RipperBravo6

2010-03-12T06:22:00.001-06:00

Well America, I’m back. RipperBravo6 took a short hiatus from all the fallderall to gather his head, brew some homemade beer and take care of his family. It was a well deserved and well spent rest period, but current events have drawn me back into the world of complaining about our current situation.

What could it be that interrupted my mental nap? Well, it’s the current HealthCare debacle. Congress stands poised (maybe?) to use a little known “reconciliation” clause formerly reserved for budgetary items to unashamedly slip an unwanted Federal takeover of HealthCare industry up our collective skirts.

Wait a minute, doesn’t Congress have some kind of rule for passing laws? It takes a 2/3 majority to pass something. Correct? So there should be enough dissenters to prevent Congress from passing stupid laws, right? Oh no, my fellow Americans. You see, in 1974, Senator Robert Byrd saw the potential for gridlock on certain budgetary items and proposed that Congress have the option to pass budget related items by simple majority. Not a bad idea, if American’s corrupt representatives spent too much time haggling over earmarks and pet projects in a budget, that budget might not be passed. Then we have no money to run the country. Makes sense.

However, the reconciliation option is strictly designed for budgets, not huge over-reaching Federal entitlement programs. In fact, Congress has been, up to this point, smart enough to defer using it on such items as the 1993 Clinton HealthCare plan and attempts to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to drilling by the Bush Administration.

But now, with a Democratic majority in Congress and a President in the White House who is desperate to pass any of his “Progressive Agenda” items it appears that we are poised to have another unwanted, intrusive, costly program forced upon us.

Wait! You mean to say that America doesn’t want HealthCare “reform”? In a Gallup poll conducted March 4-7th off 2010, 48% of Americans surveyed said they wanted their Congressman to vote against HealthCare Reform. Only 45% were in favor. Seems to me that if Congress votes the way it’s constituents want, this is a dead issue.

But alas and alack, there is another issue at work here. See, although this would seem to be an unpopular issue, Senators and Congressmen are “elected” officials. They serve at the mercy of the “public”. So, what does this have to do with anything? Well, it’s all about the earmarks.

You see, instead of earning their $169k salary passing laws beneficial to America, most Congressmen spend their time trying to get reelected. Like most pigs, they are constantly struggling to stay at the trough. No one wants to give up the good life, right? So, Congressmen wrangle to get these earmarks, which are basically Federal dollars that are promised to their home districts. These earmarks allow a Congressman to go home at election time and answer questions with a straight face. When asked “What did you do in Congress to deserve my vote?” they can say “Well, I got a 30 Million dollar commuter rail system built here in Pig’s Knuckle, Arkansas that allowed your retarded cousin Jethro to get a job as a train engineer!”. Sadly enough, this is usually good enough for we selfish, self centered Americans. So, the current occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are handing out earmarks like Mardi Gras beads to secure the votes of members of Congress. Business as usual.

So, America, be aware that your member of Congress may not be representing your views. They may be wheeling and dealing, trading principles for a chance at reelection. Be aware, and beware! Hold your elected representatives accountable in all this. Call or write and let them know that you will remember what stance they took on this attempt to bankrupt America and drive us into Federal slavery. Let them know that regardless of how much money in earmarks they are able to steal (it’s your tax money after all). You will not forget where they stood come election day!

My first rant of 2010!

2010-01-02T09:41:00.004-06:00

It is with a heavy heart that I slide into 2010. Maybe I am being a tad bit pessimistic, but I don’t see things improving in the new year. 2009 contained an unprecedented amount of turmoil and angst on both a national and international level and it sure seems that the poo-poo train has a good head of steam and will continue to roll for the foreseeable future. Here are a few of the things that are on my radar for the upcoming year, so keep your pecker hard, your powder dry and your preps up to date!

1 Terrorism and America’s response- The attempted Christmas Day attack by a Yemen based Al- Quaeda splinter group on a Detroit bound airplane could be just the start of our trouble. There are literally hundreds of these small groups all over the world looking to make a name for themselves in the world of Jihad. They are notoriously bad at planning and execution, so we can expect more amateurish attacks like this Nigerian “Boxer Brief Bomber”, who apparently was only able to scorch his own genitals with his faulty PETN bomb. However, like any terrorist group, they will learn from their failures and we can expect their attacks to grow in both sophistication and scale. More puzzling than the attack itself is our government’s response. At first, the incident was downplayed as nothing but a “firecracker”, then it was an :isolated incident” (indicating no international terrorist involvement) and finally, it was revealed that pretty much the entire system designed to preempt terrorist attacks had failed us. This Nigerian, who was on the terror watch list, was issued a visa to visit the US, and was allowed to board a US bound plane, even though we had ample warning form his father and the Nigerian government. Apparently, the CIA was hesitant to publish a warning because they “didn’t have a good picture of him”. Seems to me that a cartoon of that Spy vs Spy guy holding a bomb would have been sufficient since we had other important info such as his name, location and destination. Have we slipped into complacency since it has been almost a decade since we have actually suffered a real attack against the mainland US? Shame on us.

2. A reliance and obsession with technology is making Americans “more stupider”- A slew of new laws prohibiting texting and driving went into effect on New Years Day. While I applaud an attempt to stop a dangerous, selfish and plain stupid practice, I lament the fact that we as Americans have to be told not to do it. Seriously, are we that retarded that we simply cannot recognize that trying to read a 2 inch screen and manipulate a tiny keyboard while hurtling down the road in your 2 ton death machine is unwise? This goes into the file along with “Caution Hot!” warnings on coffee cups, and “Do Not Eat” admonishments on packets of silica gel as yet another indication that we, as a country, have simply chosen not to exercise our common sense. I recently read an article on Fox News about 3 separate couples who followed the directions of their GPS and ended up stuck in a snow bank on Christmas Eve. GD people! Seriously? Do we have that much faith in technology that we won’t take our heads out of the sand and look around? It’s called situational awareness. If you walk around looking at your phone, your Crackberry or your MP3 player, eventually someone is going to notice, crack you on the head with a brick and rob you blind. And you know what? You will deserve it. America, make your New Years Resolution to not use a cell phone in your car. At all! I promise you won’t miss much on Facebook on your 20 minute commute home.

3. America loves a scandal- I know it was exciting when an out of control Britney Spears shaved her head and flashed her clam at America, but this obsession with stars fuck ups has to stop. I think we, as common Americans, love to see someone more successful than us hit a rough patch. The Germans call it Schadenfreude, “shameful joy”. We revel in the comeuppance of our heroes. But is it really front page news that Tiger Woods like to slip his putter into a variety of bags? TMZ is entertaining, but let’s not lose sight of what this is, nothing more than petty gossip. Our national obsession with it is a sickness. Turn off the TV and read your kids a book. And someone remind me why anyone with the last name Kardashian is currently famous.

4. Our government- I want yo to read something:

HONOLULU - President Barack Obama has rejected his first piece of legislation from Congress, a stopgap spending bill that never had to take effect.
The White House on Wednesday said Obama exercised his right to send back to the Congress a temporary appropriations bill that lawmakers passed in case a winter storm about two weeks ago would have prevented them from approving a final measure to fund the Defense Department next year. The Dec. 19 blizzard didn't keep them away from the Capitol and they approved the $626 billion defense spending bill before the previous budget expired.
The White House described the move as a technicality that the president took out of an abundance of caution, and that it was his first veto.

This article was on FoxNews on December 31st. Basically our President vetoed a bill that was for something that was supposed to happen 12 days earlier, but never actually happened. Classic government effectiveness at work. Do you think we will see a veto on the broken HealthCare bill that is going to bankrupt our country? Don’t bet on it America.

5. Our dirty government- Did you know that the gentleman currently nominated to head the TSA admitted to using an FBI database to check up on his exwifes new boyfriend? Of course not, you have been watching TMZ all this week. Dirty politicians have taken power in our fair country and they have put out a welcome sign for every schister, malcontent and power abuser out there. We are getting fucked over here people!

So, what can we do? Well, barring armed insurrection, not too damn much. We should use our power as voters to punish everyone in Washington DC who is not looking after our interests. We should start paying attention to the world around us, lest we be “overtaken by events”. We should realize that we as Americans have a sacred trust to leave our children a better country that the one we inherited. And we should fuckin’ hang up and drive!

Have a safe and happy New Year.
RipperBravo6

Politics as usual

2009-12-21T09:55:00.006-06:00

Business as usual in the cesspool that is our nation’s capitol. Apparently since not everyone has caved to the pressure mounted by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi to vote in favor of the Health Care debacle, they have resorted to bribery to get the support they need.

From FOXNews.com
While Sen. Ben Nelson got a particularly juicy concession -- permanent and full federal aid for his state's expanded Medicaid population -- in the health care bill, support from a slew of other senators likewise came with its price.

Apparently Senator Nelson has forgotten that his actions will have repercussions for the rest of America. He will stroke his constituents and guarantee his reelection to the ruin of the rest of the country. No matter that this bill will bankrupt the American Middle Class to provide Health Care to those who are leeching off the system anyway. More entitlement for the “Do Nothings” in our country.

Sen. Ben Nelson's hardly the only lawmaker extracting sweetheart deals out of the health care reform bill.
While the Nebraska Democrat got a particularly juicy concession in exchange for a "yes" vote on the 10-year, $871 billion package -- permanent and full federal aid for his state's expanded Medicaid population -- support from a slew of other senators likewise came with a price.
Western states got more money for hospitals that serve Medicare patients. Louisiana got up to $300 million in Medicaid benefits. The list goes on.
Senate Republicans lined up Saturday to decry the latest deal targeted toward Nebraska, which was decried as the "cornhusker kickback."
"Votes have been bought," Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said.
But Senate Democrats said the payoffs are nothing unusual, and in fact typical.

I find that last statement to be the most disturbing thing to come out of Congress since Charles Rangel. Fucking business as usual in that giant toilet on the Potomac.

"People fight for their own states. That's the nature of a democracy," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on "Fox News Sunday," defending Nelson against withering attacks from the GOP.
Stupid cunt. We fought a Civil War so we could be the “United” States. The nature of democracy is doing the will of the people. All the people. Not just the ones who vote for you. Politicians have a sacred trust to preserve the Union. To keep our entire country afloat. But no, get your fucking snout in the trough Klobuchar and just worry about yourself.

"This is just part of the normal legislative process," said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

I have no doubt that this is a normal part of the legislative process in corrupt 3rd world ass-hat dictatorships, like the one Harry Reid wants to make America into.

As a measure of just how typical they are, a slew of payoffs and concessions have been struck over the past several months.
-- Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., won between $100 million and $300 million in additional federal aid for her state's Medicaid population. The deal, secured before she cast her critical vote in favor of bringing the health bill to the floor, was immediately dubbed the "Louisiana Purchase," though the actual Louisiana Purchase was considerably cheaper.
-- Vermont and Massachusetts got $1.2 billion in Medicaid money -- a change that was described as a correction to the current system which exempts those two states because they have robust health care systems. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also boasted Saturday that he requested and won an investment worth between $10 and $14 billion for community health centers.
-- Western states secured higher federal reimbursement rates for doctors and hospitals that serve Medicare patients. The provision covers the low-population "frontier" states and applies to Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming -- the latter two states are both represented by two Republicans, but ended up as beneficiaries anyway since they qualify. The legislative language defines frontier states as states where at least 50 percent of the counties have fewer than six people per square mile. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the "special deal," telling "Fox News Sunday" that those five states were getting an increase in reimbursements because they get the lowest amount in the country. "That doesn't offend me at all," he said. "It's in fact, fair."
-- Florida, New York and Pennsylvania -- where five of six senators are Democrats -- will have their seniors' Medicare Advantage benefits protected, even as the program sees massive cuts elsewhere.
-- Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., reportedly secured expanded Medicare coverage for victims of asbestos exposure in a mine in Libby, Mont.
-- One unknown state is receiving $100 million for a "health care facility" affiliated with an academic health center at a university that contains the state's only "public academic medical and dental school." It's unclear for which state that language was written.
-- Nebraska's Nelson won permanent federal aid for his state's expanded Medicaid population, a benefit worth up to $100 million over 10 years. Other states get the federal aid for three years, but Nebraska's benefit is indefinite. His state also got an exemption for nonprofit insurance companies from a health insurance company tax. Many believe this was targeted at Mutual of Omaha, but senior Democratic aides would not confirm that.

Better make sure the wool stays over they eyes of America. As long as we have Big Macs, Reality TV, TMZ and our fucking I-Pod earphones stuck in our ears, we can pretend that this fine, strong, wonderful country is not falling to pieces around us. Don’t look up from your smart phones America, you might be too shocked to post on Facebook.

Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman didn't extract any payoffs for Connecticut. Rather, he succeeded in stripping the government-run insurance plan from the Senate health bill, along with a proposed expansion of Medicare that he recently said he opposes.
Fox News' Trish Turner contributed to this report.

We have a new Douchebag of the Month!!!!!

2009-12-07T20:15:00.002-06:00

Ahhh, Harry Reid, Nevada Senator, Liberal Fucktard, and now, another honor. Hello Harry. RipperBravo6 wishes to congratulate you. You have reached a level of douchebaggery that no one on our list of douchebags has reach heretofar. You are the current, appointed, annointed, sainted KING of all douchebags. You make Osama Bin Laden, AIDS, cancer and forced sodomy all seem appealing.

You see folks, In my estimation, a line has been crossed. The line? Professional Decorum. I know, saying "Senator" and "Professional Decorum" in the same sentence is like saying "Cuddly" and "Serial Killer" together. But I think that in a nest of vile, selfish, crooked vipers, Harry Reid stands head and (no) shoulders about the rest of the snakes. To compare dissent against the rampant and uncontrolled $pendfest known as "Health Care Reform" to dissent against ending slavery in Nineteenth Century America is simply reprehensible.

From FOXNews-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.
The Nevada Democrat, in a sweeping set of accusations on the Senate floor, also compared health care foes to those who opposed women's suffrage and the civil rights movement -- even though it was Sen. Strom Thurmond, then a Democrat, who unsuccessfully tried to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and it was Republicans who led the charge against slavery.
Senate Republicans on Monday called Reid's comments "offensive" and "unbelievable."
But Reid argued that Republicans are using the same stalling tactics employed in the pre-Civil War era.
"Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, 'slow down, stop everything, let's start over.' If you think you've heard these same excuses before, you're right," Reid said Monday. "When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said 'slow down, it's too early, things aren't bad enough.'"
He continued: "When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted they simply, slow down, there will be a better day to do that, today isn't quite right.
"When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today."
That seemed to be a reference to Thurmond's famous 1957 filibuster -- the late senator switched parties several years later.
Reid's office stood by the remarks, with spokesman Jim Manley saying Republicans have "done nothing but obstruct health care" in the Senate.
"Today's feigned outrage is nothing but a ploy to distract from the fact they have no plan to lower the cost of health care, stop insurance company abuses or protect Medicare," Manley said.
But Republicans said they were genuinely appalled. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Reid's remarks were over the top.
"That is extremely offensive," he told Fox News. "It's language that should never be used, never be used. ... Those days are not here now."
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who on the Senate floor read from this FoxNews.com article and asked that it be placed in the record, called on Reid to return to the floor and, if not apologize, at least explain what he meant.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., suggested Reid was starting to "crack" under the pressure of the health care reform debate.
"I think it's beneath the dignity of the majority leader," Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said. "I personally am insulted."

This is Harry Reid, and by his lead, the rest of the Democrats in Congress saying "Get on the bus or under it". The Democrats have decided they have their moment in History, and all be damned who dare stand against their agenda. This is not what America should stand for, and this is not what America should put up with. When one party decides that it is right, and no discussion, debate or deliberation is needed, that amounts to totalitarianism. With a Democratic Congress and Democrat in the White House, the Liberal Left has determined they will simply ram through Social Engineering, Entitlement Programs, and Spend Heavy Policies. It's bad enough they won't listen to their peers in Congress, but they have also turned a deaf ear to a large part of America. Ask King George how that turned out. I say this to every member of Congress...Beware, you do not act with impunity. You cannot hide from the righteous indignation of The People.

The Declaration of Independance

2009-11-29T10:56:00.003-06:00

Have you ever taken a moment to read our country’s Declaration of Independence? Great words put together by great men, and more than apropos to our current situation. If more Americans were familiar with their own history and less interested in Jon and Kate’s divorce drama, they would know and understand that our forefathers have left us an option for change in America that to this point has gone unused. Here it is folks, with a few comments from myself for clarity:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The framers are explaining why they are taking such a drastic and dangerous step towards independence. They are not just usurping the rule of the King of England, but eschewing the entire population of Great Britian. They are drawing a line and saying to the world; “Yes, we have sprung from the same lineage as the people of Britian, however, we have changed, and to allow us to continue to grow as a people, we must sever the ties that bind us to that Empire.” This being such a huge step, they will now explain why they are taking it.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

The framers now state that it should be obvious (self-evident) to everyone that we (Americans) are the equal of any group of citizens in the world,a nd furthermore, we have some rights, God given, that no one should be able to take away from us. Those are the right not to be killed arbitrarily by a foreign power, the right to our freedom, both as individuals and as a country, and the right to live our lives in a way that brings us happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

Because we have, and need to retain these rights, we form governments. These governments function and rule because we, the people, consent to be governed by the. It is a symbiotic relationship, but the framers are clear to show that a government that does not serve the will of the people is, in fact, no government at all.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

They go on to say that when a government no longer meets is simple charter to protect life, preserve liberty and allow the pursuit of happiness the people have the right to get rid of it, and to form a new government, based on the form that they see most fit. A simple reminder to both Kings and politicians that nothing they do is above censure, and that if they choose to no longer serve the will of the people, they can, and should be replaced.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

The framers remind us that changing governments is not a decision to be taken lightly. In fact, they tell us a well known truth; man is more likely to continue to suffer evil than to take the risk of change.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

However, every group has it’s breaking point. And when man has suffered long enough, he can, AND SHOULD, throw off the yoke of oppression and build something new. They remind us that not only is this our right, it is, in fact, our duty.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Now, they will lay out the case against the King of England:

— He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

— He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

— He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

— He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

— He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

— He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

— He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

— He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

— He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

— He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

— He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

— He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

— He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

— For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

— For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

— For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

— For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

— For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

— For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

— For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

— For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

— For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

— He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

— He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

— He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

— He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

— He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Wow, King George was quite a tool.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

They want to remind us again that they do not take sedition and mutiny lightly. The framers wanted to world to know that they tried their best to affect a change without these drastic measure, but their attempts were heartily rebuffed.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

This section is an indictment of the British government as well as the King. The framers wanted everyone to know that they held no personal grudge against the British people, but because of their continued support of a despotic tyrant, they were just as culpable as the King himself. They do extend an olive branch here and remind Britian that once the war is over, we have such common bonds that assuredly we will remain friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

And that’s it. This final section states the obvious, in an offcial manner. We are now agreed that the ties that bind are severed. We are our own country. Now it is official policy; we shall all surely “hang together” if we fail in our endeavors.

Gun Free Military Bases are killing our Soldiers

2009-11-12T17:49:00.003-06:00

I found this editorial on Foxnews.com and had to post it. I agree 100% with the author that Gun-Free zones provide nothing more than a safe, target rich environment where psychopaths can take their time and choose their victims at will. I salute the bravery of the soldiers and civilians at Ft. Hood, but it is time we allowed Americans to defend themselves!

From Foxnews- Shouldn't an army base be the last place where a terrorist should be able to shoot at people uninterrupted for 10 minutes? After all, an army base is filled with soldiers who carry guns, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Beginning in March 1993, under the Clinton administration, the army forbids military personnel from carrying their own personal firearms and mandates that "a credible and specific threat against [Department of the Army] personnel [exist] in that region" before military personnel "may be authorized to carry firearms for personal protection." Indeed, most military bases have relatively few military police as they are in heavy demand to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unarmed soldiers could do little more than cower as Major Nidal Malik Hasan stood on a desk and shot down into the cubicles in which his victims were trapped. Some behaved heroically, such as private first class Marquest Smith who repeatedly risked his life removing five soldiers and a civilian from the carnage. But, being unarmed, these soldiers were unable to stop Hasan's attack.

The wife of one of the soldiers shot at Ft. Hood understood this all too well. Mandy Foster's husband had been shot but was fortunate enough not to be seriously injured. In an interview on CNN on Monday night, Mrs. Foster was asked by anchor John Roberts how she felt about her husband "still scheduled for deployment in January" to Afghanistan. Ms. Foster responded: "At least he's safe there and he can fire back, right?" -- It is hard to believe that we don't trust soldiers with guns on an army base when we trust these very same men in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, most of CNN's listeners probably didn't understand the rules that Ms. Foster was referring to.

The law-abiding, not the criminals, are the ones who obey the ban on guns. Instead of making areas safe for victims, the bans make it safe for the criminal. Hasan not only violated the army's ban on carrying a gun, he also apparently violated the rules that require soldiers to register privately owned guns at the post.

Research shows that allowing individuals to defend themselves dramatically reduces the rates of multiple victim public shootings. Even if attacks still occur, having civilians with permitted concealed handguns limits the damage. A major factor in determining how many people are harmed by these killers is the amount of time that elapses between when the attack starts and someone is able to arrive on the scene with a gun. Ten minutes must have seemed like an eternity to those trapped in the attack at Ft. Hood. All the multiple victim public shootings in the U.S. -- in which more than three people have been killed -- have all occurred in places where concealed handguns have been banned.

For several days now, some in the media and various gun control groups have focused on a so-called "cop killer" gun that Hasan used. The five-seven is a conventional semi-automatic pistol. In fact, the bullets that it fires are relatively small, only being in the .22 caliber class. Unlike rifles, even higher caliber handguns don't fire publicly available ammunition at sufficient velocity to penetrate a police officer's vest. There is a special type of handgun ammunition that can penetrate some types of body armor, but under federal law it is not legal to manufacture or import that ammunition for sale to the public.

For the safety of our soldiers and citizens, we hope that this simple fact about the Ft. Hood attack and the role that gun-free zones played in allowing yet another multiple victim public shooting becomes part of the news coverage itself. The political debate about guns would be quite different if even once in a while a news story clearly explained that there has been another multiple victim public shooting in a gun-free zone.

John R. Lott, Jr. is a FoxNews.com contributor. He is an economist and author of "More Guns, Less Crime."

The boys.

2009-11-09T19:13:00.004-06:00

Here they are, my camping partners in crime. Radiant in Tiger Stripes is Bertram Buck, the dashing fellow in East German Rain Pattern is Uncle Al, and the one with the hot dog, well, that's "Puppy", the worlds smartest guard dog. In the words of Bertram Buck;

"This can be fun, but it ain't a game."

Keep that in mind folks.

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.

2009-11-09T19:05:00.003-06:00

Folks, this is Bertram Buck. The following items are the truths as I know them about Bertram Buck:

He lives back in the woods you see, just the woman, the kids, the dog and him.

He has a shotgun, a rifle and a four wheel drive.

He can plow a field all day long.

