Preppers - Fallout Shelters - Part Two

A little history about Fallout Shelters.

When I was a kid, my grandfather didn't call them "fallout shelters," he called them "air-raid" or "bomb shelters."

They were structures built to protect the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks such as bombings or air-raids. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack. But then again, fact is that many have been successfully used as defensive structures in such situations.

Prior to World War II, in May 1924, an Air Raid Precautions Committee was set up in the United Kingdom.

For years, little progress was made with shelters because of the apparently irreconcilable conflict between the need to send the public underground for shelter and the need to keep them above ground for protection against gas attacks.

In February 1936 the Home Secretary appointed a technical Committee on Structural Precautions against Air Attack.

By November 1937, there had only been slow progress, because of a serious lack of data on which to base any design recommendations, and the Committee proposed that the Home Office should have its own department for research into structural precautions, rather than relying on research work done by the Bombing Test Committee to support the development of bomb design and strategy.

This proposal was eventually implemented in January 1939.

Air raid shelters were built specifically to serve as protection against enemy air raids. However, pre-existing structures designed for other functions, such as Underground stations (tube or subway stations), tunnels, cellars in houses or basements in larger establishments, and railway arches, above ground, were suitable for safeguarding people during air raids.

As a result, thousands of lives were saved during World War II when England was under relentless attack from Nazi Germany.

Later during the Cold War, many countries built "fallout shelters" for high-ranking government officials and crucial military facilities, such as Project Greek Island and Cheyenne Mountain in the United States and Canada's Emergency Government Headquarters.

Plans were made, however, to use existing buildings with sturdy below-ground-level basements as makeshift fallout shelters. These buildings were usually placarded with the yellow and black trefoil sign.

The National Emergency Alarm Repeater (N.E.A.R.) program was developed in 1956 during the Cold War to supplement the existing siren warning systems and radio broadcasts in the event of a nuclear attack.

The N.E.A.R. civilian alarm device was engineered and tested but the program was not viable and went defunct about 1966.

In the U.S. in September 1961, under the direction of Steuart L. Pittman, the federal government started the Community Fallout Shelter Program. A letter from President Kennedy advising the use of fallout shelters appeared in the September 1961 issue of Life magazine.

In November 1961 in Fortune magazine, an article by Gilbert Burck appeared that outlined the plans of Nelson Rockefeller, Edward Teller, Herman Kahn, and Chet Holifield for an enormous network of concrete lined underground fallout shelters throughout the United States sufficient to shelter millions of people to serve as a refuge in case of nuclear war.

American fallout shelters in the early 1960s were sometimes funded in conjunction with funding for other federal programs, such as urban renewal projects of the Federal Housing Authority, examples being Barrington Plaza, and other development projects of Los Angeles County Civil Defense and Disaster Commissioner, Louis Lesser, and were designed for large numbers of citizens.

While interest in fallout shelters has dropped some, as the perceived threat of global nuclear war has been reduced some after the end of the Cold War, please don't think they have gone away.

Fact is, if you think bomb shelters, or air-raid shelters, are a thing of the past, you would be wrong. Terrorism and the concern about nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorist have made the threat of a horrible event all too real.

Many Swiss houses and apartment blocks still have concrete doors around 40 cm (16 in) thick that are deep in the basement. Inside these shelters, air supply systems can be found.

In many cases, these structures are the most secure part of a house, because of the shelter's thick concrete ceiling.

These shelters also provide a haven from natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes, although Switzerland is rarely subject to such natural phenomena.

While it it said that in Switzerland, most residential shelters are no longer stocked with the food and water required for prolonged habitation and a large number have been converted by the owners to other uses (e.g., wine cellars, ski rooms, gyms), that might not really be the case.

Fact is, Switzerland built an extensive network of fallout shelters, not only through extra hardening of government buildings such as schools, but also through a building regulation that ensured that all residential building built after 1978 contained a nuclear shelter able to withstand a blast from a 12 megaton explosion at a distance of 700 metres.

In addition, the Swiss government maintains large communal shelters, including the Sonnenberg Tunnel, stocked with over four months of food and fuel.

The reference Nuclear War Survival Skills declared that, as of 1986, "Switzerland has the best civil defense system, one that already includes blast shelters for over 85 percent of all its citizens."

Similar projects have been undertaken in Finland, which requires all buildings with area over 600 m² to have an NBC shelter, and Norway, which requires all buildings with an area over 1000 m² to have a shelter.

Finland has over 40,000 air-raid shelters which can house 3.8 million people (71% of the population).

Private homes rarely have them, but houses over 600 m2 (6,500 sq ft) are obliged to build them.

Fire inspectors check the shelters every ten years and flaws have to be repaired or corrected as soon as possible. The law requires that inhabitants of apartment blocks can clear the shelters and put them into action in less than 72 hours. Half of the air-raid shelter has to be ready to use in two hours.

Their types of shelters are: K, which is a small shelter for a small apartment house; S1, which is the usual shelter for an apartment house; S3, which is a lightweight shelter in solid rock or heavyweight shelter of ferro-concrete; S6, are big shelters in solid rock that have to take the pressure-wave of 6 bar.

All shelters in Finland must have an electric and hand-operated air-conditioning system, that can protect from biological and chemical weapons and radioactive particles, a radiometer, dry toilets, fixed-line interface, spare exit, water tanks, and a first aid kit.

Besides Switzerland and Finland, there are other countries that have kept air-raid shelters intact, in ready condition, or are bringing them back due to global uncertainty.

The former Soviet Union and former Eastern Bloc countries often designed their underground mass-transit and subway tunnels to serve as bomb and fallout shelters in the event of an attack. And yes, from reports out of Russia, a renewed interest in public bomb and fallout shelters is taking place there right now.

Of course for obvious reasons, such as the threat from Muslim crazies and insane neighboring countries, the nation of Israel requires all buildings to have access to air raid shelters, and all new flats possess access to a Merkhav Mugan.

In Hebrew, a Merkhav Mugan means a protected space.

Popularly known as a "mamad," it is a reinforced security room required in all new buildings by Israeli law.  A Merkhav Mugan is deemed preferable to a bomb shelter when the warning time is too short for residents to reach a shelter, which may be located some distance away. It also offers protection against high impact projectiles and chemical weapons.

As of 2010, in Israel, all medical and educational facilities are prepared for CRBN attacks. As an example, each surgery room is built to take a direct missile hit.

Some are built to have closed-air systems and prepared to be gas isolated for short periods of time; in addition all must include chemical air filtering systems. The public air-raid shelters are commonly employed as game rooms so that the children will be comfortable to enter them at a time of need, and will not be frightened.

Since 1998, Singapore has required all new houses and flats have a shelter built to certain specifications.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force rationalizes building such shelters in high-rise buildings by noting that weapon effects tend to be localized, and are unlikely to cause an entire building to collapse.

Believe it or not, whether its shelters against natural disasters or fallout shelters themselves, they feature prominently in much of culture today.

For example: In 1999 the film Blast from the Past was released. It is a romantic comedy film about a nuclear physicist, his wife, and son that enter a well-equipped, spacious fallout shelter during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

They do not emerge until 35 years later, in 1997. The film shows their reaction to contemporary society.

