Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Susanne Posel, Contributor
Activist Post

Major General Jerry Curry, who is a decorated combat veteran, Army Aviator, paratrooper and Ranger, hasasked the question: “Who does the government intend to shoot?” In an op-ed piece, Curry brings up the strange purchases of hollow point bullets the Department of Homeland security has made recently. Through other federal agencies like the Social Security Office (SSO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the DHS has ordered several thousand hollow point bullets as well.

Curry states:

No one has yet said what the purpose of these purchases is, though we are led to believe that they will be used only in an emergency to counteract and control civil unrest. Those against whom the hollow point bullets are to be used — those causing the civil unrest — must be American citizens; since the SSA has never been used overseas to help foreign countries maintain control of their citizens.

The Geneva Convention outlaws hollow point bullets on the battle field because of their deadly nature. Curry asks if DHS intends to shoot the “nation’s military and replace them with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) special security forces, forces loyal to the Administration, not to the Constitution?”

Is the DHS arming a private army with hollow point bullets with the intent to shoot at US Armed Forces, US veterans and civilians?

The DHS put out a solicitation to manufacturers for 63,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W jacketed hollow point bullets. By August 20th, the DHS has requested 357 mag rounds that are able to pierce through walls.

The Social Security Office has also made a solicitation for 174,000 rounds of .357 hollow point bullets.

A past solicitation includes government contracts for every type of weapon of all calibers and by the thousands. From training rounds to armory meant to devastate the human body, the DHS is preparing to win an anticipated civil disturbance.

In May of this year, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)requested from Congress through a new authorization act to allow US armed forces to be used against American citizens as a new response team for domestic disturbances.

According to Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of Air Force Reserve and AFRC commander:

Mobilizing needed reservists will help sustain their support for longer periods and make operations more efficient. We mobilize reservists to handle contingencies overseas, so it makes sense that we do that to take care of our own country.

At the New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (GCT), Airman First Class Peter Grajewski, a member of the Joint Task Force Empire Shield, is stationed at GCT to conduct security operations in NYC in an effort of “deter and prevent terrorist acts.”

Army Lt. Col. Peter Riley, the task force’s commander, explains:

We are a full-time, state active-duty force of 280 New Yorkers. [This force] was formed on 9/11 and has been here since. “New York, historically, has been a city greatly targeted by terrorists. Empire Shield is designed to show the bad guys that we’re here and hopefully make them think twice about trying any sort of terrorist attack.

Airmen and Soldiers of JTF Empire Shield work with the NYPD, Amtrak police, MTA police and the US coast Guard to ensure military-style safety of civilians. Although they are not responsible for making arrests, they are legally allowed to detain civilians at their discretion and use force if they deem necessary.

The DHS and FBI are warning about a possible false flag attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and “anarchists”.

While the DHS solicits for 700 pounds of High Density Ammonium Nitrate and 700 pounds of A-5 Flake RDX, which is the exact ingredients needed to manufacture an improvised explosive device (IEDs), the Pentagon is coming before Congress to demand that Posse Comitatis be “relaxed” so that military troops can freely patrol American streets looking for the home-grown terrorists.

The FBI asserts that according to their intelligence, unidentified persons have “planned to travel to Tampa and attempt to close” Tampa Bay area bridges during the Republican National Convention (RNC). The FBI states these extremists will engage “in potentially destructive criminal activities against critical infrastructure outside the security perimeter throughout the Tampa Bay region because they expected access to the main RNC venue to be tightly controlled.”

These extremists are being described as “white supremacists” that are purchasing materials to build IEDs, are training with firearms to enact violence against “groups they oppose.”

In 2009, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis published a report entitled Rightwing Extremism, wherein domestic extremists, particularly white supremacists, were proposed to be the newest and most dangerous threat to the US since al-Qaeda.

While admitting that they had no definitive proof that “domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, [however] rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.”

The DHS wanted to instill the idea that veterans were being recruited to become “right-wing extremists” upon returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Janet Napolitano intimated that military veterans could become instruments of domestic terror. When Napolitano’s comments were met with public distain, the DHS amended their assertion that extremist groups were highly-marked; but rather it was a lone wolf type that would carry out the biggest act of domestic terrorism.

The group Reaching Critical Will (RCW) is planning to hold a conference in New York City between August 27th to September of this year to discuss the “UN Program of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects” and will meet at the United Nations Headquarters.

The RCW are dedicated to working with the UN on disarmament and coercion of sovereign nations to participate with the UN in removing the rights of citizens to have the right to own a gun.

The RCW conference is meant to be a review of the UN Arms Trade Treaty conference that was recently held in NYC at the UN headquarters. The UN’s Programme of Action (PoA), which is the initial effort to disarm all citizens of all nations will be discussed and reaffirmed. In a scheme to devise a way of convincing countries to outlaw rights to firearms to citizens, only the governmental armed forces would have access to guns.

By using “incentives and sanctions” along with business and civil society, governments must recover stocks of firearms held by the population and dispose of them definitively, preferably through destruction.

Back in July, the UN held a conference in NY at the UN headquarters to discuss the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) wherein they have decided they will meet to create an “elaborate…legally binding instrument on the highest possible common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms.”

The ATT will empower the UN to literally force the US government to:

• Enact internationally agreed licensing requirements for Americans
• Confiscate and destroy unauthorized firearms of Americans while allowing the US government to keep theirs
• Ban trade, sale and private ownership of semi-automatic guns
• Create and mandate an international registry to organize an encompassing gun confiscation in America

We are seeing military “training” on our streets, the mainstream media demonizing US veterans, DHS purchasing hundreds of thousands of hollow point bullets and the ingredients to manufacture IEDs at the same time the UN is discussing how to effectively disarm Americans and we are supposed to continue “business as usual” as if nothing is happening.

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Monday, August 27, 2012

TSA, DHS Order 1,400 Pounds of High Powered Explosives Set to Deliver August 31

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

Documents reveal that The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered over 1,400 pounds of super high-powered explosives through the (TSA) Transportation Safety Administration set to be delivered on August 31st. The news comes just after it was reported that the DHS had purchased over 1.2 billion rounds of hollow point bullets and a wide assortment of riot gear. The new explosives purchase, as highlighted by mainstream news service Government Security News, consists of 1,400 pounds worth of high density ammonium nitrate and A-5 Flake RDX explosives.

According to an explosive materials manual, both of these items are considered ‘high powered’ explosives. High density ammonium nitrate in particular is used in certain types of dynamite.

In case you doubt the validity of the mainstream news report, you can actually locate the purchase statements on the official government website. If you prefer to see the purchase statements specifically, you can view them here (link downloads the document to your PC). Here is an excerpt from the purchase order:

The CES requires the 700 pounds of High Density Ammonium Nitrate and 700 pounds of A-5 Flake RDX to provide Canine Explosive Training Aids (CETAs) to NCP participants. The supplier must be able to meet the exact requirements by August 31st, 2012. Substitutions for this product are not acceptable.

