BOV, bov, bov, bovbovarang….

While strolling down the lists one day,
and looking for a place to play…
I opened up my eyes,
and I’m exposed to something wise,
and I’m gonna run it here, I says…

To BOV, or not to BOV… that is the question…

But what the hell is a BOV?

Okay, a while back, I wrote you a post about turning that “70’s love box on wheels” into a “Bug Out Buggie…”

You remember… this thing!

After all, sometimes you have to think ahead, and try to foresee bad times coming, so that you’re prepared for them, in case they show up on your porch.

The economy is in shambles, jobs are almost non-existent, and the natives are getting nervous. I don’t know about you, but I might start thinking seriously about where I put those old highway maps, ‘cuz I might just need them soon…

But… and it’s a big but… kinda like mine… Oy, I gotta buy a treadmill…

Where was I? Oh yeah…

I started thinking about what you’d do if you really wanted to build the ultimate BOV (Bug Out Vehicle). After all, it’s getting stupid out there, and apparently there isn’t much in the way of limits.

People  today are crazier than a “burlap bag fulla cats” (Oh just shut up! It’s just an expression… What  are you anyway, PETA whackos?) and frankly, when it’s time to flee, I wanna have a jump on the  rest of you whackjobs, and about an inch of armor plating between “me and mine” and “you and yours…”

Now, I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but I probably won’t discuss them openly, because I don’t want you to be envious, and go out looking for “my most excellent ride” after it gets ugly in your front yard. I’m WAYYYYYYYYY smarter than that…

Here’s what I will do, though…

Recently, while I was out committing “various misdemeanor acts of Internet mischief,” I came across a guy who just saw things so clearly, that I knew I needed to exploit him.

His name is Jerry D. Young…

No, he’s not that guy from Styx, you’re thinking of Dennis DeYoung. This guy is way better looking, and a ton smarter.

And, he’s got enough hair for an entire rock band from the 70’s… lucky bastard…

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah…

He ain’t a nuclear physicist, or a rocket scientist, or even a high tech fabricating genius…

Evidently, he’s a writer… you know, the kind that tells stories.

Now, I’m still scratching my head, because I’m thinking, after reading his take on how you’d go about building the perfect BOV, that he should be running General Motors…

Okay, okay… I’ll get to the point;

Somebody asked, on a list I “cruise…”

“Please describe in detail what your Ultimate Bug Out Vehicle would be. Describe if you know what engine and transmission, ect ect. Would you armor it or would you buy an armored vehicle.”

Now, a bunch of us just threw up lil “implications and innuendoes…”

But not THIS guy, Jerry.

He decided to make us all look like stupid, incompetent morons, and then… he handed us our @$$e$.

And here’s how he did it:

“This is not a minimum list. It’s more a pick and choose list of what I consider desirable options for a PAW BOV. One where about the only fuel will be biodiesel and alcohol, only salvage parts can be found, and there will be no tow-trucks to come get you. Suitable for off-road and badly deteriorated roads that probably won’t get better. Options to get you through places not otherwise traversable.

1-ton Chevy pickup truck 167” wheel base frame
reinforced/gussetted frame
skid plates
rock sliders
roll cage
extended/extra fuel tank(s) w/safety linings
all wiring in chassis grounded metal conduit

5.9L 12v Cummins Diesel engine
Allison 6-speed automatic transmission
Borg Warner transfer case w/locker
PortalTek G3 1½ ton portal front & rear steering axles w/lockers
Stazworks 4-wheel hydraulic steering system
HD suspension/steering components (4” lift)
HD/Oversize 4-wheel high capacity disk brakes with booster
35” bead lock run-flat tires

custom twin cyclone engine air pre-filter
engine air intake snorkel
K&M engine air filter
exhaust gas snorkel
set of vent snorkels
Evans NPG+ waterless coolant
HD/oversize radiator w/twin electric fans
HD engine oil cooler
HD transmission cooler
HD hydraulic oil cooler
special mounts for extra gen, air compressor, on-board welder
2 – GM 12v generators (instead of single alternator)
Dual HD starting batteries
HD deep cycle battery
battery isolator
110v/220v inverter
air compressor w/tank
hydraulic pump w/tank
On Board Welder
Power steering pump
A/C compressor

Stretched ¾ ton Suburban body or 1-ton crew cab & long box
custom cockpit w/dual captain’s chairs
custom dash w/duplicate mechanical/electronic systems
custom floor console w/all wheel steering control
custom roof console
custom passenger/navigator station w/faraday cage protected laptop computer
custom HD dual arm windshield wipers w/air brush function (for volcanic ash)
custom rear Dutch doors (on Suburban)
American Safe Rooms vehicle air filter system w/custom cyclone HVAC pre-filter

heavy duty front bumper w/2″ hitch receiver
tow bar
brush guard
roller fairlead winch mount
12,000# hydraulic winch w/tensioner and stowing protector
bumper tool box (tree protectors, cable damper, 100′ 3/8″ extension cable, clevis’, shackles,

snatch blocks, tie-offs, etc)
spare tire mount
tool mounts (short handle round point shovel, pick/mattock)
fog lights
high intensity driving lights
air, 12vDC, 110v/240v AC, hydraulic, welding lead outlets
tie down/tow hooks/rings
approach/brush/sapling roller

heavy duty rear bumper w/2″ hitch receiver
roller fairlead winch mount
12,000# hydraulic winch w/tensioner and stowing protector
bumper tool box (tow strap, cable damper, 100′ 3/8″ extension cable, clevis’, shackles, snatch

blocks, tie-offs, etc)
Pull-Pal winch anchor
stake down type winch anchor w/stakes
high intensity backup lights
swing away spare tire/tool/jerry can mounts (16# double jack, axe, 2 – jerry cans diesel, 1 jerry

can gasoline, 1 jerry can water)
air, 12vDC, 110v/240v AC, hydraulic, welding lead outlets
tie down/tow hooks/rings
approach/brush/sapling roller

roof rack (Suburban)/cab-over pipe rack (pickup)
roof rack ladder(s)
remote control spot/flood light
high intensity spot & flood lights (front/rear/alley)
solar battery charger panel
PA speakers
elastic cargo net
strap cargo net
custom lay over antenna mounts
spare tire mounts
tool mounts (Hi-Lift Jack, telescoping ladder, articulating ladder, long handle round point shovel, wall climbing/recovery pole, railroad bar, Stanley Demolition bar, cribbing timbers, traction pads, thermal lances, set bridging ramps w/deployment & recovery gear)

Mechanics tool box w/extensive hand tool kit
Parts box w/extensive set of spare parts
Set of hydraulic powered tools
Set of air powered tools
6 ton chain fall
1 1/2 ton chain fall
2 ton cable come-along
2 5-ton bottle jacks
Porta-power hydraulic system
chainsaw
chainsaw support kit
oxy/acetylene torch kit (vented case in cargo compartment if Suburban)
self contained 2,000,000 watt spot light
set of wheel chocks

Pre-packed cargo containers for pickup bed
Pre-packed cargo containers for Suburban
Pre-packed cargo containers for roof rack
Pre-packed cargo container for receiver hitch
Pre-packed companion trailer (same year pickup bed trailer w/cover and/or rack)
Pre-packed custom tandem wheel trailer
Barge trailer with outboard motors

Primary Communications kit:

AM/FM/Satellite/CD/DVD/TV Video system
NWS EAS SAME receiver
FRS/GMRS short range radio (6)
Bearcat BCD396XT PS Band scanner w/Hustler MRM mobile scanner antenna
Cobra 148GTL AM/SSB CB mobile w/Wilson 5000 Roof B mobile CB antenna
Yaesu FT-8900R 10m – 70cm VHF/UHF amateur, mobile w/Diamond 8900A 10m – 70cm mobile

antenna w/mount & coax
Yaesu VX-8R 6m-70cm VHF/UHF amateur radio, handheld (4)
Yaesu FT-897D HF transceiver, portable w/KJ&U KW 6 – 160 screwdriver mobile HF antenna &

Yaesu ATAS 120 w/mount, triplexer & coax

Some optional radios

Motorola CDM 1550 low band HF business band radio w/Wilson 5000 Roof B mobile w/Wilson

5000 CB antenna cut to BB frequency
Motorola HT-1250 low band business band radio, handheld (4)
Motorola CM 300 VHF 32 channel 45 watt business band radio w/gain antenna
Motorola CP 200 VHF 4 channel 5 watt handheld (4)
Motorola CM 300 UHF 32 channel 45 watt business band radio w/gain antenna
Motorola CP 200 UHF 4 channel 4 watt handheld (4)
Furuno FS1503EM SSB marine Band HF/SSB mobile radio w/KJ7U KW 6-160 screwdriver antenna

adjusted for marine band
Furuno FM3000 marine band VHF mobile antenna w/Wilson 2m mag mount (cut to Marine band)
Standard-Horizon HX471S handheld VHF marine band handheld radio
ICOM IC-A200 mobile airband radio w/mount & antenna
ICOM A24 airband handheld radio

Some additional ideas:

all conventional vehicle lighting on hidden auto/off/on switch/relay panel
high output disruptive sound & strobe light system
gag-gas dispenser system
Railroad track guide rollers
Rammer/pusher bars on bumpers
Hanging chain tire armor/deflection system
Central tire inflation system
Service body w/basket lift/material handling arm

Some over the top possibilities:

Infra-red driving lights w/night vision goggles
6×6 conversion
Radiator armor with air flow deflector panels
Body armor w/gun ports
Window armor w/gun ports
Engine compartment/radiator armor
Oil slick, smoke, riot control gas, & caltrop dispensers
Electrical shock exterior wiring system & generator
Razor edge body edge trim
External fire suppression system
Anti-grenade/Molotov cocktail/RPG chain link fencing stand-off system
__________________
Jerry D Young”

Can you freakin believe this guy?