He can catch catfish from dusk to dawn.

He can make his own whiskey and his own smoke too (chew actually).

He grows good old tomatoes and homemade wine.

He can skin a buck.

He can run a trot-line.

He says Grace.

He says Ma'am.

He will survive.

How was your weekend?

2009-11-09T17:57:00.003-06:00

Normally, I don't look forward to answering this question on Mondays at work. I really don't have a lot to tell. Most of my weekends are pretty tame. Vacuum sealing, gunsmithing and shopping for bulk foods are not great topics of conversation at work anyway. But this Monday I could not wait to tell everyone about my great Bug Out Camping weekend. I made the trek out to Bertram Bucks on Saturday after packing my Bug Out Bag, AR-15, pistol and cooking gear. We headed out for our favorite spot along the creek, set up camp and relaxed. The weather was perfect. Much was discussed, some guns were test fired (especially the new Saiga 12 that Uncle Al put together for BB's wife!) and we had a delicious dinner of BB's famous pork chili. I slept under the stars and listened to the creek sing me to sleep. That lasted about 10 minutes until BB's dog "Puppy", who is a Jack Russel Terrorist took it upon himself to make the rounds and ensure everyone was sleeping soundly. He did this about every 20 minutes for the rest of the night. I appreciate a good watch dog, but "Puppy" was especially vigilant. To ensure you were OK, "Puppy" would lick your face and wake you up. I am happy to report that no Zombies, Aliens or Sasquatches made it into the camp that night. Thank you "Puppy"! In the above pic Uncle Al, Bertram Buck and BB's sister Lima Juliet show off some of their hardware including 2 Saiga 12s and a Czech VZ-58.

Zombie Apocalypse

2009-11-02T18:53:00.001-06:00

Tactical Tupperware

2009-11-02T18:32:00.000-06:00

3 Amigos

2009-11-02T18:25:00.003-06:00

Glock 30 .45ACP

Glock 21 .45ACP

Glock 17 9mm Parabellum

Tools of the Trade

2009-11-02T18:01:00.002-06:00

“You can't expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday's tools and expect to be in business tomorrow.”

Tom Says...

2009-11-02T10:30:00.002-06:00

"Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition."

- Thomas Jefferson

Prepper Therapy

2009-10-31T15:36:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it all seems to be too much. Sometimes you get wrapped up in the preps, the guns and the potential badness the world has to offer. You think about how it will effect your kids, your spouse, your extended family and your friends who have not prepared. You are a Sheepdog, but you know you cannot protect everyone, all the time. It can give you an ulcer.

The cure? Wiener Dogs. I suggest 3 or more. Nothing is as therapeutic or cathartic as watching a herd of Wiener Dogs chase each other under the couch, under your bed, or under your feet. They don't eat much, and no matter how bleak the outlook for the future, they give you this look (see picture) when you call their name. The look that says; "Hey, everything is OK, if it weren't, would I be chasing these other dogs around?"

Thanks dogs.

Quote of the Century

2009-10-31T14:47:00.002-05:00

"The society of late twentieth century America is perhaps the first in human history where most grown men do not routinely bear arms on their persons and boys are not regularly raised from childhood to learn skill in the use of some kind of weapon, either for community or personal defense - club or spear, broadsword or long bow, rifle or Bowie knife. It also happens to be one of the rudest and crudest societies in history, having jubilantly swept most of the etiquette of speech, table, dress, hospitality, fairness, deference to authority and the relations of male and female and child and elder under the fraying and filthy carpet of politically convenient illusions. With little fear of physical reprisal Americans can be as loud, gross, disrespectful, pushy, and negligent as they please. If more people carried rapiers at their belts, or revolvers on their hips, it is a fair bet you would be able to go to a movie and enjoy the dialogue from the screen without having to endure the small talk, family gossip and assorted bodily noises that many theater audiences these days regularly emit. Today, discourtesy is commonplace precisely because there is no price to pay for it." ~ Samuel Francis, Chronicles

Saint Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T17:31:00.002-05:00

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? The Nobel Prize Committee in Oslo, Norway has decided to award this years Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama.

I am not sure I even have a response.

The head of the committee, Thorbjoern Jagland , defended the decision by saying:

"Can someone tell me who did more than him this year? It is difficult to name a winner of the peace prize who is more in line with Alfred Nobel's will."

Jagland, a former Norwegian prime minister, said "we are capturing the spirit of the times, the needs of the era."

Did they not have anyone else? No one else? What about Brad Pitt, or that kid that caught the fly ball and threw it back on the field? They both seem equally worthy.

At least President Obama is popular somewhere, because here in the US, he is not making any new friends, on either side of the political spectrum.

I think I'll go watch True Blood reruns. It's certainly more believable.

The Urban Survival Podcast!

2009-10-04T21:06:00.003-05:00

If you want to upgrade your knowledge in a fun and high-tech manner, check out the Urban Survival Podcast! Interesting information streamed direct to your computer. Save it as an MP3 and load it on your I-Pod, it beats listening to Kanye West while you workout!

http://www.urbansurvivalpodcast.com/

Our pending finaicial collapse's Silver lining...

2009-10-04T20:41:00.003-05:00

I decided it was time to post something positive for a change. It seems to me that I have become the harbinger of doom on this blog. Well, that's all good and well, since America needs a LOUD wake up call, and although I am not saying my humble blog will serve that purpose, I do feel that instead of just complaining, I should give a little back. So, America, here it is...

http://www.apmex.com/

If America does indeed face a financial meltdown, what will be the currency of the aftermath? Well, since the beginning of recorded history, precious metals have been the currency of choice. It seems to follow that if our printed money becomes worthless, a person with an amount of precious metals might be able to better barter for what they need in life.

Where can one get precious metals? Well, Apmex makes it easy. Here are a few investments you might consider and the pros and cons for each:

Gold- Gold is currently running around $1000 an ounce, and even though Apmex offers 1/2, 1/4 and 1/10th ounce rounds, gold might be a little too much to use for regular barter. If you can afford it, keep some on hand to make capital purchases such as farm equipment, vehicles, land and firearms, but it is probably a little too much for your everyday prepper.

Silver- Available in pure silver and junk silver, this may be your best bet for investment. 1 oz. Silver American Eagle coins can be had for less than $20 each typically. Silver is around $16 an ounce on the open market, and is sure to climb in value after a crash. Silver rounds would be excellent currency in this case.

Junk silver refers to coinage that is less than 100% pure silver, such as US dollar coins, half dollars, quarters, dimes and nickles made prior to 1935. For instance, Morgan dollars produced between 1878 and 1904 are 90% silver. To use them for currency, agree on a price per ounce for silver, weigh your coins and take 90% of that amount to get a correct price. Morgans can be had for around $15 each currently. Barber and Mercury dimes are also popular and are available in rolls of 50 for less than $100.

The Apmex site is an excellent reference and learning tool and offers both US and foreign silver, gold, platinum and palladium coins, ingots and collectors items.

Get it now, don't wait. Gold and silver may become our only source of portable wealth if we face a financial collapse in the coming years.

Jefferson Says...

2009-09-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

"When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property. "

I'll Get You My pretties.......

2009-09-18T11:16:00.005-05:00

The Wicked Witch of the West Coast, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has drawn a line in the sand. And by doing so, she labels any American who opposes larger, more invasive government a “domestic terrorist”.

Pelosi invokes the specter of right wing violence and impending doom to push the Socialist Agenda of the left’s anointed king, President Obama. Here is it, with RB6’s comments as well:

From Fox News-
WASHINGTON -- Republicans are rejecting comparisons made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who came near to tears Thursday when she compared anti-government rhetoric over President Obama's health care proposals to the debate over gay rights in 1970s San Francisco.
"I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this myself in the late '70s in San Francisco," Pelosi told reporters, her voice catching in her throat at her weekly press briefing.

Now she’s going to be a human? I personally can’t see this callous Trotskyite career politician crying over anything but a lost election

Without making an eponymous comparison, Pelosi was referring to the 1978 murders of Mayor George Moscone and city Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist immortalized in a recent movie starring Sean Penn. Former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White was convicted in the case. He committed suicide in 1985.
At the time, gay rights activists and others said the assassinations were the result of the loud and sometimes violent debate over gay rights. Pelosi was chairwoman of the Democratic Party for northern California and friendly with Milk and Moscone.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. If the PMRC can link Judas Priest to suicide, the DNC can link anti-gay violence to Free Speech and dissent.

Pelosi said Thursday that while she values free speech, a careful line must be tread between the First Amendment Right and regard for public safety.

Pelosi values Free Speech like Hitler valued the Jews.

"Our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe," she added. "But I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause."

Right? Why make people take personal responsibility for their own actions? In our new worker bee society, no one does anything of their own free will. If you do something right, it is because you were inspired by President Obama, and if you do something bad, it was because Dick Cheney or Joe Wilson told you too.

Pelosi's response came to a question about whether she is concerned that the political debate and anti-government rhetoric could mimic the era of 1993-1994, when then-President Bill Clinton offered a health care option and as the reporter noted, "Around that time, we also saw acts of domestic violence, domestic terrorism."

If Pelosi thinks that the domestic violence in the Clintonista times was brought about by a push for federalized health care, she should watch the tape of the Branch Davidian compound being burned by the FBI, or read about FBI sniper Lon Horuchi shooting Randy Weavers wife, while she held their infant son, at Ruby Ridge.

"I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made," Pelosi said. Some of the people hearing the message "are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume."

So the average American is too mentally unbalanced to understand the difference between dissent and a call for bloody revolution? This is the arrogance of government. In our morally sodden nanny-state, We The People must be taken care of by Uncle Sugar, right? I am sorry, but have things gotten so bad that these ass-ocrats and republi-douches have forgotten who elected them, and who pays their salaries. They are living in The People’s House on our dime. How is it we are not marching on Washington DC with torches and pitchforks?

Pelosi did not offer examples of rhetoric today that could lead to violence but the House rebuked South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson for shouting "You lie!" at Obama last week. The August congressional recess was also dominated by town hall meetings in which voters vigorously stated their opposition to the president's proposals for health care reforms.

I wish Joe Wilson had pulled a Preston Brooks and cracked someone’s head, instead of hooting a 3rd grade response. We are fighting tyranny here, dammit, not rooting for a volleyball team.

The town hall meetings were followed with a rally in Washington, D.C., last weekend that brought tens of thousands of protesters.

House Minority Leader John Boehner said Thursday little if any of the rhetoric feeding the health care debate has contained an undercurrent of violence.
"Listen, I was at a tea party in Westchester, Ohio on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend with 18,000 people. I saw no signs or any indication of any kind of violence," he said.
"Americans are saying 'stop.' They're scared to death that the country that they grew up in is not going to be the country that their kids and grandkids get to grow up in," Boehner added. "And so as a result, you're seeing average Americans who've never been involved in the political process taking a more active role in our society and in this debate. And so, you know, I believe it ought to be civilized, but -- but Americans are speaking up and they ought to speak up."
Boehner also chided President Carter, who this week became the highest -profile politician to say the opposition is built on racism because Obama is black.

Jimmy Carter is truly America’s shame. How bad was the Nixon/Ford administration that we felt the need to punish ourselves with 4 years of him?

"I reject this resoundingly," Boehner said. "The outrage that we see in America has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with the policies that (Obama) is promoting."

Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave at what our country has become. Shame on us for letting it get this far. Shame on our elected officials for forgetting their place, and shame on the people for not reminding them.

America's Small Victory

2009-09-06T08:55:00.002-05:00

Fox news is reporting that Presidentally appointed "Green jobs" Czar Van Jones has resigned. If you remember, RB6 reported on Jones (who apparently had an R&B album out as well), who is an avowed Communist and hater of all things American, for calling Republicans "assholes".

Now, I know a lot of Republicans. In fact, many of them are assholes.

However this is not caused by the fact that they do not support the overtly Marxist policies of the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
I am still at a loss as to what vetting process the Obama White House uses to pick these folks, perhaps drawing names out of a hat?

Jones' background was well known and reported on for years in the media, yet the President thought it would be OK to appoint him to a position that held sway over our fair Republic.

Think again, Comrade! If there is one thing that Conservatives in America can do, it's whine over something! Well, at least the whining didn't go to waste. Keep up the good work America and let's take out the trash in Washington, D.C.!!!

From FoxNews- White House green jobs adviser Van Jones resigned in the middle of the Labor Day weekend following persistent controversy over his past remarks and associations.

Jones, who served as an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, had generated mounting criticism over the past week. He earlier issued back-to-back apologies -- first, for calling Republicans "assholes" during a videotaped address earlier in the year, and second for signing a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The latter development, which came on top of several others, was perhaps the most devastating and led to calls for his resignation.

Jones stepped down late Saturday.

In a sharply worded statement, Jones said the controversy had become an unceasing distraction and assailed his critics.

"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide," Jones said.

He said he had been "inundated" with calls from supporters urging him to "stay and fight."

"But I came here to fight for others, not for myself," he said. "I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."

Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the council Jones had been advising, said in a statement that she accepted the resignation, which was effective immediately, and called him a "strong voice for creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources."

The White House had stayed relatively quiet about Jones as the controversy developed, leading to speculation that he was on the way out.

Asked about Jones Friday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said only that he "continues to work in the administration."

Jones is considered a rising star in environmental circles. He wrote the New York Times bestseller "The Green Collar Economy" and has co-founded and worked with several groups dedicated to helping low-income and minority communities -- often through green jobs and better environmental policy. He got his start as a San Francisco-area activist.

But critics raised questions about his fitness for a White House-level office, pointing to his radical activities a decade ago as well as more recent controversial stances.

Jones was an self-described "communist" during the 1990s and previously worked with a group dedicated to Marxist and Leninist philosophies. His comments, even in recent years, were often racially charged. He's blamed "white polluters and white environmentalists" for "steering poison" to minority communities. In 2005, he drew a distinction between white and black youths involved in shooting incidents by referencing the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

"You've never seen a Columbine done by a black child. Never," Jones said. "They always say, 'We can't believe it happened here. We can't believe it's these suburban white kids.' It's only them!" he said. "Now, a black kid might shoot another black kid. He's not going to shoot up the whole school."

But such statements did not draw widespread attention until after a February video surfaced showing him calling Republicans "assholes" during an address in Berkeley, Calif. Jones apologized, but faced down his past again when it was discovered that he signed a 2004 statement calling on then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and others to launch an investigation into evidence that suggests "people within the current administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war."

Jones afterward issued a blanket apology for his past statements and said the petition does not reflect his views. An aide said Jones didn't carefully review the petition at the time.

But that claim was swiftly disputed by 911Truth.org. "He did agree with that statement and he did sign on to it," 911Truth.org spokesman Mike Berger told FOX News in a telephone interview from St. Louis on Friday. Berger said the group's "original board members individually confirmed all signatories that had signed on to the statement."

The calls for resignation mounted.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., became the first lawmaker to call on Jones to resign, issuing a press release calling for a moratorium on the hiring of additional "czars" until the vetting process in Jones' case could be properly investigated.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., demanded that the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee conduct hearings to probe Jones' behavior and "reassure the American people that their government is safe from his divisive, incendiary and ultimately counterproductive sentiments."

First I'm an asshole, now I'm a racist?

2009-09-03T08:41:00.002-05:00

So, Charles Rangel, dirty politician from New York has just called me a racist.

If I don't support Federally controlled and mandated Healthcare Reform, it is because I am biased and prejudiced against a black President.

Wow, I had no idea. Thanks, Charlie, for opening my lily white eyes to my personal racism.
Rep. Rangel is of course, dead wrong, about the feelings of Americans. His grasp of the groundswell of opposition to our government chronically overstepping it's bounds is simplistic, dismissive and incorrect. Of course there is racism in America. Of course there are people who hate President Obama because of the color of his skin. But, in truth, America has seen a new color since January.
And that color is RED. Red, as in Communism and Socialism. Red as in Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin. Red as in social engineering and government ownership of private industry. Americans are mad as hell about seeing red. Charles Rangel gets props from me for his service to our country, in the Korean War and in Congress, but RipperBravo6 gives him a big thumbs down for not looking past his own personal biases and understanding that Americans are angry and scared about what socialism as Federal policy is doing to their country.

From FoxNews:

First it was Gov. Paterson. Now the dean of New York's congressional delegation has played the race card -- and just as the governor did, he's using President Obama to do it, the New York Post reported.

Rep. Charles Rangel said Tuesday that "bias" and "prejudice" toward Obama are fueling opposition to health-care reform.

Those incendiary comments came on the heels of Paterson's controversial comments about race that also mentioned the nation's first black president.

"Some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is president of the United States. They go to sleep wondering, 'How did this happen?' " Rangel (D-Manhattan) said Tuesday.

Speaking at a health-care forum in Washington Heights, Rangel said that when critics complain that Obama is "trying to interfere" with their lives by pushing for health-care reform, "then you know there's just a misunderstanding, a bias, a prejudice, an emotional feeling."

"We're going to have to move forward notwithstanding that," said Rangel, the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a chief health-care negotiator.
Rangel then likened the battle over health-care expansion for the uninsured to the fight for civil rights.

"Why do we have to wait for the right to vote? Why can't we get what God has given us? That is the right to live as human beings and not negotiate with white southerners and not count the votes. Just do the right thing," he said.

And I meant what I said about Rangel being dirty. Here is what that bastion of truth, Wikipedia had to say:

On September 24, 2008, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Rangel's alleged failure to report thousands of dollars in rental income or pay taxes on his beachfront villa in the posh resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, allegedly living in multiple rent-subsidized apartments in New York City while claiming his Washington, D.C. home as his primary residence for tax purposes, alleged use of congressional stationery to solicit donors for a public policy institute in his name at City College, and other alleged questionable activities.[2]

Jefferson says...

2009-09-02T13:46:00.004-05:00

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. "

Call me an Asshole one more time...

2009-09-02T13:33:00.007-05:00

So, someone else at the White House doesn’t like Americans standing up against the Obama Administration. “Green Czar” Van Jones called the Republican politicians who are attempting to slow or stop the injection of Socialism into our country “assholes”.

From FoxNews: Van Jones, the Obama administration's "green jobs" adviser, told a group of listeners earlier in the year that the reason Republicans are stonewalling the president is because they're "assholes."
Jones' remarks were recorded in a video from February that was posted to YouTube.
He made the remark during an energy lecture in Berkeley, Calif., after a woman in the audience asked him why President Obama and congressional Democrats were having trouble moving legislation -- even though Republicans, with a smaller majority, didn't have as much trouble earlier in the Bush administration.
"Well, the answer to that is, they're assholes," Jones said, to uproarious laughter. "That's a technical, political science term."

Now I am not one to argue with a Yale education, but I doubt if this is a true political science term.

The questioner responded, "I was afraid that that was the answer."

A woman from Berkeley agreed with him? I can almost smell the Patchouli oil, B.O and weed residue from here. It amazes me that there are parts of America so far removed from what our country stands for that they might as well be on another planet.

But Jones said that, even though Obama is "not an asshole," others have to step up the fight.
"Now, I will say this. I can be an asshole, and some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama are going to have to start getting a little bit uppity," he said.

Is “uppity” code for starting the Peoples Revolution? It must be, because Van Jones is a Communist. What? You didn’t see that on CNN? Well, here is an excerpt from the last bastion of truth in America.

From Wikipedia: Early activism
In 1992, while still a law student at Yale, Jones participated as a volunteer legal monitor for a protest of the Rodney King verdict in San Francisco. He and many other participants in the protest were arrested. The district attorney later dropped the charges against Jones. The arrested protesters, including Jones, won a small legal settlement. Jones later said that "the incident deepened my disaffection with the system and accelerated my political radicalization."[9] His outrage over the verdict radicalized him: Jones said he was "a rowdy nationalist"[10] before the King verdict was announced. By August of that year, he said, "I was a communist."[10] Former employer Eva Paterson counseled him to rethink his tactics and to work for change in wiser ways. "In time, he jettisoned his youthful notions and moved on to seek more effective and attainable solutions," Paterson says.[11] Jones's activism was also spurred on by witnessing racial inequality in New Haven: “I was seeing kids at Yale do drugs and talk about it openly, and have nothing happen to them or, if anything, get sent to rehab...And then I was seeing kids three blocks away, in the housing projects, doing the same drugs, in smaller amounts, go to prison.”[8]
When he graduated law school, Jones gave up plans to take a job in Washington, D.C., and moved to San Francisco instead.[10] He got involved with Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM), a group explicitly committed to revolutionary Marxist politics[12] whose points of unity were revolutionary democracy, revolutionary feminism, revolutionary internationalism, the central role of the working class, urban Marxism, and Third World Communism.[13] While with STORM, Jones actively began protesting police brutality.[10]

Thank you American’s Higher Education system. Breeding ground of the Red Menace. McCarthy was wrong to target Hollywood, he should have hit the Ivy League instead.

Well, fellow Americans, is that what we are now reduced to? Because we dissent, because we don’t proscribe to Marxism, because we want moral government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedom, we are assholes?

I for one am proud to be an asshole. I join a long line of assholes including Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Payne, Sam Adams and John Hancock, who King George of England once referred to as “that bunch of Colonial assholes”.

Call me names if you wish, but just remember what that asshole Jefferson said: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

What an asshole.

Network Censorship? In America? Unthinkable.

2009-08-27T17:30:00.002-05:00

A non-profit group "The League of American Voters" is alleging that corporate giants NBC and ABC are practicing censorship because they refuse to run an anti-healthcare reform ad on the national level. I beg to differ. Both ABC and NBC are privately owned companies (Disney owns ABC and General Electric owns NBC) and have the right to refuse any advertising, on any grounds, as they see fit. This is the wonderful power of privately owned communications companies. Dick Morris, talking head for the LAV gave the following whiny quote;

"It's the ultimate act of chutzpah because ABC is the network that turned itself over completely to Obama for a daylong propaganda fest about health care reform," he said. "For them to be pious and say they will not accept advertising on health care shuts their viewers out from any possible understanding of both sides of this issue."

So, I am confused. The League of American Voters is against health care reform, right? That was the gist of their "censored" ad. How exactly are they helping folks in America understand "both" sides of the issue? I find it a little naieve on the part of Dick Morris, and the LAV, to think that their message would be welcome on such liberal, left wing mouth pieces as ABC and NBC anyway. Sounds like the Right thinks whining is the best way to get their message out. Nice work guys, your great PR machine is part of the reason America is in this predicament anyway. America grows weary of partisan politics.

