Friday, May 8, 2015

Highs and lows and keeping on keeping on.

National Command Authority (NCA) is a term used by the Department of Defense of the United States of America to refer to the ultimate lawful source of military orders. The NCA comprises the President of the United States (as commander-in-chief) and the Secretary of Defense (as the deputy to the commander-in-chief) jointly, or their duly deputized successors, i.e. the Vice President and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. -- Wikipedia.
I sat down last night with a pen and paper after struggling once more with dinner and tried to order my thoughts about where we stand in the fight overall, where we're heading and whether anything I can say or do will make one damn bit of difference to the outcome.
Some of this is no doubt influenced by my continued health challenges and the prospect of my latest doctor (I've lost count as they go by) peering up my rectum on Monday. (I think it's the default position of every gastro doc when they don't know what else to do: "How long has it been since we anally raped you simply out of curiosity?")
Lows: It has been a rough week, in every sense. Time (for all of us, I fear) is running out and my body is running down. Readership on the blog is down, from approximately 10K page views a day to 9K. Good friends like David Codrea continue to struggle, turning out exceptional work product with no good venue for showcasing that work, being plagiarized by lesser men and women without attribution or remuneration. The juggernaut of leviathan continues apace, with little standing in the way of economic collapse, civil war over firearms or even race war. (It is an odd feeling, hoping for economic collapse as the best of bad alternatives.) Good men and women behind enemy lines continue to risk all and new states are added to the list every week it seems. Our resources to fight these fights are pitifully inadequate. (Where is our equivalent of Michael Collins and the Irish National Loan? Or even, a multimillionaire Lotto winner who is enamored of the Constitution more than he is of being able to go to Las Vegas in his new Ferrari every week?) My latest call for freedom fighter magazines to smuggle later this year into Connecticut and New York has yielded exactly four AR mags and ten AK mags. (And God bless the two men who did that.)
Highs: Within the past week, one of those men passed through town and donated, not only the mags, but brass, miscellaneous items and ammunition that I have already distributed to newbies (and the owner of that M1917 Smith and Wesson revolver thanks you profusely for the .45 Colt Auto Rim ammunition) as well as a stunningly generous donation to the cause. It is humbling in the extreme. Another high: Good men and women behind enemy lines continue to risk all, even though new states are seemingly added to the list every week. Where do we get such brave folks? Will they be enough? How do I keep from letting them down? These are questions always in the forefront of my mind.
Well, one way is to keep at it. I chanced upon that C-SPAN show the other morning and my phoned in question has, according to sources, hit a nerve with certain members of the administration. By phrasing the question the way I did ("the growing suspicion that the National Command Authority is in the hands of the domestic enemies of the Constitution"), I put COL Petkosek on the spot. The predicate to the question went unchallenged by him and he answered the question in a direct and straightforward manner. This, according to the fears of some familiar with the Army and the Pentagon, may have jeopardized his career (and he is viewed by my sources as someone who is extremely competent, conscientious and fast-tracked for stars -- at least he was before my question).
Was this my intention? No. But it is a natural consequence of putting the subversive question out there in a national media venue (even one as ill-watched as C-SPAN) when Obama and his coterie are in fact domestic enemies of the Constitution. They don't like seeing their own ugly faces in the mirror. The question of what form, if any, the retaliation by the White House and their lapdogs in the E-Ring of the Pentagon will take is up for discussion and debate among my sources, with some doubting they will dare to come down on COL Petkosek (as he has accumulated many friends and mentors during his career) and others certain of it (because they don't give the traitorous dogs in control much credit for smarts). For our purposes it was still a win-win, even if it unintentionally causes COL Petkosek career difficulties. Said one, "You are wicked devilish, Vanderboegh, to think up a subversive question like that on the fly. . . The Empire does not like someone introducing doubt into the minds of people it views as its lackey stormtroopers."
Okay, so that was a win, costing nothing to execute. Except, perhaps, COL Petkosek's career. Yet if he's the stand-up guy my sources say he is, I harmed a good man. Was it a win or a loss? In any case, it is not without cost to my conscience.
So, I keep on keeping on, not knowing anything else to do (although Rosey would prefer that we see to the ramshackle house and the jungle-like backyard once in a while). God bless you all for your continued support. I only hope I am equal to your sacrifices.

