in the first place. He was happy to have something to tell his boss The Secretary who was busy sucking up to the Evil Liberal Media and needed an answer that "Measures are being taken."

So the Bad Colonel Jedi Mind Tricked The General into thinking that things weren't really bad in the Area of Operations... and all that need be done was tweeking of the magic wall... and being an idiot The General believed him!

The Bad Colonel sent his Soldiers back out to rebuild the wall under fire... again... this time with the added difficulty of making the top smooth. More Soldiers died making the wall the exact same height with a nice smooth top, and even more died painting the wall blue. Yes, they had to paint the wall blue so the Iraqis who hated the wall would think it was pretty. Soldiers died painting a wall blue while being shot at... that happened. The Iraqis continued to hate the wall and didn't like the paint job.

Both times building the wall, many insurgents were killed but their leadership was never targeted because The General and the Bad Colonel's boss The Secretary signed a truce with the terrorist leader, promising while the wall was being built not to try and harm the terrorist leader in any way... even though the terrorists were shooting and blowing up the Soldiers every day. This didn't make much tactical sense, but it looked good in the news paper put out by The Evil Liberal Media. The moral of this story is Soldiers died and the Bad Colonel got his star. He's a Brigadier General now. The End.

We fight for good and noble causes, we really do. We have bright, talented young people who volunteer to fight. But at some point... it happens to us all eventually... the idealism fades, the brotherhood becomes either and you are left in your cubicle pounding your head against it's walls. War after this, would be a welcome relief if it too hadn't become infested with the officious, lack luster yes-men the military has chosen over it's warriors. Patton famously pissed into the Rhine to teach the Germans a lesson. Today, he'd have never been a General Officer let alone had a chance to lead an Army to the Rhine to piss in it. A Patton or Sherman or even a Washington couldn't exist in our Army today. They'd have been too busy at the front leading to make their morning "Battle Rhythm" meeting... and that in this man's Army is frankly unacceptable. So our leaders look at slides and make minor decisions with their limited authority under an illusion of situational awareness and an abundance of tactical caution and the war drags on and on and on until the citizens grow so weary of it that they demand it's end. Then the ultimate paper pushers up at the Pentagon can go back to planning a cold war decisive conflict they call "conventional war" that will never ever happen so that we can be caught unprepared for future conflicts again without enough troops to fight again.

So my thoughts after 13 years of service to this country? Despair. Nothing will ever change. Those young, patriotic, selfless grunts will go on dying - often with their deaths gaining no actual advantage. I cannot save them.

Sooooo true.

2012-01-16T12:08:00.000+01:00

The problem with defense spending and troop cuts.

2012-01-14T08:33:00.001+01:00

There is a lot of places the DOD can trim it's budget and save billions of dollars without cutting Soldiers and Marines whose experience is invaluable. Col. Steele sums the obvious danger of DX'ing the nations veterans from her military.

Obama wants your guns, and he was willing to frame you to get them.

2012-01-11T18:11:00.002+01:00

E-mails uncovered by CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Obama administration wanted to use Operation "Fast and Furious," in which they allowed thousands of guns to end up in the hands of the Mexican drug cartels, as a way to push for more gun control laws here at home.

Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Eric Holder once again refused to come clean about "Fast and Furious" and the ATF e-mails showing that agents wanted to use the operation to provide "anecdotal evidence" about the need for more requirements on federally licensed firearms retailers. These retailers were selling guns in many cases over their own objections, because the ATF told them they were doing the right thing and promised that the guns would be interdicted before they ended up in the hands of the cartels. Instead, the ATF wanted to portray these sellers as bad guys and use the results of the whole operation as a means to push for everything from banning private sales of firearms to going after semi-automatic rifles and handguns.

When the Justice Department was frantically trying to figure out how to respond to the whistleblowers who exposed "Fast and Furious" to the public, the U.S. Attorney for Arizona at the time, Dennis Burke, tried to claim that the operation was a good one. He even tried to peddle the smear that congressional investigators were only looking into the matter because the "gun lobby" was trying to cause trouble.

This administration has repeatedly tried to portray law-abiding gun owners, gun sellers, and the NRA as the enemy, while arming the cartels and refusing to hold Mexico accountable for the corruption in its civil society that also puts guns directly in the hands of that country's criminals.

Obama should be held accountable in 2012, Holder should be prosecuted, and the ATF should be disbanded.

2012-01-11T00:54:00.001+01:00

Fort Riley is freak'n weird.

2012-01-10T23:49:00.014+01:00

I've been stationed all over the place. Camp Pendelton, CA. Camp Lejeune, NC. Camp Schwab, Okinawa. Baumholder Army Baracks, Germany. That doesn't count the bases I've visited. Places like 29 Palms, CA. Victorville AFB, CA. Grafenwoehr and Kaiserslautern German, along with Ramstien, Rine Maine and Stutgart AFB in Deutschland. Just about every camp on Okinawa, Fort Lee and Fort A.P. Hill Virginia, Fort Brag, NC. The list is really too long to compute. These of course don't count the places I've been in certain Middle Eastern Countries.

Now I live near and work on Fort Riley in Kansas. It is the weirdest place I've ever been stationed. I'm not sure why, but this places just seems to attract odd people and they do odd things. I've taken some pictures of this, and so have my friends, here are a few of them. Remember, this isn't shit we see on the internet, this is a fraction of the weird shit we see every day and take pictures of. Feel free to mock this strange place and laugh at it in the comments. I sure do.

1) Molester Mobile.

2.) Handicapable Guidon.

3) A Ft. Riley funeral procession.

4) Nuisance Zombie attacks are common at Ft. Riley.

5) Our chow hall is rated the lowest in the entire DOD.

6) Maybe what the hippies say about us is true.

7) Excuse me sir, you can't part your fighter plane in our woods. Oh you're a LT. Col? It's okay then.

Scorn = $$

2012-01-10T05:22:00.000+01:00

1) People like to be respected.
2) People know that if they enter a respected profession they will personally enjoy more respect.
3) This increases the supply of people in the respected profession, which in turn drives down their wages.

So what happens to inequality when one profession becomes more respected? It depends. If people in the profession currently earn less than average, then giving them more respect increases inequality. But if people in the profession currently earn more than average, then giving then more respect actually decreases inequality.

Now for the fun part. Imagine people become more egalitarian, to the point where they heap scorn on the rich and successful. What is the effect on inequality? By the previous logic, the effect is directly counter-productive. The more you scorn rich people, the more people you scare away from high-income professions. The more you scare away, the lower their supply. And the lower their supply, the higher their income!

Lesson: If you really want a materially more equal society, stop beating up on the 1%. Do a complete 180. Smile upon them. Admire them. Praise them. Sing songs about how much good they do for the world. The direct result will be to raise their status. But the indirect result will be to pique the envy of status-conscious people, increasing the competition among the top 1%, and thereby moderating income inequality.

On the other hand, if you want to increase material inequality, by all means heap scorn on the rich and successful. Try to fill them with guilt and self-loathing. The 1% who remain will find that living well is the best salve for their consciences.

You are the 1%

2012-01-05T05:46:00.010+01:00

As I've told you all a thousand times, no one in America is poor. Yes some have more than others, but in the country club of billionaires the millionaire is the schmuck. It only takes $34,000 a year, after taxes, to be among the richest 1% in the world. We have it good, even in bad times.

Poverty in America is a myth. Even the lowliest, homeless bum with mental illness lives better than 80% of humans.

Capitalism works. It's been successful beyond the wildest dreams of Adam Smith and our Founding Fathers. Why then, do liberals want to ditch it? Pure greed, that's why. Remember that Conservatives and Libertarians, when Progressives call us greedy. After all, they're the ones after other people's money. In a just world, we'd still hang thieves. They see all that they can never have, because they don't have what it takes to get it... and then they use a gun. They don't even have the guts to use the gun themselves, they hire the IRS to do the stealing for them. Cowards.

Think about that, and then think about how Republicans have no one seriously in contention for the Presidency who has any plan to stop this.

I think it's time for the Republican party to go the way of the Whig. Have you considered the ruling class RNC Republicans want Obama to win if Romney can't? Think about that. If say - Herman Cain - had won the nomination the TEA Party would control the Republican Party. Now ask yourself this; Would the Ruling Class RNC Republicans be willing to keep the status quo and hold on to their power by taking a possible loss with Romney - or loose their power for the good of the country? They've been in on this theft for a long time, we all know that and have known that. Where Do YOU dear reader think the point is that they are totally irredeemable and it becomes time to destroy that party and form a new one?

Seriously, how much of this are you willing to take? When are you going to become willing to abandon them? How many McCains and Romneys does it take before you realize Reagan was a fluke for them? That with the entrenched RNC leadership THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER RONALD REAGAN not because they can't find one, but because they don't want one! This is after all, the party of Richard Nixon. Have they ever given you a reason to trust them? Do you really want to see the country change for the better, or just see Obama loose? I think it's time for more of you to consider shooting the elephant, and leaving the party. Romney will not fix this country - he will continue EVERYTHING that is happening now. Seriously, what have Republicans ever changed. They could have reformed Medicare and Social Security a hundred times, got rid of Abortion, put into place at least some type of tax reform, all of these a thousand times. They NEVER do and lets face it... THEY NEVER WILL. The RNC will not allow anyone who can or has the political will to get a seat at the table. They don't want to risk their scams.

We know what the Liberal Progressives are, and they will never change. There will always be a place for the weak and greedy to use the force of government to take from the productive and give to themselves. There will always be a place for the Crony Capitalists to use the power of THE STATE to insure their success at the expense of the productive in business. That's just the way it is. Therefore, with no one to turn to a third way has to emerge for any change to occur. Republicans are only slightly less guilty in this gross missmanagement of government. The must not only be defeated in 2012, but defeated so resoundingly and devestatingly that the RNC leadership is forced out or the entire party crumbles. With a slate of candidates this pathetic, they deserve nothing less. They must not only loose the race for the Presidency, they must also loose both houses of Congress and we must suffer the judicial apointments that will logically follow. The Republican Party must loose all it's credability to provide opposition to the Democrat Party and be either totally reformed or replaced for any meaningful changes to be made to the status quo. The Republican Party has failed. It will never do what we have hopped for so long that it would do. The ones we have been waiting for Are. Not. Coming. Save me the speeches about Rubio and West. They will either sell out and conform to the RNC bidding or be forced out. They will never change anything through the vehicle of the Republican Party. There will be a never ending stream of John McCains and Mitt Romneys while Democrats turn America into a socialist quagmire. If they are ever to be opposed in a meaninful way, if must be through another party. Be it a Conservative Party, a Libertarian Party... whatever...

Bottom line though, the RNC ruling class must loose influence. That can only happen with a massive 2012 loss. Here's to loosing 2012.

I bet you feel safer.

2012-01-05T03:38:00.012+01:00

Riddle me this dear readers?

Who has been doing the lion's share of the fighting these last ten years of war?

Is it:

A) People crewing submarines.

B) People flying airplanes.

C) Administrators working at the Pentagon.

D) Infantrymen in the Army and the Marines.

Aparantly President Obama thinks the answer is A, B, and C.

If anything the last ten years have taught us, is that ground fighters are still the backbone of combat operations. Well... it hasn't taught some people.

"Though specific budget cut and troop reduction figures are not set to be announced on Thursday, officials confirmed to Reuters they would amount to a 10-15 percent decline in Army and Marine Corps numbers."

I'm not saying at all there aren't good places to cut the Military. There are great places to make cuts. Probably one of the places you don't want to do that is the people that fight in 99% of the actual combat. I'm just say'n. Common freak'n sense here folks.

A lot of guys will be getting out over the next few years. I hope Liberals, when Obama has to go to war with Iran he drafts your kid to take their place. I'm sure your little Liberal Progressive, sensitive, New Age young male will be as good at fighting as veterans who've done this for ten years right? Especially when he's got his little 14 weeks of basic training and second hand equipment to set him up for success. Yeah, that will go over so well.

Hey Mr. President, what do you think you're going to kill the NEXT Bin Laden with, fucking spit-wads!

Who would have thought...

2012-01-04T06:50:00.002+01:00

I never would have thought Rick Santorum would have won the Iowa Caucus. Just goes to show Anybody but Mitt is a powerful electoral factor.

I actually don't care for Santorum all that much. He voted for Medicare Part D, and he's too Evangelical Conservative for me. And he (like Mitt Romney) can't beat Barak Obama. But what the hell, at least it will piss off the homosexual lobby. I'm not sure why I laugh when the flamers get all upset. It's simply hilarious.

Welcome to JGFP 2012. Just like 2011, only less Army-er.er.er.

2012-01-03T22:17:00.001+01:00

Anywhoo, just a little 2012 food for thought.

What if... Ron Paul won?

2012-01-03T21:39:00.015+01:00

Certain Republican sources are claiming Democrats are infiltrating the Iowa Caucus to sabotage Republicans by voting for Ron Paul. If that is true, it may be working; as my above screen capture from Drudge Report shows.

My point is... what if this works? For real.

Hey, it happened before.

Think about this, after a slight bump Barack Obama's numbers continue to crumble.

Clearly Americans are fed up with Barack Obama. More importantly many of those Americans live in swing states. What if Paul's message resonates more than Democrats think it does?

Polls show Americans are tiring of war, something Paul has been against from the start. More importantly, Americans trust Government the least since the percentage was tracked. Clearly, Ron Paul is the most anti-government candidate running on either side. Perhaps in an Obama/Paul match up... hatred for this President will carry the day and -gulp- Ron Paul ~~never happen~~ could be elected?

Obama's numbers will bump up as he campaigns, and the all important economy for right now is on a post Christmas wave - electoral factors that help Obama. But Christmas is over and tax season is on it's way. The economy will start to tank out again over the Spring and Summer... and by October it will be positively awful; especially if problems in Europe get worse - which they likely will. No President since Truman has won with unemployment so high. People -even many Democrats- are disgusted with Obama. That is a fact.

Perhaps some Democrats believe getting Ron Paul the Republican nomination will help give Obama an easy opponent. But what if their plan works too well? What if it backfires? Clearly a Ron Paul Presidency is a Progressive's worst nightmare. Wouldn't it be ever so funny if this blows up in their faces, and the message of isolationism, protectionism, and microscopic government that Ron Paul preaches takes hold and he actually wins? Not just the Republican nomination, but the Presidency. I'm sure Democrat Progressives would be many magnitudes more horrified by the prospect than Conservative Republicans.

Funny, Ron Paul could have never won with the help of Republicans. All it could take however, are a few stupid Democrats. Wow. Does that mean Libertarians have our own Useful Idiots now?

Teacher, Teacher

2011-12-30T01:09:00.001+01:00

I'm busy teaching a combat shooting class for Soldiers along with being the weapons guy for Soldier's returning to Afghanistan so if blogging is slow this week... suck it up.

2011-12-25T04:24:00.001+01:00

Message from the Free Syrian Army - In their own words.

2011-12-22T05:49:00.012+01:00

I've been all over the Free Syrian Army website. God I love the translation feature. I friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this message to the troops of Abu Siam Homsi - a battalion commander with the Free Syrian Army. He defected along with most of the Free Army from the Syrian Army, horrified by the murders he was ordered to carry out against his own people.

This is his message to his troops.

I pay you all tribute and hold you in reverence because you chose the path of glory and dignity and rejected a life of slavery, humiliation and injustice. Greetings to every officer and every soldier in the ranks of our Free Army. Our dependence is upon you, after Allah. It is not on the Arab League nor the Arab Nations nor Muslims nor the world. Not even the National Council stood with the oppressed people as you did.

Your leaders and your operations will shape the history of the struggle for heroic Syria. Syria! Syria! Syria! We fight for a Syria of splendor and dignity!

Our enemy is not only the system and its criminal gangs, but those who have sided with this system and provided support and assistance to it. We are the true Solders who have chosen to oppose the criminal system and protect the people of Syria from it's oppression. We know this conflict is a heavy task, but the end is dignified and worthy of giving and giving. He who is with God holds no fear of the small group which dominated and defiled the lives of many. God willing if we face rumination the United & Free Army will not give ground and will not retreat from our conviction to achieve victory. We are sure that God is with us against the betrayer who rapes our women and murders innocent and unarmed people. The victory, will require patience for an unknown hour .... O' Allah keep our Army Free and Syria Free, noting is more dear. There is no God but Allah, Mohammad is his Messenger.

Sure there are a lot of religious references, but that's how Muslims talk. Especially formally. What this commander is saying is quite secular by their standards. They are avoiding attacks on regular Syrian Army forces in hopes of getting them to defect, and it seems to be working. The more atrocities Assad orders, the more of his own Soldiers join the Free Syrian Army. The tone of their site seems more Nationalistic than Islamist. Most of them seem to be former Syrian Solders, horrified at the massacres ordered by the dictatorship. The more I read them in their own words, the more I start to support them.

I also find it funny that their banner is the Iwo Jima flag raisers, raising a Syrian flag. Ironic isn't it? One of the more moving things I've seen, are Syrian Soldiers arrayed before the camera. After (A leader?) speaks they raise their Syrian Army ID cards to prove they were Syrian Soldiers, now fighting for the FSA. No one wears a mask. They aren't afraid.

Free Syria.

P.S.

I hope this guy isn't on a terrorist watch list somewhere and in a few minutes the SWAT team will come bursting in my door! Look, there are likely some wackos in the FSA... but on the whole the impression I get is these are professional Soldiers who will not comply with orders to kill their own people - and instead fight to protect them. I support that. Any self respecting American Soldier would do the same.

More "Mother's of America" bullshit.

2011-12-22T02:36:00.009+01:00

There is a joke/urban legend in the military about "Mother's of America," a mythical group of whiny mommies that seeks to get Marines and Soldiers in trouble for hazing and has the goal of turning the military into a feel good, soft bunch of sissies.

There is no mother's of America, but there is this.

Then he was sent overseas, and the hazing began: Soldiers dragged him across a floor, pelted him with stones and forced him to hold liquid in his mouth while hanging upside down, according to diary entries and other accounts cited by a community activist.

On Oct. 3, the 19-year-old Chen was found dead in a guardhouse in Afghanistan with what the Army said was apparently a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Wednesday, the Army announced charges against eight soldiers in his death, saying Chen was a victim of illegal hazing. Five of those accused were charged with involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. The alleged offenses also included maltreatment, assault and threats.

