SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods – a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Today’s feature is on government overreach, coinciding with today’s contest entry article.
Government Overreach
Reader H.L. sent in this article showing how three teenagers were handcuffed and detained for selling bottled water without a permit. She adds: “Please read carefully and understand how you are not free in America! As a child on our Vernon, CT farm Dad raised many great vegetables. I was at the roadside under the huge sign that said “L*******’s Farm”. I had a card table and umbrella, selling vegetables to passing motorists! It was not to make money, but that was not the point. Dad gave the neighbors extra vegetables, and we froze and canned lots and lots, but nothing went to waste. We gave some surplus to the pig and the turkeys. We sold the fresh picked surplus. It gave me, a shy child of 7 or 8, a chance to deal with adults and learn to make change!
Everyone benefited! Today, in most of America, local politicians shut down anyone, even young folks, from selling things. Often, it’s because they did not have an expensive permit! It is just another way for the towns and cities to tax the heck out of us. To throw their weight around. In many places you cannot even make cookies or some treats in your kitchen and give them away without a Health Dept. inspection and a permit, never mind trying to sell them to raise a little money to support your family.
Do you honestly think that these youths are going to have a friendly feeling towards what they call “the man” after being handcuffed? Where did our kindness go? When did we become a dictatorship?
This old lady has seen it happen, bit by bit. You young people will have to deal with more and more loss of the few freedoms left, and most of you do not even know you are the frog in the warm water which is now close to boiling!
This has happened to other countries! Did the Germans wake up to what Hitler was about? Not until it was too late! That is just one example.
You decide what you personally want to do about it. That is your decision to live with! I think I know what most of you will do!
Remember, that the battle for freedom is not always fought by Armed Forces. The pen can be mightier than the sword, and you have email, Twitter, Facebook, Internet to contact officials, and letters to the editor. There are also many ways to fight. Or you can just ignore it and let the NEXT generation deal with it! It will be too late!”
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Florida police have shut down their spy plane plans after the backlash by locals. We reported on this proposed system, which uses technology actively used in military operations overseas, a couple of days ago. We doubt that the police would have shut it down without conservative news outlets heralding the plan.
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Reader B.B. reports that after a fresh look at some of the Snowden releases, it has become apparent how the NSA fudges the legalities that supposedly keep them from spying on U.S. citizens. Apparently, by using traffic shaping and redirection, they also divert traffic across Internet lines of communication that are more friendly to their snooping.
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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of limiting the rights of property owners. In question was a piece of property that was made up of two parcels. One is water front property. However, the county government wanted to merged it into one piece to keep the property from being developed. The court ruled 5-3 with Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito dissenting. It’s worth noting that Gorsuch was not part of this decision, but if he had been the court would probably have been 5-4. The decision was also written up by Justice Kennedy who may be announcing retirement. With the proper replacement, the court could have swung the other direction.
Islam
Reader D.S. sent in this link on Senator Johnson’s hearings about the content of Islamic ideology and its apparent incompatibility with the U.S. Constitution. Catching his eye was the following excerpt on the clear and cogent description of the identity politics of the left:
“…modern ‘identity politics’ pressures people to sympathize with and celebrate only the claims by people who represent sub-groups in their political coalition, and to sneer at arguments made by people who can be described as members of groups opposed to their political coalition, regardless of facts or reason, truth or logic.
“Also, progressives prefer to promote the views of supposedly victimized minority groups — such as African-Americans, Muslims, gays, immigrants — because they see their coalition as a coalition of suffering minorities led by noble high-IQ progressives. This perspective pressures progressives to ignore testimony from minority people whose pro-freedom, pro-speech views match arguments made by the supposed majority groups that are supposedly victimizing minorities.”
Organically Grown Food
Reader H.L. submitted this article which looks at the organically-grown labeled food and its relative worth to the consumer. With Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, the question remains on whether the chain will continue with the organically produced concept. Of course, despite the name, Whole Foods has not been a champion of non-GMO and organic foods that you might think. There is also talk of Amazon’s leader, Jeff Bezos, association with Gill Gates who is a strong proponent of genetic modification of just about everything. The consumer needs to hear Bezos come out with a strong statement of support for organic.
Having fled the UN-constitutional state of Connecticut, and having lived 2 towns Fromm where this farm is, it is my experience that police will reflect the political climate they are working in.
Cops in CT love to push their badge around and play GI Joe over the most miniscule things, yet, they don’t play those attitude games with gangs and criminals, they are essentially bullies with badges. My home state of Massachusetts is no different.
I live in a “free” state now and the cops are a little different, they don’t feel the need to bully and act like a jack booted barney Fife, over something as ridiculous as this incident in CT.
We are seeing the rise and fall of civilizations at work. Been the norm since Adam and Eve fell and will continue until the Lord puts it right…
Just a small tip from a retired deputy; if you can try to live in areas under the jurisdiction of a Sheriff not a Police department. Sheriffs are elected, Police chiefs are appointed by city politicians and normally will be political animals themselves. Live as far away from leftist governments as you can, y’all know the cities and states I’m talking about. But ultimately in this fallen world our hope is in the Lord as we watch sinful man and the government agencies he staffs follow the path of Adam’s entropy over and over again.
Amen and thank you for your great comment,come to think of it, I live in a town that has sheriff’s, not police like I was subjected to in Connecticut and Mass.
that’s good advice, I will make sure to stay in an area where there are sheriff’s.
Thank you for your service and may God bless you and yours.
As a retired LawMan, with over30 yrs. experience, I can tell you that ‘Officer Friendly’ has become extinct. Current Police Training is based on the concept that EVERYONE is a ‘Suspected Terrorist’, and is to be treated as such. How we have been treating citizens in ‘3rd world countries’ (undeveloped), has finally come home to roost.
A retired deputy Sheriff with 30+ years here. I’d say that “extinct” is an exaggeration that helps nobody. I know both PDs and SDs that are currently serving with much better attitudes than you suggest have gone extinct. Are there badge heavy jerks? Of course but they’re not ruling the roost…yet.
I’d suggest we all attempt to build friendly relationships with line staff instead of building self fulfilling bombastic attitudes I know more than a few LEOs that share much in common with y’all as preparing is a lesson most deal with daily. Let’s not sweep away potential allies with our broad brushes.
I am not a Cop, but work with them daily in the ER’s. Many Cops have become meaner, but so has the public. If you want to know what is wrong with our public servants, look at what is wrong with us (Americans). Self absorbed, often under the influence of drugs (legal or illegal makes no difference if you can’t face the world without your fix), and demanding first class everything for free.
I have observed many, many retiring from LE overwhelmingly pick states like Idaho and Montana as their choice to move.. A notable retiree is Mark Furman, who picked the sandpoint area.. my own local Sheriff retired after 25 yrs, he packed up and moved to ‘small town’ Idaho. An uncle who retired after 30 yrs from Tacoma PD hightailed it to ‘middle of nowhere’ Montana.
My wife, who works for DOC insisted we buy a second home on land in ‘small hamlet’ Idaho, and many of her co-workers also are on the hunt for a place as well.
There isnt much hope of reversing the current trend. In fact, it looks to me like the norm is doing your time, and bugging out to more people friendly areas of the Country. Many retired, Uniformed public servants know better than to live in areas of the Country where police and public are both suspicious of each other.