I mean… the nerve of him! This is a list where everybody carries automatic weapons, and eats dead, burnt, puppies for breakfast. This is a list where the miscreants shoot first and don’t even BOTHER to ask questions. This is a list where you don’t wanna GO to any “club meetings…” for fear you’ll leave on your back, stuffed into a bag…

And, he made us all look like idiots. Man… I wish I could do that!

You can read some of this guy’s stuff, here:

The long stories are here

The short stories are here

The vignettes are here

And a place to discuss the stories is here

Several of his stories, but by no means all, have various BOVs described.

The last one also has a link to purchase his two published works, “Mr. Man”, and “Shipwrecked!” a romance and an adventure story.

But I wouldn’t go there… Nuh-uh! If he writes…  like he kills us on the lists, you’ll never be happy with a book again, unless HE wrote it… the bastard!

I gotta go now, My MOG Chassis has probably cooled off enough to start reworking it…

What?  I ain’t gonna drive it. I’m turning it into a BBQ pit…

Yeah, that’s it… a BBQ pit… 

More later… or not. It depends on whether or not someone from “that list” tries to kill me…

Lately, I don’t give a crap.

I can’t watch Cable TV without “Political Stuff” making me crazy…

I know that the last few posts made you think that this blog is all about whacking “Political Pinata’s” with a stick, but I swear to you, it’s not.

I mean, we’re REALLY not “politicians.” In fact, we don’t like ‘em. Not one bit.

We’re just average people, trying to take care of our families, the best way we know how.

We’re all about “doing it yourself.”

We’re all about “doing the right thing, just because it’s the right thing to do.”

We’re all about living off-grid and being self-sufficient.

After all, we’re building far flung Bubba Boxes to “Bug Out” to!

We’re  recycling garbage to use as building materials!

We’re re-using anything we can find, to keep the costs down. (After all, it’s about living comfortably, but responsibly, and the rest of you buggers can just “get bent!).

We heat our water using the sun.

We power our homes with photovoltaic panels, and even hot air!

And, there’s no shortage of hot air around here!

Why? Well, because I’m the resident “guru” of… um…er… never mind!

We reload our own ammo.

We even make our own weapons.

Sometimes. Just ask “Three-Fingered Petey”!

Anyway, I can’t afford a vacation, so…

I’ll find some other way to entertain myself, and possibly even YOU. So…  from the “Now I’ve seen EVERYTHING” files:

(I was out looking for cool stuff to dazzle you with.)

Okay… I know, I know… my “sparkling wit” and my endless parading of my vast intellect keeps you entertained for about um… er… three seconds… but…

And speaking of, um… “Butts”;

If you are what you poop… Well then…

Man, you’d think that they would have thought about using a different color. Holy Freakin’ Yuck! I hope the seat’s made of plastic! Ewww!

There’s a rule in inventing stuff that “form should follow function.” And, it seems that Virginia Gardiner is a follower of that rule. She’s devised an energy generating toilet that is actually made from poop.

Now, I know what you’re thinking! Ewwwwww! (I know, I know… I’m thinkin it too!)

Virgina has developed a pooper that transforms human waste into a highly valued commodity… energy.

(Hey, I coulda called it something else. In fact… Nah, never mind.)

That’s right, this toilet creates energy.

No, you nitwit… I’m not talking about “methane…” Keep it to yourself, smarty-pants! This is a “family show…”

DO NOT LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING DIAGRAM!

Like you don’t poop, too? Ah, stop complaining! I told you not to look! What a bunch of whiners!

Anyway… Virginia calls it a “LooWatt.” And she says that it’s a low cost, mechanical commode that has a green streak running thru it.

(Note from Editors wife: “Okay, enough talking about “streaks,” this is getting gross…”)

Where was I? Oh yeah…

Users of the LooWatt are urged to trade in their um… er… “recyclables” for biofuel. She says that this trade will enhance and sponsor community (urban) infrastructures that will encourage proper waste disposal, minimize water-borne illnesses, and provide a regular source of energy.

(But only if you eat your fiber regularly, huh?)

See? Made you look TWICE! Ha! Just wanted to prove that I didn’t make it up!

Where did a “crappy” idea like this come from? Well, some would claim that Virginia has um… er…(say it with me…) poop on the brain. But… she’s just looking for a solution to that 40% of the population that lives without toilets. That’s right, she’s trying to help people in Mississippi. And Alabama. Oh, and quite possibly the Ozarks! Wait… that’s not it…

According to Dwell Magazine (a mag I heartily endorse); “Virginia sought to provide a solution for the 40% of the world’s population that lives without toilets.” It’s a toilet targeted at the third world, folks. In many developing countries the installation of sewage systems is just about impossible, and we all know that improper waste disposal spreads devastating waterborne illnesses that afflict millions.

Hell, around were, we can’t go into the Gulf after it rains because all the sewers back up and then outflow into the water. But, some of the three-eyed fish are really cool lookin! And tasty!

What in the world was she thinking? Well… It seems that this toilet is designed to solve the global sanitation crisis by creating a new infrastructure.

Finally, I’ll have proof that I’m the “King of Crap!”

The “LooWatt” composting toilet is molded from 90% horse dung.

Yep, horse poop. I’m thinking probably those Budweiser Clydesdales, or their Belgian cousins. Why? Because if this toilet is gonna solve 40% of the world’s poop problem, by making toilets outta horsecrap… you’re gonna need some BIGGGG-ASSED  horses to start with. I’m starting to think that this is one a those “corn ethanol” schemes.

“Look, I don’t care if you’re starving… If we don’t feed the horses, you can’t crap. Period. Just deal with it!”

“But… if I don’t eat, I can’t crap anyway! Whaaa?”

The toilet has a built-in biodegradable lining that stores excrement in a sealed, odor-free container. Once the toilet is full, the user takes the poo package to an outdoor biodigestor, which in exchange provides a free source of biofuel for cooking.

Whaaaaat? Okay, now that’s just gross. I gotta starve so a horse can eat enough to mold a pooper outta it’s poop. Then… I have to collect MY poop, and then carry it off to the marketplace, so I can barter it off for “predigested” biofuel, to cook with? Nuh-uh! I’d rather poop in a hole!

According to experts, the LooWatt has been exhibited around the world, was awarded an honorable mention from the AIGA Aspen Design Challenge, and was a finalist in the Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

Me thinks they were pushing this “exhibit” stuff a bit too far. There are just some things I DON’T want to see!

Okay… so that’s why my “Bubba Box Corten Castle” design didn’t win. It wasn’t worth um… er… “poop.”

If you think this “haul your poop outta the toilet and take it downtown…” is a good idea, well… you’re probably nuts. But, in a way (okay, you REALLY have to look for it) it makes some sense. Not MY kinda sense, but I’m not exactly the smartest person on the planet. After all, I do live in Mississippi, and I did have another kid, at 50. See? Not too bright!

The people at LooWatt would like you to know that if you’d like to help push the project along, a small donation will net you your very own “poo gem” – a dodecahedron molded from horse manure (makes a swell paperweight, gift or toy!).

Yeah that’s just what I need sitting on the mantle…

“Hey! What’s this thing?”

“Well, it’s a… um…er… you really don’t wanna know. But I put it up here because my kid kept trying to put it in his mouth!”

Hey, pony up a bit more cash, and it’ll net you a lovely deer-head candle holder – just the thing to brighten those dungy, dingy, interior spaces.

Ah man… I’m holding out for one of those “singing fish,” made outta poo-poo. At least they sound like they’re made outta crap!

But, I’ve gotta draw this post to a close. You go off and think about what we’ve learned here… whatever that was!

Me? I’m gonna go eat some more broccoli. I’ve got some tradin to do…

“What? MY poop is worth way more than YOUR poop. Aren’t you paying attention? I’m the KING OF CRAP! I’m gonna need three bags of biofuel if you wanna trade!”

And I thought that “Carbon Trading” was crazy…

PS. I was just kidding… about “Alabama.” Kinda. As for the rest of the stuff… You were thinking it too! Admit it! I’m not the only one who thinks like this! Or am I? Uh-oh… And remember, we accept donations. But NOT poop! I mean, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with the Post Office…

A 30 Second History Lesson

One of the fascinating laws of history is that…

… when a nation or an empire goes into decline its relations with its allies becomes antagonistic while, perversely, it begins to grow soft in the face of its enemies.

Anyone who has studied history knows this is true.

It happens because, as the “Power that Rules” (want some examples? How about Rome, Constantinople, British Empire, etc?) weakens, its allies are left in the lurch, confused with a feeling of betrayal by the power they had always relied upon.

