This Is Still Who We Are

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kellys-speech-about-marines-in-ramadi-2013-6

Read this today. I was sad and proud. More than anything I was given hope. I don't believe non - lovers of freedom make this decision.

As a better man than me once wrote, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

EDC Leatherman Surge

Leatherman with Bit Kit and Extension

I picked up the Leatherman Surge before my deployment to Kuwait in early 2013. I didn't know how I'd feel about it since it was so much bigger than The Gerber Multi-Tool I was issued almost a decade prior for my first all expense trip to an equally exotic locale.

I went to Kuwait this time thinking I was going to be the CSA for the Delaware and Texas Air Guard (I filled a slot for Delaware). Much like my last trip to the desert this one wasn't exactly as advertised... I ended up being a jack of all trades this trip. Was there a lot of computer work, yes, but I was also the building custodian, cell phone guy, bird predation Alpha team member with SMSgt B (best gig ever, BTW), Plaque Maker, and the First Shirt's Officially Designated plow horse. I had a blast this deployment. Part of it was the fact that no one was trying to kill me, and the other part of it was my attitude was ask me and I'll say yes! Weird what age and perspective will do for you.

At my going away dinner the Colonel described me as the Chewbacca of the Squadron, didn't say much but could fix anything. Computers, plumbing, raining death from above on pigeons,  metal work, scrounging semi-truck wheels for the Shirt to turn into a bitching barbecue pit. So what does any of this have to do with the Leatherman?

I used the heck out of that thing, the extension, and the bit drivers. Need your reading glasses tightened Chief, I'm your Huckleberry. Need to tear apart a computer so that you can prove to a Lt. Col. that there aren't scorpions in their computer stealing their reports? Check. Adjust water flow to a sink whose Hadji handle has broken off, Sure.

This piece of kit has been used every day. The bit kit gives you Torq bits, flat heads, Phillips,  Robertson, and Pozi bit heads. The extension gives you a screw driver without having to get the Leatherman clear of the case, and combined with the Leatherman slot allows you a ton of torque on whatever you're working on.

The Leatherman itself has been a workhorse. The finish has held up to a lot of hard use and  remains tight to this day. Can't recommend this piece of kit enough.

Gay Marriage - AKA Questioning Why Anyone Has to Ask Permission of the State to Marry

I remember my senior year English teacher saying in class my senior year that one day, in our lifetime we would see gay rights viewed as we viewed race. I had never thought such a thing possible at the time.

My first real memory of the adult world was the Carter-Reagan election in 1980. The one television we had in the house in Arkansas was upstairs and tuned to PBS, the sole channel we received out in the hinterlands. My parents had sent me upstairs to find out who won the election. When I returned with news of Reagan's victory, I remember my father's disbelief that a man from the "Sodomite" state of California was now President. Now I didn't know what a sodomite was at the time, but I knew it wasn't good. (Strangely enough 4 years later, both my parent voted for Reagan, but as always I digress.)

I spent my formative years as a boy in Pentecostal churches in the rural, poor south. I never met an Out person during that time. Yet, for all the sermons, you would have thought that we were about to be over run at any moment by roving hordes of Gay Bikers with magic dust that could make every young man a wanton cock gobbler.

From this I moved to Idaho, land of the Mormons, and funeral potatoes. I met my best friend, one of six brothers and one sister. I was eleven, and we've been thick as thieves ever since. I've watched his attitude evolve as well through time. One of the things I love about the West is, for the most part, people do not feel the need to be involved in other peoples business. Adam watched me fall in love with a girl, who broke my heart when she broke up with me by coming out to me. All my life I'd heard how evil "the Gays" were, and here was this wonderful girl who was brave enough to tell me the truth, to be true to herself, and who was hurting, and scared of what her friends would say.

I left Idaho for Utah, then SoCal and eventually Corvallis, Oregon. I was in the OSU ROTC when I got a call from a buddy who had just taken a head coaching job in Eastern Oregon and needed a white assistant coach who would work for $800 a year. Three years later, and a side trip to Iraq, I took a job coaching women's basketball.

