10:49 – Barbara left this morning to go down to Winston for a dental appointment and to run some errands. For Colin and me, it’s wild women and parties. Well, that and making up solutions for biology kits.
Email from Jen. She and her family are planning to run another preparedness exercise over the July 4th weekend. As she said, every time they run one of these exercises, they discover something they hadn’t thought of. She realizes that in a real emergency there are always going to be things they hadn’t planned for, but their goal is discover and eliminate as many of these gotchas as possible before there’s a real emergency. Which strikes me as a pretty good idea.
Hmmmm….that causes ideas to percolate in ol’ OFD’s head this AM; the July 4th weekend here in the village is known as Bay Day, and that is when approximately 3k Murkan derps arrive and park every which way (though not, so far, in my driveway, for some odd reason), for the day-long hoo-rah activities and music in the park behind us, plus der feurwerken off the pier at the end of our street. My SOP is to avoid crowds, but whaddya do when the crowds come to YOU?
I will be identifying the viability of escape routes from the house, gauging the crowd behavior (had a fist-fight right out front one year), observing the activities and radio comms of emergency services vehicles and personnel, and playing with the cell phone and Kindle for recording devices.
Which reminds me; in lieu of having a web site up at this point yet, what do folks think about linking our pics and vids to a Google Drive or similar account online, but with access restricted a bit somehow, if possible? I haven’t messed with GD in a while so don’t know the particulars offhand; consider me a relative noob.
I don’t know the particulars, but it would be nice to post the occasional picture. Worth a thousand words, and all that …..
nick
Jen has the most excellent ideas. I still need to have a standard fire drill. I think my better half would freak out if I bought one of those escape ladders and taught our daughter how to use it. Our daughter wants to try camping in the back yard. Once I get the in car emergency kit finished, it might be interesting to see how long she will stay outside in the back yard. My wife would think us nuts though.
I think I have a reasonable reason to up the in car first aid kits though. A guy in our church witnessed a bad auto accident and stopped. Bad as in force of the crash removed the lady’s shoes, and her injuries were so severe that the would be rescuers arrive just in time to watch her die. What if I happen across a less severe accident? I don’t want to be caught unprepared.
Most kids seem to have fun with this stuff, but as they get older, they get a jones for the pixels. Try it with zero smartypants phones or pads/tablets.
I just took a quick look through the GD stuff; looks plausible; I’ve put stuff in there before and shared it with peeps (last year) but could easily start loading things into it now and share it HERE. Free for 15GB a month; a couple of bucks for 100GB/month, up to a TB.
Examples: see exactly how someone hooked up a genny to their well pump or furnace; how somebody got a rail, light and optic on their rifle or shotgun; what a well-organized storage area looks like; vid of military vehicles speeding down the interstate in some sort of blacked-out convoy; somebody’s radio shack and what they did for antennas; etc.
Maybe some tie-ins with RBT’s forthcoming prep book/s.
@dave, good idea to up your car kit. Pouch with bandaids, neosporin, hand wipes as a boo boo kit, then for your upgrade, a couple packs of 4×4 gauze pads, couple rolls of Kerlix (use as wrap, pressure pad, or sponge), couple pairs of gloves, and you are set to do what an untrained person can– stop bleeding thru pressure while waiting for EMTs to arrive. You could add sharp trauma shears, or sharp kitchen scissors if you have an extra pair. Blood is supposed to stay INSIDE the body. You can help with that and save a life.
You are already carrying a flashlight, and sharp knife, right?
nick
Yes, Jen is the driving force in that family. Her husband is on-board but doesn’t initiate much other than medical stuff, which makes sense since he’s a veterinarian. He doesn’t give Jen a hard time when she decides it makes sense to do or buy something. I think he’s a wise man, since Jen seems to have her ducks lined up. And, once she decides to do something, she’s relentless about figuring out how best to do it and getting it done.
As far as your car emergency kit, it should already be in the car, even if it’s not finished. Nothing is ever finished, and it’s better to have part of what you need than none of what you need. Get whatever you have ready into your car today. Right now.
It drives me nuts that Barbara’s down in Winston right now with no emergency kit because she refuses to keep it in her car. Oh, well. It’s only 60 miles, and I suppose she could walk home with only what she has in her purse and in the car.
Which gets me to thinking. I’ll ask her what’s the biggest/heaviest package she’d be willing to keep in her car at all times. Then I’ll custom-build her one with only what’ll fit in there, starting with a Sawyer Mini water filter, one or two one-liter bottles of water, one or two butane lighters (I’ve tested, and the refillable Ronson Comet butanes keep their charge even sitting in a hot car), a folding knife, two or three aluminized Mylar emergency blankets, etc.
“…with no emergency kit because she refuses to keep it in her car.”
Mrs. OFD is not big on this stuff and it’s a regular struggle to get her to pay attention; but I don’t get it with Mrs. RBT not being on board with the car; if the house has the preps, then why not her car, which is kind of a house on wheels, and sixty miles of road can easily turn into sixty miles of bad or very bad road at the drop of a hat in this country nowadays.
Good reminder, though; I’ve got firearm and radio go-bags ready to pop but somehow neglected the vehicle emergency med kit, WTF was I thinking? Yikes.
“…you are set to do what an untrained person can– stop bleeding thru pressure while waiting for EMTs to arrive.”
Absolutely. As I was told by one of the other cops a very long time ago in a small town in Maffachufetts, “stop the bleeding and call an ambulance.” But also, if available, get some TRAINING, if only what I did with the Red Cross First Aid/First Responder cert a year or so ago up here. All the more puzzling for my mental lapse in not having a car kit in the car; senility and decrepitude creeping up relentlessly and RUTHLESSLY here…
Interesting hypothesis from SSL:
https://straightlinelogic.com/2016/05/14/biden-and-warren-the-democratic-ticket-in-2016/
I suppose one must hope that they don’t get smart and do this. Let Trump put a beat-down on Cankles instead.
Google Drive or similar account online
Wow! After all of your Google hate speech, I can’t believe you would even consider anything Google.
H8tr!!!!
Try free Dropbox. SpiderOak (best for the terminally paranoid) is probably the most secure (didn’t work well with some interactive stuff I use, but highly recommended by others).
I’m goofing with Boxcryptor with my online storage accounts.