From FoxNews:
The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot -- particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June and hosted at the White House.
The 33-second ad by the League of American Voters, which features a neurosurgeon who warns that a government-run health care system will lead to the rationing of procedures and medicine, began airing two weeks ago on local affiliates of ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. On a national level, however, ABC and NBC have refused to run the spot in its present form.
"It's a powerful ad," said Bob Adams, executive director of the League of American Voters, a national nonprofit group with 15,000 members who advocate individual liberty and government accountability. "It tells the truth and it really highlights one of the biggest vulnerabilities and problems with this proposed legislation, which is it rations health care and disproportionately will decimate the quality of health care for seniors."
Adams said the advertisement is running on local network affiliates in states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Maine and Pennsylvania. But although CBS has approved the ad for national distribution and talks are ongoing with FOX, NBC has questioned some of the ad's facts while ABC has labeled it "partisan."
"The ABC Television Network has a long-standing policy that we do not sell time for advertising that presents a partisan position on a controversial public issue," spokeswoman Susan Sewell said in a written statement. "Just to be clear, this is a policy for the entire network, not just ABC News."
NBC, meanwhile, said it has not turned down the ad and will reconsider it with some revisions.
"We have not rejected the ad," spokeswoman Liz Fischer told FOXNews.com. "We have communicated with the media agency about some factual claims that require additional substantiation. As always, we are happy to reconsider the ad once these issues are addressed."
Adams objects to ABC's assertion that his group's position is partisan.
"It's a position that we would argue a vast majority of Americans stand behind," he said. "Obviously, it's a message that ABC and the Obama administration haven't received yet."
Dick Morris, a FOX News political analyst and the League of American Voters' chief strategist, conceptualized the advertisement and said its purpose was to "refocus" the debate on health care reform.
"I feel the whole debate on health care reform needed to be refocused on the issue of Medicare," he told FOXNews.com. "Most of the debate had been on issues of socialized medicine and cost. I felt that the impact of the legislation in cutting the Medicare program and enforcing rationing needed to be addressed."
Morris, a onetime advisor to former President Bill Clinton, said he was particularly troubled by ABC's decision not to air the spot.
"It's the ultimate act of chutzpah because ABC is the network that turned itself over completely to Obama for a daylong propaganda fest about health care reform," he said. "For them to be pious and say they will not accept advertising on health care shuts their viewers out from any possible understanding of both sides of this issue."

You guys are going to let Joe Biden talk about Foreign Policy?

2009-07-05T18:45:00.004-05:00

Perfect. Just freakin’ perfect. Once again, great news from our nation’s capitol, delivered by the “brains” of the Obama administration, VP Joe Biden.

For years, the US has meddled in the foreign affairs of other countries. Normally I abhor this “nation building” approach, as it normally means usurping the natural growth of a countries form of government. That, and it makes us look more like the ass-holish puppet masters that the world wants to believe we are.

However, there is one area that I can almost agreed with our meddling, and that is in the restraint we force upon the state of Israel. Don’t get me wrong, I totally support Israels right to defend herself. I get a little misty-eyed thinking about her brave soldiers, sailors and airmen fighting off despotic Arab invaders in 1948, 1967 and 1973. The Arab nations that have attacked Israel have gotten what they deserved.

But things have changed in the world. The spectre of International Terrorism has made the possibility of a strike anywhere in the world become a stark reality. I don’t want to see Iran become a nuclear power and I agree that Israel has the most to risk if it does. But in the world today, the only difference between the USA and Israel to an Arab OR a Muslim is that the US is over here, and the Israelis live next door. To strike at either is the dream of every two-bit psychopathic Islamo-Fascist.

Now, the current administration is saying “Go ahead, do what you want, we could care less”. We have too much to risk to allow Israel to attack Iran unprovoked. Iran would surely use their limited nuclear arsenal to first destroy Israel, then try and find a way to export that nuclear material to a group who would be willing and able to strike inside the US.

Normally I am a proponent of destroying tyrannical dictatorships that hate America, but I just think we should encourage the Israelis to consider all the options before a preemptive strike. This is the same isolationist spirit, which comes from facing a huge problem at home (the economy) that served to blind us during the Great Dperession. Our disengagement with both friends and enemies (Israel and North Korea for example) allows things to occur in the world that can come back to bite us in a most horrible way. Just my 2 cents worth.

From FoxNews-
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joe Biden seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, saying the U.S. "cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do."
Israel considers Iran its most dangerous adversary and is wary of hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who just won a disputed re-election. He repeatedly has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and contends the Holocaust is a "myth."
Israel and the U.S. accuse Iran of seeking to develop weapons under the cover of a nuclear power program. Iran denies that.
"Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," Biden told ABC's "This Week" in an interview broadcast Sunday.
"Whether we agree or not. They're entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is no pressure from any nation that's going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed," Biden said.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it prefers to see Iran's nuclear program stopped through diplomacy but has not ruled out a military strike.
"If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice," Biden said.
Asked about Biden's comments, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday the U.S. position on Iran and a military strike involves a "political decision."
"I have been, for some time, concerned about any strike on Iran. I worry about it being very destabilizing, not just in and of itself but unintended consequences of a strike like that," Mullen said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"At the same time, I'm one that thinks Iran should not have nuclear weapons. I think that is very destabilizing," he said.
While most experts are in agreement that there's a good chance Iran could have a usable nuclear bomb sometime during his presidency, President Barack Obama told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday, "I'm not reconciled with that."
A nuclear-armed Iran, Obama said, probably would lead to an arms race in the volatile Mideast and that would be "a recipe for potential disaster." He said opposing a nuclear weapons capacity for Iran was more than just "a U.S. position" and that "the biggest concern is not simply that Iran can threaten us or our allies, like Israel or its neighbors."
Israel is also concerned about Iran's close support for two of its most committed enemies, Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Obama said in May, after his first meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, that the Iranians had until year's end to get serious about international talks on curbing their nuclear ambitions. "We're not going to have talks forever," he said.
But Obama sees movement on Israeli-Palestinian peace as key to building a moderate Arab coalition against Iran, while Netanyahu says dealing with the Iranian threat must take precedence over peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Most experts believe that wiping out the Iranian nuclear program is beyond the ability of Israel's military. In 1982 the Israeli air force destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor in a lightning strike. But Iran's facilities are scattered around the country, some of them underground.
Biden was asked in the interview that if the Israelis decide they need to try to take out Iran's nuclear program, would the U.S. stand in the way militarily?
"We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do," the vice president replied. "Israel has a right to determine what's in its interests, and we have a right and we will determine what's in our interests."

2009-06-23T08:39:00.003-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to one of Hollywoods true class acts, Ed McMahon, who passed away today at the age of 86. Ed was best known as Johnny Carson's sidekick on The Tonight Show, but not many folks know he was a decorated Marine pilot in WW2, and left showbiz temporarily to fly spotter planes in Korea. Ed, you will be missed.

Ed McMahon, the loyal "Tonight Show" sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and later carved out his own niche as the host of "Star Search," has died at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 86.
According to his publicist Howard Bragman, the former "Tonight Show" announcer passed away at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California this morning.
Earlier this year, McMahon was in and out of the hospital for pneumonia and other medical issues, according to sources close to him.
While Bragman did not give a cause of death, he said McMahon had "a multitude of health problems the last few months."
McMahon had bone cancer, among other illnesses, according to a person close to the entertainer. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
Best known for his famous catchphrase "Heeeeeere's Johnny," said every night when Johnny Carson took the stage, McMahon spent three decades as the legendary comedian's sidekick.
McMahon and Carson had worked together for nearly five years on the game show "Who Do You Trust?" when Carson took over NBC's late-night show from Jack Paar in October 1962. McMahon played second banana on "Tonight" until Carson retired in 1992.
"You can't imagine hooking up with a guy like Carson," McMahon said an interview with The Associated Press in 1993. "There's the old phrase, hook your wagon to a star. I hitched my wagon to a great star."
McMahon, who never failed to laugh at his Carson's quips, kept his supporting role in perspective.
"It's like a pitcher who has a favorite catcher," he said. "The pitcher gets a little help from the catcher, but the pitcher's got to throw the ball. Well, Johnny Carson had to throw the ball, but I could give him a little help."
The highlight for McMahon came just after the monologue, when he and Carson would chat before the guests took the stage.
"We would just have a free-for-all," he told the AP. "Now to sit there, with one of the brightest, most well-read men I've ever met, the funniest, and just to hold your own in that conversation. ... I loved that."
When Carson died in 2005, McMahon said he was "like a brother to me" and recalled bantering with him on the phone a few months earlier.
"We could have gone on (television) that night and done a 'Carnac' skit. We were that crisp and hot."
His medical and financial problems kept him in the headlines in his last years. It was reported in June 2008 that he was facing possible foreclosure on his Beverly Hills home.
By year's end, a deal was worked out allowing him to stay in his home, but legal action involving other alleged debts continued.
Among those who had stepped up with offers of help was Donald Trump.
"When I was at the Wharton School of Business I'd watch him every night," Trump told the Los Angeles Times in August. "How could this happen?"
McMahon even spoofed his own problems with a spot that aired during the 2009 Super Bowl promoting a cash-for-gold business. Pairing up with rap artist MC Hammer, he explained how easy it is to turn gold items into cash, jokingly saying "Goodbye, old friend" to a gold toilet and rolling out a convincing "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere's money!"
Born Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. on March 6, 1923, in Detroit, McMahon grew up in Lowell, Mass. He got his start on television playing a circus clown on the 1950-51 variety series "Big Top." But the World War II Marine veteran interrupted his career to serve as a fighter pilot in Korea.
He joined "Who Do You Trust? in 1958, its second year, the start of his long association with Carson. It was a partnership that outlasted their multiple marriages, which provided regular on-air fodder for jokes.
While Carson built his career around "Tonight" and withdrew from the limelight after his retirement, McMahon took a different path. He was host of several shows over the years, including "The Kraft Music Hall" (1968) and the amateur talent contest "Star Search."
He was a longtime co-host of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, a Labor Day weekend institution, and was co-host with Dick Clark of "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes."
McMahon and Clark also teamed up as pitchmen for American Family Publishers' sweepstakes, with their faces a familiar sight on contest entry forms and in TV commercials. McMahon was known for his ongoing commercials for Budweiser as well.
He had supporting roles in several movies, including "Fun with Dick and Jane" (1977) and "Just Write" (1997). He took on his first regular TV series job in the 1997 WB sitcom "The Tom Show" with Tom Arnold.
McMahon married his third wife, advertising executive Pam Hurn in 1992, and adopted her son. McMahon and his second wife, Victoria Valentine, had an adopted daughter, and McMahon and first wife Alyce Ferrill had four children.
One son, Michael Edward McMahon, who worked as a counselor for abused children, died of cancer in 1995 at 44.
Ed McMahon released his autobiography, "For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times," in 1998. In it, he recounts the birth of "Tonight."
"Let's just go down there and entertain the hell out of them," Carson told him before the first show. Wrote McMahon: "That was the only advice I ever got from him."
In 1993, he recalled his first meeting with Carson after they left "Tonight."
"The first thing he said was, 'I really miss you. You know, it was fun, wasn't it?"' McMahon recalled. "I said, 'It was great.' And it was. It was just great."
Besides his wife, McMahon is survived by children Claudia, Katherine, Linda, Jeffrey and Lex.
Bragman said no funeral arrangements have been made.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

June the Sixth

2009-06-08T11:28:00.009-05:00

An original RipperBravo6 poem. Thanks WW2 vets, for your service and your shining example.

A boy I was,

from far off lands.

Who heard the call,

and came to fight.

A farmers son,

from Illinois.

Who came to do,

what he thought right.

For months we trained,

we learned our jobs.

Then boarded ships,

to cross the sea.

To land in England,

to stay a while.

Then on to Europe,

to set it free.

Be still my heart,

I whispered down.

To that beating thing,

inside my chest.

Waiting, worrying.

Just biding my time,

A scared little boy,

like all the rest.

When, o' when,

O' day of days.

Like hammer cocked,

we were forced to wait.

Til weather broke,

til stars aligned.

Til mighty fortune,

made our fate.

We trained and trained,

and prayed for war

And then it came,

on wing-ed feet.

That fateful morning,

June the Sixth.

We sauntered out,

the foe to meet.

We shouldered packs,

had one last smoke.

Shook a hand,

and checked our sights.

Then crossed The Channel,

on that morn.

To help our comrades,

who dropped by night.

A Big Red One,

upon my sleeve.

I braved the surf,

the sand, the shale.

The German guns,

which spit such fire.

Turning beach,

to living hell.

The things I saw,

men should not see.

The things I felt,

I cannot share.

By grace of God,

or sheer damn luck.

I left that beach,

my life was spared.

I turned my back,

on Omaha.

Joined the line,

and took my place.

Too many good friends,

left behind.

To sleep eternal,

in cold grounds embrace.

When Crossbows Are Outlawed...

2009-06-08T10:23:00.004-05:00

Just found this on the "Interwebs" and I was wondering why we aren't hearing a huge anti-crossbow backlash? I mean, attempted murder is attempted murder whether it is done with a crossbow, a handgun or a piece of watermelon rind, correct? Why the vitriolic response whenever a gun is involved? Is it the mystery surrounding guns? Because there should not be any mystery. A gun is a simple machine that harnesses a chemical reaction to fire a projectile. Less than 50 years ago, guns were an accepted part of American culture. In fact, it would not be uncommon to see a skeet shooting club in a High School Yearbook back in the Fifties. What happened? I don't think there is a simple answer to this question.

Perhaps a shift from a rural to an urban existence has caused gun ownership and use to become a rare thing. Perhaps vilification in the Main Stream Media has given guns their stigma. Perhaps a Liberal Agenda in our government, bent on disarming the more Conservative portions of our society has legislated gun appreciation into oblivion (I admit I might be reaching with that last one, but there is some fire behind that smoke).

Whatever the cause, I lament the result. Lack of interaction between parent and child regarding firearms has led to a dangerous gap in many young peoples understanding of the impact of firearms and the care and responsibility they require. I also believe that by disarming the general populace, we have allowed our country to become weaker. We have sold off our Constitutional Right to defend ourselves and what we hold dear. A challenge to the Second Amendment made during the 1950's or early 60's would have been laughed out of court. From the very beginning, it was understood that the Second Amendment applied to individuals and that it was there to protect us from the very real tyranny that our Founding Fathers faced.

Consider that when making your decision about your stance on gun ownership in America.

From Fox News- Crossbow-Wielding Stalker Attacks Actress
Monday, June 08, 2009
MADRID — A stalker obsessed with a young Spanish actress shot at her with a crossbow before being wrestled to the ground and arrested outside a Madrid theater, police said Monday.
The official says the arrow from the crossbow aimed at Sara Casasnovas hit a male bystander, who was not seriously hurt in the attack Sunday evening.
The suspected attacker is a 39-year-old German, who became obsessed with Casasnovas after seeing her a year and a half ago on Spanish National Television's international channel.
The official told The Associated Press the man had been sending the 25-year-old actress love letters and attacked her outside a theater where she had just finished a performance of "Night of the Iguana," after she told him she wanted nothing to do with him.
The man was carrying a military-style backpack that contained a second crossbow, arrows with harpoon-style tips, a can of gasoline, handcuffs, rope, a canister of mace and a poster from a play in which Casasnovas had performed a few months ago, the official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department rules.

Social SCREW-curity

2009-05-12T11:04:00.002-05:00

Keep looking over your shoulder America, the screwings will continue until morale improves. Here is some great news on how the Federal Government has been stealing from you for years.

From Fox News- WASHINGTON -- The financial health of the government's two biggest benefit programs may have slipped over the past year, reflecting the deep recession that has already bitten into other areas of the budget.
The trustees for Social Security and Medicare are scheduled to provide their annual report on the finances of both programs on Tuesday. In advance of the release, many private analysts said they expected both programs could run out of cash sooner than last predicted.
A year ago, the trustees projected that the Social Security trust fund would start paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2017 and that the trust fund would be depleted in 2041.

I wish they would stop using the term “trustees” to describe this bunch of malcontents. Trust is the last thing we should have in the folks running (ruining?) Social Security.

For the Medicare trust fund, which pays for hospital care, the situation was more urgent. It was projected to start paying more in benefits than it collects in taxes within a year, and the trustees forecast that it would be depleted by 2019.

Wow, great news. I hope I don’t get sick in 10 years. Wait, I have a job and I pay for insurance, I don’t need Medicare! Why is everyone surprised by this? Creating a program to pay for medical expenses for people who don’t work and funding it by taxing those who do, who came up with this? Well, the answer should be obvious…LBJ. You remember him, Vietnam, The Great Society, civil rights. LBJ?
Come one, you remember.

OK, he killed Kennedy. Yea! That guy!

The Great Society was another New Deal style program designed to compensate for liberal guilt over the class disparity in America. Another spoonful of Socialism, candy coated social engineering designed to make us all feel good again. BTW, FDR was the A$$ who saddled us with Social Security. I hope they are dancing in Hell with Hitler and Stalin. Well, I guess FDR is probably not dancing.

But many analysts said the worst recession in decades will produce a bleaker forecast for both Social Security and Medicare in the new trustees' report. The downturn has resulted in a loss of 5.7 million payroll jobs since it began in December 2007 and an unemployment rate that hit a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April.
Fewer people working means less being paid into the trust funds for Social Security and Medicare.

I think we have found the weakness in the plan here. Apparently no one ever considered, when designing these something-for-nothing plans, that the golden goose (the American taxpayer) would ever stop laying. Our incredulous belief in our own supremacy and money making ability has hoisted us on our own petard. Crap.

The Congressional Budget Office recently projected that Social Security will collect just $3 billion more in 2010 than it will pay out in benefits. A year ago, the CBO had projected that Social Security would have a much higher $86 billion cash surplus for the 2010 budget year, which begins Oct. 1. The difference in the two estimates is the result of the recession.
While the smaller surplus will not have any impact on Social Security benefit payments, the government will need to borrow more at a time when the federal deficit is already exploding because of the recession and the billions of dollars being spent to prop up a shaky banking system.

Exactly. We won’t pay less to those currently collecting, we will just screw everyone who is paying in right now. No retirement for you!

For years, the Social Security trust fund has taken in more than it spent on benefits, resulting in a cushion of billions of dollars that the government could spend on other programs while giving the trust fund an IOU.

Except for one thing…This is not the government’s money to play with. This is my money. This is your money. We pay it in so when we retire it will be available. This may come as a surprise if you have not been paying attention for the last 3 decades, but the program is going bankrupt. If you are working now, your money is going to pay for everyone collecting Social Security RIGHT NOW! Uncle Sugar is not saving that money for you. Nope, he has his hand in your pocket, stealing from you. There, I said it. The Federal Government is stealing from us! There is nothing left. Federally mandate robbery has been used for years to support a program that is a complete failure. If I had the option to invest the amount that the government has been stealing from me since I was 17, I could have a nice retirement nest egg set up by now (even considering the current economic downturn).

Even with the big drop in the Social Security surplus, Medicare's condition is more precarious, reflecting the pressures from soaring health care costs as well as the drop in tax collections. For that reason, President Barack Obama is expected to focus on Medicare before he addresses Social Security.
Obama on Monday praised a pledge by the health care industry to achieve $2 trillion in savings on health care costs over the next decade, but it was unclear how much help those pledges would be in achieving Obama's goal of extending coverage to some 50 million uninsured Americans. The administration is pushing Congress to pass legislation in this area this year, preferring to tackle health care before Social Security.
The trustees report is still expected to set off a heated debate over the government's two large benefit programs, with critics saying it will highlight the failure of the Obama administration to take on the most serious problems in the budget -- soaring entitlement spending, before the retirement of 78 million baby boomers makes the problems even worse.
The administration on Monday revised its deficit forecasts upward to project an imbalance this year of $1.84 trillion, four times last year's record deficit, and said the deficits will remain above $500 billion every year over the next decade.

Dear Uncle Sam,
Please stop stealing from me to pay for failed entitlement programs.
Sincerely,
RipperBravo6

Our Douchebag of the Month is a dirty hippy lawyer

2009-04-21T13:41:00.004-05:00

Well, we needed a new Douchebag of the Month, but I am really torn on this one. One one hand, you can look at the guys career and it just screams "D-Bag" However, dirty liberal hippy lawyers do serve a purpose in this country. And no, I don't mean as fertilizer. They are the last forlorn hope of the obviously guilty. And on the off chance that someone of this ilk is innocent (has to be a 1 in 16,542,337 chance, right?) they might be the only ones willing to stand up and fight. And to make their case even more compelling, they frequently are fighting against an unjust and unfeeling government. I like that. However, rolling a turd in rainbow sprinkles does not make it a delicious pastry treat. So, decision made. I salute you, Ron Kuby, our "Douchebag of the Month".

From Fox News-NEW YORK — The sole surviving Somali pirate from the hostage-taking of an American ship captain arrived in New York on Monday, smiling for a gaggle of cameras and reporters as federal agents led him into custody to face charges in the attack.
Abduhl Wali-i-Musi was handcuffed and had a chain wrapped around his waist. His left hand was heavily bandaged from the wound he suffered during the skirmish on the ship two weeks ago.
The smiling teenager seemed poised as he entered a federal building in a rainstorm, but he didn't say anything in response to reporters' shouted questions about whether he had any comment about the pirate episode.
This skidmark is smiling because he is facing trial in the one country that has made being a captured high-profile criminal one of the safest career paths ever. Anywhere else and this dude would have been dancing a jolly jig from a yardarm about 5 minutes after being caught.
Wali-i-Musi is the first person to be tried in the United States on piracy charges in more than a century. He was flown from Africa to a New York airport and taken into custody ahead of a court hearing Tuesday.
A law enforcement official familiar with the case said that the teenager was being charged under two obscure federal laws that deal with piracy and hostage-taking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges had not been announced.
The teenager's arrival came on the same day that his mother appealed to President Barack Obama for his release. She says her son was coaxed into piracy by "gangsters with money."
Yes, that would be an apt definition of "Pirates". Thanks Mom.
"I appeal to President Obama to pardon my teenager; I request him to release my son or at least allow me to see him and be with him during the trial," Adar Abdirahman Hassan said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from her home in Galka'yo town in Somalia.
Ah, so it begins. A plea to be allowed to come to the US. How much you want to be that when Mom gets here, she will never want to leave? Any excuse to leave Somalia is a good excuse.
The age and real name of the young pirate remained unclear. The mother said he is only 16 years old and is named Abdi Wali Abdulqadir Muse. The law enforcement official says he is at least 18, meaning prosecutors will not have to take extra legal steps to put him on trial in a U.S. court.
She also said he was a "good boy" and just a little "high spirited". And, he always keeps his AK-47 clean.
The suspect was taken aboard a U.S. Navy ship shortly before Navy SEAL snipers killed three of his colleagues who had held Capt. Richard Phillips hostage.
Making him the luckiest Somali in the world. If he hadn't have turned bitch, his brains would be part of a Modern Art project on the walls of a lifeboat in the Gulf of Aden with the rest of his buddies.
The U.S. officials said the teenager was brought to New York to face trial in part because the FBI office here has a history of handling cases in Africa involving major crimes against Americans, such as the al-Qaida bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998.
Ron Kuby, a New York-based civil rights lawyer, said he has been in discussions about forming a legal team to represent the Somalian.
And so the Douchebaggery begins.
"I think in this particular case, there's a grave question as to whether America was in violation of principles of truce in warfare on the high seas," said Kuby. "This man seemed to come onto the Bainbridge under a flag of truce to negotiate. He was then captured. There is a question whether he is lawfully in American custody and serious questions as to whether he can be prosecuted because of his age."
Truce in warfare? Well. let's get back out on that lifeboat and give Wali-al-Dumbfuck a chance NOT to surrender.Kuby intrigues me, so at this point I had to go to the old stand by, Wikipedia...

