I want to be on record here, so everyone knows. China is a communist, totalitarian police state with an abysmal record on human rights. The government there is nothing but a lying, thieving bunch of murderers running a country full of immoral people. Everything they ever created or invented was actually just stolen from someone else. Mainly from the US.
Consider me to be extremely “anti-China”. Yes, that includes the Chinese people themselves.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
My current thoughts on COVID-19 and mass quarantines
I've been continuing to do a lot of research, talking with friends and coworkers in the medical field, discussing papers and articles with my ER physicians, and taking care of patients myself over the last few months of the big COVID pandemic. We've all learned and unlearned, and relearned, many different things about what's going on and how serious it is. Obviously we all (I mean you all too) have observed governments around the world doing what governments do best (actually, they're not that great at this either), and that is exerting their power to restrict freedom of movement of healthy, law abiding people.
I wanted to share some thoughts and ideas with you all in the midst of all of this.
Some studies have come about suggesting that only about 6% of the total number of COVID cases have been successfully detected worldwide. Some others have suggested that less than 2% of total cases in the US have been detected. At face value, this seems quite alarming, but discussing with some of the physicians here, we agree that this could possibly mean two things:
Side note on that: I saw a true statement on Gab. Restricting the movement of sick people is called a quarantine, but restricting the movement of healthy people is called house arrest.
Not everyone is locked down right now. There are pockets of dissent and resistance, and many of us are not even living in a state where the orders are being enforced. In my area, most businesses are still open in some capacity and road traffic seems only minimally reduced. We haven't been hit hard with the virus but our ICU went from four cases last week to eleven cases as of this moment. Ten of them are on a ventilator.
I was at a meat market, a gun store (looking for some of these) and a hardware store yesterday and all of them seemed to have close to their average foot traffic. Life must go on. Based my most recent research and discussions with my docs here, I am starting to believe that these house arrest orders have little justification. When logic is applied to my own situation, the orders do not hold up.
I'll pose the question to you: The government has botched almost everything they've touched. This is not an indictment of Trump, it's an indictment of a bloated government machine. They've been caught lying to us at every turn, changing their orders and recommendations based on a litany of reasons, which include convenience and political expediency, rather than medical science. They've shown a propensity for using emergencies and disasters (as determined by their own "experts", naturally) to consolidate their powers and authority and choke off liberties. Officials at all levels demonstrate a gross disdain for my kind, that being traditional, white, Christians, and have attacked us in various ways. They have proven that they do not have our best interests in mind.
Specifically keeping that last paragraph in mind, using logic, can anyone tell me why I should ever trust these people and do as they tell me to do in any situation?
As far as my current situation, our pantry is well stocked for now and our rain barrels are holding. The garden is growing and the freezer is packed out. I have steady work in our ER so the bills will remain paid and the savings will keeping building slowly. We are blessed to be in this situation while only a couple states away, some other Americans are living in a totally different reality. It is amazing to know that my lifestyle has changed minimally, while in New York, mass graves are being dug. I thank God to be where we are and pray daily for others. We've been keeping track of our possible exposures and I've been extra careful with preventing myself from getting sick at work. I'm confident that my family would all test negative at this time.
With all of the above said, I'm not specifically advising you to break laws or go out and try to get yourself some COVID-19. I'm just trying to stir some thought, and give my ideas that these quarantines and house arrest orders (that is what they are) might not be advisable, might not be necessary, might not be moral, might not even be legal. Don't forget that crashing the economy can kill even more people than any virus if it goes on long enough. Think on that decide for yourself what to do about it. Just remember that their are some authorities and officials out there who will never let a good crisis go to waste...
I wanted to share some thoughts and ideas with you all in the midst of all of this.
Some studies have come about suggesting that only about 6% of the total number of COVID cases have been successfully detected worldwide. Some others have suggested that less than 2% of total cases in the US have been detected. At face value, this seems quite alarming, but discussing with some of the physicians here, we agree that this could possibly mean two things:
- COVID might be more contagious than we previously thought.
- COVID might be less dangerous than we previously thought.
