Majority say government is a threat to their rights.

"Washington (CNN) – A majority of Americans think the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll."

"Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government's become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree."

Over the past few years, I have come to see the situation in this country less as right vs. left, republican vs. democrat, liberal vs. conservative etc. Instead, I began to see the real struggle of us. vs. them.

"Us" is comprised of the vast majority of Americans that get up everyday, work hard, take care of their families and do their best to make an honest life. "Them" is comprised of the bloated ranks of government bureaucrats, power hungry politicians (of all parties) who reward their banker buddies and feed at the trough of our confiscatory tax system. "Them" has remained in power by dividing and exploiting "Us" along political, economic and racial divides, keeping us blissfully unaware of the amount of power that they have quietly accumulated at our expense. Perhaps they have finally overplayed their hand, gone too far to the point where even the silent masses have awakened from their deep slumber. We can only hope so.

In Memory of my Dad 1928-2010

O, all the money e'er I had,I spent it in good company.
And all the harm that ever I've done,alas it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of witto memory now I can't recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

O, all the comrades e'er I had,They're sorry for my going away.
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,They'd wished me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot,That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Goodnight and joy be with you all.

If I had money enough to spend,And leisure time to sit awhile.
There is a fair maid in this town,That sorely has my heart beguiled.
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips,I own, she has my heart in thrall;
Then fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

-The Parting Glass

Survival Tips- Cold Weather Disasters

As I said in my last post, I wanted to share some of my ideas on preparedness for natural or man-made disasters. Just a little bit of prudent planning can pay huge dividends in terms or enduring a disaster in relative comfort and safety versus panic and anxiety.

The good thing about cold weather disasters is that the natural ones that occur are usually predicted sometime in advance. Blizzards and ice storms rarely sneak up on a community and you will typically have 72 hours (or more) warning time. Man made disasters (such as a terrorist attack on a power system during the winter) are far more unlikely and obviously wouldn't be accompanied by a warning. So, once you hear that the mother of all snowstorms is about to bury your town, you will probably have plenty of time to dust off the old survival kit and make sure you have everything you need.

My disaster kit is broken down into categories. Some of the items are packed in Rubbermaid tubs and simply stored in my workshop. Other items are in the house and are used for other activities (such as sleeping bags.) I keep a notebook which lists all of the items in each category and the number of the items. This helps in planning without having to dig everything out.

Illumination- Living in the dark sucks, living in the cold dark really sucks. Items for illumination not only help you navigate your now dark house and property, they also provide necessary comfort and reassurance, especially for children. I have in my kit-

• Maglite flashlight with spare batteries for each occupant.


• 2 dozen chemlights (glowsticks.)


• 2 disaster candles.


• 500 waterproof matches.


• 1 battery powered camping lantern with spare batteries.

Food and Water- High protein food including some with plenty of fat are best for riding out a winter storm. Remember, we are assuming that the primary source of heat in your house or apartment is not operating and that temperatures inside may easily fall below freezing after 18 to 24 hours. When temperatures fall, your body starts working harder to stay warm and your caloric needs increase dramatically. Also, it is not uncommon for public water to become unsafe to drink because electric pumps may fail at the utility company. It is very easy to become dehydrated in a cold weather situation especially if you are exerting yourself in terms of clearing snow, cutting wood etc. I have in my kit-

• Cases or bottles of drinking water. Assume about a gallon per person per day to be safe. Be sure to rotate and use your stock during the year. In addition, it is a good idea to keep old 1 liter soda bottles and fill them with water as the storm approaches.


• MRE (Meals ready to eat) military surplus entrees, peanut butter crackers and cookies. If you don't want to buy and pack food long-term, have a ready supply of granola bars, trail mix, jerkeys and other foods that won't spoil in a separate box from your primary food supply. Simply use and replenish throughout the year like your spare water.


• A coleman type camping stove which runs on gas along with spare gas bottles. (NEVER use a fuel stove in any confined space due to the deadly effect of CO poisoning. Put it outside and cook in the snow.) Instead of pots and pans, I keep simple tinfoil pans you can buy at the store to cook with, eat out of and dispose of. Hot chow not only tastes great when you are freezing, it also does a lot to boost the spirits of everyone else around you.

