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, the emphasis is on The Left’s War on Guns.
The Left’s War on Guns
The photo in this column was snapped by SurvivalBlog reader Michael P., at his local Publix chain supermarket. It shows that the store’s staff covered gun and prepper magazine covers as if they were some sort of shameful smut. That matches the mass media’s current tirade against the NRA, gun owners, and guns in general. Oh, and AR-15s in particular. Those “evil looking” black rifles just give the leftists fits of apoplexy. By demonizing guns, they are deepening the divide between the coastal Blue States and the interior Red States.
Lawsuit Over Age-Limit on Gun Sales
We’ve been expecting this one since Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to arbitrarily raise the age requirement in order to purchase America’s most popular rifle. Both companies were trying to ride the political correctness wave by making their announcements after the Florida school shooting. I’m not quite sure why anyone would purchase firearms or ammunition from either company because this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.
It’s easy enough to use your local gun store and your dollars (albeit, usually slightly more of them) go to support a local company rather than a behemoth that cares nothing for your community. But, if the leftist/progressives can use the legal system to keep bakers in order, I guess conservative voices should be able to do the same thing to liberal run businesses. Thanks to D.B. for the link.
Interesting Take on Ham Radio
According to this article sent in by reader T.J., one of the Anit-Trump researchers attempted to avoid surveillance by using Ham Radio. As the article points out, this should drive home a few points. There is nothing quite like a communications method where you have complete control. Also, reverting to old, open source tech can be a challenge to those accustomed to using tracking methods designed for conventional digital options. We don’t know excatly what was going on (an probably never will since there isn’t a record of it), but it’s something to think about.
Facebook Spying
Reader DSV sent in this article from the Wall Street Journal that shows why it seems like Facebook really is listening in to you with your phone’s microphone. While it may seem like they do that, the reality is that they don’t have too. All they have to do is mine the data that you freely give away. The amount of information that can be learned about you by just keeping an accurate accounting of your friends, locations, ideas expressed in public forums (like social media) and places you spend money on is truly scary. Most of us don’t realize how this data mining can tap into your life. OPSEC is harder than you think when you use a smartphone, credit card or store loyalty cards.
Mexico City Water Cutoffs
It turns out that much of Mexico City’s water shortages may be due to sabotage. Apparently, the city doesn’t have locks on many of the main water valves and someone has been going around shutting the valves off, causing dry taps throughout the city and contributing to the unrest/protests by some of the nine million residents. At least that is the story they are sticking to. While I’m not sure I completely believe it, it certainly is plausible and could be contributing to the problem at a minimum. It also shows how vulnerable the water systems are to sabotage if simple turning off a valve can result in community protests. Thanks to G.P. for the link.
Geek Squad and the FBI
A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit has revealed documents that could indicate the level of coziness between Best Buy’s Geek Squad and the FBI. Apparently, both agencies are on record as paying individual employees of Best Buy with small payments (~$500) with no receipt attached. This could indicate that the employees are being used as informants. Note that these are the same employees that customers give complete access to their private data when their computer is being worked on by the store. In at least one high profile case, a child pornographer was busted when Best Buy handed the computer over to the FBI after discovering the data on the computer. There is concern of due-process though, because the computer is out of the customers control when the data is found.
Europe is Losing Time
A political squabble between Serbia and Kosovo caused a problem that propagated across 25 nations, including Portugal, Poland, Greece and Germany. many clocks depend on the accuracy of the 50Hz power system to keep time (60Hz in the U.S.). For decades, power companies knew exactly how many cycles should be in a 24 hour period and would add or subtract cycles to keep the clocks accurate. This political squable has caused that accuracy to lag and is now causing a noticiable lag in time keeping devices.
I’ve heard of this before as a couple of years ago, U.S. power companies had petitioned the government to allow them more flexability since most digital clocks have accurate internal references. There are apparently enough older devices in Europe though that the cycle count is still important. I wonder if that excuse works when you show up late for work? Thanks to G.P. for the link.
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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
The courts have ruled that a business has no discretion in whom it will do business with they have to treat everyone the same.
If a Christian baker must bake a wedding cake for gay weddings, then under the same law Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods must do business with legal 18 – 21 year olds.
Hit them with lawsuits because if they get away with this they will pay lobbyists to bribe politicians to pass laws to make everyone else raise their age limit so it will be “fair”. All about the money and sometimes it’s all about the liberal agenda.
Fred:
Unfortunately I do not agree with your disagreement on this lawsuit. Oregon state law DOES NOT ALLOW someone to change the age of selling long guns at will, now here’s the rub, there is also a state law for the right to refuse service for any reason, which we all know got turned on it’s head when the criminals in the high court dumped all over good business folk, let alone trampling on those good business folks 1st Amendment rights to religious freedoms.
Now, as far as the lawsuit it self is concerned, if we allow this sort of Socialist Fascist fear mongering to continue to DIVIDE THOSE OF US WHO TRULY VALUE OUR 2nd Amendment rights irregardless of our miscellaneous differences we will be left with a Socialist Fascist country and not the Outstanding Republic we have now.
I am a U.S. Marine and have seen many parts of the world and different forms of government, yea, you know, the TYRANNICAL TYPE during my active duty tenure, so when I say that the Winston Chruchill quote; ‘that democracy is the worst sort of government on the face of the earth, but, still better than all the other forms of government’ or words to that effect, and he is so very correct.
