Atlas Shrugged

I just finished reading the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. She managed to encapsulate how I feel in those 1300 pages of what is supposed to be fiction, but what was in reality an accurate prediction of where our society is rapidly heading.

I do believe I need to read more of her books.

Who are you really?

Let me start this post off with a statement and a warning. I'm writing this blog for me and nobody but me. If you get some enjoyment or knowledge out of it then great keep reading but in reality I write it to put all these things rattling around in my head out in the open. this is going to be a long post. The warning is although I am one that reserves the colorful language for those rare moment when I just can't come up with anything else to say, there may be a word or two in this post you don't want to read if such language offends you. Basically, if that's the first thing that comes to my mind, that's what I'm going to type.

Call it a mid-life crisis, call it an awakening, call it a re-birth, but over the last couple of years I'm beginning to let who I really am out for a breath of fresh air. For the first eight years of my life I was developing into my own self and had no problems with who I was. I grew up a child of the US Army and as such traveled a lot. However, the moments that stand out in my memory the most are the times we spent visiting my Grandma Marie in Ohio. No need to go into details but suffice it to say, life on the farm was nice. Then in 1976 we moved to Kalifornia. From the first day of school I didn't fit in, I wasn't "cool" and tried my best to mold myself into what others wanted to see me as. I almost slipped when I got to high school and joined FFA and was going to raise a pig but that fell short when I got kicked out of high school (another story) and was sent to continuation high to be re-educated.

Now I can look back and see reality is I was always bored in school because it all seemed so simple and what I thought should all be common sense. Boredom in school leads to getting into trouble which leads to the wrong crowd, but they think it's cool so I fit in. At a young age I fell in love with music as well and was raised playing Southern Gospel music and loved every minute of it. the problem is a true musician finds the beauty in every kind of music and as my primary instrument was bass guitar I loved the driving bass of hard rock.

Along comes the opportunity to join a Christian Rock band (this was about 1985 and you can actually find a video of it here) so I was melding the two together. Now looking back if I could change any of that I wouldn't even think of it because that event is what led me to my wife of now 20+ years.

Now once you get married you find out that society has expectations of you. I needed to be able to take care of my wife, provide her with a home, 2.3 kids, a dog, a car, etc. I take a general warehousing job, but of course when the band hits it big, this will not be needed. Along comes an opportunity to work in the IT field (I was always into computers from my first Commodore 64 bought originally for music) from the lead singer in the band and his current place of employment. This means more money and less physical labor which is of course the ultimate goal right? Then of course along the way the rest of the guys get married, I have my daughter (another event I'd never change) and the band breaks up.

But all is not lost, I still have my job, we are only renting a house, but have a great deal that makes buying a house not needed. then of course come the opportunities for promotions and I was climbing the corporate ladder doing something I was good at, but wasn't really what I wanted to do. But that's okay, I'm living the American Dream© making pretty good money yet somehow I still never have any when I really want it. In 2005 I kind of had a wake-up call that I really didn't want to do this anymore, but it didn't click in my head that I wasn't just talking about my job until a year and a half ago.

I took who I grew up as and threw it out the window to be what I thought society expected me to be. You grow up, get a job, raise a family, pay your taxes, never question why, and be a productive part of society. I have a new response for that life. Fuck that... I'm tired of being someone else and not being me. the only people I've ever been true with is my wife and daughter. Notice I didn't even say myself. I've been as truthful with them as I have been with myself and the more I realize who I am, the more they get to see. Now though everyone will get to see.

Who am I?

• I'm a man that loves his wife and believes it's his role to support her by providing a roof over her head, feeding her, clothing her, and loving her 100%. Note that none of these require going into debt as the PTB would lead you to believe.
  
• I'm a man that loves country music and especially bluegrass. You don't like it, leave the room.
  
• I'm a man that hates mowing the fucking lawn but loves digging in the dirt and garden. What the hell is the point of having green grass in your front yard?
  
• I'm a man that loves shooting guns. You don't like guns then stop reading now and just go away.
  