The Fallout series of computer games depicts the remains of human civilization after an immensely destructive nuclear war; the United States of America had built underground vaults to protect itself against a nuclear attack.

Paranoia, a role-playing game, takes place in a form of fallout shelter, which was become overrun by an insane computer.

The Metro 2033 book series by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky depicts survivors' life in the subway systems below Moscow and Saint-Petersburg after a global nuclear holocaust.

Cormac McCarthy's book The Road and the accompanying movie has its main characters finding a shelter (bomb or fallout) with uneaten rations.

And yes, there is the television show Doomsday Preppers.

Doomsday Preppers is an American reality television series that airs on the National Geographic Channel.

The program profiles various survivalists, or "preppers," preparing for terrorist attacks, nuclear dirty bombs, natural disasters, and so on.

No, its not about the end of civilization. It is about surviving turmoil while civilization gets its act together during some sort of horrible event.

The series interviews people who are preparing to survive the various circumstances through which life as we know it might come to an end, including economic collapse, societal collapse, electromagnetic pulse, terrorist acts, nuclear incidents, fuel shortages, war, pandemics, geomagnetic reversal, and so on.

The interviews detail the actions that the preppers have taken, and end with an expert analysis and recommendations for improvements.

The program has been a ratings bonanza for the National Geographic Channel with a 60-percent male audience at an average age of 44.

Today, Doomsday Preppers is the network's most-watched series, and Brooklyn Bagwell, casting director for the second season, has claimed "It’s the highest-rated show” in the history of the National Geographic Channel.

One "prepper" has said of the show, "We don’t make it an obsession like some folks but we do spend a fair amount of time and money on it. ...You can’t always rely on the government or society to help you. The more people that are prepping minded, the better off we’ll all do."

With that, I can say that that is probably why I received a lot of e-mail asking me about Fallout Shelters and prepping in general.

Whether its surviving events like Hurricane Katrina, or caring for a horse that has colic, or helping lower their cholesterol, people want to know how to take care of problems on their own.

It may be to save money as in the case of not wanting to call a Vet when there are things that they can do on their own to care for horses, or it may be an extreme like having to be ready to survive a hurricane or tornado without having to rely on the government for help.

Whatever the case, people want information.

Information means self-reliance, and self-reliance means independence. And yes, independence is at the heart of the American spirit.

Story by Tom Correa

Gun Stats, Facts & Trivia - Part Two

So where do we start for part two?

Well, we know that as of April 4th, 2013, ammo is going for higher prices and flying off the shelves. It is mostly because the American people are scared of President Obama and his Democrat stooges who are trying everything they can to render the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution null and void.

Fearful of new ant-gun laws and government hoarding of ammunition, Americans are buying bullets practically by the bushel, making it hard for stores nationwide to keep shelves stocked and even putting a pinch on some local law enforcement departments.

At a 24-hour Walmart in suburban Albany, New York, the ammunition cabinet was three-fourths empty this week; sales clerks said customers must arrive before 9 the morning after a delivery to get what they want. A few miles away, Dick's Sporting Goods puts up a red rope after ammunition deliveries so buyers can line up early to get a number, averting races up the escalator to the gun counter. Both stores are limiting ammunition purchases to three boxes a day.

In mid-January, two days after New York became the first state to toughen laws post-Newtown, hunter and target shooter Mark Smith spent $250 to stockpile ammunition, including $43 for a brick of 500 .22-caliber bullets, commonly used for target shooting and hunting small game.

At Hunter's Haven, a strip-mall gun shop in the farming community of Rolesville, N.C., north of Raleigh, clerk Dean Turnage said ammunition is going out "as fast as we can get it in," even though new gun controls are not on the state's agenda.

The run started in November with President Barack Obama's re-election, followed by the mass shooting in December of children in Newtown, Conn., which led the president to launch an effort to strengthen federal gun controls and several states to tighten their laws.

Connecticut on Thursday became the latest to add more than 100 firearms to the state's assault weapons ban, create a dangerous weapon offender registry and institutes eligibility rules for ammunition purchases.

Hours before the law took effect, hundreds of customers streamed out of Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington with guns and boxes of ammunition.

"The bad guys are going to get guns," said John Power, 56, of Bristol, arguing the new law would not stop a troubled gunman.

The nation's 100 million firearms owners are driving the market for some 10 billion rounds annually, with demand and gun purchases both increasing the past several months, driven partly by fear that tougher laws will restrict the ability to buy firearms, said Lawrence Keane, whose National Shooting Sports Foundation is based in Newtown.

Shortages have a lot to do with Federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security, which purchased over a billion rounds in an attempt to hoard ammo and disarm the populace.

Though Homeland Security has not officially admitted it, they're not willing to come up with any answers as to the reasons behind why they have enough ammunition on the U.S., on our own home soil, to wage a 20 year war.
On a smaller scale, some local law enforcement agencies are also having problems getting ammo. One example is Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said the agency was still waiting on rifle and shotgun ammunition ordered in November.

In Phoenix, the Police Department has stopped providing officers with 100 rounds of ammunition per month for practice. Sgt. Trent Crump said 10 to 15 percent of the department's 3,000 officers, who are assigned and use .40-caliber and .45-caliber handguns, had taken advantage of the ammunition for practice shooting.

In January, police chiefs in central Texas said they were having trouble arming their officers because of shortages of assault rifles and ammunition.

New York's new anti-gun laws will require ammunition sellers to register. And yes, buyers of ammunition will have to undergo a background check starting Jan. 15, 2014.

Now as for how many guns are out there, the approximate number of civilian firearms in America is 270 Million.

But of that 270 Million guns, guns are way down the list of top killers of Americans.

If Washington is looking for things to ban "to prevent the death of one more child," then ban them from riding in cars or going to hospitals.

It is true that 200,000 times a year, women use a gun to defend against sexual assault and abuse.

3 out of 5 felons say they will not mess with an armed victim.

Dillinger's wooden gun?

Yup, in 1934, Chicago gangster John Dillinger escaped from jail using a "pistol" carved from a wooden block, pictured.

At Auction!
A few years back, a collector paid $300,000 for a pair of Colt six-shooters that once belonged to Gen. George Custer.

Up for auction: A 9-mm Beretta that Elvis once used to "turn off" his TV while Robert Goulet was singing. Asking price: $50,000.

Gun Confiscation?

Well, besides the confiscation of guns from law abiding citizens who were armed and protecting their property from looters and thieves during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Virginians have had their weapons confiscated before.

When was that? What happened?

Well, while worried after Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" speech, the then governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, sent British Royal Marines on a secret mission to take the gunpowder stored in the armory and magazine at Williamsburg.

On the night of April 20, 1775, the British Marines got away with 15 half-barrels of powder before being discovered. The citizens were alarmed. Incensed, the confiscation turned into a spark for the Revolution.

Collection, Amnesty and Destruction Programs?

Yes, authorities in the United States are known to have implemented firearm surrender schemes, and/or weapon seizure programs, under the guise of reducing crime.