At the same time, the ruling power begins to adopt more and more of the positions its own enemies have taken.

It does this through a combination of weakness (it no longer has the resources or even the sheer will to resist) and distraction ( it begins to see other issues, mostly domestic, as of higher importance).

Does any of this ring of the “familiar”? Look around, people!

This is exactly what is happening today… in America.

The Ultimate Cheap Vacation Cabin!

“It’s the end of the world, as we know it…”  REM

All around us, we’re reminded that the world seems to thrive on “doom and gloom…”

As the American economy takes a nose-dive, we are reminded that ALL countries, ALL governments, face their own perils.

Citizens are losing jobs, homes, and health.

FACT:

• Almost 10% of the nation’s working population is unemployed.
• 17% of construction workers are out of work. That’s a lot of “idle hammers.”
• Millions of American homes are in foreclosure. More will follow, soon.
• Thousands of Americans die in the street every single year, due to a lack of adequate health-care insurance.
• 45 million Americans have NO health Insurance at all;

45 million uninsured Americans is more than…

• 12 million more than the population of Canada (32.2 million)
• Nearly 5 million more than the population of Spain (40.2 million)
• 20 million more than the population of Iraq (24.7 million)
• Nearly five times more than the number of Americans living with cancer (9.2 million in 2001)
• 2.5 times higher than the number of Americans with diabetes (18.2 million in 2002)
• 7 million more people than those living with HIV throughout the world (38 million)

There are…

• Nearly 150 uninsured Americans for each physician in America
• Nearly 7,500 uninsured Americans for each hospital in America
• Over 84,000 uninsured Americans for each Member of Congress

45 million uninsured Americans is about the same number of Americans living in…

• West coast states (45.2 million in California, Oregon and Washington)
• Middle America (44.7 million in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming)
• Northeastern states (42.0 million in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont)

And, to make matters even worse…

• There are 6 unemployed people for every job opening in America.

Remember I’m not talking about Iraq, or Afghanistan… I’m talking about AMERICA.

Notably, too, we here in “the land of plenty” can’t blame our fall on a plague, or an invasion, or even a war on our own soil.  American civilization is collapsing because it’s rotten. Things get a little bit worse each day, people get a little more desperate, the first few breakdowns are fixed, and then it becomes harder and harder to fix everything.

And then it all starts to spiral down the drain.

History is full of such stories, but the assumption of a grand triggering event is a form of hubris: the belief that no matter how bad things feel, it would still take a massive right hook to knock us out. In reality, collapses can be staggered, local, and largely ignored by those not directly affected until so widespread that it’s too late to do much.

That’s the CANCER that is killing America.

I can recognize cancer when I see it. I know all about Cancer. My young wife is dying from it.

So, as more and more American families slowly succumb to the disease that is killing us, as they struggle daily… weekly, to stay afloat, we look to the skies, and hope for a miracle.

Take a deep breath…

And don’t wait for “Uncle” to show up on your front porch with a solution. It’s not going to happen.

Those fat-cats in Washington are far too busy taking care of themselves.

By the time they finally decide to try and stop the flood, it’ll be too late to build an Ark.

The hardest part is that those jackasses started the mess in the first place, up there in their “insulated cabins of comfort”, on Capital Hill.

The rest of us are left to fend for ourselves. Some of us aren’t content to just “sit and wait…”

We have loved ones, families, children. And we need to insure their survival, even if WE are the threat that will consume us all.

I’ve been corresponding with a guy lately. We’ll call him “J”.

A reader recently contacted me (we’ll call him “J”), and told me about a “Corten Cabin” he has… stashed way up in the woods. It’s what some of us would call a “Bug – Out Box”.

Now, “J” contacted me, because his steel box looks just like the box on my blog header (on another blog I write about “alternative construction”),  except for his container is twice as long.

“J” has a 40′ High Cube Shipping Container sitting on cinder blocks, out in the middle of nowhere… that he uses for weekend fishing trips.

There’s a logging road for access, unmaintained for years… that’s only passable when it’s not under mud, or frozen under snow drifts.

The story he told me of them towing that container into the woods was hilarious.

I bet his father-in-law wasn’t laughing. They blew up his truck moving that box… Oy.

It reminded me of a box we moved years ago, one that kept trying to drag us back down the hill, before we got to the top of it…

We “saw our lives flash before our eyes” about three times that day…

Anyway, while he goes up there on weekends in the summer, he’s thinking that “with the economy trying to kill itself”, his whole family may be forced to head there some day,  in order to ride out whatever “chaos and storm” the “hard times to come” might bring…

Let’s face it… like a lot of us… he’s nervous.

I suspect that this is in part due to TV shows like “The Colony” that advocate forward thinking all  rolled up to form a dysfunctional view of what survival in our times may end up being like, if you’re a complete idiot…

I’ve watched a few of these “disaster simulator/reality TV shows”. You know, “here’s a look at what happens, when it finally hits the fan”.

But  you know… we may not all get stranded with a rocket scientist, an electrical engineer, a mechanic, a nurse, a martial arts expert, and a doctor, yada… yada… yada…

We might get stranded by our “onesies.” So, we should understand what we’re doing, in case the cavalry doesn’t show up in time to make any repairs.

Or worse, we’ll inherit that drunk bastard up the street. You know the one…

… he’s always passed out on the lawn, none of his cars run, and he’s always getting his lights turned off. His wife is always at your house, “borrowing” groceries.

Yeah, they’re gonna be a lot of help… Oy.

Anyway, like  I was saying…

“J” thinks the if “the world goes to hell in a handbasket”, he and his family (he’s married with 4 children aged from 3-9) might be forced to head up there in the winter time, and he reminds me that it’s REMOTE.

There are no neighbors. There is no store. Walmart ain’t got there yet…

There’s just your wife yelling at you because you forgot the big Sam’s Club carton of toilet paper! Ya Dumb Ass! 

It’s not “heaven”, but there’s a neat little bass lake about 200 feet from his front porch.

He’ll have whatever he hauls in with his small SUV, and that’s it. He doesn’t want to rely on propane, or any other type of “store-bought” fuel, simply because it might not be available.

Now, here’s where it get’s interesting, because there are so many opportunities here…

“J” wants to  build a steel box to head to in case “things get really bad”. Right?

But this exact same box would make an ideal cabin, or even a cool small vacation home for “an all-American outdoors loving family”.

Hey, don’t laugh! In Iraq and Afghanistan, we lived in these things, and even built bunkers out of them. They’re “Tonka Tough!”

Okay, back to the case…

The box we’re talking about isn’t anything to write home about, it’s just a big shipping container. It’s the same as the hundreds of thousands of them littering shipping ports all across America. You can thank “idiot politicans” for creating a trade deficit that finds them dumped here.

You see, it’s actually cheaper to build new ones, than return the empties, for re-use.

In this case, except for some added insulation and siding on the outside, it’s a regular 40′ shipping container.

The box sits with the front face (40′) facing a few degrees of due south. It wasn’t “a solar plan”, it’s just the way the site worked.

“J” (and his brother – who is no longer available for “cabin help”) put a waterproof membrane on the exterior of the box. They used a rubberized roofing membrane that you spray on.

Why?  Well, because they found a barrel of it, laying around, that nobody wanted.

I know, I know… Don’t ask, don’t tell…

After they’d added more “water seal” to the box, they firred it out with 2×6’s.  This created cavities, and those cavities received about 4″ of PolyIso foam into the cavities.

When I asked him where he got the PolyIso foam boards, he told me that they’d found/commandeered/discovered the material from a vacant industrial real estate listing they had. It was just laying there collecting dust…

“Real Estate Plunder”. Okay, works for me…

Don’t worry “J”… we won’t hold “logistical left-turns” against you. We might, however, hold it against you that you’re a (gasp!) realtor!

He put some scrap siding over the insulation.

Anyway, as near as I can figure, he’s got about an r20-r30 wall system (depending on which PolyIso product it is, the insulation value ranges from about r5 to r8 per inch).

So, he can “almost” hold heat in, once he gets it there.

I say “almost”‘ because “J” ran out of insulation at the top of the box, so the roof is uninsulated.

But, he’d been thinking about some kind of clerestory roof anyway to bring in more summer sun. There’s a pair of vents on to roof, that look just like the one in my blog header illustration.

We’re going to pay some attention to this. We need a solution that will allow:

• more room
• more air, and…
• even some cool roof pitch.

“J’s” back is gonna hurt for a week or two, by the time we’re done.

That just leaves the floor.

“WARNING! WARNING! DANGER – WILL ROBINSON!”

Shipping container floors are treated with serious insecticides and fungicides to keep alien bugs out of foreign ports.   Wood preservatives containing a number of organochlorine insecticides, including aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane and lindane, are just the beginnings of the treatment that floors receive.

I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, rip these floors out.

Why? Because you can’t EVER trust the shipper you got the container from.

The labels denoting the presence of that toxin are often worn off, or even just missing. Because the containers are moved so often and with so many variables…  you can’t tell which ones got the toxic sprays just by looking.

Some containers escape without being sprayed or treated, but the only way to know for sure, is to take a sample of the floor out, and get it tested at a lab.

There’s are products that you can put on the floor to encapsulate them. That’ll seal the toxins in there, but they’ll still BE there. And, those products are expensive. We’ll go a different route.