22 comments:

Storm'n Norm'n said...

OK, I read it once... What's your overall point? Seems you want to say something more but are shy in coming out with it? Am I right?

Ominous Cowherd said...

On the Colonel: he will eventually have to decide between his career and his country. You only affected the timing, not the decision.

Dutchman6 said...

You know, I read your comment and got the first true belly laugh I've had in a while. Thanks for that. I'm reminded of the old codger I met one day in the doctor's office waiting room and when the ad came on TV with the disclaimer, "Call your doctor if you experience an erection lasting more than four hours." He exclaimed, "Call my doctor, hell. I'm calling every woman I know!" That's what HE wanted.

What do I want? I'm tired. I want some sleep. I want to be able to eat without pain. I want to mow my lawn all in one try and not have to space it out over a week. I want a planeload of Agent Orange to be dumped on my backyard so I can reclaim it from the jungle. I want my roof and foundation to quit leaking. I want to be able to violate the ironclad observation I first heard from my Grandpa Vanderboegh that you can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which fills up first. I also want our side to win and I want to make sure that I do my best to achieve that goal. I want some of you folks to do more than you're doing without reference to what I want. There's plenty to do out there that has nothing to do with me. In fact hardly any of it has to do with me. What do I want? I want to be a part of saving the Republic and at the same time I want to be able to discern God's will, do my best to carry it out and to face Him with a clear conscience when the time comes. What do I want? Now THAT'S funny right there. Thanks.

Stones said...

Sometimes we need a bit of badgering. Thanks for putting it lightly Mike, some of us got it.

Next time I am across the line I will put a few mags in the mail for you. Hey, they just might come back to me some day in Jersey.

Anonymous said...

Mike, your conscience should be clear about the Colonel. If he is the man that his friends claim he is, he never was going to be promoted again any way, and it's a miracle that he made O-6. These days most intelligent officers with integrity don't make O-5.

Regards,

Squid
III

Nothing4Names said...

I relate to your comments about the body giving out and being dispirited by a perceived lack of interest or even animosity by those whose liberties I defend (in print and argument). I too am facing the 'analscope' "next Monday" (Isn't that strange? You and me too!) I am also facing the 'tummyscope' (upper GI endoscopy). I too am depressed by the seeming hopelessness of the task. I fear that we (U.S. taxpayers) have created a monster which seeks to devour us (Remember the 1968 hit of the same name by the rock band Steppenwolf? Whoever wrote that song was WAY ahead of his or her time! Funny how, as I recall, it was a big hit; I think it even got some airplay on our local AM rocker; but I haven't heard it on AM or FM in DECADES! Hmmmm . . .) I think we are entering a point at which we have to be, to quote Jesus, " . . as innocent as doves but as wise as foxes." We should more-or-less give up on the sheeple and consider and pursue some alternate means of recruiting, persuasion and perhaps even the gathering of resources. Resources would include things such as gun parts, ammo, food, fuel; yes, money, if possible; manufacturing capability, and the seemingly-few "like-minded individuals".

Anonymous said...

In the old Sci-Fi TV series, "Babylon 5", the Centauri Ambassidor Londo Mollari is asked by a Shadow agent, "What do you want?"

Mollari answers, "What do I want? What do I want? I want everthing to be the way it was!"

Many years later in "Game of Thrones" he got his answer from Cersei Lannister, "No one gets what they want!"

Anonymous said...

I think most of us want pretty much the same thing Mike...except i have two commercial grade mowers to beat the jungle back...LOL

Anonymous said...

