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SURPLUS

                                                     December 10, 2011     
  I go into the last remaining                                            
  "Army/Navy Surplus Store" in San             They haven't really been      
  Francisco, and look for the two              "surplus" stores in a        
  brands of six-pocket pants they've           long time.  We no longer      
  always carried.  Between my                  have army surplus.           
  preference for size, color, and              The wars never stop.    
  fabric, there's nothing there I'm            
  willing to buy.  (If you add in my                                
  preference for "American Made" and/or            But consider the fact
  "Fair Trade" it's a complete                     that we're in the midst
  impossibility.)  It used to be                   of a veritable craze for
  possible to get black polycotton                 "tactical pants"... go
  combat pants in this place, but I've             on-line, and you're
  had no luck on my last few trips.                likely to be overwhelmed
                                                   by choices.
  That is essentially the end of brick-and-
  mortar clothes shopping for me...                   There's the Kitanica
                                                      brand, American made
                                                      and based in Oakland.
     On the shoe front: because of
     similar problems, I'd slowed down                And there are other
     my rate of buying shoes to the                   things with some
     point where I almost stopped.                    appeal, like "5.11
                                                      Tactical" (descended
        The only shoes that won't destroy             from Royal Robbins),
        my joints are the ones with rubbery           originally intended to
        cushioned soles that are now only             be climbing wear.
        made in China.
                                                          And the polycotton
        Converse moved their Chuck                        "5.11 Tacticals" are
        Taylor operation over seas                        what I've settled
        years ago.  Even "Red Wing"                       on for now: internet
        now carries mostly chinese                        shopping, oh joy.
        stuff (and their few
        remaining American made ones
        look hard-soled and                     WHERE_AMERICA
        hard-riding).
              
          I bought a pair of Toms a few
          months ago, which are supposedly
          politically correct (if not fair
          trade): buy one pair, they give a     It's no doubt rank cynicism
          pair away free to poor children in    on my part, but I have my
          botsavariastan.                       doubts that this system
                                                works very well.  The
                                                shoes themselves don't seem
                                                like they breath well
             (Sept 11, 2013)                    enough for the tropics,
     Shoes: For now I've settled                and if they were worth
     on "People's Mvmnt", which                 something the kids you give
     like Tom's talks a political               'em to might end up beaten
     correct line (Organic!),                   and robbed for their shoes.
     though they are unfortunately
     made in China and don't sport                  Their web site has pictures
     a Fair Trade certification.                    of happy white people
                                                    displaying their Tom's
     These shoes can at least be                    flags, not happy brown
     bought locally (Sole Space,                    children sporting their
     in Oakland.)                                   snazzy shoes.




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