Look, I would rather skip the whole "Is hazing wrong/an effective training tool/builds camaraderie" debate. I don't care - hazing was never a big thing I got into doing. I always found it pretty childish. My point is simple. Hazing happens. Its not supposed to, and the military has some rather draconian rules now to try to prevent it. They all fail. Mother's of America, if mommy's little angel joins the big bad Infantry, he is going to be hazed. You, young MW3 playing, stupid high school wana-be... YOU WILL BE HAZED IF YOU JOIN THE INFANTRY. Love it or hate it, it's a part of the life. You are never going to talk 19 year old men out of acting childish, macho, and immature. It's a part of growing up in a male dominated environment.

Assuming these Soldiers are guilty and Private Chen was indeed hazed... they didn't fucking murder him. Lets look at this accusation more closely shall we? JAG is basically saying: "You were so mean to this kid you forced him to kill himself." Seriously? Hazing IS banned in the military without a doubt - and there are some legitimate charges that could be brought forward - but MURDER???

Is it tragic that Private Chen killed himself? Absolutely. No one I guarantee you wanted that. But there could have been many motives for his suicide. He could have got a "Dear John" letter, or been mentally ill, or there is the little fact he was FIGHTING IN A WAR. Everyone I know in the Infantry has been hazed to one level or another, and no one I have ever met committed suicide over it. Even guys I know who actually committed suicide didn't do it because of hazing. PTSD? Yes. Hazing? No.

Look young skulls full of mush, if you want to play Call of Duty for real and get a wild hair up your ass to join the Infantry - you need to know some things first.

1.) We are not a super club you can just join. Basic Training or Boot Camp is not the only hurdle you will have to pass. In fact, it's the easiest and first of MANY. When you get to your unit, we aren't all going to give you a big sloppy hug and be your best friend. In fact, quite the opposite. We are going to assume you have nothing to offer us, you are lower than dirt, you are a worthless human being who only survived training because "Mother's of America" has made it so easy, and that you will fail at this and one day be moved to some easy, Pouge job up at Brigade Headquarters because you are weak. It's your job to prove us wrong.

2.) You will be picked on every day you are in the Infantry. If you are black we will pick on you because you are black, white because you are white, tall because you are tall, short because you are short, fat because you are fat, skinny because you are skinny. We will make fun of your name and give you a nickname you may not care for. We will spend all day and possibly years at a time together and we will use some of that time to figure out your psychological weaknesses. If you are sensitive about your girl friend, we'll call her a whore. Your kids? We'll call them retard molested, ebola monkeys. It doesn't matter what it is. The point isn't that we hate Chinese people, or black people or anyone really. The point is to dig under your skin to find that weak spot and exploit it. That's just what we do, I'm not even sure why? This will go on forever - no matter how long you've been in or what your rank is. Your peers will always fuck with you to some level. It's actually how we show affection.

3.) When you are new we will send you on fools errands. Missions looking for exhaust samples, chem light batteries, rolls of flight line, boxes of grid squares, containers of blinker fluid, ACOG batteries, Humvee keys, PRICK-E5s and other little evil tricks that usually end in you doing a lot of push ups. This will happen to you. We do this because it's hilarious.

4.) We will beat the fuck out of you at some point, probably more than once. I had my Private First Class and Lance Corporal rank driven into my collar bones and rubbed raw till I bled for hours. Been forced to bong beers till I vomited and then run five miles, been forced to dig or chop down trees till my hands blistered, been blind folded and tricked into chopping my hat up with an E-tool, had my Combat Action Ribbon and Combat Infantry Badge driven into my chest and rubbed raw till it bled for hours, worn a rubber TOW Forward Handling Ring seal around my neck for everyone to snap till my throat was bruised purple, been water boarded, been shocked with electricity, been thrown out the turret of a Humvee while it was traveling 20MPH on purpose, been shot with a pressure washer, been "sharked" AKA held under the surface of the ocean till I nearly fainted, been kneed in the thighs till I was bruised black from knee to hip when I was promoted to Corporal, been thrown in icy water, had chevrons branded with a hot coat hanger into my arm, been forced to get a tattoo... and that folks is just the tip of the iceberg. It wasn't I was hated, we all went through it. It's a part of being in the Infantry. We even have little names for most of these tortures, like "Blood Stripes," "Pinning," "WOG Day," and "E-Tool" or "Turret Qualification," That's how ingrained this culture of hazing is. I don't know if it's a particularly effective or intelligent part of military life - but it is a fact of life. Every Grunt goes through this. If you don't like the sound of it, don't join the Infantry. Go do data processing or something.

5.) We will play lots of pranks on you, especially around significant events in your life like birthdays and anniversaries. Some of these pranks involve us laughing at your physical pain and injury.

6.) We will not tolerate crying about any of this, or anything else.

Look young skulls full of mush, if you aren't ready for that, plus years away from home and family, brutal physical training, harsh living conditions... not to mention people trying to kill you - DON'T COME HERE AND TRY AND DO THIS. You might just end up blowing your head off, like Private Chen.

Is all this hazing right or wrong? I don't know. Probably not. Certainly the brass thinks NOT. But that won't change what men do to each other when they have no access to women to keep us civilized. Heck, my uncle who is a fireman has stories such as these, and I remember my first day at the Sheriff's Department as a Rookie looking for my "keys." That's just how it is in an alpha male environment, and all the rules in the world won't change it. So word to the wise, if you aren't ready for some hazing, stay home and just play Call of Duty. It's actually a lot more fun that the real thing anyway.

Recession Proof

2011-12-21T19:09:00.005+01:00

I've said for a while now that the one area of the economy that isn't going to shrink any time soon is farming. China can never compete with our grazing land, our the quality of our soil. We're the third largest country by land area, and most of it is very fertile farm country.

I think instead of taking on Syria all by myself, I'm going to try and get into agribusiness when I get out of the Army next year. I know nothing about farming, but I can't argue with this quote -

The young entrepreneurs typically cite two reasons for going into farming: Many find the corporate world stifling [EM] and see no point in sticking it out when there's little job security

Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Dear "Anti War Movement"... put that in your pipe and smoke it!

2011-12-21T01:31:00.008+01:00

From Syria.

....Maybe they can get Iraq to help them out? There are already rumors of pro freedom groups from Iraq headed to Syria. One of my old interpreters from Iraq is in such a group - or so he says at least on Facebook.

Is this the ultimate irony? Iraq, liberating Muslim Dictatorships. If that is so, the Bush Doctrine wasn't just successful, it was wildly successful!

Anywhoo... Since I'm out of the game now, and its seems all my friends from Sadr City both American and Iraqi need an enemy to fight, perhaps we should think about helping out the Syrians? This time on our own time and dime. I wonder if Americans and other nations would donate to us? Kind-of an Anti-Mujahideen? We'd need guns, food, gas, medical supplies, vehicles... AMMUNITION. Where would we store that stuff? How would we get into Syria undetected? How would we link-up with resistance fighters who weren't Islamic wackos? These are the questions I've been asking myself. Even if it's just a fun fantasy to play out in my mind, it's a fun game to play. I think it would be kind of fun to play the insurgent for a change. I'd like to see how those bastards like IEDs.

"I am the 1%"

2011-12-20T07:44:00.000+01:00

By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee

I am the 1%. I am an S.O.B. (son of a butcher). I started out with nothing. I was raised in a blue-collar dead end town on the Bronx borderline. Today I live the American Dream. My story is the story of the 1%.

The fake story meant to deceive you is that the 1% is Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Senator John Kerry, or Arianna Huffington. Gates was born to a family that owned the biggest bank in the Northwest. Trump was born to a billionaire father, the largest landlord in Brooklyn and Queens. Buffett’s father was a well-connected Congressman. Arianna Huffington and John Kerry married into fortunes. They aren’t the 1%. They’re the lucky sperm club.

99% of the 1% are just like me- small businessmen and women who started from humble origins and earned their money the old fashioned way. Our "overnight success" came from 25 years of hard work, risking everything, and overcoming failure. Many of us are struggling, but will forever keep striving for the American Dream.

I am sick of being denigrated and misrepresented by the media and leftist politicians who are purposely misleading the public about the 1%.
I am sick of Obama targeting, vilifying, demonizing, and punishing us for our success. I am sick of the class warfare, jealousy, and envy that Obama’s socialist cabal tries to foment among the masses. The public has been told lies about the 1%.

My story is the story of 99% of the 1%. I am a small businessman. I work 16-hour days, mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. I have no guaranteed job for life, nor any pension. I have no rich daddy or sugar daddy.

I don’t own a yacht. I have no private jet. I don’t have millions in an offshore trust. I don’t have one dollar offshore. Unfortunately, I don’t have $100 million here in America either. I am not connected, work like a dog, and fought like a cornered wolverine for everything I’ve ever achieved. No one has ever given me anything. I’ve earned it.

I don’t run a bank and have never been friends with a bank President. My buddies don’t run giant multi-national corporations. My friends don’t control the White House, Congress or the Fed. My friends are small business owners just like me. They are the 1%.

Along the way I’ve created many jobs, helping others live the American Dream too. I’ve made countless payrolls, and paid for other people’s health insurance. I’ve also failed countless times, wiping out my savings. But I never complained, blamed anyone but myself, and never asked for a bailout. Is this the story the media tells you about the 1%? Funny, I’ve never heard it.

My butcher father taught me to ask for nothing from government. I believe in self-reliance and personal responsibility. I’ve never collected a check from government in my life- other than a student loan. And I paid that back in full, with interest. I want and expect nothing from government. And in return, I just want government to get out of my way, and stop stealing (Obama calls it "redistributing") so much of the money I've earned.

I became a self-made millionaire by the age of 30 by working grueling hours, being relentless, and risking my own money. My success was earned with blood, sweat, and tears. I’ve missed far too many cherished family moments with my four children. I rarely get a chance to watch TV. I live on a world-class golf course, but I've never played golf once in the ten years I've lived here. Should I be demonized and punished for my sacrifice and work ethic?

My butcher father taught me to out-work, out-smart, and out-hustle my competition. He taught me to study hard when others are partying. He taught me to stay away from drugs, and alcohol. He taught me that nothing good ever happens after Midnight. His dream was that I be accepted at Columbia University, where he wished he could have gone.

So I studied. I sacrificed. I got Straight A’s. I graduated Valedictorian of my high school. I was accepted at Columbia University (as was my sister). I earned Deans List honors. Should I now be punished for doing everything right, by others who chose to party when I was studying?

My butcher father was right. So I listened some more. He told me you had to risk your own money and start your own business to achieve the American Dream. So I became a risk-taking entrepreneur. After enduring several devastating failures, I became a business owner, television anchor and host, Las Vegas oddsmaker with my own star in the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, and eventually the 2008 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. As Don King says, “Only in America.

Is this the story of the 1% you hear in the media? Is this the narrative you hear from Obama?

I’m just one of millions of small business owners in the 1% who strive every day to achieve the American Dream through discipline, unmatched work ethic, sacrifice, and personal financial risk. Are you aware that the standard Small Business Administration loan is personally guaranteed? How many bank, automotive, or green energy executives personally guaranteed their government loans? Zero.

We have earned our success. Shouldn’t those who create jobs, pay the taxes that pay for the roads, schools, entitlements, and the bills of government be celebrated as heroes and role models? Last I checked you don’t demonize, denigrate or punish heroes, do you?

We are the true 1%.

Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee

Die Welle

2011-12-19T20:56:00.013+01:00

If you get a chance and you're on Netflix, go check out the German film Die Welle (The Wave.)

Yes it's in German, it's also really, really, really good. I took the time to study fascism while living for three years in Germany. Not the simple historical time line or the historical figures. We all know that from history. I wanted to know how a people as a whole can become oblivious and brainwashed. It can be a very tricky subject in Germany, because people won't talk about the Third Reich. But little by little I was able to learn how a nation can become brainwashed.

What I learned is there is a dark, tribal, herd-like instinct in people. I knew that before from dealing with civil unrest and riots while in law enforcement and the military... but there can be a far deadlier, more organized version of this tribal instinct. There is an energy Mobs can generate, a power. You can watch this energy shut off the logical brains of the participants. This can happen to whole cultures. It isn't a political phenomenon... you can call it Stalinism, the Cult of Personality of Kim Jong Il, or Nazism - but these political movements capitalized on this instinct that is within all of us. I've experienced it myself in the military. It like any human instinct can be a tool of survival, or of destruction.

When I see the OWS movement, I see that herd instinct and willingness to subvert the self for a "greater cause." You can spot the danger whenever you hear calls for "sacrifice" and what amounts to obliteration of the self. With the Tea Party I have none of those worries, because it's less a "movement" and calls for the strengthening of the self. Fascism, Stalinism - whatever - cannot survive in a selfish climate. These movements demand sacrifice, and you shouldn't trust anyone who demands you sacrifice.

This film does a great job of showing it. The "experiment" the film is based on was actually cared out in California
, however I think this being a German film drives the point home even more. After all, it happened there before.

Read this manifesto by a leftist.

All citizens of the State shall be equal as regards rights and duties.

The first duty of every citizen must be to work mentally or physically. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good.

Therefore we demand:

That all unearned income, and all income that does not arise from labor, be abolished.

Since every war imposes on the people fearful sacrifices in life and property, all personal profit arising from the war must be regarded as a crime against the people. We therefore demand the total confiscation of all war profits whether in assets or material.

We demand the nationalization of businesses which have been organized into monopolies. Cartels who use influence through wealth or social standing to create advantage over workers.

We demand that all the profits from wholesale trade shall be shared out.

We demand extensive development of provision for old age.

We demand the creation and maintenance of a healthy middle-class, the immediate communalization of department stores which will be rented cheaply to small businessmen, and that preference shall be given to small businessmen for provision of supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities.

We demand a land reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to confiscate from the owners without compensation any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land."

This sounds like an OSW protester eh? Well, it was written in 1929... by Adolph Hitler.

Now go read a list of "demands" from the OWS kids, and simply replace the words "Corporations" and "1%" with the word Jew. Both Hitler and OWS say the same for Capitalism, so there is no need to change anything around on that subject.

Same philosophy of sacrifice, of hating the "elite" who screws you over, and subversion of a sense of "self" to "the movement."

That's how evil begins folks. It's that easy. People don't make a conscious choice to participate in evil most of the time. They wake up years later asking "How did this happen?" I think Die Welle does a great job of showing this effect, along with great dramatic tension. Is the teacher simply teaching a lesson or is he serious about this? It's a question that haunts the movie, and one that isn't answered till the dramatic conclusion.

Dead. Yay.

2011-12-19T14:09:00.003+01:00

Kim Jong Il is dead. Bye bye.

Lets hope his son isn't worse.

And one more time for old time's sake.... YOU ARE WORTHLESS ALEC BALDWIN!

Adventures of Kaiser Part II

2011-12-18T04:19:00.005+01:00

Thanks Dad, that walk was awesome.

Yeah, I liked it too. That Dad sure can't run fast but he can do it FOREVER. When I took my nap after I had the funniest dream I was eating microfiber...

Adventures of Kaiser

2011-12-17T05:14:00.000+01:00

Pssssssst Dad. Can we go for a walk?

OMG

2011-12-16T22:39:00.008+01:00

I friend of mine I served with in Iraq has got himself into a lot of trouble.

I don't know what to say, I'm at a loss for words. A part of me knows I should detest this person and be angry with him... but I'm not. He and Scott Zaur served together in Havoc Snipers. They were both bad ass Soldiers, guys you'd WANT next to you in a fire fight. I know, I've been next to both in fire fights. I think nearly everyone was who was in Sadr. Those guys fought everywhere.

Everyone who was in Sadr who was part of TF-Regulars seems to be going crazy to one level or another. Something went so wrong out there. I'm not sure what it was. We're on our fifth suicide and now this...

I know from talking to friends who have spoken with Anthony that he is very remourseful and is taking full responsibility for his actions. I don't know what else to say, other than how suprised at myself I am for my primary concern being for the murderer. I guess I've been taught all my life to think a certain way - to look down on the Anthony Rinaldis of the world- but this time I just can't do it.

Fuck it, I'd help break him out if Koski lead the opp. I never thought I'd think something like that.

I feel so terrible for his children.

I have been right all along.

2011-12-16T22:11:00.006+01:00

Iran had knowledge of and gave support to Al'Queda to perpretrate the 9-11 attacks.

al-Qaida’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, came to Iran in May 2001 for four days of intense closed-door meetings with the top leadership in Iran to discuss the impending attacks.

I said in 2003 when we invaded Iraq we were attacking the wrong Hajis. I've said this for years, and I've been right. It's been Iran all along.

Cut the head off Iran, and you cut the head of the entire Jihadist snake. If Obama actually has the balls to go conventional against Iran I won't be like the Democrats and support him in going to war and opposing him in fighting it. I'll back him. Do the right thing Mr. President.

H/T Zelda

Newt is not the answer.

2011-12-16T20:16:00.004+01:00

From the perspective of someone who wants to minimize the role of government in every aspect of our lives, Gingrich is bad in the ways conservatives tend to be bad—and then some. At the same time, he is generally not good in the ways conservatives tend to be good.

Gingrich's bloodthirsty enthusiasm for the never-ending, always-failing war on drugs is especially appalling because he casually dismissed his own pot smoking as "a sign that we were alive and in graduate school in that era." Last month he expressed admiration for Singapore's drug policy, which includes forcible testing of suspected drug users, long prison sentences for possession, and mandatory execution of anyone caught with more than a specified amount. "They've been very draconian," Gingrich said, meaning it as a compliment.

Last year Gingrich likewise put his characteristically reckless spin on criticism of the "Ground Zero mosque." Unlike Sarah Palin, who urged the project's supporters not to build it but conceded they had a constitutional right to do so, Gingrich insisted "there should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia"—and called for state or federal intervention to enforce that arbitrary edict. He nevertheless presents himself as a champion of religious liberty.

Gingrich recommends that Congress abolish the courts of judges who reach decisions it does not like, or simply declare its acts exempt from judicial review.

Aside from the Second Amendment, Gingrich does not seem to have much regard for the Bill of Rights, and that includes the 10th Amendment, which reflects the Framers' intent that the federal government have only those powers expressly granted by the Constitution, the rest being "reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." At Saturday's Republican presidential debate, Gingrich said one of his rivals, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, "got me engaged about three years ago on this whole 10th Amendment in a big, serious way."

By his own account, then, Gingrich, who served more than two decades in Congress and brags about his credentials as an historian, did not begin to think seriously about the limits that federalism imposes on the national government until 2008. That may explain why he did not realize until this year that a law requiring people to buy health insurance exceeds Congress's powers under the Commerce Clause.

