Arm yourself and remain vigilant

We're going to see a lot more of this before it gets better!

Ashtabula County: Judge tells residents to "Arm themselves"

Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey was asked what residents should do to protect themselves and their families with the severe cutback in law enforcement.

"Arm themselves," the judge said. "Be very careful, be vigilant, get in touch with your neighbors, because we're going to have to look after each other."

Full story below.

Jeff Maynor

JEFFERSON -- In the ongoing financial crisis in Ashtabula County, the Sheriff's Department has been cut from 112 to 49 deputies.  With deputies assigned to transport prisoners, serve warrants and other duties, only one patrol car is assigned to patrol the entire county of 720 square miles.
"I did the best with what they (the county commissioners) gave me. If it wasn't enough, don't blame me, don't blame this department," said Sheriff Billy Johnson. 
Johnson said he is suing the commissioners to get a determination of whether he should use his limited budget to carry out obligations defined by law or put more patrol cars on the streets.
"I just can't do it anymore," he said. "I have to have the court explain to the commissioners and to me what my statutory duties are."
The Ashtabula County Jail has confined as many as 140 prisoners. It now houses only 30 because of reductions in the staff of corrections officers.
All told, 700 accused criminals are on a waiting list to serve time in the jail. 
Are there dangerous people free among the 700 who cannot be locked up?
"There probably are," Sheriff Johnson said, "but I'm telling you, any known violent criminal, we're housing them. We've got murderers in there."
Ashtabula County is the largest county in Ohio by land area. 

Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey was asked what residents should do to protect themselves and their families with the severe cutback in law enforcement.

"Arm themselves," the judge said. "Be very careful, be vigilant, get in touch with your neighbors, because we're going to have to look after each other."

Ashtabula County gun dealers and firearms instructors tell WKYC their business has really picked up since the Sheriff's Department cutbacks began some months ago.
"That's exactly why they are coming, so that they can protect themselves," says Tracy Williams, a certified firearms instructor in Jefferson. "They don't feel that they are protected. They want to be able to protect themselves."
Williams says interest in his classes has doubled recently, and many of those coming are people who he would not normally expect to have interest in obtaining a concealed carry permit.
"And as far as him (Judge Mackey) telling you to arm yourselves and protect yourselves, you don't have any other option," Williams told WKYC. "We don't have the law enforcement out here to handle it right now."

Ashtabula County, where unemployment is higher than the state average, is asking voters to approve a one half per cent sales tax increase in May.
The tax hike would raise the tax in the county to seven percent.

Garden update

The heat and rain have been good for the garden so far, but its also been good for the weeds. Keeping them down is a non-stop battle at this point. At least the new fence is keeping the rabbits and deer out. Cant wait for fresh squash and zuchinni. The carrots and tomatoes are coming along nicely. Oddly enough my patch of onions that is outside of the garden fence that usually runs riot is nowhere to be seen; gophers?!
Better check for burrows before they find their way into the garden proper, raise beds or no.

Oh by the way, non-shocker of the week, the SCOTUS just said the 2nd Amendment applies over local and state laws, so all of those local and state gun restrictions; they are going bye bye.

More folks licensed to pack heat

Good article at MSNBC.com, which I don't normally find to be a gun friendly website. Check out the collection of pistols this guy keeps at work. And I thought having two in the glove compartment was a lot!

Boo-Hoo: Leftists, Media Cry Out Because Filibuster May Mean End of Unemployment Gravy Train

This article swiped from here

Q: When has spending money you don't have ever gotten you out of debt?



A: Never.



It's an unassailable fact, but ideologues such as Steve Benen and Matthew Yglesias can't seem to grasp such a simple concept, as they moan and wail because it appears a Republican filibuster may finally end the unending unemployment gravy train:

Democrats control 59 seats in the Senate but expect to lose the vote of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), meaning they would need the votes of at least two Republicans to cross the 60-vote threshold.