How many small arms (rifles and pistols) have be destroyed?

This question was asked of me and I really didn't know that answer. After looking it up, I was amazed to see that in the United States, I found that the total number of firearms destroyed following arms confiscations, and amnesty, collection and seizure programs, are reported to be around 830,000

Now as for the destruction and disposal policy?

It seems that the standard operating procedure is to destroy collected and seized firearms rather than return them to the legal owners.

Legal owners?

Yes, law enforcement believes that generally most guns that are obtained through gun buy-back programs are stolen. And yes

Another Study That Proves Liberal Are Full Of It!

A recent study published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy concluded that gun ownership has a positive impact on efforts being taken to reduce violent crime. More guns equals less crime.

And yes, that's across the board. That's in cities, towns, states, and even in countries around the globe. Yes, more guns equals less crime.

Strict Gun Control Measures Equal More Crime!

Educated Americans are already aware of the fact that cities and states in the United States which have stricter gun control laws also have extremely high rates of crime.

But it might surprise people to find out that that statistical trend does not only apply to American cities and states.

Fact is that it also applies to nations. Nations with strict gun control laws have substantially higher crime rates and specifically higher murder rates, than those who do not.

In fact, the 9 European nations with the lowest gun ownership rate have a combined murder rate 3x higher than that of the 9 European nations with the highest gun ownership rate!

Not Having Guns Does Not Stop Murders!

We know that comparing Great Britain against the U.S. results show a few things: Even though it is illegal to possess a handgun in Great Britain, it has 2,034 violent crimes per 100,000 people in Great Britain verses 466 violent crimes per 100,000 people in the U.S..

In Great Britain, in the decade following the Labor party's election and banning of handguns in 1997, the number of recorded violent attacks soared by 77% to 1.2 million in 2007- or more than 2 attacks every minute.

Kitchen knives are being used in as many as half of all stabbings in Great Britain and has prompted a group of doctors to call for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives.

Ban Hammers!

And yes, since more people are killed by hammers in America, would liberals try to say that HOME DEPOT should now have to fill out FORM 4473 to register all hammers being sold?

 Does anyone think that someone in the Obama administration is not looking into banning hammers? How do we know they aren't?

Open Carry - that is carrying guns openly on you in public?

Well, in the United States, carrying a firearm in plain view in a public place is allowed with or without a permit depending on the state and jurisdiction.

For example, California was an Open Carry State but repealed that law due to a group of people who many the public and Sacramento very nervous by doing so. No, it is illegal but many still do when camping and fishing.

Carrying Concealed handguns in public?

Carrying Concealed with a Concealed Weapon's Permit is perfectly legal in the state of issuance. And yes, depending on the state and jurisdiction you live in in the United States, carrying a concealed firearm in a public place is allowed without a permit as well.

Concealed Carry - Does It Serve A Purpose? You damn right it does!

  Concealed Carry in America is a whole subject by itself as more and more people are not waiting for a cop to miraculously appear out of nowhere and protect them.

An analysis of the FBI crime statistics found that states that adopted concealed carry laws reduced crime by:

• 8.5% for Murders
• 5% for Rapes
• 7% for Aggravated Assaults
• 3% for Robberies

With just one exception, every public mass shooting in the United States, since 1950, has taken place where citizens are banned from carrying guns.

Despite strict gun regulations, Europe has had 3 of the worst 6 school shootings.

If we compare Police versus Armed Citizens in America, the numbers are interesting:

• While there are 794,300 total police officers in America, there are 80,000,000 gun owning citizens.
• While the 14.3 is the average number of deaths of a shooting rampage stopped by police, 2.3 is the average number of deaths of a shooting rampage stopped by a armed citizens.
• While 606 criminals killed each year by police, there are 1,527 criminals killed each year by armed citizens.

Cheers for those in Kennesaw, Georgia!

In 1982, Morton Grove, Illinois, banned all handguns within its town limits.

In response, Kennesaw, Ga., passed an ordinance requiring the head of every household within its town limits to own a gun.

That's right, the fine folks in Kennesaw, Georgia passed a law requiring heads of households to keep at least one firearm in the house. The residential burglary rate subsequently dropped 89% in Kennesaw, compared to just 10.4% drop in Georgia as a whole.

Today, the violent crime rate in Kennesaw is still 85% lower than Georgia's or the national average.

Who is faster, waiting for the Police or Defending Yourself?

Every year, guns are used over 80 times more often to protect a life than to take one!

Why? Maybe it's all about response time? Can an armed citizen respond to safeguard their own welfare faster than a police officer can?

Way back when TV was ...

The six-shooter was a main character in "The Virginian" – a long-running TV series based on a 1902 novel by Owen Wister. The novel, dedicated to Wister's good friend Theodore Roosevelt, pioneered an entire genre of Wild West books.

The story revolved around a Civil War-weary man – known only as "the Virginian" – who heads to Wyoming for a fresh start. The book spawned five movies and the series, which starred James Drury and ran from 1961 to the early 1970s.

One of the main character's most famous lines: "It's against my principles to kill anything, unless I absolutely have to."

So what is America's small arms exports making Americans?

The annual value of small arms and ammunition exports from the United States is reported to be $844,462,435 for 2011.

Now let's compare that to the annual value of small arms and ammunition imports to the United States is reported to be $1,390,792,761 for the same year, 2011.

As you can see, Americans buy more guns from overseas than they do here.

In the most recent survey of state transparency when declaring firearm and ammunition exports, the United States was ranked number 9 among 49 major small arms exporting nations in 2011, with a score of 16.25 points of a possible total of 25.

Number of Military & Law Enforcement Firearms?

It is believed that the defence forces of the United States have 3,054,5533 firearms.

Compare that the number of law enforcement firearms where police in the United States are reported to have 1,150,0004 firearms

In the United States, the manufacture of small arms, ammunition and/or their components is permitted only if the maker holds a valid licence to do so.

Firearm Law? What law regulates gun control in the United States?

The Gun Control Act 1968 - though this is Federal legislation only, each sate and territory enacts its own gun law not to exceed that Act.

Right to Possess Firearms?

In the United States, the right to private gun ownership is guaranteed by the United States Constitution and specifically the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Prohibited Firearms and Ammunition?

Well, here in the United States, civilians are not allowed to possess machine-guns, sawed-off shotguns and rifles, silencers, and armour-piercing ammunition without appropriate licenses.

Fact is that private possession of fully automatic weapons of any sort, be they curios, antiques, or modern weapons, is prohibited without appropriate registration and licenses.

The private possession of semi-automatic assault weapons is permitted without a licence.

Private possession of handguns, pistols and revolvers, rifles and shotguns are permitted without a licence to all citizens by way of the 2nd Amendment.

Minimum age for firearm ownership?

The minimum age for gun ownership in the United States is regulated by state or local authorities according to weapon type, but is 18 years to purchase shotguns and rifles and 21 years to purchase all other firearms, according to Federal law.

So Why Were All Of Those Post-Civil War Democrat Slave Owners Against Free Blacks Owning Guns?

Gun Free Zones?

