V for Vendetta: a scary look at what could be...
I just got done watching V for Vendetta. Started out thinking the thing was going to be another Matrix like overblown martial arts shootemup. I was mistaken. What we have here is a seriously thought provoking movie with many nuances. On one hand, it shows the issues of gay rights in a way which is rarely seen, through the eyes of the persecuted. also shows the wonderful world of sensorship and the lack of free speach, assembly and all of the other liberties we hold dear. All of them torn away by a mealstrom of media and extremist government on an unarmed society.What this shows to me is the futility, stupidity and crazyness of gun control. All gun control does is keep the law abiding populace in a state of impotance when faced with a dictatorship or anything close to it. That is where we are all headed right now, with well meaning know nothings doing their best to disarm us so that when things move toward dictatorship, the average citizen cannot hope to stand against it. In the movie, folks finally get fed up. Their blind obediance to the system is shattered by the words of a "terrorist" who does his business for the good of the people. Now Im not into the whole bombing thing, but he made a damned good point when, as the people begin to assemble to march on Parliment, V was asked by Evie:" What will happen to them??" and V answered: The same thing that happend whenever people without guns are faced with people with guns." We cannot allow ourselves to be put in that position, of becomming martres to our beliefs simply because in the name of a little safety, we gave up liberty and when we finally do wake up, are the ones without guns.

Grrr
Topic: Media Morons at work

I dont know if you have noticed that in the past few months since the election, there have been a rash of sensationalized shootings. I know I have. And why do we notice these things? because they are (or were) Rare. It seems to me that every time we have a president or majority of congress elected who might be in favor of gun control, a number of nut jobs go out and blast people, then themselves (conveniently) to give ammuntion to the gun control idiots.

Im not by any means saying that President Obama or anyone connected to him has anything to do with it, but I AM saying that its not beyond the realm of possibility that someone who does NOT want a well armed populace (therefore hard to control)  might not be encouraging or even recruitung these men to act out their basest instincts. people who fit a personality profile, who might want to do these things, are given some exterior motivation to carry out these hainous acts..

It starts with the Virginia Tech shootings. They occured at a time when it was obvious that the pro gun government was on the wain and an Anti gun government was on its way.

Another facet is the fact that not one, but TWO of the mass killers are of Asian descent, is this intended to foster distrust in our asian neighbors as well as fuel the idiots of the anti gun crew and the no brains who follow them?

 I dont know if this is all true or if Im just pulling togeather random things.. but I had to write it down...feel free to respond to this..

Humans Breed Too Mucha?|

Humans Breed Too Much…

 

Ok this is a little odd for a social issue but it’s one that I think a lot about. Overpopulation impacts many other issues in our country and around the world. As we make more people, we must house them, feed them, cloth them and of course bury them when they die. This has put a huge strain on the world’s ecosystem. As we build more houses and develop more raw land into farmland, we remove more and more of the natural filters (trees and plants) that allow us to breathe. This demand to expand living space and farmland kills millions of acres of trees per year and with them, many plants, fungi and animals are going extinct, some of which might carry the cures for any number of maladies currently ravaging our planet. Combine all of this with a greatly expanded lifespan so that when we do make new people, we come with a one hundred year lifespan, forty to fifty years longer than we have ever lived before. All in all we are breeding ourselves out of existence and if something like a plague or a war doesn’t cull the population down, we are in some serious trouble.

There is a bright spot in all of this. Our society is intent on making everything as convenient and simple by way of technology that is dependent on a very fragile infrastructure. Therefore individuals in our society are by and large becoming less and less self sufficient. The result is that when (not if) this whole technological terror we have constructed comes crashing down around us, a large percentage of the population will have no clue how to meet their day to day survival needs , and good old Darwin will have his way with us. The result will be that most will likely perish. Why would this a bright spot? Because during the dark ages that will ensue, the planet will have a chance to recuperate from all of the damage we have done to it.  Those of us who are self sufficient, especially those who learned to listen to their grandparents and parents (in that order) who went through hard times are the ones who will be prosperous. History shows us that the decline of a society begins when it loses its industrious nature, becomes intent on luxury and is willing to give up basic rights in return for a false sense of security. The Romans went out like this, and so will we. I just hope maybe the next great empire actually learns from our mistakes…because we sure haven’t.

Goodies from the Garbage

Well a couple of days ago I happened to be heading to school and darn near squealed my tires for stopping as fast as I did. I saw what looked like someone had thrown away an outdoor store! This goes toward my "camping with no budget" listing of garbage finds from heaven for sure! In it was :

a decent tent,

a Crossman Air Rifle,

 3 fishing poles with reels and two without,

A base unit CB Radio,

a huge ball of jute twine,

A Lantern style flashlight that worked by just putting the bulb back in,

a set of antlers I will no doubt use to make buttons, knife handles and other assorted items,

A tackle box with a decent assortment of old fishing gear in it, 

and Finally some really decent arrow making materials !