Rip it out, carefully, so that “you don’t get any on ya…” and replace it with a nice layer of concrete. Concrete is self leveling, and it also create thermal mass, and you’ll thank me later.

Don’t burn the floor. You want to breathe that crap? Bury it as deep as you can.

Okay, okay… I can hear you environmentalists screaming into your monitors.

“You Bastard! You’re polluting the earth!”

Look, the guy has a small SUV, not a dump truck. He can’t possibly haul that toxic wood out to the haz-met site. It’s not “nuclear waste.” And, he hasn’t got 100 barrels laying around to put it in. He needs to deal with it somehow…

Okay, all that accomplished, you’d have “shelter”.

Inside, it’s spartan. It’s so bad that his wife won’t even go up there! Once you get through those big steel doors, you’re greeted by a few wooden shelves, a tiny wood stove, hammocks, and a blow-up mattress for a bed.

Oh yeah, they have an outhouse. Did I forget to mention that? A “shanty with a hole in the butt seat” kind of outhouse.

He has a composting toilet, but it’s still in the box, in the garage.

Okay, he needs a bathroom, too.

And, he reminded me about 11 times that the box gets cold. So, we turn up the heat a bit.

He doesn’t want to try any “geothermal nonsense” (his words) because the container is already in place, and he couldn’t move it if he wanted to.

Actually, his exact words were; “Don’t be giving me none of your Geothermal nonsense, I don’t like shovels, my friend…”

He doesn’t want to rely on solar panels, because he’s not a guy with a lot of money to set up a complete “off-grid” situation. The closest he’s come to that is a Harbor Freight photovoltaic set-up with a pair of small panels.

So, he has enough power for a laptop computer, a TV, and maybe a radio. (I’m going to try and talk him into replacing that crap inverter, and adding a panel or two so that he can establish some kind of “real” electricity, for refrigeration and other necessities.)

With the world going digital, I wonder what TV signal he’d get? I’m thinking he uses a VCR or a DVD player… Remind me to check, okay?

He has a good water supply. It’s a hand-pumped well that draws water from about 175 feet. If he wants a shower, he pumps water up into a black painted 55 gallon barrel on the roof of his container, and then gravity-feeds it to a showerhead.

This is great for one guy on a weekend, but it’s not gonna work for a “family in residence”.

We need a solar powered pump, too.

BTW: The gray water from the shower, and doing the dishes goes out into the garden, that for now, only feeds the wild animals that live around his box.

That’s good, but we’ll do better.

They have a small Swedish fireplace/stove combination installed, but they only use it for heat at night. It’s sitting on a quartet of scrap patio pavers as a hearth. So, although he’s only heating about 300 square feet, it’s not exactly ideal. We’re gonna move the stove, and build it “into a better box”.

Again, it’s about managing resources. “J” says that he doesn’t want to use it during the day, if he doesn’t have to. Why? He hates chopping wood. HATES it!

The stove vents out the side of the box. Sort of… It’s a rather shaky connection.

So, we do some chimney repair, and then we use what I call “idiot solar” to help bump up the heat. But, we’ll use solar in a different way than “normal people” are used to.

Okay, I can see that there is a lot to do, but he needs to do it one weekend at a time.

And, he needs to do it in a way that maintains the security of the structure, so that he doesn’t end up with visitors he doesn’t want, or need, while he’s away…

So, over the next few posts in this series, we’re going to take that empty 40′ High Cube Shipping Container, and we’re going to turn it into a full blown cabin, complete with sleeping lofts, and enough interior to let it be used comfortably, for a long vacation in the woods.

We’re not just going to insulate that container top. we’re going to “weatherize” the box.

Weatherizing isn’t “turning off the heat and freezing in the dark.” It’s using ’stored’ energy (and less of it than you might think) combined with small resources to achieve the same level of comfort that you used to get from that McMansion of yours.

How do you accomplish this?

Well, first, you find all the “energy nasties” and you give them the boot. In this case, we’ll start with that leaky stove chimney, and work outward from there. Careful planning and attention to detail will have this family in a sustainable vacation home, in no time.

We’re also going to deal with indoor air quality.

Remember that the air quality is 2-5 times worse in your house, than the air outside it.   This is a small space, that may be inhabited by a family of six, under severe conditions, maybe for extended periods. Beyond air quality, we need to pay close attention to energy use, moisture (and it’s movement… unless you LIKE mold and mildew), combustion zones, and ventilation.

Remember, condensation is a killer.

Areas in walls and roof cavities that stay moist, start to grow funky things that attack your lungs. YUCK! He says they get some snow… so we need to address the Ice dams on roofs that form on the roof which can contribute to this problem, too. So naturally, we’re going to pay close attention to that roof, it’s construction, and it’s pitch.

We’ll talk about fixing that stove vent/chimney, before you huff and puff… and burn your house down…

We’ll talk about designing, building, and attaching a roof to catch the sun and even a couple of kids.

We’ll talk about photovoltiac panels on the cheap, and an “in-wall solar heating” solution.

We’ll talk about building loft spaces into it, to get the kids up and out of your hair.

We’ll talk about a “hidden” Master bedroom.

We’ll talk about the floor of that shipping container, and what to do about it.

We’ll talk about a kitchen (with a refrigerator and everything!) and a bathroom.

We’ll talk about catching water and setting up a graywater system.

And, we’ll talk about building storage into that shipping box, so that it can house all your crap, so that you don’t step on everything you own, in the middle of the night, when that damned bear is trying to beat down the door!

And we’re going to accomplish this, a goal at a time, a weekend at a time…

Why?

Because you “Show me a man who failed… and I’ll show you a man who didn’t have a good plan”.

Stay tuned.

The folks at PRAVDA speak to AMERICA!

If you’ve been watching the news…

President Obama just stabbed the people of Poland and The Czech Republic right in the back, with his “new and improved” Missile Defense Plan. He’s abandoning the missile bases that protected Eastern Europe, and then he’s going to use “sea-based” platforms.

Well, okay, but… they better have “hair-triggers.” I mean, a missile can only do so much…

I bet “old Brezhnev” is rolling in his grave… laughing.

Now, I know things were messed up when he took office, but Jeez… It’s one thing to screw up the American economy, enslave our children for generations with the interest on trillions of dollars of “give-away debt”, cripple the nation’s industrial trade, and throw American families to the wolves.

It’s another to throw “your friends” under the bus, the first chance you get.

In a matter of months, Obama has undermined American values, hope, and our future as anything but “closet socialists.” And now, on top of that, he’s single-handedly destroyed everything that Eastern Europeans have been working for, since the end of WWII.

The Poles and the Czechs have had our backs for a long time. They’ve gone out on a limb to help America, for a long time. And how does Obama reward them?

He throws THEM to the wolves. Man, he kisses “Oil Sheik butt” like a “brown-nosing buffoon“, but his friends? He slaps them right in the face.

We have just proven to two countries who had allied themselves with us for defense purposes that we don’t care about our word to protect them. And to make matters worse, we will NOT come to their aid.

You think all other countries relying on us (until today) are not paying attention to that?

Oy.

The idea that Iran can’t launch a strike against Poland is stupid, and saying it publicly just confirms that you are filled with ignorance.

And that only confirms what I’ve suspected for a while… I – and lots of others – DO doubt Obama’s intelligence. From the reported IQs, he isn’t even in the “mentally gifted” category. So he’s not even in the top third of intelligence in the US. 33% of us are smarter than he is.

Unfortunately, 33% won’t carry an election.

Just because you can read a teleprompter, you’re a liberal and you look good in a 42-Long…  doesn’t mean you’re smart. But apparently possessing all of those “skills” WILL get you elected.

Iran has already demonstrated that it has the capability of launching a missile that will reach Warsaw. Combine that missile with Iran’s objective of going “nuclear”, and you’ve got a very large crater.

Are you forgetting that there is already an Iranian satellite floating around up there in space, keeping an eye on all of us?

And I hate to be the one to call ‘Bullshit‘…

… but I wonder how much actual response time you’ll get, when you’re trying to catch missiles being lobbed up over a fence.

In order to defend yourself against an incoming missile, you have to:

• Detect the missile launch in the first place,
• Decipher it for exactly what it is,
• Activate your “defensive” missiles, and THEN…
• Successfully shoot it down before the damned thing is out of range.

How much of a hair trigger do you want “defense theaters” on?

Man, you thought that Air Traffic Controllers had bad days! Can you imagine?

Well, at least they won’t be lobbing them over OUR fence, right? Ah jeez… This is just madness… again.

And, Iran notwithstanding… The idea that Russia poses no threat to Poland, or The Czech Republic just doesn’t wash. THAT is just stupidity magnified on an Olympian scale…

Tell that to anyone in Georgia or the Ukraine.

And then jump the hell back, because I guarantee you that they’re gonna spit.

None of this should really surprise you, as this is the same guy who has:

Picked trade fights with Canada and Mexico, sat on trade treaties with Colombia and South Korea, battled Israel over West Bank settlements, ignored Japan in deciding to talk with North Korea, and sanctioned Honduras for its sin of resisting the encroachments of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.

This isn’t just about Poland and the Czech republic, people. The system was supposed to defend Europe and the east coast of the U.S.

