Instants, Inventories and Fats

The absolute perfect food for preppers would be high in fat, protein, vitamins, carbs, etc., be light-weight, be compact, be inexpensive, take no fuel resources to prepare, and would taste fantastic.  About the only things that come close are those Mayday emergency food bars.  While they're edible, I think I'd eat a bullet if I had to go more than a week or so munching on those things.

So we have trade-offs.  For instance, flavor and texture are usually sacrificed for storage time.  Real mashed potatoes taste a whole lot better than dehydrated potato buds.

I've got a few items that I think most folks believe would fall into that category - they don't taste as good as "the real thing".  Personally, I like each of these as much as I like the real thing.

They'd be:  Instant grits, instant cream of wheat and instant coffee.

Hey, hey, hey!  Put down those pitchforks and flaming torches!  Not being from a part of the country that eats grits on a regular basis, I've NEVER had the real deal.  Not once.

A few months ago, I picked up a box of the individual serving Instant Grits packs and loved them.  A half of a cup of boiling water, a pat of butter, pinch of salt and pepper, and a half teaspoon of sugar....  Color me a heretic if you must, but they're damned good!  They're ready to eat in about 2 minutes.

And they're high on the "stickin' to the ribs" scale.  I can have a bowl of them and a cup of coffee, and it will easily hold me until lunch.

Shelf life:  About 2 years.

As a kid, I did eat a lot of cream of wheat.  I still love the stuff.  Preparation is about the same as the grits.

Shelf life:  About 8 years (!)

With instant coffee, for me at least, brand names matter.  I simply cannot handle the "store brand" crap.  Weak, watery, smells of old, stale water.  I like Nescafe Clasico.  I like it so much, it's what I drink every day now.  Instead of making a whole pot of coffee, I just nuke a cup of water at a time.

Shelf life:  About 2 1/2 years.

With all of these items, besides the improved shelf life over the real thing, you have a serious savings in fuel costs.  For most of us, right now, that's not a major issue.  But, we prep for when it MAY be a major issue.  It takes a whole lot less fuel to boil up water, than it does to fully cook these items from scratch (see our Just Add Water posts).

Also, if things were to get uber-ugly, you do not want to bring notice to yourself that you have resources.  The aroma from a pot of brewing coffee could bring a bunch of hungry and desperate people in your direction.

[The same goes for garlic, onions, basil, oregano, thyme, BBQ smoke, frying foods.  Think what those smells do to you now when you get a whiff, and think what they'd do if you hadn't eaten in 2 days.]
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I lost a butt-load of sugar.

Well, not really, but I can't find it.  I have LOTS of staples that I don't rotate (eat from my stores) - sugar, salt, beans, rice, wheat, corn.  The main reason for this is that these staples are in long-term storage containers.  Mylar bags with oxy scrubbers inside of food grade buckets, or smaller portions (a couple of pounds) in Foodsaver bags.

Since all of these items will last forever (from a practical standpoint), I don't want to incur the expense of, say, cutting open a Foodsaver bag to get at two pounds of rice.  I then need to go out and replace that rice, and incur the expense (time and money) of re-Foodsaver-ing the food.

The only exception to this rule is if I run out of something that I must have this very second.  I recently needed some sugar, and the cupboards were bare.  So I went out to my storage, and I'll be damned if I couldn't find any sugar.

I've got tons of the stuff in 2 pound Foodsaver "bricks".  Seriously, I remember packing a 66 quart Rubbermade tub FULL of these things.

Nuthin'.  I found the 7 gallon buckets each filled with 35lbs of sugar in mylar bags.  I was NOT going to crack open one of those bad boys.

I ended up substituting honey for whatever it was I was making, but it's got me scratching my head.  I've been telling myself I need to reorganize my preps to make it easier to know what I've got and where it is - to make sure my inventory lists are accurate.  I think this is a hint that I was right to do a little reorg...
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Long term fats - think Crisco.  I think I've mentioned this before, but in case not, it's a great way to squirrel away fats that last a long time.  As long as whatever you're making doesn't require a liquid fat (such as in a salad dressing), Crisco is a great alternative.

