For years I’ve been told that the only reason wackadoodle assholes commit mass shootings, ignoring black on black gang violence, is because I refuse to give up my guns.
Only in America, with our horrible love affair with guns do mass shootings take place.
Therefore, it is obvious that this never took place:
I’ve had a fascination in steam engines since my childhood. There are pictures of my brother in the museum in D.C. standing next to the drive wheels of a steam locomotive. The wheels were taller than my father.
What I didn’t realize as a child was that the actual engines were small compared to the size of the locomotive.
The engines of steam locomotives are the expansion cylinders that drive the wheels. Most of the rest of the locomotive is the boiler generates the steam for the engine.
As a child I was able to ride a steam locomotive a few times and always found them interesting.
Later I found out that steam engines are used for more than just locomotives. They were used to power tractors, steam shovels, boats, mills, and workshops. They were everywhere. It wasn’t until electric motors became cheap and plentiful that we saw the end of the steam engine.
An electric motor is used to convert power into rotational force. That power has to come from somewhere.
The most common “somewhere” is the power grid. If you are going off grid, that is not an option. It is also not an option when the grid is down.
Grid down is a common thing in these parts, it happens two or three times every year. It is so common that we do not depend on electricity for heat.
Yes, we have an oil fired furnace; no, it can’t be used without electricity. The burner unit requires power to inject the fuel and then it requires electricity to power the fans moving air through the system to warm the house.
This is used to describe a standard four-stroke engine. Each word indicates the purpose of a stroke of the piston. First the piston moves down, sucking in fuel and air; then it squeezes that fuel-air mixture; next a spark happens and the fuel-air mixture goes bang, pushing the piston down (this is the power stroke); finally the piston moves up, blowing the exhaust out of the cylinder.
There is one power stroke out of every four or one power stroke for every two revolutions of the crank.
To make this all happen, we have the camshaft. The camshaft consists of multiple lobes that push a rod upward to open a valve.
There is one lobe for each valve in an engine. For a single-cylinder engine, there are two valves.
That camshaft holds the magic timing for the valve train. It is synchronized to the crankshaft. The camshaft opens the intake valve and closes the exhaust valve at the start of the suck stroke. It closes both valves during the squeeze stroke and keeps them closed during the bag stroke. Finally, it opens the exhaust valve to allow the hot gases to escape during the push stroke.
Those camshafts are a engineering marvel.
A double acting steam engine generates power on every stroke of the piston. This is accomplished by being able to pressurize both sides of the piston, alternating between strokes.
Whereas the four stroke engine gets one power stroke in four, the double acting steam engine gets four power strokes in four.
Most steam engines use a slide valve; some use piston valves.
An internal combustion engine has the valves in the cylinder; slide and piston valve engines have an externally located valve.
There is a single passage for the steam to flow into and out of for each end of the cylinder. The slide valve moves in such a way that sometimes it is venting high-pressure steam into the cylinder, and then it vents that same passage to the exhaust port.
This single valve controls the ingress and egress of live and dead steam from the cylinder. It is very magical.
And just like that camshaft is an engineering marvel, so are these slide and piston valves.
A slide valve consists of three slots parallel to each other. The two outer slots lead to either end of the cylinder; the center slot leads to exhaust. The valve is shaped like an upside down square cake pan with large lips.
In the far end of the motion, the edge of the pan is between the steam passage and the exhaust passage. This allows the high pressure steam that fills the steam chest to push down on the cake pan/slide valve and flow into the exposed steam passage to one end of the cylinder.
At the same time, the center section of the pan covers both the exhaust passage and the steam passage to the other end of the cylinder, allowing the dead steam to escape down the exhaust passage.
As the valve slides in the other direction, the lip of the pan starts to cover the steam passage that had accepted the live steam. At the same time, the lip on the other side of the valve is starting to close over the other steam passage.
The size of the passages and ports, the size of the area under the valve, the size of the lips of the valve, the distance between ports all play a part in the efficient running of the engine. These have to be designed and manufactured correctly.
We can time the motion of the slide valve to the crankshaft. We can also adjust the valve so it is centered correctly. We can change the geometry of the valve without remaking it.
Which all takes me down the rabbit hole of learning about slide valves.
There are multiple textbooks, written during the age of steam, describing how the valves work and how to design them correctly.
And I haven’t even figured out what questions to ask to figure out what “wire drawing” in steam passages means and how to design the steam passages.