The package includes tax breaks for businesses and individuals, as well as emergency support for millions of jobless workers who have exhausted their regular 26-week state benefits. Unless Congress acts, an estimated 900,000 people will have their checks cut off by the end of the month.
The filibuster has support because Republicans and Nelson understand that you can't keep plunging the country further into debt and expect to climb out of a recession. By stopping unemployment benefits, the Senate will force those lazy Americans enjoying "funemployment" to get off their backsides and get back to work.

I know that many long-term unemployed people have made a sincere effort to return to work, but I know for a fact that many haven't.

As everyone like anecdotes, I can mention the stories of one of my brother and my two brothers-in-law. My brother was in construction management, one of my brothers-in-law is in auto body shop management, and the other brother-in-law is a mid-level manager.

All three lost jobs within the past two years due to their companies facing economic woes. My brother immediately sent out resumes and spoke with industry contacts in his area, and was re-employed—working longer hours at less pay—within a month. With his work ethic, I suspect he be promoted once an opportunity becomes available.

My brother-in-law the body shop manager has gone through a string of layoffs in south Florida, but never was out of work for long because he was willing to compromise and take less than he thought he was worth to support his family. He even moved from Florida to North Carolina in pursuit of work opportunities, and seems to be making a good impression at his new shop.

My brother-in-law the middle-manager has been under-employed over a year. He works a part-time job and collects unemployment.

When he does get interviews, he torpedoes them. He recently told a perspective employer that what they were offering salary-wise wasn't good enough.

These anecdotes run true almost everywhere. Those who sincerely want to work and have the drive and marketable skills are working. Those who don't want to work are coasting off what the taxpayers will allow for as long as they can.

We can't keep subsidizing such people, and it isn't right to ask others who work hard to go deeper in debt to bail out those who won't work.

The Senate seems to grasp that.

Too bad liberals don't.

World Wide Debt Forgiveness

Now, I am a Libertarian, and a fiscal consevative. I pay my bills and I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for anyone who spends more than they bring in, even my extended family. That being said, we have a massive problem internationally that needs to be addressed.
The Global Debt burden is going to crash 1st world nation economies and stymie any growth from 2nd and 3rd world nations for generations. We have let dictators, elected thugs and non-governmental entities drive us to the brink of global economic collapse.
Now don't get me wrong. When this occurs I don't personally belive that zombies will rise from the dead or that the majority of the human population will die off, I have enough faith in the human race to know we'll find a new way to keep on moving. It will however cause a short term interruption in everything. Everything. That interruption could be days, weeks, months or even a few years. I'm talking food supplies, transportation, medicine delivery, schools, social programs, health care, etc etc etc. Think I'm kidding? Hospitals in California right now can't get companies to ship them band-aids b/c they are millions in arrears. African countries can't get the food they need, even the food they have paid to import, b/c shipping companies are going bankrupt and the ships just aren't available. Open your eyes, we're approaching an economic tipping point.

There is a way out.

A simple (notice I didnt say pain free) way to avoid what will surely be a rather nasty and brutish global economic experience will be to;
A: require all countries to sign a global treaty requiring their national budgets be balanced every year, much like all 50 of the United States have in their constitutions. No deficit spending, no borrowing sums you can only afford to pay the interest on, none of it. You can only spend what you have. Automatic and draconian sanctions against any country that does not live up to this treaty. I think the treaty should require World Bank monitoring and a constitutional amendment in every single country.

B: Forgive all international and NATIONAL debt. All of it. Tabula Rasa. Every country starts from square one, using their revenue from taxes, goods, tariffs, etc to finance their government. Every single US Saving Bond would become null and void. Greek bonds? Gone. Borrowing money from tomorrow to pay for todays government? Gone as well.

This is where the pain comes in. This means everyone who owns national bonds will now own nothing. There are persons and agencies that will falter or crash without their vast sums of now worthless paper. Sucks to be them. Nothing we can do for them.  A handout or "bailout" is possible from the country they live in, but only if said country can do it without going into debt itself and feels like they want to. Within the confines of the new treaty, it's their choice how they run their country.

