From the Front Lines: New Sponsor, 80% Lowers, Gardening

Written by

Here is another installment of “From the Front Lines”. Basically a collection of random thoughts related to preparedness, current events, and whatever else that’s on my mind.

I am very happy to announce that DoomandBloom.net are now sponsoring 1776PatriotUSA.com. Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy are deeply integrated in the preparedness world. They have their podcast, their preparedness informational blog, and also their store where they provide survival medical solutions for every budget.

Getting ready to experiment with 80% aluminum lowers. I will report the results.

I also purchased an 80% pistol lower that is a Glock-compatible. I ordered it on an impulse a few months ago while the company still had them in development. I just received notice that shipments will ensue. Hopefully I can get it milled out correctly and get an opportunity to eventually complete it.

Part 4 of the Operational Cache series should be complete this weekend and published next week.

Here’s something for those that have had the unfortunate experience:

The 2016 Presidential “whatever” is a complete disappointment. I will write more on it later. Maybe disappointing to many but I am not impressed with any of the candidates and regardless of who wins the GOP nomination I will struggle to pull the lever for them – though I will also find it difficult to sit at home knowing that if enough if us do just that Hillary will be the next President. I am still predicting that Hillary Clinton will be the next President. I said it many, many months ago and still believe it. I also hope that I am very wrong.

If you have any opportunity to start a garden this Spring jump on it. Extremely rewarding.

Take care all –

random thoughts

Comments

18 responses to “From the Front Lines: New Sponsor, 80% Lowers, Gardening”

April 6, 2016

Oren

John, you and I both think the current stable of candidates in the Republican race leave a lot to be desired. But compared to the Democrats they all shine like the stars of the night. However, if Trump is selected by the convention, and I am forced to vote for him against Hillary, I’ll have to take a barf bag into the voting booth with me. Needless to say, I am very much disappointed in the system. We need a viable 3rd party but the two predatory main stream parties already own the media, the big money contributors and the majority of loyalty to the extent of stupidity voters. I fear the continued slide to mediocrity will persist in this country until there is a national revolt against the parties. Not sure what form that would happen in, but that is what it is going to take to get this thing fixed.

Reply
1. April 6, 2016
  
  JR
  
  Oren – my opinions and feelings on the current political scene changes from day to day except that I know that the worse case scenario is Hillary getting in the White House. With the infighting within the GOP and Conservative community I see no path to Trump or Cruz getting elected.
  
  The answer – The Great Reset is underway and a 2nd Revolution awaits us in the future at some point. The questions is “When?”
  
  Reply
  1. April 6, 2016
    
    John Gault
    
    I see a path for Cruz to win the nomination, but 1st why Trump won’t/can’t. Acknowledging my own distaste for Trump and setting it aside, let’s look at what we know. In 19 of the 20 national polls Trump gets beat by Hillary. Newer the poll the worse he performs. He loses in pretty much every demographic, young, old, women, minorities…. On and on. He is currently performing at a level BELOW George McGovern. If he won enough delegates during the primaries and became the nominee he would lose to the dem in a 40+ state beat-down far worse than Nagan gave (?) with his barbed wire wrapped baseball bat.
    
    The delegates in an open convention know this. They also are not wishy washy, the are mostly conservative and likely Buckley type voters. ie- nominate the most electable conservative. Based on the rules that will limit the choice to Cruz. John Kasich is likely not to qualify. Even if a couple rules change the choice will only include Cruz or Kasich. I suspect that Cruz would win enough of the delegates by the 3rd vote and win the nomination.
    
    Of course the golden rule always holds true: I don’t know what I don’t know…
    
    I’m real interested in that 80% pistol frame!!
    
    Reply
2. April 6, 2016
  
  John Gault
  
  Oren, I agree completely except for a 3rd party. Yes it might offer us another more palatable choice but it would insure democrat landslide victories… At least in the near future…
  
  Reply
April 6, 2016

Panhandle Rancher

I have begun this year’s garden bed. Hooked the disk to the tractor and turned up the soil. Hopefully today, I shall take the level out and square the plot and create a surface topo so the that the furrows run correctly. Then fun with a deer and rabbit fence, but oh the joy when enjoying God’s bounty.