There are Gun Free Zones in the very same way there are some Nuclear Weapon Free Zones in some parts of America. And like the silliness of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, no one wanting to carry a gun illegally pays and attention to the signs.

Now after saying that, we must remember that certain facilities and buildings are considered "Gun Free." In the United States, private owned guns are prohibited in federal facilities, and court houses.

Trivia that will make you crazy!

On 14 November 1997, as a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the United States adopted the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Explosives, Ammunition and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), a legally binding multilateral treaty of which the OAS is depository.

The CIFTA Convention has since been signed, but not yet ratified by the United States.

Opponents are concerned that the measures contained within CIFTA could criminalize activities such as reloading ammunition if they are done by private citizens without a license.

Other provisions make unlicensed modification to any weapon a serious crime. Understand what they are saying here, if you want to change the stock on a gun you own - you could be breaking the law.

Of course, the biggest fear is that the CIFTA treaty would somehow circumvent our Constitutional Rights and bury the Second Amendment under “pertinent resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.”

And that leads us to the last bit of trivia having to do United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

At the resumption of the most recent session of the UN, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UNCCPCJ) which is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council mandated to promote action to prevent national and transnational crime, the United States was listed as an elected member for a three-year term of office.

The UNCCPCJ wants an international ban on all small arms. They would rather see people unarmed and killed than able to defend themselves.

The reason: The leftist doctrine controlling the United Nations believes that a disarmed people in any nation is easier controlled by the government simply because they won't have the ability to fight back.

The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has everything to do with wanting to disarm the world and make the people of the world defenseless.

In 2009, under President Obama's instructions, the United States voted to begin negotiations towards a legally binding Arms Trade Treaty. This would be an agreement that would make Americans "subjects" of the United Nation by ending our sovereignty as an independent nation.

In that vote, 151 UN Member States supported talks on an Arms Trade Treaty, with 1 voting against, 20 abstentions, and 20 non-votes.

Why would the UN want to ban guns?

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.

Mass killings occurred under some Communist regimes during the twentieth century with an estimated death toll numbering between 85 and 100 million. Most because their subject were not allowed guns simply so their governments could keep them defenseless.

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. Anywhere between 20 and 30 million people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Communist China took power in 1949, some 70 million political dissidents and innocents, all unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Chairman Mao considered violence necessary to achieve an ideal society derived from Marxism and planned and executed violence on a grand scale was conducted.

Guatemala established gun control in 1964.. From 1964 to 1981, some 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Cambodia established gun control, and from 1975 to 1977 over one million 'educated' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

In many parts of Africa today, gun control is in effect as defenseless people rounded up and exterminated.

Florida bill would require anger management courses for those buying ammo

Yes, while New York is going to require background checks to buy ammo, on March 11th, it was reported that Florida State Senator Audrey Gibson wants to require ammo buyers to undergo Anger Management Courses before they can buy ammo.

Though it sounds nuts, its true! A Florida legislator wants anyone trying to buy ammunition to complete an anger management program first.

Critics say is the latest example of local lawmakers reaching for constitutionally-dubious solutions to the problem of gun violence.

The bill filed Saturday by state Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, would require a three-day waiting period for the sale of any firearm and the sale of ammunition to anyone who has not completed anger management courses.

The proposal would require ammo buyers to take the anger management courses every 10 years.

Gibson said she’s concerned with citizens stockpiling ammunition, potentially creating dangerous situations should those individuals ever come in contact with law enforcement agencies or criminals.

Gibson’s bill does not offer a threshold for the amount of ammunition needed to necessitate the need for anger management courses.

“It is unlawful to: A) Sell ammunition to another person who does not present certification that he or she has successfully completed an anger-management program consisting of at least 2 hours of online or face-to-face instruction in anger-management techniques,” the bill reads. “The certification must be renewed every 10 years. B) Purchase or otherwise obtain ammunition by fraud, false pretense, or false representation.”

Those in violation of the bill, if passed, would face a second-degree misdemeanor charge. Anyone found in violation a second time within a year of a prior conviction would face a first-degree misdemeanor charge.

So if anyone should ever ask how crazy anti-gun people can get, remind them that there is not limit to their insanity when thinking of ways to make citizens, yes you, defenseless.

Firearm Registration?


Yes, though the law does not require that a record of the acquisition, possession and transfer of each privately held firearm be retained in an official register, the Federal Government is attempting to mandate all law abiding citizens to register their firearms they own.

For what reason?

No one in the Government can answer why they want this information. Most believe it will be for reasons of confiscation.

Records? There are all sorts of records:

In the United States, licensed firearm dealers are required to keep a record of each firearm or ammunition purchase, sale or transfer on behalf of a regulating authority;

licensed gun makers are required to keep a record of each firearm produced, for inspection by a regulating authority;

State agencies are required to maintain records of the storage and movement of all firearms and ammunition under their control.

Background Checks for private gun sales?

In California, the buyer of a firearm in a private sale is obliged to pass official background check before taking possession. Many states differ.

Background Checks on dealer gun sales?

The buyer of a firearm from a licensed gun dealer in the United States is obliged to pass official background checks before taking possession.

As for Registration, here in California all law abiding citizens must register their guns when they purchase them.
I'm sick and tired of our government acting more like a Communist Police State than a government run by and for a free people.

As for gun registration in States that are still free, unlike California where the State demands to know what you own, my advice is real simple: Americans should refuse to register anything they own.

Fact is, it is none of the government's business what we own. 

As law abiding citizens, the government has no reason to demand and/or require that you tell them what you own. Whether its guns or bullets or number of hats that we owns, they simply do not have the right to know.

If asked, I say,

We must refuse to comply!

  Story by Tom Correa

Liberal Racism

Can you imagine if someone called President Barack Obama an "Oreo," "the Token black face of the Democrat Party," an "Uncle Tom," or a "House Nigger"?

Obama's White House staff is all white. He has appointed less blacks to his staff than any other president since Jimmy Carter. The heads of his political party are all white. His own campaign staff is all white.

And yes, during his first campaign for president one of his Democrat opponents, Joe Biden, said Obama was "articulate and clean" for a black man.

It's true, Joe Biden found himself defending remarks he made to the New York Observer about his Democrat opponent that year.

In the article published in the New York Observer, Biden was quoted evaluating his presidential rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.

His remarks about Obama, the only African-American serving in the Senate, exposed part of the Democrat Party that they work very hard to keep hidden.

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

When I read it, I assumed Biden didn't think "an African-American" could be "articulate and bright and clean". And no, I wasn't alone thinking that that is what Biden meant.

But really, can you imagine if someone used these facts for some sort of twisted justification to call President Obama such hate filled slurs?

No, it would not be OK. It is wrong to do such a thing. It would show ignorance and disrespect for Obama as a man. Besides the fact that no one deserves to be called such racially inflammatory term, President Obama does not deserve such venomous slurs.

As a fellow American who believes that we need to judge people on their actions and deeds, and not the color of their skin, I truly believe that its simply wrong to say such things about anyone of any color - white, black, or otherwise.