Plus, we do have a few friends left, I think… Maybe… Frankfurt, London and Paris are in Europe too.

And, we already know that the interceptors in California and Alaska can barely cover the East Coast.

People have already said that : “Unless the Missile Shield is directed against missiles coming from Russia, it won’t work.”

There is absolutely no sea-based defense for Russian missiles – there are roughly 450 – 500 ICBMs and another 150 to 200 sea launched ballistic missiles. And then there are the cruise missiles.  Okay, we ponied up 10 more interceptors to be deployed. One interceptor per each 50 land based ICBM?

Yeah, that’s gonna work…

Just to play the “devil’s advocate” for a second… do you suppose this is part of a grander scheme? We can all safely assume that Israel is going to attack Iran here shortly.  And to do it, some suspect that Israel will fly over US airspace. Iran, seeing it coming, will try to mine the Persian Gulf – but the US or Israel will attack the Iranian Navy simultaneously.

Color me “a leisure suit wearin’ cripple”…

And… Russia supports Iran by selling them LOTS of gasoline. Perhaps they won’t now that Obama has given in on those land-based missiles.

Holy Hand fulla Socialist Poop, Batman! I’m getting a headache!

I wonder what the Russians think of all this?

Hell, for that matter, I wonder what the Russians think of all this “New American Policy” over the last few months?

Well, the fine folks at Pravda (the new Russian news magazine, not the old newspaper that was abolished in 1991, or the Rock Band) ran this article on April 27, 2009.

Not THIS “Pravda”!!

This”PRAVDA”

(Sure, it’s before Obama kicked Poland in the nuts, but it’s gonna open your eyes, I guarantee…)

This is a direct cut/paste: (All I’ve done is to format it by deleting some extra spaces.)

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people..

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America..

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of  dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties, and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama’s command that GM’s (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of “pure” free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a “bold” move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK’s Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our “wise” Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper…but a “free man” whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set “fair” maximum salaries, evaluate performance, and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest, and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is.

The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin© 1999-2009.. «PRAVDA.Ru».

<snip>

Makes you think, doesn’t it? Hmmm?

Say it with me:

“Russia is not a threat anymore, Russia is not a threat anymore, Russia is not…”

Wow, I feel better already! How about you?

I’m reminded of something Henry Kissinger said, about Jimmy Carter;

“The Carter administration has managed the extraordinary feat of having, at one and the same time, the worst relations with our allies, the worst relations with our adversaries and the most serious upheavals in the developing world since the end of the Second World War.”

Smacks of the familiar, don’t it?

Is it just me? If anyone really thinks we actually won the Cold War, just try watching Putin’s lips the next time Obama speaks next to him. Look real hard, and you might just see Putin’s lips moving. In other words, if you want to know what position Obama may take on any given foreign policy issue, you might want to ask Putin first.

So now Russia AND Iran have figured out what Korea has known for decades…

• Keep whining!
• Keep opposing!
• Keep implying that someday you MIGHT care about what America thinks…
• … and eventually some left wing, bleeding heart liberal will cave in and give you exactly what you want.

“Hope and Change” my ass…

More like; “Bend over and grease up, because here he comes”!

Next up: “Full Retreat in Afghanistan! Film at 11pm!!”

Stay Tuned!

And now – The NEW WORLD’S CHAMPION!

It’s been a while since I posted anything.

It’s taken me this long to get my blood pressure back under control.

While Obamanation gives away everything but our children’s birthrights,  us “working class” folks try to figure out which bill get’s to go “past due.”

While Obama gives taxpayer money to people, so that they can give up cars they own, for car’s they’ll finance (supposedly to save the environment) we get to figure out how we’re gonna buy groceries, and keep the lights turned on.

While Obama is asking us to keep a cool head, and focus on the future, he’s personally taking the reins of the most deadly market on earth… What?

We don’t have money for healthcare, or education, or even decent Social Security benefits, but we can sure rake it in…

45,000 Americans died “in the street” last year, because they didn’t have health insurance.

I didn’t make that number up, a recent Harvard study confirmed it.

Our children are getting “dumbed down” by a system that doesn’t want to use “grades”, because “it makes some kids sad.”

Our elderly citizens, who paid into the system all their lives, American people who believed in Democracy, people who pulled together and BUILT THIS COUNTRY on the sweat of their backs…

… are forced to like like paupers, struggling from one free meal to the next, to insure that they get enough sustenance to keep them alive…

Why, I oughta… Well, never mind what “I oughta do.” The fine folks at  Homeland Security would read it, and then… I’d get dragged off to one of those “holding facilities that don’t really exist…”

Let’s just say that I’m disgusted at the way things are going. Aren’t you?

Despite a recession that knocked down global arms sales last year, the United States expanded its role as the world’s leading weapons supplier, increasing its share to more than two-thirds of all foreign armaments deals, according to a new Congressional study.

The United States signed weapons agreements valued at $37.8 billion in 2008.

Folks, that’s 68.4 percent of all business in the global arms bonanza! And we ain’t talking about “The Ponderosa”!!  Hell’s Bells! We must be doing something right, because sales are BOOMING! They’re up significantly from the  $25.4 billion we raked in, the year before.

Italy was a distant second, with $3.7 billion in worldwide weapons sales in 2008, while Russia was third with $3.5 billion in arms sales last year, which is  down considerably from the $10.8 billion in weapons deals signed by Moscow in 2007.

It seems that we make as many weapons for export, as the Chinese make “lead painted” toys for American babies! In fact, it looks like we’ve cornered the market on “weapons of mass distraction…“

Finally, we lead the world in something… I wish my arms were long enough to pat myself on the back…

Who buys these weapons? I mean… we’re talking about trucks and trucks full of “Have a Bad Day!” Where do all these arms go?

More than half the weapons sold by the US go to Third World countries.

And, which Americans control the sales of US Arms to those starving nations?

Why, it’s members of the United Nations Security Council, of course…

And I bet this will surprise you…

You’re gonna love this…

It’s just been announced that, none other than President Obama HIMSELF, will be the first American president ever to chair the UN’s Security Council.

It’s never happened before. Ever.

Now, the UN Security Council has five PERMANENT members. Think we’re on that list? You can bet your sweet Cruise Missile we are!

And… bullets are big business! The UN Security Council sells over 85% of the world’s arms.

A “Security” Council that deals in “death profits.” Doesn’t sound very “secure” to me… Except maybe to the accountants…  Hmmm…

85% of the entire World’s Arms are sold by 5 guys.

And I’m not talking about prosthetic ones… but we sure create a market for ‘em!

I feel really bad for the pressure those 5 guys must be under. After all, they have a LOT of customers to keep happy!

So… who do they sell all those bullets and bombs them to?

Well, like I said… half of the sales go to the world’s poorest countries. Now, these are countries we encourage to kill each other, so that we can then feed the “collateral damaged” survivors. And then, after we sell them the means to kill each other, we send in UN Troops to take the weapons away… Huh?

WTF?

“Send us your flour, your wheat… Hell, we’ll even take your stinking MRE’s! Our citizens are dying by the droves. We ain’t got no food, we only have enough money to buy your bullets! You got any sales on bombs coming up? We’re running low!”

Don’t count on the UN Security Council making a big deal out of this. I sincerely doubt that there’s gonna be a “town hall meeting”  about “Who does what, to who…”

Again, once more, for the record… The #1 seller of arms in the world?

Get your Obamabombs, while’s they’re hot!

Okay, she ain’t “Rosey the Riveter”, but…

“Uncle Sam sells weapons! Yes we do! We got loads of ‘em! Why don’t YOU?”

No one else comes even close.

Uh oh… Wait a minute… The Chinese are trying to muscle in on us!

“Look just because you loaned us a trillion dollars… so that our President could sell our children into slavery… so that Obama and his Council of Fools could give money away ‘like confetti on a NYC parade’, doesn’t mean we’re gonna just stand by and let you take away our gravy!”

Go on, git!

Wait! I get it NOW! If we sell all of our weapons output overseas, there won’t be anything left HERE, for us to “protect ourselves” with! Ah, now it’s getting clearer!

How not to learn to shoot. Or is it?

It’s getting “bumpy” out there…

In difficult times, it’s important to learn and practice your skillsets, so that when they are needed, they’re absolutely solid, instinctual, and most importantly… safe. It’s the way of things in stuff like the martial arts, communication, life in general, and especially weapons handling.

I’m a big believer in training somebody to use weapons safely, until it becomes instinct.

And, that means that the practice has to be perfect every time. So, when an “expert” goes out and films a training scenario, I pay close attention.

James Yeager responds to this controversial training video;

The video was taken at one of James Yeager’s Tactical Response Fighting Pistol classes. The photographer seen forward of the firing line is Jay Gibson, one of the Tactical Response instructors.

Apparently bullets whizzing past you as your students take handgun training  is quite common at Tactical Response classes.

WTF? I may sound like a wuss to James, but in my humble opinion, that photographer appears to be about the craziest person a person could know.  I would never do what the photographer did, ever. And… I certainly wouldn’t  like shooting at my target with someone standing or crouching next to it. I’m a REAL good shot, but I’m not infallible.  No one is skilled enough to guarantee that they would not ever make a mistake.

