govtsux

Updates, updates, updates...

2006-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

Been a long time since I've managed to post, so here goes:

I'M FINALLY IN THE FREE STATE!

And I'm lovin' it! Things didn't quite go how I'd planned--I had to sort of wing it on a few things--grabbing opportunities that presented themselves and such. I quit my job at the beginning of June and came up to NH to work at an awesome camp I found online.

I spent the summer working as an athletics counselor and rowing instructor for boys between 10 and 13. I had an absolute blast! The folks who run the camp are awesome--intelligent, interesting, talented, competent, and professional. The other summer staff were really cool--the above goes for them as well. And the boys were just great! I am going to try my best to work with them again next summer.

Now living in Canterbury, NH, way out in the boonies. I don't have cell phone signal (although the Verizon and Cingular subscribers seem to). I'm living on an "estate" with the personal assistant of the woman who owns the estate. My roommate is Allayn, female, 50, and she's cool. First night I was here, I found out she's a big Warren Zevon fan as well. So I broke out my Zevon CDs and we listened to them and drank all night.

The folks here are sort of hippies, which isn't too bad. They're into the organic farming thing, but they aren't doing it as a business, apparently. They've got a nice dog (Nanook) who looks a bit like a miniature polar bear. They've got several cats, and a couple of horses. The view is wonderful, and it's quiet out here.

I'm looking for a job. I've got a temporary job as a security guard for New Hampshire International Speedway. Went to orientation for that job today. That's not a great paying job, and it's only until the 17th or so, but it's something. I've dropped a bunch of resumes off looking for an entry level machinist job. Haven't had any calls yet, but it's still early. There are a lot of jobs up here--I may have to take something else until I can find a machine shop that will take a chance on me.

Had to buy a new computer first thing--my other one died sitting in my car all summer. Just got the net hooked to my 'puter finally tonight--thus the update.

And again: Still Alive

2006-04-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

Been really busy lately. Looks like I may be moving to Exeter, NH in May--perhaps the early part of the month. Talking to a great company about a good job. Looking at apartments--probably look for somone who is looking for a roommate.

I can't wait. I feel like I've been marking time, just spinning my wheels with everything on hold while I've been in Alabama.

Still dealing with stupid crap at work. I don't think I'll be working at any universities any more. Too many folks in positions of authority who are there because they lack the competence to rise above assistant french fry cook in the marketplace.

I end up questioning my sanity and my senses all the time. "They didn't actually say what I thought I heard them say, did they?" "I must be hallucinating--they can't actually be doing that, can they?" "I'm crazy for suspecting someone must be either severely mentally damaged or too stupid to live to think that they would do or say X, right?"

I am convinced that I am capable of handling any customer service oriented job after this place--because it is literally customer service hell--stupid, illiterate, innumerate, and downright insane people, asking stupid, nsane questions, having absolutely no clue where they are, what the problem is, or what exactly it is they want, and asking for the 1)literally impossible; or 2) things above and beyond our current capabilities, without decreasing their prior demands, and most certainly without being willing to pay for the increased demands. Furthermore, they are extremely rude, do not bother to take responsibility for doing their own jobs (such as complaining to us about their not having AC, when they have the purchase order from the contractor who is to repair the system on their desk, and they refuse to sign it), and refuse to follow even basic submission guidelines--e.g. they will call me to ask to speak to my boss, who is out of state. When informed of this, they will refuse to tell me what they need. They will instead call him on his cell phone, and then he will have to drag the nature of the problem out of them, and then call me back to tell me what it is, so I can pass it on to the proper manager. Of course, when they call him, they will also complain that I was unhelpful.

Of course, the one that amuses me is when they call me asking for something that is completely outside out contract--e.g wanting me to dispatch someone to fix something at their private residence, or a piece of precision equipment, or something for which the University contracts with another company (e.g. elevators or pest control). When I explain to them that we do not cover that, they get irritated with me, and "go over my head" by asking to speak to one of the ladies who work for me. Despite my having explained to them that these ladies work for me, and not vice versa, and that, therefore, they cannot overrule my decisions, and despite explaining to them that I am more than happy to pass them on to my boss, the Director, they persist in trying to call the wrong person.

They have been provided with the "Manager On Call" list with all the relevant phone numbers, and yet they will NEVER call the manager on call until they have exhausted EVERY OTHER NUMBER ON THE LIST FIRST! The Campus Police call us to handle animal control--we are neither trained nor equipped for that function, nor is it in our contract. Yet they (who are, of course, the only ones allowed to be armed on campus) will call us at 2 am about someone living next to the woods having seen a snake on the edge of their lawn.

We have faculty members who lock themselves out of their office--no shit--4 days out of every week. The policy is that we do NOT unlock offices (as we don't know who is supposed to have access to any particular place) unless the campus police make the request and have an officer on the spot giving his approval. The procedure if somone is locked out is to first go to the head of their department (each of whom has been issued a master key for all offices belonging to their department). If that's a no-go (incidentally, all the department heads deny ever having been issued these keys, despite having signed for them) the next step is to call the campus police (who refuse to accept responsibility for any keys--the Chief says he can't trust his officers with they keys. But apparantly they can be trusted with guns. More on that later).

The police will then (in theory, if they determine that the inidividual is supposed to have access to that room--in fact, they just approve it without bothering to check) contact us with their approval and let us know when an officer will be there to oversee the granting of access. So every time these faculty members lock themselves out, they immediately call me. And I patiently (externally so, at least) explain to them yet again the proper procedures for getting back into the office they locked themselves out of. Then, rather than calling their department head or the campus police (as I have just explained to them they must do) they will call everyone BUT the folks they are supposed to--seekling to have me overrulled. They will call my boss, they will call the ladies who work for me, they will call the vice president of the university, etc. And then they will finally, after having screwed around for 4 hours trying to work around the system, they will finally call their department head, who will deny ever having heard of any such keys.

Then they will call me again. And I will explain the policy and procedures to them again. And they will call a few more people, then they will finally call the campus police. Who will immediately call me back and ask me to send someone to unlock the door. And I will have to explain to the campus police yet again that they will have to send an officer, and they will screw around and cry and complain, and we'll have to kick it up through a few levels of university administration again, and then it will come back to the Chief, who will tell them to send an officer. By this time, we will have wasted 6 hours going round and round about unlocking a damn door. And the same friggin person will call back tomorrow, and we will go through the same 6 hour song and dance.

On the campus police and their guns. First of all, a story that makes me (tyet again) question my sanity. I spent 2 hours talking to an armed campus police officer, who didn't know the difference between a revolver and an automatic. I thought he was joking when he told me he didn't know which he was carrying (it was a Smith and Wesson .38 Special). He wasn't. I was afraid to ask if he'd ever qualified with it. But he hadn't heard of the 4 basic rules of firearms safety, nor did he have even the foggiest grasp of basic marksmanship (based on my questioning). I gave him a crash course, if only in the feeble hopes that it would slightly reduce my chances of being shot through stupidity on his part. He also didn't know how to wear his vest properly, and he thought it made him impervious to bullets. I explained to him the difference between pistols and rifles (he thought rifles and shotguns were the same, and that pistols were more powerful than rifles--because pistol bullets were bigger around than rifle bullets), and explained the velocity differences and their effects on small caliber pistol-rated vests.

And folks wonder why I develop a twitch when I'm at work.

The ROTC--both students and faculty--bother me as well. I know I shouldn't, but I am inclined to hold them to a higher standard, based on my own experience. One Air Force Captain can't reliably plan her way out of a wet paper bag. This would merely be a problem for some prospective young zoomies, except she is the one who is in charge of all their event planning. So we never know they're having an event until the evening before the event, and inevitably we have to do all the planning for her. Sadly, we pull off a miracle, and this makes her look like she can get things done. So she is considered the "go-to event coordinator." So the system persists.

The ROTC cadets who are just about to be commissioned are helpless. They can't navigate their way across campus during the day without getting lost. It's absolutely true--the most dangerous creature in the universe is a 2LT with a map and a radio. I'm glad I ain't in anymore.

Anyway, enough rants about this place. I'll be leaving soon, and I'll never come back.

Still Alive...

2006-02-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Been a while since I posted. Been busy--moved to another place in Auburn, did all the holiday stuff, been really busy at work. Been sick, might be getting sick again (damn crud keeps goin' round, and I'm not drinking enough whiskey to keep it away).

Still getting backed up on projects. Have about three articles I've been kicking around to finish and publish. One about the need for some real strategic planning in the Libertarian Party, I keep re-writing in an attempt to get the point across without insulting folks.

Still working on making The Ancap Agency a real paying gig--I've been doing too many jobs for no charge. Advertising is a problem for a business based on helping its clients maintain a low profile. Can't really offer references, can't advertise in the normal ways and places. I'm hoping some referrals will kick some business my way, but I'll have to build up a rather large number of clients to generate enough referrals--so it's going to be a while. In the meantime, I need to do some fishing, find a few likely candidates, generate proposals, and sell them on the ideas. We'll see.

Still haven't found any likely jobs in NH. I may have to actually take the time and go up to look around. I'd rather not jump in without having some things set up in advance, but haven't had much like trying to do things by remote.

Anyone knows of a decent paying job for someone with my skills (drop me a line if you don't know what they are) in NH, send me the info. I'd also be interested in an entry-level machinist job, esp. if its an apprenticeship job. I want to add that to my skill set, and I'd eventually like to have my own machine shop (not as a business, but for my own projects).

The Commando's Prayer

2006-02-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

Give me, my God, what you still have;
give me what no one asks for.
I do not ask for wealth, nor success,
nor even health.

People ask you so often, God, for all that,
that you cannot have any left.
Give me, my God, what you still have.
Give me what people refuse to accept from you.
I want insecurity and disquietude;
I want turmoil and brawl.

And if you should give them to me,
my God, once and for all,
let me be sure to have them always,
for I will not always
have the courage to ask for them.

Corporal Zirnheld
Special Air Service
1942

It's Alive!

2005-11-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

I've been without net access for 41 days now. But tonight I have finally reconnected!

I've been having a hell of a time with this damn thing. I lost connections, and couldn't get it back. So I called my ISP tech support. The first time, they tell me it's my modem. So I buy a new modem--no go. The next guy tells me it's my network card, so I buy and install a new one. Again, no go. I've already traded out all the cables, pulled my VOIP phone out of the system, etc. Still no go. The thrid tech support guy tells me it's something with my BIOS, and thus outside of their tech support parameters.

Basically, being the stubborn hack I am, I created a software ugly stick, and waded in banging on things. I believe in percussive maintenance. After I beat the hell out of a few programs (mostly the damn Windows OS) I just tonight got the damn thing working again. Probably because I just intimidated the hell out of the CPU. What the hell--it worked. Like I said, I am a believer in percussive maintenance.

If it don't fit, force it. If it breaks, it needed fixed anyway. Give it a sound thrashing, shout, shout, and shout some more. If hitting it with a hammer doesn't work, get a bigger hammer.

Stuff

2005-10-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Friday I caught Serenity at the theater. Excellent movie--I highly recommend it to all. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't give any details.