The recent bulk acquisition of bullets, explosives, and war-ready protective gear has been written off by the mainstream media as nothing more than a bare necessity for training. Of course the amount of hollow point bullets, which happen to be military-grade and in sufficient enough quantity to allocate 4 bullets per American citizen, also happen to be several times the ‘normal’ amount of training-related orders put in by government agencies.

The TSA will likely write this purchase off in a similar manner, however it is important to note that this is the same agency that has not only ignored research published as far back as 1998highlighting the link between their x-ray machines and cancer, but has been caught telling children that sexually groping them is a ‘game’.

Explore More:

• Millions of Pounds of Toxic Poison to Flood US Farmland
• Small Island Powered by Coconut Oil, Sunlight
• Hypnosis Helps Women Lose Nearly 112 Pounds
• Foods with Fructose Linked to High Blood Pressure
• Drug Deficiency? Executive Order Given to Create More Pharmaceuticals
• Americans Eat 35 Lbs of ‘Stupidity’ Linked High-Fructose Corn Syrup on Average

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

The History Of DHS Ammunition Purchases

This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future.
– Adolf Hitler

James Smith, Contributor
Activist Post

The question of whether a leader is good or a tyrant is an age old question. Being the one who wears the crown opens you up to criticism from all levels, and, to be quite frank, you can’t make everyone love you.

This article is to outline purchases by the Department of Human resources since August 2002, a ten-year span. The Department of Homeland Security was created by then President Bush as a preventative measure from further terror attacks on American soil. And since its inception has been fodder for skeptics and fuel for those demanding a smaller, unintrusive government.

Below you will find the lists of solicitations, hyperlinked to their pages located athttp://www.fbo.gov.

The following filters were used:

US Coast Guard and Secret Service were not accounted for. The USCG rarely requested ammunition, and the Secret Service were mainly “Award Only” notices. No amounts of ammunition could be obtained.

Any “Award Notice” only entries were omitted due to the lack of needed information.

In the first chart, you find the hyper linked solicitation, the total number of rounds requested, and the agency requesting the ammunition. Of all of the sub-departments, only Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) ordered ammunition outside the filters discussed above.

Solicitation Link	Date	Quantity	Agency
Solicitation Number: NFU040075	3/2/2004	970,000	ICE
Solicitation Number:04FAD0085	6/23/2004	200,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 05FAD0041	7/6/2005	100,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 05FAD0059	8/22/2005	300,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 05FAD0060	8/26/2005	100,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number:HSCEOP-05-P-00778	9/10/2005	1,222,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: LGL06Q00043	12/12/2005	1,500,000	FTETC
Solicitation Number: 06CHS0034	1/10/2006	317,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number:NFU060173	4/19/2006	166,000	ICE
Solicitation Number:NFU060209	5/4/2006	39,600	ICE
Solicitation Number: 06FAD0044	5/12/2006	300,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSCEOP-06-R-00011	6/7/2006	100,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: LGL06R00063	6/29/2006	21,570,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number:06CBPBP069	7/25/2006	270,000	FLETC
Contract Award Number: LAR06P00100	7/25/2006	5,000,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 0088	8/9/2006	50,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 06FAD0079	9/13/2006	200,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 06FAD0076	9/21/2006	15,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: LGL07Q00011	3/14/2007	32,425,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSCEOP07P01183	6/25/2007	106,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCEOP07P01185	6/26/2007	83,000	ICE
Solicitation Number:07CBPBP060-061	8/9/2007	109,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number:07ART0450	8/28/2007	100,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSCEOP-07-R-0020	8/31/2007	256,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSBP1007Q1489	9/25/2007	57,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCESS-08-Q00003	4/17/2008	375,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCESS-08-Q-00005	5/12/2008	100,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU080145	6/4/2008	149,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU080174	6/6/2008	85,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 08ART0181A	6/18/2008	600,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 08ART0181	7/2/2008	6,000,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSTS0708Q00081	7/22/2008	19,572,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: 08CBPBP072	7/25/2008	208,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: NFO080239	8/8/2008	200,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCESS-08-Q-00018	8/20/2008	7,375,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCESS-09-Q-00003	12/19/2008	200,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 192109NFU00000064	2/2/2009	240,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 192109NFU00000061-62	2/3/2009	135,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 09FAD0034	3/4/2009	25,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSCESS-09-R-00003	4/28/2009	18,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU00000242	7/6/2009	30,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU00000247	7/7/2009	92,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU00000253	7/8/2009	65,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 192109NFU0000291	8/24/2009	130,800	ICE
Solicitation Number: 09CBPBP076	8/25/2009	69,920	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSFLAR-10-Q-00018A	4/19/2010	213,920	FLETC
Solicitation Number: NFU00000246	8/12/2010	109,200	ICE
Solicitation Number: NFU00000264	8/12/2010	350,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 20056107	8/22/2010	49,400	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCEMS-11-Q-00002	12/17/2010	375,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: SSA-RFQ-10-2159	5/9/2011	25,750,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCEMS-11-R-00004	7/12/2011	450,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: 20066169	8/8/2011	24,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSCEMS-12-R-00002	2/6/2012	165,000,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSFLGL-12-Q-00119	3/1/2012	10,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSFLGL-12-Q-00029	4/12/2012	8,450	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSFLGL-12-B-00003	4/17/2012	70,000,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSCEMS-12-P-0000	6/6/2012	12,000	ICE
Solicitation Number: HSFLAR-12-Q-00046	7/20/2012	43,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSFLAR-12-Q-00063	8/16/2012	75,000	FLETC
Solicitation Number: HSFLAR-11-Q-00090	8/17/2012	58,000	FLETC

The second chart, shown below, demonstrates the total number of ammunition requested by year. After that chart, is the breakdown by percentage of the year against the total amount requested. As can be seen, 58% of all the ammunition that has been ordered, was ordered under the Obama Administration.

2004  0.06%
2005  0.17%
2006  6.80%
2007  1.76%
2008  32.40%
2009  1.00%
2010  19.98%
2011  25.30%
2012  12.51%

The last chart provides the chilling breakdown of just how much ammunition was requested. The grand total? A mere 1.88 BILLION rounds ordered in less than eight years time.

Oddities were discovered during this examination. A solicitation for an emergency allotment of 18,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W ammunition was requested to cover a shortfall of until December of 2009, but no major purchase could be found until December of 2010.

Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition to purchase an “interim supply” of 18,000,000 rounds of .40 Smith & Wesson (S&W) Caliber 135 grain ammunition to bridge the gap in inventory until long term Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts can be put in place. Contract awarded to Federal Cartridge Company of Anoka, MN.

This also provides justification for such large numbers of ammunition purchases, ie, training. However, in order to be more fiscally sound, the ammunition should be a ball type, or full metal jacket, not a jacketed hollow point, where the cost would be anywhere from two to five times less expensive.

To put this in very simple terms: in the 8 years, 5 months, 23 days that have elapsed since the first ammunition order:

• 7 rounds every second would need to be shot in order to use every last round ordered as of today.
• That would be 5.9 rounds per American.
• For every letter in the King James Bible, 608 rounds.
• If you were to put the ammunition in the small 50 round box of .45 ACP, it would be approximately 496,382 cubic feet, or 63 Olympic sized swimming pools.

