09:24 – Amazon’s big sale seems to have sputtered. From what I saw yesterday during several visits to the site, I think “epic fail” is a reasonable description. On the other hand, Walmart’s supposed big sale didn’t seem like much either. The only thing I noticed is that they’ve reduced the required order amount for free shipping from $50 to $35. This supposed duel of the titans turned out to be a fizzle.
Not that it really matters. Between Amazon and Walmart we can at reasonable prices get pretty much everything we need other than fresh foods without even leaving the house. I got email the other day from a prepper who said that, other than firearms, he’d managed to buy everything on-line that he needed to equip his family for year and, other than a trip to the LDS Home Storage Center to haul home literally a ton of dry staples in #10 cans and Mylar pouches, about 95% of that came from just Amazon and Walmart. And he could actually have ordered all the LDS HSC stuff on-line as well, albeit at much higher prices to cover shipping.
I’m still building science kits, which’ll be the story of my life until September or October. Just finding enough out-of-the-way places to stack the finished kits awaiting shipping is non-trivial.
The situation in Greece doesn’t bear talking about. The Greek government voted yesterday to give in completely to the Troika, which bought them nothing other than the EU agreeing to open talks about maybe funding another bail-out. The cynicism on both sides is incredible. The Greeks have agreed to everything the EU is demanding, but as usual the Greeks have absolutely no intention of complying. Promise them anything, and then just do what you want. The EU, on the other hand, has no intention of funding yet another large scale bailout. All the EU wants to do is maintain the figleaf that the Greeks are solvent and will repay their debts, neither of which is true. The one inexplicable thing in all this mess is why the Greeks seem so determined to remain in the euro, when it should be obvious to anyone that the only sensible thing to do is leave the euro, default on all of their debts, and return to the drachma.
10:36 – I think the main reason the Greeks haven’t already explicitly defaulted on all of their debts and returned to the drachma is simple fear of the unknown. Oh, I’m sure that wanting the rest of Europe to continue subsidizing their profligacy plays a part, but it must be obvious to anyone that those days are over. Europe is no longer willing to prop up the Greeks as they continue to consume much more than they produce. At this point, simple fear of the unknown must be the major factor.
Being a Viking-American, I forget that many people, perhaps most, are afraid of the unknown. That manifests in many ways, from the trivial–like refusing to try a new food because you might not like it–to the profound, such as refusing to prepare for emergencies because it’s more pleasant just to not think about the possibility. I don’t want to think about it, either, but not thinking about it doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. And if (when) it happens, I’d rather have thought about it beforehand and taken what steps I can to minimize its impact on Barbara and me, our family, and our friends.
Of course the situation in Greece doesn’t bear talking about. Hindmost has “negotiated” a treaty with Iran where Iran gets everything they want, and we get nothing. That would be worth talking about if there were something we could do.
If Congress did its job, they’d already have impeached, convicted, and executed that son of a bitch for high treason. But expecting Congress to do its job is about as unrealistic as expecting Barack Hussein Obama to put US interests first.
So far only silence from the usual rabid left online sites on the Iran deal; they’re still harping about Confederate flags, the Planned Parenthood “hoax,” and our clown show electoral politics. They must be twisted in knots, like the Murkan Jewish population; their guy Obummer negotiated the deal, but gee whiz, their boy Bibi is apoplectic over it. What to do, what to do…
I figger the IDF can handle the Iranians and then we can get right down to brass tacks with India, Pakistan and North Korea, amirite???
The ensuing riots would make Ferguson and Baltimore look like block parties.
Checked three of the MSM sites and they are all ‘explaining’ the PP video. It was “hidden camera” “secretly recorded” “well funded anti-abortion group” “heavily edited”
“but…did they do anything wrong?”
Talking points memo…
nick
The urban riots of the 1960s already make the Ferguson and Baltimore capers look like block parties but only us old farts remember them, alternating on the evening news with ‘Nam footage of the week’s body counts. Walter Cronkite, and Huntley and Brinkley.
Any of our last few Presidents coulda and shoulda been tried and convicted for treason, by the way. And/or war crimes. It ain’t just this p.o.s. in the WH now.
Off for dump run and my last CPT session at the VA, thus missing this week’s group meeting, oh well, they can manage without little ol’ me. Then back here for more yard and porch work, another fine northern Vermont summuh day, looks like.
I once joked that President Obama should be careful, because he might accidentally make peace happen in the Middle East. How scared do the Saudis and Israelis have to be to decide to discreetly work together to attack Iran?
The one inexplicable thing in all this mess is why the Greeks seem so determined to remain in the euro, when it should be obvious to anyone that the only sensible thing to do is leave the euro, default on all of their debts, and return to the drachma.
Perhaps there is a secret codicil to the current agreement to do just that. It takes time to print the physical money needed to keep the economy going, and this agreement give them time (and some cash) to do that. Or perhaps not.
I had the most wonderful dream last night. Today Obola is supposed to visit a Federal Prison. I dreamed he was being shown an isolation cell when the door slammed behind him and he was notified that he was being arrested for High Crimes and Misdemeanors and that he was no longer in charge. His entourage were shown to their own cells while in DC the U.S. Marshals picked up Biden, most of Congress, and most of SCOTUS. At that point I awoke with a start as a fire engine passed by our house. Maybe tonight I’ll dream the final chapter.
BTW, IMHO, there is no peaceful or organized way out of the mess we are in. The times that will try men’s souls is about to be upon us.
You youngsters that are not of OFD’s and my generation have no idea what civil unrest really is. You had to be there. You also need to have shit (literally) thrown at you simply because you were in the “evil baby killing” Military.