@RBT, the “bivy sac” is recommended as preferable to the space blankets for your own use. I have this one, and although I haven’t tried it, the logic is sound.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WXX0JS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2DTWLREC7ES0J&coliid=I19M1KYFI7HA6X&psc=1
The space blankets are miserable to control in wind, or any other actual use situation. I keep several (space blankets) in the car anyway, one in my first aid bag (to cover a victim, shield from rain, as a ground cloth) and one in my waist pack, and a couple in the plastic bin of emergency stuff.
In addition, you can sneak some stuff in….
Add a windshield sun screen that is mylar foil over bubble wrap. It can be used as a ground cloth, splint material, wind break, slid under a victim to help move or to stabilize, wrapped around frozen food on you costco run, sooooo many things.
Add a car blanket – (the kind meant to protect the seats from a dog, since you’ve got a big dog) or a “picnic” blanket like one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=blanket+waterproof+fleece+-pet+-horse&rh=n%3A2619533011%2Ck%3Ablanket+waterproof+fleece+-pet+-horse
Costco had something similar to them last year so I bought them for each vehicle. They tuck away under a seat and can be used to stay clean while changing a tire, etc.
In my wife’s car, I have my standard ‘fanny pack’ bag, which is small. :
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Squeeze-Climbing-Walking-Outdoors/dp/B00UCHXS8C/ref=sr_1_52?ie=UTF8&qid=1463414119&sr=8-52&keywords=waist+pack+with+water+bottle+holder
More than enough room for a multi-tool, pocket knife, energy bars, bic lighter, aqua-pur tablets, sunscreen and bug repellent, small boo boo kit, deck of cards, bivy sac/space blanket, bandana, rain poncho in a pouch, lanyard with pinch light, whistle, mini swiss army knife, compass; and some other stuff too (trash bag, pocket pack of kleenex, pocket notebook and sharpie). I tucked it into an otherwise unused storage nook in the back of the vehicle. It would fit with the spare tire or under some seats too. You could add a couple of the roll up water bottles, or a mini-filter if you wanted.
I like the size, the waist belt, and the carry handle. I don’t have the model linked, I actually have several that must have been a free gift with some purchase, as I see them all the time at garage and estate sales. The wider the belt, the more comfortable it will be if needed, but it can be slung over a shoulder too. It may not be a tacticool bushcraft survivalist condo in a bag, but it will ease the pain if lost or broken down, and it sure beats a sharp stick in the eye.
nick
Thanks for the links, Mr. Nick. I bookmark stuff like this on my “survive” Amazon wish list.
Also, have at least one of these fire extinguishers in your car. If you’ve got room, carry something bigger. These have the advantage of size and ‘non-threatening appearance.’
http://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-AF400-2-Extinguisher-Aerosol/dp/B002U0KGDY/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463415228&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=fire+extinguisher+Aerosol
They work, really surprisingly well, won’t mess up your kitchen/car with dry powder, and couldn’t be easier to use. I used 2 on a trash fire in the back of a guy’s pickup truck, and now I carry more in my pickup. I have a big ABC dry chemical one in my Expedition, since it has more room.
nick
And the most used (after water bottles) put $100 in 20s somewhere in the vehicle.
Cash is king, and nothing calms the sense of panic when you are almost out of gas and realize you left your purse/wallet at home, than remembering the $100 tucked under the floormat.
nick
(added, it occurs to me that a $100 prepaid/gift card VISA card would be a good addition too. NOT a spare card on your normal credit line!)
“After all of your Google hate speech, I can’t believe you would even consider anything Google.”
It was what I already had on here but hadn’t messed with it since last summuh. Thanks for the tips; I’ll check out Dropbox and the other two anon. I wonder if I can transfer the GD stuff to one or more of them, don’t have much but WOULD like to keep it available and also get off Google.
Good tips and links from Mr. nick per usual; good point also about the prepaid card instead of the additional one; gee, wonder how fast that $ would disappear up here.
Got a bank and dump run to do this afternoon, plus more cleanup ops, but I’ll be getting on the vehicle bag thing, too. Apparently I needed the reminder.
@Dave, the most horrific stuff is survivable under the right circumstances.
A friend of one of my siblings was in a horrible freeway car crash the tore open her chest. The guy in the car behind her happened to be a paramedic and stabilized her enough that when EMS arrived they were able to transport and save her life. I have trouble imagining what he had to do, but it worked.
You just never know.
nick
Well, surprise, surprise….
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/wait-rachel-maddow-loves-guns-and-shooting-ranges-apparently-so/
I have always been told when you come across injuries in an automobile accident is to never move the victims or any appendages unless there is fire or significant risk of something else happening. Call 911, stop the bleeding, try to keep the person calm. Only use CPR is absolutely necessary as doing chest compression on an injured person may severely aggravate chest injuries.
guy in the car behind her happened to be a paramedic
The key item from this is he was trained. And probably protected by law from lawsuits. You as an individual would not be so lucky.
There are good Samaritan laws in the states that will protect you from liability. But you will still get sued if someone you assisted dies and that will cost you a lot of money. Do the minimum to keep the person alive, such as stopping bleeding. Other than that do as little as possible. Leave it to the professionals.
There was that one train/car collision that I witnessed where the guy was still bleeding. But stopping the bleeding would do little good as his head was about five feet away looking at the stars and moon. His wife was a crumpled mess hanging from her seat belt in the vehicle that was on it’s top. No bleeding but you could tell from the sounds she was expiring as most of her limbs were in odd positions and the chest was massively distorted. The drive was in front of me at an intersection, took a right turn and attempted to cross the tracks. I had to provide witness statements that the train was blowing it’s horn, the crossing lights were working, etc. Fell sorry for the train crew until they told me that was not their first incident in their career. Trains always win.
Where’s my safe space?
http://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2016/05/16
. I wonder if I can transfer the GD stuff to one or more of them,
I use Apple Script to save stuff to multiple locations: Dropbox, Boxcryptor Dropbox, Space Monkey, Drobo. I’m sure you could do something in Linux to use multiple free cloud accounts to store a lot of stuff. You can also mount a virtual encrypted drive in Dropbox. I’ve done this with TrueCrypt.
“…his head was about five feet away looking at the stars and moon.”
Oh my, a budding astronomer? Had he read “Astronomy Hacks?”