Clothing and Warmth- Once the power fails, everyone should immediately put on a warm hat, long underwear etc. The loss of body heat is insidious and gradual so the best prevention is to dress quickly to keep what heat you have. Also, everyone should sleep with hats, mittens and socks on even inside their sleeping bags. Layer multiple comforters or blankets beneath the sleeping area to reduce the loss of heat through the floor if you don't have camping mattresses or pads. Ideally, in cold climates everyone in the house should have their own sleeping bag rated to at least 20 degrees.

First Aid- Being cut off and without power can magnify an injury. Our first aid kit includes the following and is ready for action year round. Be sure to check the dates on all supplies and replace as necessary.-

• 2 bottles of hydrogen peroxide.


• 2 bottles of alcohol.


• Medical tape, gauze pads, band aids and bandages.


• Antibacterial ointment.


• Splints and bandages.


• Medical scissors.


• Scalpel and suture kit.


• Large bottle of ibuprofen


• Syrup of Ipecac.


• Imodium.


• 1 gallon household bleach. Great for disinfecting as well as treating water if things get really bad.


• Special Forces medical handbook or other first aid guide.

House Protection- If the power has been off for awhile and things are not looking very rosy, it is always prudent to shut off your water, open the faucets and any drains to empty your pipes. Broken pipes can be enormously expensive in terms of repair and the water damage it can cause. I keep another tub full of general items that would be helpful in any situation.

• Work gloves.


• Firestarter.


• Hatchet and bow saw with spare blade.


• Spare chainsaw oil.


• Gas wrench for shutting off gas supply.


• 550 Parachute Cord (100') for use with tarps.


• Large Tarps (for patching any broken windows or other storm damage)


• Duct tape. Lots and lots of duct tape.


• Anti-Freeze for filling toilets if you drain your water system. (NOTE- be extremely careful with this because it is appealing and highly poisonous to both children and pets.)

Communications- Having a source of news and information or just plain old music can be a great benefit when you are bored out of your skull and sitting in a cold, dark house. I keep the following in my kit and keep them separate from the household so nobody plays with them or breaks them before we need them-

• A cheap little AM radio with spare batteries.


• A Grundig crank radio (AM, FM and shortwave.) I love my Grundig and it has performed flawlessly for 8 years. The crank obviously eliminates the need for power or batteries and it even has a small emergency light on it. No brainer for only $ 50.00.


• Make sure you can always find your cell phone car charger. We used our snow bound cars as basically giant cell phone chargers during the storm. You can also buy battery based chargers as well.

Heat Sources- We are fortunate to have a fireplace and if you have one too, half the battle has been won. Be sure to have at least a cord of dried, split wood on hand at all times. I have never trusted kerosene type space heaters and can't recommend them. Regardless of your heat source, a battery powered carbon monoxide detector is mandatory ! Even a seemingly well drafted fireplace can kill you and your family. I have begun to look at generators and it seems like money well spent. Although expensive (around $ 2,000 for a portable model) many of these systems push enough power to run the electrical components of a gas furnace and a light or two. Just be sure to run it outside- a man and his daughter tragically died here in Pittsburgh because he ran the generator in his partially closed garage.

Special Items- Everyone has different needs and issues so take a moment to think about what is critical to your safety if you can't get out of your house for a few days. This means-

• Medicines.


• Baby food, diapers etc. Also, be a humanitarian and store plenty to help out somebody else's baby too.


• Feminine hygiene items.


• Special dietary requirements.

Having the Survival Attitude- Attitude is everything and panic can kill. First off, when the power fails, the snow is blowing sideways and the wind is howling like a jet engine, you need to just take a second and focus. The good news is that most modern homes are insulated well enough that it isn't going to get really cold inside for quite awhile so don't make any rash decisions. During our recent storm, the fire department made the rounds picking up people that wanted to go to public shelters and others attempted to hoof it out on their own. Sheltering in place is usually the best decision if you are prepared. Your family is in familiar surroundings, you can take care of your pets and keep an eye on your property.

Never discount the fact that some creeps will use a disaster situation to their own advantage in terms of theft and violence. Which brings us to the final component of my disaster planning- personal protection. I maintain a rather healthy stock of ammunition as well as two assault rifles. As a Buddhist I would never want to shoot anyone and hopefully the mere threat of use would be enough to keep the wolves away from my door. Owning a firearm is a personal decision and I respect those that do not want weapons in their homes. For those that do, I highly recommend training and certification classes as well as child locks.