Ron Kuby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Born July 31, 1956 (1956-07-31) (age 52)Cleveland, Ohio Nationality United States Occupation Trial attorney Ronald L. Kuby (born July 31, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, radio talk show host and TV commentator. He is currently hosting Doing Time with Ron Kuby on Air America Radio.
Contents [hide]1 Beginnings 2 Partnership with William Kunstler 3 Post-Kunstler Career 4 Radio and television personality 5 Testimony/Controversy during John Gotti Jr. retrial 6 Personal life 7 Pop Culture References 8 References 9 External links
[edit] BeginningsAfter his parents divorced when he was five years old, Kuby lived with his mother. At thirteen, he joined the Jewish Defense League under the influence of his father, a follower of Meir David Kahane. He would later defend El Sayyid Nosair, convicted of Kahane's murder as part of his conviction for conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
So this guy defended, in court, the cowardly terrorist murderer of his Dad's hero? Sorry, if someone had killed Mickey Mantle or John Wayne, I would have done something different than offer to defend them in court, but that is just me, and thankfully my Dad had different heros.
In junior high school, Kuby was nearly expelled for publishing an underground newspaper critical of the school administration.[1] As a teenager, he visited Israel, but soon returned to the United States complaining of "anti-Arab racism".[2][citation needed]
Anti-arab racisism in Israel? Unheard of! The Middle East is the land of hugs.
After dropping out of college, Kuby briefly worked on a tug boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands, then moved to New England, and Kansas, where he eventually completed his degree at the University of Kansas.[3]
[edit] Partnership with William KunstlerWhile in college, Kuby interned with William Kunstler, a lawyer known for his defense of the Chicago Seven. Kuby earned his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1983.
From 1983 until Kunstler's death in 1995, the two worked together on civil rights and criminal cases. They represented Gregory Lee Johnson, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (head of the Egyptian-based militant group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya); Colin Ferguson (the man responsible for the LIRR shootings, who would later choose to represent himself at trial); Qubilah Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X, accused of plotting to murder Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam); Glenn Harris (a New York public school teacher who absconded with a fifteen year-old girl for two months), Darrell Cabey (one of the persons who assaulted Bernard Goetz ); Yu Kikumura, and associates of the Gambino Crime Family. During the Gulf War, they represented American soldiers claiming "conscientious objector" status. They also represented El Sayyid Nosair, assassin of the late extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom Kuby's father had admired.
This guys client list is a Who's Who of scumbags. Petty criminals, child rapists, murderers, terrorists and deserters, very impressive.
[edit] Post-Kunstler CareerAfter Kunstler's death, Kuby continued the work of his late mentor. In 1996, he won a judgment of forty three million dollars against Bernhard Goetz. He also won nearly a million dollars for members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, who were wrongfully arrested by the New York City Police Department. He won the 2001 release of two men imprisoned 13 years for a murder they did not commit, winning a judgment of 3.3 million dollars for the pair. He secured a reversal of a murder conviction for a mentally-ill homeless man whose candle accidentally caused the death of a firefighter. In 2005, Kuby won close to a million dollars for another wrongfully convicted man who spent eight years in prison. Kuby now leads the Law Office of Ronald L. Kuby, one of the premiere criminal defense and civil rights firms in New York City.[5]
OK, I have to give him his dirty hippy props for standing up for the little guy (even if that guy is the Hell's Angels). Still a Douchebag, but I won't spit in your face if we meet.
[edit] Radio and television personality Until November 1, 2007, Kuby co-hosted (with Curtis Sliwa) the popular Curtis and Kuby in the Morning program aired on weekdays from 5 to 10 am on WABC-AM 770 in New York City.[6] The show featured commentary and debate on current issues, and a Court of Kuby segment on notable legal cases and periodic "Shout Outs" to current and former clients.
He is also a frequent pundit and substitute anchor on Court TV. He and Sliwa once shared a short-lived midday television program on MSNBC.
Kuby has often claimed to be a Communist. However, Kuby's political beliefs moderated considerably after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Of Jewish heritage, Kuby has also said he is an atheist.
He is interviewed in Kevin Keating's documentary Giuliani Time (which is concerned with Rudy Giuliani's career).
Kuby was fired by WABC on November 1, 2007 as part of a plan to bring back Don Imus to morning radio, in place of the station's Curtis and Kuby in the Morning show. WABC program director Phil Boyce publicly stated that he did not intend to keep Kuby.
Kuby was surprised that he was the first casualty of Imus – "Imus makes a racist comment, they fire a civil rights lawyer, and Imus gets my job," Kuby said.[7]
OK, this is funny. Just plain funny. Irony anyone?
On June 3, 2008, Ron Kuby returned to the air with his own show. He was hired by Air America Radio to replace Randi Rhodes on weekday afternoons. Doing Time with Ron Kuby airs weekdays from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. Eastern Time
So, Mr. Kuby will go on to defend this pirate, and probably save him from the death penalty (if that is even considered). People like Ron Kuby are a neccessary part of our society, but they are still douchebags.

Keep Laughing MotherF****rs

2009-04-19T18:04:00.003-05:00

Axelrod: Tea Party Anger is Misdirected

Obama senior adviser says frustration over spending and taxes is "unhealthy."

AP
Sunday, April 19, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Damn the tea bags. A top adviser to President Barack Obama takes a dim view of last week's anti-tax "tea parties," promoted by organizers in the spirit of the Boston Tea Party.

"The thing that bewilders me is this president just cut taxes for 95 percent of the American people. So I think the tea bags should be directed elsewhere because he certainly understands the burden that people face," David Axelrod said Sunday.

This Axlerod guy is clueless. Obama's minuscule tax cuts come on the heels of creating the largest tax burden in history, something our children and grandchildren will have to pay off. Don't you think we might be a little pissed about that still? In the land of government supplied Bread and Circus, Axlerod expects our societal ADD to kick in. He thinks we should only be concerned with what the President has done for us lately. Well, sorry Ms. Jackson, we don't forget.

And I find it more than a little humorous that Mr. Axlerod is actually going to assert that a man with a 1.3 million dollar net worth understands the burden that the common man in America faces. Sorry Dave, no dice. The common man in America did not attend Columbia University or Harvard Law. The common man did not learn at the feet of Marxist liberals. The common man goes to work in a store, a factory or an office, not at a CIA front like Business International Corporation (look it up if you don't believe me), or a "community organizing institute" like the Gamaliel Foundation or at a liberal law firm like David, Miner, Barnhill & Galland.

The rallies coincided with the deadline to file income taxes, and gave people a chance also to voice frustrations about government spending and corporate bailouts.

The tea parties were promoted by FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington and led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, who is now a lobbyist.

Axelrod was asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" for his opinion on what the show's host described as "this spreading and very public disaffection with not only the government, but especially the Obama administration."

Axelrod replied: "I think any time that you have severe economic conditions, there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that's unhealthy."

Or maybe We The People have grown weary of our government (Left or Right, Blue or Red) promising one thing, doing the polar opposite, then trotting out spin doctors like this Axelrod to place blame anywhere but squarely on their shoulders.

"Unhealthy?" the moderator repeated.

"This is a country where we value our liberties and our ability to express ourselves. And so far these are expressions," Axelrod answered.

What the frack does that mean? Is that a threat? Is Axelrod saying that as long as our dissent takes to form of mindless, impotent whining about our taxes being too high, then it will be allowed? There is a real, palatable anger taking shape in this country, and it comes not from the hallowed halls of Washington DC, or the ghettos and slums of the inner city. It comes from middle America, from small towns, from suburbs, and straight from the mouths of the working middle class in America. It comes from the hopelessly unrepresented millions, who have no special interest lobbyist whispering in a politician's ear for them. It comes from people who were taught early on that the greatness of our country comes from a fair Constitution and a government that works for the people who elected it.

David Axelrod and the rest of America's government will ignore that at great peril.

RESIST...Before it is too late!

2009-04-16T16:00:00.002-05:00

If you tell a lie enough times, it becomes the truth. This horrible lie has been told by the ATF, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of State Clinton, Mexico's ambassador to the US, and now Mexico's President is saying it. These are learned, well informed people, correct? Surely they have reviewed the statistics before making a huge pronouncement such as this? Surely each of these persons/groups has a huge staff checking the facts for them. Surely a brief was put together for them before they made these statements? It would be hard to believe that these fine folks are not privy to the truth.

So where does that leave us? Well, maybe I am a little more cynical and paranoid than the average bear, but it seems to me that maybe, just maybe, we are being lied to.
Why would any government do that? Well, folks, I am more and more inclined to believe that our government will use any excuse to disarm it's citizens. You see, when we are armed, we are citizens, when they take away our last option at dissent, we become subjects.

A wise old saying goes something like this "When it comes to dissenting, citizens have 3 boxes they can count on. First is the ballot box, they can vote against those whose tyranny they oppose. If that fails, there is the soap box, they can stand on it and voice their dissent against unfair leaders. The final box is the cartridge box. When all else fails, citizens can take up arms and physically oppose their government."

Well, America, we failed at the ballot box, and are stuck for 4 years. The current administration and the main stream media is doing their best to discredit and vilify anyone who gets on the soap box. And with these lies, they seek to take from your hand the last resort against tyranny, your right to resist.

Wake up America.

From Fox News- Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday made an assertion -- cited in the past by Mexico's U.S. ambassador and even by U.S. leaders, but debunked as a myth -- that 90 percent of the weapons intercepted in Mexico come from the U.S.
"I know that this is a very sensitive issue," Calderon said in an interview with NBC News. He also said that he will tell President Obama during his visit Thursday to Mexico City that the U.S. needs to clean up its drug problem if Mexico is going to be successful in its battle against the cartels.
"The source of the problem was the huge demand for drugs in the United States the largest market in the world for drugs," he said. "The United States, you have a lot of traffic of drugs. You have a lot of distribution of drugs. You have a lot of corruption as well."
Calderon's comments came days after Auturo Sarukhan, the Mexican ambassador to the United States, appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" and made the same claim that 90 percent of the weapons intercepted in Mexico come from the U.S.
FOX News debunked that claim in a report earlier this month that found only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S., though even that figure is an imprecise estimate.
Calderon and Sarukhan aren't the only one to cite this myth. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Sen. Diane Feinstein and Willliam Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have all said that 90 percent of weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the U.S.
An ATF spokeswoman told FOXNews.com earlier this month in a clarification of the statistic used by her own agency's assistant director "that over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S." But a large percentage of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the U.S.
"Not every weapon seized in Mexico has a serial number on it that would make it traceable, and the U.S. effort to trace weapons really only extends to weapons that have been in the U.S. market," Matt Allen, special agent of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told FOX News earlier this month.
Sarukhan has claimed that Mexico seizes 2,000 guns a day from the United States, or 730,000 a year. But the official statistic from the Mexico attorney general's office says Mexico seized 29,000 weapons in all of 2007 and 2008.
On "Face the Nation," host Bob Schieffer asked Sarukhan for evidence to support his claim that most of the weapons seized are coming from the United States.
"The data we have is the one that we've been sharing with our counterparts in the U.S. government, ATF and the Justice Department, and other agencies that have been working with us to determine where those guns are coming from," Sarukhan replied.
For example, Sarukhan cited the Mexican border town of Reynosa where he said more than 250 assault weapons and half a million rounds of ammo were seized in November.
"These had just crossed over the border from the United States in Mexico," he said. "By tracing these weapons, by looking at the types of weapons, we're determining that most of these weapons are coming from the United States."

From the Bush White House: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2009-04-16T13:41:00.002-05:00

Benjamin Franklin said it; "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ".

Well, in the aftermath of 9/11 the American people, in a fit of panic, ceded one of the basic rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. That right is denoted by the 4th Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The worst part of it, was that most Americans never saw it happen. Wrapped up in the hysteria, seeing Al Quaeda around every corner and shaken to their core with fear, Americans welcomed President Bush's Patriot Act as a shield against the enemy. Never has a set of laws been so misnamed. There was nothing patriotic about this assault on our civil liberties, and our Constitutional rights. Our government legalized warrant less searches and wiretaps, trampling the Bill of Rights underfoot. And although this bill was designed to ferret out Islamic Extremists in our midst, it has and surely will continue to be used as an overreaching tool by Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement to dig into the personal lives of countless Innocent Americans.

There is simply no excuse for the citizens of the country and our elected officials letting this bill become law. Shame on all of us.We shall now certainly reap what we have sown.

From Fox News- WASHINGTON -- The National Security Agency intercepted Americans' e-mails and phone calls in recent months on a scale that went beyond limits set by Congress last year, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The problems were discovered during a review of the intelligence activities, the Justice Department said in a statement Wednesday night, and said they had been resolved.
Citing unnamed intelligence officials, the Times said the NSA had engaged in "'over-collection' of domestic communications of Americans." Sources reportedly described the practice as varying from significant to systemic to unintentional.
The agency also tried to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant, an intelligence official told the Times.
The NSA believed that the congressman, whose identity was not revealed, was in contact with an extremist who had possible ties to terror and was already under surveillance. The NSA then tried to eavesdrop on the congressman's conversations, the Times said.
A bill passed by Congress in July 2008 authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies to eavesdrop without court approval on foreign targets believed to be outside the United States.
In its statement, the Justice Department said it has taken "comprehensive steps to correct the situation and bring the program into compliance."
The Justice Department did not elaborate on what problems it found.
Once corrective measures were taken, Attorney General Eric Holder sought authorization for renewing the surveillance program, officials said.
"It is not clear to what extent the agency may have actively listened in on conversations or read e-mails of Americans without proper court authority, rather than simply obtain access to them," the Times said.
Domestic eavesdropping has been a contentious issue since 2005, when the Times revealed that for years following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the NSA intercepted international phone conversations and e-mails involving U.S. citizens without a warrant.
That program ended in 2007, and the following year Congress passed legislation requiring the NSA to get court approval to monitor the purely domestic communications of Americans who came under suspicion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

When The Truth No Longer Matters

2009-04-16T11:07:00.002-05:00

So, here it is. This is what your government thinks of you. If you lean to the right in your politics, you may be a terrorist. This is one of the most blatant pieces of dogma-serving propaganda that I have ever seen. And to lay it on military veterans makes it even worse. It's not bad enough that we sent you to fight in a very intense, very dirty war that was less than popular with the American Public, we also can't trust you not to attack America once you get home! We can trust you to fight our enemies for a year or more in Afghanistan or Iraq, but once you get home, since you support the 2nd Amendment, we think you might turn against us. This is nothing more than an attempt by our current leftist/socialist government to disparage anyone who disagrees with them.

When the Nazis were coming to power in the early 1930's, they also needed a scapegoat. They chose the Jews. To vilify and disparage their new "enemy", the published a children's book called "The Poisonous Mushroom" about a Jewish child molester:

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/thumb.htm .

How horrific. How simply evil. To paint an entire race with the brush of pederasty. But, when you look at it, this is exactly the same thing that DHS has done in publishing this new report. I can guarantee that the same information on right-wing extremism was available under previous regimes, however, by putting it out in the news, the Obama White House is using a broad brush to discredit any resistance from the right that might crop up in the near future. Putting a shadow of doubt in the minds of the public discredits and weakens an opposing position and makes it easier to dismiss by the powers that be. This is propaganda 101. When David faced Goliath, he probably spent some time walking around the Hebrew army talking shit about Goliath and how he was a nut job and liked to touch kids.

Don't be fooled America! There is a clear difference between right wing extremism and viable dissent. Learn the difference for yourself.

From Fox News-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano apologized to veterans after a report issued by her department said troops returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were at risk for being recruited by right-wing extremists.
"To the extent veterans read it as an accusation -- and apology is owed," she said in an on-air interview on FOX News Thursday, a day after veterans' groups and members of Congress blasted her for the report, which they said libeled members of the armed forces.
"The last thing I want to do is offend or castigate all veterans. To the contrary, let's meet and clear the air," she said.
A footnote in the report, which was released last week by DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis, said that while there is no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are planning acts of violence, such acts could come from unnamed "rightwing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, abortion, increasing federal power and restrictions on firearms -- and singled out returning war veterans as susceptible to recruitment.
"If there's one part of this report that I would rewrite ... it would be that footnote," Napolitano said.
Napolitano defended the report Wednesday, saying it is part of an ongoing series of assessments to provide information to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on "violent radicalization" in the United States.
"Let me be clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States," Napolitano said in a statement. "We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence."
Veterans groups like the American Legion and Vets for Freedom quickly criticized the report, which described disgruntled veterans as coveted recruits for group looking for "combat skills and experience."
In a letter to Napolitano on Tuesday, American Legion National Commander David Rehbein blasted the report as incomplete and politically-biased.
"The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation's uniform during wartime," Rehbein wrote. "To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical 'disgruntled military veteran' is unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam."
Napolitano acknowledged Rehbein's letter on Wednesday and said she plans to meet with him sometime next week.
Pete Hegseth, chairman of Vets for Freedom, said the report represents a "gross misunderstanding and oversimplification" of the country's service members.
"It's amazing they would single out veterans as a threat to this country," said Hegseth, an Army veteran who served in Iraq. "It underscores a pervasive belief that some are trying to spread that veterans are victims and we're coming home as damaged goods that need to be coddled instead of celebrated."
The report follows a similar DHS assessment released in January that detailed left-wing threats, focusing on cyberattacks and radical "eco-terrorist" groups like Earth Liberation Front, accused of firebombing construction sites, logging companies, car dealerships and food science labs. The report noted that left-wing extremists prefer economic damage to get their message across.
"Their leftwing assessment identifies actual terrorist organizations, like the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front," House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said Wednesday. "The rightwing report uses broad generalizations about veterans, pro-life groups, federalists and supporters of gun rights. That's like saying if you love puppies, you might be susceptible to recruitment by the Animal Liberation Front. It is ridiculous and deeply offensive to millions of Americans."

That sucking sound you hear is coming from the White House

2009-03-31T20:56:00.002-05:00

And the world’s greatest nation slides further into the crapper…
The Obama White House Circus, hereafter known as “The Obamanation” has nominated a man to be the main legal advisor at the State Department who will lead this country to yet undiscovered depths of self-hating crapulence.

He has all the criteria to be a part of the current “cabal of idiocy”:
1. Elitist Left Wing-East Coast education (Hopkins Prep School, Harvard, Oxford (just like ‘ol Bubba Clinton) and Harvard Law)
2. Leftist friends and mentors (clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who authored Roe Vs. Wade and who regularly french kissed radical lawyer William Kunstler)
3. Previous service in the most corrupt, shameful Administration since Grant was President, The Clinton Administration.
4. Hatred of America and the principles of our Founding Fathers.
Was that last one too harsh? Well, let’s look at the facts of the case.

Koh also advocates a "transnational legal process" and has criticized the U.S. for its failure to "obey global norms."
What does that mean? Well, Mr. Koh thinks we would be better off following the same laws as countries like England (no firearms), Germany (no freedom of speech), or maybe even Sharia law where you can kill your wife for cheating on you, or stone your daughter to death for kissing a boy. That, my friends, is what “transnational legal process” means.

In an article published in the Berkeley Journal of International Law in 2004, Koh wrote, "What role can transnational legal process play in affecting the behavior of several nations whose disobedience with international law has attracted global attention after September 11th -- most prominently, North Korea, Iraq and our own country, the United States of America? For shorthand purposes, I will call these countries 'the axis of disobedience.'"

This liberal buttlick just compared our country to North Korea and Iraq. I hope to meet Harold Koh someday, just to remind him of the brave men and women who gave their lives up so he could grow up with overindulgent parents and their liberal hippie friends in Boston and bad mouth the very country that made it possible for him to climb so far, so fast.

And in a Stanford Law Review article published in May 2003, Koh wrote that supporters of the International Criminal Court should bring pressure to bear on U.S. opinion "with an eye toward persuading U.S. officials that the ICC actually serves U.S. interests."

Do you know anything about the International Criminal Court? Probably not since the US of A told it to eat the corn out of our star-spangled crap back in 2002. Well, here is the crux of the problem from the last source of intellegent news in America, Wikipedia:

Article 5 of the Rome Statute grants the court jurisdiction over four groups of crimes, which it refers to as the “most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”: the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The statute defines each of these crimes except for aggression: it provides that the court will not exercise its jurisdiction over the crime of aggression until such time as the states parties agree on a definition of the crime and set out the conditions under which it may be prosecuted.
Many states wanted to add terrorism and drug trafficking to the list of crimes covered by the Rome Statute; however, the states were unable to agree on a definition for terrorism and it was decided not to include drug trafficking as this might overwhelm the court's limited resources.[3] India lobbied to have the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction included as war crimes but this move was also defeated.[31] India has expressed concern that “the Statute of the ICC lays down, by clear implication, that the use of weapons of mass destruction is not a war crime. This is an extraordinary message to send to the international community.”
Some commentators have argued that the Rome Statute defines crimes too broadly or too vaguely. For example, China has argued that the definition of ‘war crimes’ goes beyond that accepted under customary international law.

So, the ICC is basically a bunch of suck-ass European countries like France, Serbia and Switzerland, tin-pot African mudholes such as Burkina Faso and Liberia, bass-ackward South and Central American countries like Mexico and Venezuala and of course Mongolia and Australia. And we, the greatest country on earth, the country that everyone loves to hate, will have to let these 3rd rate suck-tatorships judge American citizens for whatever they decide is a crime. Oh yea, except for terrorism and drug trafficking. Those aren’t big deals, right? This is the one court of law in the world that would not be able to convict Osama Bin Laden, yet we are supposed to cuddle up and suck at the teat of “Globalism”.

A March 21, 2007, blog posting on National Review's Web site shows a letter written by New York attorney Steven J. Stein to Koh, challenging Koh for supposedly saying during a speech to the Yale Club of Greenwich that year that Islamic law could apply to disputes in U.S. courts.