Yes, trains always win, and most derps don’t realize as they try to zip across the tracks ahead of one and/or sneak around the barriers (’cause they in a dad-blamed rush to get to the Wall-Mutt for the sale on Krispy Kremes and a big-screen tee-vee) that them trains go REALLY fast. You probably might not beat one.
And speaking of moons, many of those ago I hadda retrieve a woman’s head from the side of the highway on Route 495 down there in MA near the Hooterville (Hopkinton) and Westborough line; normally a state police task but they was short-handed that morning and it fell to us Hooterville huckleberries. She was racing home with her toddler daughter (not belted in) from an all-nighter party in Marlborough and lost control, with her big-ass car flipping end-over-end for about a hundred yards and then landing on its roof. While my podner was messing with the vehicle, I located her daughter wandering on the shoulder with two scraped knees, all she got, and got a blanket on her. Left her with podner and then hiked back up the highway to pick up the head and put it with the rest of her mom, while making sure she didn’t see any of that. I was 23/24.
“Where’s my safe space?”
“speciest slur,” excellent! We. Must. Stamp. Out. Hate.
“I’m sure you could do something in Linux to use multiple free cloud accounts to store a lot of stuff. You can also mount a virtual encrypted drive in Dropbox. I’ve done this with TrueCrypt.”
Nethserver running on CentOS w/OwnCloud. No more dev on TrueCrypt but I have VeraCrypt, devved by a spin-off cabal.
I think I already have 5 4X4 gauze bandages in each kit. Biggest mistake was getting all one size of bandaids for the kits. Otherwise, I made two first aid kits for about $20 at Dollar General that are probably better than a $20 kit from Amazon.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Thanks, it has been there for some time. It has been there long enough that the water bottles and batteries should probably be replaced. I need to keep adding stuff.
The train always wins. Even when the car hits the train. My nerdiest hobby is model railroading. The real railroad I am trying to model had one particularly unlucky train. One night this one train had two separate car train accidents. Two different cars drove into the all black locomotives at unguarded crossings. Two of the six people in the two cars got rushed to the hospital. After this the railroad decided to switch to a color scheme other than all black.
The M3 grease gun is back! (and the Lee-Enfield never left.)
http://strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20160516.aspx
“My nerdiest hobby is model railroading.”
Cool. You are no doubt aware that MIT had that model railroading club back in the 50s and 60s that became Hacker Central:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_Model_Railroad_Club
I had a basic model railroad as a kid but one of my uncles really went to town with it in his Mystic Seaport basement; dunno if it’s still there. He’s gone but my aunt still lives in that house and the two cousins we sorta grew up with are grown up and long gone. I should check it out.
My nerdiest hobbies were stamp and coin collecting; my latter interest was in ancient Greek and Roman coins, a few of which I still have. My stamp collections apparently got lost in one of several basement floods over the years up here at our other house, which still bums me out. I learned a lotta history and geography from those as a kid.
“The M3 grease gun is back! (and the Lee-Enfield never left.)”
And neither have the Mausers or Mosin-Nagants, but there is at least one firearms maker that does quality upgraded models of the Lee-Enfield and the Springfield ’03.
http://www.enfieldresource.com/
By the time you get one of those clapped out old whores tightened up, you’re at the same point as buying a modern rifle money wise, for a lot more effort and time…. or so I’m led to believe.
n
The metalurgy is often questionable on many models, especially wartime production. Pre-1939 Mauser K-98K carbines, for example, are some of the finest military rifles ever made. But as the war dragged on, quality started falling. At first it was only cosmetic stuff like finish and bluing, but by mid-1944 even the metal itself was substandard.
It drives me nuts that Barbara’s down in Winston right now with no emergency kit because she refuses to keep it in her car. Oh, well. It’s only 60 miles, and I suppose she could walk home with only what she has in her purse and in the car.
Which gets me to thinking. I’ll ask her what’s the biggest/heaviest package she’d be willing to keep in her car at all times. Then I’ll custom-build her one with only what’ll fit in there, starting with a Sawyer Mini water filter, one or two one-liter bottles of water, one or two butane lighters (I’ve tested, and the refillable Ronson Comet butanes keep their charge even sitting in a hot car), a folding knife, two or three aluminized Mylar emergency blankets, etc.
Small backpack should do. Two MREs (I doubt she could walk more than 15 miles a day – uphill!).
And a freaking DA (double action) .38 revolver snubby. If that was good enough for Johnny Carson then that is good enough for the rest of us. I wish that I had a dozen of them.
“By the time you get one of those clapped out old whores tightened up, you’re at the same point as buying a modern rifle money wise, for a lot more effort and time…. ”
True, that, and I already considered that when I was looking at some of them; they’re fun to work on and all that but I can’t really justify the time, effort and expense right now. I’m pretty much all-modern here. Though I do love me the SA Ruger revolvers, one being the .22LR/.22WMR convertible and the other the .41 Mag. Soon, though, a 6″ Glock 40 in 10mm, roughly the same power as the .41 Mag. but with 15+1 instead of six.
“… but by mid-1944 even the metal itself was substandard.”
Thanks to them using slave labor, inferior materials and being bombed day and night by the RAF and us. Frankly I’d rather have one of them old Lee-Enfields or a modernized Springfield. But who needs ’em now when there are so many contemporary firearms for all conceivable purposes? On the other hand, picture yourself having had to boogie on outta town to a remote rural area, and you ended up losing all your modern stuff and now you gotta line up some defense/hunting items.
“… a freaking DA (double action) .38 revolver snubby. If that was good enough for Johnny Carson then that is good enough for the rest of us. I wish that I had a dozen of them.”
Make that a .357 snubby with laser grips. Or a S&W Shield likewise, using 9mm JHPs. But for hiking a goodly distance, I’d want something heavier.
“(I doubt she could walk more than 15 miles a day – uphill!).”
A person in decent shape and humping a 30-pound ruck, with sidearm and ammo, would be making real good time going 20-25 miles per day. Right now, if my back wasn’t still hosed, I could probably do the 20. Roughly from here to past the Quebec border.
BTW, I keep a case (24 bottles) of 0.5 L water bottles in the truck. And in the wife’s trunk. I just about had to threaten her when I put it in her trunk as she was very vehemently against it. She is afraid the weight would cut her performance and gas mileage (she drives an 11 year old Honda Civic coupe with a VTEC engine and 5 speed).
