'When lawmakers break the law...'

This tome is dedicated to those who know that when law makers break the law, there is no law.

Not really illegal in MN, bow fishing is an art that has been around centuries, if not more. Actually easy to do, it does require a lot of practice at shooting the bow, a bit of terminal tackle such as bow reel and line, and a fishing arrow. Up here it's usually carp and suckers that are bow-fished, either by standing on shore and waiting to see one swim near enough to hit, by paddling the canoe along a stream with an archer in front, or by wading- usually the coldest and wettest method of all. Not to mention the streams up here have a lot of deep mud for bottoms, so it's the least popular method.

Spearing is also a popular method of fishing during certain seasons in MN. Winter through the ice in a dark house is most common and northern pike are the prey. It's illegal to take other game fish species through spearing, but again- we're trying to survive. Also, sucker spearing in streams is quite common, and will become so again, especially with younger people, boys especially.

Similar to bow fishing, some are fond of taking their .22 rifle or pistol to the shoreline and blasting holes in the water at fish. It does work, and surprisingly well. However, now we've come to the illegal aspect, for MN anyway. Either way, remember that water diffracts (or refracts?) light upon the target, so aim lower than you think you need to or you'll overshoot your target.

A very popular method of illegal fishing up here is the 'trot line' method, whereby a hook is attached to a short line, that tied to a large bobber, and dropped overboard in a likely looking spot and left unattended, very often while fishing another area legally. Usually, three or four, or more, are set out. Before leaving the lake/stream, the 'trot line' is recovered and the catch added to the stringer. Again, these are methods utilized for survival situations- and even then frowned upon by the powers that be. Dang, they're gonna getcha one way or another. Maybe any person who gets lost should just break the law, then the wardens can come drag them to civilization? Sheesh, these un-thinking lawmakers. Morons. But I digress.

Years ago, when people made a living by surviving, the fish trap was a very popular and efficient way to capture a meal. Once made from wood and wire mesh, I'll describe a more easy to build contraption.(Disclaimer: I am not advocating anyone break the law. But survival is survival, use your own common sense and discretion. This is simply a method once used by our ancestors to maintain life.)
Of course, everyone has about a six foot long by three or four foot wide piece of 1/4 inch meshed galvanized steel sheeting laying around the house, so we'll begin to build our trap. (A picture will be provided eventually for everything discussed, just be patient.)

What we want to build is a rectangular box about three feet long by 16 inches square (each side) and completely enclose one end with mesh. The downstream end will require some fancy layout: make a cone shaped piece by cutting a trapezoid shape on your mesh, then rolling this into a cone with the small/narrow end being five or six inches wide. What we want is the cone facing the inside of the wire box with a hole large enough to allow fish to enter, and small enough that they cannot 'find' it when backing out.

In use, a slice of bread for bait is put inside the box, the box is sunk into a stream with the opening facing downstream, weighted with stones or anchored in place with whatever ingenious method the imagination can discover, as well as being tied to a nearby limb or deadhead for easy recovery. Left overnight or for longer periods, the trap will not kill the fish and they can be released if not of adequate size or kind- whichever the survivor seeks. These traps can be made any size- larger streams will accommodate larger traps, but lifting from the water can become a job in itself.

Sometimes known as a DuPont Spinner, a stick of dynamite is not a very good technique for catching edible fish, regardless what you see in movies with Australian heroes. It's only funny, not accurate. Tests have shown that when concussion occurs in fish, only the lighter fish float upward. Larger fish tend to sink to the bottom, or in the case of rivers, get swept away. So we won't include DuPont in our illegal category, just the stupid one.

But we will include nets.

In commercial fishing, there would be no fish if not for nets. Nets are very good at catching fish. They're also very good at killing fish and capturing the wrong kind. However, we're talking survival and the 'wrong kind' of fish here is 'no fish'. During certain stages of the year netting fish is legal in MN: spring runs of smelt and autumn runs of whitefish come to mind. Otherwise, you're on your own.