Gingrich's lack of familiarity with "this whole 10th Amendment" may also explain his detailed policy recommendations for education, an area where the federal government has no constitutional authority. Not to mention his defense of government-funded moon bases and Mars missions as ways to "give young people a reason to study science and math and technology."

Constitutional issues aside, Gingrich's tendency to think government should subsidize whatever strikes his fancy, whether it's extraterrestrial colonies, prescription drugs, or alternative energy sources, does not inspire confidence in his alleged fiscal conservatism. On that point the most damning comment I've seen recently came from New York Times columnist David Brooks. Last week Brooks, a "national greatness" conservative who believes "energetic government is good for its own sake," wrote that Gingrich "has no Hayekian modesty to restrain his faith in statist endeavor" and therefore "loves government more than I do." Yikes.

I'm 50% with Ann Coulter. No Newt. Where Ann and I don't agree is, no Romney either.

Go on voting strike. The only way we can fix these problems is to elect a good President, and right now that doesn't even seem to be a possibility. If Perry isn't the nominee, then the Republicans deserve their fate.

Fuck voting for Newt. Fuck voting.

2011-12-16T19:09:00.006+01:00

I was still entertaining a prayer I could vote for Newt Gingrich. I was at least entertaining the idea. After what he said in last night's debate I will never vote for that man. Ever. I'll vote for ROMNEY before I vote for Newt.

Gingrich: Well, the first half is right. It alters the balance, because the courts have become grotesquely dictatorial, far too powerful, and I think, frankly, arrogant in their misreading of the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

There’s an entire paper at newt.org — I’ve been working on this project since 2002, when the Ninth Circuit Court said that “one nation under God” is unconstitutional in the Pledge of Allegiance. And I decided, if you had judges who were so radically anti-American that they thought “one nation under God” was wrong, they shouldn't’t be on the court. Now, we have…

(APPLAUSE)

I taught a short course in this at the University of Georgia Law School. I testified in front of sitting Supreme Court justices at Georgetown Law School. And I warned them: You keep attacking the core base of American exceptionalism, and you are going to find an uprising against you which will rebalance the judiciary.

We have a balance of three branches. We do not have a judicial dictatorship in this country. And that’s what the Federalist papers promised us. And I would — just like Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln and FDR — I would be prepared to take on the judiciary if, in fact, it did not restrict itself in what it was doing.

WTF?

Sorry Newt, but the Federal Courts are a coequal branch of government. What Newt says in his paper essentially is he'd use the power of government to haul judges in front of Congressional Commities and use every trick in the book to undermine and exclude them from government... if they don't rule his way - or as he put it "Defy the will of the American People." They aren't dictatorial when they stand up to the Legislature and the Executive they are doing their jobs through the system of checks and balances. No, I don't always like rulings made by Courts like the 9th Circuit... but we don't throw law out the window every time it pisses us off either.

As I listened to Newt say these things last night, the whole time I was thinking - "I'm a Soldier. If Newt tries to drag a Federal Judge before Congress and essentially fire him - could I support that? If he tried to use the military to enforce that, could I comply with such an order?"

The answer is no. It would be an unlawful order. I would be compelled to refuse, and fight on the side of the Court if necessary. I swore my Oath to the Constitution - not the Commander in Chief. There is no way I would do that, and I hope no one else would either.

It's one thing to impeach a judge who has broken the law... and quite another to use the power of Government to intimidate and bully the Judiciary.

Looks like I had Newt pegged from the start. I said I didn't trust him, because he's a megalomaniac who can talk himself into anything. This is what I meant. There is a Nixonian anti-freedom to his rhetoric. I don't care how well he'd do in a debate with Obama or how good a speaker he is. He's not getting my vote. Adolph Hitler was a good speaker too.

I've covered in depth on this blog my dislike for Romney. I love Ron Paul on domestic issues, but of all the people Michelle Bachmann nailed it last night when she described his foreign policy for what it is... dangerous. Obviously I can't vote for Obama... so that leaves Rick Perry - who as you will recall is my first choice. He's the only candidate left talking about Constitutional rights, the only one with a plan to shrink government and the skills to do it, and the only one left talking about tax reform. I'm voting for Perry in the primary, and if he isn't the candidate (and I don't realistically think he will be) then I'm not voting.

With candidates like these, the GOP deserves to loose.

I called it.

2011-12-13T03:18:00.003+01:00

Remember when I warned you about Glen Beck?

Well, turns out I was right.

I guess I know a megalomaniac when I see one. It's why I won't vote for Newt, and why I turned on Glen Beck over a year ago.

The difference between Apple and GM

2011-12-13T02:55:00.002+01:00

The House Ways and Means Committee is now reviewing President Obama’s “Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee,” a bank tax that will fall on some institutions that never asked for money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, never took TARP money, or already paid back TARP money. In promoting the measure, supporters have been invoking widespread anger over bank bailouts, brazenly ignoring the fact that this punitive tax would punish businesses that eagerly fed at the public trough in the wake of the crisis as well as those that did not.

Since the advent of capitalism, businessmen have been denounced for the corrupt actions of a few political profiteers. But there are two kinds of businessmen in the world - one type liberals refuse to acknowledge. There are “producers” and there are “looters.”

The producers of the world work tirelessly to create products that improve human life - for profit rightfully earned. The looters are basically pseudobusinessmen who get unearned riches by getting special favors from politicians. Their business isn’t business, but political pull.

It is the producers who make life possible: who keep grocery shelves stocked; who discover new lifesaving drugs; who make computers faster, buildings taller, and airplanes safer.

The looters, on the other hand, leech off the wealth created by producers.

I reject the implied Liberal assertion that producers and looters are fundamentally united by a desire for profit. Only the producers deserve to be called profit-seekers, because they earn rewards through productive effort; the looters are antieffort parasites seeking unearned loot. Looters in all forms should be rejected by society. Be they millionaires or welfare queens. Both are leeches who suck the blood of the productive.

But it’s not only unearned wealth the looters want. Looters of all economic walks of life seek to sack producers with progressively harsher government controls and regulations, because they can’t survive except by hindering the competition.

Producers, however, don’t need special favors, only freedom: the freedom to produce, to trade voluntarily, and, if they succeed, to keep the profits. As a country becomes less free, it creates and unleashes more and more looters at an exponential rate, who succeed at the expense of the productive.

America, today, is still a land of producers. Our country is full of industrialists, managers, and financiers who display the ruthlessly high standards, exceptional intelligence, and extraordinary work ethic that are characteristic of a producer.

When Apple was nearly ready to release the first iPhone, for instance, CEO Steve Jobs looked at the enclosure design and announced to his team, “I just don’t love this. I can’t convince myself to fall in love with this.” Mr. Jobs was asking his team to toss out a year’s work and start over. “And you know what everybody said?” Jobs later noted. “Sign us up.” That is the mentality of a producer – the commitment to settle for nothing but one’s best. It’s a mentality you can still find in many sectors of the economy.

But the looters are on the rise, growing fat on bailouts, handouts, and other sundry opportunities for political profiteering. For every producer like BB&T bank’s John Allison, who opposed Washington’s bailouts and was forced to accept government money, there seem to be 10 like former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, demanding tax dollars to prop up their failing companies.

Today’s looters constantly lobby for government restraints on their more able competitors - and Democrats are most often their vehicle. Remember when the überproductive Bill Gates started giving away free Web browsers to his customers, and Netscape ran to Washington demanding that Microsoft be shackled via antitrust laws?

Yes, it can sometimes be hard to tell the producers from the looters. As government becomes more entangled in our economic affairs, even the producers of the world are forced to lobby Washington – not to reap unearned rewards, but to protect themselves from the leeches. (It’s no accident that before Microsoft came under antitrust fire, it spent virtually nothing on lobbyists, while today it spends many millions.) What’s more, many businessmen are mixed cases – part producer, part political profiteer.

However difficult it may be to classify individual businessmen, though, it’s crucial to keep the two categories separate when praising or condemning the businessmen who appear in the headlines and before congressional panels. If we don’t, it’s the looters who benefit and the producers who suffer.

Next time you hear a liberal complaining about the "wealthiest 1%" remember he's a pawn of some looter - looking to stack the deck in his favor to avoid something all looters from the projects to K Street hate. Work.

Um... we know how to spot a terrorist...

2011-12-08T20:56:00.004+01:00

Hearings today on The Hill about terrorists trying to infiltrate the Military got a little silly.

Okay look, I strongly believe Al'Queda cells are operating in this country, and that we in the military are high on their priority list. It has happened, as with the Ft. Hood shooting incident involving Maj. Hassan shooting Soldiers at the Ft. Hood SRP site.

It wasn't as if no one was concerned or didn't notice Hassan's radical tendencies. They did. However a blinding political correctness has infected our officer corps and they refused to act out of fear of getting into trouble for racism or lack of religious sensitivity.

Look - I have to self censor here. Once again I can't say what I want to... but I will say this. We know how to spot these people already - and I don't think anyone will make the mistake of ignoring radical tendencies out of fear of the Army political correctness machine's reprisal anymore. Pissing off someone for some reason is a no-no, but being the unlucky commander who didn't stop the radical terrorist when it was obvious what was about to happen has become a bigger no, no. Nothing moves the officer corps to act like fear of ruined careers and letters of reprimand. First that fear caused this problem, and now it will fix it.

God damned freak'n nanny state!!!

2011-12-08T20:09:00.005+01:00

President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his health secretary's decision to stop the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms.

"As the father of two daughters," he said, "I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine." The president spoke the morning after his administration stunned major doctors' groups and women's health advocates with the decision.

Plan B is a pill that can prevent pregnancy [EM] if taken soon enough after unprotected sex.

Source

We all know I'm hugely pro life, but I'm not anti-birth control. I'm all for birth control. Plan B does not kill a baby - it's a massive dose of the same medicine that is in the Birth Control Pill than does not terminate a pregnancy via abortion - it prevents the pregnancy from ever occurring. In fact, use of emergency contraception has been shown to reduce abortion rates.

Plan B is a pill that can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex.

And now Obama won't let it be made available over the counter. Like after a wild, drunken, mistake filled night a woman will have time to beat the fertilization clock with a doctor's appointment... He might has well have banned the pill outright, he's rendered it nearly useless. Like this is a likely scenario: "Hey Dr. Smith, I just had a wild, drunken night of unprotected sex. I know it's three in the morning, but could I trouble you to get up and write me a prescription for Plan B."

Is this guy a control freak to no end? Must government regulate everything in this country now? I hate the fake ass excuse he used too, about his two daughters. Yeah, gee- no brainer minors shouldn't be allowed to buy freak'n NyQuil without a parent's permission... let alone the morning after pill. Parents have a duty to control and protect the health of their children. Pass a damn law minors can't buy it... we already do that with cigarettes and alcohol... and that's fine. But we're not talking about just minors here... we're talking about grown ass adults who should be able to make their own adult decisions.

I guess in Obama's world, we're all children who need him to think for us.

Who knew she could sing?

2011-12-08T09:55:00.005+01:00

I may be the last person to have seen this video. As you all know, I am willfully and happily culturally oblivious. I hate most popular music and films. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and can't understand what those damn kids are listening to these days... **In my best grandpa voice** Damn it boy in my day we had dreadlocks and listened to Death Metal! This pussy Emo faggot goth crap is for hippies and queers! Now grow your hair out, and stop showering like Kirk Cobain!

Okay, all joking aside... I think something magical happens when you turn 30, at least to most people. You actually get a life and don't keep up with the cool trends anymore. You start tucking in your shirt and paying a mortgage and all of a sudden you feel really ridiculous listening or watching what the 21 years olds are into.

And that my friends, is probably why I hate Lady Gaga.

I just don't get it. She sounds repetitive to me, and slow and plastic and fake and lame.

And then I saw this video and thought she was the great. I hope the Soldiers and Marines who read this blog don't beat me up too bad. I mean it doesn't do your swift, silent, deadly, killer cred any good when you're listening to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga and dancing around with your two huge dogs like a homo while your spouse looks at you like you've lost your damn mind... but that is what happened. It's a great song and they both did a great job. And as for my spouse, she looks at me like I've lost my mind most of the time. I think if I did something sane it would shock her more now. That poor woman, did she really have any idea what she was getting into? Anywhoo, dogs loved it! They're such good dancers!

So now to reestablish my Hard Core credentials- I give you Hatebreed.

From Hatebreed's Chris Beattie-

"I'm completely baffled at the amount of people who consider themselves intelligent but yet hide behind some 'party' as their means to defend their side of an arguement. It doesn't matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, whatever you want to fucking call yourself, the important thing is you start listening with your ears and seeing things with your own two eyes!! The thing I'm trying to get at here is come November and it's time to vote, don't be a fucking idiot and just vote for a Republican or Democrat just because you're 'loyal' to the party. That's the dumbest way of thinking that I've encountered. There is not going to be a 'quick fix' to our country's issues but we as a NATION must stand up and change things and not rely on those in power to do their jobs! If something isn't working and hasn't been working you have to change it and that's where we are at right now. Don't rely on turning on CNN to get informed. These and many other 'informative' channels are run by the same institutions that control our country and they definitely try to sway you to believe what they want you to. Stop letting others decide for you and grow some balls!

For the record, I support every single one of our troops and love America. The people running America, well, they're a little shady.

Rest In Peace Sailors and Marines of Pear Harbor.

2011-12-07T18:37:00.001+01:00

You spell Peloci C-U-N-T.

2011-12-05T19:18:00.005+01:00

Nancy Pelosi says she has dirt on Newt Gingrich.

. “When the time is right. … I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff.”

I wonder, is it worse than using political power for insider trading, or while being the richest woman in government blowing billions in taxpayer dollars on Air Force charter planes to go to governmentally essential places like... Martha's Vineyard? Or blowing millions to hang around with vicious dictators? You know, the guy that is massacring his own people right now? I wonder if the reason Obama hasn't gone all Qaddafi on Assad, is Assad's close relationship with Nancy Pelosi.

Sorry Nancy, but anything coming from you, I don't think I'm going to buy it.

A case against altruism.

2011-12-03T05:53:00.005+01:00

Altruism holds that being moral consists in self-sacrificially serving others. Despite its self-destructive nature, altruism is accepted to some extent by almost everyone today. Of course, no one upholds it consistently- at least not for long. Rather, most people accept it as true and then cheat on it. All religionists: Christians, Jews, and Muslims... are altruists. Their holy books demand it. All so-called "Secular Humanists." Utilitarians, Postmodernists, and Egalitarians are altruists. Their philosophies demand it.

From the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim points of view, the significant "others" are "God" and "the poor." They are the "others" for whom you should sacrifice. From the Utilitarian point of view, the "other" is "everyone in general" (the Utilitarian principle is "the greatest good for the greatest number"). From the Postmodern and Egalitarian points of view, the "other" is "anyone with less wealth or opportunity than you have"; in other words, "the better off you are, the more you should sacrifice for others--the worse off you are, the more others should sacrifice for you."

Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Everyone believes it is the moral thing to do. And no philosopher has been willing to challenge this idea. Except Ayn Rand.

There is one word- a single word- which can blast the morality of altruism out of existence and which it cannot withstand. The word: ‘Why?' Why must man live for the sake of others? Why must he be a sacrificial animal? Why is that the good? There is no earthly reason for it- and, ladies and gentlemen, in the whole history of philosophy no earthly reason has ever been given.

On examination, this is true. No reason has ever been given as to why people should sacrifice for others. Of course, alleged reasons have been given, but not legitimate ones. Let's consider the alleged reasons- of which there are approximately six as I can tell- each of which involves a logical fallacy.

1. "You should sacrifice because "God says so." This is not a reason- certainly not an earthly one. At best it is an appeal to authority, that is: to the "authorities" who claim to speak for God. More fundamentally, it is an arbitrary claim, since there is no evidence for the existence of God. But for our purposes here, suffice it to say that it is an appeal to authority) Just because some preacher or some book makes a claim does not mean that the claim is true. Among other things, the Bible claims that a bush spoke.

2. "You should sacrifice because Society says so." This is not a reason, either. It is an appeal to the masses. Matters of truth and morality are not determined by what society or a group of people say. American society used to say that slavery should be legal; some societies still do. That did not, and does not, make it so.

3. "You should sacrifice because other people need the benefits of your sacrifice." That is an appeal to pity. Even if one person's sacrifice could produce benefits for another person (which it cannot), it would not follow that this is a reason to sacrifice. If it were a reason to sacrifice, then anyone could walk up to anyone else at any time and demand anything: his money, his time, his effort, his property, his wife, or his life. Everyone has needs. I need a bigger house. Should other people give me one? Does my need constitute a moral claim on their time, their money, their effort?

4. "You should sacrifice because if you don't, you will be beaten, or fined, or thrown in jail, or in some other way physically assaulted." Think that is an extreme statement? Try not paying your taxes. The threat of force is not a reason; it is the opposite of a reason. If the force-wielders could offer a reason for why you should sacrifice, then they wouldn't have to use force; they could use persuasion instead of coercion.

5. "You should sacrifice because, you might need 'help' someday." This is not a reason, but a personal attack and an insult. It says, in effect, "You're immature" or "You're stupid." as if demanding a reason in support of a moral conviction could indicate a lack of maturity or intelligence.

6. "You should sacrifice because only an evil person would challenge this established fact." This kind of claim assumes that you regard others' opinions of you as more important than your own judgment of truth. It is also an example of what Ayn Rand called "the argument from intimidation": the attempt to substitute psychological pressure for rational argument. Like the personal attack, it is an attempt to avoid having to present a rational case for a position for which no rational case can be made.

That's it. Such are the "reasons" offered in support of the claim that you should sacrifice for others. Don't take my word for it: Try to think of another reason. Ask around. Ask a priest or rabbi. Ask a philosophy professor. Email this post to your friends, and see if they can think of another reason. You will find that all the "reasons" offered are variants of these... each of which, so far from being a "reason," is a textbook logical fallacy. Most even have fancy Latin names. I have one name. Bullshit.

2011-12-02T23:20:00.005+01:00

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA February 7, 1978

R.I.P Dennis R. Murry.

Goodbye Sergeant.

Take home a Greyhound... because we're much less work than a rowdy Doberman

2011-12-02T04:19:00.003+01:00

Happy Holidays,

Brutus

It was already kidna gay...

2011-11-30T23:08:00.005+01:00

Whether or not you agree with allowing homosexuals to serve openly, or whether you’re even gay, straight or otherwise–one thing is for sure: The Marine Corps will probably be the gayest experience you’ll ever go through. Whether it’s the open showers, the homo-erotic humor, the lack of women in your every day life; you will never go through anything quite as gay again.

