Greetings Sheepdogs,
The Warrior's Prayer
Dear God,
Please give us discernment to distinguish friend from foe from innocent bystanders.
Give us clear vision so our aim is true. Give us calm so we execute correctly.
Give us spiritual maturity so that we stop the enemy's attack without excessive force,
without revenge.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Table of Contents:
Prevention
Mindset
Situational Awareness
Safety
Training
Practice
Intervention
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
Postvention
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
Education
Legal
Instruction
Gear
Cryptology
Signals Intelligence
Intelligence
Religion and Politics
Psychology
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***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.
Table of sections:
Mindset
Safety
Training
Practice
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset and Attitude -----
Figuring out the correct way to think.
‟We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a
lethal force encounter initiated by someone else.
That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive.”
– William Aprill
Excerpt from an email that I sent --
. . .
You must be careful, because the martial arts schools for civilians will
not teach you the stuff that will instantly break joints, debilitate, or kill.
(Which is what you need to do, to avoid being injured or killed in a
self-defense scenario. Self-defense is combat. To think otherwise is
foolish.) If they did, they would go out of business. Their insurance
rates would skyrocket. So all of these schools are "sports", not "combat"
schools. The Judo they taught us in the Marine Corps would always
immediately break joints at the least and often cripple or kill.
If you're competing, you're prohibited from doing all kinds of things.
In MAA and UFC fighting there is a list of 23 things you cannot do.
https://www.elitesports.com/blogs/news/what-moves-are-banned-in-the-ufc
Those 23 things are precisely the things you need to do in a real fight.
Otherwise, you get crippled or killed.
Much of my self-defense teaching is changing people's mindset, so
that they are willing to gouge the enemy's eyes with all five fingers
stretched out (because in combat everyone is moving, so you're
lucking to get one finger in an eye), gouge deep into the brain, grab
the skull, and pull the head down to the ground, to crack the skull.
"The Earth is the best impact weapon, because it is always available
and gravity is always helping you." -- Tim Larkin
Women, especially, who tell me that they could never do such
a thing, are a real problem. I explain to them that by deciding that
they would never do such a thing, they have effectively decided
to allow the criminal predator to rape and murder them.
Which is fine. It's a free country.
But they have also made a decision for their spouse and children.
So many people in our society are ignorant, not cowards, just
ignorant of the real world. That evil exists. That violence is amoral,
like any tool, it is neither good nor bad. It all depends on what the
person is using the tool for.
Dr. Orion Taraban (a psychologist with both academic training and
real world experience) says that pain and suffering is the universe
telling the person that she is wrong. That is to say, the person is
attempting to contort reality to fit her mental models. But reality
will not change for anyone. So if the person wants happiness, she must
conform her mental models to reality.
In reality, evil exists. It doesn't matter why. And you cannot wish
it away by singing "Kum ba yah". But a lot of people don't believe
this. They insist that love will conquer all. That if you just try to
understand the other person, you can reason with him. Such people
make the mistake of thinking that the bad guys think the way good
people think. This is false. Bad guy thought patters are entirely
different from good guy thought patterns. That's why we have to put
bad guys in cages or execute them.
Cheers,
Jon
"All that we don't know is astonishing.
Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing."
-- Philip Roth
“From Fear to Firearms: My Story
Here's why this armed citizen says, "If your life matters, train like it!" ”
by Anna Cousins
Excerpts:
"I live in a small town in Berks County, Pennsylvania,
where I decided to build a new home. Before the paint was
finished drying, a hate group came and busted my windows,
spray-painted my car, and terrorized me for a year.
We don’t have local police, so you have to contact the
Pennsylvania State Police. The station is located 45 minutes
from my home. By the time they would arrive, the hate group
terrorizing me would be gone and I looked like a crazy woman
who just made up the whole incident. I thought, these people
are going to kill me, and I have to protect myself."
"I knew how to shoot a firearm . . . at least I thought I did.
You don’t know what you don’t know until you are trained."
"The line between everyday life and sudden violence is thinner than most realize."
-- Tim Larkin
You can't predict the future.
You can't predict when some drunk or distracted driver will ram you.
So, you always wear your seat belt when driving. And you always make
sure your passengers are wearing their seat belts before moving.
You can't predict when a fire will start in your abode. So, you always
keep a fire extinguisher in plain view in your residence.
You can't predict when a criminal will attack you. That's his choice,
not yours. So, you always carry your pistol on your body with a round in
the chamber. You're not going to have time to load your pistol. You're
not going to have time to get your pistol from wherever you stored it.
So, you must always carry your loaded pistol on your body. The gunfight
will probably be over in 2 seconds.
In the U.S. the average police response time is 7 minutes (that’s 7 minutes
from the time the police patrol unit gets the call on the radio, it’s about 3 minutes
before anyone makes the first 911 call to the dispatcher, 3 or 4 minutes to get the
information before the dispatcher sends out a call on the radio). As Ed Monk
says, you'll be on your third cigarette before the police arrive.
You’ll have lots of time to holster your pistol before the responding officers
arrive. If you don’t holster your pistol before they arrive, they may shoot you.
Yes, many documented cases.
Don’t pick up the bad guy’s gun. The police will see you with the gun and
shoot you. Yes, documented case in Colorado.
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape
“Happiness is the by-product of achievement” -- Jeff Cooper
The Bible.
Unfortunately, many translations are wrong. In particular, the commandment
“You shall not murder.” is mistranslated in some versions of the Bible
(e.g. King James) as “You shall not kill.” Which is an entirely different meaning.
An analysis is given by Tom Givens at
on page 2, “Lost in Translation”. So, there is no Biblical prohibition against
the use of lethal force in self-defense or the defense of others. In fact,
Jesus encourages self-defense in the Book of Luke 22:36, where He tells
is disciples to get swords (the standard side arm of the time).
"Superior judgment trumps superior skills." -- Dan Millican
Very important ideas in this article.
"It's Only Your Life" by Clint Smith
Excerpts:
". . . we completed a Ladies Defensive Handgun Course at Thunder Ranch and,
as always, I learned some new things and reaffirmed some things I’d seen before."
Women:
• “It’s his place to protect me … that’s a man’s job.”
• “Nothing has ever happened to us, besides I don’t like guns.”
• “I don’t like guns around the house … we have kids.”
Men:
• “She doesn’t like guns . . . I took her to the range once and she didn’t like
shooting my .44 Magnum.”
• “Yeah, I gave her my old gun when I bought my new one.”
• “She doesn’t really need a good gun — she doesn’t shoot much anyway.”
"Most men cannot teach their wives how to shoot."
"If other humans are attacking your husband and or children,
the skills required must be onboard before the fight starts."
Keep your gun in a separate mental category,
not with your wallet and keys.
"Be so focused on watering your grass that
you don't have time to check if someone else's is greener."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Look how far you've come." by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
Today marks the fifty-second issue of this newsletter – which means that I've
been working on this project for a whole year. Most weeks, I'm simply focused
on writing another few paragraphs for the next distribution. However, almost
without noticing, I've amassed a modest compilation of thoughts, ideas, and
musings. A small oeuvre is being developed. Drop by drop the bucket is filled.
Since I am usually immersed in whatever project I happen to be working on,
the gradual accumulation of my efforts generally escapes my attention. It's only
when I stop and look back that the progress becomes visible. Over the past year,
I've been able to produce nearly one-hundred episodes, dozens of interviews,
hundreds of consultations, a new community, a full-length book.
This is not to boast. As I've said, my accomplishments – such as they are – are
largely invisible to me. And my hunch is the same is true for you, as well.
If you have a moment, this is your invitation to pause and reflect on your
achievements over the previous year. How is your life different than it was
a year ago? What progress can you feel authentically proud of? I'm not a
big fan of self-celebration – but self-recognition is essential. Acknowledge
the good work that you've done and see yourself as the source of that good.
You have even more inside of you.
This week's behavioral experiment:
Pause and reflect on the previous year's achievements. Notice how you feel afterwards.
Warmly,
Orion
Am I paranoid to carry a gun?
"The superior man, when resting in safety,
does not forget that danger may come.
When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin.
When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.
Thus, his person is not endangered,
and his States and all their clans are preserved."
-- Confucius (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.)
"Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions,
than ruined by too confident security."
-- Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797 A.D.)
"Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a
weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side
as he worked." -- Nehemiah 4:17-18
". . . each had his weapon, even when he went for water." -- Nehemiah 4:23
Scripture used by the 14th Marine Regiment chaplain in a sermon urging us
to always carry our weapons.
"I do not carry a pistol so that I may impose my will on others.
I carry a pistol so that others may not impose their will on me."
-- Tom Givens
Attend your local Citizens Police Academy
Across this nation, law enforcement agencies are putting on valuable programs
to better their relations with the communities they serve. They are called
“Citizens Police Academies.” They are free and typically require two nights
per week, for five weeks. Ladies are more than welcome. I suggest you and
your spouse attend together.
After graduation you might each be invited to “ride along” with an officer
on a regular shift. This is a very enlightening experience that will leave you
with a much better appreciation for what they do and why. More importantly,
they get a chance to know you, and you never know when having a couple of
friends in the police department could be beneficial.
-- Duaine Zeitz
from "2 Possess & Bear Arms" published by Smashwords, Copyright 2013.
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
"The Concealed Carry Mindset
Preparation can go a long way toward defending yourself from harm."
by Jeff Gonzales
"Your gunfights will always be anomalies.
So are those of all the instructors you venerate.
It’s useful to keep those facts in mind."
-- Greg Ellifritz
“You need to have the capacity for danger. You need to be ‘dangerous’.
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless.
There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless.”
-- Jordan Peterson
"Your life is as good as your mindset." -- Nicola Cavanis
‷If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
‶I'm at a disadvantage″,
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender --
all the factors that untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.‴
-- Tim Larkin
"Have your affairs in order."
-- John Hearne
***** Situational Awareness *****
How to avoid being taken by surprise.
"Many people don't realize that your awareness skills
are more important than your marksmanship skills.
Well, you can't shoot something you don't know is there,
or don't know it needs to be shot!" -- Tom Givens
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns:
23 Cases During December 2024" by John Lott
"Jeff Cooper's Color Code exists to help you get your head
around the need to kill someone in the immediate future."
-- John Hearne
---
Jeff Cooper's Color Code of Mental Awareness
UNAWARE - of what's going on around you. (White)
AWARE - of who is around you and what they are doing. (Yellow)
ALERT - to a POTENTIAL threat and taking action to avoid the threat. (Orange)
ALARM - by a REAL threat and taking action to escape the threat,
which might include shooting to PREVENT the attack. (Red)
COMBAT - front sight, press. Shooting to STOP the attack. (Black)
----- Safety -----
How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.
How to prevent unauthorized persons from using your guns.
“Voluntarily injecting oneself into a developing crisis”
is not associated with continued good health, as we see!
"Threat?" by John Farnam
Never fire a warning shot! Never shoot to wound!
Such are acts of criminal stupidity, and you will suffer for it.
Because warning shots will hit (and possibly kill)
innocent bystanders.
Because hitting your intended target in combat is a low
probability event. Which means shooting at a leg or arm is
a zero probability event. So, you will miss and hit innocent
bystanders, possibly killing them.
These innocent bystanders will be out of your sight.
Doesn't matter that you couldn't see them. Doesn't matter
that you didn't intend to shoot them. They're still dead.
And guess whose bullet will be found in their body during
the autopsy?
"You are not responsible for negative reactions to your boundaries."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Bottom Line Up Front:
"A proper qualification test is a non-negotiable requirement
for church security. Most churches don’t even require one.
That’s a mistake." [Keith is talking about a competency test
as opposed to a marksmanship test. -- Jon Low]
"Security Volunteer Shoots Himself at Church Event: What Went Wrong"
by Keith Graves
"Gut feelings are guardian angels." -- Nicola Cavanis
"Gaslighting!" by John Farnam
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING
THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
---
RULE V: Maintain control of your gun. -- Stephen P. Wenger
"Trigger Press Casualty" by tacticalprofessor
Safety Rule 2 is unforgiving.
"It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."
-- Claude Werner
"Covenant School trans shooter plotted Nashville attack for years,
kept notebooks with plans: final report
Audrey Hale kept multiple journals about motive,
but no highly anticipated 'manifesto,' police say"
by Michael Ruiz and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten
Article contains the final report from the Metro Nashville Police Department.
---
The effect of gun-free-zones is to create unarmed victims for armed criminals to prey upon.
---
"Covenant School trans shooter targeted elementary class because
little kids wouldn’t put up a fight, her sick diaries reveal"
by Alex Oliveira
Hat tip to Docent.
---
The purpose of gun-free-zones is to create unarmed victims for armed criminals to prey upon.
Never send your kids into gun-free-zones.
As Ed Monk says, If your "strategy" is to rely on the police to save you,
you will suffer many casualties and fatalities. Ed's formula for casualties per unit time
is borne out by the Covenant School incident.
---
"After Almost Two Years, Report on Nashville Covenant School Shooting
is Finally Released. No Mention that the Shooter was Trans."
by John Lott
Yup, that's the Metro Nashville Police Department for ya. When the documents
were leaked, 11 front line officers were reassigned. None of them had anything to
do with the leaks. The executives who leaked the documents were never disciplined.
Bravo, John Drake.
---
"Kash Patel Reveals Covenant School Shooter’s RACIST Writings"
by Liz Wheeler
32:21 to 38:53
---
"Inside 1,000 Pages of the Nashville School Shooter's Journals on Gender Identity, Race"
by Megyn Kelly
The Nashville Police covering up to save the liberal narrative.
"Brace yourself!" by John Farnam
"Managing the First Responder When You’re Off-Duy"
by Greg Ellifritz and Warren Wilson
You don't have the necessary information, so don't intervene.
"At Townhall:
Why National Concealed Carry Reciprocity will make Americans safer"
by John Lott
"Zanshin" by John Farnam
---
As a civilian defender, NEVER approach the bad guy!
Do not attempt to restrain. Do not attempt to render first aid.
The bad guy is playing opossum. As soon as you are within
reach, he will finish the job he started, killing you.
What should you do? Walk away. Seek cover. Seek safety.
Most of the people residing in the United States have been taught from the
day they were born that the police are here to protect them from harm. Nothing
could be further from the truth. It is the job of the police to enforce laws, good
or bad. It is the job of the courts to see the law is enforced fairly.
Unfortunately, they have been much too busy protecting the rights of criminals
to provide simple justice to someone they see as a vigilante, that has taken the
law into their own hands. You are left with the unbelievably expensive and
daunting task of appealing to a series of higher courts to decide if a particular
law is unconstitutional.
The police cannot arrest someone for what they might do; they can only act
after a crime has been committed. That is why restraining orders do not work.
Criminals seldom do their dirty work when they think a cop might be around.
It is left up to you to protect yourself in any way you can until the police get
there. And until quite recently, if you were outside of your home, they expected
you to do it unarmed.
