Postal Service incompetent

 The lottery offices have been closed in Florida since the COVID lockdown. If you win more than $600, you have to claim your prize by mailing the ticket in. So that is what one woman did when she sent her ticket in by certified mail. Almost predictably, the postal service lost the package containing her ticket. 

Imagine a person overcoming the incredible odds and winning $100 million, only to have the post office lose your ticket. The government is running enough of a scam with the lottery, and then completely mucking that up. 

Government. Is there anything it can't screw up?

Follow the Money

 According to multiple sources, the supplies that were handed out to Louisville rioters in the wake of the Breanna Taylor grand jury announcement were distributed from the back of a UHaul that was rented by this woman:

Her name is Holly Zoller, and she is associated with the KY Bail Project, which is funded at least in part by George Soros. 

It also turns out that UHaul appears to be aware that its trucks are being used to supply riots. 

Since Antifa is being declared to be a terrorist organization, it seems to me that this is all ripe for some asset forfeiture. 

That's not all- Holly Zoller was also prominent in the Charlottesville incident in 2018. The roots of this insurgency run deep. 

Basic COMSEC

 It turns out that the Feds have been tapping the phones of the Portland Antifa crowd. Well, not exactly tapping. They cloned the SIM cards of protesters that they came in contact with, and then were able to intercept calls made to that device. 

Now I know what you are thinking- "Who cares? They are just the pantifa crowd." Well, you SHOULD care, because the Feds are not constrained to only use this sort of attack on just one group of people. As I posted back in 2017, the people who were plotting to have Trump impeached were careful not to use most means of communication, preferring instead to use 2 meter HAM radio. 

There are many technical reasons why spying on HAM radio would be a nearly impossible task. Just by using the frequencies and methods permitted to a person with a Technician license, there are thousands of available channels. Toss in the various modes like Digital, SSB, USB, AM, FM, CW, etc., and then consider that the higher frequencies are short range and would require hundreds of listening stations in every state, and it becomes a very difficult proposition to monitor HAM radio.

Another way of communicating to others is the use of a "dictionary code." Short messages can be encoded rather simply:

1 Eliminate null words that add no real content to the message - words like "the" "and" - the fewer the words in the message, the better. 

2 Use a book that has been agreed upon ahead of time. A dictionary or thesaurus is easiest. No one would think twice about seeing a dictionary on your bookshelf. Then you simply look for each word in the book. Then write down the page number, and the number of the word. 

Let's say that the word is "habit"- I look and see that the word is found on page 335 and the word is the 16th word listed on that page, the word habit would be replaced with the number 335.16  

3 Do the same for each word in the message. You can add fake words at the beginning and end of the message as red herrings to complicate a potential adversary's task in decoding the message. Use your imagination. 

4 At this point, the weak link is probably one of the people in the communication, or perhaps traffic analysis. Sometimes the people who are communicating and the frequency of those communications are nearly as informative as the contents of the message themselves. 

5 To hide this, a blog is a great way of putting messages out there. Post often, and simply append a short message to the end of each post. You can even make most of them fake and have it begin with a prearranged "real message" number at the beginning of the post, so your intended recipient knows if they should waste time trying to decode it. Say, any message that has a word on page 327 as the first word is a real one, the rest can be ignored. 

I am sure there are other ways. Use your imagination. Just remember that Big Brother is listening. 

Marines to close Parris Island and San Diego facilities

Recruit Depot Parris Island was required to integrate boot camp at the platoon level by 2024. According the the Corps, that means closing the current recruit training depots in San Diego and Parris Island. More than 100 years of Marine Corps history is coming to an end. 

The gutting of the US military continues. It is only a matter time before the entire US military is a mere paper tiger. 

Silencing the opposition

 In the middle of a 3 week Facebook Ban that began on September 17. It all started when I posted this on September 3:

Kyle Rittenhouse shot a child molester, a domestic abuser, and an armed communist. He is only 17 and has completed half my bucket list.

That earned me a 24 hour ban for violating Facebook's Community standards. Then they went all the way back to July 31 to find this comment to a friend posting an article about Iran doing practice runs on a mockup of a US aircraft carrier:

I saw that. The Iranians are idiots. Maybe they should remember operation Praying Mantis.

They said that it violated Facebook's ban on hate speech and added a 7 ban. Then they went back to March 11 and found where I posted a link to a scientific study that claims masturbation increases your immune system. I believe that I made the comment that "This is why teenagers aren't getting COVID," or something along those lines. 

They added another 7 days for that one, because it violated the Facebook ban on sexual activity. 

Then they went and added another 7 days for a post that they claim violated community standards back in November, but they won't tell me which one it was. According to them, the next violation will get me another 30 days. This 3 week ban is the 5th time I have been banned this year. I was banned 3 times last year. 

Before I get any snarky comments about how it is Facebook's site and they can do as they please: I get what you are saying. It's just that I think that there are two problems with that statement:

1 The rules are not universally enforced. It seems that FB picks and chooses who catches a ban. I have had actual death threats against me that FB did not find were a problem. 

2 Which means that FB is inserting its political beliefs into its Community standards. That means that FB is not just a platform. Its policies are in fact statements of their own- they are editorializing by what they allow and do not allow. 

In my opinion, this should make FB legally liable for any statements that they allow to be posted on their site. After all, those statements are there because FB approved of them. You either allow all comments, whether you agree with them or not, or own them and all of the legal consequences that go with them. 

In the meantime, my ban continues. 

Failed court, failed state

 Slate says that Trump selecting a new justice before the election means that we are living in a failed state. My response to you is this: If you think that the Supreme court is there to pick sides in political fights and manipulate the Constitution to whatever ends the party in power deems expedient, then we are already in a failed state. 

The Supreme court was never intended to be an elected board of directors for the nation, yet that is what it has become. The states were never intended to be mere subdivisions of the Federal government. The Federal government was supposed to be a subservient arbiter of interstate disputes- a Republic. I would argue that the original idea of our Republic became ill during the Lincoln administration, went into a coma with the passage of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments, was placed on life support during the FDR administration, and died in 1968. Our nation has been a rotting corpse since then. 

Unarmed

 Read this article and tell me that an unarmed man can't still be deadly force. 

At some point, the victim was struck in the head by a 6 foot tall man with a goatee wearing a light blue T-shirt and light blue jeans, records show...The victim, who was unconscious when police arrived, was taken to a hospital to receive treatment for a head injury. Police said she was severely injured and remains hospitalized.

Some people need to see this

 To those on the Democrat side who are opposed to Trump's potential SCOTUS pick because she is Catholic, I would point you to Article 6 of the Constitution (I know you need to see this, because you have obviously not read the Constitution):

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

SCOTUS to become Politburo

 Don Lemon said on CNN that he wants to eliminate the electoral college. That isn't what my post is about, because we have heard that for the past four years. It was what followed that I wanted to post about:

Cuomo responded by noting a constitutional amendment — which requires two-thirds approval from Congress and three-fourths approval from states — is required to eliminate the Electoral College.