I hope you guys are wrong, but I fear you’re right. As I said, I’m (we’re) getting too old for this shit. If things do go badly wrong, I just want to be somewhere away from all the crap and prepared to get through it.
The one really interesting phenomenon that I keep seeing in my email is what I’ll call wannabe prepper, which I guess is the prepper equivalent of mall ninjas. These folks seem to realize that bad times may be coming. Many of them have spent lots of time reading prepper websites and books. They have lists of stuff that they intend to buy or do all organized. But they’re not actually doing anything about it. I’m not talking about people who can’t afford it. They’re doing the best they can with what resources they have available. They may have only a month’s worth of food and water stored, but they’re adding to that as funds become available. I’m talking about folks like most of us, who have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars in ready liquidity, and are just sitting and planning what they’ll do Real Soon Now.
“How scared do the Saudis and Israelis have to be to decide to discreetly work together to attack Iran?”
They’ve already been cooperating on this for a while now. Ditto Jordan. And previously Turkey and Syria but I doubt that’s going on anymore. We’ll happily and “discreetly” provide air and intel cover for a strike, of course.
“…no idea what civil unrest really is. You had to be there.”
I can describe it in one word: PANIC. And peeps will do just about anything. Mass craziness. “Perfect fear casteth out love.”
“You also need to have shit (literally) thrown at you simply because you were in the “evil baby killing” Military.”
I never got spat on or had stuff thrown at me, but boy oh boy did I get “sent to Conventry.” Radioactive. And after I got home, utter and total indifference. I caught a replay of that behavior during my time at grad skool in New Jersey, like walking on eggshells every day, being a straight white married Catholic-Christian veteran. And that was a quarter-century ago! Imagine what it’s like now!
“I hope you guys are wrong…”
I hope so, too, sincerely. And I will be the first guy to step up and admit what a silly fool I’ve been if everything just keeps rolling along more or less pretty well. But I just don’t see how this country can keep all its balls in the air much longer. Maybe we’re too big to fail, and the Fed will just keep printing fiat money and kicking various cans down the road indefinitely, but sooner or late some rather nasty chickens are coming home to roost.
And then we’ll see who the sunshine soldiers and summer patriots are and whether or not they’ll ever get off their asses.
Hey RBT, you order from Wal-Mart pretty often. I have only ordered a few times, and am wondering: have any of your orders been fulfilled by Zoro? Herein lies a short story.
I use a type of automotive antifreeze that is only available at one place in our little town, and at a high price, so I went looking for a better deal. Near the top of the search list was Wal-Mart, but that product has never been available in our small local store. I expected to be able to order it and pick it up in the store for no shipping cost, but NO! Now it is “Sold by Zoro.” IIRC, there was a shipping charge (can’t verify that now, because the WM site tells me shipping will be calculated at check out, what a PITA.) I blew it off and went to another site, where I got the same price with free shipping, so I decided to give them my business. My order of several gallons arrived quickly and without incident. Zoro came through, despite so-so customer reviews; I had never heard of them before. A bit surprising that I can get heavy stuff delivered to my door at a better price than at large “discount” auto parts supplier. BTW, the auto parts suppliers also have a free shipping to the store deal, but the price is still higher than I paid. Good lesson.
Speaking of customer loyalty (?), I am loyal to the supplier who gives me the best deal, and prefer to patronize the up and coming small ones wherever possible. WM has good in-store prices, but IMO their web site is pretty poor. Searching for something from inside the site is horrible, with many false hits, probably designed to get people to look at stuff they didn’t think they wanted. With few exceptions, the old line B&M stores just don’t seem to get it. One notable exception is JC Penney, whose site is great (does vary from time to time) for men’s clothing. I can filter by lots of criteria, including size, and only see what will fit me. Try that in a B&M store. My favorite question to a store employee is “Why are tall people’s clothes always on the bottom shelf?” Oooh, that implies that short people’s clothes are on the top shelf where they can’t reach them, an obvious micro aggression.
Now for the “real” sign of the times:
Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner receives ESPY award for *courage*. Best quote on Twitter:
So Caitlyn Jenner kills someone in a car crash and gets an award for courage? Man I got to get a reality show to win that Nobel Peace Prize
And Costco sucks cause a couple of celebutards say so:
Hollywood star Brad Pitt and Bill Maher come out fighting against big-box chain Costco slamming them for selling cage-reared chickens and their eggs
Forget about Iran, Greece, Obola. The above is what’s important and reported by the MSM.
I am not a fan of Walmart, but their selection is reasonable and their prices are usually extremely competitive. We just resigned from Sam’s Club because their prices are generally higher than both Costco and Walmart and they don’t offer free shipping on most things.
Everything I’ve ordered from Walmart has come from Walmart, other than Augason Farms stuff, which is almost always shipped directly by Augason Farms in Utah. My most recent order came from Walmart, which leads me to think they’ve begun actually stocking AF products for on-line sales.
We all need to move into Public Housing in order to get Google Fiber:
http://fortune.com/2015/07/15/google-fiber-public-housing/
Obola is buying votes again.
IMHO, anyone receiving any form of Public Assistance loses their right to vote. And Social Security and Medicare are not Public Assistance if a person has worked and “earned” it.
“Forget about Iran, Greece, Obola. The above is what’s important and reported by the MSM.”
You forgot the Confederate flag, what a huge asshole Trump is for messing things up, and the Josh Duggar sexual abuse scandal. Also gay rights. Did I mention gay rights?
““Why are tall people’s clothes always on the bottom shelf?””
That’s pissed me off for decades. And now more than ever, with creaky knees and sore back. WTF is wrong with people?
Our friend Fred has run afoul of Google. Good thing RBT doen’t use Google Ad-no-Sense.
http://fredoneverything.org/googled-gobbled-and-throttled-the-road-to-samizdat/
“““Why are tall people’s clothes always on the bottom shelf?””
