Episode-1714- Listener Calls for 1-21-16
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Today on The Survival Podcast I take your calls on swales, hard cider, cold weather, addiction, keeping data safe, guns, anarchism and more.
Remember to be on a show like this one just pick up your phone and call 866-65-THINK. The best way to improve your chances of being on the air is ask your question or make your point up front, then provide details.
Also please do your best to call from a quiet area with a good connection and speak up so you can be well heard.
While I can’t put all calls on the air but I do my best to get as many of them on as I can.
Join Me Today As I Respond to Your Calls and Discuss…
- How swales do or don’t fit into pasture management
- How do you know when hard cider is “done”
- Keeping your feet warm when in the outdoors
- Let’s give some support to John from WV
- Thoughts on protecting back up data and why a fire safe is not my first choice
- Why I am not a fan of some shotguns for “home defense”
- If today a college degree is worth a high school diploma in 1980 what is the diploma worth
- Can a person be a libertarian and have a “government job”
- A lesson from a singer about our lives, being heard and vicious circles
Resources for today’s show…
- Join the Members Brigade
- The Year 1714
- Join Our Forum
- Walking To Freedom
- GenForward.com
- TSP Gear
- PermaEthos.com
- Sawtooth Tactical – (sponsor of the day)
- Bulk Ammo – (sponsor of the day)
- Vicious Circles – Aaron Lewis
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.
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John, you are awesome for calling that in. Yours is a great show of courage and I will pray for you. Do what you need to do and know that you have folks here supporting you.
To John in West Virginia.
It takes a lot of personal insight to know when something like alcohol is affecting your personal liberty and the vision you have for your life. Keep up the good work moving to the life you want.
It’s hard to see this in West Virginia the large majority of people are trying to escape the reality of the state. And the condition it is in. By drinking and drugs.
It’s very hard to tell a difference in a room full of candles. Wich one is the wrong shade of red.
But you have relised that keep it up.
Jerry in West Virginia.
Hey John , hang in there , we will include you in our prayers . You can do this .
I’m a little late, but, my mom always told me better late than never.
John, you can do this. This community is behind you. Go get the help you need and come back stronger than ever. We will all be happy to hear from you when you finish the program. Please call in and let us know how it all went and how you are doing.
John, you’re doing the right thing brother. Hang in there, finish the rehab, get this thing under control, and come on back in stronger than ever. Please keep us posted, whenever or however you can. Mostly though, just get better. Thoughts and prayers man, thoughts and prayers.
John in West Virginia,
If any of us are honest with ourselves we all have done something that we are not proud of. It doesn’t mean we are bad it just means we are human. In listening to your phone call it sounded like you may be ashamed of the situation you are in. Please do not beat yourself up. We all fall. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Then hold your head high and work on becoming a better man. I will certainly be praying for you!
John,
Stay strong. Looking forward to hearing your next call.
John,
Hang in there and stay strong. Looking forward to hearing your call in the future.
brother john, all the best. you can and will do it….. step by step..ups and downs. you can get there. brother John. LOVE FROM NEW ZEALAND
This is probably a terrible place to post this as it’s the longest comment thread ever… 😉
But, on libertarians (or anarchists) working in government:
IMO there’s a real role for people that want to encourage change, to interact with, or enter governmental positions.
Here’s the differentiator: NOT with the intention of change ‘the system’ or ‘the organization’, but with the intention of influencing/changing the PEOPLE within the organization. Not with words, but with actions.
To quote St. Francis:
‘Preach the gospel, and if you must, use words.’
So what the heck am I talking about? How about if you took some home grown tomatoes or backyard eggs to your local code enforcement division. Maybe nudged them, individually, towards a little self-sufficiency. Do you think it would have an effect on the way they see, interpret, and apply, local ordinances? Do you think it would make it easier to get local ordinances passed or eliminated (maybe it’s the town counsel you target)?
What I’m suggesting is a ‘befriend and co-opt’ strategy, rather than the more common ‘shun and shame’ that most people seem to be following. ‘Shun and shame’ STRENGTHENS ‘us and them’. And the reality is, there’s just US. Everyone that works for these organizations is an American, just like you are, under and subject to the same oppression/repression you are.