Saturday I just spent reading and screwing off. Had to make 2 trips to the bookstore--one in the morning, and another in the afternoon. Finished 3 books, so now I need to go again and get some more. I'm waiting for about 6 different authors to finish books I know are in progress right now--not including the next Harry Potter, the two I'm waiting for L. Neil Smith to release, and about 7 different authors I'm hoping will be releasing new ones soon. Of course, that's just the fiction side--I haven't included the non-fiction side. I admit it, I'm a junkie.

Sunday I spent the range testing out my new scout mount for my K31. The scope mount seems to work pretty well. I'm fine-tuning the scope--I've got the elevation down pretty well at 25 yards, I still need to work on the windage. I'd like to find a 500 yard range to really work on it, but for now I'll probably just have to try to get it as tight as possible at 100 yards. This is the first time I've mounted and adjusted a scope--I've always just used iron sights in the past.

Thursday evening I found a 5 foot snakeskin shed on the threshold of my kitchen. It looks like a blacksnake. The entire skin is in perfect condition--I don't think I've ever seen one so complete. I have been having a problem with mice, and I noticed this weekend the mice don't seem to be in evidence anymore. I haven't seen the snake, but I have seen some evidence that it's still around.

I also noticed that there are a good many spiders around my house. I was going to get some spray, but then I saw that a few of them had some small scorpions in their webs, so I reckon I'll let the spiders stay as well. Between the spiders and the snakes, it seems I'm relatively free of scorpions and mice. Ah, the joy of country living!

Serenity

2005-09-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Just finished the book version of Joss Whedon's "Serenity." That's the movie continuation of his excellent "Firefly" TV series that Fox sabotaged and cancelled in its first season. "Serenity" will be in theaters 30SEP05--I've been waiting to catch it for more than a year now. It was supposed to be opening in April, but due to marketing concerns with the scheduling, it was moved to September.

The book is good. I know the movie is going to be great. I don't want to give any spoilers, but for any "Firefly" fans out there (call us "Browncoats") it's a powerful story.

I dearly hope the movie isn't the end of this series--Joss needs to either continue with another TV series or with a series of movies. I think a TV series would work best, with the nature of the plot.

If anyone out there hasn't seen the series, I recommend you do so at the earliest opportunity. You won't regret it.

Anti-War Rally in Birmingham

2005-09-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just got back from my first Anti-War March and Rally. Lasted from about 2pm to 5pm. Saw lots of interesting people, talked to a couple, and listened to a couple of good speakers and a few good singers. Listened to a good many bad ones as well, but so it goes.

All the reaction seemed to be positive, and there didn't seem to be anyone there to counter-protest or anything. Of course, most of the folks there seemed to be too obsessed with "W"--which gives me the distinct impression that if Clinton or Kerry or someone of their ilk had initiated this war, many of these folks would have been spot on with it. Of course, that may be unfair in many cases, but that is my impression.

Had a pretty good time, and managed to stay fairly separate from the crowd, so I didn't have any problems with too many people around me. Most folks seemed pretty friendly.

The Auburn Campus Libertarians were great--they had some good signs, got a few folks to come along, and had their own table rather than just "riding along" on the state party table. Dick Clark had a good sign: "Make Money, Not War." That was unusual enough to get him some media attention, so we'll see how that comes out.

The state party crew was there, of course, and they seemed to be getting a good number of visitors to their table. It was nice to see them away from the executive committee meetings. Gotta do that more often.

Had a pretty good time overall, so maybe I'll do it again some time.

I was disappointed that I missed the Veterans For Peace and their Anti-Recruiter seminar--I didn't realize they were doing it in the morning. Guess I should have paid more attention--I reckon I might be able to catch up with them later on. I have some ideas, but I want to see what they do already first.

Damnit!

2005-09-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

WTF is it w/Alabama?! I think this place is a jinx on me. Don't get me wrong--Alabama is a pretty nice place, and has a lot of good folks. If I didn't have other plans, I would be perfectly content to live here the rest of my life. But I've burned through more cars since I moved down here than I've had the rest of my life combined. My current one seems to be doing ok, so far.

Anyway, last Saturday I broke my glasses. I was showing a buddy how to cycle the bolt on my K31 (we were at the range, and he was firing it). I was leaned over the breach, cycled the bolt, and the extractor threw the case right into my right lense, cracking it. I just looked at him and said, "That's why you must always wear eye protection at the range." So, with the following Monday being Labor Day, I couldn't get an eye exam until Tuesday. Well, I was due for one anyway. I got the exam, and ordered new glasses--and found out my vision insurance is really just a discount program. Fine--it did save me about $150. I think I'd have been better off just saving the premiums in a "new glasses for Ruff" jar. Anyway, I was in a hurry to get them, so I didn't get them tinted--so the light is going to be painful and I'm going to do a lot of squinting until I get another pair that is tinted. Ok, I needed an untinted pair for night anyway, and I'd just been putting that off for a while. So no biggy. But I did walk around with a weird cross-hair effect in my vision until Thursday afternoon when I got my new ones--because the crack was a sort of "X" in the lense.

Anyway, so I take off from work at 3pm to pick up my glasses Thursday. I drop by, pick 'em up, and managed to drop by the Mises Institute and shoot the breeze with a buddy there for a bit, and pick up a Mises backpack to make onother bugout bag. Then I get home about 5:30, and open the front door. There's a small puddle of water inside the front door, so I'm thinking "Hey, that's not right. There's no pipes around the area, and it hasn't been raining, so how did that water get there?" Being the paranoid MF I am, I of course jump to the conclusion "enemy action." So I draw my pistol and ready to clear the house--and find that the whole floor is covered with water--and it's still running. Sure enough, go to the kitchen and the damn feed water line has broken and is spraying water all over the place.

So anyway, I look for a water cut off for the line. Can't find one. I grab a bucket, and as near as I can tell I'm getting a flow of about 6 gallons a minute, and no telling how long it's been going on. I grab the yellowpages, and can't get a friggin' plumber to come out--it's almost 6pm. I call the water company to shut me off at the meter, and they get here after 7. The guy did show me how to cut the water on and off, and said I'm more than welcome to do it myself in the future. Cool.

So, Friday morning I call in to my boss and tell him what happened. I can't go to work because I've got to get a plumber to come out and fix the damn thing, plus I need to do a lot of cleanup. I've got floorboards coming up in my livingroom, and the carpet in one of the empty bedrooms is soaked. Luckily, the main area flooded has a stone floor, so that's not too much trouble. I did manage to remote my computer at work and get a few things done while I waited for the plumber. So the plumber gets here, sees the mess the plumbing lines under the sink are. He fixes the problem with little trouble. Cost $65--not too bad. Problem is, I don't have but a trickle on cold water, which is a bigger problem. I could deal with no hot water better than no cold. Anyway, I'm going to have to get someone to come out later to look at that problem--and the plumber tells me that's going to be a pretty big issue to figure out. So I'm gonna have to try to contact my out-of-state landlord about that one.

I've also got a circuit breaker that has gone out, which means my lights in the bathroom, kitchen, livingroom and the two empty bedrooms are out. The outlets still work, so I've got lamps in the kitchen, bathroom, and livingroom which works well enough, but is still annoying. I'd replace the breaker myself, but I can't find a master power cutoff, and I already know the house has a ground fault, so I damn sure ain't screwing with it myself. I'm gonna have to get an electrician in on that--maybe the new electrical supervisor at work will come take a look at it for me.

Back on the 16th of August, some young woman ran her '99 Mustang off the road in front of my house and knocked down a big part of the fence around my house. She was apparently ok, and it didn't hit my landlord's non-operational Mercedes (he wishes it did--then he could have gotten insurance money for it). Of course, where she hit the fence was where I normally park--and had my car been there, it would have been totalled. Guess I got lucky on that one.

Katrina didn't hit me--which I'm beginning to think is a miracle, looking at all this other crap. Of course, all this other stuff is just annoying. I think I could deal with it all much better if it was a bonafide crisis--it's this amnnoying shit that really gets me irritated. If I was stuck in New Orleans or something, I'd be good to go--I'm always prepared for emergencies, I've got plenty of guns and ammo, lots of water purification tablets, and stocks of preserved foods and such. I'm calm and collected (if impatient) in an emergency. But this petty annoyance shit is for the birds.

Cripes! I've had trouble with vehicles and plumbing and electrical and glasses before, but never this much (well, I've had this much with glasses before, but nevertheless) and never all at the same time (although, the vehicle is pretty good right now). I'm thinking I need to begin sacrificing small animals and annoying people to some pagan gods or something to prevent further problems. Any suggestions to whom I should dedicate these sacrifices would be appreciated. :)

I've found the woman I love...

2005-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, she's only a character in a book--and only a supporting character at that:

"So, who's this Suzie, that Eddie said we'd meet at the Fortress?...An old flame? An old enemy?"

"Yes."

"Does she owe you a favor too?"

"Not so much a favor; more like a bullet in the back of the head. So...Suzie Shooter. Also known as Shotgun Suzie, also known as Oh God, it's her, run! The only woman ever thrown out of the SAS for unacceptable brutality."

and later...

"Tell me more about this Suzie Shooter we might be running into at the Fortress. She sounds...fascinating."

"Oh, she's all that and more, is Suzie. She tracks down runaway villains like a hunter on the trail of big game. There's nowhere they can hide that she won't go after them, no protection so overwhelming that she won't go charging right in, guns blazing. Not the most subtle of people, Suzie, but definitely one of the most determined. No job ever turned down, no target ever too dangerous, if the price is right. Suzie's been known to use every kind of gun known to man, as well as a few she's had made up specially, but mostly she prefers the pump-action shotgun. You can usually tell where she's been, because it's on fire. And you can track her down by following the kicked-in doors, scattered screaming, and blood splashed up the walls. Her presence can start a fight, or stop one. Hell of a woman."

"Is she likely to be a help, or a hindrance?"

"Hard to tell. Suzie's not the easiest of people to work with, especially if you prefer to bring your quarry back alive. Suzie's a killer. She only became a bounty hunter because it provides her with a mostly legal excuse for shooting lots of people."

We finally meet Suzie:

"Suzie Shooter stood up and snarled at me. She had to be in her late twenties now, and still looked good enough to eat. If you didn't mind a meal that would very definitely bite back. As always, Suzie was dressed in black motorcycle leathers, adorned with steel chains and studs, and two bandoliers of bullets crossing her impressive chest. Knee-length leather boots with steel toe-caps completed the look. Suzie had seen Girl on a Motorcycle and Easy Rider more times than was healthy, and loved every Hell's Angels movie Roger Corman ever made."

"She had a striking face, with a strong bone structure, ending in a determined jaw, and she kept her shoulder-length straw-blond hair back out of her face with a leather headband supposedly fashioned from the hide of the first man she'd killed. When she was twelve. Her eyes were a very dark blue, cold and unwavering, and her tightly pursed mouth rarely relaxed into a smile, except in the midst of mayhem and bloodshed, where she felt most at home. She'd never been known to suffer fools gladly, spent her money as fast as it came in, and in general kicked arse with vim and enthusiasm...Standing there, set against the curling smoke and swaying lights of the corridor, she looked like a Valkyrie from Hell."