• I'm a man that likes wearing cowboy boots, jeans, a nice shirt, the occasional vest, and the largest cowboy hat I can get through the door with. Go ahead and laugh at me, I don't care because your opinion of me matters to the sum of zero.
  
• I'm a man that wants to build his own house without the PTB jumping in and telling me I'm doing it wrong. If I do it wrong, it'll fall down, I'll learn from it and do it different the next time. But I can tell you that I am smart enough to read ahead of time to learn from those that have done it before.
  
• I'm a man that is a hillbilly at heart that wants to learn how to play the banjo, harmonica, mandolin, and slide steel guitar. You don't want to hear me practice? Close your doors.
  
• I'm a man that wants freedom in a country that was founded on freedom and if you want to take that away from me I'll show you why the 2nd amendment to the constitution was written.
  
• I'ma man that wan't to plant some crops and raise some animals without the PTB jumping in and telling me that I can't do that without them inspecting what when where why and how. You want to come on my land and stat telling me what to do, read the last point.
  
• I'm a man that loves the American Flag and will fly them wherever he wants to but also believes this country has been handed to a bunch of greedy bastards that will run it into the ground then escape to somewhere else on this planet leaving us all here to deal with the leftovers. My opinion is to let them do it, get the hell out and let us take it back to where it was meant to be by those that founded it.
  
• I'm a man that believes that the collapse is going to happen sooner than anyone thinks and is going to do everything he can to be prepared for it. If you think I'm nuts, I don't care. Just don't come to me when you're starving and the McDonalds and Ralphs are empty.  

Now, most people that have this kind of epiphany have to deal with the fact that it changes their life so much everyone around them thinks their crazy and they either agree and fall back in line, or they choose to leave them all behind and get on with their new life. In my case I have a daughter that although occasionally gets embarrassed will still just stand back and say oh well that's my dad.  My wife however has surprised me by not only adjusting to the real me, but has asked what took so long and is just as ready to escape from the clutches of society and go live our lives the way we want.

Now if you've actually read this far you've seen just the tip of who I am, but the more of me that I meet, the more I'm gonna post about it and we can all meet me together.

Overpopulated or just spoiled?

I find myself wondering sometimes if we as a species have over-populated the planet. Here in Los Angeles alone we have 3.8 million people living in 498.3 square miles. That's 7626 people per square mile or 3655 square feet per person which is a square with 60.5 feet per side.

Now per person you need power generation, water treatment, sewage treatment, roads, a place to work, a place to sleep, a place to heal, a place to grow/raise food, a place to vacation, a place to be buried, a place to give birth, etc.

Add to that the fact that this is a desert so you have to pump in the water we need and then pump out the waste. You need to pump oil from the ground and refine it for fuel, lubrication, etc. And I'm sure there are a thousand other things I'm not thinking of. Is the reason our country is falling apart because we have too many people?

Nope :^)

There are acres and acres of land in the country where there is nobody living. Yes you have weather to deal with but that's why they're called seasons. I have no idea why I have subjected myself and my family to this crap for 20 years. Okay, I just removed a couple of paragraphs from this post going down that road, but I kept it for another post. I hear people gripe and complain every day that they don't get paid enough, don't have enough money, blah blah, but then the next time you see them they're wearing a new shirt, or driving a new car, got a new toy, etc. and are still complaining about being broke.

A three bedroom house in Los Angeles around 1600 square feet on .15 acres of land will cost you about $380,000 right now. This is land you can't do anything on without someones permission. the same home in Henryetta Oklahoma can be had for about $30,000 but the problem is it's on an acre of land so I guess you'll have to do a little more yard work. $350,000 will buy one heck of a lawn mower. this doesn't even include just buying raw land where there are no restrictions or CCR's written by a bunch of nimby's.

There are nations where they are so crowded together they are instituting plans to control the population yet we crowd together on purpose while we leave perfectly good land we cold spread out on but that would require real work to live on rather than being spoiled and having others do it for you. I know people that own their homes free and clear in Southern California yet complain daily that the utility rates and other costs are too high and they don't know how they're going to make it. I tell them it's easy, sell your house move to a different state and buy one for a third of the price and retire on the balance. I then hear the excuses of I don't want to drive in the snow, it's too cold, they have tornadoes, it rains to much, etc. They're spoiled.