And, Mr. Koh thinks Sahria Law is ok. Not familiar with Sharia Law? Well, let me intelligenate you. Sharia is a complex set of laws, drawn from the Koran. Now, do we as Americans draw our law from the bible? No, although the bible touches on many of the same principles as American Law, such as not stealing, not killing, etc, our laws are not drawn from it. Neither are the drawn from the Book of Mormon, the Bhagavad Gita, The Satanic Bible or the entertaining writings of J.K. Rowling. However, if Mr. Koh has his way, we will have to submit IN COURT to the belief system of a religious group. Here, as an example, are the Sharia laws governing marriage:

Requirements for Islamic Marriages:
These are guidelines; Islamic law on divorce is different depending on the school of thought.[119]
The man who is not currently a fornicator can only marry a woman who is not currently a fornicatress or a chaste woman from the people of the Book.
The woman who is not currently a fornicatress can only marry a man who is not currently a fornicator.
The fornicator can only marry a fornicatress – and vice versa.
The Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim man.
The guardian may choose a suitable partner for a virgin girl, but the girl is free to contest and has the right to say 'no'.
The guardian cannot marry the divorced woman or the widow if she didn't ask to be married.
It is obligatory for a man to give bride wealth (gifts) to the woman he marries – "Do not marry unless you give your wife something that is her right."[119]
A woman who wishes to be divorced usually needs the consent of her husband. However, most schools allow her to obtain a divorce without her husband's consent if she can show the judge that her husband is impotent. If the husband consents she does not have to pay back the dower.[citation needed]
Men have the right of unilateral divorce. A divorce is effective when the man tells his wife that he is divorcing her. At this point the husband must pay the wife the "delayed" component of the dower.
A divorced woman of reproductive age must wait four months and ten days before marrying again to ensure that she is not pregnant. Her ex-husband should support her financially during this period.[citation needed]
If a man divorces his wife three times, he can no longer marry her again unless she marries another man, and if they got divorced (only in a way that this divorce is not intended for the woman to re-marry her first husband) the woman could re-marry her first husband.[citation needed]

I won’t even start about what you can and can’t eat. Let’s just say this; bacon is a crime!

So, President Obama and the rest of “The Obamanation” have found the missing tool in their toolbox. And Harold Koh will play his part. Geithner will move us towards a shared currency with the other failed economic systems in the world, Hillary will make us weak in the eyes of our enemies, Holder will disarm us so resistance is futile and Koh will make sure we no longer have to protection of the greatest legal system in the world.

America has never faced darker days.

From Fox News- President Obama's nominee to be the State Department's legal adviser has ignited a fury among conservative critics who say his views are a threat to American democracy -- an accusation the White House on Tuesday called "outrageous" and "completely baseless."
Former Clinton administration official Harold Koh, who has been dean of the Yale Law School since 2004, once wrote that the U.S. was part of an "axis of disobedience" with North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Koh also has long held that the U.S. should accept international law when deliberating cases at home.
Obama nominated Koh on March 23 to become the State Department's legal adviser -- an appointment that, if confirmed by the Senate, will give Koh far-reaching influence over the extent to which international norms affect U.S. law.
"This is not a desk job. This guy will be the face of American international law around the world," said Steven Gross, legal expert and fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
"The top legal adviser at State travels extensively and is involved in international legal negotiations, treaties and in major United Nations conferences.
"The president should have the right to choose the most conservative or liberal legal advisers to give them advice, but this is much more than that. The concern is that he cares as much about -- if not more about -- international law and integrating that into the American judicial system than he does about protecting American prerogatives and American sovereignty," Gross said.
The White House vehemently defended Koh's nomination on Tuesday, telling FOXNews.com that he is "one of the most respected members of the legal community."
Koh "earned wide bipartisan praise as assistant secretary of state and he's universally respected by legal scholars," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin told FOXNews.com. "The president looks forward to working with him at the State Department. He's a strong believer in the Constitution, and the president nominated him because of his firm defense of the Constitution."
State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid also offered praise for Obama's nominee.
"Dean Koh is universally respected for his legal scholarship and previously served as an assistant secretary of state -- and was praised for his work by Republicans and Democrats alike," Duguid said. "President Obama and Secretary Clinton strongly believe he's the right person for the job."
Koh, like Obama, is a strong opponent of the Iraq war and the use of harsh interrogation techniques that some consider torture. He has fiercely criticized former President George W. Bush for invading Iraq in 2003 and has accused the Bush administration of trying to "block public release of more Abu Ghraib type pictures."
"We should resist the claim that a War on Terror permits the commander in chief's power to be expanded into a wanton power to act as torturer in chief," Koh wrote in an article published in May 2006 in the Indiana Law Journal.
Koh also advocates a "transnational legal process" and has criticized the U.S. for its failure to "obey global norms."
In an article published in the Berkeley Journal of International Law in 2004, Koh wrote, "What role can transnational legal process play in affecting the behavior of several nations whose disobedience with international law has attracted global attention after September 11th -- most prominently, North Korea, Iraq and our own country, the United States of America? For shorthand purposes, I will call these countries 'the axis of disobedience.'"
And in a Stanford Law Review article published in May 2003, Koh wrote that supporters of the International Criminal Court should bring pressure to bear on U.S. opinion "with an eye toward persuading U.S. officials that the ICC actually serves U.S. interests."
A March 21, 2007, blog posting on National Review's Web site shows a letter written by New York attorney Steven J. Stein to Koh, challenging Koh for supposedly saying during a speech to the Yale Club of Greenwich that year that Islamic law could apply to disputes in U.S. courts.
"In your discussion of 'global law' I recall at least one favorable reference to 'Sharia,' among other foreign laws that could, in an appropriate instance (according to you) govern a controversy in a federal or state court in the U.S.," Stein wrote in his letter addressed to Koh.
Cherlin said Stein's version of events is "not accurate," and that the host of the event in question disputed the account. Stein could not be reached for comment.
Koh's critics insist his legal views undermine the U.S. Constitution and American sovereignty.
John Fonte, senior fellow and director of the Center for American Common Culture at the Hudson Institute, told FOXNews.com that Koh's views have "a very big practical effect on American foreign policy and on American democracy.
"This is international imperialism. Under Koh's plan, the Constitution would become secondary and international law would take precedence regardless of what Americans said about the matter."
Supporters tout Koh as a leading expert on public and private international law, national security law and human rights.
He served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor from 1998 to 2001, and previously had served on the secretary of state's Advisory Committee on Public International Law. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and testified before Congress dozens of times, and he's received more than 30 awards for his human rights work, according to Yale's Web site.
Cherlin described Koh as "an American success story." (His brother, Howard Koh, was tapped by the president two days later for a position in the Health and Human Services Department.)
"He's the son of immigrants. He's a dedicated teacher and professor, and does great work. We don't have any question whatsoever about any of these issues raised by critics who are sworn opponents of the administration," said Cherlin, who said the conservative critics' opposition was "ideologically driven."

What is this guy thinking?

2009-03-26T19:22:00.002-05:00

So, our Dear Leader has recovered from his attack of complete dumb-assness and reversed his earlier decision to have veterans pay for their injuries with their own private insurance. Does the current administration have no one in charge of discussing plans with the President? Am I to believe that a well-oiled political juggernaut like the Democratic Party is letting a junior Senator from Illinois make decisions about policy on his own? This is the blind driving the retarded to school, while taking directions from a deaf guy whose parents were cousins. President Obama continues to shock and surprise America with his complete lack of understanding that his actions have ramifications on the national scene. He operates as if he is deciding what to put in his kid’s lunches, instead of taking away health benefits from American Veterans. In a time of dire need, he is trying on policies like khakis at The Gap, looking for something that will make his ass look good, or solve our myriad social, political, ethical and economic problems. Priceless, simply priceless. This is what you wanted America. I remind you that you chose to drink the Kool-Aid.

From Fox News- President Obama, after an uproar by veterans groups, has scrapped a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service.

“In considering the third-party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday in a written statement. "However, the president listened to concerns raised by the [veteran service organizations] that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans' and their families' ability to access health care.

“Therefore, the president has instructed that its consideration be dropped," Gibbs said.

Obama met with 11 veterans service organizations on Monday and explained his plan to increase funding for Veterans Affairs by $25 billion over five years and bring more than 500,000 eligible veterans of modest income into the VA health care system by 2013.

But the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, said the president's plan would have increased premiums, made insurance unaffordable for veterans and imposed a massive hardship on military families. It could have also prevented small businesses from hiring veterans who have large health care needs, the group said.

The American Legion applauded Obama's decision to drop the plan on Wednesday.

“We are glad that President Obama listened to the strong objections raised by The American Legion and veterans everywhere about this unfair plan," Cmdr. David K. Rehbein of the American Legion said. "We thank the administration for its proposed increase in the VA budget and we are always available to assist by providing guidance to ensure a veterans health are system that is worthy of the heroes that use it."

The American Legion wants the existing system to remain in place. Service-related injuries currently are treated and paid for by the government. The American Legion has proposed that Medicare reimburse the VA for the treatment of veterans.

Obama plays 3 card monte with our future

2009-03-24T21:59:00.002-05:00

It just hit me today what is going on. This was a huge realization on my part, but it clearly explains the actions of the current administration. President Obama and the Democrats understand that their time in power is going to be finite. America has already begun to sour to the shenanigans of the bunch of amateurs we have in power currently. They understand that in 2 years, the Democrats will probably lost their majority in Congress and in 4 years, their White House visit will be over. Knowing this, the current administration is attempting to put as many of their "social experiments" in place as they can. The Presidents new multi-trillion dollar budget (which is sure to break America financially) is full of Liberal pet projects including reckless items such as Universal Health Care, money pits like "renewable" energy sources that America is nowhere near to achieving technologically and money for public schools that is tied to accepting liberal ideology and making it educational policy. This is his legacy. To tie America monetarily to left wing, socialist causes. Of course, the next President in line (most likely Republican) will be vilified by the left for trying to rein in the out of control spending on these programs. Using this as leverage, the Democrats will make their stand and force any new administration to keep these on as "sacred cows". President Obama has no plan to fix our economy. This is evidenced by the fact that only 11% (35 billion dollars) of the Stimulus package will be spent in 2009 (when it is actually needed). In 2010 the economy will begin it's gradual upturn, and Democrats will claim they saved America. And the cost for this "save"? Private banks owned by the Federal Government, more Federal Regulation in place on private finance, and businesses who took stimulus money will have to ask permission of Washington regarding their investments. Banks will be less willing to take risks and the economy will shrink. People will be less open to spending and investing their money and capitol investment will slow down. All of the actions taken by the Obama administration are a placebo, to make us forget the current crisis and buy them more time to implement socialism as policy.

From Fox News- President Obama went on the defensive Tuesday night over his $3.6 trillion budget proposal, dismissing criticism of the plan and insisting that historic investments be made in education, health care and energy in order to ensure an economic recovery. The president, in his second prime-time press conference, faced tough questions about recent projections that his budget would create trillions of dollars in deficits over the next decade and potentially double the national debt. But Obama argued that his budget proposal is a critical peg in a comprehensive plan to attack the economic crisis "on all fronts," and prevent another comparable crisis one or two decades from now.
"Let's make the investments that ... put us on a pathway to growth as opposed to a situation in which we're not making those investments and we still have trillion-dollar deficits," he said. Obama said the biggest cause of long-term deficits is "huge health care costs," which his budget seeks to address.
And he said his budget, even by the most conservative estimates, would still cut the annual deficit in half in five years. Despite growing concern that the proposed $3.6 trillion in spending is a recipe for financial instability, Obama took to the airwaves Tuesday to try to convince the public that his budget is an engine, not a hindrance, for economic growth. He also used the appearance to try to settle public outrage over the millions of dollars in bonuses paid out to employees at bailed-out American International Group. That controversy distracted Washington for more than a week from the president's budget push.
Obama, though, got back to the business of selling his budget proposal Tuesday night.
"This budget is inseparable from this recovery because it is what lays the foundation for a secure and lasting prosperity," Obama said.
Senate Democrats have reportedly already begun paring down the budget, by cutting domestic spending and allowing tax cuts to expire after 2010. But the president signaled Tuesday he was not concerned that his proposed investments in health care, education and energy could be threatened. "We never expected when we printed out our budget that they would simply Xerox it and vote on it. We assume that it has to go through the legislative process," Obama said. "I am confident that the budget we put forward will have those principles in place."
The president, continuing to put a positive spin on the economic outlook, urged the public to have faith in an eventual turnaround. "We will recover from this recession," Obama said. "But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together; when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other -- that's when we succeed."
The president said his economic agenda is already yielding "signs of progress," creating jobs and boosting sales. He also accused his detractors of slamming his proposals without putting any alternatives of their own on the table. Republicans have been especially critical of Obama's budget plan over the last few days, after a fresh estimate over the weekend found the plan would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade -- or $2.3 trillion more than the administration anticipated. "They are taking the United States down the road of destruction with the debt and the interest on the debt that our children and our grandchildren are going to have to pay," Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said Tuesday.
The administration's political capital was also threatened in recent days as public outrage, as well as partisan finger-pointing, grew following revelations that AIG paid out $165 million in bonuses. Obama said Tuesday that he shares the outrage at AIG but that the public should not, going forward, "demonize" investors trying to make a profit. He used the controversy over AIG, though, to push for new authority for the administration to seize struggling non-bank firms that could pose a threat to the rest of the economy.
Obama said such authority could have lessened the problems at AIG and that he anticipates "strong support" from the public and Congress for the new regulatory powers. Asked why he was initially slow to respond to the AIG bonus controversy, Obama quickly answered: "It took us a couple days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." Obama, whose press conference was part of an intense public campaign to build support for his budget, has also planned an online town hall meeting for Thursday. And the president plans to meet with top bank CEO's Friday morning to discuss his economic recovery proposals.

Robert Gibbs is our Douchebag of the Month!

2009-03-17T10:43:00.002-05:00

Bipartisanship at its best, once again. The Obama White House has taken time out of it's day to bash former Vice-President Dick Cheney for giving America economic advise. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, playing the part of President Obama's attack dog went after Cheney, referred to him as part of a "Republican Cabal". Why does Gibbs feel the need to bash anyone who takes a stance contrary to the current administration (see previous post on Gibbs' Robert Santelli bashing)? Well, there are a few reasons, in my humble opinion.
First, the guy is a tool. That is why he was chosen for this job.
Second, he works in an environment where arrogance, childishness, pettiness and rudeness are encouraged (i.e. The White House).
Third, since there is no way to truly defend the amoral, reckless and illegal policies that this administration has enacted, and will enact, the only way to deal with criticisms is with anger and accusations.

Just like the Wizard of Oz, we are pressured not to look behind the curtain. Why? Because the person behind it is juvenile, ineffective and totally out of his depth in his current job.

From Fox News- WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration issued a scathing response on Monday to criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney, calling him part of a "Republican cabal" and saying his economic advice should be ignored.
The White House has already pegged Rush Limbaugh as the leader of the Republican Party, so who does that make No. 2 in the GOP? Why, Dick Cheney, of course.
That was the essence of the sarcastic remark President Obama's press secretary offered Monday when he was asked to respond to criticism from the former vice president.
Cheney, interviewed Sunday on CNN, said Obama was making the U.S. less safe by reversing Bush administration policies toward terror suspects.
"He is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack," Cheney, in Sunday's interview, said of Obama.
Gibbs defended Obama, saying he is keeping the nation safe while dealing with problems George W. Bush's administration did not.
"Well, I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy," Gibbs said to laughter during his daily briefing with reporters. "So they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal."
In response to Cheney's suggestion that the White House is trying to take advantage of the economic crisis to expand government, Gibbs said, "I think not taking economic advice from Dick Cheney would be maybe the best possible outcome of yesterday's interview."
Since becoming president, Obama has ordered the closing of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and banned certain methods of interrogation for suspected terrorists.
"The president has made quite clear that keeping the American people safe and secure is the most serious job that he has each and every day," Gibbs said in defending Obama's decisions.
The press secretary said his sarcasm shouldn't mask the serious policy differences between Obama and the Bush-Cheney team.

Hey Pope, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over.

2009-03-17T10:20:00.005-05:00

OK, I hate to bash the Pope, as he does occasionally do something good, but his comments seem to me to indicate that maybe he has no idea what a condom is, what it does, or how AIDS is transmitted. Sexual abstinence is a pipe dream, especially in 3rd World countries. If you don't have cable T.V., sex is your entertainment. I know the Catholic Church wants it's followers to refrain from using birth control. I understand that they feel the need to grow their "fellowship" and that since the Dark Ages, their method of doing this was to have poor people breed. However, I think it is time that the Catholic Church joined to rest of us in the 21st Century and acknowledged that people do have sex for reasons other than procreation, and that if sex can kill you, it is the basic right and responsibility of all human beings to use something that will keep you alive.

From Fox News-
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that the distribution of condoms is not the answer in the fight against AIDS in Africa.
Benedict has never before spoken explicitly on condom use although he has stressed that the Roman Catholic Church is in the forefront of the battle against AIDS. The Vatican encourages sexual abstinence to fight the spread of the disease.
"You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane headed to Yaounde, Cameroon. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

White House forsakes our Veterans

2009-03-17T09:54:00.003-05:00

The White House this week took the opportunity to slap Americas Veterans and Active Duty Serviceman and women in the face by promoting a program that would require them to use private insurance to pay for service related injuries. With this plan, an American Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine injured in combat would not be required to have thier private insurance carrier reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for their treatment. Just a reminder, the VA was started with the purpose of providing care to wounded vets. Your tax dollars pay for it. These fine folks who have shed their blood when America called will now have to pay expensive insurance premiums to have their wounds tended. Wounds they received in battles that this country sent them to! This is the ultimate insult and a degrading cheapining of all their sacrifices. When veterans groups pushed back against the White House, they were told to "come up with something better themselves". Shame on our government. The least we can do is take care of those who have served this country.

From Fox News- President Obama's plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service has infuriated veterans groups who say the government is morally obligated to pay for service-related medical care.
Calling it a "desperate search for money at any cost," Craig Roberts, media relations manager for the American Legion, told FOXNews.com on Tuesday that the president will "wish away so much political capital on this issue" if he continues to insist on private coverage for service-related injuries.
Cmdr. David K. Rehbein of the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, called the president's plan to raise $540 million from private insurers unreasonable, unworkable and immoral.
"This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate 'to care for him who shall have borne the battle,' given that the United States government sent members of the Armed Forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies," Rehbein said late Monday after a meeting with the president and administration officials at the Veterans Affairs Department.
"I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service-connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans," Rehbein said.
Roberts said that 11 veterans service organizations were told to come up with another plan if they didn't like this one. The groups met on Monday with Obama, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Office of Management and Budget defense spending chief Steven Kosiak.
"What we've been tasked with now is to raise this money through alternative means and we're supposed to have a conference call in two or three days ... with Rahm Emanuel. So the implication was ... you guys come up with a better idea or this is what's going to happen," Roberts said.
A call to the White House was not immediately returned. But a summary of the proposed budget says the president wants to increase funding for VA by $25 billion over five years, and bring more than 500,000 eligible veterans of modest income into the VA health care system by 2013.
"The president's avowed purpose in doing this is to, quote, 'make the insurance companies pay their fair share,'" Roberts said. But he said it will raise premiums, make insurance unaffordable for veterans and impose a massive hardship on military families. It could also prevent small businesses from hiring veterans who have large health care needs, he said.
"It's not the Blue Cross that puts soldiers in harm's way, it's the federal government," Roberts said, adding that the American Legion would like the existing system to remain in place. Service-related injuries currently are treated and paid for by the government. The American Legion has proposed that Medicare reimburse the VA for the treatment of veterans.
He said that the argument about the government's moral obligation to treat wounded soldiers, sailors and Marines fell on deaf ears during the meeting.
"The president deflected any discussion when it got into any moral issue here," he said. "Any attempt to direct the conversation (to the moral discussion) was immediately deflected."
Private insurance is separate for troops who need health care unrelated to their service. But Roberts noted that if a wounded warrior comes back and needs ongoing treatment, he or she could run up "to the max of the coverage in very short order," leaving his family with nothing
Roberts added that how the plan would raise $540 million "is a great mystery and it seems to be an arbitrary number. ... The commander said it seemed like this phantom number."
Monday's meeting was preceded by a letter of protest earlier this month signed by Rehbein and the heads of 10 service organizations. It read that "there is simply no logical explanation" for the plan to bill veterans' personal insurance "for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide."
The letter called it "unconscionable" to shift the burden of the country's "fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country." Rehbein testified to both the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on those same points last week.

Happy Birthday, Chief!

2009-03-09T21:36:00.001-05:00

There is no cooler kid on the planet, no better buddy around and no finer son that any man could wish for. You are one of a kind and you make us very proud. Hope you have a wonderful birthday.

If you want my vote in 2012...

2009-03-07T12:17:00.004-06:00

I am a Libertarian when it comes to politics. I believe that bigger government is not an answer to any scenario. I want to live in a country where economic conservatism is the rule. I want a country that is well defended, but does not seek to push its agenda in other countries through the use of its military. I think the Constitution and the Bill or Rights are documents written and signed in the blood of our forefathers, and the principles outlined in them should be the ultimate law when determining the course of our nation.
Yet in every election since 1992 I have voted Republican. Why? To me, it seemed to be the party most closely aligned with my beliefs that stood a chance of getting elected. In America, a vote for a 3rd party candidate has always seemed to be a futile gesture. But the events of 2008 have pushed me over the edge. The party I had aligned myself with spent 8 years chipping away at what makes our country good and strong, then frittered away any chance at keeping power by running a sub par candidate for President (as much as I admire John McCain for his dedication and service to America, he was simply not the man for the job). Their mismanagement of the office of President has brought about the most frightening thing I have seen in my lifetime. Socialism as national policy. I know I will never vote for a Democrat, but at this point, I cannot see myself ever voting Republican either. And I know I am not alone. I have decided to put forth my beliefs on what the Republicans MUST do to once again become the party of the people, and get my vote.

1. The Republican Party must officially recognize its mismanagement of this country and make amends. Although I admire President Bush’s boldness in his response to the attacks of 9/11, his subsequent actions are a shameful piece of American history. The erosion of our 4th Amendment rights under the Patriot Act is a direct attack on all our Civil Liberties. Our actions in being involved in a deadly, costly and unnecessary war in Iraq have resulted in the loss of American lives and countless trillions of dollars in waste. The lack of response to the current banking and housing crises, when the potential danger was very evident, is simply inexcusable. Republicans must admit that mistakes were made, and must show America that they have learned from those mistakes.

2. The Republican Party must officially recognize the Constitution and Bill of Rights as the penultimate rules and regulations for conducting business as this nations government. It must commit itself to never again allowing, or causing a protection guaranteed by one of these documents to be circumvented, ignored or taken away. This includes such important steps as recognizing that the Second Amendment extends to the individual citizens of this country, and recognizing that many previous administrations have violated the Tenth Amendment in not respecting the sovereignty of the individual States when making Federal Law. It also includes recognizing that religious dogma is best left up to individuals and has no place in crafting governmental policy, however, a clear moral compass is a requirement.

3. The Republican Party must once again assure that it is the party of fiscal conservatism. It should take an economic stand and adopt the proven assumption that economies flourish when the individual is not taxed excessively and is allowed to determine when and how his income will be spent or saved. It should adopt the policy that the function of the government is not to spend money, but to save it. It should adopt an Amendment to the Constitution that requires a balanced Federal budget, accomplished by spending cuts, not tax increases.

4. The Republican Party should commit itself to allowing a free market economy, and to keeping government out of business. The Republican Party should be committed to decreasing, then eliminating any Federal ownership of private banks and lending institutions, stop the current trend of corporate welfare and decrease business taxes as a tool to increase business investment in new jobs, expanded infrastructure and new technology.

