Intrusion Detection Alarms

You've conducted a structural security survey, determined what are, and addressed your structure's weaknesses. Now what?

Some subjects, like this one, are difficult to discuss because of the vast number of variables (possible scenarios) one may be prepping to defend against. Call me paranoid, but I tend to discuss and prep for what I consider to be the absolute worse case; A societal collapse, triggered by any of a vast number of events. My thinking is that it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and be woefully screwed if you don't have it. For this reason, I tend to lean toward the possibility that certain forms of life's conveniences (ie. electricity / phone service) could suffer a disruption.

With this in mind, when discussing intrusion detection alarm systems, I think electronic alarm systems are great... right up to the point where the power goes out for a week or more and the backup battery power is depleted, usually in less than a week, rendering the system useless. Then too, any disruption in phone service can quickly turn a remotely monitored system into a monetary waste. I suppose then, I should say; electronic alarm systems are great, while operating under optimal conditions. Otherwise, they provide nothing more than yet another false sense of security.

Of course, an alarm system, even under optimum conditions, is a lot like a padlock. It's only real purpose in life is to keep honest people honest, and low tech criminals looking for "easier pickins." Just remember my wise old sagery; For every security measure you come up with, someone else has already come up with half a dozen countermeasures.

Of Bells, Lights, Signs, Sirens And Whistles

When considering intrusion detection systems, some folks believe having some form of annunciation device mounted outside the structure is advantageous. Flashing lights and / or loud noise will scare off an intruder and alert neighbors... right? I recall an instance where I had come upon a business, in the wee hours of the morning, where the front window was completely broken out and the alarm system exterior mounted bell was ringing loud enough to wake the dead. Neighbors in the numerous apartments above and to either side slept through it or just didn't care enough to call it in. In another case, a neighbor became so annoyed that he or she decided to "reset" a long ringing bell with a round or two from a shotgun.

For the most part, even your thirteen year old, who has watched enough TV crime dramas, knows you can defeat exterior mounted noise makers with a can of expanding foam caulking sold at any hardware store. As for flashing lights, well, that's what God invented pellet guns for.

Posting "warning" signs around your property is a good (and cheap) way for an alarm company to advertise their business. For the customer, it advertises to bad guys (1) you have an alarm system, (2) you must have valuables worth protecting with said system and (3) cut the phone line and get out that can of foam caulking before making entry.

FYI: Professional burglars are most active at night during periods of severe weather conditions. This is when alarm monitoring companies and police agencies are usually being swamped with weather caused false alarms and delayed responses.

Think Mechanical Rather Than Electronic

Subscribe to the K.I.S.S. principal (keep it simple, stupid) applications of mechanics. The first, and most important, idea here is; the only thing of real value you need to worry about is you and your family / co-dwellers lives. So the most practical application for an alarm system is to alert you to an attempt at intrusion while you are in the structure, and especially while sleeping. Something loud that will "wake the dead" and either (a) scare off the intruder or (b) cause him to hesitate, whether it be to weigh the option to enter or not, or to complete a spontaneous colon evacuation, thus giving you the advantage of time.

Creativity works, just plan it out well and test fire it. Then consider anything that would cause a false alarm. And beware of Hollywood ideas. For example, in the movie "Conspiracy Theory," Mel Gibson balances a glass beer bottle, mouth end down, on top of a doorknob. Bad guy tries door knob, bottle falls, breaks and Mel knows it's time to slip out the back. Cute trick, except, way too many variables in real life can cause the bottle to fall. (ie. thunderstorm, earthquake, a fly on the bottle, etc.)

Stacking empty food cans on the inside of a door is a good noise maker. But stick with food cans that are heavier, rather than the light weight beverage cans. Metal cookware suspended from a trip cord daisy chained across windows and a door could create a "protected zone." It's always a good idea to change the arrangement around from time to time to maintain the clandestine integrity of your devices. It's also a good idea to have a backup device in play. Mine is a Chihuahua that barks when he hears a flea fart from a block away.

I suppose at this point, it would be prudent of me to post this warning. Intrusion detection devices and intruder booby trap devices are two very different things. I am not aware of any place in this country where you wouldn't be found liable in a civil case, or guilty in a criminal case, if an intruder (including Osama bin Laden) were hurt or killed while entering a booby trapped structure, occupied or not. It would be totally on you to prove how your life was so endangered to justify a booby trap as a means of self defense.

