Random Thoughts

The weekend seems to be a good time to put down all the things that have occurred to me during the week. Here goes.

The general population of the United States is a bunch of idiots led around by a news media that is generally full of idiots. Case in point: Look at what is happening to Rand Paul, candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Jim Bunning. Rachel Madcow somehow got Dr. Paul on to the subject of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. When Dr. Paul answered the question, he stated that he did not support discrimination, that he believed individuals and individual businesses had the right to determine who they would serve without government intervention, and that the Civil Rights Act should have been properly directed more at the government. I agree with his answer, and that answer is not racist or discriminatory in any way. Like most Libertarians, Dr. Paul believes that individuals should be free to make choices without intervention of the government so long as no one gets hurt. If a business chooses to exclude persons of a particular race, bigots and apathetic persons are free to patronize the business while fair-minded people would likely shop elsewhere. Bigots should be free to discuss their views in public, and others should be free to know who the bigots are and to shun them. I have seen the effects of this in North Idaho, which is rumored to be full of white supremacists (rumored, but not true except in the minds of idiots like Morris Dees and Mark Potok). The Aryan Nations people spouted their crap, but their numbers were small and virtually nobody was flocking to their compound. Due to extremely poor judgment on the part of previous Supreme Court justices, Dr. Paul is a public figure and has little recourse in the way of suing for defamation of character against the raving-mad, insane, racist, retarded moonbat asshats in the left-wing media and the drooling, special-education institution escapees driven to protest against Dr. Paul by the biased media zealots.

I have been noticing that the Department of Defense keeps coming up with new and interesting weapons. New rifles that shoot caseless ammunition, energy weapons, tiny air-burst grenades fired from a rifle attachment. The military technology keeps getting more and more advanced, while the civilian weapon technology seems to have hit the ceiling with semi-auto rifles and mid-20th century cartridge technology. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constititution gives all citizens the right to keep and bear arms. It does not say that I am limited to one particular class of arms (It also does not say that any citizen would lose such a right upon conviction of a felony, think about that.). If the founding fathers had intended that Americans be limited to a single shot rifle, or arms inferior to the army, they would have said so. The dictionary definition of an arm, besides a body part, is of a weapon, a munition, an implement of war. Although I have no desire to own a ray gun, I have the right to own it under the Second Amendment. We need to start thinking outside of the "establishment box" on this Second Amendment issue, or soon we will find ourselves cowed by the overwhelming might of the government's arms while we are reduced to hiding with our peashooters.

Our incompentent government will undoubtedly crucify British Petroleum for the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Undoubtedly BP deserves blame, but the Carter II Administration seems to be going overboard with its threats against BP, especially considering that BP is doing most of the heavy lifting with regard to the cleanup (whether by doing it or paying for it). B. Hussein Soetoro should be focused on the cleanup, then truly investigate once the cleanup is done, then propose ways the government itself can be less incompetent in the future. What will actually happen is a witch-hunt against BP and other energy producers, with the result being extreme limitations on offshore drilling. Given the potential for damage to the environment, limitations on offshore drilling would not be a bad idea if we had economical means to replace the energy that comes from offshore oil wells. Since we don't, get ready for higher energy costs and another hit to a struggling economy.

What will the Carter II Administration and South Korea do about North Korea's sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March? Nothing. The Norks are a proxy of the Chinese. It was only a ship that sank. It was only 46 sailors who died. Move on, please. B. Hussein already has moved on to begging the Chicoms for fair trade.

I can't resist a bit of commentary about the coming collapse and gold. Gold is down a bit this last week. So is the stock market. But only a bit. There are some opposing forces at work with both gold and stocks, from my point of view. Investors, as always, are seeking a way to profit. If profits seem elusive, they look for a store of value. Gold appears to be down because investors are seeing opportunities to profit from the market jitters in Europe and the U.S. The gold market has cooled a bit as investors see opportunities in the markets. Even though you can't eat gold, I believe it will shortly return to $1,200.00 an ounce and start going higher once the profiteers have finished exploiting the ups and downs of the jittery, but largely not improving, markets.

I do have another suspicion related to the slight drop-off in the price of gold amid reports that the Germans and other Europeans are exhausting physical gold reserves in Europe. Could it be that the paper gold market has become so obviously manipulated that trades in actual gold are occurring off market? Someone with more brains and connections than I have should investigate this.