I’ve got a medical kit (advised by @nick ???) and a box of MREs in the truck. A maybe a .44 special snubby (I wish it was a .38 +P).
http://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Medical-Kits-First-Aid/dp/B002K66484/
So far this year, the furthest I have driven my truck is 500 miles away from home. I am flying to Montana next week via Salt Lake City which has me nervous. I would prefer driving even though it is 1,800 miles one way. We are coming back through Minneapolis on the week after.
Most wives seem to think nothing bad is ever gonna happen and we’re idiots and wackos for being prepared. Same deal with my next youngest brother and his wife down in MA. he tries to talk common sense to her and the two daughters about stuff like this and they ignore him totally. Normalcy bias writ large. And I’ve found the spouse up here rushing to pull emergency bags outta the vehicles so she can throw in trash or other junk and then the good stuff never gets put back.
From the How We Got Here Department:
https://straightlinelogic.com/2016/05/16/the-humungous-depression-by-robert-gore/
A person in decent shape and humping a 30-pound ruck, with sidearm and ammo, would be making real good time going 20-25 miles per day. Right now, if my back wasn’t still hosed, I could probably do the 20. Roughly from here to past the Quebec border.
A 25 or 30 year old, sure. Today’s standard 60 year old American carrying a few extra pounds, no freaking way. And if that 60 year person develops any leg issues, or back issues, or foot issues, or …
Even at 20 miles per day, that is a 3 day walk. And Winston to Sparta is uphill most of the way. And it gets fairly cold at night up there.
And I would rather have push cart instead of a backpack. Can carry more food and water weight. But you gotta sacrifice a bike for the cart. And if you’ve got a bike already, why not ride it instead?
BTW, I walk two miles just about every night. Takes me about 45 minutes if the dog only has one potty break. At age 20, I used to run 5 miles in 35 minutes with my marathon man suite mate in college. Of course, I now carry 45 lbs more weight and had a fairly nasty heart attack six years ago.
Make that a .357 snubby with laser grips. Or a S&W Shield likewise, using 9mm JHPs. But for hiking a goodly distance, I’d want something heavier.
I dropped the semi automatic since an older person might have a problem racking it. And I want light weight for walking only two miles, much less 60 miles.
I still cannot figure out where to carry a concealed gun if all I am wearing is a pair of very light shorts and a holey old tank top. Come June to October, I am very minimalist due to the heat around here, it is still 90+ F and 60+ % RH when I walk at 10 pm.
“And if you’ve got a bike already, why not ride it instead?”
Indeed. Keep the bike with the vehicle. Have the bags in the vehicle ready to be loaded on it. Be prepared for cold nights after long days of humping the bike; of course your speed will be doubled on that, at least, even going uphill.
Good points about age and weight; I can’t nearly do what I did at 20 or 30 or even 40, but one has to get off the couch, get outside, and do SOMETHING. Which is why we do some hiking (in the hills) and canoeing in the warm weather here, and x-c skiing and snowshoeing in the winta and wife does the hoss thing. I’m at a good weight for my height but I’d sure like to get rid of the inner tube and strengthen my back and knees.
I’ve told my wife that if there’s an emergency, I’m taking care of the kid and myself. She and her mother are on their own. She thinks I’m joking, but I’m utterly fed up, after the amount of my stashed supplies they’ve raided or thrown away.
My MIL threw away something once. I found out about it 6 months later when I was griping about buying a part I used to have a spare of. Found out & we went at it. They don’t touch the stash any more.
I love my wife, kids, and yes, even the MIL. Yes, I hoard stuff. But all of it has purpose, and I’ve demonstrated multiple times over the years.
If TSEHTF, they’re all under my protection.
“…but I’m utterly fed up, after the amount of my stashed supplies they’ve raided or thrown away.”
I hear ya loud and clear on that. Quick examples:
1.) If a room here at any of the houses we’ve lived in is inundated with their clothes, shoes and rubbish, guess what stuff gets yanked out and tossed out first? Yep, my chit. Which normally represents about five percent of the total clutter, if that, and usually neatly stacked or shelved. Next younger brother’s house ditto: they’ll fill a room with all their junk and then when it’s finally time to clean it up (when no one can move or get in and out) they’ll go to his corner directly and yank it all.
2.) The room cleaning method here is as follows: Room 1 is a mess? Move all the chit that was in there to Room 2. Voila! Room 1 is now clean! See what I did there??!
3.) I have maybe three pairs of shoes, only one pair of which I wear all the time, plus a pair of nice comfy slippers. Wife has outdone Empress Imelda Marcos and has probably at least a hundred pairs of shoes, boots, slippers, etc., all over the house, studio and often the cars. Many of them in pretty poor shape, too. And both her and Princess are constantly buying new clothes. WTF? I have a jacket I’ve worn for eight years, flannel shirts likewise, and my stuff that wears out is mostly socks, underwear and tee-shirts, which, incidentally, they steal all the time and dump paint on them or put holes in them. My 35-year-old tie-dyed Grateful Dead t-shirt went out that route.
4.) Prepper and emergency supplies? Bitch and gripe and whine and complain about it and accuse me of being wasteful and a nut. But gee, there were times here even this past year or two that were kinda slim and her pay checks were WAY late and the IRS had tagged our account (twice) and it’s a dahn good thing we had some food in the house.
And I keep badgering my brother that they gotta get alternative sources of heat and wotta down there in Megalopolis and he’s all for it but gets zero traction with wife and daughters. I tell him, OK, they’ll be singing a different tune when the oil tank runs out and the faucets likewise in the dead of a freezing bitter February week with a couple of feet of snow and the power’s out. What’s for dinner? Gee, sorry, hon; no more pricey organic vegan food from the co-op or pizza takeouts….
Wife has outdone Empress Imelda Marcos and has probably at least a hundred pairs of shoes, boots, slippers,
Just like MrsAtoz. They’re PROFESSIONALS, dammit. Get with the program you proto-ape! Admit it, you’re pussywhipped just like me. At least I got that pension thing for when I’m dumped like Mr. SteveF.
“Admit it, you’re pussywhipped just like me. At least I got that pension thing for when I’m dumped like Mr. SteveF.”
We just happy we still alive above the ground and made it home OK many moons ago, so we let a lotta chit slide. Plus we signed up…remember how we did that chit when we signed up with Uncle? Some peeps never learn….
