What I'm Not

First of all, I'm not a lunatic-crazy-extremist, even if I did mention Ron Paul and silver in the same post.

I'm not a Republican, nor have I ever been a Republican. A decade ago, I considered myself a socialist. Over the years, I've learned what socialism actually means, as opposed to what I was taught in school about political thought. In the course of educating myself, thinking and reading on topics of freedom, some of my views have changed completely, and some not at all, but I made the trip without taking any breaks under the Republican umbrella.

I'm not a Libertarian, with the capital "L" indicating membership in the Libertarian Party. I'm not a Libertarian because, while I agree with most of their ideals, I remain opposed to their views on abortion ("it's the woman's body") and homosexual marriage. These are simple matters which have nothing to do with my religious views. On abortion, scientifically, there are *two* living bodies involved. If anyone ever convinces me that it's okay to kill people whom I consider an inconvenience... Well, let's just say the political scene in my local area will change dramatically. And regarding homosexual marriage, I really don't give a rat's ass about what consenting adults choose to do. However, it's also not the government's place to give it a seal of approval or to force others to accept homosexuality as a valid moral choice. And we've already seen the results of such laws, both in the US where at least one Catholic orphanage was closed because they refused to allow anti-discrimination laws to dictate their morality, and in other countries where similar legal battles have been fought. On the other hand, I wouldn't have a problem with marriage being a completely private arranagement and the government keeping it's opinions to itself.

I'm not a feminist, not by today's definition of the word. The word has been co-opted by those who are anti-woman, by those who have a different set of shackles ready for women to wear, by those who would murder a woman's children in the name of making her equal to the man who can bear none. But I am an old-school feminist. I remember that while the word was co-opted, the original feminists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought against very real injustice. They fought for legal equality and recognized abortion as one of the greatest abuses against women. I believe that we must be careful not to let the pendulum swing too far and forget the very real problems that women have faced and continue to face in the world.

I'm not an inferior to any man on the planet. I don't need a college degree (though I have one), a high paying job (could have had one), or a bunch of liberals (sneer) to tell me these things while simultaneously trying to put a new set of limitations on me. My value--my worth--is that I'm made in the image of God.

What I am is a radical, as my Lord commanded me to be. Jesus preached a radical message, and He died for it. His disciples continued His radical ministry, and many of them died for it. It was never a political message, but it has always and continues today to scare the oppressor.

Bunker Index Blog

And here we end the first month of the Bunker Index being hosted as a blog separate from the HomesteadingToday forum. I'd like to use this moment to post an update for my readers so that you might understand my philosophy towards this and see how we're doing.

While some might accuse me of taking this too seriously (it's just a blog so chill, dude!) I consider it my ministry. As a Christian cabinet-maker should consider fine cabinets his Christian ministry to the world or a plumber his skillful work or repairs should consider that his ministry. We all must use our gifts and blessings in order to praise God and spread the Gospel.

When I began to shift the Bunker Index more towards ministry it drew fire and I was asked to return to simple discussions regarding non-political/religious issues. I could not do that and at first I was concerned and wondered why anyone would bother to read what I had to say if they had to go somewhere else to get it. I thought my purpose would be to only exercise my ministry at the HomesteadingToday forum since we are to go to where the people are in order to evangelize.

Clearly that has not turned out to be the case. The week we pulled up stakes and moved we averaged about 450 hits per day. Here at the end of the month we're averaging between 600-700 per day and have begun to pull in readership from other blogs and forums beyond just our origination point. I thank all of you who have posted links and brought in others. Praise God, we are growing!

Turning on advertising was a difficult decision which I prayed over. It's not going to be big money but I figured a couple of pennies here and there would amuse me. Later I began to wonder how I would continue this when I left the corporate-industrial world behind and my income was solely dependent upon agrarian pursuits and knife-making. God has shown me the way and with your help, we have been blessed enough for this simple enterprise to be self-sustaining. I'm making enough from link-click advertising now to support internet connectivity, which I consider more than enough to justify our work here. I was perfectly willing to use my own funds to do this, but I foresee a future in which just keeping the kids in socks is going to be a challenge. Now God has provided us with a way which is the surest sign of His approval.

My wife has agreed to also participate in the blog, and I felt her perspective on issues would be of great value and of interest to many of you. I expect there to be more from her in the future as God moves her to address the issues pertinent to strong Christian women. As you can tell, she is the heart and soul of our family, as well as the backbone. (I'm the dirty feet and smelly armpit of the family.)

So we're doing very well here at the Bunker Index. Readership is growing,  and our small costs are being met by the advertising now (and the advertising is actually becoming more interesting and relevant to our readership as the readership grows in number). I'm feeling a great outpouring of love towards you all and I'm looking for ways in which we may be of more service.

God bless you all.

Your humble servant,
Ernie

A Thousand Words

Humor always has a way of getting a point across. This guy on the "Are We Lumberjacks" blog always makes me laugh. And what he does with photoshop and a sense of humor is worth a revolutionary brigade of rifles.

A Follow-Up on Awlaki's Murder

Why should we be concerned with the government killing of a terrorist operative? Because we only have the government's word that he was so.

In this Salon article, the topic is discussed a little more fully than my brief bullet in today's BI. Whatever else he was, Awlaki was an American citizen and entitled to due process of law and NOT to be murdered by the CIA. If he was a terrorist, then put forth the evidence in a court of law. The Obama administration chose not to do that. In fact, they even went so far as to classify all evidence against him as a "state secret" so it couldn't be revealed when Awlaki's father tried to get a court order to prevent the assassination of his son.

If American soldiers had killed Awlaki on the field of battle with an AK-47 in his hands and Jihad on his lips then it would be a completely different story. I'd give my nod of approval and hoist my coffee cup in tribute to our lads in uniform.

But they didn't. A CIA dronestrike murdered him.

Here's where I call the Democrats and liberals out for their hypocrisy. You liberal pieces of filth ranted and raved and pulled out your hair in clumps when Bush eavesdropped on American citizens without due process. But yet you applaud when that lunatic usurper Obama orders the assassination of an American citizen without due process.

This is why I don't think we're ever going to be able to put this country back on the right track without bloody revolution. Constitutionalists play by the rules and the liberals and socialists don't. Those scumbags go with whichever way the wind blows and have no moral compass at all to guide them. They'll stop at nothing. At some future point, our children or grandchildren will be left with this mess and they're going to have to actually pick up rifles (or sticks and clubs by that point) and sort it out.

September 30th Bunker Index - Sing Forth the Honor of His Name

Yikes. What a day. Here it is Friday and it feels like I have a week's worth of work to accomplish before the weekend. However did this happen?

We're still on target for the home purchase. The land surveyors should have finished up yesterday. I'm wondering how much the property lines changed and how much land may be lost there. I've heard of land surveys taking a landowner down from 10 acres to as little as 7. Seems like a colossal blunder. I'm hoping for the best though. Maybe I'll get an oak tree out of it.

As we go into the weekend, I reflect on just how bad things have gotten. A local grocery store chain up the road from me went out of business. I think they space will be filled with another grocer, but going into the bankrupt store in their last week of "going out of business" sales was like a little foretaste of the apocalypse. The shelves were nearly emptied out of everything edible. Now the nearest grocery store is about 30 minutes away, which isn't so bad, but it's driven local residents here to all levels of angst and turmoil.

I'd like try something to try to fill up the spaces in the weekend where there's no Bunker Index. So this Saturday will be "Q&A Day". Please send any questions or discussion points to bunkerindex@hushmail.com and I'll compile and answer them in tomorrow's post. I'm sure Kat will participate as well so if you have any questions for her, be sure to specify which lunatic-crazy-extremist you are directing your question to. There's two of us in this household, as you now know from reading her posts. Also please be sure to specify whether or not you'd like me to attach your name to your question publicly or if you'd prefer to remain anonymous.