That’s pissed me off for decades. And now more than ever, with creaky knees and sore back. WTF is wrong with people?”
Wow, look at all dem quotes! Actually, some marketing bonehead prolly decided that the shelves looked better that way. Cretins.
“These folks seem to realize that bad times may be coming. Many of them have spent lots of time reading prepper websites and books. They have lists of stuff that they intend to buy or do all organized. But they’re not actually doing anything about it. ”
For some people, buying the book is equivalent to reading the book.
What I mean is they think they ARE prepping, just by reading about it and making lists. I admit I suffered from something like this years ago. I would buy technical books, and then never read them. Just having them made me feel better, without having to do the work.
LOTS of people think they are prepping when they read about doing it. That’s why I’ve been hammering on the idea that you have to actually TRY and USE this stuff; especially the “simple, basic” stuff that “everyone knows.” It’s very clear that a lot of people (and I include myself for many things) are going to be rudely surprised if they ever do need their “preps.”
The companion to this is “paralysis by analysis.” Lots of people, especially in forums, get caught up in the minutia of the gear. They will spend so much time and energy debating the merits of particular flashlights *cough* or pistols that they never buy one. And then they sit and curse the dark.
For the last several months I’ve been pushing against that HARD in other places. One guy, after spending time and energy debating the advisability of storing water in plastic bottles in your vehicle, due to the possible effects of BPA or other toxic chemical seepage in the long run, said, “well isn’t that what makes these forums fun? Debating the merits of this stuff and looking at the details?” NO!!! It’s why you still don’t have any F-ING water in your truck! Actual experience shows that if it’s in your truck your hardest problem will be remembering to replace it after you drink it, and besides, you will drink water from a MUD PUDDLE after the 2nd day without, so quit arguing and BUY SOME F-ING WATER!
In seriousness, those folks need to be converted to ACTION. The more prepared people, the fewer zombies roaming the wasteland, and the fewer demands on the rest of us. Once they start, they will likely continue. It’s that first real ACTION though, that really brings the situation home. Until then, it’s only a intellectual exercise. Buying freeze drieds says, “yeah, I really believe this is happening. I’m spending money and time.”
Being in a hurricane area makes this a little easier for me. Everyone knows hurricanes actually happen. And MOST can be convinced that some preparation will make it easier when it does INEVITABLY happen. It’s the inevitably part that gives them the excuse they need. WE may think an economic collapse is inevitable, but most don’t. We may think things can’t go on, but most don’t. Many of them feel silly acting on their vague fears. It’s our job, if you accept that, to let them know it’s not silly, or fringe. They need the mental ‘permission’ to act. And once they start, they can easily get sucked into doing more.
nick
RBT, thanks for your post on WM.
Now, one more thing: would you consider putting an “up” arrow on this site, like Jerry’s and Brian’s? Sure would help us who use small devices that lack the equivalent of a keyboard with Home and End keys. Oh, maybe also a “down” arrow? Never seen one, but it could be handy. I like to go directly between days using the links near the top of the pages, then go to the bottom to see if there are any new posts. Scrolling manually is tedious. Thanks.
My knees are 10-15 years being able to squat down and look at stuff on the bottom shelf. So I have to sit down, look at stuff and then push myself up… 🙁
“Getting Old is Hell” ™.
Tall clothes are on the bottom shelves for the same reason store brands and cheap commodity items are on the bottom shelves. There are fewer buyers for them, or they make the store less money.
There is a LOT of art and science behind where products go on the shelves.
So helpful hint- if you are looking for something in a store and you don’t know where to look, if it’s cheap or commodity, look low (flour, rubbing alcohol). If name brand or high margin, look at eye level and slightly below (and look for more ‘faces’- multiples of the product in a row). If high margin, low volume look on top of the shelves (small appliances at the grocery store, forex.) End caps are almost always for promotional items or items the store receives extra money to promote. In a well laid out store, everyday purchases will be in the back, so you get two opportunities to walk past the discretionary stuff.
Costco is always moving stuff around, as they find out where it sells well. They also get money from manfs to put their products in certain locations (in other words, they sell preferential placement to the manfs.)
nick
“Streaming services losing big bucks to password sharing”
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2015/07/streaming-services-losing-big-bucks-to-password-sharing/
“It’s no secret that streaming TV and movies services like Netflix, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime have a lot of viewers who aren’t paying customers. They’re “sharing” the login credentials of friends and family who are cable subscribers.”
I wish I understood why people did this. We go to great extremes to prevent this by our customers in a much higher dollar market.
@Jim, I use the ‘recent comments’ at the top right of the page to check back and forth between days.
nick
“return to top” button would be handy but will it work properly on your little displays? My little displays rarely deal with formatting or floating buttons properly.
I usually grab the window handle and drag it back to the top rather than scrolling.
“Shooting at Chattanooga Naval Reserve Center – One Officer Down”
look at the pic posted on twitter by nbc, and read the comments. That is what we are dealing with in the world today.
https://twitter.com/NBCNightlyNews/status/621714548521877504/photo/1
WTF is the prone cop aiming at? He has a tree and another COP in front of him.
And wtf is wrong with people?
Anthony @tonytl69 22m22 minutes ago
@NBCNightlyNews @CapehartJ A random public shooting. Anyone want to guess what color he is? #AngryWhiteMan
I guess that’s opposed to another poorly aimed ghetto shooting, where we are almost always left to guess what color the perp is because of media bias.
Or this one?
wjappe @wjappe 40m40 minutes ago
@NBCNightlyNews Why does it seem that most shooter events are in or near military related places?