Funniest moment of the week was when Nouriel Roubini told Bill Maher that people should buy Spam, not gold. Roubini explained that Spam has a more practical store of value long-term: You can eat it.

Speaking of market jitters, I would appreciate it if the idiots in the media would quit referring to every thirty point fall in the Dow as a "sharp decline" and a thirty point rise as a "rally". If the government wants to waste time investigating market manipulation, let's find out how much the markets have been affected by this media hyperbole. Is it the financial equivalent of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater when the mass media trumpet a Dow downward move of 50 points as being a precipitous fall?

List of threats I am watching: Iran/Syria/Turkey/Lebanon/Hezbollah/Hamas/Israel, North Korea, Venezuela/Brazil, Russian Empire Expansion, Pakistan/India, Energy Dependence/BP spill, Creeping Marxism/Economic Collapse, Fascist Leftists/Deprivation of Rights, Food Shortages, Kalifornia, Rahm Emmanuel.

Enough for today. Got to get some more Spam.

More Thoughts on Gold

Disclosure: I don't actually own any gold. Nothing to steal here. I'm a tangibles guy. Can't eat gold, but it is useful to gauge the extent and timing of the financial collapse, which looks to be worldwide in scope.

First up, read this article about gold ownership. Jeff Clark discusses why gold has not moved higher. Good arguments, but we preppers all know that the fat Greek lady hasn't sung, the Eurocommies are fleeing to the dollar, and that gold is underinvested. The interesting point is the degree of underinvestment: In one survey of money managers, 76% admitted owning no gold. Only 1% of global financial investment is in gold.

Next, read this article. If the implications of what Stewart Dougherty is saying does not make you put the Kitco Gold Chart on your reading list, I think you need to read the article again. Mr. Dougherty essentially discloses how to tell when Big Money is heading for the exits, and how and when it will happen. That is the panic, SHTF, TEOTWAWKI moment. When the Banksters take their ball and go home, it is over.

In reading the usual gold bug investment articles, it is easy to get caught up in the fervor that gold is going to soar to $2,000.00 or $3,000.00 or $5,000.00 per ounce. Some may think that investing in gold can increase one's wealth, because each ounce of gold is going to be worth so many more dollars as the fiat currency-denominated price keeps going up. It only holds true as long as the world believes that the dollar (or other fiat currency) represents a substantial store of value. When gold hits $5,000.00 per ounce, it will be clear that nobody believes that the dollar represents a substantial store of value, or any reasonable store of value. The question is whether the actual widespread realization will occur at $2,000.00 per ounce or $3,000.00 per ounce or maybe even at $1,300.00 per ounce.

Considering that gold went over $800 in 1980 during an inflationary crisis and that with seemingly "normal" inflation the price of goods seems to double about every ten years, I figure that gold is massively undervalued vis-a-vis the dollar and should actually be selling for at least $2,400.00 per ounce. I am not an economist (thank God) by any means; I am considering the price of goods in dollars, and gold is clearly a "good" in the marketplace.

I have been watching the price of gold for months, and I have noticed that sudden downward movement in the price seems to occur on a regular basis while the New York NYMEX market is open. Just like it did on Friday when it dropped about $30 in little over an hour. Not a huge drop, but a significant "correction" that occurs with regularity when NYMEX is open, interrupting upward trajectories in the price. Could this be the New York banksters subtly influencing the price of gold to keep confidence in the dollar and the dollar-denominated U.S. stock markets until the banksters milk them dry? I believe this is what is going on.

The stock markets are worthless as an indicator of our present status. The nervousness alternating with false confidence is enough to drive a person crazy. Its down today because Greece may default, then it's up tomorrow because the Fed will print money out of thin air to save the world. None of that market reaction is relevant because it is based on feelings. The feeling that Greece may affect other economies. The feeling of elation when the Fed pumps money from nowhere. The only exception to this will be when the panic goes full-tilt. When we see a day like Thursday, May 6, 2010, where the DJIA loses almost a thousand points in minutes, except that it keeps on falling, it is SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, or whatever you want to call it. That's when the banksters are taking their money and heading for the exits. That is when preppers head home to bar the door, fill up the bathtub, and oil the guns one more time while the rest of society makes suicidal treks to the Mega Mart to buy the stuff they should already have stored away.