The question of whether all these ammunition purchases are for an outbreak of civilian riots cannot be answered here. There are too many variables to accurately ascertain the likelihood. Many of those who would fight for the government would place family above duty and thereby weaken the chances of a successful martial law across the fruited plain. In limited areas, yes, martial law could and would be implemented. Those areas unmolested by civil disorder would do best by informing the public to arm themselves for the possibility of malcontents and criminals that may want to stir up trouble.

But perhaps what this Administration forgets is the most basic of warfare. It is not ammunition nor weapons that decides a war. It is the indomitable human spirit that cries for freedom that decides who wins and who dies. Tyranny may win battles, but Freedom and Liberty will win the war. Every time. Just ask any American, Spanish, English, Frenchman or Pole.

Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive one; it is man and not materials that counts. - Mao Tse-tung 1938

Petition by iPetitions

You can support this information by voting on Reddit HERE

This article first appeared at Prepper Podcast Radio Network. 

Read other articles by James Smith HERE.

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Why The Gov’t Purchase Of Ammunition Should Scare The Hell Out Of You

James Smith, Contributor

Activist Post

Recent articles have been published, by this network and others, that detail the extraordinarily large purchases of ammunition by the United States Government. This ammunition has been of varying calibers, mainly .357 Sig and .40 S&W. However, they all have been what are known as “Hollow Point” rounds.

From Wikipedia:

A hollow-point bullet is an expanding bullet that has a pit or hollowed out shape in its tip, often intended to cause the bullet to expand upon entering a target in order to decrease penetration and disrupt moretissue as it travels through the target. It is also used for controlled penetration, where over-penetration could cause collateral damage(such as on an aircraft). In target shooting, they are used for greater accuracy and reduction of smoke, fouling, and lead vapour exposure, as hollow point bullets have an enclosed base while traditional bullets have an exposed lead base. In essence, the hollow point bullet has several purposes: hollow points are designed to increase in diameter once within the target, thus maximizing tissue damage and blood loss or shock, and to remain inside the target, thereby transferring all of its kinetic energy to that target (some fraction would remain in the bullet if it passed through instead). Jacketed hollow points (JHPs) or plated hollow points are covered in a coating of harder metal (usually a copper alloy or copper coated steel) to increase bullet strength and to prevent fouling the barrel with lead stripped from the bullet. The term hollow-cavity bullet is used to describe a hollow point where the hollow is unusually large, sometimes dominating the volume of the bullet, and causes extreme expansion or fragmentation on impact.[1]

Many articles state that the hollow point round is banned in combat due to its brutal devastation it causes upon the human body. However, in reality, this is not the case.

Most people will wrongly state that their use is outlawed in the Geneva Convention. The ammunition’s forerunner was banned in 1899, and a portion of that ban is shown here:

Declaration on the Use of Bullets Which Expand or Flatten Easily in the Human Body” adopted at the First Hague Peace Conference of (29 July) 1899 which states:

The Undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments,

Inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of the 29th November (11th December), 1868,

Declare as follows:

The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core, or is pierced with incisions.

The present Declaration is only binding for the Contracting Powers in the case of a war between two or more of them.

It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between the Contracting Parties, one of the belligerents is joined by a non-Contracting Power.

The United States only conceded to this, but did not sign. Where the U.S. did commit to was the Hague Convention IV of 1907, Article 23(e) of which Annex states:

…it is especially forbidden -

To employ arms, projectiles, or material{sic} calculated to cause unnecessary suffering;

The US’s observation of the Convention meant that ammunition used by troops would be solid ball ammunition. However, in 1985 the rules of combat changed with an opinion written by Judge Advocate General, written by Col W. Hays Parks, Chief of the JAG’s International Law Branch, for the signature of Major General Hugh R. Overholt, which stated:

…expanding point ammunition is legally permissible in counterterrorist operations not involving the engagement of the armed forces of another State.

In October of 1990, Col. Parks, at the at the request of the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and coordinated with the Department of State, Army General Counsel, as well as the Offices of the Judge Advocates General of the Navy and Air Force wrote a Memorandum that concluded:

The purpose of the 7.62mm ‘open-tip’ MatchKing bullet is to provide maximum accuracy at very long range. … Bullet fragmentation is not a design characteristic, however, nor a purpose for use of the MatchKing by United States Army snipers. Wounds caused by MatchKing ammunition are similar to those caused by a fully jacketed military ball bullet, which is legal under the law of war, when compared at the same ranges and under the same conditions. (The Sierra #2200 BTHP) not only meets, but exceeds, the law of war obligations of the United States for use in combat.

And again in 1993, an opinion by Col Parks allowed the U.S. Special Operations Command to use a Winchester 230-grain JHP for issue with its H&K-manufactured Mk 23 Mod 0 pistol.

And the military is not alone with the use of hollow point rounds. Many police agencies use them as well and have gone toe-to-toe with civil liberty organizations. From the NY Times in 1997:

Studies on the issue are inconclusive. But civil libertarians have criticized the hollow point bullets, saying they are more deadly and increase the ability of police officers to maim and kill a suspect. ‘’The introduction of the hollow-point may very well exceed the bounds of reason and necessity, especially if massive internal injury is the risk,’ said Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Legal challenges in Los Angeles and elsewhere, however, have proved fruitless, since most big-city departments began adopting the ammunition in the 1970s and 1980s.

The city of Seattle also uses the hollow point rounds.

Civilian law enforcement and military use of such ammunition should not be of concern. What concerns people these days are the purchases by innocuous government agencies such as the Social Security Administration and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. While they may be going to strictly the investigative arms of these agencies, what needs to be looked at is the bottom line:

Money

A good rule of thumb in all things commercial is: The fancier, the pricier. And ammunition is not alone in this. Below is a chart from a meta search engine, Ammo Engine. The search parameters were simple and selected from the results were only ammunition sold by the Federal Cartridge Company, a frequent awardee of ammunition in contracts put out by the Department of Homeland Security and the rounds selected were the .40 S&W that the DHS has purchased hundreds of millions.

Manuf	Name	Grains	Type	Rnds/box	Cost	Cost/Rnd
Federal	American Eagle Full Metal Jacket	165	Full Metal Jacket	50	$15.00	$0.30
Federal	American Eagle Full Metal Jacket	180	Full Metal Jacket	100	$34.50	$0.35
Federal	American Eagle Full Metal Jacket	165	Full Metal Jacket	50	$35.23	$0.70
Federal	American Eagle Full Metal Jacket	155	Full Metal Jacket	50	$36.09	$0.72
Federal	Premium Expanding Full Metal Jacket	165	Full Metal Jacket	50	$37.29	$0.75
Federal	Power-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point	180	Jacketed Hollow Point	20	$30.05	$1.50
Federal	Premium Hydra-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point	155	Jacketed Hollow Point	20	$34.98	$1.75
Federal	Premium Personal Defense Hydra-Shok Jacketed Hollow Point	135	Jacketed Hollow Point	20	$36.95	$1.85

As you can see in the chart, the Jacket Hollow Point (JHP) is as much as five times more expensive that the standard Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) round.

