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Peace Through Flip Flop Superiority

January 6, 2019 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Imagine if peace were as ubiquitous as flip flops?

Flip flops are my footwear of choice, maybe yours as well. Simple, easy to put on, comfortable and easy to care for. What’s not to like? Perhaps you even wear them to make some form of sartorial statement.

How about wearing flip flops to make a political statement, and maybe even help change the focus in war zones from conflict to prosperity?

“we were going to take military capacity that was established to manufacture tools for war, and we were going to manufacture commercial products for peace. And then we were going to ship them all over the world and help a whole bunch of people along the way. -Matt “Griff” Griffin

Let me introduce you to Combat Flip Flops and the Unarmed Forces.

“Each day brings tragic events. Decades of radicalism fueled by ignorance create indifference and helplessness. The cycle of violence and injustice continues. As humans, we should have figured this out by now. Can it change?

We felt the same way too.  Asked the same question.  As business leaders, we listened to the rhetoric, and saw the hypocrisy.  As special operations veterans, we ‘defended our freedom,’ and discovered the wars went against everything we hoped for. Through understanding and compassion, we found a new path forward–a mechanism of change.”

floperating

It started when I read about them somewhere online. As a veteran, reading about a veteran-owned business caught my attention. Vet’s make flops, I’m in. So, I order a pair of Floperators. They are adorned with this credo: “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

As a veteran, I have been asked: “what do you think about war?” I respond with “what do you think about cancer?” Now here is a company making flip flops, shemaghs and other cool stuff that cops to the attitude that wars are stupid.

“As a species, we have been repeating this insane habit of putting little metal projectiles into one another as a method of foreign policy because our leaders can’t figure out how to do their job. Then they sell it to us as an honorable, massive achievement after we spend trillions of dollars putting ourselves in the same position to do it all over again. Wasting human potential and natural resources through the entire process. When you say it out loud, the absurdity of war should be apparent.”

These cats articulated my worldview and even better were putting products out that walked the talk. They earned my money, and I was proud to join the Unarmed Forces.”

This winter they published Steps Ascending: Rise of the Unarmed Forces. Griffin and Lee, the authors, take you behind the scenes to tell the tale of how they used their special operations training to launch Combat Flip Flops. Even better, they help answer this question they pose in the foreword:

“What if funding for schools in the most deserving and necessary parts of the world could come directly from or be supplemented by for-profit business? What if part of that business model simultaneously activated that same underutilized workforce?”

I promise you that answer is there, and it is worth the read to discover it.

So when you see me wearing floperators or a CFF shemaugh, now you know why.

Filed Under: Business, Featured, Gear, Politics

Patagonia leads again.

December 16, 2018 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

image courtesy of Patagonia

Patagonia says “let’s be first.” This time to save the planet. 

This past week Patagonia came out with a new mission statement:

“Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.”

“We’re losing the planet because of climate change, that’s the elephant in the room. Society is basically working on symptoms. Save the polar bear? If you want to save the polar bear, you got to save the planet,” Chouinard says. “Forget about the polar bear, they’re toast anyway. So I decided to make a very simple statement, because in reality, if we want to save the planet, every single company in the world has to do the same thing. And I thought, well, let’s be the first.”

Patagonia will focus on three key areas: agriculture, politics, and protected lands.

They can count me in.

image courtesy of Patagonia Provisions.

Read about it here > Patagonia’s new company mission is to save the planet

Filed Under: Conservation, Featured Tagged With: Patagonia

What I use: Patagonia’s Tough Puff Hoody

December 9, 2018 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

PC: Patagonia

Guiding in the fall and winter is a challenge for me when it comes to comfort.

Here in Virginia, with its variable weather, planning a day on our spring creeks takes a little ingenuity. 35 degrees at 7 a.m. can swing to 60 degrees by 2 or 3 p.m. that same day.  And add a little moisture to the equation and the gear bag starts to fill up.

I’ve got my suite of work-arounds, but it usually means I wind up taking more than I need for the day.