WTF is this @sshat thinking? MOST? How about 2. One was a disgruntled employee which is why he chose the base, and the other was muslim terrorism, and MOST DEFINITELY NOT an angry white man.
nick
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3164129/Active-shooter-situation-a.html
also, according to witnesses, the shooter DROVE AWAY, so WTF is with the prone cop anyway?
No the real reason Costco or any other store moves things around is to get you to change your shopping pattern and buy more. And yes, shelf position is what sells and it is called “slotting” and companies pay for middle shelf and endcap position. Pity the stockboy (sexist and I don’t care) who gives a product more or less facings than the distributor has paid for.
“High-Risk Areas for Lyme Disease in NY, Conn. Growing: CDC Study”
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Lyme-Disease-Growing-High-Risk-Areas-Northeast-Connecticut-New-York-315477601.html
Hey OFD, did you see this? Vermont is the new hot spot for Lyme. I am beginning to think that we are not going to make it out of this world alive.
For those who do not know, my daughter has had Lyme disease for over a decade now. It is horribly debilitating. And more and more people are reporting that they are fighting it also. For some reason, it seems to affect women much more than men.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3042047/Avril-Lavigne-reveals-fight-diagnosed-Lyme-Disease-took-EIGHT-MONTHS-feels-stronger.html
https://www.amytan.net/lyme-disease.html
Today I ordered a million gallons of water, the most important consumable, from Amazon (a Sawyer Products SP191 Point Zero Two Bucket Purifier Assembly Kit with Faucet Adapter). Since we live right on the fourth largest river (by volume, according to http://www.riversimulator.org/Resources/Statistics/RiversDamsReservoirsHydropower.pdf) in the U.S. it will be easier to keep the purifier than to try to keep bottled water. We have a few gallons of bottled water. This will give us an unlimited supply. We can get fresh fish from the river to supplement our stored food. Assuming the Cascadia Subduction zone doesn’t get us, we should be ok.
Rick in Portland
Now MrsAtoz wants to move to Padre Island, Tejas, to live. She’s not a prepper or in a prepping mind. I can’t blame her. She can get so much work with no sight in end sucking Obola bucks out of schools, she could work till she drops. We just got a $250K school contract in the bankrupt city of Bernardino. We just completed a $100K contract with them. Gummint bucks never end.
My new prep is to dig a big hole and pull it in after me. Maybe bring the new weiner dog pup with me for company. He can dig our way out when the new Eden blooms.
Nothin’ cuter than weiner dog pups!
It’s been a couple of years since I got to the local weiner dog races, but I’ll be looking for the next one. They kids should get a kick out of it.
nick
NB: weiner dog races are held on the horseracing track between races. If you can imagine the ‘low slung’ pups running in the deep soft sand of the horse track, you can see how much fun that would be to watch.
edit; dang, missed them this year.
edit: ah the magic of the internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRzN-HHHj_c
“‘Boys think I’m disgusting and weird’: 14-year-old transgender Jazz Jennings shares heartbreaking details of her struggle to fit in with her fellow teens in new reality series”
No $hit sherlock. You are. Especially to a 14 yo boy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3163146/Boys-just-think-m-disgusting-weird-Transgender-teen-Jazz-Jennings-14-shares-heartbreaking-details-struggle-fit-fellow-teens-new-reality-series.html
nick
Regarding the ‘up arrow’ thing: if Robert would change his theme to the “Mantra” theme (like I advised when the googles started to use mobile responsiveness as a search result ranking factor), he would get the up arrow, and a responsive theme so that the site would be readable on any device.
Mantra is quite customizable. It is what I used for both of Dr. Pournelle’s sites ( http://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/ and http://www.chaosmanorreports.com ).
I have also used it for many other sites ( http://www.johndbrown.com ) and my own.
If you had NO guns at all and you convinced your spouse to let you buy one (not too pricey). What is the one gun you would have for home defense and SHTF?
I’m all for eating all natural foods and encouraging organic agriculture and I don’t delight in the unnecessary mistreatment of animals for consumption. I like to think that I’m putting something pure (“as nature intended it”) into my body. However, I’m also a realist. There are 7.2 billion people on the planet right now. We already struggle to feed many of them. What’s going to happen when the population is say 20 billion?
GMOs, synthetic foods, feed lots, and the like are the only thing that’s going to keep the world from starving 100 years from now (assuming something else doesn’t happen in the meantime to put a serious dent in world population). When people have genuine concern over when they might get their next meal they’ll stop giving a shit how all natural, organic, and ethical it is.
As sci-fi as it sounds, I am in total agreement with Stephen Hawking that the only way to preserve the human race is to colonize other worlds and we should be devoting vast amounts of resources toward developing and implementing technologies toward that end. Right now all of humanity’s eggs are in one basket and we keep adding more eggs when we should be making more baskets.
I’d go with a shotgun.
and…
Soylent Green!
If I could just make that change in control panel and have everything just work, I’d do it. But I’m afraid I’d break something or have to do a lot of customization, and I really don’t have time for that, particularly now. Nor do I want to pay someone to manage what’s really just a personal site.
For most people, I’d recommend either an inexpensive pump shotgun (the Maverick 88 is essentially a Mossberg 500; very reliable and can be bought for under $200) or a .22 autoloader (the Marlin Model 60 is around $160 and has a tube magazine, which you can reload very quickly with a $20 Spee-D-Loader.) I bought two of each of these last autumn as “spare” guns.
The Maverick 88 comes only in 12 gauge. A 12-gauge has more recoil than many people are comfortable with, so I’d suggest you try shooting one with heavy loads before you buy a bunch of slugs or buckshot rounds. You can get reduced-power buckshot and slugs that have recoil more like a 20-gauge, which most people can handle. Alternatively, you can buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 in 20-gauge, although they run $100 to $150 more than the Maverick 88.