To summarize-

1. Make a simple plan with your family and buy your items over time. No need to rush out one weekend and spend thousands of dollars.


2. Keep certain items separate from your household items so that when disaster strikes, they are serviceable and ready to go.


3. Keep a list of everything in your kit so that you can inventory your gear once or twice a year, replace broken or outdated items.


4. Make sure everyone in your family knows the location of the kit and inventory list and the use and operation of all items in it.


5. Relax. With a little simple planning you can ride out the most extreme situations imaginable. Your ancestors did just fine over the past couple of thousand years and you can too.

Riding the Storm Out

We were hit with a bad snowstorm over the weekend that dumped about 23 inches of snow in the Pittsburgh area. That was followed up by another 8 inches last night and more on the way today. Living in Pittsburgh, we are used to a couple of good storms per year and both the population and snow removal crews are generally well equipped to deal with the consequences.

Unfortunately, when it snows as hard as it did during the past storm nobody can keep up with the accumulation and follow-on problems such as accidents, power outages and the general inability to get around. In Pittsburgh, we were also witness to the usual pre-storm hysteria that floods the supermarkets with shoppers looking for milk, eggs and toilet paper.

The local paper quotes Dr. P.V. Nickell, local psychiatrist, who attempted to explain the phenomenon as our "primal fears" which are heightened by media coverage. In one of the more ironic statements I've read in awhile, the paper notes that the good doctor was safe and warm in Tampa and must have done a phone interview while essentially calling his fellow Pittsburghers a bunch of pussies.

We lost power on Friday night and did not regain it until late Saturday night. We were grateful it came back on at all since tens of thousands were still without power as of yesterday. Fortunately, we were prepared in advance for the storm and rode it out in relative comfort. Despite the fact that I like to goof on 2012 conspiracies and Armageddon nuts, I do firmly believe in prudent survival planning for anyone living in this country. As the Katrina tragedy showed, waiting for the government to save your butt is akin to having an insurance policy with a bankrupt insurer. While I highly doubt that Planet X, or Nibiru, or whatever the hell they are calling it these days is going to ram into planet Earth, I am pretty confident that we will be impacted by the more mundane, but far more dangerous occurrences such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and blizzards.

Disaster planning is actually pretty simple if you start early enough. The worst time to try to figure out how to survive is when you are smack in the middle of the disaster- sort of like trying to study for a college final 20 minutes before the test. When downed trees, power outages and water advisories hit us over the weekend, we were fully prepared to ride the storm out for up to 14 days if necessary which we knew would be far more than we needed. We were also able to sit out the last minute rush to the stores when the full display of the frightened human animal is shown at its absolute worst- hoarding supplies without concern for others, fighting over scarce resources and being just plain rude. So, I'm going to share some ideas that have worked for me in my own planning and hope to hear some suggestions from others on how they are prepared to care for their families, and others, in a crisis.

Subversives Better Register in South Carolina

In an earlier post, I opined that one of the dumbest acts of legislation in the country was a proposal to regulate the college football bowl process. A recently passed piece of legislation in South Carolina, however, takes win, place and show in the superbowl of boneheaded bureaucracy.

Title 23-29-10 better known as the Subversive Activities Registration Act requires all domestic subversive organizations, and those subject to "foreign control," to register with the Secretary of State's Office or face a fine of $ 25,000 and a jail sentence not to exceed 10 years.

I don't even know where to start with this one.

I can just imagine a group of terrorists holed up in a safe house waiting for their day to overthrow the government. "Pipe bombs- Check. Guns- Check. Ammo- Check. Map of government building- Check. Subversive Activities Registration Act- Dammit Earl, I thought you took care of that last week. Well, yeah we have to wait now plus it's Columbus Day and the Secretary of State's office is closed, shit we're never going to get this revolution off the ground."

One interesting piece of the legislation is that these "organizations" subject to being prosecuted must be comprised of at least two members. Whew, I guess it's still safe for me to go to Hooters in Myrtle Beach.

Spy vs. Spy Inc.

