Greetings Sheepdogs,
Blogger.com was restricting this blog, because it violated their policy. So I asked
them what they objected to. They said "malicious links". I asked which links? And
requested a review. Within 24 hours they published the last two blog posts. They
then assured me that there will be no problems in the future. What? That struck me
as very strange. My speculation is that they (Google is behind Blogger.com) had a
client who did not want me to move off of the Blogger.com platform. Why? Because
on another platform they would lose the information concerning who (what unique
IP addresses) were hitting the blog. Are they able to get through the VPN's and get
the user's identity? Are they able to get through the dead ends at libraries and internet
cafes to get the user's identity? Or, is the meta data enough? Maybe the nation of
the IP address is enough. Just thought you'd like to know.
Blogger.com gives their client bloggers lots of information on who is hitting
their blog and where the readers are from. I'm sure Blogger.com sells even more
data and meta-data to their corporate and government clients about their bloggers.
"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
*************************************************************************
Meg gets her Bachelors
University of North Carolina Wilmington
***** ***** ***** 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.
"Your life is as good as your mindset." -- Nicola Cavanis
"There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men." -- Robert A. Heinlein
"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist.
Children already know that dragons exist.
Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."
-- G.K. Chesterton
Hat tip to Gabriel Suarez.
‶My grandfather, a cop and blooded gunfighter, was present one night when
I was a small child and had a nightmare. My parents, of course, were dedicated
to calming me down and included the old canard of "there's no such thing as monsters"
in their assurances. My grandfather later sat me down and told me there were indeed
monsters in the world. "What makes 'em scary," he told me, "is they look like
everyone else. But if you keep your eye on 'em and be on your guard . . . sooner or later,
you'll see the mask slip." ″
-- Jay Winton
---
A lot of people are scared of the Mafia and other criminal / terrorist
organizations. But they are made up of individual humans, who can be killed.
And they obey the same laws that armies do. Kill 10% and the unit will panic.
Even less if you target the leaders. Sometimes as few as one leader.
"When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!" At which point they
become combat ineffective, which makes the rest that much easier to kill;
if you want to pursue a chicken without its head.
And never underestimate your allies, known or unknown. If you want
to kill the bad guys, there are probably many other persons and organizations who
also want to kill them. They'll jump on your bandwagon. People are always
looking for a righteous cause to join. People are always looking for leadership.
Of course, the vast majority are looking for a winning team to join and will
desert at first loss; the summer time soldier. But, there are winter time
soldiers. Our nation was founded by such.
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil and
evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." -- Jeff Cooper
"Western Civilization" by John Farnam
‟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
"Before all else, be armed." -- Nicolo Machiavelli
"The line between everyday life and sudden violence is thinner than most realize."
-- Tim Larkin
"Firearms are second only to the constitution in importance,
they are the people's liberty's teeth." -- George Washington
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape
“Happiness is the by-product of achievement” -- Jeff Cooper
"Be so focused on watering your grass that
you don't have time to check if someone else's is greener."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"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
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
"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
‷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
"Simple Tips For Improved Situational Awarness" Jeff L. Gonzales
"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)
"An officer may be forgiven for losing a battle,
but never for being taken by surprise."
Jeff Cooper
----- 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.
"You are not responsible for negative reactions to your boundaries."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Delusional “Security Theater”
by John Farnam
---
I know for a fact that the cameras at my local Wal Mart are not monitored in real time.
Unless something happens to warrant viewing, they are recorded over every 48 hours.
Hey, storage is expensive. NOT!
"Gut feelings are guardian angels." -- Nicola Cavanis
"Las Vegas gym shooting suspect identified as member, motive remains unclear"
by News 3 Las Vegas
Hat tip to Gabe Suarez.
Speaking is Assistant Police Chief Jamie Prosser.
Bad guy identified as Daniel Ortega, 34, armed with a rifle,
fired 24 rounds inside the gym.
One of the officers seems to have put his vest on over his body camera.
So, the video is compromised.
"motive remains unclear" means the motive was not one of the politically
correct narratives.
Not carrying when you go to the gym would be a mistake.
"Safety is something that happens between your ears,
not something you hold in your hands."
-- Jeff Cooper
“We trust our eyes, but most of us see only what we wish to see,
or what we sincerely believe we should be seeing, not what is actually there,
right in front of us!” -- Marriott
"Another Religious/Political Murder!" by John Farnam
Excerpt:
"Remember on 9/11, when NY/NJ Port Authority “Security Officials”
instructed people in the South WTC Tower to relax and return to their offices?"
"Bestowing a “title” upon someone does not automatically confer competence,
expertise, prudence, nor bravery. Presumptuous titles, such as “Director of Security,”
are often imparted for mostly political reasons, not necessarily upon the dauntless,
nor the tactically competent."
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
If you say, "treat all guns as if they were loaded", then you are pretending they are
loaded when you know that they are not loaded. Hundreds of people in the U.S.
are shot by unloaded guns every year; while cleaning their guns, while showing
their guns to friends, etc. Don't pretend. BELIEVE,
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
If you don't know where it is, you don't have control. If it is not on your body, and not
locked up, you don't have control. If you left it in your locked car, you don't have
control; and about now your car has been broken into and your pistol is stolen, or
your car has been stolen and if recovered won't have your pistol in it.
"Absolutes!" by John Farnam
“Reality is an ‘absolute.’ Existence is an ‘absolute.’
A speck of dust is an ‘absolute,’ and so is a human life.
Whether you live or die is an ‘absolute.’ ”
-- Ayn Rand
"It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."
-- Claude Werner
"Critical Incidents!" by John Farnam
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.
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)
"Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 23, 2025" by Greg Ellifritz
"Shirtless Suspect Steals Gun From Female Cop"
Greg's comment --
"The current state of policing in the United States. This is absolutely repulsive
performance. Do you really think the bad guy is going to be scared of your gun?
If a dude like this has no problem taking a uniformed cop’s gun, why do you think
he wouldn’t fight you for your own openly carried handgun?"
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
A female Commander in the Nashville Police Department publicly announced
on TV that the Nashville Police Department would increase female police officers
to 30% of the department. When the news reporter asked her how she was going
to do that, she responded that they were eliminating the physical fitness requirement
and replacing it with an agility test.
I recently saw the result of that policy change. I was driving north on Nolensville
Pike, approaching the intersection with Thompson Lane. It's a big intersection where
the homeless sit in their wheelchairs on the corners begging for money for drugs,
and (those who can walk) approach the stopped cars when the lights are red.
A petite female officer was struggling with a large homeless man. She was trying
to move him off the road, as he was blocking traffic. I pulled onto the sidewalk by
Victory Nissan of Nashville (a car dealership). I was going to help her as she was
having a hard time. (Ya, I know. I should not have gotten involved. But, I'm stupid.)
As I get close, she screams at me to go away. She says she has control of the situation
and doesn't need my help. So, I get back in my car and drive north on Nolensville Pike.
In my rearview mirror, I see that the homeless guy has mounted her and is punching
her in the face.
No news reports. No nothing. I guess it didn't fit the narrative.
---
Later, I was discussing the incident with a Deputy Sheriff with whom I work.
His comment was that she had called for back up. No one came to help her because
Nashville police are extremely understaffed. It often happens that a Sheriff's
deputy will take over a call for a Nashville police officer to allow the police to
respond to a higher priority call. Because in Davidson County, the Nashville
police handle all the criminal stuff and the Sheriff's deputies handle all the civil
stuff (and the jails). I know that's bizarre, isn't it?
"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
---
"Are you Violating Key Training Program Principles?"
by Mike Seeklander
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
". . . almost all of the experts agree that development must take place a
minimum of two times every week or more during the initial learning phase,
and then one time per week to maintain skill."
"Training sessions must be documented. In order to reflect on the program’s
success or failures, training sessions must be documented. Key metrics should
be written down for future reference. You will use this data to modify the
program as you go. Measurement is only possible if documentation is done."
---
The one thing all world class athletes have in common is that they keep a
highly detailed journal. This allows them to apply the scientific method to
their data to force improvement in performance.
-- stuff I [Jon Low] learned in coaches classes at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, CO.
"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
"The Way is in Training Podcast Episode 214: Karl Rehn of KR Training"
by Greybeard Actual (Matthew Little)
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
This is a series of videos.
Karl goes over a long list of things that are wrong in training. And things that
are taught, but never used in real world gunfights. Karl gives the example of the
Rogers School spending 25% of the student's time training and practicing
support-side-hand-only shooting.
"What students need and want are not the same."
Matt says being a B class shooter in USPSA shooting is sufficient. You should
then learn and practice the tactical stuff.
[No, USPSA is not tactical. They do not stay back away from walls, windows,
and doorways (they often stick their guns and arms through such apertures).
They muzzle no-shoot targets. They do not run to cover; they often run out
into the open to get the shot. I could go on, but you get the idea.
-- Jon Low]
"Handgun retention and disarming skills." AMEN!
"We often don't test our retention of our skills."
Angela Little (wife of Matt) is really cool.
Blog at,
"A mistake that makes you humble is better
than an achievement that makes you arrogant."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Practice the Draw Stroke(s): There Are More than One" by Salvatore
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
1 - The Default Draw
2 - Single-Handed Draw
3 - Support-Hand Draw
4 - Surreptitious Draw
“Training deals not with an object,
but with the human spirit and human emotions.”