I buy the bricks/sticks of the butter flavored stuff.  In a pinch, you can mix it with salt to give you a spreadable butter substitute.  Unopened, Crisco will last you 2 years.

http://www.crisco.com/About_Crisco/faqs.aspx#faq_long

I've got some that has just passed the two year mark.  I'm going to let it go at least another 6 months to see if it turns into some grotesque science project, or, if as I suspect, it will be perfectly fine.

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Personal Responsibility: What A Concept!

How many tens of millions of dollars were put at risk to save the ass of one pretty blonde American woman?

SEAL Team 6 members raided a compound in Somalia early Wednesday to free two hostages held by pirates since October. The raid signals that US 'will not tolerate' abductions of Americans, Obama said.

Helicopters, fuel, munitions, sunk training costs, SEAL lives.  I'm sure I've left off some stuff.  How can we justify putting all of this at risk because some aid worker ignored the State Department warnings to STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM SOMALIA?

No downside for making idiotic personal decisions.  These people chose to enter perhaps the most volatile country in the world, and what do we do?  We send in an elite military unit to bail their asses out.

Oh.  It's an election year, we have a president who is sucking air, and who needs some wins in his column.

Never mind.

Must be good to be king.
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The Aryan Scholarship Fund believes that the country prospers when all Americans have access to the opportunities a college education can afford. As the nation’s leading Aryan higher education fund, ASF works to address the barriers that keep many whites from earning a college degree.

Of course, this racist excerpt is fictitious. It's from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, with the appropriate racist words replaced.  You can find similar racist funds for blacks, Asians and Native Americans.  Everyone but whites.

You get money for something over which you have no control.  The color of your skin, or where your ancestors were born.

Whites, on the other hand, can only get money for merit or accomplishment.  Top of your class, best debater, etc.

Is it any wonder that when it comes to success in "the real world," whites - as a general demographic - are more successful than other races?

Just askin' the Social Engineers if they've asked themselves that question.  It's always attributed to, "white privilege".  Could it be that the reason is actually that they had to WORK harder to get there?
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Good news:  Our apparently unorthodox, "Treat your customers like you actually want them to come to your business, and they'll come back, and they'll tell their friends," marketing strategy for our precious metals store might actually be working.  Go figure!

We've gotten word through the grapevine that our biggest competitor from across town is slowly shutting down his business.  He's taking unannounced days off - he just doesn't come it.  Our source tells us that he's just not seeing the benefit of working for the steeply reduced cashflow he's getting.  He pretty much had a free-run of the region for 15 or 20 years, and screwed people hard.  The stories we've heard from our new customers are pretty disgusting.

Our new, "big threat" are the Carpetbaggers.  These are companies that rent a hotel room for a weekend, and  offer to buy your PMs.

They screw you hard.

Before they arrive, they run big, splashy ads in the local newspaper.  These ads are VERY expensive.  In our local paper, one day of two-full-page ads cost more than what I pay in monthly rent!  They usually run these big ads for a week preceding their arrival.  Do the math.

They've got to pay for these ad somehow.

The ads are usually geared towards implying they pay the top of the market for an item.  They may have a price for Morgan Silver dollars that says, "up to $2,500!".  That's all the people see.  Most Morgan's are not collectible - they're bought and sold for their silver content (.77 troy ounce each).  Right now, they're worth about $25 for their silver.  We buy them for around $21 each, and sell them for $26.

These bastards pay $8-$10 each.  Their sales pitch is, "Hey, congratulations, I'm going to pay you 8 times the face amount for your coin!"  No laws are being broken, as it's not their job or obligation to educate their customers.