But the price isn’t because the JHP is a “more powerful” round. Below is a comparison of the Federal .357 Sig JHP versus the FMJ.

Federal Ammunition Ballistics:

Round     Type  Weight  Muzzle  Energy FPS
.357 Sig   JHP     125       506         1350
.357 Sig   FMJ    125       506         1350

Below is a video of the comparison between .40 S&W JHP and FMJ when it hits the human body, using ballistics gelatin which is used as a human flesh analog.

And lastly, a visual explanation on the damage of the hollow point.

A bullet will travel in pretty much a straight line. Once the round strikes the body, the physics of flight changes, causing the round to tumble and spin much like a gyroscope that is about to stop. This is what causes the damage to the body.

Compare the bodily damage of the .357 Sig JHP 125 grain to the two .40 S&W JHP rounds in the image below.

The odds of survival are minimal at best. And now you see why the recent purchase and requests by our government, unrestrained by law or morality, should scare the hell out of you.

And if you’re not scared, you’re either stupid or not paying attention, both conditions where the government wants to keep you.

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Social Security Administration To Purchase 174 Thousand Rounds Of Hollow Point Bullets

Preparing for civil unrest? Ammunition to be delivered to 41 locations across U.S.

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2012

First it was the Department of Homeland Security, then it was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and now the Social Security Administration is set to purchase 174,000 rounds of hollow point bullets that will be delivered to 41 locations across the country.

A solicitation posted by the SSA on theFedBizOpps website asks for contractors to supply 174,000 rounds of “.357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition.”

An online ammunition retailer describes the bullets as suitable “for peak performance rivaling and sometimes surpassing handloads in many guns,” noting that the ammo is “a great personal defense bullet.”

The synopsis to the solicitation adds that the ammunition is to be shipped to 41 locations within 60 days of purchase. A separate spreadsheet lists those locations, which include the Social Security headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland as well as major cities across the country including Los Angeles, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seattle.

Hollow point bullets are designed to expand as they enter the body, causing maximum damage by tearing apart internal organs.

It’s not outlandish to suggest that the Social Security Administration is purchasing the bullets as part of preparations for civil unrest. Social security welfare is estimated to keep around 40 per cent of senior citizens out of poverty. Should the tap run dry in the aftermath of an economic collapse which the Federal Reserve has already told top banks to prepare for, domestic disorder could ensue if people are refused their benefits.

Indeed, earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security ran a drill called Operation Shield which included turning the entrance of a Florida Social Security office into a checkpoint manned by Federal Protective Service officers armed with semiautomatic rifles.

“With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building,” reported the Daily Commercial.

A rash of solicitations by federal agencies for hollow point bullets in recent months has stoked fears that the government is preparing for civil unrest caused by a financial collapse on a scale similar or even larger to scenes already witnessed in Europe over the last two years.

As we reported yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has put out a contract for 46,000 rounds of hollow point bullets along with 500 paper targets.

Despite initially asking the bullets to be delivered to the National Weather Service, NOAA claimed this was a “clerical error” and insisted the ammunition was being sent to the Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. Why powerful hollow point bullets that are designed to tear apart internal organs are needed for practice shooting at paper targets has not been explained.

Back in March, Homeland Security purchased 450 million rounds of .40-caliber hollow point bullets that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage, prompting questions as to why the DHS needed such a large amount of powerful bullets merely for training purposes.

This was followed by another DHS solicitation asking for a further 750 million rounds of assorted bullets, including 357 mag rounds that are able to penetrate walls.

The DHS recently put out an order for riot gear in preparation for the upcoming DNC, RNC and presidential inauguration. The U.S. Army is also busy buying similar equipment.

The DHS also recently purchased a number of bullet-proof checkpoint booths that include ‘stop and go’ lights.

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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.

SSDI and SSI are both programs administered by the Social Security Administration. Our Social Security Disability attorneys often hear the question, “What’s the difference between SSDI and SSI?”

This article will explain that difference, in general; however, to determine how to get social security or whether you may be eligible for either of or both of these programs, consult with a qualified Social Security Disability attorney.

The Acronyms

· SSDI = Social Security Disability Insurance
· SSI = Supplemental Security Insurance

The Similarities

· Both SSDI and SSI are programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA.)
· Disabled persons are eligible for both programs.

The Differences

· Eligibility

· To be eligible for SSDI, you must be disabled (as defined by the SSA) and have paid the requisite FICA taxes. Resources and unearned income are not considered.
· To be eligible for SSI, you must be aged, blind, and/or disabled (as defined by the SSA) and have limited resources and income; there is no requirement that you have paid any taxes.

· Medical Insurance

· You are eligible for Medicare 2 years after you are approved for SSDI.
· You are eligible for Medicaid as soon as you are approved for SSI.

· Monthly Payment Amount

· In general, the SSDI payment is based upon the amount you’ve earned in the past.
· The SSI payment is the same for everyone.

Wondering if You’re Eligible for SSDI or SSI?

Email us or call our RI Social Security Disability lawyers now for a FREE SSDI and SSI case evaluation. For your convenience, our telephones are answered 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (1-800-992-6878.)
d’Oliveira & Associates (one of our 15 locations):
390 BROADWAY
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
02909

Non-Bills Summary

* Kadima’s no-confidence motion titled ‘The failure of the Netanyahu government in preparing for home front emergency’ was defeated 31-50 with 39 MKs not present.

* Labor and Meretz’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘The government’s fiasco in dealing with poverty, deepening and widening gaps in Israeli society’ was defeated 34-50 with 36 MKs not present.

* Hadash, Ra’am-Ta’al and Balad’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘Muslim Waqf properties in Israel’ was defeated 11-58 with 8 MKs abstaining and 43 MKs not present.

* Funds Committee Chairman Gafni (U.T.J.) announced his committee’s decision to split a bill into two, which was approved 4-0.  He also announced his committee’s decision to correct a technical issue in an existing bill. It was approved 11-0 with one MK abstaining.

* Finance Committee Chairman Shama (Likud) announced his committee’s decision to split a bill into two. It was approved 6-0.

* Religious Affairs Minister Margi (Shas) answered a query at the end of the session.

Bills Summary

Amendment to the Social Security Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz (Likud) explained the amendment would repeal the requirement that social security needs to pay in case of error within three years. He said the new amendment requires the social security office to pay up within a year of receiving all the necessary information from the person in question. He added there will be a 1% interest assessed for every month they are late with the payment.

The bill passed its second reading 46-0.

The bill passed its third reading 38-1.

Amendment to the Implementing an Economic Change in Fiscal Priorities in the 2012 Budget and to Finance Social Change Bill

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen (Shas) explained the amendment would postpone the increase in child allowance for families of two to four children that was supposed to take place in April 2012 for one year until April 2013. He explained the NIS 1.5 billion for the program will go towards the government’s plan to provide free nursery and pre-nursery for children three and older.

