So of all the things Im reading about the hurricane damge, the behavior by the New Orleans police is probably the worst. I read about how a group of them commandeered a building, posted a ‘danger gas leak’ sign to keep the curious away, went out and looted guns (and when you have to crack a safe to get them, which is what the article says these guys did, that aint foraging – its looting), and holed up in their little castle. not going out and helping, not making a difference…just pointing shotguns at people passing by and telling them to ‘keep moving, asshole’. Meanwhile, authorities in a neighboring state pulled over a police car they thought was stolen. Wasnt stolen. The two cops had thrown aside their uniforms, switched to civillian mufti and were making a break for it. The Nazis did the same thing in 1945. Apparently at least a couple hundred cops threw away their badges, said ‘screw this’ and took off. And then a large portion of them simply didnt show up for work.

Every cop down there nothing more than a better-armed-than-average looter? No, of course not. But enough of them were ‘part of the problem’ that , to my mind, they were exactly the same as looters. Naturally, the repercussions will be slight because no department is going to want to admit that a large percentage of their force is comprised of cowards and people who went into business for themselves.

Cops that failed to show up for work because they decided their families were more important? No problem with that. I dont think they should have a job waiting for them when this is over, but I understand it.
Cops that loot, shoot and dont give a hoot? They deserve whatever unfortunate event happens when they find themselves outnumbered 10-to-1 by their fellow looters.

Oh, and if the mayor of New Orleans thinks that his cursing and swearing is going to make him look like a guy in control and make him the nex Gulliani, he’s in for a big shock. Must be tough when your job suddenly includes more than just starting Mardi Gras festivities.

x-posted.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

So of all the things Im reading about the hurricane damge, the behavior by the New Orleans police is probably the worst. I read about how a group of them commandeered a building, posted a 'danger gas leak' sign to keep the curious away, went out and looted guns (and when you have to crack a safe to get them, which is what the article says these guys did, that aint foraging – its looting), and holed up in their little castle. not going out and helping, not making a difference…just pointing shotguns at people passing by and telling them to 'keep moving, asshole'. Meanwhile, authorities in a neighboring state pulled over a police car they thought was stolen. Wasnt stolen. The two cops had thrown aside their uniforms, switched to civillian mufti and were making a break for it. The Nazis did the same thing in 1945. Apparently at least a couple hundred cops threw away their badges, said 'screw this' and took off. And then a large portion of them simply didnt show up for work.

Every cop down there nothing more than a better-armed-than-average looter? No, of course not. But enough of them were 'part of the problem' that , to my mind, they were exactly the same as looters. Naturally, the repercussions will be slight because no department is going to want to admit that a large percentage of their force is comprised of cowards and people who went into business for themselves.

Cops that failed to show up for work because they decided their families were more important? No problem with that. I dont think they should have a job waiting for them when this is over, but I understand it.
Cops that loot, shoot and dont give a hoot? They deserve whatever unfortunate event happens when they find themselves outnumbered 10-to-1 by their fellow looters.

Oh, and if the mayor of New Orleans thinks that his cursing and swearing is going to make him look like a guy in control and make him the nex Gulliani, he's in for a big shock. Must be tough when your job suddenly includes more than just starting Mardi Gras festivities.

x-posted.

Its mundane, boring, under-represented but for ten bucks you can feel like a human being:


And it all fits into a somewhat waterproof and crushproof Tupperware container:


Throw in a small vial of hand sanitizer, a comb and a washcloth and youre pretty much covered for keeping yourself free of hygiene related disease. Plus, those around you will appreciate the fredh breath and lack of body odor. Might want to swap out the Ivory for some anti-bacterial Dial although studies seem to show no difference. You could shave using the soap rather than shaving cream but its nice to have…if youre pressed for space though….
(and, yes, the Breasted-Americans among us may want to add girlystuff…..)