Anyway I brought it all home, the poles are in great shape, one is a big game fishing rig for fishing the great lakes (now I have to make a trip to lake Ontario!) I plugged in the CB unit and it transmits and recieves, I just need an antenna and some cable. The air rifle needed a rivet to re-attach the pump piston to the forearm/lever and the bbs loading gate is a piece of tape but it shoots and has good compression! All in all a good rifle for free.. 

The tent needs stakes and the fishing reels could do with some lubrication and a change of line but all in all, everything works and it all came  from what others threw away. Earlier this year I got a whole set of files, a plane (woodworking, not flying) and a nice (if beat up) Camillus pocket knife, also found a decent hatchet head in the same pile of junk.

A guy down the road picked up a Winchester Model 1300 12 ga from the trash with a cracked stock. With the addition of a hunk of sheet brass wrapped around the grip of the shotgun (where the crack was) , glued and screwed down, he ended up with a really good shotgun...again from the trash!  I personally have intercepted a 22 rifle being thrown away and found a decent 12 ga single barrel shotgun in the trash.

All this for free. People will throw away just about anything and if someone has a mind to, they can equip themselves for the outdoors more than adiquately with a few key investments, some igenuity and a sharp eye on trash day

Didnt make it for an overnight but,..

Well, I just got done watching "Bushcraft Boyz" on You Tube. I tell ya, I really like their style, they go light and yet they are happy and comfortable in the woods. My hats are off to them! Keep it up guys! Id love to see another video!

My last blog left you believing I would be off camping this weekend and for the whole week I believed it too...but it just didnt pan out. I did however find myself in some woods near Lori's house that were small but quite nice. I got to work on some bush craft and picked out a rather nice bow stave. I also made a nice war club and got some materials for my atlatle project! All in all, a very productive afternoon!

Anyway, Im more than a little disappointed not to have camped this weekend but at the end of the day, I did get some small amount of bush time in inspite of things.

Pining for Pines
Now Playing: Bill Stains: Coyote

Im really beginning to get woods withdrawl now. I have not been out in a long long time and I really need a break from the grind. Im starting to get edgy and uncomfortable. People and things feel too close..

So, this comming weekend I am off to the woods, at least for an overnight. I want to get some dirt time before it becomes snow time!

Im going rather minimal again, just my swiss pack, a tarp, my rifle, My Cold Steel SRK, a hatchet or machete(havent decided yet) a really thick wool blanket and some meager rations, most likely hard tack, spam, some rice and a bit of jerky. I hope to have my new hunting license in time for the trip so I can maybe get a squirrel or two for the pot.

That reminds me, I found a nice billy pot amongst some gear I was going through this evening, something from a chinese dollar store. A squat, 1 quart pot with cover and bail made of tin. Its a light little affair and the bail on it is suprisingly robust. I will take that with me along with a tin frying pan I have for Rev War. 

Really gets my heart pumping just talking about it! There are a few choices of comfortable haunts I can go to, one of which I have not been to in quite a while!! 

I hope the weather is good but honestly at this point, a bad day in the woods is better for me that any day here.

Well Im off!
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: its the end of the world as we know it

Well im sitting here at the plumley complex of MVCC, and a gentleman is passing me with a "no whining" t-shirt  on. This really speaks to the reality of this whole collage thing im undertaking. Im 30 and im a freshman in collage. This is very new to me and quite intimidating. I mean, I prepared and all and I know I can do it. Its just that the application of  the knowlage already gained to all this new stuff is going to be an interesting process.  Of course this specific collage is more of a 13th grade for the local highschools and it shows.... Im contemplating starting an outing club here at school. Maybe bring some of these kids to the woods and let them experience the sort of camping and backpacking I reccomend on this site. God knows collage students are living with no budget so camping with no budget goes without saying!

Anyway, I guess Im just rambling so ill log for now

AP: Woman 85 Grabs Her Gun

85-year-old Pennsylvania woman gets her gun and confronts intruder, makes him call police

By Associated Press

10:27 PM CDT, August 19, 2008

"It was exciting," Smith said. "I just hope I broke up the (burglary) ring because they have been hitting a lot of places around here."

----------------------------------------

This is the reason we have the second ammendment. nuff said 

We are Disconnected....
Mood:  incredulous
I just got done watching an old episode of home improvement. This episode had to do with the children not having very good table manners. Needless to say, Tim was tasked with fixing the issue and failed miserably. And, Like always, he had a chat with Wilson about the situation and wilson's reply was this: The answer is that the kids need to learn to channel their mealtime agressions and of course Tim did not understand this. Wilson elaborated with: Primitive man had an intimate relationship with his food,  he hunted for it, he had to stalk his game for days and days before making the kill, and then, when the kill was made, he thanked the animal for giving its life so that said primitive man, and his family would be able to eat.  This really struck a cord. I mean, I have heard similar things before but this was when it really kinda hit home to me. The problem with society as a whole now days is two fold. One: we have no way to channel our agressions and two: We have very little connection to the things we use and eat everyday.