The world will reset governmental debt and will start a new age of fiscal responsibility and an awareness that we are all in this mess together. We will save ourselves from economic ruin and have the grace to say, hey look, we're heading towards a cliff, lets work toegther to stop this runaway train.


This won't fix everything. Countries like the US and UK that have enormous liabilities for retirees, and other EU countries that have cradle to the grave welfare for their citizens will be hard pressed to continue those programs, even with burgeoning debt being erased. They will have to sit down with their citizens and explain that the rules have changed and they now have to live within budgets. It will be tough and it will be hard to get re-elected after this, but its the right thing to do. We've seen some of what could happen by looking at the Greek people's response to a very mild reduction in social welfare to help with their debt. The United States will no longer be able to afford 100 foreign military bases or 11 nuclear aircraft carrier groups. Shit happens, but we will get through this scenario far better than a global Great Depression II. On the plus side, Zimbabwe and Haiti might actually improve considerably.

 (wakes from dream)
Fat chance, I know.

My thoughts on the 25 Questions

So if you've read the 25 Questions I posted, by this time you should notice that any “recovery” that the U.S. economy is experiencing is illusory and will be quite temporary. The entire financial system of the United States (and the EU) is falling apart, and the powers that be can try to patch it up and prop it up for a while, but in the end this thing is going to come crashing down. Buy oil, gold, silver and wheat now while the fiat money is still accepted for purchases. You are going to need those physical investment items in order to fee yourself and your loved ones until we can get through the chaos of the crash and go back to a money that is linked to gold. The worst two thigns Richard Nixon ever did to this country were to open relations with China and to take us off the gold standard. The world is still reeling from both of those actions and it wont stop until we fix both of those problems. The one will be fixed by going back on the gold standard and the other will be fixed when we stop giving most favored nation trade status to a country that gives us a sharp stick to the eye everytime we point out the unfairness of their economy to American trade. Our economy will collapse, the worlds economies are collapsing now. We will all agree internationally to wipe away all soveriegn debt and start over with a clean slate, and this time, we will not base our economies on debt products. If we don't.....well, that road is too awful to even imagine.

Creekmore, Pick Me, ooh ooh, Pick Me!

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

25 Questions

#25) 1.41 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009 – a 32 percent increase over 2008. Not only that, more Americans filed for bankruptcy in March 2010 than during any month since U.S. bankruptcy law was tightened in October 2005. So shouldn’t we at least wait until the number of Americans filing for bankruptcy is not setting new all-time records before we even dare whisper the words “economic recovery”?

25 Questions

#24) In March, the price of fresh and dried vegetables in the United States soared 49.3% - the most in 16 years. Is it a sign of a healthy economy when food prices are increasing so dramatically?

25 Questions

#23) Defaults on apartment building mortgages held by U.S. banks climbed to a record 4.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010. In fact, that was almost twice the level of a year earlier. Does that look like a good trend to you?

25 Questions

#22) Richard Russell, the famous author of the Dow Theory Letters, says that Americans should sell anything they can sell in order to get liquid because of the economic trouble that is coming. Do you think that Richard Russell is delusional or could he possibly have a point?

Arizona doesn't like Anchor Babies

Arizona is passing/passed a measure that would prevent children of illegal immigrants born in this country from receiving State of Arizona birth certificates. No proof of birth, fat chance getting citizenship later on when you grow up. I for one am not a Con scholar, but I will says this, the 14th Amendment allows some wiggle room here:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

That jurisdiction bit does leave some room for discussion at the very least. Since their mom is here illegally, are they, the child, subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or are they citizens of the same foreign country as their mother? Arizona is saying they are foreign citizens and as such, should receive a record of live birth from their home country.

