A consservative point of view

I started this over at Althouse, and decide it needs to be expanded....feel free to join in.

Not in any order:

A conservative knows that a cut in spending is NOT a reduction in the rate of increase.
A conservative knows that the answer to the housing fiasco is not more regulation.
A conservative knows that while you might not like what the other guy is saying, he has a right to say it.
A conservative knows that you're right to free speech doesn't extend to private events.
A conservative knows that a gun can never act on its own.
A conservative knows that you can make a country strong as a melting pot, but not as a Balkanized state.
A conservative knows that it's what a man does, not the color of his skin, that makes him a man.
 A conservative knows that you rely on your family first, not the government.
A conservative knows that marriage is between a man and a woman, anything else is just sex.
A conservative knows that it is not racist to request a photo ID to vote.
A conservative knows that the government rarely is there to help you.
A conservative knows that Obamacare is just a power grab.
A conservative knows that criminals cannot be cured.
A conservative knows that the teachers union leadership doesn't care about the children.
 A conservative knows that liberals can't or won't admit when their wrong.
A conservative knows that freedom is more important than security.
A conservative knows that communism will never work.
A conservative knows that AGW is a scam.

I am sure there are more that I missed...

Preparedness

I've been working on my bug out bag for several months now, and I have some ideas I'd like to share.

I like the idea of redundancy for emergency situations.  I, and the members of my group, all share the same caliber weapons.  I am letting one of my group hold one of my own do accomplish this, but I'd rather we all shared the same ammunition box as long as possible.   We all have other weapons, but we each have weapons that can use each others ammo.

This obviously makes supplying easier, but also develops inter-group trust, a necessity in any mutual support situation.

I do a cowboy load out with my personal weapons though, especially in .22 caliber.  Its too handy, and ubiquitous not too.  I have a rugged .22 pistol I have modified to perform better, a 10/22, and a bolt action .22.  I have several different rounds also, sub-sonic, snake shot, and yellow jackets, for taking different game.

I not only carry matches in water proof containers, but also have magnesium and steel, and several butane lighters.  I'll likely use the butane  the most , but in some conditions, I want to be able to choose.

I have bunches of 550 cord, but I plan on adding some web strap instead of rope.  For those that don't know, strap is stronger than rope.

I have the ever present heavy duty tarp, and space blankets, but am trying to add a light weight 1 person tent.  I'll add my sleeping pad later, and I have a packers hammock.  The hammock can double as a fishnet/seine.

I carry a tomahawk, folding saw, and a machete.  If you think this is too much, you've never found yourself in a briar patch several acres, and 8 feet tall, in size.  Or tried to sharpen a piece of wood with a saw, or drive tent pegs with a rock.

Not all of my electronics run off the same batteries, but my flashlights, and radios do.

I guess I'm trying to comment on a philosophy more than anything.  We have no idea when it will happen, or what IT is, but we do know that something is going to hit the fan, and we should be prepared for massive errors because by definition no one knows what the event is going to be.  So have backups for your backups.