Now, do I believe President Obama's policies hurt America? Do I honestly believe that his and the liberal agenda will bring about changes which will take us years to correct?

Yes, I do!

Do I think that he is either very ignorant or very naive when it comes to threats from other countries, that he has enabled anti-American sentiment to foster, that he is probably our first Communist President, that he is power hungry and deceitful, or that he has acted in many cases like a Socialist Dictator?

Yes, I do.

But friends, to attack the color of his skin destroys any intelligent argument against what he is doing wrong as an elected official - as president.

Besides, only an ass, a bigot, a true racist, someone so ignorant that they have to resort to those types of hate filled slurs to describe him when they disagree with something that he says or does.

In fact, anyone who uses those sorts of hate filled slurs to describe a man or woman of color for any reason is wrong and should be taken to task for it.
Like it or not, respect the fact that Barack Obama is a man who has achieved a great deal in his life by becoming the first Black American to become President of the United States.

Though he does have less black people filling positions on his staff, though his policies have had a  definitely negative effect on Black Americans more than any other ethnic group, calling him such things is as racist as anyone can get.

If Republicans did such a thing, and I challenge anyone to find one documented instance where a Conservative or a Republican has in fact done so, then that person would in fact be a racist and a bigot - and truly would be taken to task by other Conservatives and Republicans.

Case and point, Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and other Republican Party leaders denounced Alaska Republican Rep Don Young for using the derogatory term "wetbacks."

The slur "wetbacks" refer to Mexican migrants who have entered country illegally.

Don Young, an Alaska congressman, discussing the labor market during an interview with radio station KRBD in Ketchikan, Alaska, said that on his father's ranch in California, "we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes." He said, "It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It's all done by machine."

"Congressman Young's remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds. I don't care why he said it -- there's no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology," Speaker of the House John Boehner responded after hearing about what was said.

Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, immediately came out and said the comments "do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity."

The Republican party was created to fight Slavery. It was created to make people equal and give everyone a fair chance at life.

Republicans fought against the Democrat political machine's support of racism and segregation throughout the South after the Civil War and all during the years when the Democrat Party controlled the South with an iron hand.

It was Republicans who got the first Civil Rights Act passed through Congress in 1866. It was Democrats who have created the Ku Klux Klan and segregation in America. The activities of insurgent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) undermined the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and subsequently failed to immediately secure the civil rights of African Americans.

And yes, the question needs to be asked, why did Democrats set up the system of segregation? Why did Democrats fight so hard against Civil Right legislation?

It was the Republicans who got the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. That's right, the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed of Republicans - not Democrats.

Sure President Lyndon Johnson, a Texas Democrat, played an essential role in getting it through. But friends, it is worth noting that 80% of the “no” votes in the Senate came from Democrats, including the late Robert Byrd (West Virginia ) and Albert Gore (Tennessee), father of later Vice President Al Gore.

It is a matter of fact that Republican votes were essential in winning final passage of the bill.

For Republicans, it is deeply disheartening that in 2013, they see a Republican member of Congress using such hateful words and racial slur as "wetbacks."

Democrats cannot say the same. They have a tradition of looking the other way.

Why is it that when Black Conservatives, Black Republicans, are attacked and called racial slurs such as Oreo, or Token Black, or Uncle Tom, or worse by Democrats - no one in the  liberal media cares?

Democrats and the liberal mainstream media attack Dr Ben Carson and other black conservatives regularly.

Liberals hate the whole idea that there is such a thing as Black Conservatism. They hate Blacks who emphasize patriotism, independence and self-sufficiency, free enterprise, and strong cultural conservatism.

Liberals hate it that many black Americans who don't like the anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-Second Amendment stance of the Democrat Party associate with the Republican Party.

Democrats on MSNBC and other liberal outlets in the liberal dominated mainstream media have taken to calling Dr Ben Carson an Oreo, the Token black face of the Republican Party, an Uncle Tom, and worse.

In fact, believe it or not, one irate liberal wrote me who wrote me to call me all sorts of vile things, actually called Dr Ben Carson "the House Nigger of the Republican Party".

I'm writing this article to call that liberal ass who wrote me, the bigot and racist jackass that he is.

So why aren't liberals and Democrats taking the folks on MSNBC to task and call them what they are: racists? Where is the indignation from Democrats out there?

Dr Ben Carson has achieved a great deal in his life. He is an American neurosurgeon and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Among other surgical innovations, Carson did pioneering work on the successful separation of conjoined twins joined at the head. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, by President George W. Bush in 2008.

As of lately, he has taken to talking about what he sees wrong with the Obama administration and society in general. And yes, this has made him a target of Liberal racism.

So now, now instead of attacking what he has to say, those on the left are showing their true racist colors by attacking the color of his skin and resorting calling him hate filled racial slurs.

And where is the calls from the Left for apologies and to stop such attacks? Nowhere!

The liberal mainstream media is silent on this - turning the other way as if to say it is not taking place. It's as if they feel that they are still the Democrat slave owners of days gone by, and they have a right to call a black man slurs.

If not, then why are they are conspicuously quiet. As quiet as on co-conspirator would be when they have been found out. As quiet as one criminal is when being asked to do the right thing and condemn those who are doing the crime.

The liberal media doesn't want to rat out others in the liberal media while they attack Dr Ben Carson - not for what he has to say - but for the color of his skin.

The liberal media is upholding one of the oldest traditions of the Democrat Party: When Democrats banded together and formed the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War to terrorize Free Blacks and Republicans, Democrats swore an oath to each other to remain silent even when witnessing horrible criminal acts.

There should be no place for racism in America, even from Democrats and the Liberal Left.


Story by Tom Correa

Old West - Interesting Facts - Part Four

If you enjoy Old West trivia as much as I do, you might like these pieces of information that I've found here and there.

Failed bandit Elmer McCurdy’s corpse had a more interesting life than the man did.

Some say the Old West started after the Civil War in 1865 and ended in 1895 with the end of the Indian Wars. Others say it lingered on into the 1900's up to America's entry into World War I in 1917.

In 1911, Elmer McCurdy robbed a passenger train that he thought contained thousands of dollars. The disappointed train robber made off with just $46 and was shot by lawmen shortly thereafter.

McCurdy’s unclaimed corpse was then embalmed with an arsenic preparation, sold by the undertaker to a traveling carnival and exhibited as a sideshow curiosity.

For about 60 years, McCurdy’s body was bought and sold by various haunted houses and wax museums for use as a prop or attraction. His corpse finally wound up in a Long Beach, California, amusement park fun house.

Then in 1976, filming of the television show “The Six Million Dollar Man” was on location at the fun house. McCurdy's 65 year old corps was thought to be a prop for the show, but when the "prop’s" finger (or arm, depending on the account) broke off, revealing human tissue - it told a different story.

Subsequent testing by the Los Angeles coroner’s office revealed the prop was actually the outlaw McCurdy. He was buried at the famous Boot Hill cemetery in Dodge City, Kansas, 66 years after his death.

California has Indians, surprisingly California is the state with the largest self-identified Native American population in the United States according to the U.S. Census at 696,600.

Estimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-European contact count and for changes during subsequent periods.