In a 'grid down' situation, how you catch your meal will be immaterial. However- wise use of the resource will be mandatory. Never ever take more than you need. Conservation of resources will be even more important as time progresses and food supplies dwindle, so don't waste, don't take more than you need and use all you take. Period.

Remember all that salt you're supposed to buy? Get a lot of canning and pickling salts as well because you're going to need them. Pickled fish, if you have the vinegar and spices, is delicious. Smoked fish, if you have the salt to brine them, is delicious. Both will store for long periods of time, come in very handy for snacks and meals. When brining fish, do not use metal containers, especially galvanized kinds. The same goes for your smoker: do not use galvanized steel anywhere. Galvanizing contains zinc and it's deadly, period. Some say the galvanizing can be burned off, but I have my doubts, and when in doubt...don't.
Reminder also: these are illegal tactics in MN, where I live. What your state laws read may be different: just be sure to check them. Any time you break a law, you are liable to prosecution. In MN, sentences for game violations are more harsh than for drug dealers, so be sure to let your conscience be your guide.
God bless, good luck and happy fishing.
Up next: what happens when the water's what you're walking on?
Shy III

oops...now I dun it...

Here it is midnite and I'm waitin' for the water to turn to coffee, so here I goes again...

I think I had one three many wisky sours tonite. (Yes, I know it's misspelt, but I'm pretendin' to be drunk. Or am I? Hmmm..) But I got to thinking about eating and came up with, "Self- you told 'em how to stack their store bought stuff and that's kinda dumb- you should'a told them how to fish and that way they can feed themselves."

Actually, I think that's a good idea. I will give you some ideas of hunting, as well- some city/urban (or is it urbane?) readers may need some tips. Not that I'm an "expert" hunter-no magazine has ever published any of my hunting stories- but I do manage to get deer, ducks, pheasant, partridge, squirrels and an occasional fox and lotsa fish for the freezer. (We won't talk about the neighborhood feral cats that go to the crows, or the crows, in fact, though they do have a certain 'chicken' flavor.)

Oopsie- sorry: fish is on tonight's menu. Let's get to eating.

Now, I'm a freshwater fisherman, unlike Mayberry who lives on the Gulf Coast- so he can explain how to catch sea bass and mackerel an 'cudas an sharks (when in season). I've only fished the Gulf once and the ten pound sea bass I caught gave my northern fishing gear a run for its money, so I'll shy away from salt water. However...

...Salt water gear will catch land-locked fish as well, and there's nothing wrong with using fresh-water fishing tackle in the ocean. Just expect to lose more fish unless you are really good at "playing" the fish. But I think there will be more people inland fishing than salt water fishing (golly-dang-gee, I wish I'd bought that sailboat a few years ago, I'd be livin on the Gulf...) when it comes time for push-come-to-shove sometime late this year. Many of the techniques used in either kind of fishing will work both areas, as will the hooks and style- with some modifications.

Let's begin with the basis of your equipage, the rod and reel.

For downright mean and low-down-dirty-sneakin-gonna-last-forever rods, I think there is none better than the Shakespeare "Ugly Stick". Toughest rod made ever, and the best rod to buy- in duplicate- for our situation, which is 'legal' fishing. By 'legal' I mean by the rules set forth by natural resources for any area. We'll get to the 'not legal in some areas' stuff in a minute. Ugly Sticks will come in any flavor desired, but for our general purposes, let's go with a 'medium weight' rod, and get two of them as a minimum, or one medium and one heavy-weight. Rods are defined by weight/action, and a medium will handle 99% of any freshwater fishing. (I have no idea what the other 1% is, so don't ask.) With a medium weight rod you'll be able to fish anything that swims in north America, from small Sunnies to monster Musky and even the mighty Steelhead. You will need a medium weight reel as well: a reel that will handle line weights up to fifty pounds, though each reel will have differing line weights on them. One will have from 20+ pounds, the other less than ten pounds. But I'm getting ahead of myself, kind of.

Once we have the rods, we must decide what kind of reel we need.

