Paintin' Nasty Pictures...

Since it's the last day of the year, I'm going to try my hand at painting a picture for us. (As you can see, I ain't that good a painter! LOL- 7th grade was the pits!)

I'm going to shift some of the blame on this to Wizard and M.D. Creekmore, since they helped dredge up some thoughts from the twisted paranoia side of my character.

But just think of it: our esteemed Uncle Sugar is going through some convoluted thinking these days. (No doubt spurred on by a lot of science fiction stories, he's getting a bit uppity for his own good.) So if my thinking is convoluted, too, I'll just blame him. (Good thinking, James!)

Wiz's comment last week had a link pertaining to the 'FEMA' camps based around the country. Hypothetically, to help people in times of need such as the Katrina fiasco. Or are they for helping? The camps are built along the lines of WW2 concentration/detention centers. Barbed wire, concertina, guard towers, 'barracks' style buildings, locked entries and hush-hush construction for the most part.

(Of course, Uncle has to realise that as secretive as he tries to be on his home turf, there is someone just as adept- hopefully- at finding things hidden and of inquisitive enough mind to ask questions, then post something somewhere to show others.)

I'd run into a similar site a while back that had a couple more installations listed (wish I'd kept the site link) than Wiz's did, but the point is the same: Uncle is planning something he probably shouldn't be and it does not bode well for Mr. and Mrs. General Public or their off-spring.

Now for some paranoid Q&A...

There is tons and tons of speculation about what's going to happen during the coming year, especially since the Dark Lord has ascended to power. We know people are going to lose jobs, businesses are going to close, people are going to become homeless, hungry and more than pist off. No, I'm not blaming the Dark Lord for this, but I will say he isn't going to help the situation any if he implements the issues he spoke of during his campaign. We're bankrupt enough as a government and population and his lofty plans sure won't help alleviate anything. Perhaps when the Welfare Sheeple awaken there will be riots and worse on the streets of America- perhaps it's about time for them?- and those living in PrepperLand will need their stores.

Of course, we live in different areas, some hidden in the bush, some the desert, some in rural farmland, some hiding in cities hoping to escape when the time comes. The one place many of us live is on the 'Web'.

A related story concerning how Uncle is utilising foreign peoples to monitor web traffic, even some domestic spying to ferret out 'terrorists', has been making the rounds for quite some time. Uncle Sugar is combing websites, message boards, blogs, IMs and E-Mail in his unending quest for... Bible Thumpers, Constitutionalists, Second Amendment Rights supporters, Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) supporters, secessionist advocates, survivalists... need I go on or is the picture coming thru? These kind of people are what Uncle wants to classify as 'terrorist'. And once he designates these people, what does he decide to do with them? In what way are many of these people detrimental to good and proper government, to the tenets of our Constitution?

Which brings us to M.D. Creekmore's place at the table.

M.D. advocates small shelter living- motor home, camper-trailer, pickup camper, etc. And his ideas are sound. Others advocate a stay-in-place shelter, commune, urban retreat or 'lost in the wilds' unknown fortification, and their ideas are sound. It's just that being different kinds of people we attack problems from different perspectives and bank accounts.

Common denominator between all is: Uncle Sugar knows who we are. Whether it be J.W.R. or M.D.C. or me, there is no way for any to hide from the all-seeing Eye in the Sky. I doubt any who Uncle deems 'enemy of the state' is safe anywhere in the world- even if he isn't smart enough to capture Bin Laden, there's no place for us to hide.

Now, combine Uncle's penchant for doing the exact opposite of the right thing and the fact that there are too many who are willing to sacrifice any and all to enhance their power and bank accounts, what do you think is going to happen to these 'rabble rousers' of the internet and elsewhere? (Don't think just 'cuz you don't blog 'he' doesn't know who you are!)

My point after all this rambling is pretty basic: don't count on being in a good, solid (or not so solid) BOL as being protection from much more than the starving horde and Zombie bikers. Uncle is going to be coming for any and all who don't toe his line. Count on it.