Pump shotgun, don’t put the pistol grip on it, take a shotgun operator’s class.
It’s versatile, you can use a variety of ammo, slugs, birdshot (little BBs), or 00 (big BBs.)
Don’t believe the meme that you don’t have to aim with a shotgun, you do, but long guns are easier to aim than pistols.
The downside is using it in a confined space like a hallway or a vehicle.
The upside is everyone knows the sound of racking a shotgun.
nick
PS, you will spend 2-3 times the cost of a basic weapon on training and ammo in the first year. If you don’t, you aren’t doing it right.
Agreed.
Robert;
Mantra theme is good; used it for a long time. Very stable. Easy to customize.
Install, change the header (via the Customization panel), set up some colors you like, add or set your menu, then all is good. Your site is not that fancy, so styling changes are minimal. Might take 15 minutes if you are slow.
I can do it for you if you want; just need access. But 15 minutes would do it.
“The upside is everyone knows the sound of racking a shotgun.”
My Wife finds that sound most pleasing when she does that at the range. Says she feels like the Terminator.
Says she feels like the Terminator.
She’ll be baaack!
“CHATTANOOGA SHOOTING: 4 MARINES KILLED in GUN FREE ZONE (Video) — Shooter: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez”
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/07/chattanooga-shooting-4-marines-killed-in-gun-free-zone-video/
I am beginning to think that you need to stay out of gun free zones. And, that is not a legal gun free zone sign here in The Great State of Texas.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/06/robert-farago/texas-no-guns-allowed-signs-winning/
So considering the location it will not be a terrorist attack but workplace violence incited by the confederate flag.
“Hey OFD, did you see this? Vermont is the new hot spot for Lyme.”
I looked at that article real quick but saw VT mentioned barely at all, and if I had to guess, it would be counties in southern VT, near MA and CT. It’s called Lyme Disease due to its apparent “origin” near Lyme, CT, down near the CT coast. All of that is WAY south of here; we’re nearly on the Quebec border. No reports in this county.
“…We just completed a $100K contract with them. Gummint bucks never end.”
Wife up here also has apparently unlimited work ahead, with the big spender states being Kalifornia and Texas. This week’s happens to be in Michigan and next week’s PA, but the week after she’s back to Stockton, CA. I doubt, however, that Padre Island will be in any way, shape or form, preferable to Lost Wages as a prep-worthy site. Isn’t that kind of a hurricane alley?
“What is the one gun you would have for home defense and SHTF?”
I used to say a shotgun, preferably 12-gauge, but not anymore. They’re hard to maneuver for smaller people, like womyn, esp. on stairs and around corners and in and out of vehicles, and also have some pretty good recoil. Hunting would be close-range game or slugs for deer-sized game. So you’d have to have a good variety of lots of ammo.
So I’m gonna go with the AR platform. Lightweight, negligible recoil and noise, easy to slide around corners and on stairs and in and out of vehicles with a bit of practice, and shit-loads of accessory options and ubiquity of ammo. Plus you can always swap out the upper for another caliber; good for hunting from close to several hundred yards out, ditto for defense.
“So considering the location it will not be a terrorist attack but workplace violence incited by the confederate flag.”
…and yet another message of hate sent by those still clinging bitterly to their guns and religion…probable homophobes…
Don’t they still have the murders at Fort Hood classified as “workplace violence” and didn’t they jump right on that almost as soon as it happened? That would be upper brass making that decision, which is why I have not much trouble imagining that the same brass would dictate nutritional guidelines from Moochelle for the swabbies. Just like they streamlined various training procedures for womyn, and this was done in the LE field, too.
Latest on yet another adherent of the ‘religion of peace:’
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/07/daniel-zimmerman/muhammad-youssef-abduazeez-murders-four-marines-wounds-one-police-officer/#more-365701
Perhaps we should just round up everyone with a first name of Muhammad and send them back to the land of sand. Or, better yet, lock them in a stadium with Westboro Baptist Church and call it an extremist cage match.
I like the cage match plan; naked with straight razors and blowtorches.
But throw in lawyers, politicians, banksters and financial wizards, too, make it more interesting and fun. Grand Finale with SJWs and prominent prog grievance pimps.
Be interesting to see how they dance around this shooting NOT being a terrorist act, though.
I’m not sure ancestry has much to do with it. I always attributed my lack of fear of uncertainty to my utter self confidence. I’m sure I can deal with anything, and will continue to be sure of it until I’m provably wrong, and I suspect that point won’t be reached until my dying breath.
Of course, you might mean Viking-American to refer to attitude rather than ancestry. In that case, I agree.
Oh, hell no! You say “urban unrest”, I say “no bag limit”.
Where arms are forbidden, a wise man is armed.
Weapons are not forbidden for your benefit.
Um… have you seen any of those WBC assmunchers? Let alone any guys named Mohammad? Different strokes for different folks and all that, but c’mon!
Traveler accosts Abbott on gay marriage, gets bumped from flight:
http://readingeagle.com/ap/article/traveler-accosts-abbott-on-gay-marriage-gets-bumped-from-flight&template=mobileart
This dude is lucky the Texas state troopers did not strap him to the wing of the plane. You do not threaten a state governor.
@Rick H, that johndbrown site sure looks beautiful… and functional. Jerry’s is certainly functional and businesslike. RBT’s is, well, functional. Sorry, Bob, but at least I say yours is functional, which, after all, is tops on MY list of web site characteristics. Your site’s real beauty lies in the ideas expressed! I really didn’t want to stir up any hornets, but have been thinking about that little up arrow ever since Jerry added his. I can certainly understand if it’s too much trouble. Oh, and I really hate the Return to Top text links that so many sites have all over them.