Side note on that: I saw a true statement on Gab. Restricting the movement of sick people is called a quarantine, but restricting the movement of healthy people is called house arrest.
Not everyone is locked down right now. There are pockets of dissent and resistance, and many of us are not even living in a state where the orders are being enforced. In my area, most businesses are still open in some capacity and road traffic seems only minimally reduced. We haven't been hit hard with the virus but our ICU went from four cases last week to eleven cases as of this moment. Ten of them are on a ventilator.
I was at a meat market, a gun store (looking for some of these) and a hardware store yesterday and all of them seemed to have close to their average foot traffic. Life must go on. Based my most recent research and discussions with my docs here, I am starting to believe that these house arrest orders have little justification. When logic is applied to my own situation, the orders do not hold up.
I'll pose the question to you: The government has botched almost everything they've touched. This is not an indictment of Trump, it's an indictment of a bloated government machine. They've been caught lying to us at every turn, changing their orders and recommendations based on a litany of reasons, which include convenience and political expediency, rather than medical science. They've shown a propensity for using emergencies and disasters (as determined by their own "experts", naturally) to consolidate their powers and authority and choke off liberties. Officials at all levels demonstrate a gross disdain for my kind, that being traditional, white, Christians, and have attacked us in various ways. They have proven that they do not have our best interests in mind.
Specifically keeping that last paragraph in mind, using logic, can anyone tell me why I should ever trust these people and do as they tell me to do in any situation?
As far as my current situation, our pantry is well stocked for now and our rain barrels are holding. The garden is growing and the freezer is packed out. I have steady work in our ER so the bills will remain paid and the savings will keeping building slowly. We are blessed to be in this situation while only a couple states away, some other Americans are living in a totally different reality. It is amazing to know that my lifestyle has changed minimally, while in New York, mass graves are being dug. I thank God to be where we are and pray daily for others. We've been keeping track of our possible exposures and I've been extra careful with preventing myself from getting sick at work. I'm confident that my family would all test negative at this time.
With all of the above said, I'm not specifically advising you to break laws or go out and try to get yourself some COVID-19. I'm just trying to stir some thought, and give my ideas that these quarantines and house arrest orders (that is what they are) might not be advisable, might not be necessary, might not be moral, might not even be legal. Don't forget that crashing the economy can kill even more people than any virus if it goes on long enough. Think on that decide for yourself what to do about it. Just remember that their are some authorities and officials out there who will never let a good crisis go to waste...
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
The end of things as we know it.
Posted at American Partisan by Hawkeye.
COVID-19 is not going to wipe out all of humanity. But the world is not going back to the way it was. I do not know what it will look like, but I do know that it will not look like this.
This is the nature of a "black swan" event. You've read about those before, and now you're in one.
COVID-19 is not going to wipe out all of humanity. But the world is not going back to the way it was. I do not know what it will look like, but I do know that it will not look like this.
This is the nature of a "black swan" event. You've read about those before, and now you're in one.
Becker BK-2 review, part of my survival knife set.
I've been carrying the Becker BK-2 as my primary bush-crafting knife for at least the last five years. It remains a part of my get-home-bag setup but I remove it often for bush-craft outings and camping trips. While it may be heavy to some (weighs in at about a pound), I find this to be an asset. The durability and usefulness of this brute of a knife lend itself well to many applications. While there is no jack-of-all-trades knife out there that can do it all, this one seems to check off more than it's fair share of boxes.
Firstly, I'll get into the complaints I see from most people about the BK-2. The weight is the first one. Like I said, it weighs a pound, so for people doing long distance thru-hikes and trying to shed ounces by selecting the lightest shoes or that ultralight backpack, this wouldn't be the knife to bring along. However, on outings and camping trips where weight is at least a little less of a factor, this knife can adequately replace other tools. The knife has served as a hammer and a chopping implement for me in addition to it's primary use as a knife, enabling me to leave the hammer and/or hatchet at home.
