Dennis1209

Don't anyone take this the wrong way, as no one is more patriotic, appreciative and proud of our troops than I, and the sacrifices and loss by their families.   If you remember your history, many people just after the Revolutionary War felt exactly the same way, as the war widows and orphans had no means of support after losing the bread winner and their source or support. Many, many war widows and orphans were starving and lost their homes and were reduced to accepting charity. There was a great out cry and a bill was introduced to Congress to compensate the widows and orphans for their loss.   It was re-soundly debated and defeated by our founding fathers. Not because they were cold hearted and didn't care, as a matter of fact, they passed the hat. No, they defeated it because they knew if they made an exception to the provisions outlined in the new Constitution where it would eventually lead. Look at where we are today with all the entitlement programs.   From a Constitutional Republic perspective, it's not the governments job to provide for anyone, it's their job to provide us the opportunity and keep the nation running and safe. It's our job, responsibility and privilege as citizens to help and support our veterans and their families generously. The Wounded Warrior Project and others are excellent and efficient organizations run better than anything the government could put together.   I'm a 20 year combat veteran myself, an like I said, no one has more compassion for the soldier and their families than I but, we bare responsibility as citizens for the well being of our veterans and their families, not Washington.

That's the way it use to be until about 2002 or so when they came out with the government IMPAC Visa credit card system. Many supervisors are now issued that card and it works just like a regular Visa credit card.   So, signs or whatever can be ordered and paid for immediately.

  I can seem to find a 5'1/4 inch floppy for my machine anymore for my modern DOS machine :ugh:   I can't think of any other product I've purchased where it's either out dated and obsolete, or about to be when bought brand new.

Some great advice given above.   Renewable is the key word. No matter how much you have stored up, eventually it will all be consumed, bartered, stolen or go bad. I purchase many items on the Internet. In a worse case scenario such as hyper-inflation or an economic crash, which I feel is inevitable, problems will occur not purchasing face-to-face and locally when you need something. Many products and services might be a thing of the past.   Best to have what you need to start on hand or the means to be able to barter with something people "need". IMO, a person needs a minimum of 9 months of food for each member of the family to get by until a large garden can be grown. That means having a "two year" supply of properly stored and protected seasonal seeds on hand, and the hand implements to plant and maintain a garden. I said two years worth of seeds because you're not guaranteed a successful garden every year. Like this year, 2/3 of my huge garden died or did not produce well due to excessive rain, standing water, constant mud, mold, mildew, bugs, rabbits and deer. Same with pestilence, hail, drought, high winds, etc.   We have an abundance of deer, turkey, squirrel and game around here. But during an extended emergency people are going to get hungry, game seasons and limits are history and the wardens are at home protecting their own so, that resource will rapidly become almost non existent. A stocked pond and / or access to a local river or lake would be very beneficial.   As was briefly mentioned, conservation of resources and total use will also be paramount for quality of life. Many items can have multiple uses, recycled and used for a variety of tasks. Don't totally depend on fossil fuels and technology for survival and the more craftsmen skills you possess, the better off you and your community will be.   Beans, bullets and band aids are a must but, don't forget #1, water. A Berkley or such water filter will be worth its weight in gold. Cholera and other nasty's will be a big problem when SHTF so potable drinking water and safe sanitation and cleanliness are a must. Water and sanitation are going to kill more people probably than anything else, as history has proven. So, soap, laundry detergent, dish soap, disinfectants, cleaning supplies, first aid supplies, and common over the counter medications and anti diarrhea products are way up there on my list.     One other thing that is critical on my list that so far isn't panning out is; keeping what you have, including your life from the hoards of looters, criminals and drug addicts that will be roaming during our next pandemic, regional / national disaster, economic collapse, etc. Security and survival in numbers. Most everyone around here believes things will go on as they always have and the government will take care of them. Some attitude huh? It would be nice to have a local plan with my neighbors and they realize the possibility of life without WROL. IMHO, a family by themselves won't stand a chance for long when a group wants what you may have and have you drastically out numbered and have the element of surprise.

  I'll second the above! I paid the big bucks for Norton and had a bunch of cooties collect on my computer. I developed a bunch of problems the quick scan never picked up. Had my computer man check it out and he installed MSE and for the last year, less filling tastes great!   It stands to reason a company that makes anti-virus for its OS wants the best protection possible. The way things are today, it wouldn't surprise me if the people writing and developing anti-virus programs by day, go home frustrated and hack away at night.

Got the same thing. I seldom get that message, I guess something changed?