@nick, I understand about floaters (floaties?) not working on all devices, but most seem to work just fine on mine. I use Chrome on Android, and there doesn’t seem to be any “window handle”. Just checked Firefox, also on Android, and none there, either. Maybe I am missing something. On a desktop, I usually navigate with the keyboard instead of the mouse, so doesn’t matter there. As for the ‘recent comments’ in the top right of the page, I would still have to get there, and therein lies the problem. Again, I am eager to learn if I am missing something.
Although I really like my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 3,) a good desktop computer with a nice keyboard and a big monitor is occasionally really nice. Too bad they don’t fit in my pocket. I also don’t have enough extension cords. As Jerry once said about cameras, the best camera for the job is usually the one you have with you. 🙂
Regarding positioning stuff on shelves, I did know about that, but I just considered that tall people were in the majority (analyze that.) Aren’t we all tall? OK, OK…
Same thing about height and size. I shoot nothing but 12 gauge in shotguns (when I can borrow one; remember all mine seem to have been lost,) and consider the recoil to be OK. For my wife, who also shoots shotguns occasionally, slightly lighter loads are the ticket, and the extra weight of the gun also helps over smaller gauges. I would probably like some of those smaller gauges, but have never shot any. Once had a chance to buy a matched set of Winchester Model 12s in all gauges, but that was too rich for me. If only… but then, I would have been REALLY upset when that flood came 😉
OK, the kid down in Boston got the death penalty, though it’ll probably never happen, and likewise we’ll never get the full scoop on that caper.
Now this p.o.s. has a straight homicide verdict; let’s see what his sentence is and if they ever carry it out…
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/07/daniel-zimmerman/breaking-aurora-shooter-james-holmes-guilty-of-murder-in-first-degree/#comments
The reality show should be called “The Noble Peace Prize”. Contestants would do community organization challenges. The winner gets the prize and, we hope, a boost to whatever bogus, non-measurable career he has his heart set on.
(Sorry, can’t make any concrete suggestions for community organization challenges. I don’t know WTF a community organizer actually does other than soak up government grant dollars. I suspect I am not alone in my bafflement.)
If the Nobel people complain about demeaning the name Nobel and diminishing the value of their “brand”, well… I think they’d just be opening themselves up to a whole lot of mockery.
How the plunging price of oil has set off a new global contest
Peak oil is real! Everyone knows it! Just like Anthropogenic Global Warming is real! The science is settled! And DDT kills bald eagles! Anyone who denies it is a denier!
“…diminishing the value of their “brand”
One look at who they gave it to for Literature over the last few decades ought to be good for a laugh. Pretty much like any other prizes given out over the same time frame, Olympic medals, pro sports championships, the Pulitzer, etc., etc. All meaningless.
“Anyone who denies it is a denier!”
And by association, of course, on a moral level with Holocaust deniers. The lowest of the low. Beyond the Pale. Persona non grata.
They should at least be imprisoned, if not executed.
@ JimB
I usually browse from a desktop, so I use the mouse to grab the window slider and jump back to the top. When I’m using android, I just flick and scroll. I flick HARD and it moves most of the way. This is especially true if you zoom out first.
Have you looked at one of those little folding bluetooth keyboards? I’ve got one, but haven’t tried it with my lenovo tablet yet. If you are sitting still that might work. That was one thing apple got right, the keyboard in the case cover.
Another case of sudden jihadi syndrome. And the guy was here for probably 10 years and didn’t end up tamed and westernized. Semper Fi Marines, I wish you’d been armed.
nick
@OFD,
You make a good point for the AR, and I hesitated before saying “shotgun.” Then I went with conventional wisdom.
There is a lot to recommend an M4 style short and light AR15. It’s bloody loud and bright in the dark, just like the shotty, the charging handle makes a good sound, and it has a ton of ways to customize it.
It will cost a bit more, and then you need some more stuff like mags. It’s a bit more complex mechanically and in operation than the shotty, and while shorter, there are more bits sticking out that can make it seem bulky. If the gun grabbers come, the AR is going to be grabbed before a shotty, and you can probably find one for sale ‘person to person’ easier than an AR. Even with black plastic furniture, the shotty doesn’t look as “scary” to the neighbors as an AR.
One last thought is penetration. Household construction will not stop the 556, but should soak up a lot of the shot, especially lighter ‘home defense’ rounds. I’d have to check to be sure, but it feels that way to me….
nick
For inside the house, handguns of sufficient caliber.
Inside the house out to the doorways and yard, front, sides and rear; shotgun.
Stand-off beyond the yard, but still good inside the perimeter, the AR.
If faced with a choice of only ONE firearm, for hunting AND defense: I guess I’d have to go with the shotgun, then; making sure of disassembly, reassembly, regular maintenance, spare parts, sling, maybe ghost ring sights or a red-dot optic, maybe a light mount and light, and a WIDE variety of ammo, to include birdshot, buckshot and slugs.
So…without further ado…OFD’s winner firearm, given the parameters involved:
http://www.mossberg.com/category/series/500/500-flex/
Ha ha! Every news site I look at has the country club Redumblicans attacking The Mighty Trump ™. Even Perry is whining. McCain says he brought out the crazies. Wow, how he loves his party. Ass hats want crimmigrants to become citizens to vote against TMT. I’d love to have Trump over anybody else in the field. Especially Hildebeast.
Trump 2016! “The Savior Is Here ™ “
Hey, I’m digging the show, too! Got my Moxie and pretzels lined up and having boffo laffs every day now! I knew we would, and much more to come, too!
The Dems are laughing and enjoying Trump giving the RINO clowns hissy fits, but their show is coming up, as Sanders does the same to Field Marshal Rodham, who looks more and more like death warmed over every day; hell, Bernie looks healthier by far!