Lemon shot back, "If Democrats, if Joe Biden wins, Democrats can stack the courts and they can do that amendment and they can get it passed."

So what he is saying is that he wants Congress to change SCOTUS to a larger number of justices, who would then declare the electoral college to be unconstitutional. Since the EC is specifically laid out, as is the process to amend the Constitution, what Lemon is really saying is that he wants SCOTUS to declare the Constitution to be unconstitutional. 

Since it is the Constitution itself that grants the SCOTUS (as well as the rest of the government) its legitimacy and power, the government of the Republic will cease to exist at that point. SCOTUS will effectively be the Politburo. Let's call this the Ouroboros plan.

What Lemon is saying is that he wants to start the revolution next spring. 

Louisville

 The pending Grand Jury announcement in the Breona Taylor case from Louisville is expected within days. (Side note: I initially thought the cops had screwed up. I was wrong.) 

Either way, the crowds on both sides of the issue are waving guns around. A convicted felon pointing a gun at a passing car, yet the same people want to take Kyle Rittenhouse to task. 

The next battle will be fought in Louisville. Likely before the end of the month. 

Unfunded mandate

 I had a lefty tell me today that the Florida Governor had violated the Constitution by issuing an unfunded mandate. Specifically, he stated that the State was requiring schools have armed guards and fences, but did not provide enough funding to pay for it. 

I told him that I disagree- there was a way to provide the armed guards and fences without having to spend more than the state had given them: The guardian program. Instead of paying two deputies to stand around and flirt with the school secretaries, simply allow teachers to volunteer to go through the training and carry firearms. 

He argued with me, claiming that schools wouldn't want the liability, that no teacher would want to go through all of that training, what if a teacher went nuts and shot a student, all of the typical antigun talking points. 

I shot each one down with calm logic. He walked away after changing the subject. 

Threats

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a picture of Dianne Feinstein speaking to Lisa Murkowski about filling the Scalia seat. I am betting there is something similar happening this week.  

The source is here. 

Science, it's a thing

 Just listen to the scientists, they say. 

Believe in science, they keep telling us. 

How are we supposed to do that when the science changes every three days?

CDC backtracks on coronavirus airborne transmission guidance

SHALL

 Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2 of the US Constitution:

and [the President] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: (emphasis added)

Note that is says "shall" not "may" and it also mentions nothing about the President waiting for the next election, if the election is within a certain timeframe. If the Senate consents to the nomination, then the appointment is made. 

The Senate didn't consent in 2016. Now they do. That is how it was designed to work. 

Government shutdown?

 Michael Moore says that the Democrats should shut down the government until the Republicans agree to hand them the Supreme Court. 

That isn't a threat. Pretty much the only thing that shuts down is National Parks and Monuments. I thought they were already shut down due to COVID. 

I'm going to say it

 With the death of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, you are going to hear plenty of people wax rhapsodic over her accomplishments. So many of them will try to tell you how she was a champion for equal rights and equality. 

Bullshit. 

Ginsburg was sometimes asked when there would be enough women on the Supreme Court. Her response: “When there are nine.” She'd explain: "Some people are taken aback until they remember that for most of our country's history there were only men on the high court bench.”

That isn't a quest for equality. That is a desire for vengeance. Asking the men of today to become second class citizens as atonement for the acts of people who are now dead. This is no different than demanding reparations: expecting white people of today to pay money to blacks because of slavery- a policy which ended a century before most Americans were even born. 

There are those who would demand that her replacement not be selected until after the election, so the new Senate can confirm the new Justice.

She could have retired in 2016 and been replaced by an Obama selectee, but chose not to. Why?  This decision had nothing to do with continuing her ideals. She wanted to remain in power. Her life was a lust and desire to be powerful. She was going to retire under a Hillary Clinton Presidency and become the first Female Justice to be replaced by the first Female President. 

Her life wasn't about equality, it was about the quest for power and notoriety. She bet on an HRC victory and lost. 

The Democrats could have selected Scalia's replacement in 2016, and the accusation is that the Republicans wouldn't allow his selectee to be voted upon. That is pure BS. The Obama administration could have had Scalia's replacement in 2016. All they had to do was offer a replacement that was not a hard core leftist. If they had offered a more centrist candidate, the Republicans would have likely approved. Why?

You see, everyone who mattered thought that Hillary was going to be the next President. The Democrats believed it so much, they decided to stick to the extremist pick on the theory that HRC was going to ram through a leftist candidate to replace Scalia and swing the court to the left. 

They bet on an HRC victory. Trump's victory destroyed all of that. They look and see that they are likely not going to win the 2020 Presidential elections. They knew that and were going to cheat their way to a Biden victory, boot Biden out of office, and place Kamala Harris in the Whitehouse as the first female President. RBG knew this and was going to finally get her wish of being replaced by the first female President. 

She failed again. Now the Democrats are going to lose the Presidency, their hope of having the first Female President, and they are going to lose the Supreme Court. 

That, frankly, pisses them right the fuck off.  

Game on

 So the games resume. With the death of RBG, the Portland violence resumes. That wasn't hard to predict at all. 

Dumbasses still don't know what is coming.

 So I heard from the leftie mentioned in this post. His answer to my point that a second Civil War would be bloody was this:

What you right-wingers don’t realize is that Civil Wars are no longer fought with guns... rather, they are fought with ideas and information. And the left are Ninjas with computers.

So I just had to respond with:

I am sure that the citizens who live in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, the Sudan, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Croatia, Taiwan, Myanmar, Columbia, the Philippines, Turkey, the Ukraine, and Mexico would be very surprised to hear that they didn't have to fight and kill each other. If they had only known that they could meme their way to freedom instead of being massacred, all of that bloodshed could have been avoided. 

They just don't have a clue. The left is convinced that a coming American civil war would be fought with memes and Internet posts. Information and ideas are useless unless people act upon them. At the end of the day, wars are not fought by talking the other side into submission. 

Force is the end solution to all conflicts. It always has been. 

They don't know what is coming

In discussing the election and how the loss of Ginsberg will affect it, a lefty had this to say:

Let me be crystal clear... there is no scenario where Trump replaces the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Remember what you people did to President Obama when He nominated Merrick Garland? President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will nominate the next Supreme Court Justice. Even your Republican Senators like Romney are refusing to vote until after the election. Case closed.

I responded with:

Romney, Murkowski, and Collins didn't vote for Kavanaugh, either, so I am not surprised. Either way, the loss of those three would make it a tie, which Pence would break. You are also assuming that Biden will win the election.