"Let me guess," I said, just a little tiredly, "You smashed your way in, demanded they turn your bounty over to you, and when they declined, you declared war. Right?"

"I have serious paper on this guy," said Suzie. "And they were very rude to me."

I looked at Suzie, who shrugged. "All they have to do is hand over my bounty, and I'm out of here."

"If we hand him over, you'll kill him. He came to us for sanctuary."

"The man has a point," I said. "You do tend towards bringing them in dead, rather than alive."

"Less paperwork," said Suzie.

I'm in love :)

Catching up

2005-08-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to catch up on here, but just haven't done it yet.

Got back from the beach, where I spent a week with my family. Had a great time. Didn't do a lot--mostly hung out in the house and read. My parents were there, as were my grandparents, my aunts, one of my uncles, my brother and his girlfriend, a couple of my cousins, and a couple of their friends. Wish Uncle Rick, and my sister, my brother-in-law, and my niece could have been there as well, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Maybe next year.

Back at work now, and things are same as usual. I was invited to apply for a telecommuting job by someone who saw my resume online. I'll take it if they make the offer--I'm sure I can find someone to replace me at my current job, and I'll make myself available for consulting for a while after I leave.

Anyway, not much exciting in this post--just figured I'd give my 2 or 3 readers an update (even tho a couple of them probably already know).

Lightspeed Research

2005-07-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

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Whiskey Rebellion Day

2005-07-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

I intended to post the following on the 16th, but I neglected to do so. In past years I have published this as a letter to the editor in a few papers, but this year I didn't. I did email it around rather widely, and I printed a number of copies on some nice card stock and passed around with small bottles of Jack Daniels--just call me the Whiskey Fairy. :)

Whiskey Rebellion Day --- July 16th

In 1794 the farmers of Western Pennsylvania rose up at the imposition of a tax on whiskey. Moon-shining was the only way to get their produce to market in the East without spoilage. Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, ordered the registration of all stills and imposed a tax of 25% of the value of the whiskey that could be produced by the stills.

The farmers surrounded the plantation of tax collector John Neville and advised him to leave the county. He refused, and ordered his troops to fire, killing Oliver Miller in what was the first shot in the rebellion. The farmers then returned fire. It was only 24 years since King George's troops had fired on Americans in Boston. The next day James McFarlane was killed, having been told Neville's soldiers wished to parley. That ended any hope of peaceful resolution, and the locals burned down Neville's plantation as federal troops aided his escape.

The government responded (as you would expect) with more force. Washington marched on the "rebels" with over 15,000 troops (more than he'd ever managed to field against the British). After a few more months (during which time some of Neville's cohorts were tarred and feathered) the farmers realized they could not withstand the government troops, and faded into the hills. Thomas Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State over the use of military force and Hamilton's unconstitutional abuse of power.

On July 16th, drink a toast to those who knew how to deal with corruption and greed in government, and remember Oliver Miller and James McFarlane, the first two American patriots killed by their own government.

Mike Ruff

Get Rich Quick Idea # 2

2005-07-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one this time: Pinatas made to look like politicians. Hang them in effigy, then beat them until they burst, and get a prize. You could sell Clinton, Kerry and Kennedy and so forth to Republicans, Bush, Reagan, Nixon, and so forth to the Democrats, and some of both to Libertarians.

Make Them realistic enough, and maybe folks will confuse the real politicians for the pinatas, and hang 'em and beat 'em hoping for some candy.

Grateful Slave

2005-07-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Grateful Slave
by Paine's Torch

I am a grateful slave.
My master is a good man.
He gives me food, shelter, work and other things.
All he requires in return is that I obey him.
I am told he has the power to control my life.
I look up to him, and wish that I were so powerful.
My master must understand the world better than I,
because he was chosen by many others for his respected position.
I sometimes complain, but fear I cannot live without his help.
He is a good man.

My master protects my money from theft, before and after he takes half of it.
Before taking his half, he says only he can protect my money.
After taking it, he says it is still mine.
When he spends my money, he says I own the things he has bought.
I don't understand this, but I believe him.
He is a good man.

I need my master for protection, because others would hurt me.
Or, they would take my money and use it for themselves.
My master is better than them:
When my master takes my money, I still own it.
The things he buys are mine.
I cannot sell them, or decide how they are used, but they are mine.
My master tells me so, and I believe him.
He is a good man.

My master provides free education for my children.
He teaches them to respect and obey him and all future masters they will have.
He says they are being taught well; learning things they will need to
know in the future.
I believe him.
He is a good man.

My master cares about other masters, who don't have good slaves.
He makes me contribute to their support.
I don't understand why slaves must work for more than one master, but my master says it is necessary.
I believe him.
He is a good man.

Other slaves ask my master for some of my money.
Since he is good to them as he is to me, he agrees.
This means he must take more of my money; but he says this is good for
me.
I ask my master why it would not be better to let each of us keep our
own money.
He says it is because he knows what is best for each of us.
We believe him.
He is a good man.

My master tells me:
Evil masters in other places are not as good as he; they threaten our
comfortable lifestyle and peace.
So, he sends my children to fight the slaves of evil masters.
I mourn their deaths, but my master says it is necessary.
He gives me medals for their sacrifice, and I believe him.
He is a good man.

Good masters sometimes have to kill evil masters, and their slaves.
This is necessary to preserve our way of life; to show others that our
version of slavery is the best.
I asked my master:
Why do evil masters' slaves have to be killed, along with their evil
master?
He said: "Because they carry out his evil deeds."
"Besides, they could never learn our system; they have been
indoctrinated to believe that only their master is good."
My master knows what is best.
He protects me and my children.
He is a good man.

My master lets me vote for a new master, every few years.
I cannot vote to have no master, but he generously lets me choose
between two candidates he has selected.
I eagerly wait until Election Day, since voting allows me to forget that I am a slave.
Until then, my current master tells me what to do.
I accept this.
It has always been so, and I would not change tradition.
My master is a good man.

At the last election, about half the slaves were allowed to vote.
The other half had broken rules set by the master, or were not thought
by him to be fit.
Those who break the rules should know better than to disobey!
Those not considered fit should gratefully accept the master chosen for
them by others.
It is right, because we have always done it this way.
My master is a good man.

There were two candidates.
One received a majority of the vote - about one-fourth of the slave
population.
I asked why the new master can rule over all the slaves, if he only
received votes from one-fourth of them?
My master said: "Because some wise masters long ago did it that way."
"Besides, you are the slaves; and we are the master."
I did not understand his answer, but I believed him.
My master knows what is best for me.
He is a good man.

Some slaves have evil masters.
They take more than half of their slaves' money and are chosen by only
one-tenth, rather than one-fourth, of their slaves.
My master says they are different from him.
I believe him.
He is a good man.

I asked if I could ever become a master, instead of a slave.
My master said, "Yes, anything is possible."
"But first you must pledge allegiance to your present master, and
promise not to abandon the system that made you a slave."
I am encouraged by this possibility.
My master is a good man.

He tells me slaves are the real masters, because they can vote for their masters.
I do not understand this, but I believe him.
He is a good man; who lives for no other purpose than to make his slaves happy.

I asked if I could be neither a master nor a slave.
My master said, "No, you must be one or the other."
"There are not other choices."
I believe him.
He knows best.
He is a good man.

I asked my master how our system is different, from those evil masters.
He said: "In our system, masters work for the slaves."
No longer confused, I am beginning to accept his logic.
Now I see it!
Slaves are in control of their masters, because they can choose new
masters every few years.
When the masters appear to control the slaves in between elections, it
is all a grand delusion!
In reality, they are carrying out the slaves' desires.
For if this were not so, they would not have been chosen in the last
election.

How clear it is to me now!
I shall never doubt the system again.
My master is a good man.

An Independence Day Message from Your Government

2005-07-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to consider during the upcoming holiday season that the reason we rifle your bags, search your vehicles, tap your phones, read your mail, bug your computers, interrogate your bank, scan your faces, X-ray through your clothes, infiltrate your associations, spy on and censor the Internet, make it impossible to buy a gun, tax the ammunition for guns you somehow are able to buy, disarm pilots and threaten to shoot their planes down if bad guys take control of them, kick the public off of public land, raise your taxes again, spend your social security money on pork, take your money if you don't wear a seat belt, take your money if your child isn't in a restraint, take your money if we think you may have anything to do with drugs, take your money if we just feel like it, take more of your money if you try to get your money back, demand that you get a government ID number at birth (but call it a "social security" number), demand that you get another government ID at age 16 (but call it a "drivers license"), take over the raising of your children, give your children mind-altering drugs in school, make your children wards of the state if you disagree and want to raise them yourself, set up even further "security" measures because we're "at war" and define "war" so it may well never end, kill some of you if you put up too much of a fuss over any of this, and kill a few more of you by accident...

Yes, remember that the reason we, your Government, do all this is so you can spend your 4th of July celebrating your Independence and enjoying your "Unalienable Rights [to] Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

But don't think for a minute that you'll ever again get away with one of
those extremist Declarations.

written by
George Alan Esworthy
North Carolina

Updates, possible ranting...

2005-06-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Just joined Free Talk Live as an AMPlifier. I recommend the show--basically, it's the official radio talk show of the Free State Project, of which I am a member. Please click the links and check them out.

Finally got 50 .284 Winchester brass yesterday to load for my K31. Did 'em up last night. The 7.5mm Swiss brass seems to be available only from the Swedish Norma company. Excellent brass, but at basically $1 FRN each, it's a bit more than I'd like to pay. I'm sure I'll buy more from them, but the .284 Winchester seems to work fine, and is cheaper at approximately 35 cents each. I'm supposed to be getting another 50 brass today, as well as 100 .284 bullets to load in my 7x57mm Mauser.

I picked up the Lee dies for my 7mm Mauser last weekend at a gun show in Montgomery. It was a small show, but pretty decent, and not too far away. It's the first gun show I've been to in Alabama--most of them seem to be held way up in the North end of the state--and I'm not really inclined to drive 4+ hours to get there. I did find a good deal on gun powder--I got my preferred powder (Hodgedons 4350) for $17/lb. I usually buy it locally for $29/lb--so great deal.

For those who don't already know, I die in most of my dreams. And I don't mean I wake up just as I'm about to die--I actually die, then wake up. That old thing about dying for real if you die in your dream is BS. Anyway, as I said, I die in most of my dreams--so often that I rarely remember any details of my dreams anymore. Most of the time, the reason I die in my dreams is because someone else does something stupid that gets me killed. Which explains why I'm always so irritated in the mornings when I wake up.

Anyway, the point of that is to lead into a dream I had just before I woke up yesterday. I didn't die--but I reckon I was working up to it. I don't remember all the details. I know that for some reason, I'd been shot 6 times. Now, that's not the part that really irritates me--I'm not sure why I was shot--it's possible I deserved it. Anyway, there were two things I was worried about in this dream. First, for some reason I remember I was extremely agitated because in the course of the gun fight, someone knocked my mail box off its post. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did in the dream for some reason. But second, and more seriously, I spent a good bit of the dream trying to get to a telephone, because I needed to call in sick to work--I guess having 6 bullet holes in you qualifies as being sick. I don't know why I was so worried about that. I take it as a sign I need to quit this damn job.