As always, you can email me at anytime. I don't get so many emails that I can't get back to them within a few days and I do appreciate hearing from my readers.

And now for something amusing ... Lego terrorists!

1. "Americans have gotten soft" Obama says. Yes. I agree. A red letter day when I agree with Obama. Americans HAVE gotten soft. There was a time when politicians who proposed heavy taxes and unconstitutional laws would have been ran out of town at bayonet point and hounded out into the wilderness, or tarred and feathered. A criminal like Obama would have been tried for treason. We've gotten soft, America. As evidenced by the vile creatures we've allowed to take over our political process.

2. The House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa is really busy this year. So far there's the massive Obama administration donations to Solyndra, the ATF's illegal arming of foreign criminals for the purpose of undermining the Constitution, and now he's investigating whether or not Ford had to pull an advertisement critical of Obama's GM bailout because the White House pressured or threatened them.

3. Iranian Pastor Youced Nadarkhani is scheduled to die this Friday in Iran for the crime of being a Christian. Iran is feeling the pressure from the International Community (though I doubt Obama's weak and poorly worded condemnation mattered much) and there are rumors his sentence may be annulled. That doesn't mean they'll let him out of prison though and it certainly doesn't mean they'll stop persecuting Christians. The Mullahs and clerics of Islam can't. They know their false, demon-inspired religion cannot stand against the light and gospel of Jesus Christ.

4. Obama told an audience of high school students in DC that ethics wasn't his favorite subject. This is exactly what is wrong with Obama and so many liberals ... they think ethics is something taught in school.

5. An American citizen and alleged al-Qaeda operative wanted by the United States was killed in an airstrike in northern Yemen. I'm not concerned so much that an AQ operative was killed, but he WAS an American citizen and the Obama administration DID mark him for assassination. Murdering American citizens wherever they may be found is a bad precedent. Sooner or later Napolitano will get to use that against those the Obama administrations feel are the REAL terrorists ... white Americans who oppose tyranny.

6. The Air Force is teaming up with state and local officials in a collaborative effort to crack down on drunk driving. The $300,000 project also focuses on cutting down on underage and irresponsible drinking. I wasn't aware that Wyoming had such a problem with this that they needed to call in the military to help. Does Posse Commitatus not mean anything anymore, or did we simply decide to do away with it as unfavorable when dealing with unpopular crimes?

7.  Even as the European Union appears poised to break up financially, Brussels has introduced some new plans for compulsory lessons for European children as young as 5, indoctrinating them as "European citizens".

8. South Korea's "bounty hunters". South Korean citizens roam the streets with cameras taking photos of their felllow citizens engaged in illegal activity ranging from littering to prostitution. They then turn the photos in to the government and receive a "bounty". Think Napolitano has heard of this? How long until it's implemented here. The infamous "see something, say something" campaign may turn into "see something, say something, get paid."

If I Wasn't Married to Ernie...

...I'd probably propose to Vin Suprynowicz. Reading his book Send In The Waco Killers helped me to make that final leap to a true libertarian mindset. A common phrase going around lately is, "You can't reason a person out of a position they weren't reasoned into." This is partially true; when one holds tightly to emotional positions in defiance of all reason and logic, little can be done. However, we don't get to choose our starting positions. Vin was one of the people whose logic helped me see where my views were still hopelessly emotional and infantile.

Today's post, Ridiculing easily established facts, is interesting because of how often I see the types of arguments he's discussing.

In the latest example, Alexandra Petri, a member of the Washington Post’s editorial page staff, columnized last week that “gold bug” Paul is so wacky he “actually named his son Rand,” and further that he “believes that a silver dime can pay for $3 (worth) of gas.”

“Believes”? Do we generally refer to something being “believed” when its accuracy can be easily ascertained with a few clicks of the keyboard?

Go to http://www.kitcosilver.com. Here you can easily ascertain that silver was selling, when I wrote this column, at $39.68 per ounce. (It had dropped close to $30 in the Sept. 22-23 panic; it will likely be up again this week.)

I see this with increasing frequency. In our modern world where nothing is accepted as True, we've now reached the point where facts which do not support that which is already believed can be discarded, mocked, and ignored. The silver dime can demonstrably purchase $3 worth of gas, but it sounds silly to the uninformed who then belittles what she can't understand.

Which leads to another book suggestion. If I had my druthers, everyone in the country would be forced to get a lesson in basic economics from Uncle Eric's Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? Eldest son and I read through this a few years ago, and I learned from a book geared towards middle school children all those things that the government sponsored high school economics class didn't bother to mention. Not that it's surprising--he who causes the problem is hardly going to point out what he's doing.

The Remains of the Day

I've been buried up to my neck in issues today and haven't had much chance to post or even look at the news. Did the world blow up? Are we still here? Anything interesting happen? This is your chance to post. Tell me what's going on out there!

Slight Delay This Morning

Business calls. Apparently there's still some work left for me out in the world. I'm summoned to Chicago to fix yet another failing system in the techno-corporate world.

I'll attempt a bunker index report a little bit later today, plus a brief discussion on what I've learned about solar power so far! Stay tuned!

Apple Season

One of my friends in the local area rented an old orchard against my advice. I had taken a look at it for him when he was considering the deal and seeing the old, gnarled trees I thought surely that it would never produce anything worthwhile.

He and his business partner decided otherwise and plunked down the money. They worked hard and constantly to reform this neglected orchard. All through the spring and summer you could see them out there and the pile of pruned branches grew taller and taller. Some trees were culled and others were brought back into line with a more studious eye. I watched their progress intently week by week as I passed by the orchard.

A few days ago, the big Swede showed me the harvest they'd brought in. Many bushels of small but very sweet apples and most of them were in good enough condition to be sold in stores. They borrowed a cider press from another agrarian friend and pressed out quite a bit of cider before breaking the press (oops). I think they may even break even financially on the deal this year and certainly in the years to come they should exceed all my expectations.

How many of what we consider "lost causes" are really just waiting for a diligent hand to come along and return them to fruitfulness? And I'm not just talking about apples there.

The "Can't Club"

When I tell people I have bought land in Texas and I'm soon to move there and build my own home and homestead, there's an interesting phenomenon that occurs ...

Many of them express an opinion of disbelief. Then the reasons start to support that disbelief ... but what about the drought? What about fire insurance? Flood insurance? What if it's unsafe? Don't you want a real builder to build your home? Why wouldn't you live in a more conventional manner?

Some, like a few of my readers here, are more supportive of a man and his family striking out to do this. A very few even take it in stride as if it's the most natural thing in the world and why wouldn't everyone want to do so?

Do you believe that a homecooked meal is better than the meals you get in restaurants? If so, then why wouldn't you also extend that to a handcrafted home?

We do not need the legions of experts who have gathered to interpose themselves between us and God's will and who advocate that only they are the ones who have the knowledge and ability to supply life's essentials (often at great financial cost to us). Are you somehow less capable than your great-grandfather? Are you less hardy than those pioneers who carved out homes for themselves in the wilderness? There's a grocery store less than 12 miles from my homesite, 3 building supply stores in nearby Brownwood, and I have a Visa card. That's way more than Pa Ingalls ever had. And for a decade now I've been reading on homebuilding techniques and have visited (and ate fine dinners) in many homes built by "amateurs".

Am I nervous about this undertaking? Yes! It's huge and there will be hardship involved. That doesn't mean I won't try though. God is leading us to this place and filling my head and hands with the ability to do it. All that is required from me is to show up and try.