I have to admit, I always enjoy reading about, or watching, Jesse "The Body" Ventura- former Navy SEAL/UDT, Minnesota Governor, Pro Wrestler and Movie Star. I was recently watching his new show "Conspiracy Theory," an amusing hour of paranoia and, well, conspiracy theories which tackles issues like 9/11, the HAARP project and most recently the outsourcing of intelligence work to private contractors. Compared to many of his wilder accusations and theories, this show was pretty well grounded in reality especially regarding a joint private-FBI surveillance program known as InfraGard. I have to admit, as a former Army intelligence analyst I consider myself to be pretty well informed about government programs but this one had eluded me while all the while hiding in plain sight. Much of Jesse's program was built off of an article written about InfraGard by Matthew Rottschild of the Progressive in March 2008 which is a good place to start for background information.

A quick glance at InfraGard's website doesn't reveal anything too frightening and I suppose the entire makes some sense at first glance. The FBI has built a network of over 30,000 private sector individuals in order to provide information regarding threats to critical infrastructure within the U.S. If, for example, an InfraGard member working for a power company became aware of a specific threat which could knock out a power grid, he would have a much easier time passing along the information to the FBI because he was in the InfraGard network and thus had access to communication channels not available to the general public. InfraGard members are vetted through a clearance program (which the FBI stresses does not result in an actual government security clearance) and assigned to local chapters throughout the country.

The worrisome thing about this program is that InfraGard members are provided with information, not available to the general public, in exchange for their assistance. When the relationship changes from one merely scooping up disparate bits of intelligence which require further analysis to a two-way system of sharing and reward the organization has moved closer to an informant based system such as the Stasi in East Germany. The informant is rewarded for his or her cooperation in identifying subversives in their midst which may simply be a co-worker who has different political, cultural or religious views than themselves. Maybe the motive is as simple as jealousy or anger, or a romantic advance that was rebuffed. Think of what could happen to a U.S. citizen who has been identified as a potential threat and had been added to a database. Think no fly list on steroids.

The use of informants to secure totalitarian regimes is as old as history itself. The informant and his or her control officer, enter into a relationship where the informant wants to please his master by providing the information the control officer needs to advance his own needs within the organization in which he works. Information becomes currency in this transaction and favors are granted by the regime in return. Civil liberties are crushed as the informant tries to give the control officer something, anything, to keep the relationship intact.

Another frightening aspect of the InfraGard program is the lack of oversight by Congress. Information which flows through this system is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, the names of members and their organizations is not publicly available and they meet in secret with their FBI counterparts. Although these people are supposedly cleared by the FBI, where do their true loyalties lie ? This system seems ripe for abuse of civil liberties and it is constantly growing in size and power- a shadow intelligence network without public oversight or control operating within the borders of the United States. Felix Dzherzhinsky would be so proud.

New Car Review- 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Last weekend, we finally traded in my Nissan Pathfinder for a new vehicle. The old girl had 147,000 odd miles on it, the exhaust system was falling off and it was doing annoying things like shutting off when I applied the brakes too hard. As if to make the point that it really didn't want to go to the big recycling plant in the sky, it died at the largest intersection between my house and the dealer where we had been looking at cars the week before. After a bit of swearing, pleading and pounding on the steering wheel, it wheezed into the dealer's lot and gracefully expired as it coasted into a parking spot.

After weeks of test drives, visiting dealers and doing some research, we settled on the 2010 VW Jetta TDI (diesel.) I've always had a sneaking love of German cars, born of racing AFX cars in the basement, reading racing magazines and dreaming about flying down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans in a Porsche 917. My first German car, a used 1998 Audi A6, sealed this love affair and also confirmed everything that my engineer father thought of them- "over-engineered and over-priced" he would fume at the dinner table. Being an engineer he just couldn't see any point of designing anything beyond the functionality of an engine, four wheels and a steering wheel. The Audi was like dating a beautiful, tempermental woman. When it worked, it was an absolute blast to drive, luxurious and absolutely bulletproof when driving way beyond the safety limits on a snowy highway. When it bitched and was in a snit, it was horribly expensive to fix, cranky and tempermental. At one point I actually owned two Audis as I re-built a 1991 Quattro V8 which I bought for $ 3,500 cash but that's a story for another day.

Anyways, in the rush to build green vehicles with great gas mileage, Volkswagen has gone back to the future in the TDI. Years of building diesel vehicles (and testing them on the racetrack in Audi's TDI program) has yielded a vehicle that seems to do the impossible- get great gas mileage and yet be fun to drive. Many of the problems that hounded diesels in the past such as engine noise, wet and cold start issues ("don't call me when it's four degrees out" huffed my dad) have been eliminated. The interior is very well appointed, functional and the fit and finish is nice and tight. Turn the switch to the first position, wait a second for the glow plug light to go out and the 4 cylinder diesel rumbles to life.