--Bruce Lee
The context -- The Japanese equivalent of 'Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic'
is 'yomi, kaki, soroban' or reading, writing, abacus.
---
"Neural imaging scans show that the parts of the brain activated by the abacus,
or anzan (manipulating the abacus in your mind, like playing chess blind folded),
are different from the parts activated by normal arithmetical calculations and
language. Traditional 'pen and paper' arithmetic depends on neural networks
associated with linguistic processing. The soroban relies on networks associated
with visuospatial information. Yuji Miyamoto simplifies this as 'soroban uses
the right [hemisphere of the] brain, normal maths uses the left [hemisphere of
the] brain'."
Thanks to Alex Bellos, "Alex's Adventures in Numberland", 2010.
ISBN: 978-1-4088-0959-4
---
So I find it plausible to speculate that by shooting left (resp. right) handed,
you are forcing a different part of the brain to do the aiming, firing, and decision
making as to "if to fire", "when to fire", "where on the target to aim", etc. ;
as opposed to right (resp. left) handed shooting.
If the same parts of the brain were being used to do the processing, more
or less communication between hemispheres of the brain would be needed;
resulting in more or less time between decision and physical action.
I have had right-handed students who struggled with the hostage rescue shot.
But who, upon switching to shooting left-handed, consistently got first shot hits
immediately upon placing their sights on the target. It was clearly a different
neural network operating. It severely disturbed one student, because the story
she had always told herself was that she was a meek mild good person who
would never hurt a fly. But, when she did the hostage rescue shot left-handed,
she felt the killer instinct inside herself, and knew that she was competent and
capable. So she quit. Just dropped out of the class and left.
I remember my high school rifle team coach, Richard Wong, always trying
to bring out the killer instinct in his shooters. Making the shot under stress
is much more likely if you have developed the killer instinct.
"Most deadly force encounters occur spontaneously, without warning and
at extremely close ranges. Realistically, you may not have the time or the
space to effectively draw, no matter how fast your draw stroke."
-- Jeff L. Gonzales
"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
"What Self-Defense Instructors Don't Tell You"
Tim Larkin sits down with violence prevention experts
Richard Dimitri (ya, he comes off a little weird, he's autistic) and
Pamela Armitage.
RPS Violence Prevention
As Michael Mann always says, "Prevention, not reaction."
“It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.”
-- Miyamota Mushashi
"A Marine swept the Corps’ top marksmanship contest for first time since 1959
Staff Sgt. Payton Garcia was the top shooter in rifle, pistol and multi-gun events
at the Marine Corps Championships, the service’s top marksmanship competition."
by Matt White
Hat tip to Jeremy Low.
Learning how to train made the difference.
"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
"In reality, we are training for an unknown event, against unknown threats,
by developing as many known skills as possible."
-- Jeff Gonzales
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
"To . . . not prepare is the greatest of crimes;
to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest virtue."
-- Sun Tzu
“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
"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
In case you don't know, David Hogg was installed by the anti-gun faction of the Democrat Party.
He had raised $20 million to primary "moderate on guns" incumbent Democrats.
A vice-chairman of the Democrat National Committee
who was going to remove incumbent Democrats.
------------------------------ Conferences --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for 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
Zoom conferences at
09:00 Central Time
Saturday mornings
Click on link
"Guest Link to Sheepdog Coffee"
to download the Zoom link.
JUNE 7: Brink Fidler
JUNE 14: Ed Monk
JUNE 21: Paul Lake
JUNE 28: Ron Lugo & Rick Hunt
40th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference! Free.
Sept. 26 - 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the
Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek.
Gun Owners of America annual meeting, free of charge
Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, TN
9 - 10 August 2025 A.D.
---
GOA Defend Her High Caliber Brunch, $15
Sunday, August 10th at 11:00 AM
The Marriott Ballroom in Knoxville, TN.
7th Annual Security Operations Summit (SOS.25)!
July 24-26, 2025 San Antonio, TX
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.
Bill Hayes and I will be there. Jacob Paulsen will be there.
Guardian Conference, $800
September 19th - 21st, 2025 in Oklahoma City
Rangemaster Tactical Conference
TacCon26 is scheduled for
March 27-29, 2026 at
the Dallas Pistol Club in Carrollton, Texas
$639
------------------------------ Classes --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required to avoid teaching obsolete shit.
Applied Defensive Handgun Skills - Oklahoma
Date: June 14-15, 2025. 8:00am - 5:00pm
Facility: Mead Hall Range (35 miles from Will Rogers Airport Oklahoma City.)
Location: 35.40871880149046, -97.07185625546859
(In Google Maps input "Mead Hall Range")
TFI Academy (Keith Tyler)
Training in Context (Tatiana Whitlock)
Active Response Training (Greg Ellifritz)
Modern Warriors
Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Map of Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Dustin Salomon
KR Training
Kari Grayson
Citizens Safety Academy
Carry Trainer, Mickey Schuch
Paladin Training, Inc.
Citizen-Defender, John Murphy
Virginia Private Firearms Training (for private lessons), John Murphy
Defensive Training International, John Farnam
Quips,
Rangemaster, Tom Givens
Newsletter,
Trident Concepts, Jeff Gonzales
I recommend you read,
"Concealed Carry Manual" by Jeff Gonzales,
published by Trident Concepts, LLC., 2021 A.D.
Apache Solutions, Tim Kelly
Harris Combative Strategies, Randy Harris
Mead Hall Range & Tactics
Two Pillars Training, John Hearne
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.
"Remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you earn the fruit."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Email from Jeff L. Gonzales --
Hello Jonathan,
The average concealed carry permit holder spends a significant portion of their
daily routine inside a vehicle—whether commuting to work, running errands, or
traveling longer distances. In fact, many individuals may spend hours each week
confined to the driver's seat, often in close proximity to their firearm. Despite this,
vehicle-based defensive scenarios are rarely emphasized in traditional firearms
training. This oversight can leave even responsible gun owners unprepared for
the unique challenges and split-second decisions that come with responding to a
deadly force encounter from inside a car.
A practical way to begin training for vehicle-based defense is to start with
dry fire practice from a seated position in a standard chair. This allows you to
safely develop fundamental skills like drawing your firearm and managing
muzzle orientation in confined spaces. Focus on clearing concealment garments,
achieving a clean draw stroke, and presenting the weapon without sweeping your
legs or off-target areas—skills that are significantly more complex when seated.
Repetition in this controlled environment builds muscle memory and highlights
limitations in mobility or gear placement. Once confident and safe in a chair,
you can transition to dry fire reps inside a parked vehicle, gradually introducing
seat belts, steering wheels, and door frames into the training to simulate
real-world constraints.
When training from inside a vehicle, one of the most critical factors is learning
how to effectively draw your firearm while wearing a seat belt. The seat belt can
restrict access and slow down your draw if not accounted for during setup. One
technique to streamline this process is to pre-stage your cover garment by tucking
it behind the grip of your firearm before driving. This reduces the need to sweep
the garment during the draw and allows for a cleaner, faster presentation. It’s also
important to practice unlatching the seat belt with your support hand while
simultaneously initiating the draw—building efficiency and coordination without
compromising safety.
Here are 5 tactical tips to consider if forced to draw in a vehicle during a
defensive gun use situation.
• Gain control of the vehicle: Immediately assess whether to stop, drive away,
or maneuver (e.g., reverse, ram, or evade) based on terrain, traffic, and threat
proximity.
• Access and orient weapon: Draw your firearm (if applicable), ensuring muzzle
discipline and avoiding unnecessary exposure—shoot through glass if necessary.
• Minimize exposure: Use the engine block and door pillars as cover where
possible; stay low and avoid silhouetting yourself in windows.
• Scan and assess threats: Identify the number, location, and actions of attackers
to prioritize targets and determine your next move.
• Exit strategically (if needed): Relocate to a better fighting position if remaining
in the vehicle is no longer viable—move with purpose and seek cover immediately.
Many concealed carriers spend hours each week in their vehicles, yet often
overlook the importance of training for deadly force encounters in that environment.
A solid starting point is dry fire practice from a seated position in a chair, focusing
on safe draws and weapon handling in confined spaces. As skills develop, training
should move into the vehicle itself, incorporating challenges like seat belts and
restricted movement. Pre-staging your cover garment behind the firearm’s grip
and practicing seat belt release techniques can significantly improve draw speed
and safety during a real-world encounter.
Good luck out there,
JLG
P.S. Feel free to share this with any like-minded folks who might benefit.
"There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory."
-- Jeff Gonzales
"Failure is evidence that someone tried to do something."
-- Ingersoll
"You have to be lucky to win. And the more you practice, the luckier you get."
-- Col. Lones Wigger
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
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
‟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
“Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
"Remember, growing may feel like breaking at first."
-- 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
“How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.”
-- John Farnam
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics -----
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.
"Superior judgment trumps superior skills." -- Dan Millican
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
"You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."
-- Phillip Groff
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
“People shoot you because they see you.
They see you because you let them.
Don’t let them see you.”
-- Clint Smith
"Without discrimination,
you're going to shoot the wrong person really fast."
-- Paul Howe
“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
“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.)
"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."
-- Nicola Cavanis
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
"Having a gun is important.
But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important."
-- Greg Ellifritz
"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?
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
"Ineffective and potentially dangerous, point shooting should be avoided at all costs
and aimed fire employed in any lethal-force scenario."