I'd love to say that being able to grab a BOB and bug into the wilds will solve the problem, but I can't and it won't. The vast majority who grab a BOB and think they can survive in the bush are deluding themselves. Maybe one in two million can do it. Maybe. If they can survive the hunger and elements, their life will be made more miserable by the hunters- the dogs Uncle puts on their track. There is going to be no escape. Period. (You didn't think those 20,000 troops were brought home to pacify the pacifists, did you? And there are more to come for the same reason.)

Every person who does not fit the definition of 'socially compliant' is going to be incarcerated or dead. Perhaps both. Yes, both, I think. Uncle can't allow a dissenting voice to live.

No matter how you look at it, 2009 is going to be the beginning of a very interesting year.

(Putting on a BIG grin here and taking off the tinfoil cover. How's that for paranoia? LOL- I love letting my imagination get away from me. Sometimes.)

Oh- the picture: painted in 1960 art class. I do a little better now, but it was what got me interested in painting.

Happy New Year, All. God bless, keep your powder dry and your BOB ready.

Bless God, Happy New Year, Everyone!

Shy

Whatcha Think?

Sometimes there are things that go bump in the night. Other times, there are things you just know are wrong. Whatcha think?

December 17, 2008

Mike Sunnucks, writing for the Phoenix Business Journal, reports that Arizona state and local police “say they have broad plans to deal with social unrest, including trouble resulting from economic distress. The security and police agencies declined to give specifics, but said they would employ existing and generalized emergency responses to civil unrest that arises for any reason.”

The Phoenix Police Department told the newspaper it has a Tactical Response Unit that trains “continually and has deployed on many occasions for any potential civil unrest issue,” according to Phoenix Police spokesman Andy Hill. Scottsdale Police spokesman Mark Clark said his department has similar plans “in place for such civil unrest.”

The Phoenix Business Journal notes Clark, Hill and other local police officials said the region did plenty of planning and emergency management training for the Super Bowl in February in Glendale. The training at the Super Bowl included personnel and resources from the Department of Homeland Security and the Northern Command, which coordinated with Arizona officials.

As Infowars and Prison Planet have documented, Northern Command is specifically tasked with implementing martial law under Continuity of Government. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 voided restrictions placed on the military to support civilian administration by the Posse Comitatus Act, the latter restricting the military from working with local law enforcement. In addition to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, a 1994 U.S. Defense Department Directive (DODD 3025) allows military commanders to take emergency actions in domestic situations.

A recent report by the U.S. Army War College discusses the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used in the event of civil unrest due to the economic crisis, “such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks,” according to the Phoenix Business Journal.

On December 16, Steve Watson and Paul Watson detailed the U.S. Army War College report, entitled Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development.

“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” writes [Ret.] Lt. Col. Nathan Freir for the U.S. Army War College. “Deliberate employment of weapons of mass destruction or other catastrophic capabilities, unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters are all paths to disruptive domestic shock.”

In other words, any organized political response to the engineered bankster economic crisis will be considered “resistance or insurgency” and will be dealt with by the military and militarized local law enforcement, the former trained to kill people and break things.

On December 16, the International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned of economic riots and widespread civil unrest if the financial crisis is not addressed.

Last month Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, predicted a depression of a magnitude worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s, tax rebellions, and possibly a popular revolution against the government. On December 15, Paul Joseph Watson reported Celente updating his prediction by stating “that America will see riots similar to those currently ongoing in Greece and that the cause will be a hyper-inflationary depression, leading to the inevitable use of troops and mercenaries to deal with the crisis as Americans are incarcerated in internment camps.”

The fact that a corporate media newspaper such as the Phoenix Business Journal is now telling us police are trained with the assistance of Northcom and the Department of Homeland Security to respond to civil unrest spawned by economic unrest should be a wake-up call to all Americans that the government is planning to institute martial law.

No doubt, in the weeks to come, the corporate media will increase the drumbeat of the possibility of civil unrest and violence related to the bankster engineered economic crisis designed to usher in a global currency and an all-encompassing global government.

(Since I'm 'plagiarising' I'm going to go a bit farther....)

"...I hear the sound of distant drums...far away, far away...and if they call, then I must go..."

(Gentleman Jim Reeves, 'Distant Drums')

The original article is here: Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

God bless-

Shy

Three Dog Night

The next fool who spouts off about global warming in my presence is going to get stripped and chained to the maple in my front yard for the world to see. And I sure as hell hope it's lard-ass Algorey.

