Survivalism 101

I decided today would be an excellent day to spend perusing some subversive survivalism literature (at least, it is in Massachusetts)...I chose The Joy of Picking. Lately I've had this jones for garlic dill pickles the way my grandmother used to me. Since she has long since gone on to the Food Channel in the Sky, as her sole cooking heir it's clearly up to me to step into the breach. So I've spent most of the morning making 10 quarts of pickles, courtesy of the organic cukes provied by my Sweetie's brother from his organic garden.

I made some with sliced horseradish, too. I'd give you the recipe, but I need to wait a month to see how the pickles turn out, pickles being, as they are, a sort of Zen-ish process.

In between pickles, here's Dave Kopel's and Bob Levy's take from WSJ Online on what D.C. should do — or Congess should make them do — to comply with the Heller ruling:

It's time for Congress to use the power granted to it in the Constitution to "exercise exclusive legislation" in the District and uphold its residents' constitutional rights. It can do so by passing the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act now pending in Congress, with a few adjustments. This bill, introduced on July 31 with 57 cosponsors, would prevent D.C. from passing regulations that discourage the private lawful use of firearms or otherwise suppress residents' Second Amendment rights. It is the result of a compromise between the National Rifle Association and House leaders.

To ensure broad-based, bipartisan support, we propose four modest congressional actions that would preserve some home-rule authority while erecting a commonsense framework for restoring the right to self-defense in our nation's capital.

Read the whole thing. In interesting trivia, Matthew Bracken, author of the superb two novels ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC and DOMESTIC ENEMIES: THE RECONQUISTA, notes on THR that the USA Network spy show, BURN NOTICE, has asked for a hard copy of the book for the hero's apartment, this being the kind of material former spooks might be reading...dare I say should be reading?

I would say I'm really looking forward to the third novel in the trilogy, but then I'd fel really crappy for not finishing my own sequel, FIVE TO GO, which remains stalled stalled stalled...