Spook

We are now paying for decades of "social change" started when LBJ's "Great Society" tried to lift people up with government assistance but it has grew into welfare. (As Ronald Reagan said, "Pay people to be poor and they'll be poor", or something like that.) We've spent well over a trillion dollars on welfare and the poverty level has not receded. Medicare/Medicaid suffer from the high costs of health care. Social Security has morphed into a full-blown retirement system for many when it was meant only to be a supplemental retirement source. Our tax laws are ridiculously complex (I'd like to see a flat tax for about 3-5 years just so see how it would work, can't be worse than we already have, imo). Our educational system is greatly flawed. God forbid we should hold teachers accountable for their work. And by the way, no one comes in second place, much less third or, horror, last. ("I'm unique, just like eveyone else!") All this has taken decades and will not be corrected quickly. Anyone receiving public assistance should be made to work at something useful and productive to earn that money. No sitting at home on one's a$$, that only begets laziness. Our country suffers from tremendous deficits and now I read where Obama wants to spend even more government money (which it doesn't have) to right the economy. Hasn't that tact not worked for the past two and a half years? I truly fear for our country. Sorry for the ramble and to be so negative because there are still many great things about the U.S. and most of its people. But we have serious problems that I don't see our politicians willing to tackle less they risk losing their own job. Time for a cup of joe....

A win for Bubba...

The short term pain is worth the long term gain. Five and a half years ago I stopped after 30 years using Zyban, a drug originally used as an antidepressant. In a mental hospital they found that those using it also quit smoking. I had tried everything - gum, patch, cold turkey. Take the Zyban and continue to smoke for up to 10 days. On the ninth day I no longer wanted to light up. All the anti-smoking aids work differently on each person. I still love the smell of a cigarette but have never seriously wanted one. Toughest time was when drinking. But it will pass. Oddly enough, a month after I quit I was diagnosed with cancer (melanoma) and have beat that, too. You can do it... and you will look back and see that it was a great thing to do. Good luck.

Thanks for sharing the videos. I highly recommend reading "War", by Sebastian Junger on which the video with Sgt. Giunta is based. Junger and Herrington spent over a year with that group. It is a fantastic recounting of just how brave and tough those guys are who were in the Korengal Valley. God Bless them all.

.22 .357 9mm .40 .45 .50 12 gauge

Welcome from another new guy. This is indeed a great source for info. Keep shootin'.

Well said Gray....

Thanks for the invite. I'll sure keep you in mind.

Von - Thanks for sharing.. I have several of those on my Iphone. The WikiHow Emergency Survival Kit app also has some interesting stuff. Worth checkin' out.

Good luck to Sadie... Hope she makes it through this. I'd hate to experience this with my mutt.

Ran across this new product, Spare Fuel, (Emergency Fuel, Never Worry About Running Out of Gas | Spare Fuel) over on Survival Cache (http://survivalcache.com/). Not much known about it other than what has been put out by the company. By their account it obviously is all good and no bad. I'm naturally skeptical but it could be worth having on hand if the SHTF, although it is expensive.

Another SP 101 owner.... I like more each time I shoot it. May start carrying it as a BUG later.

Maybe in his line of work he knows alot more than we do... That kind of construction isn't for everday housing. Perhaps he's a survivalist. I just read One Second After last week, too. Great story that makes me want to plan a little more for when the SHTF. Also, saw a story on the History Channel about the New Madrid fault and what could happen if/when it rumbles again. It is wise to be prepared.

If you've never seen Michael Ramirez' editorial and political "cartoons" in the Investor's Business Daily, I highly recommend it. Also, the IBD is a good source of logical and thoughtful (imo) viewpoints on the day's topics of interest. Enjoy..... Michael Ramirez Political Cartoons 01/12/2011 - Investors.com

"...driving in the snow is one thing; being stuck in Shelbyville is another" LMAO.... c'mon man, it ain't that bad is it? Actually, you're right. I even have relatives there and wouldn't want to get caught overnight..

+1 (LMAO)

Great site. Thanks for sharing. I especially like the comparison function. Cheers....

We feed our very large dog EaglePak brand dog food. It is expensive but almost seems human grade to me... LOL.... My wife also cooks for him sometimes when she finds roasts, etc on sale. Throw in some leftover baked potatoes and add it to the dry food. Cheaper and healtiier than most canned food. He loves the variety. Like most animals he doesn't want to eat the very same thing day in, day out. (Did I mention that I had the greatest dog on earth?)

I think you are "dead" on (sorry).. I am reading "One Second After", which I highly recommend, and it seems to me that things can rapidly go downhill if/when SHTF. For those who are unprepared it will be extremely tough to survive for very long. The one aspect of the EMP scenario (= loss of electrical grid) that is really bad is the lack of refrigeration for medicines. Unfortunately, the innocent will suffer soon thereafter and for many it will be fatal.

Thanks for the good insight and info from all. I am also planning to purchase a safe soonest. Like many others I'm trying to balance cost with effectiveness. Along with "securing" my guns I also want the fire protection for other valuables to be stored in the safe. I visited The Safe House recently and they have a fine lineup of quality safes and I think the service would be good, too. Most recently I stopped by Bass Pro and they had a nice Winchester for $999 plus shipping ($200) which fit my requirements. The guy said I could buy the same safe online. However, when I got home (an hour's drive away) the safe was not on their website. I'm still lookin'.

What called for implementing the plan or running to the store? You couldn't mean those few snow flakes? Man, folks do go a bit crazy when that four-letter word is even mentioned.

+1

I recently picked up a P85 from my son and it shoots great. It won't be leaving my possession any time soon. Great gun for the money.

You are so rightfully proud of your son. May God bless him and his comrades!

Good question. How would you define "marathon"? For that matter I would be interested in knowing the length of your shorter practice sessions, too. As a newbie, I love to shoot and an hour goes by very fast to me. I always seem to burn all the ammo I bring to the range. Cheers...