In the past, young men were trained to fight and were taught about honor and valor on and off the field of battle. They were taught to enforce their honor at the tip of a sword through the strict codes of conduct used in dueling.Historically there are instances where even woman got in on this ! This made for a society that as a whole was much more POLITE than our own. One that was far less violent per capita than we are today.

They were taught that there are times that its OK to fight, OK to kill...now that very statement puts people up in arms. Now days, even the most minor schoolyard brawl results in the police being called.  They want a "non-violent solution" to everything and humans were just not built that way. We are a warrior race that has castrated ourselves mentally. Unfortunately all the social conventions we put up to stop violence CANT WORK because at the end of the day, we are what we are, warriors. The social conventions we put in place serve only to increase the amount of and severity of violence on our streets because the aggressive tendencies of our young people that should be channeled into a code of honor and the skills of a warrior (and the ability and right to execute that honor to the ultimate conclusion if needs be) are instead being smothered. This has the same effect as a fire that runs out of fuel in a tightly closed room. It smolders at an extremely high temperature until it gets oxygen...then it explodes.This explosion comes in the form of events like Columbine, drive by shootings,and people shooting up churches. Its not the weapons or even the peoples fault. Its a society that seeks to remove that which makes us what we are. We are Warriors.

This same society also has managed to strip us of any connection with nature. Aside from those who hunt, fish or own farms, most people make no mental connection between what they are eating and the source of said food. For that matter, they dont make a connection between the materials in the tools they use dayly and the raw material that was used to create it.

As was said above primitive man hunted for his food, had an intimate relationship with his prey and a deep respect for the sacrifice the prey was making for the man and his family.  Now days very few ever gain an understanding of this. They go to a grocery store and they buy meat, fruit, vegitables etc. without ever thinking of how this food came to be.

 The average person takes it for granted that steaks and chicken are just there, cut into nice  easy to manage portions and wrapped in plastic , just waiting at the store. They dont make the connection that SOMETHING DIED to give you what you need to survive. No one respects their food anymore. For instance, I was cleaning out the lower crisper in Lori's refrigerator to fill with garden veggies and found some chicken wings bought weeks ago molding away inside their original packaging.. that chicken died so that we could bring home meat we let go rancid because we just didnt have the respect for, or the connection to, the vibrent, living organism that died to provide us with batter dipped chicken wings.

  The Average American now doesn't even have to cut up a chicken into portions, even that is done for them! Forget about dressing, plucking, and THEN quartering said chicken. You give them a live bird, a decent knife and a cutting board and the average American would have no idea how to go about processing the animal into food, and would more than likely be unable to stomach the task in the first place. This is a disease that is infecting our society. Its called complacency. We as a society have no clue what a tenuous hold we have on our food supply.
 We pump hormones into our meat animals,which makes them overly fat and lazy. The result is a society that consumes more fat in one sitting than the average person fifty years ago ate in three days. Not to mention the hormones affecting our children. with little girls becomming fully developed at the age of nine.
 
 We have over thought our way into a situation where we depend on hybridized vegetables that don't even produce viable seeds. Even if they were viable, all we would get is one or two kinds of seeds. So if a blight hits say our potato crop, (one of the most important vegetables produced today) we are done. I don't believe that the average citizen would actually be able to process the idea that THERE IS NO FOOD should the proverbial feces hit the oscillating air director. Now I can go on and on about heirloom seeds and how we should all grow heirloom vegetables in our gardens and harvest the seeds but that's not the point of this blog. The point is that our society is really in for a big shock. The average Joe/Jane does not have the skills to make it should society decide to go belly up on us. The average Joe/Jane will not be able to cope with the idea that they are on their own. They will panic.

This is a very scary concept for me.  My only answer is to promote hunting, fishing, gardening and preparedness so that more people come around to a point where they have respect for their food and an idea of how to procure it.

The Political Game??
Topic: Politics as usual
Ok was walking by the tv while getting ready to go to Lori's House when I saw CNN headline news. They were talking about the political mudslinging that the present candidates for US President are up to. they were interviewing people on the streets about this phenomina and more than half of them seemed to think of politics as a game...this is really kinda scary. Our political system is there to govern our country and allow us as americans to choose those who we believe best to run our country. this is no game! The decisions these morons make on our behalf are going to directly impact almost every american citizen and you people think of it as a game?!! Get with it people. This is the life or death of our country and all we have going for us this election is a couple of guys who are neither prepared nor mentally capable of running this country... and those who were qualified lost to these idiots... so if politics is a game, the American people are losing..