I don’t care what anyone says, as far as I am concerned,  even the best shooter in the world can make a mistake or have equipment fail, and that could lead to a disaster like a handgun going full auto. So, that photographer is at risk, no matter how you try to explain it away.

James counters that  argument by saying that the elite military units train with live cross fire, none of the four rules of firearm safety have technically been broken. While that’s true (I know from personal experience), you still run the risk of injuring or even killing a team member, if there is a mishap.  James says that if you trust the shooters it is not any less safe than driving a car.

(Whaaa? I don’t know about this last point, that is just the argument I heard used.)

James Yeager, the owner of Tactical Response, has posted a video on Youtube in response to the controversy created by the  training video which shows a photographer standing next to a target downrange of students shooting live ammunition.

Now, first off, I’m not implying that James isn’t an expert. In fact, he’s well-known as being a really sharp guy, especially around guns. And, he runs a GREAT school, despite how controversial he might seem.

And I respect everyone’s right to train their students in any manner they deem appropriate, as long as they do it far the hell away from me.

Okay, that said… I’m seriously thinking that Mr. Yeager could served himself and his school better having made some better arguments in his “rebuttal” video.

Yeager states many people don’t like anybody standing even slightly forward of their muzzle when shooting.

Well, DUH! That is absolutely true, and you can bet your ass that I’m including myself in that club. But his training video showed somebody next to the targets, not just standing slightly forward of the muzzle. And because he was crouching down looking into a viewfinder of a camera, he was basically blind to what was going on AROUND him.

James uses a car analogy in his response. I know driving in a car is dangerous, but I do my best to mitigate the risks of driving as much as I can. I drive a car that doesn’t have any known safety problems, has seat belts, ABS brakes and air bags. If I could afford a new car, I would buy one with those fancy electronic stability control systems. Increasing risk when shooting just because driving is dangerous does not make sense to me.

Lastly, he says you can never be 100% safe.

I’ve been shooting since I was five years old. (I’m over fifty now, with well over tens of thousands of rounds fired.) I’ve shot at ranges, fields, deserts, and even inside houses, but I’ve never witnessed an injury, unless it was “intended.”  I’m “seasoned,” and I’ve stood up to my neck in blood and broken bodies. The reason that we made it home was that we practiced our weapons skills until they were instinctual, and then didn’t falter under pressure. Sure, I’ve seen accidental discharges, but nobody got hurt. It’s because we all got schooled in the fundamentals of shooting responsibly, from day one.

Nothing is 100% safe. And everyone needs to remember that, every time they pick up a weapon.

I’m sure that James teaches that to all of his students. It would be irresponsible for him NOT to.

Stay tuned, and shoot safe.

There’s No Ammo Shortage! :)

I was out cruising the web, minding my own business by sticking my nose in everyone else’s…

I was looking for good stuff  to share with you guys and gals (but mostly listening to old Peter Frampton and Steve Morse gems on Internet Radio!) and I came across this article by some nut named Todd Bensman.

It seems Bensman  believes that all our pistol and rifle ammunition isn’t in short supply.

And it’s not being bought up by citizens worried that Obama is gonna place a healthy tax on bullets. It’s actually on “vacation,” and sunning itself “down Mexico Way.” It is too!

It was so funny, that I had to laugh.

And, as serious as the days are around these parts, I thought that you could use some levity too! So, I’m gonna let you look at what nuts write, both “Old Bensman,” and even “Moi!” when we’re all fired up, and got no place good to go…

Happy readin! My comments are in RED. Cuz’ that’s the way I roll!

Cuz’ Bensman Says So!

Mexican Cartels binging on American Ammo!

Man, I bet it hurts like hell when they purge it back out!

So popular is the 7.62 caliber ammunition for AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifles that one Academy Sports and Outdoors in the border city of McCallen, Texas, recently stacked shoebox-sized cases several feet high down half a row in the hunting section.

Employees said customers routinely fork over thousands of dollars — in cash — to pile shopping carts high with ammunition that Mexico’s drug cartels will use to lock and load their favorite assault-style weapons and handguns for battle against police and each other. Employees like Francisco Rodriguez, who works in the guns and ammo section, are not short of stories about Hispanic men clearing shelves of 9 mm rounds, another favorite.

I haven’t been in a gun store in ages that actually HAD ammo piled to the ceiling. I’m thinking I need to call Francisco and get the GPS location of his store! I would like to find any store that has even 1000 rounds of  9mm, or 7.62mm  in stock, much less 5000. These rounds are in short supply across the country, not just along the border and not because they are being smuggled anywhere but because people like me want to make sure we have a supply of ammunition for our firearms in the event that this disinformation scheme works.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to learn that Bensman followed an administration script to write this “investigative” piece. It would be interesting to see if there are not articles in every city along the Mexican border which follows the same outline and includes the same talking points.

Wanna bet?

“I had a guy come in the other day and clear me out of .223s,” Rodriguez said, referring to ammunition that fits assault-type rifles as well as classic hunting rifle styles. But unlike a typical hunter, this customer “paid $5,000 cash, and then he went to one of our other stores and cleaned that out, too. I didn’t ask what he was going to do with it. He probably was going to take it to Mexico.”

Yeah, where else would Hispanic men with more cash than brains haul hundreds of pounds of ammo? Hmmm? Did you at least call your other store to let them know they were coming? I mean, really. If a guy is gonna buy all my ammo, I wanna be on my break, so some other bastard has to help him carry all eleventy-thousand pounds of it out to his Impala!

The market for certain kinds of ammo is so robust these days that sporting goods stores large and small report being unable to keep up with demand for .50 caliber sniper rifle rounds, which can sell for $4 each, or 5.7 caliber “cop killer” rounds that, fired from a handgun, can punch through police body armor. The bullet business is simply booming all along the border, and I have found that’s no coincidence.

What? I’m smelling a rat here! He’s using all the right “gun control” buzz words… “assault rifles,” “sniper rifle,” “cop-killer,”"punching thru body armor…”

First, how many stores are you aware of that actually stock large supplies of .50 cal rounds? Especially at a few bucks a pop. (Pun intended.)

Second, I’ve owned weapons that fired that dastardly 5.7cal round, and I can tell you from professional experience, you’re gonna be hardpressed to find a “store-bought_ round that will punch a hole in a bulletproof vest. Further, I can assure you that neither the SS195 or SS197 rounds that you can buy in a sporting goods store are “armor piercing.”

Sheesh! Try actually reading a spec sheet, you moron!

As big media outlets are belatedly starting to report, American law enforcement authorities, under pressure from Mexico, are escalating a push to slow the guns bought from U.S. merchants and smuggled by drug gang paramilitaries. These have helped them kill more than 6,000 Mexican gangsters, innocent citizens, police, and government officials in just the past year.

Violence in a culture which glorifies same, wherever that culture may be, is unlikely to be affected one way or another by what we do here in the U.S. in terms of laws, bans, and discrimination against people whom “enlightened” people like Mr. Bensmen just don’t happen to like. (I’m referring to gun owners, here, not Mexicans.) And the fanatics on the “death to the 2nd Amendment” side have never let awkward things like facts get in the way of their “holy quest”- Google “Michael Bellesiles”.

But what’s been overlooked is that the the gun smuggling problem has an evil, much neglected, twin sibling: bullets. There is nothing illegal about buying or selling large amounts of civilian-use ammunition to just about any adult in the U.S. Unlike some laws governing the sale of new guns, bullets are a commodity almost as unregulated as milk or bread, with no record keeping requirement, limit on volume per individual, or disqualifying criminal history for buyers. Also, unlike guns, bullets don’t have serial numbers that can later be traced to a store or person.

Yeah, and we’d never get suspicious if anyone, be they Hispanic, African-American, or even (gasp!) a Bubba, sauntered in and bought several thousand rounds with a fist full of Benjamin’s. Hey, we’d just think it was somebody’s birthday! Right.

The one law that applies to ammunition purchases doesn’t hinder much. It requires that buyers be U.S. citizens. But retailers aren’t required to check. So it’s don’t ask, don’t tell. Day shoppers from Mexico are taking advantage of the bounty and lax inspections on the southbound return trip.

Would you like that in paper, or plastic? Oh, PULEEEASE!!! 

Any gun dealer who has a customer with no valid ID who wants to buy over five grand worth of ammunition of a single type is going to call BATF. Period.  That is… unless he wants to lose his license, and spend some time in the slammer. There’s a specific regulation which requires him to do so.

The dirty little secret of BATF (and the FBI for that matter) is that they operate under an informal, but very real, “quota system”.

The “powers that be”  judge a field office’s success rate not by the quality of cases they prosecute, but by the quantity. Simply put, the more cases in total number they can “clear” in a given fiscal year, the better it looks in front of Congress at that “Holiest of Holies,” Budget Allocation Time.

In short, given the choice between spending a year trying to put one lawyered-up narcotraficante’ behind bars, and spending that time prosecuting fifty or so people on imagined “procedural violations” (which BATF is allowed to claim the existence of, but not required to define in court- a classic Catch-22), who don’t have lawyers, can’t afford them, and will probably plead guilty and pay a fine just to get the Kafkaesque nightmare over with, I guarantee you the BATF boys will go for the fifty or so “easy kills” every single time.

As I said, quantity, not quality.

