On exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government had been created and he replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." So how do we keep it? How do we maintain the liberty we have, and restore liberty that we have lost? Below, I will outline my thoughts on this subject.
Education
You can not advocate effectively for a principle that you do not understand. It requires a solid knowledge base on the fundamentals of natural rights and the founding of our country. If you have not read the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, or the Federalist Papers, then you have homework to do. Once you have read the founding documents, you need to understand them. I recommend Clinton Rossiter's book: The Political Thought of the American Revolution: Part III of "Seedtime of the Republic." This book is no longer it print. It can be found at Amazon.com, but you may have to watch and wait to get it at a reasonable price. It is not light reading, but if you truly want to understand the principles of liberty and the founding of our nation, you would be hard pressed to find a better resource. Another excellent book is Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer. This is an account of the events surrounding the outbreak of the American Revolution. It is a fascinating book. Much of it reads more like a good novel than a history book. Another excellent resource is the free online education available at Hillsdale College. I highly recommend their Constitution 101 course. After you educate yourself, share with others. Teach your children. Encourage your friends and relatives to, at a minimum, read the Constitution.
Voting
Vote in every election. Research the candidates. votesmart.org is a good resource.
Be Represented
Contact your representatives. Find out who represents you and make your options on the issues known. Tell them how you want them to vote. You can find out who your representatives are and how to contact them on votesmart.org.
Jury Duty
If called on for jury duty, educate yourself. Understand why the right to trial by jury was included in the Bill of Rights. Understand the concept of jury nullification, and how this is part of the system of checks and balances. A good resource is the Fully Informed Jury Association.
Be Part of the Militia
If you are an able bodied man between the ages of 17 and 45 or a veteran under the age of 65, you are the unorganized militia according to US Code Title 10, Section 311. You should be physically fit, have a rifle and ammunition, and be a good marksman. Project Appleseed can help you with the latter. This is not a call to arms. I do not advocate the violent overthrow of the US Government. We live in what some call a "soft" tyranny. There is still time and opportunity to work within the system. A conversion to "hard" tyranny would necessitate taking up arms. An well armed citizenry proficient at arms serves as a strong deterrent to that conversion. In other words: A well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state.
When the founders framed the Constitution, they devised a system of checks and balances. Know that the citizenry is part of that system. Education, voting, communicating with your representatives, serving on juries, maintaining arms and skill at arms are the means to that end.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Tourniquet Experiment
I have been wondering about how the effectiveness of modern tourniquets, like the CAT, compares to a traditional cravat and stick tourniquet. I have also heard that an Israeli bandage makes a decent tourniquet if you use a stick to tighten it. That made me wonder if an ACE bandage, which I have used on numerous occasions as an effective pressure dressing, would work as a tourniquet if you added a stick to use as a windlass.
The authority on tourniquets is the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR). They have published numerous studies on the subject. Their experiments sometimes use human subjects and measure arterial occlusion with a doppler device.
I couldn't find anything comparing the old fashioned cravat and stick, like I learned in basic training, to the new tourniquets. I also wanted to see what an ACE and stick could do. I didn't want to use human subjects. I'm not planning on publishing my little experiment, other than on my own blog. So I came up with the idea of using a football to simulate a thigh. I deflated it to 2 psi (103 mm Hg), pretty close to normal human blood pressure, applied each tourniquet, and measured the pressure again. Each of the 3 methods I tried, increased the pressure in the football to 3 psi (155 mm Hg). High enough to exceed the arterial pressure in most humans. There are numerous flaws in my methodology. A football is not perfectly analogous to a thigh, my pressure gauge is not very accurate, etc. However, nobody got hurt, and I think it gave a decent comparison, relative to each other, of how much pressure each tourniquet could give. We know from USAISR's research that the CAT is effective.
Here is the CAT applied to the football. Also shown is the pressure gauge.
Now a standard military issue triangular bandage NSN 6510-00-201-1755 (cravat) with a stick (3/8 x 6" oak dowel). It generated just as much pressure, but you can see where the cloth rolled up, narrowing the width of the tourniquet. This could potentially cause pain and tissue damage.
Now the ACE bandage (3") and stick. I used a zip tie to secure the stick in place. It also generated adequate pressure, but rolled up like the cravat.