MikeH.

Structural Security . . . Part Two

In the days of the Egyptian Pharaohs, the architects and workers were often ordered killed after building a pyramid. Call it the perfect version of operational security. The bottom line was, those who had the potential to know the secrets of how to enter the pyramid and reach the goodies hidden within were bound to hold the secrets for all time. In short, dead folks tell no tales.

Unless you can build an underground bunker without anyone (outside of close family, and even then you may not be safe) knowing or suspecting, said bunker is likely to become your tomb. Sophistication requires sources for materials and the logistics to get them to your site. Just try getting a rail container to, and buried in, your backyard without raising an eyebrow or two. Or several hundred yards of concrete. Do you think for a second your postal carrier or UPS / Fedex driver isn't aware of at least some of the survival supplies you've been ordering online? It is extremely difficult to avoid paper (and people) trails even when working hard at staying below the radar. How many people would you have to kill in order to keep your secret bunker a secret?

FYI: A bunker requires a fresh air source, and if I know or suspect you have a bunker, I'll find the above ground fresh air duct opening and either choke off the air supply to force you out, or I'll get pissed off from waiting, pour a couple gallons of gas in the duct and drop a match out of spite. As I pointed out in part one, even castles of heavy stone construction fell to highly motivated enemies. A subterranean castle is as much a false sense of security as one built above ground. If you build it, they will come, and destroy it, and take everything you have.

Don't mistake what I'm trying to convey here as promoting a defeatist mentality. Far from it. What I am saying is, you have to realize the benefit of fortification through realistic analysis. And that benefit is TIME.

If, for example, your beefed up entry points can delay a handful of thugs from invading your home, allowing you time to fall back to a "safe room" to call for help and / or arm yourself, then the benefit has been, at least partly, realized. The idea is to continue creating time and distance between you and the threat, then as a last resort, draw them into a choke point where your odds improve if push turns to gun play. However, if you are about to come face to face with a zombie hoard determined to help themselves to your pantry AND / OR YOU, then the benefit you will be in serious need of is time to make a getaway... out the door, window or tunnel and gone. Sure, you might sit in a second floor loft with a panoramic view, picking them off a few at a time but, how long can you stay awake watching? Time is now on their side. (Fat one eye guy says; why blow big bucks on survival stuff if you're going to risk it all in a fight against a numerically superior force?)

The things you need to consider when beefing up your structure's defenses are:

Wooden exterior doors in wooden frames with cheap hardware won't hold up to a battering ram. Steel doors in steel frames and hardened hardware will break too... just not as quickly.

Wood or steel doors with decorative glass panels look great, but you may as well not even bother locking them. Especially if you want to avoid having the decorative glass decorating your floor when bad guys break the glass to reach in to unlock the door.

With a little imagination, a foyer / open entry way can be turned into a 90 degree choke point with a 34 inch interior opening, with eye appeal, using a minimal investment in wall studs, drywall, drywall screws, joint compound, paint and time. This helps to prevent a straight in "bum rush" entry, tending to force "hard chargers" into looking like the Three Stooges trying to jam into a small space at the same time.

Windows... I can't find anything nice to say about windows. It's hard enough to find windows that will keep out a cold draft, let alone uninvited guests. It's first weakness is the glass and the second is the frame. Quarter height decorative wrought iron bar work will slow down unprepared thug type invaders. It will also slow down "retreaters" trying to escape a fire or an advancing zombie platoon. On the other hand, boarding up windows too far in advance of a societal crisis might appear a tad ostentatious to friends, neighbors or the homeowner's association Gestapo.

Provided there is (and I suspect there would be) some advanced notice of a collapse, having a few cases of sandbags, ready for filling and stacking along exterior walls, and inside windows, would be a wise purchase. They will stop repeated hits from most small arms fire, and when stacked with gaps across windows will provide adequate gun ports for returning fire.

Regardless of the best laid plans and preps, it is vitally important to understand; DO NOT become fixed on an "in place" survival strategy. Any structure can be breached. Plan for the possibility of having to make a hasty retreat out and away from your location should the situation demand. Preferably a retreat that can be made out of sight, and therefore out of mind, of those folks you really need to avoid. Of course you do have a list of "Plan B" locations already scoped out, right?

MikeH.