At most supermarkets and drug stores they have a ‘travel size’ or ‘trial size’ section. Excellent source for these sorts of things.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Its mundane, boring, under-represented but for ten bucks you can feel like a human being:

And it all fits into a somewhat waterproof and crushproof Tupperware container:

Throw in a small vial of hand sanitizer, a comb and a washcloth and youre pretty much covered for keeping yourself free of hygiene related disease. Plus, those around you will appreciate the fredh breath and lack of body odor. Might want to swap out the Ivory for some anti-bacterial Dial although studies seem to show no difference. You could shave using the soap rather than shaving cream but its nice to have…if youre pressed for space though….
(and, yes, the Breasted-Americans among us may want to add girlystuff…..)

At most supermarkets and drug stores they have a 'travel size' or 'trial size' section. Excellent source for these sorts of things.

“This is the South,” Marsh said. “It’s not just the criminals that have guns.”

Theres a bloody good reason I have extra copies of my primary guns. One of them is so that in an Ugly Situation I can either arm a buddy or if I cant access my primary weapons, I can go to my secondary set, or even tertiary set.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

“This is the South,” Marsh said. “It's not just the criminals that have guns.”

Theres a bloody good reason I have extra copies of my primary guns. One of them is so that in an Ugly Situation I can either arm a buddy or if I cant access my primary weapons, I can go to my secondary set, or even tertiary set.

Dig it:

Fifty bucks says this guy isnt going to have any problem with looters.

======

Decided to go get more gas cans. I had to go to three different places before finding any. That should tell you something. Sportsmans Warehouse has a boating department…alot of folks dont know that…and I was able to get another three 5-gallon plastic gas cans. Filling them was another story. Got on line at CostCo ($2.66/gal….up about $0.15 in the last three days) and the pumps ran dry as I got there. Seriously. No regular. no premium. They said theyd have a truck in at noon. Hmm. They close at nine, I’m thinking I might go up there around 8 and see what I can do. Waiting in a gas line and then seeing a trickle drip out of the nozzle is a very sobering experience. Dont know if other stations around town are dry, but they are $$$…About $2.80 at most places.

Im pretty confident this is all panic buying, so Im not too worried. I am, however, going to keep a close eye on things.

So….lotsa bike riding for the next week.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Dig it:

Fifty bucks says this guy isnt going to have any problem with looters.

======

Decided to go get more gas cans. I had to go to three different places before finding any. That should tell you something. Sportsmans Warehouse has a boating department…alot of folks dont know that…and I was able to get another three 5-gallon plastic gas cans. Filling them was another story. Got on line at CostCo ($2.66/gal….up about $0.15 in the last three days) and the pumps ran dry as I got there. Seriously. No regular. no premium. They said theyd have a truck in at noon. Hmm. They close at nine, I'm thinking I might go up there around 8 and see what I can do. Waiting in a gas line and then seeing a trickle drip out of the nozzle is a very sobering experience. Dont know if other stations around town are dry, but they are $$$…About $2.80 at most places.

Im pretty confident this is all panic buying, so Im not too worried. I am, however, going to keep a close eye on things.

So….lotsa bike riding for the next week.

Well, everything I read is that New Orleans is pretty much a cross between a movie set for “Blackhawk Down” and “Zulu”. I am extremely glad that I live far away from this insanity that I neednt worry about roving gangs wandering the streets, breaking into houses at will and causing all sorts of chaos. On the other hand, there are going to be some economic ripples from this that I wont be immune from. The biggest one Im concerned about is the gasoline situation. Apparently, and perhaps Im reading this wrong, theres a good chunk of refining capacity that is going to be down for a while (as well as about 20 offshore oil rigs that are just completely missing). Theres already panic buying which, naturally, is driving up costs and driving down supply. (Hey! Supply and demand…whoda thunk it?) The girlfriend, last week, pretty much demanded to know why we weren’t buying gas cans and stocking gasoline. When she said that we saddled up and filled the truck and filled our newly purchased gas cans. BUT….we’ve a trip to Billings next weekend that could use prety much all of that. Hmmm. Cant cancel the trip to Billings. I may have to wander off to WallyWorld and get a couple more cans and gas ’em up.