Courage

I've been struggling with this one all day. I'm not sure what to say about this, but a Christian pastor in Iran has been sentenced to death and is to be executed as early as today. He's Iranian born and heads a small church in Iran of about 400 Christians. When he complained to the government that his son (a Christian) was being forced to read the Koran in school, they arrested him. Later they accused him of apostasy (leaving Islam) though he has never been a practicioner as an adult. No matter, the court said. He was brought up in a Muslim family and thus his conversion to Christianity is apostasy and he has been sentenced to die.

From the article:

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

Would you have the courage to die for your Lord? Would you have the courage to stand before your accusers and refuse them, knowing it means death? Our Christian brother Nadarkhani has a wife and two children.

Think carefully. Your chance may be coming.

September 28th Bunker Index - American Twilight

It's a dark, gloomy day outside with the weather closing in. I've got a lot to do but some of it is outside and I get tired quick of getting rained on. Time is short for the move. We're pushing through as fast as we can and have decided that come Hell or high water we're getting out of here. From reading the news, I'm not sure how long we have before things come apart at the seams.

There's a handful of items before us today that are part of a theme. The Democrats and liberals are all for suspending elections now that it looks like they're going to lose. If the Republicans nominate anything other than a masturbating, one-eyed chimpanzee than they stand a good chance of beating Obama. In fact, in recent polls, "anybody else" beat Obama by about a 5% margin. My fear is that we're going to end up with someone like Rick Perry, which to me is still heading in the same globalist direction as Obama but just at a slightly slower pace.

The fix is in. There's nothing they can do to fix this country. My wife is all for Ron Paul (and so am I) but I have no illusions as to what that means. Ron Paul is a strict Constitutionalist. Assuming he could get anything done through a Congress of professional politicians, it will tear this nation apart. Can you imagine being put on the gold standard again? There's not enough gold in the solar system to cover all the phony money that the Fed has printed and put into circulation. Gold would be about $30,000 an ounce. Can you imagine what happens when the thugs at the ATF and DEA get disbanded? Do you think those jackals are going to just turn in their guns and badges and go find real jobs, after they've been able to wield power and violence against the American citizenry for so long with impunity? Do you think the legions of the FSA on welfare-for-life and swipe-swipe-swiping their EBT cards are just going to calmly accept that the gravy train has ended and it's time to go get a job? Even if they did, do you think there are jobs available for them?

Still, a pending revolution is no reason NOT to vote for Ron Paul. If there be trouble, let it be in our time that we can deal with it now, as opposed to leaving it for our children or grandchildren who will inherit a bankrupt and freedomless world.

After all, fear of hardship should be no reason not to change the status quo.

1. The Democratic governor of North Carolina commented before a meeting of rotarians that elections need to be suspended in 2012 to give politicians time and breathing room to "fix the economy". Her aides later claimed it was "just a joke" but nobody with any sense believes that. Clearly it was a trial balloon that's been going around in Democratic circles now. She's not some junior Congresswoman. She's the governor of North Carolina and a professional politician. As Obama continues to poll badly, expect a lot more of this type of discussion.

2. Facebook admits that it has been tracking Facebook users and their web page visits even after they log out of Facebook. But they say it was just a big "whoopsie". They didn't MEAN to invade your privacy. The face of Big Brother is a cute and cuddly kid-CEO now. And we're supposed to believe it's all just a big mistake.

3. Iran is sending warships to park them off the Atlantic coast, just outside U.S. waters. This is in response to our parking of our warships off their coasts. (As an aside, take a look at that photo provided by CNN ... it appears that one of the sailors there on deck of the Iranian warship is taking a moment to goose his fellow sailor while the Muslim clerics aren't looking.)

4. The Green Bay Packers security teams will now be using the TSA-style hand wands to scan all fans visiting their games. We've warned this sort of thing was coming ... only now it's rent-a-thugs instead of government employed thugs.

5. Obama's former budget director writes in the New Republic that we need "less democracy" in order to overcome legislative inertia and rely more on automatic policies and unelected officials and commissions for policy decisions. Politburo, anyone?

6. Vanderbilt university is threatening to shut down Christian groups on campus because the groups require members to actually BE CHRISTIAN.

Western Rifle Shooters Rolls with Barnhardt

http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/barnhardt-theres-no-way-in-hell-were-making-it-to-november-2012/

You can go check out Ann Barnhardt's blog and get the original, or you can check out Western Rifle Shooters and see all they have to say on the topic. I've been telling y'all this all along ... we're screwed. This is one of the reasons that I don't feel there's a whole lot of value in the survival forum simply talking about canning beans and storing food and water. Those stop-gap measures just mean you will die slower than the rest of civilization.

If you want to survive, you'd better completely rearrange your lifestyle. Get back to a self-sustaining agrarian methodology and get to a survivable location. Living in a subdivision next to a city of 10 million potentially starving people isn't going to be a good situation no matter HOW good of a gardener you are. I think if you're not living like your great-grandfather did then you're probably going to be in a world of hurt when this house of straw comes apart. Ann Barnhardt certainly seems to think so. I'd like to know what preparations and adjustments she's making in her own personal life. The stock traders and professional money people are all looking pretty scared these days.

Here's a snippet from the lovely Ann's post:

And no, there will not be a 1:1 offsetting in a collapse, because the collapse will be asymmetrical, and the bankrupt party will first pursue FULL payment on its “longs” (think of these as accounts receivables) while its “shorts” (accounts payable) will only pay out 20 cents on the dollar OR LESS. In other words, these entities will tear each other apart in a mad dogfight and this dogfight will take the entire world down with it.

Conservative Street Cred

It seems as if the inspiring conservative presidential candidate must have some obligatory photo taken with Nancy Reagan in order to be considered proper material.

In this photo we see the fat scumbag of a New Jersey governor Chris Christie (will run- won't run - will run) mugging for the camera with the venerable conservative matriach. I hope she charges these dirtbags $5,000 for each photo op.

We've got candidates coming out of the woodwork now. Even Democratic candidates are lining up and salivating at the possibility of their party NOT endorsing a sitting president, so deeply unloved is Obama.

2012 is going to be the year of the ulcer. I can see it now.

Livestock Updates

Well, the 90 chicks we ordered about a month and a half ago are doing well. The brooder box we had them in isn't really built to handle that capacity to full size so we moved them out to the big chicken yard as soon as they were fully feathered. Then immediately the weather turned off cold and rainy and we lost some. I put a heat lamp out there and that seems to have helped. This batch also seems pretty hardy. Even in better weather we've lost about this many, so I'm pretty hopeful. A 10% survival rate seems to be about the best you can ever hope for from the big commercial hatcheries. I think shipping them at such an early age stresses them out too much. This is also very late in the year to be dealing with them.

That gives us about 80 chicks or so plus the 19 adult hens. Barring any big disasters when we move, that should have our egg needs fully covered when we get down to Texas.

The sheep aren't going with us. I've found a home for them that'll serve quite well. We were thinking of eating them all but that just isn't practical. I don't have the freezer space now and certainly not later. When we get to our new home we'll put up fences and acquire new livestock down there ... probably breeds that are more desert hardy. Something tells me that Lincoln longwools won't thrive in the heat of a Texas summer. As it is, whenever the temperature soars here in Illinois up to about 90 degrees then they're all laying up against the barn panting. Even after a very thorough shearing they don't seem very heat hardy. I can recommend the breed highly though for those who live in colder climes. They thrived on a minimum of hay through all last winter and would dig down through the snow to find their own food. Weight loss was minimal even though they were pregnant and nursing. Ease of lambing was about half and half. I didn't have enough females to give a better result than that and this was all their first year so everything is speculative.