Buyer (or seller) beware.
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"Is the public aware that I am a gentleman of leisure, watching color TV in the A.C., reading, taking naps at will, eating three well balanced hot meals a day," Hembree asked in the letter. "I'm housed in a building that connects to the new 55 million dollar hospital with round the clock free medical care 24/7."

Who is this braggard?  Some, "1 percenter" rubbing our noses in the fact that he's got his bucks and is flaunting it?

No.  It's some guy on North Carolina's death row.

Hell, maybe crime DOES pay.  Why take responsibility for your actions when it means you have the chance for failure?  Let the state swaddle your bottom, feed, house, clothe and entertain you.

I apparently have been going about this all wrong...  Silly me.

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Setting The Record Straight

I have long said that the Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin.  Regardless of who is in office, government grows, freedom recedes, tyranny expands.  The only difference between the two is, usually, the programs they support to advance their agenda.

I say "usually" because somehow, both Dems and Repubs were able to find common ground and vote that the  the NDAA - and its provisions stripping citizens of their due process and habeas corpus rights - was a splendid idea.  Way to go, guys!

The Democrats believe all of us little people are unable to care for ourselves.  Only the government has the wisdom and ability to keep us and our families fed, housed, clothed and educated.  We're children in need of guidance from our betters, especially if you're from one of the myriad "protected classes".

The Republicans also believe all of us little people are unable to care for ourselves.  For instance, without their gracious intervention via the War On Drugs, we would be nothing more than a country of drooling, strung-out dope fiends.

Both parties are big fans of control.  Dems want to control guns, and tax anything that moves.  Repubs want to control freedom of movement, and believe there's a terrorist behind every corner.  Boo!

Both admonish us that these usurpation of our personal freedoms are, "for your own good."  They dismiss us like a preoccupied parent telling us, "Now, go play until dinner's ready."
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In my last post, an anonymous commenter posted that Ron Paul was, "certifiable, looney, unfit for office. You focus in on a few things he says supporting our constitution and ignore the vast majority of what he says that is unsupportable."

I offered Anon the chance to give me three things Ron Paul has said that would meet his(?) "certifiable" criteria, and I'd comment on them.  He took me up, and actually provided 4 items (wow, an over-achiever!).

Sadly, he provided the same old unsupported scare tactics the Elites have hauled out of the basement whenever Paul is discussed.

His anti-Jewish racism.


His anti-military "loser" syndrome" that will surely cause ww III


His desire to turn all our children into crackheads.


His inability to understand international politics.

Here goes:

His anti-Jewish racism.

Paul has made it clear he does not support financial aid to ANY other country, including Israel.  He believes they are sovereign nations that need to make their own decisions.  When you support one country, you tacitly oppose another.  Supporting Israel, means we oppose their mortal enemies, the Islamic countries, in this case.

This non-interventionist viewpoint is taken and twisted by some of the pro-Israeli crowd as being anti-Israeli ("If you're not for us, you're against us!").  For good measure, they throw in the "racist" card as part of their baseless ad hominen attack.  So far, this smear campaign has been very successful.  When the faithful begin to waiver, they bring up Chamberlin and his coddling of Hitler.

For the record, I don't fully agree with Paul's stance on this subject.  I think we should support our friends, and our friends alone.  At the first instance of you acting in a manner that is counter to America's best interest, the dollars stop flowing.

But to suggest Paul is an anti-Semitic racist is about as absurd as it gets.  Gimme some proof - not supposition  by people that disagree with his stance.
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His anti-military "loser" syndrome" that will surely cause ww III

You're going to have to give some examples of his "loser syndrome" and how those examples would lead to WWIII.

If you're talking about his insistence that America be in danger before deploying troops and weaponry, and that these deployments be preceded by a declaration of war (ala that pesky Constitution), I'm afraid I'll have to side with the good doctor.

A leader acting outside of the Constitution is a dictator, regardless of how much you approve of his actions.  Don't like the Constitution?  Change it.
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His desire to turn all our children into crackheads.