Then he used the childish threat that Democrats think is their Ace in the Hole:

Biden is going to win ... and you best hops so. do you know what's going to happen if Trump wins?

The American public has bought as many guns in 2020 as are usually bought in an entire year (25 million so far and counting)? In fact, Americans have bought over 300 million guns in the past 20 years.

There is a nationwide ammo shortage, despite the fact that more than a billion rounds a year is made or imported? Why do you think people are buying so many guns and so much ammunition? The gun ranges and clubs have been closed all over the country for most of the summer because of COVID, so it hasn't been to practice shooting. Ammo is now too expensive to waste at the range. Even low quality 9mm is selling at close to 80 cents per round. Primers to roll your own are selling at nearly $100 a brick. 

All of this points to an America that is in possession of three times as much ammo as was expended by the entire US military during World War 2. The private gun owners in the US would outnumber the largest military in the world by a factor of ten to one.  

We had all better hope that the Democrats don't decide to get violent because of a Biden loss. The American people are so heavily armed that the second Civil War will make the first one look like amateur hour. The loss of life will be truly horrific. It would become a war of one zip code, one neighborhood against another. City versus rural. 

What are the cities going to do when the lights go out? The taps no longer run with water? When there are no longer any deliveries of food, fuel, and other supplies? What are rural areas going to do when the citizens of those cities come pouring out, looking for food and willing to kill whoever they need to in order to get it?

The Democrats need to think long and hard about that course of action. That road doesn't go where they think it does. 

Increased chances for isolated violence

 On Thursday, I posted my opinion that:

the possibility of imminent violence has abated somewhat...barring any major development, the risk of violence will remain at this level up to election day.

It seems that 2020 is not without a sense of irony. The Republicans have announced that Ginsberg's replacement will receive a vote on the Senate floor. In response, the Democrats have announced that they will "burn it all down" if the Senate dares to fill the now vacant seat on SCOTUS. Even former CNN anchors got in on the threats. 

Author Reza Aslan says (and I am quoting here) "Over our dead bodies. Literally." My response? Is that what you LITERALLY want? 

At this point in 2020, we should all be aware that this is not hyperbole. We are literally at war with people who want to destroy our country. Whether you believe in it or not, know that violence is coming your way, and hell is coming with him. 

So with that, I guess we cannot let our guard down. We are facing a group of people who have no problem using violence to include murder. They have publicly stated that they want anyone to the right of Che Guevara to die. That likely means YOU, if you are reading this. 

Once this SCOTUS pick goes to a vote, expect violence to ramp up. If Trump wins the election, which seems likely, the violence will increase to higher levels. 

THE LIKELIHOOD OF ISOLATED VIOLENT ACTS OUTSIDE OF PORTLAND AND MINNEAPOLIS IS INCREASED AS SOON AS SENATE HEARINGS BEGIN. THE WINDOW FOR COMPLETING YOUR PREPS AND FOR PURCHASING NEEDED SUPPLIES IS RAPIDLY CLOSING.

293.2  396.1   1159.7   619.10  217.12  1153.21 714.13 373.1 396.1  221.32    112.12    551.03   380.22   56.6   52.23

Early thoughts on SCOTUS

The coming election will be decided in the Supreme Court. Everyone has known for months that the Democrats know that Trump will win on election day, and the hope for the Democrats was to overturn that election with mail in ballots. This would throw the election into the courts- both sides have been posturing and engaging in legal maneuvering for months.

This has been destined to go all the way to SCOTUS for months. Previously, the Democrats counted on having four justices vote to install Biden and, along with the ability to flip Roberts, assure a Biden win with a 5-4 decision. That hope died with Ginsberg. Let me explain:

If the Republicans name a replacement, they don't need Roberts- the vote will be 5-4, even without him.

If the Republicans DON'T name a replacement, Roberts can't flip without tying the court 4-4. This would mean the lower court decision- whatever it was- stands. That would be devastating for the power and prestige of SCOTUS and will DESTROY Roberts' legacy in the history books. He would forever be known as the Chief Justice that punted on a court decision that affected a Presidential election. For that reason, Roberts is unlikely to destroy the legacy of a Roberts court by flipping. He will decide with the only majority available to him- the four conservative justices.

Whether or not the Republicans name a replacement, the immediate damage has already been done. The Democrat hopes of stealing this election just died with Ginsberg. The left knows it- the temper tantrums have already begun. 

Delay

I posted that Ginsberg was dead at 7:52 pm. It didn't populate through my feed for over an hour. My posts used to go through immediately. Why the change?

BREAKING: SCOTUS JUSTICE GINSBERG IS DEAD

 Reports are coming out that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has died. This is a major development that will have far reaching implications for the election. 

Should the Republicans begin to push to replace her before the election, the chances for further violence have greatly increased. Closely monitor the news for updates. 

I am not sure what to call this

I am at a loss for words. Is this cognitive dissonance? Hypocrisy? I am not sure what to call it:

 FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization... “It’s not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.”

Yet, they claim that white supremacists are the largest threat to US security. 

I don't understand how Antifa is just an ideology, while white supremacy is an organization that threatens US security. Is US Federal Law enforcement claiming that the white supremacists have forged themselves into some sort of nationwide organization, while Antifa isn't organized?

The Constitution is an outdated relic

 A recent survey of Generation Z found that seven out of ten of them consider the US Constitution to be an outdated relic that is more of an impediment to their needs. What are their needs? 

They want free stuff and are worried about "climate change." Read the article. 

Fake news

 The Washington Post did a story about a motel in the Orlando area, the Star motel. I am well acquainted with this establishment from my days as a paramedic. The motels in that particular area, including the Star motel, are well known to local emergency workers. They have not been motels for tourists in decades. Instead, they are inhabited by drug users, prostitutes, and other assorted debris from society. 

I remember finding more than one dead body in the place, often with drugs in the room, sometimes with the needle still in the arm of the corpse, and the occasional homicide. Once or twice, a meth lab. The article claims that:

In tough times, the motels degenerated into shelters of last resort in a city where low-income housing shortages were among the most severe in the nation and the social safety net was collapsing. Now they were fast becoming places where it was possible to glimpse what a complete social and economic collapse might look like in America.

This hotel was never a nice place. To the best of my knowledge, there haven't been any tourists in this motel since before the Clinton administration. This motel's economy collapsed decades ago. To make this sound like a recent development is fake news. 

SITREP

The nation has been largely riot free since September 8th. The only activity seen since that date has been the arson out west and some small actions taken by limited groups of BLM/Antifa/RevCom forces. The large scale, coordinated actions have been noticeably absent. 

A couple of weeks ago, I issued a warning that 

Chances of favorable outcome or appeasement of what appear to be professional insurgents is very doubtful. This situation coupled with statements of the Antifa/BLM/RevCom movements and the forces that they control indicate in our opinion that a surprise aggressive movement in any direction including attack on unarmed and helpless residential areas or even schools is a possibility. 