5. The Republican Party should commit itself to be the party of reform when it comes to governmental projects and agencies. It should commit to reviewing each and every Federally owned or managed entity to ensure it is being run in an efficient and financially competent manner. It should further commit itself to limiting and the decreasing the size of all Federal Agencies and decreasing, then eliminating entitlement programs such as welfare and farm subsidies.

6. The Republican Party must recognize that the government works at the behest of the individual citizens of this country, and should organize itself, and any administrations it may get into office around this principle. The 2 most important questions an American government must ask itself when making decisions that affect its citizenry are; “Is this allowed by our Constitution?” and “Is this going to benefit the people that I serve?”

If the Republican Party can do this, I would consider supporting them. Until then, I will continue to throw my vote away on 3rd party candidates who, although they will not be elected, at least share my beliefs.

Happy as a pig in...

2009-02-25T14:44:00.003-06:00

Well America, it’s done. The President has signed the pork laden Spending…Errr..I mean Stimulus Bill into law. Everyone line up at the trough.
In case you were wondering where your future tax dollars will be going, I have a short list of some of the projects in the bill from http://www.stimuluswatch.org/ .
Laurel, MS
Doorbells
Cost $99,600.00 - 2 jobs Created
Turns out this is nearly 100k to put doorbells in the residences of elderly Laurel residents. 2 doorbells in each unit. 1 at the door for obvious reasons, and 1 inside the unit for signalling distress. Seriously? How about we call it 3k and buy each of them an air horn to toot?
Austin, TX
Raul Alvarez Disc Golf Course: This project will develop a 36-hole disc golf course that will be environmentally and financially sustainable.
Cost $886,000.00 - 4 jobs created
Disc golf has to be the queerest sport ever. And if a Disc golf course was financially sustainable, some dirty Hippy company in Austin would have built it. Did you know that Austin has 7 disc golf courses already? Austin needs another disc golf course like it needs more waiters with Masters Degrees or pierced and tattooed Elementary School teachers.
Chula Vista, CA
Sunset View Park - dog park construction
cost $500,000.00 - 7 jobs created
500k for a Dog Park? What do dogs need besides some grass and a fire hydrant? They are going to spend all their time sniffing each other anyway, couldn't that be accomplished in a vacant lot?
Dayton, OH
Initiative to Reduce Prostitution-Off the Streets Program. This initiative would connect individuals involved in prostitution with resources to leave a life of prostitution. Beginning with emergency shelter and continuing with an array of educational
Cost $1,500,000.00 - 0 jobs created
This is sheer madness. Not only does it create no new jobs, it takes working women and makes them unemployed. And a Million 5 to do it? How many prostitutes are there in Dayton? Maybe we can just split the cash with them.
Los Angeles, CA
Solar LA Program
cost $2,160,000,000.00 - 31243 jobs created
OK, I can see some merit in this project. It does create jobs, and it uses sustainable energy. That is good. However, if projects like this actually generated money, they would have already been done by private industry. Remember private industry. It was the backbone of America before Socialism took over. Back when the government did not think it was smarter than American businessmen and women.
San Diego, CA
Downtown Quiet Zone
cost $20,000,000.00 - 0 jobs created
20 million dollars. Seriously? When I looked the detail up on this one, it basically boils down to changing train crossings to have lights and arms so that trains going through downtown are not required to blow their horns at every crossing. 20 million and no jobs? Screw San Diego, get used to the noise.
Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Events Center, Hotel and Events Center and related infrastructure located in Downtown Albuquerque
cost $418,300,000.00 - 14000 jobs created
I liked this one until I saw that the hotel was a Sheraton. Shouldn’t Sheraton pay to have it built? Why am I paying for something that returns an investment directly to a private company? Isn’t that why they are in business? To build and operate hotels, right? Can I stay there for free?
Austin, TX
Boardwalk along Lady Bird Lake: The project will close a 1.3-mile gap in a heavily used pedestrian and bicycle trail system. The trail extension will improve safety and provide additional access to a major bike and pedestrian corridor.
cost $18,000,000.00 - 60 jobs created
A hike and bike trail? For 18 Million? Nice for all the Lance Armstrong wannabes, but not a sustainable job producer at all. Once it is built, all the illegals who built it will be out of work again. Not like they are paying taxes anyway.
Cidra, PR
Improve track and land for little league parking
cost $150,000,000.00 - 43 jobs created
This is a 150 Million dollar parking lot. For a Little League ballpark. Someone should be hanged for slipping this in here.
Seriously America, you are about to take on a tax burden that your great grand children will still not have paid off and you let every dirty politician sidle up and take a turn slipping their pork into this bill like the football team did to your slutty older sister on Prom night. Shame on all of us.

Is Washington listening to America?

2009-02-20T15:27:00.003-06:00

The White House today used a typical tactic in deflecting the critisism of Robert Santelli, a CNBC personality and member of the Chicago Board of Trade. Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, whose only jobs in life have been in politics, insinuated that Mr. Santelli was out of touch with the pulse of the American people when he called for a "Chicago Tea Party" to protest the Presidents Stimulus Bill. Saying:

"I'm not entirely sure where Mr. Santelli lives or in what house he lives," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs during a press briefing. "But the American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgage, stay in their job, pay their bills, to send their kids to school, and to hope that they don't get sick or that somebody they care for gets sick and sends them into bankruptcy. I think we left a few months ago the -- the adage that, if it was good for a derivatives trader, that it was good for Main Street. I think the verdict is in on that."

Mr Gibbs also insinuated that the President was smarter then Mr. Santelli, who is college educated and has years of experience in the financial sector by saying:

"now, every day when I come out here, I spend a little time reading, studying on the issues, asking people who are smarter than I am questions about those issues. I would encourage him to read the president's plan and understand that it will help millions of people, many of whom he knows. I'd be more than happy to have him come here and read it."

He ended the tirade by suggesting that Mr. Santelli was simply overwrought, saying:

"I'd be happy to buy him a cup of coffee," Gibbs wryly added, in remarks he seemed to have prepared. "Decaf."

This is how the office of the chief executive of our United States responds to any criticism of their policies. They are dismissive, arrogant and refuse to debate their position. This administration seems to have decided what was best for America without letting us have a say. As if their election was a mandate to run this country by their rules, with no input from the outside. I see this as a very reckless direction to steer our country in. A distant, despotic ruler once tried to bend the citizenry of America to his will. He was George of England, and by the end of it, blood was spilled and history was changed. I hope the man at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue took a history class at Harvard because I don't want to see it happen in my lifetime.

Mmmmmm, Chili Mac...

2009-02-15T10:04:00.003-06:00

Recently, I decided to augment our Survival and Camping pantry with some vacuum sealed meals. Mountain House is sold at our local REI. Wal-Mart and Academy stores, so I thought I would give it a try. To be honest, I did not expect much from a pre-packaged meal. As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised. I purchased a 20 ounce pack of MH Chili Mac and an 8 ounce pack of MH Sweet Corn for my son and I to try. Following the directions on the pack, I boiled some water and measured the correct amount into each pouch, sealed the pouch, sloshed the water around and waited to listed amount of time (5-6 minutes). Upon opening the Chili Mac, the smell was very noticeable. It smelled like Chili Mac! I portioned it up on plates, then checked the corn. The corn looked good, but did not have much smell. I added a little salt and some margarine for flavor and portioned it out as well. Both items were firm, not mushy, although the kidney beans in the Chili Mac could have used some more water, a few of them were still crunchy, but edible. The taste was excellent. The Chili Mac needed no additional spices. The corn was firm and juicy, almost like frozen corn. Both my son and I were full at the end of the meal. If you are looking for an easy to make camping food, or something you can store long term or carry in a Bug Out Bag, I can whole heartedly recommend Mountain House entrees and side dishes!

Best Buddies

2009-02-14T13:23:00.008-06:00

Not much to write about today, so let's take a journey down memory lane and play "This is your life" with Obama buddy and racist hate-monger Al Sharpton.

Al, here are some highlights of your life from the best source in truth on the Internet, Wikipedia:

Bernhard Goetz
Bernhard Goetz shot four African-American men on a New York subway train on December 22, 1984, when they approached him and allegedly tried to rob him. At his trial Goetz was cleared of all charges except criminal possession of a weapon. Sharpton led several marches protesing what he saw as the weak prosecution of the case.
Sharpton and other civil rights leaders said Goetz's actions were racist and requested a federal civil rights investigation. A federal investigation concluded the shooting was due to an attempted robbery and not race.

Tawana Brawley controversy
On November 28, 1987, Tawana Brawley, a 15-year-old African American girl, was found smeared with feces, lying in a garbage bag, her clothing torn and burned and with various slurs and epithets written on her body in charcoal. Brawley claimed she had been assaulted and raped by six white men, some of them police officers, in the town of Wappingers Falls, New York.
Attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason joined Sharpton in support of Brawley. A grand jury was convened; after seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined that Brawley had fabricated her story. Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason accused the Dutchess County prosecutor, Steven Pagones, of racism and of being one of the perpetrators of the alleged abduction and rape. The three were successfully sued for slander and ordered to pay $345,000 in damages, the jury finding Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two, and Mason for one.
In 2007 Sharpton said he would have accepted the case the same as he does today. The only difference would be he would not have made it so personal with Pagones, but he still felt Brawley had a good case to go to trial. "I disagreed with the grand jury on Brawley," said Sharpton in an interview. "I believed there was enough evidence to go to trial. Grand jury said there wasn’t. Okay, fine. Do I have a right to disagree with the grand jury? Many Americans believe O.J. Simpson was guilty. A jury said he wasn’t. So I have as much right to question a jury as they do. Does it make somebody a racist? No! They just disagreed with the jury. So did I."

Freddie's Fashion Mart
In 1995, a black Pentecostal Church, the United House of Prayer, which owned a retail property on 125th Street, asked Fred Harari, a Jewish tenant who operated Freddie's Fashion Mart, to evict his longtime subtenant, a black-owned record store called The Record Shack. Sharpton led a protest in Harlem against the planned eviction of The Record Shack. Sharpton told the protesters, "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business."
On 1995-12-08, Roland J. Smith Jr., one of the protesters, entered Harari's store with a gun and flammable liquid, shot several customers and set the store on fire. The gunman fatally shot himself, and seven store employees died of smoke inhalation. Fire Department officials discovered that the store's sprinkler had been shut down, in violation of the local fire code. Sharpton claimed that the perpetrator was an open critic of himself and his nonviolent tactics. Sharpton later expressed regret for making the racial remark, "white interloper," and denied responsibility for inflaming or provoking the violence.

Homophobia Allegations

Sharpton was quoted as saying to an audience at Kean College in 1994 that, “White folks was in caves while we was building empires ... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.”Sharpton defended his comments by noting that the term "homo" was not homophobic but added that he no longer uses the term. Sharpton has since called for an end to homophobia in the African-American community.

Attacks on Mormonism

During 2007, Sharpton was accused of bigotry for comments he made on May 7, 2007, concerning presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his religion, Mormonism:
"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."
In response, a representative for Romney told reporters that "bigotry toward anyone because of their beliefs is unacceptable." The Catholic League compared Sharpton to Don Imus, and said that his remarks "should finish his career".

Tax Issues

On May 9, 2008, the Associated Press reported that Sharpton and his businesses owed almost $1.5 million in unpaid taxes and penalties. Sharpton owed $931,000 in federal income tax and $366,000 to New York, and his for-profit company, Rev. Al Communications, owed another $176,000 to the state.
On June 19, 2008, the New York Post reported that the Internal Revenue Service had sent subpoenas to several corporations that had donated to Sharpton's National Action Network. In 2007 New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began investigating the National Action Network, because it failed to make proper financial reports, as required for non-profits. According to the Post, several major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch and Colgate-Palmolive, have donated thousands of dollars to the National Action Network. The Post asserted that the donations were made to prevent boycotts or rallies by the National Action Network.
Sharpton countered the investigative actions with a charge that they reflected a political agenda by United States agencies.

So basically our Presidents good buddy Al hates whites, Jews, Mormons, Homosexuals and doesn't see any reason to pay his taxes. And it is all a big government conspiracy against him. I wonder if the President has considered him for the vacant Commerce Secretary post, since there is no Department of Hateful Assholes for him to run.

Republican Senator Comes to Senses, Rejects deal with Devil

2009-02-13T21:26:00.003-06:00

Senator Judd Gregg (R- NH) came to his senses Thursday and rejected an offered post as President Obama's Commerce Secretary. Here is what Fox News had to say:

Then Obama turned to Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. Though not a national figure, the taciturn Yankee is a player in the Senate. A former Budget Committee chairman, he is liked by colleagues and known for unemotional, no-nonsense analyses of fiscal matters.
Gregg stunned colleagues late Thursday when he withdrew his name, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with Obama's handling of the economic stimulus and 2010 census.

Thank goodness at least one person had the sense not to roll in the feces with the rest of this new administration. Obama's attempts at putting together a team to run this country have been thwarted by a number of issues, but this one stands out because it was the candidates choice. Normally, a withdrawal comes after allegations of misdoing (Bill Richardson, Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer, Penny Pritzger). But criminal acts are no disqualifier in the administration of shame, just ask Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, who feels no compulsion to pay his taxes either. Maybe our new President should take some lessons from former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Clinton's managed to stay Teflon and dodge charges of forcing illegal loans, making false statements, violating document privacy, improper use of documents and murder (remember Vince Foster's "suicide"?) while living in The People's House on Pennsylvania Ave.

Well, at least on American has stood up and said "No Kool-Aid for me." Congrats Senator Gregg. If you weren't a politician, I would offer to shake your hand.

Obama reveals the thumb he intends to stick up America's posterior

2009-02-10T17:53:00.006-06:00

Well, the deed is done. America, drop your shorts. Our Congress has passed the Stimulus package and has doomed future generations to repaying a Trillion dollar boondoggle that will do nothing to stimulate our ailing economy. Here is a blurb from Fox News:

The Dow suffered its steepest selloff in three months on Tuesday as the markets fretted about a lack of details emerging from trillions of dollars of initiatives unveiled by Washington in an effort to halt one of the worst downturns since the Great Depression.
Once again the markets responded poorly to Washington's unprecedented interventions as stocks plunged even as the Senate signed off on an $838 billion stimulus package and the Treasury Department released plans to significantly expand its efforts to stabilize the financial markets.
Today’s Markets
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 381.99 points, or 4.62%, to 7888.88, the S&P 500 fell 42.73 points, or 4.91%, to 827.16 and the Nasdaq Composite sank 66.83 points, or 4.20%, to 1524.73. The consumer-friendly FOX 50 dropped 32.28 points, or 4.99%, to 614.99.

I am proud to say both of my Senators voted against it. That ensures them a place in the post-secession Texas government.

The New Heat in Town!

2009-02-06T18:42:00.002-06:00

This is the latest addition to the collection. A Taurus Model 85 Ultra-Light. A 5 shot revolver in .38 Special with a 2 inch barrel. This thing is a perfect back-up or car gun. No need to worry about chambering a round before you fire. It is right there! Double or Single action. Easily concealable. With some Federal Hydra-Shocks or Cor-Bon DPX rounds, it should be a man stopper. I feel pretty good putting mine or my family safety on it. Drawbacks are limited ammo capacity and lowered accuracy at longer ranges due to the short barrel, but I think those are offset by the light weight and ease of use.

Dangerous Liasons

2009-02-06T18:21:00.006-06:00

Remember this guy? The Rev. Jeremiah Wright? President Obama's pastor. His "spiritual advisor". Rev. Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, baptized their two daughters and is credited by Obama for the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope." This man was Obama's pastor for the last 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's south side, and has a long history of what is mildly referred to by the Obama Administration as "inflammatory rhetoric," including the assertion that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own "terrorism."

Here is a nice quote from an ABC News article about the Reverend;

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

What a peach. I am so glad to know our President saw fit to have associations such as this in his life. This is a guy with a message! Unfortunately for America, it is a message of hate, racism and disharmony. This is a guy who hates America, hates white people and uses profanity in church. This is a showman who would put P.T. Barnum to shame, who realizes that his message is repugnant to the majority of Americans, so the only recourse is to shout it louder.

I don't have any information about his recent actions, I just wanted to write an article to remind everyone that this is who our President was chummy with. This is one of his role models. This is someone he CHOSE to associate himself with.

I just don't want anyone to forget that.

Play with swine, get yourself muddy

2009-02-05T14:16:00.004-06:00

Although I don't think my blogging was the primary cause, the deed was done regardless. Daschle admitted he was in bed with special interests and that, although he helped write this country's tax code, he saw no need to follow it. President Obama ate some more crow.

The list of "I owe you the election, so here's a job" candidates that President Obama has trotted out for cabinet positions is staggering. And mostly as dirty as the day is long. Daschle, Geithner, Pritzger, Richardson. Makes you wonder if he knows anyone not one the take.

And staffing his ranks with Clinton era rejects (including Hillary Clinton, remember the great job she did reforming Health Care) just goes to show you that he believes America truly yearns for a return to the days of Assault Weapon Bans, Waco, Ruby Ridge, ineffective Foreign Policy, WhiteWater and the Internet Start-Up Bubble. Days when an elitist, ineffectual Ivy League educated government attempted to subject middle America to some sort of abortive leftist social experiment.

If Americans had any gumption, they would get off the sofa, turn off American Idol and march on Washington, DC with pitchforks and torches. President Obama, his cabinet, most of Congress and the Stimulus Package deserve nothing less than a good tar and feathering, and a ride across the Potomac on a rail.

They get the Gold mine, we get...

2009-02-03T09:59:00.004-06:00

Got this info on a recent Gallup Poll regarding the 900 Billion Dollar Stimulus Package that the Democratic controlled Congress is sure to pass.

From Fox News: A majority of Americans want Congress to either reject or make "major changes" to the economic stimulus package on Capitol Hill, a poll out Tuesday finds.
The Gallup poll, conducted from Friday through Sunday, found that 75 percent of Americans want Congress to pass some version of the plan, which is tagged at about $900 billion in the latest Senate package.
But the survey reflected deepening doubts about the effectiveness of the programs and spending items currently being considered by federal lawmakers. Only 38 percent of those polled favored the existing stimulus proposal, down from a slight majority holding that view in the Jan. 28 Gallup survey.
Thirty-seven percent want major changes and 17 percent reject the plan outright.
The poll also found only 10 percent think the economy will improve this year as a result of the plan. Fifty-three percent said the plan will either have no effect on their families or make their financial situations worse.
The poll reflects a substantial partisan divide, with 59 percent of Democrats calling for passage without changes while 43 percent of Republicans want major changes and another 35 percent reject it outright.
The poll was based on interviews with 1,027 adults and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Keep your eye on this America. Even though a majority of American see this pork laden, bloated spend fest as nothing more than a useless gesture that will put a crippling tax burden on future generations of Americans, Congress will approve it, and the President will sign it into law.

This is what we can expect for at least 4 years, an administration that thinks it knows better that we do what is good for the American people. Leftist, intellectual eliteists that refuse to listen to the voice of Middle America, because they think they are smarter than the rest of us. From the party that shoved Roosevelts New Deal down our throats, here is the Change and Hope President Obama promised!

Come on America, quit clinging to your guns and your religion, let Big Brother make the choices for you. Drink the Kool-Aid!

Why are we not enraged?

2009-01-30T21:15:00.004-06:00

Just took this blurb about Tom Daschle's tax woes off FoxNews:

The White House has acknowledged that former Sen. Tom Daschle, President Obama's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, had "some tax issues," which, the administration says, have been resolved and shouldn't bar his confirmation as secretary.

FOX News confirmed that Daschle alerted the Senate Finance Committee, which will oversee his confirmation hearing, that the matter involves more than $100,000 in back taxes and interest for a car and driver that was provided to him for four years by Leo Hindery, a wealthy Democratic donor and longtime friend of Daschle's.

If I owed $100k in taxes to the IRS I can only imagine the heat they would be putting on me. And we are going to let this guy have a place of power in our Nation's government? The White House does not see anything wrong with not paying your taxes? And to furthermore stain the sheets of liberty, the taxes are owed on some hinky deal he worked out with a contributor to have a car and driver for himself. The taint is upon the White House already. They certainly seem to have forgotten that the White House is the people's house. They serve at our whim and fancy. Our government seems to forget that it is us, the everyday citizens who pay their salaries, who pay the bills in this country. Between the stink of this new administration (stinkier than the last by far, so far) and the way they are playing fast and loose with billions of dollars in our pocket change with this so called "bailout", I can only see hard times ahead for America.

Camping

2009-01-26T17:28:00.003-06:00

The RB6 family went camping this weekend. Temps at our Bug Out Location ranged from the high to low 30's, but we didn't get an overnight freeze. Mrs. RipperBravo6 and Kid01 are bundled up in this pic, enjoying the day. As a concession to the weather, we actually took tents this time. Although it was uncomfortable for some, everyone agreed it was a good trip. Hot dogs and sausage on an open fire for lunch, some of Bertram Buck's famous pork chili for dinner and bacon and egg tacos for breakfast. It was good prep in case things get bad. Everyone realized they were capable of standing hardship much more than they thought. We put a few more survival skills under our belt and learned a few shortcuts. Most importantly, this allowed us to contemplate some changes to our gear and supplies. Inexpensive fleece blankets from Wal-Mart were especially nice. Get yourself a few as they are very packable and can be used as a poncho, sleeping pad or to line a sleeping bag. Stainless steel mugs are good for coffee and hot chocolate in the morning and are very easy to clean. Cast iron cooking gear is a pain to carry with you, but there is nothing better for cooking on an open fore. I suggest a frying pan, a small griddle and a medium dutch oven with lid at a minimum. We all discussed the possibility of putting up some more permanent structures on the site, such as small 2 bed cabins and an outhouse. We will see if we can get it going this spring. If you have not taken your family to the woods yet, get out there, it is a trip you will cherish for a long time!

MOLLE Waist Pouch

2009-01-18T20:58:00.004-06:00

This a a US Army Surplus MOLLE Waist pouch. It is normally attached to the issue MOLLE vest and used as a carry all. I removed the short belt it came with, added a strap and Fastex buckles from http://www.strapworks.com/ and now use it to carry my USGS topo maps in their waterproof soft case. The belt is adjustable so that anyone in my party can carry it, and the pouch is easily accessible, even on the move. In addition, due to MOLLE straps on the back, the pouch can be added to any pack with PALS webbing. Every member of my group will carry a compass and is trained in reading the maps.

Drop Down Leg Rig

2009-01-18T14:06:00.004-06:00

This is the left side Drop Down Leg Rig from Condor. Both sides are interchangeable, and can be used on left or right. This rig features 2 double Condor mag pouches, holding 4 17 round magazines for the Glock pistol. Below the mag pouches are an oblong "Survival" type pouch. I will use this pouch to carry my basic field survival gear, consisting of a firestarting kit, a small flashlight, several light sticks, a few power bars, basic first aid kit, a SteriPen water filter, 2 bandannas, safety pins and an emergency "space" blanket.