On the good news front, I will be able to get patterns made for everything that needs to be cast. Now to find a foundry to cast them.
Copyright 1899
Wow, isn’t that a mouthful.
The intention of the author in writing this work has been to furnish specific directions and correct dimensioned plans for small engines and boilers, used either for pleasure or power purposes, in lieu of sketches and gossip about such machines. It has been assumed that those who need a guide of this kind have some acquaintance with ordinary machine work, and the usual facilities for it, if even but a small lathe and a vice-bench; with this outfit a great deal may be done.
The boilers shown will do a great deal of work for their superficial dimensions, if properly managed. They have ample grates and heating surfaces, and will maintain a steady evaporation continuously with good fuel and management. The work also contains hints upon lathe-work, vice-work, and finishing metals, which it is believed will be of service to those who have had but a limited experience.
High expansion engines have not been treated, for the reason that they are beyond the mechanical and engineering experience of the majority of persons who will purchase a work of this character.
I have been known to use polysyllabic words when a monosyllabic word would work just as well. This guy writes at an entirely different level.
Here is the gist of it: This stuff used to be simple and well known. It wasn’t uncommon to have regular people just make a steam engine in their barn.
He talks about how easy it is to make some of these things, until you find that he strongly suggests that you have patterns and castings made by a good quality foundry and pattern shop. It is better to pay 10 cents per pound for your castings, knowing them to be good, than to pay 6 cents and struggle.
I know how hard it is to make good patterns. I’m horrible at it but am willing to try again; now that I am better at hand woodworking, it makes a difference.
So I did some looking around. Did you know that you can still hire people to make patterns? Or you can just 3D print them, and I don’t mean the 3D printers in your house; these printers are designed to make foundry-ready patterns.
I’m not looking for an iron foundry near me to cast the patterns. I could do it myself in aluminum, and I want to try iron, but I’m unsure of myself at this point. I still might give it a go.
One thing I do know is that the shrinkage between aluminum and iron is different, so I can’t use the same pattern for both unless I design for it.
On the other hand, it might be nice to be able to have a place where I can get castings done.
This is the third major attempt I’ve made to read this book. I realized today why I was having so much difficulty. I am not used to illustrations being fully dependent on the text.
This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. This looks like a mechanical drawing, something to build a model from. It isn’t. It is a “skeleton diagram”. I think I got the term correct.
What this shows is the relationship between the different parts of the engine so that you can know how big it needs to be.
The figure shows the cylinder, frame, cylinder brackets, packing gland, packing nut, piston rod, theoretical cross slide, connecting rod, and theoretical crank. Oh, and the base plate.
The connecting rod is 3 times the length of the stroke. The diameter the crankpin travels is the stroke of the piston, so 2 inches. From the length of the connecting rod, the location of the crank at center of the cylinder, it is possible to determine the clearance needed for the connecting arm.
But the words aren’t what I expect; the top double circle is labeled “Top Center”. Today we would call this Top Dead Center (TDC). Likewise, “bottom center” is Bottom Dead Center (BDC), which we use for timing car engines today.
I studied this figure for hours and never did figure it out. There aren’t enough dimensions to make anything from this.
That’s because it isn’t a drawing to make things from; it is a diagram to help you with your design of an engine.
And this is why it is so hard. This is a mechanical drawing that was well within the ability of the target audience of this book to read and understand. Yet it would be nearly impossible for someone with the same knowledge base to use it as is today.
First, we don’t draw objects this way. It is missing views.
This would have been drawn with at least a top and side view as well as from both ends. The cross section would have been indicated with a cut line in one of the other views. Instead, all of that information is buried in this one figure and maybe something in the text.
The bore of this is defined as 3 inches, and the depth of the bore is 5 11/16 – 5/16 or 5 3/8 deep. But that is not called out. From this diagram, today, we would assume that the critical dimension is the 5/16 thickness of the rear wall. We can guess that the front flange is also 5/16, but there is no callout for that.
And while the steam passage is called out to have a 3/8 diameter, the distance from the steam passage to the front face is not defined. We also have radii that are not defined. This being left to the workman.
I made it most of the way through the book today. I need to go back over a couple of the paragraphs. The important thing for me was to stop focusing on the figures and instead to focus on the text.
Go ahead and enjoy some light reading:Small Engines and Boilers
Well, the trolley system is done but waiting to be mounted. Once done, we move on to installing the window, finishing with insulating the lower part of the hut and other “stuff”.