As for the baby wipes, maybe it was just my platoon, but during our trip up to Camp Pendleton in our time in the field we had to do exactly this: wipe each other down with baby wipes. Well, not the whole body, mostly it was to get the cammy-paint off of our faces, but it was still pretty gay.

This is the new cartoon from Terminal Lance - which you can find on my linkbar. The point of the cartoon is obvious... the Military can be very gay. The constant homoerotic humor aside, you can swear up and down all you want to that you won't do it... but during that trip to Bridgeport and Mountain Warfare School that you are likely to go on if you're a grunt- it will get so cold you will strip down and get into a very small sleeping bag with your best friend to stay warm. Being cocooned in a very tiny sleeping bag with another semi-naked dude is a very uncomfortable experience in more ways than one.

Add to this pretty much an obliteration of your personal privacy... bathroom stalls and personal showers seem to be antithetical to the Marines and the military in general... very soon as a Private you will realize that you are surround by cock 24/7 it seems.

This is why gays and women throw such a monkey wrench into the military system. What if you have only one woman in your platoon? Which naked sleeping bag is she going to get into? Or what if a Soldier is gay? How many strait guys want into that bag? The military isn't like your normal job. You don't go to work, sit in a cubicle, and punch a clock at 1700 (5 P.M. for you civilians) and go home. When talking about women of gays in the military- you aren't talking about working with someone so much as living with someone. That's a different ball game kids. I like to think I'm pretty open minded about gay rights... but damn it's another thing all together to get a baby wipe bath from your gay buddy in the platoon. I guess I could sometimes say no... but what does that do to the cohesion of your squad?

Also of note is the drama the presence of the opposite sex or gays will create at home. Imagine how you ladies would feel about the girl in the platoon doing the naked baby wipe bath with your husband... This creates problems, and we in the military have a lot of social problems by our very nature. We try to minimize those. You have people of all races, creeds, cultures and backgrounds all thrown into the same melting pot trying to not only live together but form a bond of "brotherhood" that will save your life in combat better than the strongest body armor. We call that bond "Cohesion." Anything that threatens that bond scares us, because it's our armor in war. We don't like distrust, and having gays around might cause that and weaken the armor. That's easy to discount as a civilian... you aren't depending on that trust to keep you alive when you roll outside the wire.

We aren't an organization that values individuality. We like conformists here. You can be a rebel all you want when you aren't working- but within your squad and team you'd better get with the program. You can spot a good squad when the black guys are listening to the hillbilly's country music without complaint or even humming the tune and the hicks are bobbing their heads to the rap. To be an infantrymen, you have to leave behind the part of you that was for you, and adopt the squad as your alter ego. It's not about me, it's about we. That stupid damn saying "There's no I in team;" I hate that cliche, but it's true. In the end I think gays will assimilate better than women have because they don't have the physical limitations women have... but like always it will be a bumpy road. There will be change, and we don't like change. Change is uncertainty, uncertainty breeds distrust, distrust harms cohesion, cohesion saves lives. It's that simple.

Will this new policy work? I can't say. I hope for the Military's sake it does. It has worked in other countries but that is no guarantee it will work in our military. And it's that uncertainty we don't like. It's what scares us.

Why they love us

2011-11-29T00:28:00.013+01:00

Got an email today from some liberal who objects to my post about how Iraqi kids love us. He says there is no way Iraqi kids could love the people who invaded their country, and the real supporters of the Iraqis are the ones who wanted to "end the criminal war." I can see how he would get confused.

This is what Iraqi kids know about us.

And this is what anti-war protesters know about us.

Soldiers who shield them from bombs with their bodies vs hippies with a cause celeb. Those same hippies who argued for years to take we Soldiers from the equation, leaving said kids defenseless. No wonder they love us, and you're the butt of their jokes.

Any questions?

Oh for the love of God no.

2011-11-28T23:01:00.004+01:00

I have a total confession to make. Red Dawn was like... THE movie of my childhood. The 1985 campy movie about scrappy teenagers becoming freedom fighters against the invading Russian horde is probably subconsciously why I ended up going from an urban city kid to a veteran and survivalist.

Reeeeeeevvveeeeeeeeenge Meeeeeeee! still gets me all hopped up and ready to shoot some Russians.

Look, the film wasn't even remotely realistic... but watching the equivalent of the American Mujaheddin take on the Commies was a pretty fond childhood memory. That movie was the 300 of it's day. Unapologeticly anti-communist, over the top patriotic, and frankly just pure awesome. It was so bad, it was epic. It was like seeing George Washington run over the Taliban in a monster truck. Over the top? Hell yeah. But awesome.

That's why I throw up in my mouth a little bit when I hear about the remake of the film. You just know they are going to take a classic and utterly ruin it. The movie has had some problems already, and I wish they'd just leave it alone. It was fine. Why is Hollywood remaking already great films? Go write some new great films! I don't think I'll be watching the butchering of my childhood Hollywood, thanks but no thanks.

How to get your husband or boy friend to watch Twilight.

2011-11-28T19:20:00.001+01:00

Legacy: Do these kids look like terrorists to you?

2011-11-28T05:14:00.024+01:00

AP has a story out on how U.S. Soldiers have affected Iraqi youth.

Eight million Iraqis — a quarter of the population — have been born since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, and nearly half the country is under 19, according to Brett McGurk, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and, until recently, senior adviser to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

I'll never forget Iraqi teen age kids wanting to know about rap and heavy metal, asking us over and over again about everything from guitars and turn tables to what clothes they were waring in L.A. and most importantly- if we knew Snoop Dog. Over my time in Iraq I had a chance to see that country go from a totalitarian petrol state where the super rich Baathists controlled every aspect of life... to what looked more like a 24/7 rave party. I knew we were making progress when they started opening up Euro-Style dance clubs in Sadr City where they served copious amounts of alcohol. I used to often wish we could go into those places, but drinking for Soldiers in Iraq is outlawed. Not so for Iraqi youth.

I didn't care for the people in Anbar when I was there, but I must admit I like people from Baghdad. Especially the kids. They would follow our foot patrols around like paparazzi - always wanting to know about our weapons, uniforms, chest rigs, camelbaks, and always where we were from. "Michigan!" they would scream, "Emenem, Emenem!" they would chant. I saw my last punk concert in a bombed out building, played by Iraqi punks. We passed off our weapons and lurched into the pit, where we were all equal, just for that hour. No occupier and occupied, just young people doing what young people do together. Most intense mosh pit of my life- for sure. After it was over I must have shaken hands with 60 Iraqi boys... and girls. I was witness to their culture transform. Today you see less Burkas, fewer head scarves. Women out alone. I think this transformation is the best legacy we will leave the Iraqi people.

Calling themselves "punky," or "hustlers," many are donning hoodie sweat shirts, listening to 50 Cent or Eminem and watching "Twilight" vampire movies. They eat hamburgers and pizza and do death-defying Rollerblade runs through speeding traffic. Teens spike their hair or shave it Marine-style

I guess this makes sense. When we first met them, these kids were 7 or 8 years old. They grew up around us - following our convoys, selling us souvenirs, getting free candy and soccer balls. I guess risking my life to pass out school supplies ended up being worth it? Now grown to adulthood, they reject the traditional Iraqi way of life and instead embrace ours. I guess we had something better to offer than fanaticism, poverty and death. I planted more than a few of these seeds. I knew in that war I could never turn the true believers in Jihad, but the children I could influence. Many thousands of veterans did as well. Today, Iraq has pop culture.

"I love the American soldiers," said Mohammed Adnan, 15, who pastes imitation tattoos on his arm. Adnan lives in the Sadr City, the Baghdad base of followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has threatened violence against U.S. troops if they stay beyond 2011. But, surprisingly, Adnan says the U.S. gangsta look is accepted in his neighborhood. "All young men in Sadr City wear the same clothes when we hang around," he said. "Nobody minds. And we're invited to weddings or celebrations where we perform break-dancing."

Damn Mohammed, there was a time you would have been killed for saying this, now you're free to not only say it, but say it to mass media, and be unafraid.

While I was in Sadr I very likely met this child. There is no way to tell which one of the Soldiers planted the seed that Jihadism and sacrifice weren't the answers for this boy. Be that as it may, we taught these children they had a right... to live for themselves. They could forget their clans, tribes, sectarian standing and just be young, free, and happy. I think a lot of people thought I was crazy when I would tell them most Iraqi kids saw us as heros. They did, and they do. We said one day they would thank us, and we were called crazy by the anti-war zealots. What I wonder, would they make of this? One day this generation of Iraqis will run that country, and they'll be our staunchest ally in the Middle East. When pro war hawks would exclaim "All those people are crazy," I would tell them different. I wonder what they make of this?

As U.S. forces began closing their bases Iraqis rummaged through their garbage for discarded uniforms, caps and boots to sell to youngsters who pay top dollar to dress like soldiers. Baghdad's tattoo business is also booming. Hassan Hakim's tattoo parlor in affluent Karradah neighborhood is covered with glossy pictures of half-naked men and women showing off their ink, regardless of Islam's strictures on baring the skin.

"young Iraqis agree that the American troops opened their minds to the outside world. The wait for a place in an English class, for example, can last months."

"I found that all Iraqis want to learn English," said Nawras Mohammed, and using the Internet or watching satellite TV is fine. But users need to be selective, the 24-year-old college graduate said"

Iraq? No question. We won. Because of our victory, these kids have won. The long term victory belongs to them. Our dying and suffering is our gift to them. Iraq is theirs to build. The American Soldier does not come to conquer and enslave, but to set free. We proved it once again here. I'm glad we're leaving Iraq, and while I don't trust the old guard as it were - I trust these children. I trust them more than our American children. After all, an American kid never risked his life to tell me about that EFP on Route Florida. Unlike the OWS kids, these children have known unimaginable violence and death, poverty, filth and chaos. They are dancing in the face of it - and they are unafraid. That my friends, is real courage. They've got guts, and guts are enough.

They have survived the worst childhood you can imagine, and I hope they can make Baghdad a paradise again. Mesopotamia was supposed to be the location of the Garden of Eden... if not for the bombs and raw sewage I always thought it would be a nice place to visit. I hope one day, when I'm old I can take my family back to Sadr city and show them where my friends won freedom for the Iraqi youth. I'd like to stand once again on Route Michigan or Route Gold, and not see it covered in an open sewer while we took cover behind ugly concrete T-Walls... but instead take a stroll with my wife through Jamilla Market, without fear, without seeing suffering. I think in 30 years it won't be a war zone, but a tourist attraction. One day I'll stand on those roads, and I'll have something to be proud of. The ruble of countless Hellfire Strikes and IED craters will be washed away, leaving the ancient city standing as it has for 7000 years. It's people whole.

Go on with your bad self Iraq, keep break dancing.

Remember this holiday season...

2011-11-24T10:47:00.003+01:00

We're freak'n watching you.

Season's greetings from Kaiser, Free and Brutus.

Luke Russert is a mega douche.

2011-11-24T09:38:00.012+01:00

I don't care the guy is a case study if nepotism, what irritates me about the guy is the sanctimonious attitude.

What a fucking fag? He has a problem with the very awesome ad campaigns that can be seen here, and here. You know why? Because he sucks at life, that's why.

First of all, they're great ads. Second of all, of course it's not war... it's way more fun. Every Soldier and Marine I know plays COD. I just bought CODMW3 (I own like all of them) and it's the shit. Fun as hell. No it's not realistic, so what? It's a game Luke... you fucking homo.

If it were realistic no one would play it. Who wants to play a game where you fill sand bags for 3 hours in 130 degree heat wearing 100 pounds of crap, then stand a 9 hour guard shift and then go on a boring patrol where nothing happens which is what war is like 99% of the time. Real war involves not sleeping for days, sweating your balls off and patroling hour after hot, sweaty, thirsty, heat headache having hour praying you actually get to shoot your weapon at the fuckers who have caused you all this misery and cursing your leaders for sending you on another pointless mission. On a good day you actually get contact. On a bad one an IED goes off, and that's it. Boom. Either someone lives or dies. It's over in 3 seconds. I've been in some big battles, I was in a fire fight that lasted a month, not to mention Ambar province when that place was kicking off; but that is the exception, not the rule. War today is mostly boring. It isn't COD, its a long battle not against insurgents- but against hunger, heat exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. I've talked to a lot of veterans of other wars, and they say the same.

But back to Russert Jr. being a mega douche.

Democrats talk all this trash about free speech and then they say stupid crap like this. I hope Luke Russert chokes on a dick. Another limousine liberal who thinks he's morally superior and knows how to run your life better than you do. I hope he dies- and I definitely hope he does not respawn.

Not everybody is going to be able to go out and do my job, in fact my job isn't really that cool, but people have a romantic notion of combat. This is a chance to experience the fantasy, and if you can't figure that out you're gay as aids. Just like Luke Russert.

Mad Skills.

2011-11-24T07:27:00.006+01:00

Think I should start a consulting business for people preparing for the end of the world?

I bet if anything ever happened my "services" and skills would be in pretty high demand. Can you see me outside of that gated community with my AR-15 or evacing the high end assets of some rich guy.

I do. I'm one of the few out there who would likely profit from the apocalypse lol.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T01:02:00.008+01:00

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

I'm not of course very religious, so I'll save my thanks for men like George Washington, the only President to lead our Army in battle while sitting in office and the father of this Nation. He was a Titan of history. The greatest Commander in Chief this country has ever known, and one of the greatest men produced by mankind. Without him, where would we be today?

This is why they aren't hiring.

2011-11-24T00:56:00.002+01:00

Not every company is advertising it, but it is a big part as to why companies aren't hiring.

Atlas is shrugging.

"New Company Policy: We are not hiring until Obama is gone."

"Can't afford it," explained the employer, Bill Looman, Tuesday evening. "I've got people that I want to hire now, but I just can't afford it. And I don't foresee that I'll be able to afford it unless some things change in D.C."

2011-11-23T05:44:00.001+01:00

Yes, it's because we hate her.

2011-11-21T21:16:00.014+01:00

So Daily KOS just can't figure out why NASCAR fans booed Michele Obama.

Well, let me think. A trip to Spain on the public dime with 35 friends in tow, not being able to wait four hours for her husband and a flight on AF One she took her own 757 at taxpayer expense on yet another expensive tax payer funded trip. 300k tax payer funded date night to Broadway? Never ending, condescending speeches on how to feed our kids. Only being proud to be American when her husband got votes.

Yeah, regular people... NASCAR people... don't like her. In fact we hate her. If the crew over at KOS have a problem with that, frankly I don't think one of "us" gives a shit. It doesn't matter she was out there for a good cause. She shouldn't support those causes, because her presence makes me not want to help those things. I don't like her. She could be announcing a cure for cancer and I'd boo. They should lock her up in the White House basement and never let her out.

And please Liberals, spare me all the feigned outrage. I'm still being nicer to Michele than you were Bristol Palin.

Yeah it's personal and mean, and we don't care. In case you haven't figured it out progressives, we're so over being nice to you. When this Presidency began, I had some differences of opinion with the President and his entourage but it wasn't personal. As the years and arrogance out of the administration went on however... well frankly I've grown to just not like these people. Bill Clinton? I don't agree with him but I could have a beer with that guy. Not these folks. If the President offered to have a beer with me I'd turn him down. I don't like him, his staff, or his family... or his politics. I think he's a prick, and I don't care for his wife either. Clinton was a real guy... god love him... ruthless, cunning, salacious, but a real guy. The Obama's are not, they're the quintessential limousine liberals. Arrogant elites looking down at "bitter clingers" like me. Well Obamas, thanks but no thanks. Go away. Think about it. You can see Bill Clinton at that NASCAR race, chilly dog and big gulp in hand, hitting on the track girls having a ball... and you know he'd be the life of the party. Bill's lost some weight and all, but when he gets in the moment you know he'd be eating a turkey leg and eyeing the beer bong. The Obama's would be meticulously trying not to shake too many hands to avoid getting dirty. Clinton would be giving you a drunken hug.

The Obama's are over scripted, hyped, handled and fake. People hate a fake, and loath an arrogant one.

You want us to respect the first lady, try getting a respectable first lady instead of this Marine Antoinette clone. In an era where we're all tightening our belts, her excess with our money is blatantly offensive - but of course she doesn't know any better. She's part of the Chicago Way and that's how they roll. In Chicago, power has it's privileges; and so to it seems Washington D.C. Hillary Clinton had a lot of faults as first lady, but I don't ever remember her jetting off to blow a few million of our tax dollars. She might have been a stone cold bitch, but at least she didn't revel in the free government cheese.

In the future Mrs. Obama - when your husband is demanding more tax money from us and at the same time you are taking lavish vacations on those tax dollars... expect boos.

Bout time the Republicans started going after the black vote.

2011-11-21T20:45:00.000+01:00

I guess the thrill up his leg is gone.

2011-11-21T20:10:00.009+01:00

Give us our orders? Chris Mathews you servile little punk. Granted we all have to take orders for a living in one way or another but you'll never see me groveling before my "betters" whining that they aren't telling me what to do enough.

Here is a real plan for America Chris, stop waiting for Government. Get off your ass; improve your life. If you can't find a job, start a business. Can't find money to start a business? Get investors to finance you. It's called salesmanship. Pound the pavement, work hard, work smart, be self reliant. If it comes down to it, I'd rather be a guy living off the land in the woods than be such a dependent, emasculated wuss like Chris Mathews and all the Obama disciples waiting around for the Messiah to save them.

In a word: Initiative. Try it America.

Be an adult, save yourself. There Chris, you've got your marching orders. You and half of America (Democrats) need to stop being such damn pussies. Grab your balls and make it happen. Our ancestors boldly strode into the wilderness with a wagon full of homemade crap and built this country in the face of wild Indians, terrible weather and few resources. Toughen the fuck up, compared to 90% of humanity the poorest American is beyond the 1%. Quit getting degrees in Art History and "Communications" and bust some ass, grow some muscles. Most Americans are fat, lazy, and weak little children with their hands out to Government crying for a living. If that continues, we won't be Americans very long. As Chesty Puller famously said -

"Our Country won't go on forever, if we stay soft as we are now. There won't
be any AMERICA because some foreign soldiery will invade us and take our
women and breed a hardier race!"

That in a nutshell is why this recession goes on, and on. We as a society have grown weak, and pathetic, and depraved. This recession my friends, is natural selection in action.