Drop Down Leg Rig

2009-01-18T13:47:00.005-06:00

On the right Drop Down Leg Rig, a Condor holster holds a Glock 17. The holster is well made, with PALS webbing on either side, making it reversible for you lefties out there. It also has PALS webbing on the front, which allows you to attach the included single mag pouch. This would be good if the holster was to be carried on a belt. Myself, I removed it since I have plenty of mags on the other leg and used the pouch to hold a Surefire G2 on my Tactical Briefcase. All Condor mag pouches have Velcro adjustable lids which allow you to use longer or shorter items in them with equal safety. The holster has a Velcro adjustable thumb break as well as an additional bungee cord to further secure your sidearm. I have augmented this set up with 2 Tactical Tailor multi tool pouches with Fastex buckles. I wanted the buckles to secure smaller items that might come loose. Mounted in front of the holster on the panel itself is the pouch containing my Leatherman Klick multi tool. Mounted on the holster in an easily drawable pouch is a folding auto knife. It is easily retrievable for utility of self defense use. The panel secures to the rigger belt with foldover Velcro pieces and is very secure. It is also easily detachable due to a large Fastex buckle. It secures to your thigh with 2 adjustable straps featuring Fastex buckles. I have found it both comfortable and practical.

Gear Loadout

2009-01-18T13:38:00.002-06:00

Here is my new for 2009 Loadout. It consists of 1. a Condor Riggers belt, well made and able to support all my gear, yet comfortable to wear and, 2. a Condor Blood Type "keychain", although I don't hang my keys here, it gives a nice place to hang objects that I might readily need, such as gloves, binos, a knife or other items and, 3. a Condor Drop Leg Rig with a holster and 2 multitool pouches and, 4. a Condor Drop Leg Rig with 2 double mag pouches and an oblong "Survival" pouch.

MOLLE Bag Review

2009-01-03T21:27:00.002-06:00

Well, last year, I promised a review of the Diplomat MOLLE Ammo Bag I got from LA Police Gear. I finally had a chance to take it out to our big New Years MG Shoot near Houston. I loaded the bag up pretty good, tossed it in the backseat and hauled myself to the shoot. During the day, the bag was hauled up and down the line, dropped, stepped on and left lying in the mud. I can happily report no problems whatsoever! The bag is tough and durable and well designed. It had metal and plastic clips on the ample strap. I would have preferred all metal, but remember, I paid $9.99 for this bag! Inside, one side of the bag is covered completely in female Velcro for a holster or additional pouches, and there are two large pockets as well. Each pocket can hold 4 AR-15 Magazines. Overall, I was very impressed.

MOLLE Bag Review

2009-01-03T21:19:00.002-06:00

And what can you fit in this magical bag? Well, here is what I took to the MG Shoot:
(Not shown, 1 Nalgene bottle in neoprene cover carabaniered to outside)
1 pair Wiley X Tactical Goggles (clipped to outside of bag in their hard case)
2 Lightsticks
Leatherman Klick Multitool
Garmin Legend GPS
Spare AA batteries in a glow in the dark carrier
Lansky knife sharpener
Folding Auto Knife
Backup Pistol in holster
Winchester Hearing Protectors
And SEVEN, yes seven- count 'em, fully loaded Orlite AR-15 Magazines

I was pretty impressed, all the junk I needed and the bag was comfortable and durable. It won't serve every need (doesn't fit my laptop for instance), but for $10, with expansion capable MOLLE on the outside, it sure fits my ideal of a good buy. Pick your up today at www.lapolicegear.com .

Happy New Year?

2008-12-31T08:52:00.006-06:00

2008 was a doozie, and unless there is a drastic change in the world, 2009 should be even worse. Here are several things that are on my radar for the coming year:

1. Israel versus?. Israel is currently attacking Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This could be a simple retaliation measure, or it could be a move to secure Israel's flanks for a possible attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities. If Israel does intend to attack Iran, the need to make sure that they are not going to experience attacks from Hamas back home. Doubt it? They attacked Syria in 2008, remember? ***Editors note, Israel is still moving against Gaza as of Jan. 18th, although there is a temporary cease fire in place.

2. India versus Pakistan. India and Pakistan have both moved troops closer to their borders. My concern is that if India can find a link between the Pakistani government or military and the Mumbai terrorists, they will use it as a reason to attack Pakistan. Have no doubts that in the event of a full on war, it will go Nuclear very quickly. With prevailing winds, that spells trouble for the West Coast of the US in the form of fallout. ***Editors note, India has indeed supplied Pakistan with what they consider proof of Paki involvement in the Mumbai attacks, expect a retaliation by India at some point.

3. Terrorist Attack in the US. With the pending change in administration, Al-Quaeda could be emboldened to mount another attack on the US. It is quite possible that they expect a less severe response than they got in 2001, and in fact, with the splintering of Al-Quaeda Command and Control, they could be harder to strike now than they were then.

4. Economic meltdown in the US. With the sliding dollar, rising unemployment and a lack of faith in our government, a Great Depression style meltdown may indeed be on the horizon. The Federal Government just raised the amount of money that FDIC will cover, is the government expecting more bank failures? Will there be a run on banks? ***Editors note, As of Jan. 18th 2009 the economy continues to worsen, unemployement is up, housing starts and company profits continue to fall and now the Federal Government cannot completely account for the 70 Billion is has given to banks as part of the bailout.

5. Social Upheaval in the US. With possible fuel and food shortages (driven by weather or economics), how will the US citizenry react? Well, for the vast majority who are expecting the government to provide for them, I think they will react badly. If this situation develops, I expect food riots and widespread looting as disenfranchised sheeple panic and lash out. In addition, if President Obama does not pull the country out of the slump it is in quickly, I expect a backlash from his current supporters. He has been painted as a messiah or "The Chosen One", and if he cannot live up to that reputation, I expect fickle America to turn on him quickly. If that happens, we can expect Draconian measures from the US Government to "restore order". Expect your rights to be trampled on.

I wish I had great hope for 2009, but all I can muster is concern. I continue my preps and working within my support network to make sure we are all ready. I fervently hope it is not needed, but I just can't be sure.

Pics from the annual MG Shoot

2008-12-28T20:38:00.004-06:00

Suppressed Ruger 10/22s, Thompson SMG, M-79 Grenade Launcher, M-14E2 (Select Fire), M-16 with XM-148 Grenade Launcher, HK MP-5 and a Suppressed Walther P-22

Pics from the annual MG Shoot

2008-12-28T20:34:00.001-06:00

HK MP-5 (suppressed), Russian PPSH-41 and M-60

How fun was your Christmas?

2008-12-28T20:23:00.006-06:00

Mine was pretty good. It was capped off today with our annual New Years Machine Gun Shoot. I can't disclose the location, but I will post a few pics of some of the hardware. This pic shows my buddy "3" shooting an M-249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), which is the US Military's 5.56mm fire support weapon. There are also 2 M-60's and an RPD in the picture. All legal, all fully automatic. Lot's of fun stuff to shoot including M-16s, AR-15s, AKs (47 and 74), lots of belt fed MGs, lots of suppressed stuff and even some grenade launchers. Good fun was had by all.

Just a random song lyric on a random day

2008-12-22T07:39:00.002-06:00

I've always liked this song. No particular significance to it, or to posting it today. None at all.

Thirty-Nine And Holding
(J. Foster, B. Rice)

He's out there somewhere every night
The music's playin' loud
He's doing all-a those fifty's steps
He's in a 1980 crowd

Dim lights hide the mileage line
Clairol hides the gray
And he won't mention anything
To give his old age away

Oh Lord, he's thirty-nine an he's holdin'
He's holdin' everything that he can
From seventeen to twenty-five
He'll prove he's still a man

Hey boy, you're holding to a candle
And it's a-burning at both ends
Thirty-nine and holding
A-holdin' everything that I can

Well, now you can bet he'll never see
Thirty-nine, again
Son, you oughta given up a long time ago
But you just keep on hangin' in

He still thinks that he's the man
That he once used to be
Boy, you're just thirty-nine
And you're dreamin' Acting twenty-three

Oh-oh, he's thirty-nine, he's holdin'
Holdin' everything that he can
From seventeen to twenty-five
He'll prove he's still a man

He's a-holding to a candle
My God, it's burning at both ends!
He's thirty-nine and he's holdin'
Holdin' everything he can

Trip to the Woods

2008-12-14T20:05:00.004-06:00

Here is Kid01 and Kid02 roughing it in the woods. How many of you would trust your 16 year old to wear a sidearm? If so, count yourself a good parent. As far as that goes, how many of you have 16 year olds who would give up a day at the mall, hanging with friends, listening to MP3s or killing brain cells with MySpace to go to the woods. I am truly a lucky guy. The only drawback? Mrs. RipperBravo6 had previous commitments and could not go. We missed her, but she promised to make the next trek.

Trip to the Woods

2008-12-14T20:00:00.003-06:00

We took a family trip to the woods weekend before last. This is Kid02 playing with fire. I am happy to report that he did not burn himself or anyone else, and did not wet the bed (another Old Wives Tale disproven). He enjoyed shooting, hiking, cooking on an open fire and generally running wild. That is Bertram Buck to his left, a legend in his own time and one of the best bros a survivalist could have.

Load Bearing Gear

2008-12-14T13:31:00.008-06:00

Finally got my web gear close to finished and thought I would post a pic of it. It is the ProTech I-RACK (Improved Ranger Assault Carrying Kit). I lengthened the shoulder straps so it would not hit me in the chin (using the existing strap slides) and added a longer belt and side release buckle in the back (from Strapworks http://www.strapworks.com/ who has great stuff, costs little and ships so fast that it is scary). It needed a longer belt to fit over my body armor, and it gives another release option since the zip off side panel can be hard to operate under stress. The vest came from US Cavalry (http://www.uscav.com/) and was on clearance for $20. Hard to beat that. I added 2 EMT pouches in Coyote Brown from Cheaper Than Dirt. On the right (in the picture) is my electronics pouch, featuring a micro light on a lanyard, a set of Tasco mini binoculars, AA and CR123 batteries and hopefully after Christmas a Garmin GPS (which will ride in a 5.11 Tactical GPS pouch in the front of the EMT pouch). On the left, the EMT pouch is used for a blowout kit. On the front, it features a Supply Captain (http://www.supplycaptain.com/) MOLLE patch panel with one of their Medic Red Cross Velcro patches and a set of Velcro name tapes to let everyone with me know what it's for (might save my life). The blowout kit has Celox, Kerlix bandages, a compress, tape, forceps and a set of paramedic shears. Still need an Asheman Chest Seal and an Israeli bandage to complete it. In the center of the rig is my Gerber ASEK in it's MOLLE sheath, mounted upside down for quick access. To it's right (in the pic) is an Admin pouch with a flag, a name tape, and blood type and allergies Velcro patches (again, thanks Supply Captain). Inside the pouch are a red-lensed micro light and Silva Ranger Compass, both on lanyards, a Rite-in-the-Rain notebook, pens, pencil, several light sticks and a backup pocket knife. On the outside, the built in pouch features a Surefire G2 Nitrolon flashlight. Below the Admin Pouch is a Spec-Ops X-6 magazine pouch. It is designed for 6 30 round aluminum AR-15 mags, but only holds 5 of the Orlite mags I prefer (I also keep 1 in the rifle and 1 in a butstock pouch and an additional 6 mounted to the back of my rucksack for 13 total). The pouch came from LightHound (http://www.lighthound.com/) who ships fast and is a great source for flashlight parts and paracord as well. I finished the rig off with a carabiner to clip my gloves on when I take them off. I prefer the IRACK because it has no back, so you can carry a Hydration pouch, a 3 day BOB, or a full rucksack with no interference. It is fairly easy to get on and off, carries all my needed gear and is comfortable to wear. Check it out if you are in the market for a great MOLLE rig.

A lesson about America

2008-12-07T16:02:00.003-06:00

Today is December 7th. A Sunday, just like December 7th, 1941. I wanted to tell you today a story about a ship. An American ship, a battleship to be exact. But this story is about more than just the ship, this story is about America, and how Americans, when faced with a terrible challenge can often rise to the occasion. It is a story about how you can never count us out. It is a story about how we handle adversity.

The USS West Virginia (BB-48) was launched on the 17th of November, 1921 from Newport News, Virginia. She was a Colorado-Class Super Dreadnought, built with all the lessons learned from the First World War. She was meant to show the world that America had truly come of age and had taken her rightful place among the Superpowers of this Earth. And for the 20 years following her launch, she did just that. She traveled the world over, showing what America was capable of, winning awards and accolades and the deep and abiding respect of any man who crewed her.

On December 7th, 1941, she, along with many of her sister ships, including 6 other Battleships, lay moored in her quay off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was getting a well-deserved period of rest and refit following intense training exercises in November. It was in this spot, moored outboard of the USS Tennessee (BB-43), that she was attacked on that fateful Sunday morning. Being the outboard ship in the line, she took at least 7 hits from Japanese torpedoes, including possibly one fired from a Japanese Mini-Sub. She was hit by at least 2 bombs constructed from 16-inch armor piercing naval shells and spent 30 hours engulfed in an oil fire started when the USS Arizona was hit. The ship began to sink, but thanks to the quick thinking of her crew and officers, she was counter flooded to prevent capsizing and settled into the mud 40 feet down. Her crew stayed on board, fighting fires and firing the ships anti-aircraft guns at attacking Japanese aircraft until fire compelled them to abandon ship. They returned as soon as possible in an attempt to save their ship.

When the fires were extinguished the following day. damage was assessed, and the ship was deemed repairable. The USS West Virginia rose from the dead on May 17th, 1942, when, with patches on her hull, she was refloated and moved to dry dock for repairs. As Japan celebrated her victory, American workers labored long and hard to repair the great ship (and many other ships damaged in the attack). In July 1944, the USS West Virginia put to sea again, stronger and more modern than she had been in 1941. She steamed straight for the Empire of Japan as the flagship of Battleship Division 4 of the US Navy.

She spent the rest of 1944 fighting near the Philippines and in October 1944, she fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf against Admiral Shima's Japanese Imperial Navy Task force, which included the Super Battle ships Yamato and Musashi. Joining the "Wee Vee" were the USS Maryland, USS Tennessee, USS California, the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Mississippi. With the exception of the USS Mississippi, all these ships were Pearl Harbor veterans.

At 3:52 AM on October the 25th, the West Virginia opened fire at 22,800 yards with her 16 inch guns, firing 16 salvos and sending the Japanese Battleship Yamashiro to a watery grave.

She continued her operations in the Philippines, fought off Iwo Jima, battled Kamikazes, fought off Okinawa and steamed into Tokyo Bay in August 1945 to take part in the surrender of the Empire of Japan. The satisfaction felt by her sailors, rising from the mud of Pearl Harbor, to finally see their enemies vanquished, must have been overwhelming.

It tell you this story, not just to share America's history with you, but as a parable. When our ship is in trouble, when hope is gone and things look bleak, we should remember the West Virginia, and we should learn from her example that with the hard work and dedication of willing Americans, any ship can be set to rights again.

Blog Bag of the Month

2008-12-04T17:56:00.004-06:00

This is the Diplomat Molle Ammo Bag. I found this bag online at LA Police Gear.(http://www.lapolicegear.com/)

Here is the online description:

The Diplomat Molle Ammo Bag is a great multi-function bag. It was designed to be rugged and durable to withstand whatever you may need to put it through. Instead of normal cloth thread Diplomat used nylon thread to make it even tougher. The MOLLE Ammo Bag can be use for an ammo bag (as the name suggests), a first aid kit, a small travel bag, or an emergency kit. It can fit right under the front seat of a truck or Humvee so it can be close at hand whenever you may need it. The Diplomat MOLLE Ammo bag can be carried by it's carry handle, or you can use the shoulder strap that is included with the bag. The inside features various clips, pouches and Velcro to attach and organize all the gear you need. Dimensions: 13.5" x 11" x 6".

Looked like an interesting bag. Just about the right size for a "Get Home" kit or to carry a pistol and ammo to the range. Then I saw the price! This bag is listed at LA Police Gear for $9.99! Yep, $10 for a MOLLE bag! You can't get a good MOLLE pouch for $10 these days. I have ordered two of them and they are expected to arrive in the next few days. I will post a review when they get here, but at $9.99 they would have to be pretty crappy to disappoint. Not sure exactly what I will use them for (which is why I got 2). The color choices were Black, OD Green and Coyote Brown. All my other gear is in Coyote, so I got both bags in it. I can see mounting this to the outside of a large rucksack to carry food, snivel gear, extra ammo, or just about anything that you might want the option of removing and carrying seperatley. Diplomat also makes a laptop sized "Combat Briefcase" type bag and a nice looking MOLLE 3 day backpack. I put those on my Christmas list.

The rest of the collection

2008-11-26T21:36:00.003-06:00

Here are the longarms from the collection. From Left to Right: Mossberg Maverick 88 in 12 gauge, Bushmaster AR-15 with Eotech sight in .223, Remington 710 in .30-06, Springfield Armory M-1 Garand in .30-06, Chinese SKS Type 45 Carbine in 7.62x39mm, Norinco Model 97 in 12 gauge, Arisaka based custom hunting rifle in .300 Savage and Sears and Roebuck Model 110 in 20 gauge. I had them out to catalog them, made sure I had all the serial numbers on file and check to ensure each one was in working order.

In putting together my collection, some were chosen because of their usefulness, some were just plain cool, and some just happened to fall into my hands. The Mossberg and AR-15 are excellent survival weapons, I can't recommend them highly enough. The Remington 710 was chosen to have something capable of taking larger game at a distance. The Garand is a piece of history and a cool rifle to shoot. I can't imagine lugging it across Europe or the Pacific though, it must weigh 15 pounds. The SKS is a vet bring back, no import marks, all numbers matching. I try and not shoot it too often, but it is a lot of fun. The Norinco Model 97 was something I have always wanted, and a real Winchester Model 97 was out of my price range. You can slam fire it just like an original (hold the trigger down and work the slide and it will fire each time it chambers a round, just plain brutal!) The Arisaka is a work of art, probably put together in the late fifties or early sixties, and no doubt done by hand. It has a Johnson Automatics barrel, from either a Johnson rifle or a Johnson Light Machine Gun. The stock was hand carved and has black and white bakelite inserts. It has a micrometer peep site instead of a scope, and a funky space ship type muzzle break on it. It is chambered in .300 Savage, which was quite the deer getter back in the day. And last, but not least, the Sears and Roebuck break open 20 gauge single shot, which is my personal favorite. Why, you may ask, with all the cool hardware lined up against the wall, is a old beater 20 gauge one shot my favorite? Well, it belonged to my Grandfather, and it bagged many a squirrel in it's day. It hung on his wall and I looked at it with reverence every time we visited. When he died, it went to live in my Father's closet. When he passed away last year, it came to live with me. one day, hopefully, it will belong to my son. Sentimental value, a family history in firearms, and an investment in my rights.

Bring the Heat...Just kidding

2008-11-26T12:56:00.002-06:00

Here is a pic I took for insurance purposes of the handguns I have. Just thought you all might like to see them. I spent part of last night making sure I had all the serial numbers listed and that everything was in working order. They are as follows: Top Row- Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm, Heritage Rough Rider .22 and .22 Magnum. Second Row- Glock 30 .45 ACP, Colt Official Police .38 Special. Third Row- Glock 17 9mm, Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum. Bottom Row- FEG PA-63 9mm Makarov (9x18).

The Glock 30 is my daily carry. I can't recommend it for everyone, but if you can handle a subcompact in .45 ACP, well, no one ever said a .45 wasn't enough. My only complaints are the difficulty in stuffing 10 rounds in the magazine (you basically have to buy it dinner and a drink to convince it to get in there) and the fact that a lot of the powder in the rounds does not burn in the barrel, so you end up with dirty hands when you shoot. Recoil is manageable, but I would suggest getting a sandpaper decal grip, it gets a little slippery when your hands sweat.

Best shooter in the bunch? A surprise, it is the 1950's Colt Official Police. Dead on every time. You can make a smiley face on the targets at the range.

Meanest recoil? Not the .45 Glock, not even the .357 Blackhawk. That mean little FEG PA-63! It has an aluminum alloy frame and it is ultra light. It feels like getting hit in the web of your hand with a Hungarian hammer after about 3 shots. Nice and concealable though. I have some questions on the stopping power of the 9x18 95 grain round, but the whole point of a gun that small is to use it as a last resort and take your shots up close. I wish Cor-Bon made those solid copper rounds in 9mm Mak, though.

Most difficult to shoot? The S&W Sigma. It has a double action only trigger with a loooooong pull. It took some time to figure out where to aim when you started pulling the trigger if you wanted to hit center mass. I started aiming about 6 inches above the targets head at 25 feet, with practice and time, I can now aim at the center of the neck and hit center mass on the chest every time. If this was your daily carry it would be possible to be consistent and pretty deadly with it, but it takes practice. I purchased to have a low cost, easy to maintain 9mm to use at the range.

I am no where near where I want to be with the collection, but I think this is a good start.

Paris loves RipperBravo6?

2008-11-25T19:01:00.002-06:00

Nope, just a little bit of the fun to be had at www.photofunia.com . Check it out, almost as good as making yourself a dancing elf at www.jibjab.com .

Well, the long holiday weekend looms. With the market in the crapper (or is it up? I have stopped looking.) and President-Elect Obama filling his cabinet with Clinton era gun-grabbers and the Russian Navy sucking face with the Venezuelans, what do we have to give thanks for? Well, our preps of course!

With a few days off work, I am dedicating myself to reviewing what I have in place so far and making a plan to get where I want to be. I think we have about a month and a half of food, if we conserve in the larder, but I know we are short of things for breakfast, snacks, deserts and meat. I will make a list of what we have and then a list of what else we will want to pick up before the first of the year.

I am worried about the liquidity of our local bank, so I am going to start diverting funds every payday to more mobile forms of wealth (ie. hard currency) which I will keep in the firesafe along with the trusty .38 Colt revolver. Armageddon is no time to have to stop and use the ATM.

I am hereby vowing to check every firearm we have this weekend to assure it is in working order and properly lubed. Magazines as well. And I will make an inventory sheet for ammo that I can update each time more is added. How much is enough? 500 rounds of .30-06 on M-1 Garand En-Bloc clips, 200 rounds of .30-06 loose including at least 50 rounds of M2 AP. 1200 rounds of .223 including 100 rounds of tracer, 250 rounds of 12 gauge 00 buck, 500 rounds of 9mm, 500 rounds of .45 ACP, 250 rounds of .38 Special, 250 rounds of .357 Magnum, 500 rounds of 7.62x39mm, 250 rounds of 9x18 and 2500 of .22LR. We are not there yet, but I am proud to say we are close.

I will also review Bug Out Bag contents with the family to make sure what we have now will be adequate through the winter.

Lots to do in 5 short days, but I am thankful for everyday that I have to prepare. In this crazy world, the best you can do is complete something prep related everyday. It gives you a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. RipperBravo6, OUT!

Biggest Douchebag on the Planet award goes to...