Sanders versus Trump 2016!
Thanks, nick. Yes, I flick, and flick, and… it takes a few flicks on days with 61 comments like today. On the desktop, I simply tap the Home key. No scroll bar sliding for me 🙂
Old habits die hard. I really am lazy, and like the economy of motion of a keyboard, but toting one for my phone justs seems a bit much, like those people who carry a mouse with their notebook computers. Their choice, but I actually like touchpads. At least enough to use one when that is all I have. Long time readers here might remember I actually have an original Cirque Cat, a touchpad for a desktop computer. Used it for about four months, until the novelty wore off. Now it is in a drawer with other forgotten curiosities. Right next to my cordless, batteryless mouse and the graphics tablet it needs. The tablet is nice for those rare occasions when I need to draw. Soon to be joined by the stylus that came with my Note 3. I also used that once to attempt to draw something.
Set in my ways? Naw, not me! Typing this on one of my ancient OmniKey Ultra keyboards, with the Ctrl key where God intended it (to quote Jerry.)
My wife’s business is closed for three weeks for repainting and other renovations. Painters in the house today, sanding down the woodwork. The joys of being a teacher, I can work at home over the summer, but I have a pile of lectures that have to be re-worked for the Fall. Gonna be hard to concentrate today…
I’m not following the US election runup much, but it sounds like the usual: Republican candidates are busily annihilating each other, while the Democrats have already designated Hillary! for the win. Which means it’s gonna be Hillary!
An outsider like Trump, just like Perot, has no chance. He could spend billions, but the aristocracy will find a way to bring him down. In Perot’s case, they threatened his daughter (exactly what really went down…is an interesting question). In the worst case, if he really gains traction and they can’t find a handle, I put nothing past them: election fraud, even assassination.
That was one thing apple got right, the keyboard in the case cover.
Microsoft did the same thing with their Surface and Surface Pro machines. Not a great keyboard but much better than the virtual keyboard on the iPad. I do have a BT keyboard for the iPad but don’t carry it much. Having a keyboard in the cover/case is a much better option.
RE: the Mantra theme.
I tried it out on a site I manage. Simple (not as clean as yours, but close). I even use the same basic layout. The longest time I spent was downloading. You would probably spend more time cleaning up the colors (because you don’t really use any). The estimate of 15 minutes is probably realistic.
NOT that I’m complaining about your site. I didn’t miss that arrow until it was mentioned. I wanted to try it out because I’m new to WordPress and the arrow might be nice for my viewers.
Well, assuming this is working for everyone as it is for me, I actually spent only about 15 seconds rather than 15 minutes. I hope everyone is happy with it.
RBT – WOW, new look. At first I thought your site had been hijacked. I’ll get used to it.
Since there is some talk about “gear” here is my mobile computing “kit”:
For my laptops I always use this Logitech wireless trackball (I hate trackpads):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043T7FXE
For my smartphone and tablets I recently added this neat folding portable keyboard. It is metal skinned. Connects via Bluetooth and works great. I especially like the Windows, Android, and iOS function key that brings out features specific to the platform. BTW it is currently on sale:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YWLJNPQ
Excellent choice. That’s what we have as well. One caution. Do not use it until you need it unless you’re absolutely sure you can keep the unit from freezing. If it’s been used and then freezes, the integrity of the filter is destroyed.
@Rick H
Thanks for recommending the Mantra theme. That saved me some research. Thanks also for the encouragement and support.
and to add to the one gun discussion,
one of my favorite prepper blogs picks up the issue
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/
His choice, Glock 19. I will say that for self defense vs hunting it might be a better choice for the reasons he gives. In total collapse, grid down, zombie land, you will want some more range. I find it hard to argue against his reasoning.
And the easy way out is to recommend getting one of each! Pistol, rifle, shotgun.
nick
(the reason I like the blog so much is the comments. I don’t read comments on many sites, but there is a real community there.)
I shy away from recommending a pistol on several grounds, not least of which is cost. IIRC, the original query specified inexpensive, and a .22 autoloader with a tube meets that (Ruger 10/22 magazines add up fast), as does the Maverick 88.
Also, achieving basic proficiency with a pistol is non-trivial to say the least. I’ve taught combat pistol to quite a few people, and it ordinarily requires 1,000 or more rounds in several sessions, which with ammunition and range fees takes the cost for basic training to > $500 and often quite a bit more.
Thirdly, pistols are much more tightly regulated legally.
Fourthly, some have raised the issue of using a long gun in a home being awkward, which begs the question of why anyone would be moving around their home in the first place. No sane person goes looking for an intruder. You move, you die. The smart move is to lie in wait and fire from ambush.
“Hey OFD, did you see this? Vermont is the new hot spot for Lyme.”
I looked at that article real quick but saw VT mentioned barely at all, and if I had to guess, it would be counties in southern VT, near MA and CT. It’s called Lyme Disease due to its apparent “origin” near Lyme, CT, down near the CT coast. All of that is WAY south of here; we’re nearly on the Quebec border. No reports in this county.
Lyme is either the fastest growing or second fastest growing disease in the USA. The real problem is that the deer ticks are very small and present in ALL of the lower 48 states. The CDC has finally acknowledged that there are at least 300,000 new cases per year but the real number is maybe 2X that.
Only half of the deer ticks bites present the bulls eye that you can see. The other half just sit there and build over time. You eventually feel like that you have the flu.
The infectious disease doctor guesstimates that my daughter had Lyme disease for ten+ years before she diagnosed and started fighting it. I just thought that she was being lazy which I am now very ashamed of.
The Lyme has severely damaged her body. And her brain. We started treating it just as she was starting to have seizures. She is actually doing a little better at the moment.