MK Ben Ari (N.U.) slammed the priorities of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Chuldai, who he said is spending his tax paying shekels on Sudanese illegal immigrants instead of funding the police force that fights them. He noted police reports on illegals’ crimes of sexual assault and harassment, rape, burglaries and murders. He slammed the Tel Aviv mayor’s plans to keep the Sudanese on the south side of the city and told the rich north-siders to stop their selective mercy for the illegals.

MK Molla (Kadima) slammed Ben Ari for spreading hatred towards the illegals. He got into a shouting match with Ben Ari. Deputy Speaker Edery (Kadima) called Ben Ari to order and threatened to throw him out. Molla went on to slam the government for not answering the social justice protesters.

MK Horowitz (Meretz) mocked the postponement of the seven shekel raise. He went on to praise Germany for their low rent, low prices in supermarkets and high salaries. He said that it makes sense for a lot of Israelis to move to Europe and have a better life than they can in Israel. He called on the Knesset to oppose the bill.

MK Whbee (Kadima) called on the MKs to oppose the bill. He went on to slam the ultra-orthodox students who entered a sacred Druze burial site with their shoes on and danced. He condemned the ultra-orthodox yeshiva students and said they did not act like religious people.

MK Sheetrit (Likud) said there was no purpose to the social justice movement because it failed. He said child allowances should be raised, not frozen. He said the top 10% of Israelis got a raise of 150% over the last decade and the average Israeli got a raise of 4%. He said the poor parents deserve a raise of 7 shekels. He questioned Shas’ motives for supporting this bill.

MK Zeev (Shas) said that saving families NIS 700 instead of giving them NIS 7 is very simple. He said parents prefer free school for 3 and 4 year olds instead of 7 shekels in child allowances. He said those who oppose the bill are cynics. He slammed Kadima for lowering the child allowances hundreds of shekels when they were in power. He slammed Yisrael Beitenu for trying to hurt the 60,000 families who don’t make a living and live off the government. He told the opposition not to preach unless they check their own house first.

MK Khenin (Hadash) said the bill is an embarrassment. He said the government has decided to move the money around as opposed to adding money to the budget. He said this isn’t a serious bill and shows another policy flaw with Israel’s settlement and warmongering system.

Finance Minister Steinitz (Likud) said the point of this bill is to allow the government to meet the recommendations of the Trachtenberg committee that cost a lot of money but is worth gold. He called on the opposition to praise the government for providing free education starting from age 3 and for making the school day longer in public schools. He said that overall the parents are getting a good deal. They are postponing a seven shekel raise for one year and saving money on education. He said that the government is not embarrassed; rather, they are proud. He noted that earlier in the term the government helped the poor by raising the minimum wage and increasing the child allowances. He praised Education Minister Sa’ar (Likud) for his three reforms in higher education, high schools and a free public system from the age of 3. He said the ends justify the means. He concluded by defending his policy and his bill.

The bill passed its first reading 32-15 and was sent to the House Committee to determine which committee will discuss the bill further.

Amendment to the Real Estate Tax Bill

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen explained his amendment would change the court of appeals for cases of real estate capital gains and acquisition taxes. He said the change will prohibit non-judges from sitting on appeals for these cases. He noted there has been conflict of interest when certain lawyers are on the court of appeals.

MK Khenin said that he has spent two years discussing in committee the reform in planning and building. He blasted the way the committee meetings were held and its conclusions.

The bill passed its first reading 14-0 with one MK abstaining and was sent to the Funds Committee.

Amendment to the Companies Bill

Deputy Prime Minister Shalom explained the amendment would update public benefit foundation provisions regarding their executives. He said the bill will ensure transparency and create three funds that will help the public on a wide range of issues.

MK Zeev said that he agrees that most of fundraising should not be used on managers’ salaries. He said the provisions should allow the money to be spent on the day to day running of the companies.

MK El-Sana (R.T.) said the bill is bad because it doesn’t really bring any transparency to the companies. He slammed Israel for stealing Palestinian money and property. He said the country isn’t a democracy.

The bill passed its first reading 15-1 with 2 MKs abstaining and was sent to the Justice Committee.

Dividing Pension Savings between a Separated Couple Bill

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen said the bill is very complicated and should be discussed in committee. He said solutions for dividing pension savings between a couple that separate are important and should be discussed in committee.

MK Gal-On (Meretz) thanked the government for the bill and expressed her support. She said it is a social justice bill that takes a man’s pension and splits it to allow the woman to take a big share. She stated the bill will help hundreds of thousands of women. She said it is unacceptable that everything can be split into two during a divorce except for the pension and this bill fixes the problem. She said new wives were benefiting from what should have gone towards the previous wife.

MK Herzog (Labor) praised the bill, which he said will bring social justice to women.

MK Zeev said this bill is too far reaching and allows separated couples to have the same rights as divorced couples. He also said this bill encourages divorce and he can’t vote for it.

The bill passed its first reading 16-0 with one MK abstaining and was sent to the Welfare Committee.

Amendment to the Municipal Taxes and Government Taxes Ordinance Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz explained the bill would present city tax exemptions to the 120 factories that employ disabled and mentally challenged people. He said it is our moral responsibility to help these factories. He went on to thank the Knesset for agreeing to support his bill.

The bill passed its second reading 11-0.

The bill passed its third reading 11-0.

Amendment to the Women’s Labor Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz thanked MK Levi-Abekasis for her bill and went on to praise her for a few minutes. He explained the amendment would allow maternity leave to be extended for up to another ten weeks if the baby spends extensive time in the hospital after birth. He said women need to know the country supports them in their hardship. He concluded this bill will be retroactive.

The bill passed its second reading 13-0.

The bill passed its third reading 13-0.

MK Levi-Abekasis (Y.B.) thanked the Knesset for approving her bill. She thanked Chairman Katz and her fellow committee members. She also thanked her parliamentary assistants.

Amendment to the Social Security Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz explained the amendment would allow a veteran an extension of time to work in preferred work in cases where they serve reserve duty. He concluded that the bill will be retroactive.

The bill passed its second reading 12-0.

The bill passed its third reading 10-0.

MK Bibi (Kadima) thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He said this is the least we can do. He slammed the previous policy of counting reserve duty days against the time a solider must meet in order to receive his preferred work fund. He thanked his assistants and his 41 volunteers.

Amendment to the Severance Pay Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz explained the amendment would allow a full compensation package to a young person who takes a year off after high school and before army to volunteer in recognized places by the government when they quit their job in order to volunteer.

The bill passed its second reading 12-0.

The bill passed its third reading 11-0.

MK Shai (Kadima) thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He said this bill brings social justice to Israel and supports a just cause. He said the youth who decide to give back to their communities must be supported. He thanked his assistants.

Prohibition on Receipt of Securities Processed Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz noted this is the 95th bill his committee has brought forth to be approved in their second and third readings. He explained the amendment would prohibit guarantees of securities. He stated there are conflict of interest issues in the receipts and guarantees and it must be abolished. He said it is a very complicated issue but there are no objections on the bill.