I'm sick of complaining. It's time to act. It starts with the individual, as everything always does. Make a choice. Are you willing to be a victim of the recession, or not? I'm not. I will never go on welfare or unemployment. I will never take food stamps, I will never take a free ride. I will blaze my own trail, build my own life, sail my own ship. If you don't have the balls to do that, they you like the big corporations who got bailed out DESERVE, absolutely DESERVE to fail.

2011-11-20T11:06:00.001+01:00

2011-11-18T00:37:00.000+01:00

Horrors of my old life.

2011-11-16T18:24:00.012+01:00

I wasn't always a Soldier. Six years ago I was working as a Court Bailiff in Michigan, in family court - a job I got after getting out of the Marine Corps. Hearing Bob Costas interview Jerry Sandusky the other morning brought back a lot of painful memories for me. I've been to war, and I'm telling you that things I saw working as a Court Officer in many ways were far more traumatic than combat. I've pushed them out of my mind. I can remember the bombs, the IEDs, my friends dying... but I can't think about those kids or the people who hurt them. Not on most day's anyway. My mind just recoils at those memories.

Working at the Court House makes you mean. It makes you hate people. It dries up all your trust. You spend your entire day with liars, thieves, brainless victims, innocent victims, and those who victimized them. You see the worst society has to offer every minute of your work day. Pretty soon, you see them everywhere... all the time.

The job's negativity is pervasive. The place, the people... are negative in more than just the technical sense. You become a polar opposite. Of what I'm not sure. Happiness? Maybe that's the word. It's the polar opposite of how I feel when I play with my dogs, or watch a baby laugh.

It's like a vapor hovering in the air like black burning oil smoke that poisons everyone who inhales it. It seeps into your life like a virus - a virus you spread to others. The environment is toxic to human relationships. It can leave you angry, distrusting, paranoid and vindictive. It can eat you alive if you let it. It almost ate me. The staff for my court consisted of the Judge, his secretary, court reporter and myself, along with a slew of associated "regulars" like attorneys, Court Officers and social workers. Out of the core four staff, 3 of us got divorces, and today the Judge lives a sham marriage. Just being in that building for a few years exposed to the toxic evil will twist your values until you are left a different person than you were before. Often a worse person for the wear.

I remember how much better the air smelled, and the sky looked and how much better I felt after the last day I worked there. Waking up and knowing I didn't ever have to go back there was the most relief I've ever felt in my life. Like a thousand pounds lifted off my shoulders.

One day I just snapped. I threw my entire old life away. I divorced my exwife, got a new house and a new job, even a new car, new furniture, and new clothes. I had to hit the eject button. It was like my soul needed scrubbing off of what I had exposed it to. I hated anything that reminded me of that life.

Hearing Sandusky tell the all too familiar lies brought back memories. Bad ones. I remembered the victims, but the pedophiles more so. Their pure evil. Hearing Sandusky again made me feel the filth of their words on me again, and again I had the feeling I may not be able to wash it off. When I hear them or think about them I can almost literally feel a kind of filmy evil wash over me, like the smoke from burning human waste in Iraq feels when it washes over you. Then I feel the rage feeling that way will bring. People ask me if I might get back into law enforcement when I get out.

Not a prayer.

Almost exactly six years ago I did a post for Blonde Sagacity on the experience I'd had with child abusers. I just re-read it and figured I'd repost it on my own blog. Read it and think about Jerry Sandusky.

September 30th 2005. I watch people by free0352.

Just about every regular reader of this site knows I’m part of the Marine Corps, serving 5 years of active duty continuing as a reservist. Some of you know that my day job is at a Deputy Sheriff’s Department in an average sized town in an average county in Michigan.

When I was hired by the Sheriff’s Department in late 2003, I was lucky enough to be assigned to Circuit Court. New deputies generally aren’t initially assigned to patrol. They have to prove themselves either as Court Officers (what I do) or as Corrections Officers in the jail, and court sure beats the jail.

My job is to act as the enforcement arm of the Family Court to which I am assigned. I often handle common things like divorces and child support enforcement by hauling dead beat dads who don’t pay support or other money due in front of my assigned judge to face the music. Most of the time however, I spend on child abuse and neglect litigation. That means I see half the child abuse cases in my county which go through Child Protective Services. That includes pedophiles that molest children whose rights to their own children are being formally terminated, and mother’s (or fathers) being investigated for failure to protect their children.

Essentially my judge decides weather or not to terminate a parent’s parental rights or restrict their access to their children in any way. This gives me direct familiarity with half of all Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) cases with a minor in my county, as regular law enforcement and Protective Services refer all CSC cases to our court as well as initially investigate all parents of abused children for failure to protect. What this means is, I interview, listen to testimony from, and arrest what from a law enforcement point of view is an incredible number of pedophiles. Far more than the average officer. To give you an example, myself and the other family court officer are consistently the top arresting officers in our department for CSC cases. Of all the arrests I made last year, 63% of them were CSC cases involving children.

I hear testimony in court from pedophiles or experts on them and read expert reports about pedophile related cases about half of every day, five days a week. Thousands and thousands of cases a year. I think all this experience makes me sort of a lay expert on the subject. As I write this in fact, I’m ignoring the testimony of a pedophile because I’m sick of hearing what these scum bags have to say.

In fact, I’m sick of them entirely. Even more so than the average citizen, who doesn’t have to deal with them day in and day out.

We as a society unfortunately will never get rid of these people, but I have often thought if more parents knew what I know, maybe we’d see less of these cases. So here is nearly three years of my observations of sex offenders. Please, all of you with kids take it to heart.

We’ve all heard that rape is about power; it’s not about sex. With child molesters, it’s different. It is about sex.

We often we pick up that these people genuinely love kids. It may sound perverted to say this, but they genuinely love kids. A lot of people get upset by that notion. “How can somebody love a kid and do that?” they ask.

You can’t deny that. And that’s why when you see the person who operates the day-care center or the beloved Pop Warner football coach [EM] accused of CSC with a minor, there’s almost always an out pouring of sympathy for the defendant. Letters to the editor of the local paper in support, nasty letters to the prosecutor and the police about how unjust we are. People see someone who genuinely appears to love children and they say “Someone like this who really likes kids couldn’t possibly do this.” People get confused by that. But let me tell you, Pedophiles genuinely love kids… and they have a sexual desire for kids. Take the Michael Jackson case in California as a great example of this phenomenon, public support for a molester because of the molester’s love for children. Some people are fooled by that love. Don’t be.

Whenever I hear somebody say, “Wow, did you hear about that schoolteacher, that priest, that camp counselor, who abused the kid?” it doesn’t surprise me. It doesn’t surprise me a bit. I’d expect it.

Why? These people learn at an early age, usually at the onset of puberty, that they like children. Everybody else is getting excited by their peers, but they get excited by little boys or girls.

If they know then, they have a career choice to make. Now you could be a lumberjack or a schoolteacher? They put themselves in a position where they’ll have contact with kids. If they’re smart, they’ll become a teacher, a priest, a youth counselor. If they’re not smart, they might become the school janitor, or the groundskeeper at camp. Both will try to marry dependant women who already have children of ideal age for them to molest.

So it never surprises me when a teacher, a priest, or the Boy Scout leader is arrested and charged with abusing a child. They knew about it, and they picked the profession deliberately.

The vast majority- the utter vast majority of people we arrest are people who have gained legal access to the child through vocational, volunteer, or family contact. That’s a problem. People think if it’s a teacher at school, the piano or karate instructor, or the youth minister, he’s okay. I’ve arrested a Boy Scout leader for molesting kids in his Scout troop.

My department has arrested college professors, priests (NOT JUST CATHOLICS!) Boy Scout leaders, child counselors, social workers (That counseled sexually abused children no less!) day-care workers, teachers, and family members, and most often-- step-fathers. I don’t want to imply that all people in child related fields are pedophiles, but some of these people aren’t working with kids out of the goodness of their hearts.

This is something we in Law Enforcement go insane trying to tell parents and kids. When I was a kid all you heard about was the “Dangerous Stranger,” the outrageous, scary-looking guy that would kidnap you from K-Mart. Mr. Dangerous Stranger is out there. There are individuals who pick up children, torture them, and murder them... they do exist. They are also less than one percent of all CSC cases.

Let me tell you from experience, sex offenders are very normal looking. I arrested a [large car company] VIP for child porn once. Most have “normal” families, children, and jobs. It’s usually not the weird looking dude in the trench coat outside the school yard with a hand in his pants. It’s usually is the basketball coach at the Y. I tell my daughter to look out for the one you know.

Pedophiles take their time in the seduction process of not only the child, but the child’s parents. Half of what gets them off is tricking mom into giving him access. To them it’s just like a man dating a woman. They’re not going to go home that first night and jump into bed. He’s gonna kind of feel the kid out and gain his trust before he makes a move on him. That’s the worst part for me to see. When a kid has trusted someone and he gets abused, now he doesn’t trust anybody. That’s so sad to see, a little kid’s innocence violated like that. That’s one of the things I struggle with in my job actually. Some days I just feel like quitting so I don’t have to see it anymore. I almost ran off to Black Water after a while. The disgust comes in waves. Some months and some cases are just worse than others. It’s horrible. It really is like looking into the face of pure evil.

A pedophile will make a few moves on the kid, and if he’s rejected he’ll back off for a couple of months. Usually he has time to wait, as it seems they never have just one kid going at a time.

That’s something Law Enforcement has been slow to catch on to. They NEVER abuse just one kid. I always keep investigating, because often I come up with an average of three of four kids he’s molesting at that moment and many more in the pedophile’s past. I’ve head of child sex offenders who’ve molested hundreds of kids. I’ve heard of these guys caught with computer listings of kids; they computerize the kids and rate them with different things the kids can do.

Pedophiles target certain types of kids. They place themselves in a position, they might use work, or they might be a step-father, friend of the family, or relative, to target the type of kid they’re after. They separate that kid like a wolf separates sheep, to weaken the target. They go after the kid with “problems.”

I heard a story once out of Colorado where a teacher went so far as to pass out a questionnaire about home life to figure out which kids were weak. Then he’d separate that kid and do a little one-on-one counseling with him to set up the abuse.

Remember these people are not raping these children in the classical sense of the word rape. They are trying to con these children, guilt these children, trick these children into performing varying levels of sexual activity with them (Those that abuse infants aside.) To do this, it is critical that the pedophile gain the trust of the child before actually perpetrating the crime.

I remember a Baptist minister I arrested after the mother’s boy friend was initially suspected and cleared, who would ask the other kids – “Oh, so and so is having trouble at home right? Didn’t his mom and dad break up? How’s he taking it?” They’re like wolves looking for sick antelope. They know these kids are looking for love and support, and they capitalize on that need. Often we have victims attempting to cover for the molester, because they genuinely love the offender and don’t want the relationship severed. They are so desperate for love and affection, they are willing to trade the pain of abuse for the affection they feel they receive. It’s enough to make you want to vomit.

In my experience, step-fathers and live-in boy friends are the most common CSC offenders. They prey on down and out young mothers with financial woes. They wine and dine the mom to start a co-habitation to gain access to her children. More often this is a case where it’s very difficult to get information out of the victim, because the suspect acts as a father figure. Often the only one the victim has ever had.

Sometimes the mother knows about the abuse and tolerates it or doesn’t consider it a serious problem, because the abuser is her cash cow. Her meal ticket.

More often the mother is simply oblivious, to scared to act on her suspicions because she doesn’t want to believe her knight in shining armor is a child molester. You wouldn’t believe how much reality some of these mother’s ignore. I’ve seen mothers genuinely unaware of OBVIOUS abuse. Often they just can’t come to terms with the idea that they exposed their kids to a pedophile, and stick their heads in the sand and hope it goes away.

That’s the biggest frustration in investigating these cases. What do you do with the kid once they’ve told you what happened? You get a kid that tells you “My step-dad abused me,” and there is credible evidence to support the claim. Mom’s head was so obviously in the sand you’ve no choice to charge her with failure to protect and then what is the officer left with? Foster care or hopefully placement with a suitable relative.

If a kid tells, his family life is basically over. He can never be with the abuser (Who he/she often loves.), and they’ve lost all they have left, the mother. For the victim it’s always a no-win situation. What’s sick is kids always feel they did something wrong. They blame themselves for the breakdown of the family. And the damn pedophiles set this up before we get them, the bastards.

Worse yet is Pedophilia is a cycle. Most experts will tell you that pedophiles were sexually abused when they were children. Many that I’ve arrested and I’ve often heard this from more experienced deputies and cops, is that a pedophile will get fixated on children of a certain age. Often the age they were abused.

So a pedophile will start grooming his intended victim before he/she reaches that age. After the child gets to old for the molester, he often wants nothing more to do with the victim. Also common, is that pedophile passing off the child to another pedophile.

These assholes are experts at seduction. Both adults and kids. They love to trick the parents almost as much as the kids.

They work at seduction, almost like a guy at a singles bar develops his technique. He’ll try something, and if it works it goes into his little bag of tricks. If it fails, he’ll never try it again.

The real slick ones will pick a kid that’s about thirteen with no sexual experience and has nothing to base his/her judgment on. They’ll ply the kid with marijuana and beer, and maybe some porn to sexually arouse the child. And then they strike while the kids intoxicated and horny. These kids are young and have no experience with what they should or shouldn’t be doing. The drugs and booze are another plus for the pedophile. It can taint the credibility of the kid, and they love that.

They love their porn collections. That’s another interesting thing about them. Their collections are their whole life. I’ve seen child pornographers hit who’ve never been hit before, and we end up spending weeks printing the pictures off the computer for evidence. Over 10,000 pictures is very common. Some times you need a truck to carry out all the Polaroid’s or digital prints.

Sometimes they’ll keep souvenirs from kids. They love to keep diaries and scrap books of what they’ve done. Often they’ll be a million legitimate pictures of kids around the house. Kids everywhere on the walls… often kids the pedophile has victimized.

It’s amazing how they communicate with each other. This is something we’re catching on to, they seldom operate alone. By looking at each other… they know. I think they read each other by watching how another one reads other people. If you’re standing on the same corner as some other guy, and ever time a kid comes by, his eyes start following a kid, every time a woman or man comes by, nothing… They can detect that spark in the other pervert’s eye.

I’ve gotten so I can pick up on them. I saw a guy with his daughter walk into court today. He was dressed business casual and the daughter had on a nice dress. I read the kid. She was holding on to a teddy bear… and had a “look” that you have to see every day for three years to recognize. I followed the guy to his traffic hearing and got his name off the docket sheet and ran his record. Guilty of CSC 3rd degree. I arrested him on the spot, he isn’t supposed to be with children.

All these guys are into kiddie-porn. I mean all of them. The pornographers are all child molesters too. It’s a cottage industry in this country, but the money isn’t important to them. They do it because they’re sick freaks.

These guys will often tell you they’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. Child molesters and pornographers always seem to be shocked we’re arresting them. Like “What, for this? I love kids!”

They’ll tell you the kid asked for it. Child molesters don’t think they inflict damage. They’ll tell you the four year old was being provocative and leading them on. That they just couldn’t resist. If you talk to an offender and a victim, you’ll get two radically different stories. The offender will describe this very loving, tender relationship in which the kid was a willing participant, while the child will tell you about how they put on four pairs of pajamas when they went to bed so that Daddy wouldn’t come and bother them. Or brother, or mom’s boyfriend, or uncle, or cousin.

They rationalize the whole thing: They love this child. They wouldn’t hurt the child. That’s why they can lie so well, they believe it. They don’t want to admit it to themselves they’re victimizing these children and that it is absolutely wrong.

So that’s why when you talk to a convicted sex offender, they’re enraged, incensed. They couldn’t possibly do something that terrible! They didn’t rape or trick a kid… THE KID WANTED IT!

Have you guys figured out yet why I’m pissed off all the time?

If you want to put these scum bags away, you get right up next to them and put your arm around them… shed a tear or two. You tell them what they did isn’t quite legal, but if they just tell the truth you think the prosecutor will understand and plea way down. Keep them off the sex offender list. If you slap them around and beat them, you’re not going to get anywhere. But if you bold face lie to them that you understand… you get the confession. That’s why so many cops won’t do this kind of work, it’s too ugly for them, or they can’t keep from beating defendants.

I’m one who believes that the sexual abuse of children isn’t new or on the rise. It’s always been around. It just gets reported more now. Statistically this is an under reported crime. Often children don’t report for many different reasons. They love the pedophile and don’t want to see him in jail. Pedophiles often tell their victims this will happen if they tell. Second, the child is often very embarrassed, and doesn’t want anyone to know. Last, some parents for financial or just plain sick reasons… or blatant stupidity don’t encourage their children to come forward.

There are a few female pedophiles… but mostly they are technically statutory rapists… and not child molesters. Still CSC criminal’s, but their own breed. Recognize though, how many female teachers have been in the news. The common pedophile act of gaining access to kids?

If you take any one thing from this post, it should be this. The profile of a typical pedophile is a white male. That’s it. They can look like anyone. Somewhere between one in fifty to one in ten white males are pedophiles. That means right now, statistically someone you know, in all likely hood someone you love… is a child molester.

This knowledge affects me a lot, and so I don’t often speak of it. Maybe I’m overly protective. I watch people all the time. When I look at people and see how some people act in certain situations, from what I know from my experience, I wouldn’t let my kid go anywhere near them for any reason. I wouldn’t have any evidence, it’s nothing I can pin point; it’s an instinct. You have it too. If you feel funny about a person at all, don’t let them near your kids. Better safe than sorry. Don’t be the one with your head in the sand. Better to hurt someone’s feelings than to have your child molested out of politeness.

With me it could be a teacher (I’ve had my daughter change classes.) or someone she’s on a field trip with. When my alarm system goes off, I trust it every time. It’s not paranoia, that’s not it. But I watch people.

2011-11-16T17:52:00.002+01:00

Boom, that just happened.

2011-11-14T08:39:00.008+01:00

Former Speaker of the House–and current Minority Leader–Nancy Pelosi apparently bought $1 million to $5 million of Visa stock in one of the most sought-after and profitable initial public offerings (IPO) in American history, thwarted serious credit card reform for two years, and then watched her investment skyrocket 203%.

Source

"The Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical congress in history."

Lies.

Frank Miller is my hero.

2011-11-14T07:46:00.005+01:00

I'm a huge Frank Miller fan. I've had the chance to meet Frank a few times - at least for a few seconds - and have passed email back and forth here and there. He's a cool dude and we share most political views. A few years ago he summed up the war on terror perfectly. Now he's got something to say about OWS, and he gets it right again.

Everybody’s been too damn polite about this nonsense:

The “Occupy” movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. “Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.