4 cylinder you say ? No power you think ? Wrong again. Although the engine only generates 140 horsepower, it also pushes nearly 230 pounds of torque to the front wheels. Mash the pedal, wait amount for the turbo to spool up and the beast punches you back into your seat (rumor has it that Audi's new electric sportscar will generate over 1,000 pounds of torque.) This is no breadbox with batteries stuffed into every nook and cranny, it is 3,600 odd pounds of solid German iron that makes me shake my head everytime I see a Prius. Although diesels have never really caught on in the US the way they have in Europe, Volkswagen may have finally come up with the right package of fuel efficiency, power and luxury to make more car owners take a serious look at vehicles like the TDI.

Citizens come to aid of elderly woman jailed for sewage bill.

In the continuing story of Dolores Pennline, an elderly woman jailed for not paying her sewage bill (see previous posts,) the Observer-Reporter reports that donations from across the nation have been coming in to pay her fines. I was happy to see this article as it validates my belief that the majority of persons in this country are hard working, sensible folks who don't need a law degree to know that one of their fellow citizens is getting screwed by the government. In other positive news regarding this matter, Ms. Pennline's attorney is now working on a civil rights appeal and he claims that additional persons who were treated the same way have come forward to be heard. I sincerely hope that those responsible for this travesty are called to account.

Two Great 2012 Websites

In the Pro-2012 we're all gonna fry camp, check out this website authored by a seemingly very nice, pious woman who has singlehandedly managed to tie every 2012 conspiracy theory together into one gigantic apocolyptic stew. If you're lazy and want to get a whole heapin helping of Armageddon on one web site, this is the place to go.

In the Anti-2012 it's all nonesense camp, go to this website which has been a favorite of mine for years. Well written, funny as hell and well documented, the author dismantles current prophecies and those of the past.

Leonard Bernstein ! 2012 and the Eschatological Industry

I was listening to some REM yesterday when I began to wonder why it seems like every time I turn on the television, I am bombarded by end of the world programming- The Nostradamus Effect, Life after People, Lost book of Nostradamus....why not just tune in for a whole week of Armageddon programming as advertised by the History Channel ? Just can't get enough ? It is rumored that a television series based on the recent blockbuster 2012 is being considered as a replacement for Lost. I usually enjoy watching the History Channel, Discovery etc. with the kids because they have some pretty good shows that are a bit more educational than Sponge Bob or Ren and Stimpy- okay, maybe not Ren and Stimpy but you get my point.

Recent programming, however, makes me wonder if blocking both porn and the History Channel might not be a bad idea. My older son (age 9) has been pretty upset about the whole end of the world media blitz that we are being subjected to and he has every right to be so. After all, when you are 9, the prospect of being vaporized before you turn the ripe old age of 12 has to be pretty upsetting. It reminds me of another kid that was always worried about the end of the world- me. When I was my son's age, it wasn't television that pushed the whole end of the world agenda, it was a book "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey that my father read and then rather absentmindedly decided to share with the whole family. Armageddon, nuclear war, revelation all mixed up into a potent cocktail that scared the living hell out of me. (I'm happy to note that my old friend Hal is still making a living peddling his bullshit as evidenced by his rather snazzy website. Despite the fact that he was completely and utterly wrong in his assertion that the world was going tits up in 1981, 2012 has breathed new life into his career from what it looks like.) Seeing my son so upset really pissed me off so I decided it was time to sit down and talk through what he was thinking.

While discussing our imminent demise at the hands of planet X, avenging angels or a return of the Smurfs, I taught my son about Occam's Razor "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" which is a lovely little theory to apply to situations like this. What is more likely- a) The Mayans were able to predict the future and identify the exact date the world is going to end. b) The media has found out that pushing Armageddon sells lots of advertising so they are throwing together programming that supports this conclusion. Congratulations, if you chose "b" you are a rational human being. If you chose "a," please get back to work on your bomb shelter and tinfoil helmet.