I am treating this hut as an off grid experiment. To me this means a 2 or 4 battery bank at 24 volts and a 200W PV panel to keep it charged. Inverters and such to match, but with most of the hut infrastructure, lights and such, running off DC power.
This took me back to my love of machining. In particular, I want to be able to recharge the battery bank when the PV can’t keep up. Think snowstorm or such. Or just too much draw for the PV to keep up with.
A quick bit of research says that I can drive a low cost EV motor, think electric bike, from a mechanical source to produce the required voltages for charging.
So what is the mechanical device? A steam engine, of course!
So a discussion with Grok, and she finds the Elmer #33 horizontal engine. I’ve already built a couple of Elmer engines, so this is something I think I can do.
I’ve become a better machinist since those engines, and I have a few more tools to make it possible.
I asked Grok to find me a steam engine plan that would produce 300 watts. The Elmer #33 was her answer.
(½ in bore × 1 in stroke, double-acting slide-valve engine)
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bore | 0.500 in | |
| Stroke | 1.000 in | |
| Swept volume per revolution | 0.393 in³ | 2 power strokes |
| Boiler pressure | 80 psi (same as our upsized engine) | |
| Mean Effective Pressure (MEP) | 44 psi (55 % of boiler – locked) | |
| Volumetric efficiency | 90 % (locked) | |
| Effective volume per rev | 0.353 in³ | |
| Indicated power @ 600 RPM | 46 W | Theoretical cylinder power |
| Mechanical efficiency | 80 % (locked) | |
| Theoretical brake power | 37 W | @ 600 RPM |
| Real-world reported | 25–35 W | Typical Elmer #33 builds on 80–100 psi air/steam |
So, Grok told me this engine would easily produce 300 watts when choosing the engine, when we get down to the math, she says 37 W with reported values of 25-35 W. This is not nearly enough.
Over the course of the last week, I’ve had X.com Grok, Android Grok, and grok.com all work the problem with me. And they all give different power answers. And they all have gotten equations wrong.
In one case, grok.com reported a design with match claiming 3400 W at the crankshaft, but she reported it as 340 W, which didn’t match the math she had shown me. She had auto corrected to real world numbers that were at odds with the theoretical values she calculated.
When called on it, she claimed it was just a typo, that she had “slipped a decimal.”
Note: It’s Allyson’s fault these haven’t been going out. She apologizes profusely.
Dec 6-8, 2025:
THE GREAT AMERICAN REVIVAL: Trump’s Second-Term Revolution Restoring American Greatness
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
‘Enemy of Europe’:
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
Civil War 2.0 Weather Report: A Color Revolution In Progress?
https://wilderwealthywise.com/
In this issue: Front Matter – Mere Anarchy is Loosed Upon the World– Violence and Censorship Update – Misery Index – Updated Civil War 2.0 Index – “It wasn’t worth it.” – Links
Widespread Obamacare Fraud: Phony SSNs Had a 100% Success Rate for Getting Coverage, Investigation Finds
https://www.westernjournal.
University of Minnesota faces backlash over project that seeks to cure the ‘Whiteness Pandemic’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
‘Family socialization into the centuries-old culture of Whiteness — involving colorblindness, passivity, and fragility — perpetrates and perpetuates US racism.’
George Clooney Drops Bombshell: “My Wife Helped Draft The Muslim Brotherhood’s Constitution”
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
JD Vance Responds as Media Seeks to Stoke Controversy Over His Wife’s Wedding Ring
https://www.westernjournal.
Congress Seeks to Block Trump’s Caribbean Strikes on Narco-Terrorists/
https://americanjournaldaily.
Trump Unveils Strategy Shifting U.S. Focus to Western Hemisphere, Warns Europe of ‘Civilizational Erasure’
https://istandforfreedom.com/
The new National Security Strategy released Friday unveils what Trump calls his “corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine—a 21st-century assertion that America’s backyard comes first. “In everything we do, we are putting America First,”
Why do you carry high capacity magazines?
https://miguelgg.substack.com/
Clowns acting rather poorly.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/
4 – 26 sec videos
Lobbyist of the Maduro Cartel in the USA. – Senator Adam Schiff
https://miguelgg.substack.com/
and
Venezuela’s former intelligence leader Hugo Carvajal has CONFIRMED that Democrat Senator Adam Schiff and Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, both of California, are two of the top names on the VENEZUELA LIST of US politicians that are receiving MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN KICKBACKS AND LAVISH GIFTS from the Maduro regime and Venezuelan drug trafficking
https://x.com/i/status/
and
Democrats once called out links between drug trafficking and terrorism but then came Trump
https://justthenews.com/
GOP Senator Moreno Introduces Bill to End Dual Citizenship for Migrants
https://americanjournaldaily.