-- Massad Ayoob
---
I believe and teach what Mas says above. But I like to cite opposing views so you
can consider and decide.
"REACTIVE SHOOTING WITHOUT SIGHTS by Gabe Suarez
I don't think Gabe's experiment really proves anything, because the experiment
was not done under stress. As Ralph Mroz says, every technique must be tested
under stress at full speed and full force.
“What’s the number one reason for reloading?
Missing the target!”
-- Claude Werner
"Gun Skills | Training Grip Strength" by Dr. Joseph Logar
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
From an email from Tim Larkin --
Everyone obsesses over punches, kicks, and submissions . . .
Yet they completely IGNORE the one defensive skill that literally uses
EARTH itself as a weapon.
When you throw someone into the planet at high velocity,
gravity does ALL the work. And that work? Head trauma. Instant.
Devastating. Fight-ending.
But here's why 99% of people get throwing completely wrong:
They think it's about strength. About complex techniques. About being bigger
than your attacker.
Dead wrong.
There are only TWO principles [either move their feet out from under their
center of mass or move their center of mass so it isn't over their feet (every
throw is either a slip or a trip)] that govern EVERY successful throw ever created . . .
And once you understand them, you'll realize:
You don't need to be strong.
You don't need to be athletic.
You don't even need years of training.
Because these principles aren't about muscle . . .
They're about using forces that are ALWAYS present. Forces that can never be
taken away from you.
Stay Safe,
Tim Larkin
"Grip first, then press."
-- Mike Seeklander
From an email from Tim Larkin --
Ever wonder why a tiny pebble can send a 200-pound man crashing to the ground?
[When he slips on it.]
It's not about the pebble's size . . .
It's about what happens when balance breaks.
Nobody talks about this devastatingly effective principle.
Because once you understand it . . . you can use ANY attacker's body weight against them.
No strength needed . . .
No size advantage required . . .
No complex moves to memorize . . .
Just one simple principle that turns their own mass into a weapon . . .
and drives it [the assailant's head] straight into the concrete.
Stay Safe,
Tim Larkin
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"Never Assume This [single attacker] In The Streets" by Tim Larkin
"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
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
"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
"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
***** ***** ***** 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
Some insurance companies pay claims. Some don't. Choose wisely.
Apparently Allstate doesn't.
"Did You Shoot Somebody in Self-Defense?
There’s an Insurance Policy for That
Rise in gun ownership and stand-your-ground laws
drives a lucrative new market to insulate shooters from criminal and civil liability"
by Mark Maremont and Tawnell D. Hobbs
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Transcript because the article is behind a pay wall --
Just after 2 a.m. on a November night, police were called to the home of
Joshua Huston to respond to a shooting. Huston had camped out with his
AR-15 rifle on a lot he owned next to his Florida home, hoping to catch the
person who had been stealing from the property.
He says he was startled awake by a man a few feet away. The man,
holding something shiny, started yelling. Fearing for his life, Huston fired
several times. The intruder ran away, bleeding.
What happened next shows the benefits—and pitfalls—of a fast-growing
insurance market catering to gun owners who want protection if they kill or
injure in self-defense.
Rushing back to his house, Huston followed the directions on a
"Post Incident" card from the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. While he
called 911, his wife was on the company’s 24-hour hotline.
Within an hour, a USCCA attorney called to represent him.
But after Huston was arrested and charged with attempted murder,
he says the USCCA lawyer told him the case was a difficult one and
advised him to plead guilty to a lesser charge. [That's a red flag. -- Jon Low]
He went out and found a new lawyer, who got the charges dismissed.
Even though USCCA also paid for the new lawyer, Huston quit his
membership shortly after the two-year legal saga ended.
“I knew I was innocent—there was no way I was going to take a
guilty plea,” said Huston, a 49-year old disabled Air Force veteran.
The number of Americans buying self-defense insurance—dubbed
“murder insurance” by critics who believe it can encourage the use
of deadly force—has soared in recent years.
About two million people have signed up, according to industry
executives, some of whom estimate their membership has doubled in
the past five years.
The insurers offer a range of services, including bail and criminal-defense
lawyers. Some also cover the cost of litigating civil lawsuits brought by
victims of the shootings.
The policies aren’t limited to shooting incidents; most companies will
cover a member charged with other crimes, such as threatening somebody
with a gun, so long as there’s a plausible self-defense claim.
Many companies offer upgraded plans that can include crime-scene
cleanup costs (in-home or vehicle), TSA-violation expenses, accidental-discharge
costs and coverage for spouses and minor children.
USCCA and rival U.S. Law Shield are the industry giants, but there are
about a half dozen midsize and small players. They charge monthly fees ranging
from about $11 to $59.
The companies’ marketing campaigns, which sometimes involve gun
give aways, include video testimonials from satisfied customers who shot
in self-defense and got off, usually with no penalty. “There’s literally thousands
of cases that have gone to trial that we have defended our members and
exonerated them from charges,” said Tim Schmidt, USCCA’s founder and owner.
The fine print of their policies, however, shows the companies usually have
wide latitude to reject a member’s claim, sometimes launching their own
investigations to decide if it is legitimate. Some plans won’t cover a member
who is intoxicated during an incident, or if it involves shooting a family member.
Many restrict members to their own stable of attorneys.
USCCA’s policy says coverage ends if a member claims self-defense
but is convicted of a violent crime. The policy also says its insurer can
claw back legal fees or other expenses—although the company says it never
has done so.
As for the case involving Huston, the Florida homeowner, USCCA said
members have the right to choose their own lawyers, and “in Joshua’s case,
he exercised that right by selecting new counsel.” USCCA said it couldn’t
comment on any conversations between Huston and the first lawyer, but said
plea deals by members charged with a crime are “extremely rare.”
The growth in self-defense insurance is linked to a rise in gun ownership,
stand-your-ground laws and more states allowing residents to carry concealed
firearms in public without a permit. The industry got a major boost when gun
buying surged amid racial unrest in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd by
a Minneapolis police officer.
Often falling between regulatory cracks, the fast-growing industry is
governed by few rules and faces limited financial-disclosure requirements.
Several states, notably New York and Washington, have taken legal action
to halt the sale of self-defense coverage, in some cases arguing the product
runs afoul of laws that prohibit insuring intentional illegal acts.
Some companies say their products aren’t insurance at all, but prepaid
legal plans or membership organizations that aren’t subject to the same
regulatory oversight. U.S. Law Shield operates as an insurer in some states
and a prepaid legal plan in others. It says it follows all state regulations.
The companies are also highly profitable, often spending only a small fraction
of their revenue on defending clients, a Wall Street Journal review of available
insurance filings and other industry data shows. USCCA’s owner, who lives in
Wisconsin, owns three private jets, according to federal aviation records.
Some attribute their low case numbers to success in educating and training
members on when—and when not—to use force.
Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, based in Centralia, Wash., charges
$150 annually for initial membership, with a discount for renewals. As of year-end
2024, it said it had more than 22,000 members but over the prior 17 years had
covered only 35 cases costing less than $325,000 in total. It has rejected several
claims. [That's a red flag. -- Jon Low]
On its website, the company attributes its low number of cases to its careful
membership demographic and “vigorous member education initiative.”
Houston-based U.S. Law Shield, an industry pioneer that started in Texas in
2009 and now operates in 46 states, says it has about 600,000 to 700,000 members
paying $10.95 to $54.90 a month, plus another 300,000 to 400,000 spouses and
minor children added to plans by members.
The company doesn’t disclose its financials, but insurance filings for two of
its entities that operate in Florida and Virginia show they spent about 15% of
revenue on legal expenses to cover member claims in recent years.
Medical and professional-liability insurers, by contrast, generally spend about
60% to75% of their premium revenue on direct claims losses, according to ratings
firm AM Best.
“The number of people who ended up with charges is minuscule. That’s why
they made so much money,” said Stanley Marks, a now-retired Denver attorney
who was under contract to represent U.S. Law Shield members from 2013 to 2020.
Kirk Evans, president of U.S. Law Shield, said the cost of defending members
in some states exceeds revenues, and when including other expenses such as member
training and education the company’s loss ratio is in line with many insurers’.
Even so, he said, “we’re very profitable.”
Evans said the company’s lawyers spend time and money representing members
who shot somebody but don’t get indicted. About 30 to 35 members a month end
up with criminal charges, he said, including incidents where a member is charged
with threatening someone with a weapon. The “vast majority” of cases end in
dismissals or acquittals, he said, with fewer than 10% taking plea deals.
Evans said some members have successfully filed multiple claims. “We’ve had
plenty of repeat customers,” he said. Some have had three or four separate incidents,
he said.
U.S. Law Shield is 100% owned by Houston attorney Darren Rice. The company
says a costly criminal trial in the Houston area was a catalyst for Rice to start the
company in 2009, then called Texas Law Shield. The case involved a suburban
Houston retiree who went broke after paying legal fees following his killing of two
men he believed were trying to burglarize his neighbor’s home. The retiree was
cleared by a grand jury.
“Even if you’re totally right, and even if you’re eventually acquitted, you end
up spending tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Evans,
the U.S. Law Shield president.
A case involving a USCCA member in Wisconsin shows how self-defense
coverage can affect the criminal-justice system.