That statement would almost be funny if it weren't so pathetic.  It is at the core of the Big Government Elites:  You pukes can't run your own life, so we'll run it for you.

As I've noted on numerous occasions, the Constitution grants no authority to the federal government to control what citizens may put into their bodies.  Since that authority was never granted, the tenth amendment dictates who DOES have that authority:  The states or the individual.

Anon, let me ask you:  If all drugs were re-legalized tomorrow, would you take up, say, meth?  No?  Me neither.  Neither would the folks that don't take drugs now.  I trust the judgement of the average America over the judgement of a government wonk.

It's for the children!  Bullshit.  Any kid who wants any illegal drug can get it inside of a day.

The War On Drugs is identical to Prohibition:  It pushes a formerly legal substance underground.  Criminal element latches on to that, and the violence and corruption begins.  To combat the newly created criminal element, you must expand the police.  If you expand the police, you must expand the prison system.

It's become a self-perpetuating industry.

Actually, Prohibition was different.  It was done Constitutionally.  After the disastrous results, it was undone the same way.

Before drugs were made illegal, America wasn't a nation of drug addicts.  As is true now, certain people are unable to personally manage their addictions, and they go off the deep end.  Whether crack, heroin or meth are legal or not, that portion of society will always abuse substances.

But you don't punish - and tax - the many for the sins of the few.  That's not how we're supposed to act in America.

You and your ilk have clearly taken the coursework at, The Reverends Sharpton, Jackson and Wright School of Fear and Intimidation For Profit.  Their boogie man is that there's a racist behind every tree, and if we don't fix this, there will be lynchings every day like clockwork.  Your boogie man is our babies will be chopping lines of coke or meth on their Play Skool tray unless this scourge is stopped.

The sad thing is, your and the Reverend's plans are working to perfection.
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His inability to understand international politics.

Way too broad of a statement.  Gimme some specifics and I'll respond.  I'd really like to hear what he misunderstands after all his time on earth and in DC.

If you're talking about his foreign policy stance on not giving money to dictators, sign me up!


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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Lawful vs Constitutional

u·surp/yoo-sərp/

Verb:

Take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force. Take the place of (someone in a position of power) illegally; supplant.

My gut is talking to me, and I don't what it's saying.  It seems like we're seeing the degradation of our personal rights move much more rapidly as of late.

Historically, these usurpations of our rights has been a gradual process.  The government takes a little bite of the apple, and sees if anyone protests.  After the dust settles, they take another bite.  After time, only the rotted core remains.  Most folks don't even realize - or care - that the apple is gone.  They forget they even had an apple.

Lately, it's like the .gov has been on a fevered feeding frenzie, gobbling up our rights - or more directly - granting themselves rights which are in direct conflict with the Constitution.

This Keystone oil pipeline is a good example.  Congress granted the president the power to unilaterally decide whether the pipeline goes in or not.  WTF?  Congress does not have the constitutional power to grant these private land use powers to the executive branch.

Yet they passed a law doing just that.

Private companies want to contract with private land owners to gain easements for their pipeline.  Said pipeline will deliver tens of thousands of jobs and 800,000 barrels of oil a day from a friendly, local neighbor.  In one fell swoop, we reduce our dependence on volatile middle east oil, strengthen our economy and strengthen the economy of one of our neighbors.

Instead, Obama nixed the pipeline for political reasons.  The Canadians are now in talks with China.  They'll build a pipeline westward so China can pick up the oil on the coast, and ship it home.

The result:  Our neighbor still gets strong, economically.  China gets a new, stable oil supply outside of the volatile middle east.

We get zip.  This is good for America, how?

In one move, three parts of the Constitutional were ignored.  First, Article 5 (the amendment process) defines how powers can be granted or rescinded.  There is nothing in the Constitution that allows any arm of government to grant itself or another branch additional powers.  The president can't constitutionally exercise the powers he's been granted, since the only way he can gain additional powers is via an amendment.

