As a nation of people, the United States is just too stupid to survive.
Fox News
“The commercial arm of a right wing political movement, specializing in strategic resentment and aggregated grievance in the attention economy, while behind the scenes it tries to be a kingmaker and party boss, riding the tiger of manipulated rage.”
— Jay Rosen
Jeep: Plugging Holes
Previous owners of the Jeep had added some switches that no long switch anything, so I removed them. Leaving some unsightly holes. (first two photos)


The black rubber grommets didn’t look bad but there was still a little camo paint left so…


Sloppy paint job but after the Jeep gets some hot sun this summer, I’m hoping for a nice even fade.
Jeep: Tracing Wires
My beloved Land Rover has spent the last day and night outdoors to make room for the Jeep. A temporary move, I promise.
There are a few mystery switches on the Jeep so I decided to see if I could trace the wires back to something no longer needed.
There’s a real rat’s nest of wires behind the dash and I might –or might not– try to tidy up.
In the photo below you see holes where I removed switches for the windshield wiper (I’m going manual, baby!); the rollbar lights; and a cigarette lighter. I’ll plug the holes with some nice rubber grommets. I traced a wire from the master toggle back to the brake lights but can’t seem to make those work.
I pulled the access cover to get at the brake fluid cylinder. Didn’t have the nerve to go further. Hard to believe folks kept a close eye on brake fluid levels.
While crawling around under the Jeep I noticed oil dripping from one corner of the oil pan (?). Paul thinks this might be a matter of retorquing the bolts which might have loosened up over time, or the gasket could have shrunk a small amount.
Jeep: Test Drive #2
In this 3 1/2 min video I take the Jeep for another drive, getting used to a new shifting pattern and the overall ride. My Land Rover cruises comfortably at 40-45 mph, I don’t think I’ll be pushing the Jeep much beyond 35 mph. Have to make sure the brakes are working properly. Currently, I really have to stand on the brake to stop. Once I’m sure I can operate safely, I’ll take the Jeep onto some city streets.