For 60+ years, the Zebco 303 has been the most reliable spin-casting reel made. Still is, though now made in China, I think, and with many 'plastic' or graphite parts. A simple 'push button' to use, easy to learn reel, it will handle most any fish that will bite your hook. Next is the 'open face' spin cast variety. These have a much better casting ability and will handle lighter lures, I believe, than the Zebco or any reel but a fly-rod (more on them in a minute). This kind of reel has a 'bail' that must be opened in order to cast the line, has the line visible, and is next in line for ease of use but with a slightly higher learning curve than the Zebco or comparable reels. Next in difficulty to master, and my personal favorite, is the 'bait casting' variety. This is the reel Grandpa fished with if he could afford a reel and wasn't a 'purist' fisherman but wanted to feed his family. Bait casting reels have line wound around a spool similar to a thread spool, some sort of level-winding mechanism, and a crank to spin the spool. Tough, reliable, hard to beat due to simplicity of parts, bait casters have been around for generations. There is one in my collection made in 1927, by Shakespseare, that still works fine. These reels are difficult to master but well worth the effort learning them. Also, as a 'trolling' reel, these can't be beat. Last on our list is the fly fishing reel (and rod). Only a string tied to a stick is more simple than a fly rod reel. All mystique aside, using a fly rod is an easy to learn proposition, if you have the time and inclination and want to spend time learning to cast rather than fishing. Honestly- anyone with a bit of patience can learn to fly cast, but for our purposes, fly fishing is not 'where it's at'. Also, IMNASHO (InMyNotAlwaysSoHumbleOpinion), I think most people looking forward to surviving may not be 'dyed in the wool avid' fishermen and be more in need of down and dirty techniques to feed themselves. So we'll forego the complicated and, in Mayberry's words, Keep It Simple, Survivor. Not to mention, as cheap as we can honestly go, though I feel going cheap isn't the best idea in a survival situation. So don't: we're looking for gear that will last years and years. When your gear wears out, you'll be going to string-on-a-stick, then to spear and/or arrow. (We'll get there, eventually.) Get a reel that matches your rod, whichever style suits your fancy: spin, open-face, bait or fly.

Terminal tackle is going to consist of hooks, sinkers and bobbers. Hooks first.

In fresh water fishing there is only one style of hook to use if you want to eat, though other styles have worked well for generations and generations. Technically (and copyrighted by) known as "Tru-Turn" these hooks will seldom 'miss a strike' but set every time. Remember now: we're talking surviving, not sport, and there is a difference. That being said, I have to admit not all my hooks are Tru-Turn. I use a lot of 'heavy metal' for fishing, always have and always will, seldom get 'skunked' on a trip and have lots of fun catching fish. The problem with heavy metal is that hooks easily get lost, snagged or ripped from the line. What we are looking for is hooks that range in size from #2 to #10. Anything smaller than #10 is going to be fly-weight. Number two will hook even monster cats and bring them to the net- but if you're worried about bringing in a forty or more pound cat, get an Ought size and tie it to a rope attached to a bleach bottle. (more on that in a minute.) Get a variety of sizes, dependant upon the area being fished- the smaller the fish, the smaller the hook is a good start. Usually, smaller fish are found closer to shore, though some species of large predator love nearby shoreline for grocery markets. Again, go with your instincts.

Attached to the hook and then the reel, your line is the 'fighting' edge of your tackle. Modern 'super braids' have replaced 'old fashioned' cloth braids in many arenas of fishing. Super braids are even making inroads into the areas once dominated by monofilament lines. I've tried a couple- Spider Wire most recently- and find them to be very very strong. I much prefer them to monofilament lines in my bait caster. However, I do wonder very often about their longevity. To answer this question, I've been using the same Spider Wire since it came out lo those many years ago, on the same reel. I need to have an answer to this, and experience is the best teacher. Still, I also maintain a supply of braided nylon/dacron/cotton blend for all my reels. My line weights are from ten to 25 pound weights, which will handle anything I've caught to date, and some of those northerns and musky are pretty big. Not to say you should not go lighter and heavier- that is the idea: get one of each and take tackle to match the situation. Whichever, the last choice I would have is monofilament lines, good as they are, they don't seem to have to lifespan we are looking for.