You can argue that they prefer chains or whatever… but if their afraid of leaving the cage scares them, it’s not an effective strategy to throw rocks and them and call them a coward for not wanting to be free.
If you have a scared animal inside a cage, you have to sooth and bait it (little tastes of delicious freedom), until it comes out. And when it finally leaves the cage (even for a moment) you have to continue to sooth it until it learns that freedom, even if ‘less safe’ is nicer than the cage.
The only way I can think to do this is to offer different groups or systems of support. Why did that person end up in the cage in the first place? I’d posit that they wanted help, they wanted their lives to be easier, to be safer, to be part of something bigger than themselves (safety in the group).
If you’re telling them they need to leave the cage, what are you offering them to replace that which they’ve lost? Pride and vainglory in their ‘independence’ and ‘cleverness’?
*****
John fm WV
Addiction is a bitch. It’s great to hear that you’ve not only recognized there’s a problem, but that more importantly, you’re doing something about it. That takes some guts. =/ As you can tell by the hundreds of comments, there are a lot of people pulling for you. Good luck.
Just listened to the podcast. Best wishes and good luck to John. Stay strong!
Wanted to chime in on footwear if I may.
Lots of time in the North Woods–Wisconsin, Minnesota winter camping both cold camping and with heated tents. Plus some time in the fall woods deer hunting.
Jack is right on the money with the key ingredient to warm feet–keep your core warm. This is the most important thing. If your core is starting to cool down your hands and feet get cold. Period. Put on a hat. Sit on an insulated pad. Pull out a heavier coat.
One thing I would emphasize is how important it is to keep your insulation dry. Don’t sweat. If you are hiking into the deer stand in your full gear you’re going to run the risk of soaking your baselayer and you will be chilled even if it is quality wool or synthetic. Unzip at the least and maybe carry your heavy coat in a day pack to put on when you stop. Sweat is your enemy if you are trying to stay warm.
For feet the key is to keep your circulation good and your insulation dry. There are times when it makes sense to use a pack boot like a Sorel or even LL Bean boots. And there are times when it makes sense to use a Gore-Tex upland style boot. An earlier poster mentioned mukluks–for deep cold and dry nothing is better.
The GI Mickey Mouse and Bunny boots are still issued as part of the cold weather uniform. Benefit to these boots is that you can completely immerse them in water, pull them off, change socks and keep going with warm feet. Guides who run sled dogs out of Ely, MN use these boots or insulated Lacrosse Burly rubber boots in early and late season when there is a risk of breaking through the ice.
Pack boots or even Tingley galoshes with pack boot liners work well when you are in the snow and wet with temperatures near freezing. Too cold for regular field boots but too wet for mukluks. You keep the insulation in the boots dry (felt liners) although you will sweat a bit. Best to pull them out to dry overnight if you can. Nice thing about the Tingley/liner combo is that this is a very inexpensive way to get functional winter footwear that is good in the snow and wet. And they are light if you are doing a backcountry trip on snowshoes.
Mukluks are the ultimate for travel when it is dry and cold. Completely breathable so there is little condensation from sweat. Very light like moccasins and flexible so you have good circulation, which helps for keeping the blood flowing to your toes. If there is snow it has to be below twenty degrees, otherwise the snow will be wet enough that it will soak the mukluks and spoil the insulation. I’ve used them in the deer woods when it was cold and dry with no snow. VERY warm feet.
Any problems with Gore-Tex field boots usually come up in the wet, either with snow or rain. Once the outer shell of the boot becomes saturated with moisture you lose more heat from conduction and evaporation (if the wind is blowing). And, when the outer layer of the boot is saturated the Gore-Tex liner can’t breathe as well, so your socks will pick up sweat so they won’t insulate as well.
