10:20 – More bottle filling today, after which it’ll be time to start building subassemblies–regulated and non-regulated chemical bags, small parts bags, and so on–for biology, chemistry, and forensics kits. We’re still in decent shape in terms of finished kits, but we need to get stuff piled up in preparation for building more finished kits as quickly as possible. We shipped five kits yesterday, and we’re getting to the point in the next two or three weeks where we’re going to have a lot of days where we ship 5, 10, or more kits.
Veronica Mars is as good as we remembered. Good cast and excellent writing. Veronica looks and sounds like Buffy, and I’m sure that’s no coincidence. I remember Joss Whedon commenting in an interview that Rob Thomas was a genius and “scary good”. I remarked to Barbara last night that the series still seems fresh to us, but I suspect that the music and pop culture references would date it badly for today’s teenagers.
Jen read the comments yesterday, where one reader commented that three of his four Grape Solar panels had died after only a year in service, dropping from 18VDC nominal output and about 20VDC actual to about 10VDC. Apparently, it’s the panels themselves that are the problem, rather than the charge controller. That scares me as much as it scares Jen.
Jen says they bought two 100W panels individually and two more that were each bundled with a cheap PWM charge controller, on the theory that the good MPPT charge controller they bought separately would be their primary, and the two PWM’s would be spares. But if the panels themselves can suddenly drop dead with no obvious explanation, what are the implications for depending on solar electricity?
A quick Google search for solar panel failures turns up several very interesting links, including more than a few scholarly papers. I had been proceeding on the assumption that a PV panel, once assembled and tested, would work essentially forever other than the gradual degradation that anything sitting out all day long in the sun will experience. Apparently, that might be a bad assumption.
I am also curious about the solar panel failures. If warranty replacements weren’t available, I’m wondering what would happen if your reader connected two of the failed panels in series. A 50% reduction in output power is not desirable, but would still be better than nothing.
Sorry to seemingly beating a dead horse here, but I have mentioned the site for Countryside Network several times and not heard if any of you have taken a look. Today’s daily page (http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/) is another example of some really good information IMHO.
free-chicken-coop-plan-an-easy-3×7-coop
how-to-start-keeping-donkeys-on-the-homestead
beekeeping-supplies-for-beginners
what-makes-the-best-trees-for-firewood
wild-plant-identification-foraging-for-edible-weeds
My opinion on solar power and any power that relies on batteries for storage: Nice idea but without a full support system to continually supply replacement parts, whatever you have will only work for a few years, too few years to recover from the Big SHTF Event that is coming.
We are going to be thrown back into the Dark Ages, figuratively and literally. We will lose the ability to refine metals, there will be no electricity of any sort, communications will be by smoke signal and runner. We will have to claw our way back over centuries just to get back to steam power. Only the strong and smart will survive. Many millennial preppers will be the first to be stripped of their preppings.
At best, those remaining will be living in Soylent Green world with the exception of the oligarchs who will be doing just fine thank you. The “middle class” will be the “police” only there will be none that have an awakening like Charlton Heston.
And on another note, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Obuttwad has a very obvious tell:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/07/uh-uh-uh-obama-turns-stuttering-mess-talking-trump-north-carolina-video/
Well, I’m done raining on everybody’s parade for the moment. I will continue to prep so that at least I’ll die with a full stomach and a pile of takers on my front lawn.
Take a look at that Countryside Network site and Be Happy In Your Work
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6194/6075732662_3597e1a23e_b.jpg
Edit: Back to Soylent Green for a moment, recall that this was one of the first false flags of Global Warming.
http://thoughtsfromfrankandfern.blogspot.com/
they have decided to stop posting but left up their blog, which is FULL of first hand info about homesteading.
n
Please keep beating the dead horse. I’m in denial hoping that things aren’t as bad as I think they are. God, I hope I’m wrong but it’s time to get serious about prepping.
@Dave, being prepared is just common sense in so many ways. I guess I have to go back to the good old days when the Boy Scouts were real boy scouts and proud of it, their simple motto Be Prepared encompassed a lot. Back then I looked on it as fun, but as I grew older I saw the big picture.
Most who frequent here are the choir, but it doesn’t hurt if someone is singing a little off key. Practice.
BTW, the site you link with your name here has some interesting posts.
@RBT, I was able to successfully log in, hooray!
Thinking about pulling all my ham comments together or maybe ‘simple electronics repair for fun and profit’ or ‘how I think about and organize my food storage’ or ‘make money in the secondary economy’ or ‘tools and shop setup for a small maker space, or how to keep busy and be of value if things go to sideways’ or maybe something else.
Lots of topics, and time is getting short.
Oh, one quick question, what does a couple of years worth of seed for a garden big enough to supplement a family of four look like? Is it a shoebox full of packets, or a milk crate, more, or less? I’m having a hard time visualizing how much is actually required. I’ve got a shoebox worth, but it’s a really mixed bag of stuff, and the past couple of years I’ve just been trying out a bit here and a bit there, but I’m pretty sure you already did the math for your seed vault.
nick
@nick, that site you mentioned above (http://thoughtsfromfrankandfern.blogspot.com/) has some real good posts and comments regarding seeds and gardening.