The bill passed its second reading 13-0.

The bill passed its third reading 13-0.

MK Khenin thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He thanked Chairman Katz and thanked the Knesset for approving 95 great ideas from Katz’s committee. He said this is a bill to be proud of.

MK Yachimovich (Labor) thanked the Knesset for approving her bill. She said that she is waiting for the 100th committee bill. She said it took four years to pass this bill and now it is a reality.

Amendment to the Agency Contract Bill

Finance Committee Chairman Shama (Likud) thanked MK Alex Miller for his bill and said he truly is Alexander the great. He explained the amendment would require commercial agents and suppliers to meet European standards. He said this bill will help Israeli companies trade with European companies and stay protected on both ends of the deal. He said the sides can sign contracts that would exempt them from certain parts of the bill. He noted the bill also deals with breaches of contract and compensation.

The bill passed its second reading 9-0.

The bill passed its third reading 9-0.

MK Miller (Y.B.) thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He thanked Chairman Shama for pushing through an important bill that Chairman Akunis failed to pass. He said this bill brings order and protection to Israeli companies abroad. He thanked his staff for helping him with the bill.

Amendment to the Memorial Day in Israel Bill

Education, Culture and Sport Committee Chairman Miller (Y.B.) explained the amendment would prohibit collecting an entrance fee for Memorial Day services and events. He slammed those who tried to make money off the families of fallen heroes last year and told them this year it will be forbidden. He said the time has come to put an end to making money off mourning families. He noted that Matalon was once the chairman of handicapped soldiers and veterans.

The bill passed its second reading 10-0.

The bill passed its third reading 10-0.

MK Matalon (Y.B.) thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He thanked Chairman Miller for pushing through this bill quickly and in time for this year’s Memorial Day. He said this is a Zionistic bill. He thanked his staff. He said no one will be able to take money from mourning families again.

Amendment to the Welfare Services Bill

MK Solodkin (Kadima) explained the amendment would change the composition of welfare appeal committees and the appeal process of their decisions. She explained the appeal committee will have three members: a social worker, a judge and a jurist. She said that 10,000 children were removed from their families over the last decade and a broken appeal process prevented families from getting their children back.

MK Ben Ari supported the bill. He went on to slam social workers for selectively choosing which people they give services to and which people don’t deserve
their services. He charged there are many fakers that get social workers and those who really need it, don’t get it. He blasted commercials that offer to tweak the system to give fakers additional money.

MK Zeev said he disagrees with the bill because it takes away one of the jurists and replaces it with a judge. He said additionally, there is no local authority representation in the committee. He slammed social workers for being too quick to take the children away from the parents. He also blasted decisions that prevent parents from seeing their children after they lose them. He also slammed the fines on parents who try to win their children back. He told the judges to show mercy every once in a while.

The bill passed its first reading 6-0 and was sent to the Welfare Committee.

—————————————————————————————————

This was the Knesset Jeremy English translation protocol of the Knesset’s February 20, 2012, session.

Official protocol in Hebrew: http://www.knesset.gov.il/plenum/data/01097312.doc

Andrea Jones tells OutQ News that her local driver’s license office refused to change her gender to female, claiming the applicant had NOT undergone a FULL sex change as required. Jones says she had presented them with both a letter from the Social Security Office and a doctor’s notice that said she no longer had testicles.

But the 32-year-old says officials wanted more proof that her sex reassignment procedure was complete and that she was no longer male. So Jones went outside and did what any man could normally do in public but women CANNOT–she took her top off.

JONES: One thing that I find interesting is, during the course of all this, they had every right to ask me to leave. But they didn’t have the right to tell me what to wear when they told me that I was male, which allowed me to behave in the fashion that I did.

Jones was arrested shortly after for indecent exposure, though her police report listed her as a male.

The Morristown-native spent 21 days in a men’s jail before finally posting bond last Friday. She said it was “not a very pleasant place,” adding that she suffered several instances of physical distress like frequent black-outs.

Jones–who has since been fired from her job–says she is now seeking assistance from local advocacy groups for her upcoming court date. She says she hopes her case will call attention to the “flaws in the way things are set up.”

Me: Yay!  I got my Social Security card in the mail today that says we now have the same last name and are officially married.

Finn: Um, I am pretty certain that despite what the Social Security office thinks, you and I were married a year and a half ago when we said I DO on New Year’s Eve.

Me: No, I don’t think that’s when it became official official….. when did we officially start dating?  Not until we posted it on Facebook, right?  Oh man, when did I change my name on Facebook? 

Finn: Does it really matter?  It’s not like you’re getting out of this thing anytime soon!

Me: I guess not.  Now I have to change everything else in life to reflect my new name.

Finn: Yeah your driver’s license.

Me: And our insurance, and my passport, and both of the bank accounts, and my voter registration, and maybe the title on my car, and our rental contract, and….

Finn: Ok, you have fun with that.  I’m gonna go watch some TV.

PS- Changing my name has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do….. and not just because the state and federal bureaucracies are a nightmare!  I think it was harder for me than most because I teach about history AND am the last in my direct line of descendants.  My name stops with me.  Period.  Done-o.  We cease to exist unless you go down the second or third cousins removed line, which involves people I think I met when I was last in diapers.

I never thought of this an issue, mostly because I had a younger sister so the buck would be passed to her.  That plan was ditched when she ended up getting hitched before me.  So I have dragged my feet for over a year, trying on my new name at church until I could get used to it and then letting my close work buddies in on it.  At church my new name got turned into a dessert.  At work it got turned into hopping out of a pooped in pool. For real. 

So Not Encouraging.

But, I finally bit the bullet.  God says, “And the two shall become one flesh [and last name]“!  And frankly, I don’t want my kids growing up with one name and me with another on all of their records.  I honestly make judgements about those households when the paperwork rolls by my desk at school, and I am soooo not even going there with what will likely be the results of a wacky gene pool anyways [ahem, our kids].

So I did it… and I must admit I have even joined in the name game by referring to Finn and I as colored bovines. 

I guess it wasn’t all that bad changing my name after all   This one appears to get more action than the “WITH A Y! NOT AN E! TWO N’S. NOT ONE!!” name I used to have. Sweet.

CHICAGO (CBS) – An angry patron at a Social Security office on the Southwest Side threw a chair at a security guard Thursday morning, causing the guard’s gun to go off.

Chicago police said a customer waiting in line at the Social Security office at 8658 S. Sacramento Av. became upset and got into a heated discussion with an employee Thursday morning.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Steve Miller Reports

During the exchange, the customer opened his jacket and reached into his pocket. A security guard approached the man in an attempt to intervene and, as he did, the customer picked up a chair and threw it at the guard, police said.

The chair hit the security guard, causing the guard’s gun to go off accidentally. No one was hit by the gunshot, police said.

[worldnow id=5487966 width=385 height=288 type=video]

Initially, a source told CBS 2 News that the customer pulled out a gun, but police later said the man didn’t have a gun. It was not clear why the man reached into his coat pocket.

Employees at the office detained the customer until police arrived and took him into custody.