Selling Hay to China

In this Fox news video the announcers are talking about how much hay is being sold to China. It's a sizable portion of it. Apparently it's cheaper to ship hay out of the ports on freighters bound back towards Asia than it is to load them on trucks and ship them to Texas. The Chinese also apparently pay more.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1183403392001/record-hay-prices-hurting-dairy-farmers/?playlist_id=86856

As usual, the chuckleheads on the HomesteadingToday forum were discussing this and generally missed the point.

Hay is not magically created from sunlight. The grass draws minerals and elements from the soil that are replenished very slowly and generally only through the manure of grazing animals. So every bale of hay you ship overseas represents a very sizable portion of soil fertility that is lost for a lifetime if not more. What happens to those hayfields in 50 years? 100 years?

I've always said that selling hay should be the LAST thing that a farmer does before declaring bankruptcy and giving up the farm. It's the kind of idiotic thing that city bred hobby farmers do because they have no real understanding of the cycle of soil fertility and the part that manure plays in it. When I see one of my chucklehead neighbors dragging out the hay equipment it tells me one thing ... they do not give a DAMN about the next generation. They don't give a damn about the land their sons and daughters are going to inherit and they're perfectly willing to trade short-term cash for long-term sustainability.

I do like to buy hay though. It tickles me pink to feed my sheep some good quality hay and then turn them loose into the pastures to poop it all out. You're buying someone else's soil fertility.

Ernie "On Stuff"

In email correspondence with a friend this morning, we were discussing moving and the culling of a person's possessions. I liked this comment of mine enough to distribute it to a wider audience.

---
Basically my theory on the "stuff" is that over the past two decades there have been multiple Ernies. Each Ernie liked a different set of books and had a different set of hobbies and interests. But the current Ernie is stuck carrying around all the stuff all the previous Ernies collected. Well, the current Ernie doesn't even LIKE some of those old Ernies, much less like their stuff ... so getting rid of it is no big hardship. The hardest part of that is figuring out where they should park the dumpster while I fill it up.

September 27th Bunker Index - The Big Day?

A lot of the more conspiracy-minded forums and blogs are all in a twitter about September 27th being the most likely day for a false flag attack. Reading through their information, I've got to admit they have some pretty good evidence. I'll point you to this blog rather than listing out the dozens of bullet points that this blogger found and documented. Suffice it to say, it's alarming.

Are you prepped? Do you have what you need to survive for awhile? I'm prepped in my current location for many things but I'd much rather have any horrible, world-shattering events happen after we move to Texas and get set up. Maybe if the world can just hold off for a year ...

In other news, our government is behaving exactly as we have expected them to. In Texas, I saw a lot of ponds drying up. What happens to the fish then? First, the small ones have less room to maneuver and so they get eaten by the bigger ones. Eventually all you have left are the vicious and well-protected ones. In the end, even they expire gasping in the mud. I can't think of a more perfect metaphor for our current economic situation.

1. Obamacare is headed for the Supreme Court, it looks like. It's possible that the Supreme Court could decline to hear it during the contentious 2012 election year or possibly that the Obama administration could delay the process until after the election cycle. On one hand, I'm somewhat hopeful that this abomination of law will be overturned, but I do get the absurdity of asking the government to impose a limit on the authority of the government.

2. The now-slightly-cracked Washington Monument is going to remain closed indefinitely. This is one of the signs of a failed state ... the inability to repair its monuments to past glory.

3. In Philadelphia, a mob of black and Hispanic teens broke into a home and attacked the owner. The mob was chasing two other white teens and when the owner of the home gave the fleeing teens shelter, the mob broke down his door and attacked him with pipes, clubs, and a gun. He managed to fend them off long enough for police sirens to scare away the mob while his wife and children screamed in terror from the bedroom.

4. A bankrupt Chicago is debating on whether or not to charge a city income tax and set up additional tolls on popular roads. Meanwhile, they're still handing out million dollar pensions to city workers. It's exactly as I've been saying all along, folks ... government, whether federal, state, or local, will stop at nothing to support their lavish lifestyles at your expense. The pond is getting smaller.

5. The "Occupy Wall Street" protests in New York are being crushed out slowly by the NYPD, but similar protests are now starting in other cities across America. A small group has started in Los Angeles, and yet another in Chicago. Is this coming to a town near you?

6. And a BIG one ... it has been disclosed that the ATF used taxpayer dollars to fund the illegal gun smuggling operation known as "Fast and Furious". I don't know why this is a surprise to anyone. I didn't think that they used THEIR money. This scandal is quickly turning into the largest and deadliest scandal in American history. How much longer until it brings Obama down? It would have already if it weren't for the lapdog press.

September 26th Bunker Index - In Case of Sudden Loss of Economic Pressure, Your Bailout Will Inflate

The news is all about bailouts today. I keep questioning though ... who exactly has the money to be doing all these bailouts? Smart people know what happens if they just print more money. Hyperinflation Zimbabwe style. Are you prepared for that? A couple of scenarios exist based on historical examples ...

First, the government will release "new" currency under mandatory buyback programs. Basically your 1000 dollars will be traded in for 10 "Bernanke Bucks" or whatever they call the currency at that point. That never works, however, and you end up doing it over and over and over as the government tries to staunch the bleeding.

Second, hyperinflation rolls on unchecked and it costs you $10,000 for a loaf of bread. Companies pay their employees five times per day and your wife shows up with a wheelbarrow to cart away your paycheck and race all the other wives to the grocery store before they change the prices and all the food is gone.

1. It looks like Putin is back in power. Did you doubt that he ever wasn't? Putin is no friend of liberty or the West. What a new Russia looks like in an era of global financial collapse remains to be seen.

2. As Europe collapses, Bernanke and his ilk across the globe have a secret plan ... flood the markets with more money while switching short term debt to long term debt. In other words, tell your creditors that you'll gladly pay them Tuesday for a hamburger today. Before Bernanke and the IMF are done, we'll all have a chance to feel rich as we walk around with millions of dollars in our pockets. Only then that million dollars won't buy us a sack of beans.

3. Did I mention the IMF is trying to bail out Europe? It appears they only have one hitch in their plan ... they need a bailout themselves.

4. The "Day of Rage" on New York's Wall street appears to be ending in a "day of pain". New York police rounded up protestors into a group and then pepper-sprayed them in a typical show of excessive force. Over 90 protestors were arrested and many were injured by the police. While it is somewhat amusing to see hippies holding up "share the wealth" signs get sprayed by tear gas, it's a little scary to watch the draconian police thugs in riot gear on Youtube assaulting people without concern. A little foretaste of what's to come.

5. The Federal Reserve has announced its intentions to monitor blogs, Facebook, Twitter, internet forums, and other social media  in order to keep track of what people are saying about it. Let me be the first to welcome my new readers and say: I can't wait to see you bastards up against the wall when the revolution comes.

Possession Free Lifestyle

The ruthless culling of our belongings continues. My wife has filled up a truckload of boxes for donations (clothes, books, misc. junk) and almost another truckload worth of just general garbage.

This brings to mind the question: How did we ever accumulate all of this? Are we abnormal in our packrat mentality, or is this how much junk fills the average modern home?

Strange Bedfellows

It's a strange set of circumstances that ever puts me on the same side of an argument as Michael Moore (unless it's about cheeseburgers - I suspect both Moore and myself share a love of cheeseburgers.)

In this case though, from everything I've read so far, there was a huge miscarriage of justice in Georgia. The evidence under which Georgia executed Troy Davis was flimsy and flawed. Almost all of the witnesses against him later recanted their story. I don't know if he did the crime or not, but I certainly can say that the state did not prove their case to the point that they should have been allowed to go through with an execution.