  I'm a little late to the party but, raise that to 101% for wood because of the preceding reasons. With a source of wood and a little labor you have free heat and not depend on a delivery of pellets. Nothing is better than warming up your little hinny next to the stove in the dead of winter and knowing all it cost you was a little labor. An occasional log of hickory makes everything smell wonderful too!     The ashes get spread into the garden and life is wonderful even waking up with a woody and stoke the stove :up:  GO WOOD!

Yep! When that timer goes off the mouth goes dry and the heart starts pounding and you forget all the prior planning you had in your head :up:   IMO, IDPA is a good way to try and control your emotions and concentrate on the task at hand. It doesn't replace expensive tactical training and such but, I would think it wouldn't hurt if there ever comes a time when you need to clear leather in self defense.   BTW. They put on a great IDPA club match every 2nd Saturday of the month at 9:00 A.M. at the Henry County Gun Club in NW Tennessee if anyone's interested. It's a nice place, the matches are well run and you'll meet a lot of friendly gun nuts too.

I just got back this week from St. Louis burying my only brother, whom I dearly loved. He committed suicide by shooting himself once in the heart with a handgun, what a shock and emotional spiral!   When something like that un-expectantly happened, many thoughts raced through my mind. Such as, knowing his history with some mental illness issues, I was thinking, how could he qualify to purchase and own a firearm, etc. I initially was thinking with emotion about if he didn't have a damn gun in the first place...   At certain times, emotion rules our thoughts and actions and clouds our reasoning abilities for awhile. For a short while I was blaming the damn handgun and handgun laws. Then emotions subsided somewhat and logic and reason returned from the tears and pain. The often quoted, "guns don't kill people, people do" reasoned in my brain. If that handgun "tool" was not available to do his bidding, they're many other alternatives available to accomplish the same results, be it murder or self murder.   IMHO. This is how gun control is being sold to the American public. Through emotion rather than rational logical reasoning and facts.

Personally, I believe Sarah Palin is down to earth and believes in the Constitution. Sure, she and her family are not perfect, but who of us are? Her family and national values seem to align nicely with mine.   But then again, knowing it takes hundreds of millions of dollars to sell the Lincoln bedroom and hope and change, people, lobbyists and corporations don't dole out millions for a candidate out of the goodness of their hearts and political views. Can you say, "quid pro quo"? Sabie?   They say politics is all about compromise, and nothing would get done without compromise? Well...   We've compromised ourselves in a few decades from the richest nation on earth to the worlds leading debtor nation. On a national and personal level, we owe more debt than we have assets to pay for or cover it. People seem to believe the 17 trillion dollar (very conservative) debt is the governments debt. Not so, the governments debt is the peoples debt, and the "people" are held accountable for all debt, both foreign and private.   Selling out our freedom and rights in the name of national and personal security, need I quote a founding father?   Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the new world order and indebting your grandchildren and soon to be great-grandchildren. The last Joker is about to be placed on this house of cards and it will come crumbling down.   What a misnomer, Obummer Care!

What are the chances Obummer will try for a third term?

Maybe you guys can help?   I have Verizon wireless and they do not provide any sort of email service. I'm stuck using the free email services also and not happy with them (all the spam and ad's. etc.). Half the time my Yahoo mail doesn't operate properly or won't open or is very slow.   I'm willing to pay for a decent email provider! I did a search and didn't come up with too much.   Any ideas?

  Yep! The Democraps want to do good but, they want to do good with your money and make us all equal, equally poor.   I'm paying $13,000.00 per year for Blue Cross / Blue Shield and it appears that was a historical bargain. I've had health insurance all my life and seldom if ever used it. I'm seriously considering dropping my health insurance and do the same as the uninsured. Go to the emergency room, get stabilized and treated and let my concerned liberal citizens pay for it.   You don't get any better or worse treatment whether you pay or not. I think I'll join the un-appreciative welfare crowd the more I think of it. After all, you all owe me a living!

  Yes they are, I have a couple of them.

WOW!   About the only thing that could beat that is...   Digging a six foot deep ditch to bury a water line and find Jimmy Hoffa!

Yep, got the very same letter. I believe they are falling inline with other homeowner insurers. Tennessee Farm Bureau is a reputable company in my opinion.     In addition, two or three years ago they dropped my earthquake rider policy and no longer insure for earthquakes. Living almost smack dab on top of the New Madrid fault line, I feel it's prudent to have coverage since the odd's of a big shaker are increasing.   Funny thing is... To my knowledge, no American insurance company insures for earthquakes any longer. I had to insure with a foreign insurance company reinsured by Lloyd's of London?