I’m also hearing that at least one major coffee company gets all its imports through New Orleans and that can of Folgers you like so much may be going up in price and scarcity.

One of the LMI came by yesterday and we were discussing things. I told him that I was uneasy and unsettled these days because of all this disaster footage Ive been watching. He asked what it would take to make me feel better. I thought a moment and said:
1) Money. The universal survival supply.
2) A well-stocked place out in the boonies we could run off to

For now, I’ll settle for another 20 gallons of stabilized gas safely tucked away. The stockpiled gas isnt really a hedge against a price increase, its a hedge against a shortage. As in NO-GAS-signs-on-the-pumps shortage. ‘Fuel’ is in the top five on any list of things to stockpile..right up there with food, water, ammo, and meds…

The girfriend and I live only 9 blocks from our workplaces. Bank, grocery and post office are only three blocks past that. We dont need to drive anywhere really except maybe to WW or Costco once or twice a month. But I absolutely want to have the option of being able to hop into a gasoline-powered vehicle and leave town if I have to. Right now, between gas in the truck and in storage we’ve approx. 525 miles of range…not quite enough to make it to Billings and back.

I’d been slacking on the gas storage because of the expense of new steel cans ($27~) and my lack of what I feel was wa safe place to store them. (I really have no desire to store them indoors). Im planning on building a little doghouse-type structure along my fenceline, hidden in the lilacs, to house the gas cans. Keeps ’em away from the house, but hidden and nearby.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Well, everything I read is that New Orleans is pretty much a cross between a movie set for “Blackhawk Down” and “Zulu”. I am extremely glad that I live far away from this insanity that I neednt worry about roving gangs wandering the streets, breaking into houses at will and causing all sorts of chaos. On the other hand, there are going to be some economic ripples from this that I wont be immune from. The biggest one Im concerned about is the gasoline situation. Apparently, and perhaps Im reading this wrong, theres a good chunk of refining capacity that is going to be down for a while (as well as about 20 offshore oil rigs that are just completely missing). Theres already panic buying which, naturally, is driving up costs and driving down supply. (Hey! Supply and demand…whoda thunk it?) The girlfriend, last week, pretty much demanded to know why we weren't buying gas cans and stocking gasoline. When she said that we saddled up and filled the truck and filled our newly purchased gas cans. BUT….we've a trip to Billings next weekend that could use prety much all of that. Hmmm. Cant cancel the trip to Billings. I may have to wander off to WallyWorld and get a couple more cans and gas 'em up.

I'm also hearing that at least one major coffee company gets all its imports through New Orleans and that can of Folgers you like so much may be going up in price and scarcity.

One of the LMI came by yesterday and we were discussing things. I told him that I was uneasy and unsettled these days because of all this disaster footage Ive been watching. He asked what it would take to make me feel better. I thought a moment and said:
1) Money. The universal survival supply.
2) A well-stocked place out in the boonies we could run off to

For now, I'll settle for another 20 gallons of stabilized gas safely tucked away. The stockpiled gas isnt really a hedge against a price increase, its a hedge against a shortage. As in NO-GAS-signs-on-the-pumps shortage. 'Fuel' is in the top five on any list of things to stockpile..right up there with food, water, ammo, and meds…

The girfriend and I live only 9 blocks from our workplaces. Bank, grocery and post office are only three blocks past that. We dont need to drive anywhere really except maybe to WW or Costco once or twice a month. But I absolutely want to have the option of being able to hop into a gasoline-powered vehicle and leave town if I have to. Right now, between gas in the truck and in storage we've approx. 525 miles of range…not quite enough to make it to Billings and back.

I'd been slacking on the gas storage because of the expense of new steel cans ($27~) and my lack of what I feel was wa safe place to store them. (I really have no desire to store them indoors). Im planning on building a little doghouse-type structure along my fenceline, hidden in the lilacs, to house the gas cans. Keeps 'em away from the house, but hidden and nearby.