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Back in the Day, I used to atleast make the Local Watch List every now and then.

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As usual, everything was up to Par, and in Compliance with applicable Sections of Code, as my Muzzleloaders were indeed only capable of Loading from the Muzzle.
I was Guilty of a Noise Violation.

It's all in the way you Word It.
 
As long as you have your towel, there's no need to panic.

Exactly.
Everyone around me, seeing that I have a Towel, will just assume that I also have brought all sorts of other useful things.
 
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Our best defense is a good offense. Keep your own list of crackpot politicians and don't hesitate to whip out a video camera when witnessing a public official doing something sketchy.
 
I wonder if this kind of concern will not be judged over-the-top years from now. I really think the mysterious 'powers that be' don't have much time for the likes of 99% of the people on TRF. Maybe 99.99%. The government is not as omnipotent as Hollywood would leave us all to believe. Sure, they overstep here and there, after all humans make mistakes. That doesn't mean 'we are all on a list' paranoia is justified. Call it a byproduct of the early Information Age. Now, consider the source, as I've been a federal government employee for many years. Am I the only one who grows tired of the 'the government is out to get me' threads?

Just to stir the pot some, black helicopters are so yesterday. Remotely piloted aircraft are in. And, say, if an MQ-1/9 was orbiting your house, you would never see or hear it. They can stay there up there for *many* hours--watching endlessly. With two or more aircraft they can watch you 24/7/365. And carry things that go boom.
 
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There is a phenomenon known as an "institutional mindset". It manifests itself among certain governmental agencies, including but not limited to the BATFE, the CPSC, the IRS, your local school boards, city councils and police departments. It usually involves an "us against them mentality" and results in circling of the wagons when plans go awry. It is not limited to government and there are numerous examples in the private sector.

The letter that I received in 2005 from the United States Department of Justice Office of Consumer Litigation was not a figment of my imagination. As for black helicopters, I have yet to see one.
 
This afternoon I stopped in at the local Sportsman's Warehouse and bought a couple of boxes of the Winchester "T" (training) ammunition in 9mm. I was short of cash and paid by debit card.

My purchase undoubtedly registered on the NSA computers in Utah and my "permanent record" has been updated.
 
[video=youtube;KraNwTSC9Vs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KraNwTSC9Vs[/video]
 
Ok, I know this is an old thread, but I figured this could be useful to anyone that stumbles across this thread. I worked for Siemens Generation Services at Xcel Energy's Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant during the 1R29 outage in Oct-Nov 2014, and my involvement in HPR caused me no problems getting in.
 
The question IS NOT are "we paranoid":dark: The question is "are we paranoid Enough!":wink:
 
When I was a kid, I had a deck of cards that had photos & planforms of fighter jets, mostly cold war era. They were each labeled with the manf name and the NATO designation, like Mig-21 (Fishbed) I got real good at identifying any of them as well as most things flying in the air as I always watch the skys and have always loved planes.

That being said, most of you will still think I am nuts here. However, on Monday the last day of Airfest 21 in 2013, minutes into watching the Australian teams rocket float high overhead after getting their main at apogee, I saw the faint silhouette but yet distinct planform of a very stealthy looking aircraft silently passing overhead. After searching google images I later identified it as a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel. Crazy right? Keep in mind, that's McConnell AFB's back yard.
 
I usually hardly ever make any political posts on Facebook. But five or so years ago I did make three or four posts in reference to a then-current controversial issue (it's still controversial today), saying if
It passed it would be beneficial to me. That was it. I didn't rant or rave or scream anybody opposing it was a horrible person, etc etc .

Three or four days later I was called into the office of my department manager at work. Seems the higher up at the company were very very much opposed to this political issue and they did not like employees making internet posts in opposition to the company.

I asked, "how did they find out what I was posting about on Facebook?"

(my Facebook friends list includes absolutely nobody from my workplace)

I was told, "you'd be surprised at who looks at your Facebook page."

It's not like I was some big wheel or public celebrity, I was just a middle level employee. "They keep track of everybody down to the junior secretaries."

So I guess I was put on a list too.