2008-11-19T09:27:00.006-06:00

This article is for anyone out there who is foolish enough to think that terrorists hate America because George Bush is our President. The truth of the matter is that terrorists hate America because we are different. They hate us because we drink beer on hot Saturday afternoons in July, because we allow our women to drive cars, because we don’t require public whippings for marital infidelity. They hate us because we listen to Rock and Roll, because we don’t all pray to Mecca 3 times a day, because we enjoy bacon and ham, and because we allow our citizens to have freedom of speech and religion. They hate us, in short, because we are Americans. They despise everything our country stands for. It does not matter who is President, they have always hated us and will continue to do so. For them , the only difference between George Bush and Barack Obama is that Bush brought the fight to them, and they believe Obama will not. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that Radical Islam is something other than Fascism. That is what it is. Fascism. Same as Hitler.

Al Qaeda No. 2 in Video Calls Obama Dishonorable
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri insulted Barack Obama in the terror group's first reaction to his election, calling him a demeaning racial term implying that the president-elect is a black American who does the bidding of whites.
The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies. Al-Zawahiri said in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites Wednesday, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.
Al-Zawahiri also called Obama — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."
Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahiri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But Al Qaeda supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."
The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters' house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.
The 11-minute 23-second video features the audio message by al-Zawahiri, who appears only in a still image, along with other images, including one of Obama wearing a Jewish skullcap as he meets with Jewish leaders. In his speech, al-Zawahiri refers to a Nov. 5 U.S. airstrike attack in Afghanistan, meaning the video was made after that date.
Al-Zawahiri said Obama's election has not changed American policies he said are aimed at oppressing Muslims and others.
"America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always," the deputy of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden said.
He said Obama's plan to shift troops to Afghanistan is doomed to failure, because Afghans will resist.
"Be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them," he said.
Al-Zawahiri did not threaten specific attacks, but warned Obama that he was "facing a Jihadi (holy war) awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see."
He said Obama's victory showed Americans acknowledged that President George W. Bush's policies were a failure and that the result was an "admission of defeat in Iraq."
But Obama's professions of support for Israel during the election campaign "confirmed to the Ummah (Islamic world) that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims," al-Zawahiri said.

These guys suck. No amount of backpedaling and groveling by the USA is going to change the fact that they hate us, and nothing we can do, short of mass suicide, is going to make them stop attacking us. So, the choice is ours, or rather our governments. I ask you, President- Elect Obama, are you going to take the fight to these assholes, or can we look forward to 4 years of Clinton/Carter appeasement that will embolden and strengthen our enemies? Never mind, I know the answer already.

Recent Survival Preps

2008-11-17T15:26:00.007-06:00

I think if any survivalist could have their wish, they would like to be able to purchase all their survival supplies at once and never have to worry about getting anything else. Maybe Howard Hughes could do that, but in the real world, we survivalists have jobs, mortgages, car payments and kids that need shoes. So, getting things together takes a while. I suppose the longer Armageddon holds off, the better off I will be. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my recent survival preps as well as a few things I have on my "To Do" list.

1. Building A Support Network

I recently had lunch with a very good friend. He owns several hundred acres off the beaten path and it has always been an unspoken arrangement that we could fall back there if needed. His place is less than 45 minutes from our house, but driving another 1000 yards back into his property, it could be 1850 again! However, I wanted to sit down with him and discuss something more formal. This was accomplished over excellent Vietnamese food last Friday. We discussed building a "pad site" at a location on his property, consisting of 2 to 3 10'x20' wooden platforms with wood or metal frames that could support large tarps. If we need to Bug Out to a secluded location, we can use these platforms to keep our tents off the ground and to have a covered area for shade and storage. If we never need to Bug Out, we will have a nice area to camp in the fall and winter. He agreed this was a good use of our combined resources and we are going to get started as soon as budget allows. Having someone you can count on is a big part of any prep. No one goes it alone, for very long anyway. I look forward to working with him and providing some safety and security for both our families.

2. Food Preps

I spent a good portion of Saturday afternoon vacuum sealing some of the stored food I have put back. Vacuum sealing decreases bulk and allows you to eliminate unneeded packaging. It also keeps your food fresh and rodent free. I vacuum sealed beans, rice, pasta and sugar. I will continue this week with instant potatoes, dog food and spices. I have discovered that the local Specs Liquor will give you free cardboard boxes. This makes storing and transporting the sealed food much easier. I will also look into some hard plastic containers for the canned goods. My goal is to have 3 months worth of food sealed and ready for use or transport. I also include the original instructions in the bag and write the date purchased or sealed on the outside to make prep easier. I look for dishes that can be made with either water only, or milk, which I have powdered. I also plan to order some #10 cans of freeze dried ground beef and chicken to add to the sealed staples. Pinto beans become chili with some meat, tomato sauce and the correct spices. Pasta becomes Chicken Ala King with canned veggies, Alfredo sauce and chicken. No need to die of food boredom as well as starving to death!

3. Hoarding gas and water

Although gas prices are reasonable (maybe reasonable is not the right word). I have continued with my plan to have 30 gallons of gas ready to go. I filled up 5 gas cans in a nearby town where 2 stores having a gas war have driven the price down to $1.65 a gallon. 2 of the cans were new and 3 were ones I had previously filled and later emptied into the truck during my bi-weekly rotation. I have 6 cans full and ready to go in the garage and will now build a storage rack to recapture some of my floor space. I have 3 six gallon water cans so far and plan to add 6 more for 54 gallons of portable water. 2 Fifty-Five gallon drums will complete my home water preps. I also plan to add some metal hooks under the eves of the house to hang 10'x10' tarps when it rains so that I can use to gather rain water and replenish the barrels as needed.

4. Guns and Ammo

I still have 2 guns on layaway at the Pawn Shop, but I intend to have both out by the January 20th. Why Jan. 20th? No reason at all, in case this ever comes up in court. Seriously, I know the incoming regimes feelings on gun ownership, so I want everything done before they get into power. Do I think they will defy the Supreme Court and walk all over the Bill of Rights? You bet. Everyone else has. I gave up my 4th Amendment Rights to the Bush Administration, but I will be darned if I will give up the Second Amendment ones to anyone else. Ammo in bulk is practically nonexistant since Election Day, and anything in military calibers is scarce as hens teeth, so anything I find, I will buy. I think that ammo prices will go down a little (temporarily) after NoBama is inagurated, so I will try and load up then, but I am committed to purchasing anything I come across, regardless of cost. After the guns are paid off, all the monthly gun budget will go directly to ammo until I have what I consider to be a safe amount.

5. Bug Out Bags

I will spend the next few months intensely working on family BOBs. I want us ready to go in case of any emergency, regardless if it means a night in a local motel, or a cross country trip to freedom. Everyone gets Nalgene bottles, firestarting kits, first aid kits and some survival food. You cannot be too prepared. I also will put back $200 so everyone can have $50 in small bills and an additional $300 for the family bugout kit. Cash is king. It is also time to buy some additional summer clothes to store in the bags while it is on sale. Considering summer here lasts for about 320 days, it is a good investment.

6. Expand my Universe

I have recently been in contact via the Internet with other local, like minded folks. My (pre)New Years resolution is to establish direct contact with as many of the as possible and discuss potential bartering and/or group buys. It will also help to establish local contacts in the event the balloon goes up. You never know what we might be able to help each other with.

That concludes my main preps, but I am also preparing myself mentally for the difficulties to come. That is an exercise that I do every day and I see no end in sight to that particular prep!

And the answer is yes, that is Tony Bennet that I am hanging out with in the picture (sort of).

Will history repeat itself?

2008-11-12T17:38:00.003-06:00

I have been thinking a lot about our country since Election Day and, being an amateur historian, I would like to share a small piece of American History with you that might pertain to the current course of our nation.

Were you aware that the final spark that ignited the American Revolution (primed already by the Boston Tea Party...see previous article) was the attempted seizure of arms and ammunition from the Colonials?

You might be aware of the fact that our Revolution started with an exchange of gunfire between Colonial Militia and British Regulars on Lexington's town square (or greens as they were referred to in that day). On April 19th, 1775 at sunrise, 700 British Regulars entered the town of Lexington, Massachusetts Bay Colony and were confronted by 30 men from the Lexington Militia's "Training Band" who had been forewarned of their approach by Paul Revere and his forgotten, but no less heroic, counterpart William Dawes. Led by John Parker, A French and Indian War veteran, the Colonial Militia did not engage the British troops, but in the confusion, someone fired a musket. The British returned fire, killing 8 militiamen outright. You can read more about this incident on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lexington_and_Concord

But what were the British doing there anyway? Why turn up in such large numbers, concealed by darkness, in a small town such as Lexington?

The British were there to seize the Colonists weapons. Weapons guaranteed to the Colonists by the Militia system, guaranteed to them for their own personal safety. The British government, the Colonists own ruling government had decided that ownership of weapons by citizens of the Colonies was no longer good policy and had made a move to confiscate these weapons. Sound familiar? This very scenario threatens to rear it's ugly head again, right here in the very land those brave militiamen fought to create and preserve.

If you combine the oppressive taxes that are potentially coming, a government out of touch with the values of it's citizens and the outlawing and possible seizure of legally owned personal weapons, the irony is both bitter and tangible.

What our government seems to forget when trampling on the Bill of Rights, is that the Second Amendment is the one that assures we get to keep all the other ones.

I leave you with a quote from one of Founding Fathers that sums it up very well...

"And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." - Thomas Jefferson

Well said TJ. Read up America. The time may be coming when we need to water that tree.

Here is some history we can all relate to...

2008-11-06T11:33:00.004-06:00

How many of you know about the Boston Tea Party? Not that it happened, hopefully anyone with a junior high education is aware of the incident. But how many of you know the real reason, the true cause of this bold and seditious act against His Majesties Government?

Well, it was the same thing that has been on the lips of everyone from Presidential candidates to Joe The Plumber for months and painful months.

Taxes. Overtaxation, Unrestricted Taxation supported by a distant and hostile government, Taxation without representation.

This was the spark that ignited the powder keg that was the American Colonies in the late 1770's. And there is a good chance that it will be the same spark that ignites the 3rd American Revolution sometime in our not to distant future.

The chart at the top of this post was lifted (with all credit due) from a website called The Conservative Ledger (http://www.davidprocsal.net/ A great site, check it out). It shows that the tax burden in this country is carried, quite unfairly, by the top wage earners. Keep in mind this is % of a total, not dollars paid. A flat tax, the only truly fair kind of tax, would have the top wage earners paying larger dollar amounts, but not carrying more than their fair share of the tax burden.

How did taxation lead a group of America's best and brightest (the group responsible, the Sons Of Liberty included Paul Revere, Thomas Young, Joseph Warren, Alexander McDougall, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Isaac Sears, John Lamb, James Otis, Marinus Willett, John Adams, and Samuel Adams) to conduct an act of vandalism against the Crown? To take action against a government they had all been raised with and accepted since birth? To risk life and limb and take a stand against the most powerful force on earth?

Well, like most stories, this one is best told by Wikipedia:

The Boston Tea Party was an act of direct action protest by the American colonists against the British Government in which they destroyed many crates of tea belonging to the British East India Company on ships in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution and remains to this day one of the most iconic events in American history. The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767 angered colonists regarding British decisions on taxing the colonies despite a lack of representation in the Westminster Parliament. One of the protesters was John Hancock, a wealthy Bostonian. In 1768, Hancock's ship Liberty was seized by customs officials, and he was charged with smuggling. He was defended by John Adams, and the charges were eventually dropped. However, Hancock later faced several hundred more indictments.
Hancock organized a boycott of tea from China sold by the British East India Company, whose sales in the colonies then fell from 320,000 pounds (145,000 kg) to 520 pounds (240 kg). By 1773, the company had large debts, huge stocks of tea in its warehouses and no prospect of selling it because smugglers, such as Hancock, were importing tea from the Netherlands without paying import taxes. In response to this the British government passed the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Company to sell tea to the colonies directly and without "payment of any customs or duties whatsoever" in Britain, instead paying the much lower American duty. This tax break allowed the East India Company to sell tea for half the old price and cheaper than the price of tea in England, enabling them to undercut the prices offered by the colonial merchants and smugglers.
Many American colonists, particularly the wealthy smugglers, resented this favored treatment of a major company, which employed lobbyists and wielded great influence in Parliament. Protests resulted in both Philadelphia and New York, but it was those in Boston that made their mark in history. Still reeling from the Hutchinson letters, Bostonians suspected the removal of the Tea Tax was simply another attempt by the British parliament to squash American freedom. Samuel Adams, wealthy smugglers, and others who had profited from the smuggled tea called for agents and consignees of the East India Company tea to abandon their positions; consignees who hesitated were terrorized through attacks on their warehouses and even their homes. The first of many ships which arrived at the Boston harbor carrying the East India Company tea was Dartmouth arriving in late November 1773. A standoff ensued between the port authorities and the Sons of Liberty. Samuel Adams whipped up the growing crowd by demanding a series of protest meetings. Coming from both the city and outlying areas, thousands attended these meetings; every meeting larger than the one before. The crowds shouted defiance not only at the British Parliament, the East India Company, and Dartmouth but at Governor Thomas Hutchinson as well, who was still struggling to have the tea landed. On the night of December 16, the protest meeting, held at Boston's Old South Meeting House, was the largest yet seen. An estimated 8,000 people were said to have attended.

The owner of the Dartmouth and its captain agreed that the tea would be returned to England and similar promises were obtained from the owners of two more vessels en route, the Eleanor and the Beaver. However, Governor Hutchinson ordered the harbor to be blocked and he would not allow any tea-bearing vessels to leave until they had been unloaded. On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson's refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country". As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin's Wharf (in Boston Harbor), where lay Dartmouth and the newly-arrived Beaver and Eleanour. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the "Indians" were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 (£953,000, or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to waters of Boston harbor. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.

This event became a catalyst, emboldening the revolutionaries and leading to further acts of rebellion. Although I do not personally foment revolt against an unpopular government (though I reserve my right as an American to do so), I can fully understand the situation that our forefathers found themselves in. And although I hope it never comes to this, I can certainly sympathize with Sam Adams when on that cold December night in 1773, he said, "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country", and took action.

Election Day

2008-11-04T09:32:00.005-06:00

On January 21, 1981, in his first Inaugural Address, President Ronald Reagan said what I believe to be a prolific and powerful statement. He said, "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem."

Unfortunately, this is also one of the most overlooked viewpoints in politics. Most politicians (before and since) see government as a tool for curing our countries woes and steering it in their own chosen direction.

Keep this in mind as you hit the polls today. Maybe Ron was right. Instead of being a solution, maybe government is the biggest impedance to America truly being free. I am not advocating that we have no government, it is necessary to our survival in the world. However, we should remember that it is OUR government, not the politicians. It belongs to the people. And whomever we elect today, we as Americans should remind them of this fact. ***Editors note, Good job America, you have really screwed us now. Although I think both candidates sucked, you have chosen the one who assures bigger government, a larger tax burden, a weaker stance against our enemies and a continuation of our entitlement society. Indeed, we will truly reap what we have sown.

Cool Tool For Gear Fools

2008-11-02T08:01:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had this dilemma? You are getting ready to purchase a Molle vest, but you are not sure how much crap you can hang on it. Happens to me all the time. Well, my friends at the best gear store on the web ( www.opsgear.com) have solved that problem. They have an online tool that will let you choose a vest and then add virtual pouches to see what config works best. Here is what the Vestbuilder website says:

From OPSGEAR®, The Source Trusted by the Elite™, comes the Modular Vest Builder. This unique-in-the-world web application allows you to configure your vest layout, colors and accessories, quickly and easily. Choose from the highest quality MOLLE compatible packs and pouches on a variety of PALS webbing configured vests and harnesses. Remove the mystery by seeing your vest before you buy. Adding your configuration to your WWW.OPSGEAR.COM secure shopping cart is as easy as a click of a button.

How cool is that? I was concerned at first that the vest I has chosen might not be there, but their selection is quite large, including vests from:

5.11

Atlantco

Camelback

Condor

Leapers

Tac Force

It includes tactical vests, chest rigs and plate carriers. If the vest you choose has mounting areas on the back (my Ranger Rack does not) it displays the back as well.

Once you choose your vest in the correct color (yes, it has pics of every color your vest is offered in, for you fashion nuts who can't mix OD Green and ACU!) it takes you to a page with a scrolling selection of pouches on the right. The pouches are sortable by category (Ammo, Ordnance, Heavy or Light Utility) and by color (again, you can see how tacky a Multicam pouch looks on a black vest).

Clicking on a pic of a pouch will move it over to the large pic of your vest. You can then use the mouse to position it. This allows you to pull in multiple pouches and "try them out". For instance, not sure if you can fit a double mag pouch and an EMT pouch? Well, you can try both together to see if it fits. In addition, the pouches are layered in the order you click them. If you click a triple mag shingle, then a double grenade pouch, you can stack the grenade pouch on top of the mag pouch on your vest (as long as the lower pouch has Molle straps on it as well).

If you decide you don't want a pouch in the picture, simply drag it to the bottom of the page and leave it there. You can ignore it or access it later.

One word of caution, although Opsgear got the dimensions for the patches correct, this tool is no guarantee that the PALS webbing on your vest will match up exactly with the Molle straps on your pouch. Some tweaking or rearranging might be in order.

Vestbuilder is a great "Try Before You Buy" tool, and again, Opsgear is a great place to order gear from.

Vestbuilder can be accessed from the Opsgear website, or directly at http://www.vestbuilder.com/# .

The tool is Adobe Flash, so make sure it will run on your computer, then start building that vest!

Happy Halloween, all the Pagans are laughing at the Christians for dressing up!

2008-10-31T15:03:00.005-05:00

Just a few random musings for this most sanctified of Pagan holidays. Were you aware that there are billions of dollars of US military aircraft sitting in long term storage at Davis-Monthan AFB? Go to Google Maps, type in Davis Monthan and look at the satellite view. Here is a pic I pulled of a bunch of B-1 Lancers. These multi million dollar aircraft were originally cancelled by the Carter Administration in 1977 in favor of less expensive Cruise Missles. President Reagan reopened the program in 1981. These bombers were designed to deliver a nuclear payload on out dirty Communist enemies, and while I am all about that, their 283.1 Million dollar price tags (yes, that is per plane) has me wondering if we are best served by them sitting in the desert. I am all for a strong defense, heck I think we should be bombing Syria and North Korea as we speak, but before our military is allowed to purchase one more single aircraft, I think someone needs to ask them why there are A-10 Thunderbolts, F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles, F/A-18 Hornets and B-1 Lancers sitting in this huge military "used car lot" in Arizona. I understand why we keep a large inventory of older planes there. We have a legitimate need to supply parts for our allies who still use these older aircraft, but why is all the new stuff out there? Someone has to answer for how my tax dollars are being spent!

Something non-political for a change!

2008-10-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

I was going to write a review of the Gerber ASEK/LMF knife, but I found an excellent review by Bob Galvin at http://www.policeone.com/police-products/duty-gear/knives/press-releases/120430/. I received this knife as a Christmas gift from my son and I have never owned a better knife for all around "chores". It is practically unbreakable, keeps a good edge and is short enough to use for prying and cutting and not have to worry about skewering yourself on accident. If you need a fixed blade knife, this is the one to have in your BOB or on your belt.

I don't think I could put it any better than Bob did, so with all due credit, here is his review:

Case Study: New Gerber LMF II Tactical Knife Proves Versatile Ally in the Field

No one will argue that a good quality knife must be standard equipment in military or tactical situations. The question becomes one of how well the knife being used can multi-task. Today's tactical knife isn't just a tool, but really an extension of its user. The knife must perform a variety of tasks superbly, efficiently and quickly. After all, time and human life are precious in the tactical world. This partly explains why the new LMF 2 Infantry Knife from Gerber Legendary Blades (Portland, Oregon) was designed. The bigger reason was that two years ago the U.S. Army came to Gerber asking for a "pilot's knife" to be made. Specifically, the Army wanted a survival knife for use among pilots involved in a helicopter crash. Up until then, existing survival knives, and even their sheaths, just weren't performing. To ensure that the new knife would perform, the Army issued a daunting list of 30 design criteria to be met for what it calls the "ASEK" (Aircrew Survival & Egress Knife). And, of course, the knife had to be affordable for any GI using it.

Heavy Buttcap Pierces Glass, Skulls; Is a Hammer
What the Army got was a knife that not only met its design criteria, but that is a durable, all-purpose tactical knife that makes survival a priority above all. Several design features make the LMF 2 a particularly staunch knife. The 5-inch stainless steel blade has a 3/16" thickness, and a Rockwell Hardness C Scale rating of 58. The blade also has a high length-of-arc to provide an increased cutting edge. As for the LMF 2's intended purpose of providing quick egress in a downed helicopter situation, there are holes drilled through the blade and handle to allow lashing a spear. But the more noticeable "egress" design feature of this knife is the unique buttcap. It is the heavy end of the knife, made of stainless steel, and, with a point at its end, capable of breaking 1" helicopter Plexiglass or even skulls. Also, the buttcap is physically separated from the knife's tang by handle substrate material. This design gives the buttcap terrific shock absorption when it's used as a hammer and electrically isolates the blade from the buttcap.
Still another bonus with the LMF 2 knife is a removable and replaceable carbide sharpener built right into the sheath. The sheath itself is easily detachable from the vest plate and can be used as a handle when using the buttcap to hammer.

Blade Sharpness Withstands Abuse
Just how important these performance features are for Gerber's new tactical knife can be seen in comments from soldiers using the LMF 2. A retired SEAL, who is presently an independent contractor in Iraq, for example, gave high marks to the new knife after he had several tactical officers conduct rigorous testing. "One classic story is of a sniper team in Iraq that used the knife to knock a hole through a solid brick wall to create a shooting lane to the intended target," the SEAL said. "While the job took a while to complete, using both ends of the weapon, minor damage to the blade incurred that was quickly fixed by the sharpener on the blade's sheath."
The LMF 2's buttcap also was put through its paces during this trial test. "The skull crusher is a favorite for every use, including minimum non-lethal force control of prisoners (arm bars or pressure holds), breaching vehicle windows and basic locks, and, of course, lethal hand-to-hand combat," the SEAL continued. He added that the knife's rubber-coated hand grip creates a secure hold on the blade during the worst conditions.
Blade durability was a highlight of the LMF 2's tour of duty so far in Iraq. "It (the blade) needed hardly any maintenance, and stayed sharp without having to take time out of my day to sharpen it," the SEAL reveals. Such accolades don't get any better when you consider that the LMF 2 was deployed in more than 60 training exercises and 130 world combat missions. Sometimes, a knife can be the best tool or weapon, if not the only one, a soldier has at a given moment. Perhaps the SEAL sums it up best: "I would hate to be on E&E without my LMF 2."

Bob Galvin is a Portland, Oregon freelance writer, based in Portland, Oregon, who writes about various law enforcement/tactical/military tools and technologies, and their applications.

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