I hope you let that puppy have it.

Americans do have a spine. The problem is that too many of them are no longer connected by functioning brains. Those spines are what elected Trump.

Neither side has been willing to change, or even talk about, the shift of wealth that has left most people barely able to get by. Working people get less and less reward for their efforts and the difference all goes to the owners. I think that is at least one aspect of Bernie’s complaint about the Democrats.

Nothing is ever really simple, but I am convinced there are two primary factors driving this mess. One is the incredible income inequality that none of our politicians on either side are willing to seriously address. The other is the destruction of our education system, resulting in people without the critical thinking skills needed to realize that their “enemies” are not each other.

I did not know about that. Time for me to do some reading. Thanks for your post!

I’ve tried a great many different black and green teas, but my favorite is Constant Comment. I realize that makes me a barbarian low-life, but I genuinely enjoy the flavor.

I have thought for years that we needed more political parties in this countries, but the current system makes it almost impossible for them to hold any real power.

What’s needed is a takeover of the Democratic party. The Republicans did it, for evil. We could do it for good.

The practical problem is that Citizens United gives the super-rich most of the power. It would take a very large-scale populist movement to push them out and take back control.

Bernie is a national treasure. And no one who hears him speak will wonder about whether his mind is still sharp.

I like the design, but it seems expensive for the materials. Sometimes odd mechanisms are complicated and expensive to machine. I don’t see that being the case here.

That aside, it is a clever design and a surprisingly elegant looking knife.

The perfect quote from “The Newsroom”:

Will : “The only reason I seem liberal is because I believe hurricanes are caused by high barometric pressure not gay marriage.”

My first presidential election was in 1980. I waited almost six hours to vote for Jimmy Carter in Iowa City, Iowa, USA (a medium-sized college town).

It was surprisingly festive. There were people walking the line handing out water and snacks. There were several musicians performing at various points along the line.

This may be the most brilliant get-out-the-vote tactic I’ve ever seen.

You can’t go wrong with ESEE. They’re tough, practical, and reasonably priced, although not cheap.

These days, my bushcraft knife is a Guardian 5.5 in Magnacut from Bradford Knives. Their designs, materials, and production quality are all top notch. I don’t always carry a fixed blade around town, but when I do it’s a Guardian 3.5.

If you can get relatives to help, do that. If not, contact a local women’s shelter or other abuse-related non-profit. They may or may not be able to help directly, but they will most likely know what other resources are available.

I wish you the best.

That depends a great deal on what the local police are like. They may help. They may just let the family know about the complaint. Generations of abused women provide an unfortunate history of these issues.

And even if the police do help, they will not be able to provide protection. Their job is to arrest and prosecute the brother after he commits the murder. It’s sad and wrong, but that is the way the system works.

I’m pretty sure he realizes it. What he doesn’t want is for everyone else to realize it too.

I’ve been a Washington Post subscriber for almost a decade. I just cancelled.

Now I need to figure out which independent news organizations that money should go to instead.

Possibly, but life is full of risks.

What you really need is a carbon fiber shoehorn. If you do manage to deform it the thing will go right back to its original shape.

You’ve gotten a lot of good advice, but let me throw in a few random suggestions…

I use Tuf-Glide on all my knives. You can spray it on or wipe it on with with a cloth. The stuff dries and bonds with the surface layer of the metal. It’s a great lubricant, but it also prevents rust and provides some physical protection.

There is nothing inherently wrong with pull-through sharpeners, but avoid any sharpener that uses carbide as the abrasive. There are some excellent and easy-to-use sharpeners with ceramic and diamond rods. My field sharpener is the AccuSharp Diamond Pro. It’s easy to use, compact, and produces a surprisingly good edge. I’ve given the to all my friends and they’ve stopped bringing me all their knives to sharpen. :-)

There is some decent damascus out there, but most of what you get in lower-end knives is really terrible. Materials science keeps uping the game of knife steels, but 440C was considered one of the best maybe thirty years ago. It is still a solid performer with a good balance of edge holding, toughness, rust resistance, and ease of sharpening.

Don’t use your knife for things it wasn’t designed to do. Get yourself a small cheap prybar to pair with it. Something like 3" prybar will save your blade and do a better job of prying anyway. I prefer mine a little longer than that, so here’s a 3.8" prybar.

Have fun!