One big take-away for me is that not all heirloom seeds will grow in all areas and you tastes might not like what you have grown. So you need to be experimenting with growing and eating starting last year :wink:.
Thinking about pulling all my ham comments together or maybe ‘simple electronics repair for fun and profit’ or ‘how I think about and organize my food storage’ or ‘make money in the secondary economy’ or ‘tools and shop setup for a small maker space, or how to keep busy and be of value if things go to sideways’ or maybe something else.
That would be *fantastic*, Mr. Nick. Please do so. No need for an edited write-up. Just do it. I think all here would greatly appreciate it.
Apparently, that might be a bad assumption.
Most inexpensive panels are made in China. I would guess that workmanship and QC are secondary concerns next to cost.
One reason I purchased the cheap-ass Harbor Freight solar system was to set it up and leave it up to see how it held up. I posted awhile back that the PVC frame on one of the tri-panels disintegrated in the Vegas sun. The two tri-panel sections all have cables and come together in a hub for consolidation. It still charges the attached 12V battery and I can still charge all my devices and run small appliances after a year and two weeks.
I plan on building/buying a 400W systems x2. One will get set up permanently, one will go in Faraday cage. Eventually. I hope we don’t run out of sunshine like we will aqua.
Well, that’s why I pushed for a year that gardening was hard no matter how smart or competent you think you are 😉 You need to try it!
I found that I can’t grow anything on a vine. They all wither and die. Ditto for bush beans, which are a staple and supposed to be simple to grow. Collards (a traditional plant here in the south) grow well, but not when I expected them. Dark green leafy didn’t grow well at all. No cabbage, brusselsprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower for me. Carrots did great this year. Turnips have been good, radishes were so so, lettuce just bolts. Japanese eggplant does real well. It’s taken a couple years for my citrus trees to even begin producing. Weeds like blackberries and blueberries don’t grow for me either.
Herbs do well, peppers will last 2 years although yield (which was never abundant) decreases.
I’d have starved if I was counting on just putting seeds in the ground and eating from the garden.
I think gardening and hunting small game are probably the 2 things that have the most assumptions built into them in prepper’s minds. The ability to do either takes a lot more effort, knowledge, skill, and practice than most assume. Failed crops have wiped out more settlements than hostile actions.
nick
added- someone pointed out that it’s probably quieter and easier to trap squirrels than shoot them. I’ve added 8 rat traps so far, and will add more over time. Handy things, rat traps. Cheap too.
Use them for vermin control, to catch squirrels for the pot, as part of improvised warning devices, etc. Next time you’re at the hardware store, throw a couple in the cart….
Just a quick reminder–
If you have been considering setting up an NFA trust to own things like short barreled rifles, suppressors, etc, and you have a few bucks laying around, this is the time to get off your @ss and DO IT.
It will become more onerous in about a week’s time. Ask your local dealer for recommendation of a trust lawyer. It’s possible to get the trust paperwork set up in a couple of hours, for <$200. (not including the time ATF takes, or the cost of the stamp and whatever NFA item you are purchasing.) Just saying.... nick
@nick, you probably will be glad to see this, “Finally, after the Tax Day floods, the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs have emptied”:
http://spacecityweather.com/addicks-barker-reservoirs-emptied/
Yup, that is welcome news. With the kids out of school they are out of the shadow of the dam, so I don’t think about it daily like I was doing. I do still look at the flood gauges online if the rain lasts more than an hour, and I’ve set an alert from the USGS site for abrupt changes in level.
nick
I always laugh when I’m reading a PA novel and they’re subsisting on tree rats. I remember reading a scientific paper that said the squirrel population in rural wooded areas is typically about two per acre. I’m sure it’s higher in suburbs and other built-up areas where people put out bird food, but not all that much higher. On our 1.5 acres, I’d be surprised if we have more than two or three, despite the fact that we have plenty of trees.
Gonna be away from my desk for a while.
I have to go pick up a shop press. Finally won one big enough to seat the barrel on a home built AK. (not that I would ever do such a thing, not me…)
It’s one of those things that you can do without in your shop, until you really need it. And it makes some projects (like folding the flat steel of an AK receiver around a shaped block of metal) so much more doable… (not that I would ever do such a thing, not me…)
nick
(this video show a lot of the handy uses a shop press can be put to, autoplay warning. I don’t endorse this particular build or builder, it just has a bunch of press work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFtt3I9d–0
)
@RBT, yep, someone did the math and it’s like 2000 calories in tree rat per acre. Better off eating the pecans, pine, and acorns myself, but as my grandma might have said, if she bothered to talk to kids, ‘a little meat in the pot goes a long way when you’re hungry.’
nick
(and eating the little buggers means they don’t get my whole pecan crop.)
In a real SHTF/starvation scenario, the local fish and wildlife will be gonzo in a matter of a couple of weeks or a month, tops. Then it’s on to the local farm livestock, if they’re not already long gone, and family pets. Finally, pigeons, rats, bugs, and grass.