PR

Reply
1. April 6, 2016
  
  joyce
  
  Speaking of bounty PR, as i am preparing the garden, herb and my tiny flower bed with an extra dose of anticipation this year, watching the rhubarb bursting up and out reminded me to check the freezers for any stock left from last year. Rotating the stock to make room for new found me with fruit in a larger quantity than i could have imagined….not only rhubarb but cranberries i had put by to process after the busyness of the winter holidays…buy at the end of their season when the demand and price are low, just like you and JR recommended we do with flour/sugar at Christmas-three months past!?!?! (Time flies whether you’re having fun or not!!!) There’s also over a gallon of crab apple juice to process into jelly as well. SO…in assembling the”bounty”i realized the need for MANY more wide mouth pint jars-so the cranberry jelly comes out in those cute cylinders to cut up in perfect round slices, don’t cha know 🙂 ! Dear husband was all over this, as he could consume cranberry jelly every day and so took me to fetch the needed jars and do a couple errands as well…wish i had gotten more since they were still on after season clearance price of $3.49/ doz.( We might just make another trip to town and pick up some more.) Today finds me glad instead of mad at the weather that is keeping me out of the garden and inside processing several dozen jars of jelly that will help sweeten our days……don’t forget to rotate that stock!!!
  Politics…hmmmm…keep looking up, i know we hadn’t expected what we have right now but God is still able to put another”unexpected”in the works in the coming months, a good one…keep praying…..
  
  Reply
2. April 8, 2016
  
  Panhabndle Rancher
  
  Joyce,
  
  The best buy on sugar and salt I’ve found is at the local Sam’s Club. 25 pound sacks in the $5-10 range.
  
  Reply
  1. April 13, 2016
    
    joyce
    
    Thanks PR…..ESPECIALLY interested in the salt !!!
    
    Reply
April 6, 2016

MarkOwen

The GOP has no intention of letting either one get the nomination. They are up to something,making some kind of back room deals to keep them both out. The GOP does not like either one of them!. Probably going to try to get a political hack like Hebbe (JEB) or that weakling Romney in. I thought at first that Ryan would be OK but he is for open borders and gives the Imam in the White House everything he wants, bends over to the will of the Democrats. Where do we go from here? It’s any bodys guess, But if Hillary or Bernie get in might and well put a white flag up and surrender our rights because they will be taken!

Reply
April 6, 2016

John Gault

I believe it is already to late to salvage this election, or the Republican party and I don’t blame the elected officials or the establishment. The blame lies wholly with the feckless, irresponsible and easily manipulated voters. Although it takes many things for a truelly free republic like ours to last, the most important, the indispensable one above all others is ‘the vigilance of the citizens’. That vigilance is needed to guide a strongly held sense of civic responsibility. Collectively we practice neither vigilance or civic responsibility. This is unlikely to change. But if it were to change, I doubt it would be the kind of change those like us would want.

I appreciate that many still hold hope for what’s left of our crumbling republic. True, the voters are clearly smart enough to reject the likes of Trump…..but stupid and foolish enough to make Hillary President….. That doesn’t inspire my hope’s……

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
Frank Zappa…

Reply
April 6, 2016

Lightning

JR . Nice garden. In the garden photo I noticed a sprinkler- this is a very non-efficient way to water.
Better to soak every area thoroughly when needed .Lots of water is lost by a sprinkler
by evaporation.I learned this after many years.
Everyone- the power of our vote is still very valuable.PLEASE vote on primary and election days no matter what !!!
5 degrees for two nights in a row here in upstate NY .We may all lose the apple crops this year.I hope not.Trees were budding earlier than usual from the early heat. We have 6 new inches of snow . Keep praying. Lightning

Reply
April 6, 2016

Jim

No place for animals… no place for a garden…. no place to store supplies… no place to shoot…. I need a new place!

Reply
April 6, 2016

D.

Tilled one of my grow beds and put in seed potatoes.
Guided my handymans .300 BLK AR build to the lightest, full tactical to come out of my garage yet. Adding another body to the group.
Ordered 400 watts of wind turbine and an additional 600 watts of solar. The load shed will be totally off grid, with fans, lighting and brass vibrator, and solar hot water.
Need to start some seedlings and inventory the storage food and meds. Gonna be a busy couple of months.
Curious to see the pistol lower.

Remember Lavoy, D.

