Note on Ammunition

Things seem to be looking better. 

Midway, as of yesterday, had Winchester .40 S&W 165-grain FMJ practice ammunition for $39.95 per 100, limit one box.  The price is higher than a few months ago, but I wouldn't call it gouging.  I bought 500 rounds of Aguila Interceptor .22LR ammunition for $61-something -- which is $6.xx for a box of 50.  Interceptor is the functional equivalent of my favorite CCI Velocitor ammo, and that's roughly the same amount I paid for 500 rounds of Velocitor I bought a year or so ago -- most of which I still have.  But that's beside the point. 

Just the idea that I could "restock" makes me feel better. 

As I have said before, I am a long-time Midway customer.  They are good, knowledgeable people and strong supporters of the NRA and the Second Amendment.  I get no kickbacks, breaks, or freebies for saying nice things about them, and if they ever do me wrong or turn on us the way CTD and Dick's did, I will tell that, too.

Gas Giant

 So today the Littlest Dictator is going to take executive action to add regulations on new and existing power plants -- as opposed, I suppose, to the old non-existent ones:

The linchpin of Obama's plan involves new and existing power plants. Forty percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and one-third of greenhouse gases overall, come from electric power plants, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Let's put aside for a moment the point that carbon dioxide is highly unlikely to be a heat-trapping gas when it comprises less than 1% of the atmosphere, as it currently does and as it has probably as long as there have been mammals on the planet.  Consider instead that forty percent of carbon dioxide emissions are the result of generating electricity. 

You want to do something about carbon dioxide?  Cut electric consumption.  I suggest we start by deporting all of the people in this country who have come across our borders illegally.  Not only would that reduce the demand for electric power, it would cut emissions from leaf-blowers by at least fifty percent. 

My second suggestion would be a ban on all plug-in electric vehicles.   The next time you have a conversation with a self-righteous driver of a plug-in, remind them that they are responsible for forty percent of all CO2.  They should also try to cut down on exhaling if they are really serious. 

Remember all those "clunkers" that the government gave away my money to get rid of?  The cars that replaced them were built with electricity.  I think it is time the government work on a little consistency.  The left hand of darkness needs to get a clue as to what the right hand is doing. 

Unfortunately, instead we will simply be forced to pay higher prices for electricity, and densely populated areas will likely suffer more rolling black-outs in the future as supply fails to meet demand.  Too bad they won't happen in D.C.

Will the Federal Reserve Embrace Deflation?

Gonzalo thinks not. 

My argument for inflation has always been that the U.S. government cannot afford higher bond rates and lacks the political will to make sufficient cuts to reduce the deficit.  So the Federal Reserve will continue trying to keep the bond prices up and the rates down. 

Rising rates will hamper government spending because debt service comes out before anything else.  The U.S. can get away with it better and longer than most countries, but the pressure will build. 

I keep hoping that somebody at the Federal Reserve will do the right thing.  Obama effectively fired Bernanke this week by stating that he had been in the job longer than he should have been or wanted to be.  His term ends in a few months, and, just possibly, Bernanke feels uneasy about continuing to devalue the dollar.  Perhaps Obama is signaling he plans to appoint an even more compliant chairman, possibly Janet Yellen.

As Japan is finding out, the whole global economy is growing more and more inelastic.  Seems to me that the same thing happens when you are blowing up a balloon.  Right before it pops. 

They Were Home

A little over two years ago, in a nice, quiet neighborhood in Springfield, Missouri, an older couple, Helen and Don Willingham, former Baptist missionaries, were stabbed to death in their home.  It was early in the day, and they were preparing breakfast when someone came in and killed Mr. Willingham.  His wife was alerted by his cries for help to call 911.  While she was on the phone, she was interrupted, saying, "Oh, no."  She also was found stabbed to death when the police arrived minutes later.

There were no suspects.  Nothing had been stolen.  It certainly wasn't gang or drug-related.  The Willinghams were retired but continued to serve as needed at Ridgecrest Baptist Church.  They had been givers all of their lives -- living only to serve the Lord and share the gospel with other people.  It was impossible to imagine them having enemies. 