I still remember the conversation that crystallized my position on love being equal. One of my favorite girls on our team was Out and comfortable in her own skin, finally as a senior. We were talking one day about how it was for her to be Gay in Idaho. She said, "Coach, I'd give anything to be straight, it would be so much easier. I've tried dating guys, and kept trying, but it's not who I am."

I watched another girl, who had a great relationship with her folks by the way, hide who she was and who she loved, because they were LDS, and she was terrified they would disown her. It still hurts my heart to this day. I've been impressed that the LDS Church (updated from one of my former players' FB pages) has really softened their stance on gay kids. Hopefully it helps.

So here ends my rant. The state should have no role in who can and cannot marry. Free Men and Women don't have to ask the King for Permission on Who They Love. Staight, gay, whatever. Herein lies my problem. Religions, churches, sects, cults, should be as free to set there standards for performing marriages as I am not to give a sh!t as to what they think if our beliefs do not coincide. I see conflict coming in the area in the future, centered around tax exempt status if they're exclusionary.

Churches should have every right to call whomever they want sinner and "Sodomite", and no duty to perform a ceremony they feel sacred for some one they don't consider worthy. Somehow I don't think there would be a big waiting list for gay folks to express there commitment to one another in the unfriendly confines of an institution that publicly sentences them to hell. As hard as I try to not judge others, defending "Offensive Speech" and free exercise (not freedom from) religion is also the bedrock of the First Amendment.

As for me I saw the harder road that my Gay friends have to walk. Smaller dating pool, social stigma, self image issues, fear of family rejection, and a myriad of other challenges that straight folks get to take for granted. As someone who felt estranged from G-d for the better part of a decade, I still can't feel that I'm worthy to judge anyone else with all the sin hash marks I have on my heavenly chalkboard.

There's my two cents on a subject no one wants to talk about.

Biloxi Appleseed AAR

My first Appleseed was during the summer of 2012 over at a great range in Vale, Oregon. I'd heard about the Appleseed program on The Survival Podcast, and after just buying a Smith and Wesson 15/22, I figured it would be a decent way to sight in the new rifle.

I didn't understand what the end result that the Revolutionary War Veterans Association were trying to accomplish before my first shoot. That said, I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't open to using a sling or doing things differently at my first shoot either. Even being hard headed on some things I listened and through the course of the day my shooting improved, even without using a sling. More importantly I saw two young men, that came with my best friend and I, start to believe they could shoot.

By the end of the day it was dry, hot, and as much as I wanted to stay and visit with fellow People of the Gun, since I'd rode with my best friend Adam and he had to get the boys home, I too had to leave. But, I saw that Rifleman's Patch, and I wanted to earn it.

I knew I could shoot better than I did that day, so I put earning that Patch on my to do list while I'm at Tech School. The more I thought about the more I wanted to earn that patch.

So I learned a few things from the first shoot. Bring your maintenance gear, lube, cleaning supplies, latex/nitrile gloves, padded shooters mat (if you have one), knee pads (if you're old like me) are a great idea, Leatherman, Cell phone (on silent, don't be THAT GUY), first aid kit (duh - I brought my GO Bag as a conversation starter), elbow pads if you have problems with bony elbows, eye protection, hearing protection (I rock foamies inside my electronic muffs), water (lots of water), pack lunch (some jerky or other snacks aren't a bad idea), ammo (300-400 rounds if you're shooting a .22, you can get by with less if you're shooting center fire, but don't cheat yourself out of getting to know your rifle), and finally unlike my first time - an open mind.

Oh, and if you're over 30, pre-load the Ibuprophen. You'll be sore by the end of day one. Even if you're in good shape. Ask me how I know.

So here's my soapbox for this post...

I know, you've been to Frontsight, you shoot with Costa in your free time, you've got two Sandbox tours, and still refer to Somalians as skinnies. This isn't a tactical shooting course, it's a learning how to be a rifleman. The two are not mutually exclusive, but rather complimentary. Being able to slow down your shooting, "Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast" will translate into being more effective in the tactical environment.

It was a small group at my shoot which allowed us a lot of individual attention by the instructors. Among the other shooters was a retired 0-6 who brought a Henry Golden boy (you know officers and shiny things... He was a great guy and by the end of the day he was planning on his next rifle purchase.) There was an electrician and self employed handy man that rounded out the class. The weather though tame by Idaho standards (notice the instructor bundled up with my in a shooting shirt...) was chilly, plan for the weather. Plan for rain, just in case.