Did you know, in spite of all of this, every year in this country there are
approximately twice as many criminals shot by private citizens than are shot
by the police? Did you know many police officers go through their entire
careers without ever having to draw their weapon? This is simply because
they are seldom there when the crime goes down. The streets have always
been a far safer place for a law enforcement officer than for a victim.
-- Duaine Zeitz
Most violent criminals are repeat offenders; one of the first things they
learn in prison is how to disarm a cop. It has been estimated that approximately
12% of all policemen shot on duty are shot with their own gun. What I want
you to understand is if you are not a policeman, you do not have to get close
enough to subdue, handcuff or arrest anyone. Even after they have given up,
you would be well advised to keep them at least 20 feet away from you until
the police arrive.
-- Duaine Zeitz
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don’t go to stupid places.
Don’t associate with stupid people.
Don’t do stupid things.
Have a “normal” appearance.
Be in bed by 10:00 PM (your own bed).
Don’t fail the attitude test.
----- Training -----
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.
"If you’re not measuring your training,
what you’re doing is called playing."
-- Chris Sajnog
---
"In order to measure, we must be able to quantify."
-- Aaron Cowan
"I don't need to learn or practice such things.
I cannot imagine ever being in such a situation."
The CIA has a saying about that.
“There are things that you cannot imagine,
but there is nothing that may not happen!”
-- CIA Axiom
The CIA stole it from the Bible, Ephesians 3:20.
You need training because:
You don't know what you don't know.
Much of what you know is false.
It's good to the have the answers before the criminal tests you.
-- Claude Werner (paraphrased)
On the theory that we train and practice so that when it happens in the real world,
it won't be the first time. So, we won't be as surprised. "I've done this before.
I know what to do." Been there, done that.
"When you're training to protect yourself and others, speed always comes last.
In the more than twenty-five years I've been training people in self-protection,
I've never heard from someone who used self-protection tools in the field and
felt like they suffered from a lack of speed at the moment of truth. In fact, I
usually hear the opposite: it's much more common to suffer from a lack of
accuracy or force." -- Tim Larkin
"A mistake that makes you humble is better
than an achievement that makes you arrogant."
-- Nicola Cavanis
All participants remove all weapons, including ammo. Check each other for
weapons. No, really, pat down the other person; your life depends on it.
With your blue gun (inert piece of solid plastic that is an exact external
duplicate of your pistol) in your holster and concealed, training partner approaches
you from 20 yards, present to high thoracic cavity, to low ready, to retention
position. Give commands if appropriate.
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner
approaches you from 15 yards, present to ???. Do whatever seems appropriate.
Why?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner
approaches you from 10 yards, present to ??? Do whatever seems appropriate
(Move to the side, not backwards. Why?). What happens at this distance?
(Remember Mike Waidelich, Dennis Tueller, et al?) Why?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner
approaches you from 5 yards, present to close contact. Do whatever seems
appropriate (move?). Why? What happens at this distance?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner
approaches you from 3 yards, present to close contact. Do whatever seems
appropriate. Why? What happens at this distance? What do you need to do to
facilitate your presentation?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner has hands
on your shoulders (not pushing, just touching), present to close contact. Do
whatever seems appropriate. Why? What happens at this distance? What do you
need to do to facilitate your presentation?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner is
grabbing your shirt (by the collar or somewhere else), present to close contact.
Do whatever seems appropriate. What happens at this distance? What do you
need to do to facilitate your presentation?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner has hands
grabbing your shirt and is jostling you (pushing you back, pushing you to the side,
attempting to take you down with a leg sweep, etc.), present to close contact.
Do whatever seems appropriate. What happens in this situation? What do you
need to do to facilitate your presentation?
With your blue gun in your holster and concealed, training partner has you
on the ground, on your back, and has mounted you, present to close contact.
Do whatever seems appropriate. What happens in this situation? What do you
need to do to facilitate your presentation? (This was George Zimmerman's
situation when Trayvon Martin attacked Zimmerman.) Do you know how to
get someone off you when they have mounted you? The technique is taught
in wrestling, Krav Maga, BJJ, etc. If you have no idea how to do it, you're not
going to be able to do it, even if you are stronger. Because it's technique, not
strength.
“Training deals not with an object,
but with the human spirit and human emotions.”
--Bruce Lee
Teach "stop shooting" as a skill. I'll blow a whistle, or shine a light, or make
the target turn or fall. You will imagine the enemy stopping his attack or dropping
his weapons and raising his hands or running away or falling to the ground. Based
on what you imagined, stop shooting. Pull your pistol into a close contact position,
point pistol at the ground in front of you.
It's very difficult to recognize that there is no longer a threat. So it is very
difficult to stop shooting. This skill requires training and practice.
In the video simulators, it is common for the student to continue shooting over
the assailant after the assailant has fallen down. It's hard to track a target when
you don't know ahead of time how the target is going to move.
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always
possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Richard Henry Lee
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Gabe White's drills --
Shot trajectory mitigation. Move laterally to avoid endangering the innocent
bystanders in the background behind the intended target, or move vertically by
squatting, kneeling, etc. [Squatting is the best, because you can get in and out of
position the fastest. -- Jon Low]
One way to avoid hitting innocent bystanders with your pass throughs or
your misses, is to stab the bad guy with your knife.
[Never throw your knife. -- Jon Low]
Throwing that object in your hand to gain time, layered on top of you moving
(to the enemy's outboard) to gain time, layered on top of verbal misdirection,
might well be enough to let you win. Practice throwing shot put and underhand.
Holster ready. Get your hand on your pistol in a proper grip before you need
to draw your pistol. This will cut your time from stimulus to first shot by half.
Not a big deal if you have a subsecond draw to first shot. But, a real big deal if
you have a 3 second draw to first shot.
“It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.”
-- Miyamota Mushashi
Random practice vs. block practice. Block practice is to learn or hone a
particular skill. Random practice is to integrate several skills into a fluid
transition; to use them together in a logical, tactically correct manner.
"We should not forget that the spark which ignited the American Revolution
was caused by the British attempt to confiscate the firearms of the colonists."
-- Patrick Henry
Practice your fence position (hands open and up to protect your head).
Be able to draw quickly and confidently from this position. Fence and verbalize.
Your ready position should give you unobstructed view of the enemy's hands
and waist. Your ready position should not have your pistol pointing up in the air.
It should be pointing down in front of you. Your ready position should have your
trigger finger in the register position (along the slide or frame of the pistol).
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
Using the IDPA or IPSC match as tactical training --
"Those motivated by a desire to improve their gunfighting skills as opposed
to a quest for trophies, must be willing to bleed ego on the match results to avoid
shedding real blood in combat." -- Andy Stanford
What does this mean?
When we shoot the match, we will go very slowly to ensure we positively
identify every shoot-target and every no-shoot-target. We will not be racing to win
the game. It is common for the Safety Officer to inform the shooter that he failed
to engage several targets, because he just ran past them without seeing them.
Moving faster than you can see. Moving faster than you can think.
We will stay back away from corners, windows, and doors, because we
understand that there is someone hiding behind the corner who will grab our pistol.
We will shoot at the first part of the enemy that comes into view, because we
can do so without exposing our bodies. We can always get the A-zone hit later as
we come around the corner. We understand that whoever gets the first hit will
usually win the gunfight. (Not whoever shoots first.)
We will not muzzle no-shoot-targets. We will not sweep across no-shoot targets
when transitioning from one shoot-target to another shoot-target. Because unlike
the other competitors, we are not playing a game. We are training for combat.
Shooting the no-shoot target is shooting faster than you can think. You won't get
penalized for muzzling the no-shoot target, but you have violated our safety rule.
Never point your pistol at anything you are not willing to destroy. (And in the real
world, you would have committed aggravated assault with a firearm, because there
was no justification for pointing your pistol at the innocent bystander. Ten-year
sentencing enhancement for the firearm.)
Stay back away from walls. Bullets will ricochet along the wall, not away
from the wall.
Do not do "walk throughs". Do not choreograph the scenario. Shoot the
targets as they come into view. Do not count rounds. Do not plan your reloads.
Shoot until empty, then reload. Planning a scenario is a training scar. Combat is
surprising.
Remember, we are training for civilian concealed carry for self-defense.
We are not playing the game.
“The secret of success is this.
Train like it means everything when it means nothing –
so you can fight like it means nothing when it means everything.”
-- Lofty Wiseman
Statistically speaking, civilian gun fights last 2 seconds and zero (90% of the
time according to the NRA) or one or two rounds are fired from within
5 feet 50% of the time, within 10 feet 75% of the time [citation Police Officer’s
Safety Association]. So, you won’t have time to load your pistol. And you certainly
won’t have time to get your pistol if you don’t have it on you.
(Don’t let averages fool you. The average American has one testicle and one ovary.)
If you practice a lot, you will be able to get your pistol from the holster onto
the target and fire in about one and a half seconds. A concealment garment will
add half a second to your time. That’s two seconds.
If you don’t keep a round in the chamber because you don’t think it is safe,
you don’t understand the mechanics of your pistol. It is completely safe to keep
the pistol loaded. The pistol cannot fire by itself. You must press the trigger to
fire the pistol. Just as it is completely safe to keep the gas tank of your car filled.
There is no chance that your car will start itself and run someone over by itself.
[Yes, I am aware of the Sig Sauer P320. Yes, I am aware of the Tesla. -- Jon Low]
"Safe gun handling and knowing how to operate the gun competently is one thing.
How to fight with the gun is a whole other plane of knowledge."
-- Tiger McKee
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
"There are three different areas, or disciplines, in which the armed person must train.
These are mindset, gun handling, and marksmanship. Each is equally important, and
you must be at least competent in all three areas."
-- Tom Givens
Cam shot a boar. But how big was the boar?
------------------------------ Conferences --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for continuous growth.
Stagnation is complacency. Complacency kills.
"The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword;
because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force
superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense,
raised in the United States."
-- Noah Webster
7th Annual Security Operations Summit (SOS.25)!
July 24-26, 2025 San Antonio, TX
This year's national summit will be in San Antonio, TX at Cornerstone Church.
Law of Self Defense, live online class upcoming dates
September 27, 2025
Bullets & Bibles Conference, $750
Friday, September 12, 2025 – Sunday, September 14, 2025
Living Water Ranch, north of Manhattan, KS.
For more information about lodging (free lodging in the dorms) on site or
meals (3 meals a day included in registration fee) or
if you have any questions regarding the event,
contact our Bullets & Bibles Conference Coordinator,
Vonda Copeland
director@fhftc.org
or call 785-293-2449.
Rangemaster Tactical Conference
??? 2026 A.D.
Guardian Conference, $800
September 19th - 21st, 2025 in Oklahoma City
------------------------------ Classes --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for continuous growth.
Stagnation is complacency. Complacency kills.
Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Map of Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Dustin Salomon
KR Training
Kari Grayson
Citizens Safety Academy
Carry Trainer, Mickey Schuch
YouTube.com channel,
Paladin Training, Inc.
Citizen-Defender, John Murphy
Classes,
YouTube.com channel,
Virginia Private Firearms Training (for private lessons), John Murphy
Defensive Training International, John Farnam
Quips,
Rangemaster, Tom Givens
Newsletter,
Trident Concepts, Jeff Gonzales
Apache Solutions, Tim Kelly
Harris Combative Strategies, Randy Harris
Mead Hall Range & Tactics
Notice,
John Holschen – Jun 14-15 2025
Applied Defensive Handgun Skills
Two Pillars Training, John Hearne
Newletter for April 2025,
Check out the photograph of how he handles moving targets for his students.
Mike Seeklander
‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”
-- Claude Werner
----- Practice -----
How to get proficient at that task.
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
"Axioms Of Dry-Fire Training" by Joey Sauerland
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."
-- Nicola Cavanis
When you practice at home or on the range, think everything through.
When you go to competition or are in combat, don’t think. Just attack the
problem, because that is what will happen in combat. In a high stress situation,
you won’t have time to think, you will revert to your training. You will not panic.
You will execute as you have trained. That’s why training is so important.
(Thanks to Mike Maples)
General Patton said that trained soldiers do not panic in combat;
they behave as they were trained.
Tom Givens says that panic is the result of not having a pre-programmed
response to the situation that you automatically default to. So, having
preprogrammed responses prevents panic, because if you have practiced them,
you will automatically execute them.
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
Practice increases your sensitivity, your kinesthetic awareness. This allows
you to know that you are doing something wrong. Once you become aware of
errors, you can correct them (often automatically). Before you are sensitive
enough to detect errors, you don’t notice them. So, you don’t believe that you
are committing the error.
As Claude Werner says, you don't know what you don't know.
But if you practice, you will at least notice things that you didn't notice before.
‟Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous.”
-- ‶Shooting in Self-Defense″ by Sara Ahrens
"Shoot as much as you want but if you start to get shaky, it’s time to go home."
-- Duaine Zeitz
"Your speed doesn't matter. Forward is forward."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Practice your shooting by doing exactly the same thing, exactly the same way,
every time, until it is completely automatic."
-- Duaine Zeitz
Consistency is accuracy.
Why practice?
“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are
figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very
special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy
if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could
have been their finest hour.”
-- Winston Churchill
"Remember, growing may feel like breaking at first."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
"Remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you earn the fruit."
-- Nicola Cavanis
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.
Table of sections:
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy -----
Deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tools to use, which tactics to use,
which always includes walking away.
"Never let fear decide your fate." -- Nicola Cavanis
[Michelle Obama stole this idea from Nicola. But Obama's statement is much longer and
verbose. It's posted on the wall of the cafeteria in the Criminal Court House in Nashville,
Tennessee. Because Obama is a great heroine to the liberal blacks that saturate Davidson
County.
Justice A.A. Birch Building
408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120
Nashville, TN 37201
Good English is concise. Nicola's first language is German.
]
"HOW (Houses Of Worship)" by John Farnam
Written policy by Manny Kapelsohn available at
"WRITTEN FIREARMS and USE OF FORCE POLICY for
HOUSE OF WORSHIP ARMED CONGREGANT SECURITY TEAMS"
---
On the website, click “Products.”
Upon checkout, enter the discount code “FARNAM25.”
" The Success of Concealed Carry
In a nation with seemingly more “mass shootings,”
permit holders “stop more active shooters than police.” "
by Nate Jackson
Excerpt:
Not only do permit holders succeed in stopping active shooters at a higher rate,
but law enforcement officers face significantly greater risks when intervening.
Our research found police were nearly six times more likely to be killed and 17
percent more likely to be wounded than armed civilians.
---
Primary source,
"Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?"
by John R. Lott and Carlisle E. Moody
“How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.”
-- John Farnam
It is critical you understand and remember the next statement.
"A criminal is different. He is not going to panic at the sight of a gun in your hands."
He runs with a crowd that all carry guns. He sees guns all the time. He knows it
is not the gun that is dangerous but rather the person carrying it. The only thing
that is going to scare him is if he thinks you are ready, willing, and able to use it.
