Freedom For Everyone Or Just Folks Who Think Exactly Like You?

It has become clear to me recently that some people only want their own freedom. More accurately they want to be able to say yes, no or maybe to various potential freedoms based on their own belief system. This is what really confuses me.

Anybody who gets in the way of THEIR freedom is a jack boot Stazi thug that should be killed; however they have the right to tell everybody else what the hell they can and cannot do. It isn't that they only pursue their own freedoms (in terms of practicing or advocating for them) that is the issue. I do not donate money or time to help causes I don't care about or expect other people to. (Though this year when I voted there was one simple question for everything. Will this person/ bill make people more or less free? I voted for freedom including several bills I do not personally agree with. Think about it.) It is that they have such a sense of moral superiority that they think it is their right to not only do what they want, but prevent others from doing the same. The concept that other people have some rights also is simply not in their worldview. It is pretty clear that these folks do not want to live in a free society, they just want to be the one wearing the jack boot.

This brings us to an interesting point. It isn't that you cannot choose to associate, or not associate, with who you want. It isn't that you cannot advocate for or against what you want by promoting education and whatnot. However when people talk about using force of law (or other types) to make people act the way they think is correct in areas that are reasonably within the realm of freedom it becomes an issue.

It is my personal opinion that to expect other people to accept my freedom I have to accept theirs. That is the trade off.

Do you think that everyone should get out of your business but you have the right to tell them what to do? If so what makes your views inherently superior to other peoples? What are your thoughts on this topic?

[Also this brings up another point. I think the whole liberty/ FreeFOR community needs to stop arguing about pie in the sky fantasy worlds. Seriously all this argument is just mental masturbation. That would be fine except that it causes significant conflict. It is like two guys who make 30kish a year with kids and stay at home wives arguing over whether Nighthawk or Wilson Combat makes the better 1911. They probably cannot afford a third of either pistol so it is pointless anyway. To make this even dumber imagine that these like minded friends get angry with each other and stop bring friends over this stupid theoretical argument about pistols they can't afford anyway. Liberty/ Free FOR folks would be much better off spending their energy on individual preparations and building local community instead of on stupid pointless arguments.]

Blog Update- Things That Have Been Bothering Me

The new blogger setup is terrible and I hate it. Maybe I am paranoid or something but I think it is also eating comments. The amount of time I waste waiting for it to unfreeze or editing out jumbled together stuff is out of control.

Something kind of weird has been coming clear to me. First people want to read or listen to folks who know what they are doing or at least have half a clue. This makes sense as I don't learn a whole lot from folks who know less than me about a given topic.

However half the time folks want to ignore the advice or scale it down such that they are basically ignoring it. I get this too. Different things work for different people. More to the point often the right answer is at least somewhat hard and people have varying amounts of time/energy/motivation. It is often harder to do the right thing than the easy less right thing.


The place where it confuses me is that folks seem to want a kind of rubber stamp of approval on these decisions which go against the advice which was given in the first place. They really, really want to hear that their own watered down psuedo version of your plan is going to clearly lead to the exact same results.

Example: I recommend that you practice an exercise program that consists of lifting heavy things and running or road marching with some bodyweight stuff mixed in. A guy comes on the net and says after reading 30 posts on this topic that he walks for 20 minutes 3 times a week and does some situps and pushups occasionally. If I do anything other than lie and tell him that this plan he is executing is great and will clearly prepare his body for the zombie apocalypse his underwear gets in a big wad about it.

I guess part of teaching or instructing people and to a degree a piece of this whole blogging thing I do is giving people recommendations about how to do things that I matter of factly do not recommend. Typically this is trying to fit them into the closest option to the thing I actually suggest and have it work with their life. I might be improving with this as my ability to use tact has increased over time but then again my willingness to argue or debate is dropping so who knows.

Another thing that bothers me is bringing up a problem without a solution. Maybe it is just because it was ingrained into me at work to never bring anybody a problem unless I have a solution. Chances are they know it is a problem also and if they could figure out a better answer they would already be using it. So basically just pointing out the problem is being a sharp shooting jerk. The difference between being that annoying sharp shooting jerk and somebody offering their .02 cents is having a solution to the problem you present.