I was in the shop the other day (Mossy Creek Fly Fishing for those who don’t know) saw the Patagonia Tough Puff Hoody and decided to give one a try.

Here are some of the features that make it a standout:

  • It stretches. That means it moves when I do. When I reach out with the net, having my jacket go where I go is very helpful.
  • I can push the sleeves up. There are two times when this is especially helpful; when I reach into said net in the water and when the temp outside warms up a bit but I’m not ready to give up my coat.
  • DWR fabric. That is Patagonia’s water repellent fabric finish. Sure, I look at the WX before every trip, and if it is going to be a deluge (read full rain gear) for the trip we will likely pass or dress accordingly. But ’round these parts showers, either rain or snow, pop up with little warning and that extra protection comes in handy.
  • Abrasion resistance. Sometimes, you just have to push through the “pucker brush” to get where you need to be. And my fleece and Nano Puffs show it… A little “up-armoring” is welcome.
  • Breathability, wicking and warmth. If you are active, and guides are, then you can work up a sweat. Wicking the moisture away and having breathable fabrics can really increase the comfort level at this time of year. Conversely, when you are standing around reading the tea leaves in a fly box or waiting for a fish to stick its nose up, having some insulation is plus, a big plus.
  • A hood. Sure, it is called a hoody for a reason, and the hood comes in handy to regulate comfort. While my Kromer works fine, a little extra insulation for the neck and noggin sure is nice.
  • Pockets. Four big ones. Two at chest level, big enough for fly boxes and two more at the waist for fly boxes or what have you. And they all zip.

The one thing I really like: Having my hemostats handy. The tool I use most often when I am guiding is my hemostat. While you can’t see it in the image I grabbed from Patagonia, there is a tab below the left hand chest pocket to attach a zinger or, in my case, keeping my hemostat securely at hand. Priceless.

One thing I would add: a zippered inside pocket.


Filed Under: Featured, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Gear, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, Things that work Tagged With: gear you wear, Patagonia, tough puff hoody

On the passing of George H.W. Bush

December 3, 2018 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Sully, former President George H.W. Bush’s service dog,
lies next to Bush’s casket ahead of national memorial services for Bush this week.
“Mission complete,” Bush spokesperson Jim McGrath said when he posted the photo on Twitter tonight. #Remembering41

https://nbcnews.to/2EaiMBp

Because the difference is so stark between George H.W. Bush and the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue the loss is felt more profoundly.

This is wonderful tribute to George H. W. Bush by Bill Clinton.

Source: Bill Clinton: George H.W. Bush’s Oval Office note to me revealed the heart of who he was – The Washington Post

Filed Under: Clips, Featured, Reflections

Happy Thanksgiving 2018

November 22, 2018 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

For the last few years I have been posting this Thanksgiving day quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I have yet to find one better on this day.

“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”

Theodore Roosevelt, Thanksgiving, 1903

And never forget on this day and every day, paraphrasing Winston Churchill, we enjoy Thanksgiving because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

For them I am eternally thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Filed Under: Featured, Reflections

Khashoggi, cash and Trump

November 22, 2018 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

Fred Ryan gets it right.
“Stable, peaceful societies, governed by leaders who respect the rights of their people, need journalists who can expose wrongdoing and hold the powerful to account. It is no mere coincidence that many of the worst abusers of press freedom are also some of the world’s most dangerous actors.”

Source: Khashoggi was murdered. Saudi Arabia flashed cash — and Trump looked the other way. – The Washington Post

Filed Under: Featured, First Amendment, Politics

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Insurrection most foul

Gerson’s article, “The U.S. must punish sedition — or risk more of it” captures much of what is going through my mind at this moment.

The post-election political theater has jumped the shark.

BLUF: Time to starve the conspiracy whack jobs and Trump sycophants of oxygen.

The Threat to Democracy is Real

“We opposed Trump because we recognized that what he stood for is an existential threat to the American experiment in constitutional democracy.”

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