While it remains my opinion that no army has ever been fully mobilized only to be called back, the possibility of imminent violence has abated somewhat. While attacks appear to be possible, they are not likely at this point, with the exception of the area surrounding the I-5 corridor in Washington and Oregon, as well as the area surrounding Minneapolis/St Paul, both of which remain high threat areas. 

It is also my opinion that, barring any major development, the risk of violence will remain at this level up to election day. This seems to be a time that can best be used to continue preparations for what I view as the likelihood of further violence following the national elections in November. 

As before, 

Avoid travel to large cities in the run up to the election unless it is necessary. 

Keep your head on a swivel. 

Attacked over a parking spot

 A woman who was cut off from a parking spot is beaten, struck with objects, and robbed. I am sick of seeing this crap. Where is George Zimmerman when you need him?

Burning books

The left claims that Trump is a Nazi and they are the Antifascists, yet they do stuff like this.

A new TikTok trend has emerged this week as former "Harry Potter" fans protest author J.K. Rowling's widely criticized views on trans people by burning copies of her books.

One video, posted by TikTok user @elmcdo shows a number of "Harry Potter" books being placed on a burning pyre.

Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.

[Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.]

Christian Johann Heinrich Heine

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Situation report

 It seems like the rioting in Portland suddenly stopped. Why? In May, an Antifa candidate for Portland Mayor came in second against Ted Wheeler, triggering a run off election. She was trailing him 49 to 24 percent. 

Until the first week of September, when Wheeler began polling with a 63 percent negative rating after 100 days of riots. This virtually guarantees that Antifa will have their candidate elected and will own the city of Portland. 

With that mission accomplished, it is time for Antifa to move on. So they begin setting fires and attacking utility infrastructure by cutting down utility poles. 

So in short, the riots in Portland have stopped because the battlefield has moved on. 

Systemic Racism: Is there anything it can't do?

 The left is in a real quandary. What is responsible for COVID? Is it climate change, or is it systemic racism? Well, according to the CDC, minorities are being affected by COVID because of racism. This is largely due to the fallacy that anything that adversely affects a minority MUST be due to racism. This is because they demand equality of outcome instead of equality of opportunity. 

Is that even a woman?

 Florida woman steals sex toy, uses it in store.

Lancaster

 The violence and arson that occurred during protests in Lancaster over the weekend previously placed that area in Zone 1. However, the government has announced that the people who were violent were "white nationalists" with the only evidence offered to substantiate this claim being the race of the people committing the violence:

Any time officers were pelted with rocks or bottles Sunday, it came from Caucasian men in the crowd, police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser said at the news conference.

There were between five and 15 agitators, all white men in their late 20s and early 30s, according to Mayor Danene Sorace, who said video footage is being put into a state police system to identify the agitators.

Using race as the only evidence that the violence is not due to BLM is disingenuous. According to this live of thought, only black people can belong to BLM. That is, of course, ridiculous. It appears to me that this is deliberate deflection and an attempt to continue the "police are using force against mostly peaceful protesters" trope. 

Since government capitulation and collaboration is one of the aggravating factors that increases violence to a higher zone, Lancaster is now placed in Zone 2. 

EDITED TO ADD: 

Berkihiser has been chief since May 2018

 The Police Chief and Mayor released this statement the same day as Floyd's death

The police chief made the same claims in June:

“We have seen with our own eyes the agitators that were in the crowd.”

Police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser said police have “definite evidence” that white nationalist groups were among the crowds of people who demonstrated over the weekend in response to the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis. He said some were wearing body armor and carrying handguns.

Berkihiser said “Caucasian individuals” threw rocks and bottles containing cayenne pepper at police.

You can't be woke enough

 NBA team buses trying to ferry players to games were blocked by BLM protesters for not caring enough. You can never be woke enough. 

Chicago shots fired at Fire station

 Someone did a drive by shooting at a Chicago fire station.

Protection racket

 My brother owns a couple of businesses. One of them is a store that sells sporting goods. A couple of people came into the store while my nephew was running the register. It was two black males, one skinny, one heavy set. They told my nephew that they wanted the store to carry BLM merchandise, and take a percentage of sales. 

My brother refused. Now he is having trouble with toughs hanging out in the area and trying to intimidate them. I will update if I hear any more. 

Poor management, not climate change

 In 1998, Florida had the worst wildfire season in its history. Those fires were burning everywhere. You couldn't go outside without coughing on the smoke. 

The undergrowth, what we call fuel load, was immense. Years of putting out wildfires meant that there were layers of dead undergrowth, with new growth on top. Normally, nature periodically has a wildfire caused by lightning or some other natural source that gets rid of the dead undergrowth and provides nutrients for new growth. For years, firefighters had been putting out these natural fires, and there was an enormous amount of fuel lying about. 

I remember that year. It began in February with a killer tornado outbreak. A dozen tornadoes killed 42 people. We were finding bodies for over a week. I was the operations officer for the Moonbeam Mobile Home park for the first night of that disaster. We recovered half a dozen bodies, including a baby. Those storms kicked off a weeks of almost daily rain. 

In March, it stopped raining. By May, the entire state was tinder dry. Air warmed by the sun heated ground would begin to rise at about 10 am. Cooler, moisture laden air would rush in from the ocean. That sea breeze causes thunderstorms. This is a normal weather pattern in Florida. It happens every day. 

Except in 1998, there was little rain, these storms were flush with lightning, but didn't drop nearly enough rain. The dry brush would be ignited by lightning and other sources. Mostly lightning, sometimes people, mostly by accident. A carelessly discarded cigarette butt, a hot muffler in tall grass, an unattended fire, or even arson. Stoked by a brisk sea breeze, the fires would grow quickly. The fuel load was so heavy, the brush was so dry, this time there was no stopping the fires. I spent two weeks on the fire line. Always the same: the fires would grow with the sea breeze, get larger, and we would begin our day. 

Cut fire lines with the assistance of forestry service fire plows, backed up by brush tankers. A brush tanker is a great invention. Take a surplus military 5 ton 6x6 truck. Put a gasoline powered pump, a foam proportioner, and a supply tank onboard. The tank contains two compartments: a 500 gallon one for water, and a 25 gallon compartment for class A foam. This leaves a walkway for a firefighter to stand, and we covered that walkway in black paint mixed with sand to make a nonskid surface for firefighter boots to find purchase on the foam slicked surface. 