During this Appleseed, I did everything the instructors (who were phenomenal by the way) suggested, even if it was out of my comfort zone and/or not "tactical." I hadn't shot my rifle (I took my Stag G3 AR platform, equipped with a bare bones Primary Arms 1x4 scope) since before I left for Kuwait, sometime back in January of 2013. I shot re-manufactured ammo, PMC Bronze, and some Winchester White Box. I went through just over 200 rounds in the two days, primarily because I earned the Rifleman's Patch on the first round Sunday morning, and secondarily because Christmas is just around the corner.

I learned how to effectively shoot with a sling, something that I may not use everyday, but if a Mutant Zombie Biker has a loved one in a headlock at 100 yards I'm pretty confident now that I could make that shot. My groups still have a ways to go, but I took a huge step forward.

Where the sling really made a difference was in tightening up my groups due to the more solid foundation. My first time standing at this Appleseed I shot 48/50 which I'm really proud of. The final score tells the story, my 173 below, and a 222 above being presented my Rifleman's Patch. Almost a 50 point improvement from my first AQT, that's an improvement that speaks for itself.

So the first step in signing up for an Appleseed Shoot is to visit their website here: Appleseed Project and get signed up!

The Problem With Free

This week an old girlfriend, who's intelligence I respect greatly, had a link about the joys of "Free Contraception", and the benefits of requiring all employers to provide it, regardless of religious objections by any individual employers.

I like to think of myself as liberal thinker, in the classical sense of a personal liberty mindset, with serious Libertarian leanings, just so I'm upfront with where I'm coming from.

The problem with freedom is it's messy, and what you do with your freedom may not be what I consider moral, or smart, or safe, but as long as you don't pick my pocket or break my nose go crazy, but I digress.

We're facing serious problems. The $90 Trillion +/- we haven't funded for the baby boomers' Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Continued pressure on small to mid-sized businesses due to the uncertainty of the economy, increasing federal regulations from a myriad of different agencies with lessening Congressional input, and now the added costs associated with trying to comply with the ever shifting goal line that is the Affordable Health Care Act. Talk about headwinds.

From where I'm setting the destruction of the insurance industry, which I'm okay with, BTW as you should have a direct relationship with your provider, instead of a middleman that adds no value, but increases costs while decreasing efficiency. The consequence of weakening the health care industry will lead to increasing calls for Nationalizing of Health Care (it's for the kids afterall) which I see leading to a downward cylical trend in patient outcomes and increasing costs.

This is where that Facebook post comes in. The freedom to decide not to offer contraception is one side of a coin. The other side of that coin is Government can't tell you (or the employer) how or when to use it.

My worry moving forward is that while we're a ways away from the "Death Panels", it's not too much of a stretch to see us following Europe's socialized road map to the point where we end up deciding gramps has had a good run, but we just can't afford that open heart surgery.

The other side of that coin, when Government is running the show, is not free contraception or free birth control, but the mandatory use there of... You've had enough kids, hold still while we implant this "perfectly safe" IUD. You're not really good enough genetic stock to add to the public gene pool, we know better than you, we're professionals. Your politics aren't "pure" enough to qualify for procreation Comrade. All of these outcomes have already happened in varying degrees in other "One Payer" systems. Be they Soviet, Red Chinese, Cuban, Nazi, etc.

The problem of free is sometimes you want free, but when "For the Greater Good" is involved, i.e. mandated - it's for the children you know, it has too frequently led to Concentration Camps (think Reservations and Japanese Internment Camps here in America as well as the horrors of the Nazis), Gulags, and Re-Education Camps...

Speaking of the Chinese, as the old Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times." These are indeed those....

We're Number 1... In Inmates.

ZeroHedge.com had a article this week that touched on something I've spent a lot of time thinking about recently, our prison system in America. (Article here http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-08/united-states-has-more-people-jail-high-school-teachers-and-engineers )

How did we end up with more people in Prison than we have High School teachers? The article points to the "War on Drugs." The sheer idiocy of locking up people for putting something in their body. The war on drugs has succeeded only in creating a caste system in America. Once you check into the system, much like the Hotel California line, you can never leave. You're marked for life.