Senate Republicans Confirm 97 Trump Nominees After Democrat Blockade Backfires
https://americanjournaldaily.
Dems Thought They Scored a Victory Against Trump’s Agenda – Then Everything Backfired
Illegal Alien Pays the Price After Injuring 4 Police Officers in Gas Station Shootout
https://www.westernjournal.
Can presidents fire all federal bureaucrats at will? Supreme Court to hear case with major implications
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
Jasmine Crockett’s Utterly Bizarre Campaign Kickoff Video Is Nothing but Trump Insulting Her Non-Stop for 45 Seconds
https://www.westernjournal.
video – 00:00:44 – https://twitter.com/i/status/
and
Chris Cillizza Says Jasmine Crockett’s Bid for the Senate Is ‘Beyond Bad for Democrats Nationally’
https://twitchy.com/brettt/
Entitled Somalian, now a state rep describes how miserable her experience of life in America was
https://www.bizpacreview.com/
Hey, Guess What the Experts Were Wrong About This Time!
https://pjmedia.com/
Texas Enacts Women’s Privacy Act, Mandating Biological Sex Bathrooms with $125,000 Daily Penalties
https://americanjournaldaily.
Dec 9, 2025:
Christmas Season Story – Because I’m me
https://thelawdogfiles.
The Stages Of A Color Revolution… And Where America Is Right Now
https://www.americanthinker.
(A “color revolution” (sometimes called a “soft coup” or “regime-change operation by non-kinetic means”) is a modern form of orchestrated political upheaval designed to replace an existing government without traditional military invasion or civil war.)
and
America’s “Color Revolution” – Updated 8/15/2023
https://marisol-nostromo.
Able-bodied 38-year-old man goes viral for response to Trump food stamp restrictions: ‘That’s some bulls**t!’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
Scott is 38 years old, doesn’t have kids or a job, doesn’t go to school, and is not disabled. But he’s upset that his SNAP food benefits are imperiled.
video – 00:02:13 – https://youtu.be/ZDQLnF8qSt4
“AWWWWW! Poor baby has to go to work like the rest of us!!” one commenter said.
Tucker Carlson Embraces Jihad in Doha
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
Convicted Muslim Brothers Hired Back, Destroying Federal Systems, U.S. Databases Wiped at Multiple Fed Agencies
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
the truly terrifying part is this: these jihadis had already been convicted of hacking federal systems once before, served prison time, and were still trusted again with privileged access to government data…used that access to wipe nearly 100 databases, steal IRS and EEOC records, compromise Homeland Security systems,
Obama’s DEA Deputy Chief Indicted for LAUNDERING $12 MILLION For TERROR CARTEL, Plotted to Acquire Explosives, Military-Grade Weapons, and Armed Drones for Cartel Use
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
“SHE DOESN’T SERVE AMERICA”: Former Somali Prime Minister Declares Ilhan Omar Serves Somalia Not America
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
Trump announces $12 billion in aid to farmers
https://www.nbcnews.com/
China recently started buying U.S. soybeans again after a trade war halted the purchases in a blow to American farmers.
Fed expected to deliver third straight rate cut this week amid labor concerns
https://www.foxbusiness.com/
Cities are pulling back from a surveillance network expanding rapidly beyond their control
https://www.collapselife.com/
License plate readers, home security cameras, and outsourced data labeling have created a control grid that was approved piecemeal before anyone realized how it would chillingly coagulate against us.
Community Leader Gives Ilhan Omar UP, Admits She Did INDEED Marry Her Brother in Rush to ‘Get Him Papers’
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/
Tilting FOR Windmills? Leftist Judge Demands Trump Grant Permits for Green New Scam
https://twitchy.com/grateful-
…US District Court Judge Patti Saris, a Bill Clinton appointee, has mandated that President Trump MUST greenlight permits for more windmills.
and
Trump order halting wind energy projects is unlawful, judge rules
https://www.