Stanley Scott was allegedly beaten up, stunned with a Taser and handcuffed
outside a Madison, Wis., bar by two men in 2019, following an altercation,
according to police reports and court filings. Both men were charged criminally.
One of the alleged assailants, a security guard at the bar with a criminal record,
was a USCCA member. Months after the incident, the guard allegedly told a
friend of the victim that Scott was lucky he was only shot with a Taser and said a
court case stemming from the incident “ain’t costing me no money,” according to
a police report.
The security guard’s lawyer denies his client said that and says he had a strong
self-defense case. But the lawyer also says he mentioned the USCCA insurance
to Scott’s attorney, pointing out that if the security guard were convicted, the insurer
per its policy wouldn’t pay any settlement in the civil case.
“This guy has no assets and my client would like to be financially compensated,”
said Scott’s attorney, Jeff Scott Olson, who says he asked prosecutors to drop charges
against the security guard. They did.
Nearly three years after the altercation, Scott filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages.
USCCA’s insurer paid a confidential settlement, said Olson, who said it was
“into six figures.”
“Was it sort of a back channel way to resolve a case?” said the security guard’s
attorney, Mark Maciolek, who was paid by USCCA. “Sure.”
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said the man’s potential insurance
was brought up, but the main reason for the dismissal was video evidence showing
no criminal conduct. The other defendant pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and
received three years’ probation.
USCCA said criminal-defense decisions “are left entirely to the member and
their defense attorney.”
Fear factor --
Controversy and civil unrest have been good for self-defense insurers,
especially in 2020, a year that saw a contentious presidential election and unrest
after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his
neck for more than nine minutes.
Federal data show required background checks to possess a firearm rose to more
than 39 million in 2020, up 40% from the prior year.
“The whole industry exploded in 2020 and 2021, with all the social unrest
and riots,” said Kent Brown, president of CCW Safe, an Oklahoma-based provider
of self-defense coverage. He said his firm’s membership more than doubled in the
past five years and is now between 100,000 and 150,000 members.
David Edmondson of Dunsmuir, Calif., said the post-George Floyd unrest
spurred him to sign up with U.S. Law Shield in 2020. He would need the coverage
about six weeks later.
Owner of a sauerkraut business, Edmondson traveled to sell his product at a
farmers market in Sacramento in early July 2020 and was sleeping in his van to
save money. A man tried to break in with what appeared to be a two-by-four around
2 a.m. He said despite warning the man away, the intruder busted his van windows
with the piece of wood and hit him on the head with it after entering the vehicle.
“I told him I had my weapon, and he mocked it,” said Edmondson, 60.
“The next time he leaned in, that was when I used my gun.”
He fired one round, striking the man in his forehead. He then dialed 911 and
reported the shooting, but didn’t stay on long before calling a U.S. Law Shield
toll-free number for help. The suspect, who was 32, died at the scene, according
to a police report.
A U.S. Law Shield-appointed attorney represented Edmondson and no
charges were filed.
USCCA, likely the largest in the industry with 860,000 members, is 100% owned
by founder Tim Schmidt and his ex-wife, regulatory filings show. Schmidt’s
self-published memoir says he worked as an engineer before starting
“Concealed Carry” magazine in the early 2000s. The company got into the self-defense
insurance business in 2011, he wrote.
The West Bend, Wis.-based company currently charges from $39 to $59 a
month for Gold, Platinum and Elite membership. All levels now come with the
same self-defense coverage; higher monthly fees entitle a member to more
training.
Based on a membership breakdown and other information provided by USCCA,
the Journal estimated the company’s membership revenue in 2024 was about
$300 million.
USCCA says it spends a lot on firearms education and member training,
amounting to more than $100 million in2024. “We’re the No. 1 firearms and
self-defense training organization in the country,” Schmidt said.
What it doesn’t spend a lot on is self-defense legal costs.
USCCA says members’ self-defense needs are insured through Universal
Fire & Casualty Insurance, simply described on the USCCA website as
“an insurance company with its principal place of business in Hudsonville, MI.”
The amount USCCA pays the insurer isn’t publicly available,
but analysts looking at the insurer’s books say the maximum it could have
been in 2024 was between $31million and $47 million, a fraction of USCCA’s
estimated 2024 membership revenue.
That range is actually too high, Schmidt said in an interview. “To me, that
sounds excessive,” he said, while declining to provide specifics.
USCCA doesn’t disclose this, but Schmidt and his ex-wife also own 79% of the
insurance company, according to a chart buried deep in the insurer’s state regulatory
filings. Another Schmidt company owns three private jets.
USCCA said the Schmidts bought the insurer to protect gun owners,
at a time when insurers were pulling out of the industry due to political pressure.
It says the jets were purchased as an investment and are leased out to a third
party for use in charter flights, which sometimes include the Schmidt family.
Planning ahead --
Prosecutors have cited instances when defendants have purchased self-defense
insurance before committing crimes. Such was the case with Kayla Jean Giles Coutee,
a Louisiana mother in a contentious custody dispute with her estranged husband,
Thomas Coutee, Jr.
Giles Coutee bought a gun on Aug. 27, 2018, and that same day also signed up
for insurance from USCCA—getting its midlevel platinum plan, which at the time
offered up to $150,000 in criminal-defense expense.
She had researched self-defense insurance online and also messaged a friend
saying she’d deleted her social-media accounts, could make the news and might
need a fundraiser for bail money, court records show.
Twelve days after getting the gun and insurance, she met Coutee in a Walmart
parking lot in Alexandria, La., to hand off two of her children. Giles Coutee pulled
out a gun while sitting in her car and shot her estranged husband in the chest.
He died. She alleged that Coutee jerked open her car door, she feared for her life
and shot him in self-defense, according to court documents.
While still at the scene, Giles Coutee contacted USCCA to report the incident.
USCCA’s insurer at the time initially paid a $50,000 retainer for Giles’ criminal
defense attorney.
But after a fuller review, the insurer denied the claim, saying the matter didn’t
involve an act of self-defense. Giles Coutee filed a lawsuit to receive the remaining
$100,000 in criminal-defense funding.
The lawsuit was dismissed after she was found guilty of second-degree murder
and obstruction of justice. She received a life sentence plus 30 years. Her conviction
is on appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
USCCA was criticized by industry rivals and some in the gun-owner community
for dropping Giles Coutee. “People felt like it really wasn’t insurance, and they
were misleading people,” said Rocky Willson, one of Giles Coutee’s attorneys.
“Out of thousands of cases, this was the only one in company history in which
coverage was withdrawn during trial,” USCCA said.
In the Florida case, the man shot by Huston in his lot survived. The man,
who was homeless and had a criminal record, claimed he had yelled “don’t shoot”
and was turning away at the time Huston shot him. The police seemed to buy
his side of the story.
Not long after the November 2022 shooting the man sued Huston and
USCCA for damages.
Huston, who was sure he shot in self-defense, says he was shocked that his
USCCA-recommended lawyer suggested he plead guilty to attempted manslaughter,
a felony. According to USCCA’s policy that would have ended his coverage.
“I would have owed the money back for the $10,000 bond, and all the legal fees,
and the civil lawsuit as well,” Huston says. “It wasn’t right.”
USCCA’s insurer rebuffed his request for a new lawyer, saying it was still
investigating his claim [that's a red flag -- Jon Low], but later relented.
The new attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges based on Florida’s
so-called stand your ground law. In December 2024, a judge agreed and
dismissed the case.
USCCA said its insurer settled the civil suit on undisclosed terms,
on the recommendation of Huston’s attorney.
Huston wouldn’t provide details except that “it’s a lot of money for this guy.”
------------------ End of "Did You Shoot Somebody in Self-Defense?" ------------------
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address,
"Know when to shut up: learn how to take the money" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
As any competent defense attorney will tell you, "Shut Up!".
People who run their mouths have low self esteem. And so talk themselves
into a conviction.
Do not project your feelings onto others. They don't feel the way you do.
The ability to shut up is not just strategic, it is also tactical.
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
"SHOCKING Reasons People are Fleeing the USCCA" by Ethical Preparedness
Company must have a 24 hour hot line.
Attorney must answer the hot line.
Immediately dispatch an attorney to you.
Bond. So you don't get beat up in jail.
Attorney to prepare statement.
Pay all attorney fees.
Pay for expert witnesses.
Fight red flag laws.
ICYMI (in case you missed it) is a media analysis podcast.
Gruen is an Australian TV show on advertising.
Doctors waste half their career on insurance companies' bull;
I found the jokes at their expense satisfying.
"ICYMI: Avril Lavigne just became an insurance icon | Gruen Ep 3 Pt 2 | ABC iview"
by ABC iview
Hat tip to Sidney Ontai.
---
The point is that the premiums that you pay for insurance don't matter.
All that matters is the probability that the insurance company will pay you
when the disaster happens. So the insurance company's reputation is all
important. Do your research and choose wisely.
“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
2 day TECC (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care) Course.
June 20-21, 2025
Longhollow Church
Hendersonville, TN
Course will run from approximately 8 AM to 5 PM 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:
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Best,
Tracey Mendenhall | VP of Operations
(Life Saving Ninja)
DEFEND SYSTEMS
www.defendsystems.com
(615) 480-7758
If you can't make the above class, you can check below for the next class.