Example, I got into a discussion with a fellow over combatives. I favor the modern hybrid style that is MMA. He talked forever about what is in his very well informed opinion wrong with MMA. The thing is that he failed to actually offer a better option. That was convenient because last I checked MMA guys were just beating the hell out of everybody all over the place. So much so that over the past few years traditional competitions and old school combat type sports have been frantically making up random arbitrary rules to keep MMA guys from curb stomping their stupid fake little competitions into oblivion. You don't see MMA leagues banning super deadly karate/ kung fu fighters from showing up but the opposite is definitely true. If anybody mentions the so deadly you can't possibly practice it against an opponent who actually tries to fight his own plan "Krav" I might burst a frickin blood vessel.

Another thing that has been bothering me is when folks try to argue feelings instead of actually discussing facts or valid points. Maybe to say it more accurately when they try to make up facts or points to fit their feelings.

Example: I hate the Springfield XD, strait up. I hate the angle of the grip, I hate the stupid little grip safety, I hate the way they look, I just hate them. The only way I would buy one is if the deal was so good (like say $200) that I knew I could either pass it to a friend and be doing them a favor or easily sell it at a nice profit.

Note that I never said they were not good, reliable and functional weapons. I didn't say they are not safe or a very good value which comes with a well thought out initial set of accessories. They are fine weapons, probably in the top choices for tough practical use, just not one I have any interest in owning.

Does this distinction make sense? I didn't try to make up some BS facts to fit my feelings on the matter. I just stated them and moved on.

Finally it gets even worse if I talk about any gun negatively. Every single gun all of you all own is the perfect survival weapon for every possible situation. It doesn't matter if you can't hit the broad side of a barn with it at 5 paces, the thing holds 1 or 2 or 7 bullets, it is notoriously unreliable, ammo for it was only made between 1897 and 1899 in Zaire or that  only 7 of them were made in somebodies mom's basement and thus parts/ accessories are virtually impossible to find. It is the best damn gun ever. Everybody finally happy?

Anyway that is what has been bothering me in the blogosphere lately.

Stop Backing Yourself Into a Corner

One of the wonderful things about America is that it is a very free country. Maybe not quite as free as it was at some other point but people living in the good ole USA have more rights, protections and freedom to do what they please than in just about every other country in the world.

So often people back themselves into a corner in terms of lifestyle and the resulting debt/ expenses. They have to live in this kind of house, drive this type of vehicle (or even a vehicle at all), charge stuff they can't afford and whatever. The result is that they are in an uncomfortable situation. These folks often turn around and blame everybody but themselves for their circumstances. It is a big picture version of eating a big mac and extra jumbo fries with a large milkshake for lunch every day and blaming other people for why you are fat.

If you don't like the amount of money you can make then get a degree or some certification or skill to become more valuable to an employer or customer. It is a lot more productive than whining. If you do not want a mortgage then find some kind of alternate housing you can afford to pay cash for. Maybe get a little piece of land paid for free and clear. Hate the idea of an HOA then don't buy a house in one. If zoning restrictions in your current location prevent this kind of action and you really still want to do it then MOVE to somewhere you can do what you want. If you want to home school your kids then move to a home school friendly area. Don't like the tax laws in your state? Move to a different one. Don't like your city/ states gun laws? Vote with your feet. If you want to be able to shoot an AK-47 from the front porch naked at 3 in the morning then start in a state that is cool with the AK-47 and then find a place with no nearby neighbors. If you don't want to deal with car insurance, registration and such then don't have a car. Live within biking/ walking range or public transport routes to the places you need to go. Maybe arrange to go to Costco with a cool neighbor who has a big van every month or two. If you don't want a credit card then don't have one. Don't like debt; too easy simply do not borrow money from anybody. If you hate paying taxes then make conscious (legal of course) choices to limit your tax liability.  This is checkers, not chess. Simply make choices to not be involved in things you don't want to be involved with and to be in the situation you want to be in. 

Of course because this is simple doesn't mean it is easy. Just like dieting or household budgets knowing what you should do and easy implimentation are very different things. Every decision has second and third order effects. You might like some parts of an area (family, work, recreation, etc) and hate the restrictive laws. Not having a vehicle sucks but you don't need insurance or vehicle inspections. Living in a nice house is more spacious and comfortable than a travel trailer or a shack/ tent. Generally places where you can buy a piece of land for the price of a decent pistol and do whatever you want on it kind of suck. They are far from jobs, may not have water or are otherwise undesirable. Hence the name junk land.

