Canuck's Cynics' Corner http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.php Commentary by Canuck In Denver en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 ? Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.php/nucleus/nucleus2.gif Canuck's Cynics' Corner http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.php Fire Starters and stoves on the cheap http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=122
I've also been thinking about cheap fire starting and cooking tools. To that end here are some cheap ideas:

FIRE STARTERS

Dryer Lint
Lint from your dryer makes great tinder. Instead of throwing it in the trash put it in a zip lock bag, or 35 mm film canister, to keep it dry.

Char cloth from old jeans or T-shirts (100% cotton only, linen will work as well)
(1) Take a metal tin with lid, punch two small holes in the tin - one on the top and one onthe bottom.
(2) Burn off any paint on the tin.
(3) Get an old 100% cotton T-shirt or pair of jeans
(4) Cut the cloth into 2 inch squares
(5) Put the cloth neatly into the tin and close the tin tightly
(6) Put the tin on the embers of a fire
(7) When black smokes ceases to come out of the top hole wait for about 30 seconds and flip over
(8) Once black smoke cease to come out of the now top hole wait about 30 seconds
(9) Remove tin from fire and allow it to cool.
(10) Remove the char cloth from the tin and put in a sealed container

Char cloth should be black and not sooty. If it crumbles you heated it too long. If it is brown and not black you did not heat it long enough.

Cotton balls and petroleum jelly
(1) Get petroleum jelly and cotton balls from the dollar store
(2) Coat cotton balls in a light layer of petroleum jelly
(3) Work petroleum jelly into cotton ball
(4) Put the cotton ball in a sealed container (35 mm film canisters work great)

I keep mine in and old metal cigarette tin. It is packed in fairly tightly with wax poured over top and electrical tape wrapped around the tin seal.

Paper rolls, wood shavings and wax
(1) Save up old toilet paper and paper towel rolls
(2) Get a block of parafin (candle wax) or old candles, bag of wood shavings, roll of masking tape, small hobby saw
(3) Tape off one end of the paper roll
(4) Pack the toilet paper roll 1/2 way or the paper towel roll 1/4 way with wood shavings. do not pack too loose or too tight.
(5) Heat parafin or canlde, pour into paper roll to just cover wood shavings, you may have to pour it more than once as it cools.
(6) Repeat packing and pouring until roll is full.
(7) Mark off 1 inch, 1.5 inch or 2 inch on the paper roll.
(8) Use the hobby saw to cut along the marks you made.
(9) Put in a zip lock bag or sealed container.

Cat food or tuna cans, cardboard and wax
(1) Take an old cat food or tuna can and clean it out.
(2) Take some corrugated cardboard and cut into strips small enough to fit into the can (waffle side up).
(3) Put cardboard into the can in a spiral, fitting as much in as you can.
(4) Pour wax over the cardboard and fill to the top of the can, you may have to pour wax a couple of times.
(5) Put in zip lock bag or sealed container.

This can be used to heat food, heat a tent (use something underneath it), boil water, etc as well. You can make a Hobo Stove from a larger can to use with
these.


HOBO STOVES

Traditional Hobo Stove
See Mother Earth News for more details and picture
(1) Use a 2 or 3 pound coffee can, #10 (gallon) or unused 1 gallon paint can (must be metal).
(1a) If you use a paint can the lid can be used as a bottom for your stove.
(2) Remove bottom of can.
(3) Turn can over, put bottom of can inside. This creates a double top which heats the air between the two layers and leads to more even heat.
(4) Using a triangular can opener punch four holes in the can, this will allow smoke to vent and hold the bottom of the can up.
(5) Cut a 4 x 4 inch hole on the open end of the can.
(5a) If you use a paint can carefully cut the hole so that the bottom will still fit.
(6) Put two small holes above the opening you made, wrap the 4 x 4 inch piece of metal wire (metal coat hanger) around it (damper).

The stove will work without step 6.

Smaller Hobo Stove
Use a smaller 1 pound coffee can (or similar sized can).
Follow directions for Traditional Hobo Stove, adjusting the bottom hole as necessary.


If you make the Smaller Hobo Stove you can use a 1 gallon unused metal paint can to keep the stove it. Make sure you get a metal paint can opening key and attach it to the handle with a piece of parachute (or similar) cord. Put your Smaller Hobo Stove inside the paint can along with twigs and fire starting supplies, put the lid back on to seal it and you have a handy waterproof container for your stove, fuel and fire starting supplies in one place. The entire unit can be kept in your backpack or hung from the outside of your backpack.

You can use a 1 pound coffee can with a plastic lid, or a one quart unused metal paint can, much as you would a 1 gallon paint can, in this case you would make the Hobo Stove from a smaller can such as a 14 or 16 oz fruit type can.]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=122 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:38:08 -0500 Winter in Colorado - Global Warming? http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=102
As I write this the Denver Metro area has had snow on the ground for 32 days. For the ten longest periods, with a record of 63 days, see Denver/Boulder NOAA Office. The entire region is having difficulty dealing with the snow still on the ground. From local governments that just can't seem to keep up with snow removal to the general public who are complaining about the snow and the cold, most are not enjoying themselves.

For someone who grew up with snow this is a nice change to something familiar. For someone who has the right clothing and gear this is a chance to use that clothing and gear that has been sitting in closets and cabinets for just such conditions.

It has also been a learning experience for the kids. The youngest has discovered the wonders of thermal wool socks and the concept of layering, she put on two medium weight (normal for these parts) winter coats because it was cold and she couldn't find the down parka. The oldest is grateful for me putting on weight since the accident meaning that the old Canadian army parka no longer zips up over the new spare tire. I replaced the Canadian army parka with one from Cabela's a year or two ago. It has lanquished in the closet waiting conditions which requiers it to be dug out. After looking at many down parkas from many manufacturers I decided on the Cabela's North Slope because it offered the best blend of performance and price. There are better down parkas out there but they tend to run around $500, the Cabela's has a regular price of just over $200 for sizes up to 5XL Regular and 3XL Tall. I chose a 4XL Regular since I like to have my parkas larger than they need to be. This allows me to layer clothing under the parka and still have lots of room to trap air and add insulation. I can put a 100 pound teenager inside the coat with me, it is that big.