But no need to worry; the FEMA trucks will be rolling with cases of MREs and barrels of water for all! (You just need to step over here, get your picture and fingerprints taken, have this little chip implanted, and sign over your firstborn for our endless foreign clusterfuck wars….)
“Oh, one quick question, what does a couple of years worth of seed for a garden big enough to supplement a family of four look like? ”
Depends on the mix of seeds. In the kit I put together, the heaviest/largest seeds ran something like 28 per ounce while the lightest/smallest were almost microscopic and ran something like 500,000 per ounce.
My final kit ran about 7 pounds of seeds and fit a USPS RRB box. Assuming efficient use of seed (not broadcasting), there should be enough seed to plant a garden large enough to provide vegetables, grains, herbs, and sunflowers (for oil) for a family of four, with some excess. For various reasons, rather than corn and wheat, I chose to go with corn, oats, barley, and amaranth for grains.
I built these kits last October from the freshest seed available, dried and germination tested. (Germination rates varied from ~100% down to ~10% for some of the herbs, which is pretty common.) I packed them in ziplock bags or 5 mL RIA vials, depending on the size/quantity of seeds of each type. Most of the seeds should maintain high germination rates for at least two to three years, and usable germination rates for 5+ years. I didn’t package them in foil/Mylar bags because I wanted to encourage people to do small-scale test plantings before depending on them. I did include two one-gallon foil/Mylar bags for those who wanted to run some tests and then re-pack the remaining seeds for longer term storage. Also, freezing the seeds is optional. The trade-off is that freezing them once will extend their shelf-life significantly at the expense of somewhat reducing germination rates overall. Freezing/thawing/refreezing will reduce the actual shelf life and the germination rates significantly.
I made up enough of the kits to fill orders plus two more to keep for myself. If you want one of those, PayPal me $99 at orders@thehomescientist.com and include your mailing address. There’s a detailed list of contents on my blog back in September or October of last year. OFD already has a kit, although I don’t know what he’s done with it.
My multiple panel failure seems to be unique, according to the guy I’m in contact with at Grape Solar. Diagnostically, I don’t have all the data yet. The only info I have is that 3 of the panels are putting out low volts. Tonight, after work, I will climb up on the shed roof and take down the panels so I can inspect for any kind of physical damage.
The panels are connected in parallel with all pos leads and all neg leads joining together. In my mind this 4 to 1 join is a point where one panel could affect the others, so I’ll look closely at that. I will also take a second look at the charge controller just to be sure it isn’t the culprit.
As I get information from my investigation and from the manufacturer I’ll post it here.
“OFD already has a kit, although I don’t know what he’s done with it.”
That lazy-ass OFD bastid didn’t get around to doing anything with it yet, thanks to multiple distractions here, but the plan is to finish the attic workspace and also the cellar configuration and in one or the other or both places to experiment with some of the seeds and grow lights and then transplanting any successful seedlings outside for a fall harvest test, and then again for next spring.
Between getting those spaces squared away, numerous interruptions for other projects here, and also getting our regular raised beds and containers up and running, the seed test caper took a back seat for now. As Mr. nick has pointed out, gardening is a LOT of work and hassle and no guarantees.
If we do end up back in the Dark Ages as Mr. DadCooks suggests, it will be a very hard row to hoe, pun intended, for almost all modern peoples, and there would be massive die-off; forget the cities. Naturally, though, the elites would make out just fine. Laws of courts and nature don’t touch them.
Most of you young whipper-snappers are too young to remember Civil Defense. The word was around up until about 2006 when it was absorbed into FEMA. However it lost its real direction and purpose back in the late 1950s early 1960s. My dad was a CD Warden and took me to several meetings as it had application to Scouting.
Do any of you remember seeing the old CD sign, the drills?:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/United_States_Civil_Defense_Roundel.svg/330px-United_States_Civil_Defense_Roundel.svg.png
Still today you occasionally read about a long forgotten CD Storeroom being found.
For those putting together a group of like minded individual, you might dig up some of the old CD manuals.Well scrap that idea. As I was looking to provide some introductory links the alarm bells for suspicious and scam sites went off. I sure don’t know what is up, but my conspiracy theory mind says some folks don’t want us to know what worked at one time.
I am certainly ancient enough to remember the CD stuff, including signs on buildings, drills, shelters, etc. We thought the Soviets were about to bomb us but later discovered….wait for it….that our own gummint had LIED to us and the Soviets were much more likely to have most of their chit fall apart, disintegrate, or blow up on their own launch sites.
How ’bout these sites:
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/browse?type=lcsubc&key=Civil%20defense%20–%20Handbooks%2c%20manuals%2c%20etc.
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/docs.html
http://www.w0is.com/miscpages/emergencyprepbooks.html
The basement of one of our local churches is a food pantry. I never really thought much about what that meant. Then I was there for an event and wandered into the basement . It’s probably 3,000 square feet stocked floor to ceiling in dry goods, boxed, and canned foods. You can barely walk inside there is so much food there. Only the church members really know about it. If the SHTF that place is at the top of my loot list.
From the Optimism Writ Large Department:
https://straightlinelogic.com/2016/07/06/what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it-by-robert-gore/
Four months.