It's 1930hrs and the damn thermometer's already reading 17 below, on its way to 30+ below and fifty-plus wind chills. Not that it's unusual for those kind of temps in Minnesota, but it's a bit early. Not that anything about weather has been 'normal' or 'average' this year. Below average winter last year- way longer than norm- and lower than average temps all summer. I think the AC was one once, twice at the most and then only due to humidity readings. This fall was colder than average every day.

Now, rather than over-saturate us with global warming shit, they're switching to climate changes. Like- DUH: climate changes every day.

I have a sleeping bag filled with six pounds of down that's really warm on cold nights- in a tent, anyway. Haven't tried it sleeping on the ground yet, hope I never have to- but the way things are looking in this country nowadays, I may get that opportunity. Also have a military cotton duck cover for it that, according to my illustrious Uncle, adds ten degrees more warmth to the bag. Hopefully he's right. (Nope, ain't trying it out tonight, thank you!)

Also, the tent is a four season tent that's had a bit of snow-cover for insulation upon occasion. Spent a honeymoon in '96 in the BWCA and the temps dropped to twenty below that year, too. But then, it was January 12th and we expected it. (I wonder...did that honeymoon on the frozen tundra have anything to do with the Big D? Hmmm..)

Sorels are some of the best cold weather footwear available. Didn't have them when we were kids, though. In those days we wore boots with overboots and lots of sox. Will Steger swears by the Mukluks his wife makes up in Ely- and they sure look warm, though utilising the same liners Sorels use. Some day when I'm feeling rich and the Sorels wear out...

Having a pair of 'choppers' with wool liners really keep the hands warm, too. But I prefer leather gloves with a nice fur lining. Usually it's rabbit, and warm. Not as warm as the choppers, but good enough and easy to work in compared to the mitts. If I'm doing work that doesn't require dexterity of fingers, or just skiing or walking around, the choppers get used cuz they're great for that.

A pair of long-jons under jeans or wool pants and a snow-suit over those, or a heavy insulated work cover-alls, and a person can spend a day on the ice and not get cold.

Down jackets are nice to look at, for sure, but not nice on the wallet. The only one I've ever owned is still in use after 30+ years, but it isn't my only jacket and I sure don't wear it on cold-cold days. Then I grab the parka- if I'm going to be fairly sedentary. Otherwise, the fiberfill cotton-twill shelled jacket fits the bill. I don't like 'coats' because they're so long, can't get into pant pockets easily and seem to get in the way more than anything. But I like my coat, too. Just for those reasons: it's long and covers the backside when parking on a log and keeps snow out of the pockets, as well as twigs and seeds.

To be perfectly honest, I rather like cold weather. Not the kind we're getting tonight, but temps in the above zero range. Not too cold to be outside, fairly easy to dress warmly for without becoming the Michelin Man. Sunny days on the ice fishing or wandering through the woods is kind of fun. The dog likes them, anyway.

Anyway, I have a plan for the really cold night I'm sure no manufacturer of firearms ever took into consideration. At least, not the modern new-fangled plastic ones.

One of my brother-in-laws (or is it 'brothers-in-law'? never could keep that grammatical shit straight) recently bought an XD45: nice, smooth and black with a steel upper and plastic lower. Of course, being the skeptic I am, I had to ask if he thought it'd survive being shot in below zero weather. Too, I hadda follow suit and bought a playmate for the all steel Smith. Tonight, that plastic gun is going to sleep outside and in the morning when I wake, I'm going to see how strong that plastic is. I wonder if I'll be able to get a new one. Honestly, I do expect something to happen soon as it goes BANG!- and I hope I'm not eating a slide when it does.

Tonight, though- gonna be a long one. "Three dog night," as the old-timers say. The single ones, anyway. I doubt any wife would let three dogs into the bed...

Okay: bad joke. Sorry (shakin' head as I write it).

Sleep well tonight, Folks- it may be the last good night sleep for a long time.