Those BATF guys will be in the parking lot before Pablo finishes loading up his Escalade. Poor Pablo.

Mountains of ammunition types that fit cartel weapons of choice keep turning up across the Rio Grande in underground weapons depots. Mexico’s attorney general’s office gave me documents that report three million rounds have been seized in the country in just the last 24 months, a volume considered to be a very small percentage of a vast unknown total.

Oh, wait! Isn’t it illegal for civilians to own military caliber weapons in Mexico? Doesn’t it make sense that if the Mexican government would enforce their laws, and our government would enforce its own immigration laws, this problem would be solved? I remain unconvinced that another law is anything other than a backdoor attempt at disarming the populace. No sale, jerk…

Owning bullets or guns is mostly illegal in Mexico, and, as with the guns, authorities on both sides unambiguously peg U.S. retailers as sating a recently ravenous black market hunger for ammunition.

See? Told ya so!

Whereas the buying and smuggling of American military assault-type rifles carry some risk of smugglers being found out, ammunition is so loosely regulated that Mexican smugglers are simply dropping over on three-day shopping visas to cruise a bounty of stores within the 25-mile deep commercial zone. The visas allow them to wander, judging by a smattering of federal court cases I’ve been able to locate and study. One of these involved a well-oiled ring of bullet smugglers who’d used their day visas to bring in more than 80,000 rounds in a short time.

He SHOULD have written an article blaming ‘countries of origin’ for Mexican and Central American gang activity in the U.S., or the large population of illegals in U.S. prisons. Yet somehow, the U.S. is responsible for foreign drug dealers offing one another on foreign soil. Go figure.

This is just another ‘blame America’ double standard, and more ‘if-we-take-away-the-guns-(ammo)-there’d-be-no-violence’ daydreaming. That and a good dose of agenda ‘journalism’; flimsy parallels (the Constitution says nothing about cold medicine) and rationales for interfering with second amendment right.

At least in the case of ammo sales to illegals, we’re making money off this particular infringement of our sovereignty.

Build the wall. And make it legal to ship ‘em more ammo, too. Helps reduce the trade balance.

80,000 rounds. Man, if I had 80,000 rounds, I’d strip down and roll around in it like a  greedy Las Vegas hooker in a “High-rollers” casino hotel room!!

Now, there’s a mental picture you wish I’d kept to myself, huh?

American and Mexican authorities are only now starting to crack down on this trade, but succeeding will prove as tough as interdicting guns. “The main thing is for us to stop the illegal flow of guns going to Mexico, but if they don’t have bullets they can’t use them,” said J. Dewey Webb, the Houston-based head of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “It’s just as important and it’s just as illegal. If we could reduce the traffickers to throwing rocks at each other, I think we’ve achieved our goal.”

Bullshit! Nobody is legally buying fully automatic weapons in the U.S. and smuggling them into Mexico.

The supply available for private purchases was fixed in 1986, and the process is lengthy and very tightly regulated. Only the military or LE can buy new automatic weapons. So if automatic weapons are proliferating at the border, the only certainties are that they’re NOT coming from private citizens in the U.S. and further regulation of those private citizens will not reduce the prevalence of those weapons one iota. Automatic weapons in Mexico are FAR more likely to come from outside the U.S. altogether. Legal arms sales in the U.S. are irrelevant to any automatic weapons problem on the border.

Since anti-gunners oppose privately owned firearms, period, they focus on targets they can hit – legal sales of non-automatic weapons – instead of those they can’t hit – illegal non-U.S. sales. They’re lying through their teeth, as they have done for decades. The statistics, the hard numbers, have always been on the side of the pro-gunners, and the skew is stronger in their favor now than it has been for many years. For anti-gunners, however, feelings trump numbers every time.

Be it “guns or bullets,” ALL of these problems are soluble simply by enforcing the laws that are already on the books and/or controlling the freakin’ border! That the shrieking nitwits on the anti-gun side will do neither speaks volumes about their actual intentions. It’s ALL about control, but gun-control is just a piece of it – a key piece, to be sure, but still only one piece of the whole picture. Anyone paying attention can see that!

Authorities believe one of the nation’s busiest ammunition smuggling corridors runs through South Texas because of the state’s dearth of regulations and a proliferation of gun merchants in the densely populated regions close to the Mexican border. That wide, south flowing pipeline, they say, runs through Laredo, McAllen, Harlingen, and Brownsville. Mexico lists the connecting state of Tamaulipas as one of the top five states for illegal ammunition seizures. Those who speak for large public American sporting goods retailers, as well as small private gun shops so ubiquitous in Texas, don’t like to contemplate the prospect that they may be profiting from Mexico’s bloodshed. There’s a certain willful denial going on. Instead, many of those I visited in recent months from Brownsville to Laredo insisted that wealthy target-shooting hobbyists are the ones buying out their stocks of, say, .50 caliber sniper rounds that can cut through concrete buildings.

“.50 caliber sniper rounds that can cut through concrete buildings.”? Really? Because at range a single M2 round is only going to go about an inch into concrete. That’s hardly “cutting through concrete buildings”.

Mr. Bensman, do you actually know anything about firearms and ammunition? Or are you just talking out of your ass?

Austin Ortiz, manager of the firearms section in a newly opened Academy in McAllen, said the 7.62 and .223 calibers are among his best sellers. There were no company instructions to call the ATF or check for citizenship on suspicious buyers, he said.

“There are a lot of gun ranges around here,” Ortiz told me when I asked him why anyone would buy so much. Asked if he thought smugglers also were buying, Ortiz contemplated the question before offering a surprisingly candid answer. “I’m pretty sure there are people out there who will take it over and sell it at a profit.”

Wanna bet that after somebody at BATF read this smear piece, ole’ Austin got an old-fashioned schoolin’ from the “Boy’s in Blue?” Hmmm?

Because of the absence of mandatory or voluntary controls on ammo sales by socially concerned bullet merchants, federal agents on the hunt for smuggling-minded Mexican shoppers will remain hard pressed to cut this gusher of a supply line. Whereas guns recovered in Mexico can at least be traced to a store and original buyer, bullets leave no trail. Smugglers eliminate any last clue by removing the rounds from coded store boxes. That’s why in pictures of seizures you always see the bullets filling buckets or plastic bags.

Oh, the irony. Folks who have no problem with people voting without proof of citizenship or think ’sanctuary cities’ in defiance of the law is a form of compassion are miffed by ammo retailers who don’t check for proof of citizenship.

Bullets are considered too heavy to swim or hike into Mexico in profitable enough quantities. So shells usually go into secret vehicle compartments and are driven in the direction everyone knows gets less attention — south.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection fields some small mobile groups of inspectors who randomly check Mexico-bound vehicles for cash, guns, and  — of late — bullets. But even agency officials admit the effort isn’t much of a deterrent on ammunition smugglers because the federal agents are far too few in number. Dumb luck has proven a better friend to law enforcement as American agents or police stumble over smuggling operations.

“The reality is that the smuggler has the advantage over us,” conceded CBP Assistant Port Director Jose R. Uribe. “It’s just the nature of the border.”

To catch an ammo smuggler, an American agent has to somehow catch physical sight of a smuggler or catch them in the act. For instance, in November 2006, El Paso police officers just happened to spot two Mexican men driving into an alley behind Alamo Shooters Supply. They followed and watched the men cart out dollies laden with tens of thousands of rounds. Javier Paredes Vega and his brother Jorge admitted they were regular ammo smugglers who made profitable use of their day visa privileges. Last year, both pleaded guilty to weapons violations.

Everyone seems to understand by now that the sale of firearms in America is as politically protected as agricultural subsidies. But regulating commodities like ammunition, either requiring a record of volume sales or restricting quantities, may be more open for debate.

The idea of taxing or restricting ammunition sales to civilians, by means of exorbitant taxation (such as the recently-resurfaced demand for a 1000% tax on “crime bullets”, like 9 x 19mm), and outright bans on “cop killer” bullets (that actually are already illegal – for anyone but the government) are two of the standard tricks in the gun-banners’ golf bag. The old excuse was “Do It For The Children”- now it’s “Do It For Mexico”. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not. Man, this Bensman is as sharp as a marble!

That laws have been passed to regulate certain retail commodities for a higher social good is certainly not without precedent. Take “precursor” cold medicines that have the dual-use purpose of making illegal methamphetamine. Selling cold medicine was any retailer’s right until the early 2000s. That was when national retailers like Walgreens and Target began setting voluntary limits on the sale of common cold medicines as a means to dampen the meth contagion. Texas and other states eventually passed laws. In October, then-President Bush signed the Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act, requiring retailers to log sales of cold medicines as a means to help law enforcement and deter meth producers.

“I do see a parallel,” said East Texas-based Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon, who in 2004 filed a civil lawsuit against Walgreens seeking to force compliance with certain sales reporting rules. “If the abuse of the sales offends the public enough, I could see restrictions going that way with ammunition sales too.”

Take “precursor” cold medicines that have the dual-use purpose of making illegal methamphetamine. Selling cold medicine was any retailer’s right until the early 2000s. That was when national retailers like Walgreens and Target began setting voluntary limits on the sale of common cold medicines as a means to dampen the meth contagion. Texas and other states eventually passed laws. In October, then-President Bush signed the Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act, requiring retailers to log sales of cold medicines as a means to help law enforcement and deter meth producers.