In general, I am not opposed to the death penalty. The death penalty is what someone would get if I catch them trying to harm my family. However, our state and federal governments have proven themselves incapable of properly assaying the evidence in death penalty cases, prosecutors have been repeatedly found to have lied or distorted evidence, and jury instruction has mangled justice at every turn.

If you don't trust the state to protect you in the first place, why would you trust them to properly administer justice after the fact?

We Are Not Your Pawns

I refuse to allow my family to be used as pawns for the globalist industrial system.
I refuse to allow my children to be turned into little consumers.
I refuse to be hitched to the corporate-industrial treadmill to grind grain for 50 years before receiving a meager pension.
I refuse to bend my ways to fit their profit model.
I refuse to give up my God and I refuse to not live by His biblical law.
I refuse to conform to modern society and I reject modern standards.

Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Moving Preps

I don't want to move this much food so we're eating as much as we can before that time and then the rest will go to friends and a food pantry. It's not cost effective to move it when I can buy more when we arrive onsite. A lot of it was at the point where it needed to be rotated anyway.

50 gallon food-safe steel barrels are the best and cheapest solution I've found for storing beans and grains. I just leave the product in its sack or wrapper and drop the whole thing in the barrel and then seal the lid. The rest is canned food and some other things which can easily sit out and still be mouse-proof.

There will be a gap between when we arrive there and when are able to set up food storage onsite and replace our preps, but it should be a short one. I guess we'll have to live like 90% of the rest of Americans for that short timeframe.

Why is Silver Falling?

I have some theories. If you try to use my theories as investing advice, you are probably a fool and I am not responsible for the consequences.

Now that the obligatory disclaimer is out of the way ...

Gold and silver do not decrease or increase in value. They stay the same. What happens is that the dollar fluctuates in value and will then either purchase more or less gold and silver. Precious metals are the anchor point.

Bernanke just pulled a "QE3" move and offered to trade dollars for the euro at current exchange rates. The European bankers are bailing out of the euro as fast as possible (since it's not too far from becoming the Confederate dollar of this century) and trading that for dollars. This is creating an artificial market for the dollar and making it a little stronger (temporarily ,I'm sure). This means the dollar can buy a little more gold and silver and that makes the price of gold and silver appear to fall.

So if you're thinking about investing in gold or silver, I suggest you give Bobby at Just Measures Coin Shop a call. He can walk you through the process. You might be able to find a better deal elsewhere but here's the big clincher with Bobby ... he's a Christian and a patriot. He doesn't keep records of who has purchased from him or where he has sent product. So if you're holding any gold or silver then it's nobody's business but your own. This is important. In the 1930's, the government made it illegal to own gold and required you by law to sell it back to them at a ridiculously low price, which they then turned around and sold it to foreign countries at a much higher price. Don't think today's government wouldn't do the same to you.

Got a few minutes?

This video is a good look at what's coming. Violence begets violence. If history serves as an example, government violence perpetrated upon its citizens will not end of its own accord.


"Land of the Free" from John Jensen on Vimeo.

Texas and the Drought

I've heard quite a few comments about the drought in Texas and received a couple of emails regarding it. I'll give my opinion on the matter here.

Drought is a pretty horrible thing. It's a slow motion natural disaster. Yet the smart Texan prepares for drought the same as the smart Floridian prepares for hurricanes. Please tell me which part of the nation is immune from any natural disasters at all.

Also, these droughts shake out the "hobby farmers" down in Texas. Those generational ranchers who have prepared for such a thing usually come out ok. In fact, the land we're buying was part of a speculative deal where the buyer snatched it up and then when the drought came on he was forced to lower his price because the ranchers around the land weren't acquiring more.

But greatest of all, I compare it to what is going on in Illinois. Property taxes have risen almost 100% in the four years since we moved here and show no sign of slowing the rate of increase. How is losing $4600 per year to a corrupt and inefficient local government machine who won't let you put so much as a chicken coop up without a permit any less of a disaster than a drought in Texas? I guarantee you that God will relent and send the rain before the government relents and lowers your taxes or removes some of the rules and restrictions governing what you can and can't do with your own land.

But most of all, for us, Texas is home. I have kinfolk scattered all out there between Abilene and Waco and when the rest of the modern world collapses around us, I would rather be thirsty in Texas and among like-minded people and kinfolk than be anywhere else in the world.

Where did all this STUFF come from?

As we prep for our move, my wife is going through all of the book stacks to determine what's going for donation, what's trash, and what we need.

"Ruthless" is the word we both keep using to describe our attitude about what we're leaving behind. I think perhaps that the ancient Hebrews may have fled Egypt with more stuff than what we're taking, but the pile to be left behind is growing sizably.

So far I have NINE enormous boxes full of books to be dropped off at the library tomorrow. I'm going to drop them on the front step, ring the doorbell, and run.

In Case of Zombie Apocalypse, Break the Glass

It probably says a lot about us that our oldest son once asked if we could loot the library if civilization ever collapses. Our response? Duh. Of course we said yes. Our second son reminded us that we'd also want to loot for more guns and ammo.

We have our priorities lined up. We love books. (And guns, but this post is about books.) Oldest son and I counted our books about six years ago, just out of curiosity. We had counted more than twelve hundred before we decided we didn't need an exact number.

Today, though, has been a day for downsizing the home library. "Downsizing" is our theme and motto, almost our raison d'etre, during Project: Moving Home. Now, if you're a book lover, this isn't really as bad as it sounds. We have three Kindles in our home so far. Since the arrival of the first one a couple of years ago when they were still ridiculously priced (Ernie's cheap, but I'm persistent), our physical library has been slowly shrinking. In some cases, I replaced a book immediately with the Kindle edition. In other cases, just knowing that the book was available for Kindle was good enough.

I took that attitude and kicked it up a notch today. Eight Nine boxes of books are destined for the never ending library sale. The first box was a little difficult, but gradually, I got into the swing of things. Now, at the end of the day, books that I wouldn't have considered getting rid of this morning are sitting in boxes, and I've only replaced a few of them with Kindle editions. (And Ernie told me to stop that and just make a list, for crying out loud, since we're conserving money for the move. Sometimes, he's a real pain to live with.)

Sometimes, we hold onto possessions out of habit. It's good to periodically remind ourselves that we can live with far fewer.

And the Kindle is one of the better possessions out there.

Missing Bunker Index Today

You may have noticed we didn't get a BI done today. I powered through the ridiculously long drive back from Abilene so I didn't have any time to sit down and compile anything.

As a quick aside, it doesn't look like the world fell apart too terribly while I was out in West Texas. The stock market has plummeted and so has gold and silver. I was listening to one radio host in the truck on the way back and he stated that it was because all the stock players are getting margin calls and having to dump their gold and silver. So a lot of selling going on.

As an update on our off-grid plans, we bought the land. We don't close until Mid-October and there's dozens of things that can go wrong between now and then, as those of you who have purchased property in the past well know, but God has led us with ease through every step and every obstacle has been soundly beaten before we even had time to stress from it.

September 22nd Bunker Index - Rain on My Soul

There is something about the desert. The people who live there there survive on God's providence. Everything has fangs or spines. It is an unforgiving place.

But I've noticed that most of the beautiful, "easy-to-live" places are infested with the liberal socialism that has spread like a disease throughout America. I guess when you can just reach out your hand and pluck a living from the trees and soil with ease then it's easy to forget your existence rests on God.

That may change soon. Those who have trusted only to the government and corporations to feed and house them are soon to be suffering for that mistake. Even those who looked only to their own hands will not prosper in what is to come. Make your peace now. Return to the old ways and seek the Lord's face.