My family has only been in this country for about a 140 years, but at the time we did enter legally, it wasnt until after WWI, I believe, that immigration was cut down and set by quota. I think everyone else should come legally as well.

25 Questions

#21) The bottom 40 percent of those living in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth. So is Barack Obama’s mantra that “what is good for Wall Street is good for Main Street” actually true?

We're all going to die...from snake bites..or spiders....or scorpions

So it turns out that the FDA thinks the drug used in Mexico for coral snake bites is even better and safer then the one used in the US, and now that the US company has stopped making theirs, the FDA is willing to "expedite" the process for approval in human trials. This would cost $3-5 million dollars. Now, the drug has been used for years in Mexico ON PEOPLE. Couldnt we just have a sit down with the FDA and review the results of actual useage?
Because apparently the Mexican company says it would take them decades to make their money back from a $5 Million dollar approval process, which means...prepare to be shocked...they won't do it. The FDA is afraid of approving the drug without trials for fear of being sued.
The sole source of scorpion anti-venom just retired, thats right, it was one person in a lab. And spider AV is becoming scarce too.
Maybe we should start asking all these south border drug mules to sneak in some anti-venin with them.

Be careful in your gardens people. I suggest you do like me and write your congressman to get this fixed. Not approving the drug from Mexico is insane and will get people killed.

25 Questions

#20) One new poll shows that 76 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is still in a recession. So are the vast majority of Americans just stupid or could we still actually be in a recession?

25 Questions

#19) Gallup’s measure of underemployment hit 20.0% on March 15th. That was up from 19.7% two weeks earlier and 19.5% at the start of the year. Do you think that is a good trend or a bad trend?

25 Questions

#18) The mayor of Detroit says that the real unemployment rate in his city is somewhere around 50 percent. So can the U.S. really be experiencing an economic recovery when so many are still unemployed in one of America’s biggest cities?

Happy Flag Day

Quote from The (other) Boy

Actually this wasn't my son (The Boy), it was my nephew. We were in a foot race over the weekend and he looks over as I pass him and says "hey you can't pass me, I'm winning this race!". Now I take no great pride in defeating a 5 year old boy in a foot race (I did give him a 25 yard head start in a 40 yard race and still beat him) but I do find it odd that this generation coming up has "entitlement" drilled into them so much, they simply cannot believe bad things can happen to them.
He pouted to the point his lower lip nearly fell off and so we had a do-over and I let him win. What are Uncles for, if not to further engender unreleastic outlooks on life. Much like the kids playing soccer who now lose, IF THEY SCORE MORE THAN THE OTHER TEAM

For the record, my father always beat me in foot races until I was in my early teens and I legitemately beat him. He then never raced me again to this day.  :)

Animal Attacks #2

Talon Thomas beat his attacker off, this poor lady got mauled until her neighbors came to help. I keep focusing on the fox stories since they are small and most people dont see them as a threat. Stay aware of your surroundings.

25 Questions

#17) 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Tens of millions of Americans find themselves just one lawsuit, one really bad traffic accident or one very serious illness away from financial ruin. With so many Americans living on the edge, how can you say that the economy is healthy?

25 Questions

#16) Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently told the U.S. government that they are going to need even more bailout money. So what does it say about the U.S. economy when the two “pillars” of the U.S. mortgage industry are government-backed financial black holes that the U.S. government has to relentlessly pour money into?

25 Questions

#15) Existing home sales in the United States jumped 7.6 percent in April. That is the good news. The bad news is that this increase only happened because the deadline to take advantage of the temporary home buyer tax credit (government bribe) was looming. So now that there is no more tax credit for home buyers, what will that do to home sales?

25 Questions

#14) The FDIC is backing 8,000 banks that have a total of $13 trillion in assets with a deposit insurance fund that is basically flat broke. So what do you think will happen if a significant number of small banks do start failing?