We've got about another 10 inches of snow today, havoc on the streets, cursing from people, but I'm lovin' it. Then there is the news from Europe lots of snow storms and winds up to 120 mph. So much for global warming, it's an ice age, baby! Seriously though, if you want a good read on the posibility that we're heading into an ice age go to www.iceagenow.com and order the book "Not by Fire but by Ice". The author makes a decent case for an ice age, plus it is a fun read.

Today is a snow day for me - can't get out of the neighborhood. The temperature is 8.8 degrees F at 8:30am. A nice day to stay inside and wait for the call from the mechanic with an estimate as to how much the 78 Bronco is going to cost to get running. As far as I am concerned he can rip out the Holley Truck Avenger carb and put in a basic one from Napa. Having 4 wheel drive will mean being able to get out of the neighborhood when it snows like this.

Thats all from the frozen Mile High Desert for now.

]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=102 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:27:39 -0500 Blizzard of 2006 http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=99
They are officially calling this the "Blizzard of 2006" and are saying that it may very well be the 3rd worst snow storm in Denver's history. There was about 2 feet of snow dropped on the Denver area with drifts making it worse. As of noon Thursday there were still a few people trapped in their cars out there.

I start work at 6:15 AM and I went in yesterday. I left work at 9:15 AM. On the way home I stopped in at Wal-Mart and picked ups some canned stuff, 4 gallons of water, 2 gallons of milk and some cookies for the kids. I also picked up some movies that came out this week... if I'm going to get snowed in for a couple of days I figure I might as well watch a couple of movies.

At the worst we'll be snowed in until Friday, the roads may take longer to clear with the Denver Metro area having about 5 snow plows, but we'll be fine. Lots of candles, propane, charcoal and food as well as the fire place... plus lots of blankets and sleeping bags if we lose power.

Looks like it will be a white Christmas.

With the wind blowing the snow is up to 6 feet deep in some areas - about 5 feet on my deck.

Much of the Denver Metro area is closed. You can view the road conditions, closures and traffic cams from around the state at www.cotrip.org which has a number of DOT cameras you can view. The local Fox station has live updates on their website www.myfoxcolorado.com.

The governor declared a "disaster emergency" yesterday and called out the National Guard to help with starnded motorists.

The snow is still coming down, not much but enough to add more snow to the accumulation. I called in to work this morning on the "I ain't gonna be in today line" and said "It's the 'Blizzard of 2006', I have 5 feet of snow around my house and can't get in." I LOVE snow days.

The latest weather forcast from the knobs, I mean "meteorologists", at the NWS say it will be a low of 12 tonight, currently it's 29.2 on my front porch (high and out of the wind) with a light wind but "they" say gusts up to 20 mph. Tonight will have winds in the 6-10 mph range which gives a winchill of 4 to -6 depending on whether you use the new or the old windchill calculations. I call the "meteorologists" knobs for the simple reason that they are usually wrong, they either overestimate or underestimate most major storms or they're just plain dead wrong. I say this having grown up with one of the top 10 meteorologists in the world for a father... and even he couldn't predict the weather with any better accuracy.

Normally I wear a polar fleece or two to work, yesterday I wore my regular polar fleece and my Cabela's down parka to work. I met two of the guys at the elevator and one said (paraphrased so as not to swear) "Uh oh, we're fubared" when he saw me in the parka, and he's usually well spoken. As I was leaving work at 9:15 AM yesterday I said "Nanook of the north says it is time to get out of here." My gut/instinct said this was going to be a good snow storm, and I trust my gut/instinct, whenever I don't I end up wishing I had so I bugged out from work.


Wednesday night



View out the side door (can't see much due to the snow on the glass)





Side door open (the Webber is covered in snow and the Brinkman is under the tarp)





view out the front door (that big bush in the center is about 8 feet high)





view out a rear window (yeah that's my lawn mower under a rubbermaid)





Wednesday night



You can see how much snow has built up on the Brinkman grill





My Golden Retriever walking through the path we had to shovel so she can do her bizness. The highest part of the "mound" of snow on the right is between 4 and 5 feet high... that's some good driftage.





Thursday afternoon



My Golden Retriever who loves the snow





The Webber and the Brinkman grills... I know they're there... guess I won't be grilling tonight





The corner where the house and the garage meet... wish there was a door from the house to the garage





The side of the garage roof... and my door to the garage (regualr size door with a raised deck so you have to duck)





Straight on view of the back of the garage... yep it's about 5 feet of snow due to blowing and drifting





The rest of the deck along the side of the house... you can just see the corner of the hot tub by the hanging light





A better view of the hot tub... there are high back patio chairs on the left.. I swear!





A view out the front... the poor bush is flat, we call it Cousin Itt





There are two cars there, honest!





The neighbor has a newer Ford Taurus... really, they do!





View out a window of my lawn mower... not much to see.





A close up of the lawn mower... all you can see is the handle and the rubbermaid over the motor





Same window, corner of the back yard (yeah it's a small back yard)





I know there's a hot tub out there somewhere! (different window)





The other corner of the back yard





A view out my office window, window is a few inches above the ground... that low dip in the snow is a foot from the bottom of the window... and the window is cracked - lots of duct tape on it now.


]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=99 Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:03:09 -0500 Yellowstone - Super Volcano... Potential Global Disaster http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=46
I also watched the BBC/Discovery Channel docudrama "Supervolcano" which was shown in 2005 in the UK and the US. According to Jake Lowenstern, "scientist-in-charge" for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory the BBC and Discovery Channel people did a good job, see below for a quote from Lowenstern available from http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june05/feature_supervolcano.html (emphasis added):

"In the end, the BBC Science team did an impressive job of addressing the sorts of scientific issues we would grapple with during the start of an eruption. ... Although we strongly would have preferred portrayal of the effects of a small eruption, their intent was always to provide a worst-case scenario, and the final product did that very well."


Here's the text of the news article I was sent:

European Space Agency Weighs in on Yellowstone Future

Earlier today the ESA (European Space Agency) who facilitates SOHO, the satellite which monitors the Sun among several other joint NASAventures in space exploration, issued their analysis of recent activityat Yellowstone supervolcano.