Never say, “I don’t want to have to shoot you.” You want to sound more like
Dirty Harry and say, “OK dirt bag, make my day!”
In fact the police are trained to use their voice as their second level of force,
loud and commanding. The first level of force is the uniform or badge.
-- Duaine Zeitz
[It is also likely that the criminal has been shot before. In our modern times,
only 3% of gun shot wounded persons that make it to the emergency room die.
The other 97% live to see another day. Modern medicine is fantastic. (See the
cool stuff you can learn in Tom Givens' classes.)
So the criminal does not think you will shoot him, and if you do shoot,
he knows you're probably going to miss.
And if you actually hit him, he knows your bullet will not stop him.
And even if you shoot, hit, and stop him; he doesn't think he's going to die.
Because, statistically speaking, he's high on alcohol and drugs, and just doesn't
care.
Can't empathize, can you? Can't sympathize, can you? Of course not.
You've never experienced such a person. You've never thought that way.
You don't know anyone who thinks that way. You may even think, "There
are no good people. There are no bad people. There are only different
people." The liberals stole that from the Taoists. The Taoists were and
still are idiots. (But they are not useful idiots. That is why the ChiComs
kill them. Oh, did you think they only kill the Uyghurs and the Falun Gong?)
-- Jon Low]
"Having a gun is important.
But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important."
-- Greg Ellifritz
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
“You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol
than you are a musician because you own a guitar.”
from "Principles of Personal Defense" by Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC,
(1920 – 2006 A.D.)
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
Guns & Tactics
Slender petite women are better.
One would have to hunt and gather all day long to feed a big woman.
----- Tactics -----
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.
"You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."
-- Phillip Groff
"CUT YOUR DRAW TIME BY 60%!" by Gabe Suarez
Magic, sleight of hand, distractions, misdirection, etc.
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
"WHY SHOOT THEM IN THE FACE?" by Gabriel Suarez
In case you can't follow the URL, the text follows below.
---
Nov 7, 2023
Good question. After all, don't all those other notable trainers still advocate
center of mass shooting? Here is the why.
1) Human beings are bigger and stronger today than at any other time in history
due to advanced nutrition, the social prevalence of weight lifting and the popularity
of contact and martial sports. Any casual perusal of military museums will reveal
that the average male was much smaller as close as a couple of generations ago.
In short, it is not 1976 anymore.
2) The prevalence of tactical pharmacology, both legal and illegal is far more
common and refined today than in the past. Substances from meth and cocaine,
to steroids and PEDs, as well as similar substances give rise to mental attitudes
of invincibility.
3) Proliferation of body armor. While ammunition has progressed dramatically
in the last decade, so has the availability of protection from that ammunition.
Today the technology of body armor has developed to the point that even an assault
rifle may be defeated. Armor has always been common, and even back in 1991,
one of my gunfights involved armored suspects.
4) Finally, the reality of today shows that the adversary might be a Jihadist,
or other terrorist, and not just the uneducated urban sloth seeking to take your
watch at point of stolen pistol. At the time of this writing, ISIS is exhorting its
followers around the world to carry the jihad to every western shore. As well,
any cursory study of Active Shooter events around the nation reveals that in a
great percentage, there are explosives on or near the terrorist, ready to be
detonated when capture or defeat is at hand.
Group all of those elements and the only valid conclusion and solution is to
get really good at proactive head shots. Outside of the Special Operations and
SWAT worlds, the head shot has been relegated as an airbag method, only to be
used when the initial body shots were inadequate to stop the threat. In the minds
of those who teach that way, the head shot is defensible under those circumstances,
but not otherwise. And even then, these paragons of tactical liability awareness
will suggest shots to the pelvic structure as a more desirable solution.
Well, regardless of who these proponents are, or what their credentials are
(or lack thereof) – they are wrong. Here is why.
A) In the case of items #2, 3, and 4 above, preliminary body shots will not solve
the problem. Sure, if you are set upon unexpectedly and must react suddenly, the
burst to the chest is the best default as it is faster, and easily placed at close ranges
regardless of the level of shooting skills. But if you have prior understanding and
information of altered mental states, armor, or it is evident that the scene unfolding
before you is Active Shooter-based, or Jihad-motivated, trying to shoot them in the
politically-correct chest is foolish, and may cost you your life.
B) Insofar as the Pelvic Girdle Shots go, it does not take a degree in medicine
to realize that the pelvic bone is not connected to the hands, nor the brain, and that
a pelvic shot – even if successful – will not stop a terrorist from continuing to fire,
or setting off an explosive.
Medical explanation: The pelvis is a ring structure. It is exceedingly strong
and people with broken pelvises in car accidents have in fact been ambulatory
immediately afterwards. In order to break and destabilize the pelvis, it must be
broken in two places. Those places are near where the two pockets would be in
a man wearing Levis. They are far smaller than the area suggested for a brain shot.
So a proponent of the pelvic shot wants you to hit not one, but two targets that are
smaller and harder to hit than the head shot’s highest value area . . . and two targets
that will prevent neither return gunfire nor explosives detonation. Stupid idea,
do not take such advice.
Solution? Simple – shoot them in the face from the start. If you shoot most
creatures on earth in the face, they will tend to stand down from the fight. I am
even aware of a case where a man brought down a bear with a magazine full of
.40 S&W. Imagine that. Surely a human will require less.
Like any target discussion, we have a tiered system for desirable placement.
In the best case, shoot them in the eyes. A skilled marksman, with an accurate
and modern weapon can make eyeball shots at room distances of ten to fifteen feet.
The way to a terrorist’s brain is right through the eyes. If you are an overachiever,
go for the tear duct.
Next best placement area is bordered thus: eyebrows to moustache and inside
the outer corners of the eyes. This is the “face” proper and an easy area to penetrate
through into the brain. It is also much larger than the internal-affairs-approved pelvic
shot.
The objective of the shot is flaccid paralysis. This is a common result when
the bullet enters the "best target zone" in a terrorist's face. When the bullet enters
thus, it tends to strike the medulla oblongata causing flaccid paralysis. The subject
is incapacitated instantaneously preventing involuntary muscle contraction that
may pull the trigger or detonate an explosive device.
Expanding from there is the head proper. Some will eschew anything outside
the last targeted zone, and truly that will yield the greatest return on investment.
However, let’s consider the following. It is easy to knock someone into
unconsciousness by hitting them on the forehead with a baton or a heavy metal
flashlight. A boxer or MMA fighter can knock someone out with a punch to the
jaw or mouth. Are we to assume that a punch to the mouth will have a solid effect,
but that the 9mm or 40 round will simply be ignored? As well, anyone who has
ever been punched in the throat will verify that a throat punch is not anything to
be scoffed at.
So the extended target area extends from the eyebrows, down to the base of
the throat, or the suprasternal notch. So we are looking at a roughly 8” X 4” box
we can throw lead into. To give a better idea take a standard 8.5x11 piece of paper
and fold it in half. That is about it. This is much easier to hit than the
lawyer-fearing pundits would think, and easier to turn someone off most Riki-tik.
So practice your face shots boys and girls, and as your skill grows, make the
face shot the default proactive response (saving the easy body shots for
unexpected close range fights). The face shot is not only defensible in today’s
world, but it may be the only real solution you have available.
Next time we will discuss dealing with the apparently downed adversary.
Just when do you stop shooting? It is surprisingly easy to fire accurate face
shots on a terrorist or active shooter that is on his back attempting to detonate
an IED (Improvised Explosive Device).
-- Gabe Suarez
“People shoot you because they see you.
They see you because you let them.
Don’t let them see you.”
-- Clint Smith
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"Without discrimination,
you're going to shoot the wrong person really fast."
-- Paul Howe
"You brought a gun to the fight. That doesn’t mean it’s YOUR gun.
The gun belongs to whomever can keep it. Think about that before intervening
in other folks’ problems. When is the last time you practiced your in-hand
weapon retention skills?"
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
". . . if the assailant has a gun, it may actually be the easiest gun for you to access,
if you know how to take it from him."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
---
When was last time you practiced your in-holster weapon retention skills?
Have you taken a class to learn such techniques? I had to use such skills,
that I had learned from Fletch Fuller in 2018 at the Tactical Conference,
when a man trespassed into the Jewish Community Center in Nashville, TN
and started eyeballing my pistol.
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
“When you’re in the dark, stay in the dark;
when you’re in the light, light up the dark.”
-- Stephen P. Wenger
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
"The Most Underrated Self Defense Target" by Tim Larkin
Vagas nerve strike. Targeting is so important. Strike as hard as you can,
because some people are less sensitive than others.
"Ineffective and potentially dangerous, point shooting should be avoided at all costs
and aimed fire employed in any lethal-force scenario."
-- Massad Ayoob
From an email that I sent --
Unload your pistol and close your eyes.
Establish the correct grip on your pistol while it is still in your holster.
Establish a correct two handed grip. Feel your grip. Is it correct?
Keep your eyes closed.
Touch the trigger.
Take the slack out of the trigger.
DO NOT FIRE THE SHOT.
Slowly increase pressure.
DO NOT FIRE THE SHOT.
Smoothly increase pressure.
DO NOT FIRE THE SHOT.
Recite your mantra, "Keep pressing." "Keep pressing." "Keep pressing." . . .
If the firing pin is released, rack the slide and repeat from the beginning.
---
"Training Your Trigger Finger Muscle Memory" by Richard A. Mann
Excerpt:
"You may be wondering why shooting schools don’t teach this method
of learning how to manipulate a trigger. The answer is very simple:
They don’t have time."
[Also, the students don't have the patience. For instance, in past times students in
fencing schools would not touch a sword until after a year or more of footwork.
Do you think any American would tolerate that? -- Jon Low]
From an email from Tim Larkin --
My 7-year-old son once watched a complex joint lock in a James Bond film and
immediately identified the leverage principle at work.
"Dad! That's a base four leverage on there!"
He'd never seen that specific technique before. Yet he understood exactly what
was happening inside the joint.
How? Because I taught him principles . . . not techniques.
This knowledge — simple enough for a child to grasp — could be the difference
between life and death in a violent confrontation.
Most people train leverage completely backward. They memorize hundreds
of individual joint manipulations:
"Only apply this finger lock when they grab your collar"
"This elbow control works solely against a haymaker punch"
"The knee compromise requires their weight on the back foot"
When someone threatens your family, you have 5 seconds to respond effectively.
There's no time to cycle through a mental catalog of techniques.
The key insight isn't strength or speed . . .
It's understanding the "Leverage Advantage Principle" that makes ANY joint
vulnerable from ANY position.
When you grasp this principle . . . you understand a critical anatomical fact:
Compromise a joint . . . and everything below it becomes useless to your attacker.
Break the elbow? The hand becomes powerless.
Manipulate the wrist? Fingers can no longer grip.
The most powerful protection knowledge is often the simplest to understand.
Yet it's rarely taught.
Stay safe,
Tim Larkin
"Grip first, then press."
-- Mike Seeklander
"The controversial truth about surviving armed attacks" by Tim Larkin
The weapon is the active brain. Destroy it immediately.
If you want to survive, you must be the first to cause injury.
The only way you really protect yourself is when you injure the other guy.
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
Always carry concealed. The tactical advantage of surprise will give you seconds.
(Statistically, the typical civilian gunfight last 2 seconds and 1 or 2 rounds are fired
from within 5 feet 50% of the time, and within 10 feet 75% of the time. So, seconds
are significant.) If the bad guy doesn't know you have the pistol, he won't target you
to get the pistol (a high value object). And he won’t be prepared to respond to you
presenting your pistol.
If you open carry, you will be mistaken for a police officer or a courier of high
value items. You will be the first one shot in any criminal scenario.
"Denn jedes Mal, wenn was geht, ist Platz für Neues.
Und wenn es gestern nicht sein soll, dann klappt es heut 🦋"
-- Nicola Cavanis
There are many techniques for doing any given task.
Search and experiment until you find one that works for you.
"The foundations of your grip are established
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."
-- Tanner Denton
“What’s the number one reason for reloading?
Missing the target!”
-- Claude Werner
"Train and practice so that you can stay in your rational mind,
and force your enemy into his emotional mind. The emotional
mind makes bad judgments which will allow you to win."
-- John Hearne
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Those motivated by a desire to improve their
gunfighting skills as opposed to a quest for trophies,
must be willing to bleed ego on the match results
to avoid shedding blood in combat."
-- Andy Stanford
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
***** ***** ***** Postvention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to treat your wounds or the wounds of your loved ones.
Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.
Suggestions on how to avoid the civil law suit and judgment.
Table of contents:
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath -----
You must be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.
“Your understanding and consent are not required
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones,
and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
"USCCA Refused to Help Marine Facing Unfair Charges" by Christian Warrior
Excerpt:
"Read the member agreement."
---
"Decorated Marine Charged with Crime for Defending His Church"
by Keith Graves
---
How much the insurance costs does not matter. What matters is their reputation
for paying claims. Some won't.
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address,
In the right hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the link is,
Read this before you buy insurance. You need to make an informed decision.
The various policies are drastically different.
"You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob
"Arm Yourself With the Right Insurance" by Jason Squires
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"personal liability umbrella policy (PLUP)"
[This is utter nonsense. No personal liability umbrella policy will cover you in case
of self-defense in any state. -- Jon Low]
[Self-defense is an intentional act, not an accident.
"Yes, I shot him. And I was justified in shooting him."
If you claim the shooting was an accident, you've screwed yourself. Now, you
cannot argue self-defense at trial. An accident with a firearm is reckless in the
criminal case, negligent in the civil case. -- Jon Low]
"The coverage reimburses for cost of criminal defense representation."
[This is bat shit crazy. You need the money up front, in full. Because the attorney
will demand the money up front, in full. -- Jon Low]
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
*************************************************************************
----- Medical -----
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
I learned in high school competition that just one cigarette in the 24-hour period
before a match would reduce my score by as much as 10 points.
-- Duaine Zeitz
2 day TECC (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care) Course.
June 20-21, 2025
Longhollow Church
Hendersonville, TN
Course will run from approximately 8-5 both days and you must attend both full days.
You will leave the course with a 4 year certification through the NAEMT.
The link to register is below:
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Best,
Tracey Mendenhall | VP of Operations
(Life Saving Ninja)
DEFEND SYSTEMS
615.480.7758
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course - NAEMT Certified, $495.00
“Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
----- Survival -----
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
"Survival is not based solely on technique. Survivability may hinge on the use
of the correct technique appropriate to the environment you are fighting in.
Oh, and yes, marksmanship is always valuable."
-- Clint Smith
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
Table of contents:
Legal
Instruction
Gear
*************************************************************************
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
"Feed Your Head!" by Tom Givens
Excerpt:
Many years ago Jeff Cooper wrote that
“the world is divided into two groups, “copers” and “non-copers”.
The purpose of training and personal development was to become a “coper”.
According to Gonzales, it appears Jeff was correct.
Docent recommends:
"The Little Black Book Violence:
What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting"
by Lawrence A. Kane , Kris Wilder , et al.