We're broke as a nation. We have $17 trillion in Federal Debt - roughly 100% of GDP. Of new debt (Treasury Bonds) that are being sold, the Federal Reserve is buying anywhere from 30% to 50% depending on whose numbers you believe. No one is talking about the Baby Boomers that are leaving the work force by the millions as we go forward. Those new retirees, along with the exploding numbers of people being added to the Social Security Disability, SNAP (food stamps) and MediCade we have another $90 Trillion of unfunded liabilities. Finally we have around $100 Trillion, give or take, of shortfalls in state and union pensions.

We don't have much time before we're going to forced to either curtail our spending to make outgoes equal income, or we're going to have continue to expand the empire, externally or internally.

Either more freedom for everyone, or less. I just don't see another path.

Bureaucracy - Where a Little Power is a Dangerous Thing...

Today I went to get a library card. Seems simple enough.

I took the long walk around the park, listening to a talk radio podcast, enjoying a sunny Southern Mississippi afternoon.

It was 4:07 PM local when I walked in and asked politely to apply for a Library Card.
I had my Military ID card, a copy of my orders, along with another half dozen forms of ID on my person.

The librarian decided that the sweaty airman didn't have the right "documents". I needed "proof" of where I was living.

She didn't ask for my driver's license, or any official document, instead I had to walk back home and grab a hand written PO Box from on base, something that I could have easily made in my sweet RV trailer.

What I saw from her was that it was near closing time, and she didn't want to do anything.

What she probably doesn't understand is that the reason have such a low opinion of public employees is because of exactly what she did, using the little bit of power she had to make my life harder instead of just doing her job once - which in reality would have made her life/job easier since I made sure to stay right up until 5 pm (closing time), even though she turned the lights out at 4:50.

I saw the same thing at state agency when I worked there, folks who were great people, but when they were having a bad day or dealing with a difficult customer, they would use there little bit of power to make that person's day, and by extension life/job, harder just because they could. It isn't about customer service, it's about being unhappy in a job, and exercising the little power they have to impress the customer with their lack of power.

So how do we remedy this?

First and foremost by down sizing government. Can you or I affect the size of the Federal Government? Absolutely not. That said we can affect our towns and counties. Show up to city council and/or county commision meetings. If they aren't committed to down sizing, run or volunteer your buddy to run. When the economic crash happens, and it is going to happen whether in 6 months, 6 years, or 20 years, it's inevitable; it'll make it that much easier for your community to adapt and overcome.

Keesler AFB FamCamp Review

So, about two months ago I started a new gig as an AGR and about a month ago I received PCS orders to Keesler AFB for Tech School. And thus began my journey to the family camp.

Finding the camp? Trust your GPS until you see the signs for the family camp, then trust the signs!

Being the frugal fellow that I've become, even before I go my tech school orders I started talking with guys in the shop about how to do the DITY PCS, and how the process itself worked.

Then I bought a travel trailer for $4000 off of Craigslist, an old Honda 250 Enduro motorcycle, an old Honda 700 watt generator, and loaded up my old 3/4 Ton Suburban (notice a trend yet?) Hooked up trailer and proceeded to drive across the US.

I wish I had pictures to share, the drive itself was beautiful. I went through Moab, for the first time, on the way, and it blew my mind with how uniquely beautiful it was, but I digress...

The Family Camp is surrounded by off-base housing less than 3 miles from the Pass Road Gate.

Back to the Keesler Family Camp. First it is out of the way, located next to an amazing park, Hiller Park, and across the street from direct access to the Back Bay. Bring your boat/kayak/canoe/fishing pole!

The park features lit tennis and basketball courts, a softball complex, a half mile track that circles a community garden, not to mention the ponds and fishing access.

That is to the North and East of the camp, but less than a block from the driveway to the camp.

In the neighborhood as well, there are several churches on Pass Road, lots of food, the beach is only about two miles away, and there's a Biloxi City Library Branch right around the corner as well.

If you're coming down for a temp PCS school or your family is staying behind for a while before following you down, don't be afraid to use the family camp as a staging area. It's safe, convienent, and in a great spot.

I'll post pictures soon.

