Urban Runner

2nd Amendment Remedies

    US Senate TeaParty candidate Sharon Angle has stated that 2nd Amendment remedies should be used to remove Senator Harry Reid from office. There has been no outcry that this is unacceptable. If this is considered appropriate then the same remedies should be considered appropriate for whack jobs such as Sharon Angle herself, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, etc. Just a thought...
    It seems like we are getting awfully close to revolution here in the good old USofA.

Election 2010

    We are quickly approaching election day and a predicted big win for the TeaParty Republicans. It will be a sad day for America when those idiots take charge of our government so they can prove just how ineffective it (they) can be.
    Its truly a shame that these racist, haters will be running Congress. They did prove to have an effective strategy to win however. By voting "no" on everything good they effectively stymied all efforts for significant change. Then, when significant change, that the voters hoped for in the 2008 election, failed to materialize the public mistakenly blamed the Democrats for this failure. The Republicans have proven solidly unified in being a roadblock for change.
    In some respects a TeaParty win this go round could be a good thing. They are such evil idiots that once they get their day in the sun this will become apparent to more folks. This is the "fool me once" election and hopefully it will avoid another such disgrace in 2012. Of course Americans have proven to be a particularly gullible people and we could always have a "fool me twice" episode in 2012. Especially so after the Citizen's United ruling has thrown open our elections for purchase by multi-national corporations and foreign countries. We have become such a banana republic!

Avtomat Kalashnikova

    Well, our armory seems to be coming along quite well. I've now added three AK-47 / AK-74 variants to the collection. These rifles are renowned for their sustainability and ruggedness.  Our specific rifles are from Arsenal sold by K-Var out of Nevada and another by Mark Graham, a gunsmith in Arizona (Arizona Response Systems). This provides us with a rifle in each of the major Kalashnikov calibers. These include the 7.62x39, the 5.56x45, and the 5.45x39. The 7.62x39 was the Soviet AK-47 rifle's original caliber while the 5.45x39 is the round used by the current Russian AK-74.
    These are the type of rifles that exemplify the left and its people power in the true spirit of Che Guevara. They are also the rifles that strike fear into the hearts of right wing extremists and corporate thieves who prefer that the left remain pacifists. Viva la Revolucion!

As the world turns...

     Wow, what a difference a few months makes. Dad has been very ill which has diverted us from much of our usual and planned routine. It has been very unsettling to see the damage caused to Dad by a drug that was ostentatiously supposed to be helping him. Instead Amiodarone has caused a known side effect of pulmonary fibrosis. Thanks to the pharmaceutical industry for placing profits over wellness... Hopefully, Dad can be stabilized to the point that we can return to our regular communications about world events, etc. I sure do miss those exchanges.
    On the world stage BP has managed to unleash Hell upon the world. In the quest for short term corporate profits they are turning the former Gulf of Mexico into a huge tar pit. Just a short while ago the nitwit Sarah Palin was gloating about her campaign theme of "Drill, Baby, Drill". That sure doesn't seem like such a cool idea any more. Capitalism sure ain't doing the world a whole lot of good!
    Of course the Texas State Board of Education is doing their best as an American version of the Taliban to hide the shame of capitalism. They have gone so far as to rename capitalism to the free market system in textbooks in an attempt to avoid the horror that is just deserved.

Preparing for the Long Emergency

    If we are stuck in the desert we better be prepared for the onslaught. The bills are now being paid off so we have crossed the threshold to become debt free. The current effort includes being well armed for any contingencies. To this end an LWRC M6A3 has been purchased to increase the armory and is now being outfitted. Our property would not be an easy target for the "evil doers."
    Our next pending major investment is "dirt"... The expansion of our garden area. This is planned to occur in the next 90 days. The garden border railroad ties have already been purchased and are waiting to be emplaced. We also plan a supporting structure for garden solar cloth to be strung above the garden. We are under no illusions that the intense endless 100+ degree days are here to stay each summer now that climate change has come home to roost.
    Speaking of roosting; our chickens have begun to lay eggs. Between them and the ducks the food supply has increased. They are good girls and a happy addition to our ark.
    I'm not quite ready to retire yet for full time duties on our ark. The city income is being well used for the preparation for the "long emergency." However, I'm now more than ready to make the transition to "retirement" mode.