ISBN-10 : 1594391297
ISBN-13 : 978-1594391293
"Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected" by Rory Miller
ISBN-10 : 1594392137
ISBN-13 : 978-1594392139
"The Truth About Self Protection" by Massad F. Ayoob
ISBN-10 : 0936279133
ISBN-13 : 978-0936279138
"In the Name of Self-Defense" by Marc MacYoung
ISBN-10 : 0692250212
ISBN-13 : 978-0692250211
ASIN : B00LIBWADA
I too have read this bood and highly recommend it. I use readings from this book
in my Defensive Pistol course.
Quips, John Farnam
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
The Tactical Professor, Claude Werner
Rangemaster Newsletter, Tom Givens
American Handgunner Magazine
Tactical Science
International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors
Alien Gear blog
Shooting Classes Blog
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
----- Legal -----
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other.
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
"FOIA Shows NICS Being Used to “Monitor” Legal Gun Owners in California"
by John Crump
https://www.ammoland.com/2025/04/goa-foia-shows-nics-being-used-to-monitor-gun-owners-in-california/
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
"Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tosses Liability Case Against Springfield Armory"
by Jake Fogleman
--- and on the other side ---
"State Judge Allows Highland Park Victims’ Case Against Smith and Wesson to Move Forward"
by Stephen Gutowski
Concerning the ATF's ability to regulate parts kits. (ghost guns)
"The Vanderstok Decision and the Supreme Court’s Fidelity to the Question at Hand"
by Arizona Citizens Defense League
Excerpt:
"This underscores a foundational truth in litigation:
Courts do not answer the questions you wish they would.
They answer the questions you ask."
---
"Supreme Court Issues SURPRISING Ruling on Guns" by Roman Balmakov
Primary sources listed in description below the video.
7 to 2 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the ATF can regulate parts kits.
Sometimes we lose.
"Learning How To LEGALLY Defend MYSELF! w/ @Lawofselfdefense"
by Pearl and Andrew Branca
"Background Checks For Gun Barrels" by Liberty Doll
There is no limit to law maker stupidity, especially in California.
"Viral TV Series Landman Gives The Greatest Argument
For 2nd Amendment In 15 Second Clip"
by Colion Noir
"Don't Talk to the Police?
Massad Ayoob's 5 Points after a Self-Defense Shooting.
Critical Mas Ep14"
Hat tip to Neil Frazer.
Leaving the scene for your safety or the safety of your loved ones is not
fleeing the scene. So it does not indicate a guilty mind. It's just a smart
thing to do.
If you point out evidence, the police will say that only you knew of the
evidence so you must have put it there.
If you point out witnesses, they may testify against you. If they are your
friends, you can always subpoena them later. If they are strangers, they may
be friends of the guy you shot.
So let your attorney talk to the cops. There is nothing you can say that
will help you. If you say anything, it will be used against you.
Remember those guy in Georgia who attempted to make a citizens
arrest of a burglar and ended up shooting the burglar when the burglar grabbed
one of their guns? The attorneys spent all of their precious time trying to
explain the things that their clients said. If they had kept their mouths shut
they never would have been convicted.
"Sailor Jailed for Semi-Auto "Machine Guns": UPDATE" by Liberty Doll
Moral of the story: if you don't have a lot of money, you won't be able to afford
competent attorneys. Incompetent defense attorneys guarantee your conviction.
So get a self-defense insurance policy that actually pays (some don't) in full, up
front (because no competent attorney will bill you later). Or, pay for an attorney
on retainer.
If you don't care enough to do this, your family will suffer while you are in
prison for 20 years. Doesn't matter that you were completely innocent. Reality
does not change to fit your mental models. You must conform your mental models
to reality. [There is evil in the world. ATF is evil. And DOJ is evil for fighting
for the ATF.]
Because Petty Officer First Class Tate Adamiak did not have the foresight to
buy a self-defense insurance policy nor pay to put a competent attorney on retainer,
he begs for your support at GiveSendGo,
"Unconstitutional 2A Prosecution of Tate Adamiak"
I would not ask you to donate, if I had not already donated.
"Teen Sentenced To 10 Years for Self-Defense" by Liberty Doll
"Submitted to an interview." NEVER talk to the police under any circumstances!
Your words will be used against you to convict you. You're not helping yourself.
You're helping the police and prosecutor convict you. Call your attorney and shut up!
NEVER take a plea deal! A plea deal means you are confessing to a crime.
Which means you are lying. Lying is a sin. Don't do it! If you maintain your innocence,
the governor or president can pardon you because the conviction was a miscarriage of
justice. If you confess to the crime, there is no miscarriage of justice, so there is no
ground for a pardon.
Yes, of course, the District Attorney is corrupt. That's why his subordinates are
corrupt. A fish rots from the head.
"Veteran Acquitted in Self-Defense Case" by Liberty Doll
Expect to be arrested. Even if you are completely justified, completely innocent
of any crime. Police generally don't have authority to make decisions. Even District
Attorneys shun taking responsibility for making decisions. That's why they pass the
buck to grand juries.
Fired 7 shots. Hit the bad guy 2 times. That's why you need lots of cartridges in
your pistol and at least one spare magazine on your belt.
Shooting does not mean hitting. Police only hit their intended target 15 to 20%
of the time.
The process is the punishment. That's why you must have a self-defense insurance
policy (that actually pays, some don't) or an attorney on retainer (only $375 a year).
Otherwise, you lose your business and your home.
Ya, the DA is a flaming anti-gun liberal. So his decision to live in that jurisdiction
was not too good.
"FPC Statement on DOJ, ATF Action to Address Unconstitutional Biden-Era Firearm Rules"
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
Excerpt:
"Today, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
provided Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) with an important update regarding
firearm regulations, stating that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and ATF would
repeal and revisit several regulations and enforcement practices implemented by
the anti-Second Amendment Biden Administration. Three important reforms
were announced, including the repeal of the
Biden Federal Firearms Administrative Action Policy and Procedure
(also known as the “Zero Tolerance” policy) as well as review and revisiting of the
Biden “Pistol Brace Ban” and "Engaged in the Business” rules."
"In response to today's announcement, FPC President Brandon Combs said:
“On behalf of our members, we commend and thank President Trump,
Attorney General Bondi, and ATF Director Patel for taking these important
actions to protect constitutional rights and repeal the misguided
'Zero Tolerance Policy' implemented by their predecessors."
---
"DOJ, ATF Repeal FFL Inspection Policy and Begin Review of Two Final Rules"
"Send me."
-- Isaiah 6:8
Worst of all, no one will care or even give you the chance to explain that the
law that convicted you was unconstitutional! In fact, they will not believe you
when you try to tell them you were denied a fair trial by the very judge whose
sole job it is to insure you do get a fair trial. The sad truth is it is a common
practice for the judge to instruct your jurors they MUST convict on the evidence.
He will then refuse to inform the jury it is their duty to find you NOT GUILTY
if the law you were being tried under was unjust or unconstitutional. People will
tell you that sort of thing just does not happen in this country. Let me assure you
it happens every day, in fact any juror that defies a judge on this point will be
instantly dismissed, fined, or thrown in jail.
-- Duaine Zeitz
If you attempt to cross the Canadian border with a handgun, no matter how it is
carried or whatever permits you may possess, if caught, you will probably be jailed
and your vehicle and gun seized. You likely will be tried, convicted, fined,
imprisoned, and eventually deported. The only thing you will have to be thankful
for will be the fact you were not caught trying to take a gun into Mexico.
In our country you are supposed to be treated as if you are innocent,
until proven guilty; in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent. You could be
jailed and never get out. You might wait forever just to come to trial. They most
likely will not even allow you to see a lawyer. There is a very good chance the
American Consulate will not be informed you are in their jail!
Remember, the right to bear arms is unique to the United States of America.
We fought for it. We died for it. That is what makes us the envy of the world.
But when you step across a border you give up all of your rights.
-- Duaine Zeitz
"MAJOR BREAKING NEWS:
BIDEN APPOINTED JUDGES HAND US GREAT 2A WIN!"
by The Four Boxes Diner
The most liberal court in the country, 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, MA.
Sometimes we win! Even with 3 Biden appointed judges.
“Is there no virtue among us? If there is not, we are without hope!
No form of government, existing nor theoretical, will keep us from harm.
To think that any government, in any form, will insure liberty and happiness
for a dishonorable population represents the height of self-deception.”
-- James Madison, 1788
----- Instruction -----
"Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
----- Instructors -----
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
"Coaching the weird things out, value of unopposed & more"
by Philip O'Callaghan
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
"Thoughts On The Effective Police Firearms Instructor – Part 1"
by John Hearne
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
"But What About the Fundamentals?" by Pete Blair
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
Ryan Stapleton, the youth pastor at my church, told me that many of the kids
that attend his youth programs have never gone to Sunday school and do not come
from Christian homes, so they don’t know the basics of Christianity. They think
that Moses died on the cross. I know many Christian adults who think that “God
helps those who help themselves.”, “humans become angels when they die and go
to heaven” and other such nonsense. So, you must teach the fundamentals. Never
assume the student knows anything. And be aware that the student may know
things that are false. For example, “Dry firing damages the gun. So, you should
never dry fire.” or “It doesn’t matter where you point the gun, because it’s not
loaded.” or “You have to aim high on long range shots.” and other such nonsense.
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
"You don't have to memorize formulae. Because you can always derive
them from first principles."
-- Prof. Sven Hartman, Physics Department, Columbia University
Teach first principles. Let the student derive tactics based on the principles
and the situation. Don't teach situation specific tactics. Because your student
will default to them, rather than relying on first principles to decide what to do.
"But pre-programmed responses are faster. We don't have time to analyze
during the fight."
That's only true if you're the bad guy. The good guy has a duty to think.
Which includes, but is not limited to, the safety rules. Yes, combat is a very
difficult, complex, intellectual endeavor, for the good guy.
"Thinking is the hardest thing a person can do.
That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
"The limited time you spend with students may be the only training they ever receive!"
-- John Farnam
Don’t rush to cover all the material. It is better to ensure the student
understands what has been taught and leave the rest for next time.
If the student doesn’t want to come back next time, that’s their choice.
(Thanks to Nathan Goode, NGInvestigations.com)
“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
-- Richard Henry Dana
Don’t waste the student’s time telling war stories.
“The student’s purpose is to expand their body of knowledge and social network.
The instructor’s purpose is to help the student achieve the student’s goals.”
-- Amy Schwartz
You must live fire demonstrate for your students.
If you only talk, they may have misconceptions about what you meant.
Demonstrations clarify.
----- Students -----
"Growth is uncomfortable because you've never been there before."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next level material.
It is totally normal that the first time you see this stuff, you find
it confusing. You find it difficult to understand. So, confusion
should not discourage you. It does not represent any intellectual
failing on your part. Rather, keep in mind that it represents an
opportunity to get even smarter."
– Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science and other
stuff at Stanford University
"Try.
Try again.
Try once more.
Try differently.
Try again tomorrow.
Try and ask for help.
Try find someone who's done it.
Try to fix the problem.
Keep trying until you succeed."
-- Nicola Cavanis
----- Andragogy -----
‟An instructor should not expect any learning to
take place the first time new information is presented.”
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
"It's better to be wrong than to be vague."
-- Freeman Dyson
----- Gear -----
And the safe storage thereof.
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
Let the slide of your pistol slam forward into battery. The pistol is designed
to operate that way. If you release the slide forward gently, the extractor may not
engage the rim of the cartridge.
Tom Givens explains why off body carry is wrong.
While you're reading the newsletter, check out the article, "Feed Your Head!".
"VIDEO: The Importance of Scheduled Maintenance on a Firearm" by Docent
"DEAD Man's Gun - Another catastrophic handgun failure" by Mickey Schuch
Ya, hard to tell a metal part is about to break without X-raying it.
Well, maybe you can tell by tapping it and listening to the sound it makes,
if you've established a baseline by previously tapping it on every cleaning.
Because every cleaning is an inspection.
"3 Welcome Surprises of Concealed Carry
What the author thought were invisible hurdles to CCW
turned out to be welcome surprises . . . you may find the same!"
by Frank Melloni
---
The cover picture shows three pistols in holsters on a belt. The right most
holster is wrong. It is too low on the belt. You won't be able to get a proper
grip on your pistol before pulling the pistol out of the holster.
If you can't get a correct grip on your pistol while the pistol is still completely
in the holster, don't use that holster. You must be able to grip the pistol properly
before you draw.
When holstering, only when the pistol is completely seated in the holster
should you release your high tight grip. Otherwise, you will eventually drop your
pistol.
You're going to get banged around a lot in combat. You may be shaking
uncontrollably. If you're sloppy with your grip, you will lose your pistol.
"Was it the Gun or the Holster?" by Rich Grassi
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
Excerpt:
When my outfit first went to guns with accessories rails, I’d asked
“why not gun-lights for everyone?” I was told that someone would use the light
on the gun to look around inside a violator’s car on nightshift; then use the
gun light to try to read the violator's license whilst it’s held in the officer’s
other hand.
No, I replied. No one’s that stupid.
I was wrong.
"Size Matters: Carrying Big EDC" by Matt Ostrander
Hat tip to Tom McHale.
"FALCO's New Carbon Fiber Holsters" by Handgunner Staff
Lighter and stronger than Kydex.
"Things You May Do That Give Away You’re Carrying A Gun"
by Brandon Curtis
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Ammo Rotation with a Heavy Dry Practice Regimen" by Justin
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"How I Prevent Bullet Setback in my EDC" by Sunshine_Shooter
Do not be overly concerned with your pistol. The surgeon is not known by
his scalpel. He has no favorite scalpel. He has a skill; any scalpel will do.
(I have seen a tracheotomy performed with a steak knife grabbed off a dinner table.)
Similarly, you should concentrate on honing your skill, any pistol will do.
A person will become comfortable with anything he practices. Sentimental or
personal preferences have no place in combat.
You may not have a pistol; any knife will do. What is the best way to hold a
knife? The way you are holding it in the fight. Don’t change grips. Don’t throw
your knife. Lead with the knife, as a fencer, with your other hand covering your
carotid arteries in your neck (Thanks to Sensei Cat Fitzgerald.). You may not
have a knife; a pen will do.
Grab something to use as a weapon.
You may not have any weapon; your hands will do. Concentrate the strength
of two of your hands against one of his hands or one of his fingers and continue to
twist; don’t stop when something breaks. Stomp on his foot over the arch, the
small bones in the foot are easily broken (and he may be wearing steel toed shoes).
Gouge his eyes, if the enemy is wearing glasses or goggles, gouge up and under the
glasses. With all five fingers of your hand stretched out toward your target, because
everyone is moving in combat, you'll be lucky to get one finger in one eye. If you
are able to get your fingers into his eyes, thrust deep into his brain; grab his skull
and pull it down to crack it on the ground. As Tim Larkin says, "The Earth is the
best contact weapon. It is always available and gravity is always helping you."