Finally, a big part of keeping the heat from leaving your feet is insulation UNDER your feet if the ground is frozen or cold. If you are standing still you can stand on a piece of closed cell foam cut from a sleeping pad. This is a huge help. As is using wool felt liner footbeds inside your footwear. I’ve used these in mukluks, pack boots and cross country ski boots. If you haven’t seen them they are a 3/8 inch thick footbed made of felted wool like pack boot liners. They are “old school” but work great. Hard to find outside of farm and feed stores Up North or mail order.
Hope this information is a helpful contribution. Thanks so much for the podcast.
To John from West Virginia,
Stay strong, and just take it a day at a time. Look forward to hearing from you on TSP sometime in the near future.
John from West Virginia. Get in the program and work the steps. You have all of our support! You can do this.
I had a balloon not just sag, but literally be sucked into the bottle. Inside out, with pressure in it. I wish to heaven I had taken a picture of it before I touched it because it popped and fell into the juice. I left a question on the homebrew thread on the forum but nobody had seen it before. Thank you fellow traveler for having it happen to you too.
To John in WV- you got this.
John,
Hang in there bud. I always enjoy your calls.
Godspeed John, good on you for reaching out for support when you need it.
John,
You got this! The fact that you recognize there is a problem, puts you at an advantage. Work the program….but more importantly, use your will power. We all have it! Git-R-done bro!!!! Much love from the TSP’ers out here!
John in West Virginia,
Just want you to know there are a lot of people who care about you, who want you to beat this, who want you to be happy.
John,
Good on you for seeking the help you deserve. Stay strong brother and get well soon. We look forward to your call when you are healthy and happy again.
Godspeed,
David
Hey John,
It takes guts to admit that you have a problem and it is hard sometimes to take the initiative to fix a problem that you have. You are definitely moving in the right direction not only for yourself, but for the others that are your friends or those that depend on you. I wish you the best in your journey, and hope that you keep sight of your goal!
Hey John,
Congrats on taking the first step in dealing with your problem. Admitting that we have a problem is always tough. Be strong and know that there are lots of people who appreciate you.
Be strong brother and we all hope to hear from you soon.
Good luck John. We all struggle with things in our life. There are a ton of people in this community holding good thoughts over you and wishing you the best. You will make it thru and be a better man for it.
Bit late, but wanted to chime in and say that a hs diploma isn’t even necessary for collage. My wife and her sisters graduated university and never did more then 2yrs of hs. You just need to go to community college and then transfer to university.
John, you have taken the hardest step, and that’s the first one! Sometime the strongest thing a man can do is admit that he needs help from time to time. Glad to hear you are getting help. Look forward to hearing questions from you again soon!
God Bless!
John,
My 30 yr old daughter is an alcaholic, and in a week we will
be celebrating her 2 years of sobriety.
The program works if you work it, and I’m real proud of her.
Hope it works for you too, and want to hear you back on TSP
in future. You’re a fixture here and always enjoy your call in.
Very best wishes for you man, and God bless!
Paul, in Ohio
John in WV. This old hill billy, from North Carolina mtns, realized that I had both a drug addiction and alcohol addiction when I was 24 years old. My first child was born then, and I didn’t want him to have a drunk for a dad as I had as a child. I’m now 61 years old with 4 grown kids and grand kids. They have never seen me drunk or loaded. I have been clean and sober for 36 years. I did it one day at a time. It is the third smartest thing I have ever done, with the first being coming to the conclusion that there is a God, and I should act and live accordingly, the second was in choosing the right girl to marry. The hardest part is realizing and admitting that there is a problem. You are right in thinking that you can not be a true survivalist and an addict. I wish you all the best and will pray for you.
Glad to hear from you John and things are going well. Stay strong.
To John of WV,
Hopefully you are on your journey to recovery now. My mom is 35 years in, and it is still “One Day at a Time.” We are all pulling for you sir! Thank you for your contributions. You matter.
Vae Victus in TN
To John from WV,
Just by speaking out to our community of your issue, I can tell you are already taking a huge step to improve your life. Be strong brother we are all standing with you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
To: John from West Virginia
Sorry for the delay. I’m just getting caught up on podcasts and heard your message on TSP.
Hang in there, your not alone.
Wishing you recovery and a path to happiness.