As I said, two weeks on the fire line. We would get up and eat breakfast at 6 am, check the gear, and get ready. The fires would kick up at about 10 am, and we would lay down a layer of water and foam on top of a fire break cut by a plow. A pair of brush tankers with a crew of three each follow the fire plow as it cuts a break, spraying the area with foam. A crew of ten follows that, and makes sure the break doesn't get jumped by the fire. Since you are directly in the fire's path, it is hot, dangerous work. You have to keep an eye out to make sure the fire doesn't cut you off, and that it remains far enough away to keep you out of danger. It takes about half an hour to run out of water, if used judiciously. Fill at the nearest pond (It IS Florida. There is swamp everywhere) Every two hours, go to the supply point, refuel the pump, grab some water, head back to the line. Every two fuel breaks, you got a box with a sandwich and a bag of chips. By 11 pm, the sea breeze dies down enough that the fires start to lose steam. By about 1 am, the fires would die down and almost go out. Crews would take turns watching the day's fire lines, while the rest of the crews found a field to lie down in and get some sleep. A single one hour watch plus four hours of sleep each night. Second watch was the worst: an hour of sleep, an hour of watch, three hours of sleep. 

Anyway, we learned our lesson. Now Florida allows wildfires to burn a bit. We do prescribed burns. Good forestry management. The Pacific Northwest hasn't. When their forestry people try to do a prescribed burn, the environmentalists sue. So now they are having their own fire troubles. Maybe this time they will learn. I doubt it. 

Recommended Hemostatic agents

 In my post on Trauma First Aid, it was my intent to create a fast and easy guide to trauma first aid that the layperson could use without much training. In the comments, there was a reader who began a discussion on the use of QuikClot versus chitin agents, claiming that "doctors say they have to clean it out of wounds."

I had no intention of offering a comprehensive course for medical providers in the pages of this blog. Nor do I want to spend it giving away my services for free, nor do I want to get into an intricate discussion about the pros and cons of one hemostatic agent over the other. 

Instead, I will leave you with the opinions of the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. They are two of the leading agencies for prehospital care of trauma victims. 

QuiikClot impregnated Combat gauze is recommended by the CoTCCC and the NAEMT as the first choice for hemostatic dressing of uncontrolled hemorrhage. Celox Gauze & ChitoGauze may be used if Combat Gauze is not available. They worked as effectively as QuikClot Combat gauze in laboratory testing, but neither ChitoGauze nor Celox Gauze have been tested in the USAISR safety model. Chitosan-based hemostatic dressings have been used in combat since 2004 with no safety issues reported.

Since the two largest bodies recommend the use of QuikClot as the first line, that is what I recommend when I conduct training. However, I do not wish to continue debating this, so I am pulling the plug on my online guide. 

I recommend that the people who want this information take a class. The company I sometimes teach for charges 

$300 for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care

$300 for Tactical Combat Casualty Care

$100 for Basic Life Support

$300 for Prehospital Trauma Life Support

I would also point out that Doctors and Nurses take these courses as well. Doctors and Nurses don't think like prehopsital providers because they aren't. What happens in the field is a completely different kind of medicine that what happens in a hospital. 

Education Frustrations

 This year, I am teaching nothing but Physical Science. This course is like an intro to physics and chemistry course. It takes the easier parts of both subjects, barely touches upon them, dumbs them down, and makes them into a year long course. My district wants it taught as physics for the first semester, chemistry for the second. The class is designed to be a science class for students who are euphemistically referred to as "underperforming,"  which is newspeak for the kids who struggle to pass any class, but still need a third science course to graduate. Sort of like "science for dummies."

The first two weeks of school were "nature of science" where we review the scientific method. Our school is on a "block schedule" where I see each class every other day for 110 minutes. I spent a full block teaching them to use "significant figures" in solving math problems. 

Simply put:

The rules are simple. A digit in a number is significant if it is not a zero. If it IS a zero, it is significant under one of two conditions: it is sandwiched between other significant numbers, or it is a trailing zero in any number that contains a decimal. For example: 1001 has 4 significant digits, and 20.100 has five. 

Using significant digits to multiply or divide is easy: the answer cannot have more significant digits than the number of significant digits of any number used to calculate that answer, and you simply round off the remaining digits to zero. For example: 1111 times 22 equals 24,000. 

That's it. 

I gave them a quiz on the concept. It was 10 questions long. 80% of the students failed. More than half of them missed every single question. The students asked to retake the test. I told them that we would retake it, then I reviewed the material with them for another hour. We then watched a Youtube video explaining the concept. They still didn't get it, so we spend most of ANOTHER block reviewing and doing a worksheet to practice the concept.

I quizzed them again. The students complained that I gave them different questions, because the answers were different than the first quiz. 

One student told me that he didn't even know what "significant figures" was. I said to him, "We have been studying this for 3 entire blocks. You haven't been absent. What is the problem?"

He says: "I slept during the first one. The second one was boring me, so I zoned out."

This student is in his third year of high school and has only completed 5.5 credits. That is less than the 6 credits a student should get for a single year. It is now mathematically impossible for this student to earn enough credits to graduate. A standard diploma requires 24 credits. There is a reduced credit option that allows a student to graduate with 18 credits, but it is no longer possible for him to hit even that lowered standard. He is currently failing 2 of his 6 classes, and it is only the third week of school. 

I am not allowed to wake students up or discipline them, because our administration is in favor of what they call restorative discipline and is attempting to combat what they call the "school to prison pipeline."

The student is black. I mention this because I saw an article this morning about how the US education system is racist because black kids fail at a higher rate than whites. My school administrators claim that black students are suspended and disciplined at a higher rate than whites, so we are to allow them to fail if they do not want to do any work. 

This student is sitting in the same class with his white counterparts. He has the same textbook, same assignments, and hears the same lectures. The assignments are graded by computer, so no racial bias there. They either have the correct answer or do not. He is failing because he chooses to sleep in class, and when he IS awake, he admits to "zoning out" and then doesn't learn anything. 

I don't understand how allowing students to fail is any better than disciplining them. 

Sage advice

 Spikes Tactical, who is just down the street from me, is selling new Pro-Tip magazines for the AR.

Changing tactics

I was initially thinking that the lack of violent attacks by Antifa over the past few days was a sign that they were slowing their roll because the riots were proving unpopular in polling data. It turns out that they are merely changing tactics. 

One Antifa member was arrested for starting a wildfire, and is the suspect in two more. A second Antifa member has been arrested in a separate incident for starting a second fire. 

How many of the dozens of other wildfires have been started by Antifa?

Trauma first aid for the beginner (part one)

 I am removing this information due to liability concerns. Sorry. 

Too far fetched for a fiction novel

If an author pitched a book where Communist Insurgents were taking over cities in the Pacific Northwest, the Democrats in California were trying to secede, a killer virus was sweeping the nation which caused the entire US population to be placed under house arrest, a bartender was the highest profile Democrat in the US, while at the same time, a child sniffing pervert was their choice for Presidential candidate, and the Director of the CIA was plotting with the Secretary of Defense to overthrow the government, no publishing house would have touched the novel because it was too unlikely and far fetched. 