So the hook goes on the very end of the line. There are some simple to learn knots for tieing hooks to line- not just your ordinary every-day overhand will do, so spend some time googling for 'fishing knots' and learn them. Above the hook for bait fishing will be the sinker. Once upon a time these were made of lead and simple to find and use. Nowadays (thank you Sierra Club ilk) they are made of nearly any damn thing, and still simple to use but more costly. If you're stuck fishing from shore or close to it and using a worm or some kind of bug attractant, the sinker will be placed somewhere about 12 inches above the hook. Go as light weight as you can get by with to just keep your bait from floating. You're looking to use the weight to get the hook 'out there' and sink it to the fish yet have it be light weight enough to allow the fish to take the bait with minimal note of the hook, line and sinker-bobber combination. For the majority of your fishing, simple to use 'split shot' sinkers will be perfect. If you feel the need for more weight, then 'rubber core' is the next step. Being larger and cigar shaped, these sinkers have a rubber insert around which the line is wound to keep it on the line. My least favorite sinker cuz they tend to fly off, they do the job required for the most part. Going up in style, there are the 'bell' style sinkers with eyelets through which the line is run. These are great little sinkers that come from small to monster size for monster size bait and fish. They work well but aren't as seemingly 'simple' as rubber core. Most simple to use of sinkers is the cigar shaped lead with a hole through its middle for running the line through. They don't get lost by flying off the line or require any fancy knots. Their biggest drawback is how to keep them above the bait and from sliding down the line to the bait.

Hmm...bait. That word gets bandied about a lot these days. Jailbait...fishbait...fish or cut bait...however it's spelled, bait is probably the absolute best way to catch fish. It looks like food, tastes like food, feels like food, must be food. Fish are no different than people. Worms are in every fisherman's vocabulary. (Oops, sorry, Ladies: just realized I'm showing a bit of chauvinism here. Well, it can't be helped sometimes. It isn't that I'm a chauvinist pig- I absolutely love women.) I've caught fish on worms, minnows, leeches, corn, chicken guts/livers/skin, flour and oil mixtures, and fish roe (eggs), so bait can be almost anything. Corn is a favorite in this area for trout and steelhead. Worms work wonders for those with empty stomachs and a need for catching dinner. Probably more worms are drowned each year going after fish than an other bait available, so don't be afraid to use them. Also, don't be averse to using those creepy-crawly things you find after turning over a log or pile of leaves in the yard. As kids, when Grandpa told us to head for the garden, we always knew at the end of the gardening was a fishing trip, so we always collected the worms we found. Nite crawlers are just big worms and best caught after a rain, or by sprinkling the yard and hammering on a board and watching them crawl out of the grass, or at night with a flashlight when the ground is dew-covered.

And me-oh-my...this is getting long-winded, so perhaps we'll close tonight and get to the 'illegal' fishing methods tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then on the next page...good luck, happy fishing.

Shy III

Chucklin' Over Breakfast

Three strips of thick sliced bacon, two eggs basted, two slices of whole wheat toast heavily buttered and a couple gallons of coffee. MMMMM, good food.

Food, good or bad, is going to be uppermost in many minds in the coming months- not that it isn't now with the high gas prices. The biggest difference between now and then will be hiking or biking to get our food instead of driving. That and getting it home. We may even find ourselves eating more than normally because we'll be working harder at staying alive, probably doing more manual labor than we're used to. Nothing wrong with a hearty appetite when you're working, so dig in. But don't forget to share.

My pantry's about 12 feet by 12 feet- plus or minus inches- and walled with shelves 18 inches deep. Just wide enough to hold the plastic containers I store my grub in. 30 gallon plastic with lockable tops work fine and are cheap at mall big boys. One row of shelving is beans- I love bean soup and 15 bean soups with ham- just delish. Another shelf is for peas. Same reason: I love split pea soup. (Love any soup, really.) Also, one shelf has boxes of lentils, barleys and lots of grits. (Don't ask why I like grits, I just do- it's an Army thing.)