Satellite images acquired by ESA's ERS-2 revealed the recently discovered changes in Yellowstone's caldera are the result of molten rock movement 15 kilometers below the Earth's surface, according to a recent study published in Nature scientific journal.

Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry, a sophisticated version of 'spot the difference', involves mathematically combining different radar images, acquired from as near as possible to the same point in space at different times, to create digital elevation models and reveal otherwise undetectable changes occurring between image acquisitions.

Wayne Thatcher of USGS states: "We know now how mobile and restless the Yellowstone caldera actually is. Ground-based measurements can be more efficiently deployed because of our work. The research could not have been done without satellite radar data."Background basics on Yellowstone
So with that my curiousity was once more peaked. I remembered some facts from previous reading on the Yellowstone caldera. The first eruption they can find record of, or at least the one that is usually picked as the first point, was 2 million years ago. Then there was another one 1.3 million years ago. The third, and last, that is usually mentioned was 630,000 years ago.

So it seems that approximately every 600,000 to 650,000 years Yellowstone erupts. These eruptions are not small. Each would have global consequences along with having a major impact on most of the US and a good chunk of Canada. In short, each of the last three times Yellowstone has blown its top it has impacted live in the US and the world in MAJOR ways. These three eruptions are part of a 17 million year history of eruptions over a "hotspot" (see http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/figures/fig1.html for more information).

Below is an image of this path (click on the image to go to a larger image):



During the eruption 2 million years ago ashfall stretched over most of the US. The eruption 630,000 years ago was even larger, covering most of the US. Most information puts a "kill radius" of 300 to 600 miles where life would eventually be choked out, this is in addition to the global effects an eruption would have. From http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/faqshistory.html#lasterupt (emphasis added): "During the three giant caldera-forming eruptions that occurred between 2.1 million and 640,000 years ago, tiny particles of volcanic debris (volcanic ash) covered much of the western half of North America, likely a third of a meter deep several hundred kilometers from Yellowstone and several centimeters thick farther away (Figure 3). Wind carried sulfur aerosol and the lightest ash particles around the planet and likely caused a notable decrease in temperatures around the globe."

Below is an image (Figure 3 from above) that shows the eruptions from 2 million and 630,000 years ago along with radius lines marked at 500 and 1000 miles (click on the image to go to a larger image):



Below is an image that shows a 600 mile radius (click on the image to go to a larger image):



Below is a map of the Yellowstone caldera (click on the image to go to a larger image):



Below is a map of the Yellowstone caldera seen from space (click on the image to go to a larger image):




What does this mean to me?
If you live within 600 miles of Yellowstone it means that when Yellowstone blows it's top again that you could be very dead. If you live between 300 and 600 miles of Yellowstone you may have time to escape to a safer area. Of course if the ash coverage is 1000 miles or more, as has happened in the past, then you may still not be safe. Part of the ash distribution depends on wind speed and direction. A strong wind will carry ash further.

If you live more than 600 miles (1000 kilometers) away you are probably safe when Yellowstone blows. You should have enough time to find out if you are safe and if not where to go to get into a safety zone.

From Armageddon Online http://www.armageddononline.org/volcano.php (emphasis added): "Magma would be flung more than 50 kilometres into the atmosphere. Within a thousand kilometres virtually all life would be killed by falling ash, lava flows and the sheer explosive force of the eruption. Volcanic ash would cover places thousands of miles away. One thousand cubic kilometres of lava would pour out of the volcano itself, enough to coat the whole of the USA with a layer a few inches thick. The explosion would have a force 1000-2500 times that of Mount St. Helens. It would be the loudest noise heard by man for more than 75,000 years, the time of the last super volcano eruption. Within minutes of the eruption tens of thousands could be dead.

If you have to travel and there is volcanic ash falling keep in mind that inhaling volcanic ash is like breathing in glass... it will cut your lungs to shreds. You will need to have some way to filter the volcanic ash. You will also need to make sure that your vehicle does not overheat due to volcanic ash clogging the air filter and the radiator. To help extend the life of your air fiter you can cover the air intake with pantyhose and change them as frequently as necessary. You can put cardboard over the radiator and brush it off regularely.

So when will it erupt? - Don't Panic Yet
Although we are within the historical eruption frequency for Yellowstone, it could erupt tomorrow or it could erupt in 20,000 years. It may come to pass that Yellowstone will NEVER erupt again. In addition to the big eruptions that everyone likes to refer to, there have been many smaller localized eruptions that were very small. The next eruption of Yellowstone could be anything from a few hundred yards of lava flow, such as is seen in Hawaii commonly, to a small Mt. St. Helens eruption that covers only a few miles... or it could be a super eruption.

From http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/faqshistory.html#lasterupt (emphasis added):

"Since the most recent giant caldera-forming eruption, 640,000 years ago, approximately 80 relatively nonexplosive eruptions have occurred. Of these eruptions, at least 27 were rhyolite lava flows in the caldera, 13 were rhyolite lava flows outside the caldera and 40 were basalt vents outside the caldera. Some of the eruptions were approximately the size of the devastating 1991 Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines, and several were much larger. The most recent volcanic eruption at Yellowstone, a lava flow on the Pitchstone Plateau, occurred 70,000 years ago."


What about global effects?
A small Mt. St. Hellens sized eruption would cause some loss of sunlight, some ash to fall in a fairly large percentage of the world, and a slight cooling of the planet. A massive eruption such as the one 630,000 or 2 million years ago will cause a much greater loss of sunlight, will cause more ash to fall over the entire world, and will cause a "nuclear winter". If there was enough ash in the atmosphere for a long enough period we could very well see an iceage.

If Yellowstone has another super eruption then life, on this planet, as we know it will change very drastically! There won't be a whole lot you can do about it.

From Armageddon Online http://www.armageddononline.org/volcano.php (emphasis added): "The long-term effects would be even more devastating. The thousands of cubic kilometres of ash that would shoot into the atmosphere could block out light from the sun, making global temperatures fall dramatically. This is called a nuclear winter. As during the Sumatra eruption a large percentage of the world's plant life would be killed by the ash and severe drop in temperature. Effects world wide would cause massive food shortages. If the temperatures decline by the 21 degrees they did after the Sumatra eruption the Yellowstone super volcano eruption could truly be an extinction level event.