Stuck in the desert, but at least we're close to Austin...

    Well, we appear to be stuck in Central Texas as desertification rapidly sets in. We have been welcomed to our future with endless rainless days with temperatures above 100 degrees. If we could afford to escape to Ecotopia we would, but finances and Nilda will have none of that. So here we sit and will have to make the best of it as we await the approaching conflagration.
    We do continue to improve the sustainability features of our homestead. The chickens and ducks are now settled in to our family. The ducks are in their now completed up-armored duck house and the chickens in their chicken tractor. Next year we will more than double the size of the garden and have a sun screen system installed to shade it.
    One saving grace to our location here in the desert is our relative close proximity to Austin. It sure is nice that we can enjoy the relief of an Austin hike whenever we are in the mood to do so. You know, I'm thinking that its just about time for the relief afforded from an urban hike. I believe a visit to the Crown & Anchor and the Dog & Duck is in order!

More Steps Towards Our Permaculture Homestead

    Well, its been a busy few weeks here at our homestead. We have added four chicks and now three ducks to our family. I have been working hard to complete an up-armored duck kennel (we have lots of raccoons and possums to defend against). We also will be taking delivery of a stagecoach chicken tractor this week. If we are going to be stuck here in Central Texas we may as well do our best to fully develop or sustainable permaculture homestead.
    We also took delivery of some more railroad ties as a first step towards expanding our large raised bed garden. Incidentally, our kitchen counter has an assortment of produce from our garden, Nilda has been doing a great job keeping things productive.
    All of this requires a great deal of physical labor and financial resources. However, in the end it will be well worth it. We look forward to a fully sustainable life and are focused on the defend in place principle.

Prepare to unfurl the red flag...

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Arlen Specter joins Democratic Party

    Well, this continues to get interesting, and better! Senator Arlen Specter has just announced that he is switching from the increasingly extremist and loony Republican Party to the Democratic Party. Why not? It still baffles me why ANY person would still want to associate themselves with the party of Sarah Palin, James Inhofe, etc.
    This is very good news! Now, if only the obstructionists in Minnesota would get out of the way of Al Franken we might really have some progress in Washington...

Backside of Forty

    As a continuation of the thoughts from my last post: Well, here I am on the backside of forty and sitting in the midst of an economic meltdown and climate crash. I had plans, and dreams, of moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 or 2009 but that dream is becoming increasingly fleeting and crushed by events. As I have mentioned to several acquaintances, "Its hard to sell low and buy high", which would be exactly what we would end up doing if we sold our homestead in Texas and moved to Oregon (Ecotopia) at this point. On top of this, is the pretty much impossible stipulation set by Nilda that once we pay off our mortgage this year that we never have a mortgage again. This pretty much backs me into a corner and means we're stuck in Texas baring a catastrophic change of events. Which, unfortunately, is probably not completely out of the question...
    So what do we do if we are apparently stuck here in central Texas? I guess this moves us back to the defend in place position that I had mentioned several posts ago [use Lijit search box on right - directly below the calendar to find it]. Plans include exponentially expanding our current large garden. We will also be adding a chicken tractor soon so that we can have hens for the production of eggs. I plan on developing our backyard into a private garden area to focus on our immediate sustainability. The front yard will also have significant elements of sustainable food production but will also have a significant social element. I plan on adding a major patio area for socializing and political discussion.
    The major weaknesses of this sustainable / defend in place plan is the in-availability of water and general criminal instability. I'm prepared and preparing to defend against the criminal element but the water shortage is a problem that may defy solution.
    Its a shame that the political "leaders" of central Texas seem so unable to foresee and react to the coming disaster. Instead, its going to be up to individuals to fend for themselves. The hard times are coming and I'm increasingly mentally prepared for the onslaught. Nuts...