Reply
April 7, 2016

Owen Lowe ( The ole man )

JR;Your comment on our flag as a doormat ? I was sickened this week when I watched Fox News and observed a group of individuals, if this is what you would call them, defacing our flag under foot. You know certain things really do make your blood boil and this was one. While we were serving our country and lives were being sacrificed the left and probably the parents of the vary ones shown defacing our flag were demonstrating against our troops and throwing blood on federal buildings and memorials . God have mercy on the heathen. Look at our administration, the wife of the president saying ” this is the first tlme I’ve been proud of my country ” Dear Lord ! Don’t change our country, Those of you who feel a need to deface our flag and are not satisfied with our country please consider leaving. I’m sure Russia , Africa or other dark contenents where only the fit survive would welcome you. Praying that Jesus Christ would open the eyes of those that Satan has blinded for only he can save. Thanks JR

Reply
April 8, 2016

Doomsday

Bro, you sound like some of mf drunk ramblings, luckily I’m drunk so I can decipher your monologue, lol dude, please do t play down this, or any election, as long as you vote, I do not ding care who for, as long as it’s not for Hillary, and please don’t buy into that no vote for trump crap, give me a break, we need to use our heads, he’s not taking campaign funds therefore he is not bought and paid for, the guy doesn’t even have a writer or a teleprompter tell him what to say! Wow, it really amazes me when people can’t see the truth right in front of their faces!!!! THE REASON WHY ALL TV STATIONS ON ALL PEOPLE WITH AIR TIME ARE SAYING HE IS CRAZY IS BECAUSE THEY ARE TOLD TO DO IT! It really amazes me, how little people actually think for themselves in this country, maybe we deserve what’s about to happen!

Reply
1. April 8, 2016
  
  JR
  
  Doomsday – Not sure who your comment was directed to but I will comment. Over at The Patriot Podcast Prepper Ralph and I will be talking the Presidential election in Episode 4. To give you a hint of my thoughts – I would take Trump over Bernie or Hillary any day. WIth that said he will not be elected. He has said so many stupid things – like many of us have – and Hillary will gladly paste those all over the place in campaign ads . Add to that all of the Republican and Conservative voters who will sit on their hands and not pull the lever for him – He doesn’t stand a chance. If my some miracle Cruz gets nominated the same holds true. Millions of Trump voters wil sit at home and usher in the Hillary era.
  
  It happened in 2008 and in 2012. Out of “principle” Republicans held their vote – which provided us two terms of Obama.
  
  President Hillary Clinton……feel THAT bern. Yuck.
  
  Reply
April 8, 2016

Panhandle Rancher

I hope all of you serious gardeners have the opportunity to work a plot with a disk plow rather than a tiller. It is so easy to prepare a seed bed, and quick too. There’s a reason farmers use disks rather than tillers. Before I left Texas, I cut down a double disk plow to six feet wide so that it could be pulled behind a mule or for that matter a Jeep. Along with the disk I also modified a seed drill to about the same width and for the same reason. If any are interested, I would be happy to create a short post with photos of the equipment. I have a wonderful enclosed cab 90hp John Deere MWFD (their term for four wheel drive) that was made before everything turned to computers). I hope it will last me the rest of my life, but if not, I have the tools to rapidly and effectively prepare a plot and plant a monoculture such as wheat or corn. What’s more we have a donkey and horses from which gat produce mules. Using the tractor three point lift, I can adjust the disk tilt such as to leave either the front or back row of disks in the air. One pass like this creates furrows in the previously disked soil, perfect for most planting.

PR

Reply
April 9, 2016

Damon

The presidential election has become nothing more than political theatre. The establishment is in complete control, and it will not matter if a “D” or an “R” is elected. Both are working hand in hand toward the same goals. Donald Trump may be the exception, but he will NOT be the nominee, regardless if he gets enough delegates. Instead of focussing on the executive branch, I encourage everyone to focus on Congress. Of the 3 branches of Government, Congress, specifically, the house of representatives, holds the most power. They hold the power of the purse. Every money measure must originate in the house, and be passed by them, this is fact. This is also the only branch of Government that is NOT controlled by the “insiders”.

Educate yourself, then vote accordingly. The presidential race is a lost cause, but we can change Congress, if enough “educated” voters vote.

Reply