Be careful out there! If you have deer then you have deer ticks. The ticks also like the white footed mouse which are very prevalent in the USA.
Deer Tick is pretty good. Why all the hate?
“No sane person goes looking for an intruder. You move, you die. The smart move is to lie in wait and fire from ambush.”
Well, as a parent, I’ve often said the kids are driving me nuts.
I will absolutely have to move if someone makes entry at night. I have to move PAST the kids, and toward the threat. I need as much distance between them as possible. Or would you let them have Barbara in the living room if you were downstairs or in the den?
Some other conditions that would require moving inside with a weapon…
I don’t allow anyone to answer the door at night until I’m in position to shoot someone making entry. When I’m not home carrying, that means getting the weapon and moving into position. Much less obvious to the kids with a pistol.
If we are LEAVING in the face of a threat, the pistol is much easier to handle, and a lot less threatening when carried in a holster or handbag.
Not gonna get a shotty into the food or medicine tent if it comes to that.
I disagree that using a handgun defensively takes 1000 hours of training. The statistics don’t back that up, since a huge number of people can and have defended themselves successfully without anywhere near that kind of training. This number includes kids of 12 and 14. Gangbanger kids have no trouble shooting others at that age either, and I’m sure they don’t ever get a tactical gun handling class.
Using a handgun OFFENSIVELY, or for combat takes more training, sure. Defensive shooting is usually ‘pull it out and shoot’ from less than 15 ft. What is the longest open distance inside your house? That is your BEST CASE for shooting an attacker. Your next worst case is from behind cover in your bedroom to the bedroom door, or probably 15 ft max.* Your absolute worst case is from your bed to arms length, or from the sofa to arms length in the direction of your front door.
Anyone who can physically hold the pistol and pull the trigger can hit at arms length with very little training.
REACTING in time is another discussion.
nick
* unless you are MrLynn, then your distances increase, due to the open floor plan of TX houses….
NB This is why you need to harden your entry points. You need to slow down an attacker long enough to get to your weapon, or to retreat to cover.
And ideally, why you would have some sort of perimeter warning BEFORE they got to your door.
Watch that video I linked to again, the double murder in Atlanta. 15 seconds. 15 f-ing seconds. THAT’S how long they had to live from initial entry. Think about it. Sound asleep, loud crash, noise coming closer and in 10 seconds you are fighting for your life, or dead. Do YOU roll out of bed, gun in hand, every time you are awoken by a noise at night? Would you say you are “lying in wait” or “scrambling for your life” at that point?
nick
My senior range instructor said never, never, never enter the house unless your loved one is screaming. Always wait for the cops to clear the house for you.
He said if you have to enter the house, send the dog in first. The dog can smell everyone in the house and will go to the intruder first. Who, will shoot the dog, letting you know where to shoot.
I’m not sure that I can ever do a shoot house again. That was an unnerving experience and I did shoot both intruders, a mag for each. And I did not shoot the hostage. But with the time I took, they would have shot me first as I silhouetted each doorway. And the junior range instructor behind me screaming in my ear, clipped to my gun belt, all the way in was just icing on the cake (not!).
Run through the doorway. See a guy with a gun on the right. Shoot the gun (very common!) twice. “Chest, chest, chest” screams the junior range instructor. Shoot the guy in the chest about 4 times. “He’s got a vest, shoot his head, shoot his head, shoot his head”. Shoot the head twice. Now I can hear the recorded women screaming in the next room.
“Move, move, move”. Run through the next doorway, dragging the 350 lb junior range instructor behind me. See the guy on the left behind the woman, holding a gun to her head. “shoot, shoot, shoot”. I shoot the man holding the woman twice in the head.
“Good job”. I feel like I just ran a marathon.
* unless you are MrLynn, then your distances increase, due to the open floor plan of TX houses….
Yeah but I scored a 250 out of 250 on the CHL shooting test. But I took a full second for each shot, especially the 45 ft shots.
We started adding our new game room / laundry and bath room today. 455 ft2. The foundation guys started digging and expect to pour concrete in a week.
This is costing me a fortune but is cheaper than moving. Ordered nine 36 inch by 72 inch windows at Home Depot today and need to go back for an exterior steel door and two interior wood doors.
@lynn, I’m hoping to get into a mini-police academy our constable runs for interested citizens. I missed the spring session, have signed up for the fall, but haven’t heard a word from them.
It is a 2 month long, one night a week program. One of the weeks you use their shoot/no shoot simulator, one of the nights, you get to do the shoot house. I REALLY REALLY want to do that.
I’m not talking about clearing the house, I’m talking about responding to the forced entry, or stealthy entry for that matter.
There are a TON of hidden assumptions in the ‘stay where you are and lie in wait’ plan. to whit:
You are not where the bad guy is.
You ARE where your weapon is.
NO ONE ELSE is between the bad guy and you.
You have time to wait.
Lastly even the phrase ‘lie in wait’ will get you in trouble with a zealous prosecutor.
So to go full circle to the original question, the best defensive weapon, like the best camera, is the one you have with you. Tonight, at this minute, I’m gonna go with “pistol” as that is the one type you are most likely to actually have close to hand when needed.
nick
It is Friday night/Saturday morning here in the village. There are village idiots about.
No dog; he’s with Princess thirty miles south of here and she the better for it.
Ima gon go with the 20-gauge pistol-grip Mossberg, the Shield, and the Taurus 4″ .357. I have all three within arm’s reach plus a nice Fenix light handy, plus the landline phone.
BTW, the former USMC son says there is no more fun than clearing a large building with 15 other marines at 2 am in Iraq. No visible lights and using monocular NVGs. Infrared lights on M4 carbines.