The thing is that you have to make a choice as to what is more important. Often nice places to live where there are plenty of good jobs and fun things to do have expensive housing costs. So either move to a place where you can afford to live comfortably or stay where you are and gripe about the rent/ mortgage/ taxes.

The old saying about construction comes to mind; a job can be done fast, cheap and right but you only get to pick two of them. Inevitably there are difficult choices and compromises to be made on all fronts (housing, location, work, vehicles, debt, tax and gun laws, zoning, etc).

The important word in that last paragraph is CHOICES. I'm not telling you that you must do anything (though it would be nice if you clicked on one of our ads and suggested the blog to a friend;) but am telling you that you can choose. The real interesting part is that this stuff can snowball big time. If you don't need to make a big rent/ mortgage payment then maybe you can quit that horrible job. You could then try a business idea that has been in your head for awhile. If you don't need to impress people at that fancy job then maybe an older paid off vehicle (or no vehicle at all) will work just fine. With all that time you aren't at work all kinds of things could be done.

Take some responsibility and ownership over your life. Figure out what is really important to you. Think outside the box and focus on what is important to you and your family, not the Johnson's, or anybody else. Make the inevitable hard choices and create the kind of life that you really want to have.

Flashy Fantasy Seems To Beat Boring Reality

When I was in High School we had a Gym Teacher/ Coach who was a cool guy in that cheese late 70's sort of way. He had a saying "curls for the girls and cleans for machines."Kinda cheese but it had a real point. His point is that the exercises to build a showy beach body are very different than for a very quick, strong and functional body. That analogy can be used for emergency preparedness also.

I have noticed that general interest in boring practical stuff is often absent. Also I have noticed that same lack of interest extends to practical stuff in peoples considerations and preparations. The biggest areas people seem to ignore are financial preparedness and physical fitness. Maybe it is just that I take a broader and more holistic view of emergency preparedness than some folks, but I am not so sure.

I read a lot of blogs and keep in touch with a lot of great folks. I do not mean to take jabs at anyone as I do honestly like them all. I enjoy the personalities and seeing all the stuff people do and all their great ideas. It is just that occasionally I am really surprised by things. 

I am baffled when I read someone gets financially devastated by a relatively minor and common event. A car having a typical $500-700 breaking down or a higher than expected electric bill are throwing people for a loop and in some cases leading them to sell tangible goods or go into debt. I can't understand this at all. I am not trying to be judgmental or anything. I know life is hard. Things are always getting more expensive and wages are not going up. It is difficult to save money. We have a fairly average income and minimal expenses but it still took us a whole year of dedicated saving to get a 3 month emergency fund put away. For someone whose expenses are closer to their income it might take two or even three years to meet that goal. Having a grand or a months cash expenses is probably a darn good start. Even someone in the worst financial situation should have a few hundred bucks set aside. Being prepared for a major disaster or even the end of the world but not to put a clutch in the family car is something I can't understand.

Fitness is far more lacking. Maybe it is just that it is easier to take an anecdotal non scientific like survey because lots of folks have pictures up here or there. I am periodically surprised that people who are so together in a variety of ways are completely out of shape. I am not going to say that being thin or looking fit is the big thing. Obviously being functionally fit is more important than having nice abs. Plenty of guys who would be lean at one weight are just fit and average sized and 10 pounds heavier. I have known a few guys whose appearance showed they liked burgers and brewskis that were in good solid shape. However it would be a real uphill battle to convince me there is not at least a loose correlation between excess body weight verging on obesity and being in really bad shape. Many people who spend lots of money and time doing great things to prepare are completely failing to prepare arguable the most important asset they have, their bodies. These folks would be better off cutting out two or three hours a week of great preparedness stuff and doing some brisk walking.

