56FordGuy

The last time I fired up the 2m rig, all I found was a bunch of people talking about their latest medical problem.

I'd love to have one, just hard to do from here. [emoji53] I hope they can make it happen.

There is a difference in UPS and the UPS Store. UPS will ship stuff, but you have to take it to a hub. The UPS stores are independent franchises and their policy is that they do not ship firearms or ammo through the stores.

Over half the country (if you count DC) has legalized marijuana in some form. 25 states and Washington DC have legalized it for medical use, and four of those 25 have legalized it for recreational use. I believe three more states are set to vote on it this year. This is a situation where the states are exercising their rights to legalize it, and I feel like the Feds should respect those rights. We all know better than to expect that though. The tide seems to be turning on marijuana legalization, and I suspect the next 5 years will bring significant changes. If TrickyNicky's memory is correct about the carry permit ruling, then I hope we'll see this appealed to the Supreme Court. I hope that anyway, but it would have firmer ground to stand on if there was a similar ruling already.

Along with Beiber, lets throw in Florida Georgia line and all the executives on Music Row. Don't even have to get anything for them, just get them out of here!

I preferred to drive. Took five or six trips for all the house stuff, the shop, the equipment and livestock. If you mean the US, no one chose to be born here any more than anyone else. Why should those of us who don't for the line for the masters have to leave? Are we hurting anything, other than some folks pride when we point out that they're not as freedom loving as they claim to be? Just because we're all slaves to the system doesn't mean we have to pretend the chains aren't there.

On a personal level, I did what little I could to live within the law, but ultimately decided to just live my life. I moved to a state* with no helmet laws (even though I'm not a biker and have no interest in motorcycles), no carry license requirement (for residents) and where marijuana is only a couple of hours drive to Colorado, where cannabis is not only 100% legal but some of the highest grade stuff I've ever run across. [emoji23] All of the things I mentioned could be changed if the voters in TN wanted to because there are other states that allow almost all of them. Alabama doesn't prohibit drinking and carrying, 25 states have legalized cannabis, which only leaves the M endorsement for bikers. I don't know if there are states that don't require that, but I assume it could be done much like the in state CDL that you can get at 18 instead of the interstate CDL that you must be 21 for. My point in posting wasn't that TGO in and of itself could change anything, but that were not as free as some folks like to think we are. *I certainly don't mean to make Wyoming sound like a libertarian paradise, we have our own silly laws as well. However, the culture can be very different when it comes to what those laws are and how they are or aren't enforced.

Here's an example. It's Friday evening and I just bought a motorcycle. I stuck my 642 in a pocket*, hopped on it and rode down to the local bar* to show it off to some friends. It's a nice cool evening, so I left my helmet at home*. I had a beer*, visited for a while then went over to another friend's house. We smoked a joint*, hung out for a few hours and I went home. 1- I don't have a HCP. 2- I don't have a motorcycle license, bought it used on Craigslist. 3- TN has a helmet law. 4- I'm pocket carrying a .38 like always. TN doesn't define "under the influence" with regard to alcohol and carrying so it's likely my consumption of one beer is a violation of the law. 5- It's illegal in the state of TN go grow, posses, or use marijuana. All of those things are violations of the law, yet there are no victims. These things are freedoms that the government has eagerly stripped away with no justification. Some folks see the government as the storm shelter, and some of us see them as the tornado.

To be clear, I didn't mean to imply that you personally were suffering from Stockholm syndrome. My intent was just to point out that it's easy to draw a comparison to people that have experienced it and unquestioning patriotism, especially for those of us who have a different view of what freedom is. A lot of people will say they love America, are patriots, etc and when asked why they usually answer with something about freedom. There's a point of view (full disclosure, it's one that I happen to hold) that no government can grant freedom. We are all born free people, the government only serves to remove those freedoms and restrict the things we can do. They cannot create new freedoms and grant them to us. Imagine a tornado and having literally everything you've ever owned disappear while you're away. When you return home, everything is gone except for two family pictures you found in what used to be your yard. Patriotism would then claim what a wonderful, generous tornado it was because it gave you two photos while completely ignoring everything that is has taken from you.

http://www.zengardner.com/states-stockholm-syndrome-and-pseudo-patriotism/?print=print Just something to think about.