Each bag is individually wrapped in another ziploc baggie as well, dated, the boxes sealed when full- which takes about three trips to the store when buying on the 'sly' to not arouse suspicions. I also use differing stores/supermarkets on the same days since they seem to have much the same specials going on everywhere. With today's costs, specials are a deal at yesterday's prices.

Across the room are shelves of spaghetti's/macaroni type foods, again kept in the original boxes/wrappings and sealed in zipper bags. A trick I use to get the air out is a straw poked in the top, zip the pack closed til it hits the straw, then suck like mad until the bag is air-free as possible, then zip closed and pull the straw out the same time. Someone suggested using a vacuum cleaner to replace the mouth, but I like doing things myself, soooo- no vac. Also, a survival friend convinced me I needed a bunch of Ramen noodles. Damn, those things taste worse than some cardboard boxes I've munched on. Still, there are several plastic wrapped case boxes of those dang things. (He may be intending to visit and have those for his lunch, I dunno. Anyway, they're here.) There are bags and boxes of elbow macaroni, one-pound size, and boxes of spaghetti, mostly two-pound boxes, lots of my favorite "oyster shell" macaroni in one and two pound bags, a few boxes, and those little skinny angel hair pasta, and five pound bags of rotini, another favorite. With the macaroni products are all the dry/powder sauce mixes I think I'll need for each pound of noodles- which usually comes to be four packets per pound with my sauce making. Kept in separate bags from the macaroni sauces are lots of chili, sloppy joe, dehydrated soup mixes and sundry spice items.

Canned goods get two walls of shelving: beans- french cut,cut and whole; peas; corn- whole kernel and creamed; spinach; mixed veggies; asparagus; pork and beans; cauliflower; Chinese veggies (actually ChunKing two-packs); tomatoes-whole, diced, sliced, pureed, chopped and sauced; beets- whole, sliced, chunked; sauerkraut (MMMM, mouth watering!); chili beans; peaches in cling syrup(tongue smackin'); and a whole lot of Irish Maid hot chocolate mixes, iced tea and other berry drink mixes- dry and individually wrapped and zipped packs.

The thing about storing foods long term is you gotta worry about moisture with anything that is supposed to have none. So wrap and wrap again if you're the worrying kind. Also, especially with canned goods, be certain to rotate stock, resupplying as you go. All foods are dated for expiration these days but for my personal opinion, I take these with a grain of salt for dried foods, especially such as beans and peas. Still, use and rotate. The family and I did show some concern for Y2K and began our preps about none months before - like March or April- and managed to easily get enough food stored for a season: one winter and summer while waiting for crops to grow on our three acres of independence. Some of those foods still haven't been used, though the rotation method is used.

Some foods, such as sugar, will be 'barter' foods for me- I use very little and make maple syrup on my own, anyway- not to mention berry wines (tongue dripping now...mmm...) Brown sugar, dregs from the cane, are probably more stable than white sugars- Mom and Grammy used to store them forever and use without fear, sometimes even having to hammer out the lumps with a rolling pin. Flours are bought in 20/25 pound bags and kept in 'pickle' containers with rubber sealed lids. (I have yet to go through 25 pounds of flour, however. Pancakes and biscuits are about the only use I have for flour until TSHTF, then I'll be baking breads, I imagine. Hopefully my flour products will still be usable. Also, I've yet to find a bad batch with meal bugs in it or their hulls, which attests to the efficiency of our modern milling methods.)

I know I'm forgetting something here- spices...there is one 30 gallon container with spices: crushed red, garlic powder, pepper, lemon pepper, basil, turmeric, etc: I use lots of spice in cooking so they'll be gone thru.

Storing foods is labor intensive, to say the least. The best thing would be a walk-in room with sliding shelves of individual containers so stock is easily rotated but we can't always have the best of all worlds. Make do with what you have.