“Occupy” is nothing short of a clumsy, poorly-expressed attempt at anarchy, to the extent that the “movement” – HAH! Some “movement”, except if the word “bowel” is attached - is anything more than an ugly fashion statement by a bunch of iPhone, iPad wielding spoiled brats who should stop getting in the way of working people and find jobs for themselves.

This is no popular uprising. This is garbage. And goodness knows they’re spewing their garbage – both politically and physically – every which way they can find.

Wake up, pond scum. America is at war against a ruthless enemy.

Maybe, between bouts of self-pity and all the other tasty tidbits of narcissism you’ve been served up in your sheltered, comfy little worlds, you’ve heard terms like al-Qaeda and Islamicism.

And this enemy of mine — not of yours, apparently - must be getting a dark chuckle, if not an outright horselaugh - out of your vain, childish, self-destructive spectacle.

In the name of decency, go home to your parents, you losers. Go back to your mommas’ basements and play with your Lords Of Warcraft.

Or better yet, enlist for the real thing. Maybe our military could whip some of you into shape.

They might not let you babies keep your iPhones, though. Try to soldier on.

Schmucks.

Peter Schiff in the devil's den.

2011-11-14T01:36:00.001+01:00

Get a job fatty.

2011-11-14T01:13:00.002+01:00

The leading cause of death in America for "the poor" is obesity. Why so much welfare in a country whose "poor" are dying from their own fat asses?

My big boy.

2011-11-12T22:10:00.002+01:00

No Kaiser, Dobermans don't eat pasta...

When bad things mean you have to evacuate.

2011-11-11T22:17:00.007+01:00

Last month I did a post on what to have in an E&E kit. That post was dedicated to what you should have in your small survival kit - kept in your car in case bad stuff happened to you when you're away from home. This post is about a no-shit GET OUT OF DOGE (Right now!) bug out bag. A bag that doesn't get you back home, but something you take with your from home when you may be leaving that place forever.

In the case of most types of disaster, I tell people don’t bug out, bug in! I promise you that your house will hold far more equipment than the most high speed backpack - and if needed is hell of a better defensive position. Acquire a few surplus water cans and fill them, a diesel generator with enough fuel, and a stock of canned goods and other long term food and you can hold out for months. You don't even need a fancy-shmancy camp stove if the grid goes down... your propane gas grill will work much better and has recreational purposes. Bottom line - don't leave home unless you have no choice. Before you run around buying all kinds of survival gear, make sure you've turned your house into a place where you can hold out for a long time.

But there are those situations folks, when the balloon goes up, the evacuation order is given and you have to go... NOW. It might be a tsunami, a tornado, or a zombie hoard. Sometimes you have to hit the road, and no one wants to spend valuable time loading the car. You need to prepare for the contingency, and that is where your bug out bag comes in.

Notice I said car. I'm a big North Face hippie hiker guy, but in a bad situation walking sucks. While you're at it, buy a car that is four wheel drive. You don't need a giant, redneck swamp monster. I have a 2010 Jeep Compass that gets great mileage that does great off road. Have some stuff in your car, and get out early before the traffic jam traps you in town like it did the poor citizens of New Orleans during Katrina. What to keep in your car? Well, your E&E kit for starters! When you have to bug out, your E&E kits should be strapped to your bug out bag. What else? At minimum a for real trauma kit that can treat stuff beyond a sprained ankle... which we covered under the last post in the series. How about an extra space blanket and a ginormous blue tarp with some bungee cords, a couple Power Bars and at least a gallon of water, a tool kit, a shovel and an ax, a rescue kit with panel markers, chem lights and flares, warm clothes and seasonally kitty litter for snow. A can of gas is also a good idea.

But... what if right? What if you're hiking out? It can definitely happen. I know I'd want a bag to take with me into the tornado shelter, so that after I'd have something to live out of till FEMA got its act together and sustain me while I was stuck living in the FEMA trailer.

You start with... the bag. Duh?

My current bug out bag is an extra large, military issue mountain ruck. God love it - it is durable (and cheap) but it is kind of small and isn't even remotely comfortable, so I'm in the market for a new rucksack myself. You'd think the military would do a good job on load carrying equipment since we do so much carrying of insanely heavy stuff... but they don't. Military packs, even aftermarket ones are largely garbage. Oh they'll survive an atomic explosion, then break your lower back in half with poor design. In my opinion, I'd say the two most important things in you bug out bag are your sleeping bag, and the pack its self. I'm all for doing things on the cheap, but don't cheap too much or you'll regret it!

What you want is something that can hold about 4000 cubic inches of stuff, or 70 liters depending on whose measuring. Remember, that's minimum. I prefer internal suspension systems over external frames. Also, make sure the pack has a big, cushy hip belt to take the weight off your shoulders and transfer it to your hips.

If you want to go the tactical, gear do-nerd route there are basically three names in quality tactical backpacks. All the Soldiers are buying packs from Eberlestock these days As a personal preference I've never cared for them, though some of their new stuff looks pretty good. They're just too bulky for my taste. Kifaru and Mystery Ranch products are kind-of the gold standard in tactical packs these days. Arctyrix, Kelty, and Granite Gear all have tactical lines... but you'll pay the price to the tune of 700.00 dollars for your pack with all these companies. If you're like me and broke as fuck, you don't have seven hundred bucks for a backpack... which is why this Soldier is going to go the hippie hiker route. Osprey is a well known and much respected name in outdoor sports. With my experience with them, and their reputation for quality my next ruck is going to be an Osprey Ather 70. It's light, it's comfortable, being made out of Cordura Nylon makes it durable, and it can hold all my crap. A quick trip to the seamstress will allow me to remove the stock top-lid of the pack and replace it with fastex buckles that will allow quick attachment of my E&E kit and a little bit of handy-dandy krylon spray paint will allow me to improve its camouflage. Price of a brand new Mystery Ranch NICE frame ruck? $650.00. Price of my new pack when I buy it? $260.00 before the $40.00 sewing job and the can of paint I already have. Total price is $300.00, less than half the expensive tactical model... and since these hippie hiker nerds are suckers for comfort it probably carries better to boot.

Before we get into the stuff we fill this pack with, I want you to remember a little mantra. Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain. Our little E&E kit doesn't weigh that much, but it will feel like a cinder block on your back after seven miles. The bug out bag can weigh as much as 60 pounds and will feel like you have a humvee strapped to your back after that far. On clear terrain I've been known to move as many as 40 miles in a day, so I like the lightest possible load I can put together. When in doubt, throw it out. Keep it light.

The priorities of survival are the exact same on your bug out bag as they are your E&E kit, just scaled up. The first priority is always shelter. Yes dehydration is a killer, but you can freeze to death a lost faster than you will die of thirst. That's why priority numero-uno for me is some good shelter.

I don't pack a tent. They're heavy and unnecessary if you have decent shelter building skills. The poncho in your E&E kit should suffice. That said, the space blanket in your E&E kit won't cut it for days on the move, so pack a quality sleeping bag. Instead of a tent, I carry a GI issue Bivy Sack. The private sector makes some really high-speed bivies, but you can't beat the price of the very effective Gore Tex surplus military one at about $60.00. You're talking a price difference in excess of $150.00. Adding to that, you should buy a sleeping bag that rates for at least 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Even if you live in Florida. Of course if you live in Montana, you might want to go even colder. I've been using my SnugPac Tactical Model 4 since I bought it years ago in the Marines. The combination of it, and the bivy sack has never let me down... even in -40 degree temperatures in Norway... in February. It's a pricey item, but don't cheap on your sleeping bag. Make sure again that it's rated for at least 0 degrees and that it packs down small and light, and is a "mummy" style bag. Do not get a down filled bag. They suck balls, weigh a million pounds, and clump up when wet.

Last in our shelter lineup is a good foam ground pad. Do not buy the hippie hiker inflatable pads. The ground pad is actually more important than your bag, as the Earth will suck the heat out of your body faster than you can produce it. If your hippie hiker, inflatable pad pops a leak you could be very, very screwed. This has happened to me, and it won't happen to me again. My current pad is by ThermaRest but if you want to save some cash the GI issue Army surplus rubber bitch works just fine. I used one for years... till my Doberman ate it... so beware of dogs.

Fire is a part of a shelter plan too, so be sure to keep some dryer lint or other light tinder in a zip lock bag, along with a spare Bic Lighter. Primitive fire techniques are great, and I know many of them. They also suck to use in a shitty situation. However, I do keep magnesium fire starter in my bag just in case.

Priority number two as you know from last post is water. It's going to make up a very sizable portion of your pack load. I use the Camelbak hydration bladder in my E&E kit for drinking, but for extra I pack two good old GI issue 2 quart canteens. They can attach to any webbing on the outside of your pack and they hold... duh... 2 quarts of aqua. Along with the water purifier in my E&E kit I'm good to go. Along with the bladder this gives me a total net gallon of water, which equals about 8.4 pounds. It isn't light, but you need it. Think about this, your average American burns though about 150 gallons of water per day! You need to drink about 1 quart per 10 lbs of body weight just to survive in a strenuous environment. You'll be carrying a fraction of what you'll need, so learn skills to find more. Never ration water, you body stores it better than your canteens. Don't ration, find more!

Priority number three is tools. We already have our multi-tool and sheath knife (Ka-Bar) in our E&E so now it's decision time. You need to chop. I go with a full blown ax. Yes it's heavy as hell, but nothing burns though wood (or breaks into a house or car in an emergency) like a full on ax from the hardware store. I'm a burly dude however, so if you need to go lighter go with a machete. Make sure it's a heavy one though, it needs weight behind it to really chop. I like machetes from Cold Steel in the Kukri style. I like a nice heavy blade. Next, one of the pieces no good Soldier or Marine goes to the field without is his E-tool. Neither should you. It's a pick, a shovel, a small hatchet, a hammer, and a devastating improvised weapon. It's also light and strong. It's a must have. If game is going to be a part of your food plan, you might want to think about a hunting knife. I've cleaned fish and squirrels with my Ka-Bar and it will get the job done, but I've grown so attached to my Browning gut hook that it goes with me now if I plan on killing food. To me the bone saw alone is worth it.

Your last tool is often over looked. Rope. I've never gone out for more than a few days and not either used or wished I had a good length of nylon climbing rope and a few carabineers.

Priority number four is clothing. We get a little bit more extensive here than with the E&E kit. This will depend on where you live, and what time of year it is. No matter where you are though, a quality base layer is 100% priority. I've had good luck with the silk weight shirt that should be in your E&E kit and waffle gear. The new waffle top and bottoms came out a few years ago, and I love them. I used to shun issue poly-pros and wear Under Armor Cold Gear - but the cheaper issue waffle is actually pretty damn good unless you're in Antarctica. It's the best general environment base layer I've had.

Plan for it being cold, so a super good quality fleece mid layer is a must.

For an outer layer, soft shells are all the rage these days, and I do own one. They have their merits. However, I like combining my rain gear and my outer layer into one thing... and that's why I rock my very venerable DCU Military issue Gore Tex, both top and bottom. They aren't really warm at all, but very water and wind resistant. You can pick the Generation I issue at most surplus stores, and they work great. Just make sure you get the genuine article, and not a Tru-Spec knock off. They're junk. If you can't find them in the surplus store for cheap, Propper makes a decent - though expensive - copy. Rain-wear in the heat, outer layer in the cold? Yeah, I like stuff that has multiple uses.

A good set of cold weather gloves is a must, and to keep your feet warm I recommend think wool socks with polypropeline liners. Carry a few pairs of wool socks when it gets even a little cold. I love synthetic materials, but nothing beats wool socks for some reason. As for boots, don't worry too much about insulation unless you might get stranded in northern Canada. Let your socks do the work. Make sure however your winter boots are well broken in and are lined with Gore Tex to help keep out the snow, and you might want to think about adding gators or even snow shoes if deep snow is a possibility. Top it all off with a good fleece hat, and you're set to survive in the cold.

But what if it’s hot, you ask?

That's easy. Sturdy shoes. You don't need boots. Even in heat avoid cotton clothing at all costs. Even socks. I like pants that zip into shorts in just about any weather, and a non-cotton t-shirt. Top it off with one of my old, battered baseball hats to keep the sun off my face and I'm good.

My one hippie hiker guilty pleasure are Teva sandals. If you've ever had to cross a stream or river and then had to hike another ten miles in boots you know that situation is blister heaven and wet boots are heavy. Even in frigid conditions when getting my feet wet I don my trusty Teva sandals have nice, dry boots and socks waiting for me on the other side. My Tevas are so comfortable, I've been known to take only them with me out in the bush during summer. Even in the mountains where it snows in July you need only put on a pair of trusty wool socks and your Tevas and you'll be good to go.

Priority number four is navigation but that should be well covered with the gear in your E&E kit. So too should be Priorities five: Communication, and number six: light.

Priority number eight: food however is different story. You'll be carrying a lot more of this! At least seven days worth. Being a military guy, you'd think I'd base my food plan on MRE's. However, I don't. First they must be field striped, they take up a lot of space, and they can get heavy. I do carry a few main meals with me duct taped together because they require no cooking... but in all actuality I carry better, lighter food. I start with rice, brown, in bulk, for carbs. Then I add lentil beans, in bulk for protein. A couple packages of beef jerky also add protein. Just those two things mixed in your canteen cup from your E&E kit and boiled will provide all the food you really need - better than MREs do. Add to that trail mix, raisins, powdered milk, some Power Bars, and vitamin C tablets all rolled into a dry bag and that's my food... with yes, 4-5 MRE main meals duct taped together in case I can't cook. You also may, or may not find a pint of Seagram’s 7 in there for moral purposes. This can weigh a lot, but ends up being lighter than MREs.

Course than means I have to cook. I do most of that over an open fire, but sometimes you can't light a fire. Can you imagine trying to start a bright as hell, smoky fire in the high school gym being used as your emergency shelter or while being stocked by the shambling undead? I think not! Therefore you need a portable stove. A very, very light portable stove. I go with the MSR Pocket Rocket. Sure the MSR Whisperlight International model can run on diesel fuel, but who wants to eat food that tastes like diesel fuel? Look, this is for emergencies. You don't need crazy amounts of fuel. The Pocket Rocket is light, easy to use, and will heat your canteen cup to molten temperatures in like three minutes. And it's freak'n cheap. If you want the bells and whistles for three times the price fine, but I've never needed anything more than this durable little flame thrower could dish out.

Last, bring a metal spoon from the drawer in your kitchen. All metal. It can be a tool... or you can eat with it. I like stuff with multiple purposes.

Your last priority is hygiene. A tooth brush, some hand sanitizer, and baby wipes and you should be fine.

My last note is on waterproofing. I preach dry bags... for everything. Dry bags for clothes, sleeping bag, food... everything. Waterproofing your gear is super important, both for comfort reasons and floatation. You ever wonder how we Marines swim with those 80 lbs ruck sacks? We turn them into little life rafts by waterproofing, that's how. My dry bag of choice is made by Outdoor Research.

And that my friends, is that. If you amass all the stuff from the E&E kit and this bag, you can survive just about anywhere. Assuming of course, you learn the skills to do so, which is in the end far more important.

Headlines

2011-11-11T18:21:00.003+01:00

Also, I'm enjoying the bewilderment establishment Republicans and liberals have on their blogs about Herman Cain's staying power.

Can't count him out. And Romney? He's dropping to 3rd!

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T15:49:00.012+01:00

On Veteran's Day I always think first about the Vietnam Veterans and how badly they were treated coming home. That's why they are always one the top of my list.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans. Because of you I got treated like a king coming home. When the veterans of that war thank us, I always quickly tell them "NO THANK YOU." I mean it from the bottom of my heart, the lessons they learned in those jungles saved a lot of lives in the deserts of this war.

I remember being in NYC for Fleet Week shortly before September 11th. I was sick of ship food, and decided to blow my paycheck on an expensive meal in a ritzy restaurant in Manhattan. I ended up in an expensive place with two buddies near Wall Street. The waitress came to tell us a customer was picking up our check, and did not want to be identified. We said hell no, the only way he was going to pay for us was if he came over and said hello. The man who showed up, was a Vietnam vet, and our tab came to 1200 dollars after he ate with us and we all got kinda wasted. He paid with a smile, and then gave us cab fare to go party in the village. When we tried to object, he said laughing - "I got spit on when I came home. Not you, you boys are going to have fun. Now I'm old and I made 17,000 dollars this morning on Wall Street. How much did you make? I got this. Sure it's for you, but it's for all the guys that didn't get welcomed home too."

I remembered the man's name, and was heartbroken to see it among the casualties suffered at the World Trade Center a few months later. I have fired my weapon in combat since, and many of those rounds were dedicated to his name.

A bit of fact and history- 11 November originally commemorated the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.

The date was declared a national holiday in many allied nations, to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during war. So in honor of WWI veterans, including my great grandfather who fought and was gassed at Belau Wood, here is one of my favorite songs.

I used to call my Grandfather every Veteran's Day, but now sadly he is gone - and I have to remember him on Memorial Day. But I'm still thinking of him too, and how much I miss him. And as my military career comes to a close (at a crawl it seems) I'm also thinking of how lucky I was to serve with so many great young Americans, who I witnessed live up to the standard our forefathers set for us at places like Bunker Hill, Cold Harbor, Chapultepec, Belau Wood, Tarawa, the Chosin Reservoir, Khe Sanh, and Desert One.

Thanks most of all to the Continental Army. Without you, well, we'd be English.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps

2011-11-10T23:26:00.001+01:00

I don't blog about the war.

2011-11-10T01:19:00.006+01:00

From the very first post I did on this blog, I made it clear I wasn't going to be talking about my combat experiences. I did that once, and the Army got very upset with me. I intended to never make that mistake again. Today I'm going to break that rule. If the Army wants to prosecute me, fine.

I'm trying to make a point.

During my last tour an EFP went off near the corner of Route Aerials and Route Pluto. The EFP is an IED that shoots a copper plate (turned to plasma from a shaped charge) like a bullet to pierce armor. A long story short, one of these hit a Soldier who I didn't really know. He was in a different company than me, and was an attachment from the tank battalion. He was behind the machine gun in the turret when he was hit. The blast decapitated him, and completely destroyed his head.

I remember after it happened, they brought his vehicle, and his weapon back to JSS Sadr City where I was. I remember looking down at his M240B in the Operations Center and seeing pieces of his human remains on the weapon. I went to the aid station and got a bio hazard bag, and with great respect for that Soldier I scraped the pieces of his skull that had been fused to the stock of the machine gun from the heat of the blast, and placed them in the bio hazard bag. I then made sure that all of his remains were returned to his family. I'm not sure anyone knows about this other than the medic I turned his remains over to, but I guess now the whole world knows.