Anyway, I've just spent the last 3 hours arguing politics and moral principles and military tactics and such with my roommate/shooting buddy, Prashant, and now we're gonna go hit the evil corporate Walmart and then Golden Corral. Hopefully my brass and bullets will be here when I get back.

Book Tag

2005-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Total Number of Books I Own: Well, having just moved to Alabama in 2004, I had to pare my collection down to the most important 500, give or take a few. But 500 is pretty close—15 shelves with an average of about 25 books per shelf, plus double and triple stacking and odds and sod thrown and shoved in here and there.

Last Book I Bought: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher and Whispering Nickel Idols by Glenn Cook. Both really good fiction. Now I’ll just have to wait a few more years for those two authors to get me my next fix.

Last Book I Read: I just finished the two above not too long back. But I’m currently reading: A collection of the translated works of Sallust; I’m re-reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (always good to re-read); Tainting Evidence (about how the FBI Labs create and destroy evidence); and Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt (I’m examining the possibility of buying copies to give out as gifts).

Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me: I can only name five? That’s a tough one. Well, just off the top of my head…

1. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.
Although the main character is a cop, he’s an old-time “Peace Officer” as opposed to a modern “Law Enforcement Officer.” It’s a story about chasing down a dangerously insane criminal while simultaneously conducting a revolution that is more about protecting people than changing the government. It’s a bit weird, and it probably is better for folks who are fans of Pratchett. The character of Sam Vimes resonates with me more than any of the others, and this story in particular appeals to my cynicism I guess.

2. Pallas by L. Neil Smith.
I recently re-read this book for the umpteenth time. A smart young boy escapes from a UN operated slave labor colony to the free society located on the same asteroid, and realizes his potential as an inventor, businessman, and free individual. I suspect the cause of freedom is lost on Earth—our last, best hope is to get affordable space flight off the ground (thank you Burt Rutan and friends!) and head for the belt and points beyond.

3. Letters From The Earth by Mark Twain.
I can’t get enough of Twain’s work. Sadly, Tom Sawyer and Huck Fin, while good stories themselves, weren’t nearly his best work. This book isn’t recommended for anyone who has no sense of humor about their own religious beliefs.

4. Unintended Consequences by John Ross.
I am a member of the Gun Culture. John Ross seems to be more inclined toward the Republican Liberty Caucus I think, but he gets out a lot of good information in a pretty great story. Honestly, I’m not too hard to sell on certain sorts of story. Kill off some stinkin’ politicians in a principled manner (in accordance with the Zero Aggression Principle) and put across some anarcho-capitalist ideas in a decent manner, and I’m happy. But this is definitely a good story.

5. Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith.
One of the things about this story that appeals to me is the “P’nan Debt Assessor.” As a trained mediator who subscribes to the Zero Aggression Principle, I have an appreciation for the concept. I would enjoy more stories around this character or the concept in general (hint hint if you’re out there Mr. Smith). Speaking of “El Neil”. I am impatiently awaiting Ares and Ceres.

Tag five people and have them do this on their blogs:
I don’t know that many folks with blogs. Most of those I know already have received this booktag. Let’s see…
Cricket
(Although my Mom hasn’t posted anything to her blog yet)

SSDD
I’ll have to add more later.

Get Rich Quick Idea #1

2005-05-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

I often have good business ideas, but inevitably they're for someone else. They aren't usually the sorts of things I'm interested in doing, or that I'd be willing to do the start-up work for. I think I'll start posting them here for others to use--and I'll request only a nominal fee (on the honor system) for their use. I make no guarantees as to their profitability, nor do I guarantee that I am the first to think of them--although, if I get the idea from someone else, I will credit them--so if it's posted here, and not credited to anyone else, it's my own original thought, even if someone else may have actually come up with it before me (you follow?).

So, beginning my numbering with this one, here's the Great Thought of this morning:

Network news is quickly losing its market share, partially (perhaps mostly) due to the Internet an partially due to mere indifference of the public. This idea may buy some extra life for network news, or may be the basis for an internet news program.

Instead of hiring the same old prima donna talking heads with big hair to sit at the studio desk and read the news and make concerned faces and noises at the proper times while sucking down 6-7 figure salaries, hire some gifted readers with good voices to read the news. Yeah, I know, that's just radio. But here's the good idea--get some monkeys, dress them up as anchor-persons, and let them cavort on the studio for the video portion of the broadcast. Now don't get me wrong--don't train them to sit and pretend to read the news (if you do, they'll just start demanding 6-7 figure salaries). And you can't cheat and just run clips and old monkey footage. This has to be live action (or recorded but largely unedited) footage. Just get some monkeys, apes, whatever, put 'em in some suits, and set 'em loose on the news desk set. You could do this with a regular group of monkeys, or you could switch up from time to time--today it's chimps, next week orangutans, the following gibbons or mountain gorillas.

Now here's where we make the real money--every show, you have an interview or guest segment. A politician, bureaucrat, activist, whatever is invited to come on the show. They can make whatever statement they want to, talk the whole time about whatever they want to--and no one will ask them hard questions, interrupt, or confront them with inconvenient facts. But they have to sit on stage with the monkeys, no one will interfere with anything the monkeys do while they are there (i.e. no one will prevent the monkeys from doing things to the guest), the guest cannot harm the monkeys in any way, and the guest may not leave until the time on the segment has expired.

Additional market share could be garnered by providing the monkeys with alcohol, sex toys, weapons, and other potentially useful and amusing items. The producers of the program could also exercise a sort of editorial control by matching the species of monkeys to appropriate guests--small hyper monkeys for guests who are merely annoying, and large mountain gorillas to ass-rape major politicians. Granted, the latter may require some training, so make sure the politician is available for several rehearsals prior to air time.

I'm willing to talk reasonable payment terms: barter, small cash payment, a small percentage of the net, whatever.

REAL ID REBELS

2005-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sunni Maravillosa has taken up the standard against the Real ID Act. Check out her blog established for this purpose.

I can't even begin to describe how bad this National Human Tracking Card is/will be. The fact is, it has little to do with safety and security, and everything to do with controlling the masses. I'm not a religious fanatic--I don't even particualrly consider myself a Christian anymore; but I do have to rethink my positions on the whole "Number of the Beast" thing in Revelations when I see crap like this.

I guess this will serve (for now) as my declaration of intent:

I refuse to be numbered, tagged, stamped, implanted, folded, spindled, mutilated, stapled, painted, tattooed, or otherwise marked as property of any government (be it the US Government or any other) or any other individual besides myself. I will resist any attempts to force me to be so numbered, tagged, tracked, etc. by any means I consider necessary. I do not care what the reason or justification may be, I refuse to comply. I will not accept any form of bribery or other reward for allowing myself to be so tagged, nor will I assist in tagging others. I will do everything in my power to prevent myself being tagged, and will do my utmost to assist others in fighting these government property tags. I am not a number, I am a free man! I am not a citizen, a subject, a "case file," or any other such dehumanizing term for what the government considers its property--I an a free human being, a self-owner, and well-prepared to resist any attempts to enslave me. Anyone who thinks to prove me wrong, you're quite welcome to try--but make sure your affairs are in order before you make the attempt--for you will not have time afterwards to do so.

That awkward phase is quickly coming to an end--if not now, then by May 2008.

I gotta get off my ass...

2005-05-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

I gotta get off my ass and start marketing my services. I really need to quit my job (but I'd prefer to have my income from my business high enough first). I'm really beyond the edge at work at this point. And folks don't seem to realize it. I'm really quiet at work, not because I'm calm, but precisely because I'm pissed. I'm keeping my mouth shut because otherwise I'd start chewing people out left and right.

If I could find a few competent people to staff the office with before I leave, I wouldn't have to feel bad about leaving my boss in the lurch. But I don't know that I'm gonna be able to find anyone competent. Meanwhile, I just keep taking on more and more, which leaves me less and less time to get anything done on the clock. Also, as 95% of the stuff I do is actually part of my subordinates jobs... I'm sure people think I have a problem with delegation, but that's not the case. I'm great at delegation. But if there's no one competent to do the job, and no one is willing to learn, there's not much I can do.

On the financial front, there are some good gold mining stocks I'm investing in. Might be able to make a little money before the crash in 2010-2012. I'll actually probably pull them out a bit before that. But anyway, with the market relatively low, it's good time to buy in--as long as you get out in time, and as long as you pick the right stocks. I'm going for mining stocks (specifically gold and silver and such) as these are the industries that are gearing up for all the increasing investment in gold as a hedge against inflation.

I bought some more bullets for reloading today--it'd be nice to have them before Saturday--they may be here by then. I got .308 FMJ BTs (150 grain) for my K31. I need to find some .310-.312 for my Enfield. I have a lot of primed brass ready to go--I just need the bullets. My reloading bench is squared away--been set up nice for about two or three weeks now, and it works great. I should start loading for my .45 as well. I have all the stuff to load for my .40, but I think I'm gonna sell my .40 S&W pistol. I don't really care for it anymore--just doesn't compare to the 1911--.45 ACP just speaks with such authority! I may continue to load .40, if it's profitable to sell. Guess I'd better start looking for a buyer.

Writing, writing, writing...

2005-04-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Same old idiocy at work--I think I get less tolerant every day. I thought I was supposed to mellow with age. It ain't happenin'. I'm getting closer and closer to quitting and heading for the woods.

Anyway, I'v started on another attempt at fiction--I've thrown out all the old stuff and started again. I've got about 3 different story ideas right now. 2 are ones I might serialize online, the other may be suitable for a short story. Don't expect to finish them any time soon--I really need to do plot and character outlines for them. I'm writing a few particular scenes that I have in my head, but I reckon I'll outline around them before I try to write the whole story.

I really don't think I have the talent for fiction, but I may be able to fake the skill for short stories, as long as I don't run too long or do too many. I'd really prefer to hand the stuff over to a real writer, but until one offers to take 'em over, I'll see what I can do.

All three stories are libertarian/anarcho-capitalist in theme. I can't say they're particularly original themes, but we'll see how it works out.

Words that set off my fits...

2005-04-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

There are some words that kick off my rants against government. I've promised to provide a list of these words, in order that those who are tired of my rants may, with careful avoidance, prevent these rants as much as possible. Basically, I am sensitized to these words, and the mere mention (even when not directed at me) causes me to twitch and foam at the mouth. These words are:

Government

Taxes

Police

Law Enforcement

"War on Drugs"

"War on Terror"

Lawyer

Attorney

Court

Judge

Public School

[Any of the legion of alphabet soup govgoon agencies, such as DEA, FBI, BATFE, etc.]