When stocks are worthless, the dollar is worthless, and no fiat currency seems to be trusted, a huge rush will be made into physical gold. There is simply not enough to go around, and even the paper gold market has outsold the physical gold by at least 100 to 1. That is when gold will hit insane highs as the Big Money looks for a place to store it's pillaged fiat-money denominated worth before it becomes worthless. That will be my ROFLMAO moment. Gold is a relatively stable store of value when in competition with a fiat currency. The same is not true when gold is in competition with food, water, heat, fuel, clothing, shelter, and other necessities that cannot be obtained with a collapsed fiat currency.

The moral of this rambling story? Tangibles, tangibles, tangibles. Preferably things you can use, so that maybe someday you can trade your tangibles for gold from cold and hungry banksters after they realize they have not escaped the collapse they created.

Random Thoughts

I've been trying to make sense of what has been going on with the economic collapse. That has been holding my attention and I haven't posted in a while. I am convinced it is coming, but there are mixed signals from the markets. Gold is up, but the stock market can't seem to make up it's mind. The Dow goes down, goes up, goes down, seemingly related to the EuroPorkulus. More money being printed out of thin air by the Fed to, once again, bail out bankers. Once more, no help for the little guy.

I was bored last night waiting for the significant other and my daughter to get home, so I watched Bill O'Reilly. He is becoming a bigger idiot every day. What bothered me most was the segment with Glenn Beck, where O'Reilly stated he was in favor of suspending Miranda rights for U.S. citizens who were deemed terrorists by the government. Glenn Beck was aghast and tried to make Bill see the light, to no avail. Those who trade liberty for security end up with neither.

I have heard a lot of negative comments lately about Glenn Beck. Complaints are that he is trying to co-opt the Tea Party movement and that he is just a showman getting rich. For the record, I like Glenn Beck. If he gets rich while he keeps us informed, so be it. That is the American way. To me, Glenn is the Libertarian who has that unique ability to connect with the average guy. He is on par with Dennis Miller and John Stossel, but more "everyman" than Miller and Stossel combined.

Had a run-in with my daughter's school this week. The idiot principal gave her two days lunch detention because she was present and laughed when two other girls were making fools of themselves. My kid had to serve one of those before I ever found out about it. I told the chief Libtard of the school that they were not to question my kid unless I was present. Period. I then obligated myself to taking my daughter out to lunch every day for the rest of the school year because I am not going to allow such ridiculous punishment.

Both Cheaper Than Dirt and Centerfire Systems have some good deals on Russian ammo. Cheaper Than Dirt has Tula .223 55gr FMJ and 7.62x39 FMJ for $4.19 a box. Centerfire Systems has .223 55gr FMJ and 7.62x39 FMJ for $209.99 a case of 1,000, shipping included. They have half-and-half cases for the same price. Get it while you can. I can recall paying $6.50+ for 20 round boxes of Russian ammo not too long ago. I would check with Centerfire Systems before ordering from them. I ordered a rifle from them which was supposed to be in stock, but has not been shipped five weeks later.

Speaking of things that go bang, I would like to thank Mayberry for recommending Classic Arms. I ordered a rifle from them and was thoroughly pleased with the service. In-stock items are listed on the website, the prices were great, and shipping was prompt. The rifle was exactly as described.

I think one service we preppers can provide to each other is reviews of companies and products. I don't think most of us are wealthy, and one prepper's bad experience can save others some money and grief. Bashing William deserves a lot of thanks for his expose of the survival seed business. Thanks, I was tempted to give in to the convenience of ordering a survival seed package before I read your recent posts on the matter.

Well, that's it for now. I'm still watching the markets. There won't be a lot of notice when the bottom falls out and the panic sets in.

If we manage to get that far, Remember in November!

Retarded Politician of the Week: Charlie "Jesus" Crist

Looks like some of that "Messiah Dust" must have found its way onto Florida Governor Charlie Crist when he hugged Barack Obama. Now Senate candidate Chuckie thinks that he is so indispensible to the State of Florida that he can rise again from political death to electability as an independent. "Jesus" Crist has left the Republican Party and become an independent because Floridians, and all of America, need "Jesus" Crist in these trying times.