Humans could be pushed to the edge of extinction. Anthropologists suggest it won't be the first time."


So what can I do about it?
Well, you should take standard precautions and stock food, water and supplies just as you would for a hurricane or some other natural disaster. You may want have at least a year (more is always better) of food stored. If you are really worried about it you can make sure you live outside of the danger zones (upto 600 and upto 1000 miles away) or have a place you can go that is outside of the danger zones. You'll also want to have enough equipment and supplies to start to grow and raise your own food.

Other things you should make sure you have is lots of air filters and pantyhose for your BOV, as well as some sort of protective suits and dust masks for you and your family.

You should also learn more by going to the links below to learn as much as you can about Yellowstone and other supervolcanoes, and keep up-to-date with the latest information on earthquakes and other geologic changes to Yellowstone.

From Armageddon Online http://www.armageddononline.org/volcano.php (emphasis added): "But well before such a calamity, warning flags will likely show up on the computers of geologists around the world who monitor an increasingly useful stream of satellite data.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

Geotimes June 2005 - Truth, fiction and everything in between at Yellowstone: http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june05/feature_supervolcano.html

Exodus 2006 - Yellowstone: http://exodus2006.com/supervol.html

BBC/Discovery Channel "Supervolcano" docudrama: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/supervolcano/

USGS Yellowstone info: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Yellowstone/framework.html

USGS - Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions?What?s in Yellowstone?s Future?: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/

Armageddon Online - The Yellowstone Caldera Super Volcano: http://www.armageddononline.org/yellowstone_caldera.php

Armageddon Online - What is a Super Volcano? (uses Yellowstone as an example): http://www.armageddononline.org/volcano.php


If you have know of any other good sites contact me with them and I will add them here and/or on the web page as appropriate]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=46 Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:53:34 -0500 Mini Urban Survival Kit http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=45
This sort of situation requires a small kit that we can keep with us all or most of the time. If we base our mini urban kit on the average office worker we can also apply that to any other work setting. The average office worker has a minimum amount of room to carry things with them, plus those items must fit into the general attire of the office worker.

Regardless of the specific threat, we are likely to face fire or dust, lighting being out, and debris. Since we're in a city we need a minimum of equipment, even a few blocks is enough to put most dangers far enough away that we can relax for a bit and worry about getting home from there.

Working within the attire of the office worker we need a small kit with enough items to get us out of the immediate area. If we limit the size of our mini urban kit so that it fits into part of a briefcase, laptop bag or other small bag we don't have much room. The kit itself needs to fit in these small bags yet remain easily grabbed. A small waist or fanny pack of no more than 4 inches thick by 6 inches high by 10 inches wide (about the size of a 1 gallon ziplock bag) is enough room to fit everything we need. In this kit we can keep the following:

- BIC lighter
- Nitrile and/or gardening gloves (leather palm)
- small AM/FM radio with bud earphones (shortwave/weather if there is room)
- compass/whistle/match container with matches
- small tube of anti-bacterial, waterless hand cleaner
- small pack of baby wipes
- flat pack of duct tape (3 to 10 feet)
- first aid kit (extra anti-bacterial wipes and assorted band aids)
- Emergency "space" blanket (2 if there's room)
- Money. Roll of quarters, $10 in ones & $20 in fives (vending machines/pay phone)
- 20 oz bottle of water (empty 1 liter platypus type bladder if there is room)
- tea/cocoa/coffee packets, suger and creamer
- hard candy/granola or power bars
- Sunglasses, reading/spare glasses as required
- windbreaker (folds up into it's own pouch)
- bandana
- Knife or multi-tool
- keychain LED light, 2AA maglite or LED light. Extra batteries if there is room.
- military type manual can opener
- safety goggles
- 3 day supply of prescription medications
- 2 dust masks

Small first aid kit


Most of the items above are to aid you in getting out of the building you are in, protecting your hands and eyes, making sure you do not breath in dust, and in cleaning yourself up once away from the immediate threat. In fact the first six items will fit into the first kit I suggest, while the first aid kit (with extras), the emergency blanket and the duct tape will fit into a 1 quart ziplock bag. If you were to purchase a windbreaker with zippered pockets you could fit the all of the items, minus the water bottle into the pockets of the windbreaker. You would have to grab the windbreaker and the bottled water and be on your way.

Items in a quart ziplock bag



Items in a gallon ziplock bag



The entire contents

1) leather work gloves with money and roll of quarters inside fingers 2) bandanna 3) whistle/match case/compass 4) 20 oz bottled water 5) LED flashlight on keychain 6) Gerber pouch with knife & military style can opener & folding scissors 7) plastic spoon 8) 10 feet camo duct tape 9) travel pack of wet wipes 10) emergency "space" blanket 11) radio and headphones 12) Bic lighter 13) first aid kit with waterless hand cleaner/sanitizer & pair of nitrile gloves 14) 2 chocolate bars


You will notice that there is no dust mask, safety goggles or windbreaker. The windbreaker wouldn't fit on the desk tray and I normally keep the goggles and dust mask with it. The goggles and dust mask will fit into the gallon ziplock bag but the windbreaker doesn't with the water bottle.

Normally I keep the Gerber multi-tool, which has a small 3 inch Gerber Paraframe knife, Shortcut folding scissors and military style can opener, on my belt. I also keep a lighter or two in my pocket along with my keys which have the LED flashlight ($5 Dorcy AAA from Wal-Mart).

The kit moves from waist pouch to jacket to vest, etc as need dictates. I put it in the ziplock bags to demonstrate the size of the kit. The two biggest items in the kit are the water bottle and the safety goggles, although items can be packed into the goggles.