“If the SHTF that place is at the top of my loot list.”
Just so long as it’s not a Roman Catholic church….
Hey, if you’re not a member, how do YOU know about it???
I am certainly ancient enough to remember the CD stuff
lol!
Growing up in Rhinelander, WI, I clearly remember the CD shelter and storage location.
It was in the basement of the Rhinelander Brewing Company, now defunct and razed. I lived two blocks from it.
Grew up in Whitinsville, Brockton, Bridgewater and Framingham, MA, and they all had basement shelters in public buildings and signs and CD stuff all over the place. I distinctly recall the “Cuban Missile Crisis” and everyone was on, now let’s get this right, ’cause nobody ever fucking DOES….TENTERHOOKS, not “tender hooks,” expecting an exchange of nuclear fire between Cuber and the U.S. Of course we had nuke warheads in Turkey, but we’re the Holy Murkan Empire so we rule the world. Which would be cool, except the Empire itself is ruled by criminal scum, perverts, and murderers. Much like ancient Rome, eh wot?
cause nobody ever fucking DOES….TENTERHOOKS
Hyper literacy corrects us again*. Yippee ki-yay motherfucker!
*Well, me anywho.
I remember the CD storerooms in Milford Mass in the early to mid 70’s. IIRC President Carter determined that CD was too provocative to the USSR and replaced it with FEMA.
I always thought it was “tender hookers” — you know, the “hooker with a heart of gold” cliche. Though that doesn’t make all that much sense, now that I think about it, what with gold not being all that soft, let alone tender. Ah, the mysteries of the English language.
Looks like Trump’s running mate is going to be Newt. Hmmmmmm. This may not be an optimal choice. Old and Older ™. 70 and 73.
Newt is a stupid choice for Trump. There goes any chance of winning the election. He’s a has been.
I may have been too hasty in naming Newt. Mike Pence is apparently still in the running. Joni Ernst has bowed out honorably, she was my favorite.
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/07/06/ernst-withdraws-trumps-vp-search-endorses-pence/86763210/
I am fairly sure that Elizabeth Warren is going to run with Hillary. That may seal the deal as all of the progs will swoon in delight as they vote for that pair of ….
Whew, I go away for a bit and it descends into literary back and forth….
You will all remember MY comment when I was watching the BBC Farm series, when they actually USED tenterhooks to stretch the wool after it’s urine bath, literally hanging it on hooks???!!???
Took my new/old shop press and cleared some room for it. Broke down half a skid of in-car vcrs from the cops, and took 183 pounds of stainless steel, 17 pounds of aluminum, and 87 pounds of e-waste to the scrap yard. (I’ve still got 2 more similar trips to go.) Prices for scrap are still very low compared to even a year ago. They are almost nothing compared to two years ago. World economy is in the toilet, no matter what the nattering nabobs say.
I worked in the sun for about 3 hours. There was a steady breeze, and occasional clouds helped, but the main reason I didn’t have a stroke is the ‘cool vest’ I’ve been wearing. Maybe beating the heat will be my first post. I’ve been using a couple of high tech aids, and they real seem to work.
Listened to AM talk radio while driving around. Conservative shows are full of hillarity’s crimes, the one liberal station is all “what does H need to do now to move on?” Clearly nothin’ gonna come of it despite all the tongue waggin’.
nick
WRT CD. I remember the shelter signs in all the civic buildings and in our church. Just last year, there was a CD hospital in one of my auctions. Found it under a bridge or something.
When I was in Norway every building has a shelter. The MALL has a bomb shelter. It was a big discussion in the news if they should drop the requirement for shelters in new buildings. Don’t know how that went. The people of Norway have good reason to remember about bomb shelters.
nick
(and in the tunnels under the fjords, at the very bottom, there are some huge doors leading to some more storage and shelter. And possibly trolls.) (They are VERY deep. Freaked me right out to be that deep.)
(and in the tunnels under the fjords, at the very bottom, there are some huge doors leading to some more storage and shelter. And possibly trolls.) (They are VERY deep. Freaked me right out to be that deep.)
I was in a pumped storage power plant under a 600 ft deep lake on the east coast back in 1985. That was unnerving, especially when our guide told us that it had flooded only once. I think that this is the place in Vermont:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield_Mountain_(hydroelectricity_facility)
Please not Newt. As stated above, a loser. I guess tRump likes him for smarty pants political talk. Didn’t Newt say “big gooberment for big solutions” or something like that?
Now that ObolaLynch has called it for Cankles, tRump better get crackin’ and keep Crooked Hillary’s antics alive: email server, Benghazi, Libya, loss of $4 billion, Klinton Krime Family Slush Fund, etc.
tRump 2016 “I’ll convict the big guys along with the little guys”
And to top off the day: the new Iron Man in the comics is a Black female. Game over, man, game over. I can’t wait for the all tranny X-Shemen.
“I think that this is the place in Vermont:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield_Mountain_(hydroelectricity_facility)”
Nope, Maffachufetts, near the VT/NH border/corner. Ski area, too, and a private grrls skool, Mt. Hermon Academy, IIRC.