Secondly, the Fifth amendment ([private individuals will not]... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation) is ignored, since no due process (a trial) has taken place, nor compensation made.  They've just told the private individuals involved that they can't do what they want to do.

Lastly, they've ignored one of the two catch-all amendments, that being the Tenth (the Ninth amendment being the other).  In short, it clarifies that unless a power is specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states, all other rights and powers are endowed to the states or the individual.  Nothing in the Constitution grants the feds these land use regulatory powers, nor are the states or the individuals involved denied the power to build the pipeline.

What the president and congress have done is create laws, thus their the departments and individuals enforcing those laws would be acting lawfully.  But the laws are not constitutional, as congress does not possess the authority to create those laws.

If you ignore a lawful, but unconstitutional directive, what happens?
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Article 2, Section 1

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

I see no defending, and lots of attacking.
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The challenges to these abuses of power get little support from either party in power, nor their media lapdogs.

I was listening to Mark Levin on the radio a few days ago.  He can't stand Ron Paul's small, Constitutional government ideas.  In Levin's eyes, it's OK to crap on the Constitution when it advances traditional Republican ideals such as trading freedom for security (see USA PATRIOT Act for clarification).

He was whining about how a bunch of Paul supporters had gone onto Amazon.com and gave crappy reviews to his new book, which is, ironically, about the Constitution.  He then went on this child-like ad hominem rant about how Ron Paul - a mere baby doctor - had no right to speak about what is Constitutional and what is not.  Especially when it challenged the beliefs of uppity Constitutional scholars such as himself.

For some reason, Levin does not believe that a regular citizen has the ability to read and understand the Constitution.  We don't have the ability to go to writings such as The Federalist Papers to get into the heads of the founders/authors to gain insight into Original Intent.

Only elites such as Levin have this ability.  I guess that would have to include Constitutional professor Barak Obama as well.  He's got the creds and the sheepskin to gain entrance into the club.

Nice company Mr. Levin keeps...
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Look what's been proposed or enacted in recent times.

SOPA - empowers the government to take your property (websites) based on accusations only, no due process necessary.

NDAA - empowers the government to snatch up American citizens, and hold you without due process or habeas corpus.

USA PATRIOT Act - re-upped last year, is so rife with abuses, I don't have the time or ability to list them all.  Off the top of my head, we have the TSA and their searches, warrantless wire taps and draconian, invasive financial laws.  It gave us the new legal concept of "domestic terrorist" which allows the feds to deem an American citizen a terrorist, and be stripped of their rights.  No trial (again, that pesky 'due process') necessary.

These are all in the last year.  Why the rush?
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I'll ask the question again, "If you ignore a lawful, but unconstitutional directive, what happens?"

It seems that these usurpations of our rights come at the same time that various levels of government are bulking up on their ability to enforce these new, unconstitutional laws.  Convenient, huh?

It seems every Mayberry RFD in America now has a Bearcat Armored Personnel Carrier, and Homeland Security training on crowd control.

Local police departments are deploying aerial drones.

Local police department look less like, "To Protect and Serve" and more like, "STFU, and do as I command!"

Who are these guys going to war against?

That'd be you.

Take a look at this long, but powerful article, "The Rise of the Praetorian Class".  If history is a guide, we should be very worried.

As they serve in their martial role, members of the Praetorian Class learn to despise members of the Political Class and to view the plight of the Economic Class with detachment or even contempt. Law enforcement and military personnel will converse behind closed doors about the most horrific injustices and brutalities with cavalier amusement. While perhaps natural, their training for violence and teamwork is a fundamental cause for why members of the Praetorian Class abandon their roots and in time come to view their peers "back on the farm" with contempt.

I guess the answer to the question above is, "Don't get caught" or perhaps a better answer would be, "Don't get caught up".  Stay off the government radar.