You may want to consider adding the following if there is room:

- spoon, lexan/plastic (does not set off metal detectors)
- folding city/state map
- a small folding mesh or nylon duffel/backpack (for anything that is found)
- small tube of vaseline (help safety goggles seal to your face)
- small tube of sun screen
- water tabs
- sport bottle type water filter
- parachute cord (10 feet)
- sardine can type/size survival kit
- disposable poncho or garbage bags

The knife or multi-tool can be kept on your belt or in your pocket, as can the lighter, keychain LED and sun glasses. A bandana can be kept in your back pocket and the military style can opener on your keychain. This will free up some room in your kit for other things

If you spend all day at a desk then you can keep a few things in your desk drawer, or in your locker if in a factory, like a polar fleece pull over or light jacket, running shoes or hiking boots, spare socks, pair of jeans, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, some extra food, bottled water and maybe a fleece throw in a small gym type duffel. Grab the duffel and survival kit and get moving until you have time to change. Many office workers keep a small gym type duffelat their desk with shoes and athletic gear for when they go to the gym during lunch or after work. Many office workers can be seen on the public transit systems with a briefcase/laptop bag and a gym duffel.

The idea behind a mini urban kit is not to keep you alive in the woods, but to get you out of buildings and to your car, on your way home, or to safety. When you think about it, most of the items on the list are fairly common items that we see many office people with. These should not attract any attention, but can make the difference between life and death or reduced injury.

If you do not have room to keep a spare pair of shoes make sure that whatever shoes you do wear have a good rubber sole and are comfortable for walking. With some looking you can find shoes that meet these requirements and remain appropriate for dress wear.

For those times when a waist pack or small duffel is inconvienent or not allowed you could get yourself a photographer's or fisherman's vest with multiple pockets. If you're getting a fishing vest and plan on wearing it in the city you may want to carefully remove the fly patch. You wouldn't come close to using all of the pockets on the vest and your items would be with you at all times.

You can see pictures of my vest with the Urban Survival Kit contents above in it.

Front view

Contents of the pockets:
1 - headphones
2 - Bic lighter & spoon
3 - EMPTY
4 - water bottle
5 - EMPTY
6 - EMPTY
7 - EMPTY
8 - 2 chocolate bars


Rear view

In the rear "Poacher's Pocket" is the windbreaker.


Inside view

Contents of the pockets:
1 - EMPTY
2 - pen
3 - duct tape and survival ("space") blanket
4 - Gerber Pouch
5 - travel pack of "wet ones"
6 - leather work gloves & bandanna
7 - first aid kit
8 - EMPTY
9 - radio
10 - waterproof match case/whistle/compass
11 - EMPTY


Front view with windbreaker over vest (zippered)



Front view with windbreaker over vest (unzippered)




Below are examples of other vests - a fisherman's vest and a photographer's vest, both are very similar and they usually have around 20 pockets to keep your stuff in.

Fishing Vest


Photographer's Vest


Another option for outerwear is a safari jacket. It has less pockets than a vest, but will have enough to keep your mini urban kit in. Below are a couple of examples of safari jackets from Cabela's (www.cabela's.com).





If you want dressy with more pockets then consider a jacket from Tilley Endurables (www.tilley.com), these are more expensive but have a reputation for long life and toughness along with up to 10 pockets on the dress styles. They also have safari and women's styles as well. Below are the two men's dressy jackets.




As you can see, no matter the situation or surroundings you find yourself in there is an option that will allow you to keep your mini urban kit, or at least most of it, with you at all times. For dressy situations you will have to expend more money, but that is the price you pay for having your kit with you in the board room.]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=45 Fri, 3 Mar 2006 02:49:07 -0500 Adventures with Holley Carbs http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=44 First of all let me say that I will never buy another Holley carb again.

Ok, so I wasn't the one that bought the carb in the first place, but since it was my girlfriend and the truck is now mine, in a way I did buy the carb. I'll buy Edelbrock and an adapter kit before I'll buy another Holley.

You may be wondering what the hell this has to do with survival. Well, the Holley 670 CFM Truck Avenger carb is on my BOV. So there is one link to survival. If the carb has a major design flaw, in my mind anyway, that can cause it to become inoperative with any level of backfire or something, then it is not a good bit of equipment to have on your BOV. That makes two links to survival.

After two years, yes TWO years, I was finally able to get someone at Holley to admit that being at between 5500 and 6000 feet above sea level, imagine that when you're in the "Mile High City" or as I like to call it the "Mile High Desert". The tech I spoke with also said it was most likely the power valve that was causing issues, and sent one off. When I told him that it was nice to get an answer after several phone calls and emails over 2 years he also sent out the jets so I can rejet the carbs for the altitude... no charge.

The thing that really pisses my off is that I suggested this when my girlfriend had her mechanic install the carb for her. It was kind of on the doggish side for a 400 cubic inch engine, but said mechanic came back with "but the box says properly jetted for most applications". Yeah, well when you read the damn instructions it says to rejet for altitude.

So right now the carb is sitting on my kitchen table, oh what fun that was to remove. Not hard or anything, but it did a number on my back and my shoulder is kind of sore. I also mounted an adjustable fuel regulator.

Let me go off on power valves on Holley carbs for a minute here. THEY SUCK! The damn things blow if you look at them wrong based on a search on the net. Some guy out there makes a doo-dad (nice technical term, eh?) to replace them for all time... but he never responded to emails or phone messages. Power valves cost about $8, so they're not that expensive, and they are near the front of the carb so they may not be that hard to replace... we'll see.

I had to take the carb off to do the secondary (rear) jets anyway, so we'll see just how difficult they are to replace when the carb is still on the engine.

I'll add more later, and I'll take a few pics while I'm at it. Got to head over to NAPA for a gasket and/or rebuild kit... I hate having to run out once something is torn apart.


UPDATE:

Went to NAPA and picked up some hose clamps and some gaskets. The gaskets are on order and will be in tomorrow morning. Along with the gaskets they had a power valve bypass, which eliminates the power valve entirely. For $5 I can eliminate any future problems with the power valve. Well worth the price. ANyone who just has to have a Holley 670 CFM Truck Avenger should go to their local NAPA and get the power valve bypass and install it before installing the Holley carb, the NAPA part number is 735-4425.]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=44 Fri, 24 Feb 2006 13:38:02 -0500 Survival Basics and an ebook http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=43
Finally, I have combined the PDF files into an ebook and added some other information.