Federal Protective Service spokesman Chris Ortman said the guard was being treated for an injury that was unrelated to his weapon being fired.

Chicago police and federal authorities were investigating. Police said they were looking into whether the man would face state charges or federal charges as a result of the incident, as it occurred at a federal facility.

CBS 2′s Mike Puccinelli and WBBM Newsradio 780′s Steve Miller contributed to this report.

Astrue has proposed federal legislation that would end the practice.  For the sake of the DDS workers and especially for the disabled applicants waiting for their Social Security disability benefits I hope this law passes.

For more information:

http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/furlough-legislation-pr.htm

My mother gave it to me. Mothers are always doing things like that.

When she gave it to me, I put one or two slips of paper in it. Now, almost a month later, it’s positively stuffed with memos, receipts, invoices, and statements of every kind.

This leads me to this conclusion: weddings mean lots of paperwork. Whole storms of it. Here’s what we’ve been through so far.

Step 1: Marriage License. Easy-peasy. And then we went on vacation.

Step 2: Social Security. A friendly word of warning: if you’re going to the Social Security office, either make an appointment, or bring a book.

Visiting Social Security is like going shopping for new shoes with your wife: you know you have to go, but you’re not sure how long it will take or what you’ll have to sacrifice to get out of there.

Cross that with a bit of “screaming child on an airplane” and “tied in a sack of ferrets,” and you’ve got yourself a Social Security office.

The wait was incredible. Plenty of people waiting, but not a whole lot of employees on staff. Everytime a new window opened or closed, there was hopeful/mutinous murmurs from the crowd, depending on the situation.

And, unfortunately, some people consider it to be a family affair.

There was the 8-year-old playing Grand Theft Auto on his DS. Everyone in the office was treated to the sound effects (Police sirens, gunfire, and the occasional: “Oh, I’mma gonna bust you up, punk!”).

Then there was the screaming toddler (no waiting room or airplane is complete without one!) who went careening off of chairs, walls, and people, screaming and giggling the whole time.

After three hours, we escaped.

Step 3: DMV.

We’re still recovering from Social Security. We’ll get to that.

Step 4: Da Bank.

Our man at the bank was a class act compared to the people at Social Security. He got Lauren on my account, ordered our checks, deposited our cash, and even offered me a lollipop. What a nice young man.

Optional Steps: that took care of our requirements. However, I’ve spent many a lovely hour on the phone with: the Allstate agent, Gainesville Regional Utilities, and Cox Communications.

I’m scheduling my campaign against the University offices for next week. I’ve got some delightful forms that I’m sure they’ll be thrilled about. Time to take the paperwork war to the enemy.

The percentage of people who call into local offices without someone answering the telephone are probably even higher.

We are very fortunate in Bloomington, Illinois to have good staff at the local social security office. The waits for walk-in service are not too bad, and I can get almost all my phone calls answered.

It is a different story at other area offices. For instance, I find it difficult to get through on the telephone to Springfield, Champaign, Peru and Peoria, Illinois local offices.

What is your experience with social security help? Any good stories? Horror stories?

Who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, in this little office. Give us this day our daily bread….

You’re right, You’re right. Food references probably aren’t the way to go at this juncture, so I’ll just lay it out there: Please, please, PLEASE don’t let my baby take a dump while we’re in the Social Security office.

It’s my fault. I know it and I’m sorry. I should have properly accessed her AM bowel movements before we left the house. I should have made sure there were wipes and diapers in my bag. And that I actually had the bag with me.

But I remembered snacks for both of them. And drinks. And hats. And the birth certificate. And the shot record. And the application which was already filled out. That’s HUGE. You know it is.

And You’re all about trust and faith and putting things into Your hands, right? (You’ve said it Yourself. It’s all over the NT – don’t play.)

Here – take her. I dedicate her thoughtful, somber, almost serious expression right now, on the spot.

You DO want us to get health insurance, right? And I need her social security number for it. I mean, sure, I could have written it down somewhere or put her card in a safe place. But I thought I did, turned out I didn’t. Moving on.

But check it out, I’ve got my little number, we’ve got a seat and there’s like, only fifteen more families ahead of us.

Please don’t make me do this again. I can’t park five blocks away and drag them both through a wind factor of five degrees. This is the third time we’ve tried this in four days. Isn’t three the magic number? Or is it seven? Or do You like forty? I can’t remember. I hope it’s three.

I know we can do this. Well, You can do this. I can’t. She never listens to me. Please hook it up, God.

And lead her not into temptation, but deliver her bowels. For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the Glory forever.

Amen.

.

.

©2009 CEK. All Rights Reserved. Touch my stuff and your ass is mine. Seriously.

But the day will eventually come. And after you win several things will happen. 

You will receive a notice, typically within 30 to 60 days. It will tell you when you will receive your first monthly check and the amount. In some cases you may be entitled to SSI payments also. Your local Social Security office will contact you to set up a meeting to review your financial information to determine whether you are entitled to SSI.

If you had any minor children during the onset of your disability the Social Security Administration will want to make sure they receive benefit payments and back benefits.

You may also want to set up direct deposit arrangements for your monthly Social Security Disability payments.

Finally, once you are eligible for Social Security Disability medicaid will be available to most people, and eventually you will be eligible for Medicare.

Give me a call if you have any questions about the Social Security Disability process: Central Illinois Social Security Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371

Being that I work from home, I tend to forget that the vast majority of the population does not live their lives wearing Lycra pants and a hoodie. After all, I only emerge from my house to go across the street to the gym (where everyone is wearing spandex), or to walk Molly down the block and back (where, if I’m wearing anything other than PJs or yoga clothes, the neighbors start asking questions about where I’m headed off to, looking so nice). I live in yoga clothes, changing out of them only at nighttime, to put on my comfy pants.

I am fine with this. In fact, I think I look my best in yoga or otherwise lounge-y clothes. I am far more confident about my appearance in spandex or pajamas than when I’m all gussied up. I can’t wait until the day I turn 60 and it finally becomes appropriate for me to shop at Eileen Fisher. I knew Rob was “the one” the day he remarked that I looked better in my beloved gray pajama pants than in a dress.

So it’s easy for me to forget that I shouldn’t go straight from yoga to, say, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Social Security office downtown to finally officially change my name, lest I should attract unwanted attention.

Spandex is a privilege, not a right — and this is a lesson I am beginning to learn the hard way.

Of course, I have made this mistake before. Last winter, I left my yoga studio in Nashville, picked up Molly, and started the drive up to Chicago for the weekend. I made it all the way to central Indiana before having to pull over at a truck stop to gas up the Honda. And wouldn’t you know it, no sooner than I stepped out of the car did the truck drivers start in with the commentary.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Who doesn’t like to be called “Hey Gorgeous” once in awhile? And one of the guys practically fell all over himself to scrape the ice that had accumulated on my windshield. 

I made a mental note never to wear yoga pants out again. But today, I did.

I dropped off my yoga mat at home and, without changing my clothes, headed out to go downtown. I hadn’t even made it to the Sedgwick L station when I heard from behind me:

“Girl, you’re pretty juicy for a white girl.”