Gun Control

Democrat

Republican

Green Party

Socialist

Communist

Liberal

Conservative

Constitution

Bill of Rights

[Any politician at the Federal level, with the one and only exception of Ron Paul--and I ain't too sure about him}

President

Senator

Congressman (I call 'em Congress Critters)

[Any Cabinet Department or Secretary'

Iraq

Afghanistan

Columbia

Venezuela

Iran-Contra

Axis of Evil

Coalition of the Willing

Draft

Conscription

[Any state or local level politician, with the possible exception of a few of the Libertarian ones--and not all of them]

Permit

Privilege

License

Well, now that I think of it, perhaps I just need to link to an English Dictionary site, and highlight the few words that ARE safe. I'll see what I can do.

The Wild and Free Pigs of the Okefenokee Swamp

2005-04-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

"The allegory of the WILD pigs has a serious moral lesson. This story is about federal money being used to bait, trap and enslave a once free and independent people. A body of people who fought a 7-year war, The American Revolution, to establish their independence from a tyrannical king"

The Wild and Free Pigs of the Okefenokee Swamp
based on a telling by George Gordon

Some years ago, about 1900, an old trapper from North Dakota hitched up some horses to his Studebaker wagon, packed a few possessions -- especially his traps -- and drove south. Several weeks later he stopped in a small town just north of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.

It was a Saturday morning -- a lazy day -- when he walked into the general store. Sitting around the pot-bellied stove were seven or eight of the town's local citizens.

The traveler spoke. "Gentlemen, could you direct me to the Okefenokee Swamp?"

Some of the oldtimers looked at him like he was crazy.

"You must be a stranger in these parts," they said.

"I am. I'm from North Dakota," said the stranger.

"In the Okefenokee Swamp are thousands of wild hogs." one old man explained.

"A man who goes into the swamp by himself asks to die!"

He lifted up his leg. "I lost half my leg here, to the pigs of the swamp."

Another old fellow said, "Look at the cuts on me; look at my arm bit off!"

"Those pigs have been free since the Revolution, eating snakes and rooting out roots and fending for themselves for over a hundred years. They're wild and they're dangerous. You can't trap them. No man dare go into the swamp by himself."

Every man nodded his head in agreement.

The old trapper said, "Thank you so much for the warning. Now could you direct me to the swamp?"

They said, "Well, yeah, it's due south -- straight down the road."

But they begged the stranger not to go, because they knew he'd meet a terrible fate.

He said, "Sell me ten sacks of corn, and help me load it in the wagon." And they did.

Then the old trapper bid them farewell and drove on down the road. The townsfolk thought they'd never see him again.

Two weeks later the man came back. He pulled up to the general store, got down off the wagon, walked in and bought ten more sacks of corn.

After loading it up he went back down the road toward the swamp.

Two weeks later he returned and again bought ten sacks of corn.

This went on for a month. And then two months, and three.

Every week or two the old trapper would come into town on a Saturday morning, load up ten sacks of corn, and drive off south into the swamp.

The stranger soon became a legend in the little village and the subject of much speculation. People wondered what kind of devil had possessed this man, that he could go into the Okefenokee by himself and not be consumed by the wild and free hogs.

One morning the man came into town as usual. Everyone thought he wanted more corn.

He got off the wagon and went into the store where the usual group of men were gathered around the stove. He took off his gloves.

"Gentlemen," he said, "I need to hire about ten or fifteen wagons. I need twenty or thirty men."

"I have six thousand hogs out in the swamp, penned up, and they're all hungry. I've got to get them to market right away."

"You've WHAT in the swamp?" asked the storekeeper, incredulously.

"I have six thousand hogs penned up. They haven't eaten for two or three days, and they'll starve if I don't get back there to feed and take care of them."

One of the oldtimers said, "You mean you've captured the wild hogs of the Okefenokee?"

"That's right."

"How did you do that? What did you do?" the men urged, breathlessly.

One of them exclaimed, "But I lost my arm!"

"I lost my brother!" cried another.

"I lost my leg to those wild boars!" chimed a third.

The trapper said, "Well, the first week I went in there they were wild all right."

"They hid in the undergrowth and wouldn't come out. I dared not get off the wagon."

"So I spread corn along behind the wagon. Every day I'd spread a sack of corn."

"The old pigs would have nothing to do with it."

"But the younger pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn than it was to root out roots and catch snakes. So the very young began to eat the corn first."

"I did this every day. Pretty soon, even the old pigs decided that it was easier to eat free corn."

"After all, they were all free; they were not penned up. They could run off in any direction they wanted at any time."

"The next thing was to get them used to eating in the same place all the time. So I selected a clearing, and I started putting the corn in the clearing."

"At first they wouldn't come to the clearing. It was too far. It was too open. It was a nuisance to them."

"But the very young decided that it was easier to take the corn in the clearing than it was to root out roots and catch their own snakes. And not long thereafter, the older pigs also decided that it was easier to come to the clearing every day."

"And so the pigs learned to come to the clearing every day to get their free corn."

"They could still subsidize their diet with roots and snakes and whatever else they wanted. After all, they were all free. They could run in any direction at any time. There were no bounds upon them."

"The next step was to get them used to fence posts."

"So I put fence posts all the way around the clearing. I put them in the underbrush so that they wouldn't get suspicious or upset."

"After all, they were just sticks sticking up out of the ground, like the trees and the brush. The corn was there every day. It was easy to walk in between the posts, get the corn, and walk back out."

"This went on for a week or two. Shortly they became very used to walking into the clearing, getting the free corn, and walking back out through the fence posts."

"The next step was to put one rail down at the bottom. I also left a few openings, so that the older, fatter pigs could walk through the openings and the younger pigs could easily jump over just one rail."

"After all, it was no real threat to their freedom or independence. They could always jump over the rail and flee in any direction at any time."

"Now I decided that I wouldn't feed them every day. I began to feed them every other day."

"On the days I didn't feed them the pigs still gathered in the clearing. They squealed, and they grunted, and they begged and pleaded with me to feed them."

"But I only fed them every other day. And I put a second rail around the posts."

"Now the pigs became more and more desperate for food. Because now they were no longer used to going out and digging their own roots and finding their own food. They now needed me. They needed my corn every other day."

"So I trained them that I would feed them every day if they came in through a gate. And I put up a third rail around the fence."

"But it was still no great threat to their freedom, because there were several gates and they could run in and out at will."

"Finally I put up the fourth rail."

"Then I closed all the gates but one, and I fed them very, very well."

"Yesterday I closed the last gate. And today I need you to help me take these pigs to market."

-- end of story --

The price of free corn...maybe our liberty!

"Federal welfare, in its myriad forms, has reduced not only individuals to a state of dependency. State and local governments are also on the fast track to elimination, due to their functions being subverted by the command and control structures of federal "revenue sharing" programs. [Within the story] if you use [the words] federal handouts in place of corn and [the words] people in place of the pigs - how close are the American people to having the final rail put in place?"
"Just say NO to federal corn." The bacon you save may be your own."

Finally!

2005-04-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

My power went out two nights ago--bad thunderstorms for the past couple days and such. Came home from work tonight--still no power. So I hit the bar downtown until midnight--then when I came home: POWER!

It may have been an inconvenience, but I think I've learned something from all this: If you have a problem, and nothing else seems to work, DRINK. When you've had enough to drink, the problem will correct itself.

Well, perhaps the theory needs some more testing.

I sanded down the stock on my K31--not enough to significantly change it--just enough to remove the finish and smooth out the worst of the dings (also used an iron and damp cloth to pull some out before sanding). I just finished putting the second coat of dark walnut stain on it--I'm hoping the beach will take the stain well. I'll probably be reassembling the rifle and taking it shooting tomorrow (today, actually) provided I can pick up some ammo. I really have to get some reloading equipment for it. I did win an auction--480 rounds of 7.5mm Swiss will be on its way as soon as the seller contacts me with payment instructions. Looks like $179 + shipping--not too bad a deal from what I've seen.

Random Pithy Quote

2005-03-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

Don't worry if you don't know what eschatology is; it's not the end of the world.

Ripped off from http://thefifthimperium.com/

Been a while...

2005-03-27T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, It's been a while since I sat down and did any writing. I did manage to get an article done for Liberty For All--something I've been meaning to do for more than a year now. Guess I'm lucky writing doesn't pay my bills--because if it did, it wouldn't. I don't care if you don't find that amusing--I do.

I'll have to compile the list of words that set off my rants--if I do sit down to do it, it'll set me off. Reckon I fill up this blog then.

My damn car broke down week before last. I swear Alabama is a jinx on vehicles for me. I've gone thru three vehicles in the past year. Now I've got to look for another one. My damn timing belt broke on my 1992 Honda Accord, and the garage wants $3500 to fix it. And the damn car was doing so well until it broke--I put 12000 miles on it since October when I got it. Well, gotta be on the look out for another--two more, actually. I need a spare if one breaks down. Something in the $1,000 range. If I spend more than that, the damn thing will break on me anyway, but I'll just get screwed on the deal.

Well, even though I'm supposed to be looking for a vehicle, I made an impulse buy yesterday. I picked up a Swiss K31 Rifle. I'm in love. It looks unusual--it has a straight pull bolt, rather than the turned bolt I usually prefer. I picked up 30 rounds for this baby and took it to the range--it's an unusual caliber, 7.5mm Swiss. It's a little fatter case than 8mm Mauser, and seems to have a little more recoil. Might be my imagination, but that's how it seemed to me. I haven't looked up the ballistics info on the round yet--gotta do that. I did find the manuals for the rifle online, and that ammo is a little hard to come by. Guess I'll have to find some reloading equipment & components for this caliber too.

I did pick up a load kit from Lee Precision for my 7.62X54R, even though ammo is still fairly cheap for that caliber. .303 British is getting a little harder to find, and more expensive, so I've been loading that caliber myself now. I'm out of powder though, so even though I have sized, polished, and primed more brass, I'll have to get a vehicle soon so I can get to the guns store and buy powder so I can do some more shooting.

I have been doing pretty well at reaching my goal of an average of 100 rounds per week at the range--although I should really be doing that in both my .45 and at least one of my battle rifles. If I can get a good source of ammo for my K31, and depending on the ballistics, it may replace my beloved Enfield as my primary battle rifle--even though the magazine for the K31 only holds 6 rounds as compared to the Enfield's 10.

Of course, I ought to convert to the standard Liberty Battle Rifle Cartridge--.308, but I haven't been particularly impressed with any .308 rifles. A G-3 of some sort may be ok--something like the CETME, but I'm troubled by the reports I've heard of extraction problems, and I did see one at the range that was mangling the brass pretty badly.

I reckon I'll be ok as long as I cache plenty of ammo in my preferred calibers, and components and such, and perhaps a few extra reloading kits--Lee's classic set is small (about the size of a paperback book) and cheap ($20 plus shipping) as well as very reliable and well made.

Mises Lecture II

2005-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Took the day off again today and went to a lecture at the Mises Institute. Today's topic was: "What the Government Doesn't Want You to Know About Tobacco." Can't say I was especially interested in the topic, but as before, it brought up a lot of interesting information and discussion. It wasn't a "Pro-Tobacco" or even an "Anti-Tobacco" talk--it was just the facts. I'm not sure if anyone there were smokers--most seemd not. But it was interesting. We didn't range as widely in our discussion as last time, but it was interesting to see the ways in which the anti-smoking nazis in the government used the same tactics they do in every other area--fudge or outright fake the statistics, lie about the numbers, deny, accuse, lie, lie, lie, instill irrational fear, lie some more.