I got the SS and maybe the pending VA disability thing, plus I got SKILLZ! I can teach medieval European epic poetry to the swarms and hordes of eager young beavers wailing and screaming for wisdom about Western Civ! We’ll start with The Artist Formerly Known as Homer and move right into Publius Virgilius Maro and poor ol’ Ovid, banished to the shores of a very dismal Black Sea village. From there we’ll head on to Beowulf, the Norse sagas, Anna Comnena’s Alexiad, the Carmina Burana, La Chanson de Roland, and into the troubadours, trouveres and minnisangers. Using that nasty old rayciss anti-Semite wack job Ezra Pound as our guide throughout.
Oh to be DUMPED! Out on the streets again, free and easy…no more nagging, whining, bitching, demanding…all my chit safe and sound on my bicycle…strike on out for the Territory…like Huck and Jim…choice of rivers here, too…Winooski, Mississiquoi, Lamoille, Richilieu…etc…bring the beater canoe…
lol! We could hang out like an old platonic Gay couple. Mr. SteveF could make it a threesome, but he ain’t old enough yet.
I’m sure the airlines are loving the TSA lines. They live on a razor edge budget as is.
More than 400 passengers missed their flights on one night thanks to TSA security lines of up to three hours on Sunday at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, as the growing crisis at the agency causes travel chaos across the nation.
Dozens of the passengers were forced to sleep on cots at the nation’s third-busiest airport Sunday night, because extremely long security lines kept them from making their flights.
And the lines didn’t improve Monday morning, as the lines wound back and forth through the hallways during the early morning rush when passengers were told to expect waits of as long as three hours for international flights.
“Wendy’s Serves Up Big Kiosk Expansion As Wage Hikes Hit Fast Food”
http://www.investors.com/politics/policy/wendys-serves-up-kiosks-as-wages-rise-hits-fast-food-group/
Big food is not going to pay $15/hour unless they absolutely need you.
The drive through kiosk should be interesting.
And probably never will be. Contra my advice yesterday, I expect to die violently and stupidly, probably in the course of learning that I’m not as fast and tough as I used to be when attacking muggers. And that’s even assuming I’m not annoyed to death before my youngest kid is an adult and my marriage vow expires.* Nine and a half years to go, and I doubt I’ll survive that long.
* In my second wedding, I promised only to stay together until the kids were grown. Even though I said what I was going to do and then did exactly that, it still slipped right past everyone.
Yah, I mentioned that here and elsewhere a couple days ago. The point brought up elsewhere was that governments will likely tax restaurants extra for the “lost” jobs.
Geez. The Feds blame us for long lines at TSA checkpoints. Does anyone need anything more to see we are just chattel for Mordor. “Vote for whatever we say and shut the fuck up!”
In response, some airport authorities are now threatening to dump the TSA and hire their own private security firms.
Good luck with that, airlines. Prepare to see armed TSA fukstiks with badges in the near future.
“We could hang out like an old platonic Gay couple.”
Worse relationships have happened. And just think: no more zillions of fucking shoes! You show me how to fly a chopper and I’ll clue you on medieval epic and how to ditch Apple for Linux. (and save YUUUUUUUUUGE!)
“The drive through kiosk should be interesting.”
Mrs. OFD and I heading down to MA next month and we’ll find a Wendy’s and see if they got a kiosk and how good it works. Every once in a blue moon we have a jones for a ratburger somewhere but will NOT stoop to McD’s or Booger King. The best I’ve had were Fuddrucker’s, but they only have a couple stores down there on the Noth Shaw.
“Even though I said what I was going to do and then did exactly that, it still slipped right past everyone.”
They prolly thought you was just kiddin,’ homie. Haha, joke’s on them.
“Nine and a half years to go, and I doubt I’ll survive that long.”
Ditto. I’d be 72. And who knows what shape the country will be in by then. It’s like RBT sez; I’m too old for this shit. Wife will be 70 (and probably live to 95 or 100) and all my siblings will be in their 60s. Son will be 41 with three kids, 15, 13 and 11. Princess will be 32 but married-with-children? Who knows. They’ll be living in extremely interesting times, I reckon.
I’ll hang on for the trifecta.
“Does anyone need anything more to see we are just chattel for Mordor.”
We are chattel to the bureaucrats and appointees and top echelons of the managerial elites, but to the aristos of our culture, we don’t even fucking exist.
“Prepare to see armed TSA fukstiks with badges in the near future.”
Are U kidding? You’ve seen the regular TSA cretins, amirite? Arming them would be like unto giving that full-auto AK to the chimp, getting him drunk with you and your pals out there in the Afrikan bush, and watch the fun when he finds the trigger. These bozos couldn’t organize a fucking soup sandwich; I say high time the airlines got pro security people in there and starting using currently available tech to search the fucking cargo holds and baggage, while using the very efficient Israeli/Mossad techniques for assessing passengers and crews. Fuck the TSA and also fuck Homeland Insecurity. Total jokes, only not so funny for us NORMAL FUCKING AMERICAN CITIZENS!
Yo, me and Mr. Lynn will be packing this kit on our patrols around his AO when I’m in TX (and avoiding like the plague any AO near Mr. nick):
https://brushbeater.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/a-baseline-patrol-kit/
My thoughts on the matter, previously expressed here. I don’t really buy into the notion that if you allow someone else to do something to you, it’s partially your fault, but there is a bit of truth to it.
Could be, for some of them, but I think mostly it was that I said something totally outside of their experience or expectation and so they rejected it without attempting to think about it. It’s like when I tell people that I hunt and kill muggers. Nobody does that, therefore I don’t do that, therefore I’m speaking metaphorically or lying or just didn’t say anything at all.
@lynn, wrt carrying in light pants,
Glock 43 in a belly band? https://www.google.com/search?q=belly+band+holsters+for+concealed+carry
If you look at the images, there are lots of variations.
I can carry my LC9 in a lightweight IWB holster in minimal shorts. I tuck it inside my underwear waistband, with the clip across underwear and shorts. As long as I’m not getting too physical, it stays put.
nick
“I don’t really buy into the notion that if you allow someone else to do something to you, it’s partially your fault, but there is a bit of truth to it.”