As for me and mine, we're out of here just as soon as it's feasibly possible.

Property Location

I have to admit that I wasted my afternoon watching the superbowl but at the same time I also researched and emailed back and forth on some property in Texas and Oklahoma so it wasn't a complete mind numb. I actually do like watching a good football game even though i believe the players are way overpaid and just a bunch of spoiled overgrown kids. Let's not even go into the fact that Homeland Security inspected the area and used it as a part of their tattle-tale program. I wonder how many of the people at the game knew the stadium has built in sniper stands that were manned during the game? This is what our country has come to so that you can walk into a staduim and watch a football game. You have to get groped then sit under the eyes of a sniper.

As for the property, it looks like thay both might be exactly what we're looking for it's just a matter of which one and how much. Both at 10 acres and wooded with one being about $100 a month and the other at twice that. The one that is at $200 has a little easier access and the main town is a little closer as well. One way or another it looks like we might actually have a plot of land to call our own in the next month or so.

Are we a Democracy?

How many of you would agree that this country is a democracy? Raise your hand if you agree.

Those of you that raised your hand have been duped into believing this country is a democracy when in fact it was established as a constitutional republic. The difference between these two is great and very significant.

Since it is not done in most schools anymore I wonder how many of you could recite the pledge of allegiance for me? I'll give you a hint, it does not contain the word democracy.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

In the Pledge of Allegiance we all pledge allegiance to our Republic, not to a democracy. "Republic" is the proper description of our government, not "democracy."

What is the difference you ask?

A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one. In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.

Republic. That form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are vested in the people and are exercised by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen by the people, to whom those powers are specially delegated. [NOTE: The word "people" may be either plural or singular. In a republic the group only has advisory powers; the sovereign individual is free to reject the majority group-think. USA/exception: if 100% of a jury convicts, then the individual loses sovereignty and is subject to group-think as in a democracy.]

Democracy. That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation, as distinguished from a monarchy, aristocracy, or oligarchy. [NOTE: In a pure democracy, 51% beats 49%. In other words, the minority has no rights. The minority only has those privileges granted by the dictatorship of the majority.]

The Constitution guarantees to every state a Republican form of government (Art. 4, Sec. 4). No state may join the United States unless it is a Republic. Our Republic is one dedicated to "liberty and justice for all." Minority individual rights are the priority. The people have natural rights instead of civil rights. The people are protected by the Bill of Rights from the majority. One vote in a jury can stop all of the majority from depriving any one of the people of his rights; this would not be so if the United States were a democracy.

In a pure democracy 51% beats 49%. In a democracy there is no such thing as a significant minority: there are no minority rights except civil rights (privileges) granted by a condescending majority. Only five of the U.S. Constitution's first ten amendments apply to Citizens of the United States. Simply stated, a democracy is a dictatorship of the majority.

Let me give you a rather long but simple example.

Democratic Form of Government: An environmental organization proposes a bill for the ballot that every individual should reduce his water household usage by 25%. To assure that this goal is met, the government, or private sector, will monitor every individual's household water consumption rate. If an individual does not meet the goal, his first offense is $500 fine. Second offense is $750 fine and 30 days community service. Third offense is $1,500 fine and 30 days imprisonment. Fourth offense is $1,750 fine and 90 days imprisonment. Fifth offense is a felony (1-year imprisonment) and $2,000 fine.

The people argue this environmental issue back and forth. They argue the pros and cons of the issue. This great debate is held at town hall meetings. Strong opinions are on both sides of the matter. One side preaches, "It is for the common good!" The other side rebuttals, "This is control and not freedom, and lost of choice!" Election day occurs. The people go to the ballot box to settle the problem. The majority won by a vote of 51% whereas the minority lost with a vote of 49%. The minority is ignored. The majority celebrates while the minority jeers in disappointment. Since the majority won, the bill goes in effect. As a result of the majority winning, every individual must reduce his household water usage by 25%. For the reason that the majority has mandatory powers in a democracy. Those who wish to go against the collective (whole body politic) will be punished accordingly. The minority has neither voice nor rights to refuse to accept the dictatorial majority. Everything is mandatory in a democracy. This brings dictatorship and lividity to the realm.