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course - NAEMT Certified, $495.00
"How to Treat a Wound in a Survival Situation"
by The Survival Doctor
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Basic Wound Management
in the Austere Environment" by
Robert H. Quinn, MD
Ian Wedmore, MD, and
Vicki Mazzorana, MD
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
“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
"Weekend Knowledge Dump- May 30, 2025" by Greg Ellifritz
---
"Do The Unexpected
Make the bad guy play by your rules."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
Please subscribe to the Crime Prevention Research Center.
"Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?"
by John R. Lott and Carlisle E. Moody
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns:
31 Cases During January 2025"
"So when they ban 21 inch knives in the UK,
do they then move to ban 15 inch knives? 12 inch knives?"
Join the Gun Owners of America. $25
Register for the GOA Leadership Summit (GOALS). [I'll be there.]
Knoxville, TN on August 9–10, 2025. Free for members.
Register for the Activist Society Dinner. $125
Friday, August 8, 2025 – Marriott Downtown Knoxville
525 Henley St, Knoxville, TN 37902
Register for GOA Defend Her High Caliber Brunch, $15 [I'll be there.]
Sunday, August 10th at 11:00 AM during GOALS
The Marriott Ballroom in Knoxville, TN.
Active Self Protection
"My Gun Culture" by Tom McHale
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
"Tennessee Formalizes Concealed Carry Rights for 18–20-Year-Olds"
by Jacob Paulsen
"Is there a “right” of the People of Tennessee to keep AND
bear long arms for all lawful purposes?"
Wannabe rulers want to rule…
by C. Richard Archie
Click on "←Previous" at bottom of page to see the previous articles in this series.
"Supreme Court Rules 9-0 in FOURTH AMENDMENT Case"
by Roman Balmakov
The "Moment-of-threat" rule is over turned.
From now on, the totality of the circumstances must be considered.
"Men Charged for Not Applying for Banned Permit" by Liberty Doll
It was very expensive for me living in New Jersey. I had to fight a state charge
for illegal firearm possession (even though I had a state issued license to acquire)
and a federal charge for illegal firearms possession based on a state law (the seizure
of my rifle and pistol occurred on Fort Dix, a U.S. Army base and therefore federal).
My attorneys were able to get all charges dismissed and other attorneys were able
to get my arrest record expunged (so I can legally say that I've never been arrested)
and another attorney forced the Cherry Hill police and the DOD police to return
my firearms. All very expensive. I wish self-defense insurance existed back then.
No matter how high the salary, living in New Jersey ain't worth it.
"Research reveals concealed carry 'Shall Issue' laws increase handgun purchases,
while 'Permitless Carry' shows no effect"
by Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
Primary source paper,
"The Impact of Loosening Concealed Carry Laws on Firearm Demand"
by Jessica Jumee Kim and Yu-Chang Chen
MARIA DEL SOCORRO MALINOWSKI,
individually and as a personal representative
of the Estate of Bryan K. Malinowski
v.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO,
FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES (A TF),
TIMOTHY BOLES, TROY DILLARD,
CLAYTON MERRILL, TYLER COW ART,
MATTHEW SPRINKLES, JAMES BASS,
MICHAEL GIBBONS, CHRIS GRIGGS,
SHANNON HICKS, and AMY NESS
Excerpt:
179. Neither the "POLICE" shield nor Agent Bass made it into
the home before Agent Tyler Cowart shot Bryan Malinowski in the head.
"Some prosecutions and trials are pursued for political purposes,
not legal or factual purposes." -- Andrew Branca
"Did Brady Bribe the NRA?" by Liberty Doll
The Marion Hammer affair.
Liberty Doll is also on Rumble,
but the videos don't get published as quickly as on YouTube.com.
"This is a SCATHING Indictment of SCOTUS" by Law of Self Defense
"What They Didn’t Want You to Know About Derek Chauvin's Case"
by Matt Walsh
"A Murderer Escapes From New Orleans Prison, And DEI Leadership Shrugs"
by Matt Walsh
Political correctness, affirmative action, quotas, woke policies, DEI,
it's all the same. Don't let it kill you. Resign. Call out sick. Get a flat
tire. This is not worth dying for.
"FBI agent faces gun charges in deadly Stafford County shooting
Jason Chamberlain was shot and killed during a neighborhood clash
that began with a confrontation over a teen riding a dirt bike.
FBI Agent Benjamin Spinale faces gun charges."
by Drew Wilder
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
---
As is the case in all incidents of this type, just about everything in the "news" report
is wrong. But a lot of this incorrect information has made its way into the court record.
Don't get involved with police doing their job. There is no up side. You're not going
to be thanked or recognized as a hero. In a worst case, you'll die. And no one will be
prosecuted for your murder.
You're not in uniform. You're not wearing a badge. The other LEOs are not going
to recognize you as a good guy.
Cases like these usually don't make the news. Law enforcement will ask the media to
refrain from publishing. Just as law enforcement asked the judge to seal the indictment.
That's just reality.
“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 -----
“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
"Are you Violating Key Training Program Principles?"
by Mike Seeklander
Excerpt:
". . . almost all of the experts agree that development must take place a
minimum of two times every week or more during the initial learning phase,
and then one time per week to maintain skill."
"Training sessions must be documented. In order to reflect on the program’s
success or failures, training sessions must be documented. Key metrics should
be written down for future reference. You will use this data to modify the
program as you go. Measurement is only possible if documentation is done."
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
“Qui docet, discet.” (Who teaches, learns.)
-- American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
[In case you've never studied Latin, it's pronounced
Kwee doket, disket.]
"Becoming a Firearms Instructor" by Tom Givens
“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
-- Richard Henry Dana
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch
Instructors, be careful. Three to six percent (because that is a population
estimate) of your students have dyscalculia (a lot of words are not in even
scholarly dictionaries), number blindness in which one's number sense is
defective. It can take take 3 seconds for such a person to determine that
65 is larger than 24; or connecting the symbol "5" with the number of objects;
they also find it hard to count.
There is of course a spectrum, and symptoms vary from person to person.
So if you have had thousands or tens of thousands of students, you have had
such persons in your classes. Did you take care of them? accommodate them?
Or did you give them a hard time? Did you fail them in the shooting test
because they fired too many or too few shots?
There was such a person in my Marine Corps recruit platoon, Platoon 2025
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. I was the platoon secretary (along
with Drew Carey, yes, that Drew Carey, the comedian) so we were informed
and made modifications for that Private. I don't think anyone in the chain of
command recognized it. I'm pretty sure the officers got the word from medical
or some higher authority.
When we went to the range, we put his cartridges into a wooden shooting
block with the correct number of rounds for each string of fire on separate rows.
So he wouldn't have to count how many rounds to fire. Other than this defect,
he was a fine Marine. He had found many work arounds to get through life.
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
Eliminate "you know" from your vocabulary and you will be a much better instructor.
You will be seen by others as being much smarter.
If you don't know what to say, SHUT UP, and think. When you have decided what
you want to say, speak calmly and clearly. The moments of silence will be understood
to be, you in deep thought. Your students will appreciate that.
The third time you say "you know" in a lecture, your students will start tuning you
out. Sorry, that's just reality. At that point they realize that you are not a clear cogent
thinker. Good speakers never say "you know".
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
"Does that make sense?" is not a rhetorical question.
Don't say it, unless you mean it, and are willing to wait for an answer,
and are willing to explain when the answer is "no".
“The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
"You don't have to memorize formulae.
Because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
---
So teach principles, not formulae. -- Jon Low
"Thinking is the hardest thing a person can do.
That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
---
That is why, you, as an instructor must think. Rewrite your lesson plans until
they are flawless. Rehearse every part of your classes until you don't need your
notes, but keep your notes handy so you don't skip anything. Familiarity breeds
contempt and complacency. If you haven't added anything new to your classes
or removed any obsolete material in the last few of years, you should wonder
why.
"The limited time you spend with students may be the only training they ever receive!"
-- John Farnam
----- Students -----
"Failure is an indication that someone tried to do something."
-- Ingersoll
"Are you Violating Key Training Program Principles?"
by Mike Seeklander
Excerpt:
". . . almost all of the experts agree that development must take place a
minimum of two times every week or more during the initial learning phase,
and then one time per week to maintain skill."
"Training sessions must be documented. In order to reflect on the program’s
success or failures, training sessions must be documented. Key metrics should
be written down for future reference. You will use this data to modify the
program as you go. Measurement is only possible if documentation is done."
"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
"Belts" by Jeff L. Gonzales
1.5 inches width. Because most holsters are made for this width.
"Holster Selection" by Jeff L. Gonzales
Useful adjustments to allow you to get a proper grip while the pistol is still in the holster:
Cant (rotation around the pitch axis, as opposed to yaw or roll),
Ride height (position of holster up or down relative to the belt),
Retention tension (how tightly the holster grips the pistol).
"Access vs. Concealment" by Jeff L. Gonzales
"Massad Ayoob's Tips for Older Shooters - Critical Mas Ep 63"
"Spring Readiness & Refresh: A Seasonal Gear Checklist for Gun Owners"
by Jacob Paulsen
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
There are $300 pistols, but you get what you pay for.
"Budget Guns and Price Changes"
by Eric R. Poole
"Probably the easiest way to add a red dot sight to your factory non-MOS Glock
is to just buy an aftermarket slide for it.
-- GunDigest
"The Concealed Carry Conundrum: Firepower Versus Ease of Carry Versus Capacity"
by Docent
Suggestions for girls.