I looked up to see the man pass me. He’s black, a little disgruntled and insane-looking, quite possibly on his way to the rehab facility/homeless shelter next to the L station. He’s pushing a shopping cart full of cans, but he pauses, craning his neck to take a second admiring look at my, erm, juiciness.

Now, ordinarily, I am not offended by whistling and ogling and so forth. This is mostly because I don’t get hit on too often, so, hey, I’ll take what I can get.

But juicy? Really? He obviously meant it appreciatively, but I had to bite my tongue to keep from demanding, “ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?” (I figured the best way to kick off an afternoon in the social security line was not by confronting someone who’s on — or worse, not on — something.)

White girls do not want to be juicy. In fact, we go to great lengths not to be juicy, or even to appear to be juicy. When we put celebrities on the covers of magazines, we airbrush out any and all traces of juiciness. We aspire to be completely juice-free.

When I called Rob to whiningly ask if he thinks I am fat, he maintained that juicy just means “sexy,” with no allusion to size or shape or muscle tone whatsoever.

I know better. So does Urban Dictionary, which defines juicy as:

1. Description of a girl’s high sex appeal and shapely figure, often related to the curves of a round butt or large breasts; thick and curvacious.
2.  Laced with PCP, as in, “Man, I’m ripped. Was that chronic juicy or something?”
3. As in Juicy Couture, a cheap but overpriced brand of tacky velour sweatsuits bought mostly by preteen girls and white-trash middle-aged women who think they’re on the cutting edge of fashion. 

Thick and curvaceous? I am now feeling very distressed about the size of my derrière. I mean, I know I’ve been getting a little jiggly, ever since I started up with all those smoothies on our honeymoon. I know I’ve gained back, like, ten of the 20 pounds I lost a few years ago, when I was at my juiciest. I just didn’t think it was that … noticeable.

Ugh. Why do I always allow the offhand commentary of the homeless to usher in a major personal life crisis? 

Oh well. I’m off to make banana bread out of the healthy bananas I bought with the express purpose of letting them over-ripen so I could make some sugary, carb-filled banana bread. I’m putting chocolate chips in there, too. And I will probably have eaten half of it before the night is over.

So stick that in your juice box and suck it.

Uncertain as to just where the Social Security office is located, I relied on Frank and his rather vague directions: “Go down Menaul, turn left on Washington and then look around for the Social Security Building. “

I’M ON WASHINGTON…IS THIS RIGHT?

I notice that Old Navy is just up the street and comfort myself with the thought that if all else fails, there is shopping in my future.

IS IT? IS IT? YES…IT IS!

I turn into the parking lot and am immediately met by confusing arrows, indicating the traffic flow. Fortunately, a woman is walking to her Nissan Maxima, which is parked right up front. Go Me. I wait behind her for an ETERNITY while she checks her make-up in the rearview mirror. She ignores my over-exaggerated hurry-up signals: tapping the wheel, leaning forward to peer at her through the windshield and finally, throwing my head back against the seat. Nothing. I finally drive on in search of another parking space.

THANKS NISSAN MAXIMA…THANKS FOR NOTHING

My patience was rewarded as a coveted end space opened up. I congratulated myself on my good fortune and parked.

THERE YOU GO, BABY. YOU WAIT IN THE SHADE WHILE MAMA GOES IN AND ARGUES WITH THE SOCIAL SECURITY PEOPLE.

I approach the building and realize something is wrong: I am clearly in the wrong place. I was looking for the Social Security Administration, not the OCIAL SECURITY DMINIS AIN

I enter the lobby and find a throng of people standing about. And NOBODY looks happy. Unsure of my next step, I ask someone what I need to do. It seems I need to walk through the waiting room and sign-in using a touch screen, after which I will be assigned a number.

WHAT? NO FRENCH? WHAT ABOUT THE ULCER-IMPAIRED?

268? HOW MANY, EXACTLY, ARE IN FRONT OF ME?

I walk to the back of the waiting room and stand next to the open doors.I no sooner take the picture of my ticket when the security guard approaches me. Uh-oh, not even in the Social Security Building five minutes and I’m already in trouble.
“Ma’am, you can NOT stand here.”
“Why not?”
“It’s against Fire Code-you have to sit down.”

Now, when I tell you the waiting room is a sea of people, I’m not kidding. I spy a seat on the aisle and snatch it. Having done that, I realize with dismay that I have left both my phone and my book in the car. My only sources of entertainment for the next two hours gone! At this point, I can A) go to the car and get said book and phone and in so doing, risk losing my seat or B) stay right where I am. I choose the latter.

The waiting room for Social Security consists of a large room encircled by 10 customer service windows. Ask me if they were all open. Go ahead…ask me. No, only SIX windows were open at a time. From what I could tell, the employees help a handful of people, and then take a break. It was all I could do to keep from screaming, “NOoooooo!” each time a window was shut.

“I AM NUMBER A268. YOU ARE ON NUMBER A230. OPEN THIS WINDOW NOW!”

Trying hard to find something…anything…to do, I begin reading the signage. I was especially fond of this tidbit of information.

YEAH, YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATES AREN’T WORTH THE PAPER THEY’RE PRINTED ON.

In the front of the waiting room are three large, flatscreen tv’s and, of course, none of them are on.

I know that I, for one, would have found the passing of time much more enjoyable had the flatscreens been playing, oh, I don’t know…Goodfellas?

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER. OF COURSE, IT MIGHT HAVE GIVEN IDEAS TO THE PEOPLE WAITING.

LOOK. MY FOOT’S FALLEN ASLEEP.

Lucky for us we had the wacky antics of the security guard to keep us all amused. You know the old saying: Everybody’s got to be the boss of someone? Well, Mr. Security Guard was the boss of EVERYONE. “We need to keep it QUIET in here!” he bellowed every fifteen minutes. On more than one occasion, he announced to the room, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, remember, no food or drink of ANY KIND is allowed in the waiting room.” I was starting to wonder just what, exactly, would occur if I took a swig from a bottle of water, when I glance up to see Mr. Security walking toward the front of the room to accost an elderly woman who had the audacity to try to eat a few peanuts while she waited. “Ma’am, there is NO eating or drinking in this room. I will have to ask you to put away your peanuts.” She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but she put away her peanuts. Damn straight. First it’s peanuts, then it’s a Subway sandwich…the next thing you know Pizza Hut will be at the door.

THE ROAD TO ANARCHY IS PAVED WITH HONEY-ROASTED PEANUTS.

A good lesson for us all, Mr. Security Guard. He kept eyeing me and my picture-taking suspiciously, but I suspected I was safe, unless I tried to eat my camera.

THE BEST SECURITY GUARD. EVER..

STEP AWAY FROM THE TRAIL MIX…I’M PACKING HEAT!

I am happy to report that two hours and three minutes after arriving at the Social Security office, my name has officially been changed. I will attempt to renew my license next week AND I will be certain to munch on some peanuts while I’m waiting. Take THAT!