Posted on 04/16/2007 7:14:16 AM PDT by LexHoskin
Allowed to do it? We can do anything
Nite from NC. Take care.
The 'fallout shelter' was a sort of fire and forget deal, unfortunately, but then it was a government feelgood program, too, at least for most of the civillian population.
As for Civil Defense, we, the people, could make something real out of it--Neighborhood Watch is getting closer to the mark. (If the neighbors do not call us in for having an "armed compound" (8^D).
I worked construction a couple of the years the oil patch was slow, and my size and talent for breaking things meant I was the one who got the jackhammer, etc. One building we remodeled (over 20 years ago) still had the 'fallout shelter' signs on the exterior walls. We took them down as the remodel rendered the building unsuitable for a shelter.
The supplies had been raided long before-- there were no foodstuffs, none of the surviving medical supplies were useable, the pharmaceuticals were long gone, including the 500 tablets of phenobarbital.
All that really survived were a couple of sanitation kits, and the toilet paper in them was single ply which showed small bits of wood in it. Imagine having the radiation induced runs, and having to use that stuff.
Nope. It looked good in print, and it kept people feeling safe.
As long as they feel safe, they won't do squat on their own.
A lot of the old CD radiation detectors are on the market, and one might be a good item to pick up as long as it runs on current batteries. Otherwise, in the event of a radiological event, you are depending solely on the authorities for information.
There are limits to what individuals can do, but being armed is generally within those limits. A gun, a knife, and a wide variety of other ordinary items can suffice, as long as the 'no victim' mindset is present. It is seldom you are anywhere there are not things handy which can be used as a weapon as well.
Therein lies the problem
I’ll share this email I received. This is from Bryan Cloyd a professor at Tech His daughter worked in our church nursery and his wife was meeting with our pastor about a mission project when the shootings happened. He wrote this to his students.
At this point I dont know how or where our class will continue. The guest speakers scheduled for April 25 and April 30 may carry on, but in a different location.
If we dont meet again, your final assignment from me is perhaps the most important lesson you will learn in life. Go to your mother, father, brothers and sisters and tell them with all your heart how much you love them. And tell them that you know how much they love you too. Go out of your way to make good memories. At some point, these memories may be all you have left.
May God bless you all,
Bryan Cloyd
Do we need to retire this thread at 10AM? I wonder if it might confuse people into thinking we have had another shooting.
Would it be all right if I quoted you? And I warn you, I most certainly will (with your permission ;>)...
Sure you can. The insurance company folks might not be that happy about it, but that's what they get for having lizards and cavemen as their corporate critters instead of the noble coyote.
The 'fallout shelter' was a sort of fire and forget deal, unfortunately, but then it was a government feelgood program, too, at least for most of the civillian population.
You're geographicly close to me, so I can tell you that over the next couple of years I plan on upgrading and restocking the *tornado cellar* established by my granddad circa 1925 on his Homestead Act tract. It's got nowhere near enough room for 80, nor supplies thereof, but it's a start and has other advantages.
As for Civil Defense, we, the people, could make something real out of it--Neighborhood Watch is getting closer to the mark. (If the neighbors do not call us in for having an "armed compound" (8^D).
Note that in Montana the highway patrol cops still wear a patch with the 3-7-77 mark of the Montana Vigilantes, who among other things dealt with castle rustlers and crooked sheriffs.
I worked construction a couple of the years the oil patch was slow, and my size and talent for breaking things meant I was the one who got the jackhammer, etc. One building we remodeled (over 20 years ago) still had the 'fallout shelter' signs on the exterior walls. We took them down as the remodel rendered the building unsuitable for a shelter.
The supplies had been raided long before-- there were no foodstuffs, none of the surviving medical supplies were useable, the pharmaceuticals were long gone, including the 500 tablets of phenobarbital.
All that really survived were a couple of sanitation kits, and the toilet paper in them was single ply which showed small bits of wood in it. Imagine having the radiation induced runs, and having to use that stuff. Nope. It looked good in print, and it kept people feeling safe.
As long as they feel safe, they won't do squat on their own.
The FEMA plan was to use household interior doors and dirt to reinforce basements, which was not much help for New Orleans residents.
A lot of the old CD radiation detectors are on the market, and one might be a good item to pick up as long as it runs on current batteries. Otherwise, in the event of a radiological event, you are depending solely on the authorities for information.
The good ones are under $100 and use D-batteries; look for a CDV-720 or CDV-717. If you need a course on operation, FReepmail me; I used to do that for a living, and we'll be doing some of that in Wyoming.
There's a good overview *here* that explains the difference between the ionization chamber survey meters and a true Geiger counter [CDV-700] that measures gamma radiation and detects beta.
There are limits to what individuals can do, but being armed is generally within those limits. A gun, a knife, and a wide variety of other ordinary items can suffice, as long as the 'no victim' mindset is present. It is seldom you are anywhere there are not things handy which can be used as a weapon as well.
Exactly. But also remember that being routinely armed inspires others to *fit in* and follow the example. Remember the bumper sticker: Not armed?- Shame on you!
I am familliar with that patch (and not just from saying "Good evening officer" as I handed over license and registration...(8^D)
If I recall correctly the numbers are not a date, but the numbers of the three chief vigilantees who helped clean up things around the territorial capital and eliminate the group who, in cahoots with the official law enforcement, had been robbing gold shipments on a regular basis.
Things were so bad these men had resorted to using numbers in communications instead of their names, because if they had been found out early on they would have likely been killed for their troubles.