I don't know about everyone else who comes here to read but to me you are the face of the resistance. Or maybe the voice of the resistance is a better way to put it. I pray for you & Rosey when I think of you.

I've gotten to be very discouraged lately. We are being hit on so many sides & it seems they just won't quit. I have reverted back to doing what I can where I can in my own life & the lives of those that I love. The enemy seems to be everywhere & it boggles my mind to think about battling on that scale.

Also, at this point, it seems to be "not time to shoot the bastards". It gets wearisome waiting till it is that time.

I hope that we can all get past this malaise & get back to doing the things that need doing.

EOGuy said...

Must be something in the Air. I am scheduled for the Pre-AnalScope consult next Monday. We have all reached a point where we evaluate what we are doing and ask ourselves if it makes a difference. In your case I would request that you keep on doing what you are doing because it does make a difference. Thank you for everything you do.

Dutchman6 said...

A reader sens an email of encouragement including these two Bible verses: Isaiah 41:10 --

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

And Isaiah 21:6 --

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Thanks, sir. I needed the reminder.

Anonymous said...

As an outside observer I offer the following: the marijuana legalization effort went nowhere for decades in part because the legalize effort was fractured, embattled from within and lacked a coherent strategy that included those who would ordinarily fight them like law enforcement. As I see it, the second amendment folks suffer from the same problems. You tear into each other much like the republican party and there is a distracting infighting as you all struggle to be 'more patriotic' than each other. Once you stop fighting internally, maybe you can present a unified voice that isn't so easily dismissed.

Language is also super important. From my vantage point, your movement suffers from a lack of consistent, palpable message. When you talk about throwing bricks through windows, fighting to the death and killing people who disagree with you, you turn people off. Maybe it shouldn't be important but it is. If your language allows the mainstream to easily label you as paranoid conspiracy theorists, you'll get nowhere.

Finally, pick something to go after. If you want to highlight 2nd amendment rights, do that. When you try to mix that with a mish-mash of other anti "the man" theories, you throw out the baby with the bathwater as it were. Instead of having a unified message, you end up with a shotgun spray of various issues that ends up making people think of Mel Gibson's character in Conspiracy Theory.

Look, I don't agree with your take on the second amendment or the use of such needlessly violent rhetoric but I don't worry about it gaining traction so I focus on other issues. That's also part of the problem, if you had a cogent, unified issue then the 'mainstream' would take you more seriously which is free press, right? Instead, you are waived off as anti-gubment wierdos. Nothing more damaging that dismissiveness.

That, however, is just my thinking.

Anonymous said...

"Someone will say: And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong — acting the part of a good man or a bad."

You are a good man MV and you have done many good deeds!

IMHO as long as there is breath departing your lips there will be good coming from you and even when that is no longer; your past words & deeds will be a path followed by many to a place of freedom & liberty!

Anonymous said...

Mike, remember the founders wisdom.
They planned no standing army- though set up a standing Navy. Thusly, they placed a true check - for balance. Civilian control of that military (navy and more).

My boy heads off to the Air Force in just weeks.
Not a day goes by that I don't remind him WHAT and WHOM he goes to serve! Not any commander in chief - not any administration and certainly not mindless drone factors. He has been taught the purpose of our military - the reason it exists- it to defend our Constitution from ALL enemies.

Your question to that man can ONLY bring him harm if he is not in the military to defend our Constitution. That's HIS CHOICE! You can bear no responsibility for his choice. You are absolved! Lolz. See what I did there?!

As for the ebb and flow - times are tough and more are struck financially. It's a tough time of year in a tough year. But you've just put forth a question that we ALL must press.

No not to the Cspan crowd.

Where is our Gates? Our Bloomberg?
Where is our billionaire benefactor?

When that's answered we will finally realize our ends. Until then we have two choice before us.
We can keep fighting however possible OR we can quit.

Well I'm not quitting. And I know you aren't quitting.
So do this.