Republican Form of Government: An environmental organization proposes a bill for the ballot that every individual should reduce his water household usage by 25%. To assure that this goal is met, the government, or private sector, will monitor every individual's household water consumption rate. If an individual does not meet the goal, his first offense is $500 fine. Second offense is $750 fine and 30 days community service. Third offense is $1,500 fine and 30 days imprisonment. Fourth offense is $1,750 fine and 90 days imprisonment. Fifth offense is a felony (1-year imprisonment) and $2,000 fine.

The people argue this environmental issue back and forth. They argue the pros and cons of the issue. This great debate is held at town hall meetings. Strong opinions are on both sides of the matter. One side preaches, "It is for the common good!" The other side rebuttals, "This is control and not freedom, and lost of choice!" Election day occurs. The people go to the ballot box to settle the problem. The majority won by a vote of 51% whereas the minority lost with a vote of 49%. The minority may have lost, but not all is gone. The majority celebrates while the minority jeers in disappointment. Since the majority won, the bill goes in effect. As a result of the majority winning, it is advisory that every individual reduce his household water usage by 25%. For the reason that the majority has advisory powers in a republic. Bearing in mind that each individual is equally sovereign in a republic, he is free to reject the majority. He may choose to follow the majority and subject himself to the rule, or he may choose not to follow the majority and not subject himself to the rule. The minority has a voice and rights to refuse to accept the majority. Everything is advisory in a republic. This brings liberty and peace to the realm.

I'll ask the question again. Are we a Democracy? Go find out for yourself. 

PrepareWise Food Storage Giveaway

Just thought I'd mention that PrepareWise Food Storage is having an awesome giveaway contest in February. Who doesn't want free freeze-dried food and survival gear? Details can be found here.  


I haven't placed an order with them yet, but they have great reviews and they also offer free shipping on all domestic orders over $100.00. That in itself can save you some serious cash when buying the larger pails. I know it's simple math, but I like the fact that you can put in how many adults and children you have and it will tell you how long each one will last. 


Also Paladin Press is offering 40% off everything through Monday Feb 7 2011. 


Don’t forget to mention The Tinfoil Fedora when you place an order or comment on their blogs. Thanks.

Bugging Out.

So I've been having some discussions with the wife about prepping and I have to say I am extremely glad to have a wife that agrees with me on this and not one I have to hide things from. In fact, she gets more upset if I don't tell her what I buy because I think she just likes to know what we have. We have a lost of things prepared, but Bug Out Bags unfortunately isn't one of them that's ready yet. 

This lead me to another train of thought though. Those that prepare know that if the reason for needing those preps is a major life changing event for everyone, we're going to be a target. If I were stuck and had no food for my family, I can guarantee you the people walking down the road with full backpacks weapons are going to be a target for me to get food for my family. The question is, how do you bug out taking what you need including your weapons and draw as little attention to yourself as possible? If I needed to go, you can bet my 12ga and hunting rifle is going with me along with as much ammo as I can carry but I know that any law enforcement that might still be around isn't going to be pleased at a guy walking down the street with a shotgun slung over his shoulder. 

Is the answer to have your bugout location chosen well in advance with as much stuff buried as possible so you only need enough supplies to get there? You'll still want a weapon with you but it could be a handgun that is easily concealed. Do you say screw it and carry whatever you want and let them take it from you barrel end first?  

I don't have the answer here, it's something I'm still figuring out, but I know I see the world collapsing around us and while I wish it was different, I have a feeling a TEOTWAWKI situation is going to happen in my lifetime. I don't believe we're all going to be knocked back to the stone age but it't definitely going to be different than we know it now. 

-mike