- One small step for human decency and the fourth amendment. Love the second comment: “Here’s something to think about; a bill needed to be passed to prohibit a gov’t employee from touching your or your families (sic) ‘anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast.’ Really? REALLY?” But don’t worry. The TSA has no intention of letting decency, sense, or the Constitution get out of hand.
- Neither does Erik Prince. Does that man just seem scarier every time his name turns up in the news, or what? (H/T PT)
- And how come, if “justices” are so worried about the possibility of violence against cops who’ve made illegal entries into people’s homes they don’t tell the cops they’d better quit making illegal entries? Nope. Indiana. Add one more state to the growing list of those you don’t want to live in.
- But on the brighter side, the side on which Americans make something other than war, war machinery, and really bad legal judgments: “Kitchen Table Industrialists. (H/T PT)
- Ah, Grasshoppah. This is so true.
Without trying to sound naive (I do realize what this country has come to): Couldn’t a case be made against a judge who blindly dismisses *illegal* acts (by cops, or anyone)? By what right does he sit in a court of LAW ignoring laws on the books? It does seem that the ACLU or a Constitutional lawyer could challenge this ruling all the way to the Supreme Court, on the strength of his wording alone.
I like to make things. I try to get others interested in making things. At this point in my life I make to make things out of metal. I have an 85 year old South Bend lathe and a cheap Chinese milling machine. I taught myself how to use them, so it can’t be beyond the average person’s ability. Many people seem to think learning to make stuff is too hard, takes unusual skill or patience, or is somehow beyond their ability.
I think the problem is that people don’t want to expend the energy to make something they can just buy from someone else. People would rather buy new than repair something old. Lazy? Maybe. Apathetic? Perhaps. I think the biggest reason is that people are afraid to fail. In my life I have taught myself how to do many things and in the process I have screwed up a lot of stuff and wasted a good bit of money on materials and such. Mistakes are a valuable part of learning. You can’t learn without them. A willingness to jump in and try and to recover from your mistakes is required.
We seem to be brought up to believe that we can only learn things in school from people who have certificates that say they can teach us stuff. The concept of being self taught is scoffed at as being too hard, or maybe even too dangerous. I expect that readers of of BHM and this blog are probably the exception to the rule. It isn’t easy to live in the backwoods if you rely on others repair your stuff or make your tools and build what you need to be comfortable.
If you are a prepper having stuff stockpiled isn’t a substitute for knowing how to make stuff. Can you sew? Weld? Cook? Work with wood? Metal? Clay? Fiber? Go to a yard sale and buy a sewing machine or an old welder. Get on the web and learn about using them. For years I thought welding was a black art requiring special knowledge. When I eventually tried it I was amazed at how easy it was to learn and I kicked myself for living all those years without a welder. Sewing machine operation was something I learned as a small child. My mother was brave enough to risk her treasured machine to an 8 year old son who liked to mess with mechanical stuff. If you find you are interested in something, just ignore the naysayers, and go out and do it.
Maybe you aren’t interested in being a kitchen table industrialist but you can certainly become a backwoods Jack of All Trades if you’ve a mind to. Just ignore everyone who tells you that something can’t be fixed or is too difficult for a non professional to make.
I’d surmise that the Judge knows that his ruling will stand until either the Indiana legislature rectifies his ruling with appropriate state law, or it goes to the supreme court. It will likely take years to go to the U.S. Supreme court until someone with deep pockets challenges it or the Indiana government challenges it directly.
If Mitch Daniels truly believes he has what it takes to be presidential, he has the opportunity to demonstrate that now. He has to denounce this forcefully in the national press. He has to direct the A.G. to work to push it to the U.S. Supreme court ASAP. He has to call an emergency session of the legislature (if needed) to adjust state law to negate this and call for impeachment of the Justice.
If Mitch Daniels can’t do the above, he would be worthless as President.
Matt- “…he would be worthless as President.”
As would ANYONE.
Fred- And sometimes people don’t make things because the time and energy required aren’t worth it when you can just buy it; not even necessarily new, but at a flea market or yard sale. I agree you should know how to make the things you need for survival- or a primitive substitute, but some things aren’t worth the trouble.
