Regarding investing in these tumultuous times

“In the absence of a gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation.

Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the hidden confiscation of wealth.

Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights.

If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in understanding the statists’ antagonism toward the gold standard”

Alan Greenspan 1968

Read this article - if you dare!

When this guy speaks, regardless of the topic, I listen

Thomas Sowell: Health care myths
Saturday, January 10, 2009

Before you do anything else, make a note to read "The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care" by Sally C. Pipes. It might literally save your life by slowing the political stampede toward a government-controlled medical profession -- usually presented politically as "universal health care."

It is one of the painful signs of our times that millions of people are so easily swayed by rhetoric that they show virtually no interest at all in finding out the hard facts. Any number of other countries already have government-controlled medical professions. Yet few Americans show any interest in what actually happens to medical care in those countries.

Instead, we are being lured into a one-way process -- much like entering a Venus fly trap -- by the oldest of all confidence rackets, the promise of something for nothing.

Fortunately, Sally Pipes is one of the few who has explored the reality of government-controlled medical treatment in Canada and other countries. Among the things she discovered is that new life-saving medications that go immediately into the market in the United States take a much longer time to become available to Canadian patients -- if they ever get approved by the bureaucrats.

No doubt that lowers the cost of medications -- if you count costs solely in money terms, rather than in terms of how many people literally pay with their lives when the bureaucrats are reluctant to buy new pharmaceutical drugs.

Cancer survival rates are higher in the United States than in Europe. A recent report by the Fraser Institute in Vancouver estimates that annually tens of thousands of Canadians seek medical treatment outside of Canada, even though treatment is free inside Canada and they have to pay themselves for treatment elsewhere.

Other studies show that waiting times for surgery are months longer in Canada, Britain and Australia -- all countries with government-controlled medical care -- than in the United States.

Among the many issues explained in plain English in "The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care" are why pharmaceutical drugs cost so much, why it is misleading to talk about uninsured Americans as if they do not get medical care, and how politicians make existing insurance more expensive by blithely mandating coverage that people would not voluntarily pay for with their own money, if it was left up to them.

In various states, these mandated coverages include alcoholism, acupuncture, breast reduction and treatment for baldness, among other things. You may just want insurance to cover you in case you get hit with some big-time medical problem, but many state laws will not allow an insurance company to sell you "major medical" coverage without all the add-ons that politicians and special interests have come up with.

The net result is more expensive insurance, which in turn can mean more people being uninsured.

As with so many government programs, "the poor" are used as a political justification for imposing government-controlled medical care on everyone. But "The Top Ten Myths of American Medical Care" shows what a fraud that is. First of all, the average uninsured American has above-average income -- and people living in poverty are already eligible for Medicaid.

There are of course some serious problems with Medicaid, as there is with government medical treatment at Veterans Administration hospitals and with Medicare. But such things only highlight the dangers of having the government take over the rest of the medical sector, given its dangerous failures where it is already involved in medical matters.

The lure of something for nothing may be seductive when you are in good health. But it can become a bitter irony when you are waiting months for surgery to relieve your pain or when your life hangs in the balance while some bureaucrat decides whether you can get the best medication or something older and cheaper.

"The Top Ten Myths About American Medical Care" can literally be a lifesaver. What it reveals is unlikely to be told by the mainstream media or by other enthusiasts for the magic phrase "universal health care."

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His Web site is http://www.tsowell.com/.

A really good discussion of HF radio

The Hermit has a good post regarding high frequency radios for use during TEOTWAWKI. Be sure to look around while you're over there. He's got a great site with loads of useful tips on prepping.

Plus, he's a Marine and a hellofa nice guy!

Who they are...and what they believe

They are the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Here's a list of members from their own webpage:

Caucus Member List (it includes most of the "usual suspects")

Friday February 20, 2009 Co-Chairs
Hon. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07)
Hon. Lynn Woolsey (CA-06)

Vice Chairs
Hon. Diane Watson (CA-33)
Hon. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18)
Hon. Mazie Hirono (HI-02)
Hon. Dennis Kucinich (OH-10)

Senate Members
Hon. Bernie Sanders (VT)