Initiating a progressive socialist healthcare system forced on the American people and the only exclusions to the participation are who?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!   I'll be "baited" no more into a game of "snipe hunting", standing out in the woods with a paper bag and stick, to club the snipes as they run by.   After spending hours and hours in the woods this spring morel mushroom hunting, never seen a single morel mushroom. There are no morels or ginseng in the Tennessee woods. It's a myth and conspiracy designed by TWR to substantially reduce the deer tick population for a healthier deer heard and population. Here's my proof: Is there a limit, season, regulation, harvest method or anything regulating ticks? It's about the only critter TWR doesn't regulate.   So there you have it straight from the horses mouth :rofl:     If I remember correctly, in Illinois ginseng was highly regulated and you needed a permit or license to hunt it and there was a bunch of paper work involved selling it?

For those of you who don't believe tomorrow will be the same as yesterday and today, and you smell something fishy in Denmark and might consider storing a can of beans, a couple band aids and a 50 pack of .22's for emergencies...   This YouTube guy is for you! "Maine Prepper".   His YouTube videos are a wealth of no nonsense and informative information and he really impressed me with his back ground and knowledge.   Just thought I'd share a source I found excellent!

  No offense but, there's something seriously wrong with your taste buds and dietary way of relieving yourself? Tried giving the canned fruit cakes to all the dogs around camp and they turned their skin & bone's nose's up at it. I even tried to barter with the local Vietnamese with the canned fruit cake! They say, "G.I., you give momason  250 P, we burry the fruit cake for you"!   I'll wager my next MRE, you loved "nuckmom" too?  :wave:

    Well I wish I had know that back in the day Prag. You'd be more than welcome to my O.D. can of cold eggs w/ ham, fruit cake and pork with juices. I'll just munch on my cheese & crackers and John Wayne bar.  :usa:   BTW. I had several "C" rations issued to me that were made just after WWII, 23 years old if I remember?  Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary as far as taste, because they all tasted like the wife's cooking I now gag down but... The four pack of Camels and Lucky Strikes that came in the "C's" were greenish in color. I figured since I just ate the C rations, what's the old stale green Lucky's Camels going to hurt?

One you purchase your 14 quart All American pressure canner, canning jars, lids & rings and seeds, it will eventually pay for itself, but, and there's always a but :rofl:    Your produce will always taste better than hot house grown stuff stored in tin cans. You know what insecticide / fertilizer if any you used and the satisfaction of growing it yourself. IMO, food tastes better and lasts longer stored in glass jars compared to canned products. I don't know of any gardener that adds MSG'S, artificial coloring or preservatives to their all natural garden produce.   When the cold rain and snow flies, it's a good feeling to make a big pot of veggie soup and everything you used came from your garden :yum: 

I was planning last winter to put in a large garden, and I did, about one acre. I was hesitant about spending $300.00 for an All American canner, the one that does 14 quarts at a time. I'm here to tell y'all, that was a time saver and a good investment over my Presto 7 quart pressure canner.   With all the rain, flooding, moldy garden dirt, rabbits, deer, insects, birds, etc., it was a bad year for about everything production wise, but... With that size garden I managed to can dozens of quarts / pints of turnips and greens, pickles, sweet banana pepper rings (yum), green beans. Planted 34 tomato plants this year in anticipation of making stewed tomato's, tomato paste, BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce and canned tomato's. Didn't happen, lost 2/3 of them due to all the rain, mold, wild life, weeds and insects. Barely had enough to have with dinner :rant:    The majority of the time the ground was too muddy to do any hoeing, and we all know what happens to an un-hoed unattended garden, do we?

I shoot trap and sheet frequently, and that translates to better performance out in the field fowl hunting.   Regardless of which fancy auto, pump, over and under or side by side you chose in a shotgun... The #1 thing to do first is get it fitted for YOU by a reputable gunsmith, or you'll never consistently hit your target.   Fitting means getting the correct curve and length of stock for your pull. I'm left handed and "all" manufactured long gun stocks are slightly curved for right handers. That will make a big difference in your accuracy and shoulder mount.   Your cheek weld is another main factor. I would advise getting an adjustable cheek comb on what ever gun you purchase.   The third and final thing I would suggest is getting a ribbed barrel with a second bead (two beads). That will show you proper alignment of the barrel and correct cheek weld with the figure eight sight or snowman if you will.   I've out shot people with $3,500.00 shotguns using a $350.00 scatter gun and vise versa. It's all in the fit and practice. I need to get mine fitted as we speak!   Just my three and a half cents worth.