What the hell is happening to this country?

Anitfa C3

 An interesting look at the Antifa command and control. What interested me the most was the use of apps through cell phones that allow encrypted communications. 

Violence defined

 Pax from over at "Cornered Cat" asks me what I define as violence that would qualify a city to be listed on the "Danger Zone" list. That is an excellent question that deserves a complete post on its own. So here we are:

The dictionary definition of violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. While that is a great starting point, we can expand upon that for some clarity. For that, I will quote Marko Kloos in his article "Why the gun is civilization." 

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it.

A group of people who are standing in the road, holding signs and chanting is attempting to convince a person that their grievance deserves to be considered. A person who is standing in front of diners who are eating at a restaurant while attempting to intimidate those diners through the threat of physical violence is committing violence. 

The left claims that a man who refuses to limit a woman's spending, or who spends money without his wife's permission is committing financial violence. I disagree.

So what is the level of violence that gets a city added to the danger zone?

Use of physical force by a group of people motivated by political beliefs that results in damage to property, injury, or death to people. Note that the left believes that vandalism, arson, and other acts that "only" result in property damage are not violence. I disagree, and so acts like arson, looting, and other large scale offenses against property will be considered violence. 

Also, the use of threats of violence against people that would make the target of those threats reasonably believe that they are about to be physically attacked. A great example would be the acts committed here:

This threshold is enough to get a city or area listed as a "Zone 1."

In order to be moved to Zone 2, there needs to be further aggravating factors: government forces actively supporting the rioters, rioters using weapons, moving into residential areas, that sort of thing. 

Zone three is where rioters have used deadly force against people in at least one riot.

Zone four is where deaths or serious injuries have occurred. 

Zone five is where the violence has been frequent, long lasting, or not confined to one specific area. 

The only winning move is not to play

 I saw a post by JKB over at Gunfree zone. I was going to reply there, but my reply got larger and larger until I thought it made more sense to just post it here. 

How do we win at this fight?

By understanding one of the basic laws of warfare: Don't fight the enemy at the time and place of his choosing. Make him come to you when YOU are set up and ready.. Make no mistake, they are at war with you, whether you like it or not. So here is how you win:

1 Stay out of areas where BLM/Antifa has been killing people. That means avoiding all Zone 4 and Zone 5 areas as if your life depends on it- because it does. Don't think that you can go into those areas and blend in. Criminals are extremely smart people and they can smell prey at a distance. Especially the ones in the cities where riots have been going on for months. They know their area of operations, who belongs, and who doesn't. There are few, if any noncombatants left there, and they will spot you. 

If you live in one of those areas, stay away from the protests/riots. Move out of the area as soon as you can. I expect that Portland will fall and be owned by Antifa after the next election. Ted Wheeler's opponent in the Mayoral race is an open member of Antifa. Your window of opportunity to get out is closing fast. 

2. Be a Grey Man. Do not wear any political clothing, get rid of NRA or political bumper stickers. Do your best to blend into the crowd. This means don’t advertise/broadcast your political beliefs. To do so simply makes you a target. Military personnel wear clothing that blends in with the background. Doing the same means looking as much like the sheep in your area as possible. 

3.  ALWAYS maintain a lethal means of self defense and maintain your situational awareness, in the event that your camouflage fails and you get attacked anyhow. having ear protection on you at all times wouldn't be a bad idea, either. 

4. Avoid crowded areas where the enemy is known or likely to be. I don't care if your business is about to be burned down. It isn't worth dying over. Make them come to you.

5. The best way to survive a gunfight is not to be in a gunfight. If you find yourself in a gunfight despite your best efforts, then bring overwhelming firepower to bear. Bring your friends' firepower to bear.

6. Now is the time to buy body armor if you haven’t already. Have a covert, lightweight set that is comfortable to wear all day. Have a heavier set for those times that call for it. 

7. Always have a battle buddy or three..Don’t get isolated from the pack. Like hyenas, they will prey upon the weak, the sick, and the isolated.

8 Know who your enemy is and what extremes they are potentially willing to go to.

9 The cops aren’t on your side, the politicians and judges aren’t on your side. Antifa has a pass to do whatever it takes to bring this nation down. For now.

10 Have concealed carry insurance. If you DO find yourself needing to use force, this will help defer some of the cost. 

These last three, I borrowed from the late Patrick Swayze:

11 Never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. OPFOR has been displaying a remarkable ability to come up with unexpected tactics. They aren't stupid, they are ably led, and are receiving professional training. Many of them have been fighting for more than 3 months. They know what works and doesn't work. False bravado isn't going to do it here. We are behind the curve on this one. 

12 Take it outside. Never start anything inside unless it's absolutely necessary. Again: Stay out of Zones 4 & 5, avoid Zone 3, stay on your own home turf and out of theirs. Avoidance is the key, for now. 

13 And lastly, be nice...I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice. When will that time be? It will be obvious. You will know. If you aren't sure yet, then it isn't time. 

Changing the meaning of words

A word is a unit of a language that is used to convey a given meaning between two people. If the meaning of words becomes fluid, then language and communication becomes impossible without confusion. 

Keep that in mind when you hear that, according to Merriam Webster, the meaning of 'female' has changed.

DHS has nothing to do with securing anything

 According to the Department of Homeland Security, White Supremacists present the greatest threat to US security. They claim that White Supremacist Extremists (WSE) killed 39 people during 8 lethal attacks in 2019. Those are amateur numbers compared to this summer's violence. The violence stemming from the summer's violence caused by BLM/Antifa has killed more than 40 people in the past 110 days. WSE killed fewer people last year than die from gang related murders in an average Chicago weekend. 

Breonna Taylor not an innocent victim

 All along, the BLM crowd has been screaming that Breonna Taylor was an innocent person who was gunned down illegally by police during a no-knock raid on the wrong home. I believed them, and this was one of the few times that I saw eye to eye with them. 

Until this morning, when I ran across this story from Blue Lives Matter. 

I was facing a conundrum- I had two narratives from two different sources, both with reasons to spin the story. So I went to local news sources. Reading this, it appears like Breonna Taylor was involved heavily in the drug trade. 

In fact, the car that contained this murder victim was rented by Breonna Taylor. The victim had been shot to death before crashing into a telephone pole. 

The mayor of Louisville is angry that the documents were leaked, claiming that the police must have leaked them to sway public opinion and influence the investigation. So what? The mayor himself has attempted to sway the investigation and hurt the police. It's about time that the cops get to tell their side of things. Note that the mayor doesn't deny that the documents are truthful, he merely questions the timing of their release. 

The Louisville Urban League, who has been leading the protests proclaiming that Taylor was an innocent woman gunned down by police, had this to say: 

"What we want to say back is it doesn’t justify her death.”

