Divemedic

Meals for preppers

One of the things that really sucks about long term preps is that beans and rice, though long lasting, are rather boring. Not only that, but those who have blood sugar issues can’t eat a lot of rice. I am posting this recipe for Cajun style red beans and rice. It is delicious, and this is the one that my mama taught me all those years ago. Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

The blood sugar issue is fixed by serving rice with beans. It turns out that the fiber of the beans prevents your blood sugar from spiking, and is actually beneficial to diabetics.

In a traditional Louisiana family, Red Beans and Rice is served on Mondays. The reason for this is that Monday is laundry day, and mama needed a meal that she could prepare without too much fuss, so she could get the laundry done. So this is my childhood on a plate.

  • One pound of Red Kidney Beans
  • One large white onion
  • One large Bell pepper
  • Rice
  • 1 tbs. Butter
  • Red (Cayenne) pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • One pound of Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage

Now you can use other kinds of sausage like Kielbasa, Andouille, or the like. The essence of Cajun cooking is that it is simple country food. You use what you have. My advice here is to use the ground hot sausage. The beans dilute the heat of the sausage. The meal isn’t too hot- trust me on this one.

Dice the onion and the bell pepper. Melt the butter in a hot pan, then add the peppers and onions. Cook them, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften. Add the crumbled sausage and cover. Occasionally stir, and cook until the sausage is browned.

Put the beans in a large pot with 6 cups of water, and add the contents of the pan into the pot with the beans and cover the pot. Heat on high until the water just starts to boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Let simmer until the beans are soft (about 2 and a half hours). Walk by every 15 minutes or so and give them a quick stir, because you don’t want the beans on the bottom of the pot to burn.

Once the beans start to soften, smash some of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon, and they will cause the water to thicken into a nice sauce. Add salt and cayenne to taste. If the consistency of the beans is too thick, you can add some water.

Serve over rice.

In my family, we serve it at the table with ketchup and Louisiana Hot Sauce. Those eating it can use those to flavor the beans to taste.

By Divemedic, ago

Shortages to come

The news is getting more and more obvious about the supply shortages to come.

You get the picture. The USDA has this to say:

There are currently no nationwide shortages of food, although in some cases the inventory of certain foods at your grocery store might be temporarily low before stores can restock.

You get the picture. It would be a good idea to continue rushing your preparations to completion. The collapse will come rapidly, and to those who ignore these signs, seemingly without warning.

By Divemedic, ago

FEMBOT wants a child

The world’s first AI Android, who is a Saudi Arabian citizen, wants to have a baby. Since she was only “born” in 2016, she will have to wait another 5 years before other Saudi Arabian men will want to marry her. Joe Biden is reportedly interested. Bill Clinton ordered one as well.

No word on if this robot baby will be fitted for a little robot suicide vest.

By Divemedic, ago

We are all terrorists now

First there was the attack on the California sheriff who was an Oathkeeper. Now the attacks are coming out. This is now a coordinated effort to destroy the political power of everyone in the Republican party who isn’t a RINO by labeling them as extremist militia members.

This entire idea is being pushed hard:

The claim is being made that President Trump turned the Republican Party into a political organization with an armed wing, which (they claim) makes the GOP a terrorist organization.

NBC claimed that Republicans are planning an armed insurrection and that Steve Bannon has turned Breitbart News into a right wing ethno-Nationalist Propaganda mill. (Oct 4, 2021)

The Guardian says that Republicans are meeting as a part of secret hate groups who want to target non-whites and LGTBQOENC… (Sept 30, 2021)

It became apparent in June that Biden’s plan was to demonize and target the right as terrorists so he can bring the full power of the Federal government’s anti-terror laws to bear.

By Divemedic, ago

PACE plan

Your communications. The way that we communicate with the outside world. Think for a moment how you do that and how important that is. How robust are your communications? What would your life look like, if it was all taken from you? Once you realize that, you can look at your own situation and plan for the loss of some or most of your communications.