Why do people completely avoid preparing their finances and getting their bodies into decent shape? I think part of it is that preparedness is a lot more of a hobby then we are willing to admit. As a hobby (at least of sorts) we naturally gravitate to fun stuff. Most of us were gun enthusiasts to begin with and that is what lead many people to preparedness in the first place. Guns, gear and gadgets are fun (also they all start with g) so it is not that surprising that people gravitate towards them. Also there is an element of fantasy that is involved. It is cool to think about how you would go all pioneer on the plains and shoot it out with some sort of bad guys. It isn't very exciting to daydream through a boring afternoon at work about how your emergency fund will help when the car breaks down or how being in decent shape will allow you to walk 15 miles home when your car gets stuck in a jam.

Specifically when it comes to finances I think a lot of people like to ignore reality. For some reason lots of folks take a head in the sand approach to finances. Their situation isn't real good so they ignore it and then go figure, it doesn't get any better. They like to pretend that somehow things will quickly fall apart in a certain way so the bank never comes calling about the mortgage or the car loan but their area will be fundamentally OK. 'Their' home would really be theirs. They do not like to think about any situation (say a slow slide or a long term depression or a total mess like Argentina) less than that total but idealized collapse. There is no pretending in saving money to have a dedicated emergency fund or eating rice and beans to pay off credit card debt.

When it comes to fitness I think the simple answer is that it isn't easy. Fitness takes effort and restraint. Eating a reasonable diet and doing some sort of exercise 2-3 times a week will do it, if you put a bit less on the place and actually go for the walks. Diet can not be over rated. Calories matter a lot and over time small differences of 200-300 calories a day add up to huge differences. A couple cookies or drinks or the worlds smallest bowl of ice cream is often the difference between being of a fairly healthy weight or too fat to walk home when you need to. Now don't get me wrong the eat a reasonable diet and walk some is not going to get you ready for the RPAT but it would probably get you ready to walk a few miles home. I can not help but to observe that many of the knee and back problems that keep from exercise would be greatly reduced by getting to a healthy weight. Fitness is a situation where good things build up to make more good things realistic and possible. Certainly getting to a basic level of fitness will go a long way in helping you with a variety of tasks.

I am certainly not saying that I am perfect. In the past I was pretty gun centric and too light on food. I am getting better about a more balanced approach these days but am still not perfect. My intent is not to be holier than thou but just to point out that the boring practical stuff is at least as important as the flashy fun stuff.

Your assignment for this week is do something that is boring and practical, like going for a long walk or saving a couple of twenty dollar bills.

Tired of Stupid Crap

Yesterday Wifey and I were watching the news which should have been called Stupid People Getting Eaten By Dangerous Animals. Sometimes folks get eaten by dangerous animals, I get it. You can do all the right things and just be jogging down your city street and get your head bit off by a Cougar. Bears eat a few hikers a year throughout North America. These folks by and large just have bad luck.

Not the stupid folks on this show! These idiots made a variety of choices which directly lead to their deaths. One fellow broke into a Siberian Tigers cage! Yes an enormous killing machine, seriously what in the hell was this guy thinking. Another lady got killed by the bear she kept in her back yard as a pet. She was not a zooligist or a professional animal trainer or anything like that, just some lady with a frickin bear in her back yard.

There were a couple other cases I can not recall specifically but the theme of idiots doing super stupid things and getting killed by dangerous animals was a common link.

On behalf of the world I am really glad all of these idiots are dead. Hopefully they didn't pass on their obviously weak genes and worst case maybe their unlucky offspring will have a better chance at life not being raised by these idiots.

They also talked about some poor unfortunate family who had their credit card payments get jacked up by the evil bankers. Of course that means their interest rates were raised. Does this suck for them, yes. It sucks the same way that getting your knee whacked by Vito because you are two weeks behind on the vig sucks. However the common theme is that if you take these peoples money you accept the conditions that it comes under. Credit card companies HAVE THE RIGHT to change the conditions of your credit basically however they want, it says so in the contract. And regardless of if he directly states it you know what Vito will do if you don't pay him back. At the end of the day the folks who use these services have nobody to blame but themselves, just like the guy who jumped in the Tiger cage.

People who do stupid things with and around dangerous animals often die.

People who make (serious or regular) stupid money decisions almost always have serious financial problems. The good news is that unlike dangerous animals people can usually bounce back more or less intact (and hopefully wiser) from foolish financial choices.

Comparing the two is a bit farcical and (personal responsability as a common theme aside) the only reason I mentioned them both is that they were on the telly last night but why should we feel any more compassionate for the folks with the credit card debt than the idiot who got eaten by a tiger? They both made choices and eventually faced the probably consequences of those choices.