Well, now we know who committed this crime:  Jose Huckleberry.  If this were a less tragic situation, I'd try to make a joke about the murderer's name.  Based on Huckleberry's confession to authorities, his motive was burglary. 

The officers said they were looking for a nice home to rob.  At the Willinghams' house just west of Springfield, they saw no lights and thought no one was at home, but, just to be sure, they made some noise.  When nobody seemed to stir inside, they broke in.

Inside, the pair encountered Don Willingham, and Huckleberry stabbed him.  When Willingham wouldn't stay still, he continued to stab him until he stopped moving.   Huckleberry then found Helen Willingham and killed her while she was on the phone calling 9-1-1.

Then Huckleberry and his accomplice fled the scene.

If the murderer had come to the door asking for something to eat or help, my guess is that he would have received whatever assistance the couple could give.  That's the way we are around here, and that is certainly the kind of people the Willinghams appeared to be. 

Huckleberry was, by the way, at the time of the murders, awaiting trial on a prior burglary.   He is, in other words, a two-bit career criminal.

There are a couple of things to note on this.  First, of course, anyone willing to break into a house, whether or not they believe it to be occupied, should be considered dangerous and a serious threat. 

Second, knives are deadly weapons and when wielded by a determined and reasonably active person can be used to kill someone very quickly.  This all took place within a matter of not more than fifteen minutes.  One minute you are scrambling eggs; the next minute you are bleeding out on the floor.  Strong, youthful criminals do not need firearms to commit murder, especially when the potential victims are older and less active. 

Third, odd events, strange noises, anything out of the ordinary should be cause for raising the alert level.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it will be nothing.  The one time it is not nothing is all it takes. 

Fourth, if it had been me, I might not have fared any better than Mr. Willingham, but the cops could have followed the blood trail and picked the punk up at the ER.  There would have been, as Dad used to say, sign on him.  Make up your mind to resist -- I think it likely that Don Willingham put up a valiant struggle, for his wife's sake at the very least.  If she had understood a little better the situation in the kitchen, she might have had time to flee the house or act in some other way to save herself. 

As I get older and slower, I know I can't fight my way out of many situations empty-handed.  I make it a habit to have some kind of edged tool or something that can serve as an improvised weapon at a minimum.  Pop the Leatherman open and use it as a flail.  Think about what you have and practice with it, and have something.  All the time.  Even in the bathroom.  Neckknife.  Be prepared. 

Finally, I hope Huckleberry never sees the light of day again.  Somehow I doubt that the prosecution will seek the death penalty.  The perpetrator looks like a punk and is probably working on a swift plea bargain.  His victims will be at peace regardless of what is done to him.  I'm sure it would be their prayer that Huckleberry repent and give his life to Christ so he will be ready whenever and however the end comes, just as they were. 

Ammo Shortage

In case you didn't see it in the sidebar, John Richardson of NLOGAM gives us some information on the ammunition choke-point.

It's brass.  When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense.  Shotgun shells -- mostly plastic, have not been a problem.  I was able to stock up on primers, powder, and bullets in the worst of it. 

Pistol ammunition seems to be coming back first in my area.

By the way, I never bought anything from Cheaper Than Dirt.  After this I never will.  They have boosted the price on .22LR/.22WMR eight to ten times the price it was before the first of the year.  I understand supply and demand.  I'm all for a free market and people being allowed to charge and pay whatever they will.  CTD can charge what they like, and more power to them if they get it.  They won't get it from me.

Another World War?

Steve Dennis thinks about the possibilities.


War is good business for some people, which reminds me of something I was thinking about with regard to the post-WWII United States economy and the idiotic foulness that is Keynesian economics.  Maybe later.

Anyway, the Fed is up against it.  The Japanese are flailing.  The euro is in danger.  A nice, prolonged war in the Middle East would certainly take the mass minds off the impending world-wide depression.  The problem in the region is the size of the single, non-Muslim state.  Israel has literally hours to exist if an enemy successfully breaches her borders.  There's a reason the Six Day War only lasted six days.  There just isn't enough land mass to accommodate the swift pace of modern warfare for a prolonged period of time.