The Auburn University Libertarians threw their first event of the year tonight. Actually, Wednesday and Thursday they ran an OPH Booth (Operation Politically Homeless) and then tonight they had Dick Clark (the president of the Auburn Libertarians until he graduated last semester) speak on "An Introduction to Libertarianism." He did pretty well, although I think he was a bit nervous. I thought I could have made a couple of the points more clear, but maybe not. After he was done, I helped answer a few questions, but there were a couple of folks who didn't seem to take what I said well. Of course, there were a couple who did. Can't satisfy everyone.

I was a bit disappointed in one veteran just back from Iraq. He just seemed determined to not get my point, and more importantly, to be determined to take offense at what I said--to the point of (unconsciously, I'm sure) editing what I said to mean what he expected to hear from an anti-war group. I of course feel a connection with the vets, but they don't seem to be able to make the connection themselves. Of course, that's to be expected by and large, but it doesn't stop mne from feeling a sense of failure. Probably too many people around--if I can get 'em one on one, it seems to work better. Maybe it's because we both have to skirt around too much when there are civilians around and between.

Anyway, overall the day was pretty damn good.

Mises Lecture

2005-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Took the day off from work today, to attend a seminar at the Mises Institute. The Seminar was titled "Does Alabama Need More Taxes." The answer, obviously, was "No." But the discussion was great, and the topics we covered were many. Dr. Mark Thornton, the speaker, made some very interesting points. He compared Alabama to its neighboring states, thus making the comparison a regional one, rather than comparing it to basically meaningless national averages. His argument was that the surrounding states have a similar population, similar economies, and so forth, making a comparison more meaningful.

Alabama's Government, it turns out, has a higher revenue stream per capita than any of the surrounding states. It also spends more per capita, to generally less effect. One of the biggest spending items is education, and I think we all know how well that works (i.e. it doesn't). So we got into a big discussion about education issues, the consensus being that there needs to be separation of school and state.

It's so nice to be able to spend time with intelligent and educated folks.

Happy New Year

2005-01-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Just got back from visiting the family for the holidays--had a blast. The whole crew was there: My brother and his sort of perhaps fiance (we hope) Maria, My sister, her husband Barry, and their daughter Mackenzie, as well as my parents and myself. We had a good time, exchanged Christmas gifts (we all got good loot) and shot off fireworks for New Years. Ate good food, watched good TV (Black Adder, Thin Blue Line, Good bye Lenin, Keeping Up Appearances, etc.) read good books, had good conversations, etc.

PGP Public Key

2005-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Here's my new Public Key for PGP. I highly recommend the program for encryption--if anyone knows of one which is: 1) More Secure 2) Easier To Use or knows that there is some problem with PGP (for example, if PGP has given the No Such Agency a back door) please let me know.

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: PGP 8.1 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com

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Epitaph

2004-12-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

Epitaph for the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae

Go tell the Spartans,
Passerby,
That here, obedient to their laws,
We lie.

-- Simonides

If you haven't heard of the Battle of Thermopylae, you don't know near enough history--it's only one of the most famous battles in history. King Leonidas of Sparta and 300 Spartan Soldiers (along with perhaps 2,000 assorted other Greeks) held the pass of Thermopolye against the invading Persian Army under Xerxes of (according to some estimates) as many as 1 Million for 3 days.

Another Poem

2004-12-24T13:43:00.000-08:00

Arithmetic on the Frontier

A great and glorious thing it is
To learn, for seven years or so,
The Lord knows what of that and this,
Ere reckoned fit to face the foe --
The flying bullet down the Pass,
That whistles clear: "All flesh is grass."

Three hundred pounds per annum spent
On making brain and body meeter
For all the murderous intent
Comprised in "villanous saltpetre!"
And after -- ask the Yusufzaies
What comes of all our 'ologies.

A scrimmage in a Border Station --
A canter down some dark defile --
Two thousand pounds of education
Drops to a ten-rupee jezail --
The Crammer's boast, the Squadron's pride,
Shot like a rabbit in a ride!

No proposition Euclid wrote,
No formulae the text-books know,
Will turn the bullet from your coat,
Or ward the tulwar's downward blow
Strike hard who cares -- shoot straight who can --
The odds are on the cheaper man.

One sword-knot stolen from the camp
Will pay for all the school expenses
Of any Kurrum Valley scamp
Who knows no word of moods and tenses,
But, being blessed with perfect sight,
Picks off our messmates left and right.

With home-bred hordes the hillsides teem,
The troopships bring us one by one,
At vast expense of time and steam,
To slay Afridis where they run.
The "captives of our bow and spear"
Are cheap, alas! as we are dear.

-- Rudyard Kipling

For any who don't understand the context of this poem, Kipling was writing about the British involvement in Afghanistan--the Pass he refers in the first stanza is the Khyber Pass. Iraq seems to be getting all the attention, but believe me, we're still filling the body bags with American kids in Afghanistan. So much for learning from History--the last person to conquer and hold Afghanistan was Alexander the Great, and he didn't hold it long, or conquer it easy.

Poem

2004-12-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

The Veteran
May 1916

We came upon him sitting in the sun,
Blinded by war, and left. And past the fence
There came young soldiers from the Hand and Flower,
Asking advice of his experience.

And he said this, and that, and told them tales,
And all the nightmares of each empty head
Blew into air; then, hearing us beside,
"Poor chaps, how'd they know what it's like?"
he said.

And we stood there, and watched him as he sat,
Turning his sockets where they went away,
Until it came to one of us to ask
"And you're -- how old?"
"Nineteen, the third of May."

-- Margaret Postgate Cole

The Various Wars of the US Government

2004-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

OK folks, you'll hear it from me time and time again, but here it is, be it for the first time or the million-something time: The various wars (yes, that's plural) the US Government is involved in are wrong, stupid, self-defeating, evil, etc.

Now keep in mind, I am a 10 year veteran of the Army. I have travelled to exotic places, met new and interesting people from strange societies, and killed them. I'm past the draft age, even if they did draft prior service; I have no children to be drafted; and even if they did start calling back prior service, I'm fat and wouldn't pass the physical anymore, so I'm pretty far down on the list. So the draft holds no fears for my own hide, nor that of my nonexistent children.

But the US Government currently has combat operations under way in something like 150 countries. Iraq is the only one really in the news these days, but keep in mind we're still taking casualties in Afghanistan, we're taking them in Columbia, we're taking them in Korea (about 30 - 40 per year) and so on. Columbia has been going on (this latest time, anyway) since the 1980s, Korea since 1953, etc.

The US Government is running short of manpower for all these wars. Even with stop-loss, they have been unable to make the numbers they need. And they don't seem to be interested in cutting off any of these many wars--even to focus more on the others. And they damn sure haven't stopped making enemies.

So, as I've been saying for two or three years now, the Draft is coming. And it won't be long now.

Talk all you want to about foreign policy, non-proliferation, terrorism, oil prices, etc. Complain all you like about idealism and isolationism and so forth.

I've got one thing to say to you:

"KIDS IN FUCKIN' BODY-BAGS!"

That's what it's all about, people. Kids are coming home in body-bags. And for what? How many of your kids will you kill to arrest Sadam Hussein? How many for Chemical Ali? How many for Osama bin Laden? How many for those nameless "insurgents" in Iraq? How many for those nameless militia members in Afghanistan? How many of your children are you willing to kill so that poor Columbian farmers have a slightly tougher time growing coca plants? How many teenagers are you willing to blow up? How many college-aged kids are you willing to gut with a bayonet? How many newly-graduated high school seniors are you willing to shoot in the head? How many childrens' throats are you willing to slit?

I know your teenager frustrates you, and you say you'd like to strangle them sometimes--how would you like to do it for real? You can dress them and their friends up in camoflage after they graduate high school, and take them camping. Then you set up camp at night, and put a few of them on watch, while the rest sleep. Then, at about 2AM, you and the rest of the kids parents can sneak up behind the ones on guard duty, and kill them as quietly as possible--so that you can catch the others in their sleeping bags. Some wire, a few knives, and your bare hands. Stab them in the kidneys, slash their throats, garrot them, snap their necks, etc.

Better yet--tell 'em all you're gonna do it. Tell 'em they all have to go, but you're only gonna kill some of them. They won't know who; they won't know how; they won't know when. And tell 'em that some of them, you're gonna just maim. Maybe you'll blow the high school quarterback's leg off with a mine. You'll leave the chearleader's face scarred for life with an explosion. You'll shoot the baseball player's arm off with a .50 cal, you'll paralyze the soccer player, and you'll give the chess team massive head wounds and brain damage.

Tell Billy he'd better get laid before he goes--because you're gonna shoot his balls off, and he'll never get a chance again. Tell Susie she'd better freeze those eggs and set up a surrogate mother, because you're gonna shoot her low in the abdomen, and she'll never be able to carry a child of her own. Tell the guitarist you're gonna shoot his hand, and he'll never have full use of his fingers again. Tell the painter you're going to blind her. Tell the composer that an explosion is gonna leave him deaf--and hey, what is he cryin' about? Beethoven was deaf too, damnit--quit bein' a pussy!

But wait--it gets better! Tell 'em you'll give some of them weapons. Of course, the weapons they will get are made by the lowest bidder, and aren't that reliable, and only some of them will get them, and even those who do won't necessarily get ammunition. And tell 'em your gonna turn 'em into killers, whether they want to be or not. Hey kid, either you kill that foreign kid, or he's gonna kill you!

And when they come back, just think how great it will be! The ones who actually come back, anyway. And so long as they can still live on their own, and won't have to spend the rest of their lives in a hospital, and having someone else wipe their ass and give them sponge-baths. They'll be killers--some of them. And they won't take little shit like walking through doors, and going out to the store, and going out to eat for granted anymore. Because they'll be looking for ambushes, even if only unconsciously. They'll damn sure not walk on your grass anymore--there could be mines under it.

They might not sleep much, because of the dreams, and because they don't have someone they can trust to stand watch. They might have to get up and walk the perimeter several times a night. They might get confused from time to time about when and where they are. They might not be much on hanging out with the group anymore. They might have little nervous tics and habits, like never sitting with their back to a door, being a bit jumpy around sudden and/or loud noises, and just generally not liking surprises anymore.

They won't have an easy time finding a job--not too many places want to hire someone who doesn't have any experience or skills from the last few years but killing, tank-gunning, mine-sweeping, and so forth. And with all those skills, they'll just fit right in at college, trying to get a piece of paper that'll get them hired, won't they? And when they show up to the interview, and are seated with their back to the door, and they keep looking back over their shoulder, doesn't that make a good impression?