Structural Security

In my particular situation, the purchase of a survival retreat in the hills of Montana (or elsewhere) is out of the realm of possibles. I'm relatively sure that's true for the majority of us, so we have little or no option but to dig in and remain in place, to face and defend from whatever evil our way may come. Whether we may be the possible random victim of a home invasion or defenders of the stronghold during a societal collapse, the most important question we must address is; just how strong is our stronghold and what optimum benefit will it provide us.

What good is buying massive quantities of bandages, beans and bullets when the structural integrity of your location is of little more than stick and frame construction, incapable of stopping a .22 caliber bullet or a highly motivated "zombie" with a chainsaw? But then, a lot of homes are built for eye appeal above all else.

Most folks feel safe and secure behind the walls of their basic stick and frame homes. They don't realize that those exterior walls consist of, at best, a half inch thick sheet of drywall, a layer of insulation, a quarter inch thick sheet of plywood or particleboard sheathing and wood, vinyl or older style aluminum siding. With the exception of 2" x 4" wood framing, (the stick part of stick and frame) that's spaced about every 16" apart, there is absolutely nothing that's solid enough to stop an incoming bullet, and the sticks won't hold up to a chainsaw.

An upgrade to the basic stick frame construction is brick. However, in most modern day construction, brick is nothing more than a substitute for the wood, vinyl or aluminum siding material. It is a facade that has no load bearing value incorporated into the structure. Brick will stop most pistol and rifle bullets and wreck havoc on chainsaw chains but, a few solid blows from a sledgehammer or a ram and the mortar joints / bricks will fail, leaving the weakness of the underlying sheathing and drywall constructed wall exposed.

Another structural nightmare, from a security standpoint, are windows. And that's because they have no security value whatsoever. Multiply that statement by two if the window in question is a sliding "patio" style door. And on the subject of doors; where an inflatable "love doll" might be a little better than self pleasuring for some folks, most standard doors and door frames are just a little better than having a wide open three foot by seven foot hole in the wall. Watching an episode or two of any entry team (cops / s.w.a.t) themed reality show and you'll see just how much protection "fortified" windows and doors provide neighborhood drug lords. Usually, when "pulls" (chains attached to vehicles) are used to breach barred windows or doors, frames and parts of walls are torn away from the structure as well.

Feeling vulnerable yet? For what it's worth, quite a few castles, and their residents, fell to their highly motivated attackers in the "days of old." Structural security is, in the end, a false sense of security. For every security measure you can implement, someone has already come up with half a dozen countermeasures. If they want in bad enough, they WILL get in. The best you can hope for from your fortifications is to slow them down. But to what benefit for you?

Let this information sink in a bit.

To be continued

MikeH.

Lessons Learned . . . The Hard Way

Near where I grew up was a used car dealer who, like many used car dealers, had a highly shady reputation. This guy could take a total wreck and have it looking "cherry" using little more than baling wire, body filler and household spray paint. Of course, that A-1 appearance usually wound up all over a customer's driveway after a heavy rain fall. Moral to the story is: buyer beware.

For those of us who are prepping on a budget, the absolute last thing you want is to find out a piece of equipment that you paid good money for won't work or hold up. Especially at the most critical moments when you need it most. Probably top on that equipment list would be your firearm. It's better to have one and not need it than to need one after you discover yours suddenly doesn't work anymore. Enter Century Arms International.

Century Arms markets a number of older military firearms at low prices. Obviously an eye-catcher for buyers on a budget. The problem is, you never know the quality of the weapon you're going to receive.

As an example: Century markets a CETME rifle in .308 caliber, for right around $500.00 each. An outstanding price for a .308 battle rifle. CETME, (Center For The Technical Study of Special Materials) of Madrid, Spain built thousands of these fine rifles for their military as well as for armed forces for a few other countries. As any good business does, they also produced thousands of spare parts. So when the CETME rifle was eventually replaced with new arms, CETME was left holding thousands of unused and used rifles and thousands of unused and used spare parts. Think in terms of warehouses full of rifles and parts.

Through legal business, Century was able to purchase huge lots of the parts, bring them into the U.S. then assemble and market the final product, with some modifications to comply with U.S. gun laws, and to appease the BATF&E. These modifications include; changing the fire control parts so the rifle will not fire in full auto mode and replacing a specific number of original parts (like barrels, receivers, stocks, bolts, etc.) with ones manufactured in the United States. (called compliance parts or a weapon being 922r compliant)

This is where the problems occur. When the "craftsmen" at Century assemble the rifles, they are using whatever parts they have in front of them, be they unused parts in perfect condition, or used parts that are worn to near or outside of their specs. It's not unusual to find rifles that have been assembled with both used and unused parts. Then there is a very common quality control issue where new barrels are out of spec when welded into the receivers, causing a potentially dangerous problem with the chamber headspace.