A blood choke will incapacitate a person in 8 seconds (often much less than
8 seconds). (An air choke is ineffective because a person can hold his breath
for a minute or more.) If you don't know what I'm talking about, ASK!
Palm strikes to the nose. Karate chop to the vagas nerve. Cupped hands
clapping his ears to break his ear drums. Breaking joints.
Keep fighting. If you maintain a combat mindset, you can win.
If you think you are better off submitting, you are statistically wrong and you
would be doing the criminal’s next victim a grave disservice. May I invite your
attention to “More Guns, Less Crime” by John R. Lott Jr., ISBN: 978-0226493640.
In the May 2011 issue of the American Rifleman on page 83, Criminology
Professor Gary Kleck of Florida State University concluded from a study of
National Crime Victimization Survey data that “Robbery and assault victims who
used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than those
who used any other method of self-protection or those who did not resist at all.”
Range USA
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 380 ACP 2.75in Barrel 10/12+1 Thumb Safety
$399.99
Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro Comp 2025 Gear Up Bundle
9mm 3.7in Barrel 15/17+1 with Crimson Trace CTS-1500 Red Dot Sight
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Springfield Armory Echelon 2025 Gear Up Bundle
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Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro 2025 Gear Up Bundle
9mm 3.7in Barrel 15/17+1 with Range Bag and Crimson Trace Red Dot Sight
$575.99
Any pistol you by new at a gun store has been test fired at the factory to
ensure the pistol functions and to ensure the sights are zeroed. So the pistol
is probably zeroed for a self-defense distance of ~ 5 yards. (Even if the
manual says it is zeroed at 50 yards.)
If you are right handed and your point of impact is scattering low left,
it's you, not the pistol. If you're left handed, and your point of impact is
scattering low right, it's you, not the pistol. You're not getting a surprise
trigger break. You're anticipating the recoil and pushing against it, before
the bullet is out of the muzzle. I know you don't think you are doing this,
but you are. To get a surprise break, do not intentionally fire the shot.
Rather, sight alignment, sight movie, touch the trigger, take the slack
out of the trigger, recite the mantra "Keep pressing." "Keep pressing."
"Keep pressing." "Keep pressing." . . . And let the pistol fire.
Do not make the pistol fire, because that leads to all sorts of autonomic
nervous system responses to the recoil and report. If that psychologically
bothers you, think of it this way, "Let your subconscious fire the shot,
instead of your conscious." If that bothers you, try "Let God fire the
shot. You're just Gods tool." You see, when all the angels are busy,
God uses humans. I could go on, but you get the idea, I hope.
If you're shooting tight groups, all bullet holes touching at 5 yards,
and the point-of-impact (POI) doesn't match the point-of-aim (POA);
then you need to move the sights.
For left or right (windage):
a) to move the point-of-impact right -- move the rear sight right to move
the rear of the pistol left, to move the point of impact right.
b) to move the POI left -- move the rear sight left to move
the rear of the pistol right, to move the point of impact left.
For up and down (elevation):
c) to move the POI up -- change the front sight to a lower front
sight, to move the front of the pistol up, to move the point of impact up.
Or grind down the front sight and then blacken it.
d) to move the POI down -- change the front sight to a higher
front sight, to move the front of the pistol down, to move the point of impact
down.
Use the silhouette of your sights. Because in the dark you won't be able
to see the stupid painted on clutter. If you have painted on clutter, take a dental
pick and dig out all the paint and then use a black indelible marker to blacken
the entire sight, front sight and rear sight. To have two different sighting systems
on your pistol is very bad, because you'll be looking for the painted on nonsense
or glowing Nylon tube in the dark, but you won't see it. Because it's dark.
No, as a matter of fact, your painted on clutter will not have the same point
of impact as the silhouette of your sights. If you don't believe me, test it.
You'll see.
If you're using tritium glow in the dark sights, make sure the three dots
align precisely with the silhouette of your sights. If they don't, machine your
sights until they do. You don't have a friendly machinist who will do it for
you? Then find one.
If you're still using tritium glow in the dark sights, STOP, and think about
when you would actually use them? If it's so dark you can't see your sights,
do you have enough light to positively identify your target? (If you're in the
dark, shooting at a lighted target, can you claim self-defense? Okay, maybe.)
If you have enough light to positively identify your target, you can silhouette
your sights against your target, right? If your flashlight is behind your sights
(crown weld, cheek weld), then your flashlight is lighting up your sights.
If your flashlight is in front of your sights (Harries, FBI, etc.), then the
illuminated target is silhouetting your sights. So when are you ever using
your tritium glow in the dark sights?
"Well, Staff, they make it easier to find my pistol when I drop it in the
dark."
Ya, right.
"CCW Tips: How, When and Why" by Sam Fadala
Excerpt:
"To carry is not the question. How to carry is. A few points to consider are
will you be using a pistol or revolver? Size and shape? Manner of concealment?
Ease of access? Will lifting a shirttail or pantleg deliver the gun into battery in
time to save the day? Will a man-purse, cell phone carrier, or pouch be perfect
for the circumstances? What about a gun under your buttoned coat? Will a t-shirt
conceal? And overriding any method is security. We who carry are responsible
at all times. If you opt for the man-purse, cell phone carrier or sling-pouch
option — never put one down to be picked up."
"What is the right trigger?" by William G.
"A [Sig P]320 goes pop in class!" by Ben Stoeger
Primary source video,
Achilles Heel Tactical
"AHT Responds to Sig 320 ND Controversy" by Ben Stoeger
"Striker test."
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law, ITAR,
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. That means cryptosystems are
protected by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Never let the
government infringe on your right to keep and bear cryptosystems, to
include home made cryptosystems, to include sharing cryptosystems with
others.
"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe,
and preserve order in the world as well as property.
Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of their use."
-- Thomas Paine
"I finally find action principle satisfying" by Mathemaniac
Noether, as in Amalie Emmy Noether, German Jewish mathematician (1882–1935).
My heroine. All symmetries induce conservation laws.
"Never memorize anything. Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."
-- Norman Christ
"The Mathematics of Minkowski Spacetime" by DiBeos
Papers with the details are in the description below the video.
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
"Programming Loops vs Recursion - Computerphile" by Professor Tim Brailsford
Ackermann & Recursion
---
"EXTRA BITS: Loops, Ackermann & Recursion - Computerphile"
---
What a fun rabbit hole to go down.
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?
We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something,
and that this thing must be attained."
-- Marie Curie
"The Most Famous Algorithm In Computer Graphics" by Acerola
Perlin noise (Ken Perlin).
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
"How this � symbol is causing MASSIVE code issues." by pass_by_reference
Tracking down a bug.
"You don't need to memorize theorems,
because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
"Infinity Categories Explained for Undergrads" by Emily Riehl
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Primary sources in the description below the video.
[Riehl's enunciation is excellent, so you can view / listen to this video at 1.75 speed
with no problem.]
Words are concepts. Hard to communicate without the words. So you have to
create / define the words. The basic unit of English is the paragraph (No, really,
ask any English literature professor.) You can ask children to speak in complete
sentences. You would expect adults to speak in complete paragraphs (not just
concepts, but also context and logical connections). So, the basic unit of English
(the paragraph) is at least three levels of structure above the concept (word).
[Of course, we assume an underlying language on which we are building and
an underlying meta-language on which the language is built. Ya, I know.]
Riehl claims that if the undergraduate understands the concepts and the
structures, he can be taught the higher concepts / structures / connections.
I remember Mr. Lawrence, my high school computer science teacher,
telling us that if we couldn't solve a problem, the thing to do was to study
the problem until we understood it and then to sleep. When you awake,
you will have the solution. [Coma for a year?]
If you've studied computer science, homotopy type theory is much
easier to understand.
"We don't need one foundation for all of mathematics." at 2:07:23
Whoa! That is a deep statement.
You must understand measure theory to do probability.
The "sample space" is the space of all possible outcomes of an experiment.
Let θ (theta) be the sample space. For example, the sample space for a die is
{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}. With associated probabilities for each outcome.
"Events" are subsets of sample spaces. For example, the events of rolling
two dice are
{ (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (1, 4), (1, 5), (1,6),
(2, 2), (2, 3), (2, 4), (2, 5), (2,6),
(3, 3), (3, 4), (3, 5), (3,6),
(4, 4), (4, 5), (4,6),
(5, 5), (5,6),
(6,6)
}
or the events defined as the sum of rolling two dice are
{2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12}
with associated probabilities for each event.
The power set is defined as the set of all subsets. The power set of the sample
space, θ, is written {0, 1}ᶿ and contains all subsets of θ. When θ is infinite, its
power set is too large a collection of events for probabilities to be assigned
reasonably to all of its events.
Events are subsets of θ. But not all subsets of θ are events. Do you see why?
Be careful, it's subtle. (A lot of events that you can define, cannot occur. They
are null events. Null events don't happen. Zero probability events happen all
the time.)
The only subsets of θ that are events satisfy the field conditions (a), (b), and (c)
(the term "field" in probability is not the same as a "field" in abstract algebra).
Let F be the collection of subsets θ that are events.
{0, 1}ᶿ ⊋ F ⊇ θ
F is a proper subset of the power set of θ (not equal to {0, 1}ᶿ).
(a) If A, B ∈ F then A ⋃ B ∈ F and A ⋂ B ∈ F.
F is closed under unions and intersections. (Technically, countable unions and intersections.)
(b) If A ∈ F then Aᶜ ∈ F.
Aᶜ is the complement of A. For example, if A is the event that the sum of the
dice equals 7, then Aᶜ is the event that the sum of the dice does not equal 7.
(c) ∅ ∈ F.
The empty set, ∅, is in F. [Do you see the empty set in the above examples?
Neither do I. But it's there.]
Law of the iterated logarithm.
If X₁ , X₂ , . . . are independent identically distributed random variables with
mean 0 and variance 1
and
Sₙ is the sum of the first n random variables Xₙ
then
The probability of
( The limit as n approaches ∞ of
[ the supremum of
Sₙ / √( 2n log( log(n) ) )
]
equals 1
)
equals 1.
Citations:
Billingsley, P. (1995). "Probability and Measure", 3rd Edition. Wiley, New York.
Laha, R. G. and Rohatgi, V. K. (1997). "Probability Theory". Wiley, New York.
Because as Geoffrey Grimmett and David Stirzaker say in "Probability and Random
Processes", 3rd Edition, it's a long difficult proof.
So your algorithm works. So I would proceed if I were you. No sense worrying
about edge cases that may occur a few times in the life of the universe.
May I recommend "Functions of a Complex Variable", 4th Edition,
by Thomas S. Fiske, Professor of Mathematics in Columbia University?
Published by John Wiley & Sons in 1907. Copyright, 1896.
First Edition, September 1896. Second Edition, January 1898.
Third Edition, August 1900. Fourth Edition, November 1906.
The Library of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Laboratories in
Princeton, New Jersey gave the book to me a few years (decades?) ago.
You will find the path to your solution on page 51.
"If in a simply connected finite region S a uniformly convergent series of
holomorphic functions is integrated term by term, the resulting series is
uniformly convergent in the same region."
If you look at the pages of the book with proper lighting, you will see the impression
in the paper of the text on the back of the page, where the metal printing press crushed
the ink into the paper. When I was a child, my home room class toured the local newspaper,
The Advertiser. We watched them cast the molten metal and then use the castings to
print the newspaper.
I keep the book in a plastic Ziplock bag, as it is disintegrating. An archivist told
me that if I photo copied the book, the light from the photo copier would severely
damage the pages. So I will find a camera and take pictures of each page.
It is sad that people (academics especially) today get wrong so many things that
were known in the past.
"The Continuum Hypothesis - The Problem that BROKE Mathematics" by Jade
Well, I don't know what Jade's definition of "Constructible Real" numbers is,
but when I studies analysis, we concluded that the Constructible Numbers were
a countably infinite set. (Cardinality equal to the integers, not larger than the
integers.) Because if you can construct them (by some algorithm), you can count
them by labeling each algorithm with an integer.
Ya, forcing is a bit more complicated than described in the video. If you're
going to study and understand the Banach–Tarski paradox, you must understand
forcing. The Banach–Tarski paradox is kind of silly on one level, because it has
nothing to do with anything in the real world. Remember, mathematics is a
branch of philosophy, not science. And philosophy is pure thought, no experiments
in the real world. So you can create all kinds of silly things in pure thought.
"Oh, but it's consistent. So it's not silly."
Really? Being consistent does not imply any applicability to anything.
So, you found the exclusive-or operation (XOR) cool, eh? It is information
preserving. It is its own inverse. So it is very useful in cryptology.
XOR is generally used at the bit level. Even when used with larger data types,
it is still a bit level operation. Are there transformations with these properties
that operate on things larger (more abstract) than bits? Yes, such transforms are
called involutions, i.e. a transformation which is its own inverse. For example,
the Legendre transformation, which is usually used to map
a point in a space and the value of a function evaluated at that point
to
another point in some other space and the value of another function evaluated at that other point.
p and H(p) transformed to ξ and f(ξ). See
"Calculus of Variations" by I.M. Gelfand and S.V. Fomin, page 71.
ISBN: 0-486-41448-5
QA315.G41713
Are such involutions any better than XOR? Why? Why not?
"JASON TURNER - Strong Types – Better C++ (Keynote)"
Anthony Stephen Fauci
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare, Cyber Security,
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) *****
Andromeda
"Crypto-Gram, April 15, 2025" by Bruce Schneier
"🔷 Giant Voltron Radar" by The Merge
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined,
but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain
a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them,
which would include their own government."
--George Washington
"Trump admin ousts NSA director in agency shake-up: Report"
by Candace Hathaway
Thank God! Those woke idiots destroyed the combat effectiveness of the Puzzle
Palace by firing competent mathematicians, forcing the resignation of competent
mathematicians, and preventing the hiring of competent mathematicians. Instead they
saturated the agency with diversity hires of every sexual perversion and sexual dysphoria.
Obviously an act of treason to destroy our signals intelligence capability.
Over the years, many of us have been writing to President Trump about this.
He has listened and acted.
---
"US Cyber Command, NSA Chief Gen. Timothy Haugh ousted by Trump admin"
by Carley Welch
Lt. Gen William Hartman, who served as Haugh’s deputy at Cyber Command,
will take over Haugh’s Cyber Command duties. Sheila Thomas, NSA’s deputy
director, will assume Haugh’s’ NSA responsibilities.
From the Merge --
“. . . the current state … is inadequate . . .”
— Lt. Gen. Dan Caine on the state of electronic warfare training ranges,
during his testimony to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Steganography,
"NSA Says Fast Flux Is A National Security Threat, But What Is It?"
by Marcus Hutchins
Marcus Hutchins,
"Project E.L.F. -
The history of communicating with submarines underwater"
by #HamRadioQA
No, the ground is granitic, not basaltic. In general, continental land is granitic,
which is less dense and floats higher on the mantle. Oceanic floor is basaltic, which
is more dense and floats lower on the mantle. Hence, water puddles on top of it.