And of course, they won't be much fun at parties. They'll either be wound too tight to drink, or they'll drink too much and get mean. Of course, it'll take 'em a few times to catch on that when they go to these parties, and folks ask them what it was like, that they should just say something non-comittal and move on. Because no one wants to hear what it was really like to stab the sentry and ease them quietly to the ground only to find they were a teenage girl. No one wants to hear what it's like trying to push your friends intestines back into his gut while you scream for a medic. And no one wants to hear about the time you were so strung out from going without sleep and food and being afraid all the time and were clearing some buildings, and ended up shooting a child who just came around the corner too fast with a stick in his hand.

Yep. Hope that's how you want your (surviving) children to be--'cause that's how they will be. If you don't want them to turn out that way, what are you gonna do to stop it?

Happy Holidays

2004-11-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Just got back last night from driving 500 miles to my parents place for Thanksgiving Dinner. Great time had by all, as usual--got to see my brother and his girlfriend, some friends of the family and such. Only was there for two days, but that's the way it goes.

I don't like the distance, which requires a lot of scheduling difficulties to visit, but the drive itself isn't too bad. The only place traffic is ever bad on the trip is around Atlanta. So the trip isn't too bad--I work my way thru my cd collection, and think up things to be pissed off about. And business ideas and such too. And wrestle with philosophical problems. Good, quality thinking time.

Mom told us to write out Christmas lists like she does every year. Mine are usually pretty short, so I add in unusual things just to flesh it out a bit: A steam powered catapult and a 6 month supply of cats. A flunky, a toady, and a brace of henchmen. and so on. This year I didn't do that--I guess I got sidetracked before I could do it. Or perhaps the small notepad was to blame. Always blame the equipment, never the operator.

So here's my Christmas list:

* .45 ACP ammunition--I prefer 230 grain full metal jacket ball ammo for target shooting--my preferred carry ammo is Hornady Custom 230 grain jacketed hollowpoint +P

* .303 British ammunition--my preferred rifle is the No. 4 Mark I Lee-Enfield. I love bolt-action rifles, and have actually been reprimanded for rapid firing at some ranges--I can fire 10 rounds in about 6 seconds with that baby. Of course, accuracy goes to hell, but most rounds fired in combat are suppressive fire anyway. If I keep his head down, I can take my time to make the next round count.

* Jack Daniels--I talk about drinking, and think about drinking, a hell of a lot more than I actually drink. I still have a decanter half-full of Jack that I've had for a year. But I bought another bottle here in Alabamastan recently, and it was no-shit $32! For those who are unaware, any alcohol purchased outside of Alabamastan and transported into Alabamastan is considered bootleg alcohol, and thus illegal. I always wanted to be a bootlegger! I've been listening to "The Ballad of Thunder Road" and any other song I can find regarding bootlegging. One of my favorite Muppet Show episodes is the one with Peter Sellers--at the end they sing "Cigarettes and Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women." Anyway, my already half-consumed Jack Daniels was bootleg whiskey as soon as I moved it to Alabamastan, as was the Irish Whiskey my youngest cousin bought for me for last Christmas (Well, I expect her Mom or Dad actually bought it, as she's not legal yet), and my collection of red wines is bootleg as well. For that matter, I believe the same law applies to tobacco, so the Prince Albert in a can I brought with me (I'll smoke a pipe about once every 4 months or so) is bootleg as well. Anyway, I'm hoping my relatives will become my accomplices in my bootlegging activities, by purchasing the whiskey for me as a gift. There: I've confessed to bootlegging, conspiracy to bootleg, and misprision of either felony or misdemeanor, depending on how the gov-goons interpret it.

* Bushmills--the aforementioned Irish Whiskey. Basically the best Irish Whiskey there is, followed closely by Jamesons (which is also quite acceptable). I usually don't drink it straight--I use it to make Irish Coffee. Bushmills is the oldest continuously operating legal Irish Whiskey Distillery. I've heard it's possible to get the absolute best bottles only by touring the distillery--so I'm hoping I can get a relative to take a vaction to Ireland some day and bring me back a bottle of their best. Shouldn't be too hard. I can't do it, because I refuse to fly until I'm allowed to carry my life preserver (aka my pistol) and the Irish and Brits aren't civilized about letting free men carry the tools of self-defense.

* the final item on the list, gift certificates to Books-A-Million or Amazon.com or other book suppliers. I have a wish list on Amazon, but it hasn't been thinned out (it runs to pages in double digits). I may have already purchased items on it, or read them in ebook format, or borrowed them from the library or some such. Usually I list a few titles on the list I am particularly interested in, but this year I didn't--I wrote the list in something of a hurry.

So my list is a weird one. You oughtta see the rest of the family's lists. My father's includes "A Shrubbery." I've always suspected him of living a secret life--it turns out he's a Knight of Ni. Not really all that surprising, now that I think about it. I asked if he'd also like us to cut down the tallest tree in the forest with a herring. I think that's for next year's list. My brother's is pretty much the same as it always is--basically "Find me some old moth-eaten army stuff. If it's got bullet holes in it, even better." He also wants some new boxer shorts. The sicko once mentioned he'd like to make himself a pair of burlap underwear. I suspect he's done it--and probably wears it too.

I haven't seen any lists from my sister's family yet--I'll probably have to stop by and ask (they're only about 250 miles away). My neice (Mackenzie--everyone else calls her "Kenzie"--I call her "Mack" and my sister often calls her "Mac-and-cheese.") will be three in March. So I guess I'll have to get her something age-appropriate: whiskey bottles with sippy-cup tops (nipples are for babies), small-caliber pistols (her arms aren't long enough for rifles yet, and bolt-actions require a bit more manual dexterity than the average three-year-old posesses) I'm thinking perhaps a revolver, as automatics may be a bit intricate for a toddler, and some of the small parts may present a choke hazard during field-stripping. I'm not sure if her strength is up to the level of pulling back the slide on an automatic either. Those small hands just don't quite have the leverage.

Unless I get married and have (or adopt or in some other way acquire) children of my own, I reckon I'll have to content myself with corrupting neices and nephews and cousins and such. Better lay in a good supply of whiskey and ammo now--don't want to be caught short when the little tykes are around. Shot glasses are just about right for little hands. Perhaps I ought to start buying some of those little Derringers I'm always seeing at the gun stores. I've always thought them a bit feminine myself, but I guess they're just right for small hands. Not any good for protection unless you're worried about attacks by rodents, small birds, or snakes I reckon. But probably would be good for developing the hand-eye coordination and good shooting habits before growing into larger calibers.

Don't worry--I won't start the little rugrats on explosives until they're 8 or so. you gotta be careful running triplines with tension-release-detonation. It also helps if they've learned some basic electronics and can handle a soldering iron before getting into that stuff. It's not critical, but it helps to know WHY you can improvise the detonation trigger out of a lantern battery, a clothes pin, a plastic spoon, and 10 inches of electrical wire. Knowing how will get you through most of the time, but knowing why can help you figure things out when you need to make substitutions in the recipe. You have to know what the eggs do in a cake before you know if you can substitute something else for them--just as you have to know that the plastic spoon is an insulator (i.e. not an electrical conductor) keeping the two halves of the circuit separated until removed by the pulling of the trip wire, before you can know that any other decent non-conducting material will do--the spoon is just easily acquired (they come in MRE packets) and is a shape that works pretty well for its purpose in the system. Of course, the clothes pin and the spoon are both unnecessary if you have a long enough piece of insulated wire, but I think they are less prone to failures, as the tension of the clothes pin assures a good transfer of current thru the circuit.

I won't teach them to actually MAKE the explosives until they are much older--teenagers are prone to accidentally spilling and breaking things, which is not good when you're trying to manufacture homemade explosives. Composition 4 is much safer for children--it actually requires an electrical charge or high-pressure to explode--and thus can be safely dropped or bumped or whatever. I've actually cooked on C-4--you can light it and cook over the flame, so long as you don't do it in an enclosed space--the fumes are pretty nasty.

Well, have I dropped enough in this post to give the Echelon and Carnivore geeks apoplexy yet? If not, here goes:

Improvised Tactical Nuclear Devices are for advanced students only. I can give a rough-sketch idea of their construction, but I don't have the fissionable material, nor the math skills necessary to design the intricate series of shaped charges necessary to compress the atomic core into a critical mass and thus jump-start the detonation. Trial and error is not a good way to learn this, I think. And these should never be used by children. "No! Bad kid! Don't play with nuclear weapons without adult supervision!"

Ranting, Emergencies, and hatred of phones

2004-11-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

Define the term "Emergency." If I ask you if something is an emergency, what would you take that to mean?

We had no power at work. The main transformer caught fire. We have 2 electricians and 2 helpers for the entire campus. The electrical grid across campus is antiquated and in bad repair--everything is falling apart. Every time we make an electrical repair, the increased load on the rest of the system causes something else to blow.

The same goes for water systems, gas lines, HVAC systems, etc. I would be willing to bet that 60% of the roofs on campus need replaced entirely. We have 2 plumbers. We have 3 HVAC workers, only one of which is actually completely qualified. We have 2 carpenters. We have 1 locksmith.

So when it's raining, the transformers short out, and we lose power. This kicks off all the HVAC systems, which means the HVAC techs have to go around and turn off all the HVAC systems with 3 phase motors, otherwise all the motors and condensors and such burn out when power returns to the system. Probably 85% of the roofs across campus leak when it rains, not to mention all the backed up drains and such. Furthermore, anytime anyone moves a vehicle across the ground--be it a fire truck, a bucket-truck, a delivery vehicle, or whatever, we get broken gas and water lines.

So, in the middle of a particularly bad rainstorm, when we've just had the fire department there to put out the fire on the main transformer, and we don't have any electricity on campus, and all over the place buildings are flooding, sewers are backing up, and so forth, if you call me with a maintenance request (and if I'm answering the phones, that means that the phones are ringing off the hook and/or we're running really short on personnel) and I ask you if it's an emergency--what sort of work request had it better be if you say "Yes it is."? I'm thinking life safety issues, followed by items which could cause serious and permanent damage to the University.

Not roof leaks that have been there for (no shit) 20 years or more--why did you place your computer under that leak anyway, if you have known it was there for 20 years?

Not telling me your power is out--I know it's out, because if it's out where you are, I'm sitting in the dark too. And don't ask me when it will be back on--it will be when we can get it done. We don't want to sit in the dark either. We didn't turn the power off ourselves, and we didn't schedule the power outage. You've been having these power outages every time it rains for at least 10 years. My company has been here for 10 months, and you've given us half a mil to do $500 Million+ worth of necessary repairs. We've got 2 electricians, which is what you allowed us to hire--neither of which is actually certified or fully qualified--but those are the two you gave us when we came in. Please don't act surprised and shocked after 10 years or more of this shit, when we don't immediately restore power to the entire campus.

And you had definitely not, after telling me this is an emergency, under these conditions, and being yourself a University Staff Member, proceed to give me a long list of shit like missing peepholes, closet doors off track, keys you would like copied for closet doors, and other plainly NON-FUCKING-EMERGENCY-SHIT-LIKE-THIS! I swear by all the gods ever conceived that I WILL GO POSTAL. I WILL GO COMPLETELY APE SHIT.