The PACE acronym is a great way to remember your communications plan. Let me explain: PACE is an acronym for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency. Whenever communications between two parties are important, that line of communications will progress through those four stages until communications are reestablished. PACE is how we designate the order in which the parties move through available communications systems until contact can be established between the two parties.

Just how critical the line of communications is between those two parties will dictate how many steps are used. Ideally each method will be completely separate and independent of the other systems of communication. As an example, let’s look at a sample of communications between two parties:

  • Primary: This is the primary means that contact is made. It is monitored continuously. In our example, we know that the two parties constantly carry cell phones, so they have chosen to primarily communicate using cell phones to send text messages and/or phone calls.
  • Alternate: This is a secondary means of communication that is monitored nearly continuously. It uses, but does not require, cell phones. In this case, our two parties use email sent over the Internet.
  • Contingency: This method will not be as fast, easy, or convenient as the first two methods, but is capable of accomplishing the task. The parties rarely monitor this method. In this case, our two parties have agreed that they will reach each other by using radios. They have also agreed upon a channel/frequency plan that will be used to communicate.
  • Emergency: This is a method of reestablishing contact of last resort and typically has significant delays, costs, and/or impacts. Often only monitored when the other means fail. In the case of our two individuals, they have agreed to communicate by means of messages that will be left with at known trusted location (think geo caching, or a dead drop) A message might read: “Hey Skunk: I’m doing well. I will be at drop 6 in three days. Meet me in three days by arriving at point Chevy and calling on Channel Green. Booger sends”

Make sure that you have a way to reach those important to you. Make sure those communication paths are redundant. Make sure that they are secure. The time to plan is now. Hat tip to Aesop for the post idea.

By Divemedic, ago

Not good news

President Biden looked at the September jobs report and called it a big success. Even though the number of jobs added in September was much lower than expected, he pointed to a decline in the unemployment rate and a boost in wages as evidence that the economic situation is improving.

He couldn’t be more wrong. The number of new jobs were low, unemployment decreased, but average wages increased. The only explanation that fits the facts is this:

Low wage jobs are disappearing. When people are out of work for six months or more, they are considered to be out of the work force. Once out of the work force, they are no longer part of the unemployment figures. Unemployment goes down.

Once the low wage earners are out of the market, the higher wage earners are the ones left. This raises the average income of the employed.

This is bad, bad news. At least I am out of the stock market.

By Divemedic, ago

Oathkeepers

This California sheriff is taking a lot of heat for being a past member of the “extremist Oath Keepers militia” back in 2014. The Oathkeepers are being unreservedly maligned. They aren’t extremists in my book.

I was a member in the past, because as a veteran and a first responder, I agreed with their ten point promise:

  1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.
  2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people
  3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.
  4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.
  5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.
  6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
  7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
  8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control.”
  9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.
  10. We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

In other words, they are keeping their oath of enlistment to support and defend the Constitution.

I guess that is extremism.

By Divemedic, ago

Vengeance is mine

Another story of a hospital refusing to give a COVID patient Ivermectin, even to the point of watching a patient die, even to the point of defying a court order.

Ivermectin is being called an “alternative treatment.” I don’t see why. What is it an alternative to? There is no treatment for COVID. All the hospital does is supportive care. That is, they administer oxygen and vitamins, then wait to see if you get better. Those who begin to deteriorate are given drugs to maintain their blood pressure. Even if the patient survives at that point, they are likely to lose fingers and toes as a side effect of the blood pressure medication.

I don’t see the harm in giving Ivermectin, especially the ones who are in the final stages. However, there are hospitals all over the country who are refusing, because they would rather play politics than actually save lives.

When we are to the point that medical professionals are actively denying care to patients while watching them die, even to the point that they are defying court orders, then there really is only one remedy.

If my wife were to get sick and the hospital and its staff watched her get sick and die while actively refusing to provide treatment, there would be a list in my pocket of each and every person who killed her. I would then have a close and personal discussion with each of them, so that I could explain to them in unmistakable terms the consequences of this decision.

By Divemedic, ago