The point is, I wasn't about to throw any part of him away.

Not like these people did.

Remember when I did the post about Scott Zaur's suicide and how things were changing? This illustrates the change perfectly, and tragically.

This is about RESPECT. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Where has it gone?

I'm not so much angry at the personnel who did this, as I am they didn't know any better or didn't care. Why aren't we teaching them values anymore?

Fishy...

2011-11-09T19:09:00.001+01:00

I smell the GOP establishment, don't you?

Merry Christmas

2011-11-09T04:14:00.003+01:00

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

Taxing Christmas? Traditionally a great way to win an election...

The always timely South Park

2011-11-09T01:00:00.002+01:00

Looks like OWS spilled over onto some other streets.

2011-11-09T00:47:00.002+01:00

Damn, not you too Grover?

2011-11-05T23:24:00.001+01:00

I hate media

2011-11-05T23:12:00.003+01:00

You might have noticed I didn't do many blog post on the Republican Primary Debates. It's because I barely watched them. They were ridiculous. How can you sum up solutions to the greatest problems of the day in a 30 second sound bite. Had I been running, I wouldn't have participated in them. I'd have done what Rick Perry has done, and hosted a debate between the likely winners... and not Mitt Romney... in my back yard.

Well, it's now happening. So screw the MSM, hear an actual debate instead of Anderson Coopers attempt to get ratings tonight at 2000 hrs Eastern Time. You can get it streamed live here.

Finally Republicans are wisely rejecting the MSM. Should have done it from the start.

2011-11-03T23:17:00.003+01:00

I have a Class A inspection tomorrow so I was going to basically take this exact picture, but this other Soldier beat me to it.

Lazy Hippies

2011-11-03T03:09:00.000+01:00

Halloween Puppy

2011-11-03T02:20:00.003+01:00

My dog made a pretty good alien monster for Halloween. After he paralyzed us with his super powers. He also makes a halfway decent Designated Driver on holidays.

Brutus likes to help sometimes, when Kaiser can't reach the pedals.

Dear Israel

2011-11-03T02:06:00.002+01:00

Now would be the time. Do it, before time runs out.

2011-11-02T03:52:00.001+01:00

Boom. Brietbart and O'Keefe strike again

2011-10-29T22:52:00.001+02:00

When are elitist liberals going to figure out they're being spied on now?

Guess who

2011-10-29T08:00:00.006+02:00

Take a wild guess who made the following quote-

“media has their paid whores condemning the demonstrations across America against these criminal banks,” citing Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly as specific examples.

That's right David Duke just loves OWS.

Source.

In an October 20th video posted on his Youtube channel, former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke expressed support for the Occupy Wall Street movement — or, as he calls it, the “Occupy Zionist Wall Street” movement.

Ah yes, OWS can add the KKK to the United States Communist Party and the American Nazi Party to it's list of supporters. I don't think there has been a time in history where this many political rejects have come together. I guess it really IS a big tent party... just not any tent I'd like to be in no matter how cold it gets!

David Duke isn't alone in that tent either, and he has some interesting allies.

Now in fairness to the OWS protesters, I know they can't get rid of every kook that comes out of the woodwork and claims to represent them... but damn... they might want to do a better job of getting rid of the element. Or you know... make an effort to get rid of it... like the Tea Party did... Sure any old wacko can show up, but unlike the Tea Party OWS seems to accept all takers so long as they can say

"Um...uh... wealthiest 1%...uh... fair share...uh...free money...uh...put all CEOs in jail...uh criminal banksters uh... Fox News (R) lies... yeah. Pass the joint."

We're on the big OWS Blitz here at John Galt for President, in an effort to keep them on the protest lines as long as possible in order to A: Expose Progressivism for what it really is and B: To influence the 2012 election in our favor by simply showing America what they're voting for when they cast a vote for Obama. Help me do that by linking the crap out of stories than demonstrate the raw comedy of the movement. Remember, the answer here isn't riot police... its relentlessly mocking fools who are just crying out for mockery. So send some warm clothes or a 10.00 check to any of the OWS groups you want and make sure you're putting out all the facts on your blog or facebook. This is our chance to show middle America exactly what liberalism looks like up close! Don't miss it!

Viva la OWS. Sunlight makes the best disinfectant.

2011-10-29T05:48:00.002+02:00

General Winter

2011-10-29T03:17:00.003+02:00

Its about to get very cold in Zucotti park.

It stopped Hitler, it stopped Napoleon, will it stop OWS?

OWS is about to find out why we don't buy into global warming. Watching them freeze their balls off is going to warm my heart ;)

An interesting email.

2011-10-29T02:21:00.006+02:00

I saw exerts from a very interesting email today.

It seems members of the Occupy Michigan movement are trying to recruit and ally with Members of the Michigan Militia.

"I have admired your militia and your political views for some time.
I have started my own militia."

"Occupy, in the end, is about forming militias, arresting people that have stolen private property and money, like the CEOs of several corporations.
Sure there are many there who advocate a "leadershipless" organization, and advocate non-violence and don't understand where militias have their place.
But that is NOT what Occupy is about."

The problem for the OWS Michigan faction, is the MM wasn't having it-

-But the movement is being CONTROLLED by communists and marxists and anti-semites. Tides Foundation, SEIU, Code Pink… All orchestrating this protest. They publish the newsletters, They’ve taken out ads in papers for “Paid Protesters” I must also point out that a small minority of Germany was Nazi in the early days, But they stepped into the hole left when those they agitated crashed the system. If you stand with communists, You’re either a communist, or a useful idiot. Their words, Not mine. It’s really the height of arrogance to create the same situation we’ve seen over and over again and think that this time, Because YOU’RE involved, It’ll turn out different.

Seems at least in Michigan, the limp wristed little Marxists efforts to try and find someone who can actually use a gun is FAIL.

Good for you MM. More proof the stereotypes of the Militia are all bullshit. Of course the Southern Poverty Law Center will still label you as extremists who want to overthrow the government, but the truth is clearly much different.

If the OWS Michigan faction is forming militias, the MM will oppose them. Maybe I can find something to do with my skills when I get home after all...

In the mean time, were I a member of the Michigan OWS, I'd look out for the FBI, as this email was forwarded on to them.

Socialism always fails, even if it's just Zuccotti park.

2011-10-27T21:42:00.006+02:00

Seems the OWS kids have a problem, freeloaders, criminals and creepy homeless guys are sneaking into their chow hall.

“We need to limit the amount of food we’re putting out” to curb the influx of derelicts, said Rafael Moreno, a kitchen volunteer.

You mean like... um... uh... limit the free welfare because people take advantage of it who don't need it? Really? Perish the thought!

Today, a limited menu of sandwiches, chips and some hot food will be doled out -- so legitimate protesters will have a day to make arrangements for more upscale weekend meals.

Oh dear! You mean you're allowing them to opt out of the communal pool so the wealthiest 1% of protesters can enjoy their fat cat meals?!

A team of 10 security volunteers moved in to the trouble-prone southwest section of Zuccotti Park in a show of force to confront them.
“We’re not going to let some members of this community destroy the whole movement,” a volunteer said.

So you had to sick the protester cops on them, because people were taking advantage of you!?

This is seriously like reading Animal Farm. Bwahahahahaha. Welcome to the reality of running a society you idiots. They already live like farm animals, maybe we can get them into a rousing rendition of "Beasts of England."

A note on the OWS protesters.

2011-10-27T00:32:00.019+02:00

Why are we getting upset by the OWS protesters? Really, are you sad because the Liberal Media is paying more attention to them than the Tea Party? Well, think about this. The OWS protests are the best thing to happen to the Republican Party since Jimmy Carter. Now, on 24/7 news rotation is the a perfect example of your average Obama voter. Here it is.

That's right, your average Obama supporter is a lazy, good for nothing, rich white kid throwing a temper tantrum because he/she isn't getting enough of other people's money to blow on dope... and they smell like piss.

I can't get enough, I say instead of hoping the cops run them out on a tear gas, rubber bullet ridden rail we send them money. This is a 24/7 non-stop political ad for whoever runs against Obama.

After all they're his kinda people right? He's tied to them now.

Yup, that's right. An OWS voter is an Obama voter. The kinda of person who will smoke a bowl, then have gay sex in front of kids in public. Hell yeah, where have these filthy hippies been all our political lives? After a few months of watching this spectacle, your average American- that is someone with morals, virtues and hygiene - will vote for Herman Cain, Rick Perry, even Newt Gingrich just to get as far from these parasites as humanly possible.

Bonus: The next time a Democrat says how crazy you are when you mention their class warfare, just show them these-

Obama's not a socialist huh? Look what his base is doing? I'm going to be saying that over, and over, and over on liberal blogs for the next year. If you're a liberal blogger, just get ready now.

I'd also like to address the Progressives on the liberal blogs I read- and Glen Beck- trying to sound vaguely threatening saying we should humor these infantile little wretches least they turn violent. Or in the case of Beck - that we should all hide in our basements and pray to Mormon Jesus to delver us from the Dungeons & Dragons political squad. Ohhhhh I'm sooooo scared.

What? Is the dirty, hacky-sack kid going to hit me with his bong? I don't give a flying fuck if these insects do get violent! You're Republicans for Christ sakes... you own all the guns and our cops have tanks! I am not afraid of their little limp wristed threats.

A small part of me hopes they turn violent every single day so I can watch mommy's little darling find out in a riot you do not get a trophy for participating... instead you get a bean bag round from a shot gun upside your dirty head. Let them turn violent! We'll give them an Indian Burn and a Wedgie and stuff them back in their lockers if they do... which would be a real disappointment. The larger part of my brain recognizes the Liberal Media is perching like vultures just salivating at the chance to cover the Kent Stating of these ridiculous children. Why give them the satisfaction? Make them cover the movement's slow disintegration at the hands of winter. I want to see pouty faced little brats with runny noses limping home to mommy's basement, not tear gas and stun grenades. These are not tough people folks and it's almost November. When the windchill hits 20-10 degrees and it rains they'll be running for home with their sanctimonious little tails between their spoiled little legs. Make them a laughing stock, not martyrs!

Last but not least these anti-capitalist fools are retarded, they're trying to piss off Wall Street. Let us not forget Obama got more money from Wall Street than any other candidate in history. The more his community organizer sensibility knee jerks in their direction... the more his funding will dry up. This is like election Christmas, and predictably Republicans are freaking out and doing all the wrong things about it. Calm down Republicans, this is a gift that will keep on giving.

As Napoleon said long ago Republicans, never interrupt your enemy when he's in the midst of making a mistake.

Viva la OWS.

Why we have to bomb Iran. Hey President Obama, you're shooting the wrong Hajis!

2011-10-26T01:34:00.013+02:00

Liberals, Libertarians and even many Republicans have all told me attacking Iran now - or in some cases ever- is a bad idea. I agree. The estimable Adm. Mike Mullen made a similar warning on March 16, 2009. Mullen said:

“What I worry about in terms of an attack on Iran is, in addition to the immediate effect, the effect of the attack, it’s the unintended consequences. It’s the further destabilization in the region. It’s how they would respond. We have lots of Americans who live in that region who are under the threat envelope right now [because of the] capability that Iran has across the Gulf. So, I worry about their responses and I worry about it escalating in ways that we couldn’t predict."

No two ways about it, going to war with Iran would suck.

Iran has terrorized the United States, and inevitably will acquire nuclear weapons — unless it’s stopped. At that point its terror capacity will multiply a thousand-fold, because its terrorists will operate under a nuclear umbrella. So the argument boils down to this: Iran is a terrorist state ruled by theocratic, fundamentalist, violent, xenophobic lunatics ready to murder American citizens and American allies all over the Middle East and around the world. Which means according to my Liberal and Libertarian friends that we had better not stop them from acquiring nuclear weapons, because then they might be mad at us, and hurt us. What does that imply about what a nuclear-armed Iran might do?

Yes, the nuclear facilities are deeply entrenched. Yes, a surgical strike is out of the question. To destroy nuclear weapons capability means to decapitate the regime and the military leadership, with a lot of collateral damage. Five years ago we could have done it cleanly, when cancer was easily operable. Now we will have to make a mess. What does this say for waiting even longer? The difficulty doesn't make a case for not doing it- it actually makes a case for attacking Iran, and quickly before the clock runs out.

Our country is broke, our military is tired, and attacking another Islamic country probably won't win us any popularity contests in the region - not that we would win many now. Certainly the American people are weary of being at war. Fighting Iran would likely be an expensive, dirty, blood bath. But consider the alternatives? Putting our trust in the rational decision making skills of the Tehran Mullahs with their genocidal fingers on a nuclear trigger? The only thing more crazy than bombing Iran, is not bombing it.

Occupy Wall Street Is Half RIght

2011-10-24T18:20:00.000+02:00

By John Stossel

What's there to say about Occupy Wall Street? The answer isn't so simple. Some complain about taxpayer bailouts of businesses. Good for them. In a true free market, failing firms would go out of business. They couldn't turn to Washington for help.

But many protesters say they're against capitalism. Now things get confusing. What do they mean? If by "capitalism" they mean crony capitalism (let's call it crapitalism), a system in which favored business interests are supported by government, I'm against that, too.

But if they mean the free market, then they are fools. When allowed to work, the market has lifted more people out of the mud and misery of poverty than any government, ever.

The protesters are also upset about income disparity. Here again we should make distinctions. To the extent the country's income disparity is the result of crony capitalism, it's bad.

Yet even if America had a true free market, there would be income disparity. It's a byproduct of freedom. Some people are just more ambitious, more energetic, and more driven, and some have that ineffable knack of sensing what consumers want. Think Steve Jobs.

But it shouldn't matter if the income gap between you and rich people grows. What should matter is that your living standard improves.

Your living standard many not have improved lately. Over the past decade, median income fell. But that's an aberration largely caused by the bursting of the real estate bubble. Despite Wall Street protesters' complaints about rich people gaining at the expense of the poor, the poorest fifth of Americans are 20 percent wealthier than they were when I was in college, and despite the recession, still richer than they were in 1993.

And income statistics don't tell the whole story. Thanks to the innovations of entrepreneurs, today in America, even poor people have clean water, TV sets, cars, and flush toilets. Most live better than kings once lived—better even than the middle class lived in 1970.

Some protesters say they hate the market process that makes that possible. They call rich people "robber barons." That term was used by American newspapers to smear tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller. But Vanderbilt and Rockefeller were neither robbers nor barons. They weren't barons because they weren't born rich. They weren't robbers because they didn't steal. They got rich by serving customers well. As Burton Folsom wrote in The Myth of the Robber Barons, there were political entrepreneurs, who made their fortunes through government privilege, and market entrepreneurs, who pleased consumers.

Rockefeller and Vanderbilt were market entrepreneurs. Vanderbilt invented ways to make travel cheaper. He used bigger ships and served food onboard. People liked that, and the extra customers he attracted allowed him to lower costs. He cut the New York-Hartford fare from $8 to $1. That helped people.

Rockefeller was called a monopolist, but he wasn't one. He had 150 competitors—including big companies like Texaco and Gulf. No one was ever forced to buy his oil. Rockefeller got rich by finding cheaper ways to get oil products to the market. His competitors vilified him because he "stole" their customers by lowering prices. Ignorant reporters repeated their complaints.

In truth, Rockefeller's price cuts made life better. Poor people used to go to bed when it got dark, but thanks to Rockefeller, they could afford fuel for lanterns and stay up and read at night. Rockefeller's "greed" may have even saved the whales. When he lowered the price of kerosene, he eliminated the need for whale oil, and the slaughter of whales suddenly stopped. Bet your kids won't read "Rockefeller saved the whales" in environmental studies class.

I have at least found some common ground with some Wall Street protest supporters. Joe Sibilia, who runs the website CSRWire (Corporate Social Responsibility), told me, "You can't have an environment where people are betting on financial instruments with the expectation that the government is going to bail them out."

So we agree that Wall Street bailouts are intolerable. Now we just have to teach our progressive friends that truly free markets work for the benefit of all.

Bad things happen Part I

2011-10-22T02:00:00.010+02:00

Bad things happen to good people. They happen every day. Just last month a very close friend of mine from the Marines was burned out of his home during the Bastrop County Texas fire. I myself have experienced two hurricanes while living on the North Carolina coast, and my sister had to endure the massive 2010 flooding in Nashville, Tennessee. Here in Kansas tornados are a frequent occurrence. The small Kansas town I live in was almost totally destroyed a few years ago by an F-4 tornado. We still have FEMA trailers here. All of us watched societal collapse live on TV during Hurricane Katrina. Depending on where you live earth quakes, civil unrest like the 1992 L.A. Riots or the 2001 Cincinnati Riots, floods, volcanoes, zombie apocalypse and more can strike rapidly without warning. Okay one of those is just a personal dream of mine… but the others are very real!

People often think I’m some sort of militia weirdo when they see my Escape and Evasion (E&E) kit in my car, or my Bug Out Bag in my basement. All I can say in reply is FEMA doesn’t think I’m a weirdo. The truth is bad things do happen to good people, and on a long enough time line a bad thing will likely happen to you. There may come a day when you need to GET OUT and get out now – be it from a highly unlikely invading U.N. army of the New World Order ™ or totally plausible chance your back yard might imminently be a part of the local river. It’s best to be ready. Having a plan and not needing it is much better than needing a plan and not having it.

There are a million and one resources to assemble equipment and make a plan, and they range from totally silly to pretty good to excellent depending on the source. I'm throwing my two cents in because I know a thing or two about living in total chaos, primitive survival and all things Infantry -so Ghostie Alex… a long time reader and JGFP fan asked I write a post on how I do it.

The first point I’d like to make is the best equipment in the world won’t make up for tangible skills. You can have a ton of high speed stuff… but if you’re clueless about how to best use it you’re still screwed. That’s why I recommend all of you out there arm and equip your brain before you do anything. The Red Cross and your local community college are some great resources for 1st Aid training – and if I were you I’d look into becoming a Wilderness First Responder. There are plenty of resources to learn primitive living skills, orienteering, and fire arms use. I think every law abiding citizen with half a brain should already know to take responsibility for their own personal safety and that of their family by obtaining a concealed pistol license and training with the fire arm at least monthly.

Fire Arms

The first thing I’m going to delve into is firearms. It’s also just about the least important part of being prepared. In most cases, the United States is a pretty safe place when it comes to being violently attacked – even after a natural disaster. That being the case, I don’t think any of us would have wanted to find themselves in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina or the L.A. Riots without a very efficient method of defending themselves. That’s why I depart from official sources and recommend you carry a gun… and most importantly know how to use it.