I have NO PATIENCE in Emergency situations. NONE. Fucking Ti-Ti. Any other time I will be perfectly reasonable with you--even if I don't like you. But in a bonafide emergency I do not have time to play silly-buggers. I am not a nice person; I do not like people. I am amazing in an emergency--otherwise I wouldn't be here. I was not brought to Alabamastan for my sparkling personality or my fashion sense or my ability to engage in the pseudo-intellectual circle-jerk of PC buzz-word spouting. I'm here because people recognized that I get shit done, and can improvise, adapt, and generally kludge shit together as needed. I'm doing this in the office because that's where I'm needed. I'm not a computer whiz, but I can make the computer do what we need done, and I am one of the few office-pukes you'll meet who understands the office is there to support the folks who do the real work--not to obstruct and delay and give certain folks an air-conditioned seat in which to get swivel-chair spread. I was brought here because shit is falling apart all the time, and there are an average of 5 low-grade emergencies every day, at least 2 mid-level emergencies every week, and every 3 weeks or so there is a major emergency just on the edge of actual life endangerment for someone.

Anytime the folks at work decide they care more about playing games, spouting pc-buzzwords, and preserving feelings than they do about fixing problems and protecting lives and property, all they gotta do is tell me, and I'll leave with a smile. Until that time, either lead, follow, or get the fuck outta my way. And don't waste my friggin' time. I have places already picked out to hide the bodies if necessary.

I don't like people.

2004-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

I don't like people. Oh, I like many individuals just fine, but people in general annoy me. The more time I spend alone, the more I dislike the telephone, groups of people, public places, etc. Perhaps I just need to drink more.

Perhaps a step closer?

2004-11-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have perfected the use of my home computer in remotely controlling my work computer. Hopefully having demonstrated this, I am one step closer to convincing my boss that he doesn't need me on site--and I could work just as well from home, plus no one would have to see my ugly mug around the office, or listen to me rant, or worry that I might go postal.

Of course, I haven't given up on convincing folks at work they don't need me at all. If I can spin off enough of the job to others, I'll try to convince them to let me take a pay cut and work from home. It'd be worth it to take half my current salary if I could work from home 100% of the job.

Which would be one step closer to heaven--opening a bar somewhere, in which I sit by the fire, drinking Jack Daniels and reading all day long. A quiet bar, with just enough customers to keep me in business, but not so many that I make enough money to attract the attention of the government goons. A small, quiet, intelligent, appreciative bunch of customers, who will mix their own drinks and deposit their money in the till. If I am especially careful in setting up, and get the right location, I can have everything delivered, and I won't even need to own a car. And if I live in the Bar, I can cut my expenses even further--thus needing fewer customers.

Nothing ambitious--no advertising, quiet music, loud enough to understand the lyrics and enjoy; not so loud as to make normal conversation difficult. Comfortable lighting--not bright, not a cave. Comfortable chairs--not hard stools. A stage for occasional musicians--acoustic or otherwise, depending upon my mood. A nice big fireplace at one end. Plenty of book shelves. Irish Coffee, Jack Daniels, and an enclosed grill pad outside for those warm summer nights. Grilling steaks, playing Ray Charles, drinking Jack Daniels, and looking at the stars.

Raining on Parades

2004-11-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I'm not all doom and gloom. I'm just drawn that way.

I don't intend to do it, but almost every time anyone mentions anything related to government, politics, news, etc. I tend to reply with a rant, essentially saying "No matter how bad you think it is, it's really much worse." The problem is, it's true. Things ARE worse than people know, and ARE going to get much worse.

So what should I talk about?

Sports: Don't follow them. I'm not a spectator by nature, and the only sports I'm interested in participating in are generally solitary efforts.

TV: I don't watch much, and no network shows.

Movies: I'm into a few of them, mostly comedies and the Firefly movie coming out in April of 2005 is at the top of my must see list, but that pretty much exhausts that topic for me.

Music: Well, I don't know any of the new stuff--I listen to classic rock, blues, and a mix of assorted other stuff most people aren't interested in. The new stuff all sounds the same, and all the "artists" pretty much look the same to me.

Books: Well I read all the time! But wait--no one else reads. So I guess that topic is out.

Religion: Well, I can talk about this, but generally it just pisses everyone off--religious types and athiests alike.

Philosophy: Another one I'm good at. Of course, no one else is, or cares.

History: Yet again--I know the topic, no one else does, apart from spouting off whichever myths they've been indoctrinated with in the government schools.

Education: I'm against government schools. Everyone else thinks they're a great idea, and has no interests in facts proving them destructive to the youth of America, and thus our future. So another no go.

The military/war: I was in for 10 years. I know what I'm talking about. If anyone cares enough to bring up the subject, they end up either 1) scared of me and or 2) looking at me like I'm psychotic, not to mention sometimes 3) physically ill and determined to avoid me from then on.

Art: I'm not an artist, but I know what I like. 99% of what is called "Art" is crap. Fuck Monet--his shit should all be burned. This is not a popular topic for people once they get to know me.

Social Justice: This is just a euphemism for politics, so no go.

Economics: I actually know how to do math, and don't take what the government pseudo-economists say as gospel, so I'm not very popular in this topic. I am an Austrian when it comes to economics--and if you don't know what that is, you aren't interested in talking economics with me anyway. If you do know what that is, you're either 1) an Austrian yourself, so we agree and don't have much to discuss; or 2) a non-Austrian Economist, and your greatest efforts will be directed towards drowing me out with your own pseudo-scientific, mystical babblings.

Love/Romance/Sex: I'm a fighter, not a lover. I'm a pretty plain vanilla sort of guy when it comes to love and/or sex. I don't have any particularly unusual fetishes, apart from an attraction to assertive, intelligent, independent, and competent women. I'm too old, too tired, and too proud to spend my spare time out trying to bed anything that moves. Sex is great, but I've found the only women any good at it are the ones I have noted my attraction to above. Cheerleaders piss me off, models look plastic, and women without brains have the same effect on me as fingernails across a chalk board. As far as who everyone else is sleeping with and what they are into, I'm not interested. Call it solipsistic, ego-centric, self-centered, whatever, if you aren't sleeping with me, your sexual interests, partners, practices, fetishes, predilictions, pecadillos, equipment sizes and/or attributes, etc. etc, don't count anyway. My history in these matters is between me and those who were involved with them in the past, and not for discussion with anyone else. Call me unromantic. Fine--I'll even agree. I don't care. So much for that topic.

Drugs: My preferences are for caffeine, a little alcohol, and upon very rare occaisions, perhaps a little tobacco. Anyone else can do whatever the hell they please--the "War on Drugs" has killed more people than drugs have. Topic done.

Foreign Affairs/Policy: See politics and military. End of topic.

Someone try me out on some new topics, please.

Election Aftermath

2004-11-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

"Few men desire liberty. Most merely hope for a kind master." --Sallust

I've said it for years--most people in the world, especially Americans, would be more than happy to accept slavery, so long as you don't actually use the word. Call it "Universal Employment" or "Life-long security" or some such, and you can sell them on every jot and tittle of the substance--just avoid the bad word "Slavery."

Some folks call 'em "Sheeple." And perhaps they're right. Most people do seem to act like sheep. They don't fight the wolves, even in self defence. They don't even keep running from the wolves. When a wolf chases sheep, the sheep run until one is caught; then they all turn and watch until the wolf is done with the victim. I guess they hope the wolf won't be hungry anymore.

America was a frontier once. Those days are past. It seems that Liberty only exists on the frontier--once the frontier is gone, so is Liberty. The only Liberty remaining on Earth is what is to be had in cyberspace. There seems to be a genetic flaw in humans--when life gets too easy, when there are too many of us around, when we don't have enough real threats around, we go insane, and destroy Liberty.

I can think of only one solution: Space. We've got to get the hell off this planet. Earth has to be just a place to be from. Earth will be the slum of the solar system in short time, if we can get the hell off. We've had the technology since the 1970s--fuck NASA. NASA exists to keep us all OUT of space--to keep us all at the bottom of the gravity and tax-slavery well. And we don't have to colonize the Moon or Mars--although they will be colonized someday. The key is the Belt--the Asteroids. Enough wealth to make everyone on Earth as wealthy as Bill Gates (relatively speaking), plus easy to turn into a personalized planet.

If I ever get out there, I'm opening a bar/bookstore on my asteroid. I reckon it'll actually be a general store of sorts. And all who are independent and honest are welcome. Government Agents of any sort are unwelcome--but I repeat myself.

The meek shall inherit the Earth (a plot, 6ft by 4ft by 6ft). As for me, I'm headed for the stars first chance I get. And I cant wait to shake the Earth-dust from my feet.

Initial Post

2004-11-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, lemme give this thing a try. I reckon I'll just introduce myself a bit--just in case someone surfs in here by accident. It's generally considered unsporting to not post "Beware of Dog" signs and such, so consider this fair warning.

My name is Mike Ruff, I'm 32, male, 6 foot, gray eyes that change to various shades of blue and green for no apparant reason, about 230 lbs, and I shave my blond hair off because I have no patience with it. I joined the Army at 17, I've lived in every state on the East Coast of the US plus a few others, I've traveled around a good bit of the world, and I just moved to Alabama from North Carolina in March of 2004. I read voraciously, and actually go through withdrawal symptoms if I haven't read a book in the past 16 hours. I've got an A.A. degree from a community college, a Doctor of Divinity thru mail order, and a little more than 240 credit hours towards a B.A. in Philosophy, History, Classical Studies, Literature, and so forth. I did my freshman year in college in Augsburg, Germany, about a year after finishing active duty in the US Army and doing a few other things in between.

After I came back to the States, I was in the Nasty Guard until I finally came to my senses in 1998. The only thing I was ever really good at was being a soldier. I knew that I was going to be a soldier from the time I was about 8 years old, and spent a lot of my childhood preparing myself for that life. I miss the life all the time--but I realized that I could not be true to my oath and remain in the US Army at the same time--more on that later.

These days I make my living as on office manager, which provides me with 1) plenty of frustration (without which I would probably curl up an die from lack of opposition) ; 2) plenty of horror stories for anyone who complains about how bad they have it; and 3) plenty of amusement at the expense of less intelligent and educated life-forms--i.e. university faculty and administration, college seniors who aren't literate, etc. Hey--it's either laugh or cry. "The world is a tragedy to those who feel, and a comedy to those who think." I think that was Oscar Wilde, but I don't remember.

Anyway, to shorten this already long story, I'm a Libertarian/Anarcho-capitalist. I'll explain that later. But I'm basically an anti-government gun-nut (I carry The Pistol. In the beginning there was the 1911, and it was good. And God said: "Thou shalt not hang all manner of foul implements on this good product of my disciple, John Moses Browning, lest it malfunction in thy hour of need."). In addition, I believe everyone owns their own body and life, and therefore interfering in the decisions of consenting adults with regards to their choices in sexual partners, recreational pharmacology, life-styles, and so forth is wrong. The principle is the "Zero-Aggression Principle" or "ZAP." More on this later.

More on everything later. I'm going to see whether the Communist or the Fascist won this stupid damn election for President of the US. The only decent human up for election might pull 1% if he's lucky (i.e. Michael Badnarik).