Take a break. Crack open a ensure. Accept that Father Time has decided you only get to mow in sections and that we all face a black dog and feelings of inadequacy from time to time. But most of all remember this - we only lose if we give up - rights cannot truly be snatched away.....they are instead conceded.

I shall not concede.

Now let me hear you say that. And then let me hear you say that yer gonna take something of a vacation. Take rosey out for a nice country picnic - tell her thanks for putting up with you. And remember, it's not about the eating - it's about the setting!

Lisa said...

Michael,

When I'm feeling deflated, I find the following Scriptures help:

Psalm 7:1
"O Lord my God, in thee I put my trust: save me from all that persecute me, and deliver me,"

and

Psalm 24:3
"Yea, though I should walk through the valley of the [a]shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."

After reading your article citing a poem ("On Down the Road") from the 1921 book of poetry, IT CAN BE DONE: POEMS OF INSPIRATION, I decided to purchase an old copy of the book from eBay. There are several wonderful poems in the book. One of my favorites, which causes me to cry when I read it, is "The Fighter" by S.E. Kiser. The poem follows:

THE FIGHTER

I fight a battle every day
Against discouragement and fear;
Some foe stands always in my way,
The path ahead is never clear!
I must forever be on guard
Against the doubts that skulk along;
I get ahead by fighting hard,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong.

I hear the croakings of Despair,
The dark predictions of the weak;
I find myself pursued by Care,
No matter what the end I seek;
My victories are small and few,
It matters not how hard I strive;
Each day the fight begins anew,
But fighting keeps my hopes alive.

My dreams are spoiled by circumstance,
My plans are wrecked by Fate or Luck;
Some hour, perhaps, will bring my chance,
But that great hour has never struck;
My progress has been slow and hard,
I've had to climb and crawl and swim,
Fighting for every stubborn yard,
But I have kept in fighting trim.

I have to fight my doubts away,
And be on guard against my fears;
The feeble croaking of Dismay
Has been familiar through the years;
My dearest plans keep going wrong,
Events combine to thwart my will,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong,
And I am undefeated still!



You're in my thoughts and prayers, Michael.

I love you.

Thank you,

Lisa

THEBigFatPanda said...

A reader sens an email of encouragement including these two Bible verses: Isaiah 41:10 --

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

And Isaiah 21:6 --

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Thanks, sir. I needed the reminder.

Another reminder: Matthew 24:1-18 "Wars, rumors of wars, ect." Bottom line Mike, this place is NOT our home.
Yes, America was raised up for a purpose but because we have turned away from the God of the above verses, I firmly believe He has removed His hand of protection from this nation. Call me a fatalist if you choose, but Scripture is clear; you piss in Gods eye and trash His Word at your peril.
May I humbly suggest people read Jonathan Cahn's book The Harbinger. It spells out in a fictional format the very real situation we find ourselves in.

Tom Baugh said...

Re: the colonel.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I am certain that he would lay down his life for his countrymen. He should be equally willing to lay down his job for the same (apologies to Jeff Baxter for the paraphrasing).

I was, and did, so I get to expect nothing less from him or anyone else in his position, which is, after all, voluntary. Colonels worried about their careers and pensions are a favorite topic of mine, as you know.

In a sense, he opened and held open an avenue of approach, and you went through it to the objective. His sacrifice to obtain that valuable objective may have cost him a pension or stars, but many more have paid a higher price for less.

Your conscience should be clear here.

Tom

I guess another Watchman said...

This is the same reply as anonymous above:
"I don't know about everyone else who comes here to read but to me you are the face of the resistance. Or maybe the voice of the resistance is a better way to put it. I pray for you & Rosey when I think of you.

I've gotten to be very discouraged lately. We are being hit on so many sides & it seems they just won't quit. I have reverted back to doing what I can where I can in my own life & the lives of those that I love. The enemy seems to be everywhere & it boggles my mind to think about battling on that scale.

Also, at this point, it seems to be "not time to shoot the bastards". It gets wearisome waiting till it is that time."
said it much better than I. I cannot do much more than little things in my little arena. Just waiting to see if the shootin starts.

prambo said...