House Members
Hon. Neil Abercrombie (HI-01)
Hon. Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
Hon. Xavier Becerra (CA-31)
Hon. Madeleine Bordallo (GU-AL)
Hon. Robert Brady (PA-01)
Hon. Corrine Brown (FL-03)
Hon. Michael Capuano (MA-08)
Hon. André Carson (IN-07)
Hon. Donna Christensen (VI-AL)
Hon. Yvette Clarke (NY-11)
Hon. William “Lacy” Clay (MO-01)
Hon. Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05)
Hon. Steve Cohen (TN-09)
Hon. John Conyers (MI-14)
Hon. Elijah Cummings (MD-07)
Hon. Danny Davis (IL-07)
Hon. Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
Hon. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
Rep. Donna F. Edwards (MD-04)
Hon. Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Hon. Sam Farr (CA-17)
Hon. Chaka Fattah (PA-02)
Hon. Bob Filner (CA-51)
Hon. Barney Frank (MA-04)
Hon. Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11)
Hon. Alan Grayson (FL-08)
Hon. Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)
Hon. John Hall (NY-19)
Hon. Phil Hare (IL-17)
Hon. Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)
Hon. Michael Honda (CA-15)
Hon. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-02)
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
Hon. Hank Johnson (GA-04)
Hon. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Hon. Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI-13)
Hon. Barbara Lee (CA-09)
Hon. John Lewis (GA-05)
Hon. David Loebsack (IA-02)
Hon. Ben R. Lujan (NM-3)
Hon. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14)
Hon. Ed Markey (MA-07)
Hon. Jim McDermott (WA-07)
Hon. James McGovern (MA-03)
Hon. George Miller (CA-07)
Hon. Gwen Moore (WI-04)
Hon. Jerrold Nadler (NY-08)
Hon. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC-AL)
Hon. John Olver (MA-01)
Hon. Ed Pastor (AZ-04)
Hon. Donald Payne (NJ-10)
Hon. Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
Hon. Charles Rangel (NY-15)
Hon. Laura Richardson (CA-37)
Hon. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34)
Hon. Bobby Rush (IL-01)
Hon. Linda Sánchez (CA-47)
Hon. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)
Hon. José Serrano (NY-16)
Hon. Louise Slaughter (NY-28)
Hon. Pete Stark (CA-13)
Hon. Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
Hon. John Tierney (MA-06)
Hon. Nydia Velazquez (NY-12)
Hon. Maxine Waters (CA-35)
Hon. Mel Watt (NC-12)
Hon. Henry Waxman (CA-30)
Hon. Peter Welch (VT-AL)
Hon. Robert Wexler (FL-19)

Well why is this so important GunRights4US?

Because most of these sitting congressmen and senators are ALSO members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Now take a look here at what the DSA is all about by reading this and this. Be sure to just skim thru here and look where they want to take this country.

These people want to control your life from cradle to grave, because THEY know better than YOU do, what's good for you!

Who REALLY was behind the mortgage melt-down?

Don't ask me no questions...I'll STILL tell you some lies!

Souter retiring from high court; Obama mum

By MARK SHERMAN and JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writers Mark Sherman And Jennifer Loven, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 1 min ago

WASHINGTON – The news that Justice David Souter is planning to retire set off spirited speculation about a successor Friday, but the man who will appoint the new justice was staying out of it. "No Supreme Court questions," President Barack Obama told reporters.
At the end of a Cabinet meeting about swine flu, reporters tried to shout questions about Souter, bringing Obama's four-word rejection.

===================================
GR4U - I can just imagine for a moment if Bush took such an approach. Don't you just love it that we're practically being told to sit down...shut up...and hang on?

If laws only worked...

Columbine Shooters Broke 19 Laws

There are already plenty of laws to stop tragedies like the Columbine High School shooting, assuming of course that laws are the answer.

Professor J.D. Crouch of Southern Methodist University and a law enforcement officer in Missouri, observed that the two young murderers who killed 12 students and a teacher in Littleton, Colo., violated at least 19 laws.
Crouch listed them as follows:

1. Possession of a "destructive device (i.e., bomb). (Multiple counts.) Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

2. Manufacturing a "destructive device" (i.e., bomb). (Multiple counts.) Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

3. Use of an explosive or incendiary device in the commission of a felony. A class 2 felony.

4. Setting a device designed to cause an explosion upon being triggered. Violation of Colorado law.

5. Use of a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) to commit a murder that is prosecutable in a federal court. Punishable by death or up to life in prison.

6. Possession of a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that is prosecutable in a federal court. Penalty is 10 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (i.e., bomb).

7. Brandishing a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that may be prosecuted in a federal court. Penalty is 15 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (bomb, etc.).

8. Discharging a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that may be prosecuted in a federal court. Penalty is 20 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (bomb, etc.).

9. Conspiracy to commit a crime of violence prosecutable in federal court. Penalty is 20 years if the weapon is a firearm; life imprisonment if the weapon is a bomb.

10. Possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle. A violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

11. Manufacturing a "sawed-off" shotgun or "sawed-off" rifle. Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine.

12. Possession of a handgun or hand-gun ammunition by a person under age 18. A violation is punishable by one year in prison.

13. Providing a handgun or handgun ammunition to a person under age 18. Penalty of one year unless the provider knew the gun would be used in a crime of violence, in which case the penalty is 10 years.

14. Age restrictions on purchasing firearms. Licensed dealers may sell rifles and shotguns only to persons age 18 or over, and handguns to persons age 21 or over.

15. Possession of a firearm on school property. Five-year penalty. Colorado also prohibits a gun on school property.

16. Discharge of a firearm on school property with a reckless disregard for another's safety. Five-year penalty.

17. Possession, interstate transportation, sale, etc., of a stolen firearm. A violation is punishable by 10 years.

18. Intentionally aiming a firearm at another person. Violation of Colorado law.

19. Displaying a firearm in a public place in a manner calculated to alarm, or discharging a firearm in a public place except on a lawful target practice or hunting place. Violation of Colorado law.

Perhaps, says the professor, "Instead of adding another list, we should try something novel: enforcing the laws we already have."

This should worry you - I know it worries me!

U.S. Army To Buy $6 Million Of Riot Equipment

By Steve Watson

The U.S. Army is to invest $6 million in riot equipment, a fact that has furthered fears that troops will be used inside the U.S. in order to quell any civil unrest resulting from the ongoing economic crisis.

The U.S. Army Contracting Agency, based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has a post on the Federal Business Opportunities website, requesting the equipment and has received several notices of interest from potential vendors.

The request titled “84–RIOT EQUIPMENT” outlines the need for hard polyethylene Shin and Chest Guards, shock absorbing Forearm Protectors, Interior leg brace supports as well as knee and ankle protectors.

The ACA asks that the equipment be able to “safely withstand a substantial blow… from non-ballistic weapons or flying debris”.

The Solicitation also states:

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 453998 with a small business size standard of $6M. This requirement is a [ Small Business ] set-aside and only qualified offerors may submit bids.

Interested vendors include Irish Brigade inc., manufacturers of hunting and safety gear with facilities located in the heart of Kansas City , Missouri. Federal and Military resource company MCLEARVISION, LLC is another interested party, as is Kentucky based U. S. CAVALRY STORE, INC.

In our article yesterday we highlighted the fact that Urban warfare training drills are taking place across the country as top analysts as well as officials predict a potential “summer of rage” across Europe and America as civil unrest from the economic fallout builds.

Are such drills really for the purpose of preparing troops for foreign combat zones? Undoubtedly - but other factors indicate that the drills may very well also be aimed at preparing troops for dealing with mass civil unrest as the economic crisis worsens.

There’s no question that U.S. authorities have been closely observing riots that have toppled governments in Iceland and Latvia and also threatened to do so in several other European countries. The fact that they have contingency plans in place to deal with such scenarios should they unfold in America cannot be disputed.

Indeed, before a media exposé forced them into a denial, Northcom revealed that one of the duties of at least 20,000 active duty troops that are being placed inside the United States would be dealing with “civil unrest and crowd control”.

The U.S. Army War College in November released a white paper called Known Unknowns: Unconventional ‘Strategic Shocks’ in Defense Strategy Development. The report warned that the military must be prepared for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States,” which could be provoked by “unforeseen economic collapse,” “purposeful domestic resistance,” “pervasive public health emergencies” or “loss of functioning political and legal order.” The “widespread civil violence,” the document said, “would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.”

Customer Service...Winston style

I followed my dear friend Bob Winston into Walmart one night. He was an alcoholic (God rest his soul) and this night, like every other, he was drunk as a skunk!

I forget the purpose of our visit. I forget the department we were in. (Yes, I was drinking too) But what I will never forget if I live to be a thousand, was Bob's approach to poor customer service. We had searched fruitlessly for whatever it was that two drunks needed that evening in Walmart. Then we searched equally in vain for assistance.

With no warning whatsoever, Bob stopped, threw back his head, and yelled at the top of his lungs:

HELP!!!

Considering that Bob was a Marine Corporal, that meant that every single person in that entire building heard it.

We got help pretty darn fast, let me tell you!

A voice from my past - and my response

Every now and then we all come across someone in our lives that is in a position to inflict misery on us. It’s usually a person with some degree of legitimate authority that uses that leverage to make life a living hell.