[Those who think they know everything, irritate those of us who do.]
---
Haiku Valley on the windward side of Oahu, facing the Kaneohe Marine Corps
Air Station. Funny how I was often assigned to air stations. They had antenna cables
strung across the valley. If you were in the U.S. Armed Forces, you could hike up
to the mountain top ridge to see the cables. It was a very difficult hike. Yes, who
would need such a large antenna? By the length of the antenna, one could calculate
the resonant frequency.
---
"How to communicate with a submarine?" by Prof. Simon
"the internet of sh** strikes again" by Low Level
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
2600
The U.S. Marine Corps has a 2600 MOS. It's no coincidence.
Handbook of Applied Cryptography
‟If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.
Therefore what he must fear is his victim.”
-- Col. Jeff Cooper, "Principles of Personal Defense"
https://patriotpost.us/articles/115950-the-disingenuous-covid-whitewash-2025-04-02
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution
"4 of the biggest things movies get WRONG about fighter jets"
by Alex Hollings
Propaganda is powerful. Less than 1% of Americans serve in the Armed Forces.
So the movies and TV are the closest they will ever get the hardware and capabilities.
Even if they consciously know that the things in the show that they are watching are
not real, it still has a powerful effect on their subconscious and culture.
Of course, many don't understand that the show is not real.
"The Future Of Warfare Is Now, Old Man: Updates From The Drone Front"
by Iain Harrison
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Deep Intel on the Navy's New Houthi Drone Killers"
by Ward Carroll with Konstantin Toropin
~$500,000,000 of missiles fired in Houthi conflict. Number of missiles listed
in video.
"I Told You Something is Coming & Now It's Here . . . " by Victor Davis Hanson
When I heard Elon Musk talking to Sean Hannity on the radio yesterday,
I knew you had won.
As the Commander of the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in
Dam Neck, Virginia said, "The enemy used to be easy to find and hard to kill (Cold War,
Soviet units). Now days, the enemy is hard to find and easy to kill (Global War on
Terrorism to present)."
The inconspicuous do not get medals.
"Character is what you do when no one is looking." -- Thomas Jefferson
"Teen ARRESTED in Plot to ASSASINATE Trump &
Overthrow U.S. Government – Parents FOUND DEAD"
by Brian Maxwell - Real Politics Podcast
Order of the 9 Angels.
Unfortunately, there are a lot more out there. Job security. If we only got paid.
"Surface Forces : Decline of the [Russian] Northern Fleet" by James Dunnigan
April 1, 2025: The Northern Fleet, based in northwest Russia’s Murmansk region
and the Kola Peninsula, has a problem. Lacking enough resources to both maintain
and operate its ships, the fleet has fallen into disrepair. Commercial satellite photos
show ships in disarray and idle. In effect, the Northern Fleet has ceased to function.
The best example of this is the continued failure to get aircraft carrier
Admiral Kuznetsov and the battle cruiser Admiral Nakhimov operational.
The nuclear-powered Nakhimov is a 28,000-ton battlecruiser that entered service in
1988. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the naval budget was slashed to a
subsistence level. The Nakhimov was scheduled to start a five year refit and upgrade
in 1997. As of 2025 the rehab is still not finished and may not be for a few more years,
or even never.
Since 2022 the war in Ukraine has been absorbing most of Russia’s military budget.
Worse, the Ukrainians destroyed the Black Sea fleet with airborne and naval drones.
The few surviving ships fled to the Sea of Azov, a branch of the Black Sea in the
northeast, 1,300 kilometers from Crimea, where a few Russian ports and garrisons
held out against the encroaching Ukrainian forces. The Russians are under fire from
cruise missiles and drones, and escape by sea is difficult because of the Ukrainian
drones patrolling the air and able to direct naval drones against any Russian ships
trying to reach or escape Crimean ports.
Another problem is the Kerch Straits, the three kilometer wide entrance to the
Sea of Azov. There used to be a bridge across the Kerch Straits but the bridge is
currently down, making it impossible to get from Crimea to Russia save by sea.
That is difficult because Ukrainian drones spot the ships and call in missiles or
naval drones. Russians keep trying to repair the Kerch bridge but Ukrainian missiles
and drones keep disrupting that work.
While Russia has given up on the Black Sea, it still seeks to maintain control
of the Northern Fleet bases in the northwestern Russian White Sea where the
Sevmash shipyards are located. This is where the Nakhimov and two or three of
its sister ships are based. The shipyards are currently preparing the Nakhimov for
a return to service by 2026. That may be optimistic because repairs have missed
their deadlines several times already.
Since the Cold War ended, Russian warship construction and refurbishment
capabilities have declined considerably. Examples are the extended and
problem-plagued efforts to refurbish the lone carrier and four nuclear powered
battle cruisers. For example, in 2022 a Russian shipyard announced it was ready
to deliver the refurbished battlecruiser Nakhimov to the fleet. Work on the
Admiral Nakhimov began in 2014 and was supposed to be completed by 2018.
As usual, there were technical, economic and political problems that delayed
delivery until 2022. To get this done, the plans to refurbish the two oldest Kirovs,
Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Lazarev, were canceled after it was discovered
that these ships were in worse condition than expected and in 2021, they were
officially retired and scrapped.
The Russian navy never recovered from the end of the Cold War and its sharp,
continuing reductions in the navy budget. Efforts to replace the aging Cold War era
ships failed. At the end of the Cold War in 1991, Russia had the second-largest fleet
in the world. Now it is in third place, behind the United States and China. While
China is now the most prolific builder of warships. Russian ship building capabilities
continue to decline. This was particularly obvious in the case of major surface ships
like carriers, battlecruisers, and destroyers. There are only 29 large surface ships
including a carrier, four cruisers, 13 destroyers and eleven frigates. The subs and
large surface ships only account for 36 percent of the vessels in the fleet. The rest
are smaller craft, including some amphibious warfare boats and ships. A third of
the subs are diesel-electric boats. The carrier and four large cruisers are not much
of a surface strike force. That task is assigned to the eleven guided missile armed
nuclear subs. Only 16 of the 40 attack subs are nuclear, the rest are diesel electric.
There are eleven special purpose subs carrying a wide variety of exotic weapons.
The Chinese and Western fleets keep it simple, using nuclear and diesel-electric
subs with very few special purpose subs.
Long-range bombers based at the complex of naval and air bases in northwestern
Russia’s Kola Peninsula around Murmansk province regularly take off and fly south
to launch long range missiles at targets in Ukraine. The distance from Murmansk to
Ukraine is about 2,600 kilometers. The Russian Tu-22M3 bombers or MiG-31K
fighter bombers can fly most of the distance and then release their long range
air-to-ground missiles at targets in Ukraine. These flights are over Russian territory
so there is no risk of losing aircraft to Ukrainian air defense systems.
Nearby Norway, Finland and Sweden are another story. These three nations are
NATO members and all are upgrading their military facilities adjacent to Russian
territory in Murmansk province. In this area the borders of Norway, Finland and
Sweden are all adjacent to each other as well as Russia. The increased activity at
Russian air, naval, and land bases to support the Russian forces in Ukraine is very
visible. The Russian Northern Fleet is based in this region and infantry units
assigned to provide its security have disappeared since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russian ground forces suffered heavy losses and most of the Northern Fleet security
forces were sent to Ukraine and most were killed or wounded. The departed
Northern Fleet ground security force troops have not been replaced. The Northern
Fleet had to improvise a security force from naval personnel and some local civilian
watchmen. Norway, Finland, and Sweden are not threatening Russian forces but
are increasing air, land and naval forces based in the area. This means more F-35
fighters, P-8 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and ground based air defense systems
like the Norwegian made NASAMS [National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System,
also known as Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System].
NATO forces fly air patrols off their coasts and send naval patrol vessels to coastal
waters near Russia. All this surveillance of Russian operations around the
Kola Peninsula is seen as assistance for Ukraine by local NATO members who
provide military support for Ukraine.
-- James Dunnigan
"Warplanes: Ukraine Gets French Mirage Jets" by James Dunnigan
April 1, 2025: Mirage-2000 fighters finally arrived in Ukraine during February
of this year. Ukrainian pilots had earlier been trained in France to fly the Mirage
aircraft. France only has about 40 Mirage-2000 fighters available and most of these
are apparently going to Ukraine.
The 17-ton [not 15 ton?] Mirage-2000 is a single engine, single and two-seat
delta-wing fighter/fighter-bomber with a max speed of 2,336 kilometers and top
altitude of 17 kilometers. Max range is 1,500 kilometers and the aircraft can carry
up to 6.3 tons of weapons.
Including Ukraine, the Mirage-2000 is operated by ten countries. Ukraine is
going to use them to deliver the Anglo-French Scalp air-to-ground guided missile.
The Scalp is NATO-standard capable and has been used a lot by Ukraine, delivered
by their MiG and Sukhoi aircraft. Also used are several other types of missiles and
guided bombs. The Mirage-2000 can also be useful in shooting down Russian
cruise missiles and drones.
Meanwhile Ukraine continues to receive former European F-16 jets. As of March,
Ukraine has received 85 F-16s contributed by the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark.
France has sent over a dozen Mirage 2000 fighters. Most of the required Ukrainian
F-16 pilots have completed their training and most of these F-16s will be operational
before the end of the year. Ukraine will use these fighters to seize control of the air
near the Russian border. Currently, Russian warplanes launch attacks from inside
Russia using guided bombs and missiles. Ukrainian air defenses, using American
and European air-defense systems plus F-16s, prevent Russian aircraft from entering
Ukrainian airspace and intercept most of the Russian missiles launched from inside
Russia.
Ukraine has lost most of its Soviet era Russian warplanes in combat since the
2022 Russian invasion. Eastern European nations which had been members of the
old Soviet Union’s Warsaw Pact Alliance still had some Russian-designed fighters,
including Mig-29s, and sent those to Ukraine. Those were mostly lost too. After
that NATO was the only source of replacement aircraft and the first of 128 F-16s
began arriving earlier in 2024. The United States backed their European allies in
sending F-16s to Ukraine. These countries have received new F-35s recently to
replace the older F-16s. There are several hundred European and American F-16s
available for shipment to Ukraine and Ukraine is eager to get as many F-16s as
they can. The current Ukrainian goal is to have at least 128 F-16s. The Americans
are also sending current models of missiles and bombs F-16s are equipped to use.
The American F-16 fighter is the most widely used combat aircraft in the 21st
Century. An F-16 first flew fifty years ago, and the Americans didn’t realize how
many F-16 fans were pilots in the Ukrainian Air Force. A growing number of
Ukrainian pilots have completed their training in F-16s and deliveries of dozens
of F-16s have begun. F-16s have been the world’s most popular post-Cold War
combat aircraft. Communist governments and the Soviet Union collapsed by 1991
and eastern European nations, recently under communist rule, wanted to join
NATO so the Russians, Communist or not, would be less likely to return. Since
the 1990s these former Communist controlled nations joined NATO and have been
replacing their Russian weapons with Western models.
The F-16 is one of the most modified jet fighters in service. While most are still
called the F-16C, there are actually seven major mods, identified by block number
like 32, 40, 42, 50, 52, 60, 70 and 72, plus the Israeli F-16I, which is a major
modification of the Block 52. The F-16D is a two seat trainer version of F-16Cs.
The various block mods included a large variety of new components and can choose
from five different engines, four sets of avionics, five generations of electronic
warfare gear, five radars and many other mechanical, software, cockpit and electrical
mods.
Until Block 70 came along, the most advanced F-16 was the F-16 Block 60.
The best example of this is a special version of the Block 60 developed for the
UAE (United Arab Emirates). The UAE bought 80 Desert Falcons, the F-16Es
which are optimized for air combat. It is a 22 ton aircraft based on the Block 52
model, which the KF-16 was originally, but with an AESA radar [An Active
Electronically Scanned Array is a type of phased array antenna, which is a
computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be
electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the antenna.]
and lots of other additional useful accessories. Block 70 goes beyond Block 60,
especially in terms of electronics and airframe enhancement to extend flight life.
The most successful F-16 user is Israel which set a number of combat records
with its F-16s. Israel plans to keep some of its late model F-16s flying until 2030
as it retires the oldest ones. At the end of 2016, Israel retired the last of its 125
F-16A fighters. The first 70 were acquired in 1980 and 1981 and included 8
two-seater F-16B trainers. One of the F-16As achieved a record by being the
single F-16 with the most air-to-air kills, 6.5, all achieved in 1982 using three
different pilots. Israel received 50 used F-16As in 1994 including 14 B models
and used these mainly as trainers.
The Ukrainians are well aware of the F-16’s track record, especially when
compared to the MiG-29. That’s why Ukraine keeps asking for F-16s and
equivalents like the Mirage-2000.
-- James Dunnigan
---
"The Air Force is now adding AI pilots to combat-coded F-16s" by Sandboxx
"Hegseth Implements Sex Neutral Standards Across the Military PC99"
by Sentinel
"Here’s what to expect from Project Kuiper’s first full-scale satellite launch
United Launch Alliance will send 27 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit
as we begin a full-scale deployment of our satellite internet network."
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation-at-amazon/project-kuiper-satellite-internet-first-launch
Well if Elon Musk can do it, Amazon can do it. Or, not.
"Support: American Bases Overseas" by James Dunnigan
April 5, 2025: The United States has had military bases overseas since World War II
ended in 1945. These included over 300 installations dispersed throughout 49 countries
in Europe and Japan. There were 225 in Germany, but between 1994 and 2014 most of
these bases were shut down or transferred to the German Bundeswehr. This gradually
changed, especially during the 1948-1991 Cold War. After 1991 American military
facilities overseas increased outside Western Europe and by 2024 there were some 800
bases in seventy countries.
By 2009 the dwindling U.S. forces in Europe were turning into museums, literally.
There since World War II, American military units casually preserved many historical
artifacts. For example, the first U.S. M-4 tank to break into Bastogne during the
December 1944 Battle of the Bulge, was found, by checking vehicle serial numbers,
to have been sitting in a U.S. base, as a nameless World War II monument, for over
fifty years. Many similar discoveries have been made, and military historians, and the
army leadership, wondered what to do about it.
The U.S. Army 1st Armored Division established a museum. Although the
1st Armored left Europe in 1946, and only returned in 1971, it was able to collect
nearly 3,000 items including 140 tanks, artillery and other vehicles for a museum.
Many other units that were there between World War II and today, collected historical
artifacts and used them to decorate their bases or just hang on a wall in a base club
or headquarters. All of the 1st Armored returned to the United States in the next few
years, and officials in Europe were trying to do right by the museum. Established in
1963 in Europe, it has moved around a bit, and now the division is trying to scrounge
up the funds to get it back to the United States, and preserve the collection.
But the 1st Armored collection is only a fraction of the artifacts found throughout
U.S. military bases in Europe. Many of these bases have already been closed. Some
artifacts were sold, some were given away, or lost. It's an enormous chunk of U.S.
military history, and most of it was in danger of being lost forever.