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris ruled Monday afternoon that the president’s Day One executive order suspending all new permits and leases for onshore and offshore wind energy projects was illegal, vacating the order.
embeded video – 00:01:41
The New Nullification
https://patriotpost.us/
How Democrat leaders are turning political disagreement into a license for defying lawful authority.
Impeach Ketanji Brown-Jackson
https://hotair.com/david-
an ideologue who rejects the fundamental legal principles that underpin the Constitution. What most people interpret as stupidity is in fact a commitment not just to progressive outcomes, many of which could be accomplished through winning successive elections, but to the Wilsonian progressive vision of a technocratic rather than democratic, rules-based Constitutional order.
FA to FO
Chicago Teen Shot After Pointing Gun While Stealing Car
https://bearingarms.com/
Generally speaking, shooting someone who’s stealing property isn’t seen as a lawful act of self-defense. If, however, that thief also presents a reasonable threat to the life and safety of another, though, then that usually would be considered a justifiable use of deadly force.
Is the President in Charge of the Executive Branch?
https://patriotpost.us/
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case yesterday that could have drastic implications for our system of three, not four, constitutional branches of government.
Trump pledges to reassert Monroe Doctrine to restore American power
https://www.foxnews.com/
Strategy aims to enlist established friends and expand relationships while countering adversaries
PDF – 33 pages – https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-
DOJ Sues Blue States for Blocking Voter Roll Audits
https://amac.us/newsline/
…forced to file lawsuits against 14 Democrat-dominated states pursuant to persistent violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls by conducting regular list maintenance to remove ineligible voters…The list of the states that the DOJ had to sue will surprise no one: California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
6 in ’26! Six Important Financial Changes to Watch for in 2026
https://amac.us/newsline/
Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes Up Her Own Doctrine About ‘Experts’ in Bizarre Tangent During Supreme Court Oral Arguments
https://www.westernjournal.
In short, We the People created the Constitution, which created the co-equal legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Nowhere did We the People create a fourth branch of “experts.”
Court Upholds Trump’s Trans Military Ban
https://pjmedia.com/
Jasmine Crockett announces campaign for Texas Democratic Senate primary
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/
and
Jasmine Crockett’s Finances Exposed – Subject to Personal Liens While She Spends $50k-100k of Taxpayer Cash on Limos, Luxury Hotels Just This Yearhttps://www.
video – 01:16:10 – https://youtu.be/cmIAkv7fs7w
and
After clashes with Trump, could a Rep. Jasmine Crockett Senate run energize Republicans in addition to Democrats?
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/
and
Jasmine Crockett Sheds a Tear While Announcing Senate Run and Teasing the ‘JC Way’
https://twitchy.com/warren-
and a redux
‘Very low-IQ person’: Jasmine Crockett launches Senate campaign with funny video that may give the GOP the last laugh
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
and
After Radical Democrat Announces Senate Run, Texas Gov Makes a Hilarious Prediction → I hope he’s right…
https://istandforfreedom.com/
“Jasmine Crockett about to learn the hard way that most Texans are very different from her district, her base & her values. She’ll be pummeled for her progressive socialist agenda & get crushed by the Republican nominee for Senate. The Texas political cemetery is filled with blow hards like her who have no idea what it’s like to run statewide.”
and
Jasmine Crockett’s Senate Campaign Ad Gives Away What She’s Really After
https://pjmedia.com/matt-
Giffords Proves Gun Laws Do Not Reduce Homicides – Of course they did so accidentally
https://www.2acops.com/p/
DOJ promises ‘a lot more action’ on gun rights with new Second Amendment enforcement section
https://www.foxnews.com/
Harmeet Dhillon says department will fight unreasonable state and local restrictions
(I have severe doubts that this DOJ, or any other administrations DOJ, will treat the 2nd ammendment like the 13th,15th,19th,24th,26th or any other enumerated rights – jlr)
and
John Lott Fires Back at Critics of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Defending 2A
https://bearingarms.com/
gun rights are civil rights, and they’re civil rights that are often being denied to black and Hispanic Americans because they’re not wealthy enough to jump through the hoops. Rights aren’t for the rich. They’re for every American.