I had a person in my life like that once: it was a Lieutenant I worked for in the Marines who, for whatever reason, decided that I would be his special target of angst and revilement. Oh to be sure, I saw him make others miserable as well, but I was his preferred target.

When I transferred into his shop in the Fall of 1984, I was coming from a place where I had excelled and earned the respect of my fellows. Both the people that worked for me, and the people I worked for, had treated me like a good Marine and with the professionalism generally accorded a sergeant whose worth is clearly recognized. So to suddenly be under the cognizance of someone who decided that I was not worthy of even common courtesy was a bitter pill to swallow.

To make matters worse, I had been sent to this place to replace a person who was highly competent in a field in which I had not the slightest familiarity. The Corps in its infinite wisdom made the call, and I had but to follow orders.

Now this Lieutenant I’m talking about was a man who had worked his way up to Gunnery Sergeant (I believe) before being commissioned as an officer. For those who don’t have the benefit of a military background let me make clear that the gulf that exists between officer and enlisted is extremely wide; and no service makes more distinction based on that gulf than do the Marines. Generally when an enlisted man (on the rare occasion) becomes an officer, the result is someone with an affinity for the enlisted ranks which leads to a higher overall quality of leadership. They tend to remember what it was like to be an enlisted man.

Lt. Mac was the antithesis of this generality! For all intents and purposes, as far as he was concerned, enlisted men and women were now the scum of the earth, and their only purpose in life was to “step and fetch” as officers saw fit. Like dealing with The Borg, resistance was futile. To have even spoken an utterance of disagreement was to risk demotion, imprisonment, or dishonorable discharge. One simply had to “take it”.

My time under this man, though relatively short (about nine months), was without a doubt THE most terrible time in my service. To say that he caused me stress and anxiety would be the understatement of the century! During my tenure in that place, my marriage, my sleeping habits, my stomach, my blood pressure, and even my sex life was all in a state of total disarray thanks to him. I offer as incontrovertible evidence the fact that, even though I was within only a few months of an honorable discharge after seven years of service, I seriously contemplated going UA (AWOL).

Here is a man about whom I can honestly say I would not piss on him to put him out …if he were on fire!

Time has passed and life has gone on. Rarely do I contemplate those dark days now, and thankfully so. There are a couple of songs that when I hear them on the radio will cause me to hearken back to that wretched time in my life.

With the exception of those months working for Lt Mac, I remember my Marine service with great fondness and pride. In recent years the internet has made it possible to track down old friends and service buddies to an extent never before possible. Toward that end I keep a detailed profile on a particular database for that very purpose. On the page relating to my time under Mac’s command I have a simple comment posted to the effect that “my worst moment was the day I met the Lieutenant”.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I got an email from him after 24 years asking “What was it about meeting me was your worst moment?”

Now dear reader, consider the opportunity this presents to yours truly. Here is the chance of a lifetime to tell the former bane of one’s existence exactly what feelings and memories they inspire. You may be certain that I positively shook with anticipation at the prospect of a long overdue balancing of the books – if only via email. God is indeed good in that there is a season for everything!

Here in its entirety is my response to the Lieutenant From Hell:

Actually …meeting you was the worst moment in my entire seven years as a Marine. You treated me like crap from the moment I checked aboard that command. I went from a place where I was respected and treated like an NCO, to a place where I was treated like a recruit. The time you ran along beside me and screamed at me like I was one of your recruits comes to mind very clearly; done in the plain sight of a bunch of lower ranking Marines. Brilliant bit of leadership there!

I loved (and still love) the Marine Corps with all my heart. But under your auspices I seriously considered going UA for the only time in my service. I loathed your authoritarian manner and the haughty hateful way you looked down on all us enlisted pukes; even though I believe you once wore Gunny stripes yourself. Never did I meet any former enlisted man who so completely forgot what it was like to BE enlisted.

You probably don’t remember the particulars…having abused so many for so long. But I remember them well! The travel clerk I was replacing had been to school for that field. I had not. If he had been transferred to Kansas City to replace me, instead of the other way around, I’m sure he would have done poorly too. But that was of no matter to you, at least as far as I could tell. Having the lips of sycophantic pukes (like your admin NCOIC) firmly placed on your ass was of much more importance to you.

I see from your profile that you work in corrections. That is not a surprise to me at all. There is surely a place where you can fully indulge your dictatorial and sadistic tendencies.

In my seven years as a Marine I met men of high caliber of EVERY rank; men who had the leadership capacity to inspire courage and intrepidity regardless of the adversity. I also met men who couldn’t have led a starving dog to a meat wagon. In my opinion you will forever number among the latter.