After spending over half a century years in Europe, the U.S. Army force went from
two corps and over six divisions with 18 combat brigades during the Cold War, to the
current four brigades. These units are sometimes transferred to combat zones in Iraq
or Afghanistan. During the Cold War, there were over 300,000 U.S. troops in
Western Europe. That gradually shrank to about 40,000, and by 2025 there were
84,000 U.S. military personnel in Europe.
Worldwide the United States had, by 2021, 642 bases in 76 foreign nations and
159 in overseas American territories. There are American military personnel in 170
nations worldwide. Some of these are embassy military attaches. There are now
100,000 troops in Germany, Italy, and Britain with another 56,000 in Japan, 24,000
in South Korea, about a thousand in the nine Philippines bases and 15,000 in the
Middle East. There are 123 bases in Germany, 113 in Japan and 79 in South Korea.
These include the modest Al Udeid airbase in Qatar and the massive Aviano military
base complex in Italy, which hosts a total of 49 American bases.
Broken down by service there are 220 army bases in 29 overseas locations.
The U.S. Marine Corps maintains 31 bases, the U.S. Navy 97 and the Air Force has
170 in nine foreign regions including Japan with 52,852 personnel, the Philippines
with about a thousand, Germany 34,894, South Korea 23,732, Italy 12,319,
Papua New Guinea a hundred or so, Britain 10,180, Bahrain 3,424, Spain 3,253,
Poland a few dozen, Turkey 1,683, Kuwait a few hundred, Belgium 1,119, Australia
about a hundred and Cuba 572. There are also many temporary sites for special
operations.
-- James Dunnigan
"Winning: Coping With Ukrainian Corruption" by James Dunnigan
April 7, 2025: Several senior Ukrainian officers and military specialists are being
prosecuted for corruption. Currently most such cases involve officers or recruiting
officials accepting bribes to authorize soldiers to leave the military. Many of the
corrupt officials do not hide their new wealth and their sudden affluence draws the
attention of the corruption investigators. Arrests are made and the culprits jailed.
In many cases, wives or children of the jailed men have left the country with the
bribe money. From their foreign exile they will finance efforts to get their corrupt
father freed.
Since the first year of the war, corruption has been a common problem on both
sides. In late 2022 Volodymyr Zelensky fired the head of the
Internal Security Agency / SBU and the chief prosecutor along with over sixty other
officials, and brought treason and collaboration charges against 651 SBU members
and local officials. Most of those charged worked for the SBU.
The large number of people charged is the result of more Ukrainians reporting
information leaks and collaboration with the Russians in Ukraine as well as the
occupied territories, especially the ones that were seized in the first week of the
Russian invasion. There were also complaints from more recent members of the
SBU that there were still a lot of SBU veterans who openly criticized government
policy and condoned corruption, especially within the SBU.
The SBU is the successor to the Ukrainian branch of the KGB. After Ukraine
became independent in 1991, obvious KGB loyalists were fired but many veterans
remained. These officials perpetuated a culture of corruption along with the
formidable deception and operational skills the KGB excelled in. The SBU is a
large organization, with 35,000 employees. That is the same size as the American
FBI, for a country with seven times more people. Equivalent European agencies,
like DST in France and MI5 in Britain are equally small, relative to population,
as the FBI. On a per-capita basis Western internal agencies have about 109 agency
personnel per million population. For the Russian FSB it is 591 and for the SBU
it is about 850. For the Soviet KGB it was 1,600.
The SBU, like its predecessor the KGB, demands high performance and discipline.
In return, KGB personnel were free to make a little extra on the side. The KGB was
literally above the law as the only ones who could arrest KGB personnel were other
KGB personnel. The post-Soviet FSB and SBU have similar immunities.
A growing number of the post-199os SBU hires were personnel who, like those
who voted Zelensky into office in 2019, saw corruption as a major obstacle to
Ukrainian prosperity and independence from Russian influence. Then came the 2022
invasion and NATO military aid and assistance, especially in intelligence collection.
NATO, mainly the U.S., monitored and decrypted Russian communications relevant
to Ukraine and shared data with the Ukrainians. That revealed evidence that turned
suspicions of SBU treason into indictments. With leaky SBU members identified
it was possible to identify many of their Ukrainian sources. It also sent a message to
the SBU that the long sought culture shift in the organization was happening.
In Russia opinion polls revealed that most Russians accepted corruption as a basic
element in Russian culture and unlikely to be eliminated any time soon. Most Russians
also complain that the prevalence of corruption hurts the economy and is another
unpleasant aspect of life in Russia. While the government generates a lot of publicity
about anti-corruption efforts, it is widely understood that, when some major
government official or former official is arrested and charged with corruption there
is more to the story. First, the official is probably guilty as charged and the details
make interesting reading. The other part of the story is generally not published and
involves the details of which other senior officials the corrupt official offended.
Issues over sharing are the usual reason for a senior politician or military officer
being prosecuted for corruption. While there may be no honor among thieves,
there is a code of conduct and those who misbehave are publicly spanked, lose a lot
of money and often spend some time in prison.
Another unique aspect of Russian corruption is that it is more prevalent in the
military because theft of state property has been the Russian national pastime for
centuries. This corruption is seen as a major factor in Russian combat disasters.
Even military leaders accept that, but in peacetime the opportunities are too abundant
and the discipline too inadequate to prevent corruption. Government prosecutors
estimate that military corruption costs the military over $500 million a year and
disrupts the operation of units, major programs and everything else. Despite the
frequent prosecutions it is believed corruption in the military is increasing. There
were 2,800 officers and officials prosecuted in 2018, an increase over previous years
despite so many of those prosecuted getting convicted and imprisoned.
In 2013 Russian prosecutors announced that they had arrested three army officers
and accused them of stealing seven tons of fuel. To make matters worse, this was
not a gang operation but three officers each operating independently and stealing
diesel from large tanker trucks sent to support the first annual tank gunnery and
driving competition. This event got a lot of publicity. Despite all that attention,
these three officers thought they could divert about $5,000 worth of diesel fuel to
the black market. Such fuel thefts are not unusual in the army, and most perpetrators
are not caught. But these three officers were bold, or stupid, and tried to flitch the
fuel at a high-profile event. The actual theft occurred while fuel and other resources
were stockpiled for the event. Such criminality is all too common and Russian
corruption investigators believe that about 20 percent of the military budget is lost
to corruption and outright theft. Despite more frequent arrests and prosecution of
offenders, the stealing continues.
-- James Dunnigan
"Logistics: World War II Bomber Bases Refurbished" by James Dunnigan
April 7, 2025: Over the last decade China has been increasingly aggressive in
the Pacific, claiming ownership of more and more Pacific islands. Many of these
islands are far from the Chinese coast. China expects to eventually take possession
of these islands as they continue building more warships and basing troops and
weapons on islands they have already claimed or, in some cases, built by dredging
up lots of sand to expand a reef into an island capable of supporting an airstrip,
a dock, and a garrison. Many World War II airfields were abandoned after Japan
surrendered in September 1945 and have since become overgrown with vegetation.
These airfields are still usable once you remove the vegetation, make some repairs,
and add some support facilities.
Since World War II the main American airbase in the Pacific was on the island
of Guam. This has turned Guam into a vulnerable target for long range Chinese
ballistic missiles. Guam is still important, but additional bases are needed to
supplement and possibly replace Guam in the event of a major war, so the
U.S. government is creating some.
The island bases currently being revived include one on Tinian and another
in the Philippines. One or more of the Northern Mariana Islands will also become
an emergency airbase. These air bases have several uses. One is as a divert airbase,
for aircraft that need to land somewhere and that is often difficult over the Pacific.
Some of the divert fields would have fuel and other items needed to get an aircraft
into the air again. Having many of these airfields makes it difficult for China or
anyone else to paralyze Americans' land-based aviation by destroying or damaging
just a few airbases. American allies in the region, like Japan, Australia, Philippines,
and Taiwan can also use these remote Pacific Island bases. These allies already
have their own bases that are available to allies.
Japan already has several smaller islands it can use for additional bases. Japan is
expanding its military presence on and around Okinawa by building a radar station
on Yonaguni Island. This is the western most inhabited Japanese island, although
it only officially became part of Japan in 1879, along with Okinawa. Yonaguni island
has a population of 1,500 and is a favorite tourist attraction for Japanese. The island
is 2,000 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, 505 kilometers west of Okinawa,
300 kilometers southeast of China, 110 kilometers east of Taiwan and 144 kilometers
southwest of the disputed, by China, Senkaku Islands. This new radar station
produced a very loud protest from China who are not happy with Japanese hostility
to Chinese threats over the Senkakus. Okinawa is also 2,280 kilometers from Guam.
The Japanese are alarmed at increasing Chinese military activity in waters and
airspace around their main islands and more distant smaller islands. It’s not just
disputed areas, especially the Senkaku Islands, but around Okinawa and increasingly
east of Japan, in the Pacific. Operating out there is what the Chinese would have to
do for a blockade of Japan. There is growing support for expanding the Japanese
military as a result of all this Chinese naval and air activity, especially obtaining
long range drones for maritime patrol and ballistic missiles for hitting Chinese bases
in the event of hostilities. This doesn’t bother China as much as constant Japanese
chatter about developing nuclear weapons, but the Chinese believe that decades
of anti-nuke militancy would prevent Japan from actually going down this road.
If Japan did build nukes, it would make Japan once more dangerous to China and
that could cause a really dangerous situation. A related issue is that South Korea
is presently considering developing its own nuclear weapons as that will definitely
affect Japan’s decision.
Back in 2012 China became particularly angry after the Japanese government
purchased the Senkaku islands from the Japanese family that had owned them
since the 19th century. China and Japan were also increasingly sending small
warships to patrol contested parts of their disputed Senkaku Islands or Diaoyu in
Chinese or Tiaoyutai in Taiwanese.
The islands are actually islets, which are 167 kilometers northeast of Taiwan
and 426 kilometers southeast of Japan's Okinawa and have a total area of 6.3 square
kilometers. Taiwan also claims the islands, which were discovered by Chinese
fishermen in the 16th century and taken over by Japan in 1879. They are valuable
now because of the 380 kilometer economic zone nations can claim in their coastal
waters. This includes fishing and possible underwater oil and gas fields. For China,
the islands are a valuable source of fish, with Chinese fishing boats taking over
150,000 tons a year from the vicinity of the Senkakus. China fears that Japan might
try to prohibit Chinese fishing in the area.
A conservative Japanese political group built a lighthouse there in 1986, to further
claims of Japanese ownership. The Japanese have the most powerful naval forces in
the region and are backed up by a mutual defense treaty with the United States.
China was long dissuaded by that, but no more. China is no longer backing off on its
claims, and neither is Japan. So, these confrontations are becoming more serious.
Taiwan is not considered a serious contender in this dispute but is showing up anyway.
China also has claims on Okinawa, but the Chinese government has not become
aggressive about this yet, though they have with claims on Indian territory. Back in
2010, responding to Japanese media reports of menacing Chinese warships off
Okinawa, China announced that these were Chinese navy ships engaged in training
in international waters. Nothing special. Just training. Trust us.
Most Japanese don’t trust China. There has been growing evidence since 2000
that this distrust is warranted. For example, back in 2004 China admitted that a
submerged submarine the Japanese navy had been tracking off the coast of Okinawa
was indeed a Chinese boat. The Japanese had always insisted that the sub was
Chinese. Apparently, American P-3 patrol aircraft, operating from Guam, were the
first to pick up the location of the Chinese sub and then turned the tracking over to
the Japanese navy. It was American technology that confirmed the identification
of the sub. During the Cold War, the United States developed techniques for
identifying individual submarines according to their shape, and by the noises they
made [including their sonar signals, ORINCON -- Jon Low]. The American navy
maintains electronic databases of submarine signatures. China apologized for the
incident, which had their boat inside Japanese territorial waters for a short period
of time. China said the cause was a navigational accident. China has been sending
its subs to sea more often since 2000 in order to raise the skill levels of the crews.
-- James Dunnigan
"Procurement: Three Years of Ukrainian Aid" by James Dunnigan
April 9, 2025: Over the last three years of war in Ukraine, NATO countries have
supplied about $85 billion a year in military and commercial assistance. Initially
most of this aid came from the United States. Gradually European nations expanded
their own arms production and assisted Ukrainian arms producers in rebuilding local
armaments facilities. This meant more of the military aid was coming from European
countries and less from the United States. Ukraine has long been a major arms
producer but the Russians have destroyed some of these arms production operations
since the 2022 invasion.
During the first few months of the Russian invasion Ukrainian producers supplied
their military with the needed weapons and munitions. Russia responded by
destroying many of those arms manufacturing facilities with missiles and airstrikes.
By 2023 most of the arms and munitions were imported from the United States and
NATO countries. European nations believe that expanding their own arms industries
improves their ability to deter any future aggression from Russia.
Eleven years ago Ukraine hampered Russian arms production by halting shipments
of vital components for Russian helicopters and warships. Although only 4.4 percent
of Russian imports were from Ukraine, some of these items were crucial for Russian
weapons producers and Russian efforts to modernize their armed forces.
The links between production facilities concentrated in Ukraine dates back to
when Ukraine was a region of the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed
into fourteen new nations in 1991, Ukraine and its arms industry were not part of
the new Russian Federation. This meant Russia was now dependent on Ukraine for
key items like components for aircraft, missiles, ICBMs and warship engines.
The largest and most productive Ukrainian defense manufacturer was Motor Sich
which produces engines for helicopters. Many of the Soviet era shipyards were
located in the Crimean Peninsula. After 1991 Crimea belonged to Ukraine. Russia
refused to let Ukraine take possession of Crimea and grabbed it back in 2014.
Russian shipyards still operate in Crimea although these facilities have been damaged
by persistent Ukrainian attacks, and Crimean ports are avoided by Russian shipping
due to UAV attacks.
For years Russia has been building factories locally to reduce dependence on
those located in Ukraine and Crimea. The economic sanctions imposed on Russia
after they invaded Ukraine in 2022 further complicated Russian plans to rebuild
their arms industries. Russia has managed to maintain defense production, but
quality and quantity have suffered. Russian producers depended on key components
imported from Western Europe. The sanctions cut off that source and Russia has
tried to replace it with manufacturers in China and a few other countries. They were
partially successful but Russian defense production will not recover completely
until the war in Ukraine is over.
-- James Dunnigan
Bottom Line Up Front --
"The question arose about how someone like this was allowed to work
on a nuclear submarine. It could be sloppiness, union politics, or fear of federal
regulations as in a growing list of questions you cannot ask when hiring people."
---
"Surface Forces: Warships of the Future" by James Dunnigan
April 10, 2025: Designing warships that will be used in the 2030s and 2040s
is speculative but necessary to ensure that necessary preparations are made to
incorporate new technologies when they do show up. Manufacturing stealth
materials for ships requires shipbuilders to figure out how to install these upgrades
while the Navy has to establish training courses for sailors who will perform
maintenance. Another item to account for is damage control training.