“There goes any chance of winning the election.”
Maybe the fix is in so thoroughly that the whole Trump deal has just been a show, to amaze and stun the bumpkins for a while.
“And to top off the day: the new Iron Man in the comics is a Black female.”
Naturally; they’re trying to top each other in being outrageously stupid and insane now and just like the pubic skool systems over the past half-century, are demonstrating to us that they can just fucking do whatever they want and fuck you. What’re ya gonna DO about it?
From the current Woodpile Report:
“If you haven’t noticed, it’s not the corruption, it isn’t even the lies, it’s the in-your-face arrogance of the ruling class that’s brassing people off. It’s almost too easy to do Woodpile Report, quote them and link the source, done and done. They’ve wandered so far into the tall grass they have no idea. No idea.”
http://www.woodpilereport.com/html/index-433.htm
Funny bumper sticker I saw today:
I heard he had a Messiah complex…
“Jesus had two dads, and he turned out alright.”
One guess as to the driver’s proclivities and/or sympathies, which probably extend to other areas of SJW endeavor.
I’ve always liked, “If you don’t sin, then Jesus died for nothing!”
I’m sure all have seen the video of the Alton Sterling shooting in BR. He had pistol in his pocket so the cops felt oblidged to empty a mag in him. Then confiscated the CCTV footage, but now claim it was for the Feds. Right. They got caught murdering a guy and illegally stealing the vid, no warrant other than a warrant to kill. I’m sure the “I feared for my life” get off scot free card is coming. Stay away from LA for a few years WHITEY! BLM and SJW are going to rampage. The cops get off could signal the start of the Blackpocalypse
My wife has a veggie garden, not for any serious reason, but just for fun. I’ve been encouraging her to raise more stuff from seed. The plural of anecdote is not data, but still: it’s surprising how often commercial seed fails to sprout. Seeds a year or two old are even more variable.
What I take from this is: if you want seed for prepping reasons, you should probably produce your own, and you should probably fresh seed every year. Sure, try to preserve some, but seeds do not age well.
More: actually getting good yields is hard. Depending on the weather, and random gremlins, one kind of plant will yield a bumper crop, while another yields exactly nothing. This year, the peas are ecstatic, while the tomatillos are basically dead; in previous years, it has been the other way around. For amateurs, there’s not much way to predict what’s going to happen.
– – – – –
For the election, we always knew the fix was in. The events of the past couple of days just finally confirmed it.
Where Trump is concerned: there is a small chance that he is just part of the show. I don’t actually think so: I think he tossed his hat in the ring on a lark, and was surprised by the response. Finally, someone who is (at least a little bit) outside the elite political club. Much more worrisome is the inevitable accident waiting to happen – I hope he has good bodyguards *other* than the Secret Service.
So there are two police shootings of black males where the deceased was apparently a legal gun owner. One may be a case of failure to lay down when the cop tazers you. The other appears to be a case of don’t reach for anything while you are carrying.
So we’re going to have Democrats complain about police use of deadly force out of one side of their mouth and then demand out of the other side of their mouth that only police should have guns.
My take on the past couple days is that if you’re carrying a firearm when a stupid pig approaches you, you might as well kill him right off. He is or they are going to try to kill you anyway, because “they feared for their lives”, so you might as well take some of them with you.
because “they feared for their lives”
Yet if you fear for your life you wind up with charges and a substantial legal bill. And at what point do you fear for your life when a leo confronts you?
My thought was whenever stopped by a cop in a vehicle, you should never let go of the steering wheel or take your hands’ off the dashboard. Or when outside a vehicle, that you should lay down face down with your hands clasped behind your head.
But then I’m a defenseless sheep.
So what I hear you saying is, ambush the stupid pigs before they can confront you. I like the way you think!
I saw part of the video.
My only thought was: What the heck are you struggling for? Given the current environment, DO NOT STRUGGLE. Especially if you’re carrying. Don’t give LEO cause to fear for his life. He will shoot.
That said – we don’t know what led up to the shooting (beyond the video of him struggling).
I don’t plan to ever be in such a situation, but if I do, sudden movements and physical resistance are not in the plans. There will be time for resistance later.
Of course, if it’s a cusp event, I’d be screwed; but I don’t believe the probability is high enough to risk giving Leo a reason to shoot me over a traffic stop.
What SteveF said, but after the fall.
Yep. That’s why open-pollinated (AKIA heirloom) seeds are so important. They breed true, which gives you a sustainable source of fresh seeds. Another good reason to plant at least small gardens is that you will develop landrace varieties of the seeds you’re planting, which become adapted to your particular environment. That’s why one saves seeds from the best examples of each species.
“And at what point do you fear for your life when a leo confronts you?”
Well, BLM has been arguing that point is at initial contact…
And there may be some truth to it.