"5 ITEMS THAT CHANGED HOW I CARRY A GUN |
Some of my favorite concealed carry products!!"
by She Equips Herself
---
"Learning how to Properly Conceal Carry" by Tessah and Shelby (Langdon Tactical)
---
"Concealed Carry for women while wearing what you want"
by The FieldCraft Survival Channel
French tuck?
---
"3 Ways To Conceal Carry For Women" by The FieldCraft Survival Channel
---
Still looking for suggestions for fat girls. If you have recommendations or
citations please let me know.
"A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous for Cops, but Fine for Civilians"
Police are reselling their SIG Sauer P320 pistols —
alleged in multiple lawsuits to fire without the trigger being pulled —
to the public."
by Ava Sasani and Champe Barton
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
---
Demonstration of uncommanded discharge on P320. They replicate the experiment.
"It ND's Today" by LFD Research
Demonstration of uncommanded discharge at 18:28 / 25:48.
Tolerance stacking, individually the pieces are within tolerance, but as an assembled
unit the errors stack and create an out of tolerance assembly; resulting in intermittent
uncommanded discharges. Low probability, but they replicate the experiment.
Another problem is that the 10mm fire control group has the same part number as the
9mm fire control group and looks identical. So when the 10mm FCU is placed in a 9mm
pistol frame and slide, it works sometimes and fires without a trigger pull sometimes.
Another problem is that the Sig P320 can be incorrectly assembled, but appears to
function correctly. This is a major design flaw. No pistol should ever be able to be
assembled incorrectly, much less appear to function correctly when incorrectly assembled.
When incorrectly assembled, the pistol will fire with low probability when shaken.
When you assemble the pistol, you must use the slide stop. Otherwise, the sear
doesn't come all the way up. But up far enough to catch the striker, sometimes. And
to release the striker, sometimes.
Between 2014 and 2016, the design of the pistol changed.
There may be other issues.
"Barrett 50cal Explosion Explained! 50 Caliber. 50 BMG. M82A1"
by Recoil & Rust
This was intentional. They knew the barrel was damaged before they did
the experiment. But just a little dent in the fluting of the barrel was enough
to impede the bullet enough to cause the barrel to rupture.
“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.
[The "authorities" preach using standardized cryptosystems approved
by government agencies, because you're too stupid to design and build your own.
To trust any government is foolish (can you say "backdoor"). If you don't have
the expertise, study and learn; ask for help. Building your own is far safer than
using systems you don't understand. As long as you follow the principles you
will be fine. See the end of this section for the principles in
"Handbook of Applied Cryptography".
Ask me. I would be happy to recommend books.
-- Jon Low]
"New York Pushes to Criminalize Sharing 3D-Printed Gun Files Online"
by Scott Witner
Information wants to be free! Anyone who criminalizes the free exchange of
information is a tyrant. Recognize them as such and fight them. Otherwise, they
will enslave you.
For those having difficulty with 3-D visualization.
More animations.
"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
"The Biggest Misconception in Physics" by Veritasium
It's a YouTube.com video, so you can't expect rigor. Nice list of references.
"Never memorize anything. Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."
-- Norman Christ
"Why This Nobel Prize Winner [Gerard ‘t Hooft won the Nobel Prize in 1999,
and the recent Breakthrough Prize, for his work on the Standard Model of
Particle physics.] Thinks Quantum Mechanics is Nonsense"
by Sabine Hossenfelder
Primary source book,
"The Cellular Automaton Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" by Gerard 't Hooft
The book is free.
To understand Cellular Automata, one needs to take a course in Computational
Complexity. May I suggest "Introduction to the Theory of Computation" by
Michael Sipser, 2006?
ISBN-13: 978-0-534-95097-2
ISBN-10: 0-534-95097-3
[I would never recommend a book that I had not read. And most that I recommend,
I have used as a textbook in a class. Yes, I took the class in a joint College of
Charleston - Citadel program. -- Jon Low]
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
Hilbert spaces.
"The Link Between High School Math and Quantum Physics" by Abide By Reason
You don't need orthonormal bases. Linearly independent bases will suffice.
"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
Wait, I still use that computer.
In medieval times in Lincolnshire, counting --
1 Yan
2 Tan
3 Tethera
4 Pethera
5 Pimp
6 Sethera
7 Lethera
8 Hovera
9 Covera
10 Dik
11 Yan-a-dik
12 Tan-a-dik
13 Tethera-dik
14 Pethera-dik
15 Bumfit
16 Yan-a-bumfit
17 Tan-a-bumfit
18 Tethera-bumfit
19 Pethera-bumfit
20 Figgit
Do you see the pattern? Why isn't 6 called Yan-a-pimp? A base 5 number system
with an inconsistency for 6 through 9? Rather like our numbers eleven and twelve?
Or is something else going on?
Measures for wine.
2 gills = 1 chopin
2 chopins = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
2 quarts = 1 pottle
2 pottles = 1 gallon
2 gallons = 1 peck
2 pecks = 1 demibushel
2 demibushels = 1 bushel (or firkin)
2 firkins = 1 kilderkin
2 kilderkins = 1 barrel
2 barrels = 1 hogshead
2 hogsheads = 1 pipe
2 pipes = 1 tun
[Remember Tun Tavern?]
A base 2 number system, how nice.
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
From the painting "Meloncolia I" by Albrecht Dürer in 1514 A.D.
16 3 2 13
5 10 11 8
9 6 7 12
4 15 14 1
It's a magic square.
From the book "Experiments and Observations on Electricity"
by Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia, America, 1769 A.D.
56 61 4 13 20 29 36 45
14 3 62 51 46 35 30 19
53 60 5 12 21 28 37 44
11 6 59 54 43 38 27 22
55 58 7 10 23 26 39 42
9 8 57 56 41 40 25 24
50 63 2 15 18 31 34 47
16 1 64 49 48 33 32 17
Magic squares have a lot of structure. How can you use such structure in
your cryptology? You can rotate, reflect, and transpose the numbers in a lot
of ways that give you another magic square, which is a form of symmetry.
"You don't need to memorize theorems,
because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
What is the sparsest series that diverges? For instance,
x = ∞
∑ (1 / Pₓ ), where Pₓ is the xᵗʰ prime number.
x = 1
diverges. It's an ε (epsilon) δ (delta) proof. For any given number ε you can always
find a δ such that the sub-series from 1 to δ is greater than ε. There are a lot of
convergence tests that you can use.
The prime numbers get sparse as you approach infinity (relative to the integers).
Can you think of a sequence that is even sparser, whose series diverges? Of course,
we are only discussing interesting series. Of course, it doesn't matter how sparse
the elements of the sequence are relative to the integers. It only matters how fast
they approach zero. But you get the idea. We are of course in the cryptology section.
May I invite your attention to "Counterexamples in Analysis" by
Bernard R. Gelbaum and John M. H. Olmsted, 1964 A. D.
ISBN: 0-8162-3214-8
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 64-21715
They have a great section on Sequences and a great section on Series.
'Experimenting with Primes' - Dr Holly Krieger
Do you see why this is important?
---
More experiments with primes.
"In 2003 We Discovered a New Way to Generate Primes" by Eric Rowland
"How Autofocus Works - Computerphile" by Andy French (Computerphile)
Do you see how to use this for error correction?
How are these values related to entropy?
The active method would bounce light off the window that you're taking the
picture through. What would this mean to us?
"In 1936 Margherita P. Beloch, and Italian mathematician at the University
of Ferrara, published a paper that proved that starting with a length L on a piece
of paper, she could fold a length that was the cube root of L. She might not have
realized it at the time, but this meant that origami could solve the problem given
to the Greeks at Delos, where the oracle demanded that the Athenians double
the volume of a cube. The Delian problem can be rephrased as the challenge to
create a cube with sides that are ∛(2) - the cube root of 2 - times the side of a
given cube. In origami terms, the challenge is reduced to folding the length of
∛(2) from the length 1. Since we can double one to get 2 by folding the length
1 on itself, and we can find the cube root of this new length following Beloch's
steps, the problem is solved. It also followed from Beloch's proof that any
angle could be trisected - which cracked the second great unsolvable problem
of antiquity. Beloch's paper, however, remained in obscurity for decades, until
in the 1970's, the math world began to take origami seriously."
-- Alex Bellos
Hull, T., "Project Origami", A.K. Peters, Wellesley, MA, 2006.
---
So, sometimes, the solution is a literature search, not a new mathematical discovery.
Do you see the difference between the Galois Theory proof of the impossibility of
trisecting an angle and Beloch's construction of the trisection of an angle? No,
there is no conflict.
"All that we don't know is astonishing.
Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing."
-- Philip Roth
"Handbook of Applied Cryptography"
by Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott A. Vanstone
"Computer Security and the Internet:
Tools and Jewels from Malware to Bitcoin", Second Edition
by Paul C. van Oorschot
ISBN: 978-3-030-83410-4 (hardcopy), 978-3-030-83411-1 (eBook)
"An Introduction to Error Correcting Codes with Applications"
by Scott A. Vanstone , Paul C. Oorschot
Research and Publications (P. Van Oorschot)
Alfred J. Menezes
Scott A. Vanstone
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare, Cyber Security,
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) *****
"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
"The First Interstellar Software Update - The Insane Hack That Saved Voyager 1"
by Scott Manley
Primary sources,
"Bruce Waggoner Saving Voyager 1" by Bruce Waggoner
"How We Diagnosed and Fixed the 2023 Voyager 1 Anomaly from 15 Billion Miles Away"
by David Cummings
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
2600
‟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"
***** ***** ***** 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
In case you don't understand why Armed Forces recruitment is way down.