You might recall that during the First Gulf War, the U.S. managed to keep Israel out of the conflict entirely.  What happens if either desperate rebels armed with U.S. weaponry, or a desperate Assad seeking to draw support from away from the rebels decides that an attack on Israel would be a good idea?  What if Israel is forced to attack U.S.-backed forces, or even NATO forces? 

In the link above, Steve Dennis brings up the idea of an alliance between Israel and Russia.  One commenter could not help thinking it was a typo.  But Russia is a long-time ally of Assad.  Israel does not want another Al Qaeda-linked enemy on another front.  It is not that far-fetched. 

Obama is a Muslim-sympathizer, if not a cultural Muslim himself.  He spent a good twenty years of his life immersed in the anti-Semitic Black Liberation theology of Jeremiah Wright, who is much closer to Louis Farrakan than to Billy Graham.  I don't see that Obama has Israel's best interests in mind at all. 

There are Christian prophecy experts who are getting all excited about the potential destruction of the ancient city of Damascus as a sign of the end-times.  While I disagree with their view, I do think a war around Israel could easily escalate well beyond anyone's expectations.  A direct conflict between the U.S. and Russia would not be pretty.  The war in Alas, Babylon started in the port city of Latakia, Syria.

Notes on a Late Garden

As was the case in other parts of the country, our weather here was cold very late into spring.  I ended up planting most of my garden at the end of April rather than the beginning with some seeds that prefer warmer soil being held until the beginning of May. 

First, the permaculture part of our setup is looking good.  I have already harvested several gallons of strawberries.  I'll probably end up with two or three more gallons this evening and Sunday.  They will probably start tapering off sometime next week, but I will have a lot of frozen strawberries when they are done.  Not long after the strawberries finish, I will begin the blackberry harvest.  We look to have a decent crop again this year.  The canes are already loaded with green berries and more forming. 

One thing I won't have this year is Santa Rosa plums.  My plum tree blossomed during a fairly cold interval, and the bees were not flying.  The apple trees, though, are in good shape with lots of fruit.  I may even get a pear or two off my still-developing pear tree.  I have thinned the fruit off it as it can't bear much of a load yet.  I also brutally thinned my nectarine tree.  It was shattered and severely "pruned" by high winds last summer but looks to survive and make a comeback. 

I added three new seedless grape vines this spring, but only one has survived.  Our established vines are promising a good crop, and I almost have my wife convinced to let me plant a full acre or so of grapes.  Of course, I have thought that before.

Finally, I planted asparagus last year, and my bed made it through the winter.  It looks healthy.  I will add some manure and look forward to some home-grown asparagus next year.  

This year, instead of planting Irish potatoes, we set out sweet potato plants -- substantially more expensive.  If I get a good enough crop, I may try to sprout and propagate my own sweet potatoes next year.  We'll see how that goes.  If, after harvest, sweet potatoes are cured, they develop a lot more sweetness and flavor, and they will keep well in a cellar-type environment through the winter, providing a relatively dense source of calories and nutrients. Plus they are native to the Americas and have the cool Thanksgiving factor. 

My wife has gone insane with regard to winter squash.  She picked up four or five heirloom varieties and wants to save the seeds.  This has created something of a logistical nightmare in laying out the garden.  At one point I considered adding a couple of plots in the field east of the pond, but she finally agreed to limit the planting to only four varieties plus one zucchini type, and I was able to separate those sufficiently -- I think -- in the existing space. 

Winter squash, like buttercup and vegetable spaghetti, do store pretty well and make an interesting side dish with lots of fiber, flavor, nutrients, and often well-received variation.

I have a lot of beans out, including some kidney beans for drying.  I'll plant black beans in some areas as stuff is harvested.  Then we have all the regular "summer" crops like cucumbers, cantaloupes, tomatoes, and peppers.  I have two varieties of watermelon planted.  The best success I've had with watermelon was from Chilean Blackseed, but my wife -- watermelon connoisseur that she is -- was not happy with those.  Perhaps we will have an assessment in a couple of months.