Today is Day 312 of the First Ohio Shutdown and Day 72 of Ohio’s 21-day WuFlu Curfew.
Beginning last night, Bedtime for Buckeyes was an hour later, at 11pm. Woo-freakin’-hoo.
Deb and I are gettin’ along great.
Looking at my WordPress stats, it seems that we have a whole big bunch of new readers on Ubi Libertas. To friends as well as strangers, I offer a heartfelt welcome. The former group knows what they’re in for here, while the latter might benefit from a brief primer.
As the blog’s title suggests, ’round here we value Liberty above all — individual Liberty. We’re true Americans who cherish Founding Principles. If you’re lookin’ for a safe space, this sure ain’t it.
I’m inarguably sane, disturbingly rational and annoyingly disciplined (and I have references for all three). I’m neither rash nor reactive. I acknowledge differences and I honor the practice of peaceable passage. That said, don’t screw with me, don’t screw with my family, don’t screw with my tribe and don’t screw with the country I love.
I don’t write checks I can’t cash — that is, I don’t say or do stuff I can’t back up. While I’m not an authority on everything, I do my homework. I’m blessed with a photographic and audiographic memory, which helps.
Still, I archive my work — I save everything I publish, words and images, and there’s more where that came from. That came in handy as recently as yesterday. So if something happens to Ubi Libertas or any other of my presences, the work survives.
America is exceptional. Liberty is supreme. The individual is sovereign. Government is a necessary evil, and the smaller it is the better. Mindset matters and preparation is essential. There are only two genders. Abortion is murder. Reason rules. Achievement trumps identity. Taxation is theft. Rush Limbaugh richly deserved the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Other of my personal tenets and opinions are revealed in my posts.
I hope that you find what you read here to be worth your time.
The sheer volume of executive orders issued by Daffy McHairsniffer in his first week has caused heartburn on the Right, as it should (not just among conservatives, but whatever). Apparently he’s set a record for week-one executive actions, which now exceed 40.
So far he’s acted within the bounds of lawful authority. Most of what he’s signed is symbolic, or merely directive, and will have neither direct nor immediate impact on most Americans. While the substance of these orders is troubling, to say the least, issuing decrees is just a perk of being declared the winner of an election.
These are the “consequences” we’ve heard so much about. And the Left is taking full advantage.
Lots of folks (including me) are generally cranky about presidents handing down royal decrees in the first place, pointing out that Daffy is following in the autocratic footsteps of POTUS #44. They often forget, or conveniently ignore, the president who over his time in office took executive action at a faster rate than anyone since Carter.
That’d be Trump, by the way. So settle down, know your history and, dammit, focus on the issues.
Our never-ending task of choosing, sorting and packing gear for the motorhome continues, and we rather enjoy the process. It’s a chance to be thoughtful, to deliberate, to make good choices. As we do all that, we get to handle and evaluate useful objects, however ordinary.
An old cast-iron skillet. A hand-carved wooden spoon. And hand tools, of course, including knives.
I’ve mentioned and incorporated images of knives in a number of my recent posts because they’ve been on my mind lately. For example, while Deb and I were driving around the other day we stopped by a military-surplus store in a neighboring town, just because, and my eyes fell on a pocketknife in one of the showcases.
It was a classic — a two-blade trapper pattern made by Queen Cutlery. I love Queen slipjoints, and I lingered over the knife for a minute before moving on, leaving without it.
Then yesterday I inadvertently caught up on news that Queen Cutlery had ceased production three years ago this month. Cash-flow problems brought an end to 90 years of these wonderful, made-in-USA pocketknives.
I told Deb. We went back to the surplus store yesterday. That knife was still in the case.
I bought it and brought it home.
Specifically, it’s a Queen #19 Heavy-Duty Trapper handled in Delrin (faux) stag. The tang stamp testifies that it was made in 1980. No box with it, but it’s clear that it never was carried.
I dropped some light oil on the pivot and backsprings and briefly worked the blades. The old trapper rewarded me with like-new smoothness and snap. Very satisfying.
I added it to my kit for the bus. This 41-year-old pocketknife has work to do.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
(Header image: I still have the first pocketknives I ever owned. That’s my 1964 Camillus official Cub Scout knife in the foreground, my 1968 Ulster official Boy Scout knife behind it. In this photo they’re resting on page 67 of my original BSA Fieldbook, 1967 edition.)