American Dinosaur

Epicenter

Joel Rosenberg's Epicenter is looking a little too much like fact today............Read it.

Legacy of Freedom

Read This, a well written piece from the dark side...................

Junk Science is a false idol to a dangerous religion.......................

Best Music Videos........From Soldiers in Iraq

Coming In January

Click the Pic

Unknown source

Abridged letter from Troy Clarke, President of General Motors - followed by a response from Gregory Knox, President of Knox Machinery, a manufacturer of precision machine tools which supplies the auto industry.
Dear Employee,
Next week, Congress and the current Administration will determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis......................As an employee, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard.
Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.
Troy Clarke
President
General Motors North America

From Gregory Knox,
In response to your request to call legislators and ask for a bailout for the United States automakers please consider the following, and please also pass this onto Troy Clark, the president of General Motors North America for me.
You are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has bred like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping the nation, awaiting our new "messiah" to wave his magical wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once-great nation to keep "living the dream." The dream is over!
The dream that we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the world's most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement-minded "laborers" without paying the price for these atrocities … and that still the masses will line up to buy our products
Don't tell me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEMs and Tier ones for 3 decades now throughout the Midwest and what I've seen over the years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.
Mr Clark, president of General Motors, states: "There is widespread sentiment in this country, our government and especially in the media, that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management. It is not…"
You're right – it's not JUST management … how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag around … so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour week.
How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics for putting out too many parts on a shift…and for being too productive (mustn't expose the lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?) Do you really not know about this stuff?!?
How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea:
over the last few years …we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors.
What the hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs. the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on?
We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades. Time to pay for your sins, Detroit .
I attended an economic summit last week where a brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu, surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money." Yes, he said, this would cause short-term problems, but despite what people like George Bush and Troy Clark would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day -- and something else would happen: where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up -- that is how a free market system works. It does work if we would let it work.
But for some reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work, that we need the government to step in and "save us" -- save us, hell – we're nationalizing, and unfortunately too many of this once-fine nation's citizens don't even have a clue that this is what's really happening -- but they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams! Yeah – THAT'S important…
Does it occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades now in this country?...
How can that be???
Let's see…
Fuel efficient…
Listening to customers…
Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul…
Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr W Edwards Deming 4 decades ago
Ever increased productivity through quality, lean and six sigma plans…
Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy"…
Efficient front and back offices…
Non union environment…
Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really don't already know in their hearts
I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into – my children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did at their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way) – I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work them through.
Radical concept, huh…
Am I there for them in the wings? Of course – but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults
I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government.
Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins.
Bad news people – it's coming whether we like it or not.
The newly elected messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately after the vote count was tallied. "We might not do it in a year…or in four…" Where was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for the office
Stop trying to put off the inevitable …
That house in Florida really isn't worth $750,000…
People who jump across a border really don't deserve free health-care benefits…
That job driving that forklift for the big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year…
We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights infractions on the face of the globe…
That couple whose combined income is less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home…
Let the market correct itself people – it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's gonna be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it is a nation that appreciates what is has, doesn't live beyond its means, gets back to basics and redevelops the work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world … and probably turns back to God.
Sorry – don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the "bad news"

Gregory J Knox
President
Knox Machinery, Inc.
Franklin, Ohio 45005

Lone Survivor

Need a late gift idea? I just finished Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor. The story of one Navy SEALs struggle to survive the worst disaster in their storied history. The first part of the book deals with his youth and SEAL training. The second half is an eyewitness account to Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. I could not put it down and read way past my bedtime and too much throne time. It makes James Bond look like Martha Stewart's prision biography. Great book about one of America's finest. It made this old dinosaur cry.

Grade A
Marcus Luttrell at an NRA Dinner May 2008

American Vacuum

Immigration to the US, 1820-2007 v2 from Ian S on Vimeo.

If this is such a terrible place, why do everyone want to come here?

Food for Thought

Survival Food As The Ultimate Barter Item
There is just three days worth of food on the shelves of the supermarkets in the average city of America.

Thanks to "just in time" inventory practices; America has an average of just three days of food on its shelves. Inventories are kept extremely well managed and "tight" thanks to the amazing efficiency of modern day transportation and manufacturing systems.