(worth reading and listing to – – and remembering – jlr)
Tuesday Tune: Forgotten War
https://wilderwealthywise.com/
imbeded AUDIO – 00:05:59 – https://wilderwealthywise.com/
Atheist Looks Forward To The Warmth And Cheer Of Arbitrary Cultural Traditions With No Transcendent Meaning
https://babylonbee.com/news/
Dec 10, 2025:
FEDERAL RESERVE CUTS INTEREST RATES FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE TIME
https://justthenews.com/
The reduced rate is the lowest it has been in nearly three years
Trump Announces Jerome Powell May Not Actually Be Fed Chair Since He Was Appointed Via Biden’s Autopen
https://www.westernjournal.
Thanks to promiscuous use of the autopen, some actions taken in former President Joe Biden’s name might qualify as illegitimate.
‘DON’T DRIVE JEWS’: Jewish Miss Slovakia Miriam Mattova Kicked Out of Uber For Being Jewish
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
Canadian-Slovakian Jewish model Miriam Mattova was kicked out of an Uber in Toronto when the driver realized she was a Jew.
Zohran Mamdani Appoints Convicted Armed Robber Who Served 7 Years As Criminal Justice Advisor
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
(Well, he certinally knows the CJ system – jlr)
Florida Designates CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood Foreign Terrorist Organizations
https://gellerreport.com/2025/
Following on the heels of Texas Governor Abbott, Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.
Survey: 91 Percent of College Students Think ‘Words Can Be Violence.’ That Could Feed Real Violence.
https://reason.com/2025/12/10/
Of all the stupid ideas that have emerged in recent years, there may be none worse than the insistence that unwelcome words are the same as violence… Americans worry that the country is becoming less friendly to free expression. But the insistence of too many people that words and violence are the same thing is a big part of the problem.
and
How the assassination of Charlie Kirk is reshaping campus speech nationwide
https://www.thefire.org/
Unhinged Dem. Rep. Shri Thanedar Announces Murder-Based Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth
https://www.westernjournal.
Trump Smacks EU with Official Declaration Saying Their Freeloading Days ‘Are Over’
https://www.westernjournal.
Dozens of teenagers loot 7-Eleven in brazen flash-mob robbery — and post video on social media
https://www.theblaze.com/news/
…in downtown Los Angeles in broad daylight.
DOJ Steps in After Boys Get Punished for Telling the Truth
https://redstate.com/eli-
The Department of Justice confirmed on Monday that they sued the Loudoun County School Board for allowing a biologically female student into the boys’ locker room, then punishing the boys who dared to say, “Uh, this seems wrong.”…And the boys got punished. This is where we are as a country.
Trump Goes Full MAGA at Pennsylvania Rally, Hands GOP the 2026 Talking Points
https://redstate.com/chase-
President Trump in Pennsylvania is crystal clear: “After just 10 months, our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down…and America is back!”
Video – 00:01:20 – https://twitter.com/i/status/
Video – 00:01:05 – https://twitter.com/i/status/
Video – 00:01:02 – https://twitter.com/i/status/
Video – 00:00:36 – https://twitter.com/i/status/
Democrat Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against RFK Jr.
https://www.westernjournal.
“Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people — spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs, and putting lives at risk,”
SAFEGUARDING THE VOTE: Trump Administration Further Modernizes Citizenship Verification
https://amac.us/newsline/
Trump Says U.S. Military Captured Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast
https://www.westernjournal.
Gas Prices Drop To Lowest Level In Nearly 5 Years Across US
https://www.zerohedge.com/
“The national average has just slipped below $2.90 per gallon for the first time since May 2, 2021,”
Centuries-old payment method could disappear just weeks after pennies are retired
https://www.the-sun.com/money/
A notice from the Federal Reserve this week suggested that bank checking services could soon be “winding down”.
Democrat Congressman Calls U.S. ‘Great Satan,’ Echoing Iranian Regime Propaganda
https://americanjournaldaily.
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) reverted to the talking points favored by Iranian terrorists during a recent interview, – “We are the world’s number one bully, and we are using our immense unrivaled power to rule over those who have less power,” he claimed, adding, “This sends a shocking message to the world that America is indeed the — what did they used to call it — the great hand of Satan, or something like that… I mean, America under the Trump regime is demonstrating that that moniker is entirely accurate. That’s what we’ve become in this country, the great Satan.”
HOMAN CONFIRMS DHS IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER ILHAN OMAR CAME TO US ILLEGALLY BY MARRYING BROTHER
https://justthenews.com/
Homan also said DHS is conducting an extensive review of visa fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community, which comes after the department claimed 50% of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent.