Bless God-

Shy

Foolishness Time

UGH! Preppin's taking some wind outta all our sails, I think. Pressure may be getting to us, so here's a little fun for the day. Stole this off Brigid's site- golly, hope she doesn't mind. (If she does, I'll hold out my hand and she can slap it. Umm, my hand? HA!) Anyway, have fun.

The meme going around. 100 things I've done. (Well, maybe.)

1. Started your own blog. (Ummmm...no? LOL! Good question, tho.)
2. Slept under the stars. (Yes, and it's coming again soon!)
3. Played in a band. (Yes.)
4. Visited Hawaii. (Don't go to no island I can't swim to shore from.)
5. Watched a meteor shower. (Yes, Leonid showers quite often.)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (Not more than I can afford, but been on both ends, so thank all who do.)
7. Been to Disneyland. (And people go there because.....?)
8. Climbed a mountain. (Yes, and still am crazy.)
9. Held a praying mantis. (I think it's actually spelled 'prEying mantis', but no.)
10. Sang a solo. (Sang as part of group for a while...wanna know why I ain't with them now?)
11. Bungee jumped. (Tie WUT to my WUT? You NUTS?)
12. Visited Paris. (Yes, in a more civilized world.)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (Nope- but was over one once.)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Scratching is an art form.)
15. Adopted a child. (Tried to, wife wasn't willing.)
16. Had food poisoning. (Yes, and got a free day off work for it.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables. (Very popular at home: grow whatcha eat.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train. (All the way to Kentucky.)
21. Had a pillow fight. (How about pie tins? Works for me.)
22. Hitch hiked. (All over the world- but it was a more sane place those days.)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (You never know how good a free day is til you lie to get one!)
24. Built a snow fort. (I was a kid growin' up in MN..and your response is...?)
25. Held a lamb. (Held my new-born son, if that counts.)
26. Gone skinny dipping. (OOOOlala, yes...:-P )
27. Run a Marathon. (Puff-puf-pant-pant.)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice. (Don't get in any boat unless I'm the pilot.)
29. Seen a total eclipse. (Yes, about thrice.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Numerous times for both. Best time of the day.) 31. Hit a home run. (Damn third-baseman is GOOD!)
32. Been on a cruise. (Cruisin' the drag must count.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. (Not in person, see no reason to, either)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (Yes, France.)
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Yes, hadda learn Kraut in self-defense.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Money don't satisfy but it can sure make you think you are. Yes.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. (Don't stand under no leaning buildings.)
39. Gone rock climbing. (Yes- used to love it.)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke. (Yes- but was told the mic was off.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (Yes.)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant. (Yes.)
44. Visited Africa. (Define 'Africa'...does Egypt count?)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. (MMMMMMMMMMMMM :-P )
46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Yes, once- don't want a repeat.)
47. Had your portrait painted. (How about 'painting with light'? AKA 'photography'.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing. (Yes, visiting friends in Houston took me out.)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. (Yes, Jacques Cousteau was my tenth grade hero in 1962.)
52. Kissed in the rain. (Never been kissed in sunshine, either. :( )
53. Played in the mud. (Dang Army- taught me to enjoy being a pig in mud!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (First movie ever seen was Elvis in Love Me Tender at drive in; worked security for drive in also.)
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. (Define 'start': does it rhyme with 'help'?)
58. Taken a martial arts class. (Took and taught.)
59. Visited Russia. (Only if I was a prisoner.)
60. Served at a soup kitchen. (Yes, a fave holiday experience. Been on both sides of the line.)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies. (No, but sold Brownies in the Boy Scouts.)
62. Gone whale watching. (There'd be a reason for this?)
63. Got flowers for no reason. (Any Ladies feel like sending flowers, feel free- I'll pay postage!)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (I should, I'm O- )
65. Gone sky diving. (Only birdshit and buzzards fall outta the sky... guess I'm a buzzard.)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. (Yes, not pretty sight.)
67. Bounced a check. (What day is it?)
68. Flown in a helicopter. (Both on purpose and unwillingly.)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Still have it, too!)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. (Ptooie! Stuff is terrible!)
72. Pieced a quilt. (Does sleep under one count?)
73. Stood in Times Square. (Couldn't pay me enough.)
74. Toured the Everglades. (Actually wanna live in them.)
75. Been fired from a job. (Dang, they get personal! A few more than once should suffice!)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. (Nose, hands, feet, shoulders.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (Well, I dunno that my 750 would go fast enough to 'speed', but 130 was fast enough.)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. (Yes, nearly got lost in it.)
80. Published a book. (Working on it.)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. (What a lemon it was, too!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Yes, more than once.)
85. Read the entire Bible. (Several times.)
86. Visited the White House. (Nope)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Lemme think here...are fish animals? Otherwise: numerous times.)
88. Had chickenpox. (Was hospitalized from them.)
89. Saved someone’s life. (Yes- former EMT.)
90. Sat on a jury. (No, ain't looking forward to it, either.)
91. Met someone famous. (Nixon.)
92. Joined a book club. (I know howda read without help.)
93. Lost a loved one. (Yes, too many times.)
94. Had a baby. (Well..can guys have babies? Did hold my son at birth.)
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. (You can't swim in water heavier than you.)
97. Been involved in a law suit. (Don't remind me.)
98. Owned a cell phone.(Ummm...DUH?)
99. Been stung by a bee. (Too many times to count.)
100. Read an entire book in one day. (Often.)