What is it in the human mind that just loves predicting our fate ? I think eschatology, prophecy and all of that fun stuff is simply hardwired into our brains. I saw an interesting show the other night on PBS (actually Armageddon free, which was nice) where a scientist noted that we are only species that worries about the future. Zebras, for example, have been observed being attacked by a pride of lions, escaping and then nonchalantly munching grass 5 minutes later a short distance from the lions that chased them in the first place. Unlike the zebras, we constantly worry and obsess about the future- money, our jobs, our families, the economy, the weather, our kids etc. Add a pinch of special effects, a cup of Mayan prophecy that I don't think anyone has actually read, a dash of Nostradamus and the human brain starts accelerating into a brick wall.

Time to throw on the brakes. I think that the prospect of the world ending December 21st, 2012 holds some appeal, especially for those that are living miserable, unfulfilled and unhappy lives. A date certain for destruction somewhat alleviates us of the drudgery of getting up for work, dragging ourselves to our jobs, dealing with the boss and waiting for the next paycheck. What's more scary than December 21st, 2012 ? December 22nd, 2012 when you awake with an Armageddon party induced hangover, stare at the cold December sky and realize that making photocopies of your ass at work the day before probably wasn't the best idea.

"A-ha" you say, "you won't be laughing when you die on December 21st, 2012 !" Guess what cupcake, we are all going to die. I think that the avoidance of the subject of death in modern Western civilization has led to a generation of people that think they are going to live forever. I'm going to die, you're going to die, we're all going to die. "Strive diligently, for all things must pass" were the words of the Buddha and they are as relevant now as they were over 2000 years ago. I don't know if I'm going to kick off on December 21st, 2012...or maybe 2011...hey, I've got good genes I should at least reach 2050 unless I'm a total loser. Car wreck, heart attack, cancer, plane crash, who knows ? All I know is that I'm going to die at some point and I'm fine with that fact. Try meditating on that fact sometime. It makes life even better.

Haiti Relief Efforts

If you would like to help contribute to the relief efforts in Haiti, you may want to consider contacting any of the charities on this list.

On a sidenote, televangelist Pat Robertson has come up with an interesting theory on what caused the earthquake. Discounting boring old plate tectonics, Mr. Robertson now claims (video here) that a satanic pact made by the Haitian people in the past may be the root cause. The supposed pact was made by the Haitians to rid themselves of the French. I guess it sort of begs the question, why any culture would need to resort to satanic intervention to rid themselves of the French army when a few rusty rifles seemed to be all you needed in previous conflicts.

Update on Elderly Woman Jailed over Sewage Bill

In an earlier post in late December (See "Dirty Rotten Fascist Bastards" posted 12/23/2009) I reviewed the story of Darlene Pennline, an elderly widow jailed near me for failing to pay her sewage bill. A recent article in the Washington Observer Reporter relates that her case has been straightened out- sort of. Hopefully, Ms. Pennline will not only benefit from the help and compassion of strangers, she will also pursue a federal civil rights case to right this injustice.

Save the Bats

A recent article in the Burlington Free Press highlights the growing alarm over the catastrophic spread of a fungal infection which is killing bats at an alarming rate. I have been following this story with a sense of growing dread over the past year. In some cases, up to 90 % of some species have been killed either directly, or indirectly, by this illness.

I like bats. During long summer nights in Maine I was fascinated by swarms of bats flying around our front yard, swooping low to catch insects and dipping into the pond for water. Their mixture of aerobatics and night navigation was always fun to watch- as was the effect these animals had on my older sisters who were convinced that their long hair was a natural target for them. I guess I developed compassion for them when they would get inside the house. Instead of harming them, my mom used to catch them in a fishing net and release them back outside. Bats made good neighbors.

I recently took a break from building woodpecker houses and built a bat house for my sister's farm. I'll post some pictures of the construction of it in a few days. Life has gone full circle as the girl who was once terrorized by these creatures now wants a roost for them on her property. If you want more information about bats, how to build a bat house or ongoing research into the white nose syndrome that threatens them, visit Bat Conservation International here.

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Dirty Rotten Fascist Bastards

Few things piss me off more in the world than the abuse and neglect of animals, children and the elderly. It says a great deal about a society how these relatively defenseless beings are protected and watched out for by their fellow citizens. It was with great revulsion, therefore, that I read about a 74 year old woman who resides near me that was jailed over a $ 200.00 sewage bill on her property. The Washington Observer Reporter article about the incident explains how Darlene Pennline, the very definition of a penniless widow, was taken from a distict justice's offices in handcuffs and put in the Washington County jail overnight.