To be fair, Century has put out some good acceptable rifles. Unfortunately, it's a hit or miss proposition. If the rifle is purchased under warranty, Century will make repairs on the issues brought to their attention. Just don't expect them to look for and correct problems you aren't aware of or don't bring to their attention. Also, they have been known to fix one problem but create another, and lastly, they have a very long turnaround time. On the other hand, if the weapon is no longer under warranty, the cost of having an experienced gunsmith make the repairs can cost a few hundred dollars. At this point, you could have bought a new gun of name brand.

How do I know these things? I own three Century assembled weapons; two AK-47s and a CETME. However, I am an experienced gunsmith / armorer so all I had to invest was a little time and a little cash for replacement parts to bring all three guns into spec.

For those who are unable to do that kind of firearm repairs, you need to be aware of the potential for problems with Century Arms' "pieces / parts" guns if you're considering buying one. If you already own one, it would be in your best interests to have it inspected for problems.

Besides CETMEs and AKs, Century also markets ARs, FN FALs and a host of other foreign produced shotguns and pistols. I'm not saying don't buy'em. I am only warning through experience... buyer beware. It could turn into a lesson learned the hard way.

MikeH.

Resolution To NYC Mosque Debate

The Imam leading the effort to build an Islamic center and mosque near the World Trade Center site said a resolution to the raging debate over it's location is being examined.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said, "We are exploring all options as we speak right now, and are working to what will be a solution, God willing, that will resolve this crisis, defuse it and not create any unforeseen or untoward circumstances that we do not want to happen."

He did not elaborate on whether the options included moving the center from a site two blocks from the WTC "gorund zero" location.

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Folks, this is a seriously silly cause for outrage on our (non Muslims) part. Why can't we forgive, forget and accept people of a culture different from our own? I propose, as a gesture of good faith and good will, we organize a coming together celebration on the intended building site. I was thinking something along the lines of a pig roast and rib burn-off.

MikeH.

Information And Power

I don't know who deserves the credit, but someone coined these gems of wisdom, "information is power." When you consider the implication; having personal / pertinent information about another person can provide one a certain amount of influence over that other person's life. Of course it stands to reason that, the more information one has, the more influence one holds. The down side to this is, influence translates as power and, as found in these gems of wisdom, "power corrupts."

According to newsobserver.com, the North Carolina State Sheriff's Association wants it's members and other law enforcement officials to have access to state computer records identifying anyone with prescriptions for powerful painkiller and other controlled substances. Currently, doctors and pharmacists are the primary users of the computerized database.

Sheriffs made their pitch to a legislative health care committee looking for ways to confront prescription drug abuse. Local sheriffs said more people in their counties die from accidental overdoses than from homicides. For years, sheriffs have been trying to convince legislators that the prescription records should be open to them. "We can better go after those who are abusing the system," said Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter.

The state began collecting prescription information in 2007 to help doctors identify patients who go from doctor to doctor trying to obtain prescriptions for drugs they may not need, and to keep pharmacists from supplying patients with too many pills. Only about twenty percent of doctors in North Carolina have registered to use the system and only about ten percent of pharmacists.

N.C. Sheriff's Association lobbyist, Eddie Caldwell, said the level of access to the data is up for discussion. "There's a middle ground where the sheriffs and their personnel working on these drug abuse cases get the information they need in a way that protects the privacy of that information. No one wants every officer in the state to be able to log on and look it up."

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I suppose some comfort can be found in Caldwell's words regarding no one wants every officer to have access to the database. I'd find more comfort had he said no one wants ANY officer to have access. And the only thing I take for pain is Ibuprofen. However, during the first six months of this year, thirty percent of state residents received at least one prescription for a controlled substance. Nearly 2.5 million people filled prescriptions for more than 375 million doses during that period.

It is also of interest to note that the ACLU opposed a similar bill in 2007, saying there were concerns over potential privacy issues.