Agreed. It’s because the Almighty State OWNS the highways, by-ways and flyways. And the means of transportation. So for reasons of….wait for it…yes…NATIONAL SECURITY, haha, they can do ANYTHING they want to us. We sign up, we CHOOSE to fly or drive, and we are forced to operate by their rules. Many peeps, like Mrs. OFD, MrsAtoz, and others here, simply HAVE to fly frequently for their livelihoods. Pre-check has taken some of the pressure and hassle off, but it’s never completely gone and they can revert to not using it anytime and make us ALL go through strip searches, nude photography, and grope sessions by perverts and criminal scumbags, while musloids strut by, laughing. Jack up decorated war hero combats vets (while they die waiting for treatment as crimmigrants get moved to the heads of the lines) and old ladies in wheelchairs and toddlers, to SHOW us they CAN do whatever they want to us and have a ball with their bullshit security theater.
Like Mr. SteveF sez, if a few hundred thousands of travelers refused to fly anymore, they’d dump those fuckers in a big hurry or go under.
“…but I think mostly it was that I said something totally outside of their experience or expectation and so they rejected it without attempting to think about it.”
Yeah, you’re probably right. I hunted muggers and other criminal scum but it was from behind the badge, uniform and gun. Different when you’re operating off the res, so to speak, but we’ll see much more of that in coming years. I won’t get into it on a hand-to-hand basis if I can avoid it, but by jiminy, I can put some rounds downrange pretty fast or simply light they ass up from ambush and counter-ambush.
Sooner or later, dumbasses will realize we mean what we fucking say.
Are U kidding
No. I know you’re being cynical. I can’t wait to see an obese ethnic female with a Glock.
“Take off dem pants, MrAtoz. Panties too” Cue the banjo music.
“…lightweight IWB holster…”
No can do here, I ain’t slim and trim like some young whippersnappers around these parts. It digs into my manly flesh too much and is a big heave to draw. I do whatever I’m carrying on-body from 5PM OWB with spare mag at 7PM OWB. None of that freakish appendix carry, either; I like to keep that other manly flesh in good shape, just in case it gets used again.
““Take off dem pants, MrAtoz. Panties too” Cue the banjo music.”
“An’ squeal like a peeg, cariño!”
Yo, me and Mr. Lynn will be packing this kit on our patrols around his AO when I’m in TX (and avoiding like the plague any AO near Mr. nick):
https://brushbeater.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/a-baseline-patrol-kit/
I ain’t patrolling nothing. I’m waiting until they come up to the front door and ring the bell.
BTW, that long fixed blade knife may get you a 2 to 5 in a Texas hot box, aka a state prison.
And I only live about 15 miles away from @nick. Unless all the rain in the last 48 hours has carried him downstream to Galveston Bay.
“I’m waiting until they come up to the front door and ring the bell.”
Goblins don’t do that, hermano. Yo, homes, they be comin’ roun’ da back, during the wee small hours, and armed. Probably jacked on dope and booze, too.
“…that long fixed blade knife may get you a 2 to 5 in a Texas hot box…”
So, what, they harder on blades than guns down there or what? I’m not big on huge knives; got several Leatherman tools, a couple of small folders, and one short bayonet-sized work knife.
@lynn, wrt carrying in light pants,
Glock 43 in a belly band? https://www.google.com/search?q=belly+band+holsters+for+concealed+carry
If you look at the images, there are lots of variations.
I can carry my LC9 in a lightweight IWB holster in minimal shorts. I tuck it inside my underwear waistband, with the clip across underwear and shorts. As long as I’m not getting too physical, it stays put.
My son gave me a two clip White Hat IWB last year. But it is for my XDM .40. I guess I need to get me a new IWB for the shield 9. I also guess I need to get that shield 9 out of the box and go shoot it in fact.
http://www.whitehatholsters.com/maxtuck-jet-black-cowhide/
I like knives. 8″-10″ blade is optimal. I prefer to wield a slightly longer blade, 12-14″, and the longer ones are really intimidating when you’re taking someone into custody, but they’re awfully hard to carry concealed. The shorter blades can be carried sheathed in an upside-down V on my back.
I don’t care for the kukri shape. Prefer a Bowie shape, with a straight back, front straight and then curved at the end, and a partially sharpened back. And a good guard and preferably a knuckle guard strong enough to be punched with. Failing that, a straight knife like the M-14 and M-16 bayonet knives is good.
I’ve experimented with building up the handles to exactly fit my hand, but didn’t care for it. This was worse than a plain grip if I reversed the blade or held the blades in the other hand. My knives currently have flatter grips than I prefer to hold, because this makes them easy to carry concealed.
“But it is for my XDM .40. I guess I need to get me a new IWB for the shield 9. I also guess I need to get that shield 9 out of the box and go shoot it in fact.”
Hey, as long as you’re carrying SOMETHING on those two-mile walks past the coyotes, rattlers and goblins.
“Prefer a Bowie shape, with a straight back, front straight and then curved at the end, and a partially sharpened back. And a good guard and preferably a knuckle guard strong enough to be punched with. Failing that, a straight knife like the M-14 and M-16 bayonet knives is good.”
+100 And got one. I like the Marine K-Bar and the ol’ Arkansas Toothpick, too. But won’t be messing around in any knife fights anytime soon; my main use for them is as tools here or out in the woods.
TX has some weird knife laws. It’s illegal to carry a Bowie knife, now ain’t that some sh!t? Lots of places made bad knife laws in the wake of West Side Story, or to keep the darkies disarmed, since they couldn’t afford guns. Oh and the gun laws were to keep them disarmed too. Lotta racism in the history of gun control.
On the other hand, now we can carry ‘assisted open’ knives, as long as they have a spring to counteract the opening force, so they don’t spring open without a human overcoming that spring. I picked up a bunch of TSA seizure knives last time I was in Austin. I got several different Kershaws ($3 small, $8 big) and a couple of gerbers, all assisted open. I really like the Kershaw mechanism. It’s a bit of the back side of the blade that sticks out, and you drag across it to snap open. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/436557/kershaw-brawler-assisted-opening-folding-knife-325-tanto-8cr13mov-black-stainless-steel-blade-nylon-handle-black See the little triangle tab? They make a great ‘snick’ when opening too.