The second most common complaint I hear is about the scales. The scales are very smooth, this is true. Personally, I have not had any problems with mine, and this may be due to the fact that I've often been wearing gloves when I've used it. In any case, there are textured aftermarket scales that attach easily, or you can re-texture the factory scales yourself. There are two sturdy pins holding them onto the tang.
No more common complaints stand out to me. So speaking of the tang, it is a full-tang knife. I love this, because this is obviously going to give you the strongest tool. No worries about breaking the knife off the handle. The tang protrudes out at the bottom of the knife giving you a nice blunt edge to use as a cracking device or hammer.
The BK-2 is made from 1095 Cro Van steel, which is supposedly known to be on the brittle side of things if the blade is very thin. This knife, however, is NOT thin, and the 1095 suits it well. 1095 is great steel for a thick knife, and this one comes in at a quarter inch in thickness. Overall length is 10.75 inches, and the blade is 5.25 inches of that.
It has a black, nicely textured drop point blade. Mine has some use on it, and I've been impressed by how it holds the edge through chopping small trees and batoning through wood for a fire. Mine came with the polymer sheath, which holds the knife tightly with no movement no matter which way it's turned, but still allows quite an easy draw thanks to a nice thumb ramp to press off of. Looking around online these days the BK-2 can be had on Amazon for $85.
The BK-2 is one of four knives that I personally choose from for my purposes over the last several years. It's my primary bush-craft knife, usually paired with a Swiss Army Knife "Camper" model for the smaller tasks, like taking scales off of a pan fish. On a few occasions I have switched the Becker out for a classic US Army-stamped Ka-Bar (Olean NY) that I used in Afghanistan when I'm feeling old fashioned. My daily carry pocket knife is a spring assisted Gerber Covert folder I purchased at Camp Casey in Korea in 2011.
Tell us about your knife choice for outings and for everyday carry.
Firstly, I'll get into the complaints I see from most people about the BK-2. The weight is the first one. Like I said, it weighs a pound, so for people doing long distance thru-hikes and trying to shed ounces by selecting the lightest shoes or that ultralight backpack, this wouldn't be the knife to bring along. However, on outings and camping trips where weight is at least a little less of a factor, this knife can adequately replace other tools. The knife has served as a hammer and a chopping implement for me in addition to it's primary use as a knife, enabling me to leave the hammer and/or hatchet at home.
The second most common complaint I hear is about the scales. The scales are very smooth, this is true. Personally, I have not had any problems with mine, and this may be due to the fact that I've often been wearing gloves when I've used it. In any case, there are textured aftermarket scales that attach easily, or you can re-texture the factory scales yourself. There are two sturdy pins holding them onto the tang.
No more common complaints stand out to me. So speaking of the tang, it is a full-tang knife. I love this, because this is obviously going to give you the strongest tool. No worries about breaking the knife off the handle. The tang protrudes out at the bottom of the knife giving you a nice blunt edge to use as a cracking device or hammer.
The BK-2 is made from 1095 Cro Van steel, which is supposedly known to be on the brittle side of things if the blade is very thin. This knife, however, is NOT thin, and the 1095 suits it well. 1095 is great steel for a thick knife, and this one comes in at a quarter inch in thickness. Overall length is 10.75 inches, and the blade is 5.25 inches of that.
It has a black, nicely textured drop point blade. Mine has some use on it, and I've been impressed by how it holds the edge through chopping small trees and batoning through wood for a fire. Mine came with the polymer sheath, which holds the knife tightly with no movement no matter which way it's turned, but still allows quite an easy draw thanks to a nice thumb ramp to press off of. Looking around online these days the BK-2 can be had on Amazon for $85.
The BK-2 is one of four knives that I personally choose from for my purposes over the last several years. It's my primary bush-craft knife, usually paired with a Swiss Army Knife "Camper" model for the smaller tasks, like taking scales off of a pan fish. On a few occasions I have switched the Becker out for a classic US Army-stamped Ka-Bar (Olean NY) that I used in Afghanistan when I'm feeling old fashioned. My daily carry pocket knife is a spring assisted Gerber Covert folder I purchased at Camp Casey in Korea in 2011.
Tell us about your knife choice for outings and for everyday carry.
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