Alabama Gets “F” From Anti-Gun Organization. Let’s Examine Why That’s A Compliment
https://bearingarms.com/
Alabama just got a big, old “F” from the Giffords…In fact, it means the state is respecting the Second Amendment
How to Spot a Veteran: A Field Guide
https://redstate.com/
In the years since I hung up Uncle Sam’s colors, I’ve been noticing some ways by which I can spot fellow veterans.
In 1969 a local news station in New York aired this public service announcement. It was a full admission that many children were feral and that the people who knew better knew you should have them inside, under control.
It was New York, so they might have a point. A child or minor out after 10pm was likely up to no good or was at risk. The city was much riskier then than now. So asking parents to verify the location of their children wasn’t a big deal.
Unfortunately, this spread around the country; by the mid-70s hundreds, if not thousands, of TV stations were saying the same thing every night.
The facts of the time were that children knew darn well that being in the house was bad juju.
The worst words a child could utter in most households were “I’m bored.” This was an invitation for Mom to find chores for the child to do. Many chores. There were as many chores as there were “I’m bored” utterances.
You were supposed to be outside. The exceptions were when it was too cold or it was too rainy. Other than that, a child should be outside playing, with interruptions for daily chores.
The rule of thumb for those in suburbia was, “You should be home when the streetlights come on.”
I know I lived that way.
In general, people believed they lived in safe places. Those neighborhoods might not be safe for others, but they were safe for you and your kids. Every mom was a part of the neighborhood mom group.
If Billy needed discipline, any of the neighborhood moms would dish it out; if it required physical discipline, then that neighborhood mom would deliver Billy to his mother for instant discipline.
The children were safe.
We talk about this within the Ren Fairie circuit. Children of performers, vendors, and staff are always under the watchful eye of fairie moms and dads. Young girls always have a chaperone.
More than one girl, turning 18, has wondered where all the protection went, only to find out that they were only a loud voice away.
This was the way back then.
In 1979, Etan Patz was taken while waiting for a school bus in New York. He was nearly seven years old. His parents had agreed to let him walk to the school bus stop two blocks away on his own. He never made it to school. He never made it home. He was never seen again.
The search was massive. There was no luck in finding him. Etan became the first milk-carton kid. The case expanded to cover more than just the local area.
The police were convinced that a stranger had taken Etan. Parents’s fears skyrocketed. Leading directly to “Stranger Danger”.
“Stranger Danger” became the watchword. It was drummed into kids at schools, at Boy and Girl Scouts, on TV. The FBI and McGruff the Crime Dog all pushing it.
It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that it started to fade. Research indicated that most child abductions were by family members, not strangers.
The harm had been done, though. Mothers were much less likely to let their children do anything outside alone. Instead, they kept them inside next to the family or acquaintance that was much more likely to kidnap their kid.
The first of the electronic babysitters was the radio. A child could listen to the radio for hours, music, and audio plays to keep the mind alive.
Many a child learned to tell time so they could be in front of the radio when the latest episode of their favorite show was aired.
TV followed. Most parents limited the amount of TV time a child got. Most children of my age had limited TV time, my family rule was 1 hour per night and Saturday morning cartoons.
This made TV Guide the most important periodical in the house. You had to know what was showing to plan correctly.
It having been more than a few years, it could have been a certain number of hours per week. With my brother and I each getting the same amount.
Visiting my grandparents was strange. Grandpa would get up and turn on the TV. The TV stayed on all day long, even if nobody was in the living room watching. It was constant noise in the background.
As a kid, it was wonderful to have unlimited TV time.
Unfortunately, for busy mothers, the TV became the babysitter. You could put a kid in front of the “boob tube” and they would be entertained for hours.
The first video games did not have the same level of lock in that today’s games do. Regardless, there were thousands and thousands of kids that got video games, which turned them into even more of a TV junkie.
We had successfully traded free-range children to couch potatoes consuming CRT rays almost constantly.
What did they call organic food in the 50s and 60s?
Food.
Children were expected to be outside. To be playing. To be making games and skinning knees.
Parents might set physical boundaries, but most boundaries were set by how far you could get on foot or a bike.
Learning to ride a bike was a giant step towards freedom. To go from a mile or so radius from home to 10+ miles was freedom unlimited.
I don’t believe my children went to the movies on their own until they had cars of their own. They never had the thrill of chaining their bikes to the nearly full bike rack that every theater and mall had and choosing their movie.