So far as meats are concerned: living in the bush as I do, hunting is a common pastime in its season, as is fishing year round. Having a venison steak is more to my liking than a beef steak so I won't be awfully concerned about having to buy meat. (Until I married, I never bought any meat but bacon. The wife got tired of making venison, rabbit, duck, squirrel, partridge- a game bird, fish and turtle. Too bad- wild game is low in the wrong kind of cholesterol and high in the good stuff.) Also, I love my banty hens: great brown egg layers (but you gotta hunt for them sometimes, or take them from the setting hens!). Tough to chew fried but good enough for soups when cooked long enough. Great bait for foxes, wolves, cats, hawks and neighborhood dogs, so you gotta watch them close, insure they're cooping up at night. Then make sure weasels can't get in or they'll kill the entire coop just for fun. Had a horde of rabbits once, too. Not worth the bother, IMO, since they're more labor intensive than chickens, eat your garden with gleeful abandon, dig holes to make a gopher jealous and not worth much so far as food value is concerned: you'll starve to death eating rabbits due to low fat content. Stick to meats that have energy-producing fats cuz in the situations we're talking, you'll need it. Probably the best thing about rabbits is how fast they reproduce and may be good for barter. So, again, make up your own mind, do some research and make a decision.

You'll notice I haven't mentioned any MRE's yet. That's because to me an MRE is what I come home to and either make myself or that made by someone else. I think MRE's have their place in emergency supplies especially long-term storage type. But how long do you want to eat freeze dried food? Do you intend making it your sole source of energy? Don't you even intend planting a garden? doing any hunting or fishing? Any food stuffs you store will be used within two or three years if you plant a garden. Unless you have a continual resupply. So, in my thinking, a two year supply of foods I normally eat will be more than sufficient, taste better and be more readily consumed by mine and me.

Oh- yes, forgot to mention the dog. I have only one now since the Kid has grown and decided to fend for himself and took his two hounds along. (Whew! but I miss those girls, pain in butt tho they were.) My hound will go through a 17.2 pound bag of Kibbles in two weeks. In summer they last even longer since he's not producing heat. The Kibbles have their own shelf along with treats and some cases of canned foods he likes. (Think meaty.) In a pinch- such as him going to that great pound in the sky- the food will serve other mutts in need of a home cooked meal. Also, there have been news articles about 'poorer people' eating cat and dog food for its protein content. (Ever smell a can of human consumption beef stew? Smells just like Alpo Beef chunks. Plus, I'm told animal food is more stringently controlled than even human food- good old USDA!) And you will want a dog or two, but not the noisy kind that bark at every falling leaf. You want one that will let you know when someone is nearby- like two city blocks away- and won't try eating that person's ankles. (Point of interest: my Golden mutt can hear deer walking in the woods from more than a hundred feet, so don't underestimate their hearing. Also, I've watched him run full-tilt and smell a peanut butter sandwich on the ground from fifty feet with the wind blowing from him to the sandwich, and bee-line for that delight. But he's a bird dog and used to using his snoze.)

I know I'm forgetting something here- there's a lot to cover in foods alone when it comes to long-term surviving. In the pre-family days I'd always considered bush-whacking to the hunting shack and living the hermit life as much as possible. With family members, that's near impossible, so my thinking has had to be revised. Of course, with family members- and friends nearby as well- many aspects of surviving are greatly enhanced, the individual lives made easier by 'community'. So, in closing for now, enhance your life by developing your food stores and community of like-minded individuals.

God bless in your preps- keep the Faith and know Who actually holds the future, regardless who gets elected this fall. (Thank you, Lord, for that gentle reminder that I need not worry about this election cuz we'll get who You want us to have, who we deserve.)

Shy III

Storm On Horizon

Something is definitely happening in the heavens.

I'm no prophet, trust me, but when this neighborhood gets two shootings and a knifing within a week span, there's trouble on the stoop. That kind of incident happens up here maybe once every four or five years- during my lifetime, anyway. What can I say about it? What kind of powers in the Heavens are at work here?

A reading of Scripture will tell us: "We war not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities in Heavenly places." Those powers and principalities are working overtime because they know their "time" is near.