That TSA link was so paternal I didn’t bother reading more than the first few sentences. Why are they embracing the Constitution where it allows their evil behavior, but ignore it where it prohibits their evil behavior? Hmmm. Yeah, I’m sure they “wish” they lived in a world where you could just get on a plane without being molested. It could happen overnight by ending the prohibition of weapons in passengers’ hands. But that would put them and their kind- other terrorists- out of a job.
I fail to see much real difference between Mr. Prince and what we are told about the role of Osama bin Laden. Is it just me? One violent, fanatical religious madman behind a terrorist organization isn’t much different from any other similar lunatic.
John Robb over at the Global Guerilla http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/ has spoken frequently about that concept of “kitchen table industries.” He uses the term open source manufacturing I believe. His general point is that to build a resilient community that community has to be able to manufacture most of what it needs and can do so on small scale. Often it sounds like they are discussing communities from the frontier days when a complete community had most of the trades covered.
Design software and machine controlling software is available and not terribly expensive. There are also more and more consumer affordable machine centers becoming available that only require a computer to operate them and initial resources pumped into the front end. You can purchase machines that will do plasma cutting and laser cutting of parts in your garage. For probably less then $10K you should be able to find software and automated machine tools to manufacture AK-47, or the Sterling or U.S. Grease Gun type SMG.
Going old school and buying up the old tools and learning yourself is great, most of my machine and wood working skills have been self learned and from trusted mentors. It provides great pleasure knowing how to make useful items from natural resources.
…..”For probably less then $10K you should be able to find software and automated machine tools to manufacture AK-47, or the Sterling or U.S. Grease Gun type SMG.”…….
And if you only want a couple or three of them automation isn’t necessary. Everything for the AK can be fabricated out of commonly available materials using manual machine tools for very little money. Even the more complex AR15 can be fabricated at home without automation on machines costing less than a couple thousand dollars. At the moment, as Kent pointed out, it is easier to just buy one than to make one, but isn’t it nice to know that your neighbor down the road could whip one up for you in his basement shop if necessary. Can you make something he needs or wants in exchange?
There are companies that make hobbyist type mini-machine shop tools, driven by a laptop. It’s very possible to start a small-scale factory, in some cases, table-top.
Fred has it right-don’t be afraid to try things! You can teach yourself-I think a lot of people want to be an instant expert,and that ain’t gonna happen. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve been told “You Can’t Do That!”-sometimes , after I’d already done it…
The best trade items for locals that can produce goods you need might be resources. MIght worth the time to scrounge steel, wood etc for locals than for them take the time from manufacturing to get it themselves.
Here’s something from the “Sovereign Individual” front.
More people are going nuts, and those working for the government are getting scared.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/15/60minutes/main20062666.shtml
Jim B. — Wow. That article is so sickeningly distorted I had to struggle to force myself past page one.
And OMG … the very fact that TPTB are trying to raise a big stink over sovereigns — and “domestic terrorism” and gods forbid “paper terrorism” — again (wasn’t that the big paranoid rant in the 1990s?) is just grotesque. The more things change …
…..”The best trade items for locals that can produce goods you need might be resources. MIght worth the time to scrounge steel, wood etc for locals than for them take the time from manufacturing to get it themselves.”……..
Matt is right about that. There are a few people that I regularly make parts for who supply the materials, plus a bit extra that then goes into my stock of useful stuff. Sometimes they ask me if I’m looking for something in particular and then go out and find it for me. I also prefer payment in kind rather than cash. There are a few things I haven’t yet learned to do for myself and it’s a satisfying way to do business on a macro scale.
Fred, not everyone is really able or interested in making machines and such things.
I make bread, grow fresh vegetables and sew. Maybe we could trade? 🙂
……..”I make bread, grow fresh vegetables and sew. Maybe we could trade? :)”………
You bet!
Wonderful! Probably just my luck you’re on the other side of the country, however. Do you ever come to NE Wyoming?
Yep, I’m a long way from NE Wyoming. But there is certainly someone near you who does the things I do. We’re a common species that tend to live in out of the way places.
Yesterday I traded a little bit of lathe work for a helicopter ride. How cool is that!!