Within 2-3 days, I scrubbed my FB page completely clean of ALL political content. Didn't get called in by the manager for any more private office sessions.
 
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Veteran, NRA Member, NRA Instructor, CC Instructor, Numerous letters
written to Congress Critters, Rocketry, Hunter, Tea Party, Chinese Visa,
etc. really the question is how many lists am I on... :eyeroll:
 
I usually hardly ever make any political posts on Facebook. But five or so years ago I did make three or four posts in reference to a then-current controversial issue (it's still controversial today), saying if
It passed it would be beneficial to me. That was it. I didn't rant or rave or scream anybody opposing it was a horrible person, etc etc .

Three or four days later I was called into the office of my department manager at work. Seems the higher up at the company were very very much opposed to this political issue and they did not like employees making internet posts in opposition to the company.

I asked, "how did they find out what I was posting about on Facebook?"

(my Facebook friends list includes absolutely nobody from my workplace)

I was told, "you'd be surprised at who looks at your Facebook page."

It's not like I was some big wheel or public celebrity, I was just a middle level employee. "They keep track of everybody down to the junior secretaries."

So I guess I was put on a list too.

Within 2-3 days, I scrubbed my FB page completely clean of ALL political content. Didn't get called in by the manager for any more private office sessions.

I have no FB friends that I work with; I also have my page locked down to Friends only.
I am sure if they looked hard enough but we still do have a First Amendment, I also
never discuss my company.
 
I've been self-employed for 45 or so of my 70 years. One time I was so mad at myself for something I posted that I chewed my own ass for days! Liked to never got that taste out of my mouth. :rant:
 
I have no FB friends that I work with; I also have my page locked down to Friends only.
I am sure if they looked hard enough but we still do have a First Amendment, I also
never discuss my company.


I have no facebook, never had. I also know no secrets at all, everything I know is common knowledge...something that gets me PO'd here with the restrictions on research. There's nothing going on there that you can't get from Amazon, you can buy EVERYTHING ever printed on solid fuel. Used copies of Sutton's book are readily available for those who have the cash....:eyeroll:
 
When I was a kid, I had a deck of cards that had photos & planforms of fighter jets, mostly cold war era. They were each labeled with the manf name and the NATO designation, like Mig-21 (Fishbed) I got real good at identifying any of them as well as most things flying in the air as I always watch the skys and have always loved planes.

That being said, most of you will still think I am nuts here. However, on Monday the last day of Airfest 21 in 2013, minutes into watching the Australian teams rocket float high overhead after getting their main at apogee, I saw the faint silhouette but yet distinct planform of a very stealthy looking aircraft silently passing overhead. After searching google images I later identified it as a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel. Crazy right? Keep in mind, that's McConnell AFB's back yard.

Don't you think it was more likely to be this one? These are all over the place from air shows to football games to car races. I'm not doubting your spotting skills, but this one seems more plausible.ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1438863245.360760.jpg
 
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Don't you think it was more likely to be this one? These are all over the place from air shows to football games to car races. I'm not doubting your spotting skills, but this one seems more plausible.View attachment 269444

I'm sure, 100% that it was not a B2. B2's fly over the shop all the time and have for years. Whiteman AFB is about ~65 nautical miles from me. I hear them far more often than I see them, often due to the clouds, other times because they have already passed overhead by the time I hear them, and you can definitely hear them. The word "rocket ship" is what I would use to describe the sound they make. It's a very distinctive sound from other jet/aircraft. It's a rip/roaring/tearing sound. The B2 is also what the guys next to me that day suggested it was as I was trying to point it out to them in the sky. You know what that's like trying to spot a falling rocket under drogue at altitude from the tip of someones finger. No one else saw it. I never heard a sound that day and I watched it until it was out of sight.

Here's what a B2 looks like at altitude through a 1000mm lens. Not the clearest manual focus lens, but you see what it is. The craft I saw was a lighter tone color, definitely not black.

B2.jpg


B2_1.jpg


Here's a Dreamliner through the same lens for comparison.

Emirates%20Dreamliner1.jpg
 
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