The Survival Basics series was written to answer some common questions people new to emergency preparedness and survival always ask. Instead of writing the same answer time after time I decided to create web pages that give my thoughts on those questions. They were written to be as neutral as possible. The Survival Basics series and the ebook are just the basics, enough to get someone started and to show them that they can do it.

Below is some information on on the ebook along with a picture of the cover or title page.


Canuck In Denver's
Emergency Preparedness
and Survival Basics Guide
Basic information to get you started on the road to
Emergency Preparedness and Survival - A beginner's guide.



]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=43 Tue, 21 Feb 2006 00:57:51 -0500 Your descent into slavery - 1950 to 2006              Or why the Cleavers were free and you aren't! http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=40
Lets look at the definition of "slave" from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

Function: noun
1 : a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence
3 : a device (as the printer of a computer) that is directly responsive to another
4 : DRUDGE, TOILER


Let's go back to an earlier time, one with an average family of 4, with an average father with an average job, and an average mother who was able to stay home with the two kids. This average family lived in an average house, in an average neighborhood in an average mid-western town. We're not really going to be dealing with a real family, but rather a TV family that was based on your average real family. We're dealing with the Cleavers here. Beaver, Wally, Ward and June were the average American family, their life style was based on your average American family - they were neither rich, nor were they poor.

Now back in the day, Ward got up every morning, ate and went to work. He came home at about the same time every day. Weekends were spent around the house fixing things and doing house and yard work. Sometimes Ward had to work late and sometimes he had to go on business trips, but he lead a pretty boring but comfortable life. With the income he brought in from his average paying job they were able to have a car, a house, pay the bills, eat and take the odd vacation. Wally and the Beav didn't have ratty clothes or have to worry about where the next meal was coming from. Sure it was idyllic and over simplified, but the Cleavers represented reality... they may have been a bit too perfect, but most average people at the time could relate to the overall averageness of the Cleaver's lifestyle.

Can you say the same thing for yourself today. Probably not. In most average families of four - mom, dad and two kids - both parents work. Let's leave out keeping up with the Jones' here, we're just talking about your average working family, the same ones the Cleavers represented from the 1950's. When was the last time you had a family vacation that didn't include just sitting around the house or heading to Grandma's for a week? Most likely you can't remember a time when the four of your went off for a family vacation. Even with both parents working you're probably having a tough time making ends meet.

These days your average job barely pays the average bills. They talk about the standard of living increasing since say the 50s, but what the (very average) Cleavers had on Ward's income is damn near impossible to do today. The Cleavers were an average family, Ward had an average job, and they lived in your average house in an average Mid-western neighborhood in "Mayfield", Ohio.
So let's look at a single income family with an average income:

An average wage in 2004 was about $36,000 [cite]

An average mortgage was about $1400/month (16k/year) [cite]
Average electric bill is $1,500/year [cite]
Average heating bill is $1,000/year [cite]
Average food bill for family of 4 is between $12,000 and $20,000/year [cite1] [cite2]
Average car payment of $225/month ($2,700/year) [cite]
Average car insurance is $2,000/year [cite]
Average property taxes is $2,300/year [cite]
Total expenses from above is $37,500(12,000 food bill) or 45,500(20,000 food bill)

That means that if you have one parent working with an average income of $36,000 the family is in the hole $1500 without even taking into consideration all other expenses including medical, dental, clothes, etc. Let's put this in perspective, we're talking average income, average payments for the necessities - a car to get to work and insurance, electricity and heat, an average mortgage payment on an average house, average property taxes and an average food bill. There is no phone, no cable, no entertainment, no clothes, no gas for the car, no medical or other expenses factored in. There are also no taxes taken into account in this example, these taxes would most likely lower the take home pay by 10 to 20%... meaning that the family would be in the hole $5100 or $8700. If we add the average medical costs, the average family of 4 used $12,000 [cite] of medical expenses for 2005, which would push the total to $49500 or $57500 which requires both parents to be working, which can add day care costs, another car payment and insurance, etc.

Sure, some people make more than this, some also make less. Some people live in areas where these costs are lower, but some also live in areas where these costs are higher. This is the average income and costs, just like the in the example of the Cleavers. So where the Cleavers could have a real life on a single average income, today we can not live on a single average income. Many of the possible savings will be eaten up by the taxes that must be paid on each paycheck.

Where did the money go? Taxes have risen a great deal since the days of the Cleavers, the 1950's. Costs have gone up. The dollar is worth less, thus the purchasing power of every dollar we are paid has decreased. Wages have been sliding in recent years as companies have gone overseas to lower their costs and new jobs are likely in low paying service sector companies. If you look at the numbers "inflation" has now outpaced wage increases, this means another blow to wages.

In very real terms, unless you are very lucky, your family of four will have to have both parents working just to get the average bills paid and maybe have some medical coverage and the normal extras like cable, etc.

If freedom is measured in your ability to live a basic lifestyle and have some free time left over then we are anything but free these days. We have become slaves, economic slaves, to the government and the corporations. Back in Ward Cleaver's day corporations paid a decent living wage to their employees, they made a decent profit and they were good corporate citizens. Today companies pay the least they can get away with, they pay little in taxes, and they don't give a damn about being a good corporate citizen. Because corporations pay less taxes today and we have more people who are considered poor by the government that leaves a big chunk of money that has to come from somewhere. That money comes from the small corporations - the mom and pops, and from the average family - the ever shrinking middle class - in the form of increased taxes. It comes from the economic slaves who toil and drudge day in and day out with a majority of their hard earned money going to the government and the profits or their labor going to their master, I mean employer.

If you think about it very carefully there is very little that sets you and I apart from the slaves of history. We get to choose our master, we are not whipped or killed out of hand - but we can be fired or our jobs go overseas and we lose everything as surely as if we had been killed. We may not be owned outright but could be considered indentured, indentured to the government for taxes, the bank for our mortgage, the utilities, etc. Yes, my fellow slave, we are as much slaves today as were the slaves of history... they knew they were slaves, we have yet to realize that we are slaves.]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=40 Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:00:08 -0500 Bug Out / Evacuation Cargo Carrying Options http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=31
In an ideal world the average family (mom, dad, 2 kids plus the dog and the cat), should have a fullsize 4x4 pickup with extended or club cab or SUV with seating for 4, room for a dog and cat carrier and all the gear everyone will need. For many of us we have a small or midsize vehicle that doesn't have enough room for everyone and everything. In this case an older vehicle that runs well but needs work could be a goal for us to get, but this ins't always possible for a variety of reasons.