Pre-European contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some saying that these estimates are low. Following the European people's arrival into California, disease and other factors brought the population as low as 25,000.

It is estimated that some 4,500 Native American indigenous people of California suffered violent deaths between 1849 and 1870, and not all as a result of people of European ancestry.

Way before the European whites ever came to the place we know as America, nomadic tribes had been fighting and killing each other for thousands of years.

For example, through bloody warfare, the Iroquois Indians conquered several other Native American tribes and drove them out of their captured lands and territories.

Horrendous and torturous as it was, tribes pushed other tribes west to what has now became known as their "historically traditional lands" west of the Mississippi River.

Lands that were not their "historically traditional lands" west of the Mississippi River are now known as their "historically traditional lands" - and no, not because of whites because whites had not even arrived yet. It was one tribe against another.

Because of war between tribes, tribes originating in the Ohio Valley retreated west. This included the Osage, Kaw, Ponca and Omaha people.

By the mid-17th century, they had resettled in what is now falsely referred to as "their historical lands" in present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The Osage warred with Caddo-speaking Native Americans, displacing them in turn by the mid-18th century and dominating their lands.

Tribal warfare was traditional and continual. Usually the battles were centered on revenge, a kind of nonstop revenge, war parties going back and forth between tribes.

The Sioux hated the Crows and Shoshones, or Snakes. The Crows hated the Sioux and Blackfeet. The Blackfeet hated the Crows and Snakes and Assiniboins.

They sought to kill each other, to count coup, to humiliate, to steal women and horses, to avenge the death of warriors who had been killed in a previous battle.

Scalping was not a European invention as many today like to say. Fact is, Europeans were famous for severing their enemy's whole head and placing them on sticks to warn others. Europeans didn't bother with getting just pieces of skin and hair.

In England, Scotland, and Ireland, for example, there are stories of the English monarchs ordering the beheading of "rebels" and ordering them displayed as a warning to others who might have had thoughts of conspiracy or rebellion in mind.

Scalping was a Native Americans tradition way before the arrival of Europeans to America. It was important for them to lift their enemy's hair, both as a warning to the enemy and as a morale-booster to the scalper, his party, and other tribesmen.

Among warring tribes, nothing delighted a waiting camp more than to see scalps on the lances of returning warriors. These scalps were passed around, talked about, laughed at, sometimes thrown into the fire or given to the dogs in disdain.

Often the hair decorated a lodge or was sewn onto a war shirt.

Later during wars with whites, it is said that the scalps of white men were taken but was less desirable because it was usually short. Some of the white men were balding and weren't worth scalping. But scalping was an institution among the Plains tribes.

Contrary to moder rewrite, a scalp was a trophy of war for Indians long before they became proof of a bounty by whites.

And as another piece of trivia, Viking explorers met Native Americans long before Christopher Columbus did. First making their way to North America in the 11th century, archaeological evidence suggests they encountered Native American some 500 years before Columbus arrived.

Did Camels roam the plains of Texas?

One of the wackier ideas in American history, the U.S. Camel Corps was established in 1856 at Camp Verde, Texas.

The Army's reasoning was that the arid southwest was a lot like the deserts of Egypt. So yes, the Army imported 66 camels from the Middle East.

Despite the animals’ more objectionable qualities, like how they spitting, regurgitated, and being difficult to train, believe it or not, the great camel experiment was considered a success.

As the Civil War broke out, exploration of the frontier was curtailed and Confederates captured Camp Verde. After the war, most of the camels were sold, some to Ringling Brothers’ circus, and others escaped into the wild.

Believe it or not, the last reported sighting of a feral camel came out of Texas in 1941. Presumably, no lingering descendants of the Camel Corps’ members are alive today.

ObamaCare in the Old West?

Well, maybe there wasn't the biggest social program in the history of the world - but there were Medicine Shows that like Obama promise to treat and cure everything from sore feet to balding with very little cost to the patient.

Medicine shows were traveling horse and wagon teams which peddled "miracle cures" in the form of phony medications and other products made in quantity between various entertainment acts.

Their precise origins are unknown, but medicine shows were common in the 19th century United States - especially in the Old West and up to World War II.

They are most commonly associated with "miracle elixirs," referred to as "snake oil," which, it was claimed, had the ability to cure any disease, smooth wrinkles, remove stains, prolong life or cure any number of common ailments.

Entertainment often included a freak show, a flea circus, musical acts, magic tricks, jokes, or storytelling.

The last of these traveling shows was the Hadacol Caravan, sponsored by Louisiana State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc and his LeBlanc Corporation, makers of the dubious patent medicine/vitamin tonic "Hadacol", known for both its alleged curative powers and its high alcohol content.

Yes, though snake oil was touted as being the cure to all that ills you - it was only high in alcohol content which made you inebriated after the swindlers took you for money that you really couldn't part with.

The stage show, which ran throughout the Deep South in the 1940s with great publicity, featured a number of notable music acts and Hollywood celebrities, and was used to promote Hadacol which was sold heavily during intermission and after the show.

Admission to the show was paid in boxtops of the vitamin tonic, sold in stores throughout the southern United States.

The Caravan came to a sudden halt in 1951, when the Hadacol enterprise fell apart in a financial scandal.

The swan song for medicine shows came in the summer of 1972 when the two man show of Chief Thundercloud who was actually pitchman Leo Kahdot, a Potawatomi Indian from Oklahoma, and Peg Leg Sam who played the harmonica, sang and told jokes as comedian Arthur Jackson played at a carnival in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Believe it or not, 1972 was the last show of the year for them because Leo Kahdot, aka Chief Thundercloud died that winter.

Ever wonder how they could get away with the con game of selling something that was truly bogus?  

The secret to their success is that they made you think you needed it even if you didn't. Sound familiar? It should, politicians have been using the same sort of tactics for years. It's all snake oil.

"Snake oil" is an expression that originally referred to fraudulent health products or unproven medicine but has come to refer to any product with questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit.

By extension, a snake oil salesman is someone who knowingly sells fraudulent goods or who is himself or herself a fraud, a quack, a charlatan, a con man, a scammer, and the like.

A common theory of the term's origin is that the name "snake oil" originated in the West from a topical preparation made from the Chinese Water Snake (Enhydris chinensis) used by Chinese laborers to treat joint pain.

The preparation was promoted in North America by travelling salesmen who often used accomplices in the audience to proclaim the benefits of the preparation.

They acted in the same way how Nancy Pelosi did when she was trying to sell ObamaCare to the public. She was Obama's "pitchman" or stooge there to help him pull off the con and trick the American people into spending vast amounts of money on ObamaCare would be good for us - all which the country did not need.

Like the "snake oil" salesmen of yesteryear, the illness and the numbers afflicted are exaggerated while the cure is sold as being to only cure.  And yes, just like ObamaCare, there are those behind the scenes making big money off the those being swindled.