In what certainly appears to be an all out sprint toward a full fledged police state, absolutely no good can come from police having access to this data. What useful purpose is served by holding information about millions when only a small percentage are guilty of criminal abuses? If the number of deaths to accidental overdoses is a determining factor, how many of those were caused by criminal abuse as compared to patient error, suicide or doctor error?

If allowed to happen, this will be the beginning of the end for any expectation of privacy between a patient and doctor. It will, though, be information providing even more power to those with a potential to use it against us.

MikeH.

One Must Have Priorities

The Reverend Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville Florida, is promoting an interesting demonstration, to be held on September 11, to mark the ninth anniversary of the gutless terrorist attacks of 09 11 01. (A day that will, and should, live in infamy) Rev. Jones is calling for an international "Burn A Koran Day," which the White House, religious leaders and other are pressuring him to call off.

According to Jones, he has received more than one hundred death threats, since announcing his plan, and now feels forced to carry a .40 caliber pistol for self protection. Despite the threats and pressure, Rev. Jones refuses to abandon his intentions. Supporters have been mailing copies of the Koran to his church, of about fifty followers, to be incinerated Saturday.

Secretary of State, Hillery Clinton voiced her disapproval of the proposed demonstration, while at a dinner in observance of Iftar, which signifies the end of the daily fast observed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ms. Clinton said, "I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths."

U.S. Army General David Petraeus warned in an email to the Associated Press that "images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan, and around the world, to flame public opinion and incite violence.

White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs echoed the concerns raised by Petraeus saying, any type of activity like this, that puts our troops in harms way would be a concern to this administration.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the planned burning "idiotic and dangerous" according to a Justice Department official. Holder made the statement during a meeting with religious leaders to discuss recent attacks on Muslims and mosques around the U.S.

Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, who during his campaign became the target of a Jones led protest because he is openly gay, has declared Sept. 11 as "Interfaith Solidarity Day" in his city.

In Afghanistan, Muslim cleric and Afghan parliament candidate Mohammad Mukhtar said, "When their holy book gets burned in public, then there is nothing left. If this happens, the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world, they will be killed."

Last month, Indonesian Muslims demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, threatening violence if Jones goes through with the burning.

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I find it easy to comprehend the concept of Hillery Clinton celebrating the end of any period of fasting. I just have a little trouble understanding her celebrating the month long fasting observed during Ramadan. Especially since there would be absolutely no caloric benefit to kissing Muslim ass. And considering the size of those tree trunks she calls legs, I find it difficult to imagine her surviving the period of fasting between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner.

General Petraeus appears to have become blind to the fact that Muslims are offended by EVERYTHING, especially the continued breathing by any group of people who are not Muslim.

Robert Gibbs seems to have become blind to the fact that U.S. military personnel, serving in Afghanistan and throughout the world are already eyebrow deep in harms way, thanks to the idiots who have and who are running the U.S. and the war against terror.

Eric Holder is the Attorney General, still? He has been so far under the radar for so long, I forgot he exists. I'm pretty sure I liked him much better that way.

Gaiesville's Mayor Lowe appears to have an unusual concept of the meaning of turning the other cheek. Then again, perhaps he is a cheek turner from way back, much like the aforementioned high ranking government officials who seem to have made it a priority to nuzzle and pucker up to every Muslim butt cheek they can find.

To Reverend Jones I say this; I would send you a copy of the Quran to burn only I don't think it would ignite because it's soaking wet from cover to cover. And urine soaked paper tends to stink up the air when tossed into a fire.

MikeH.

Forget The Chest Waders

Once again, a whole week goes by and there's hardly any news coming out of DC. Then along comes a holiday and bada bing... The Big Zero speaks.

According to MSNBC.com, Zippy proposes a massive "rebuilding program" that will include 150,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of railways and 150 miles of airport runways, costing at least $50 billion. However, a little deeper into the story, the wording is changed to "officials said spending would be front loaded with an initial fifty billion dollars to help create jobs in the future." I suppose it's also worthy of mention that the official spoke on condition of anonymity, ahead of His Nadaness' announcement.

Now, Zero has this bright idea to create a permanent infrastructure bank that would focus on funding national and regional infrastructure projects. Officials wouldn't say what the total cost of the infrastructure investments would be, but did say the initial fifty billion dollars represents a significant percentage. These officials said the White House would consider closing a number of special tax breaks for oil and gas companies to pay for the proposal.