Everyday Carry - CamelBak Backpack

EDC Pack

I was issued this pack back in 2006. It sat, more or less, unused until I retired from coaching in 2010. I started riding my bike 8 miles each way to work and it became a fixture in my life. As my Go Bag, First Aid Kit, Suitcase, Get Home Bag, Lunch Box, Mobile Office, and Hydration Solution it did it all for me. 

I logged over 750 miles walking/hiking in Rhode Island according to my GPS App, all with at least 25 pounds in the bag. It has held it's shape, the stitching looks new on the entire pack, and nothing has failed on the pack, snaps, buckles, or zippers.

To give you an idea of the usable space inside I carry a large water proof Plano 1412 Shallow hard case inside it, with a change of clothes, mole skin, suture kit, aluminum splint, duct tape, Katakyn Filtration kit, and some fire starting materials. There are the Maxpedition Fatty and Pocket kit bags in there. Another Waterproof Hard Case from Outdoor Products that has my serious first aid supplies in it. A pair of Vibram 5 finger shoes. A hammock with bug net, 50 feet of 550 cord, and three carabiners. There are always a half dozen cliff bars in there as well. I do my best to cycle through those, but every once in a while I'll come across a really old one to gag down. 

Do I have too much redundancy in the pack? Absolutely, but here is my reasoning. I am used to carrying a heavy pack (minus water) if I ever have to rely on that bag to get me home it gives me three options. Cache things I deem unnecessary at the time (either in place or along the way, share with friends going a different direction, barter along the way. 

Pros and cons to the pack itself. Pros, bullet proof construction, MOLLE straps all over it that aren't noticeable until you're inside 10 feet. Great use of space. The hip belt does a great job of taking weight off your shoulders. Big plus, the Hydration Pouch is insulated well enough that if you fill the bladder with ice it keeps your water cold for a full 12-15 miles of walking on warm days.

Cons: The shoulder straps could be a lot more ergonomic. A few more interior pockets would make it easier to keep organized.  

I was recently issued an Urban Assault Pack from CamelBak that replaced the old MULE. I'll have a review up on it soon.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to ask questions or comment.

Blogs I'm Reading

I've had a bit more time on my hands here in the desert, so my reading has picked up. There are a couple of blogs that I have been reading, and getting a lot out of, over the last month. I wanted to thank the individuals responsible and say something brief about each one.

The Survival Podcast - But Russ, this isn't a blog. No, but Jack Spirko is worth finding some time for. He's that buddy we all have, and go to when we need help with something out of our wheel house. If he doesn't know, he knows a guy who knows the guy to answer the question. Lots of gardening, perma-culture, thoughts on how to kill your debt, and other useful knowledge. If you commute, or have an hour a day to fill give him a try.

Mr. Money Mustache

Zerohedge.com - It may well be tabloid financial coverage with an agenda, but the site is brutal in it's disgust with all sides. Governtment, corporate behavior, and especially Goldman Sachs. I've picked up a lot of knowledge and understanding from the site. Worth reading by itself, the comments. Smart, snarky, and mean girl catty comments.

AmericanMercenary - www.randomthoughtsandguns.blogspot.com Due to my time with the geniuses from the Hudson Home for Wayward Boys, I take a dim view of most Army types, Charlie, Ron, and Manny aside, of course. AmMerc is thoughtful, thought provoking, and brings a depth to most of his postings that is rare. His fictional short stories are really useful at what he's trying to convey.

Good Life Farm - goodlifefarm.wordpress.com I worked with Sarah's mom and got to meet Sarah through her. I've always felt her a kindred spirtit in the slow food and enjoying life sense. Though we differ on some views, her recipes are fantastic and I think of her as that cool older sister I never got to have (even though she's younger than me) she's just very hip 40's classy kick ass.

Start Here - My Mission Statement

I'm on the wrong side of 35, bald as my razor will get me, and happy to say that I'm learning and growing more than any time in my life.

I want to share my vision of me and where this little blog is headed going forward. I love gardening, tweaking my EDC (Everyday Carry) Kit, libertarian thinking, growing food for my friends and family, the outdoors, learning, shooting, cooking, and basketball.

From this day forward, I'm committing to talking about those things, and trying to make this a place for learning and growing.

Let's see where this grows.

All the best,

Russ