Although maybe this guy shouldn’t be a poster child for wrongful shooting:
“Felon, Pedophile and Deadbeat Dad #AltonSterling Shot Dead After Wrestling with Police – DOJ to Investigate (VIDEO)
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/07/felon-pedophile-deadbeat-dad-altonsterling-shot-dead-wrestling-police-doj-investigate-video/
“Mike Cernovich @Cernovich
In addition to being a convicted pedophile, #AltonSterling had active warrants for his involvement in gun running. http://gotnews.com/confirmed-bloods-gangbanger-altonsterling-owned-illegal-gun-drug-gun-convictions/ …”
As usual, initial reports are almost always wrong, YMMV
nick
WRT not struggling and compliance…
Most people vapor lock when they are yelled at and in high stress situations. They literally CAN’T comply, because they aren’t processing the commands. Pretty handy for law enforcement that ‘non-compliance’ allows them to escalate use of force.
nick
“They literally CAN’T comply, because they aren’t processing the commands. Pretty handy for law enforcement that ‘non-compliance’ allows them to escalate use of force.”
Like that wheelchair-bound girl at the airport. And countless other examples. I haven’t been stopped for a long time but up here each event was fairly cordial; YMMV in and around high-stress urban and traffic environments. And I don’t speed (much) and obey traffic laws pretty rigorously, take it nice and easy, am polite to even the assholes when they cut me off, use signals always, and don’t have any gun or veteran stickers on the car. I’m just a quiet old middle-aged sportsfan in the typically silver semi-SUV just motoring along on legitimate errands.
If stopped, I pull over carefully with my signal on, and keep my hands in plain sight on the steering wheel; I always have my driver’s license, reg, and proof of insurance right there in front of me (in the visor pocket above the steering wheel) and ready to hand to the LEO. I wait for him or her to initiate the chat and answer politely with the absolute minimum. No arguing, pissing and moaning, none of that, if they issue me a citation. If they order me outta the car I’m gonna advise them at that point that I’m CCW at four-o’clock, while following whatever instructions they then issue.
You have to remember that an armed and costumed State person has detained you for the moment and unless you intend to go the Mr. SteveF Gotterdammerung route, it’s probably best to just knuckle under for the time being and deal with whatever repercussions LATER. Sucks, but that’s the way it is. For now.
If they order me outta the car I’m gonna advise them at that point that I’m CCW at four-o’clock, while following whatever instructions they then issue.
I think in Texas they give you a card that you have a CHL and tell you to hand it over with the DL. Lets the cop know right away.
We got stopped one night coming back to Houston from S. Texas when I was a kid. Five of us in the station wagon, which was crammed full of kids and beach stuff. Texas DPS pulled us over. They put a light on the car, and one officer approached, hand on gun, while the other covered from their car. When they saw it was a family, they relaxed a bit. The officer chewed my dad out for driving 10 over the limit, let us go. We learned later from a neighbor that was a honcho in the 60s version of the DEA that the road we were on was known for drug and people smuggling and that the cops always went in pairs there.
Don’t give LEO cause to fear for his life
Such as opening your mouth before the question is asked.
tell you to hand it over with the DL
I would inform the officer immediately before making any movements. Then ask the officer what they want you to do. If they ask for registration politely tell them it is in the glove compartment and ask if you can reach for the documents.
If they order me outta the car
I would comply and lock the door when I exit. Refuse any request to search the vehicle.
Most people vapor lock when they are yelled at and in high stress situations.
Except those with military training who were yelled at almost hourly during the multiple weeks of basic training.
They put a light on the car, and one officer approached, hand on gun, while the other covered from their car
Did that to me when I was pulled over in Texas on my last trip many moons ago. On a back road from Bryan/College Station to San Antonio. A lonely dark road. Really can’t fault them for using that method. Seemed my vehicle matched the description of a known drug dealer. But I did not fit the description (hispanic with mustache) so was sent on my way after about 30 seconds. They were actively looking for the person.
Most LEO’s are good people and will treat you with respect if you treat them with respect. Let them know you are not a threat by the position of your hands (on the wheel in plain sight), passengers with hands in clear view. Too many ambushes occur to not be careful. Both you and the officer want to survive.
Got lit up one night in Knoxville on I-40. Drove about five miles with my flashers on until I got to an exit with a well lighted business. Officer comes up and asks why I took so long to pull over, seemed kind of pissed. I informed the officer that I was concerned about my safety as well as his and preferred he not be standing on the interstate while doing his job. He thanked me, chastised me for speeding, and sent me on my way.
Had one incident in Knoxville on I-640 at about 8:30 in the winter months so it was dark. Got lit up by an unmarked vehicle. I pulled over and rolled my window down about two inches. When the person approached in plain clothes they asked for my license. I asked them for their identification or a marked patrol vehicle with a uniformed officer. They got pissed and said they did not have to show their identification. I rolled the window up and drove away. Got to the next exit and stopped at a gas station. Went in and called the police (no cell phone yet). Police said I did the correct option and would send an officer to me. They did and a report was filed. Turns out there was a guy cruising the interstate and was pulling people over and assaulting and robbing them. I may have kept myself from being a victim. They caught the guy about a month later.
So we’re going to have Democrats complain about police use of deadly force out of one side of their mouth and then demand out of the other side of their mouth that only police should have guns.