More Rants

Apparently my rants (1,2) inspired another rant. It has some good points and you may want to give it a look.

Replying to Comments on My Last Post.

So I wrote my first rant in awhile and it got a lot of comments. Some folks agreed with me and others spoke about ancillary issues. I do want to talk about a couple comments on here though.

To Occdude: As for bankers getting money at 0% and loaning that money out at 20%. I do not think that is entirely true. TOM wrote a great post on banks these days back on Oct 12, 2008. Banks are loaning money to credit worthy businesses and individuals with reasonable debts and they are doing it at reasonable interest rates. Also on the specific topic of loans home mortgages have not been so cheap in years. People getting quoted or given ridiculous interest rates are probably not very credit worthy. In short I think that argument is pretty flawed. I do think the bailout was pretty crappy and if this humble guy would have done anything it would have been handled differently.

to 1:20: I do not have a ton of experience with credit cards (some would argue that is a good thing:) but I am under the impression that when you get a credit card you sign a bunch of stuff which basically means they can change whatever they want whenever they want to. Going back to my original post "If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money." I can see why some people choose to have credit cards and the Mrs. and I each have one. Once during the time I have had mine they informed me the interest rate was going up. Instead of being financial doomsday for me it was just another thing to throw away because I do not carry a balance and when I charge something I pay it off in full when the bill comes due. These rate adjustments should be a reminder to everyone not to carry credit card balances.

So I completely reject your argument that people who took unsecured adjustable rate loans (essentially what credit cards are) are victims when the interest rates adjust.

Medical care in general and private vs "public" plans is a whole other topic. I can not help but observe that sick people are not flocking from our evil greed based private for profit medical system to good fair public systems when they get very sick; in fact quite the opposite happens all the time.

Quit Bitching- First Rant in Awhile

I am tired of people bitching and griping about bankers and 'the elite' plus of course the trilateral commission or some other such junk. [Now if you are complaining about how the derivative collapse and or government bailouts affected you fair enough. That isn't what I am talking about.] People who claim to be pro freedom but bitch about how someone else (legally) makes a lot of money are fucking posers at best. These folks want to have their cake and eat it too but do not have the guts to live in a truly free world where people are allowed to borrow and loan money at whatever terms both parties agree to. If you want to be a communist that is fine and good but at least be honest.

First of all class warfare has nothing to do with libertarianism or freedom. Don't begrudge anyone else the ability to (legally) earn a lot of money. I am sorry their skills are more valued than yours and their business sense is better but tough shit. If you want to make more money get better skills and make better decisions, nobody is holding you back but yourself.

If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money. As for bitching about how they just jacked up the rate on your credit cards I ask why are you carrying a credit card balance. If you don't want them to be able to change the interest rate on a loan then do not take a loan with an adjustable interest rate. This ain't fucking rocket science.

The bankers are not ruining your life, nobody forced you to take their money. I am honestly sorry if you got a [reasonably priced fixed rate] mortgage and now you can't pay it because of a job loss or whatever. That is a sad situation but it is not 'bankers' fault that you lost your job or whatever.

Running up a bunch of debt you can't service and then blaming bankers for your shitty financial situation is like eating 3 big mac's for lunch every day and complaining that 'donalds made you fat. YOU ARE AN ADULT WHO MADE CHOICES so fucking own up to your responsibility for those choices.

If you don't want bankers to be involved in your life then don't have any debt. Fuck don't even have a bank account, keep your earnings in a coffee can. Do like Dakin and Creekmore and get yourself a couple acres and a travel trailer (purchased with cash) and live off grid but stop fucking bitching.

quote of the day

"The .gov wants to destroy my healthcare, the islamofascists wanna destroy my .gov (which means they may not be all bad, in some ways), the christofascists wanna tell me who I can sleep with, and the telemarketers are rapidly becoming higher and higher on my list of ‘people first up against the wall when the revolution gets here’."
-Commander Zero

Glock 9mm Versatility and the Question Of The Carbine

Hey, Man:

Something cool to consider. I recently bought a Glock 26. I wanted a sub-compact 9mm that was reliably concealable and after much shopping and research decided to spend the extra on the Glock. The added bonuses just keep coming.