Conclusions: A cravat or an ACE bandage with a stick can be used to make an effective tourniquet. They cannot be applied one-handed, limiting their application for self aid to an upper extremity injury. They both roll up and narrow, likely causing pain and tissue damage. Applying the tourniqet over clothing could limit this effect.
If you remember my prior post on making a budget IFAK, we could use some of the lessons learned in this experiment to make a pocket or EDC IFAK, like the Student of the Gun (SOTG) Pocket Lifesaver. Knowing that a tourniquet can be made out an ACE bandage, we could eliminate the triangular bandage and limit the items in the kit to the following:
nasopharyngeal airway, 28 Fr
ABD pad or maxi pad
3" ACE bandage
3/8 x 6" oak dowel (maybe even 5")
36" of duct tape on a credit card
I am going to put together such a kit, vacuum pack it with a FoodSaver, and post some pics. We'll see how convenient it is to carry around.
At $39.95, SOTG's Pocket Lifesaver is a good deal. The cost is not much more than the cost of the RATS tourniquet and nasal airway that it contains. I think their kit would be neater if the duct tape were on a credit card. The RATS tourniquet can be applied one handed. I'm not sure of its effectiveness. They say that it is TCCC approved, but that is misleading. See this article for the details on that. I guess I will have to get one and test it on the football. While I'm at it, I just might make a DIY tourniquet like the RATS from a Walmart bungee cord, and test it too.
The authority on tourniquets is the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR). They have published numerous studies on the subject. Their experiments sometimes use human subjects and measure arterial occlusion with a doppler device.
I couldn't find anything comparing the old fashioned cravat and stick, like I learned in basic training, to the new tourniquets. I also wanted to see what an ACE and stick could do. I didn't want to use human subjects. I'm not planning on publishing my little experiment, other than on my own blog. So I came up with the idea of using a football to simulate a thigh. I deflated it to 2 psi (103 mm Hg), pretty close to normal human blood pressure, applied each tourniquet, and measured the pressure again. Each of the 3 methods I tried, increased the pressure in the football to 3 psi (155 mm Hg). High enough to exceed the arterial pressure in most humans. There are numerous flaws in my methodology. A football is not perfectly analogous to a thigh, my pressure gauge is not very accurate, etc. However, nobody got hurt, and I think it gave a decent comparison, relative to each other, of how much pressure each tourniquet could give. We know from USAISR's research that the CAT is effective.
Here is the CAT applied to the football. Also shown is the pressure gauge.
Now a standard military issue triangular bandage NSN 6510-00-201-1755 (cravat) with a stick (3/8 x 6" oak dowel). It generated just as much pressure, but you can see where the cloth rolled up, narrowing the width of the tourniquet. This could potentially cause pain and tissue damage.
Now the ACE bandage (3") and stick. I used a zip tie to secure the stick in place. It also generated adequate pressure, but rolled up like the cravat.
Conclusions: A cravat or an ACE bandage with a stick can be used to make an effective tourniquet. They cannot be applied one-handed, limiting their application for self aid to an upper extremity injury. They both roll up and narrow, likely causing pain and tissue damage. Applying the tourniqet over clothing could limit this effect.
If you remember my prior post on making a budget IFAK, we could use some of the lessons learned in this experiment to make a pocket or EDC IFAK, like the Student of the Gun (SOTG) Pocket Lifesaver. Knowing that a tourniquet can be made out an ACE bandage, we could eliminate the triangular bandage and limit the items in the kit to the following:
nasopharyngeal airway, 28 Fr
ABD pad or maxi pad
3" ACE bandage
3/8 x 6" oak dowel (maybe even 5")
36" of duct tape on a credit card
I am going to put together such a kit, vacuum pack it with a FoodSaver, and post some pics. We'll see how convenient it is to carry around.
At $39.95, SOTG's Pocket Lifesaver is a good deal. The cost is not much more than the cost of the RATS tourniquet and nasal airway that it contains. I think their kit would be neater if the duct tape were on a credit card. The RATS tourniquet can be applied one handed. I'm not sure of its effectiveness. They say that it is TCCC approved, but that is misleading. See this article for the details on that. I guess I will have to get one and test it on the football. While I'm at it, I just might make a DIY tourniquet like the RATS from a Walmart bungee cord, and test it too.
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