We are trying this experiment in Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore. Apparently, it is not going very well.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/baltimore-saw-steep-fall-police-numbers-murder-rate-050511229.html
My wife’s 88 year old aunt moved out of Baltimore last year to an assisted living in Virginia close to her daughter. Good timing.
If they order me outta the car I’m gonna advise them at that point that I’m CCW at four-o’clock, while following whatever instructions they then issue.
I attended a lecture by a lawyer and a LEO in The Great State of Texas a few weeks ago. Both advised telling officer friendly that you have a LTC and are carrying on you or the vehicle before he takes your driver’s license back to the cruiser computer. The LEO specifically stated that when he runs your license, he gets a very loud buzz from his laptop if you have a CCW or a warrant for your arrest. He gets the same noise from his laptop for either. His takeaway on that is that officer friendly goes away at that point if he gets surprised.
I think in Texas they give you a card that you have a CHL and tell you to hand it over with the DL. Lets the cop know right away.
As of Jan 1, 2016, the CHL (concealed handgun license) has changed to LTC (license to carry) since Texas is now an licensed open carry state. Mine says CHL but the next will say LTC.
And there are states like MI where simply handing the officer your CHL isn’t considered notifying him. You have to actually say it, as the first thing you do. (According to the research I did before carrying in MI.)
“Except those with military training who were yelled at almost hourly during the multiple weeks of basic training.”
Which is why they do it. Even then, there is a problem with context, and some of that needs to be trained out or the enemy could simply yell with command voice and have the newbie follow commands.
One problem is the innocent man ignores the shouted commands because he KNOWS you aren’t talking to HIM, HE hasn’t done anything to merit being yelled at….
nick
Why is Texas so hostile towards guns? I would have expected it to be like Vermont, with no license or any other impediments to carrying any time, open or concealed.
Even North Carolina, which I don’t consider particularly friendly to firearms, allows anyone to carry any firearm openly without any kind of permit or paperwork. Of course, there’s a gotcha. A cop can bust you for carrying openly if, in his opinion, you are doing so to “the terror of the public”. In the past, that was a racist law. Somehow, white people were almost never charged with that offense, while black people often were.
Why is Texas so hostile towards guns? I would have expected it to be like Vermont, with no license or any other impediments to carrying any time, open or concealed.
I’ve wondered this as well. Even having lived in Texas for many years, I don’t understand it. The Lone Star State, home of cowboys and independent spirits, and you have to get a permit for your six-shooter? Makes no sense.
All I can figure is that it has to do with the namby-pamby fundamentalist Christians, of whom there are far too many. Or we can blame the damned Yankees. But I really don’t know. Anyone have a good explanation?
“No arguing, pissing and moaning, none of that, if they issue me a citation.”
Boy, that’s not the OFD I know…
Update on the solar panel failure:
I climbed up on the shed roof** and removed the panels last evening. I did not see any damage of any sort on the non-functioning panels. There really is not much to the panels; the cells themselves, an aluminum frame, and a small circuit box with 2 leads coming out of it.
Grape solar is shipping me 3 replacement panels. They want 1 returned for testing and told me to “field destroy” the other two. Apparently the panels have 2 strings of cells so getting only half the voltage means 1 string is now an open circuit. It could be a diode failure (unlikely to happen on all three) or a “circuit lead failure” which can happen in manufacturing batches.
Instead of disposing of the two anemic panels I could connect them in series to get the output equivalent of 1 panel (Grape Solar technician’s suggestion) or try to repair them (could be beyond my skills but I might have a go at it).
I think my situation is unusual so I’m not afraid to keep using Grape Solar panels. I asked if I could get an upgrade to their 160W panels and just pay the difference. They said “no”, the warranty only allows for like replacement.
**A roof, even a shed roof is a miserable place when it is 90°F and high humidity and you’re 50 years old and out of shape.
I’d think getting half the voltage would happen if the two strings are in series and one of them shorts out.
If you had two in series and one shorted out, you’d get 0 voltage.
Can you connect the solar panels in series? That is a lot of extra amps to push through the second panel which might be significantly lost due to extra resistance, etc.
Why is Texas so hostile towards guns? I would have expected it to be like Vermont, with no license or any other impediments to carrying any time, open or concealed.
Even North Carolina, which I don’t consider particularly friendly to firearms, allows anyone to carry any firearm openly without any kind of permit or paperwork. Of course, there’s a gotcha. A cop can bust you for carrying openly if, in his opinion, you are doing so to “the terror of the public”. In the past, that was a racist law. Somehow, white people were almost never charged with that offense, while black people often were.
The Great State of Texas was run by the dumbocrats from 1865 to 1982. There were quite a few of the good ones such as Lloyd Benson. And then there was Ma Richards. And yes, many of the laws that they wrote were meant and used to suppress minorities.
The Republicans are busily removing all these old laws but have to fight uphill each way. The Texas Senate is very moribund in its traditions and follows them usually to the point of death. Plus the stupid repuglicans have enacted a few nastyisms of their own (see discriminatory abortion laws that just got thrown out by SCOTUS).
There is no perfect state in the Union but, Texas is as close as it gets IMHO. Alaska is too remote and too cold. And too many bears and moose.