I conceal carry whenever possible. You can obtain a license yourself from your local County Clerk or Sheriff’s Department in most states. My first line of defense is a hand gun, not because it’s “the best.” A rifle is always better than a pistol, but I can’t exactly carry my assault rifle to Wall Mart now can I? A pistol is great because you can take it with you.

My pistol of choice these days is the Kimber Warrior, 1911. I carry a full sized hand gun, in a big caliber. When I shoot a bad guy, I want him to die and die quickly. The 45 ACP round is renowned for its ability to do that. This however is my choice. I don’t think there is an ultimate gun out there, so go to your local gun store and test fire pistols until you find the right one for you. My only recommendation is that you carry a pistol chambered in 357 SIG or better, because as I said you don’t want to shoot Mr. Bad Guy and have him keep coming. Ladies, don’t be afraid of the big bullets, my wife shoots my big 45 just fine and she’s not particularly experienced and she’s a little girl. In fact my 65 year old Mother does just fine with it too. I also recommend buying a pistol that you can attach a tactical light to. Bad guys usually come for you in the dark, and having a flash light attached to your gun allows you to quickly identify (and discriminate) targets in a low light setting. I prefer the Insight M3 Tac Light on my Kimber because of its reasonable cost, its effectiveness with 125+ Lumens of light, and it not requiring special batteries.

If you’re going to carry a pistol, you need a holster. Sticking your firearm in your pocket, down your pants or in your purse is unsafe and not very tactical. I prefer inside the waste-band holsters from Blade-Tech. There are literally thousands of ways to carry a concealed weapon, shop around and find the right one for you.

Moving up to home defense, and what you want as part of your Bug Out Bag… If I had to choose just one weapon for the Zombie Apocalypse (Please let it happen!) it would be the Remington 870 Express Shotgun. I go with the synthetic stock model because wood stocks can warp and cause a wandering zero when they get really wet. Throw on a relatively cheap Tac Light and mount and you’re ready to go.

You might ask “Free, you own an AR-15 with every bell and whistle, why would you go with the R870?” My answer is I can only carry one long gun, and in a survival situation what I want is versatility. The shotgun loaded with 00 Buck is a formidable defensive weapon that doesn’t over penetrate but unlike my .223 caliber AR-15, when loaded with slugs my 870 can take game as large as elk or when loaded with shot as small as pheasant or squirrel. The shotgun is the jack of all trades, and the 870 is inexpensive, incredibly durable, reliable, and there are more after-market accessories (if you want them) for it than just about any firearm. Any idiot can learn to fire, disassemble and clean it or perform repairs in under an hour of training and parts are easy to find. Best of all, 12 gauge ammo is cheap so you can practice with it often. When it’s the end of the world, I want my 870, not my AR-15.

E&E Kit

An Escape and Evasion kit is what a Soldier or Marine wants on him if he’s stuck behind enemy lines or separated from his unit. We’ve gotten away from carrying them in the modern military as we have a thousand little pouches on our body armor for various items… yet I still keep an E&E kit in my car. The purpose of the kit is a small bag with the bare essentials to survive outdoors for 72 hours. Note I said survive. Creature comforts do not belong in your E&E kit. It has to be small and light – as you’re more likely to carry something small and portable over a ginormous ruck-sack full of crap. I keep mine in my car, because while I’m often far from home I’m seldom far from my vehicle and if I have to get out of dodge quick I’d rather be doing it driving as opposed to walking. The kit lives in my trunk next to a warm coat, seasonal comfy footwear, a sturdy shovel and axe, and my trauma kit. You can put all that stuff in your car too minus the trauma bag. I won’t go into the trauma kit as its contents are very expensive (I get em’ from the Army for free mind you) and require a great deal of training to use. If you end up a Wilderness First Responder or EMT then those certifications will teach you all you need to know about what goes in a trauma bag.

My E&E kit itself for years was contained in a Camelbak HAWG. However recently my venerable old Camelback has been demoted to housing my trauma kit. Today my E&E bag is a Tactical Tailor Operator Pack. When choosing your bag, make sure it’s small and light yet can fit your kit inside. I very nearly went with the Kifaru E&E Pouch but decided I wanted a little more size. Whatever you go with, select a bag that will easily attach or lash to your Bug Out Bag… that way you don’t have to transfer gear in a hurry when the shit hits the fan – just connect you E&E kit to your Bug Out Bag and go. It works the other way too… if you have to dump your Bug Out Bag you at least can have the E&E kit to fall back on.

On the outside of my kit I carry my 1st Aid kit inside a dedicated pouch.. Don’t buy the stupid 1st aid kit you see in camping stores. Band aids and ACE bandages? Really? I don’t think so. What you want is to be able to treat serious injuries. Things like compound fractures, gunshot wounds, and arterial bleeding. If you need a band aid, it probably isn’t that bad.

I get them for free, but you can buy a standard issue IFAK online these days. I add to this kit, an extra Israeli Bandage in case of exit wounds or multiple wounds, replace all gauze with QuickClot Combat Gauze, and throw in a chest catheter, occlusive dressing, and a saline lock for IVs. All of this and more is available at Chinookmed.com or… your local Battalion Aid Station if you have sticky enough fingers. I roll the IFAK up in its inner pouch and stuff it into a standard issue military canteen cup. Canteen cups are dirt cheap on E-bay or your local surplus store and provide some protection to my IFAK along with the added benefit of being great for use as an eating bowl, cooking and purifying water over a fire.

On the other side of my E&E kit is another dedicated add on pouch which contains a standard issue poncho and 6 bungee cords. The poncho is rain gear obviously, but I mostly use it as a portable tent for improvised shelters. Remember, exposure to cold and beating sun will kill you even faster than dehydration, so it’s super important to have some portable shelter along with you. The bungee cords beat para cord any day for quick shelter building – which is one of those skills we talked about earlier that you really should know… it can save your life. Last in the pouch is a space blanket as it’s known in military slang or an emergency blanket to everyone else. We call it a space blanket because of the reflective material the blanket uses to reflect the body’s heat back onto your freezing ass is the same material used on the Space Shuttle. Spending a cold night wrapped in a space blanket under a poncho is miserable, but it beats death from hypothermia.

Now that we’ve talked about what’s attached to the outside of my E&E kit, we should talk about what’s inside it. First, I water proof it. Carrying wet gear sucks, so I stuff everything in cheap Wall Mart bought dry bags. I take my handy-dandy Sharpie and write on each bag a complete inventory of its contents.

As I said, in a survival type situation your first concern is Shelter, and that also means making a fire. Now I’m all for knowing primitive fire making techniques like hand drills and bow drills and what not like you see on the survival TV shows on Discovery Channel. Skills are important. They also suck to use. Making a fire with sticks is freak’n hard as fuck, so I carry two Bic lighters unless I’m roughing it on purpose. I’m not proud, and they work and are available everywhere. In addition to readymade flame, you need a little dry kindling. Without dry kindling, forget making a fire and it seems in bad times it’s always raining. That’s why I carry common dryer lint in a Ziploc bag. It weighs nothing, packs down very small and burns quickly and hot. Not to mention… it’s probably all over your laundry room floor anyway so you might as well put it to use.

If the Bic and lint still isn’t enough, there is always a little bottle of hand sanitizer. I relentlessly mock Westerners in third world countries who go around compulsively hand sanitizing – but you’ll still find it in my kit. Not only can you sterilize wounds with it due to its high alcohol content, because of the alcohol it’s flammable. In a pinch dab a bit of hand sanitizer onto a semi-dry surface and touch a flame to it… add kindling as needed and presto… easy fire… and clean hands.

Now that we’ve taken care of shelter, we need water – our Number Two Priority. Even in sub zero weather you can drop dead quick of dehydration. The rule of thumb formula is your body needs 1 liter of water per 10 pounds of body weight per day. That’s a lot of water… way more than you can comfortably carry and hence you will need to search out and find water in a survival situation. That presents a problem… our western bodies will get dysentery if we drink untreated water. Purification pills are out because they do not neutralize the harmful chemicals that will seep into the water table during a natural disaster. Remember the Katrina water? Do you want to drink that? I didn’t think so. By all means learn every trick in the book to purify water, but even boiling water won’t remove chemicals and trusting your life to a ho-made sand/charcoal filter in time of crisis is… um, stupid. That’s why I carry a light weight water filter from my preferred brand MSR. To carry that water, I keep a tried and true Camelbak water bladder in the E&E kit. Camelbak has become ubiquitous in the military to the point we don’t even carry canteens anymore. Being able to suck water out of the straw on the move is far superior and you can carry more water in a lighter container. If you have super ninja free0352 skills you can even boil water inside the bladder if you have to. I’m not just loyal to Camelbak, the entire U.S. military is and for good reason. However, if you are broke as fuck I recommend the venerable plastic coke bottle, in 1 liter. You can boil water in them too with the appropriate technique and they’re durable enough. Anything that won’t biodegrade in 10,000 years can’t be all bad.

Priority Number Three in a survival situation is tools. The first and most indispensable on my list is a multi-tool. I’ve had about a thousand of them over the years. A fun fact is there is a bit of a cultural thing in the military when it comes to multi-tools. Marines seem to use Leatherman brand while Soldiers prefer those made by Gerber. I’ve used both and both are great. I’m about the only Infantrymen in any service however in whose home you will find both brands. These things come with a million different widgets on them, so shop around and find the one right for you.

When it comes to cutting tools, maybe because of my Marine Heritage I’m prejudice but for us there is only one knife. The venerable K-Bar. In the over 110 years the Marines have been issued this knife they have been used for literally everything. From digging holes, skinning animals, to prying open doors and windows, to hammering nails to stabbing Japanese and North Vietnamese Soldiers these knives are THE symbol of the Marine Corps and have been my tool of choice for… well you name it. I’ve had mine for 12 years and it’s still going strong. My uncle has my Grandfather’s WWII K-Bar and it’s still at work, today in the Australian Outback. If you want another knife… fine. Make sure it’s got a full tang which means the unsharpened steel bottom of the blade runs the full length of the handle, it’s made of carbon steel, and it has a heavy blade for cutting fire wood or chopping down small trees.

Priority Number Three is Clothing. Inside one of my dry bags I stash a silk weight thermal shirt, a warm fleece hat and a pair of work gloves to protect my hands. Seasonally I adjust my kit with a pair of socks, either Under Armor heat gear or good old wool Boy-Scout socks for cold weather. Remember when it comes to foot wear, your socks do the lions share of the insulting. In seasonal conditions I might add a polar fleece or a full on set of Carhearts depending on conditions. Simply strap thick warming layers to the outside of the kit… you’ll likely put them on at the start of your “adventure” anyway.

Priority Number Four is knowing where you are going. Being lost is bad. Today everybody seems to have the latest GPS, but I still use the good old map and compass. If your GPS runs out of battery power or breaks you don’t want to be stuck in the wilderness lost, so learn to orienteer. Maps are available for download at USGS.gov. I keep a good topographical map and a road map of my state in my E&E kit coated in lamination paper you can buy at OfficeMax. A linsatic compass, protractor and map pens are also a required item. A GPS is a luxury but not an unreasonable one. I recommend buying a cell phone with a GPS and downloading apps that allow off road navigation as well as turn by turn directions. That way it’s always with you and you can recharge the battery.

Priority Number five is communications. Buy a cheap, prepaid cell phone and stick it in your E&E kit. You can also buy relatively cheap two way radios at a department store. Divide them up between your family members and keep spare batteries in the kit as they burn juice quickly.

Priority Number six is light. Yes you should have a Tac-light on both your firearms, but a headlamp is indispensable. They work much better than standard flashlights because… you wear them. I prefer Petzl headlamps. Make sure to pack spare batteries.

Priority Number eight is food. You can go 30 days without food. In an E&E kit, it’s not a big priority but hey… being hungry sucks. A nice bag of trail mix from your local grocery store so long as it’s sealed will last a long time and is essential. A few sealed granola bars added in for good measure and a bottle of vitamin C chewable tablets, and powdered Gatoraid can carry you easily for 72 hours and don’t weigh a lot.

Priority for survival Number Nine is Hygiene. A package of baby-wipes for cleaning your self... their intended purpose, and for cleaning everything else from your canteen cup to your gun. We already discussed the hand sanitizer. Beyond that, learn to be dirty.

Other helpful odds and ends you can find in my E&E kit are a heavy duty shop-grade garbage bag, a few zip lock bags, chem-lights (glow sticks) in various colors and a butt load of 550 Cord. 550 Cord is one of those things you’ll never have enough of and has too many uses to really comprehend.

This is a light and fast kit, designed to be kept in the car. It’s the kit you want to get you home. In Part II we’ll talk about the Bug Out Bag, the kit you want to get away from home.

Please post questions to comments.

Panderer In Chief

2011-10-19T04:09:00.011+02:00

"One reason to elect me is that I know what I stand for, I've written it down. Words have meaning."

-Mitt Romney

You know you're in trouble when the Republican front runner needs a cheat sheet to remember his stance on the issues.

I've been a political junkie a long, long time. I was raised to be one. I've been doing this since elementary school. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why anyone likes Mitt Romney. He's fake, wooden, stiff and almost pathologically insincere.

I think watching tonight's debate I figured it out.

National Review once hilariously argued when they endorsed Romney in 2007 that he was a "Full-Spectrum Conservative." If there's any case to be made for Romney, it's that he's a full-spectrum panderer. Paradoxically, Romney's faults— his incessant flip-flopping and desperate quest for approval— might make him a less-dangerous-than-average president.

From a Libertarian or Conservative perspective Mitt indeed seems like a nightmare, but your average voter by 2012 will have had 12 years of very ideologically dedicated Presidents. George Bush - God love him- was at least a pretty principled guy. Nobody questions anymore Barak Obama's commitment to socialism. He's practically the father of the American Labor Party. I think after those 12 years, Americans are looking back to a time when we had a pandering, poll watching, rudderless leader... back when things were actually pretty good. That's right folks. People are hoping Mitt Romney will be another Bill Clinton - only this time without the adultery, obstruction of justice and perjury!

True, Romney has defended gross entitlement mismanagement with Medicare and Social Security against Rick Perry, and held off Herman Cain on tax reform... you know... all the things our country needs to get out of this slump... and even backed the stupid but popular boarder fence... but there is a silver lining.

We have no more reason to take him at his word on this than we do anything else.

Romney's strategically timed ideological conversions are well-known. On the road to the presidency, he's had convenient epiphanies about stem-cells, global warming, gay rights, and immigration, and gone from being a staunch gun-controller to, in 2007, buying a lifetime NRA membership and awkwardly bragging about blasting rabbits with a single-shot .22 rifle. I wonder if he was hunting with his personal stylist in a Gucci, Real Tree outfit with matching wingtips? I bet his hair dryer scared the game away.

But I think what I see... is that what I HATE about Romney is what the moderate drones like. In a hype, reality TV, shallow world of insincerity and unauthentisism, Mitt Romney stands tall as the most fake, most insincere, and most pliable of all the Republican Candidates.

I think America looks back on a President who wanted a National Health Service, gays in the military and gun control, but was arm twisted into delivering Welfare Reform and sort of smiles. Sure Bill Clinton was fake... but he was our fake. Nobody realistically thought Bill Clinton was an honest man. His ideological and moral compass was a national punch line. Of course Bill cheated, used the power of the government to destroy his political opponents, obstructed justice and generally acted in a demeanor not befitting the hallowed halls of the White House... but damn it we had 4% unemployment and the damn budget got balanced.

America loved Bill Clinton, and I think what they liked best about him were his flaws. The man's poll numbers actually went up when he admitted to bold faced lying to the country! At the end of the day, the voters knew Bill Clinton was a liar, but he was lying for us. In a world where most politicians are liars, why not hire the best?

The strongest case for Mitt Romney is that he's nobodies idea of a savior. He's like comfort food to a country weary of partisan debate and ideological contention. But the problem is the world we live in today. This is NOT the glowing technological post Cold War years of the '90s. This is an era of terrorism, economic instability and panic. Bubba made us feel like everything was going to be alright. We felt so alright we could get distracted and forget Osama Bin Laden was rising in Afghanistan or that banks were royally screwing up the financial sector of the economy and instead get terribly worried about Sista Soulja and violent rap music. But the problems conceived during the Clinton administration and born during the Bush administration have come of age in the Obama White House. They are real, serious, and terrifying. It's understandable that a lot of voters want to reach for the Doritos, the comfort food President, stick their fingers in their ears and pray it goes away. But it won't.

We need real solutions, and like most things we Libertarian/Conservatives and the Progressives have very sharp differences on what those solutions are. One of us (my side of course) is right. We need sharp, decisive action. But in a terrified America in decline - well sometimes in crisis people fall into denial. That is what we hate about Romney. He's the personification of denial.

To moderate drones though? Mitt is not Obama... and he has nice hair -just like Bill Clinton! That's enough for them. After all this disastrous "Change" I think the voters just want things to go back to normal. If Mitt Romney isn't business as usual, normal Washington D.C. I don't know what is.

In defense of the Electoral College.

2011-10-19T03:19:00.012+02:00

Was in a debate today (in real life for once) about the necessity of the Electoral College.

Look... weather you think the majority vote should rule or weather states should have a say, the the Electoral College was in the Constitution for a reason. The Founders put it there specifically because in 1787 the majority of Americans lived in Virginia. None of the states wanted to have one state get the favored position to elect a President over comparatively tiny states like Rhode Island. That was the situation in 1787 and it's true today.

Getting rid of the Electoral College insures that New York, California, and Texas make all the decisions - because that's where a candidate will have to go to get the majority of votes. That's how smaller states get stuck with things like the Yucca Mountain nuclear depository. Without the Electoral College and the 10th Amendment to protect Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont, etc... those states would get the shit kicked out of them.

Look... if you live in California, if you live in New York or Texas getting rid of the Electoral College will probably be pretty nice for you. The other 49 states won't gang up on you and stick you with a strip mine, dump toxic waste up river from you, or gobble up your open grazing land... or build a giant nuclear trash heap under one of your mountains because they put the President in office and you didn't have any say. But if you live in "fly over country" and you want to have a say in your government, you need an electoral college and a 10th Amendment to protect your interest.

"Majority rule" sure sounds nice, until you think about it. I think states like Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, and New Mexico deserve a real vote for who gets to be President instead of being New York, California and Texas' bitch. Don't you?

Picture is worth a thousand words.

2011-10-19T00:22:00.002+02:00