Some good comments about the present situation which, I believe, is dire, at the least.

But as I get older I'm just plain running out of gas. Started my journey to disliking statists at age 12 when I read a 5th Army document on the opening of Dachau my Father brought back from WWI. Followed that up with Schirer's "Rise and Fall of the 3rd Reich", and a life long quest for information, knowledge, and understanding was born. It still continues.

In college, and after, I became a reasonable intense shade of pink, even though I believed in the 2nd Amendment and BOR full on. It's what would save the US from the "Nazis", like Nixon - I was "that liberal with the guns". After Kent State I loaded a crap-ton of ammo on a Herter's "O" press for my hand-build 1903 Springfield. Then I went into the USAF and, for a TDY, Vietnam, Republic of. That gun is long gone to a good friend - a US Army LTC.

I came around to a more "anarcho-conservative-libertarian-Rastafarian" point of view in '95, after returning from East Africa, where I saw first hand what happens to a diasarmed populace at the hands of statists, or at least in that case, vicious kleptocrats.

Now, after 20 years of ampimg up my concern about the direction of this country, I am just tired - bloody, bone tired. I've not fought as remotely hard as you Mike - I honestly don't know where your get the strength. Physical problems dull and drain the mind and soul.

If you check as many sources of "news" as I do - and you probably check many more - my "feeling" (I know - "touchy-feely") can only be described by quoting "Chesty" Puller -

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time."

Anonymous said...

Ask, and ye shall receive. I just sent in my subscription fee. I'll try to get some mags your way in the next few weeks. Thanks for the reminder!

Oh, the joys of the AnalScope 5000. I also have health issues which have led to my having a number of colonoscopies (one without anesthesia - not fun) and of course the mandatory prostrate check for us not-so-young guys. Nobody bought me a drink or told me I had pretty eyes, but I did get several operations.

Hang in there, Mike. Everything that has happened to you has happened to someone else, but they had it worse.

You are needed, and your work is appreciated. Probably not appreciated as much as it should be, but this is the way of the world.

You know that you are doing the right thing. This is all that matters.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 11:32

Except, of course, for the minor details of Mike's side winning. The polls have done a 180 since the 90s, and now people who favor more gun control are in the minority. That is a pretty remarkable shift considering that unlike the gay rights movement, this is facing an extremely hostile media. Even the media, and especially politicians and gun control groups, have had to shift from denying a 2nd amendment right even exists and calling for banning all pistols or even all firearms just 15 or 20 years ago to now having to pretend to support the 2nd amendment - and only wanting "minor" things like background checks.

In 1994 a massive gun control bill that banned rifles passed the house and senate - in 2013 even a Dem controlled senate could only garner 40 total votes to ban rifles. This reflects the massive shift that Gallup and Pew have documented - pro gun views are the majority. While a few states have passed new gun laws, the vast majority are loosening the laws. Not to mention the massive non-compliance and nullification of the new state laws by sheriffs and citizens alike.

You must not be paying close attention to this issue if you feel that the pro gun people are losing this battle. People like mike are on the forefront of turning the Titanic around and have totally changed the culture and politics surrounding firearms in the last two decades.

The AR was once demonized - it is now mainstream and America's best selling rifle. This seems to be the one and only cultural issue that the left has been losing on, and it drives people like Bloomberg crazy that unemployed plumbers can defeat his billions among the people.

That is directly thanks to the people like Codrea and Mike - and they can never be given enough credit or thanks.

Anonymous said...

Just ordered you ten D&H thirty round AR mags from bravocompanyusa.com. They come with the magpul followers and are brand new, so these are very much duty grade mags.

I am not saying this to get credit, but could you let me know when they get there? I want to make sure the post office doesn't stop the order or there are any other problems with shipping directly to you from Internet mag companies.

Your sacrifices have not been in vain, and there are many of us who wish we could do even more.