The composition of the "snake oil" varies depending on who owns the wagon and who is brewing the so-called "medicine,"

Stanley's snake oil, which was produced by Clark Stanley, called the "Rattlesnake King,"was tested by the United States government in 1917. It contain:

• Mineral oil
• 1% fatty oil (presumed to be beef fat)
• Red Pepper
• Turpentine (used in lieu of alcohol)
• Camphor

And yes, it is interesting to note that this is similar in composition to modern-day capsaicin-based liniments or chest rubs. None of the oil content was found to have been extracted from any actual snakes. And though it was common for chewing tobacco to be used as coloring, the "Rattlesnake King" didn't.

The government sued the manufacturer for misbranding and misrepresenting its product, winning the judgment of $20 against Clark Stanley. Soon after the decision, "snake oil" became synonymous with false cures and "snake-oil salesmen" became a tag for charlatans.

In the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales, Josey Wales spits tobacco on a snake oil salesman's suit and suggests he use his ointment to clean the stain.

So why was a Buckboard wagon called a Buckboard?

Most know that a buckboard is a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal.

The "buckboard" is the front-most board on the wagon that could act as both a footrest for the driver and protection for the driver from the horse's rear hooves in case the horse "bucks".

The buckboard is steered by its front wheels, which are connected to each other by a single axle. The front and rear axle are connected by a platform of one or more boards to which the front axle is connected on a pivoting joint at its midpoint. A buckboard wagon often carries a seat for a driver. Such a seat may be supported by springs.

The main platform between the axles is not suspended by springs like a carriage, but it was made in the 18th century around the same time as carriages.

Originally designed for personal transportation in mountain regions, these distinctively American vehicles were widely used in newly settled regions of the United States.

Ever wonder what life was really like in the American Frontier?

On the Great Plains, very few single men attempted to operate a farm or ranch. Those who wanted to start a farm or a ranch truly understood the need for a hard-working wife and numerous children.

Besides needing help to handle the many chores, including child-rearing, feeding and clothing the family, managing the housework, and feeding the hired hands, families meant stability.

During the early years of settlement, farm women played an integral role in assuring family survival by working outdoors.

After a generation or so, women increasingly left the field work to the men, subsequently redefining their roles within the family.

New conveniences such as sewing and washing machines encouraged women to turn to domestic roles. The scientific housekeeping movement, promoted across the land by the media and government extension agents, as well as county fairs which featured achievements in home cookery and canning, advice columns for women in the farm papers, and home economics courses in the schools all contributed to this trend.

Although the folks back East had an image of the Western farm family on the prairies as having lives that emphasized isolation of the lonely farmer, in reality rural folks created a rich social life for themselves.

They often sponsored activities that combined work, food, and entertainment such as barn raisings, corn huskings, quilting bees, Grange meetings, church activities, and school functions. The women folk organized shared meals and potluck events, as well as extended visits between families.

It really wasn't a whole lot different than in rural communities today.

Even as far back as the California Gold Rush, there are stories of the wives of miners going to meet other wives socially just as they do today.

And yes, there is a great story about the Petticoat Mine which was discovered when a few wives were on one such visit. But that's for another time!

As for gunfighters in the Old West?

Well, it seems most were born in 1853. And yes, by 1895, about a third had died of "natural causes."

Of those who did die violently, either shot or hanged, the average age of death was 35. As for those gunfighters who turned lawmen, they lived longer lives than their persistently criminal counterparts.

The "occupations" of the various gunmen, there were 110 gunmen who were law officers, 75 who were cowboys, 54 were ranchers, 46 were farmers, 45 were rustlers, 35 were hired guns. Many were also former soldiers, miners, scouts, teamsters, actors, butchers, and even bounty hunters.

And contrary to popular believe, so-called gunfights peaked in 1870 - years before the Colt Single Action Army started production in 1873.

The Colt Single Action Army, was also known as the Model P, the Peacemaker, M1873, and Colt .45 or the Single Action Army.

It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, today Colt's Manufacturing Company, and was adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892.

Believe it or not, the Colt Single Action Army has been offered in over 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths. Its overall appearance has remained consistent since 1873. Colt has discontinued its production twice, but brought it back due to popular demand.

Another bit of trivia is that in 1895-96, the Government returned 2,000 Single Action Army revolvers to Colt to be refurbished. A total of 800 of these were issued to the New York Militia with the 7 ½” barrel and 1,200 were cut down to a barrel length of 5½".

In 1898, 14,900 Single Action Army revolvers were altered the same way by the Springfield Armory. The original records of the War Department do refer to these revolvers with the shortened barrel as the “Altered Revolver”.

The name “Artillery” is actually a misnomer, maybe because the Light Artillery happened to be the first units to be armed with the altered revolver.

They became known as the Colt Model 1873, U.S. Artillery Model. The Artillery Single Actions were issued to the Infantry, the Light Artillery, the Volunteer Cavalry and other troops because the standard issue .38 caliber Colt M 1892 double-action revolver was lacking stopping-power.

For that reason, the .45 Artillery Single Action Army revolvers were used successfully by front troops in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War.

In fact, Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill wielding the .45 caliber Artillery Model.

Have you ever wondered why they formed the Rough Riders and why they called them "Rough Riders"?

Well, the United States Army had experiences all sorts cuts which had weakened and left with it with huge manpower shortages after the American Civil War only about 30 years before. As a result, President William McKinley called upon 1,250 volunteers to assist in the war efforts.

They were initially called "Wood's Weary Walkers" after its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood, as an acknowledgment of the fact that despite being a cavalry unit they ended up fighting on foot as infantry.

Wood's second in command was former assistant secretary of the United States Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, who had pushed for American involvement in Cuban independence. the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action came from an interesting source.

When Colonel Wood became commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the Rough Riders then became "Roosevelt's Rough Riders."

Why the "Rough Riders"? That term was familiar in 1898. It originated with Buffalo Bill Cody who called his famous western show "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World."

And yes, the Rough Riders were mostly made of college athletes, cowboys, and ranchers.

One particularly famous spot where volunteers were gathered was in San Antonio, Texas, at the Menger Hotel Bar.

Believe it or not, today the bar is still open and serves as a tribute to the Rough Riders as it contains much of their and Theodore Roosevelt's uniforms and memorabilia.

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph. 

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson

He was considered a "dandy".

So, have you ever wondered why he was considered a "dandy"?

Well, it seems that at the time, a "dandy" was a man who appeared concerned with dreeing fancy. He would have been know to dress with extreme elegance in clothes and manners. He would be known as someone who gives an exaggerated importance to his personal appearance.

Also known as a "fop" or "foppish," which was a term used to describe someone fashionable and fastidious in taste and mannerisms. Someone self-consciously sophisticated with elaborate dress.

A "dandy" means he would definitely not have been a Cowboy!

If you like this trivia, feel free to check out these others links.

Old West - Interesting Facts - Part One

Old West - Interesting Facts - Part Two

Old West - Interesting Facts - Part Three

Story by Tom Correa 

Preppers - Fallout Shelters - Part One

I remember being in St Patrick's School in Kaimuki, Hawaii, and going through the air raid warning drills back then.

The teacher would have us climb under our desks as she closed the long heavy classroom window curtains - supposedly to stop the glass from exploding all over the room during an explosion.