The U.S. Navy has resumed holding damage assessment exercises to prepare
for handling ships damaged in future combat. The first exercise was conducted
while towing a burned-out amphibious ship to the scrappers. A battle damage
assessment team was put aboard the ship to record damage as they would in
wartime. The assessors had never been on the ship before and were able to
perform a realistic assessment. The subject ship was destroyed by a shipyard
fire in July 2020 and decommissioned in April 2021. These assessment drills
will be held in the future during exercises as part of SINKEX operations.
For most of the last century the U.S. Navy has conducted SINKEX training.
In the last two decades about two ships a year were sunk, most off the coast of
California or Hawaii. SINKEX enables the navy to test new theories on how
vulnerable, or invulnerable, modern warships are and how effective new, or
current, weapons are. With the advent of smaller, cheaper and more reliable
sensors and broadcasting gear, it's possible to get a lot more data out of a
SINKEX target and monitor the damaged ship as it is hit until it goes under.
This leads to changes in ship design and damage control techniques. From now
on the ship to be sunk will first be damaged by a smaller explosion and a damage
assessment team put about to assess the damage. After that the SINKEX will be
completed using ship or aircraft weapons.
The U.S. Navy is also behind schedule in completing planned maintenance,
repairs and new construction shipyard work because of a shortage of shipyards
and difficulty in finding qualified personnel. For warships you need shipyard
workers to have special skills and qualified candidates are hard to find. Hiring
temporary replacements means bringing in unskilled workers who can be trained
for low skill jobs. Normally, some retirees could be persuaded to come back for
an emergency but these experienced men are less and less available.
The navy did have a solution for this; the 2005 Surge Main program where
over 2,400 navy reservists were identified who had skills that could be used in
the shipyards, where a lot of work was making major repairs on ships so the vessels
can go back to sea. These are the kinds of repairs that the ship crew can handle but
ships are brought into shipyards every few years so the many backlogged repairs
can be done in less time because the ship is not at sea and most of the crew is not
present.
In 2020 the Surge Main program brought in 1,600 reservists but this only made
up for about a quarter of the shortage. The labor shortage is also threatening some
critical shipbuilding projects, like components for the new Columbia class
Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarines / SSBNs where construction of the subs
began in 2022. Before that a lot of key components were being built and work
on these items had been delayed by the worker shortage. As it is the reservists
were told that they could be on active duty for up to a year. The navy is still working
on calculating how much the labor shortage will delay ships getting back to sea or
even built.
Another problem with unskilled workers is accidents, some of them deliberate.
For example, in 2012 there was a fire inside the USS Miami SSN Nuclear Attack
Submarine while it was in the Portsmouth Maine Naval Yard for maintenance and
upgrades. That blaze did $400 million in damage to the sub and seven people were
injured. Two months later a shipyard worker was arrested for setting the fire.
The accused worker, Casey J. Fury, admitted that he set the fire and another the
next month, which was quickly extinguished. Fury wanted to get out of work early.
Casey was seen near the second fire and that led to his being questioned more
closely. Casey knew he had a problem and checked himself into a mental hospital
for two days. The question arose about how someone like this was allowed to work
on a nuclear submarine. It could be sloppiness, union politics, or fear of federal
regulations as in a growing list of questions you cannot ask when hiring people.
The U.S. Navy has been complaining about incompetent management of naval
shipyards. That bad behavior is protected by politicians more interested in reelection
than well run yards.
Another solution, first adopted in 2009, was to reduce the number of days ships
are at sea by a third, in order to reduce the wear and tear on its ships, and to provide
cash and port time for needed maintenance. The days-at-sea problems began with
the end of the Cold War in 1991, as the navy sought to maintain the same high tempo
of operations, and even increase it. That meant sending carrier and amphibious task
forces out to sea for six-month cruises to distant parts of the planet more frequently
than before. After September 11, 2001, the tempo of operations increased even more,
to support the war on terror.
To support all this on smaller post-Cold War budgets, the Navy downsized. In the
1990s, the US Navy decommissioned over 300 ships. In 1990, the Navy was still
trying to increase its warship strength to 600. With the end of the Cold War, and the
threat of the huge but now disintegrating Soviet fleet, there were suddenly more
crises and hot spots the Navy felt it had to deal with. While only about a quarter of
all ships were at sea during the Cold War, in the 1990s about a third were out there.
This put more strain on sailors, as marriages fell apart and sailors got tired of the
constant stress of sea duty.
In response, the navy has focused on building new ships that used 50-80 percent
fewer sailors. This is not as extreme as it sounds, for commercial ships have been
doing this for several decades. But the smaller crews have not arrived yet, because
the new ships have proved too expensive to build. Meanwhile, the Navy was putting
off doing a lot of ship maintenance, especially tasks that required replacing lots of
parts on engines and other mechanical and electrical systems. The result has been
more ships failing inspections and having problems while at sea. The decision to
cut days at sea, and catch up on maintenance, made sense.
All these earlier problems, and their solutions, led to the realization that there
were not enough shipyards, qualified workers and damage assessment capabilities
to deal with the problem.
-- James Dunnigan
"Peacekeeping: European Peace Plan" by James Dunnigan
April 12, 2025: The United States has not backed off from attempting to develop
a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. The Americans believe this is a
European problem and that the Europeans should deal with it. So far, the European
nations have not come up with a feasible peace plan. The Ukrainians are willing to
negotiate but the Russians insist that they will keep fighting until Ukraine is once
more part of Russia.
All this puts Europe in an untenable position. While Europe is furiously
rebuilding its neglected arms industries, the U.S. is no longer available to supply
Ukraine. The only immediate solution is for European nations to take weapons
and munitions from their own forces and ship them to Ukraine. There are also
efforts to purchase weapons and munitions from other sources, like South Korea.
Poland has already spent nearly $20 billion on South Korea weapons and equipment.
The Americans still have 100,000 troops in Europe and will not use them in
Ukraine to guarantee a peace deal. At the moment, European countries can only
muster 40,000 soldiers for Ukraine, where estimates are that a force of 100,000
to 200,000 soldiers is needed. European nations see the dire situation they are in
and realize that there is no quick fix. It will take years to upgrade and expand
European forces. In the meantime Russia openly boasts that it can and will take
advantage of this situation. That means the only viable European peace plan
right now is whatever the Russians will allow. The Europeans nations are finding
out what NATO can do without the United States. For the moment the thirty
European NATO members are scrambling to assemble a large enough military
force to dissuade Russian aggression. On paper the European NATO nations
have 1.9 million troops. Before the U.S. left with its 1.3 million troops, the total
force was 3.2 million. While 1.9 million seems large enough, the Europeans
have not agreed on how to handle command and control, or much of anything.
In the past, the Americans took care of that because they had far greater resources.
Now Europe has to start from scratch to create a new command structure.
That could take years when it is needed within months.
The foundation of any European peace plan for Ukraine is to have the forces
to maintain and enforce it. The solution is a work in progress and no one knows
how long it will take or how effective any solution will be. For the first time in
over 70 years, Europe has to manage its own defense against a new Russian threat.
-- James Dunnigan
"Another DEI Admiral Gets Fired EP 106" by Sentinel
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
The Dispatch
"StrategyPage"
"The Merge"
Breaking Defense
Intrigue
1440
29155
Global Recaps
Timber Sycamore
Ground News
Always cite open source. Stay out of jail.
***** ***** ***** Religion and Politics ***** ***** *****
"I hate it when I'm trying to eat a salad and
it falls in the trash and I have to eat a taco instead."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Rest In Peace Val Kilmer.
"Rest in peace, Doc Holiday" by Legally Armed America
"Spartan" staring Val Kilmer.
"Heat".
"Tombstone".
"Elon Musk Just Exposed The Biggest Scam In American History !" by Tech Chasm
The profit margin is so high for human trafficking that there will always be people
willing to do the crime. Biden did this intentionally to create a population of Democrat
voters in swing states to turn them into Democrat states.
---
This is why you must get your kids out of California.
The law makers are sexually perverse and predatory.
"Biden Insider:
This Is Who Pulled Biden’s Strings Behind the Scenes" withy Lindy Li
by The Rubin Report
Biden incapacitated with COVID-19.
Most people, when shot, would run away. Trump kept going.
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
-- Mary Flannery O'Connor
In case you don't understand the liberal media (oh, yes, Fox News is liberal media),
In case you don't understand student visas.
"BREAKING NEWS: Kash Patel OUT As Acting ATF Director!!!"
by Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News
---
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
The Trump administration removed FBI Director Kash Patel as the
interim head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
replacing him with Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll.
---
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Deputy Director
Marvin Richardson has been dismissed from his post after being forced to retire.
---
Ah, things are moving along nicely. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll
may transfer another thousand or so into the U.S. Army. (Well, CID is actually
full of civilians. 70% of U.S. Army recruits fail the medical exam. The medical
exam, not the physical fitness test.) And then . . . maybe transfer the rest into
the DEA.
And then there were none.
Did you notice how the Secretary of Education (from Tennessee) is handling
things at the Department of Education? And the silly conservative Tennesseans
thought Trump had made a mistake appointing her.
The conservative pundits say Trump is playing 3-d chess, while the deep state
bureaucrats (and their activist Federal Judges and the Democrats) are playing checkers.
Could well be. (It's hard to become a billionaire if you're stupid. Stupid corrupt
politicians only become millionaires. It's different.)
"Trump just GUTTED the Federal Courts." by MattMorseTV
Well, the House of Representatives, not Trump.
Stopping Federal District Courts from issuing nationwide injunctions.
"What Really Happened to Donald Trump" by WolvesAndFinance
"PROOF of a Second Shooter. Trump's in Trouble!" by WolvesAndFinance
"BOMBSHELL: New Info on Trump's Shooter (Butler PA)" by WolvesAndFinance
“You can’t truly call yourself ‘peaceful’ unless you are capable of great violence.
If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful, you’re harmless.
Important distinction.”
-- Stef Starkgaryen
Psychology
"Why Stupid People Think They’re Smart - The Dunning-Kruger Effect"
by Philosophy Coded
Primary source document,
"Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own
Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments"
by Justin Kruger and David Dunning
Cornell University
"What Your Political Beliefs Say About Your Personality" by Jordan B. Peterson
"Attachment can change: overcoming relational insecurity" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
As Dr. Taraban says, pain and suffering is the universe telling you that you are wrong.
That is, you are attempting to contort reality to fit your mental models. But reality won't
change for you.
If you want to be happy and have "satisfying relationships" [He loves that term.]
you must conform your mental models to reality, accept reality as it is, not as how you
wish it would be.
"It never ends." by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025
There is an old Chinese parable about a man who lost a horse. When his neighbors
heard the news, they went to console him, but they found him unperturbed. “We'll see”
is all he said. A few days later, the horse returned, bringing two wild horses with him.
When his neighbors heard the news, they went to congratulate him, but they found him
disinterested. “We'll see” is all he said.
Later that month, the man's three sons all broke their legs when they went riding on
the horses. When his neighbors heard the news, they went to sympathize with him,
but they found him unbothered. “We'll see” is all he said. A week later, the emperor
conscripted all able-bodied men in the village to fight in a new war on the frontier,
sparing the man's injured sons. When his neighbors heard the news, they went to
commiserate their misfortune, but they found him unmoved. “We'll see” is all he said.
The point of the parable is that the story never really ends. Whether we've
experienced a setback or a stroke of good fortune largely depends on when we
decide to stop narrating. And since this decision is entirely within our domain
of control, we exercise a surprising amount of influence over the story of our lives.
For better or worse, no matter what you're going through, things will be different
before too long. Act accordingly.
This week's behavioral experiment:
Reframe a setback you've experienced recently.
Change your language accordingly.
Warmly,
Orion
"There is no need to understand: the problem is the problem" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
"Hire slow, fire fast."
---
My friend and college classmate got married soon after graduating. His wife was
smoking hot, a Broadway actress, singer, and dancer. In a couple of years, she asked
for a divorce. My friend's attorney advised my friend to pay her off and cut all ties.
Otherwise, he would have problems with her for the rest of his life. So my friend
gave her a million dollars to get her to sign the appropriate documents. When we
look at our friends who did not take this advice, we see that that was the best money
he ever spent. [I could not take such advice, because we had two kids when she
decided to leave Christianity and began teaching our kids that there was no God.]
A high school classmate jokes that rather than going through the trauma of a
divorce, it would be better to find a woman you hate, buy her a house, and walk away.
"Play ball." by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
As the warmth returns to the air and the leaves appear on the vine,
I am gradually filled with an expectant longing for one of my favorite
spring phenomena: major league baseball. Though I have developed
a passion for the Japanese variation in recent years, the American
original will always hold a special place in my heart. Rather than hold
fast to a single franchise for my entire life, I consider it a kind of civic
duty to root for the home team, wherever I happen to live. And that is
how I became a San Francisco Giants fan some fifteen years ago.
Though the experience is often marred by the sponsorships and
celebrity, baseball works best when it feels as though you are actually
sitting in a park, relaxing in the sun, and watching a game leisurely
unfold. In my opinion, it should feel like a picnic with friends – with
the sport serving as a kind of pleasant backdrop to the conversation.
There is a lot of downtime in baseball – and I would argue that this
is a feature, not a flaw. It is (or was, until recently) the only major
sport ungoverned by a clock – which implies an understanding that
things will happen at their own speed and that it's not always possible
to expect a resolution across an arbitrary time line.
Baseball is also a game that is best appreciated as a gradual aggregation
of small victories. The average starter experiences around 500 at bats in a
regular season and thousands over the course of his career. Baseball
understands that difference in ability cannot be reliably settled in a single
outcome and that true excellence emerges as consistency over time.
It is a game in which even the greatest hitters see more failure than
success, but in which mediocre fielders are presumed to play with such
perfection that every single error is counted. This isn't necessarily about
baseball.
This week's behavioral experiment:
Remove an arbitrary time constraint on one of your projects.
Notice how you feel afterwards.
Warmly,
Orion
"The beginning of the end: How men lose power in relationships"
by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
"An Intelligent Person Keeps 6 Things Private at Any Cost" by Jordan Peterson
Many things are private, not secret, private.
"History teaches us that history teaches us nothing." -- James Bachmann
As with everything in this world, you get what you pay for.
Especially with regards to hiring police officers.
"4 cops shoot and kill autistic boy with a knife inside a fenced in yard"
by Legally Armed America
Monkey see, monkey do. When one officer started shooting,
they all did.
"I Have A Machine Gun" by John Hickok
Al Barry
Ah, pretty girls preening.
"Garbage & Screaming Females - Because The Night (Official Video)"
Lyrics in description below the video.
---
"Patti Smith Group - Because the Night (Official Audio)"
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong.
So, take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the
best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything
the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk
away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death
fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”
– Saul of Tarsus (The Apostle Paul)
Ephesians 6:10-12
The Message (a modern translation of the Bible)
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