1. It takes the G-17 17 round mag and the 36 round mags (TOR, I think you mean 33rd mags). I got the slide on grip extension for the mags, but it works just fine without it. This effectively triples the pool of magazines that I could purchase in a pinch.

2. I have also stumbled on the Kel-Tech Sub 2000 which is a foldable 9mm carbine. Guess what, it takes the Glock mag!

Having a single type of magazine that fits into multiple weapons is an obvious advantage. Also, I had been looking for something that fit in the gap between my 12 gauge and mini-14. The 12 gauge is great, but I keep it set-up for hunting. This makes it unwieldy inside the house due to its length. On the other hand, I can't even imagine discharging a .223 inside the house. I'm afraid the that the hearing loss might even affect my children's children. So, this carbine might fit nicely in the arsenal with some +p ammo, the ability to fight inside, not being forever denied hearing my wife's sweet voice, and its CHEAP to shoot!

Later,

Chad H

TOR SAYS: First of all congrats on getting a Glock. I don't think Glock makes a bad product, just a question of whether the product fills your needs. The Glock 26 is an interesting little gun designed for the niche of .38 snubbies and single stack .380's. I have handled them but never shot one. I have not heard great things about how they shoot. Regardless in the grand compromise of comfort of carry/ concealability vs shootability I think everyone would agree the G26 leans decidedly toward comfort of carry/ concealability.

The compatibility of the Glock series of pistols is something I am just starting to see the full implications of. You can potentially only need to stock one type of mags (for the most part) and cartridges. Also as Commander Zero noted a lot of the spare parts are compatible. If I was starting a pistol collection from scratch I might just get Glock 9mm's.

Kel- Tec is definitely the Rodney Dangerfield of the gun world, they don't get no respect. I've never heard a bad thing about one of their products and IMHO they seem to make very affordable and functional (albeit utilitarian) firearms. Anyone with a hi cap pistol has probably thought of getting one of their Carbines for at least a couple minutes. Check out this review of the Kel- Tech carbines, it seems to lean toward the general consensus on that they are good guns. That they fold in half to store very compactly and can take a variety of mags are probably the strongest points of the Kel-Tec vs other carbines. That brings us to the general question of the carbine.....

I remember hearing in math somewhere (the statistics class I passed with a D-) that you can show what something is by telling what it isn't. A CARBINE IS NOT A RIFLE OR A SHOTGUN. I will say that again for emphasis A CARBINE IS NOT A RIFLE OR A SHOTGUN. As a replacement for either it is a failure.

To snip off a potentially irritating tangent I will use fully proper terminology one time to make sure we are all on the same page. Strictly speaking I am talking about pistol caliber carbines. Start Rant [If anyone starts the ".223 is a carbine and the only 'battle rifle' real men own is a .308" conversation I will reach through their computer and asspunch them. If you want to read some .308 praise get a copy of Boston T. Party's shitty book Molon Labe. I've got one to sell CHEAP.] End rant.

This article talks about this topic in lots of detail. It tends towards lots of facts (gets a bit drug down with ballistics and velocities) and draws few conclusions but if nothing else saves me from having to at least gloss over that stuff. It is worth at least a glimpse.

Carbines have a very narrow performance envelope where they beat shotguns or rifles. For inside the home and at 25 yards or under (distance could be debated but it is in that range) carbines do not beat shotguns, period. [If you have a class III license and 4-5 figures to blow it is a slightly different discussion but IMHO that just narrows the margin of victory for the shotgun. Really if you need to spend 6-10k on a pistol caliber carbine/ submachinegun to compete with a used $200 pump shotgun isn't that a sign?] At farther ranges they do not beat rifles, it is interesting that the issue out to 100 or so meters is more about power then accuracy. For outside of the home if given the option between a pistol and a carbine for a gun fight I would take a carbine but that is a pretty narrowly defined question.

Broadly speaking for a person who wants a little bit more uumph (velocity) than a pistol but can't/ won't purchase a shotgun or rifle a pistol caliber (the same as their pistol) carbine is an OK choice I suppose. Again that question is pretty narrowly defined. See a pattern here? You basically have to stop and think to create a situation where a carbine beats a rifle or a shotgun.