A brief of the case is pretty straightforward. Ms. Pennline and her neighbors have disputed and opposed a change in her town's sewage system that resulted in a quarterly $ 45.00 assessment (i.e. tax) on their properties. After not paying the tax, Ms. Pennline found out the hard way that this assessment, because it was based on the sewage system and therefore a building code issue, resulted in her being dragged in front of a local magistrate. (Side note- for those of you that have followed this blog for some time you know that I hope a special place in hell is reserved for these idiots that are essentially political hacks dressed in judge's garb.) The magistrate, instead of allowing Ms. Pennline time to appeal the sentence or collect the necessary funds, was hauled off to the county Big House.

There are a couple of points to make about this incident. For one, when you read the article you can see that Ms. Pennline's $ 200.00 assessment has magically mushroomed into more that $ 1,300 in fines, fees and "court costs." This once again exposes the magistrate system for what it is- the organized extortion of Pennsylvania's citizenry at the barrel of a gun. That extra $ 1,100 is the money that supports the bloated bureaucracy of the state and pays the magistrate's wages. It is essentially one giant feedback loop that preys upon the weak and defenseless and is built to assure a speedy guilty plea and cash on the barrelhead.

Second, if this is how we treat our elderly citizens, God help us all. Ms. Pennline, again a 74 year old woman, was handcuffed and taken to jail without her medicines. Why was she made to suffer the intense humiliation of being handcuffed ? This is an elderly woman that probably tried to do the right thing her entire life, is scraping by day to day and is now treated like a common criminal. Were the constables (another class of unprofessional mercenaries living off the public dole) afraid she was going to beat their asses ? Or was it because it was just standard operating procedure. Yes, standard procedure which requires unthinking bureaucrats to fulfill their duties for the machine to grind along. How very German. And what happened to this woman in jail ? Was she forced to undergo the "standard procedures" that all prisoners need to endure ? I can only hope that some jailer had the decency and common sense to make this poor woman's stay as painless as possible.

Finally, what really upsets me is that this is Western Pennyslvania. Home of the Whisky Rebellion, of generations of frontiersmen and women that scorned the power of the state and took matters into their own hands. Where is the outcry over this case ? If this had happened 200 or even 100 years ago, I can guarantee that Ms. Pennline's fellow citizens would not be rolling over in pre-Christmas shopping induced apathy. They would have marched on the damn jail and demanded her release.

The liberal application of tar and feathers may sound like a lot of fun but would be frowned on in this day and age. Helping Ms. Pennline with her legal fees, however, is a great way to show some Christmas mercy while simultaneously showing these fascist bastards that all power resides in the people. Ms. Pennline's attorney can be reached at-

Matthew Keranko, Esq.
30 South Main Street Suite 102
Washington, PA 15301 Phone: (724) 225-6780

Bread & Circuses

You should be happy to know that faced with crushing debt, war, swine flu and a myriad of other problems your federal government is considering taking up the most pressing issue of our time- the debate over a college football playoff system.

I kid you not.

College football was one small slice of my life not regulated by the government. Now the feds will not only inspect my turkey, tax my cable television and regulate the standards for my television they will also determine who Penn State plays on New Year's Day.

Bastards.

Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) is responsible for this abomination and I hope the good people of Texas will vote his ass out of office shortly before they declare themselves a Republic. Barton proved the minimal IQ requirements for our elected representatives when he used the analogy of federal oversight of the telecommunications industry to prove his point of the need for federal regulation in college football-

""With telecommunications, you're dealing with AT&T and Verizon and Sprint, and in this case you're dealing with the SEC and the Big 12 and the Pac-10," Barton said. "It's the same basic economic model."

Huh ?

Even as an anarchist I can kind of see the point for some oversight of telecommunications. Telecommunications standards need to be established so that systems can interface with each other across state lines and oversight is needed to make sure that radio and television station signals do not interfere with local communications, with each other etc. But college football ? The article notes that critics say the current system is unfair. Too bad, go form your own Bowl playoff system. Now pass those nachos.

If you want to spend a few minutes reading the legislation, click here. The intent of the bill is-

To prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, the promotion, marketing, and advertising of any post-season NCAA Division I football game as a national championship game unless such game is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system.

Okay, therein lies the twisted logic behind this complete waste of time. Barton argues that you can't call the game "a national championship game" unless it is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system. What about the NFL ? Are the Steelers truly "World Champions ?" I don't remember them playing teams from Europe or Asia last year during the playoffs. Same goes for baseball, which would actually be competitive because there are some very good teams outside of the U.S.