And you know what happened to the meth trade? Nothing.  Meth is bigger than ever! Sure, some of the  labs moved out of the United States into Mexico where they could operate unchecked by American law enforcement. But  all we really accomplished was to shift the production of methamphetamine from mom-and-pop labs in rural communities to Mexican super meth labs while inconveniencing people looking for cold symptom relief.

Editor’s Note:

Once more, we see that a columnist who knows nothing of firearms except that he:

(A) hates them, and
(B) hates law-abiding citizens who own them, and
(C) has used the civil war in Mexico to attack those issues here in the U.S.

And that as usual, he has betrayed not only his ignorance of the subject, but also his unwillingness to even do basic research and get his facts straight before writing his hatchet piece. But judging by the present climate in Washington and other environs of our “intellectual elite”, I expect much more of this in the near future, as The One pushes for a “solution to our gun problem” once and for all.

One on his terms, of course. Which I am sure Mr. Bensman will say still won’t go far enough to suit him.

And what’s more, I think he’s a racist. Since when do only Mexicans and Hispanics buy ammo?

We, just as the rest of America, are stocking up on Ammo (and stocking up on parts too) for the same reason we did under the Clinton Administration: the “assault-type rifle” ban and President Obama’s promised tax on ammunition. But I am sure, I KNOW, Mr. Bensman knows that. As I said he has one ugly agenda, and the hell with real facts or the truth.

Mr. Bensmen is picking and choosing his data to fit his ugly little agenda, and the truth be damned. So much for “journalistic integrity,” huh?

With all this this in mind, here are a few facts (as if the author of this piece of crap was even interested in facts in the first place):

1. There are few if any “U.S. made” rifles in 7.62 x 39mm Kalashnikov. And those that are generally do not take high-capacity magazines.

Of four that I know of, three are manual bolt-actions- hardly “assault weapons” except in the fevered imaginations of people who only know guns from Hollywood epics.

2. The 7.62 and .223 ammunition you can legally buy in the U.S. is not armor-piercing- it’s prohibited to civilians in this country, period.

In fact, you can’t even buy surplus steel-cored military ammunition in 7.62 x 39- it was prohibited for importation by BATF in 1985, and the only American-made ammunition of this type is “sterilized” (i.e., no headstamp and non-traceable) ammunition made by a specific U.S. government-owned factory, used by the government for “black” operations by the military- and is also illegal for civilian use or possession.

The same holds true for .223 (5.56 x 45mm NATO) ammunition.

So don’t bother trying to find it at your local stocking dealer. I can assure you that not only won’t he have any, he might just call the local authorities on you, if you’re stupid enough to ask about it.

3. 5.7 x 33mm ammunition with “armor-penetrating” bullets is a “government-only” item in the U.S.

Since that caliber is mainly used by the likes of the Secret Service, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, police tactical teams, and some military special operations units, your chances of running into it in anyone else’s hands by way of a legal dealer are about as good as your chances of getting to the Moon by taking a running jump off your roof. Go ahead, try. We’ll wait here for you.

Like many others, I know all this from previous experience in the field. Maybe Bensman should have talked to ME, first. At least then he wouldn’t have embarrassed himself.  As much. Maybe.

Now, if all you guys and gals will excuse me, I’m gonna throw a shovel and a metal detector into the back of my pick-up truck, and “make a run for the border.” I ain’t found crap in the buried treasure department with that infernal “riches-findin thing-a-majiggy,” but I may find some… say it with me…”Buried treasure ala bang-bang!”

¡Excepto las balas!

Stay tuned.  I’ll let you know if I find anything. Or not. Maybe.

Further Adventures at the Ammo Bench

Last time we sat around the “Ammo Bench,”  we bitched about people who bitch… about gun laws.

And… We talked about the Ruger SR556, the newest entry in the civilian AR rifle category. It’s a hot piece of “trail gear,” and in my humble opinion, it’s worth what they’re charging for it. Sure, I wish it was cheaper, but then, they’d have to build it cheaper, and I don’t want that. Nope! Not when MY life may hang in the balance!

But if you can’t afford a grand plus, for a new rifle?

Try one of these little babies!

First, go buy yourself a Ruger 10/22 rifle. And then, take it all apart. Now, call the guys and gals at Nordic Components, Corp.

The Nordic AR22 stock kit has its origins in the competitive shooting arena.  The AR22 stock was specifically developed to enable competitive AR-15 shooters to practice with a rifle that was ergonomically identical to the AR-15 yet chambered in the less costly 22-LR.  The AR22 stock works by simply bolting on to the barreled-action of a standard Ruger 10-22™ rifle (no gunsmithing required).  The stock kit then accepts standard AR-15 components (butt stock, grip, and hand guard) to complete the conversion process.

Nordic Components is proud to offer the AR22 stock together with a number popular AR15 components to give you one source for your 10-22™ conversion project.   Of course, you can just buy the AR22 stock and use any standard AR15 components to complete your conversion.

Confidentially, you know where this would fit into MY personal weapons locker? I’d use it as a training weapon, or for plinking. This is a terrific “low-cost” way to keep your edge, or even to teach your kid (or even your significant other) to shoot.

Now that’s based on whether or not you’d actually PUT a loaded weapon in their hands, in the first place. Do what you want. Your mileage may vary. Don’t run with scissors. Drink your milk! Yada yada yada…

Note, however that Ruger 10-22 is not the property of Nordic Components and is a registered trademark of Sturm, Ruger & Co.

*****************************

Recently, I started looking at the Gun Rights “Pro vs Con” debates, and wondered;

“Just how many federal gun laws are there on the books, anyway?”

Doug Pennington (The Brady Bill whiner) was recently quoted as saying:

“What people don’t realize, at the national level, at least, is that I can count the federal gun laws on the books on one hand. I don’t even need all five fingers to do it,” he says, quickly rattling off the 1934 ban on machine guns, the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibiting gun sales to felons, and the Brady Law, which requires licensed gun dealers to perform criminal background checks.“

That’s a pretty smart retort, but… it’s total CRAP!

I suppose it only works on people who don’t know any better, huh?

Anyone’s who’s ever had to deal with the maze of regulations that is our federal gun laws knows better.  It underplays just how significant GCA ‘68 really was.

Just for grins, let’s look under the hood, shall we?

I’m talking about USC Title 18 now…

And I’m not talking about USC Trojan Rose Bowl bids either…

Let’s look at the relevant parts of the United States Code, which is Title 18, Part I, Chapter 44.

Now load that in a separate window, and let it have it’s head. It’s gonna scroll for about two days… Okay, about enough text to kill a tree…

And, it’s “so easy to read.” Talk about your “reader friendly” legislation!  I must have skipped that class in Political Doublespeak, in the language lab back at good ole’ UCLA.

And that is only a small part of our “federal gun law.”  Let us not forget, also, that the National Firearms Act is to be found in the Internal Revenue Code, Title 26, Chapter 53.

You can find THAT piece of mind-boggling legislation here: IRC Title 26, Chapter 53

Same thing… Load ‘er up, and let her rip. Congrats! You just managed to kill a whole forest, and piss off a bunch of treehuggers at the same time!

But wait, there’s more! We’re not finished. Not Hardly!

We haven’t looked at the Code of Federal Regulations yet!

1. 27 CFR Part 53  – Excise taxes on firearms and ammunition
2. 27 CFR Part 447 – Importation of Arms, Ammunition, and Implements of War
3. 27 CFR Part 478 – Commerce in Firearms and Ammunition
4. 27 CFR Part 479 – Machine Guns, Destructive Devices, and Certain Other Firearms

And these are all just a PART of the federal gun laws “package.”

Of course I’m leaving out the various federal codes and regulations that do things like, regulate firearms on aircraft, or on federal lands, or even Federal Parks!

So the next time some idiot tells you that he can “count the federal gun laws on the books on one hand…”

Run like the devil was chasing you, because if he has that many fingers to count on, he’s either a “murdering finger collector,” like in those late night Horror movies, or worse yet… he’s an alien. And I’m not talking about the “swimming across the river” variety, either…

Naaaaano-nanooooh…

I REALLY want MY Independence! I do too!

This is THE day!

It’s a day set aside by the founding fathers, to allow citizens to show their enthusiam, their support, and their pride…

BY BLOWIN’ STUFF UP!

It doesn’t get any better than this, folks!

It a day to commemorate that blessed event… kicking the Bejeezus outta anybody who’s trying to suppress your ability to support your family, live in a land without tyrants, and take care of yourselves, while you take care of each other.

Hmmmm… I wonder what country it started in? “Of the people, for the people…” my ass!

Ah, maaaaaaaaan!

I’m not gonna get mad. I’m not gonna get mad. I’m not gonna…

Now THAT’S what I’M talkin about!

And remember… Don’t use a pitcher of “High Test” Margarita’s to put out your Mother-In-Law, should she “accidentally get set on fire.” …

Or was it “Use a pitcher…?”

“Feed a cold, starve a fever?” Ah hell… I forget.

And remember, in Iraq, it’s Independence Day, every day.

And while you’re taking the day off… Say a prayer for a soldier, huh?

Happy Fourth Of July, ya Bastards!