And you thought it was because parents didn't want to send their kids into the
woke cesspool.
It's obesity and drug abuse. And of course criminal record. Smart kids don't
do crimes and drugs. Smarts kids exercise regularly. So where have all the smart
kids gone? South, the deep South.
Who makes up the Marine Corps? Southern whites and northern blacks.
And of course conservative Orientals.
"Satellite Pics Expose 4 CCP Spy Stations Near US Military Bases"
by Roman Balmakov
Information leaked to a publicly accessible platform becomes open source
intelligence.
Primary sources cited in the description below the video.
"The Dark Side of CIA Tactics | Rick Spence"
Excerpt:
"If you're doing HumInt (human intelligence), you've left your morality behind long ago."
"Retired four-star US admiral [Robert Burke] convicted on corruption charges" by AFP
"Four Star Traitor . . . Shameful. EP 126" by Sentinel 🇺🇸
"Port Alpha: The US Navy's Astonishing Next-Gen Shipyard" by Megaprojects
"FBI Caught Former NYPD Sergeant for Acting as CHINESE AGENT"
by Roman Balmakov
"Criticisms of the Military’s XM7 Rifle Spill Into the Open"
by Jennifer Sensiba
"I Investigated The DC Shooter, What I Found Will Leave You SPEECHLESS!"
by Cam Higby
"Former Benghazi CIA Chief Lied to the GRS Operators During the Benghazi Attacks"
by Shawn Ryan (interview with Sarah Adams, the gal who briefed us in Franklin, TN)
So Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton lied.
"Kim Jong-Un Furious at Destroyer Accident, Hull Pierced, Assembled by China-Russia"
by China Observer
"Could bin Laden Have Been Killed Months Into the War?
Delta Force Operator John McPhee Has a Theory"
by Megyn Kelly
"Noem announces ‘largest transformation’ of US Coast Guard since 1915"
by Fox News
"An astonishing raid deep inside Russia rewrites the rules of war
Ukraine’s high-risk strikes damage over40 top-secret strategic bombers"
by The Economist
Jun 1st 2025 | Kyiv
Shortly after noon on June 1st, Russian social media began flashing, alerting the
world to Ukraine’s most audacious operation on Russian territory to date. In Irkutsk
province in eastern Siberia, some 4,000 km from Ukraine,locals posted footage of
small quadcopter drones emerging from lorries and flying toward a nearby airfield,
home to some of Russia’s most important strategic bombers.
“I work at a tyre shop,” one wrote. “A lorry pulled in, and drones flewout of it.”
From an airbase near Murmansk, in Russia’s far north, came similar stories:
“The driver’s running around . . . drones are flying from his lorrytoward the base.”
Other alarmed posts soon followed from airbases in Ryazanand Ivanovo provinces,
deep in central Russia.
Ukraine’s main security agency, the sbu, has since claimed responsibility for the
operation, which it has codenamed “Spider Web”. It said at least 41 Russian aircraft
were destroyed or damaged across four airfields, including rare and extremely
expensive A-50 early-warning planes (Russia’s equivalent of the AWACS) and
Tu-22M3 and Tu-95 strategic bombers. The agency also released footage in which
its pugnacious chief, Vasily Maliuk, is heard commenting on the operation.
“Russian strategic bombers,” he says in his recognisable growl, “all burning
delightfully.”
The strike is one of the heaviest blows that Ukraine has landed on Russia in a
war now well into its fourth year. Russia has relatively small numbers of strategic
bombers—probably fewer than 90 operational Tu-22, Tu-95 and newer Tu-160s in
total. The planes can carry nuclear weapons, but have been used to fire conventional
cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets, as recently as last week. That has made
them high-priority targets for Ukrainian military planners. Many of the aircraft are
old and no longer produced—the last Tu-22M3s and Tu-95s were made more than
30 years ago—and their replacements, the Tu-160, are being manufactured at a
glacial pace.
The fact that Ukraine was able to damage or destroy such a large number of
Russia’s most advanced aircraft deep inside the country reflects the development
of its deep-strike programme, as well as the remarkable extent to which Ukraine’s
undercover operatives are now able to work inside Russia.
Since the start of the Kremlin’s all-out invasion, Ukraine’s operations have
expanded in range, ambition, and sophistication. Western countries have provided
some assistance to Ukraine’s deep-strike programme—on May 28th Germany
promised to finance Ukrainian long-range drones—but much of the technology and
mission planning is indigenous.
Today’s operation is likely to be ranked among the most important raiding actions
in modern warfare. According to sources, the mission was 18 months in the making.
Russia had been expecting attacks by larger fixed-wing drones at night and closer to
the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainians reversed all three variables, launching
small drones during the day, and doing so far from the front lines.
Ukraine had launched drones from within Russia previously; the difference was
the scale and combined nature of the operations. Commentators close to the Ukrainian
security services suggest that as many as 150 drones and 300 bombs had been smuggled
into Russia for the operations. The quadcopters were apparently built into wooden
cabins, loaded onto lorries and then released after the roofs of the cabins were remotely
retracted. The drones used Russian mobile-telephone networks to relay their footage
back to Ukraine, much of which was released by the gleeful Ukrainians. They also
used elements of automated targeting, the accounts claim. A Ukrainian intelligence
source said it was unlikely that the drivers of the trucks knew what they were carrying.
He compared this aspect of the operation to the 2022 attack on Kerch bridge, where
a bomb concealed in a lorry destroyed part of the bridge linking Crimea with the mainland.
“These kinds of operations are very complex, with key players necessarily kept in the
dark,” he said.
The source described the operation as a multi-stage chess move, with the Russians
first encouraged to move more of their planes to particular bases by Ukrainian strikes
on other ones. Three days before the attack, dozens of planes had moved to the Olenya
airfield in Murmansk province, according to reports published at the time. It was
precisely here that the most damage was done.
The operation casts a shadow over a new round of peace talks that is scheduled
to start in Istanbul on June 2nd. Ukraine has been terrorised in recent months by
Russia’s own massive strikes, sometimes involving hundreds of drones: one that
took place overnight beginning on May31st apparently involved a record 472 drones,
the Ukrainian authorities say.
Kyiv had been looking for ways to demonstrate to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president,
that there is a cost to continuing the war. But the question is whether this operation has
moved the dial, or simply raised the stakes. Chatteron Russian patriotic social-media
networks has called for a severe response, likening the moment to Pearl Harbour,
Japan’s attack on America’s Pacific Fleet in 1941. A senior Ukrainian official
acknowledged that the operation carried risks of turning Western partners away from
Ukraine. “The worry is that this is Sinop,” he said, referring to Russia’s strike on an
Ottoman port in 1853 that ended up isolating the attacker on the world stage. Western
armed forces are watching closely.
For many years they have concentrated their own aircraft at an ever smaller number
of air bases, to save money, and have failed to invest in hardened hangars or shelters
that could protect against drones and missiles. America’s own strategic bombers are
visible in public satellite imagery, sitting in the open.
“Imagine, on game-day,” writes Tom Shugart of CNAS, a think-tank in Washington,
“containers at railyards, on Chinese-owned container ships in port or offshore, on trucks
parked at random properties . . . spewing forth thousands of drones that sally forth and
at least mission-kill the crown jewels of the [US Air Force].” That, he warns, would
be “entirely feasible”.
"Drone Attack Shows Why Ukraine Will Win This War" by Mr. Lévy
This article was translated from French by Emily Hamilton. Wall Street Journal.
The Ukrainian operation on Sunday was a coordinated attack on four airports in
Russia reaching as deep as Siberia. It neutralized41 “strategic aircraft” and was a
brilliant technical performance. Over more than 18 months, hundreds of drones were
smuggled deep into Russia. They were loaded onto civilian trucks with
double-bottomed trailers, where they were concealed inside mobile boxes. The tops
of those boxes—remotely controlled by operators in Ukraine but connected to the
Russian telephone network—opened at the appointed time, allowing the drones to
take off.
All 41 targets were carefully studied for months by Ukrainian intelligence,
and they exploded simultaneously without civilian casualties. This is the Ukrainian
equivalent of the September 2024 pager attack in which Israel annihilated nearly all
of Hezbollah’s active forces. It is one of those operations of crazy audacity and
unparalleled ingenuity that make military history. It will be taught for ages in war
schools. This achievement was a slap in the face to Russia—and not the first.
At the beginning of the war, there was the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of its fleet,
sunk off Odesa by two Ukrainian-made missiles. Then, the double strike on the
Kerch Bridge, Vladimir Putin’s pride, the jewel of his cardboard crown and a
symbol of the continuity he believed he was establishing between Crimea and Russia.
Last year, half of Mr. Putin’s fleet in the Black Sea was destroyed. The other half
retreated pitifully to Novorossiysk or the Sea of Azov. Also in2024, Ukraine staged
an offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.
Sigmund Freud spoke of the three humiliations on Western man—inflicted by
Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud himself. If Volodymyr Zelensky had the heart to laugh,
he could speak of the five humiliations he has inflicted on that enemy of the
West: Russia. Mr. Putin and his people stand exposed as braggarts, paper tigers.