1. The associated press is catching on.  Even a blind squirrel can occasionally find the tip of the iceberg. In this article they are discussing the lost generation, or that huge swath of American young people who can't find a job. Maybe if they'd start looking for work and stop looking for a job they might fare better.

2. A female slasher is attacking women on trains in NY, causing fear and concern. Apparently she just approaches strange women on the train and slashes open their faces with an unknown sharp object. This is one of the reasons why I hate cities and trains. People can come right up within your comfort zone and it's just expected and normal.

3. The Palestinians appear to be one vote short of the needed 9 so they're holding off for a little while on calling the vote. I guess they'll leave this sword of Damocles hanging over Israel as long as possible.

4. Since China entered the WTO about 10 years ago, analysts estimate it has cost America about 2.8 million jobs. That's a hard pill to swallow. Think about it before you head off to Walmart for some shopping today.

5. 23 retired union officials in Chicago are about to divy up the spoils of war. $56 million in pension benefits to be divided up amongst those 23. No wonder Illinois is so broke.

 

Room With a View

With a little luck, we may be able to call this rugged landscape home soon. The drought has brutalized West Texas but for some reason God is calling me to this region. I'm meeting with the owner tomorrow and I think we can work out the financials. They are at least within striking range, if not ideal. It's 10 acres with a lot of potential in a relatively "free" county.

There are neighbors within eyesight but not close. In West Texas you can see for a couple of miles, so it's hard to find someplace so remote that you can't see ANY neighbors. But they are farming folks struggling along so perhaps we'll relate. And actual family is fairly close. Within a couple of hours drive which is closer than we've ever been before.

I don't see the scorched grass and the dry creek. I don't see the withered trees or the rocks and the cactus. I see gardens, a home, and children playing in the fields while livestock graze.

September 21st Bunker Index - I Spy With My Little Eye

I am a leaf on the wind.

Well, maybe not quite that graceful. I'm putting Mark I eyeballs on some property today to see if it suits our off-grid plans. I could use your prayers that God reveals His will to me. My wife and I are ready to roll but we still lack the when and wheres of the issue. Life is full of these little patience-building moments, but despite that I still haven't developed much patience. When God moves me in a direction then I'm ready to MOVE.

A short news roundup today as I'm headed out, but I hope to repay you for your kindness with some photos of what may be our new home.

1. The ex-president of Afghanistan was assassinated by a suicide bomber hiding a bomb in his turban. How big was that turban?

2. The Obama administration is trying to block the Palestinian Statehood vote but it looks like it's still on full speed ahead. Funny how circumstances eventually force your hand whether you are ready or not.

3. In Monroe, Michigan, a car bomb detonated inside a car and seriously injured three ... the three who were riding inside the car. Not much news on this so far and the news media is curiously silent on their ethnicity.

4. A ginormous satellite has lost control and is plunging to earth ... somewhere and sometime. Experts disagree exactly where the pieces are going to land but they're calculating the odds of being struck at 1 in 21 trillion. Do you feel lucky? Do ya?

5. A typhoon has barreled through Tokyo and is headed for the already-stricken Fukushima area and the ruins still devastated from the previous tsunami.

September 20th Bunker Index - Welcome to the New Normal

We're entering a dangerous time now. The nation's economy is upside down, with far more recipients than producers. Much of what we have here is produced overseas and of extremely low quality. Austerity and political maneuverings of class warfare are on the verge of setting off a race war.

Now is an appropriate time to evaluate your surroundings and your ability to withstand long-term social upheaval. How secure are you? Can you produce at least a portion of your own food? Water? Have you made arrangements for loved ones who can't and will undoubtedly show up at your home?

This winter we're going to start feeling the crunch but I expect next year to be the clincher. Be ready. Take the time you have now to get prepared. Our national follies have led us into a serious pinch. We've created a dependent underclass which is seething and ready to rip out our throats if we stop feeding them. Fiat currency is collapsing exactly like it has in every other nation that has used it, and hyperinflation has now reared its ugly head. Within the year we should see some real ugliness in the grocery store lines.

Get prepared for the new normal. Learn what you need to survive right now from as many sources as you can and start putting it into practice. If it's not part of your daily life then it isn't going to be much use when the world goes tango uniform.

Get cracking.

1. There has been a tuberculosis outbreak at an Ennis Texas school. 80 students at least have tested positive for exposure after a teacher came down with it. As the public health system declines, expect to see a return of the old diseases. Particularly in overcrowded areas.

2. The IMF has sharply downgraded the outlook for U.S. and Europe. Welcome to the party, pal.

3. Saudi Arabia has announced it will pay $200 million to the Palestinian Authority to help finance them as they apply for U.N. membership this week. I bet those fat Saudi princes think it was a lot less complicated back when they were just giving money and guns to the PLO.

4. Last night, China left France dangling in the wind in a big global economic power play. They pulled their trading lines in and left the French banks out on the floor without a dance partner. It seems their generous offers to help from previously was just a ploy.

5. A new study indicates that prescription drug usage now kills more people than traffic accidents. Vicodin alone killed more people than heroin and cocaine combined. Doesn't it seem as if the government's "War on Drugs" is nothing more than a "War on the Competition" for the big pharmaceutical houses?

6. The Texas GOP canceled a straw poll that many suspect would have shown Ron Paul as a clear winner, despite Rick Perry being the governor of the state. Rick Perry just seems to me to be a tyrant of a different flavor than Obama. The only clear choice I can see for a real chance to turn this wagon around is Ron Paul.

7. Recently it was big news in the survival-related forums when the government launched some preparedness-themed websites to help people prepare for disaster. But recently it wasn't much discussed when the same government via the FBI distributed notices to stores and suppliers that indicated "preppers" were on the watch list and could be considered domestic terrorists. So whose side do you think the government is really on?

The Sustainable Lifestyle

Part of having a survival mentality is staying healthy. It's hard to get off grid or live a sustainable lifestyle if you're kicking back four prescription drugs every morn with breakfast. The good news is that the foods that makes us sick are also the ones that are the biggest pains to grow and harvest.

Worried about cavities? Then quit eating sugar and grains. Heart disease? Then quit eating sugar and grains. Diabetes? Then quit eating sugar and grains. Alzheimer's? Then quit eating sugar and grains.

Are you starting to notice a trend here? Collectively, most of the health problems in our society are known as the diseases of civilization. Every time a group of previously healthy people begins to eat a modern western diet with all the sugar, grains, and starches that we consider "staples," they begin to develop those same diseases.

However, if you think getting an unwilling spouse to help you with prepping is hard, you should try getting said spouse to change his diet. Ernie says I can have his potatoes when I pry them from his cold, dead fingers. But that's what cast iron skillets are for: unconscious will work just as well.

Say Hello to the Missus

My beautiful (and patient) young bride is going to be posting here from time to time. She expressed an interest and I think some of you might enjoy hearing opinions and tales from the other side of the house.

I know I certainly benefit from her wisdom, so I'm hoping my readers do as well.

Libertarian Paradise

This morning I called the county into which we're buying property to find out about building codes and such. I guess I've been in Illinois too long.

The county website only had three numbers listed: the sheriff, the judge, and the county clerk. I called the county clerk thinking they might direct me. I got her at home, apparently. She said they didn't have any sort of building inspection offices so she didn't know anything about it. She seemed surprised to be asked such a question. She didn't know so she directed me to call the judge.

The judge said they didn't have any such thing.I asked, "So I can build an underground home, a sandbag house, a mud hut, or a wooden shanty and live in it all without any sorts of permits or inspections?" There's a long stunned silence in which I suspected the judge thought she might be dealing with an idiot. Finally her response came back: "Well, son, it's YOUR land, isn't it? We don't care what you do on it."