The fact that they lied about her innocence tells me that there is more to this story. If you have the truth on your side, why lie?

Breonna Taylor was involved in the illegal distribution of drugs, and is involved in some way with at least one murder. Her ex-boyfriend was driving her car while buying and selling drugs. She was handling large amounts of drug money- at least $29,000 in cash. 

Did she deserve to die? No. 

Was she tied to the illegal narcotics trade? Yes.

Was she most likely a criminal? Yes.

Were the police to blame for her death? No. That distinction goes to Taylor and her criminal activities. 

Russian interference, again?

 This morning I posted a story about how Democrats are laying the groundwork to overthrow President Trump, should he win in November. A big part of that is convincing the American people that the election results are illegitimate. Just today, I see that Biden's running mate is laying even more groundwork for that to happen, using Russian interference, of all things. 

"I am clear that Russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States in 2016," Harris said. "I serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee. We have published detailed reports about exactly what we believe happened. And I do believe that there will be foreign interference in the 2020 election and that Russia will be at the front of the line."

Facebook shutting down the right

 Patriot Prayer had its FB page shut down after one of its members was murdered in Portland, because FB claims that it is a "violent social militia." However, Antifa Portland's page continues on, despite the fact that one of its members admitted to being the person who committed the killing. 

I get that Facebook owns the website and can publish or block what it wishes. However, if Facebook does this, I don't think that they should continue to enjoy immunity from lawsuits for libel by claiming that they are merely a platform and not a publisher.

The coming Coup?

 A year ago, I would have called this article from Michael Anton alarmist. Now, I am not so sure. Is there anything this year that seems to be surprising?

Mr Anton makes the case that the Democrats have laid the groundwork for the overthrow of President Trump. His belief is that the Democrats are now virtually certain that Trump is going to win the election in November, so they are laying the groundwork to destroy the credibility of those results in the following way:

1 Trump wins the election on election day

2 In the days and weeks that follow, mail in ballots swing the election to Biden in swing states, and Democrat governors send Biden electors to the electoral college

3 Trump refuses to accept the overturned election

4 the military then ousts Trump and installs Biden into the Whitehouse. 

Read the whole thing.

I don't know what is going to happen, and this certainly feels like paranoid rambling. However, the one thing that stands out to me is this:

No matter what the results of the election, things are going to get ugly. If Trump wins, count on the Democrats losing their collective minds. 

If Biden wins, the Socialists and Communists will still not be happy. Note that the Democrats who have been appeasing them have not been given any quarter.

The violence will continue. 

Weapons cache found

 The Seattle parks department is in the process of cleaning up a park that was closed due to COVID concerns, but insurgents were using it as a base camp. Understandably, they wanted a police escort. This is what happened:

These cops have WAY more restraint than I do. It probably helps to remember that the people are deliberately trying to elicit a violent response, which is why they are filming in the first place. They are counting on the fact that the police won't simply just fuck them up. Calling the cop a "coon" while claiming to be fighting racism and hate?

What makes this even more astounding is that the parks people spotted some weapons in one of the tents and notified the police, who obtained a warrant. This is what was in the tents:

Washington State Danger Zone expands

 The conflict in Portland expanded to Washington state this weekend when an Antifa supporter deliberately ambushed and ran down a member of the Proud Boys in Vancouver, Washington after a memorial service for a Patriot Prayer member who was ambushed and killed in Portland. This targeted attack resulted in severe, life threatening injuries to the victim.

Since this incident was directly connected to the active combat that has been occurring in Portland for over 100 continuous days, the area that is considered to be involved in active combat will have to be expanded.

The entire Interstate 5 corridor from the Canadian border south to Eugene, Oregon can now be considered to be a battlefield.  Hostilities in these areas are ongoing and unpredictable. Serious injuries and deaths are being reported in this area nearly every day. This entire area is now a Zone 5.

_________________________________________________________________________

Further, anyone in an area that has been labeled as a Zone 3 or higher is advised to not make themselves a target for ambushes or targeted attacks. Please:

• Remove all decals and markers from vehicles that will make you appear to be a target. This includes any pro-Trump, pro-police, or any other decals that identify you as being a Conservative, a Republican, or a gun owner.
• Do not wear any clothing that would identify you as a member of any right oriented organization. 

Remember that areas that have already experienced violence are at an elevated risk of further, or even increasing levels of, violence. 

Williston added to Zone 3.

 Williston? Where in the hell is Williston? It is a small town in the middle of nowhere, Florida. Population less than 3,000.

It all began in August, when a party in Williston, thrown by white people, ended with one juvenile shooting another. Once police investigated, they obtained an arrest warrant for the juvenile. When the arrest was finally made, the juvenile was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm. The adult who owned the house is also facing criminal charges. The juvenile in question:

Four days later, a black man decides to have a protest because he claims that the parties thrown by whites are treated differently than those thrown by blacks. To prove this, he intended the protest to become an all night party. Without getting into a fisking of the faulty logic employed here, the protest did indeed become a party. 

At 4:30 in the morning, the party included a shooting where six people were shot. 

Protests, violence, seven shot in less than 5 days. 

Happy wife, happy- well, you get it

Every year in September, a lot of Orlando restaurants have a fundraiser called "Magical Dining Month." This is where you can get a great, 3 course meal in a normally expensive restaurant for only $35. My wife loves it.

I order to make my wife happy, we go every year, spend Labor Day weekend in a hotel, and have some great food, drinks, and spend the weekend. The grandkids come to visit us in the hotel, and it is a great, relaxing weekend.

Usually.

In 2019, we were preempted by a hurricane. We went to the hotel, spent one night, and had to return.

2020 wasn't any better. As soon as we were home from work, we grabbed a small bag with clothes and made the hour plus drive to Orlando for our six o'clock reservation.

We went to a place called Oceans Prime. We ordered and split an appetizer: Goat Cheese Ravioli:

There was salad, followed by the main course: Pepper crusted filet mignon, whipped potatoes, and green beans. The filet was incredibly tender, delicious, and perfectly cooked.

Dessert? I had the carrot cake.

We spent some time out in the entertainment district before heading to the hotel. We always stay at the same place, a four star hotel in the Orlando tourist district. This is a hotel that I have stayed in 3 to 4 times a year for the last decade. We usually get a suite. My wife had called earlier in the day to confirm that our suite was ready, and she was assured that it was. When we arrived at check in, we were told that there were no suites because the hotel was only operating with 3 of its 12 buildings, because COVID. My wife told the woman that we had called earlier in the day and been assured that all was ready. The woman got irate and told us that this was impossible because the hotel had laid off most of the staff, and she had been the only one there all day.