Other stimulus measures the administration is considering include extending a law passed in March that exempts companies that hire unemployed workers from paying social security taxes on those workers through December.

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Let's look at this steamy pile for a minute.

First, it's a little unclear as to whether the rebuilding project is going to cost fifty billion in total, or if that just the opening salvo, with plenty more to follow.

Second, considering there are millions of Americans out of work RIGHT NOW, how far into the future before those jobs are available and how far down the road will the jobs last? I think it reasonable to consider; those construction jobs are generally performed by UNION workers. Union workers are covered by the "seniority rules" by-law where senior members always have first consideration over all others, including new hires. I have to wonder how many new hires will even have a chance at getting one of these jobs.

Third, the creation of an "infrastructures bank" to fund these projects scares the hell out of me. I not only have a clue who will run the bank, I also have a clear idea where the funds will go and who will wind up funding the funds bank.

Fourth, some folks may feel justice will be served when those multi billion dollar gas and oil companies lose their tax breaks. They will continue to make their billions; by laying off workers and charging HIGHER PRICES to consumers. There is no justice... only consequences. "Gas and oil prices will necessarily skyrocket."

Fifth, social security is broke. How does exempting companies from paying those taxes, even for just a few months, help to rebuild social security?

Sixth, it is noteworthy that this "leaked" information comes so close to the November elections.

Folks, forget the chest waders. To avoid contamination from this political BS fairy tale, we're going to need full body condoms.

MikeH.

No Need For God

USA Today, 09 02 10, reports that Stephen Hawking has concluded "spontaneous creation" is the reason there is something, rather than nothing, and that "it is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." Or in other words, bow before the great bang theory because there was no need for God... just "poof!!!"

So let me see if I get this: All of the right things just "poof" came together to form a planet that would be capable of sustaining life? Water, animal life (for food), plant life (for food) for both humans and animals, trees for photosynthesis, bees for pollenation, birds to eat and drop seeds, an atmosphere, gravity, sunshine, rain and all the fishes in the sea??? And pray I don't fail to mention all of the many complexities of the human body and amazingly "poof" the way in which said humans were immediately able to adapt to the planet, sight unseen, and without a total die-off if "poof" had made a slight miscalculation somewhere along the process OR, neglected to create predators to keep us from being ass deep in rabbits. That's a pretty powerful AND down right smart "poof" there Stephen.

By the way, should I be using an uppercase P in Poof?

Should anyone be surprised when the American Pledge of Allegiance is changed to "... one nation, under Poof..."

I have a better idea. Since Mr. Hawking made the statement, a month or so ago, about how we shouldn't be pissing off aliens by trying to signal them, and since I am really sure I could never conform to the whole "poof" thing, I think I'll stick with God. And as for Stephen... well Stephen can just go poof himself.

MikeH.

Dear Barry

From MSNBC.com 09 01 10:

Obama ends Iraq combat mission. President says, "nation's top priority now is repairing the economy."

Just to be clear, whose economy are we talking about here, Barry?

If it's America's economy you're talking about; why is it only just now becoming a top priority? Why not before it reached the point we're at now? Is it because you're too incompetent to multi-task? Why not before (or while) we pumped military personnel and billions of our dollars into repairing the economy of an oil rich, third world shithole? And ya know we aint gonna see a drop of reasonably priced Iraqi oil in recompense or gratitude for the American lives lost or shattered and the money dumped on a lame nag.

Let's face the facts, Barry; you are a world class snake oil peddler. Even though you have ended the Iraq combat mission, I'll wager a bet that American military troops are still going to be killed over there. Bodies and minds will be broken, but those troops are going to come home to the same old sub standard medical care, no prospect for jobs and no hope for a future thanks to you, and the "progressives" from both political parties. God knows, you can't pull any of that off for the folks here at home. Your words are meaningless because, as we all know by now, even if you had America's best interests at heart, there is no magic bandage that can fix, let alone stem the flow, of the hemorrhage that is America's future.

Personally Barry, I am going to make it my life's mission to outlive you. And it's not because I want the opportunity to urinate on your grave. However, I do intend to open a grave-side beer concession. Even at a penny a glass, I'll be richly fulfilled beyond my wildest dreams.

Regretfully Yours,

MikeH.

PS:

I honestly can not believe television programming had to be pushed back fifteen minutes for your pathetic attempt at apple polishing. Barry, you're an arrogant ass.