Thank you, God, for letting me see the promised land still exists. America ISN'T dead. Not everywhere.

September 19th Bunker Index - The Beasts Are Upon Us

Well, my camping trip was fruitful. I had a great time catching up with some old friends. I learned quite a bit about some of the newer camping equipment out there. My friend has a camper that is equipped as well as my own house and kitchen. For not an enormous amount of money, you CAN enjoy time in the wilderness without it being considered "roughing it". This has a high degree of relevance as I continue my off-grid plan.

This is shaping up to be a pretty big week. All sorts of mayhem is boiling up on the horizon, from the sundering of the European Union to biblical prophecy being unveiled before our eyes. Are you ready? Got rice and beans? Ammo? Got Christ? That's all you need.

What is expected of us in these dark days to come? Why nothing more than has always been asked of us. God doesn't demand rivers of oil, thousands of lambs, or any other epic deeds or mountains of wealth from His people. What He asks is simply explained in Micah 6:8 -

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 1. Obama is set to unveil his new deficit reduction plan of $1.5 trillion in new tax revenue. Yep. The American people are going to be hit with $1.5 trillion in new taxes soon via expiring some tax cuts, increases elsewhere, and reductions in eligibilities for tax credits. The gloves have come off now. Get used to chopping cotton on Uncle Obama's plantation. And if you think it's just going to hit the rich then remember: the globalists compare YOU to a third-worlder living in a hut and think YOU'RE the rich one.

2. The frightening new $450 billion jobs bill is going to be slightly delayed between Obama's proposal of it and its arrival in congress. It seems the Obamas want to take another vacation. I think if we added up how much it would cost to keep the Obama family fed, clothed, and on a permanent holiday and compared it to how much Obama spends when he's "working" then we would probably all agree to just pay to keep them on vacation for the remainder of the time. Maybe they can take Congress with them.

3. A man and his teenage daughter are in critical condition in California after their attempts to tap into local electrical lines to steal power service. This will probably become more common as prices rise and the economy falls. I highly recommend figuring out an alternative means of power production.

4. Biker gangs of the apocalypse? Is it Mad Max time already? Apparently large gangs of bikers have taken over the highways around St Louis and forced other traffic off the road. So far they have been seen blocking traffic and intimidating other travelers with shows of force. No comment from authorities.

5. According to the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, if it were a white president then blacks would already be marching on the White House due to rising unemployment and other problems among black Americans. But of course he had to get in the obligatory "the Tea Party is rascist" commentary in the interview.

6. Greece is poised to go kaput sometime this week. Watch this one closely. It's all over the news but I don't fully understand what's happening. InvalidID of HomesteadyingToday fame has been covering it fairly clearly due to his knowledge of the financial markets. Maybe we can get some info from him.

7. A California couple in a small town has been fined $300 for holding small bible studies in their home and face additional $500 fines for each additional bible study they host. All because they don't have a "conditional use" permit which is expensive and often difficult to get. How long before the rest of the nation follows suit? It's hard to laugh at the California "flakes and nuts" anymore now that they've spread their agenda across the heartland and into even rural councils.

8. And tomorrow ... the BIG vote on Palestinian statehood. --- Zec 14:2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Invasive Government

So we've found land in a particular county in Texas that we're looking at and we plan on building our own home. Not a contractor-style dwelling, but either a partially underground home or a simple earthbag home dwelling. I'll do all or most of the work myself and in the end, that's where we'll live.

But I keep bumping up against the concept of building codes, zoning laws, and construction permits. Why do I need a permit from the government to put dirt into a bag and stack it into walls and call that my home? If I dig a hole in the side of a hill and make a burrow like a family of badgers, what business is it of theirs? And if I decide to install septic or to poop into a bucket, then why must I get their permission to do either?

Tomorrow I'm going to call the county seat and ask some very pointed questions before we put down the cash for the land. I do not want to get into a Waco-esque situation because I know that if they showed up with bulldozers to tear down the home I'd built with my own hands for my own family to live in, I'd kill the first one of the bastards to cross the property line.

So we'll have to check around and if this particular county isn't freedom-friendly then we'll need to keep looking and that will just have to be part of our search. But it makes me absolutely crazy that here in the alleged "land of the free", I'm more restricted and confined then a leaf-wearing savage in the depths of Borneo.

Back!

I've returned alive from my camping trip and aside from a vehicular meltdown (and hefty towing fee) all is well. It was a good time for fellowship with some friends and I learned quite a bit from some of the other caravan people at the campsite. Stuff I will soon be putting to use.

As we continue with our planned off-grid home move, my wife has discovered something called "Earthbag" homes. They seem very simple to build and look like they could provide a nice sheltered living space for us very easily. I'm intrigued.

BOHICA!

H/T to JohnGaltFLA for this article:

China to liquidate holdings of US Treasuries

Only thing that could have been worse is if they announced they were selling them for pennies on the dollar. You think there was an issue with the credit downgrade of America? This is a REAL downgrade as our creditors are voting with their feet and dumping the bonds.

Better grab the clipboard and take inventory down in the ol' food storage area of the bunker.

September 16th Bunker Index - The Christian Exodus in America

As we venture into another weekend it's looking to be an eventful one. This "Day of Rage" with its accompanying communist-esque propaganda is troubling. I don't live anywhere near one of their strongholds so I doubt it will personally impact me, but this has the potential to spread into something larger. Remember, the Egyptian unrest which toppled their government started by a handful of protestors refusing to leave a square.

My family is currently plotting our escape from the industrialized grid. A two year plan is fairly buffered and would be a nice way to ease into it, but circumstances might also dictate a more drastic approach. I simply don't know yet how this will shape up, but I ask for your prayers that God give me guidance and make His will known to me.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday. I'll be out of pocket this weekend so there won't be many updates until Sunday. Got a camping trip planned. Should be relaxing. Until then, why not check out some of the links at the Christian Exodus website? Good stuff!

1. The Solyndra scandal is getting deeper. Why is it the Republicans are so afraid to bring ethics charges to the floor against Obama? The Solyndra corporation has now been revealed to have given $187,000 and met with the Obama administration many times before they received their half a billion dollar loan guarantee from the taxpayers. At which point they promptly squandered it and went bankrupt. Now White House emails are coming out that looks like Obama aides were pushing the budget officials in charge of the loan into the decision. Corruption in the Obama administration would not otherwise be noteworthy, but now he's asking for another $450 billion from you. Some consideration into how he spent the rest of it is useful.

2. Is the Western World turning into a matriarchal society? Denmark is poised for its first female premier and Taiwan's presidential election may be leaning favorably towards a female opposition leader. Spain's minister of defense is a socialist woman who famously reviewed her troops in a maternity outfit while apparently sneering at them. While on the surface it would appear to be equal opportunity at work, these are mostly socialist women without the real substance. And whether or not WE in the west perceive these women as fit to lead their nations (and control of their defensive militaries), it remains to be seen how the undoubtedly misogynistic dictators in Latin America, China, and North Korea will perceive these women. And more importantly, how they will react in the years to come if they see their enemies becoming "weak".

3. Over 30,000 British schoolchildren as young as three years old have been registered in a government database for the politicallly incorrect which will be used by the government and employers for the rest of their life. Their crimes? Using playground insults that could be construed as racist or homophobic. This is where we are headed. If the leftist dystopia of England looks absurd, it's only because they are about 10 years ahead of us.

4. A private company who just happens to be a big Democratic donor is working on a project which could interfere with military GPS, according to the Pentagon. However recently a four-star Air Force general overseeing the USAF Space Command was pressured by the White House to change his testimony before the Armed Forces Committee in order to present the Democratic donor in a more favorable light. How much more of their corruption are we willing to take?