The heck with loyalty, the heck with fair play, the heck with losing like a man. These principles are reserved for mere mortals. "Jesus" Crist is a political prophet, nay a political "messiah" for the unwashed masses, here to rise above the Democratic and Republican parties and deliver Floridians and Americans from evil.

The truth is that "Jesus" Crist is politically clueless and misread the political winds. He reached out to Obama and supported the horrendous federal bailout, which did nothing for the man on the street. He backed the teachers' unions in Florida rather than parents and students. And he had no clue what the Tea Party movement was about and was bypassed by it. Unlike the real Jesus, Crist is out to save only one soul: his own political soul.

Hopefully the Republican, conservative, and libertarian voters of Florida will do what is fitting for "Jesus" Crist, and crucify him in the election by voting for Marco Rubio.

Leftist Purges Coming?

One hallmark of the left, whether it be the Stalinists, Maoists, National Socialists, or Castroites, is political purges. Remove all opposition from within the political structure. Political structure means civil service, police, military, educational system, etc. In other words, any government entity which has contact with and influence on the public.

A purge does not necessarily consist of executions or disappearances. For example, the public education system of this country was largely purged of anyone capable of critical thinking decades ago and filled up with agenda-driven union hacks.

I am concerned that a political purge of Constitution-abiding police officers by the federal government may be coming. Why? Because the feds would rather have your local police be loyal to the feds during a national crisis than be loyal to the citizens and the Constitution.

This idea came to me the other day when I was talking with a couple of friends about the state of our country and what is happening locally. Both have been recently employed in law enforcement, one currently. Both were concerned about federal grand jury investigations of the local police department.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of some of the recent shenanigans in our local police department and that I tend to agree with David Codrea and Will Grigg that a number of police believe they are special and above the law. So I was not immediately sympathetic to the local police feeling the squeeze from the feds.

It then occurred to me that the feds investigating the Spokane police is a bit unusual. The police here do not appear to be engaged in massive corruption schemes and wholesale civil rights violations. The rights violations here appear to be mostly the ordinary out of control cop getting physical with a citizen and the usual blue wall of silence. However, we do have a good state Attorney General in Rob McKenna and there are lawyers in the area who have been quite successful at going after the police for wrongdoing. Intervention by the feds just does not seem to be necessary.

The police officers who abuse their position and the citizens they serve are vastly outnumbered by the officers who faithfully do their job, believe in the Constitution and Constitutional government, and do not intend to obey unlawful orders. These police officers are a threat to Obama's "progressive" (Marxist) takeover of the country.

Remember when Obama said, "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" on July 2, 2008? Link. Just what would this "civilian" force be used for? To enforce the progressive agenda is my thinking. This would be the Obamaist Democratic version of the Nazi brownshirts. Lest anyone think this was just a campaign speech idea, see this.

Those law enforcement officers and government officials loyal to the progressive establishment will be tasked with enforcing the unconstitutional progressive laws that come out of the Democratic Congress and the Obama administration. They will be assisted by the Obamashirts (the civilian national defense force envisioned by Obama), or it may be the other way around.

The left cannot have law enforcement officers or government officials who place their duties to the Constitution and the citizens above loyalty to the progressive movement. Those who would adhere to the Constitution and their duty to the citizens and refuse to put down citizen protests against the unconstitutional laws and usurpation of power by the left have to be purged. It happened in the USSR, Nazi Germany, Mussolini's Italy, Castro's Cuba, Chavez' Venezuela, Communist China, and on and on.

The citizens of this country are too well armed for too many "disappearances" to happen before an open revolt would occur. Likewise, it would be impossible to get far with executions of purged officers and officials before open revolt would occur. The left will use the silent purge of federal legal action against those officers and officals not loyal to the progressives. For every one that is targeted by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney, or other federal agency, ten good men will resign or retire. I am told that this is already happening within the ranks of the CIA. It won't take long before those officers and government officials who uphold their oath to the Constitution will be a small minority of those serving.

History in the 20th century is replete with examples of this happening. If you don't have time to read the history, perhaps a bit of fiction will illustrate the point. Read "Flip of the Coin" over at AR15.com. Could the Obamashirts be like the Progressive Auxiliary in the story? We'll find out.

Get ready, it's coming.