Paranoia: Real or Imagined?

Okayyyy, Class: now we're going to have a lesson in the proper use of aluminum foil.

I found this tidbit at Newsmax.com and think it's time we got the tinfoil out, lined our wallets and purses, perhaps even our hats. You do wear a hat, don't you? Oh, well- artile follows this link >>> Newsmax.com – New ID Scanners at Borders Raise Privacy Alarm

If I lived near a border, I'd seriously consider... wait! I do live near a border. Scratch that: I'm getting out the tinfoil..brb.

Done. Now I can get back to business.

Had the Clan Christmas gathering today and I'm not certain I enjoyed myself. Oh, I definitely ate my share of good food and had some interesting chats. It was the conversations I was hearing on the side that piqued my interest, though.

This country is right in the middle of iron country and lay-offs are being reported daily by the various mining interests. Yet the people I was listening to seemed to have no concern about them- and the majority are working in the mines. "They're living in a bubble," I remarked to one brother-in-law, who works in a mine but is very aware of the times. (I think he's a secret prepper. Smart man, and sister.) He agreed with that assessment.

It bothers me that family of mine is ignorant of the world situation beyond their personal lives. How many times do Sheople have to be hit before they begin to understand? Dang.

Enough whining.

The December issue of S.W.A.T. magazine has a couple of articles Preppers may be interested in: Down and Dirty and Malfunction Reduction, both pertinent to keeping one's bod in one piece, as well as those of loved ones. Also, I heard a rumor that S.W.A.T. magazine will be giving out DVDs of proper handgun tactics with the January issue- keep an eye out for it if you're interested in how the Best LEO utilise their tools.

And now I have to close cuz I forgot what else I was gonna rant about. (No, nothing as good as Mayberry does.) Anyway...

Bless God, God bless-

Shy

Firearms Refresher Course

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone
3. Colt: The original point and click interface.
4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
7. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any.
8. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
9. What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you not understand?
10 The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
12 Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians.
13. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
14. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
15. 9-1-1: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
16. Assault is a behavior, not a device.
17. Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.
18. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
19. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
20. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.
21. Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don't make more.
22. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
23. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

I don't know who came up with these but they're good reasons to maintain the fight against gun control. But the best reasons are our own lives and those we love. Our fight against oppression begins with rhetoric, progresses to armed rebellion.

Bless God, God bless,

Shy

Reality Check On Mental Attitude

Reading some of the reports on the terrorist action that went down in Bombay/Mumbai last week, I had to shake my head in wonder. Then I started wondering.

Some of the reports mentioned the photographer whose shot graced the pages of many world newspapers: the young terrorist, carbine in low carry, proudly waltzing through the corridors of the train station (I think it was train, anyway). Hiding beside the police, the photographer was screaming for them to shoot the attackers- yet all held their fire. Too, most of the SWAT people in attendance also did not fire when the opportunity arose.

My radar flicked on and I began to wonder about this situation, did some poking around and found a couple stats that surprised me.

Seventy percent of soldiers in combat will not fire their weapons at a human being.

Utterly astounding.