If we do not stand together when it comes to our Bill Of Rights, Especially our 2nd Amendment, stand by for what happens next!
A Republic If We Can Keep It, I Say We Keep It!
Stay Frosty my fellow American Patriots! Semper Fi!
Walmart and Dicks (lately I keep forgetting the apostrophe, hmmm, wonder why.)
I disagree with this law suit as I disagree with forcing the baking of cakes. Freedom of association is a part of a societal bedrock foundation. The Civil Rights Act ruined this. Dr. King’s dream was a good one but asking government to implement via lawyers and the point of a gun is rather stupid. You can’t make people like each other, at gunpoint. Stupid.
“Geek Squad and the FBI”
The FBI paying Geek Squad as informants is a different matter from the reporting of Child Porn by the GS. The police state always has its propagandists demonstrate the usefulness of violating your rights…It’s for the children after all. It may be wrong, but, paid informants is not an illegal practice. Know with whom you do biz.
But importantly, if you or anybody sees child porno you should report it immediately. The law of God and nature demands it. Unless of course you know the pornographer; shoot, shovel, shut up may apply in this case.
When we hear “child porn” we think the unthinkable and in some cases that is true. But it is impossible to know by looking at a picture if the person is 17 years and 364 days old or 18. That distinction will get you jail time. While there may have been a good reason at some point to put people in jail for their viewing/reading habits that no longer seems to make good sense. Remember this; every site you open up on your PC stores information including pictures on your system. You may even close that site without ever having looked at the full page but your computer did and if there is something on it that can get you put in jail too bad. I have never understood this assault on the 1st amendment
Porn was never legal in America until the 1960’s and 1970’s. It was never covered by freedom of the press. And you couldn’t get it at the candy store.
Technically that is 100% inaccurate. It was always legal but the various states and jurisdictions violated the 1st amendment. The states and local governments continue to violate the constitution. It is a slippery slope. If you Let them legislate against something you do not like and they feel empowered to do more and next time they legislate against the 2nd amendment.
The USA “gun grab” has begun=https://www.teaparty.org/seattle-police-begin-gun-confiscations-no-laws-broken-no-warrant-no-charges-294686/
If this age discrimination becomes the norm, look for a ‘top age limit’ for gun purchases to be proposed, down the road. It happened with abortion+> euthanasia/assisted suicide.
Re: covering Gun Magazines.
If you would make it where we could copy and paste the pictures from the O&S (or any column here) we could pass this info along better.
RE: Interesting take on HAM radio
Hugh,
Interesting indeed. Her license was issued 5/23/2016. While this does correlate with election proceedings there may have been other (nefarious) reasons for her to acquire a license. Only several weeks later, June 7-10 2016, the disaster drill known as Cascadia Rising took place in the Pacific Northwest. HAM operators were enlisted to participate with federal agencies in a simulated earthquake/tsunami scenario. Mrs. Ohr was a member of the CIA’s Open Source Works division whose job description per CIA website is:
As an Open Source Collection Officer (OSCO) for the CIA, you will manage the systematic collection of publicly available information in a given region or a subject area to meet customer needs. The information is known as Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and includes traditional mass media, the internet, specialized journals, studies, conference proceedings, geospatial information, and more. In some cases, OSCOs act as collectors themselves. Some OSCOs work in traditional library environments, while others work in geographic- or subject area-based components.
Open Source Collection Officers develop strategies and plans for the collection of OSINT, including the tools and methodologies needed to accomplish the task. You will:
•Drive integrated information gathering on a strategic topic, regional, or cross-regional need
•Research and acquire publically available information in response to intelligence gaps
•Identify relevant sources for data collection
•Manage financial or personnel resources associated with collection, including contracts
•Help develop, acquire, evaluate and/or implement collection tools and methodologies
•Help develop metadata schema or other information discoverability processes
Goggle images shows no antenna on or near the home address listed on her license.
Maybe she was “blending in” with the operators during this drill for surveillance purposes? Location fixing?
It is interesting that Mrs. Ohr tested for and received an FCC license. You don’t need a license to listen, so its apparent that she was intending to broadcast at some point. To what end is unclear.
Lawsuit Over Age-Limit on Gun Sales:
This one is a loser for the folks filing the suit. Any business has the right to set their own requirements and age limits as long as they don’t try to go below the federal minimum. I know that doesn’t fit with the liberal leftists and their suits against private business choosing not to provide services to the LGBTQWZYZ community, they win for the wrong reasons and when they shouldn’t. These folks won’t win, but for the right reasons. The Constitution actually favors the privately owned stores. If they were government owned stores, the stores would loose.
Well Ladies and Gentlemen, as of 11:00 pm PST on March 9th 2018,The Oregon State Kommunist Party, a.k.a. the Democrat Party, just announced that they are going to try and RAM, I mean pass a bill to change the state law that will make it legal for only 21 and older to purchase ANY firearm and ammo, and they were bragging how they WILL GET Republican Party politicians to vote in favor of this new bill, this stinks of Socialist Kommunisim Fascist Corruption at it’s worst once again chipping away at our Bill Of Rights until there is nothing left.
We The People cannot let them get away with this. Call Your elected employees and let them know how you feel. Thank You.
God Bless.