Because there are many people out there who simply can't get another vehicle or have to make due while we save up the money to get that next vehicle, I am going to go over some of the options out there to get everyone and everything to where we need to be when we have to leave our homes due to an emergency.

First I am going to go over the options available to get more cargo space in your vehicle. Then I am going to talk about different vehicles, from a small Chevy/Geo Metro to other more common midsize cars.
For a very good article on small and midsize vehicle loading and trailer towing see Blackstar's article here. He goes over some technical issues that I do not deal with in this article such as load and towing capacity, and how to increase load capacity.


Car Top Carriers and Baskets
The first option is a car top carrier. These come in a variety of sizes and styles. Even the smallest car can be fitted with fabric carrier if all you want is to store bulky but light items like sleeping bags and some clothes. Total weight should be kept to about 50 pounds (100 max), otherwise you run the risk of damaging the roof of your car.

Soft / Fabric Car Top Carrier



The next option is a hard carrier. Again you have to make sure that your vehicle can withstand the weight of the carrier and the gear inside. There are a number of different designs for hard carriers. If you check with the manufacturers of these hard carriers you may find that your vehicle is not listed as being compatible, check your owners manual for the maximum weight you can put on your roof. In some cases you will only find rates for roof racks. The first picture below is of a hard carrier. The second picture below shows a small car with a hard carrier and bike rack on roof racks, this setup is probably not suggested by either the car or carrier manufactures but the owner is obviously comfortable with the setup.

Hard Car Top Carrier





The next option is a basic open carrier or basket. This provides the most flexability in loading gear on the roof of your vehicle. You will need tarps or some other method to keep your gear dry. You could also use a fabric carrier with the open carrier.

Open Carrier or Basket





That concludes carriers, baskets and roof racks that can be used on the roof of your car. Keep in mind that each of these will impact the gas mileage you will get. These can be used on any size vehicle if the proper precautions are observed.


Hitch Platforms and Trailers
The next option that can be used on any vehicle is a cargo platform that mounts on a trailer hitch. You will need a trailer hitch for these, which may be difficult to find for your vehicle. You may be able to find a local welder or custom hitch manufacturer whoc an adapt an existing hitch or create a custom hitch for you. With these platforms you can take between 300 and 500 pounds gear on the back of your vehicle. You will need to put your gear in containers or build a custom enclosure for these basic platforms in order to keep your gear clean and dry. There are enclosed cargo platforms available, but they usually cost quite a bit more. Below are two pictures of cargo platforms, the first is the platform itself the second is a platform mounted on a SUV. These platforms are usually about 4 feet wide, so they will fit on any vehicle with a receiver style trailer hitch.

Hitch Cargo Platform





The next option is to have a trailer. These come in many shapes and sizes. There are small open utility trailers in sizes from 4 feet by 8 feet, 6 feet by 8 feet to much larger, enclosed trailers in the same sizes and small trailers that can be towed by a motorcycle (basically a hard car top carrier on wheels). Each trailer has different advantages and limitations. For a Chevy/Geo Metro a motorcycle trailer will give you more room and impact performance the least. I have seen a Chevy Metro pulling a small 4x8 trailer with a couple of lawn mowers and landscaping equipment, it wasn't pretty but it could be done. Always check your owners manual for the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle, you may have to call the manufacturer or a mechanic if it is not listed in the owners manual. Below are pictures of different styles of trailers.

Motorcycle Trailer





4x8 Utility Trailer


6x8 Utility Trailer



Enclosed Cargo Trailer



Conclusion
There are options out there that do not require you to get a bigger vehicle or spend a lot of money as demonstrated above. Prices range from about $50 for a soft fabric car top carrier to about $1000 for carriers, roof racks, trailer hitch and a small trailer with each option being a seperate cost that can be bought over a period of time as finances allow.

You can used one or more of these options to get more cargo room to take your gear. A car top carrier and a hitch platform or small trailer will give you quite a bit of extra room for gear and leave your vehicle for people and pets.

If you can't fit your family and pets in your small vehicle then you have to consider if you have the right vehicle to even think about using it to bug out in. You may want to consider trading your vehicle in for a small hatchback, station wagon, mini van or small SUV.

If in the future you do purchace a larger vehicle, be it a pickup or SUV, you can always move the cargo carriers, hitch platform or trailer to the new vehicle.


A Note On Small Vehicles
There are many small vehicles out there, with the smallest being a Chevy/Geo Metro. I've driven two Metros, an automatic and a manual. I found that the automatic had serious power issues. The manual was much easier to drive, I could keep it at 50 miles per hour going up to the Eisenhowed Tunnel from the west when heading back to Denver where the automatic would barely do 8 miles per hour. The ability to change gears manually makes a big difference in these small cars.

Depending on the manuafacturer of your vehicle or your own physical limits, a manual transmission may not be an option. In this case you want something that has an engine as close to 2 litres as possible, or a real horsepower rating of at least 100. Metros were rated as about 95 horsepower, in actual conditions (fan, alternator, etc) they had closer to a 65 horsepower rating. Power steering, alternator, fan and AC can all impact the actual horsepower rating of your vehicle. You don't need a sports car, but you do need a good base to use. Being able to shift the gears yourself can greatly improve the ability of your car to get up and go or maintain speed, plus you can also downshift on hills to take some of the stress off of your brakes.

Hatchbacks and station wagons are better in small cars than a 2 door coupe or 4 door sedan with trunk. This is due to having more cargo capacity, which means more gear or the ability to put the dog and cat in carriers behind the back seat.

Most station wagons, even the smallest are usually designed to have items carried on the roof even if the weight limit is low. The roof and pillars are often capable of carrying more than a sedan or coupe. Most modern cars, even mid and fullsize suggest a maximum roof rack weight of 100 pounds. Older cars are rated for more, in some cases as much as 220 pounds.