And Lynn runs and ducks for cover …
Alaska – where men are men and moose are meat.
The trouble with Alaska is internet access. They ain’t got none.
Jesus had two dads, and he turned out alright.
Two GREAT dads. And a great mother. And at least three brothers and two sisters.
I heard he had a Messiah complex…
Nope, that was Barabbas. Who, was personally executed by the Roman Tribune in charge of Palestine in the move “Risen”. One of the bloodiest movies that I have ever seen. And yes, I have no idea if that really happened, the movie takes many liberties in the story line.
https://www.amazon.com/Risen-Blu-ray-Cliff-Curtis/dp/B01BZ4DOGQ/
Alaska – where men are men and moose are meat.
The trouble with Alaska is internet access. They ain’t got none.
Heh. I’ve been watching the “Buying Alaska” tv show. It is fairly easy to get DSL lines but the high speed cable lines seem to be few and far between. But, are there high speed trunks connecting Alaska with the lower 48 ?
Not surprisingly, I consider NC best.
Given that I live here, I obviously think New York is best.
OK, show of hands, people: Who’s impressed that I got that out without the words catching in my throat?
“Except those with military training who were yelled at almost hourly during the multiple weeks of basic training.”
“hourly”??? You got off easy. I made the crucial mistake of 1.) being from Maffachufetts, 2.) going down with my long hair, and 3.) opening my pie-hole and letting them HEAR the MA accent.
“**A roof, even a shed roof is a miserable place when it is 90°F and high humidity and you’re 50 years old and out of shape.”
OFD knows full well; shortly after I got back from working for Uncle I was doing roofing jobs in the Sudbury, MA area, mostly on three-story colonial piles, with steeply slanting roofs. In the summer. It’s a LOT hotter up there than the air temp would suggest, of course. I was 22 and about 215 then, no fat; hauled those effin’ 80-pound “bindles” up shaky aluminum ladders to the roof, as I was the noob on the crew. A real stud carried a bindle on each shoulder. I did that a couple of times and after going home with deep ruts in my shoulder blades and shaky hands and wrists, I went back to the pussy carry. MAN, it was hot work; we used to break for lunch and drink beer and smoke doobies, too. Five bucks an hour, under-the-table, in 1976.
Best state? when I take those online best-state quizzes, my top choice always come out to be Alaska; if I was thirty years younger….
“Who’s impressed that I got that out without the words catching in my throat?”
Extremely impressive. But we need to make sure peeps grok that there are basically two New Yorks: the greater NYC/Long Island area with the Capital District, and the northern and western parts of the state, which are nothing like. And since the former areas have the demographic voting power and the huge preponderance of SJWs and progs and commies and Turd World derps, they make the political and legal stuff what it is over there. Just as our commie assholes are concentrated in Montpeculiar and Burlington/Chittenden County and the college towns over on this side of the lake.
If TSHTF, Alaska cannot come close to sustaining itself.
re hauling shingles and other supplies up to the roof, I’ve been trying for years to get a good explanation of why the contractors don’t rig up a hoist of some sort and pull the bales up with a pulley. It would make a lot more sense to carry up a hundredweight or two of truss once and then just bring up the bales than it does to have 150-200 pounds of human going up and down repeatedly while carrying the bales.
If TSHTF, Alaska cannot come close to sustaining itself.
Can’t they all live off whale blubber, moose and bear?
why the contractors don’t rig up a hoist
Some of them do. They have a hoist that looks like a ladder with a trolley that runs up and down the assembly. For lower roofs they just back the truck up to the house and toss the packages up to the roof.
Thanks, Ray. I’ve never seen one, and I’ve been looking for years when I see houses being built, and asking contractors if I get a chance and think of it. I have seen cranes used a couple times — the crane was brought in to bring up the roof trusses, then was also used for bringing up plywood, though I don’t remember seeing shingles lifted by crane.
Who knows, maybe they’re illegal in New York State. That seems likely, what with NY being the best and all — ref previous comment.
I’ve never seen one
They are called shingle elevators.
http://www.buymbs.com/p-6009-safety-hoist-mh123-200lb-aluminum-based-ladder-hoist.aspx?vid=1080341&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Product_CPC&utm_campaign=1080341&gclid=CjwKEAjw-_e7BRDs97mdpJzXwh0SJABSdUH0phsdNllKpiutNNXv_4lX-vkhEX58U7ZThJR1Iw5W6hoC9sbw_wcB
Some look just like a ladder leaning against the house so sometimes harder to see.
We woulda given our left nuts for shingle elevators. Then, gee whiz, we coulda spent ALL our time up on that hot roof, snapping off chalk lines, nailing the shingles on, one by one, with a regular hammer and nails, and of course anything less than a 22-0unce hammer was a “fem-iron.” I’m guessing it was well over 100 by late morning on those roofs.
Almost all restrictive gun laws have there root in racism and suppression of the darker skinned races. TX is no exception. It IS weird though that people think of the wild west and cowboys. Note that long guns can be carried openly and without permit.
n
Note that long guns can be carried openly and without permit.
Except in Waco.
FTFY.