I got a bunch of little gerbers and swiss armys ($1, $3) for altoid tin survival kits. Ditto for the Leatherman Micra’s ($3)
I guess I should count that as prepping.
nick
Hey, as long as you’re carrying SOMETHING on those two-mile walks past the coyotes, rattlers and goblins.
Hey, I’m carrying my cocker spaniel. Or rather, she is walking me. All we’ve seen is squirrels, other walkers with or without dogs, cats, cars driving by at 0.5X legal to 2.0X legal (legal is 35 mph), armadillos, possums, and grass snakes. And lots and lots of frogs.
We’ve heard coyotes, never seen one. Never seen a nasty snake.
We live so far away from the freeway that my parents have a tough time finding our home. The goblins don’t come back here.
And yes, those Marine K-bars are nice.
“Prepare to see armed TSA fukstiks with badges in the near future.”
That future is already here at our little Pasco (PSC) “International*” Airport. Not all are armed, less than half and they also wore combat boots. From what I got out of the “Captain” soon all airports will have a TSA SWAT Team working within the ranks, that is what these guys were. IMHO doesn’t make sense to have them visible all the time. Just advertising to the mooslems.
*It no longer has that official designation, just a piece of local trivia and it got that designation purely by the accidental landing of a foreign flight many years ago.
The airport near Albany, NY, is officially “Albany International Airport” because it used to have flights to Toronto and maybe Montreal. Note that it no longer does, but the tards kept the name because it makes Smallbany sound important.
Some merry prankster put a “Regional” overlay on top of “International” on one of the roadside signs and took pictures. The “vandalism” was undone within a couple hours (the undoing consisted of pulling off the painted metal which had been taped to the sign) and Important People announced that This Will Not Do. I laughed and laughed. I doubt I still have the pictures; this was in film camera days, and it was about six moves ago.
“The goblins don’t come back here.”
So fah as you know. And as the building of McMansions and other dwellings and structures continues apace out from the Big City, keep yer eyes and ears open. Decent lights/security around yer places at night. Any unused or abandoned rail lines or railway rights of way near ya? Keep an eye out on that, too, esp. for surveyor’s stakes and them nifty little orange flags.
“IMHO doesn’t make sense to have them visible all the time. Just advertising to the mooslems.”
And just more security theater shows for us rubes and bumpkins at the airports, ‘sposed to make us all feel safe and chit, amirite? We saw mil-spec youngsters in their desert cammies at the airport up here right after 9/11, toting their M4s and suchlike, looked about ten years old, too. Them, not the rifles. Burlington International Airport being a major hot spot for musloid types, of course. Like our border with Quebec. I wonduh where these TSA SWAT derps get trained…
“Some merry prankster put a “Regional” overlay on top of “International” on one of the roadside signs and took pictures.”
Outstanding. We need LOTS more of this kind of activity. And to develop humor like the Russians and East Euros had it under their Soviet regime.
“Important People announced that This Will Not Do.”
The kind who generally have ZERO sense of hew-muh. Fuck them.
The great Fred, my brutha from anutha mutha…
http://fredoneverything.org/america-goes-away-fred-left-behind-in-mexico/
The country he’s remembering is still out here, in bits and pieces, almost always way the hell away from any cities. The pixels are with us always now, but a lot of the peeps are regular ol’ Murkans who just wanna live and let live and get through the day OK. Why not leave us the fuck alone?
The country he’s remembering is still out here, in bits and pieces, almost always way the hell away from any cities. The pixels are with us always now, but a lot of the peeps are regular ol’ Murkans who just wanna live and let live and get through the day OK. Why not leave us the f*** alone?
Because they know what is best for us! And they are going to force us to do it their way until we die trying!
“Connecticut woman says she was harassed in Walmart bathroom after customer mistook her as transgender”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-mistaken-transgender-harassed-walmart-bathroom-article-1.2638748
“Toms said she is cisgender and dating a man.”
What the heck is this cisgender crap? Is it not ok to say that you are straight or heterosexual anymore?
“And they are going to force us to do it their way until we die trying!”
Cut “we” and insert “they.” Fixed it for ya.
“Is it not ok to say that you are straight or heterosexual anymore?”
No, those are micro-aggressions, Grasshopper. But isn’t it funny that they can use “cisgender” as an obvious pejorative and micro-aggression?
Here is an eloquent argument against gun-control and the nanny culture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Hi3fMoNG0
And from the Modern Racial Relations Department:
http://takimag.com/article/white_slavery_denial_jim_goad/print#axzz48sZegN2K
They’ll be including this in the required readings for American History in all the high schools and colleges Real Soon Now.
From the Toyz R Us Department:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqRNe_qTx7Y
Beloved of ol’ OFD and Animal Mother.
Was sitting at the pooter here at 00:45 and saw a bright flash in the sky outside my window, long arc over the town hall and Methodist church (formerly Congregationalist). Biggest friggin’ meteorite I’ve seen in my sixty-plus years on the planet, red and gold and green with a long tail shower behind it. Looked really close, like it was gonna land on Lake Street, next street over from here.
The technical definition of “International” airport is not that it has a direct connection to some foreign land, but that it has a Customs officer on duty. The local aeroplane patch is in just that configuration. The big time big city airports, of course, have both the flights and the customs folks.
Yes, I was aware of the MIT model railroad club. When I was looking at colleges decades ago, I got a catalog from MIT and thought about applying. Didn’t know about the model railroad club then. The most famous college model railroad club in model railroad circles is at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY.
I was interested in model railroads as a kid, but lost interest because they didn’t work very well. I got interested again after college.
What’s the deal with TSA, anyway? I remember, a couple of years back, some airports were talking the talk about privatizing the airport security. Now, they’re talking about it again. What’s keeping them from just doing it?
I mean, it’s just obvious. TSA minions don’t care about your flights, because they get paid regardless. Put in security people paid by the airports and/or airlines, and their jobs will be on the line if they screw around while people are missing their flights.
So…what’s stopping them?
The TSA Employees Union? The reports I have seen were all about the infamous airport in Boston, and why would anyone care about security or efficiency there?
Update: Having posted that, I just saw a report about Chicago O’Hare being bad as well.
@dave, they’re ALL bad.
n
When last I flew, IND and TPA weren’t good, but they were managable. Unless I picked off peak flight times.
Well, you can get lucky and it helps to be flying off peak. The delays tend to stack though, so a problem in the am will still be there later in the day.