How is this guy refusing to stand up and more disrespectful than people walking to their seats, talking to one another, vendors in the stands selling things, etc? While those people are all standing up, they're certainly not paying any attention to the anthem. Personally, I feel the anthem is overplayed. People hear it before every sporting event and eventually it loses it's significance. If you want people to treat it in a reverent manner, reserve it's use for special occasions.

That's how we've bought all of our vehicles. Dealer wasn't quite sure exactly what to do when I bought my '01 F-350 a few years ago with an envelope full of $100s.

We should all be required to make large purchases electronically so the government can track those purchases and ensure proper taxation? Am I misunderstanding what you're trying to say?

When I sold my lathe, the buyer counted out over $1,000 in $20s. Said he was a bartender, got paid in cash and didn't trust banks. Didn't matter to me, they were all real bills. How do you buy something with plastic if the system is down, or power/ phone line/ internet is out? Various studies have shown on average people spend 18-50% more (the 50% was a McDonalds study) when using plastic vs cash. The credit card companies are making money, the vendors are making money, but somehow I've never met anyone that claimed to be the one giving it to them. Everyone I've ever spoke to about this has always claimed to the the guy with the system, the guy that never paid a dime in interest, fees, etc and was 'making money' with plastic. If every consumer is ahead of the game and costing the credit card companies money, how do the credit card companies stay in business and turn such large profits? Maybe the credit card companies really do know what they're doing, and feeling 'ahead of the game' is all part of their plan. That seems to make more sense than everyone being smarter than the system, but what do I know? I'm just a guy that likes using cash.

Everybody is different. I just recently sold a piece of machinery, the buyer paid for it in cash because "I don't trust the banks." His words, not mine. Shortly after that I bought a used pickup and paid for that with a few thousand dollars in cash. Pretty much everything I buy that's worth more than a few hundred bucks is bought in person, with cash. A lot of it is used, and most private sellers don't have a way to take plastic and don't trust a check. I certainly don't when I sell something. I don't think we'll see cash, or the $100 bill going away anytime soon.

That's pretty neat. I have a few old lighters, but nothing quite like that.

If you're around middle TN, the Fiddler's Grove blacksmith group has a several week long beginners forging class that's held at the Wilson county fairgrounds two nights a week. It's not knife specific, but learning the basics of forging will give you the tools you need to work your way into knife making.

Here they use voter registration and drivers licenses. You're in the pool for a six month term, and they can call you at any time. Once you serve on a jury you can ask to be excused for the remainder of the six month term. My term ends in October, actually just served on a two week trial that ended this last Friday. I actually enjoyed the experience, but I've always been interested in the legal system. Would've preferred a shorter case with a different subject (civil suit, wrongful death) but overall it was pretty good.

I used Otter boxes for years, but after an unfortunate river incident I decided to get a waterproof case. I'm using a Catalyst now, same drop protection as Otterbox, slimmer and waterproof. Doesn't glare as bad as the Otterbox or Lifeproof cases did either.

I support gay married couples protecting their marijuana plants with AR-15s and AK-47s. [emoji106]

So I sent Willis my ZT350 last week. While I don't abuse my knife, I also really don't spend a lot of time maintaining it. When I sent it to him the auto assist had stopped working and it wouldn't cut much of anything. Loose bale string was a nightmare, unless I could push it against something hard and saw on it there was no hope of cutting it. I really questioned why I even carried it every time I had to use it. First, turn around time was impressive. Less than a week from Wyoming to Tennessee and back. When I opened the box today, aside from the worn finish I didn't think it was the same knife. Seriously, I thought he might've switched it with a new ZT he meant to ship to someone else. First off, he fixed the opener. I didn't ask him to, didn't expect him to, didn't even really remember it wasn't working. I just got used to the knife not assisting anymore. After fixing it, he sharpened it. I sent this knife back to ZT once to get refurbed, and the factory didn't do as nice of a job as Willis dos. It's like having a whole new knife. I grabbed some loose bale string, pulled it kind of snug and the weight of the knife was all it needed to cut through it. If I look real close, I think I can actually see my reflection in the edge of the blade. This may be the best money I've ever spent on any knife, and I intend to send a few more his way pretty soon. If you're on the fence about it, it's well worth the money. [emoji106]

Man, brownies are so 1972. It's all about vaping and gummies these days. [emoji23]

I've got one on the way to him right now. [emoji106]

You want to talk about someone that seemed to be disliked by all the powerful folks, he was certainly on the list.

Yup. Maintained it all last year with the tractor, bought a used plow truck a couple of weeks ago for this coming winter.