But what happens when the system breaks down and the food distribution system gets disrupted?

For the answer, you really only need to think of the previous Katrina television coverage of a few years ago... pictures of bare shelves and desperate brawls as folks argued and even fought over the remaining scraps.

Now imagine a disruption in the system that lasts not a few months... but one that could affect our food supply for years to come.

Despite government attempts to throw money at this problem, statist's actions, like wage and price controls, will only create greater shortages. The more bureaucrats demand that prices remain constant... the more producers of food related items will NOT produce the item. After all, their costs rise with inflation so it's only fair to pass them on. What always happens are misallocations of capital and shortages. This is the legacy of communism and socialism. Central planners try to tell the market place what to produce and what to charge. The result, historically, has been disastrous. Barak Obama believes in the government's obligation to help with all his heart. And he will. But his idea of help will eventually be wage and price controls.
His actions will affect every man, woman, and child in America. So the time to start your "food insurance"program is right now. Here's the reason: The average American has yet to reach an understanding of the potential devastation that socialism will bring to our advanced "division of labor" economy. When they do, the surge of demand for food storage equipment like canning supplies will turn into a tidal wave.

Food prepared for storage will be almost impossible to secure. If the news media even mentions a run on any food preparation equipment, it's over. Trust me. Buy plenty of jars and supplies now. This is not a question of if... but rather when. After word gets out, the show is over and those who have not taken steps to prepare will be on their own.

The Problem With Paper Money

Please understand something very important: you will not be able to buy your way out of the current meltdown if you wait too long. Especially, with paper money. In a panic, survival food is the ultimate currency. It not only satisfies appetites, but with it you can buy anything else you need. People always need to eat no matter what else is true. Having plenty of stored food that you can trade or barter will put you in the best possible position to survive and prosper in the coming bad times.

Now what kind of prepared food and other commodities will be worth the most? Below is a list of foods that will be extremely valuable in a meltdown.

Best Barter Bets In A Crisis

Canned foods grown on gardens or private farms. Especially, vegetables and fruits that haven't been sprayed with pesticides.
Canned meats from livestock pastured on small farms.
Canned meats and vegetables bought in stores.
Beef jerky and other dried foods make fantastic barter items.
Pastas of all types seem to last a long time and will be high on the list of desired items.
Dog food. Yep. Just do it. Dog foods, both dry and canned provide essential vitamins, minerals and proteins. Costs are very reasonable. Shelf life is several years and some of the new "chewy" brands are edible. In a real disaster, with "runs" on food at the grocery store, you may be the only one at the dog food section.
Dried beans. Beans are a protein powerhouse. You can never go wrong by having them as a barter item.
Peanut butter. If you can make your own so much the better. In a disaster, peanut butter will leave the shelves so fast it will make your head spin. Learn how to make peanut butter and buy 50 pounds of peanuts... just in case.
Powdered milk. Another staple that has had tremendous barter value. Buy Carnation brand and get plenty, then... Go to your local farm or feed store and buy 25 to 50 pounds of "milk replacement" for calves. Not the greatest tasting but extremely nutritional. And like dog food, no one will be thinking about hording this item.
Vitamin supplements. Have plenty of non-synthetic vitamins stored as barter items. Disease spreads like wildfire in panics and famines. Those with healthy immune systems have a much better chance of surviving to help others.
Pressure Is Building!

This is from HERE, worth the time and money.....................

Big E Aniversary

A year ago this week I was out in the Atlantic with my son on the USS Enterprise. A 4 day 3 night Tiger cruise that was one of the greatest experiences I have ever done. I hope to do another one in 2010 when the Big E is once again prowling the seas.

Nice Shot Buddy

Big Fat Lair

President-elect Boondoggle is a big fat LIAR!

The love triangle between Gov. Rod and Tony Rezko and the Messiah is a well documented triumvirate of corruption. They stopped this today before to many cats got out of the bag. In three years of wiretaps how deep is the Messiah in this? What a joke! Not even in office yet and he smells like week old fish..............

Remember

A day of Infamy.........................

Plaxico PSA