I would be more inclined to steer someone recoil averse and with a low budget to a 20 gauge pump shotgun then a pistol caliber carbine.

Carbines for home defense? You can't discretely answer the door with one and they don't hit like a shotgun does.

For your specific situation. If you genuinely need to grab the Mini 14 to use for defensive purposes in the home (or really outside also) things are pretty much fucked. As for your shotgun being set up for hunting it doesn't take more then 2 minutes to throw a short barrel on a shotgun and set some buckshot near it (or load the tube). Unless you take the shotgun hunting every day (or it is an older model for which barrels are unavailable, etc) that isn't too much to do. You don't need some super fancy "tactical urban defense special operations combat shotgun". Really a short barrel for whatever pump you hunt with and a buttstock shotshell holder of some sort is all you need.

The bottom line is that I don't think carbines are good choice for defense because they don't measure up to shotguns or rifles. Others may disagree and I could have missed some points Start Rant [don't bring up the whole making the perfect hostage rescue carbine shot into the eye of the guy holding someone at knife point thing; you aren't on a SWAT team or an Operator and in any case though that happens in every action movie in real life that situation is rare]End Rant but in any case that is my .02 cents on the topic of carbines.

Followers plus a random rant

I just got onto this whole followers thing. Not a huge fan of the name because it makes me think of the whole cult thing which makes me think of that asshat Jim Jones. Wish someone would have offed him before he got all those fools to go off to fucking Guayana. A double load of buckshot properly applied to his face would have saved quite a few families some grief. Don't be offended if I am not yet following your blog it will probably take me awhile to really get it going.

Carrying Water

This post is inspired by my current irritation. I had to go out and buy a fucking black camel back today. I had a green camouflage one but that isn't sufficient. I must have a black camel back. Not I must have one or I can't wear a camel back; I just had to go out and get one. I fucking had one of them 5 years ago and I mothballed that POS. Awhile after that my sister mentioned wanting one for Christmas or something and I walked out to the garage, found mine and gave it to her. I only got the green one because it was free. Forty bucks down the drain but it really isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things as my wages do reflect this sort of thing.

This got me to thinking about carrying water. Broadly speaking there are two carry water. There are bottles and bladders (camel backs, hydro storms, etc). If you didn't pick up my thoughts in the rant above I'm not a huge fan of bladders. Admittedly I could have just had really bad luck with bladders but I've had a few different ones made my multiple manufacturers. I like bottles, specifically hard plastic ones with screw on lids. Two great examples of these are GI canteens and Nalgene bottles. There are oodles of different types but really anything that is hard plastic and has a lid that screws on securely is probably a fine choice.

My personal bad luck with bladders aside I do have one big issue with them as used by many people. Bladders (especially with current larger sizes) have a bad tendency to lead people to putting all their eggs into one basket. Far too often I see folks whose only water source is a bladder with a tube flopping around near their face. If something in this inherently weak system (in comparison to hard plastic bottles) fails they are up a dry creep with a wet back or possible backpack. Even if you have one of those big assed gallon and a half blivets that are attached to your back by straps have another source of water. For the record I am not talking about a little day hike where the worst case is you turn around and are back at the car in ten minutes. I am talking about situations where you need to rely on the water you are carrying and possible periods of time where resupply (even that needs to be filtered) might not be readily available.

Regardless of the method of water carrying you go with (admittedly I am prejudiced against bladders) the bottom line is that you need to have some water readily available and some more in your ruck. You need some readily available to drink while you walk/ ski/ whatever. This could be in web gear or those little water bottle pouches on the side of commercially made packs or by some other fashion. The balance of your water needs will be carried in your ruck.

Now comes the question of how much water to carry. I think it all depends on your needs but for longer hikes, a potential night in a dry camp, etc I like to have at least a gallon and a half. Two quarts readily available and a gallon in the ruck. I figure that is a reasonable amount for most situations. Keep in mind that water weighs right about 8lbs per gallon. IMHO a gallon and a half covers most situations except long 10+ mile stretches of no water, multi night dry camps or seriously high temperatures, etc. To be honest in those situations you would need to strongly rething the practical ability to carry enough water to be self sufficient on your back. Some other method for travel or procuring water is going to need to be found or plans would need to be dramatically changed..