Things were so bad these men had resorted to using numbers in communications instead of their names, because if they had been found out early on they would have likely been killed for their troubles.
That's one theory, though the Masons claim their own explanation of the number's significance. For certain, one of the worthies was said to have been John X. Beidler, who being outnumbered by the crooked sheriff Plummer and his rustler and road agent confederates, obtained a small brass mountain howitzer, loaded it with a double charge of powder and a load of printer's type and let fly. Afterward, several locals were observed absent or limping, helpfully identifying the previously masked and unknown criminals.
When it was suggested that Beidler's act was overly brutal, he replied that he was only trying to give the outlaws a chance to better themselves with the opportunity to learn to read.
Beidler was the principal hangman for at least five of the vigilante group's victims, probably including the crooked Sheriff, who was not given a *drop* when hanged but lifted from his feet by the noose so that he'd slowly strangle. The Montana Hangman later survived several narrow escapes in his relentless pursuit of other dangerous men.
"The question of the propriety of establishing a Vigilance Committee depends upon the answers which ought to be given to the following questions: Is it lawful for citizens to slay robbers or murderers, when they catch them; or ought they to wait for policemen where there are none, or put them in penitentiaries not yet erected?"
"Under these circumstances, it becomes an absolute necessity that good, law-abiding, and order-sustaining men should unite for mutual protection, and for the salvation of the community." 
The Bannack gallows where Plummer and his deputies were hung; remarkably, they were ordered constructed by Plummer himself. Photo courtesy of the Bannack State Park.
I thought this all tied together somewhere between Virginia City and Bannock. I did a bit of looking into the history of the Alder Gulch/Virginia City strike, and even spent the night one night, camped out at the foot of ‘boot hill’.
Fascinating area, geology and history.
Nice place for a picnic. And the town of Bannock is now a preserved historical site.
Fascinating area, geology and history.
Concur. I became acquainted with the region after a study of the Montana Southern Railway, the last narrow-gauge common carrier RR to be built in the USA. It ran from Divide to Coolidge, MT, from 1919 to 1933.
You'd think with all the narrow-gauge crazies and tourist attractions in Colorado, there'd be more interest in the MS. I guess the area just has too much quiet dignity for that sort of exploitation. 
You're standing on the bed of the old Montana Southern Railway, built to transport silver ore from the nearby Elkhorn Mine at Coolidge to Divide, 40 miles northeast. From there, the crushed ore was transferred to the Oregon Short Line and shipped out of state. Believed to be the last narrow-gauge railroad constructed in the Lower 48, the Montana Southern debuted in November 1919 to a great local fanfare. The railroad operated several times a week for only eight short years before the Pettengill Dam ruptured, flooding company facilities at Allentown and washing out major sections of the railroad. It was the last straw for the Montana Southern's financially troubled parent company, the Boston and Montana Mining Company, which owned the surrounding claims. Despite efforts to refinance and reopen both the mines and the railroad, the Montana Southern never ran again.
The Montana Southern Railway was an expensive, difficult undertaking. In just 40 miles, it had to negotiate the narrow, winding Wise River Canyon, dozens of stream crossings along Wise River and steep rolling terrain that marked the last five miles from Mono Creek to Coolidge. Built at a cost of $1.5 million, the railway's 200-foot-long-tunnel, four major trestles and numerous deep cuts and fills represented state-of-the-art engineering. Look for remnants of one of the railroad trestles at Happy Creek, less than a quarter-mile's walk east along the old railroad bed from behind Mono Campground. (Coolidge. Photo by Fred Bridenstine)
Nice place for a picnic. And the town of Bannock is now a preserved historical site.
Fascinating area, geology and history.
Concur. I became acquainted with the region after a study of the Montana Southern Railway, the last narrow-gauge common carrier RR to be built in the USA. It ran from Divide to Coolidge, MT, from 1919 to 1933.
You'd think with all the narrow-gauge crazies and tourist attractions in Colorado, there'd be more interest in the MS. I guess the area just has too much quiet dignity for that sort of exploitation.
You're standing on the bed of the old Montana Southern Railway, built to transport silver ore from the nearby Elkhorn Mine at Coolidge to Divide, 40 miles northeast. From there, the crushed ore was transferred to the Oregon Short Line and shipped out of state. Believed to be the last narrow-gauge railroad constructed in the Lower 48, the Montana Southern debuted in November 1919 to a great local fanfare. The railroad operated several times a week for only eight short years before the Pettengill Dam ruptured, flooding company facilities at Allentown and washing out major sections of the railroad. It was the last straw for the Montana Southern's financially troubled parent company, the Boston and Montana Mining Company, which owned the surrounding claims. Despite efforts to refinance and reopen both the mines and the railroad, the Montana Southern never ran again.
The Montana Southern Railway was an expensive, difficult undertaking. In just 40 miles, it had to negotiate the narrow, winding Wise River Canyon, dozens of stream crossings along Wise River and steep rolling terrain that marked the last five miles from Mono Creek to Coolidge. Built at a cost of $1.5 million, the railway's 200-foot-long-tunnel, four major trestles and numerous deep cuts and fills represented state-of-the-art engineering. Look for remnants of one of the railroad trestles at Happy Creek, less than a quarter-mile's walk east along the old railroad bed from behind Mono Campground. (Coolidge. Photo by Fred Bridenstine)
Oh - thank you for posting that - good words from this professor who must have a breaking heart beyond all imagination. I hope his students were listening to what he said. So sad, so very very sad. Thanks again, though, for sharing it.
LOL, and 'Amen to that!'
;>)
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