We then had to listen to a racist diatribe, where the woman (who was black) complained about "white people problems," talked about privilege, and then told us that we were getting the only room they had available. When we entered the parking lot, there were only 4 cars there. All of the other times we have stayed there, the parking lot has been full.

We found our room, which was sealed with a sticker that said  "Sanitized for your safety." The remote control had the same stickers. I took off my shoes, and felt dirt sticking to my feet. Looking at the floor, I saw balls of lint and hair on the floor. I figured that I would speak to the manager the next morning.

We went to bed. I woke the next morning and headed to the shower.

Entering the bathroom to wash up, the water smelled strongly of sulfur. The shower had pubic hair still in the drain.

That was the last straw. We packed up and checked out. I spoke with the manager before we headed home, and he refunded the entire stay. We also cancelled our reservations that we had for the end of the month. I will be finding a new hotel for all of our future Orlando stays.

Logistics

Like most everyone else, I am having trouble finding ammo anywhere. Most of my normal online sources have dried up, and the ones that DO have ammo are selling at ridiculous prices. There may come a day when I regret not paying $1000 for a 500 round case of 5.56 green tip, but I am just not ready for that. 

Even my local shops are out. I normally get good prices at Rural King, but the only ammo they had plenty of is 12 gauge, and even then, it was all #7 shot or smaller. They did have a small supply of big bore rifle ammo, along with about 20 boxes of .308 with a 155 grain SXT bullet, but they wanted $40 for a 20 round box. That still wasn't as bad as Shooters' World, who normally has good prices on ammo. This is the store where I bought 9mm for $7.50 a box back in January. The promotional email I just got contained this:

Practice ammo is now 4 times as expensive as practice ammo was just 8 months ago. 

Still, if you think that is bad, the regular, look at the regular, non-member price for self defense ammo-  $100 a box:

and I haven't even HEARD of that company before. A hundred bucks a box for ammo? You have to be kidding me. 

Still, I was lucky and smart enough to add to the ammo stockpile back in June. Those days are gone. So what can you do to prepare for the times to come?

There are still firearms on the shelf, but it is taking 5 hours for an "instant" background check to go through, because the stores are all so busy selling the few guns that are still in stock. 

Communications:

You can get some radios for you and your team- at only $22 each, they are a good buy. 

Armor:

I have some body armor that I keep in my classroom in case there is a school shooter. It was a good buy for its intended use, but with the plates to increase it from a level 3 to a level 4, it is too thick and heavy to be covert, and it doesn't have storage to be of use in a large scale event when stealth is less important. 

I ran across a company that sells covert body armor. I like the looks of it. 

I know that level 2 is not the best, but is is covert enough that I might actually be able to wear it when I am out and not stand out like a sore thumb. A level 2 that I am wearing is better than a level 4 that is at home in the closet. At $350, it is doable. They even had a hoodie that was only $250. 

As far as an overt plate carrier, I just ordered an AR500 setup, but that order won't be here for 8 weeks. 

There are other things: better night vision, a drone for recon capabilities, and more. Use your imagination. 

The time to equip and prepare for the bad times that are rapidly approaching is rapidly drawing to a close. 

Recommendations

 With news that at least one member of Antifa in Portland killed a member of Patriot Prayer by stalking and then making a deliberate and considered ambush, along with a reader submitted report of a similar report from Baltimore, I am making recommendations and connecting them to my Danger Zone list. 

Recommendations:

Anyone who does not want to face the danger of an active, albeit low intensity, battlefield should avoid Zone 4 and Zone 5 areas no matter what, unless you want to be in this situation. 

Zone 3: Exercise extreme caution. Anyone in a Zone 3 area should be armed at all times. Keep your head on a swivel. Deadly levels of violence can occur at any time and be ready to respond. 

Zones 1&2: Exercise caution. Violence has already occurred in these zones, avoid them if possible. 

You can expect the level of violence to increase as the election approaches. If Trump wins, expect it to get worse. 

Sit! Good communist, now stay.

 The man suspected of murdering a Trump supporter in Portland was killed last night after pointing a gun at Federal agents. He had a violent past, having been shot in an earlier altercation, arrested for illegally carrying a firearm, and arrested for attacking people during protests in June and July. In an earlier post on his Instagram page, the man had this to say:

I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! We do not want violence but we will not run from it either! Like all wars there will be casualties.

He finally became a casualty himself, but he is wrong about his being in a war. He liked to fancy himself being a soldier, but soldiers don't murder unarmed people who are walking down the street. He was a terrorist, which is what you call a murderer who is motivated by politics, or perhaps you can call him a communist insurgent. Now he is a good communist. 

Insurgent for Orlando DA

 The Democrat candidate seeking to be the State Attorney for Orange and Osceola counties is a BLM/Antifa operative that won the election due in large part to a large influx of George Soros cash. 

Stupidity

 Some friends of ours just told me a story that is so stupid, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't know them. He just tested COVID positive, having caught it from someone at work. He has to quarantine for ten days. She is a teacher. She, according to the interpretation of the latest CDC guidelines, has to remain in quarantine for the ten days that he is ill and quarantined, plus an additional 14 days to make sure that she herself isn't contagious. If she herself tests positive at any point during that 24 day quarantine, then that changes everything. She would then only have to quarantine for ten days after her positive test. 

So here we have a situation where a person who tests negative would be held in quarantine for more than twice as long as someone who is sick. 

If it were me, I would deliberately catch COVID so I could be released from quarantine two weeks earlier. 

Modern day book burning

This is the 21st century version of burning books. The left, through its control of media, including social media, is censoring all positive mention of Kyle Rittenhouse. He has been declared to be an unperson. 

a Facebook spokesman confirmed that the company is removing posts “in support” of Rittenhouse, because the incident is considered a “mass murder” by the company.

Meanwhile, the man who murdered a Trump supporter in Portland? His Facebook page is unaffected.


The defamation lawsuits are going to be spectacular.

Casualty Report

I wanted to do a post today about the death toll that has been attributed to the riots/protests/insurgency. It is impossible to get real data.  Some reports place it at more than 30, while left sources and so-called "fact checkers" are saying that the number is much lower. I myself have been able to confirm no fewer than 30 fatalities that are directly attributed to the violence in our cities.

This has caused me to revamp the dead zone list a bit. Any city that has a confirmed fatality that is attributed to BLM/Antifa activity will automatically be classed no lower than a zone 3. Any that has multiple fatalities that occur in more than one incident will be no lower than a Zone 4.

I know that this story is three weeks old, but I missed it.

More than 150 rounds were fired and one woman was shot in Portland on Friday night while protesters on Saturday – some of whom appeared to impersonate press – threw glass bottles and shined lasers at city police officers sent to quell the nighttime unrest witnessed for more than two months straight.

For that reason, I feel that Portland is the first American city that is actually in open warfare, and is thus a zone 5.