And it's even worse for police, who are not- theoretically- trained to kill folks, but to help.

Yet it goes along with another study I read where-in American Marines were asked if they'd fire upon other Americans. I forget the number, but the majority said they would not. I'm thinking it was along the lines of 60%+/- .

So, grinding the worn out gears in my head, I was/am more convinced than ever why there will be either: A) UN 'blue' helmets brought into the country, or B) a foreign nation will have troops 'smuggled' in country (such as China- I feel- is doing now as it controls some of our ports, especially in California); or C) our new fearless leader will be arming his Ghetto ACORNS, who have no fear or loathing to shoot anyone, or D) troops are now being amassed near our borders (recall the huge gun cache found in Mexico and everyone is thinking 'drug wars'? uh-huh...drug wars, all right), or possibly E) a combination of 'all the above'.

As I think of this, I smell 'conspiracy theory' rambling through my noggin.

Then I remember who our new Fearless (uh-huh, you bet) Leader will be next month. Maybe not so conspiratorial after all. At least, not on my part. (Shhhh...I can hear you laffin', so knock it off!)

Now, what has this to do with prepping? you hadda ask, din'tcha?

Consider those hordes of the Dark Lord's Gestapo tramping through the cornfield, taking whatever they want, killing whatever they want, imprisoning whomever they want.

Consider the Mad Max group of motorcycle Zombies coming to do even more damage- cuz they don't take prisoners. Well, male ones, anyway.

Now look in the mirror at that sweet, honest, hard-working American who wants only a few things: freedom and liberty, love and family, to be left alone to prosper or fail. Does that person you're looking at seem to be the kind who can actually shoot someone who's just stealing some food from the larder? Can that person looking back actually send a bullet at someone who's probably thinking of doing the same at you? More, does that face in the mirror look as though it can slip a knife into the ribs of someone who is attacking them? Will that sweet, kind, loving person be able to purposely throw a kick at someone's knee and smash it, crippling them for life? Or, after putting five bullets center-mass, will that person be able to lower the sights and put a final shot in the middle of the attacking abdomen? (No, not the head- it's a moving, small target too easy to miss under duress.)

In all the women's self defense classes I taught, I always had to ask the participants up-front if they believed they could hurt someone on purpose when that person was trying to hurt them? Then I got a bit down and dirty, wanting to know if they could poke someone in the eye while that someone was attempting to rape them. Or could they bite off an appendage that found its way to their mouth? What about grabbing a man's gonads and tearing them off if they had the opportunity. (The classes were gritty, trust me. And we didn't pull our punches.)

If anyone felt they would be unable to do it, I told them the class was not for them.

Reason being, if you can't see yourself protecting yourself, then you won't protect yourself. Simple. Sad, though sometimes it doesn't work that way in reality.

Same with pistol practice, or rifle. Is all you're shooting at a bullseye on a piece of paper? If so, the next time you're around town, check the number of people wearing bullseyes on their chest.

It's mental conditioning: you have to see yourself shooting a person (IF you have to) not a target. It's the same with military and law enforcement. They begin with weapons zeroing on targets, then quickly switch to human silhouettes. The smart ones sometimes even put clothes on the manikins to prevent training the eye to look for bullet holes instead of sighting for a second/follow-up shot.

Psychology in action.

And they fire thousands of rounds in practice knowing they're practicing to kill human beings.

Logically, the next question has to be: Are you going to be one of the 60-70% who can't shoot at another person?

Or are you going to fight to live another minute, a day, a week- until the next time?

It's going to take some hard, hard people if the SHTF the way some are imagining or intimating it's going to be. And quite possibly, as FerFal has pointed out in Argentina, life could get very, very bad, very fast in America.

A gun is only as good as the person operating it. It has no mind of its own to decide for us, to know when to and when to not shoot: it's all in the hands of the driver.

Next time you shave yourself, ask if that is the face of a man who will go to all lengths to protect those he loves.

The next time you put on your rouge, ask if that's the face of a woman who can do anything she has to that will save the lives of those she loves.

Tough questions. Tough choices. Tough lives ahead. Let's be tough enough to do what we need do.

Bless God, God bless- let us pray our lives never need those answers.

Shy