All of us would keep our heads down until the "all clear" siren sounded and we could come out from under our desks. On the first Monday of every month, that was our regular routine.

From right after the end of World War II and into the mid-1960s, it was fairly routine for us to go through the "duck and cover" drills. Back then the threat of Nuclear War with Russia, then called the Soviet Union, was very real.

In fact it was so real, that in 1961, President John F. Kennedy made it an administration priority to build public fallout shelters around the country.

And yes, his administration actually encouraged every U.S. citizen to have a fallout shelter of their own. A place to survive the inevitable blast and the radioactive fallout that would result.

Yes, some can laugh at those who are today called "Doomsday Preppers" - but it wasn't a joke back then. Besides, think about it, would anyone laugh at President John F Kennedy for encouraging Americans to do exactly that - prepare for doomsday.

When Civil Defense was a real concern of the Federal government President Kennedy appointed Steuart Pittman, the assistant secretary of Civil Defense, to implement his administration's program.

Mr. Pittman took his position very seriously. But since it would cost Six Billion Dollars to fully implement the fallout shelter program, both Congress and local governments, who would share the costs, balked at the price tag.

While there are estimates that families built approximately 200,000 shelters in just 2 year, and thousands of schools, hospitals, and other large buildings were designated as shelters for public use, some say that many Americans were so depressed by the idea of living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that they would rather die in the nuclear blast that they did not.

Steuart Pittman worked in that position for 3 year. He died on February 10, 2013 at the age of 93.

Some say millions of Fallout Shelters were actually constructed privately across the nation. Many are still in existence today.

With the Federal Government not doing anything these days in the way of Civil Defense, mostly because they find it wiser to spend critical taxpayer dollars on senseless things like a menu for a Mars Mission or giving it away by the Millions to Dictators who hate us in the Middle-East, today it's more of an every American for themselves situation. 

First, we must understand that whether they are called bomb shelters or fallout shelters - they have been around a long time.

A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War.

When a nuclear bomb hits the ground, a crater is formed, and the earth that used to be there gets pounded into trillions of particles. These particles receive the radiation from the explosion and carry it up into the sky in a huge mushroom cloud.

The cloud doesn't stay there or come back down to the ground -- wind pushes it along like any other cloud, and the particles drift down along the way.

The dangerous material is actually visible, looking like sand or flakes, and coming into contact with large doses of it is life-threatening.

When this material condenses in the rain, it forms dust and light sandy materials that resembles ground pumice. The fallout emits alpha and beta particles, as well as gamma rays.

Much of this highly radioactive material then falls to earth, subjecting anything within the line of sight to radiation, a significant hazard.

Remember, when nuclear fission or fusion occurs, many types of radiation are created, including alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays and neutrons.

Alpha and beta particles would mostly be harmless. Although they're fast-moving particles, they're too big to pass through much matter -- alpha particles (helium atoms) can be stopped by a few inches of air or a piece of paper, and beta particles (electrons) can be stopped by plastic or light metal.

Alpha and beta particles only pose a serious danger when they're inhaled or fall onto the food we eat.

Gamma rays and neutrons are much more dangerous following a nuclear explosion. Neutrons are heavier than electrons, and when they break off of atoms from nuclear fuel, such as uranium or plutonium, act like extremely small "missiles" and can easily penetrate matter.

Gamma rays are photons very much like light, except that they have more energy and can easily pass through several inches of a heavy element like lead.
A fallout shelter is designed to allow its occupants to minimize exposure to harmful fallout until radioactivity has decayed to a safer level.

Although many shelters still exist, some even being used as museums, virtually all public fallout shelters have been decommissioned since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The purpose of a fallout shelter is, of course, to shield the people inside from the harmful effects of radiation.

Just as there's a special number on bottles of sunscreen that describe how much protection the substance provides from the sun's rays -- SPF, or Sun Protection Factor -- fallout shelters have their own number. It's simply called a Protection Factor (PF).

An SPF number refers to how much time you can spend out in the sun before getting burned.

The PF number for a fallout shelter, though, represents the relationship between the amount of radiation an unprotected person would experience compared to the amount one would receive in a shelter.

For example, a shelter with a PF of 5 would expose occupants to about 20 percent of the amount of radiation they'd receive if they were outdoors -- not a very safe number.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pamphlet Are You Ready -Standards for Fallout Shelters, a fallout shelter is "any room, structure or space designated as such and providing its occupants with protection at a minimum protection factor (PF) of 40 from fallout radiation resulting from a nuclear explosion".

This means that the people inside would receive one-fortieth (or 2.5%) the amount of radiation they'd receive if they were outside after a nuclear explosion, which is much safer than a PF of 5.

The lingering danger of a nuclear explosion, however, is the effect of nuclear radiation. This is something people outside of the immediate blast area would have to worry about -- radiation sickness can kill as many or more people than a blast would, but it would happen over a much longer period of time.

Using fallout shelters is the best way to protect people from falling radiation.

While there are different types of shelters such as, for example, hurricane, tornado, and multi-purpose shelters, there are also two types of radiation fallout shelters.

The first is a private fallout shelter, one built or bought by a person or a family. These types may be converted basements under a person's house, underground shelters built within a yard or shelters built away from a person's home.

The second kind is a public fallout shelter, described by FEMA as any place "intended for use by or is accessible to the general public. Fallout shelters which are a part of a private residence and are intended for private use are not included".

A public shelter can be any kind of public building, including hospitals, schools and police stations. All public fallout shelters are marked with the universal sign for fallout shelters, which is a circle with three upside-down triangles inside.

Public shelters usually have enough room to carry at least 50 people, but they can be big enough to provide protection for hundreds. A minimum of 10 square feet per occupant is required by FEMA, along with a minimum of 6.5 feet of head room.

Most government manuals recommend staying inside a fallout shelter for about two weeks. Although the amount of time it takes for radiation to disappear varies, from a few days to two weeks, most people take the "better safe than sorry" stance on this issue.

Most are equipped with radiation detection devices and battery-powered radios to stay informed.

It is hard to find good fallout shelter plans. There are links to sites that discuss fallout shelter plans, but one should understand that the basic difference between a tornado shelter and a fallout shelter is the 30 inches of dirt over a fallout shelter - and the U shaped air inlet and outlet that makes the air go up before it enters the shelter.

Most fallout is heavy dust that will not go up the curved 6 inch air intake pipe, especially if it has a dust filter on it.

Only a structure built to withstand about 50 pounds per square inch (psi) could survive close to ground zero, and the majority of it would most likely be underground. The material of such a shelter would have to very heavy and dense, like lead or concrete.

So how are fallout shelters built, what do people need in a fallout shelter, and what will living in a fallout shelter will be like, will be covered in the next parts of this series. 

Just as a hint to what will be covered. Let's first understand that although we're used to eating food on a regular basis, humans can survive for two weeks without much food. But on the other hand, it's water that's important if people are going to stay alive for long periods of time.

FEMA suggests a minimum of 3.5 gallons of drinking water per person to last the two weeks. We will discuss storing lots of food and water in a fallout shelter along with other essentials.


Story by Tom Correa