Ukraineis David to the Goliath of Russia, nearly 30 times its size.
Sunday’s operation is further proof that theUkrainian army, through sacrifice and
adversity, has forged itself into the boldest, brightest, and best in Europe. I witnessed
its evolution as I prepared my documentaries on the war. I filmed its geeks tinkering,
hidden in forest huts, their first makeshift drones. For another film, the drone
battalions of Lymanand Kupiansk closed the sky in place of their overly timid allies.
This winter, in Pokrovskand Sumy, high-tech command rooms where battles were
fought at a distance.
I even heard—at the time without fully understanding—Mr. Zelensky announcing
that his engineers were developing a new generation of drones capable of striking
Russia up to the Arctic. Today, all the cards are turned. Mr. Putin terrorized the world
with his nuclear blackmail. There was an army capable of calling his bluff—and it did.
“Just say thank you,” Vice President JDVance lectured President Zelensky during
their February altercation in the Oval Office. All of us should thank Ukraine, a small
nation that has grounded a third of the bombers that promised apocalypse toWarsaw,
Berlin, or Paris.
This weekend’s drone operation is a further step on the path to victory. I don’t
know what form that victory will take, or whether it will be the front, the rear, or its
regime that will give in first in Russia. But the balance of power is increasingly clear.
On one side, a ridiculed general staff, an ultimate weapon that is greatly diminished
and discredited, troops so demoralized that they fight only with the support of
North Korean, Chinese, Ghanaian, Bangladeshi, and Iranian mercenaries. On the other
side, a patriotic citizen army, motivated and knowing why it combats—an army that has
proved its mastery of the most advanced military technologies, its excellence not only
in trench warfare but also in the new remote and ghost warfare. Ukraine will defeat
Russia on the battlefield or impose the terms of a just peace. Either way it will win
the war.
"Pathogenic Fungus Sneaked into US" by Global Recap
University of Michigan, get it?
"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
***** ***** ***** 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
In case you don't understand hardball politics.
"Ex-GOP Candidate Who Plotted Hit on Rep. Luna Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison!"
by Matt Gaetz (One America News Network)
In case you don't understand what a scum bag LBJ was.
"Black Culture Keeps Blacks Down, This is Why | Thomas Sowell"
"More On The XM7 Testing" by Docent
Check out the poem.
"Thomas Sowell EXPOSES How Obama Scammed An Entire Nation ||
Thomas Sowell Reacts"
Lowering taxes increases revenue for the government. So why do Democrats want
to raise taxes? Social justice. They don't care about increasing government revenue.
They care about getting people angry at the "rich", so that the people will vote for
Democrats.
Politicians only care about getting elected and getting reelected. Any third
consideration is rarely considered.
"Madness in Mexico and New Border Numbers" by Bill O'Reilly
It's good to know who your enemies are. Mexican President
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is an enemy. She has chosen to side
with the drug cartels against the United States. Because the
Sinoloa Cartel bought her. They ran her for President and won.
"The Real Villain Is The Bureaucracy" by Docent
Excerpt:
". . . I watched the casual cruelty and thoughtlessness--and by that, I mean the
literal lack of thought or reason--exhibited by most of the police officers in the
video below. It makes you realize what is truly captured in the phrase
"the banality of evil". It also makes you wonder about an officer that seeks,
and the magistrate that issues, a felony arrest warrant based on no investigation."
---
I bet you're thinking, "No police officer or judge could be that stupid. This must
be a fake, just an internet prank." Time to slap the back of your head and return to
the real world.
In case you don't understand the lame stream media.
In case you didn't understand the Biden administration.
In case you trust the government.
Some games are more difficult than others.
Some immigrants don't understand the word "assimilate".
In case you don't understand communism and socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/X_qFLNtFjo8
In case you haven't yet come to the conclusion that Merrick Brian Garland
is a total scum bag.
In case you don't understand the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Democrats in the past advocating Trump policies.
For those who forgot or never learned their history.
In case you think the U.S. Secret Service is competent. Or, ever has been.
Remember the Clint Eastwood movie "In the Line of Fire"? It was a
propaganda piece, because the Secret Service is at the bottom of the totem
pole of federal law enforcement organizations. Lowest pay, worst training,
least prestige, etc. Similarly for "The Bodyguard" with Kevin Costner.
Hollywood is propaganda, just like the lame stream media.
Well this would have saved me a lot of time in art history class.
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
-- Mary Flannery O'Connor
Psychology
"An ideal marriage: why certain relationships go the distance" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Relationships are not formed around generalities. They are formed around specifics.
So there are exceptions to the general rules.
Play games!
"Most people are DELUSIONAL: the psychosis of everyday life" Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Inhere = to be inherent or innate.
Ineffable = incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible.
Isomorphic = Inherently the same as, neglecting all the superficial stuff.
---
"The ubiquity of the [normal distribution] is not a property of the world,
but a problem in our minds, stemming from the way we look at it."
-- economist Nassim Nicholas Taleb, "The Black Swan"
---
Henri Poincaré received a letter from French physicist Gabriel Lippmann saying,
"Everybody believes in the [normal distribution] : the experimenters because they
think it can be proved by mathematics; and the mathematicians because they believe
it has been established by observation."
"In science, as in so many other spheres, we often choose to see what serves
our interests." -- Alex Bellos
---
"Because we tend to reward others when they do well and punish them when
they do badly, and because there is regression to the mean, it is part of the human
condition that we are statistically punished for rewarding others and rewarded for
punishing them." -- Daniel Kahneman, 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics
---
Prof. Adolf Mader, a group theorist, told me that there are group theorists who
assume the existence of certain groups and proceed accordingly, while others deny
the existence of those groups and proceed accordingly.
Mathematicians can accept or deny the Axiom of Choice, the Continuum
Hypothesis, etc. For many centuries almost all mathematicians accepted the
Parallel Postulate (only one line parallel to a given line through a given point in 2 dimensions).
But, until you deny the Parallel Postulate, you can't get to elliptical (no parallel lines)
or hyperbolic (infinitely many parallel lines) geometry.
The surface of the Earth (a sphere) is a model of elliptical geometry. Hyperbolic
geometry is a bit more difficult to visualize. The example of a horse's saddle is
often used by professors, but it is only locally correct. You cannot extend such a
shape to infinity. In fact, you can't describe the hyperbolic surface with a formula,
as German mathematician David Hilbert proved in 1901. So computers cannot
generate images of hyperbolic surfaces. Though there are many models of hyperbolic
geometry. I did a non-Euclidean geometry course with Prof. Mader in which we
drew models of hyperbolic geometry.
"The disposable man: all lives are not worth the same" by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
---
The reason you don't put women in the military, or at least not in combat roles,
is because women control the population, because only women make babies.
(Ya, I know the woke deny this truth, but they are all crazy.) Getting your women
killed, decreases your population. So, YES, men sacrifice themselves to protect
their women. That is part and parcel of being an honorable man.
"Life without honor (not the same as a life with dishonor) is preferable to death
with honor." Really? Yes, we have sworn "Death Before Dishonor". But that is a
far cry from the guy who cruises through life as an honest citizen doing nothing
heroic. But, it's possible I don't understand what Orion is saying.
Email from Orion Taraban, Psy.D. --
"The importance of energy matching."
Wednesday, May 28th, 2025
Have you ever noticed that umpires adapt the energy of their calls to the impact
of the play? Though I must have seen this happen thousands of times, it took years
for me to recognize this on a conscious level. A run-of-the-mill ground out gets a
half-hearted fist, almost as an afterthought, while a slide at home that barely misses
the tag produces a vigorous and enthusiastic gesticulation. Is this how umpires are
explicitly trained or is a kind of acculturation to the profession that occurs naturally?
What is interesting to me is that – while this emotional adaptation sounds
perfectly reasonable – there is rationally no basis for this change in the umpires'
behavior. After all: an out is an out is an out. That said, a mismatch here would
feel awkward at best – and completely inappropriate at worst. It would feel
“wrong” even though it was technically “not incorrect.” Many things in life are
like this.
I think this is a great example of how important “energy matching” is to effective
communication. When we over-deliver, our presence can be jangling and off-putting.
On the other hand, when we under-deliver, our exchanges can feel deflating and
disrespectful – even if (and this is the important part) there is nothing technically
objectionable about what we say. It requires awareness and flexibility to energy
match, and this demands an effort that many are eager to dispense with. However,
conflict and miscommunication also demand an effort to resolve. As with so many
things in life, an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure.
This week's behavioral experiment:
Consider a part of your life that is outside of your domain of control.
What does your resistance to acceptance provide you?
Warmly,
Orion
"How to Ruin Your 60s in 220 Seconds" by Streamline Financial
Hat tip to Sid Ontai.
Nah, that's just a conspiracy theory.
"History teaches us that history teaches us nothing." -- James Bachmann
"Update!" by John Farnam
Israel, our staunch ally, is under attack by enemies changing the minds
of weak minded granddaughters of supporters. Such is the attack from within.
Do you understand?
A possible reason as to why God commands us never to take a census.
Exactly the same reason the ATF maintaining a database of gun owners is illegal.
“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
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
In case you don't understand why Nicolas Cage is pictured,
remember the movie "Lord of War".
I have that movie on DVD and watch it often
to remind me of what is real and what is fantasy.
It's only funny because it's true.