Animal Attacks

Animal attacks are on the rise, as can be seen in this story from England. Many more examples can be offered in supposedly "modern" countries, especially the United States.
More and more animals are moving into suburban and urban areas. Always keep your children safe and don't "assume" all will be well, even in their own room. In this instance mom left the backdoor open for some fresh air and a fox wandered in, went upstairs and mauled the two twin infants in their beds. A screen door for $75, or a well maintained fence would have saved the entire family a lifetime of grief.
Do a walk around of your house and property, and look for evidence of local animals passing through. Protecting your children is 90% offense and only 10% defense. Think ahead, plan ahead and keep the lil' ones safe.

25 Questions

#13) The FDIC’s list of problem banks recently hit a 17-year high. Do you think that an increasing number of small banks failing is a good sign or a bad sign for the U.S. economy?

Total Suckage...or a lack thereof

So I'm on a call in my basement office and suddenly I hear an unusual alarm go off. Its not a smoke detector, its not my CO detector, not my Radon detector, all of which I have heard go off from time to time. Yep, its the H2O detector I put next to the water heater and sump pump years ago and forgot about. I dont even know when the last time was I replaced that battery. But since apparently the water finishes the electrical circuit, a 9 volt battery last a long time in one of those.
So, I turn the corner and see a 1/2 inch wall of water spreading out quite rapidly from the sump. The pump failed, hence the "lack of suckage" from the title. After jerry rigging the pump to run continously (it was the sensor that failed, so I pulled it apart and hot wired it. I don't recommend doing impromptu wiring on a water submersible pump, but hey, it worked and I didnt die) I ran to the hardware store about 2 miles away and bought a new pump and hurried the hell home. After about 20 minutes I had the old pump out, the new pump in and all was right with the world. Its been raining here almost every day for 5 weeks. Can't wait for monsoon season to be over.....
Makes me want to get a battery backup spare sump pump....

25 Questions

#12) Monstrous amounts of oil continue to gush freely into the Gulf of Mexico, and analysts are already projecting that the seafood and tourism industries along the Gulf coast will be devastated for decades by this unprecedented environmental disaster. In light of those facts, how in the world can anyone project that the U.S. economy will soon be stronger than ever?

25 Questions

#11) According to one new report, the U.S. national debt will reach 100 percent of GDP by the year 2015. So is that a sign of economic recovery or of economic disaster?

There is an AR accessory for everything it seems

What in the world? an AR Upper that is a ......crossbow?
http://www.shootingillustrated.com/Gear/Accessories/PSE_TAC-15.html

25 Questions

#10) The U.S. Treasury Department recently announced that the U.S. government suffered a wider-than-expected budget deficit of 82.69 billion dollars in April. So is the fact that the red ink of the U.S. government is actually worse than projected a good sign or a bad sign?

25 Questions

#9) Considering the fact that the U.S. government is projected to have a 1.6 trillion dollar deficit in 2010, and considering the fact that if you went out and spent one dollar every single second it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend a trillion dollars, how can anyone in their right mind claim that the U.S. economy is getting healthier when we are getting into so much debt?

Food for thought - Peak Oil

I'm not sure where I come out on the Peak Oil theory most days, depends on my mood and what I've most recently read. I have the feeling that we'll figure this one out somehow. One journal article I recently read though caught my eye. Instead of debatintg peak oil, it just asks, "Ok, what if..?".
It looks at test cases of societies that have all experienced at least a 20% reduction in petro imports. Its a harrowing look at the 4 major options of what will happen.
1: Your military will seize the remaining oil resources needed for your country.  (US and China are listed as the most likely to follow this role, Japan in 1931-1945 is the example)
2: Your elites will clamp down on everyday Joes and lots of people will go hungry and not have electricity. (North Korea, Latin American Pseudo-democracies, etc)
3:  You will all find a way to live together in harmony, with lesser reources and live happily with fewer calories. (Cuba after the Soviet Collapse)
4: Their will be winners and losers in a large country, so areas with resources will prosper other will crash. (The Southern US after the Civil War is listed as an example)
5: High % of population dies, Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! (ok, #5 wasn't actually in there, I just added that as an homage to Ghostbusters)

But the idea I took most to heart was this:

In the event of peak oil,we should not expect

either immediate collapse or a smooth transition. People do not
give up their lifestyle easily.We should expect painful adaptation
processes that may last for a century or more.