Final Comments
If you are considering trading in your current small car for a small station wagon you might want to consider a Subaru station wagon, a Volvo 240/245 wagon or Ford Escort wagon. All are fairly common with parts easy to find. The Volvo 240/245 wagons had a 20 year run from 1973 to 1993 with most parts interchangable, these can often be found for under $1000 and will run for ever with very basic maintenance.

Keep your eye out for those $500 steals that come along every now and then. I've seen well running pickups, SUVs and station wagons that required little cosmetic or mechanical work.
]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=31 Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:49:34 -0500 Police States - part 2 http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=30
Terrorism is not new. If we think back to the 70's and the many airline hijackings, many conducted by the PLO and European terrorist entities we will see that the modern era seems to have less acts of terrorism than the 1970's. Somehow we made it through the 1970's without having to give up essential Rights and Liberties. The main difference today compared to the 1970's is the technological advances. 24 hour cable news channels can spend 20 minutes of every hour on some aspect of terrorism, thus raising the level of fear and panic. They can also spend 5 minutes of each hour on how we must give up another Right or Liberty, another 5 minutes is often spent on how good our government is and how it wants to protect us... if only we will give it more power.Back in the 1930's a similar tactic was used by one Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) Party. Many have drawn various correlations between the governments of today and Nazi Germany, if you want to read more then find a search engine and do some research. Some have also drawn correlations between the governments of today and the Communist Manifesto, again, if you want to find out more do some research. I mention the tenuous link for a very simple reason, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are well know examples of police states. In the case of Nazi Germany we see a people with a long history of government, a free people who felt that the abuses seen in other parts of the world such as tyranny and dictatorship, felt that those could not happen to them. In the case of the USSR, a people fed up with perceived abuses and tyranny launched a revolution they thought would improve their lives, instead they put in power the seeds of one of the most tyrannical governments in human history. Both peoples felt they were acting in the best interests of their countries and that the people they were putting in power would benefit the country and improve the lives of the everyday person. In both cases they were wrong and came to regret their support of the people they put in power.

Keep the "it can not happen here" mentality of the Germans firmly entrenched in your mind, they had a constitution that protected the people too. The Russians believed that the people they were about to put into power in the October Revolution would improve their lives. Neither believed they were making mistakes, neither felt tyranny would come or get any worse. Just because we want to think that it can not happen here, where ever here is, does not mean that it can not or will not happen here, again where ever here happens to be. Over the course of human history people have been lied to and swindled, it can happen here.

In the US we have the Patriot Act which gives more power to the government. We have more policing agencies than ever before, we are stopped and searched, we must justify why we are where we are. We have a current domestic spying scandal brewing in which the current President authorized spying on domestic communications. We have cameras on every street corner, although not so many as in the UK. We are told by our Supreme Court that our land is not really ours and that government can take it for whatever they deem to be "public use" even if that is only to sell or give it to a large corporation that will pay more in taxes. We are told by our Supreme Court that we as parents give up our rights over our children the minute they step foot on school property. We are told that any American citizen can be stripped of all Rights and held without trial and for as long as is felt necessary if the President declares that person an "enemy combatant"... when will it become "enemy of the state"? We are told that torture is OK as long as it is for the greater good. We hear reports that the President can choose to ignore Congress because it is war time or that we are in a war. How can it be war time if Congress has not issued a formal Declaration of War? Only the entire Congress can issue a Declaration of War, our system of government no more gives the President the power to issue a Declaration of War than it gives you or I that power. War has a very specific legal and Constitutional meaning and requires certain very specific actions or events to occur before the "war time" powers of the President are in effect. Without those very specific actions or events the President has no more power than he or she does on any other given day. The President, the Congress, the Senate, you and I can call anything we want a "war" but that does not make it so. The "War on Drugs" is not a war as defined by the Constitution and our legal system. A "war" between the Colorado Avs and the Detroit Red Wings is not a war as defined by the Constitution and our legal system.

On a strictly legal basis the "War on Terrorism" is not a war as defined by the Constitution or our legal system. The "War in Iraq" is not a war as defined by the Constitution or our legal system. They may have all the look and feel of a war along with the rhetoric that goes with being at war, but they are not Constitutionally or legally wars. Constitutionally and legally the President has no power today than he did in August of 2001. Much like someone wearing a stolen police uniform is no more a police officer than you or I, the "wars" we are involved in are not wars.

You can draw whatever you want from this, but please keep an open mind. Ask yourself the what if questions of "what if they (government) are not acting in our best interests?" or "what if they (government) have some agenda?" and see what you come up with. Even if you agree with the current political machinations of government would you trust another government down the road with these powers that we are giving them? The current governments may be acting in what they think are our best interests, but can the Rights and Liberties we are giving up and the powers we are giving governments be abused in the future? Does this potential abuse scare you? It should.

In the UK we see reports that the police can now arrest anyone for anything. See this article from news.telegraph.uk for more on this. In another UK article from the Daily Record we see that a woman was fined for stopping and asking a police officer for directions. Meanwhile here in the US we have reports here of a new federal police force called the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division being proposed. We already have federal police, they're called the FBI, the DEA, the US Marshals, the BATFE (formerly ATF) and this doesn't even include the other law enforcement officers of various federal government agencies. Then we have the State, county and local police as well. You may not agree with the author of the article or his conclusions, but you must at least read the Library of Congress link here to see what the proposal for the USSSUD is and their powers are to be . Once you have read the the article and the Library of Congress link ask yourself why the US needs yet another police force on the federal level?

Once you have read the links contained in this entry and thought about things for a while with an open mind ask yourself if you applied what is becoming of your country to some other country would it be considered a police state. Do you see similarities between police states of the past, Nazi Germany and the USSR, and what is happening in your country? Could these powers we are giving to our governments be abused? Could these powers be use against the average citizen?

Does this scare the crap out of you? It should, for even if our governments are acting in a benign manner and have our best interests at heart someone ten years down the road may decide to use these powers against the average person and may not act in a benign manner. We could find ten years down the road that we have given our governments all the power they need to become dictatorships and negatively affect our very survival.]]> General http://blogs.survivalistssite.com/blog/canuck.phpindex.php?itemid=30 Sun, 15 Jan 2006 00:29:48 -0500