With George W Bush’s Presidency, many of his detractors were irritated from day 1 - the Supreme Court decision and lack of popular vote gave liberals what many of them felt was the right to be generally anti-Bush… Then, after September 11th we saw the brief light of bipartisan feeling shine through the clouds - until 43 decided to strike back at the terrorists by… invading Iraq? Yes, by invading a country with a dictator we trained and helped install that had little if absolutely nothing to do with the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
Now, we’re left with two quasi-wars- television wars for most Americans, wars that require nothing from the general Citizen, wars that are only real to the people who are in them… Both Iraq and Afghanistan teeter on the brink of failed statehood, ready to fall under the influence of anti-Western leadership- all the while nursed by a defiant and treacherous Iran, which actively quests for the Bomb.
In the midst of all this, America has a new and somewhat untested President- one whose “ideals” seem to be splitting the nation as he attempts to solve many big problems all at once… On one side, the Liberal have-nots wish for better education, free healthcare, and more individual rights, while on the other side, the mad-as-hell Teapartiers want to hold their ground (and their guns) close, keep immigration down, and fight for their notion of fiscal responsibility.
Fanned by the likes of Glenn Beck and Joe Wilson, fueled by the ugly recessionary slump, and fostered by enemies on every doorstep there is a deep tide of unease in the American population.
What’s next? Is the United States set to tear itself apart?
I think that staying fit is something that we gloss over too often… It’s easy to talk about what kind of gear to get, or what your favorite rod is, but keeping your heart and lungs healthy will go a long way towards survival. That being said, there are some pretty pricey “get fit quick” solutions out there- everything from crazy, joint-busting crash courses, to bizarre non-FDA-approved powders and supplements that can be pretty bad for you long-term… and we’re all about long term.
There are so many different videos and programs out there, but I think that the best information I’ve seen in awhile is available for FREE on the Crossfit site- www.Crossfit.com. The Crossfit site offers up a wealth of knowledge on how to get and stay fit, as well as how to eat (my biggest weakness). The only things that you’ll need for the majority of their exercises are your own body weight, and some basics like a pull up bar, maybe some old tractor tires, and other barnyard leftovers that make for an interesting training regimen… The key to Crossfit is just that- “keep it interesting” - change up your workouts, try new things, and don’t let yourself get bored.
That said, you don’t have to get crazy- but have a look at the forthcoming film about Crossfit, it’s pretty cool…
On a personal note, our condolences go out to JWR at Survivalblog.com.
I have a relative who thinks global warming is a hoax. He also thinks, among other things, that the Rapture is imminent, that the Devil is alive on earth in human form (and in fact participated in Dick Cheney’s secret energy policy meetings that caused such a stink some years ago), and that there are FEMA death camps located throughout the country, where the Bush administration, no, scratch that, the Obama administration, is going to swoop down and put us all one day.
In fact, he insisted that there was a death camp location in Maine, where I live. I checked it out - it’s a municipal airport. In any event, no one’s going to put us in death camps. We have guns. 200 million guns, by some estimates. And who is it that’s supposed to put us in these camps, exactly? The police? We are the police. The military? We are the military. We are the firemen. We are the first responders of every stripe. I’m always baffled by people who expect to get placed in FEMA death camps. FEMA did such a heckuva job with Hurricane Katrina, that the last thing I ever worry about is stormtroopers from FEMA pounding on my door in the dead of night.
But on to global warming. Listen, I don’t like Al Gore, either. But to believe that global warming is a hoax is to not believe in science, the very thing that has created much of the modern world you see around you today. In fact, it’s to believe that thousands of scientists, from all over the world, are deliberately pulling the wool over everybody’s eyes. How would you keep a conspiracy that large going? Eventually, somebody would crack and say, “Hey listen, we made it up. There is no global warming.” Wouldn’t they?
Worse, to not believe in global warming is to not believe the evidence piling up right in front of your own eyes. I’ve lived in Maine for some time now, and I’ve been visiting here for much of my life. Which means I’ve been swimming in the ocean waters on the coast of Maine for many years. Everybody knows the deal about the water in Maine - it’s COLD! Except it isn’t anymore.
There is a beach not too far from where I live. I’ve been swimming there for ten years. In the early years, I would put a wetsuit on and swim back and forth across the bay. No one else would be in the water. It was bone-jarringly cold. It was an exercise in Mind Over Matter. My jaw would ache. My feet and hands would go numb. People used to go to this beach to sit on the sand and look at the sailboats out in the bay. Not to swim.
In recent years, I’ve noticed more and more people getting in the water at this same beach. I’ve gone there a few times this year. Now everybody gets in the water, at least for a little while. Why? Because the water is cool. It’s refreshing. It isn’t cold. And global warming isn’t a hoax.
“I’m asking you to believe.
Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington…
I’m asking you to believe in yours.”
- Barack Obama
Rumors are widespread about a bank holiday being declared later this month, or in September, or even October.The rumors are probably fueled by the recent bank failures – five just on Friday, including Colonial Bank, the 6th largest banking failure in US history.
You may recall (or not - they don’t teach this stuff in school) that FDR declared a bank holiday in 1933, closing all the banks in the United States and making it illegal for them to do business until the government said otherwise.According to Wikipedia:
“The Emergency Banking Act was introduced on March 9, 1933, to a joint session of Congress and was passed the same evening amid an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty as over 100 new Democratic members of Congress swept into power determined to take radical steps to address banking failures and other economic malaise. The sense of urgency was such that the act was passed with only a single copy available on the floor and most legislators voted on it without reading it.”
That “sense of urgency” sound familiar?
A bank holiday might happen, it might not.We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: NOW is always a good time to have a couple of month’s worth of cash hidden in the house, or someplace nearby.
Bothered by repeated alien abductions, either of you or your loved ones? Using readily obtainable materials, you can easily construct one of these Thought Screen Helmets right at home. The helmet blocks out telepathic communication between aliens and humans, so the aliens cannot use mind control on you. When mind control fails, aliens will abort the abduction attempt.
It’s important to note that the helmet is not fail-safe. Alien-human hybrids can still get you, so we also recommend a good personal protection firearm for both home and car.
For details on materials and construction, you should go here.