5. Tomorrow is the long anticipated "Day of Rage" here in the United States. Socialists and Union organizers are plotting to "take down Wall Street" in an Egyptian-style uprising where they occupy the street and buildings. Strange that they're doing this on a Saturday when the markets are closed. Union agitators are behind this and nobody seems to really know how big it will be or where else they may strike (if they can't afford bus fare to New York). This could boil up into something big, or it could be just a puff of hot air (and bad breath) from the socialist scumbaggery. Either way, keep your shotguns handy.

6. Are we returning to the days of Irish unrest? Irish National Militants are suspected in a series of bomb attacks in Northern Ireland.

Found the Book

Ok, found the book I was looking for ...

The Solar Electricity Handbook seems to be the definitive guide to solar, or at least a really good starting point. You see, you have to consider that I'm a guy who doesn't know AC from DC (unless it's the rock band) and couldn't tell you for the life of me why some plugs have three prongs and others only have two. So I needed a very basic solar book in order to backfill some of my (neglected) education on the topic.

Expect more from me on the topic of solar. My wife and I are a phone call away from going off-grid. I expect to know more next week.

Until then, if you think you might like this book, you can click the link to my Amazon Associates widget over on the right hand sidebar and go take a look at it. I give it a full recommendation so far and I'm only about a quarter of the way in.

Books on Solar Power Arrays

I'm looking for a good how-to book on setting up solar power arrays. Anyone have any suggestions?

A Repugnant Word From the Repugnant Carville

Bleh. I almost don't want to link back to this repugnant piece of filth and the advice he is giving Obama, but it's important that you see what they're saying.

Usually filth like this hides under a rock somewhere and whispers their little attack plans in secret. Carville would probably be doing the same except for the fact that Obama sidelined him by refusing to take him into his administration. I guess Obama was worried about getting someone who might be more loyal to the Clintons than him. Or perhaps, from looking at his cabinet, Carville simply wasn't hardcore enough.

Still, it's nice of the enemy to show us their strategy.

September 15th Bunker Index - Gather, ye soldiers of God, and prepare for battle

In my bible study this morning, this one verse just popped out at me:


Psa 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: His heart is fixed, trusting in Jehovah.

Evil tidings would seem to be what we are all about here at the Bunker Index, but the information is to warn you, not to scare you. If you are frightened by what you read here and in the news, then take heart. Our God is not called the "Lord of Hosts" for nothing. In the coming battle we have forces arrayed behind us that we cannot begin to imagine and a heavenly reward if we fall.

As Christians, we should run towards the sounds of battle, not away from it. We have been called to vanquish the enemies of the Lord by spreading the Gospel. Their dark and twisted thoughts cannot survive against the truth of Jesus Christ. The enemy will flee before us.

1. All summer long we suffered from excess heat, and now the winter seems to be starting early. All summer long our woodstove ends up having books and mail piled up on it, as if it becomes an extra piece of furniture during the warm times. But this morning I woke up to 44 degree temps and looked longingly at it for awhile, pondering if it would be worth moving everything off of it to take the chill out of the air. In the end, laziness trumped industry and so the stove prep will have to wait for another day, but I think that day will be soon.

2. In the southwest and west, residents report strange lights in the sky. No idea what they are and speculations range from satellite debris to strange meteors. The lights range from blue and green to yellow or orange. It could be nothing, but I'm reminded that a whole lot of really good sci-fi novels start this way.

3. Tax-cheat and treasury secretary Tim Geithner told maniacal tv show host Jim Cramer that he's been hoping to get fired for sometime. Don't worry, Timmy. We're all pulling for you to get fired as well. Followed by some jail time for you and the rest of your ilk. It's sometimes interesting to see the hopeless, trapped expressions on these people's faces when they realize they are just a puppet and they can't escape.

4. Michigan's governor has announced yesterday that the state will begin tracking children's weight in an effort to curb childhood obesity. Doctors will track these numbers and report it up through that other "volunteer" program, the immunization tracking system. They claim it will be anonymous, so why even bother? Or will it be anonymous until the uproar dies down and then some later flip of the switch makes it not anonyous? After watching what happened in England when the government took away children forever from their parents because they were "too fat", I wonder if this isn't the precursor to something.

5. The last census had some scary numbers behind it: the number of those living in poverty is the highest in census history, we were wealthier in the last millenium than we've been so far in this one, and the South continues to increase the number of people in poverty. Is this a real trend or is it a juggling of the meaning of poverty? It's hard to say.

6. The United States is reportedly scrambling to avert a vote on Palestinian statehood at the U.N. next week. They know this will cause a war at a time when we don't particularly need another one. On the 20th, this will be THE event to watch. It's not often that you get to see biblical prophecy unfold before your very eyes in such clarity.

7. I'm going to be disappointed in some of my readers if I don't get turned in to Obama's snitch program "AttackWatch". It's the greatest example of the liberal mindset ... try and silence the opposition instead of discuss. We've all seen how that works.  

Take a Pill

This next clip requires a medical warning: if your blood pressure is high then my suggestion is that you go look at pictures of fluffy kittens.

If you are of sound health and ready to continue ...

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's interview with a Chicago radio station brought out the true Democrat. Occasionally these people actually say what they DO mean and then spend the next week backpedaling out of it.

She stated "Americans don't deserve to keep all of their money because we need taxes to support our society."

Cult of Personality

Obama tells followers, "If you love me then help me pass this bill."

I'm looking at property today on the internet, planning our big move off the grid. One piece I found was 20 acres for $7500, but it's high desert. I mean DESOLATE. Initially I would have turned my nose up at that but lately ... a place you can only reach with a 4x4 vehicle and that is so desolate, remote, and rural that the sheriff, the building inspector, the truant officer, and the tax man can't find it ... well .. that's a selling point.

September 14th Bunker Index - Storm Clouds Gather

It's a low alarm day today with only 5 items on the BI list. So why don't I feel better? The preponderance of political issues have been piling up on our horizon for awhile now and a sense of ill ease is settling in. Following the news, it's easy to feel the undercurrents of what is happening.

Still, as the storm builds all around us, there is hope. In the bible (Mark 4:36-41) we see where Jesus and the disciples went out upon the waters in boats and a mighty storm blew up. The disciples had to wake Jesus up! This shows the level of unconcern the son of God had for the storm though the men who were with him were frightened out of their wits. Jesus awoke and calmed the storm and all of the boats that were on the waters that night were saved, not just the one in which Jesus was riding. Even the fishermen who knew not Jesus were preserved.

While God may punish, He may also preserve. We can take heart in this.

1. In New York, the battle for disgraced Weiner's seat has gone to the Republicans as the Jewish community votes in force against the Democratic machine. As the Obama administration has had a penchant for using its power to punish its political enemies, how will this pan out?

2. A scary look at the Obama propaganda machine. How close does this resemble the "see something, say something" approach of DHS? Too dang close. Do you need another example to prove that we are involved in Fifth Generation Warfare?

3. European banks are having a really bad time of it. A financial collapse over there will lead to one here. Guaranteed.

4. We should trust them why? A group of TSA agents and police officers cooperated in a cross-country drug smuggling operation. But hey ... why not turn over all your freedoms to the police state?

5. You are the enemy. The NSA has admitted to storing emails, phone calls, and many other forms of communication between Americans without a warrant. All of this data is stored in gargantuan databases as analysts sift through it.

Feeling like you have an extra mouth to feed?

A new study by the Labor Department (who are they again?) has indicated that for every person on social security right now there are only 1.75 people working. Yep, not even two. For every dual-income household, there is one social security recipient sitting back and getting the check. Minus the government's "overhead", that is.