And with every bill, comes more regulation.

Enforcement Authority- A violation of section 3 shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). The Federal Trade Commission shall enforce this Act in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were incorporated into and made a part of this Act.

A final note. Last time I checked, I noticed that the University of Texas is playing for the national championship. Will Mr. Barton lead the charge to invalidate their claim to be national champions if they win ?

Doing the right thing, not the smart thing Update

The story that I noted in an earlier post, that of an British ex-soldier being arrested for apparently doing the right thing (turning in a weapon he found in his back yard) has set off a minor firestorm in the blogosphere and alternate media sources. Although little, if anything, about this case has been picked up by the English establishment media, other sources have recently commented on the case.

Woman loses health benefits over Facebook posts.

A woman in Montreal recently lost her health benefits because of what she posted on her Facebook account according to a recent Associated Press article. Nathalie Blanchard's insurer, Manulife, suspended her sick leave benefits because their own internal investigators uncovered information on Blanchard's Facebook site which showed her apparently having too much fun. Apparently because it appeared that Blanchard's fun meter was pegged out, she was obviously not suffering from depression and, therefore, not eligible for any further sick leave benefits.

This article raises a number of points. First, it further confirms my contention that Facebook is evil and will eventually lead to the collapse of the human race. Second, it confirms what I have read in other articles which is that insurers, law enforcement and government are all trawling social networking sites looking for intelligence. For whatever reason, many people feel a strange urge when the log into Facebook to immediately barf their innermost secrets onto the screen for the world to see. More troubling is how an insurance investigator can make such a subjective call simply based on the photograph of this woman and, for all intensive purposes, diagnose her as being free of depression and therefore eligible for work.

I have suffered from depression for many years and I can show you literally hundreds of pictures of me that appear to show an outwardly happy camper. That is what is so frustrating about depression and trying to explain it to those that have never suffered from it. Appearances can be deceiving to say the least. Beyond that, imagine what other subjective decisions can be made about you from somebody looking at the pictures that you have posted. Too fat ? Must never exercise, raise the health insurance premium. Smoking ? Whoa, better cancel that life insurance policy. Children are all muddy from playing outside..or are they being neglected ? Better call the local police.

We are all on a very slippery slope when life affecting decisions are being made by faceless bureaucrats who are lurking on the Internet. Paging Mr. Orwell...

Meditate, take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

An article from the Telegraph in the UK confirms what adherents of meditation have known for thousands of years- its good for you ! Meditation was found to reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks, lower blood pressure and stress in a study group.

I've been off of my meditation schedule lately and it shows. I'm grumpy, can't focus and prone to unpleasant episodes of lashing out at others. I have found that when I mediate on a daily basis, I feel much more focused, at peace with myself and less prone to anxiety. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it. Even 10 minutes a day can make a big improvement on your outlook on things and there is no need to tie it to Buddhism or any other spiritual belief if you don't want to. Just grab yourself some carpet and get to it.

Doing the right thing is not always the smart thing.

A 27 year old former soldier is facing five years in prison for turning in a weapon to police he found on his property. This story was reported by a local newspaper in Surrey, England.

This article is a prime example of the fascist nature of the modern state. Instead of lauding Mr. Clarke for turning in the weapon and ammunition, which easily could have been found and played with by children, the authorities arrested him on the spot. A quote by the prosecutor should send shivers up the spine of all supposedly free men and women of the U.K.-

"Prosecuting, Brian Stalk, explained to the jury that possession of a firearm was a "strict liability" charge – therefore Mr Clarke's allegedly honest intent was irrelevant.

Just by having the gun in his possession he was guilty of the charge, and has no defence in law against it, he added."

This from the same nation that produced the Magna Carta ? No defence in law ? What about defence in common sense ?

Even looking at the case from thousands of miles away, it is evident that the weapon (a sawn off shotgun) was probably dumped on his property by an individual who had either used the weapon in a crime or feared he was about to be caught with it. For the state, what would have been the better outcome ? Some 10 year old finds it and accidentally blows off his friends head while they were playing with it ?

Reports like this make me very happy that we freed ourselves from the British Empire. Unfortunately, I don't think we are very far behind in terms of bureaucratic incompetence, blind adherence to the law and complete indifference to rational thought.