Let me repeat...
painful adaptation processes that may last for a century or more.

That sucks.

Friedrichs, J.,Global energy crunch: How different parts of the world would react to a peak oil scenario.

Energy Policy(2010), doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.04.011

25 Questions

#8) In March, the U.S. trade deficit widened to its highest level since December 2008. Month after month after month we buy much more from the rest of the world than they buy from us. Wealth is draining out of the United States at an unprecedented rate. So is the fact that the gigantic U.S. trade deficit is actually getting bigger a good sign or a bad sign for the U.S. economy?

RIP Ranger Squirrel

Ranger Squirrel, a blog I enjoy reading, is no more.   Seems the Ranger wants to retire and he isn't going to pay for the site to be maintained past July 3rd, so if you have never read the eclectic musings, do so quickly this month, theres a lot of good stuff there.

I salute you Ranger, and wish you the best.
Sean

25 Questions

#7) But it just isn’t California that is in trouble. Dozens of U.S. states are in such bad financial shape that they are getting ready for their biggest budget cuts in decades. What do you think all of those budget cuts will do to the economy?

How not to exit a helicopter

Israeli commandos have taught us an important lesson, do not exit a helicopter straight into a mob of angry people with stick and knives. I'll keep that in mind for exiting any vehicle actually.....

25 Questions

#6) Do you think that it is a good sign that Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of the state of California, says that “terrible cuts” are urgently needed in order to avoid a complete financial disaster in his state?

3 items in the news....

OK, three things have caught my attention in the news:
1. You now have to say you are being silent, if you are invoking your right to silence when being mirandized. Excuse me, but if I don't say I'm being silent and I don't say anything else at all, what exactly are you going to hold against me in a court of law? My being silent? Can I be charged with non-cooperation if I just don't say anything? Seems like an odd thing to rule about, you can bet I will be reading the full case asap. Mind now, anytime an officer has pulled me over I've had trouble shutting my mouth...much less being silent....

2. Nearly 20 flags (does that mean 19?) were burned in Ohio on Memorial Day weekend
One suspect was later arrested according to my drive time radio yesterday and was quoted as saying he was utilizing his right to Free Speech. Lt. Greg Bolek (of the local po-po) says he faces possible criminal damaging and arson charges since THE FLAGS BELONG TO THE LOCAL ROTARY CLUB. You can burn flags in the US under your First Amendment rights. You just have to own the flag to avoid going to jail, dumbass.

3. The Federal Government has asked that all of the states rights movement firearm freedom acts be thrown out under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. They say that having these weapons manufactured and sold without Federal oversight will affect inter-state commerce.
And by that they mean, there will be less inter-state commerce b/c of these states actions. So now, the Feds are saying they can regulate everything that is interstate commerce and ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS UP OR DOWN THE VOLUME OF SAID COMMERCE? Thats a pretty bold claim to be making. Me thinks we should sit back and watch the fireworks in court and see how this plays out.

BTW, the Firearms Acts arent the only States Rights issue hitting the news, Arizona's Governor has now publicly told Pres. Obama "Bring it on" as far as challenging in court the States right to pass a law that is a MIRROR OF FEDERAL LAW! Sheesh people, Eric Holder can't be bothered to read the Arizona law, and Obama doesn't even understand that he is bound by the same law at a federal level. What are these guys doing when they aren't on vacation/golfing? Obviously not picking up a law book.....

25 questions

#5) With the U.S. Congress planning to quadruple oil taxes, what do you think that is going to do to the price of gasoline in the United States and how do you think that will affect the U.S. economy?