There were two theaters within bike distance when I was in 8th grade. One was only 2 miles away; the other was almost 7 miles away. It was worth it on a hot summer’s day to pedal to the big theater and then enjoy popcorn, AC, and a newly released movie.
There were baseball games in the cul-de-sacs and football games in the fields. Kids exploring the deep dark woods or going fishing. Building forts, treehouses, and playing hide and seek with friends.
Squirt gun battles and digging holes. Taking the canoe out, paddling upriver for an hour to work on your own VC tunnel system in the side of the bank. Taking a bag with some food and soda and a paperback book. Just living outside.
Those were the feral children of yesteryear. Those were the free range children of 40 years ago.
Today they are all but gone. The fears of the 70s and 80s. The electronic babysitters. The mothers that need their kids to be “engaged” constantly.
What have we taken from our children and grandchildren?
When I was searching for the feature image for today’s post, I put in the search “bicycle boy” There was only one picture in the first 100 that didn’t have a helmet on. Most of the images were organized groups, or there was a parent involved.
I started writing for this blog about a year before I switched to thinking of myself as conservative. Or rather, for Miguel’s blog. I stuck to things I knew well, like prepping and cooking. I rarely touched on political things, because I knew people wouldn’t agree, so what was the point? And then Chris asked me to write “From Behind Enemy Lines.”
At first, I found it offensive. I didn’t think HE meant it to be offensive, but it bothered me. A lot. I was standing “over there” and “over there” was “behind enemy lines” and therefore in his mind I must be “enemy.” That’s the logic that I followed. Since I have known Chris for over 25 years at this point, I know he doesn’t think of me as an enemy (and didn’t when I was on the Left, either), so I knew I must have misunderstood something. Still, it was a burr under my saddle, and it irritated me. I really didn’t want to be writing stuff that I knew no one was going to like.
I used the pseudonym “Hagar” because I was absolutely terrified to out myself in public. No matter how you play the game, this blog is public. I didn’t want anyone on the Left to think I was conservative, and I didn’t really want to be dragged through the mud every time I posted. So “I” didn’t post, Hagar did. As with reenacting, putting on a new face allowed me to write and communicate more effectively. Hagar might get blasted, but Ally was safely tucked away where no one knew her or how to get to her.
Over time, I came to understand that none of you were attacking ME. Some of you might have attacked my positions over the years, but no one attacked ME. And so when we made the big switch to this blog, I used my real name. I opened the door a crack.
As I wrote things for this blog, I had to do research. That’s just the type of person I am. Even though I could just have told everyone “what they were thinking over on the Left,” I didn’t consider that enough. I’ve always been one to be thorough in my writing. So I went down the rabbit hole. I started finding out just how much of what I was told on a daily basis was lies. I had to go look stuff up on a constant basis, because I wanted to prove my stance. I’d get to the research, to the raw numbers, and realize I was wrong. I’ve tried very hard to be open and honest when I’ve been wrong, both on the blog and in my real life.
For a long time I was a Grizzly fan. If there was a tool that I was buying new, it was likely to be from Grizzly. The thing I quickly learned was that there was a price point for quality. If the price was above around $100, then the product would be good out of the package. For less than $100, expect to interact with their excellent customer service.
I stumbled on Vevor as a low cost brand and gave them a try with a rotary table.
The table was precisely what I expected. I had to deburr parts of the inside, clean some metal out of the oil bath, but since then, perfection.
It was so good that I built mounts for a dividing plates and used it for cutting gears, worth every penny.
Then I purchased a hydraulic lift table. This goes from about 10 inches to 10 inches with a foot pedal. It locks in place at around 36 inches, a good working height. The wheels are heavy duty. I purchased the 500-pound version, but they have a 1000-pound version as well.
The lift table allows me to slide heavy things off workbenches to move into storage and back again.
Again, a great purchase for a reasonable price.
The trolley system is using a Vevor trolley and a Vevor chain hoist. Again good quality, good gravity.
Finally, for the railing I’m putting in, I picked up a manual pipe threading kit from Vevor. The build quality is wonderful; everything fits well. Tomorrow, after the beam is up, I’m going to be building a railing from 3/4 inch black pipe.
The threading kit was around $30, it comes with a 1/2 in, 3/4 in and 1 in die. All I’ll need in the next 10 years.
I can recommend them. They are all over Amazon.
According to Ally this is the ONLY version worth listening to.
And this shows a different take.