One trick most people don’t know, you can generally enter the airport thru ANY terminal, and check your bags with your airline at that terminal. This can be very helpful when the main terminal, with the big carriers that all have their first flight of the day leaving within minutes of each other, is jammed up. Once you are thru security, you can move to the terminal of your departure.
Smaller regional airports, with smaller staffs, are generally more accountable. They can’t hide in the herd. Lafayette, LA, for example used to hand screen every single bag as they didn’t have xray or chemical sniffers. Because of the lower volume, and the fact that there were only a couple of TSA working there (and therefore it would be obvious who the problem was), there were very few delays. That’s probably long changed by now, but I used to fly thru there every week.
Some areas just get a better class of TSA agent too.
nick
Cleveland and Vegas were not bad the last time I flew – last month.
But then, this is the first flight in many that I was not selected for extra screening.
Flew out of Chattanooga on one trip because it was cheaper. That flight went to Atlanta where I changed to the flight for the real destination.
Checkpoint was empty except for a couple of TSA agents. Had my main camera case with me, a small suitcase basically. TSA agent ran it through the X-Ray then stopped and said he needed to check it out. I was fine with that as it usually happens. Turns out he was not really concerned about banned items, but about the cameras and equipment. He was part time photographer himself. Anyway we spent 10 minutes going over the stuff, he took a couple of pictures to try the equipment, asked a lot of questions, was generally curious. During that 10 minutes not one other passenger showed up.
Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum, Newark NJ, the armpit of airports. Security lines were long, took over an hour to get through. I was returning from Europe and thus had been cleared previously. But to get from the international terminal to the domestic terminal you left the secured area thus requiring another screening.
Atlanta is the same way, arriving from international flights you have to go through immigration (another government joke), go claim your luggage, then go through customs (another government joke). Then on to your next flight but since you have left the secure area you must go through the inspection again. I guess since you have had access to your luggage you could have removed a carry-on prohibited item from your luggage.
I used to get TSA pre-check on occasion but I see the TSA have done away with that unless you want to pay money (ransom) to the TSA. Seems their screeners were too incompetent and let too much stuff through. The solution is of course to punish the traveling public and not the incompetent agents. The nearest place that I could get vetted is Atlanta which is four hours away. I no longer fly enough to warrant that hassle or the cost.
first flight in many that I was not selected for extra screening
That happens a lot to me at the overseas airports. They say it is random but I am not buying that excuse. So it is off to a private area and the strip to the undies and removal and careful examination of my carry-on. The last time this happened I gave my carry-on to the wife and went for the screening. Seems to defeat the purpose in my opinion. Of course they did not bother bearded Abdul in his bathrobe, towel wrapped around his head, and camel dung on his shoes.
I have flown twice since obtaining my titanium hardware collection without so much as a word from the TSA. One of the two times they were making everyone go through the scanner. The other time I walked through the metal detector no questions asked. With two titanium plates and sixteen titanium screws.
Heh. Bearded. Right now I’m giving the Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si a run for his money. I’m working at annoying people by seeing how long it will get.
If I had known growing a beard was the best way to get through TSA screening cleanly, I would have grown it out long ago.
JimL, you should fork your beard and braid each of the forks. I did that for a couple years a couple decades ago. It annoyed the bejesus out of many people. The level of my concern for their annoyance was about where you’d expect.
You guys sure are putting me off visiting the US.
Given my titanium hardware collection, I was afraid I’d have to grow a beard and buy a copy of the Koran in Arabic to get through airport security.
@ miles,
some things the US DOESN”T have:
Gangs of gypsy pickpockets swarming tourist areas then getting on a plane and going home at the end of the day.
Gangs of thieves and rapists gassing passengers on trains, and robbing them.
xxx
xxx
xxx
eh, that’s all I got. I was gonna say “cops pulling people over to solicit bribes” or “cops pulling people over and threatening them with jail” but that’s effed now.
nick
“Right now I’m giving the Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si a run for his money. I’m working at annoying people by seeing how long it will get.”
I did that a few years ago but it started getting caught all the time in the cah doors and seatbelts and got to be a PITA.
“…eh, that’s all I got…”
The U.S. also does not have:
1.) mobs of drunken musloid scum attacking women in the city centers while the cops stand by and watch.
2.) thousands of musloid scum clogging up the seaport and airport terminals and breaking down fences and swarming in long columns over the landscape.
3.) more tens of thousands of musloid scum boat people drowning off Boston Hahbuh and Manhattan.
4.) organized gangs of musloid criminal scum “grooming” hundreds and maybe thousands of young women and girls for rape and perversion over years while local cops and bureaucrats stand by and ignore it.
5.) proximity to giant totalitarian commie empires that grow more aggressive and hostile.
But the first four of those can change at any time for the worse and much worse, because our political “leadership” thinks it’s a great idea and/or wishes to destroy the country so they can lord it over the ruins, evidently.
@ofd, I disagree. Or more truthfully, I quibble. And some of it’s just down to timing.
The U.S. also does not have:
1.) mobs of drunken musloid scum attacking women in the city centers while the cops stand by and watch.
-Minneapolis MN- not mobs yet, but certainly ‘groups’ and without a doubt individuals.
2.) thousands of musloid scum clogging up the seaport and airport terminals and breaking down fences and swarming in long columns over the landscape.
-TX border with mexico- they’re coming across in the hundreds, soon to be more
3.) more tens of thousands of musloid scum boat people drowning off Boston Hahbuh and Manhattan.
– which is a crying shame
4.) organized gangs of musloid criminal scum “grooming” hundreds and maybe thousands of young women and girls for rape and perversion over years while local cops and bureaucrats stand by and ignore it.
-Minneapolis, MN, Dearborn MI, many others.
5.) proximity to giant totalitarian commie empires that grow more aggressive and hostile.
– MEXICO – gonna be war if T wins, so says the mexican mouthpiece
nick
Good points, Mr. nick; we agree on timing being a factuh and also it ain’t on the same scale here as it is in Europe….yet.
Saint Augustine said that the secular authorities have a duty and responsibility to protect and defend the population/s entrusted to their care but as is plainly evident here in this country and in Europe, the authorities have walked away from that and don’t give a blind rat’s ass about us. The Roman commander to whom he wrote was confused, but we can’t accept that excuse for our own “commanders.”