Accept The Challenge

Reduce your "electronic" footprint.  It IS all being saved, logged and analyzed.  Pay with cash whenever possible.  Especially purchases that will raise a flag.  Ammo, self-defense training, camping equipment, food storage products and equipment, books, magazines, drugs, medical supplies.

Remember, the "typical" domestic terrorist has water proofed ammo, more than a week's worth of food storage and is missing fingers.  As one of my favorite radio guys said, most of us are a lawnmower accident away from Gitmo!

Create and manage your own "profile" that is captured.  Groceries, gas, utilities, "normal" clothing.  Buy these with electronic money and checks.  You're alive, but appear to be a nice, compliant sheeple.

Barter and trade.  Craigslist, Salvation Army, Goodwill, flea markets.

Use proxies (i.e, TOR) and anonymizers to reduce or eliminate your electronic path through the internet.

Manage your life to limit your possible inclusion on various government lists.  Stay off the ridgeline...

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Darwin, Vegas and Race

How has this guy managed to draw so many breaths on this planet?

This was sent to me by a student from my Pistol Orientation class (I show a video of some bonehead shooting in the class).

Nice touch with the orange hunting vest...



Amazing.  Darwin, paging Mr. Darwin...
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For those of you who care, Vegas was a blast.  The usual eating and drinking too much (oy!).

Went to a great show at Planet Hollywood (Vegas: The Show [link]). I think you need to be in your forties or older to know many of the names they tossed around.  Live orchestra, great singing and dancing.  And I'm not a musical kinda guy.  Very good.

We went to Penn and Teller.  Absolutely, positively fantastic.  After the show, they went out into the lobby for a meet-and-greet deal.  Got a picture with Penn.  What a beast!  I'm six-three, and he dwarfed me.

Drove down to the Pawn Stars shop.  Smaller than it looks on TV.  You've got to wait in a line to get in - only about 5 mins.

None of the stars were there.  Here's a pic going from the front door towards the back.

They were way overpriced, but I guess they can get away with it, being a tourist trap and all.  It WAS kinda cool to see.

We also headed out to the desert and shot us a bunch of stuff.  A bit windy, but lots of fun.  We shot my AR15 and one of my 9mm handguns.  I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised at how accurate the 9mm was at long distance.  Got some good information while having fun.
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Back to reality.

Does everything have to be about race?  Holy crap.  The show we attended, Vegas:  The Show, was a history of Vegas.  Naturally, they did some stuff about The Rat Pack, which included Sammy Davis, Jr.

They went into this whole, "He couldn't sleep or eat at the hotels where he was working,"  blah, blah, blah.  Seriously - who gives a shit.

What are they expecting the audience to do with that tidbit of information?  Go out and join the NAACP?  Feed and house a short, one-eyed black man as reparations?  Walk around Vegas with our heads hung in shame for something none of us did, caused or supported?  And if someone DID support it, do they think that by bringing it up, the bigot would be miraculously transformed?

What's it been - a half century since this kind of stuff ended?  Are they ever going to give this a rest?

Doubt it.
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Race, I believe, is again going to play a big role in the upcoming election (yeah, I know...  big stretch).  Republicans and independents (read:  Tea Party, Ron Paul) will again be painted as racists trying to keep minorities down.  When/if the violence starts in earnest this year, a large component will be racially tinged.

Much will be tied to the ideology pushed by the Occupy movement.  Rich white guys have all the money and the minorities want some for themselves.  It's owed to us.  Whites built this country on the backs of blacks, and expanded by stealing much of the country from the Mexicans.  Time for payback, bitch.  All of this crap that has been espoused by Reverends Jackson, Sharpton and Wright, the compliant media and the "social and economic justice" groups is going to come to a head.

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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Roadtrip

Off for a trip to Las Vegas.  Should be a blast.  Lots of stuff on the agenda - bunch of shows that we're getting comped, some shooting out in the desert, a trip to Pawn Stars and some private, Secret Squirrel stuff.

Updates to follow....
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Copyright 2012 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com