How can we be certain of this, know from our own observations? Look around at the societies around us and weigh what you see with Scripture. Simple to do and it won't take a prophet to see we are very near a catastrophic time in our lives. All of us.

Every man, woman and child on this planet.

Here in the United States, compare Scripture with what is happening in the financial markets. "A loaf of bread will buy a bag of gold." At the moment, it's taking half an hour's work to buy a loaf of bread, so it's getting close. "The final war will be fought for heat." Really. Look it up: Old Testament verse. Not only is the price of gas for our vehicles climbing, so are heating fuels for our homes. In a few years I have no doubt we'll be fighting with Iran and other Mid-East countries, especially if Pelosi and her ilk continue to get their way. It doesn't take a prophet to see that, just someone with their eyes open to the world around them.

"A man's enemies will be his own family." Consider what is happening to the very foundation of America: the family. Fathers neglecting their own children; forsaking the vows they made their wives for a romp in the hay with someone else's wife; the very education the children are receiving in the schools they attend; the odorous methods being used to accelerate illicit homosexual/lesbian and other "alternative" lifestyles - especially how Hollywierd is promulgating the trend on national television; think about what is happening to children daily in their own homes- rapes, murders, the drugs and slovenly habit of video games and computer 'freedoms' and television heroes(ines); consider also the way they are fed a diet of unhealthy food, Mickey D's and the ilk that makes our lives "so much easier".

What is happening to the very homes we so value in this society, that give us "the American dream"? People- many who did not deserve the loan(s) they got for the home(s) they didn't earn- are losing these home(s), living now in vehicles or on the street or with family/friends. And what is happening to alleviate that problem? Our government is giving our money to the companies that made the faulty loans and to the people who did nothing to earn either the money or the home(s). Whatever happened to companies rising or falling by their own merits/greed rather than being rescued by government?

Consider the implications of the upcoming Presidential elections. What do you see happening that should certainly alarm your sense of "Get the hell out of Dodge"?

So many around me feel we will be electing a young know-nothing, prejudiced, ignorant and foolish man with an equally prejudiced, foolish wife. A fool who will readily give away the country he claims to be a citizen of just so he can look sleek and cool, an esquire among peons. (Not that the alternative is a whole lot better.)

Which brings me to the point of this post: IMnotalwayssoHO, we'd better be getting our shit together, because someone is going to try taking it and giving it to a foreign country or others who certainly have not earned what we have.

This society is turning a corner to a rapidly devalued dollar, worthless on all markets, to unprecedented crime- murder, rape, robbery, theft- on the streets of our cities, in our countryside. There will soon be two wars happening "on the home front": a class war- those who have the power and those who have taken it- and a race war, because regardless how the election goes, the colors will not mix well and will more violently attack those they perceive as being the oppressor- combined among them will be the religious elements and the political. A revolution is coming and it won't be pretty.

So, folks: get your bullets, bandages and beans lined up. Start with the bullets cuz we're going to need them. Bandages because we're going to need them. Beans because no one else is going to have any and will need them.

No, IMO, there will not be a "total system breakdown" (but I lay no claim to 'expert' in this area) but it's going to get ugly: depression, rebellion, riots, hunger and crime, more hunger and crime, homelessness and starvation. Those who have not will get it from those who have and are not willing to protect it.

So if you value what you have- your family- then be prepared to protect and help them. Set your mind to this task, be not afraid to defend what is yours to keep or give away, but let it not be taken from you. Most, be humble before your God and know He is with those who are "not afraid to protect their home" (check the Scriptures); love your family and be willing to die for your family and brother, to protect all and to help all. For it is this very reason He has set you free: to be free to share your love and His, to care for the widow (who are widowed indeed) and orphan, thereby showing what great love He has for you, His child.

Not to protect and coddle the criminal and murderer, but your family. Don't be mistaken: "the times, they are a-changin'" (to paraphrase a local hero), be ready to change with them.

All who know they were born in the wrong century will soon discover themselves within that century.

Coming next: what I've done and am doing to prepare for the shit flying.

Shy III